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5 Travel Hot Spots in Western China

By: Author Brooke Schoenman

Posted on Last updated: March 9, 2020

The beautiful Xinjiang region in the west of China (photo: taoming)

Western China, namely the Xinjiang region, is quite far off many travelers' radars.

Being on the farthest western area of the country, the region is often bypassed in favor of exploring the dense east coast.

However, if you are looking to experience a truly “different China” and explore some of the more foreign and lesser-known cultures — make sure you spend some time visiting the amazing Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Unknown to many Western travelers, China is home to over 50 ethnic groups. Western China, being so close to many other countries, draws in people from Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan , Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even India.

This region, about a sixth of the size of China, is home to some of the most authentic towns and interesting places to see the cultural diversity and historic spots along the ancient Silk Road trading route.

But, given its expansive size, the following list of destinations in the region should help a would-be traveler make better plans:

Kashgar Sunday markets (photo: super_lapin)

Table of Contents

4. Karakul Lake

The people are amicable in Xinjiang, despite a fairly significant language barrier.

English is not that common in towns like Kashgar, besides a small handful of operators in the hospitality industry, some shopkeepers, and, of course, expats.

From the number of young children looking and saying “hello” to the strange foreigners (us) on the street, it seems likely that there may be a little more English spoken in the years to come.

Unlike most of China, Mandarin is barely spoken in Kashgar and some of the smaller towns.

The Han Chinese population is tiny in Kashgar, so even if you speak Mandarin, it is probably best to learn a few Uyghur phrases.

Outside the Emin Minaret, Turpan (photo: dperstin)

Turpan is an ancient city, which was one of the most significant stops along the Silk Road.

The town now thrives on tourism, with several key attractions located in or near the town.

Jiaohe is an ancient city, whose ruins have been preserved a short distance outside of town.

There are also some caves, the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, which are located about 45 kilometers to the east, and more than 40 of them contain murals.

This area is known for grapes, especially those turned to raisins, and it is possible to reach a place called Grape Gully just a short 10 kilometers from the city.

Urumqi – the big city in the west. (photo: giladr)

Urumqi is the largest city and capital of Xinjiang – with a population of around 2.7 million people and a lot more signs of Western and Chinese development than other areas in Western China.

Urumqi is the most easily accessible entry point for most tourists looking to experience Western China.

Most towns in the Uyghur Autonomous Region are accessed by smaller planes, trains, or buses that go through Urumqi.

While it is a large city, it is still unique in the blend of people and cultures.

After visiting Kashgar, it is easy to spot street food vendors making flatbreads, grilling kebabs, and meeting a taxi driver who speaks Uyghur instead of Mandarin.

In Urumqi, there are many sights to see, such as the Xinjiang Geological and Mineral Museum – which has an extensive collection of interesting rock and crystal formations, particularly those with modern significance as geology is key to the region's economy.

When we went, the museum had free entry, although unfortunately a lot of the information was not available in English.

The Karakoram Highway near Karakul Lake (photo: dperstin)

The Karakul lake is famous for being surrounded by snow-capped mountains and is sometimes called the “black lake” or “mountain lake” by locals – at least when they tried conversing with us in English.

The area is renowned for its natural beauty and can be experienced with more than just a day trip if you arrange to either camp or stay in the small town nearby.

You are also likely to see the traditional yurts or gers in close proximity to the lake, which local people still use today.

The Bazaar in Hotan (photo: dperstin)

Also commonly known as “Khotan”, Hotan is a famous town situated right next to the Taklamakan Desert.

The people of Hotan are primarily Uyghur and adapted to the harsh climate of extreme heat in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter.

It is well-known for the mummies which have been discovered there, including some which are now displayed in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum in Urumqi (great free museum by the way).

While in Khotan, you can see some of the sites, the Sunday markets and the Hotan Cultural Museum, which is a bit smaller, but also has a couple of mummified bodies and relics from centuries ago.

Brooke lives a thrifty lifestyle so that she can travel the world at every possible opportunity. Find more of her writing on her website: Her Packing List . Or follow her on Twitter .

Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:

• G Adventures for small group tours.
• Hostelworld for booking hostels.

Sunday 15th of July 2012

Wow, the first image looks a lot like the wilderness in parts of the US

Sunday 1st of July 2012

Hey Brooke, great shot of the markets! A friend of mine raves about the Xinjiang region so when I make it to China I'll definitely visit.

Daniel McBane

Tuesday 26th of June 2012

Thank you for highlighting this area. I've been to Xinjiang twice and absolutely love it. It's my favorite region of China, in large part due to the food. Spending a night in a yurt at Karakul Lake was one of the highlights of my time in China. The only city I didn't like at all was Turpan. It's the top destination in Xinjiang for Chinese tourists and as such has almost no facilities for budget travel.

Monday 25th of June 2012

Great suggestions for travel out here in Xinjiang...I definitely second all the choices here.

Among some others that I would also add to your list, a little more "off the beaten path": 1. Tuyoq: a small village about 45 minutes outside of Turpan 2. Yili & Salimu Lake: on the western tip of northern Xinjiang, filled with beautiful grasslands 3. Kanas Nature Preserve: a beautiful lake that is well-known for it's mysterious "loch ness" creature.

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The Best Places to Visit in Western China

Unique experiences await you in western China, a region straddling the crossroads between East and West, unrecognizable to what most of the world considers “China”.

Epic, untamed landscapes roll out across these western destinations, comprising lush green prairies, unforgiving deserts and desolate Himalayan plateaus meeting huge, unforgettably blue skies. This is a place for the curious, the world-wanderers and the wild traveler with a burning sense of wanderlust. 

Read on to discover the best places to visit in western China.

RELATED READING: 4 Cities in China with Stunning Islamic Architecture

Best Places to Visit in Western China – Kashgar

Kashgar in Xinjiang holds an unmistakably Central Asian flair, so much so that it was used as a stand-in for Kabul during the filming of the movie “The Kite Runner.”

You can amble through the fast-disappearing Old Town, a maze of tight alleyways, chancing upon Uighur workshops and 500-year-old mud brick dwellings; or visit the riotous Sunday Market, which sees hordes of traders descend upon the town to trade livestock. With the help of your WildChina guide, you can barter for Kashgari dishes like the large “naan” flatbread and rare trinkets.

RELATED READING:  Why You’ll Never Get Bored of Xinjiang

Worth visiting are Abakh Khoja Mausoleum and the Id Kah Mosque, some of the most exquisitely decorated Islamic shrines in all of China. A few hours outside the city, you can find Karakul Lake, which offers breath-taking reflections of sky and mountains, all in the lap of beautifully desolate scenery. If you’d like, WildChina can organize a private picnic for you at the lake where you can soak in the sunshine.

Setting out into China’s modern-day Wild West has never been easier thanks to our  Marco Polo Silk Road journey.

RELATED READING:  China’s Secret Foodie Destination

Best Places to Visit in Western China – Qinghai

Once a part of the ancient Tibetan kingdom, Qinghai Province offers many of the wonders of the roof of the world – without all the restrictions.

Xining is the diverse provincial capital, where the Islamic call to prayer echoes through streets brightened by the orange-robes of Buddhist monks, and tantalizing market bazaars come alive after sundown.

RELATED READING:  5 Reasons You Should Visit Qinghai

At Kumbum Monastery in Xining, pilgrims prostrate vigorously in sight of golden-tiled temples, housing treasures like yak butter sculptures and miniature Buddha’s numbering in the thousands.

Tongren is the place for Tibetan art lovers, where monks can be seen working on brilliant Thangka (Tibetan paintings) to the flicker of yak butter candles. Also worth exploring is the unique Muslim community of Xunhua, and the Dalai Lama’s former home at Dangcai.

Exploration of China’s lesser-known gems is guaranteed with our tour Sacred Buddhist Land .

RELATED READING:  Insider’s Guide to the Best Natural Landscapes in China

Best Places to Visit in Western China – Dunhuang

Few places can rival the Silk Road vibes of Dunhuang, a thriving oasis town deep in the Gobi Desert.

A treasure trove awaits history-lovers at the Mogao Caves, housing countless murals and relics – nothing short of a spiritual journey into the history of Asia. We can arrange two experts to accompany you through the caves: the Executive Director of the Mogao Caves and a scholar of medieval Buddhist art.

These experts will enrich your experience with their fascinating tales of ancient monks and roaming pilgrims, and they will guide through caves that are normally off-limits to visitors.

RELATED READING: Our Insider’s Guide to the Top Destinations along the Silk Road

RELATED READING:  6 Unbelievable Historic Sites You Never Knew Existed in China

Best Places to Visit in Western China – Gansu

The southwestern part of Gansu Province rewards you with a hassle-free getaway in a quiet corner of China.

The animated gestures of monks deep in philosophical debate meet you at Labrang Monastery; one of the country’s biggest outside of Tibet. Many choose to do as the pious do, with a 3km kora (Tibetan pilgrimage) around the site.

  RELATED READING:  What to Do in Gansu

The Gyenjia grasslands welcome you with their big open skies, clean air and sense of solitude. You can even “glamp” in a luxury yurt, learn handicrafts or visit a local cooperative.

Hiking or riding horses in the surrounding hills is the ideal way to understand just how boundless this landscape is. Once the sun goes down, what better place to go stargazing than from the so-called “roof of the world”.

RELATED READING:  Where You Should Go in Tibet

Best Places to Visit in Western China – Tibet

Western Tibet represents the center of the world to over a billion Hindus and Buddhists, as Mount Kailash waters south Asia’s most important rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus. Thousands of pilgrims come each year to make a three-day circuit of this striking, pyramid-shaped peak.

RELATED READING:  3 Best Hotels in Lhasa

Hiking on the shores of sacred Lake Manasarovar, within view of the mighty peak offers unmatched sacred ambience. Also, drinking or bathing in its waters is meant to cleanse one of all sin and sorrow.

What’s more, the lost kingdom of Guge promises to bring out the Indiana Jones in you, with its ruins, tunnels and fine murals; a once prosperous place that met a tragic and bloody ending during the 16 th century.

Unforgettable experiences spent in the company of pious pilgrims await intrepid travelers to Tibet’s West . Planning a trip to the Tibetan Autonomous Region on your own can be a bit of a headache. But when you travel with WildChina, we take all the guesswork out of the equation and let you focus on the fun parts.

Change is sweeping through the regions of Western China, making now the time to plan a trip.

More interesting reads

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Western China travel guide

China’s breathtaking western region, comprising Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang, occupies a mind-boggling swathe of remote territory inhabited by a variety of peoples and cultures. This region lies at the edges of Chinese consciousness and on the road less travelled, and the sheer physical distances involved are daunting – the city of Kashi (Kashgar) is closer to Baghdad than it is to Beijing.

Tibet (Xizang in Chinese) comes to us with high expectations – fabulously remote, exotic and other-worldly. Chinese political control and a huge influx of Han migrants has changed the character and appearance of Lhasa and other towns, a process accelerated now that the new railway from Golmud is complete, but Tibet’s unique landscape and high altitude environment still exercise a powerful hold on the imagination, and the idiosyncratic religious culture still casts an undeniable spell. To the north, and culturally part of Tibet, Qinghai is an immense swathe of mountain and desert largely devoid of people.

Emerging from the city of Xi’an, the legendary Silk Road soon passes into Gansu, the province that bridges the gap between classical Han China and the remote west. Lanzhou, its capital, has the feel of a frontier town, an enticing glimpse of what is to come. Labrang Monastery at Xiahe, to the south, is one of the most magical places in China, and the best place to see Tibetan culture outside Tibet itself, while in the far west are the magnificent Mogao Caves.

From Gansu the route leads westwards to Xinjiang before ­dividing into two strands, one north and one south of the formidable ­Taklamakan Desert. This trade link from China to the shadowy ­barbarian lands beyond brought wealth and worldliness to the remote oasis towns. Xinjiang, once known as Chinese Turkestan, is a gigantic expanse of glaciered mountains, waterless basins and intoxicating emptiness. Highlights include the wonderfully atmospheric desert cities of Turpan and Kashi (Kashgar), and – in contrast to the rest of the region – the lush ­mountains to the east of ürümqi.

Places to visit in Western China

Mogao caves.

The Mogao Caves (Mogao Ku) located about 25km (16 miles) southeast of Dunhuang town centre and readily accessible by taxi or minibus. Cut into the rock over a period of more than 1,000 years, from the 3rd to the 14th centuries, they represent China’s most extensive collection of Buddhist statuary, paintings and manuscripts. The mountains from which they are carved is imposingly etched against a cloudless blue sky. Watching the sunset from the top is an unforgettable experience.

Having suffered many depredations at the hands of robbers, warlords, iconoclastic Muslims and Red Guards over the years (but none so damaging to the Mogao Caves, at least, as their late 19th–early 20th-century discovery by archaeologist-­explorers like Aurel Stein and Paul Pelliot), the cave complex is now extremely well cared for. Visitors cannot enter without a guide, photography is strictly forbidden, and generally the only illumination available will be the guide’s flashlight – to prevent the murals fading over time.

Almost 500 caves survive, set back against and cut into the cliff face, and connected by a series of ramps and walkways. Not all the caves are open to the public – even accompanied by an obligatory guide. An estimated 45,000 sq metres (484,000 sq ft) of murals and more than 2,000 painted stucco figures can be seen, though it would take considerable dedication and several days to try to visit all of them.

The years of darkness have kept the generally pastel colours fairly bright, and it is a wonderful experience to see image after image derived, variously and distinctively, from South Asian, Gandharan, Turkic, Tibetan and Chinese traditions. A well-presented museum in front of the caves features examples of the astonishing number of scripts found on manuscripts and other documents preserved at the caves, including writings not just in Chinese and Sanskrit, Tocharian and Tibetan languages, but also in various Turkic dialects, Persian and even Hebrew.

The grottoes show an uninterrupted history of Chinese painting, particularly of landscapes, over a period of nearly 1,000 years. One of the most beautiful caves (no. 323) shows an Indian Buddha statue made from sandalwood being presented to the reigning emperor. Most impressive is a 35-metre (115ft) high statue of Maitreya Buddha carved into the cliff face.

