Travel and exchanges across China's borders have seen a vibrant uptick in early 2025, with the country recording 163 million entries and exits in the first quarter of 2025, marking an increase of 15.3 percent year on year.

While mainland residents accounted for the majority of cross-border trips, the sharpest growth came from foreign nationals, who made 17.44 million border crossings, up 33.4 percent from the same period in 2024, data from the National Immigration Administration (NIA) showed.

Officials attributed the surge of foreign nationals in border crossings to recent changes in border control policies, part of China's broader opening up efforts.

The visa-free transit initiative, combined with other visa-waiver policies, has attracted more visitors to China, said Lin Yongsheng, spokesperson for the NIA.

In its latest easing of transit policies on Dec. 17, China allowed eligible citizens from 54 countries to enter through more ports visa-free and stay for up to 10 days before departing for a third destination.

Visits made by foreign tourists to popular destinations like Huangshan Mountain have jumped 21.6 percent, compared to the same period last year.

China has also extended unilateral visa-free access to travelers from more countries, allowing stays of up to 30 days. Similar expansion has been introduced to regional visa exemptions and mutual visa agreements.

These sweeping policy changes have made exploring the country easier than ever before, fueling a rising wave of "China Travel" content on platforms like YouTube.

Among the recent first-timers was IShowSpeed, a 20-year-old U.S. content creator whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr.

The young man live-streamed his explorations through Chinese streets and alleys, sharing with his millions of subscribers a memorable episode in which he chased his kung fu dream at the Shaolin Temple in central China.

"China is an underrated tourist destination. I don't know why people overlooked China," he said, a view shared by many in his audience.

Exploring beyond borders 

At the same time, spontaneous international getaways have become a part of everyday life for many Chinese people, thanks in part to easier access to global flights, expanded visa-free arrangements, and a rising desire to explore the world.

Wang Liuqing, who works in north China's Shanxi Province, and her friends spent their Qingming Festival holidays at Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea earlier this month.

"A visa-free destination would be our top pick. The jelly-like sea and cherry blossoms on the island were absolutely stunning -- every spot was perfect for a photo of a lifetime," said Wang.

More than 80 countries and regions have introduced visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese travelers.

To attract more Chinese tourists, many international destinations are streamlining visa procedures and stepping up marketing efforts. According to Skift, a U.S. travel industry news site, China's outbound tourism market is projected to reach around 200 million trips by 2028.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that more Chinese tourists are now willing to pay for a better lifestyle -- opting for good hotels, fine dining, and high-quality cultural performances during trips.

Faster customs clearance 

Getting across Chinese borders has become much easier, thanks to new measures such as real-time traffic monitoring at entry ports, which has helped streamline operations.

At the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall at the China-Vietnam border, crowds of tourists are buzzing with excitement.

Miles away, at the Shuolong border checkpoint in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, officers reported that policies such as waiving fingerprint collection have boosted immigration processing efficiency by 40 percent.

Visiting two countries in a single day has become possible. Meanwhile, Vietnamese fruits, like the durian, have made it to more households in China.

At the Friendship Pass in Guangxi, Chinese freight drivers can clear customs in 15 seconds using ID and biometric scans.

In the first quarter alone, the inspection station there handled over 200,000 inbound and outbound trips by freight trucks, up 16.8 percent year on year.

Nationwide, border officers handled 8.5 million trips by planes, trains, vessels and motor vehicles from January to March, the NIA data showed.

More measures are in the pipeline to further enhance communication and exchanges between China and the rest of the world, according to the NIA. 

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