Holiday Trend: Rural Tourism, But Is It Sustainable?
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival from the fam here at RADII! Also known as the Mooncake Festival, this holiday is traditionally celebrated by gathering family and friends together to watch the moon on its brightest and roundest day.
We hope that you’re getting the chance to hang with precious loved ones this week and indulge on the absolutely insane variety of mooncakes now available.
Too busy to check in on the RADII website every day? We got you every Monday with a summary of all the freshest takes on China’s youth culture in the last week:
- More and more young Chinese are heading to the countryside for vacations and peaceful meditations. But is the trend sustainable?
- A somber update to one of China’s biggest #MeToo cases.
- Is this the coolest museum in China right now? We paid a visit.
Intrigued? Keep scrolling, my friend.
China’s Tourists Are ‘Going Country,’ But Is Sustainability a Priority?
In late August, the fascinating and heartening story of seven Chinese girlfriends who bought and renovated a massive house in a suburban neighborhood resurfaced in Western media two years after it first appeared on Chinese social media.
What, you might ask, was so special about this story? Well, the friends have made a pact that they will retire together in the rural edifice.
The plan began as a joke between the friends, but the rural lifestyle that this story represents is part of a bigger ‘go rural’ trend that has increasingly gained traction in China in recent years.
In March of this year alone, rural tourism-related orders on Trip.com Group’s Ctrip platform increased by 349% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The resultant boom in rural travel has thus sparked ongoing conversations around sustainable rural tourism in the country, speaking to the need to ensure that local cultures survive and thrive while maintaining the environment and providing economic opportunities for these rural areas.
Should sustainability be a priority for these new rural tourists?
DJ Zean may be from the North, but he’s been bringing drum and bass sounds to the clubs of Shanghai for over five years now. His party night Gully Riddim with ALK (aka Kilo Vee) attracts fans of dubstep, drill music and UK bass, and is now its own label.
Earlier this year, Gully Riddim launched its first compilation album. In celebration, Zean put together an exclusive mix for us.
Make sure you never miss a beat (or track) from China by following our SoundCloud!
- Would you like an ID card based on your music preferences? NetEase Cloud Music, one of China’s leading music apps, is making it happen.
- In a significant blow to China’s #MeToo movement, a court in Beijing dismissed the landmark civil case of Zhou Xiaoxun last week, citing that “the evidence submitted was ‘insufficient’ to prove sexual harassment.”
- Want to live like Luke Skywalker? Over 650 companies showcased their newest inventions at the World Robot Expo recently, and these five robots might just be coming for your job.
- Another week, another NFT drop to discuss: Transhuman hottie RUBY 9100M has partnered with a digital fashion house to release two NFTs on the digital art marketplace SuperRare.
You might have heard of MoMA in New York City, but have you been to the MAP in Shanghai?
The Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), located at Shanghai’s iconic Pearl Tower, has become one of the viral art hangouts for young Chinese people.
The opening exhibition features the world-famous Chinese gunpowder artist Cai Guo-Qiang, Spanish surrealist painter Joan Miró and Tate Britain’s collection:
Are you a gifted meme maker? Or a storyteller crazy about Chinese youth culture? Take a look below, because we’re currently hiring for the following positions:
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