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Phoebe Zhang

Nobody knew how the tree grew popular online, but for about two months, villagers near Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, found drones flying over their wheat fields.
One video captured a tree in the middle of a farmer’s field, just as the fog was about to dissipate, “like an ink painting”, Beijing News said. Then people began flocking to the area to take photos.
It was the only tree in hundreds of acres of wheat field. The tourists called it the “lonely tree” and said that after seeing it, “you didn’t need to go far to be healed”.
Nobody had paid much attention to the tree in the past. It offered a resting place for farmers and its leaves fed livestock. After it went viral, some incorrectly claimed the tree had been featured in the television series White Deer Plain. Motorcycles came, drones flew in, tents were set up, people touched, danced near and hugged the tree. Most stepped into the wheat fields to get close to it, treading a 25-metre-long (82-foot-long) path.
In the end, the farmer couldn’t take it any more. She grabbed a ladder and chopped down most of the branches. She had never understood the fervour over her fields; to her, they simply provided food.
I don’t entirely understand or agree with China’s “check-in culture”. However, it is undeniably here to stay, fuelled by the rise of social media.


The trend began a few years ago. In 2019, a survey by the China Youth Daily of 2,000 readers found that 81.1 per cent of them had friends who were keen on check-in tourism, meaning that they only visited scenic spots to take photos and share them on social media. Some said such a style of travelling was too superficial, that it felt like merely completing a task instead of absorbing the location’s culture and history like you are meant to do.
Social media has turbocharged the trend. The app Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, makes it easier for you to see “check-in points” where others have posted photos while travelling. On short video platforms such as Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, filming hot trends is encouraged. When you participate in a viral phenomenon, there’s a higher chance the platform will boost your content.
This encourages more people to “check in”. You can check in at the same park, the same brunch restaurant, the same flower that someone discovered or even the same person. People who have risen to quick fame via viral news have become the focus of check-in culture themselves, regardless of whether they want the attention or not.


In 2021, when diver Quan Hongchan won an Olympic gold medal, live-streamers flocked to her family home in rural Guangdong. They followed her family members, blocked the entrance to their home, climbed trees, and when her grandmother fell in public, none of them stopped streaming. In the streaming business, traffic is money.
Then there’s Ashin, vocalist of Taiwanese rock band Mayday, who posted a photo of himself in front of a public toilet in a Beijing hutong last month. Since then, hordes of fans have been there to check in, photographing themselves at the same location as the singer.
“This isn’t a tourist attraction, it’s a place we use every day,” one resident told the media. He said fans camped out to take photos, blocking people who genuinely needed to use the facilities.

The reason check-in culture has gone viral is because it has become a common social currency. It turns personal experience into visible social symbols. Checking in at the same place as their idol and thousands of others gives people a sense of belonging and emotional validation. The algorithmic boost only intensifies this urge.
However, when check-in culture reaches a level where it becomes a burden to others, something must be done. The authorities can reinforce regulations that protect residents’ privacy, for example. Locations that become tourist spots don’t have to jump on the check-in wagon and can encourage visitors to discover history and culture at a slower pace instead of simply taking photos with fixed poses.
Most importantly, people should exercise their power to say no. Do not join in such behaviour. Don’t carry a camera around a traditional coffee shop looking for the perfect 20 angles. Talk to the locals and find something unique about the place you’re visiting. Write long, heartfelt essays to share your experience, like we used to do before the world was consumed by algorithms and artificial intelligence.


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As China’s ‘check-in culture’ intensifies, it’s time to set some limits

Tourists take photos at the Mong Kok MTR Station on October 6, 2025. Photo: Sun Yeung

Tourists from mainland China flock to Yau Ma Tei Police Station to take photos on October 1, 2024, as the spot was trending on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. Photo: May Tse

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

Visitors take photos of the ancient Sword of Goujian at the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, in central China’s Hubei Province, on May 17, 2026. An airport notice at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport warning not to hand-carry replicas of the sword on board planes has gone viral on Chinese social media. Photo: Xinhua

The sign at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Photo: WeChat  

The Sword of Goujian was made some 2,500 years ago and is inscribed with script reading: “King Goujian of Yue made this sword for his personal use.”

China authorities probe ‘national-level bullying’ of diving icon Quan Hongchan amid toxic fan culture

China’s sporting authorities have launched an investigation into online abuse and the toxic fan culture that has targeted diving champion Quan Hongchan. Photo: SCMP composite/Xinhua/Weibo/Marie Claire

An emotional Quan Hongchan hugs her coach Chen Ruolin after winning the women’s 10m platform event at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Quan, above, has gained weight as part of her natural development. Photo: YouTube

Quan twisting in the air as she competes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: Reuters 

A much happier Quan pictured having fun at a strawberry farm. Photo: Weibo

Golden girl: Quan holds a cherished gold medal to her face in Paris. Photo: AFP 

China’s overnight social media stars are discovering the flip side of fame

People take photos of Cheng Yunfu, nicknamed “the noodle guy” by online fans, at a rural market in Feixian county, Shandong province, in 2021. Photo: Baidu

Tourists shop for handmade ceramic products in the Taoyangli area of Jingdezhen in east China’s Jiangxi province on July 13. Photo: Xinhua

Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

A mainland visitor poses next to the Mong Kok MTR station sign. The station and the Tsim Sha Tsui one are particularly popular with tourists from across the border. Photo: Timon Johnson

Mainland tourists at Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. Professor Song Haiyan of Polytechnic University says the photo trend is part of a wider “check-in” culture that has become popular on Chinese social media. Photo: Sun Yeung

Opinion

China Opinion

News

People & Culture

Trending in China

Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use


Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use.


Tourism

Chinese tourists

Social media

Internet

Internet Culture

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Taiwan

China

Quan Hongchan

Douyin

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


As China’s ‘check-in culture’ intensifies, it’s time to set some limits

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use

Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use