The day before, they were shuttling between high-rise buildings and neon lights in Chinese cities, and the day after, they were immersed in the green mountains and countryside scenery of Chinese countryside - this is becoming a "new rhythm" for more and more foreign tourists traveling to China. With the increasing popularity of "China Tour" on global social media platforms, the visa free effect in China continues to emerge, and the footsteps of foreign tourists traveling to China continue to deepen. Many rural areas in China are welcoming "foreign faces". The wind of 'China Tour' has blown into the vast rural land of China. Open the window - feel the fireworks and modernity of rural China, face the vast fields, and have a cup of rich coffee at the village coffee shop; Rowing a kayak, traversing the rippling river between villages; At the family banquet center in the village, use a heated soldering iron to iron patterns such as Sun Wukong onto gourds and experience the fun of gourd pyrography, an intangible cultural heritage; At the Youth Art Space, playing a dynamic song with local young villagers... On a day of exploring rural Zhejiang, Spanish tourist Anthony exclaimed with newly learned Chinese internet buzzwords, "I have been severely 'controlled' by China's rural life! I haven't had such happiness and freedom in a long time." "With China expanding the scope of visa free countries and extending the stay period to 30 days, foreign tourists like me who have already been to many big cities in China are looking for opportunities to experience the slow paced rural life in China." Anthony said that not long ago, he came on a "village tour" called "let's go". From Shanghai, the high-speed rail only takes 30 minutes to reach Jiaxing. Anthony's chosen destination is Sanxing Village located in Nanhu, Jiaxing. Recently, there has been an increasing number of foreign tourists like Anthony entering rural China. According to data from Tujia Homestay, during this year's Spring Festival holiday, 51 Chinese towns welcomed foreign tourist orders for the first time, and the number of foreign bookings for homestays increased by 3.7 times year-on-year. Picking tea and making tea in Banan, Chongqing, beating gongs and drums in Laizhou, Shandong, and experiencing ethnic minority customs in Yao villages in Guangxi... Foreign tourists take convenient transportation with curiosity to explore China, achieving a smooth transition from the city to the countryside, personally experiencing the fireworks and modernity of rural China, and opening up more windows to appreciate the diversity of China. China has a vast territory, numerous ethnic groups, and a long history of agricultural civilization. Different dialects, customs, and architectural styles have their own characteristics, leaving rich tourism resources in the vast countryside. In recent years, China's rural tourism industry has become more diversified, no longer limited to simply eating farm meals, but integrating nature and culture to provide tourists with richer tourism experiences Song Rui, Director of the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that cultural diversity and diversified business formats are important attractions for foreign tourists in Chinese rural tourism. Breaking prejudices - "returning customers" bring more "first time customers". "Only when you come do you realize how exciting the real Chinese countryside is! Especially during the Chinese New Year, it's like having a lively dream!" During this year's Spring Festival holiday, Russian girl Lilith spent an unforgettable time in the countryside of Xinyi, Guangdong, and thus gained a new understanding of Chinese countryside. Some Western media have misunderstandings about rural China. They always say that rural China is poor, backward, and has inconvenient transportation Lilith said that in the rural areas of Xinyi, she saw a scene that was completely different from what was described by Western media: there were green mountains and clear waters, terraced fields with lush bamboo, as well as newly renovated hotels, homestays, and various tourist facilities; You can not only wear Hanfu and enjoy the fragrant plum blossoms in the garden, but also watch the fiery fire pot performance at night. China's rural areas are full of surprises! The modern infrastructure here is not inferior to cities, and the comfortable pace of life and rich cultural activities make people feel both relaxed and not bored, "said Lilith. The closer you get, the more you see, and the deeper your understanding. Song Rui pointed out that foreign tourists, especially those who have a certain understanding of China, are not only experiencers of rural tourism in China, but also promoters and disseminators. They can share what they have seen and experienced in China's rural tourism with their relatives and friends, or publish their tourism experiences on various social platforms, which can show more overseas people rich, three-dimensional and vivid Chinese culture and the real life scenes of contemporary Chinese