Chinese Favor Poor Travel: $1 Billion Ancient Town, Previously Thronged by Thousands, Now Abandoned

In recent days, a travel influencer on the Chinese social media platform "Xiaohongshu" took their friend to Hanjiang Ancient Town for a photo op. From the video footage, even on a Saturday, the streets were noticeably empty. Hanjiang Shiquan Ancient Town, situated in the heart of Shiquan County, Shaanxi Province, lies along the banks of Hanjiang Yanshui Lake and Lotus Lake, marking it as a significant birthplace of Chinese civilization. But this ancient cultural town was not always so deserted. In the video, we witness a stark contrast; once bustling with visitors, the streets now remain quiet, lacking the usual lively atmosphere.
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[@Jack-It-UP]

Great reporting thank you.

[@D0NU75]

"people aren't going to our expensive ass tourist attractions so we now make laws that prohibit them from planning and making their own vacation travelings."

[@donthetrader]

One child policy…..no younger people !

[@junkscience6397]

Related to Chinese Poor, Reuters had an interesting front page headline today: "In rapidly ageing China, millions of migrant workers can't afford to retire". From the article: "The elderly in China will live a long and miserable life," said Fuxian Yi, a demographer who is also a senior scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison....If elderly Chinese were to rely solely on China's basic rural pension, they would live on LESS than the World Bank's poverty threshold of $3.65 a day...China's latest statistics showed some 94 million working people - around 12.8% of China's 734 million labour force - were older than 60 in 2022, up sharply from 8.8% in just 2020. That share, while lower than in wealthier Japan and South Korea, is set to SKYROCKET as 300 million more Chinese reach their 60s in the coming decade." Look out below!! Who will care for this exploding population of unprepared elderly? Xinnie The Pooh surely won't, as "The course for many of the 100 million rural migrants reaching retirement age in China over the next 10 years is to return to their village and live off a small farm and monthly pensions of 123 yuan ($17)!" 17 DOLLARS A MONTH!

[@DavidCooper-bn6te]

You make some valid observations. I find myself sometimes wondering if the covid/Wuhan virus was developed as a means to reduce the population of the elderly. I also believe that it's being modified in a lab to increase it's lethality and transmissibility. Also noteworthy, the high number of ccp officials suddenly dying from covid and other respiratory illnesses may be related to them having been the recipients of "harvested" organs, which necessitates the use of anti-rejection drugs, which lowers natural immunity, thereby increasing the chances of contracting other diseases. Something to consider. Be well my friend.

[@purr-purr-purr]

i've been to china on vacation and i treated as if I was a thief there to take their money, felt like everybody was watching me. then i heard on other YT channels you can get arrested for almost anything. got lucky but never setting foot there again in my life. feel sorry for Taiwanese people, different country, respectful people. im sorry they have such terrible neighbor

[@jmshwood2801]

The same experience . . So sad 😢😢

[@kolsen6330]

As an inspector, I found defects in chinese built cranes that cost the company millions to repair. They also took a big hit to their reputation. I was told by 3 different people to never go to china. I guess there is a law that if you insult china, they can put you in prison. You dont even need to be chinese for them to arrest you. Why would anyone in their right mind want to visit a dictatorship when they could go to Taiwan?

[@sjv9147s]

Too bad that you went with the wrong attitude from the get-go. It was probably self-fulfilling for you.

[@jeyjeygg5928]

Same experience. I've been at China and Taiwan but I feel more safe and enjoyable vacation in Taiwan.

[@jmshwood2801]

@jeyjeygg5928 You spot it on! Strongly agree with you.

[@lexmedved]

the ancient town will be there after all the new concrete buildings have crumbled.

[@GNerdful]

they're not really ancient buildings, a lot of them are just reproductions.

[@gregohb]

Most of the ancient towns are recently rebuilt. Actually a lot of the European Castles are also rebuilt. But places like Lijiang - its almost all fake

[@PoohSeaFresh]

Why would I go to a communist country 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣 democracy baby!!!! 💪💪💪

[@JunHooKim-bn4yc]

🤣🤣🤣 You cannot even afford travel within cities in your country. 🤣🤣🤣 Pariah baby...!!!

[@pennyc8252]

Why u want the country to change just coz of you😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sjv9147s]

TBH, in many respects China has many more freedoms than the West, especially North America.

