China is happy with its historical past. The solely drawback? Much of it has been misplaced to fires, wars, looting and revolutions.
Enter fanggu, “historical imitation” points of interest. Across the nation, complete faux-ancient villages have been constructed from scratch. From glistening palaces to majestic boulevards, each element is curated. Vines are transplanted in bulk, and tiles are crumbled mechanically. The result’s a grand, albeit generally weird, fusion of dynastic historical past, structure and geography.
Modern shoppers are “increasingly willing to pay for emotional value, seeking deeper engagement and cultural meaning through immersive experiences,” Yang Jinsong, director of the International Institute at the China Tourism Academy, informed state media outlet People’s Daily in June.
For many home vacationers annoyed with a stagnant financial system, fanggu villages appear to supply the good escape. Once there, for a median of simply $15, one can select from tons of of ready-made conventional costumes generally known as Hanfu.
For one other $10, they unlock the full package deal: make-up, equipment, skilled images and post-production enhancing. Aiming for the basic pale-faced, red-lipped aesthetic, these photoshoots have grow to be viral sensations on the popular social media platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote).
And now, international guests are additionally becoming a member of in. Chinamaxxing – a social media-fueled motion popularizing Chinese practices and aesthetics – has satisfied many younger folks to plan holidays to China. But what are these fanggu cities truly like?
Forget about Venice: Gubei has canals, cobblestone roads, lantern-lit teahouses and gray-tiled houses. Sitting at the foot of the Simatai part of the Great Wall, it’s the good sanctuary after a steamy hike. Enjoy a ship experience, the place century-old willows line the banks. Wander via the central sq., the place splintered plaques peep from vines. As your information will seemingly say, isn’t Qing Dynasty “river life” romantic?
Gubei is described as a basic Jiangnan water village. Never mind that Jiangnan water villages by no means existed in the north – and Jiangnan means “south of the Yangtze River,” some 800 miles away.
Gubei is not an historical relic. It was constructed in 2014 by a state-backed enterprise. This $600 million funding mixed two of the most beloved points of interest in China – the Great Wall in the north and water cities in the south. What was as soon as a two-hour flight from Beijing is now a two-hour drive away.
In latest years, Gubei has gained the hearts – and wallets – of exhausted Beijingers and curious international vacationers alike. Travel platforms like Klook now bundle the Great Wall and water city right into a day tour, promising a “getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city with a trip to an ancient village.” As of July 2026, it has obtained over 10,000 bookings and a couple of,200 evaluations on the platform, reaching a median ranking of 4.9.
And what if guests need to keep the night time? State enterprises handle all lodging inside the advanced, from humble visitor homes to premium resorts. Some properties command as much as $500 per night time. But after scaling the Great Wall, lounging in a lantern-lit villa is perhaps the good strategy to unwind.
For most vacationers, Gubei’s lack of historical past is not a dealbreaker. Some, nevertheless, want that excursions had been extra clear.
Minyada “Minnie” Chotichaicharin, a Thai trade pupil, visited Gubei in April. Her two-hour tour was crammed with crafts, archery, scorching springs and a basic boat experience.
But after visiting, she realized that Gubei wasn’t as historical because it regarded. She admits to feeling disappointment.
“I wouldn’t mind that it’s rebuilt,” she says, “but it’s hard to not feel tricked.”
Around 750 A.D., Xi’an was the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan metropolis. As a Silk Road gateway, it bustled with retailers from throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Today, Xi’an is faithfully Chinese. Along the pedestrian avenue, vacationers pose with statues of well-known Tang Dynasty poets, whereas a high-end bakery boasts a dragon made totally of baguettes.
But now, Xi’an, which was China’s capital for greater than a millennium, has constructed its personal “city that never sleeps.”
Ablaze with purple pagodas and throbbing to Chinese EDM, Datang Everbright City is a frenetic revival of the Golden Age of the Tang Dynasty. Conveniently overlooking the curfews of historical China, the 2,100-meter pedestrian avenue attracts practically 75 million guests yearly. While some are lured by historical past, most are thrilled by neon-soaked nightlife.
The latest obsession? “Time-traveling” weddings. The marathon shoot requires three units of costumes: ruby-red Tang Hanfus, elegant Republican-era qipaos and trendy white Western-style robes. Videographers path {couples} via lantern-lit pavilions and bustling crowds, curating a multi-century montage of romance.
Xi’an-based Mr. Zhou Wedding Studio gives premium packages curated to those fantasies. The service begins with a proper session with the scriptwriter, then an introduction to the director, make-up artists, stylists, videographers and a full forged.
To emulate an historical Chinese marriage ceremony ceremony, actors serve tea, blast trumpets and carry out a choreographed lion dance. The festivities culminate with the couple’s arrival – the groom galloping in on a horse, and the bride tiptoeing via fireworks. The scene then cuts, fast-forwarding till the couple “reunites” in one other century, usually as uniformed sweethearts in a modern-day college.
“Time-traveling” is pricey. Some Xiaohongshu customers admit to being scorned by their dad and mom for spending a whole month’s wage on the package deal. But for a technology of newlyweds raised on Chinese interval dramas, many suppose the funding is price it.
Stretching from the blazing deserts of the Tarim Basin to the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains, the area of Xinjiang in northwestern China has traditionally been a crossroads of commerce and tradition.
Xinjiang is residence to a number of of China’s Muslim ethnic minorities, most prominently, the Uyghurs. In latest years, allegations of significant human rights violations, together with mass detentions, concentrating on Uyghur and different Muslim minorities have dominated worldwide media’s protection of the area. The authorities in Beijing has denied any wrongdoing.
Within China, Xinjiang is seen by many exterior the area as a “wild west.” Chinese buyers have capitalized on its Silk Road legacy, rebranding the area as a colourful “window to the world.” The technique is working. In 2025, Xinjiang recorded 323 million vacationers, totaling greater than $53 billion in income.
Many vacationers flock to Kashgar, an oasis outpost boasting two millennia of historical past. But Kashgar Old City – now its central attraction – was controversially demolished after which rebuilt over a decade in the past. While its labyrinth alleys stay, Kashgar at this time is a sanitized, modernized duplicate of what was as soon as the middle of Uyghur cultural life.
Kashgar’s reputation can also be rising amongst younger international vacationers.
Edward Zhou, a pupil from Washington, discovered his go to “surreal.”
Despite the Old City’s “theme park” facade, he mentioned he felt Kashgar supplied a slice of historical past that he, and plenty of vacationers, had by no means discovered elsewhere.
In the finish, it seems the verdict is combined: whereas some guests get pleasure from the much-needed escape supplied by China’s fanggu locations, others are annoyed by the curated fantasy. One factor is obvious, although — social media loves it.