Some 1,000km (620 miles) of bleak desert separates Dunhuang from the legendary oasis of Turpan. A key staging post on the Silk Road, it is set in the second-deepest depression in the world (after the Dead Sea), and flourishes on water brought by underground channels from the watershed of distant mountains. Today it is one of the most atmospheric places in Asia.

The most remarkable sites in the area are the ruins of two ancient desert capitals. The city of Jiaohe , 10km (6 miles) west of Turpan, was founded in the 2nd century BC and laid out in a grid. Destroyed at the end of the 14th century, its sand and brick still preserve the haunting outlines of a great city that stretched for a mile, with a Buddhist temple and headless statues at the centre. There are remains of underground dwellings, which offered protection from the elements – the heat is furnace-like in summer.

A second ancient city, Gaochang , lies 46km (29 miles) east of Turpan. It has an imposing wall with a perimeter of 5km (3 miles). During the Tang dynasty, there were 30,000 inhabitants and more than 3,000 monks living here, but when Islam supplanted Budd­hism here in the 13th century, the city was abandoned.

Kashgar (Kashi)

Kashgar, called Kashi by the Chinese, is, together with Samarkand and Bukhara, among the most evocative of all Silk Road place names. It is located in the far west of Xinjiang – closer to Tehran and Riyadh than to Beijing.

Today Kashgar is changing fast. Once ringed by crenellated walls and predominantly Uighur, it is becoming increasingly Chinese. Large areas of old housing been demolished in recent years, although the authorities have now belatedly recognised that the Old Town (Laocheng) is a valuable cultural asset and should be preserved, at least in part.

The city’s cultural heart is the impressive 15th-century Id Gah Mosque (Aitika Qingzhensi), reportedly China’s largest mosque. Although paint is peeling off its central dome and two flanking minarets, the building still dominates its surroundings. To the north is an extremely lively bazaar street of barber shops, book and fur traders, blacksmiths, bakers, tailors and – directly by the mosque – dentists. The covered bazaar has just about anything for sale.

The most important weekly event is the Sunday Market (Xingqitian Shichang) held by the banks of the Tumen River. Tens of thousands of visitors and buyers and sellers come to this market from all around, giving it a very cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Heading south from Kashgar, the spectacular Karakoram Highway (Zhongba Gonglu) is the highest- altitude paved highway in the world, leading across the Karakoram Mountains via the Khunjerab Pass (4,693m/ 15,397ft) to Pakistan. Even if you’re not going all the way, a drive to magnificent Lake Karakul, located high in the mountains at the foot of Muztagh Ata (7,546m/24,760ft) makes for an incomparable day trip.

The only sizeable city in Tibet, and the centre of Tibetan Buddhism, Lhasa is located at a dizzying altitude of 3,680m (12,070ft). While its name conjures up mysterious and romantic images, much of Lhasa has assumed the appearance of a Chinese city, with the ubiquitous concrete buildings and increasingly heavy traffic found elsewhere in China. Yet, despite the perhaps inevitable changes, the city still retains some remarkable sites, and a considerable power to impress. Since 2006 Lhasa has been accessible via the amazing high-altitude railway linking it with Golmud in Qinghai province.

Crowned by golden roofs visible from far and wide, the Potala Palace (Budala Gong) is a huge and dramatic building, the symbol of Tibet and residence of the Dalai Lamas from its construction in the 1640s until 1959. The section known as the White Palace (Potrang Karpo) was built first; the smaller Red Palace (Potrang Marpo), which houses almost all the items of interest, was completed 50 years later. The 13 floors hold almost 1,000 rooms, with ceilings supported by more than 15,000 columns. There is a tremendous view down into the valley and the Old City from the roof of the Red Palace.

Holiest of all Tibetan religious sites, the Jokhang (Dazhao Si) is at the epicentre of the Tibetan world and the heart of Lhasa, the destination for devout pilgrims from across the land. The main building, built on a mandala foundation, dates from the 7th century, when it was built as a shrine for a Buddha statue that the Chinese princess Wen Cheng brought to Lhasa as a wedding gift from the Chinese emperor.

About 7km (4 miles) west of the city centre in pleasant grounds, the Norbulingka was built for the seventh Dalai Lama in the second half of the 18th century. It later served as a summer residence for the Tibetan rulers until 1959. On the top floor of the building, which is decorated with numerous wall murals, is an audience hall with paintings from the history of the Tibetan people. Also open are the meditation room and bedroom of the Dalai Lama.

Around Lhasa

The area around the city has a trio of great monasteries, and some fabulous opportunities for trekking. Note that you should allow one or two days to acclimatise to the high altitude before doing anything too strenuous. If in doubt, ask your doctor.

Just 5km (3 miles) north of central Lhasa, at the foot of the chain of mountains dominating the Kyichu valley, Sera Monastery (Sela S) was founded in 1419. During its most active period, almost 5,000 monks lived here, and it had a brilliant reputation because of its famous academy. Today, Sera is home to around 300 monks.

To the west of town is Drepung Monastery (Zhebang Si), built in 1416 and for a long time the political headquarters of the Buddhist Yellow Hat sect. The predecessors of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama lived here before moving to the Potala. Probably the largest monastery in the world at the height of its power, nearly 10,000 monks are said to have lived within its walls.

Ganden Monastery (Gandan Si), 40km (25 miles) northeast of Lhasa, was founded in 1409. It once housed 5,000 monks, making the almost total destruction of the site during the Cultural Revolution even more tragic. Only in 1985 was the reconstruction of the monastery finally completed; since then, several hundred monks have returned, and it is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tibet.

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Western China Travel

Covering a vast stretch of land; which includes the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai, as well as the autonomous regions of Tibet, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, Western China feels a world away from the bright lights of Beijing and Shanghai. Whether you’re hiking to Everest Base Camp on a Tibetan Tour, visiting the Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi’s capital of Xian or adventuring to Shangri-La in Yunnan, Western China was made for explorers.  Read more

Tours from Western China

Silk Road Express 8 Day Private Package Tour from Kashgar to Dunhuang

Our Silk Road Express 8 Day Package Tour from Kashgar to Dunhuang is a whirlwind of exploration centering around the world's most iconic travel route that passes through the lands of the world's oldest civilization. You'll immerse yourself in China's history and culture, taste unique flavors and discover the stunning variety of natural splendor around China. This tour is available every day and leaves with guaranteed departures.

Western China Tour Packages

Best of Silk Road 10 Day Private Package Tour from Beijing

Our Best of Silk Road 10 Day Package Tour from Beijing takes you along the best of this ancient trade route to discover historical wonders and new cultures along the way. You'll marvel at modern China while you learn legends of the world's oldest empire, all helped along with an expert local guide. This tour is available every day and leaves with guaranteed departures.

Classic Tibet 8 Day Private Package Tour from Lhasa

Our Classic Tibet 8 Day Package Tour from Lhasa gives you the chance to disappear into the Himalayas and explore the culture, religion, and beauty of this iconic region. With an expert guide leading you through the winding pathways and scenic byways of this famously stunning area, you'll leave with unforgettable memories and invaluable experiences. This tour is available every day, April through November, and leaves with guaranteed departures.

The best of China: 14 places you won’t want to miss

Feb 21, 2024 • 5 min read

From vibrant cities to jaw-dropping natural wonders like Zhangjiajie, here are the places in China you won’t want to miss © siraphat / Shutterstock

In  China , antiquity and heritage meet 21st-century innovation and lighting-fast development.

This is a country packed with highlights – so many that it might be hard to craft a manageable itinerary. Start by immersing yourself in one of China's gigantic, sprawling cities – which contain plenty of frantic energy, but hidden pockets of serenity, too. Take a break from the crush by soaking up China's natural scenery – think jagged peaks and pine forests draped in a sea of mist that look like they've been lifted straight from one of the country's masterpiece scroll paintings. As one of the world's most ancient civilizations, China also offers wonderful opportunities to explore astounding relics from its millennia of history. 

Don't know where to start? Whether you dream of gilded temples, boisterous urban environments, fabulous food or the wonders of the Great Wall, here are our picks of the best places to visit in China.

One of the world's greatest cities and China's absolute can't-miss destination, Beijing is home to many of China's big-ticket attractions: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square , the Summer Palace and more. But its appeal goes well beyond blockbuster sights. Get lost among its labyrinth of traditional hutongs (alleyways), marvel at its cutting-edge modern architecture, feast on Peking duck and a million other dishes from across the country, check out the local indie music scene, admire Ming-dynasty ceramics, drop by a traditional teahouse or enjoy a boisterous evening sampling the local baijiu  (sorghum wine).

2. Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

Along the ancient Silk Road, the atmospheric frontier town of Dunhuang is home to one of the world's most important collections of Buddhist art. Among more than 490 Buddhist caves in the area, the mural and statue-filled Mogao Grottoes represent perhaps the zenith of Buddhist artistry in China.

3. Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan

One of China's most famous treks, this 22km (14-mile)  hiking trail winds through a World Heritage-listed gorge in Yunnan that is one of Asia's most striking landscapes. Framed by spectacular snow-capped mountains and the scenic Jinshajiang River, the natural monument plunges to depths of 3900m (12,795ft), making it one of the deepest gorges in the world.

4. Le Shan, Sichuan

Standing at the confluence of two rivers, the monumental 1200-year old Buddha image  at Le Shan is carved directly into the rock face. World Heritage–listed, the extraordinary monument stands 71m (233ft) tall and 28m (92ft) wide, making it the largest ancient Buddha in the world. Whether you're spiritually included or not, coming face to face with this sculpture is quite a moving experience.

5. Shanghai

Glitzy, elegant, historic and cosmopolitan: everything you've heard about Shanghai is true. Just take a stroll through the French Concession or along the Bund , and you'll see for yourself. From the grand display of 1920s architecture to the city's sophisticated restaurants and rooftop bars to the sci-fi neon-lit skyscrapers across the bay, Shanghai is the past and future China brought to vivid life.

6. The Great Wall

Snaking through China's majestic mountainous terrain, the spectacular  Great Wall is the nation's most iconic landmark. Built over two millennia, this awe-inspiring, 21,196km-long (13,170-mile-long) fortification is a true marvel of human accomplishment. In fact, it's not one wall but many, stretching from the east coast all the way to the far western desert. The most easily accessible stretches can be reached by car from Beijing.

With its charming teahouses, lively nightlife and fiery Sichuan food, Chengdu is one of China's most popular cities for travelers. But most folk visit here for one reason: pandas. And while you'd be very lucky to spot one in the wild, sightings are guaranteed at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base . Other draws of this inland regional capital include temples, pavilions and museums devoted to the culture of the ancient Shu kingdom.

8. Karst peaks, Guilin

Spanning the distance from Guilin to Yangshou , the picture-perfect karst-limestone peaks offer an extraordinary backdrop to the scenic Li River and rice paddies. Grab a bicycle or board a raft to tour this beautiful countryside, passing farmers and water buffalo along the way.

9. Guangzhou

This vibrant and dynamic  megacity is one of China's most fascinating hubs. You'll find an intriguing mix of old and new in a city where skyscrapers nudge the clouds, and monks shuffle around 1500-year-old Buddhist temples. But it's the Cantonese cuisine that lures in many, with some of the finest dim sum in all of China.

10. Longji Rice Terraces, Guangxi

You'll find rice paddies all over China – but few are as spectacular as the ones in Longji , built against a backdrop of lush mountains. Walks here lead to viewpoints overlooking sculpted, iridescent green terraces with swirling patterns resembling the contours of a giant thumbprint.

11. Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an

Unearthed in Xi'an by unsuspecting rural workers in 1974, this enigmatic army of life-sized statues remains of the world's most remarkable archaeological finds. Dating back 2200 years, they were built to protect the underground tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Needless to say, meeting the warriors face to face is an experience you'll never forget.

12. Xi'an

In a country where cities seemingly spring up overnight, this is one of the oldest and grandest. Known to most for its extraordinary Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an is also remarkable in its own right – notably as the beginning of the Silk Road, a trade route with a legacy that remains intact within its atmospheric Muslim Quarter .

13. Zhangjiajie

Rising dramatically from the subtropical forests of northwest Hunan , the pinnacle rock formations of  Zhangjiajie inspired the scenery in the film Avatar (2009). Take it all in as you walk over a vertiginous glass-bottom suspension bridge floating 300m (984ft) above ground. If that's not daring enough, you can bungee jump off it, too.

14. Forbidden City, Beijing

Among China's imperial sights, none can compare in size, grandeur or mystique to Beijing's Forbidden City . Built between 1406 and 1420, this sprawling palace was off-limits for 500 years until the overthrow of the last Qing emperor in 1911. Today, it's very much open to the public, attracting nearly 20 million visitors each year. Despite the crowds, its massive scale remains humbling.

This article was first published October 2021 and updated February 2024

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Article Contents

• Introduction
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• Case study: the Grape Valley (Buyluk), Turpan
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Tourism and rural development in western China: a case from Turpan

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Parhad Keyim, Tourism and rural development in western China: a case from Turpan, Community Development Journal , Volume 51, Issue 4, 4 October 2016, Pages 534–551, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsv046

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Tourism is recognized as a rural development mechanism in terms of its socio-economic contribution towards rural communities, such as creating local rural incomes and employment, contributing local amenities and services, and aiding local cultural resources conservation. However, a case study in the scenic Grape Valley in Turpan, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, suggests that the local community does not equally share the socio-economic benefits of tourism activities. In order to maximize the benefits of tourism for the local community, a ‘collaborative governance’ approach in situ (the village level) is needed to encourage governmental and non-governmental cooperation and promote grassroots ‘bottom-up’ development practices. However, in the Chinese context, any governance approach needs to acknowledge the government's traditional ‘steering’ role in society.

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China's Top 15 Must-Visit Attractions: Historical, Cultural, Scenic & More

With a vast territory and a long history, China offers so much to see and explore. We have listed for you the top 15 must-visit attractions in China for any classic China tour.

