Viral scenic valley in China, not Japan, operators of tourist attraction clarify

A scenic valley in eastern China has responded after a viral TikTok clip showing its mist-filled cliffs was mislabelled by overseas users as landscape footage from Japan. The operators of Wangxian Valley, a tourist attraction in Shangrao, Jiangxi province, confirmed that the video was filmed there.

Xiong Hui, co-founder and vice-president of Jiuniu Cultural and Tourism Co, which runs the site, said the attention came as a surprise.

"We noticed the video attracting significant interest on overseas social media on Wednesday morning," she told China Daily on Thursday.

"Wangxian Valley is indeed located in Shangrao, Jiangxi. Its deep gorges and shifting mist make the landscape instantly recognisable. We're glad viewers enjoyed the footage," she said, adding that the site welcomes international visitors.

"We hope friends from around the world can come and see the real beauty of Jiangxi's mountains and rivers."

Wangxian Valley, once a defunct mining zone, has since been redeveloped into a cultural resort town combining natural scenery, folk traditions, and performance activities.

According to official data, the scenic area received 3.1 million visits in 2024, including more than 150,000 from overseas, underscoring its growing international appeal.

The misidentification had earlier prompted the spokeswoman for the Chinese embassy in India to clarify on X on Dec 8, noting that the clip did not show scenes from Tokyo or Hokkaido of Japan, and inviting users to "come and see the real China".

"Chinese landscapes are being mislabeled as '#Tokyo' and '#Hokkaido' in this viral video that's already hit 1.3M likes," the embassy spokesperson wrote.

"In reality, this is Wangxian Valley in Jiangxi province, China."