China becomes destination favored by int’l tourists

Recently, a short video on Chinese social media went viral with the phrase “city不city,” a catchy blend of Chinese and English, which quickly became a popular meme online. Nowadays, many foreigners travel to China and give China great praises.

As of now, China’s 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy has been extended to 54 countries. Among them, three cities—Changsha, Harbin, and Guilin offer 72-hour visa-free transit, while other 20 major Chinese cities provide 144-hour visa-free transit.

International tourists typically enter China through major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. However, many prefer a spontaneous approach, often not planning their trip in advance, withdrawing cash as needed, and checking routes on the go.

Moreover, upon arrival, they find that the use of cash in China has significantly decreased compared to other countries, and online app payments and hailing rides are extremely convenient.

In March of this year, the People’s Bank of China published the Payment Guide for Foreign Visitors to China, which uses illustrated instructions to introduce five types of payment services and their usage processes, including mobile payments, bank cards, and cash.

International visitors can download payment tools like Alipay and WeChat to link their international bank cards, and more than 30 electronic wallets are available for use within China.
Today, people seem accustomed to the sight that Chinese tourist attractions filled with nternational tourists, and videos tagged with “China Travel” are becoming the new trend on international platforms.

Many of these videos, without professional backstage teams or flashy transitions, simply and authentically showcasing real scenes of China, also received countless likes.

Some foreign tourists, after staying in China for the full 144 hours, find it not enough and choose to travel to nearby countries for a short while before re-entering China to start a new 144-hour period.

Source: China News Network；trans-editing by Wang Yunya