people, and further attract more foreign tourists into China's rural areas. Catherine, an American girl, transformed from an experiencer to a disseminator. A few years ago, when she first traveled to China, she fell in love at first sight with the rural scenery passing by the window while riding the high-speed railway. Afterwards, Catherine visited China multiple times and ventured deep into rural areas such as Jiangsu, Hebei, and Xinjiang. She was deeply attracted by China's diverse regional culture and decided to stay in rural China for a long time. Not long ago, she posted a short video on social media, sharing her daily life of living in rural China - in the evening, the setting sun passes through the lush bamboo forest, casting mottled light and shadow on the clean and flat country roads. Strolling along, one can occasionally catch a glimpse of the neighbor's chickens and geese. On the bamboo poles by the roadside, villagers hang up cured meat to dry, and the aroma of cured meat wafts. Entering the convenience supermarket in the village, various snacks, daily necessities, fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available, and the enthusiastic landlady casually brings two fresh apples. Online express delivery usually takes 2-4 days to arrive at the pickup shelves outside the supermarket. There are no staff on site, so there is no need to scan the code. You can find your own express delivery and pick it up without worrying about it being stolen, as this has never happened before. This is the place I've been dreaming of, I can't wait to go and see it Great! I love this kind of humane and secure village "... In the comment section, many foreign netizens expressed envy and longing for Catherine's rural life. Chinese rural tourism "repeat customers" like Catherine are attracting more and more "first time customers" from all over the world. Establishing visibility - enabling more rural areas to board the "China Tour" express train. In the future, how to make more Chinese rural areas enter the "check-in" list of foreign tourists and turn traffic into "retention"? Against the backdrop of promoting the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, various regions in China have actively launched a series of policies for the rural cultural and tourism industry, promoting its vigorous development. According to a report released by the Leisure and Vacation Branch of the China Tourism Association, 70% of the 60 newly added national 5A level scenic spots in China since 2020 are located in county-level areas. At the same time, rural ecological resources have given rise to integrated sports and tourism projects such as hiking, cycling, and rock climbing, which continue to attract foreign tourists who love nature and are willing to challenge themselves. The popularity of cultural and sports activities with the prefix "village" such as "village BA", "village supermarket", and "village T" has gained widespread attention worldwide, making foreign tourists eager to come and explore the vitality and charm of Chinese rural areas. Song Rui believes that specialization, quality, and branding will be the three important directions for the development of rural tourism in China: "Specialization means that rural areas should combine local natural conditions, cultural customs, and industrial structure to create their own characteristics and avoid uniformity; quality means constantly improving tourism related infrastructure to provide tourists with a quality tourism experience; branding means focusing on creating several representative Chinese rural tourism brands or enterprise brands, promoting them to the international tourism market, and thus establishing the popularity of Chinese rural tourism." Nowadays, some foreign tourists not only "come in", but also choose to "stay" and become "new villagers" in China, and even participate in the development of local rural tourism. In Hongcun Village, Yixian County, Mount Huangshan City, Anhui Province, there is such a foreign "villager" who not only lives an ideal pastoral life, but also helps this ancient village to establish closer ties with the world. In 2021, Amin, an Austrian, and his wife took their daughter to Yixian County for tourism. Attracted by the simple folkway, beautiful environment and unique Anhui architecture, they decided to settle here and take over the management of a home stay. In 2023, Amin opened a restaurant in Hongcun, serving his signature pizza and coffee to tourists from all over the world. In the past two years, with the increasing number of foreign tourists visiting this "Chinese Painting Village" for tourism, every Thursday night, Ah Ming transforms the restaurant into a classroom and offers free English classes to provide daily English communication training for local village officials, scenic area merchants, and tourism practitioners, helping them better communicate with foreign friends. I feel very happy to be able to start a business and live in a peaceful and tranquil Chinese village, "said Ah Ming. (New Society)