After 130 million foreigners flooded into China, foreign media began to find something wrong and exclaimed that the situations in China and the US are completely different!
Just these days, American media were in a frenzy. First, The Washington Post statistics found that last year 132 million foreigners entered China, spending a total of $94.2 billion. Then, the renowned American magazine Time made a meaningful statement, saying that China is embracing tourists from around the world, while the United States is tightening its doors, excluding some people such as tourists and international students.
For example, in the first half of this year, 1.34 million foreigners entered Beijing, an increase of 39% compared to the same period last year, of which 700,000 were visa-free entry, twice the number of the same period last year; at the same time, Shanghai had nearly 2.6 million foreigners entering, an increase of 45%, among which more than 1.4 million foreigners entered visa-free. It's hard not to admire the 240-hour visa-free policy, which is truly a brilliant strategy of China.
Everyone should understand that attracting these foreigners is not just about boosting consumption and revitalizing the economy, but more importantly, it allows them to travel and see China's rapid development and the kindness of the Chinese people, who are not demons or monsters, but completely different from the image of China presented by Western media.
A recent news story I saw was very meaningful. A foreign influencer and a group of international students went to Langtou Village in the countryside of Guangzhou to learn farming and experience the joy of hard work. In 2021, VIP.com invested over 200 million yuan in a pure public welfare fund to promote the cultural revitalization of Langtou Village. This summer, VIP.com continued to "upgrade" the Langtou Village project with the local area, turning the agricultural learning and study center into an "International Agricultural College," allowing more people to come to Langtou to learn farming and experience the culture of farming and reading.
Langtou Village attracts many tourists every day and has gradually developed, which is a microcosm of China's rural revitalization wave. The reason I say this news is meaningful is because many foreigners' impressions of China's countryside are still stuck in those documentaries filmed decades ago. Now, this traditional and closed impression is being broken.
Of course, China opening its doors to welcome guests, whether in cities or rural areas, is also a true reflection of our increasing confidence. On the contrary, after the Western "mask" is lifted, it is gradually moving towards "self-isolation."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837623290317833/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.