big read[Big read] From river mahjong to viral food: How influencers put Chongqing on the map
Chongqing has gained a reputation for being a city of layers — in every sense — just waiting to be discovered and savoured. In this era of social media, many influencers have played a part in boosting Chongqing’s popularity. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu explores the charm of the city.
(Edited and refined by Candice Chan, with the assistance of AI translation.)
“You think you’re on the top floor, until you step outside and find yourself at ground level. And when you believe you’re on the ground floor, you have to go up 12 floors just to get out.”
“This city is stacked on top of another! Light rail trains run through buildings, buses seem to fly through the sky — it’s practically an 8D cyberpunk metropolis!”
These are some of the most common descriptions used by Chinese and foreign bloggers on short-video platforms such as TikTok and Instagram when introducing Chongqing. Angles highlighting the city’s unique terrain and fantastical architectural landscape are often the most eye-catching in their videos, and the ones that generate the most traffic.
Going viral
In September 2024, Chongqing-born photographer Jackson Lu, part of the post-95 generation, posted an English-language video on TikTok about how in Chongqing “you never know what floor you’re on”. It garnered five million views, and within two weeks, the views had soared to 37 million as his follower count jumped by 160,000.
Now with 600,000 followers, Lu admitted to Lianhe Zaobao that he has been lucky. There was a period of steady accumulation beforehand, he said, but he also happened to catch the moment when “China travel” and Chongqing were both going viral. “Only when all the conditions align do you have a chance to get popular.”
A film graduate of the University of Toronto, Lu served as a tour guide for American mega-influencer IShowSpeed (real name Darren Jason Watkins) during his trip to Chongqing in April last year.
Accompanied by Lu, the influencer — nicknamed “Hyperthyroidism Bro” (甲亢哥) by Chinese netizens — livestreamed in Chongqing for more than six hours, generating massive traffic and prompting several other foreign influencers to visit and check in afterward.
With the advent of the internet era, however, Chongqing’s distinctive terrain, architecture, and complex topography and transportation network began attracting Chinese film directors.
Khaby Lame, ranked second globally in TikTok followers, also visited Chongqing last September, five months after IShowSpeed’s China tour.
Two months later, American celebrity chef Joshua Weissman, who has tens of millions of subscribers on YouTube, also filmed a programme in Chongqing.
Chongqing’s unique landscape undoubtedly provides ideal creative conditions for influencers, while their influence in turn boosts the city’s popularity. Lu, dubbed by netizens as “Chongqing’s Wild Travel Ambassador”, said this two-way interaction forms a virtuous cycle. “The more people watch, the more word of mouth spreads, creating a positive snowball effect.”
Similarly, local Chongqing influencer Ryan Chen, known as “Brother Rui” (瑞哥), who went viral for his impressions of US President Donald Trump, introduces Chongqing’s food culture and local customs in his distinctive English accent. Not only has he become a traffic magnet himself, but he has also raised Chongqing’s profile overseas, earning the title of “hometown spokesperson” from official Chongqing media.
Unique terrain favoured by Chinese directors
Cai Min, professor at the School of Literature and Journalism at Chongqing Technology and Business University, told Lianhe Zaobao that visits by foreign traffic stars have strengthened Chongqing’s influence on overseas social media, while local Chongqing influencers are also reaching global audiences. Together, these efforts have shaped a healthy international communication ecosystem.
As China’s wartime provisional capital during the War of Resistance against Japan, Chongqing has traditionally been a heavy industrial city centred on steel, machinery and military industries, as tourism and services accounted for a relatively small share of its economy.
With the advent of the internet era, however, Chongqing’s distinctive terrain, architecture, and complex topography and transportation network began attracting Chinese film directors.
The 2016 hit films I Belonged to You (《从你的全世界路过》) and Chongqing Hot Pot (《火锅英雄》), the 2019 critical and box-office success Better Days (《少年的你》), and the 2020 breakout suspense drama The Long Night (《沉默的真相》) all featured scenes shot in Chongqing’s urban areas.
With the rise of the short-video era, such high-contrast, visually striking landscapes gained even more online attention. At one point, people joked that “nine out of ten Douyin videos are about Chongqing”.
Through directors’ lenses and cinematic presentation, Chongqing’s layered landscapes and bustling street life went viral in China, turning it into an internet-popular city that is modern and full of everyday warmth.
