Young readers explore authors' real worlds

Amid Beijing's wealth of historic landmarks, an unlikely attraction has captured the imagination of young visitors — the "ocean" in the Temple of Earth.

While it's unclear how the spot went viral, the Temple of Earth has long enjoyed a devoted following thanks to its association with the late Beijing-born writer Shi Tiesheng. In his masterpiece memoir, The Temple of Earth and Me, Shi traced his emotional journey from despair after losing his legs in his early 20s to finding solace in the quiet sanctuary of the former imperial park.

Today, the Temple of Earth continues to draw a steady stream of young followers eager to retrace Shi's wheelchair tracks.

Eager visitors line up to pose on the tree-canopied bench, facing nothing but a wall and pretending to gaze over a stretch of ocean. The "shimmering" blue backdrop in their photos is simply a white-painted wall sprinkled with tree-filtered sun rays. As 26-year-old Shao Yang understands it, sitting on the bench and gazing into the distance is a way for young people to "reunite" with an old friend.

Across China, literature-inspired tourism is gaining momentum, with travelers motivated by books, authors and landscapes depicted in literary works.

Behind this trend lies a broader shift in how young people approach travel. Rather than simply seeking out scenic attractions, they are looking for emotional connections and experiences that resonate with them on a deeper level.

A new five-year tourism development plan, recently approved by the State Council, taps into the current trend and highlights the deep integration of culture and tourism to leverage cultural resources and enrich visitors' experiences.

The plan came at a time when the country had already built the world's largest domestic tourism market and emerged as the world's largest source of outbound tourists, as well as a major global tourism destination.

According to the latest industry data, global tourism expanded by 4.1 percent in 2025, while China's tourism economy grew by 9.9 percent, more than double the global average.