Some of China’s best cultural ambassadors are foreign vloggers

According to data released by the National Immigration Administration, more than 14.6 million foreigners entered China in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 152.7 per cent. Among them, 8.5 million people entered China without a visa, accounting for 52 per cent — a year-on-year increase of 190.1 per cent. With the support of the visa-free transit policy, it is more convenient for foreign tourists to explore China.

I was impressed that a couple from Britain and Italy, on their YouTube channel, said that people in China completely blew them away because they “never expected anyone could be so lovely, so friendly, so helpful, so welcoming and so patient”, and “so nice”. It was the first time I had seen someone put so many kind adjectives together to describe Chinese people.

In a video posted to Douyin, a father from Britain said he took his son to see a dentist in China. He was shocked by how efficient and affordable it was to go to the hospital. He said the whole process, from the professional consultation and X-ray to his son getting the filling, took just a few hours and cost them 287 yuan (US$40).

These videos are just the tip of the iceberg. To be honest, the China travel rush has shocked not only foreigners who had no idea of China, but some Chinese people too. Perhaps some of us have taken the positive aspects of our country for granted, as we live with them. But look at this phenomenon from another perspective. Can you think of any better way to tell good China stories to the international community?

In Confucianism, a central school of Chinese philosophy, the principle of the “golden mean” advocates for the pursuit of impartiality, harmony and balance. This idea permeates into daily life; people tend to