With the rise of the short-video era, such high-contrast, visually striking landscapes gained even more online attention. At one point, people joked that “nine out of ten Douyin videos are about Chongqing”.
This enthusiasm has extended to overseas platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, which also favour strong visual impact. Chongqing has become famous abroad under labels like “cyber city” and “future world”.
Chongqing residents are full of humour and personality
Xue Ke, vice dean of the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told Lianhe Zaobao that Chongqing inherently possesses “influencer DNA”. Its distinctive three-dimensional terrain, foggy “Mountain City” climate, and densely layered architecture “create a highly recognisable ‘magical realist’ visual spectacle, a perfect fit for the vertical-screen aesthetics favoured by short videos.”
In the short-video environment, she said, visual impact is the key to breaking through to wider audiences. Once that channel was opened, Chongqing’s dynamic visual materials naturally stood out.
Liu Danling, professor and head of the journalism department at Chongqing University’s School of Journalism & Communication, added that the rise of self-media has allowed urban charm to be showcased to the fullest. Chongqing’s popularity results from the coupling of its inherent appeal with a vibrant internet culture.
She noted that Chongqing has also actively worked to make itself seen. Whether through mainstream media, self-media, or local residents, the city has been ripening itself.
In 2016, during a prolonged summer heatwave in the city known as “the furnace”, residents set up mahjong tables in river water, playing while soaking their feet to cool off. The grassroots-style fun of the scene quickly drew widespread attention.
Even before the influencer era matured, Chongqing people’s natural humour, relaxed attitude, and the whimsical — even absurd — elements in their daily behaviour were already frequent internet highlights.
In 2016, during a prolonged summer heatwave in the city known as “the furnace”, residents set up mahjong tables in river water, playing while soaking their feet to cool off. The grassroots-style fun of the scene quickly drew widespread attention.
Cai Min noted that people are shaped by local conditions, and the open-minded, humorous, and straightforward personality of Chongqing people make them highly recognisable.
Furthermore, influenced by its dock culture, Chongqing people’s boldness, enthusiasm, flamboyance, and persistence also give them an advantage in the internet era driven by the “eyeball economy”.
During IShowSpeed’s China tour, a Rongchang native known as “Braised Goose Bro”, dressed in a bright floral jacket, followed the influencer across five cities from Chengdu to Changsha. His exaggerated style caught the team’s attention, and he achieved his goal of pushing “Rongchang braised goose” into the spotlight.
Official data shows that last year, Chongqing’s ports recorded over 2.48 million inbound and outbound trips, with inbound foreign visitors reaching a historic high. Of these, 72% were from ASEAN countries.
Record high in foreign visitors
Du Jiangshan, a senior tour guide at Chongqing Xigua International Travel Agency (重庆西瓜国旅国际旅行社), told Lianhe Zaobao that since early last year, tour groups from Singapore and Malaysia have increased significantly. While groups used to consist of just over 10 people, they now approach 40.
Official data shows that last year, Chongqing’s ports recorded over 2.48 million inbound and outbound trips, with inbound foreign visitors reaching a historic high. Of these, 72% were from ASEAN countries.
According to Du, about 60% of the tourists he receives were attracted by TikTok, RedNote videos, or film and television productions. A recent group from Singapore, after watching the youth romance drama The First Frost (《难哄》) filmed in Chongqing, made a special trip to check in at a noodle shop featured in the show.
Such media-inspired tourism is common. Early last year, Jackson Lu opened a travel agency serving foreign tourists. After partnering in November on a food programme with Australian influencer Amy Lyons, who has over a million followers, roughly 20% of his clients came specifically because of that collaboration.
Maria from Amsterdam, interviewed at Chongqing’s famous Nanbin Road, said she had originally planned to vacation in Paris or Tokyo. But after seeing motorcycle-shooting videos filmed in Chongqing on TikTok, she decided to head to the Mountain City instead to experience a bit of “speed and passion”.
Ji Yuyu, a rider who pivoted from auto repair to motorcycle photography three years ago, said foreign customers have been increasing, especially in recent months, and now account for about 90% of his clientele.
Sensing the international tourism wave brought by Chongqing’s overseas popularity, Ji has even begun learning basic English to target foreign visitors.
