Foreign bloggers help show China's reality to world

Foreign bloggers are actively challenging the disinformation and negative portrayal of China often seen in Western media. By sharing their traveling experiences in China, they are turning travel in China into a social media phenomenon.

Experts believe this "China travel bandwagon" will help enhance the nation's global image and boost its inbound tourism in the near future.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Public Security showed that in the first seven months of this year, foreigners made over 5.72 million tourist visits to the Chinese mainland, surging by 403 percent year-on-year. Another 3.8 million visits by foreigners were for business and 1.72 million visits were for family reunions, with these two numbers rising by 81.5 percent and 107.4 percent respectively.

The China Tourism Academy estimated that the number of foreign travelers this year will reach 80 percent of the level in 2019 — before the pandemic hit.

However, the academy noted that challenges still exist in the process of attracting foreign travelers due to global uncertainties like the world's economic slowdown and political friction, as well as some domestic tourism problems such as overcrowded tourist spots and insufficient tourism services.

Among the prominent foreign bloggers promoting China is the YouTube duo Shevelle and Devan, who boast 503,000 subscribers. They are currently on their second trip to the Chinese mainland starting in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province. "We had such an incredible experience the first time, that we had to come back," Devan said in video posted on Aug 14.

They made their first trip to the mainland, starting from Shanghai and then to Beijing and Chongqing in southwestern China. In a video posted on June 13, Shevelle shared their awe-inspiring first impressions of Shanghai, noting the friendliness and warmth of the locals.

These YouTubers, along with others, are sharing their experiences under titles like "China is not what I expected", "The world was wrong about China" or "The media doesn't want you to see this in China" to explain the great difference between their stereotypical view of China and their real feelings in the country.

This positive feedback coincides with China's expansion of its 144-hour visa-free transit policy earlier this year. The policy, first launched in 2013, allows foreign travelers to stay for six days in certain domestic cities without a visa. Under the policy, foreigners from 54 eligible countries including Austria, Belgium and Canada, can enter and exit at 37 Chinese ports such as Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha visa-free.

In May, China prolonged the validity of the visa-free policy for 12 countries including France, Germany and the Netherlands, with citizens holding ordinary passports of these countries allowed to stay in the mainland for up to 15 days for the purposes of business trips, tourism, family reunions and transit. The policy will expire on Dec 31, 2025.

Travel agencies are also reporting positive trends. Travel portal Trip.com Group said inbound tourism bookings from foreign countries, as well as from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, increased by 166 percent year-on-year in the first seven months. Most of the international travelers are from South Korea, Singapore, the United States, Japan and Malaysia, and there has also been a big increase in travelers from Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

"Many of the foreign travelers I've received are from Eastern European countries like Poland, who show a very great interest in Chinese culture and economic development. For example, they usually feel excited about taking the high-speed railway and taking pictures of LED screens showing the train's real-time speed," said Zhang Yang, a senior foreign-language-speaking tour guide from CYTS International Travel Co in Beijing, who speaks English and Polish.

The 50-year-old said he once received a Polish customer around 2014 or 2015, who was a journalist at a Polish magazine and took many pictures during his trip in China. "He wrote a book mentioning his trip in China and the time he spent with me. Then many of the Polish customers I received afterward said they knew me through that book. Their goodwill and appreciation of me and China touched me," he said.

"Many foreign travelers now like to share their experiences and pictures on social media platforms, which I think will better promote China's image," he said.