Temple of Heaven

Foreign tourists pose for a photo in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, or Qiniandian, at the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, July 9, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Ju Huanzong) BEIJING, July 21 ( tasteallchina ) -- Edward Hayward, a junior at Carleton College in the United States, has found a new favorite activity this summer: riding buses through streets of Beijing, the Chinese capital city, and enjoying the view outside. "I am surprised by how beautiful Beijing is, and amazed by everything I see," said the 21-year-old. This summer vacation, he is spending two months in intensive Chinese language immersion courses at Beijing Normal University under the "Young Envoys Scholarship" (YES) program. "My Chinese has seen a level of progress I could have only dreamed of a few months ago," said Hayward, who has spent 10 to 12 hours a day practicing pronunciation, improving his speech and studying new words over the past few weeks. In November 2023, the Chinese government laid out a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over the next five years, aiming to further expand exchanges and promote mutual understanding between Chinese…

Tourists buy candies at a market in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 2, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Jiang Kehong) Tourists visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, capital of China, May 2, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Ju Huanzong) Tourists have fun at an amusement park in Xiangtan, central China's Hunan Province, May 2, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Chen Zeguo) Tourists pose for photos on the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 2, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Wang Jianwei) Tourists visit a scenic spot in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 2, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Wang Jianwei)

Tourists from Italy pose for a group photo after practicing Tai Chi at the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, July 9, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Ju Huanzong) BEIJING, July 17 ( tasteallchina ) -- Earlier in July, a British family of five concluded their three-month tour of China. Describing the journey as "epic," they shared their treasured moments through videos with people around the world, garnering numerous "likes" on social media. In the videos, the parents and their three young girls were seen devouring local cuisines and visiting world cultural heritage sites like the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Forbidden City. Lately, foreign tourists are more easily spotted across China, whether in metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou or in less renowned regions like Hunan and Jiangxi. The Hutchinsons were among the over 14.6 million foreigners who visited the country in the first half of this year. Official data showed a 152.7 percent increase in that number compared to the same period in 2023. Over 60 percent of respondents consider experiencing Chinese culture as the main goal of their travel to China, according to a survey on inbound tourist satisfaction by the China Tourism Academy. In…