[Big read] Why China’s viral cities rise fast and fade faster

(Edited and refined by Josephine Hong, with the assistance of AI translation.)

In late March, a Chinese food blogger with millions of followers stumbled upon a secluded, back-alley eatery in Shunde, Guangdong. Within days, this hidden gem became a viral culinary stopover for swarms of eager netizens.

However, online videos showed a curt owner adamantly resisting his newfound fame. Shouting at cameras that his dishes were “nothing special” and his restaurant’s capacity was strictly limited, he urged viewers not to follow the crowd blindly. He even went so far as to post a sign warning diners that his soup might cause an upset stomach. 

This counter-intuitive, anti-marketing attitude only fuelled public curiosity. His medicinal chicken hotpot restaurant became an overnight sensation.

By April, diners were driving in from all directions. The modest restaurant, Mo’s Chicken Hot Pot, found itself inundated with thousands of customers daily. Queues routinely surpassed 200 tables, forcing patrons to wait three to four hours for a meal. Before this sudden rise to fame, the six-year-old establishment served only a handful of tables a day.

As visitors surged almost overnight, the local Shunde government immediately launched an emergency response plan. They paved new access roads, expanded parking facilities, and mobilised additional chefs and servers. The authorities rolled out a “Chicken Gastronomy Map” and alternative travel itineraries, guiding foodies to other local spots in hopes of boosting the area’s broader tourism ecosystem.

Following the May Day Golden Week holiday rush, foot traffic at the restaurant noticeably cooled down, as per the standard lifecycle of internet hype. Nonetheless, by riding this wave of viral dividends and leveraging targeted local promotion, Shunde’s culinary scene was pushed back into the national spotlight as the city’s calling card.

The accidental rise of this neighborhood eatery reflects a broader phenomenon in China’s current era of online-traffic-driven cultural tourism. Tourism has long been viewed by local governments as an important driver of economic growth, employment and support for related industries. Now, with the restructuring of digital communication, the low-cost, high-reach internet has become the battleground for local tourism bureaus aiming to amplify their influence.

Tourism chiefs becoming influencers

Over the past two years, China’s cultural and tourism industry has entered an all-out online traffic war. From major cities to rural counties, and from trendy landmarks to village shops, local governments, scenic spots and businesses have dove into the marketing fray. Tourism departments are pulling out all the stops for their social media strategy: some are churning out massive volumes of promotional content, while others enlist homegrown celebrities to drive traffic. 

Local tourism bureau chiefs have increasingly taken centre stage themselves, donning period costumes for mass-produced “ancient-style blockbusters”. As they chase algorithm trends, involution has escalated. The moment a public relations opportunity arises, local authorities are swift to mobilise and develop new tourism highlights.

Some locales have successfully forged distinct identities based on local characteristics. For instance, Tianshui in Gansu province went viral over a bowl of mala tang (麻辣烫, a spicy soup dish); Rongjiang in Guizhou province ignited national fervour via its grassroots “village super league” football matches; and Yanji in Jilin province leveraged its Korean ethnic heritage to offer a sought-after “Yanji Princess” cultural experience.

Wang Ke, a senior analyst at Beijing-based Analysys, told Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB) that local governments across China have long prioritised cultural tourism, but the way provinces and cities compete has changed significantly since the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Before the pandemic, local governments notoriously favoured heavy construction over operations,” Wang explained, pointing to the ubiquitous, identical “ancient towns” across various provinces as a prime example. However, after the pandemic and amid the meteoric rise of social media platforms such as RedNote and Douyin, coupled with the end of the era of high growth led by the real estate sector, local governments have placed much greater emphasis on cultural tourism operations and management.

A 2024 report by Douyin Life Service revealed that the platform hosted 2,534 official Chinese cultural and tourism accounts, including 1,796 at the county level. Behind this dense network of official accounts lies an urgent need for local governments to capture market share and stimulate consumer spending.

During China’s annual Two Sessions meetings last year, Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli said tourism and cultural consumption had strong potential to boost spending and could become a pillar industry, though he acknowledged the sector still had significant ground to cover before reaching that status.

