Discovering local life beyond landscapes

Tourists are spending extra time experiencing rural China through regional food, culture and nature, reports Yang Feiyue.

For many visitors staying at a resort near the Nalati Grassland in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the first surprise came with a cup of milk tea served in a traditional yurt.

"They expected a sweet drink only to find it salty and served with foods such as baursak, a type of fried dough," says Subinur Abdumaimaiti, a service supervisor at the resort.

Although the guests were initially unfamiliar with the taste, they often asked for more the next day, she says.

"The tea and local snacks grow on them, and they usually tell me later that the tea tasted 'like the grassland'," she says.

For Subinur Abdumaimaiti, a young woman from Hotan in southern Xinjiang, the encounter is part of a job that made her want to return to the place she first experienced as a university student.

She studied tourism management at Yili Normal University and first came to Nalati for an internship during her junior year. The vast grassland made a strong impression on her, and she returned after graduating in 2024.

"It just fit what I had learned at school," she says.

As a front office supervisor, Subinur Abdumaimaiti checks guests in, handles complaints, and coordinates front office services. Increasingly, however, her work has involved explaining the food, language and customs of the Kazak people who have long lived on the grassland.

"I've come to regard this area as my second hometown," she says.

Many of her colleagues are also young members of the Kazak ethnic group. They recommend restaurants and lesser-known places to visit, introduce local customs, and sometimes teach visitors simple Kazak words and expressions.

Such locally rooted experiences are becoming part of the wider rural tourism landscape. Major online travel platform Trip.com Group reports that rural retreats are collaborating with other businesses and intangible cultural heritage practitioners to spice up travel experiences.

Subinur Abdumaimaiti has also noticed that visitors are changing how they spend their time in Nalati.