Content Preview

• 1. The Great Wall
• 2. Forbidden City
• 3. Terracotta Army
• 4. Giant Pandas
• 5. Yellow Mountains
• 6. Li River
• 7. Potala Palace

8. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

• 9. Mogao Caves
• 10. The Bund
• 11. West Lake
• 12. Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve
• 13. Victoria Harbor
• 14. Lijiang Old Town
• 15. Erhai Lake

1. The Great Wall of China in Beijing

In the eyes of most travelers, you haven't been to China if you haven't climbed the Great Wall .

One of the iconic symbols of China, the Great Wall is the longest wall in the world , an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over a rugged country and steep mountains takes in some great scenery. It deserves its place among "the New Seven Wonders of the World" and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China.

T he most integrated and best-preserved sections are close to Beijing. Among them, the Jinshanling section has the most beautiful scenery and is very suitable for hiking.

The Mutianyu section has a better architecture with densely spaced watchtowers and easy to climb, which is suitable for families with the elderly and children. Which Sections of the Great Wall Should I Visit?

The Simatai section is good for a night tour of the Great Wall. See our 4-Day Beijing Highlights and Great Wall Night Tour

There is no better way to explore China's Great Wall than by hiking or walking along with it. Tread the centuries-old bricks and walk through watchtower ruins. Take your time and feel the history come to life. See 1-Day Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking Tour

Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family 's best-rated service across trusted platforms.

2. The Forbidden City in Beijing — Imperial Palace for 24 Emperors

It was once a "palace" city where ordinary people were forbidden entry . An extravagant demonstration of ancient Chinese architecture, over 8,000 rooms with golden roofs are elegantly designed and painted in red and yellow.

The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties for 560 years till 1911. 24 emperors lived there. Listed as World Cultural Heritage, it also houses many Chinese cultural and historical relics and treasures . See 4-Day Beijing Private Tour with Visit to Forbidden City

It is recognized as one of the five most important palaces in the world (with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the US, and the Kremlin in Russia). Read on How to Visit the Forbidden City — for Discerning Travelers

3. The Terracotta Army in Xi'an — 2,000-Year-Old Underground Army

The Terracotta Army has been laid underground for more than 2,000 years . However, in 1974, farmers digging a well uncovered one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. In 1987 it became World Cultural Heritage.

It is significant because the hundreds of detailed life-size models represent the army that triumphed over all other Chinese armies in the Warring States Period (475—221 BC), and who were the decisive factor in forming a united China.

It raises interesting questions about why it was made, which await your consideration when you come face-to-face with soldiers of the past. See our 3-Day Essence of Xi'an Tour including Terracotta Warriors

You could make your own warriors at a cave-dwelling where there are only a few craftsmen left who continue to work in a traditional way . Read more about How to Visit the Terracotta Army Hassle Free

All our tours are customized . Our travel consultants will create an itinerary based on your interests, group sizes, travel length, and other requirements.

4. Giant Pandas in Chengdu — China's "National Treasure"

The giant panda is not only deeply loved by the Chinese, but by many foreigners too, and not just children. Although there are many zoos in China and elsewhere, where you can see a giant panda, the best place to see them is Chengdu — the giant panda's "hometown" .

There are three places you can see pandas close up : Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, Dujiangyan Panda Valley, and Bifengxia Panda Base.

• Chengdu Panda Center is in the north of the city and is more established.
• Dujiangyan and Bifengxia Panda Bases are 1-2 hours from Chengdu and you can see pandas in their natural habitat.
• You can get even closer to the pandas by taking a volunteer program in Dujiangyan or Bifengxia Panda Valley . See our 1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour

Read more about How to Plan a Panda Tour

5. The Yellow Mountains near Shanghai — Legendary Wonders

In east China, close to Shanghai and Hangzhou, the Yellow Mountain Scenic Area (Huangshan) woos travelers with its five wonders : sunrises , seas of clouds , oddly-shaped rocks , twisted pine trees , and hot springs . The Yellow Mountains are the most famous peaks in China.

The villages nearby such as Hongcun Village were once considered to be the utopia of ancient China . Villagers have diverted water into "house gardens" and "water yards", which exist only in this village. The village, in its breathing-taking setting, looks like a Chinese painting. Canola flowers in spring can be the icing on the cake.

Bishan Village is the best choice if you want to enjoy some quiet moments with your partner. Stay in a typical Hui-style inn, feel the freshness of the air on an early morning walk, and drink a coffee while enjoying nature in its unspoiled beauty. See our 3-Day Ancient Villages and Yellow Mountains Tour

6. The Li River in Guilin & Yangshuo — China's Most Celebrated Scenery

The karst landscape along the Li River has captured the heart of artists. Generations of Chinese painters and poets have been inspired by the beauty of nature there, using their pens and brushes to capture the breathtaking natural scenery. When Chinese travelers seek a place for natural beauty, they first think of Li River and Yangshuo .

The Li River was listed as one of the "World's Top Ten Watery Wonders" by America's National Geographic Magazine. Several world-famous figures have visited the Li River, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush (senior), and Bill Gates.

The 83-kilometer-long section of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is the most beautiful. The river landscape is decorated with startling hills, steep cliffs, and farming villages, and is lined with bamboo groves.

Taking a leisurely cruise or a 3–4-hour family-friendly moderate hike (more on Li River hiking ) are good ways to enjoy the Li River's beauty.

Guilin & Yangshuo offer many interesting activities. You could challenge yourself to an SUP (stand-up paddleboard, i.e. a mini raft) on the Yulong River, take a bamboo raft , have a cycling tour into the countryside, or take an exciting drive with an all-terrain vehicle . See 5-Day Dynamic Guilin and Yangshuo Tour

7. The Potala Palace in Tibet — Heart of the Roof of the World

The Potala Palace is a symbol of Tibet . In 1994 it was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. It is a huge treasure house of materials and articles from Tibetan history, religion, culture, and art. The palace is widely known for its precious sculptures, murals, scriptures, Buddhist statues, antiques, and religious jewelry housed within it.

You could witness the architectural miracle containing the regal heritage of Tibet, listen to stories of Dalai Lamas who lived in the palace, and view the palace from the four best angles .

Tibet doesn't accept independent travelers . Traveling with a travel agency is required. Read more about Tibet Travel Restrictions or contact us to explore the main highlights from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp. See our 8-Day Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Private Tour

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park , the inspiration of Avatar, is a must-see place for its out-of-this-world scenery . It is huge with many different scenic areas. The "floating mountains and peaks" that inspired Avatar are concentrated in this park.

The top-rated scenic areas are Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, and Gold Whip Stream. These three areas can be visited by tourists of any age.

Walking is not hard at the main attractions, where cable cars, elevators, a tram, and shuttle buses are available and concrete paths and steps have been built. See our 4 Days Essence of Zhangjiajie

9. The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang

"In the West, there is the Louvre; in the East, there are the Mogao Caves."

The Mogao Caves are famous for their exquisite murals and Buddhist statues . The Mogao Caves were included in UNESCO's world cultural heritage list in 1987.

Artists from different periods of the Middle Ages left their work there. All kinds of works spanning over one thousand years complement each other.

Standing out in the desert, the Mogao Caves are like a glittering pearl that adorns the Silk Road .

In addition to visiting these wonderful caves, you could get some hands-on archaeological experience. We can take you to the Dunhuang Research Academy. There, you can linger over copies of murals created by masters and can copy a sample mural on a mud slab with your own hands under the guidance of the teacher.

• 5-Day Dunhuang In-Depth Private Tour including Visit to Mogao Caves
• 13-Day Beijing–Xi'an–Dunhuang–Urumqi–Shanghai Tour - Silk Road Highlights and China's Gateway Cities

10. The Bund in Shanghai — Stunning Skyline, Colonial Architecture

The Bund is one of the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai. It showcases the world with its colonial European buildings and skyscrapers on the other side of the Huangpu, housing one of the world's foremost business districts.

The Bund was Shanghai's most prosperous area in the late 19th century and early 20th century. When the first British company opened an office at the Bund in 1846, it became the epitome of elegance .

one of the best ways to explore the Bund is to take an in-depth cultural walk where you could step into some of the iconic old buildings and learn about the stories behind them. A night cruise on the Huang Pu Rover could also be a good choice.

11. West Lake in Hangzhou — Paradise on Earth

Hangzhou is renowned as China's "paradise on earth" owing to its beautifully crafted landscape . West Lake was created after the Chinese love for garden-style parks for recreation.

West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surround it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands, and hills.

To admire the beauty of West Lake, you can leisurely bike around the lake, walk around the lake, or take a short cruise on the lake . We could also find a perfect location for you to enjoy afternoon tea while enjoying the beautiful view of West Lake. See 4-Day Shanghai & Hangzhou with Watertown Tour

12. Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve — Gemstone-Colored Lakes, Colorful Forests, Meadows

Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve is called "the last pure land on earth" and "the last Shangri-La" due to its breathtaking natural scenery.

"I want to go there with my sweetheart to see the clear blue sky, the snowcapped mountains, and the golden meadows, to experience an autumn fairy tale." A Chinese romantic drama movie, I Belonged to You , made Daocheng a desirable romantic place to visit.

As early as 1928, the Austrian-American explorer Joseph F. Rock visited Daocheng and captured its beauty, printing pictures of it in the National Geographic magazine and making it known to the world .

The Tibetan cultural experience is another highlight of this route . You can see many ancient monasteries and Tibetan-style houses during the trip.

• 8-Day Chengdu to Shangri-La Adventure Tour - Chengdu, Xinduqiao, Daocheng, Riwa, Xiangcheng, and Shangri-La
• 9-Day Panorama Western Sichuan Tour — Chengdu, Wolong (Baby Pandas), Rilong, Danba, Tagong, Litang, Riwa, Yajiang, and Moxi

All our tours can be customized. The itinerary can be adjusted according to your group size, time, interests, and other requirements. Just contact us .

13. Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong — Mighty Skyscraper Skyline

The view over Victoria Harbour from Victoria Peak is to Hong Kong as climbing the Great Wall is to China ; it offers the iconic outlook over Hong Kong's "high rise" to success and prosperity.

Victoria Peak is the best spot to have a bird's eye view of Hong Kong . Viewed from the peak, both day and night scenes are worth taking in. See high-rise buildings around the busy Victoria Harbour stretching out towards the Chinese mainland. At night the scenery is gorgeous when the Symphony of Lights of various buildings dances in unison .

14. Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan — Cobbled Pedestrian Streets, Small Waterways

Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan is characterized by ancient cobbled streets, stone bridges, and water-wheel-driven canals decorated with flowers. Shops, cafés, bars, restaurants, snack stalls, and hotels can be found everywhere .

The big waterwheels are a landmark of Lijiang Old Town. As you enter the old town, you will see them. The river flowing through the old town keeps them rotating. Bar Street is next to them, which is busy at night.

You could also go to Naxi Hieroglyphs and Painting Exhibition Hall to experience Naxi art . The Naxi are the only people who still use hieroglyphs to write in the world .

• 8-Day Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La Tour - Meet the Amazing Beauty of Yunnan
• 9-Day Yunnan Family Tour - Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La

All our Yunnan tours can be customized. Contact us to create a trip for you according to your group size, time, budget, interests, and other requirements.

15. Erhai Lake in Dali — One of the Most Beautiful Lakes in China

Erhai Lake is the most beautiful place in Dali . It is a plateau lake. Erhai Lake is in the shape of an ear, hence its name Erhai ('Ear Sea'). This plateau lake is like a deep blue gem set in the green land. The water of the lake is calm and blue. The soft and gentle wind by the lake will make you feel relaxed.

Every December, flocks of black-headed gulls from Siberia fly in to spend the winter at Erhai Lake .

Biking is the best way to travel around the lake . Capturing the beauty of the landscape bathed in sunshine and breezes is a real pleasure. There are two cycle routes around Erhai Lake : Haixi (on Erhai's west shore) and Haidong (on Erhai's east shore). The Haixi route is more suitable for young or inexperienced riders. Haidong route is quiet and has panoramic views. Contact us to arrange mountain bikes with helmets for you.

• 4-Day Dynamic Dali Tour - Hike and Bike
• 6-Day Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang Tour - Yunnan Ethnic Minorities Tour
• 7-Day Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La Tour - A Feast of Landscapes and Ethnic Minority Culture

The Most Popular China Tour Itineraries

Our tour services are personalized . We will help you to maximize your travel experience by suggesting the optimal trip for the time you have and the places you want to see. Just contact us .

• The Golden Triangle (8 days): Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai — the most popular destinations for a first trip
• Classic Wonders (11 days): Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, and Shanghai — classic architecture, culture, and scenery
• Find more ideas from our China tours .

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Key Differences Between Western And Chinese Tourists: A Comprehensive Guide

Tourism is a major contributor to the global economy, with millions of people traveling annually. Two significant groups of travelers are Western and Chinese tourists, each with their unique cultural backgrounds and travel habits . Recognizing and comprehending the significant differences between these groups is crucial for businesses seeking to cater to them successfully.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into various aspects of Western and Chinese tourism, including travel motivation, accommodation preferences, dining habits, shopping behavior, communication styles, language proficiency, and more. By the end of this guide, you’ll have insights on how to create tailored experiences for both markets successfully. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive into it!

Overview Of The Global Tourism Market

The tourism industry has grown significantly due to increased accessibility, technological advancements, and diversity of destinations. The emergence of China’s economy and higher incomes for its citizens have made it one of the largest outbound tourist markets .

It is important to understand the cultural differences between Western and Chinese tourists as they have distinct preferences and habits when it comes to travel, such as accommodation and shopping. Tailored experiences that cater to their values and motivations are necessary.

Understanding The Cultural Background

Western culture values individualism and unique experiences, while Chinese culture values collectivism and family-oriented activities. Understanding these differences is crucial when catering to Western and Chinese tourists.

Western Culture: Individualism, Value On Experiences

To effectively target Western tourists, it is important to understand that their culture places a high value on individualism and unique experiences.

For instance, this can be achieved by providing customizable tour packages or allowing clients to mix and match destinations according to their interests .

Promoting memorable experiences such as cultural immersions or hands-on workshops can also help cater to the value they place on collecting personal memories during their trips.

Chinese Culture: Collectivism, Value On Prestige, And Family-oriented Activities

Chinese culture places a strong emphasis on collectivism , which shapes the attitudes and behaviors of its people, including their travel preferences. Unlike Western societies, Chinese tourists value group harmony and cooperation.

