Foreign vloggers pose for photos at the Pingyao Ancient City in Jinzhong, Shanxi province. The visit was part of the Discovering Shanxi's Ancient Chinese Architecture — Overseas Media and Students Tour, organized by China Daily and Shanxi Daily. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]​

For friends who've never set foot in China, if your idea of the country still stops at postcard scenes of the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, or perhaps the neon-lit skyline of Shanghai, it's time for an update. These images once defined China's major tourism attractions, but as the country opens wider to the world and as social media and user-generated content reshape how stories are shared, China travel delivers more, and is delivered by more.

Scroll through TikTok or YouTube, and a new China travel image emerges: hundreds of drones choreographing shimmering stories across the night sky, travelers eagerly unboxing Pop Mart blind boxes to discover their next collectible surprise, or food lovers queuing for soup dumplings that disappear in one bite. It's a place not only to be seen but also to be photographed, gamified, and tasted.

Big-name travel vloggers have fueled this rediscovery. IShowSpeed's China trip went viral as he tested drone-delivered takeout in Shenzhen and tried to dance and flip with smart robots, calling the experience "like living in the future." Meanwhile, the Hutchinsons, a British couple exploring Xinjiang, documented heartwarming moments with Uyghur hosts, camel rides through desert dunes, and spontaneous dancing in night markets — turning stereotypes into smiles. Their personality-driven adventures make a distant country feel suddenly familiar.

The experiences they rave about are just a prelude to China travel, and this country has much more to offer. Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, which inspired the film Avatar, features the world's tallest outdoor sightseeing elevator rising through misty quartz-sandstone peaks. Xi'an in Shaanxi, home to the Terracotta Army and the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, connects travelers with millennia of history. Chengdu, the laid-back capital of Sichuan province, invites visitors to see giant pandas, sip tea in traditional teahouses, and try their hand at mahjong. In Puning, Guangdong province, the spectacular Yingge Dance, a centuries-old folk martial dance, now draws crowds not only locally but also on stages in London and Paris, where the performance has gone viral as a vibrant symbol of Chinese culture.

The message is clear: China today is convenient and irresistibly dynamic. High-speed trains, lightning-fast mobile payments, and deep-rooted traditions coexist in harmony. After watching just ten minutes of these vlogs, most viewers feel two instincts: book a ticket, and pack loose pants.

责编：黄思婷

一审：黄思婷

二审：王柯沣

三审：秦慧英

来源：中国日报网