Drinking hot water, practicing Baduanjin, soaking feet to maintain health, watching Chinese dramas... Recently, "Chinamaxxing" has quickly become popular on overseas social media. "Maxxing" is an Internet suffix commonly used by young people in Europe and America, which means "maximizing" one thing; "Chinamaxxing" refers to experiencing the Chinese lifestyle to the extreme. In just a few months, the cumulative views of related tags exceeded billions. More and more foreign tourists are no longer satisfied with clicking likes through the screen and imagining across the time difference, but come to China in person, from city walks to country walks, and touch the temperature of China with their daily lives.
From "China Travel" to "China Cool" to "Chinamaxxing", why do foreign tourists come? How to play in-depth tourism, and how should the cultural tourism industry take over?
Why are foreign tourists obsessed with life in China?
In the first half of 2026, the number of foreigners entering China reached 22.914 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%, and their footprint has covered nearly 500 cities across the country; the number of inbound tourists in 2025 will be 154.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.1%.
Wu Liyun, a professor at the Chinese Culture and Tourism Industry Research Institute of Beijing International Studies University: In the early days, they talked about Looksmaxxing, focusing on appearance; they talked about Sleepmaxxing, pursuing sleep and focusing on themselves. Suddenly becoming Chinamaxxing is projecting self-focus onto China, which is something to be particularly proud of.
Wu Liyun believes that Chinamaxxing is an upgraded version of China Travel, a travel method that provides an all-round immersive experience of China and Chinese life in a limited time. Today, what attracts inbound tourists is no longer just famous mountains, rivers and cultural heritage. A complete and diverse China itself is a huge token.
Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital, is a window into this craze.
Zhang Chen, person in charge of Jingdezhen’s “Jingpiao Home” and part-time vice chairman of the Jingdezhen Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles: There are more than 5,000 “foreign Jingpiao” in Jingdezhen, from France, Australia, Turkey and other countries. Some are migratory birds and some are long-term residents. They came here for the ceramic culture. Millennium Porcelain City has a history of 2,000 years of pottery making, 1,000 years of official kiln history, and 600 years of imperial kiln history, attracting art lovers from all over the world.
Behind the craze is a change in perception. Wu Liyun said that more and more tourists are posting their real experiences in China on social platforms, and people have discovered that China in the "information cocoon room" is different from reality: "China is one of the safest countries in the world, and life is extremely convenient, including transportation, food, takeaways, and payments. Many foreigners are not used to it after they stay for a while."
How can "in-depth travel" really go deep?
Today's foreign tourists are no longer satisfied with checking in in big cities. In Jingdezhen, the itinerary of foreign tourists has formed a "template".
Zhang Chen has many treasures:
On the first day, we visited the Taoyangli Imperial Kiln Ruins, where the imperial wares factory was located more than 600 years ago. We also visited Taoxichuan, where the "foreign scenery drifters" set up stalls and sold their creative works in this youngest and most fashionable cultural gathering area. In addition to ceramics, there are also glass, metalworking, fabrics, and leather goods. Jingdezhen is gradually becoming the "Handicraft Capital of the World".
The next day, we went to the China Ceramics Museum to see the Internet celebrity exhibit "Speechless Buddha"; then we walked into Taoyuan Valley. On both sides of the valley for more than ten kilometers, there are studios of artists from all over the world, as well as coffee bars, book bars, B&Bs and art galleries.
Some people make guides based on the templates, while others stroll around, take pictures, order a cup of coffee in the small book bar, and create an immersive travel state for themselves. Data shows that inbound tourists stay in Jingdezhen for an average of 2.73 days, while free travel and in-depth experiences can last up to 4 to 7 days.
Deeper experience in the classroom. Zhang Chen said that the local research courses are no longer activities like "pulling bricks and kneading mud", but cultural guided and cultural experience courses: you can ask the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to customize a three-day course, or you can spend a day, listening to cultural classes in the morning and making porcelain in the afternoon, explaining the profound things in simple terms. Led by the government and grassroots, with the participation of various cultural groups and organizations, the research ecosystem is in full bloom.
