With China Travel gaining global momentum, a growing number of international visitors are eager to see the real China for themselves. Against this backdrop, China Media Group has launched its first documentary-style travel reality show, Destination: China!, centered on China’s visa-free policy for foreign travelers and the rising popularity of travel to China. The program presents a vivid, dynamic, and authentic portrait of the country to audiences worldwide. It has aired on CCTV4 and is also available on Sky TV in the UK.
Each episode features two foreign visa-free explorers traveling together. Fluent in Chinese and equipped with cross-cultural backgrounds bridging China and the West, they dive deep into one Chinese city per episode. Joined by a Chinese celebrity guest, they embark on an immersive journey by completing a series of challenges, creating a unique Chinese travel guide for global audiences and extending an invitation to travelers worldwide to experience firsthand China’s traditional culture, urban vitality, and contemporary lifestyle.
In Destination: China!, viewers discover the unique charm of multiple cities through the eyes of the visa-free explorers. In Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, located in Yunnan Province in southwest China, explorers Mattia Damuding and Mahoney Lile Song ventured deep into the enigmatic Yunnan Dawei Mountain National Nature Reserve, embarking on a journey to uncover its hidden natural wonders. During their trek, they immersed themselves in the region’s rich biodiversity. They visited the Yuanyang Hani Terraces, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, immersing themselves in traditional farming activities such as plowing and fish catching. They also engaged in hands-on experiences with Miao embroidery, an intangible cultural heritage known as “a history book worn by people,” gaining a deep appreciation for the Miao people’s distinctive craftsmanship and cultural legacy in every delicate stitch.
In Ordos, Inner Mongolia, the explorers embark on an immersive journey to explore natural landscapes in depth. Venturing deep into the Mu Us Desert, they met “Desertification Control Pioneer” Yin Yuzhen and listened to her moving story of transforming barren deserts into thriving oases through decades of unwavering determination and dedication to afforestation—a journey that led to her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. They also learned how her personal experience inspired Donald Ashton Jones, a young man from Florida, who formed a close bond with Yin Yuzhen through ten years of tree planting and became affectionately known as her “American brother.” The explorers went on to the Salawusu site, where an incisor of the “Hetao people”—originally discovered by French geologist and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Emile Licent—is preserved. There, they experienced a meaningful dialogue that bridged time and space. They also visited the grasslands of Ordos, where they experienced the unique cultural traditions of the competition of Mongolian wrestling (or “Boke” in Chinese), equestrian customs, and ethnic costume displays. The visa-free explorers savored authentic Mongolian cuisine and learned to sing the traditional Mongolian folk song, “Wine Song.” When they warmly shared their singing with the neighboring table, they were delighted by the spontaneous performance of Khoomei (throat singing) by a local Mongolian guest, delivering an unforgettable moment filled with emotion and surprise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mrn7onrnn8
In Datong, North China’s Shanxi Province, explorers Smirnova Anzelika and Radicioni Jacopo visited the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where they listened to the echoes of history in the “Music Cave” (the replicated Yungang Grottoes Cave 12) and took on the role of one-day guides before the thousand-year-old sculptures, personally conveying the warmth of Chinese culture. They also traveled to the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda (the Sakyamuni Pagoda)—the world’s oldest and tallest existing all-wooden pagoda—where they wrote heartfelt letters to their families, expressing their reflections and emotions. Their journey not only allows audiences to appreciate the distinctive charm arising from the fusion of ancient and modern elements in Southeast Yunnan but also guides them to immerse themselves in the tranquility and serenity of solo travel within the Datong Volcanic Group.
A brand-new concept, new hosts, and a fresh journey of exploration are now underway. Let’s discover a richer, more multi-dimensional, and more diverse China—together.