Additionally, Chinese tourists focus on prestige and social status , which is influenced by Confucian values that promote respect for authority and adherence to family hierarchy.

For example, luxury brands or high-end experiences may be more appealing to Chinese visitors , as they are seen as symbols of success or accomplishments worthy of boasting among their peers.

Core Differences Between Western And Chinese Tourists

Western and Chinese tourists have unique travel motivations, preferred holiday patterns, and attitudes toward technology use in tourism.

Travel Motivation And Expectations

It is important to understand the travel motivations and expectations of both Western and Chinese tourists in order to cater to their specific needs.

Western tourists are often motivated by individualistic desires for new experiences , while Chinese tourists tend to value cultural prestige and family-oriented activities .

For example, as a result, Western tourists may prioritize stylish or luxurious hotels with modern amenities, while Chinese tourists may prefer traditional-style accommodations that offer cultural immersion experiences.

Western tourists enjoy trying new foods and experimenting with different cuisines while traveling. In contrast, Chinese tourists have specific culinary expectations based on regional specialties or social prestige.

Travel And Holiday Patterns: Group Vs. Individual Travel, Seasonal Preferences

Western tourists prioritize individual travel , unique experiences, and independence, while Chinese tourists prefer group travel , safety, and all-inclusive activities.

For instance, Hong Kong Chinese tourists prefer group tours with pre-planned itineraries that include cultural experiences .

Seasonal preferences also vary, with Westerners opting for summer beach vacations or winter ski trips , while Chinese may choose to visit during Lunar New Year or autumn festivals.

Attitudes Towards Technology Use In Tourism

The differences in attitudes towards technology use between Western and Chinese tourists are important to understand.

Westerners rely heavily on technology while traveling, while Chinese visitors may not have access to social media or messaging apps due to government restrictions .

Businesses catering to both markets should consider offering alternative means of communication and information sharing such as QR codes or WeChat accounts.

Expectations Of Western And Chinese Tourists

Businesses need to cater to the distinct preferences of Western and Chinese tourists in terms of food, shopping, and communication styles in order to create a memorable travel experience for both groups.

Food And Dining: Culinary Expectations, Dining Habits

Western tourists value unique dining experiences and trying local cuisine, while Chinese tourists prefer familiar dishes from their home country .

There is also a knowledge gap in understanding Chinese dining habits and etiquette, such as their preference for hot water during meals and specific beliefs about certain ingredients or dietary restrictions .

By providing clear explanations on menus or through staff training, it can create a welcoming environment for all visitors regardless of cultural background.

Shopping And Souvenir Preferences: Types Of Goods, Price Points, Shopping Habits

Chinese luxury shoppers prefer high-end fashion brands like Dior, Prada, and Coach, and are looking for quality products associated with a strong brand image. They prefer comfortable shopping environments with good customer service.

American tourists tend to buy souvenirs that express their individuality or reflect their cultural identity , such as T-shirts or keychains featuring local landmarks or symbols unique to the area they are visiting.

Communication Styles And Language Proficiency

Western cultures rely on direct communication and clarity of message, while Chinese culture values relationships over a clear message.

Language proficiency can also be a challenge, as many Chinese tourists may not speak English fluently and expect translated signs or staff who can communicate in Mandarin or Cantonese.

Similarly, differences in terminology could lead to confusion during interactions with staff members from different countries.

Overcoming Barriers: Tips For Bridging The Gap

Designing a welcoming environment.

Creating a welcoming environment for Chinese tourists involves more than just good customer service. It’s important to provide signage, brochures, and website content in their language .

A survey of over 2,000 Chinese tourists showed that 74% prefer hotels with signs in both Mandarin Chinese and English . This simple solution can attract more Chinese tourists and make them feel at home when traveling abroad.

Additionally, having brochures in Mandarin can help explain local customs or attractions better for those who may not be proficient in English.

Staff Training: Cultural Sensitivity And Language Skills

Staff training for cultural sensitivity and language skills is essential . Effective strategies for this include diversity training, cross-cultural communication, multilingualism, intercultural competency development, and cultural sensitivity training.

For example, learning basic phrases in Mandarin or Cantonese can improve interactions with Chinese tourists. Investing in staff education through workshops and specialized courses related to culture awareness, identity development, and language skills can help communicate effectively across cultures while respecting core values.

Overcoming barriers such as language proficiency can be achieved by hiring interpreters or offering classes to help employees improve their foreign language skills.

Case Studies

Businesses that effectively cater to both Western and Chinese tourists have a competitive edge in the global tourism market, as seen in case studies of successful cross-cultural communication and tailored services.

Success Stories Of Businesses Effectively Catering To Both Western And Chinese Tourists

One of the most successful examples of a brand catering to both Western and Chinese tourists is Hilton Hotels. They have implemented an innovative marketing approach that specifically targets Chinese travelers, while also appealing to their Western counterparts.

For example, they offer traditional breakfast options like pancakes and bacon but have added congee as a nod to Chinese preferences.

Another success story is luxury retailer Louis Vuitton, which has adapted its marketing strategies to appeal to Chinese consumers while maintaining its image as a high-end brand .

They created special collections for the country’s major holidays such as Lunar New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival.

These examples highlight the importance of understanding cultural nuances when catering to both Western and Chinese tourists.

We can help you adapt to the needs of Chinese tourists

To effectively target Western and Chinese tourists, businesses must understand and respect the cultural differences between these groups.

For Chinese tourists, providing tailored experiences and services that cater to their needs and preferences is crucial . This can include offering amenities such as in-room hot water kettles and group travel options for family-oriented activities.

Communication strategies such as hiring staff with language skills or offering translation apps can also help bridge the cultural gap. Additionally, China’s rapidly growing tourism industry presents significant business

Multinational companies are investing heavily in medical tourism policies to cater to the growing demand from Chinese travelers seeking high-quality healthcare abroad.

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Great article Sumup and conversation on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7071548752997560320

Chinese tourists frequently use mobile payments like WeChat Pay or Alipay, whereas Western tourists often rely on credit cards.

Language can be a barrier for Chinese tourists, leading them to prefer destinations with Mandarin-speaking services.

Western tourists generally have a higher inclination towards adventure and outdoor activities compared to their Chinese counterparts.

Chinese tourists are highly influenced by their social networks and online influencers when choosing their travel destinations and activities.

Chinese tourists have a higher reliance on social media and online platforms for sharing their travel experiences compared to Western tourists

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Tourism insight: A comparison in how Western and Chinese people travel

With the Chinese tourism market currently one of the largest outbound demographic, it’s no surprise that Chinese tourists are everywhere. However, this was not always the case. 

In the past decade, China saw rapid economic development which led to the emergence of an affluent middle class . These are individuals between 25 to 40 years old with high spending power, and a significant amount of disposable income . To illustrate, annual spending by Chinese travellers abroad skyrocketed from $14.2 billion in 2000 to more than $277.2 billion in 2018.

Compared to the West — where tourism started as early as the 1800s — tourism in China has heightened recently, as what was mostly a luxury for many. This has changed drastically and it is now extremely common to see Chinese tourists abroad. 

As we continue to explore cultural characteristics and cross-border mindsets, let’s look at how travelling behaviours in Western and Chinese people differ.

How they travel 

Generally speaking, many from China tend to travel in groups — either with tourism companies or with family and friends . When travelling with tourism agencies, travel schedules are often customized, and heavily focused on sightseeing at famous locations. 

Likewise, many people in North America travel with a group of friends, families, or partners — but solo travelling is much more common. Partially due to the anxiety of encountering foreign languages, customs, and foods, individual travel is still very rare among Chinese people. 

When they travel

As a whole, Chinese people typically travel during national holidays — which results in a significant rise in holiday spending that helps drive the Chinese economy. However, work is still mandatory for many of those in the service sector during this time period. Meanwhile, many in North America would take time off for a trip, no matter the time of year. 

Different holidays are also celebrated in the East and West. Chinese people get a week-long break during Chinese New Year as it is the most important annual celebration, but not on holidays such as Christmas. There are several week-long holidays throughout the year — during Labor Day and China National Day, for example — as opposed to long weekends in North America.

Why they travel

People around the world travel for many different reasons — whether it’s for leisure, family, or because of a general interest to learn about a country.

However, between Chinese and North American cultures, both groups often have distinct motivations for their trips. Many people in Canadian and American cultures view travel as a form of relaxation, and that visiting famous sites is not always the goal. As well, many who solo travel see their trips as a time for self-reflection.

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• Published: 18 September 2023

Analysis of spatial-temporal pattern, dynamic evolution and influencing factors of health tourism development in China

• Huadi Wang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3012-339X 1 ,
• Yue Feng 1 ,
• Shaogui Xu 2 ,
• Xiaomei Xu 1 ,
• Kefeng Jiang 1 ,
• Xinyu Nie 1 &
• Nianxing Zhou   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8067-4472 3 , 4  

Scientific Reports volume  13 , Article number:  15436 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

• Health care economics
• Socioeconomic scenarios
• Sustainability

The evaluation index system is constructed based on the connotation and characteristics of health tourism. Using the entropy method, Thiel index, exploratory spatial data analysis method, spatial Markov chain and spatial econometric model, research is carried out around the development index, difference status, spatial-temporal pattern, dynamic evolution and influencing factors of health tourism. The following results were drawn: (1) The development index of health tourism in China is low, but the development speed is fast. The inter-regional development index shows an eastern China > central China > western China pattern, and the development speed exhibits a western China > central China > eastern China situation. (2) In the overall difference in China’s health tourism development, the intra-regional difference is consistently higher than the inter-regional difference. Among the three major regions, the overall difference between eastern China and western China is always higher than that of central China. (3) The development of health tourism in China is positively correlated in the global space, with some local spatial clustering. (4) The dynamic evolution of health tourism development in China shows part of the “Matthew effect” characteristics, with an obvious spatial spillover effect. (5) Various influencing factors produced widely varying direct, indirect and total effects on health tourism development in China, eastern China, central China and western China. Finally, based on the results of the above empirical analysis, policy recommendations to promote the development of health tourism in China are proposed.

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Introduction

The comprehensive promotion of the Health China strategy has brought new opportunities for the development of health tourism and promoted the increasing maturity of health tourism in China. Health tourism emerged in the late twentieth century, and with the rapid rise of economic and social development, it has now grown into one of the fastest-growing new industries in the global tourism economy. According to the Global Health Institute (GWI), health tourism accounted for $0.639 trillion of the $4.5 trillion global health economy market in 2020, representing 14.2% of the total market and showing a very broad prospect for development 1 . However, the development of health tourism in China has been hindered by an uneven distribution of resources and inefficient supply distribution, causing spatial development imbalances and regional difference that pose obstacles to the comprehensive development of health tourism. China’s provinces urgently need to explore their resources and industrial characteristics. They should rely on their existing advantages in economic, social, cultural, ecological, transportation, and communication aspects to accurately position the development direction, optimize resource integration, and adjust the spatial pattern of the industry. The study of the spatial-temporal pattern of health tourism development, its dynamic evolution and its influencing factors is of great value in clarifying the overall situation of health tourism development in China, identifying the development gaps among provinces, and promoting the comprehensive development of health tourism.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase of tourists’ health awareness, health tourism will show stronger vitality in the post-pandemic era. There are numerous studies on health tourism in China and abroad. Ferrero et al. (2022) conducted a meta-analysis of the literature in the Scopus database and found that tourist behavior and travel motivation of health tourism were the most studied 2 . Zhong et al. (2023) conducted a comprehensive review of 40 years of literature in the Chinese CNKI database and classified Chinese health tourism studies into different stages, namely “exploration stage of health tourism (1981–2001)”, “initial stage of health tourism (2002–2012)”, “development stage of health tourism driven by demand (2013–2015)”, and “growing stage of health tourism driven by policy (2016–2020)”. The author also identified “wellness tourism”, “health and wellness tourism”, and “medical tourism” as the main areas of focus, and pointed out that China’s health tourism is evolving towards industrialization, diversification, and systematization 3 . Overall, studies on health tourism in China and abroad mainly focus on the connotation, value, and development of health tourism. However, due to the difference in defining the concept of “health tourism”, therefore, the study conducted with terms such as “wellness tourism” 4 , 5 and “medical and health tourism” 6 also fall within the scope discussion of this paper. To address this partial disagreement in understanding, some studies have focused on clarifying the characteristics 7 , 8 and historical development 9 of health tourism. Some specific studies in China and abroad have also covered various aspects of health tourism. In terms of study content, for the better development of health tourism, the effective use of resources 10 and product development 11 , 12 have been focused. Meanwhile, some studies have investigated the current status of development 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , focusing on the influencing factors behind it 17 , 18 , 19 and proposing corresponding countermeasures and suggestions 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 . In addition, the latest studies have linked the development of health tourism to the COVID-19 pandemic and predicted the willingness to health travel after the COVID-19 pandemic 25 . In terms of study perspective, some studies have sought to understand the reality and consumer demand for health tourism in China 26 , and introduced a participant network perspective to study the synergistic evolution and internal vitality of healing landscapes and health tourism 27 . The studies have also explored the effect of health tourism on recovery place attachment 28 . Finally, the issue of dynamic systems and mechanisms of health tourism innovation development 29 has also been a concern to a certain extent. With the continuous improvement of health tourism in tourism development, promoting the comprehensive development of health tourism among provinces and enhancing its overall competitiveness in China has become an important study topic in the context of high-quality development of tourism. Previous studies on health tourism have laid a good foundation for this study, but there are still several issues worth further discussion. Firstly, although existing studies have analyzed the current situation, factors, and countermeasures of health tourism development, most of them have been conducted from a micro perspective and have failed to present the spatial pattern and dynamic evolution of health tourism development. Secondly, most of the existing studies adopt a general analytical approach 30 , 31 , the lack of empirical data prevents us from assessing the dynamics of health tourism and the relationship between regions in the overall space. Methods such as the Thiel index, exploratory spatial technology analysis, and spatial Markov chain can provide a comprehensive understanding of spatial changes, thereby making the study’s conclusions more reliable. Thirdly, the study results mostly focus on the analysis of the current situation and proposed countermeasures based on a general and descriptive evaluation of the development status of health tourism. This approach not only lacks scientific and reasonable evaluation and analysis but also suffers from a noticeable lack of practicality and relevance in the proposed countermeasures, which needs further study and development.