From "selling tickets" to "selling life"
How has the cultural tourism industry changed?
"In the past, scenic spots mainly relied on tickets, and travel agencies made money due to poor information; now relying solely on tickets is often unsustainable." Wu Liyun said that the core of industrial reform is to increase experiential and secondary consumption content, focusing on daily scenes, local culture and lifestyle services.
The industrial chain has also been lengthened, and countless intangible cultural heritage contents can be included in tourists' experience of China's products. In her opinion, value-added services are more valuable: "For example, in Beijing, you can chat with the uncles and aunts in the alleys, go to Shichahai to see the lifestyle of the people, and eat a cup of Jiaohuan Bean Juice. This kind of experience is far more attractive than standardized products and can leave a deep mark on your travels."
Can the Jingdezhen model be replicated? Wu Liyun’s answer is yes: “What needs to be copied is not the lifestyle in Jingdezhen, but the way the content is presented.” She observed that tourists are changing from spectators to participants, and every city has a lifestyle passed down from generation to generation. She cited the example of Linyi, her hometown in Shandong Province. Willow weaving is exported in large quantities, and tourists can experience and take away their own works. Caowa market, fried chicken, and flower-making lanterns can be experienced everywhere. "A place you are used to living in is very new to outsiders."
Zhang Chen feels the same way: the artistic B&Bs where they are accustomed to staying and the restaurants where they are accustomed to eating allow foreign tourists to find a "feeling of hometown" in Jingdezhen; and most of them don't want to just take a quick look, but rather "get some spiritual satisfaction from it." The public welfare brand "Jing Piao Youth Talk" founded by him has held 29 lectures, 6 of which were "Yang Jing Piao" special lectures; the separate "Yang Jing Piao Talk" has also held 2 lectures, setting up an international public welfare cultural platform of "sharing beauty and beauty".
The small town also welcomes foreign tourists, what "lessons" do we need to make up?
The rise in popularity is inseparable from policy support. At present, the 240-hour transit visa-free policy has covered more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and 65 ports in my country, allowing more overseas tourists to have time and energy to travel from first-tier cities to small characteristic towns.
"Last year we received more than 35 million inbound foreign tourists, but in a space as big as China, compared with the massive cultural and tourism resources, it is far from enough." Wu Liyun judged that various visa-free policies have only begun to be vigorously promoted in the past few years. As real Chinese content continues to spread, "the growth of inbound tourism will continue, and it has just begun."
In Zhang Chen’s view, there are still two shortcomings to be made up for:
First, there are gaps in foreign-related people’s livelihood services, such as driver’s license certification, foreign-related medical care, cross-border logistics, visa consultation and other demands for foreigners;
The second is community integration. For example, in Jingdezhen, there are foreign tourists who are not aware of various service sites, and information barriers need to be broken.
For more and more small and medium-sized cities welcoming foreign tourists, Wu Liyun suggested focusing on three aspects:
Complete bilingual and multilingual talent and foreign language identification;
Improve payment, travel and other services so that overseas bank cards can be used smoothly;
It is even more important to carefully design in-depth experience products to transform local culture and lifestyle into content that tourists can participate in and perceive.
Looking forward to the future, Wu Liyun uses three keywords to describe the direction:
Depth: More tourists will turn from "first-time visitors" to "repeat visitors", and their experience will continue to deepen;
Going further: Third- and fourth-tier cities and counties can become popular destinations as long as they have characteristics and can keep up with their services;
Optimization: The industrial structure continues to adjust. The dragon boat race is called "Water F1" abroad. China's small electric fans, air conditioners, trams, and robots are also attracting overseas tourists. New business formats and new products are constantly hatched, and the industrial chain is getting longer and longer.
An ordinary wisp of fireworks is becoming the best invitation China sends to the world.
