“China Haul”: Foreign tourists traveling to China set off a new trend of “explosive shopping”

On overseas social media, another topic about China, "China Haul", has quietly emerged.

Under related entries, a foreign blogger shared in a video the loquat ointment, Ganmao Ling and Guipi Pills he bought during his trip to China, calling them "Oriental magic medicine"; a blogger dragged a full large moving cardboard box in front of the camera and turned around and poured out a box full of "results" brought back from China; some netizens commented in the comment area of ​​related topics: "I advise everyone to try to bring empty suitcases when traveling to China, because you will be exhausted from shopping there."

"China Haul" sounds like "China is good" and means "China shopping unboxing". It refers to foreign tourists who travel to China and display the Chinese products they bought on social platforms. Dragging an empty suitcase and leaving with a full suitcase of domestic products, "three suitcases per person come to China for shopping" has become the standard for many overseas tourists.

Data from the National Immigration Administration shows that in the first half of 2026, 22.914 million foreigners entered the country, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%; of which 17.815 million foreigners entered visa-free, accounting for 77.7% of the inbound foreigners, a year-on-year increase of 30.6%.

At the same time, in the past year since the new departure tax refund policy was implemented, the number of people applying for tax refunds has increased by 367% year-on-year, and the sales of tax-refunded goods and the amount of tax refunds have increased by 90% year-on-year. Beijing’s “double hub” airport alone verified more than 130,000 departure tax refund applications in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 516.31%.

The more people come, the more they buy. The simultaneous rise of these two curves shows that "China Haul" does not only exist on the Internet, but is a new trend in tourism to China supported by real consumption in real life.

For a long time in the past, when foreign tourists came to China, the "three items" in their shopping carts were tea, silk, and panda dolls. What they buy is the symbol of being here, not the product itself. At that time, "Made in China" was positioned as "cheap" in the minds of global consumers.

It's different now.

According to Bloomberg, experiencing high-tech products from Huawei and DJI and shopping in theme park-style Pop Mart stores are must-dos for tourists coming to China.

Reuters said that in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, foreign tourists are looking for pocket gimbals, action cameras, AI glasses, drones and robots.

At this year's Service Trade Fair, a reporter from the Lebanese "Annahar" newspaper who was interviewed by Sanlihe exclaimed after experiencing the Chinese brand's AI glasses: "Oh! This is China!"

In the eyes of foreigners, the meaning of the words "Chinese specialty" has changed. In the past, foreign consumers bought Chinese products because they were "cheap", but now they buy Chinese products because they are "good". Design, quality, and innovation, which were previously considered “made in developed countries,” are increasingly being used to describe Chinese products.

Of course, when overseas tourists "unbox", they unpack not only the counterattack of "Made in China", but also the opening of "Chinese experience".

In recent years, China’s visa-free circle of friends has continued to expand. According to the National Immigration Administration, China’s unilateral visa-free countries have now increased to 50, and China has implemented a 240-hour transit visa-free policy for 57 countries.

The threshold for departure tax refunds has also been continuously lowered. As of the first half of 2026, there have been more than 15,000 departure tax refund shops nationwide, with 356 categories of goods, an increase of nearly 40%.

Visa-free expansion, convenient entry, simplified tax refunds, and consumer-friendliness, and a series of opening changes, allow foreigners to no longer be just "passers-by" but to experience the real life in China immersively.

They went to the vegetable market to bargain, sipped tea bowls in old teahouses, and even learned Baduanjin. Data shows that the footprints of foreign tourists have expanded from "old targets" such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to nearly 500 cities across the country. According to tourism platform data, this summer, characteristic small towns have become a new choice for foreigners to enter the country. The number of homestay bookings by foreign tourists in Yili, Altay, Qiandongnan, Anshun, Yichun and other places has more than doubled year-on-year.

The focus of tourism has shifted from "seeing scenic spots" to "experience the city" and "integrating into life." This provides foreign tourists with the opportunity to seriously understand the good things in China, and also changes their original stereotypes about China.

In the past, overseas public opinion had a single and outdated label for China. Nowadays, tens of millions of tourists come to China to "inspect goods" in person. They realize that this place not only has a long history, but also has top technology, trendy aesthetics, and a stable and comfortable life.

"China Haul" sounds like "China is good". It is not just a homophone, but also a word-of-mouth comment made by foreign tourists with real money and full suitcases.

Come with an empty box and leave with a full box. What is filled is goods, what is refreshed is cognition, and what is taken away is the reason to want to come next time. "China is good" not only makes people want to buy, but also makes people want to come again and again.