[@crystsnow]

This is what happens when the internet is just your country

[@stevenphillips3466]

Barack Obama gave the Communists and despot governments the codes to control the internet in their country .... Imagine why they did that...how much did top democrats get paid off

[@snookerking786]

lol wrong video

[@user-iz6fw5zb5f]

If you do bad deeds, you don't go to hell after you die, you are reborn as a Chinese.

[@lonthearab6953]

This probably scarier than going to hell

[@amalakeson]

😂

[@mozzarellamaniac6300]

Lucky if you get born as female, you get free reset

[@UtamagUta]

dunno, central Africa seems worse...

[@leapdrive]

@@UtamagUta, didn’t you catch the drift?

[@RatTerminator]

Toxic food Tofu Dreg construction

[@waynehewett4017]

It's very hard to travel ... If you have no job no money .... And are struggling each day to stop you and your family from starving and drowning in debts ...

[@RatTerminator]

No one dares 2 go 2 CCP China 🇺🇲💪

[@pennyc8252]

1.4 billion 😂😂😂😂don't worry

[@RatTerminator]

@pennyc8252 And they're All broke !!

[@pennyc8252]

@@RatTerminator 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Sojoboscribe]

The "flexible holiday" idea also smacks a bit of the early Soviet idea of a ten day week with 1/10 of the people getting each day off (so that 90% of the work force was working on any given day.) It failed because no one could schedule anything. Of course, China being China, they'll probably opt for the North Korean model, where, after five days of work, you work two days free in gratitude for being in the country (so you work all day, every day).

[@Chris.Davies]

The exact and polar opposite of Korea, where absolutely everything is pumping with people and customers. Everywhere! The amount of business being down in Korea is truly mind bending! But it is something China can never achieve, because of the CCP.

[@social3ngin33rin]

@7:30 I encountered a shop like this in China back in 2016. They were cons. The advertised price per weight wasn't reflected at the register price.

[@fauziahmohddinmohddin7988]

Chinese already used to con others .. so it becomes norm to con tourists .

[@kyrusinek]

There is only so long you can hold back social unrest. I don't understand why the CPP doesn't address it and say they will fix it? Even if they lie and dont it would stop the social unrest if you look like you care.

[@FreeSp17]

its all about controlling all the people through propaganda my friend, everytime there is a problem the ccp will just send actors to take pictures or videos and be on their way. For example there is a earthquake? send some soldiers and do some fake rescue mission in the middle of a propped collasped building. There is a typhoon or flood? send some ccp officials to give relief efforts with fake rains and on a puddle. Due to being exposed to propaganda since childhood most young chinese are already brainwashed. Even large scale disasters are always covered up and erased from records.

[@russellvonastel7111]

Chinese economy is really bad at the moment

[@eduardochavacano]

China has so many beautiful ancient town, ❤❤❤ Huang Yao in Guanxi and Pingyao in Shaanxi.

[@HKim0072]

3:17 I'd rather stay at home. And, just go to empty local bar and get drunk since people are traveling. Going into a crowd like this would be torture.

[@Meitti]

Thats what I do in Finland every Summer Solstice. Everyone goes to their summer cottages near rural lakes. Cities and towns become empty like you're filming a zombie movie.

[@seandoherty4236]

Chinese enjoy this. The more crowded a place, its obvious it is more popular and desirable. That way you're reassured it was the best place to go. Its not possible for Westerners to understand the Chinese mind.

[@HKim0072]

@@seandoherty4236 What's the point in making up information...that you have zero access to? Sure, it's proven that crowded stores will attract buzz and passerby traffic. And yeah, many people are a bit wary to go to eat a restaurant that is always empty. But, you have zero data on jammed wall to wall tourist locations in China.

[@seraph3761]

@@seandoherty4236less so than that, Americans have been spoiled by having space, and they love that space. Chinese don’t have the luxury of space as the west does.

[@gregohb]

The one place that was fairly deserted was the Ethnic Minority Theme park in Kunming - but we went there on a week day about 4 pm, and they were closing about 5.

[@bchompoo]

I also did this. I packed my lunch and got up early on a road trip. I had my lunch in the car or perhaps had a picnic at a lovely place. Got home in the evening.

[@HahaHaha-gq8ft]

Please tell me how that man was allowed to work for Nasa .

[@Jaysqualityparts]

NASA loves commies look at their past. Never A Straight Answer.

[@foreverlost8085]

too many people.

