Forget selfies at the Great Wall. For today's foreign tourists in China, the most coveted snapshot is a mental one: the startling moment during a guided tour in Shanghai when, at their guide's prompting, they count the electric vehicles passing a busy intersection.
"In that single minute at a Shanghai crossroads, nearly half the cars were new energy vehicles," said Liu Sen, co-founder of the Eastbound and Beyond tour agency, which specializes in immersive experiences.
The visceral impact is profound. For the first time, they see with their own eyes that China's green and smart transition isn't just a slogan — it's already woven into the fabric of daily life, Liu said.
This shift from passive sightseeing to active, sometimes startling participation defines a new wave of travel to China. Foreign visitors are no longer content to merely see, they want to feel the rhythm of contemporary Chinese life and take that authentic experience home with them.
The itinerary for this new traveler looks decidedly local. It might involve joining seniors for a sunrise Tai Chi session in a public park, or visiting a community health center housed in a beautifully restored historical building to hear stories of urban governance.
For Anna Jonsdotter, a 26-year-old visitor from Sweden, it was a cooking class in Tianjin that crystallized the appeal.
"We're bringing back a pair of Chinese chopsticks as a gift for family," she said. "In the West, we use knives and forks, but chopsticks carry a unique culinary wisdom. It's a piece of the lifestyle we can literally take home."
This desire to physically take a piece of the experience home extends beyond trinkets to encompass a deeper emotional resonance and cultural affinity.
Beside the winding Nine-Bend Bridge in Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden, a group of Japanese tourists in flowing hanfu, traditional Chinese attire, draw as many eyes as the historic scenery itself.
"We specifically rushed here from the airport during our eight-hour layover just to take photos in hanfu," said Shimamura Miho, adding that wearing hanfu is very trendy on Japanese social platforms.
Analysts observe that this evolution in travel patterns reflects a deeper change in perception. The foreign tourist's proverbial shopping cart is now loaded with more than silk scarves or tea.
"It is increasingly filled with recognition," said Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy. "What visitors are seeking and taking home is an appreciation for China's innovation, its living culture, and its contemporary way of life. The journey is moving from symbolic viewing to a form of experiential integration."
The walled city of Pingyao in Shanxi province, for instance, now offers hands-on workshops in traditional lacquerware and block printing, allowing visitors to create their own artifacts under master craftsmen.
As China continues to refine its tourism infrastructure — with expanded visa-free policies, improved payment systems for international visitors, and smarter digital services — the stage is set for this experiential trend to deepen, Dai said.