Over the past two years, numerous provinces — including Henan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei and Jilin — have explicitly stated in government work reports or major policy meetings their aim to strengthen cultural tourism and develop it into a pillar industry.

Zhou Xiaopu, a journalism professor at Renmin University of China, notes that local tourism promotion has evolved from official speeches into today’s trend of “influencer bureau chiefs”.

While the tactics keep changing, this constant online buzz has granted unprecedented exposure to regions across China. Destinations like Zibo, Harbin and Altay have each taken turns in the viral spotlight, sparking nationwide replication. The core strategy is simple: use culture as a stage for economic performance. By translating viral cultural influence into tangible financial gains, these campaigns ultimately aim to create jobs, boost consumption, and drive local economic growth.

Risk of high investment, low returns

Official data indicate that in 2025, consumption contributed 52% to China’s economic growth. The service sector’s added value increased by 5.4% year-on-year, within which the accommodation and catering sectors grew by 4.9%.

County-level tourism has also expanded rapidly over recent years, leveraging rural authenticity and cultural resources as key drivers of local consumption.

According to the 2025 China County Tourism Competitiveness Report (《中国县域旅游竞争力报告2025》), published by institutions including the Competitiveness Think Tank and the Beijing Zhongxin Urban Planning and Design Research Institute, China’s top 100 tourism counties saw a 18.3% year-on-year increase in visitors and a 15.9% rise in total tourism revenue in 2025.

However, Tommy Xie, head of Greater China Research & Strategy at OCBC Bank in Singapore, raised concerns over structural imbalances in this growth model. Many local cultural tourism projects heavily rely on local government financing vehicles for funding. He warned, “This risks creating a scenario of massive capital expenditure paired with low rates of return.”

Xie noted that the long-term, continuous capital expenditure required for these projects adds to local debt pressure. At the same time, increasingly intense competition among regions has led to a proliferation of highly similar projects, leading to involution and inefficient allocation of public resources.

Furthermore, Xie pointed out that China and the global economy are navigating an uneven, K-shaped recovery, characterised to some extent by consumption downgrading and weaker spending. This further squeezes profit margins for cultural tourism. Some projects may boast soaring popularity and rebounding foot traffic, but they suffer from low per-capita spending — falling into the trap of “generating buzz but not profits”.

To resolve this mismatch between input and output and achieve healthy, sustainable development, Xie stressed that local tourism must undergo a logical paradigm shift: abandoning the crude mindset of infrastructure expansion and moving towards refined, service-oriented operations.

Infrastructure and service must match the hype

As competition intensifies, standing out becomes increasingly difficult.

According to the Jinhua Municipal People’s Congress in Zhejiang province, the pressure on local officials is real. After a delegate highlighted Harbin’s viral tourism success during a 2024 legislative meeting, Feng Jian, the director of the Jinhua Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, joked about the high expectations: “I might be the bureau chief under the most pressure lately. Jinhua netizens have already suggested that I hike up Jianfeng Mountain with a liangtouwu pig on my back.”

The northern city of Harbin, affectionately dubbed “Erbin” (尔滨) by netizens, went viral during the 2023-2024 winter ice and snow season. Meanwhile, the liangtouwu pig is one of China’s four prized pig breeds and used to make Jinhua ham, while Jianfeng Mountain is a prominent scenic peak north of Jinhua. The official’s self-deprecating humour underscores the immense pressure local authorities face to generate viral tourism success.

While destination marketing can lead to overnight fame, the popularity could disappear just as quickly. Guan Jian, marketing manager for Guangzhou-based tour agency Guangzhilv, told LHZB that among the viral cities that emerged in recent years, only about half have successfully converted short-term traffic into long-term appeal. The rest have seen their popularity evaporate like a passing whim.

“If the tourist experience is poor, the hype fizzles out very quickly,” Guan pointed out. He identified inadequate service capacity to handle sudden influxes, alongside lagging infrastructure in transportation and accommodation, as the most common complaints. Whether a newly minted viral city can patch these developmental shortcomings and refine its service ecosystem ultimately determines the longevity of its popularity.

