Chongqing's Viral Success: Inside China's 'Most Confusing City'
SCMP's Llewellyn Cheung explores what makes the mountainous metropolis a tourism phenomenon and why its success is hard to replicate
Quick Look
- Chongqing has emerged as one of China's hottest tourism destinations, captivating social media creators with its bewildering mountainous urban landscape.
- The South China Morning Post's Llewellyn Cheung visited the city to examine what lies beyond the viral videos and understand why other Chinese cities struggle to replicate its success.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Chongqing, a southwestern Chinese metropolis known for its mountainous terrain and foggy climate, has seen a surge in domestic and international tourism driven by viral social media content showcasing its disorienting urban geography.
Chongqing, also known as 'the most confusing city' has become one of China's most popular tourism attraction spots in recent years. Many Chinese and international social media content creators have hopped on the viral trend of making videos about the city's bewildering, mountainous urban landscape. The South China Morning Post's Llewellyn Cheung travelled to Chongqing to meet a local content creator and tourism experts to find out what the city is really like beyond the viral trends, and why its success is so hard to replicate elsewhere in China.
Open Questions
- What specific features make Chongqing's landscape unique compared to other Chinese cities?
- What do tourism experts identify as the key factors behind the city's viral success?
- Why is Chongqing's tourism model difficult to replicate elsewhere in China?
