Nation's travel landscape enters new era
Relaxed entry policies, digital payments infrastructure prove a magnet for global tourists
As a hand-rowing boat drifts across Hangzhou's famed West Lake, Austrian traveler Florian Eisinger finds himself surrounded by willow-lined shores, ancient temples and centuries of history, with the gleaming skyline of one of China's most dynamic cities rising in the distance.
For the 23-year-old who was visiting China for the first time in May, the scene captured what surprised him most about the country.
"It was probably one of the most mesmerizing countries I visited in my life," Eisinger said. "From the cities to the landscapes to the people, everything was beyond what I had imagined."
Two places stood out. "West Lake is just incredible scenery and a lot of history packed into one 'district', all while you have the very modern city of Hangzhou in the background," he said. "I did a boat tour over parts of the lake, and it was jaw-droppingly beautiful."
The other place is Shanghai. Some streets, while being nestled within the bustling heart of the metropolis, especially in the evening, are incredibly beautiful, and it is surreal to imagine this being in one of the largest cities in the world, he said.
