Xizang to award vlogger 500,000 yuan after viral taxi trip to Lhasa

A viral video documenting a more than 2,200-kilometer taxi ride to Lhasa has earned its creator a 500,000-yuan ($73,651) reward from authorities in the Xizang autonomous region, most of which the vlogger said he intends to donate.

The reward comes less than a month after Xizang's cultural and tourism authorities introduced a program offering up to 500,000 yuan for original tourism videos that attract at least 5 million likes and become phenomenon-level online hits.

Authorities in Xizang announced the award on Sunday after the video met the threshold. As of Monday morning, the post had received more than 20 million likes on Douyin, China's version of TikTok.

In a statement, the authorities said Li's video showcased Xizang's natural scenery and cultural attractions from multiple angles along National Highway G318, one of China's best-known road-trip routes. They said the content generated "natural and effective" online traffic and met the program's reward criteria.

According to Li, the journey covered more than 2,000 kilometers over seven days, with two taxi drivers from Chongqing taking turns behind the wheel. The trip cost more than 10,000 yuan.

Li said during a livestream that he came up with the idea after learning about the reward policy while traveling in Egypt. He had expected the video to receive only 200,000 to 300,000 likes and thought even a 10,000-yuan prize would have exceeded his expectations.

In a follow-up video posted on Sunday after the award was announced, Li said he would give each of the two taxi drivers 10,000 yuan and donate the remaining 480,000 yuan. "This award belongs to everyone," he said. "I will donate the remaining money on behalf of everyone who liked, supported, and followed me."

Netizens have taken to commenting recommendations on the post as to where the donation lands.

In a commentary published on Rednet, a news site out of Hunan, Zhang Caole, a researcher at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities, said the transparent reward demonstrated government credibility and reflected a shift in tourism promotion from official-led campaigns toward public participation driven by authentic storytelling.