One of the viral terms on Chinese social media these days – “city?bu?city” – was actually created by a foreign tourist.

The tourist, a blogger, used the term, which literally means city or not city, in a short video he filmed while visiting the Great Wall, wondering whether the place is like a fashionable big city.?

These days, a lot of foreign influencers are sharing videos of their latest trips in China, which are made conveniently thanks to China’s 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policies that have been extended to visitors from 54 countries. The policies have boosted the number of international visitors to China.?

According to the National Immigration Administration (NIA), in the first half of this year, China received nearly 14.64 million foreign travellers, up 152.7 percent year on year. Of these, over 8.54 million entered China visa-free, up 190.1 percent year on year.

On-a-whim travel

When Harrison Forman, a US resident, saw information online that he was eligible for a 144-hour visa-free transit in China, he was filled with excitement and wasted no time in booking a flight to Beijing, the capital of China, for his summer vacation.

For him, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy is very convenient. The transit procedure went smoothly. “It is the perfect amount of time for us to get. Beijing has not been what we expected at all. It has so much nature and people here are friendly,” Harrison told?ChinAfrica. He said he looked forward to visiting more cities in China to better understand the country.

Currently, foreign nationals from 54 countries are eligible for the 72 or 144-hour visa-free transit policy at 41 ports in 19 provincial-level regions across China. Besides, China has also allowed visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country’s coastline and relaxed the conditions for foreign nationals to apply for port visas in the country, according to the NIA. Tourists are allowed to engage in short-term activities such as travel and business visits during the visa-free stay.

The move aims to serve high-standard opening up and facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries, according to the NIA.

Experiencing a real China

Many foreigners have been surprised by the immense contrast between their imagination about China and their real experience.?

Damani Campbell, a tourist from Jamaica, said that in China he saw the blue sky and green trees, which he didn’t see in the photos published by the Western media in the past. He said some of the portrayal of China in Western media proved to be wrong.

Kim Berg, a tourist from Germany, just concluded her maiden trip to China visa-free. She said that Europeans have a very different impression of China than the reality. China is very modern, even more modern than their own country. “Especially in the field of renewable energy, China is a world leader, and it is also because of this that other parts of the world can transition to renewable energy at a lower cost,” she said.

Clean, hospitable, safe, modern and convenient – these are words frequently heard during interviews with foreign tourists. It has also become easier for foreign tourists to communicate with local people than before, because more and more Chinese can speak foreign languages in China.

Simplified payments

With the number of tourists growing, the country has launched a series of policies to help foreign travellers, such as mobile payment.

After years of rapid growth, China has emerged as a front-runner in mobile payment. The penetration rate for mobile payments in the country reached 86 percent, the highest in the world, by the end of 2023.

However, the widespread use of mobile payment also poses hurdles for first-time visitors to China. Foreign visitors relying on bank cards and cash may encounter difficulties during payment processes, as street vendors or small-scale service providers often prefer mobile payment to cash or international credit cards.

Therefore, the Chinese government has already rolled out multiple measures to help foreigners enjoy a hassle-free payment environment in China.

In March, Zhang Qingsong, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, said the central bank will guide payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay to raise the single transaction limit for overseas travellers using mobile payments from $1,000 to $5,000, and the annual cumulative transaction cap will be raised from $10,000 to $50,000. Efforts will also be made to simplify identity verification and provide easier access for foreign visitors to manage various processes, such as card binding, according to Zhang. Alipay and WeChat Pay, China’s two major payment apps, now allow foreign users to link their international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to their platforms.

“When visiting China, you’ll realise that cashless pay is a part of everyday life, from local fruit stores to bars, restaurants, cafes and shops. Everybody uses it, and it provides smooth and convenient transactions for your day, including shopping, dining, ordering takeouts, or even transport,” said Chris Hutchinson, a British travel vlogger on a three-month trip.?

Visa-free transit policies for foreign nationals

72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy

Currently, 41 exit-entry ports in 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government of China have implemented the 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from 54 countries.

54 countries:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US.

24-hour visa-free transit policy

Nationals from all other countries holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets with confirmed seats, who intend to transit via China by international flights, ships, or trains to third countries or regions, are exempt from visa applications, provided that their stay period in China will not exceed 24 hours and that they will remain within the corresponding ports. Those who plan to leave the ports must apply for temporary entry permits to the exit-entry border inspection authorities of the corresponding ports.