In summary, this study aims to establish a scientific and reasonable evaluation index system for health tourism based on relevant literature and books. It will measure the comprehensive development index by assigning weights using the entropy method, and calculate the difference status of development using the Thiel index. In addition, the study will employ the exploratory spatial data analysis method (ESDA) and spatial Markov chain to comprehensively understand the spatial and temporal pattern, dynamic evolution, and spatial association of health tourism in China. Then, the influencing factors of health tourism development were analyzed through the spatial econometric model. Finally, based on the above empirical analysis policy recommendations to promote the development of health tourism are proposed. The goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of health tourism development in China and its influencing factors, as well as to positively influence the recovery and high-quality development of the health tourism industry and the tourism industry in the post-epidemic era.

Methodology and data

Research methodology, entropy method.

The entropy method is an objective assignment method that can effectively avoid the subjectivity of indicator assignment. The calculation steps of the entropy method are mainly referred to in the study of Guo et al. (2019) 32 . The final equation is as follows:

In the equation, \(y_{i}\) denotes the composite score of the i th object, i = 1,2, ……, 31. \(w_{j}\) denotes the weight of the j th indicator , and \(x_{ij}^{*}\) denotes the standardized value of the j th indicator of the i th object.

Thiel index

The Theil index is a useful tool for comparing the differences in health tourism development index within different regional systems, as it is not affected by the number of spatial units examined 33 . The Theil index can be decomposed into intra-regional and inter-regional variation to better analyze the regional variability 34 . Moreover, the size of the Thiel index has a positive relationship with the variability of health tourism development, i.e., the larger the numerical value, the greater the variability, and the smaller the numerical value, the smaller the variability, and its numerical value range are [0,1] 35 . The equation for calculating the Thiel index is as follows 36 :

In Eq. ( 2 ), T t represents the health tourism development index of China. In Eq. ( 3 ), T j,t denotes the overall difference in the Thiel index of health tourism development index in the three major regions ( j  = 1, 2, 3) in eastern China, central China and western China, respectively. n represents the total number of provinces in China, and n j denotes the number of provinces in the three major regions in eastern China, central China and western China, respectively. y i,t represents the health tourism development index of province i , and y i,j,t denotes the health tourism index of province i in region j. y t and y j,t represent the average value of the health tourism development index in China and the average value of the health tourism development index in region j . In Eq. ( 4 ), TWR and TBR represent the intra-regional difference Theil index and inter-regional difference Theil index after decomposition of the total Theil index T t , respectively.

Exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA)

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) is a method of analyzing spatial data using statistical principles, graphical images, and other methods to detect non-randomness or spatial autocorrelation in spatial distributions 37 . According to the different functions, spatial correlation is divided into global spatial correlation and local spatial correlation, which can effectively reveal the spatial clustering phenomenon and characteristics of the health tourism development index in each province of China.

(1) Global spatial autocorrelation

The global spatial autocorrelation uses Moran’s I index to reflect the similarity, dissimilarity, and association deconstruction patterns of the elements in the entire study area 38 , which is calculated by the equation:

In the equation, N  = 31 denotes 31 provinces in China; X i denotes the health tourism development index of the i th province and region, and \(\overline{x }\) denotes the average value of the health tourism development index of 31 provinces, ω ij indicates the spatial weight. Moran’ s I take a value range of [− 1,1], when the value is close to 1, there is a positive correlation and a cluster distribution pattern; when the value is close to − 1, there is a negative correlation and a discrete distribution pattern; when Moran’ s I  = 0, it means no correlation and a random distribution pattern 39 .

(2) Local spatial autocorrelation

The correlation index of local spatial autocorrelation can reflect the correlation of local health tourism development, but also can reveal the spatial distribution pattern of high-value clusters and low-value clusters, i.e. hot spot and cold spot areas in different spatial locations 40 . The calculation equation is as follows:

In the two equations, Z i and Z j are the attribute values (development index) of the studied provinces i and j , respectively, and ωij is the spatial weight matrix. Ii is the local correlation index of unit i , indicating the degree of correlation with other regions 38 .

(3) Spatial weight matrix

The spatial weight matrix plays an important role in spatial analysis, as geographical proximity and economic association are crucial factors affecting the spatial layout of economic activities. The spatial association between regions is most likely to come from the dual influence of geographical proximity and economic association. Based on this, the gravity model is chosen to construct a spatial weight matrix that integrally reflects the geographic and economic distance 41 . W ij is the spatial weight matrix, and the calculation equation after adopting the gravitational model weight matrix is

In the equation, τ takes the value of 0.5, and the equation of the geographic adjacency matrix W dis is

In the equation, d jv is the distance between provinces calculated using latitude and longitude data and j  ≠ v; when j  =  v , then the result is 0, and 2 is the geographic attenuation parameter.

The spatial weight matrix of economic adjacency W eco is constructed with GDP per capita, and its equation is

In the equation, j  ≠ v, \(\overline{Q}_{j}\) is the average value of GDP per capita in province j from 2010 to 2019.

Spatial markov chain

The traditional Markov chain is a method for studying stochastic transfer problems with discrete time and state under no posterior conditions 42 . The spatial Markov chain method is the product of combining the traditional Markov method with the concept of spatial autocorrelation or spatial lag 43 , which compensates for the neglect of the spatial correlation of health tourism development between regions by the traditional Markov chain. The spatial Markov chain transfer probability matrix is conditioned on the spatial lag of a region i in the initial year and divided into N types as well, grading the traditional N × N Markov transfer matrix into N N × N transfer conditional probability matrices. The matrix P Ni/j denotes the spatial transfer probability of transferring from state i to state j at t  + 1 when the spatial lag type is N in year t. For region i , whose neighborhood is j , the spatial lag of location i is calculated as

In the equation, Y j is a province's health tourism development index; n is the total number of provinces; W ij is the spatial weight matrix.

Spatial econometric model

Spatial panel models can effectively solve the problems of spatially explained variable autocorrelation and measurement error and mainly include the spatial autoregressive model (SAR), spatial error model (SEM) and spatial Durbin model (SDM) 44 . Considering the possible spatial spillover effects between the influencing factors of health tourism development in each province in China, based on the basic spatial panel model, the specific model is constructed as follows:

In the equation, i is the province, t is the year, and TD it is the health tourism development index. ln ES it is the economic situation; SS it is the social situation; ln TC it is the traffic condition; ln TS it is the talent situation; IS it is the industrial structure; ln IB it is the industrial base; CD it is the consumer demand; ln ED it is the employment demand; μ i is the individual fixed effect and ε it is the error term.

In addition, given the possible omission of location factors and other variables in the setting of the econometric model, these unobservable missing variables may also have an impact on the health tourism development index and lead to spatial dependence, so it is necessary to include the spatial effect in the econometric analysis. The specific spatial econometric model is set as follows:

In the equation, ε it is the error term; μ i is the unobservable regional effect; ρ and φ are the spatial lag coefficient and spatial error coefficient, respectively; W ij is the spatial weight matrix; and X is the independent variable vector including the economic situation, social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, consumer demand and employment demand. Equation ( 13 ) is a general nested model of the spatial interaction effect 45 . In the empirical analysis, according to ρ , φ and θ , the spatial econometric model is also different depending on whether the value is 0.

Index system construction

Constructing a scientific and reasonable evaluation index system is crucial as it serves as the premise and important foundation for accurately measuring the health tourism development index. Regarding the definition of health tourism, the “Health China 2030 Planning Outline” plan issued in October 2016 describes it as “a new industry that integrates health services and tourism”. Jin & Wang (2020) believe that health tourism is a product of the integration of health and tourism, and its development is essentially the integration process of health industry and tourism industry 46 . Yang &Shi (2020) argue that health tourism refers to a new form of integrated tourism that is gradually formed by the health service industry and the tourism industry through resource sharing, function extension, technology and service penetration, mutual penetration and extension to enhance health benefits 23 . Liu et al. (2023) believe that health tourism is a new tourism mode combining tourism industry and health industry, which can meet people’s demand for improving life quality and physical and mental health 47 . In summary, this study defines health tourism as “a new form of integrated tourism industry combining health and tourism”. From national documents and relevant studies, health services and tourism supply and the integration of the two are key to assessing the basis for the development of health tourism. Therefore, the “development foundation” subsystem of the evaluation index system constructed in this study includes the two major components of the health industry and the tourism industry, as well as some integration indicators. In addition, external factors affecting the integrated development of health tourism are also fully considered in this study. Li and Chen (2021) constructed a system of motivating factors to assess the development of health tourism from four aspects: market demand, industry supply, infrastructure and external environment 48 . Yang &Xia (2022) argue that the intrinsic mechanism of the integration and development of the tourism industry and the health industry is driven by external factors such as market demand, macro policies and technological innovation 49 . Yang &Shi (2020) believe that the integration of tourism industry and health industry will be stimulated by the co-stimulation of the external environment of the industry and the internal environment of the industry to form an environmental layer of integrated development 23 . Therefore, this study also tries to construct a health tourism development evaluation index system with internal and external interaction. Based on relevant literature, this study includes economic, ecological and social environmental factors that directly affect the development of health tourism 50 , 51 and external support such as transportation, communication and talent that indirectly affect the development of health tourism 52 , 53 . The comprehensive health tourism evaluation index system of “environment–foundation–support” coordination and “external–internal–external” interaction is constructed, which is no longer limited to a single evaluation of the actual situation of health industry and tourism industry itself (Fig.  1 ).

Conceptual framework for evaluating health tourism development.

In the whole health tourism evaluation index system, the development environment such as economy, ecology and society and the development support such as transportation, communication and talents together construct the external elements to stimulate the integrated development of health tourism, and the industrial composition, industrial scale and industrial level together constitute the internal foundation of health tourism development. After constructing the evaluation index system, this study adopts the entropy value method to determine the weights of 42 indicators used to evaluate the health tourism development index (Table 1 ).

Data source

This study selected 31 provinces in the study area (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). Each province was used as the basic spatial unit for analysis, and the relevant study was conducted at three regional spatial scales: eastern China, western China, and central China, as well as the national spatial scale. The data used in the study were obtained from various sources, including the China Statistical Yearbook, China Agricultural Yearbook, China Environmental Statistical Yearbook, China Urban and Rural Construction Statistical Yearbook, and statistical bulletins of each province from 2011 to 2020. To ensure the data meet the requirements of authenticity, completeness, and continuity, the missing data from some years in individual provinces were supplemented by using linear processing.

Empirical results

Measurement of development index.

Table 2 reports the development index and rate of increase in health tourism for the whole country, three major regions, and 31 provinces from 2010 to 2019. First, from the overall national situation, the health tourism development index improved from 0.12 in 2010 to 0.23 in 2019, with an increased rate of 7.67%, which is a fast development rate and reflects the rising trend of health tourism development in China. The reasons for this: the rapid economic and social development and the rapid rise of middle-income class people stimulate people’s potential consumer demand for health tourism and enhance their invisible consumption ability, and tourism consumption is undergoing structural changes in the process of transformation and upgrading. However, judging from the current development index (0.12–0.23), health tourism still has much room for development, and it is expected to develop further as people’s health awareness continues to increase and government support for health tourism continues to grow. Secondly, from the perspective of the three regions, the average development index and development speed of health tourism are not consistent. In terms of the development index, the development index of eastern China (0.23) is higher than that of central China (0.15), and the development index of central China is higher than that of western China (0.13). The top five provinces in the health tourism development index are all located in eastern China, and four of the bottom five provinces are located in western China. For a long time, eastern China has been the center of gravity of China’s economic development, with great advantages in technology and capital. Although the abundance of resources in central China is higher than that in eastern China, there is still a big gap between the economic and social development of central China and eastern China. Although western China has obvious advantages in resources, the relative backwardness of transportation, communication and other infrastructures largely limits the development level of health tourism. In terms of growth rate, eastern China (6.75%) is lower than central China (7.34%), and central China is lower than western China (8.74%), which reflects the momentum of catching up with relatively advanced regions in the backward area of health tourism development. With the implementation of strategies such as the development of western China and the rise of central China, as well as the decline in the influence of factors such as technology and capital and the increase in the influence of factors such as resources and environment, the development advantages of western China and central China have gradually emerged, and the growth rate has accelerated significantly.

Difference in development index

The previous content has analyzed the development index of health tourism at different spatial scales in China as a whole, three major regions, and 31 provinces from 2010 to 2019. However, it was not possible to identify the difference between the development of health tourism across China as a whole and the three largest regions from the statistical data results, and it was also challenging to accurately determine the direction of further in-depth study after measuring and analyzing. Therefore, with the help of the Theil Index, this paper calculates the difference in the health tourism development index and presents it visually. It mainly calculates the overall difference index of China, the difference index of intra-region and inter-region, and the overall difference index of eastern China, central China, and western China, to prepare for future research based on the measurement results of development difference. The summary results are summarized in Table 3 .

