Driven by a combination of factors, including eased visa policies, upgraded travel services and diverse tourism initiatives, China travel (中國游, Zhōngguó yóu) is gaining traction among international tourists, influencers and vloggers. These visitors are eager to explore the "real China" and share their experiences online, fueling even deeper interest in the country. 

Tourists from Spain take a selfie at Yuyuan Garden Mall in Shanghai, July 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Content tagged #ChinaTravel on international social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Xiaohongshu has garnered billions of views, cementing the country as a top global travel trend. 

To date, China has signed mutual visa exemption agreements with 158 countries, covering different passport types. According to the National Immigration Administration, the country has now established comprehensive mutual visa exemption arrangements for ordinary passport holders with 29 countries, and grants unilateral visa-free entry to nationals of 48 countries, spanning Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. The number of entry ports under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy has risen to 65, greatly facilitating spur-of-the-moment visits. 

Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that in the first three quarters of this year, foreign nationals made almost 21 million visa-free visits to China, an increase of over 50% year on year.

More foreigners now prioritize authentic cultural experiences rather than traditional sightseeing, which includes sampling local food, engaging in traditional crafts, exploring local life and learning Chinese. As they share their personal stories via social media videos, they promote cultural exchange between East and West, sparking greater interest in "China Travel 2.0" (中國游2.0版本).

Take the viral "city不(bù) city" ("city or not city") travel meme as an example. This buzzword was coined by Shanghai-based American content creator Paul Mike Ashton, who is known online as Bao Bao Xiong. Ashton would ask his younger sister the question "city不(bù) city啊(a)?" in his vlogs made during their travels around China. The mix of languages, although a little unnatural and unidiomatic, took Chinese social media by storm in 2024 due to the duo's rhythmic and playful tone. 

In the initial vlog at the Great Wall, Ashton asks his sister in Chinese: "長城美不美? (Is the Great Wall beautiful?)"

She answers: "美! (Beautiful!)"

He continues: "長城city不city? (Is the Great Wall 'city' or not?)"

She responds: "不city啊。(Not 'city,' ah.)"

He says: "大自然里不city啊! (Not 'city' in nature, ah!)"

Together: "毫無city啊! (Not remotely 'city,' ah!)"

A screenshot of a vlog by Paul Mike Ashton on Douyin. @保保熊via Douyin

The phrase cleverly uses the Chinese question structure: "A不A" (A or not A? / Is it A?), replacing the Chinese character "A" with the English word "city," like in "好不好?" (Is it good?). In this context, "city" is used as a slang adjective to describe anything that evokes a feeling or the atmosphere of a big city. Its meaning later evolved to describe a range of positive, high-energy and modern attributes. As such, the translation depends on the specific context one wants to stress, as it can mean trendy, fashionable, modern, fun, interesting, cool or exciting.

This travel meme, which showcases inclusion, appreciation and vibrant fusion of different languages and cultures, has sparked widespread discussion and multiple imitations on social media. For these people, China travel is "city," and so is high-speed rail, a new outfit or even a cool restaurant. 

Amid the surge in foreign content creators documenting China, Darren Jason Watkins Jr, a popular American streamer better known as IShowSpeed, or among his Chinese fans as Jiakang Ge (甲亢哥), captured massive global attention this spring when he toured China. His livestreamed episodes in eight Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen offered an unfiltered glimpse of a vibrant China, with each drawing over 8 million views on YouTube. His enthusiasm and interactions with friendly locals impressed many online, while he even tried to learn to speak Chinese and sing Chinese songs. He learned some basic expressions like "哥們好" (gēmen hǎo, Hey buddy!) and "謝謝你" (xièxie nǐ, Thank you), as well as some more complicated phrases like "來了就是深圳人" (láile jiùshì Shēnzhèn rén), which can be translated as "You're a Shenzhener once you come to Shenzhen." The latter is a slogan of Shenzhen, showcasing the city's inclusivity and openness to new arrivals, no matter where they are from.

IShowSpeed was followed by Khaby Lame, an Italian-Senegalese influencer and the most-followed content creator on TikTok. Lame, dubbed "Speechless Brother" (無語哥, Wúyǔ gē) by Chinese netizens, is known for his silent reactions to overcomplicated "life hacks." The total views of his live broadcasts on Kuaishou in the three cities of Tianjin, Chongqing and Guangzhou have surpassed 100 million. Meanwhile, YouTube superstar Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, is reported to soon be launching a China tour.

Through their lenses, we see an authentic and refreshing portrayal of China, both old and new, traditional and modern — street snacks, local operas, Hanfu culture, square dancing, high-speed trains, high-tech products, convenient mobile payments, and more. 

Amid the China Travel 2.0 wave, "travel to China after work on Friday" (周五下班去中國, zhōuwǔ xiàbān qù zhōngguó) has also been trending on South Korean social media, with cities including Shanghai, Qingdao and Beijing remaining top weekend destinations for travelers from South Korea.

Apart from visa relaxations, China has introduced policies to streamline consumption and tax-refund processes. The nationwide implementation of instant tax-refund services in April has improved efficiency by over 40%, enhancing tourists' shopping experience and injecting new momentum into inbound tourism. According to the latest data from the State Taxation Administration, as of the end of November, there were 12,252 departure tax-refund shops nationwide, with more than 7,000 offering instant refund upon purchase. In the first 11 months of 2025, the number of overseas tourists claiming departure tax refunds soared by 285% year on year, while the total tax refund amount spiked by 98.8%. 

China has also strived to eliminate payment barriers for inbound tourists. Major mobile payment platforms, including Alipay and WeChat Pay, now can be directly linked with international credit cards. Multilingual support, AI translation tools and multilingual navigation apps are becoming increasingly available at major transport hubs, hotels and tourist attractions.

Additionally, China has launched a range of unique cultural, sports and tourism initiatives, such as a "Happy Chinese New Year" (歡樂春節, huānlè chūnjié) campaign, "China Travel with Chinese Films" (跟著電影去旅游, gēnzhe diànyǐng qù lǚyóu) and "Jiangsu Football City League" (蘇超, sū chāo), further stimulating the enthusiasm of both Chinese and overseas tourists to travel and sightsee across the country.

"蘇超," commonly known by its transliteration "Suchao," refers to the grassroot tournament Jiangsu Football City League. The term, recently listed as one of China's top 10 buzzwords of 2025 by language and literature journal Yaowen Jiaozi, is a new amateur event established by Jiangsu province this summer, with teams from all 13 prefecture-level cities battling it out for the championship title. The players are local residents from all walks of life. The league, which links sport with culture, tradition, tourism and consumption, became a national phenomenon. As of Nov. 1 when the league concluded, games had attracted a total of 2.4 million spectators, averaging 28,600 per match, while livestreams accumulated 2.2 billion views. The league even drew an increasing number of foreign soccer fans and travelers to the stadiums to cheer on their favorite teams. 

Prior to the Jiangsu Football City League, Guizhou's Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture had launched the Village Super League soccer tournament (村超, cūnchāo), Village Fashion Shows (村T) and Village Basketball Association tournament (村BA). These events have gone viral and attracted significant interest among international viewers and tourists. 

With its trendy "city" appeal, China is warmly welcoming more friends from around the world to come explore the country.