New frontier of youth travel

Young Chinese travelers are redefining adventure by moving beyond traditional tourism to seek unique experiences.

Under the night sky, a group of young people gathered, singing and dancing to rock music. While this might sound like a scene from a music festival, it was Zhang Chongling's experience at the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, at an altitude of 5,200 meters.

The base camp, according to Zhang, is open from March to October each year and offers a relatively accessible way to admire the majesty of the world's highest peak.

In October 2023, Zhang and her friends took an eco-friendly bus up the mountain and arrived just before the camp closed for the season. Around 9 pm, while resting in her tent, Zhang heard music and realized a celebration was underway.

Layering up in warm clothes, she stepped outside and found a group of young people spontaneously gathering in the base camp's square under the starry sky. They waved Chinese national flags and danced energetically to rock music, even though some of them had to breathe from oxygen tanks.

"People there ranged from their teens to their 40s," Zhang recalled. "Everyone was warm and welcoming, and no one asked about your personal life — you could just be yourself."

The accommodations at the base camp were basic, consisting of large tents with poor sound insulation. After the celebration, Zhang suffered from altitude sickness and had to rent a medical oxygen tank locally.

Despite this, as she watched the vibrant young people beneath the clearly visible Milky Way, the 27-year-old reflected, "I'll never be younger than I was at that moment."

Lesser-known gems

Like Zhang, many young people are moving away from traditional tourist spots and crowded destinations to explore lesser-known locations and unique experiences.

Recently, county towns, often described as the "capillaries" of China's geography, have become increasingly popular among these adventurous travelers.

Data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism reveals that the coverage of national A-level tourist attractions in counties has risen from 73 percent in 2012 to 93 percent in 2023.

Additionally, the Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu now features over 480,000 posts discussing "county travel".

One such content creator is Wang Yanling, 34, who travels with her husband, Wang Yanfei, and their dog, Taozi.

In 2022, Wang Yanling began documenting their adventures on social media, and by 2023, she noticed that many of her favorite "hidden gems" were small counties. This realization inspired her to launch a project on Xiaohongshu called "Explore 100 Hidden County Towns".

Wang Yanling recalls their first county visit to Wuyi in East China's Zhejiang province, discovered by chance during a drive.

This unexpected journey brought her great joy, especially when she found a remote, mountainside ancient village in this lesser-known town, a place previously documented by Chinese architect and architectural historian Liang Sicheng (1901-1972) in A History of Chinese Architecture.

"It was raining when we arrived, and the entire village seemed like a traditional Chinese ink painting," she said.

Based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Wang Yanling and her husband have extended their travels from nearby regions like Jiangsu and Anhui to other parts of China, including Shanxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Shandong provinces.

Due to limited public transportation in some towns and their need to travel with a pet, the couple usually drives themselves.

They have found that many county towns are very welcoming to pets. "That made me realize that 'pet friendliness' is more of a big city concept. In smaller towns, people and animals coexist more naturally without strict boundaries," said Wang Yanling.

As their travels expanded, they discovered that each town had its own distinct charm. Some are known for their breathtaking landscapes, others for exceptional cuisine, and some for their cultural and historical significance.

"Even within the same city, each county has a unique vibe," said Wang Yanfei. "To me, travel is about experiencing different cultures and seeing new landscapes. Your worldview is shaped by what you've seen in the world."