Firstly, when looking at China as a whole, the intra-regional difference is always greater than the level of inter-regional difference and maintains a relatively stable development despite fluctuations (Fig.  2 ). For instance, in 2010 and 2019, the difference between intra-regional and inter-regional was 0.046 and 0.048, respectively. Meanwhile, the intra-regional difference in 2010 was 0.087, accounting for 68.36%, and the inter-regional difference was 0.040, accounting for 31.64%. In 2019, the intra-regional difference was 0.081, accounting for 70.99%, and the inter-regional difference was 0.033, accounting for 29.01%. Based on the above data results, it can be seen that the intra-regional difference occupies a dominant position in the whole study period and has a weak strengthening trend to the end of the investigation, while the influence of inter-regional difference is somewhat weakened. With the rapid development of health tourism, eastern China has strengthened the transformation and upgrading of its industrial structure mainly based on its economic advantages, western China has strengthened the utilization of its good natural foundation and abundant resources, and central China has strengthened its interaction and cooperation with the eastern China and western China, which has made the impact of inter-regional difference among eastern China, central China, and western China become smaller. At the same time, the impact of intra-regional differences plays a major role due to the similarity of social environment, economic situation and resource base within each region of China, which is more likely to be affected by other factors such as policies of provinces and municipalities. In addition, from 2010 to 2012, the change trend of the overall difference was consistent with the intra-regional difference, while the change trend of the overall difference was opposite to the inter-regional difference, and after 2012, the change trend of the overall difference was generally consistent with the inter-regional difference and opposite to the intra-regional difference. Before 2012, China and its relevant departments still paid limited attention to health tourism, and the policy support was relatively low, which did not form a strong development momentum and joint force. The Ministry of Health issued the “Health China 2020” strategic research report in 2012, and the State Council proposed the “Opinions on Promoting the Development of Health Services” in 2013, and the release of these “policy signals” is of great benefit to the development of health tourism. In 2016, documents such as the “Health China 2030 Planning Outline” , the "Notice of the State Council on Issuing the “Thirteenth Five-Year Health and Health Plan” and the Standard of National Health Tourism Demonstration Base have become important “catalysts” for the development of health tourism. Overall, the development trend of health tourism is good.

Theil index of China.

Comparing the overall Theil Index at the national spatial level only provides the most comprehensive macro-view of health tourism but does not enable further analysis of the actual situation in the area. Therefore, it is necessary to interpret the spatial scale difference between the three regions. From the comparison of the three regions (Fig.  3 ), it can be found that the overall difference between eastern China and western China is significantly higher than that of central China. In terms of the specific magnitude of difference, the overall difference in western China was greater than that in eastern China before 2012, after which the difference in eastern China began to be greater than that in western China and continued until 2019, and the difference between the overall difference between eastern China and western China increased, the difference between western China and central China decreased, and central China was the region with the smallest overall difference in all the study periods. Finally, the overall difference between Eastern China and Central China both tends to increase and is more significant in Eastern China, while the overall difference in Western China tends to decrease significantly. The transfer of capital and technology from eastern China and the severe lag in economic development in western China have caused the overall difference between the two regions to be higher than that of central China. In addition, the overall difference between eastern China and central China has increased with the decline of economic and technological elements in health tourism development, while the implementation of western China development strategy and the full exploitation of quality health tourism resources has led to a reduction in the overall difference in western China.

Thiel index of three regions in China.

The above analysis shows that intra-regional difference has always been the dominant factor in the overall difference of health tourism development in China during the study period, while the influence of inter-regional difference is relatively small and the degree of the effect of intra-regional difference tends to increase, while the influence of inter-regional difference decreases, but the overall change is not significant. In terms of different regions, the overall difference between eastern China and central China tends to increase, we should pay attention to this phenomenon, investigate the causes, and create effective measures to reduce the level of difference in the development of health tourism and realize the comprehensive development of health tourism in China.

Spatial-temporal pattern

The test of Moran’s I index shows that the spatial correlation of health tourism development in China is significant (Table 4 ), and the development of health tourism in each province of China displays a state of agglomeration in space.

The global Moran’s I index identified a positive correlation of the development of health tourism above the global space, but it is unclear how each province’s above-spatial correlation pattern should be interpreted. It is necessary to interpret local autocorrelation status to better comprehend the spatial correlation pattern and spatiotemporal pattern of the development of health tourism. Through the calculation of local autocorrelation, a Moran scatter diagram can be drawn and the clustering characteristics of health tourism development can be described spatially through the LISA diagram. The four quadrants of the Moran scatter diagram represent different spatial management patterns, with high–high (H–H) and low–low (L–L) clustering in the first and third quadrants, respectively, and there is a positive spatial correlation between the provinces in these two quadrants; the second and fourth quadrants are low–high (L–H) agglomeration and high-low (H–L) agglomeration, respectively, and there is a negative correlation between the provinces in these two quadrants 54 . Through sorting out the scatter chart, the local spatial autocorrelation types of health tourism development in China’s provinces during 2010–2019 are summarized in Table 5 .

From the statistics of the table, H–H agglomeration is mainly concentrated in the eastern coastal region, L–L agglomeration is mainly concentrated in western China, and the distribution of H–L agglomeration and L–H agglomeration is more scattered, among which, H–L agglomeration is more prominent in provinces such as Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, and Chongqing, and L–H agglomeration is more prominent in provinces such as Shandong, Hubei, and Hunan. The LISA clustering map is still necessary for verification because the Moran scatter plot can only give us a preliminary assessment of the general state of spatial agglomeration. The LISA clustering map of the health tourism development index in 31 Chinese provinces from 2010 to 2019 was created using ArcGIS software (Fig.  4 ).

Local autocorrelation LISA plot of China’s health tourism development index (some years). Note : This map is based on the standard map of the standard map service system of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China (review number: GS (2019) 1822), and the base map is unmodified.

As can be seen from Fig.  4 , the number of provinces where the local spatial autocorrelations of health tourism development pass the significance test is substantially less than the number listed in Table 5 . H–L agglomeration, L–H agglomeration, and L-L agglomeration are the three main types of spatial agglomeration that were present in 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 respectively. Overall, homogeneous characteristics predominate in the spatial association pattern of health tourism development in China over the four-time transects and are complemented by heterogeneous characteristics; local spatial non-association is particularly noticeable. Specifically, Jiangsu, Henan, and other provinces and regions have always been the hot spot of health tourism development, while Gansu Province has always been the cold spot of health tourism development. The above analysis shows that although the development index of China’s health tourism is constantly improving, there is still a large distance to reach the ideal level of development.

Dynamic evolution

The development of health tourism in China is not independent of each other in terms of geography, and the development of health tourism in each province is influenced by the region in which it is located, with strong spatial agglomeration and spatial interaction effects, as reflected in the previous analysis on the spatial-temporal pattern. Additionally, the spatial Markov chain method can be used to determine the impact of various neighborhood types on the likelihood of shifting provincial health tourism types, providing a clear picture of the spatial dynamic evolution. Table 6 presents the results of the spatial Markov transfer probability significance test for health tourism development in China. The results once more demonstrate the existence of spatial effects in this process. Therefore, based on the constructed spatial weight matrix and with the help of spatial Markov chain analysis method to further quantify this spatial effect, a comparative analysis of the dynamic evolutionary characteristics of health tourism development is conducted to explore the dynamic evolutionary process of China’s health tourism in the geographical and economic context.

The measurement results of the spatial Markov chain are given in Table 7 . Firstly, under the condition of considering spatial lag, the stability probabilities are 96.8%, 88.2%, 85.0%, and 25.0% for type 1, 76.9%, 91.7%, 45.5%, and 75.0% for type 2, 44.4%, 89.5%, 75.9%, and 80.0% for type 3, and type 4, respectively were 100%, 100%, 91.7%, and 100%. When the neighboring spatial lag type is 4, the stability probability of type 1 drops sharply from 96.8 to 25.0%, indicating that the provinces with low development index may break through the current development dilemma through their development under the positive “spillover effect” of the provinces with high development index. Secondly, the probability of type 1 with low development index moving to type 2 with a low to medium level under four domain types is 3.2%, 11.8%, 15.0%, and 75%, respectively, which also indicates that the proximity to provinces with high development index is conducive to improving the health tourism development index of this province and region, i.e., there is a positive “spillover effect” in geographic space. When the neighboring spatial lag type decreases from high development index type to medium–high development index type, the probability of type 3 shifting downward increases from 0 to 3.4%, and the probability of type 4 shifting downward increases from 0 to 8.3%, indicating that neighboring with provinces with lower health tourism development index will have certain negative effects on the health tourism development of this province, i.e., there is a geospatial negative “spillover effect”. The “the better is better, the worse is worse” polarization tendency is presented as a result of the “Matthew effect” characteristics of the evolution of China’s health tourism development index distribution. The analysis presented above demonstrates that the transfer of each type of development index is not geographically isolated but frequently influenced by the development of health tourism in nearby areas.

In summary, the spatial Markov transfer probability matrix shows that the probability values that are not immediately adjacent to the diagonal values are nearly all zero, indicating that it is unlikely, based on taking span into account, that the health tourism development index of each province will achieve leapfrogging, regardless of the index of the neighboring provinces’ health tourism development. There is no leapfrogging and the transfer of health tourism development index types only happens between adjacent rank types. The type of spatial lag in nearby areas tends to have an impact on how China’s health tourism development index evolves, but under the traditional rough tourism development model, China’s health tourism development has a strong path dependency, making it challenging to achieve short-term leapfrogging within a year. The evolution of China’s health tourism development index shows a partial “Matthew effect”, therefore, it will show a certain clustering distribution pattern in geographic space.

Influencing factors

Selection of influencing factors.

The development of health tourism is affected by multiple factors, such as resource status, market demand, traffic condition, economic level and tourism investment, which are important driving forces for the development of health tourism in China 23 , 55 . Based on this reference to related literature, eight factors such as economic situation, social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, industrial structure, industrial base, consumer demand and employment demand are selected as the explanatory variables for the four major driving forces of health tourism development such as safeguarding force, supporting force, pushing force and pulling force 29 , 56 , 57 , 58 , and the analytical framework of the influencing factors of health tourism development is shown in Fig.  5 . Specifically, the higher the per capita GDP, the more developed the regional economy, so the per capita GDP is chosen to measure the economic situation. The higher the level of urbanization of the population, the higher the level of population literacy, the more harmonious social atmosphere, so the level of urbanization of the population is used to measure the level of social development. The accessibility of transportation in the development of health tourism is an important support, so the per capita area of the city road is used to illustrate the traffic condition. The more students in higher education, the more favorable it is to cultivate more professionals for the development of health tourism, so the average number of students in higher education per 100,000 people was chosen to represent the talent situation. The tertiary industry can shape a good environment for the development of health tourism, so the proportion of tertiary industry in GDP is chosen to indicate the industrial structure. The state of natural resources and medical conditions is an important foundation for the development of the health tourism industry different from that of the general tourism industry, so the sum of the scores of per capita water resources and the number of practicing (assistant) physicians per 10,000 people are chosen to represent the industrial base. The higher the consumer demand for health tourism and the more employment it absorbs, the more it can stimulate the development of health tourism, so the share of domestic tourism revenue in GDP and the number of people employed in the culture, sports and entertainment industry were chosen to assess the consumer demand and employment demand respectively.

Analytical framework of factors influencing the development of health tourism.

Analysis of influencing factors

According to Moran’s I index, we find a significant spatial correlation between the health tourism development of Chinese provinces. In order to further explore the influencing factors of health tourism development and its spatial effects, the spatial econometric model was chosen for the follow-up study. The test results of specific model selection are shown in Table 8 .

From the test results in the table above, SDM with spatial fixed effect is more suitable. For comparison, SAR and SEM were also estimated and tested as well and the results are presented in Table 9 . From the estimation results, \(\sigma^{2}\) is significant at the 1% significance level, indicating a good fit of SDM.

In order to accurately judge the influencing factors and their spatial spillover effects on the development of health tourism in China, the estimation results of the direct, indirect and total effects are summarized in Table 10 , where the direct effect mainly reflects the influence of the influencing factors on the development of health tourism in the region, the indirect effect mainly reflects the spatial spillover effects of the influencing factors on the development of health tourism in neighboring regions, and the total effect is the sum of the direct and indirect effects.

First, in terms of direct effect. Nationally, factors such as social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, industrial structure, industrial base, consumer demand and employment demand all have a positive impact on the development of health tourism. People in areas with good social situation tend to pay more attention to physical and mental health, and are more likely to accept and support the development of health tourism. Transportation accessibility changes the breadth and depth of economic ties between health tourism-related industries in the region to a certain extent. The greater the number of professionals, the more beneficial it is to the high-quality development of health tourism. A good industrial structure can promote the comprehensive and sustainable development of health tourism. The development of health tourism emphasizes “health”, and the health industry and health resources and other industrial bases are particularly important. In addition, the higher the consumer demand and the greater the benefits, the more it can directly stimulate the growth of health tourism-related investment. The more employment population absorbed and the stronger the employment demand, the more conducive to the expansion of the scale of health tourism-related industries. In terms of subregions, the positive influencing factors in eastern China are social situation, talent situation, industrial base and employment demand; in central China, the positive influencing factors are economic situation, social situation, industrial structure and consumer demand; and in western China, the positive influencing factors are social situation, traffic condition, talent situation and consumer demand. The difference in the influencing factors for the development of health tourism in the three regions also reflects the difference in the development of these regions in many areas, including the economy, society and culture. For example, the factors that have a greater impact on the development of health tourism in western China are the lower level of social development, the more inconvenient traffic condition and the lack of talent reserves, which cause the direct effect of these factors on the development of health tourism in the western region to be more significant.

Second, the indirect effect, i.e., the spatial spillover effect aspect. For the whole country, the positive spatial spillover effect of industrial structure on the development of health tourism in neighboring regions is the highest, and the indirect effect of industrial structure is greater than the direct effect. Liu &Tang (2022) pointed out that the industrial structure can characterize the level of specialization of regional tourism to a certain extent, which affects the efficiency of its resource utilization and economic benefits 59 . A good industrial structure not only promotes tourism development within the region, but also drives the improvement of tourism resource utilization efficiency and tourism specialization level in neighboring regions to a certain extent. The spatial spillover effect of the industrial base on the development of health tourism in the neighboring regions is lower than that of the industrial structure, a phenomenon that may be explained by the relatively limited radiation of natural and human resources of health tourism to the neighboring regions and the strong territoriality of these resources. Moreover, the indirect effect of the six influencing factors, including economic situation, social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, consumer demand and employment demand, do not pass the significance test. In terms of subregions, the influencing factors with spatial spillover effect in eastern China are economic situation, industrial base, traffic condition and employment demand, the influencing factors with spatial spillover effect in central China are industrial structure, and the influencing factors with spatial spillover effect in western China are economic situation and consumer demand. As mentioned above, there are reasons behind the difference in the spatial spillover effect of the factors influencing the development of health tourism in the three major regions. For example, the overall economy of western China is relatively backward, and the enhancement of its economic situation can also promote the development of health tourism in neighboring regions, and as western China further strengthens its advantages in resources, it is inevitable that it will also weaken the attractiveness of the health tourism in the neighboring regions.