Digging deeper into local culture

Guan observed that the rise of viral cities is accelerating the integration of tourism with other industries. However, traditional tourism hubs remain the true “ballast stones” of the market. Although they may not match the explosive growth rates of overnight internet sensations, they enjoy steady visitor flows, lower complaint rates, and a far more resilient foundation.

Analysys’s Wang believes that homogenisation remains a glaring issue across China’s cultural tourism landscape. He said, “Before the pandemic, the industry was teeming with identical facilities; now, it suffers from identical operational models.”

Wang pointed to the ubiquitous appearance of identical urban street signs reading “I miss you so much in…”, bamboo milk teas and drone light shows across various Chinese cities. These repetitive elements lack authentic local cultural depth, resulting in the proliferation of generic sceneries and experiences. As tourists become increasingly educated, well-travelled and discerning, the market will inevitably demand sophisticated tourism products and a deeper exploration of genuine local heritage.

Shifting consumer demands are already forcing the industry to adapt. Guan noted that online trends have pushed travel agencies to optimise their itineraries. However, as traveller expectations mature, tourists are no longer content with superficial, checklist-style sightseeing. Instead, they seek comfort, relaxation and immersive experiences. Differentiation, refinement and thematic depth are now the true keys to survival in the market.

Targeting overseas markets

After establishing comprehensive communication networks across major domestic social platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin and RedNote, many Chinese provinces are now expanding their footprints on overseas social media networks to accelerate international outreach.

In 2019, China Tourism News, China Public Opinion Survey Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Alibaba Group jointly established the “Cultural and Tourism Industry Index Laboratory” to evaluate the domestic and international communication efficacy of China’s provincial tourism bureaus.

According to reports released by the laboratory, as of the end of 2025, as many as 31 provincial-level cultural and tourism departments maintained active overseas social media accounts. Specifically, there were 26 active accounts on Facebook, 26 on X, 27 on Instagram, 25 on YouTube, and 23 on TikTok.

The report indicated that by the end of 2025, the total follower base for China’s provincial-level international cultural and tourism accounts exceeded 49.47 million, marking an increase of roughly 6.96 million followers or 16.39% compared with 2024.

These official channels focus primarily on urban branding, tourism promotion and international cultural exchange. Through high-quality photography and short videos, provinces showcase national icons such as the Great Wall, Huangshan and the Mogao Caves, alongside local developments and unique customs and traditions, aggressively promoting their international image and cultural tourism.

RUC’s Zhou analysed that China’s continuous expansion of its visa-free entry arrangements has made travelling to China far more accessible for foreign visitors. Coupled with state-led international communication and overseas social media exposure, inbound tourist numbers have climbed steadily over recent years.

However, she also pointed out that the content produced by local governments for overseas audiences remains heavily concentrated on scenery, historical landmarks and cuisine. Much like domestic tourism marketing, it suffers from creative homogeneity — clustering around dated styles and night views while noticeably lacking narratives centered on the locals and daily life. “You see the objects, but not the people; it lacks human warmth,” Zhou remarked.

Zhou believes that if content dissemination relies primarily on landscapes and material products at the expense of personal stories and local lifestyles and atmospheres, it loses the human perspective and emotional connection needed to resonate with overseas audiences.

In contrast, she noted that while world-renowned documentary channels such as National Geographic and Discovery Channel focus on natural geography and wildlife, their core lens always remains trained on human survival, development and socio-cultural themes — subjects that universally move viewers.

Be distinctive and emotionally engaging

Zhou believes that if overseas cultural tourism communication is to truly connect emotionally with people and build sustainable, high-quality international influence, it must invest heavily in emotional resonance.

She suggested that beyond using human-centric narratives to build emotional bridges, international tourism marketing must elevate its professionalism and distinctiveness, steering clear of formulaic content creation. This could involve inviting authoritative experts to provide deep, intellectual interpretations of local culture to deliver richer and more informative content, while objectively presenting local resources and realities, because “nothing resonates quite like authenticity”.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “文旅太内卷也太趋同 各地比流量更比留量”.

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