[@mjulianlee]

Cue the covid virus

[@seraph3761]

It legitimately looks like they’re being herded. It’s mind blowing. As a cowboy it gave me flashbacks. But this was with people. lol

[@foreverlost8085]

@@seraph3761 giddy upp:d

[@cashkitty3472]

If live there at least the building will last 70 years

[@katherinebonkowski8925]

😂😂😂😂 im a grown person being trained to be a life long child....then they wounder why noone wants to work.😅

[@snippedtiex]

My dyslexic brain: Chinese flavored pool... What?

[@gregohb]

I was in several these places in the past 3 months, and they were not deserted at all. Lijiang, Dali, Wuzhen, Zhangzhou , Hangzhou, etc were all crowded. Lijiang in particular was insane - and so crowded it was uncomfortable. We even when to the jade mountain an hour north of Lijiang at 12,000 feet, and we had to wait an hour just get through the entrance gate. As much as I show people how bad China is, seeing this video made Chinese friends say that this confirms that these videos are BS. This Is just as bad as the little pinks and pro-China shills, but in the opposite direction.

[@mattanderson6672]

Rise up People of China

[@maapaa2010]

Daytrips are the way to go 😌

[@Alakazzam09]

This will be summer in America too. Everyone is broke.

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Commies run this place also. Dummies policies are killing us.

[@alexi2460]

Interesting, thanks

[@johnobrien8398]

It’s really awful for the china people

[@arthurlincoln9093]

Well at least you can now get a seat for the toilet. Every cloud has a silver lining.

[@reyhardzuarez5939]

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. In CCP lie is not sin you are dead wrong. A lot of corruption hapenning in CCP

[@SAFETYHOOD]

Rats following the Pied Piper

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Talk about communism what a lovely way to live.

[@ajw45]

This is a fake news. I literally just came back from Yunnan, still have jet lag. Lijiang was plenty busy and Dali was absolutely nuts for the holiday, couldn't walk, hotel was full, and the traffic was insane. Those ancient towns are free also. Given how good the trains are plus them being govt subsidized, yeah, of course people take the train more.

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Couldn’t pay me to get on their safe trains.

[@Gaming_Antics]

Ancient Ghost Town.

[@ric6074]

Daily self fantasy day dreaming deepfakes AI propaganda channel. LoL 😂

[@shundi4264]

US propaganda reflects its racial and political anxieties and its profound insecurities about its own failures and decline.

[@halo129830]

Propaganda is fought regularly here we have our social unrest and problems but atleast we know some of it and the world ridiculous us for it but in China you never hear about any problems really.

[@shundi4264]

@@halo129830 I hear both positive and negative news about China in China. This is obviously propaganda.

[@MNcoquicoqui]

Imagine if a person would complain about: tofu dreg, even cars burning, money being held in their bank indefinitely and making then unable to withdraw funds, forcing people to buy appliances because the government isn't getting enough money because JOBS has been slashed due to US companies moving to Vietnam and peope are saving any bit of cash they have. TELL ME IS THIS PROPAGANDA???? THEY ARE FACTS. YOU ARE SO BRAINWASHED I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU.

[@DavidCooper-bn6te]

There's no attraction in China worth giving up my freedom for and No amount of money that could make me visit China. The most repressive government in the world, with North Korea being a close second. Your every move is regulated and monitored by the ccp. Soon, with the advent of the new "digital" money, the government will know every last detail of how you spend your money ,what you buy, where you buy it, how much it costs and how often. Food and shelter become the ccp's primary focus, with everything else considered to be unnecessary. As with the World Economic Forum, you will own nothing and be happy with the meager subsistence lifestyle it promotes. Vigilance is the price of maintaining our liberty and freedoms.

[@Zodinthara-jo5yi]

Nothing new to learn. I hate CCCP but this video is nothing but CCCP bashing sometime you can get tired of same old formulaic videos. 11:20 11:21 11:22 11:23 11:23 11:23

[@mrtophat12]

Yea. I loathe china, but these channels from these people lock on to some of the most insane things OR something major one person did and states that 80% of the country is like that.

[@HKim0072]

It's because you don't pay attention to the official CCP data releases. They keep pumping out data showing the economy is doing fine.

[@stevenphillips3466]

If you don't like it.....Dont watch it....Democracy in action

[@PhilmiiNutsakz]

It is called china observer. Lol.