NANNING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- In a village in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, British travel blogger Alexander Charles Douglas Short and Luke Wayne O'Farrell from Ireland found an unlikely zest in what used to be local farmers' daily grind -- harvesting jasmine flowers.
"Pinch it like this, give it a twist, and the flower comes off," said Lei Shuiping, a 50-year-old farmer who demonstrated with deliberately slow movements. "Then you just put it into the cloth bag around your waist."
"Rural experiences are what many tourists come for to get a better understanding of what China is really like," said Alexander, who enjoys jasmine-flavored beverages commonly served in China. "Experiencing where it all begins makes this truly meaningful."
Alexander and Luke are not alone. International tourists arriving on China's visa-free entry policies are showing up in large numbers in rural areas, once synonymous with poverty, isolation, and a lack of modern facilities such as flush toilets.
Having explored major metropolitan destinations like Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, more overseas travelers are venturing into the agrarian culture and traditional vibe of the countryside. Improved rail access, 5G network, and tourist-friendly amenities resulting from China's anti-poverty and the ongoing rural revitalization drive have made it easier.
Data from the National Immigration Administration show that in the first quarter of 2026, China recorded 8.32 million visa-free entries for foreign nationals, up 29.3 percent year on year. In 2025, China received more than 150 million inbound tourist visits, up over 17 percent year on year.
Though figures on foreign visitors in rural China are lacking, videos of them trying their hands at harvesting rice in paddy fields and plowing with water buffalo, sometimes with real farmers standing by with befuddled looks, have piqued a lot of interest on China's social media.
In one such video, a group of foreign visitors is lining up outside the gate of a rural home to take photos. The location featured in the video is an ordinary village in Heze City, east China's Shandong Province, rather than a designated tourist attraction.
In Guilin, a tourist city in Guangxi known for picturesque river views, international visitors are no longer content with simply cruising along the Li River. Many are trying hands-on rural experiences, from harvesting crops to picking tea leaves, to experience first-hand China's agrarian culture.
"Foreign tourists especially enjoy experiencing tea picking, processing and brewing. They can learn about Chinese tea culture while appreciating the stunning landscapes of Yangshuo," said Lai Yumei from a tea plantation in Yangshuo County of Guilin.
"I've generally enjoyed the rural aspects of our trip more than the city aspects," said Canadian tourist Victoria Caldwell, who just finished her trip to a tea plantation and the Longji rice terraces. "And it's definitely shown China to me in a new light."
While enjoying the idyllic rural vibe, many international visitors have noted the modern aspects of the Chinese countryside, including high-speed 5G connectivity and the ubiquity of mobile payments.
"The high-speed trains have made it so easy to travel outside big cities to experience life outside. It's affordable, convenient and fast, giving tourists access to every part of China," said Luke. "Without the trains, even as a travel blogger, it would be very difficult to visit (these places)."
Alexander agrees. "The high-speed internet also helps foreigners use payment and translation apps in these remote rural locations," he added.
China's rural areas witnessed significant development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). The total length of rural roads reached more than 4.64 million kilometers, connecting all the country's over 30,000 townships and over 500,000 administrative villages.
According to official statistics, 95 percent of administrative villages nationwide now have access to 5G networks, and broadband internet covers more than 200 million rural households, with an internet service penetration rate of nearly 70 percent across all rural areas.
Rural tourism has benefited from the infrastructure boom. Estimates by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that rural tourism destinations across China received 793 million visits in the first quarter of 2026, up 12.2 percent year on year, while total revenue reached 457 billion yuan (67.2 billion U.S. dollars), up 10.9 percent.
"The improvement of infrastructure such as rural road networks, full coverage of mobile payment services, telecommunications networks, and signage systems, along with the development of new facilities like leisure trails, camping sites and intangible cultural heritage workshops, has boosted the rural areas' appeal to inbound tourists," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. ■
