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China boosts tourist appeal with creative souvenirs 2024/6/21 source: Print

Popular tourist destinations in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an,  are upping the tourist experience, offering visitors a chance to take home a piece of China with unique, locally-designed products.

In Beijing, the renowned Silk Street shopping center is experiencing a boom in foreign visitors, with increasing numbers passing through its doors daily. Many are drawn to the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture, and the shopping center is feeding this fascination with interactive experiences.

A tourist named Nina was seen customizing a Chinese calligraphy of her name written in Chinese, as the center provides visitors with a deeper dive into Chinese culture through unique offerings.

"It's Nina. It's very beautiful. I like Beijing," she said,

"This year, the number of foreign tourists we have received has increased nearly twentyfold compared to the same period last year," said Dong Qing, head of the shopping center.

Similar trends are being observed in Shanghai, another major tourist hub, where diversified cultural products have also drawn in many visitors.

"Maybe some of the fans, or let's say maybe one of the pandas," an American tourist said.

"After the inbound tourism resumed, our sales revenue has increased by over 30 percent compared to the same period of last year," said Gao Lei, product director of a store featuring products with Shanghai elements.

In Xi'an City, a cultural and creative product store takes the concept a step further. They exhibit a series of models of city landmarks and the city's fabled terracotta warriors made entirely in ice cream, offering visitors a sweet blend of gastronomy, art, and history.

"So we've been having one of these ice creams everywhere we go. So at the Forbidden Palace we had one, and at the Great Wall of China we had a Great Wall one. So today we thought we would eat the warriors," said a visitor from Australia.


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