Society

A representative of Digang from Zhejiang province (center) receives the Best Tourism Village award in Huzhou city, East China’s Zhejiang province, on Oct 17, 2025.

Four villages in China were honored as Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) at an award ceremony held in Huzhou city, East China’s Zhejiang province, on Friday.

The villages awarded were Huanggang in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province; Jikayi in the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Sichuan province; Dongluo in Taizhou city of Jiangsu province; and Digang in Huzhou city of Zhejiang province.

'Different strokes for different folks" applies as much to dining as to anything else. Food preferences are not just about flavors; they are also about where the ingredients come from, how they are processed, and what cooking methods are used. Which of these details should be disclosed to consumers is not only a marketing decision for many restaurants but also a regulatory question. Left unchecked, incomplete or misleading information could spark disputes, damage trust and even raise food safety concerns.

The controversy over "pre-made" dishes in China shows just how divisive this issue has become. Some diners welcome convenience, while others reject the lack of wok hei (the smoky freshness of stir-fry). Yet whichever side people are on, one thing is clear: they prefer to be kept "well-informed".

Inbound passengers at Beijing Capital Airport, Beijing has 2.6m (148% grouth year-on-year) foreign visiters till Sep 25th 2025.

In the third quarter of 2025, foreign nationals made nearly 7.25 million visits to China under the nation's special visa-free policy, up 48.3 percent year-on-year, a spokesperson of the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said at a press briefing on Thursday.

The figures show that China Travel has been gathering pace, observers said, fueled by factors including the visa-free policy, growing interest among foreign travelers toward Chinese culture and increased international business exchanges. They predicted that the inbound tourism market could explode in the next decade or so, bringing an incremental amount of $1 trillion to $2 trillion.

Dec 12th 2024, Tour in Xiaomi Auto Factory, Yizhuang, Beijing.

Once off-limits to anyone but authorized staff, factory workshops are now turning into high-tech wonderlands for curious young visitors.

Since opening to the public in April 2024, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi's automobile factory in Beijing has attracted over 150,000 people to sign up for visits, with an average of more than 10,000 visitors each month as of the first half of this year.