The "China Haul" trend continues to gain traction on overseas social media, as more overseas travelers are bringing home traditional Chinese ointments, regional handicrafts, and local specialties.
The new social media buzzword has travel enthusiasts around the world opening their suitcases on camera to show off the Chinese goods they bought during trips to China.
Luis, a staff member of the Mexican national diving team, recently returned from a business trip to China with a case full of therapeutic items that many Chinese people use for their soothing effects.
"I bought a lot of good things on this trip to China, many of which are hard to find in Mexico. Chinese products are of good quality and good price. Our national diving team uses Chinese products for physical therapy and training," said Luis.
The pain-relief ointments and medicated oils he brought back can help professional divers deal with muscle strain and joint pain from high-intensity training, and the hard-working team was happy to receive them.
Many overseas travelers also prefer seeking out local specialties. Serbian tourist Enes Crnovrsanin recently visited China and enjoys shopping at local markets to find products with regional and cultural characteristics.
"I bought famous ceramic products, locally produced tea, and some very distinctive items. I kept some as souvenirs and gave others to friends who haven't been to China yet," said Crnovrsanin.
Italian traveler Gianluca Salvicchi also had a unique travel experience in Xinjiang during his visit to China.
"I just came back from China, Xinjiang. We bought a lot of different things, actually. This is a soap made in Xinjiang. It's made of goat milk and also has this flower inside which gives this perfume," said Salvicchi.
At a local workshop, he customized an embroidered piece as a gift for his mother.
"I bought this carpet from Tianshan and there was this small laboratory, let's say, where they embroider by themselves. But actually they showed me how to embroider, and I also made them write Tianchi, which is the name of this lake. My mom would like it more, let's say," he said.
Data shows that in the first seven months of this year, overseas visitors spent 263.6 billion yuan (about 39.6 billion U.S. dollars) in China, up 27.8 percent year on year. The number of overseas travelers processing departure tax refunds increased more than threefold year on year, with tax refund sales rising by about 60 percent.
Foreign travelers embrace Chinese products amid surging 'China Haul' trend
Foreign travelers embrace Chinese products amid surging 'China Haul' trend
