Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Lifestyle
    Home / Lifestyle / Z Weekly

    New frontier of youth travel

    By MENG WENJIE | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2024-08-14 08:05
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Wang Zihao on a scientific exploration journey. CHINA DAILY

    Young Chinese travelers are redefining adventure by moving beyond traditional tourism to seek unique experiences.

    Under the night sky, a group of young people gathered, singing and dancing to rock music. While this might sound like a scene from a music festival, it was Zhang Chongling's experience at the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, at an altitude of 5,200 meters.

    The base camp, according to Zhang, is open from March to October each year and offers a relatively accessible way to admire the majesty of the world's highest peak.

    In October 2023, Zhang and her friends took an eco-friendly bus up the mountain and arrived just before the camp closed for the season. Around 9 pm, while resting in her tent, Zhang heard music and realized a celebration was underway.

    Layering up in warm clothes, she stepped outside and found a group of young people spontaneously gathering in the base camp's square under the starry sky. They waved Chinese national flags and danced energetically to rock music, even though some of them had to breathe from oxygen tanks.

    "People there ranged from their teens to their 40s," Zhang recalled. "Everyone was warm and welcoming, and no one asked about your personal life — you could just be yourself."

    The accommodations at the base camp were basic, consisting of large tents with poor sound insulation. After the celebration, Zhang suffered from altitude sickness and had to rent a medical oxygen tank locally.

    Despite this, as she watched the vibrant young people beneath the clearly visible Milky Way, the 27-year-old reflected, "I'll never be younger than I was at that moment."

    Lesser-known gems

    Like Zhang, many young people are moving away from traditional tourist spots and crowded destinations to explore lesser-known locations and unique experiences.

    Recently, county towns, often described as the "capillaries" of China's geography, have become increasingly popular among these adventurous travelers.

    Data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism reveals that the coverage of national A-level tourist attractions in counties has risen from 73 percent in 2012 to 93 percent in 2023.

    Additionally, the Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu now features over 480,000 posts discussing "county travel".

    One such content creator is Wang Yanling, 34, who travels with her husband, Wang Yanfei, and their dog, Taozi.

    In 2022, Wang Yanling began documenting their adventures on social media, and by 2023, she noticed that many of her favorite "hidden gems" were small counties. This realization inspired her to launch a project on Xiaohongshu called "Explore 100 Hidden County Towns".

    Wang Yanling recalls their first county visit to Wuyi in East China's Zhejiang province, discovered by chance during a drive.

    This unexpected journey brought her great joy, especially when she found a remote, mountainside ancient village in this lesser-known town, a place previously documented by Chinese architect and architectural historian Liang Sicheng (1901-1972) in A History of Chinese Architecture.

    "It was raining when we arrived, and the entire village seemed like a traditional Chinese ink painting," she said.

    Based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Wang Yanling and her husband have extended their travels from nearby regions like Jiangsu and Anhui to other parts of China, including Shanxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Shandong provinces.

    Due to limited public transportation in some towns and their need to travel with a pet, the couple usually drives themselves.

    They have found that many county towns are very welcoming to pets. "That made me realize that 'pet friendliness' is more of a big city concept. In smaller towns, people and animals coexist more naturally without strict boundaries," said Wang Yanling.

    As their travels expanded, they discovered that each town had its own distinct charm. Some are known for their breathtaking landscapes, others for exceptional cuisine, and some for their cultural and historical significance.

    "Even within the same city, each county has a unique vibe," said Wang Yanfei. "To me, travel is about experiencing different cultures and seeing new landscapes. Your worldview is shaped by what you've seen in the world."

    1 2 Next   >>|
    Most Popular
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
     
    国产午夜无码精品免费看| 精品无码国产一区二区三区AV| 国产乱码精品一区二区三区中文| 中文成人无码精品久久久不卡| 中文有无人妻vs无码人妻激烈| 最近中文字幕免费mv在线视频| 日韩av无码中文无码电影| 区三区激情福利综合中文字幕在线一区亚洲视频1 | 色综合天天综合中文网| 最新中文字幕AV无码不卡| 国产热の有码热の无码视频 | 久久亚洲AV成人无码软件| 中文字幕乱码一区二区免费| 国产AV无码专区亚洲精品| 波多野结衣AV无码久久一区| 婷婷中文娱乐网开心| 影院无码人妻精品一区二区| 久久久久久亚洲Av无码精品专口 | AV无码久久久久不卡蜜桃| 日本中文字幕网站| 中文字幕人成人乱码亚洲电影| 毛片一区二区三区无码| 亚洲欧美精品一区久久中文字幕 | 亚洲一区二区三区在线观看精品中文| 麻豆亚洲AV永久无码精品久久| 亚洲精品无码精品mV在线观看| 久久亚洲AV无码西西人体| 久久午夜伦鲁片免费无码| 亚洲av无码片vr一区二区三区| 中文字字幕在线中文无码| 无码色AV一二区在线播放| 中文字幕不卡亚洲| 中文字幕在线观看亚洲| 狠狠精品干练久久久无码中文字幕| av无码免费一区二区三区| 最近免费字幕中文大全| 在线亚洲欧美中文精品| 蜜桃臀AV高潮无码| 亚洲av无码成人黄网站在线观看| 亚洲AV日韩AV永久无码下载| 未满十八18禁止免费无码网站|