Originally Posted by
travelinmanS
If you speak near-fluent Mandarin presumably you've been in China long enough to know that arguing with the security people is a pointless exercise. You also should know that all rules are subject to "interpretation" in China by whatever official you happen to be dealing with. I don't know what the rules are for scissors in China since I don't carry them with me, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are completely banned and they just weren't noticed on your previous trips.
Yeah, I don't think China permits blades on planes, period.
I have carried a small round-tip scissor through PVG once and it wasn't noticed--but it was in my laptop bag where it could easily be lost in the clutter. I deliberately bought a cheap pair for the trip as I knew I might lose them to security. (I wanted them on the plane to open some tough food packages.)