Trending Now: China's Social Media Highlights #11August-17August#

Weibo

Japan Tourism Surge Amid Tragedy A 55-year-old Chinese tourist was killed on railway tracks in Japan. From Jan–Jun 2025, China ranked 2nd with 4.71M visitors, up 50% YoY, driven by cherry blossom, autumn leaves, and ski seasons. Read more

Douyin

Youth-Led Travel Boom On Douyin, summer trips by middle schoolers went viral. 56% of outbound travellers are aged 18–29, underscoring the youth-driven tourism trend. Read more

Xiaohongshu

Exhausting Holidays for Workers Xiaohongshu users say trips feel harder than work, citing prep time and leave adjustments as reasons why many white-collar workers skip travel. Read more

Italy Travel Content Rises Chinese travellers in Italy share both landmarks and pickpocket warnings. In 2024, 176K Chinese arrivals, up 24.7% YoY. Read more

Baidu

Train Ticket Controversy A Baidu debate on rules for 4 kids clarified: 1 adult + 3 child tickets required. From Jul 1–Aug 11, railways carried 616M passengers, up 4% YoY. Read more

Deposit Drop of ¥1.11 Trillion July data: household deposits fell ¥1.11T, shifting to investments (+¥2.14T). A Chinese woman buying a private Japanese island went viral, reflecting bold asset moves. Read more

Zhihu

Kids Struggle Post-Travel Zhihu’s parents say travel raises kids’ “happiness threshold,” making study harder. This summer, 60% of travellers were family groups. Read more