Rural tourism sheds light on ethnic diversity

Personal exchanges

People may be drawn to areas with strong ethnic characteristics by their stunning natural sceneries at first, but the exchanges with the local people may be more memorable for the tourists in the end, said Liu Hong, director of the culture, radio, television and tourism administration of Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.

Liu has been posting short videos on social media to promote the snow-capped mountains and lush valleys in Garze, located on the edge of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, since 2021. In his videos, he's often dressed up as a swordsman from ancient China and seen wandering around the picturesque prefecture. He has more than 2.51 million followers on the short-video platform Douyin, known as TikTok outside of China.

Besides sightseeing, people can also learn about how people from the Han, Tibetan, Qiang and Yi ethnic groups historically were brought together in Garze via ancient trade routes, and they can see the importance of exchanges during the process, Liu said.

"During their visits, tourists can naturally have a better understanding of the local cultures and people, so just like the ancient trade routes, tourism can boost exchanges among people from different ethnic groups in China," Liu said.

When Lu Jiayong, a university student from Shanghai, recalls visiting Garze in August last year, the very first thing that pops up in his mind is having butter tea with a Tibetan family in their yurt, which wasn't something originally on his itinerary.