Tea culture serves up new gateway for foreign visitors to sample taste of China

China's inbound tourism is continuing to see a boom well into the autumn as foreign visitors choose to not only take in a spot of sightseeing but also sit down to learn more about the country's famous tea culture while enjoying a refreshing break.

With an expansion of visa-free entry policies and an increasing "China Travel" trend spreading online, more and more overseas visitors are making the journey to the country.

The picturesque Xisai Mountain resort in Huzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province is one such destination which is drawing international tourists away from the bustling megacities to enjoy a relaxing holiday getaway.

Among them are two families from Yekaterinburg in Russia, who have traveled to the scenic Xisai Mountain to sample some traditional culture.

What enticed them was not only the family-friendly experiences at the park's giraffe manor, but also a special activity: learning to brew Chinese tea.

With the help of a mobile phone translator, a tea artist explained the brewing and tasting process and taught the visitors hands-on.

"We saw very beautiful photos and videos on the Internet. And we really liked it. We were impressed and decided to come take a closer look at [China's] culture, parks, and nature," said Natalia, one of the Russian tourists.

Anna, another Russian tourist traveling with her family, said that as it was her second trip to China, she felt every new city felt like opening a new door to learn something new about the country.

The tasty Chinese pastries, fresh mountain air and the closeness between the people and animals at the Xisai Mountain all made the journey worthwhile, she said.

Feeling invigorated after wrapping up their Huzhou tour, the two Russian families said they will continue onwards to Shanghai, located just around 150 kilometers away.

According to staff at the scenic area, the number of foreign visitors has been steadily increasing since the start of this year, with the attention the resort has received online encouraging more and more people to come.

"We had a Russian guest who is a travel blogger himself. He was traveling in China, came to visit us, and made a post on his own platform. Other Russian visitors saw this and came here because of the recommendation. Foreign guests now account for 25 to 26 percent of our total visitor flow," said Shen Yanfei, a member of the marketing team for the Giraffe Manor.

Given this influx, the scenic spot has been gradually improving its facilities for foreign tourists, adding multilingual signs and tailored program schedules to better cater to these overseas guests.

Since the beginning of this year, Huzhou City has launched a broader series of immersive cultural experiences for international students and visitors, issued special consumption vouchers, and advanced a provincial-level inbound tourism pilot program.

These efforts have paid off with Huzhou receiving over 106,000 inbound overnight visitors from January to August, up nearly 35 percent year on year.

Tea culture serves up new gateway for foreign visitors to sample taste of China

Chinese researchers are pairing 6G with robot training and validation at a dedicated test facility in Beijing, aiming to make smart robots more reliable and affordable as they move from lab prototypes toward real-world deployment.

At a specialized test site in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, a four-legged robot flips, jumps and climbs its way through punishing obstacle courses. The goal is not just to show what it can do, but to see how well it performs under real-world conditions.

"We are testing its motion‑control stability across multiple scenarios and complex terrains, including slopes, rubble‑strewn surfaces and other rugged environments," said Zhang Tianyi, product manager of Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Pilot Test Platform.

The difficulty is that real-world environments are unpredictable. For AI to control robots reliably, it must adapt to physical surroundings - an approach known as physical AI. That is why a dedicated test facility at Beijing 6G Laboratory has been set up to pair 6G with robot training and validation.

"A complete closed loop of 'sensing‑decision‑execution' must be fully functional. Every link imposes extremely high requirements on latency and stability, a delay of just a fraction of a second can trigger critical errors," said Liu Guangyi, chief expert of China Mobile Group and also chief scientist of ZGC-XNET.

Existing networks, including 5G-A, hit hard limits. Slow signal response cannot sustain robots' long-hour, high-precision operations.

6G changes that by delivering near-instant latency, massive device connectivity and ultra-stable signals.

The test site at Beijing 6G Laboratory replicates real-life working conditions, helping robots move more smoothly from lab prototypes to field deployment.

"It enables the cloud‑based AI brain to govern physical robots within milliseconds," said Liu.

6G-powered cloud computing also frees robots from bulky on-board hardware, making them lighter, less costly and longer-lasting.

That shift is already showing results in the market.

"Our robot has secured orders for nearly 100 units so far, and mass delivery is expected by the end of this year," said Ling Lei, product manager of WUBA Intelligence Humanoid Robot.

Beyond individual robots, the facility offers end-to-end support for local companies, covering research, training and certification. The test site is projected to push local intelligent robot industry output above 10 billion yuan by 2027. "Even when hundreds of devices connect simultaneously, data transmission and command synchronization remain stable," said Liu.

Chinese researchers use 6G to boost smart robots' real-world performance