City walks becoming popular
City walks will be a trendy pastime for young Chinese in 2023. The walks involve an immersive exploration of the city on foot to observe ancient monuments, cultural sites, and exclusive venues.
This trend contrasts with widespread “military-style” travel, a recent fad among Chinese students. It’s all about spending a minimum of cash visiting places over the weekend, rarely taking breaks or even sleeping. Basically, city walks emphasize a slower speed and an immersive urban ride.
The phenomenon has become so widespread that there are more than 570,000 posts about it on the Xiaohongshu social media platform. Package tours and payments have sprung up in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, offering itineraries starting at around 10 yuan ($1. 4). ) to more than one hundred yuan.
Many other people plan their route, exploring the city without a predetermined itinerary. Since July, the local government of Beijing, Nanjing, and Xi’an have been providing ancient public walking routes in the city.