Third, the total effect, i.e. the sum of direct and indirect effects. For the whole country, the total effect of industrial structure is the highest, followed by industrial base, economic situation, and the five factors of social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, consumer demand and employment demand are not significant. In terms of subregions, the factors influencing the total effect in eastern China are economic situation, talent situation, industrial structure, consumer demand and employment demand, the factors influencing the total effect in central China are economic situation and industrial structure, and the factors influencing the total effect in western China are social situation, traffic condition, talent situation and consumer demand.

Finally, in order to avoid endogeneity problems between the data, the spatial weight matrix of economic adjacency was applied instead of the geo-economic adjacency matrix to test the robustness of the factors influencing the development of health tourism (Table 11 ). The results show that the benchmark regression results remain unchanged, indicating that the analysis is robust.

Conclusion and discussion

This paper empirically analyzes the development of health tourism based on the data of 31 provinces in China from 2010 to 2019, using various research methods. Firstly, the index system for measuring the health tourism development index is constructed by reading related books and literature, and then the entropy method, Thiel index, exploratory spatial data analysis, spatial Markov chain and spatial econometric model are fully utilized to comprehensively explore China's health tourism development focusing on several aspects such as the difference status of the development of health tourism, spatial pattern, dynamic evolution and influencing factors. The main conclusions and findings are as follows:

Health tourism development index and its change: China's health tourism development index increased from 0.12 to 0.23, with a growth rate of 7.67%, a strong development momentum. However, the current development index remains relatively low, highlighting the need for necessary measures to promote the development of health tourism. In addition, the development index of eastern China is higher than that of central and western China, while the growth rate of western China is higher than that of central and eastern China, reflecting a possible “catching-up effect” between regions.

Difference status of health tourism development: The intra-regional differences in China’s health tourism development have always been higher than the level of inter-regional difference, and the difference between the two has remained relatively stable. In addition, the overall difference in western China from 2010 to 2012 was greater than that in eastern China and central China, and after 2012 the overall difference in eastern China was always greater than that in western China and central China, and the overall difference in central China was always the lowest.

Spatial-temporal pattern of health tourism development: There is a positive correlation in the global space, and the local space shows a clustering trend. Across the four time cross-sections of 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019, Jiangsu, Henan and other provinces and cities have always been the hotspot areas of health tourism development, and Gansu Province has been the cold spot area of health tourism development.

Dynamic evolution of health tourism development: There is a certain “Matthew effect” in geographic space, and the spatial spillover effect is obvious. Meanwhile, there is heterogeneity in the spatial spillover effect in different regional contexts, which in general. At the same time, the spatial spillover effect in different regional contexts is heterogeneous, and it maintains a “stable” state, which is not conducive to the further development of health tourism.

Health tourism development influencing factors: As far as the development of health tourism in China as a whole is concerned, factors such as social situation, traffic condition, talent situation, industrial structure, industrial base, consumer demand and employment demand have positive direct effect, Additionally, industrial structure and industrial base have a positive indirect effect, while industrial structure, industrial base, and economic situation exert a positive total effect.

Some studies have already shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on health and wellness tourism and that the health tourism market during the COVID-19 pandemic is in crisis 22 . However, the study period of health tourism in this paper is mainly from 2010 to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is little clarity on how health tourism changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is necessary to explore it properly. While the tourism industry, which has a highly mobile population, strong industry linkages, and high sensitivity of its own, has been hit hard by COVID-19, even leading to a global crisis for the tourism and hospitality sectors 60 , it has at the same time presented important opportunities for the future development of tourism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic event itself 61 and the perceived risks 62 weakened their willingness to travel in several ways. After the COVID-19 pandemic, people would pay more attention to the risk information and they could join health tourism in the post-pandemic period to enhance their personal physical and mental health 25 , 63 . It has also been suggested that organizations offer personalized health tourism packages to their employees accordingly, invoking a sense of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) among them 64 . In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in consumers’ awareness of self-protection and safety and hygiene, changes in travel psychology and demand, and the promotion of a new health tourism industry 65 . At the same time, reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic has cultivated a new generation of tourism consumers to establish a new concept of tourism, and the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle by tourism consumers after the COVID-19 pandemic is conducive to the rapid development of health tourism 66 . Then, in order to promote the sustainable development of health tourism in the post-pandemic era, this study puts forward the following policy recommendations based on the analysis above:

Choosing a practical development model. By analyzing the factors influencing the development of health tourism in China, eastern China, central China and western China, it can be found that there are significant differences in the foundation and conditions for the development of health tourism in each region. Therefore, each province in China should choose the development mode of health tourism according to its industrial reality. For example, provinces with good resource endowment should focus on the development mode of health tourism characteristics, and provinces with good economic level and market foundation should focus on the capital-driven mode of health tourism. In short, the key point of choosing different development modes is to combine local advantages with the development of health tourism. Achieving the integration and innovative growth of the health tourism industry necessitates establishing a pattern of “multi-party participation, multi-investment, and mutual win-win situation”.

Constructing a complete industrial ecosystem. When constructing the health tourism evaluation index system in the previous section, it has been made clear that there are many health tourism-related industries, and they are roughly characterized by resource contribution, function extension, technology and service penetration among each other. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the formation of the health tourism industrial ecosystem through the extension and integration of industries, the deepening of industrial synergy and the enhancement of industrial association. One is to build a health tourism industry system centered on the core health tourism industry and supported by related industries 67 . Secondly, the value aggregation effect will be realized through resource sharing and function complementation among industries. Thirdly, the government should increase investment in infrastructure and talent training to strengthen the foundation and support for the development of health tourism.

Coordination between market mechanism and government behavior. The government and the market are the “two hands” that regulate the development of health tourism, and they complement each other and cooperate. The organic combination of these “two hands” not only ensures the correct direction of macro-industry development strategy, but also realizes the efficient allocation of micro-market resources 68 . We should build a “government-guided, market-led, multi-party participation” “multi-body, multi-level” health tourism external guarantee system based on the guiding ideology of “resource integration, complementary advantages and mutual benefits”.

Create a model district for the integrated development of health tourism. As already analyzed in the previous section, health tourism has the outstanding characteristics of integrated development, and at the same time, the development of health tourism needs to be led and driven, which is an important driving force to promote the development of health tourism. Therefore, it is necessary to actively give some leading health tourism enterprises with strength and potential sufficient regional policy preferences and financial support, and actively play the economic demonstration role of leading enterprises, model districts, and excellent enterprises in tourism integration and development, so as to enhance the motivation of small and medium-sized tourism and health-related enterprises that are still on the sidelines to carry out cooperative development. Furthermore, small and medium-sized health tourism enterprises that are new to the health tourism integrated development system should be provided with necessary guidance in various ways 49 .

Enhancing the service experience of health tourism. The essence of tourism is still a service industry, which inevitably cannot be separated from the high demand for service experience. Therefore, it is not only necessary to make more efforts in the design of health tourism products and explore better products and service forms to enhance the tourism experience 53 , but also to optimize the comprehensive management capacity of health tourism bases 69 . The first is to build a intelligent management platform for health tourism bases to strengthen the digital management capacity. The second is to adopt the system of integral feedback and tracking survey to strengthen the capacity of base operation and management mode innovation. The third is to strengthen regional ties, build embedded and multi-functional health tourism service organizations, revitalize idle resources and strengthen the capacity of resource conversion innovation.

Actively developing the international market. Health tourism has a wide range of international markets, and the development of health tourism must not ignore this part of the market. The development of international health tourism is very rapid, and while China is a late starter, in the international tourism market more plays the role of the source 70 . China’s health tourism industry should give full play to its advantages in participating in international competition, enhance the international popularity of China’s health tourism through publicity and promotion, and strengthen its international influence, and at the same time, establish an all-round, multi-level sales channel for health tourism products and services 71 , and actively expand the international market through multiple measures.

Admittedly, this study does have some flaws, including the following: The construction of the index system still needs improvement due to the complexity, comprehensiveness, and specificity of health tourism itself. The improvement and spatial optimization of the health tourism development index is controlled by multiple factors, and the discussion of the influence of multiple factors on its development is still insufficient. The entropy method, exploratory spatial data analysis method, spatial Markov chain and spatial econometric model have their limitations, which may cause some calculation errors and deviate from the actual situation of the research subjects. Finally, in future research, we can also obtain city and county-level data to conduct more comprehensive and in-depth research and pay attention to the new paths and directions of health tourism development in the post-epidemic era.

Data availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41671140).

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Huadi Wang, Yue Feng, Xiaomei Xu, Kefeng Jiang & Xinyu Nie

School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510631, China

School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China

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Conceptualization, X.N.; methodology, X.N.; software, K.J.; validation, X.X.; investigation, S.X.; resource, Y.F.; data curation, H.W.; writing—original draft preparation, F.Y.; writing—review and editing, H.W.; supervision, N.Z.; project administration, N.Z.; funding acquisition, N.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Wang, H., Feng, Y., Xu, S. et al. Analysis of spatial-temporal pattern, dynamic evolution and influencing factors of health tourism development in China. Sci Rep 13 , 15436 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42462-x

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12 Things Tourists Should Never Do When Visiting China

C hinese culture is one steeped in the very formations of human development. Ancient Chinese villages started cropping up around the Yellow River Valley around 7,000 years ago, but hominid populations seem to have occupied the landscape, harnessed fire, and constructed stone tools as many as 1.7 million years before our common present. The more contemporary 'Middle Kingdom,' a rough English translation of the nation's Mandarin name, is just as fascinating as its ancient past. Not only are visitors able to explore the country's antiquity in sites like the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, or the Leshan Giant Buddha, but modern snippets of Chinese life are inviting attractions, too.

China holds a particular place of fascination in the minds of American travelers looking to take in new places around the world. China was historically closed off to Western trade and tourism until 1978. By the 1990s, the Chinese economy was booming, and foreign workers began to flood into the country's coastal cities, including ourselves in 2018. China is a truly rewarding, if sometimes frustrating, place for visitors to experience for themselves. For one thing, you shouldn't automatically expect anyone over the age of about 20 to be capable of conversing in English with you -- although this is certainly not a universal rule, a few basic phrases are a must . When visiting, be mindful of this and other cultural norms present in one of human civilization's oldest hallowed grounds.

Read more: 22 Underrated Tourist Destinations In Asia To Add To Your Bucket List

Don't Talk About Politically Sensitive Issues

Chinese culture is one of great deference to tradition and a sense of honor. People in China often revere their family members, including long-deceased ancestors. Coupled with shifting political realities in the country, the sensitivity to honoring one another gives rise to an aversion to speaking of anything overly sensitive. This consideration extends to the political sphere as well. While Westerners may be quick to discuss their own take on policy issues and political developments, people in China are much more hesitant to have these conversations. This reality is even more pronounced when Chinese people speak with foreigners visiting their country.

In particular, Chinese people will be extremely reluctant to discuss what is sometimes referred to as the three T's. These are Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square. All three issues are hot-button topics that should be avoided altogether when visiting the country. Indeed, when walking through Beijing with a tour guide, you might not even get a mention of the square that's situated prominently adjacent to a gigantic image of Mao above the outer entrance to the Forbidden City . Similarly, you'll be received with awkward silence and more than a few odd stares if you start talking about issues in the South China Sea. Leaving political conversation of all sorts at home is advised when planning a trip to China.

Don't Tip Unless It's For A Tour

Much like travels through Europe, adventurers looking for a getaway to China won't need to tip in most circumstances. The concept of tipping isn't one that has taken root here, and you might even be surprised to learn that servers and other service industry workers may even become embarrassed and try to give you back the money if you offer them a little something extra. As mentioned previously, honor and avoiding any kind of potentially embarrassing situation is crucially important in Chinese culture. Therefore, no matter how ingrained the concept of tipping might be in your own mind, you may actually be doing more harm than good by engaging in this act of generosity and thanks.

However, there is one important exception to keep in mind regarding the use of tips. If you are traveling with a tour guide or find yourself in a similar sort of environment, you absolutely should offer a tip. These types of workers rely on tips as part of their salary, and it is common practice to offer them something for their time in this industry. Even so, you might be relieved to find out that you won't have to budget a little bit of extra cash every day for tipping while you explore cities and towns, traveling around, and eating and drinking the local fare.

In Fact, Don't Expect To Use Cash Much At All

Importantly, it's worth noting that not only should you avoid leaving a tip on the table when you get up at a restaurant, you may not be using cash at all. Mobile wallet apps have only recently become a major factor in daily American life, but this concept has dominated Chinese personal finance for quite some time. In 2018, we rarely kept any cash, and we even found ourselves turned away on occasion in the event that our phone was dead -- precluding the use of mobile payment. In one instance, the shop across the street wouldn't sell us a box of matches because we were hoping to use a few coins. Unless you're dealing with small, local produce vendors (who bring in goods from outside larger cities every morning) or anyone similar, cash likely won't get you very far in 21st-century China. The community has become virtually cashless, with Alipay and WeChat digital wallets acting as a means to conduct transactions both large and small (we paid our rent and utility bills through WeChat transfers, for reference).

Fortunately, visitors exploring China today are more readily able to take advantage of these digital payment methods than they have been in the past. Transferring cash to an Alipay account can help you avoid hefty transaction and exchange fees and allow you to fit in more readily with the convenience these tools afford.

Don't Expect Personal Space On Public Transportation

Another feature of a visit to China you'll need to accept is that personal space isn't often in people's vocabulary. Chinese people aren't overly touchy-feely, and you'll typically want to avoid big dramatic displays of public affection even for people you know very well. However, in public spaces like the metro or tourist sites, you're unlikely to enjoy a whole lot of personal space. Chinese people have absolutely no problem in cramming into tight spaces with one another.

This might come as a surprise the first time you're faced with a long line or a packed metro train, but it's important to not be shy and just realize that this is a cultural norm. Public transportation is incredibly cheap, very fast in many larger cities, and typically offers a wide network of stops to help you get where you're going with ease. Using public transportation should be a part of your Chinese experience, but this means understanding that people may end up getting quite close to you.

