tourism chaos · Full chronicle and history

Economist Yao Yang, Dean of the Dishui Lake Advanced School of Finance at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said in a video posted on "Yao Yang Shuo" that about 100 million people in China actually pay individual income tax, that an annual income of 100,000 to 120,000 yuan puts one in the top 10% by income, and that an annual income of about 300,000 yuan puts one in the top 1%. The bottom 10% of earners account for only 0.4% of all income and have negative net wealth, and around 600 million people nationwide still earn less than 1,000 yuan per month.

On October 20, Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Surawong responded to the security advisory issued by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand regarding Chinese citizens being lured and detained upon traveling to Thailand, saying that genuine tourists coming to Thailand are unlikely to be forcibly taken to the border, and asking why only Chinese tourists encounter this situation.

On October 17, a Douyin blogger complained that young people are told to abandon the “student mindset” as soon as they enter society, asking why honest people should reflect on themselves after being taken advantage of, and saying that those who cheat and deceive are the ones who should truly reflect. The post struck a chord with netizens, who left comments in共鸣.

A netizen inside the Great Firewall shared records of fines imposed on their family by the Chinese Communist Party. The fines covered a wide range of items, and the specific items were not detailed in the tweet.

On October 8, People’s Daily published an article about Qilian County opening student dormitories to house tourists, arguing that it is difficult to conclude from the available information alone that the local authorities bullied students for the sake of tourists, while acknowledging that further explanation is still needed regarding the protection of students’ rights. The related topic trended on Weibo, with netizens asking whether county guesthouses and government dormitories are also used to receive tourists.

During the National Day holiday, The Paper conducted a live-streamed test at Fantawild Dream Kingdom in Wuhu, Anhui, and found that thrill rides with a height limit of 1.1 meters admitted toddlers under 90 cm tall, while young children could use in-park bear tickets to invite staff members to dance up close, with some children frightened into crying.

After the report drew widespread attention, the management of Fantawild Dream Kingdom in Wuhu publicly apologized on October 5, saying it had launched a comprehensive inspection and rectification, would strictly regulate interactive procedures, and would prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Hiker Mr. Sun posted a video angrily denouncing the 24-Bend scenic area for fencing off a wartime resistance relic to charge admission, sparking strong backlash from netizens. The local Qinglong County government held a meeting on October 3 and decided to waive the 60 yuan ticket for the viewing platform and exhibition hall area.

On October 3, a tourist posted a video on Douyin reporting that a section of tidal flats at Hua'ao Island, Xiangshan, Ningbo, Zhejiang, had been enclosed by fencing nets, with beachcombing inside the nets charged at 38 yuan per person, complaining that the sea was being fenced off and sold for money. On October 4, the Gaotang Island Township Government and the scenic area responded that the fencing nets were used for safety management and project operations, and that the beach along the shore remained open free of charge.

On October 2, YouTube creator Bumingbai Podcast released an episode, gathering letters from eleven listeners to discuss various experiences of feeling inferior while living in China.

A netizen posted a video complaining that the Anti-Japanese War highway "Twenty-Four Turns" in Qinglong County, Guizhou, has been fenced off and turned into a paid attraction, with a 60-yuan ticket and a 50-yuan shuttle bus fee, striking a chord with many. On October 2, the local Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau issued an announcement stating that it is a national key cultural relics protection unit and a 4A-rated scenic area, that the charges have legal basis, and that visitors can tour it on foot free of charge.

On October 2, at the Urhe World Devil City scenic area in Karamay, Xinjiang, a shuttle bus bypassed the queue to pick up tourists from the back rows. A large crowd of tourists surrounded the bus, shouting for the queue-jumpers to get off. Even after police arrived, the driver still drove away. The scenic area later issued an apology, saying it had added vehicles and staff. Some of the videos exposing the incident were subsequently reported and taken down.

On September 16, a blogger revealed that tourists at the Qingdao Beer Museum privately stole complimentary specialized glass cups, took photos to show off on social media, and posted tutorials on how to steal them, sparking netizen discussions on the lack of social morality.

On September 17, a netizen uploaded an AI short film to Douyin in which a young person runs desperately while carrying a basket on their back containing their parents, only to be criticized for falling behind, sparking widespread resonance and discussion among netizens about the heavy burden of family.

Recently at the Jungfrau in Switzerland, a Chinese woman brought an elderly person to cut in line. After being reminded that she needed to queue, she loudly berated other people in line for "not knowing how to care for the elderly." The related video has sparked discussion online.

After Black Sea shipping routes were disrupted, China turned to South and North America for emergency spot purchases of grain, with international grain traders charging an extra $42.5 per ton.

China's total retail sales of consumer goods rose 0.6% year-on-year in July; retail sales of automobiles fell 13.2% year-on-year from January to July.

In May 2026, China's total retail sales of consumer goods fell 0.6% year-on-year, marking the first monthly decline since December 2022, with sharp drops in sales of automobiles, home appliances, building materials and other categories.

A Chinese tour guide in Thailand pressured and intimidated tourists, threatening to prevent them from returning to China and demanding they delete their videos.

In May 2026, the total retail sales of consumer goods in China fell by 0.6% year-on-year.

After 1949, a large number of Chinese social elites left China; related accounts regard this as the starting point of the subsequent changes in social structure.