Young Chinese travelers embrace cultural immersion, seeking authentic experiences instead of traditional tourism in diverse destinations.
This Chinese New Year, Zhu Jiongyi, a sociology student from Beijing studying at Wuhan University, chose Kunming in Yunnan province as his holiday destination — a city that stands out as his favorite among all the places he visited during the past year.
His travels have taken him to some of China's most remote regions, including Xinjiang, Xizang, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu. He has also followed the Silk Road to Central Asia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
However, despite the diversity of these destinations, it was Kunming's multicultural charm that won his heart and drew him back for the holidays.
"Yunnan is home to 25 ethnic groups," explained Zhu. During his stay at a youth hostel, he shared meals with other guests, giving him the opportunity to try a wide variety of cuisines. "For example, Wa cuisine, influenced by Myanmar, has a distinctive Burmese flavor. Dai food is sour and refreshing. There are also Bai and Shui cuisines, each with their unique characteristics."
It is this blend of ethnic cultures that attracts young travelers like Zhu, who seek authentic and diverse experiences rather than superficial tourism.
Boliyuhai (pseudonym), another young traveler, shares a similar preference for in-depth exploration. However, her focus is on the multifaceted appeal of Hong Kong.
"I visited Hong Kong five times last year, but I still feel there's so much more to discover in the city," she said. "Although I speak Cantonese and have a good understanding of the local culture, Hong Kong still gives me a strong sense of 'frontier.' It's a complex and multidimensional city."
Yet it is precisely this complexity that inspires her. "Whenever I feel confused, I visit Hong Kong alone. I wander through random streets, soaking in the city's atmosphere — dignified yet down-to-earth, calm yet urgent," she wrote on her Xiaohongshu (RedNote) account.
"By stepping out of my familiar surroundings and immersing myself in the local culture, I've started noticing things I would normally overlook — how buildings are arranged and how urban spaces tell their own stories," she added.
The travel styles of Zhu and Boliyuhai reflect an emerging trend among young Chinese travelers: moving away from popular tourist destinations and choosing destinations based on personal passions and interests.
Coco (pseudonym), a graduate student studying literature at Soochow University in Jiangsu province, has a unique way of choosing her travel destinations: she picks places based on the writers she admires.
For example, during her junior year, Coco was deeply drawn to the works of Xiao Hong (1911-1942), a renowned modern Chinese writer. She visited Harbin and made a special trip to Hulan district, Xiao Hong's hometown and the setting of her novel Tales of Hulan River (1940). Centered on the writer's childhood, the novel portrays the social panorama and daily life of the small town's people.
"I noticed that many locals had weathered skin, thin faces, and high nasal bridges. The sun set around 4 PM there," she recalled. "I felt that the city I was visiting was still the one described in Xiao's books. Sitting on the bus back to downtown Harbin, watching the sky slowly darken, I suddenly felt I understood her."
Travel has also shaped Coco's academic journey, offering her new perspectives on her literary studies and even influencing her educational choices.
It was during her sophomore year that she first visited Suzhou and immediately fell in love with it.
"The city felt so vibrant and alive that I decided to apply for graduate studies there," she said.
Looking back, she believes it was the right decision. As a literature student, Suzhou felt less like a tourist destination and more like a living text she had studied for a long time. Standing at Changmen Gate, she couldn't help but think of the opening scene of Dream of the Red Chamber, the classic Chinese novel by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763), which begins there. The classical gardens, especially the smaller ones like the Master of the Nets Garden, also remind her of quatrains — subtle, restrained, and meant for quiet contemplation.
While Coco and Boliyuhai explore cities from a literary perspective, Zhu, with his sociology background, takes a more social approach to travel.
"My travels usually start with a question in my mind," he said.
Last summer, for instance, he went to Indonesia with a specific question: How do overseas Chinese communities live and what challenges do they face? He spent over two weeks visiting nearly every Chinese temple in Java, interacting with locals — restaurant owners, tea vendors, residents of religious sites, and even passersby he met during an excursion.
"I want to immerse myself in local life and experience it firsthand," he explained.
This approach to travel requires an open and egalitarian attitude toward social interactions. "In today's consumption-oriented society, it's easy to overlook the most authentic aspects of a culture, even when you're right in the middle of it," he said.
"I often see travelers who, because they're spending money, become arrogant and miss many valuable experiences — the unique and distinctive parts of local life that they consider beneath their standards," he added.
However, Zhu acknowledged that this kind of immersive travel has its limitations. "Without understanding the social background, it's hard to truly integrate into the local way of life," he said. "When you talk to someone, for example, their words are influenced by their past experiences, especially their religious beliefs, which are deeply rooted in long-standing social contexts. As an outsider, it's impossible to bridge this gap in just a few days."
That's why Zhu plans to stay in one place for at least two years to conduct fieldwork.
"I hope to see more diverse lifestyles," he said. "I want to understand how local culture is formed and observe how people are shaped by their geography and social environment."
"They say that when you've traversed an entire mountain, the mountain stays in your heart. The same goes for fieldwork: only after interacting with many people can you begin to form a complete picture of a place," he added.