Don't Visit A Chinese Friend's Home Without Bringing A Gift

For anyone who plans to spend time visiting friends in China, it's important to remember that visiting a Chinese home isn't complete without a gift. Just about any kind of gift is acceptable, including something to drink, toys for your friend's child, or even decorations. However, you'll want to avoid things like clocks, umbrellas, and chrysanthemum flowers. These items share a connotation with death and the end of things. Superstition may not be the correct word to describe this cultural phenomenon, but there is a strong tradition of word sound associations and the deference to omens that might appear quite similar on the surface.

The phrase associated with giving someone a clock as a gift sounds very much like the vocalized concept of seeing a loved one take their final breaths. Similarly, chrysanthemums traditionally appear during the mourning period after someone has passed. Umbrellas also bring bad vibes when given as a gift. The word for umbrella sounds a lot like the concept of separation, potentially suggesting subconsciously that the giver may want to end their friendship with the receiver.

Don't Forget To Pack Toilet Paper When Exploring

Public toilets in China won't always have toilet paper available. This is particularly pronounced in more rural parts of the country and in tourist destinations outside of Shanghai and Beijing, two of the most modernized and internationally diverse parts of the country. Places like the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and the Panda sanctuaries and research facilities in Sichuan, Chengdu, or Chongqing bring in quite a bit of interest from tourists but are far enough off the beaten path that only basic facilities should be expected. Even in larger cities, it's a good idea to pack sanitary wipes or toilet paper to avoid a potentially fraught situation if you happen to get unlucky when opting for a pit stop.

It's also worth noting that in many parts of China, toilets won't offer the same kind of amenities that you might be used to. It's common to see standing toilets throughout China, so practicing your squat ahead of the trip and rolling with this perhaps novel way of using the bathroom will be important preparation elements.

Don't Follow A Stranger To A Teahouse (Or Accept Any Similar Offer)

Strangers in China will often stare at foreigners without shame or stigma. You'll likely find that people will stare at you and continue making eye contact after you notice them. As far as we've been told by friends and coworkers from China, this is more a product of curiosity than anything else. It might be a little intimidating, but a person staring at you shouldn't be misinterpreted as aggression or the like. Unfortunately, visitors who are Black may be subjected to even more intense gazes. Some friends have even noted that Chinese people have touched their hair without warning. There's not much that can be said about this phenomenon other than trying to handle it with as much grace as possible.

That said, Chinese people won't generally approach you and start a conversation. Younger people may ask for pictures with you, but this is typically the extent of social contact with random strangers. Therefore, if someone approaches you and strikes up a conversation, you may want to be a little wary. In heavy tourist areas, a common scam involves an offer to visit an "authentic teahouse" or something similar. Always avoid these kinds of offers because you'll end up being charged a truly jaw-dropping figure for a simple cup of tea once the bill comes.

Don't Play With Your Chopsticks

Anyone who visits China will be eating with chopsticks a lot. You may also see shorter, more rectangular chopsticks than you might be used to in the U.S. when ordering food or eating at a restaurant. We found these stubby chopsticks fairly easy to manage, but it may require some practice to get used to them if you're accustomed to a different type or haven't used chopsticks very often already.

While testing out your chopsticks in China, it may be tempting to manipulate them with your hand in order to acquaint yourself. But make sure you don't play with them too much. Chinese people don't ever use chopsticks to point at one another or as a sort of prop. Chopsticks are for eating and eating alone. Additionally, you should absolutely never place chopsticks sticking straight up in your bowl. Similar to Japanese culture, chopsticks positioned like this resemble a ceremonial ode to the dead. In Japan, it's customary to leave a bowl on the table -- with chopsticks included -- for the loved one who has been lost. There is quite a bit of crossover in familial heritage in this region, so many people in China may perform the same ritual. Even for those who don't, however, chopsticks positioned like this look very much like the incense sticks used to commemorate a loved one's life, and you'll certainly get a few strange glances if you place your chopsticks in this manner.

Don't Expect To Wing It When Planning Your Trip

Before even setting foot in China, it's important to note that you won't really be able to wing it when planning an epic adventure. Previously, tourist visas required to enter China have been quite expensive, and a visa application required quite a bit of supporting documentation. To successfully gain entry to the country, you would have needed to already book your flight, reserve a hotel room, and include return flights. Chinese visa authorities have also been known to be a little difficult with passports that are damaged in some way or another. For reference, when applying for our initial visas to enter the country, we had to show up at the immigration office in person (in Hong Kong) rather than using the standard agency approach because our passport exhibited previous water damage. We also had to include letters noting the details of our previous travels to Turkey. Presumably, there must be some nations that perhaps raise eyebrows for visa-issuing purposes. Anyone with quite a bit of travel under their belt will want to look into any possible delays resulting from these issues.

It's worth mentioning that the requirement for considerable documentation accompanying a visa application (for U.S. citizens) changed on January 1, 2024, at least officially. However, this may not always be applied in practice, so providing supporting documentation remains a good idea as the new policy has time to settle.

Don't Wear Green Hats

Wearing a green hat might sound like a funny no-no when visiting a foreign country. However, in China, this practice signals an air of infidelity, and you'll surely get quite a few odd looks if you opt to travel around China with a green hat on your head. Green attire of other types is perfectly fine, and this stigma doesn't extend beyond your headwear.

It is not clear where this social norm came from, but it's thought that the term for wearing a green hat sounds similar to phrases relating to infidelity. Alternatively, anecdotal evidence suggests that sex workers and their relatives may have been forced to wear green hats at certain points in Chinese antiquity. No matter what the reality that lends itself to this understanding might be, a green hat is a symbol of impropriety that marks you or your loved one as unfaithful. Simply avoiding the color for headwear is a good idea when visiting China.

Don't Travel During Chinese Holidays

Cities like Shanghai totally empty out during holidays. Chinese New Year, in particular, sees the city virtually empty, which can be an eerie sight for anyone who's traversed its tremendously busy streets during other parts of the year. It might seem like good timing to explore China's bustling cities when the local population empties out for the holidays, but when they leave, businesses close down, and it can be challenging to find what you're looking for in terms of services, accommodation, and other travel-related experiences.

Similarly, if you're planning on visiting other sites around China, like the Tongguan Ancient City, Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi, or Harbin's winter festivals (in the north of the country), avoiding these holiday periods is equally important. China enjoys a staggering domestic tourism industry, and when people have time to press pause on their daily lives, they travel in gigantic numbers to these types of tourist attractions. As a result, you'll either see limits on your exploration or be inundated with other travelers all looking to experience China's cultural riches, driving up prices and making things far more crowded.

Don't Be Afraid Of The Food

Lastly, it's crucially important for visitors to the country to be as ambitious and adventurous as possible when it comes to their culinary experience. Food and drink are a major part of any visit to China, and missing out on the opportunity to eat delicious xiao long bao in Shanghai, biangbiang noodles in Xi'an, or the most amazing crispy duck you'll ever lay eyes on at Siji Minfu in Beijing is the perfect way to ruin your holiday. That's no exaggeration; food is a core part of the Chinese experience. From dumplings filled with all kinds of delicacies like lotus and green onions to hot pot restaurants, there is so much to love about Chinese cooking when experienced in its natural element.

Hot pot meals are a particularly unique and satisfying adventure. You order a broth as well as some combination of vegetables, rice or noodles, and meat sliced incredibly thin. Dunking these elements into the broth, you get a pick-your-own-adventure of sorts. These restaurants offer a variety of spice levels and additional toppings to throw into your broth, like chopped garlic, green onions, or mushroom sauces. Just make sure you taste any dark liquids before putting them into the broth because vinegar is often on tap next to soy sauce. The experience you enjoy with Chinese food can transform a trip to this fantastic country. Don't be afraid of all the unique dishes you'll find while traveling through China.

Read the original article on Explore .

China’s Outbound Tourism is Changing, Female Travelers Are Leading the Way

Peden Doma Bhutia , Skift

April 10th, 2024 at 8:01 AM EDT

The evolving demographics of Chinese outbound travel shows a jump in younger female travelers. This shift will have important implications for how businesses approach their marketing strategies and the kind of products on offer.

Peden Doma Bhutia

A notable demographic shift, particularly among young upwardly mobile women, is driving the recent travel rebound in China . These travelers are researching and booking trips online, often spontaneously.

According to the most recent travel sentiment survey conducted by China Trading Desk, 62% of outbound travelers were female. Among them, almost 40% fell within the ages of 18 to 24, and a little over 27% were 25 to 29-year-olds.

According to China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there were 3.6 million outbound trips taken during the Chinese New Year (from February 10-17).

Skift earlier cited a Dragon Trail research that expects China’s outbound tourism to reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels by 2024 end.

The five-day Labor Day holiday that begins from May 1 and the summer travel season are expected to further drive outbound tourism.

Women Power Drives Travel

Subramania Bhatt, founder and CEO of China Trading Desk, emphasized the emergence of a new cohort of digitally-savvy travelers seeking culturally enriching experiences. He highlighted that this demographic is predominantly young, female, and educated, with many opting for solo trips.

“These travelers exhibit a strong interest in independent travel, nature activities, and cultural experiences,” Bhatt told Skift.

He emphasized the need for travel businesses and destinations to better cater to these travelers by prioritizing safety, wellness, and support services.

Businesses should focus on promoting shopping and luxury experiences, along with unique local activities that appeal to the interests of young Chinese women travelers, he said.

Regarding travel preferences, the survey revealed that shopping ranked among the top five consumption items for outbound travel along with accommodation, air tickets and food. Over a quarter of travelers said they research shopping activities before purchasing air tickets, with this percentage rising to just under 70% among those aged 18 to 29.

Challenges of U.S. Travel

Analyzing destination popularity among Chinese travelers, Singapore maintains its lead position, followed by Thailand and South Korea.

During the first quarter of 2024, China contributed the highest number of visitor arrivals to Singapore, with nearly 724,000 entries. This marked a 481% year-on-year jump, reaching 75% of the visitor arrivals in 2019 for the same period.

In February, Singapore and China implemented a 30-day visa-free travel arrangement . Also, from March 1, Thailand and China entered into a mutual visa exemption agreement .

However, travel to the United States from China remains subdued . Bhatt predicts that Chinese travel to the U.S. may start to recover by the fourth quarter of 2024 or early 2025, barring any additional constraints.

“A variety of challenges, notably stringent visa regulations, geopolitical strains, and advisories from the Chinese government are holding back U.S. travel,” he said.

Recent incidents of professionals and students experiencing entry denials or interrogations upon arrival in the U.S. have led to official warnings about potential travel disruptions or cancellations, he said.

“Given the ongoing geopolitical complexities and the U.S. elections in November, prospects for immediate improvement in U.S.-China travel dynamics appear limited,” Bhatt said.

The survey listed government travel restrictions among the top factors influencing travel decisions.

Apps to Plan, Research and Pay

Chinese travelers are also booking trips faster and using digital platforms more. This suggests a trend towards spontaneity and flexibility driven by their digital skills, according to the survey.

They use popular travel apps like CTrip and Qunar, as well as social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu (China’s Instagram), to get information and plan trips. These platforms are also often used for organizing shopping excursions.

Bhatt stresses the importance of digital tools in travel and shopping, noting how they shape travel plans.

Friend recommendations strongly influence hotel bookings, followed by digital ads, highlighting the importance of social networks and targeted marketing in the hospitality industry.

For improving shopping experiences, travelers, especially those aged between 18 and 29 prefer using digital wallets and mobile payments. Alipay is the top payment method for outbound travel, with WeChat Pay also widely used among Chinese travelers.

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Tags: alipay , asia monthly , china , china outbound , ctrip , digital payments , politics , singapore , social media , survey , visa waiver , wechat pay , women travelers

Photo credit: Chinese female travelers exhibit a strong interest in independent travel, nature activities, and cultural experiences. Kuan Fang / Unsplash

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Blinken to raise China's support for Russia's defense industrial base during visit

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Russia claims second gain in two days in Ukraine's Donetsk region

Russia said on Monday its forces had taken control of the village of Novomykhailivka 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, the second advance it has announced in two days.

Chongqing Holds Discussion on Boosting Automotive Industry with Capital Investment in NEVs and ICVs

Chongqing - As the new energy vehicles (NEVs) and intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) sectors continue to grow, many companies prioritize advancements in intelligence and connectivity. This emphasis on autonomous driving also draws significant attention and investment.

Effectively leveraging capital for automotive industry advancements is a key topic discussed by industry experts at the Western China Science City Innovation Center of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (WICV) on April 18.

Industry experts shared views on how to leverage capital to advance the automotive industry on April 18. (Photo/WICV)

Zhang Hongbin, general manager of TSARI Capital, discussed the pivotal role of capital in propelling companies during the investment phase. TSARI Capital, which manages funds focused on technology within the automotive industry, champions a collaborative approach that includes a vehicle company, a capital firm, and academic institutions. This alliance has successfully developed a testing equipment platform, with schools providing technological expertise, the capital firm offering financial investment, and the vehicle company driving market expansion.

Zhang highlighted the critical need to identify and foster standout entrepreneurial ventures, noting their scarcity yet vital importance to the fund's strategy.

Meanwhile, Zhao Chunlin, general manager of the Kexing Science and Technology Innovation Investment Fund, delved into their strategies for investing in intelligent vehicles and the new energy sector.

"Chongqing boasts a robust automotive industry, with growth evident in companies like Changan and Seres," said Zhao. Initially focusing on component manufacturers, the fund quickly recognized the benefits of investing in larger, full-scale vehicle producers.

Zhao recalled Changan's early ventures into new energy vehicles in 2008, which made up more than 30% of their portfolio. By 2017, this investment had increased in value by 150 times.

He emphasized the importance of focusing on the Internet of Vehicles and vehicle-road collaboration, areas he deems essential for meeting the industry’s future demands.

While immediate financial returns hold significance, Zhao sees a wealth of opportunities in the market, particularly for projects aimed at enhancing road infrastructure. He notes that start-ups must adeptly handle these opportunities to achieve success.

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