Labels are just the starting point
On Chongqing’s popularity with labels like “cyber city”, some academics note that overseas attention often focuses on the city’s spectacular spaces, but this should be a starting point for going into deeper cultural content, rather than the end point.
... while overseas labels bring communication dividends, they also carry risks of cultural distortion. Overreliance may confine the city’s cultural depth. “The key is not whether labels exist, but whether they become the city’s ‘only narrative’.” — Xue Ke, Vice Dean, Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xue Ke said that whether it is dock culture, cuisine systems, or nightlife, Chongqing has abundant and sustainable cultural resources to tell its story.
She warned that while overseas labels bring communication dividends, they also carry risks of cultural distortion. Overreliance may confine the city’s cultural depth. “The key is not whether labels exist, but whether they become the city’s ‘only narrative’.”
Liu Danling added that a city’s cultural spirit cannot be entirely obscured by symbolic clichés. “It needs a window to spark curiosity… which may lead to deeper exploration.”
Xu Jian, a professor with the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, believes overseas labels provide another perspective. “When people realise, ‘So this is how foreigners see Chongqing,’ it actually adds meaning rather than narrowing it.”
Once tourists enter Chongqing, he said, they begin to understand local daily norms and see the Chongqing that Chinese people know.
Changing China’s external narrative
The “short video + influencer” communication route has not only fuelled the “China Travel” boom in cities like Chongqing, but has also, to some extent, reshaped how China communicates with the world and how it is perceived externally.
The platform, overseen by the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee’s Publicity Department, is building a network of overseas influencers and MCN agencies to attract international short-video creators.
In recent years, many regions in China have launched official overseas social media accounts using daily-life hashtags such as #VisitShaanxi, #LoveShanghai, #Noodle, and #Panda to attract foreign audiences.
The person in charge at the Western China International Communication Center (WCICO), established in Chongqing in 2023, said content is chosen to match overseas audiences’ interests, while remaining rooted in China’s realities and international issues.
The platform, overseen by the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee’s Publicity Department, is building a network of overseas influencers and MCN agencies to attract international short-video creators.
The centre currently employs three foreign staff members to provide different perspectives and help the team better understand overseas users’ perceptions of China.
More mature discourse system to facilitate publicity
Liu Danling said that China’s early external communication had limited content and channels. Today, its discourse system is more mature, delivering China’s voice in ways that are more acceptable to others.
Previously, China’s external messaging focused largely on grand historical and cultural narratives — through promotional films featuring sweeping landscapes, traditional art exhibitions, overseas performances by national troupes, and Confucius Institutes. While aimed at enhancing soft power, such efforts achieved limited impact in Western discourse and were sometimes dismissed as “propaganda”.
“Once they are willing to step into China, they will recognise the daily life of Chinese people — and that is China’s soft power.” — Professor Xu Jian, School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
As mass communication becomes more grassroots, Chinese cities have shifted toward everyday life and ordinary people, breaking through barriers by emphasising approachability and “human warmth”.
Xi’an, the “ancient capital of six dynasties”, previously went viral on TikTok thanks to “Sister Roly-Poly” (不倒翁姐姐) at the Grand Tang Mall (大唐不夜城, a major pedestrian street showcasing Tang Dynasty culture), gaining over two million views.
Xue Ke noted that international communication must be both high-level and down-to-earth. “On the internet, real life often has more emotional resonance than polished staging.”
Xu Jian argued that China should invest more in soft promotion. “Culture is not just about sending it out, but about selling it.”
He cited the recent viral popularity of a butcher girl nicknamed “Daidai” (呆呆) from Hechuan, Chongqing, as an example of how everyday life draws more attention.
Foreign tourists need not agree with an ideology, Xu said, but as long as they do not hold entrenched prejudices, “once they are willing to step into China, they will recognise the daily life of Chinese people — and that is China’s soft power.”
Liu Danling added that soft power formed in this way becomes charm and attraction, bringing people closer together.
This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “赛博朋克+烟火气 短视频放大山城奇景 中外网红炒热魔幻重庆”.
![[Video] George Yeo: America’s deep pain — and why China won’t colonise](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/thinkchina/15083e45d96c12390bdea6af2daf19fd9fcd875aa44a0f92796f34e3dad561cc)
