From Nanpu Bridge to steamed soup dumplings – vloggers reveal what they love about city

A study of popular overseas vlogs has revealed which Chinese cities Netizens consider the most influential, and what's great about each one.

The list based on statistics related to vlogs featuring Chinese cities on overseas social media video sharing platforms last year ranked Beijing first, followed by Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Hangzhou and Zhangjiajie as the 10 most influential Chinese cities.

Videos under the tag China had been watched more than 27 billion times on TikTok as of January 10, and 402 million times under the tag Shanghai, according to the list compiled by the Culture and Tourism Industry Index Laboratory jointly established by China Tourism News, the public sentiment investigation laboratory of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Alibaba.

Shanghai is widely seen as an international metropolis like New York and London based on overseas Netizens' comments, a report based on the list notes.

The interwoven scenery of Western-style architecture and skyscrapers, narrow longtang (a typical lane in Shanghai) and Disney Resort creates a dreamlike impression of Shanghai among overseas Netizens, the report says.

Shanghai is widely applauded as an extraordinary city.

"Shanghai, the most extraordinary city in the world," said a Netizen identified as gunawanhalimandan on TikTok.

"Been there and it's a magical place trust me," a comment by Karma Sanam Choden reads.

"My favorite city in the world, wish I could move there," is another comment about Shanghai by Annabeth.

"There is nothing in the world like Shanghai," said Aless on TikTok.

"Amazing, beautiful city. I love SH," said a Netizen identified as dj_andi with love showed in a loving heart icon.

"On my travel list," a Netizen identified as teresaisabelkonie75 says.

"Shanghai is going to be the modern version of New York," says _jay_967.

The most popular vlogs about Shanghai on video-focused social networking service platforms cover the city's tourist attractions, delicacies and landscape.

Compared with other cities, Shanghai has more videos about tour experiences and food.

Guess which are the most popular scenic spots in Shanghai?

The answer may come as a surprise as it is not that iconic for Shanghai residents.

Videos of Nanpu Bridge were played 17.2 million times, followed by Shanghai Disney Resort (16.3 million), Shanghai Tower (5.9 million), Lujiazui (3.9 million), the Bund (888,400), Oriental Pearl TV Tower (277,900) and Yuyuan Garden (189,300).

"Love Shanghai Bund, is it possible to do Shanghai Disneyland?" jodamist replied on TikTok to a video featuring the glittering night scenery of the Bund.

A video of a spiraling Nanpu Bridge had been watched 12.9 million times, winning nearly 900,000 "likes."

In terms of local food, videos of famed xiaolongbao, Shanghai's special steamed soup dumpling, had garnered most clicks on TikTok.

A video of xiaolongbao triggered an avalanche of curiosity and interest.

"IDK (I don't know) about slurping soup from a straw but I would definitely gobble this up as if it were a normal sized dumpling," a comment by a Netizen with the handle of richsit reads.

Shanghai's shopping venues have also proved popular among overseas Netizens.

Vlogs about Nanjing Road, a bustling pedestrian mall in downtown Shanghai, have been watched 494,000 times, followed by Xintiandi (344,000), a tourist landmark of Shanghai which blends old and new, east and West. It is known for a cluster of shikumen (stone-gate) buildings and boutique shopping, open-air cafes and upscale bars.

Expats living in Shanghai are also fascinated by the city.

"Shanghai is a fast-paced place where people meet people and my favorite food on Shanghai is the Buddhist vegetarian place next to Jing'an Temple," said David, an American who lives and runs a bamboo bike business in Shanghai.

Soyul Jeong, a 26-year-old from South Korea, described the city as a "food heaven."

Jeong first visited Shanghai in January 2018, and since then, settling in this magical city has become one of her dreams. She arrived in December.

"I am pleased to begin a new chapter of my life in Shanghai, a cosmopolitan megacity full of fun," Jeong said.

Celine Chanut from France who has been in Shanghai for a couple of years said she is making some trips to discover Chinese culture.

"I love Chinese culture," she said.

In her spare time she creates ceramics, reads and writes.

Among the 10 most influential cities in China based on feedback from video-focused social networking service platforms, most are municipalities, capital cities of provinces, or first-tier cities.

They are core cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta region, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, and Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.

In terms of video playing figures, the popularity of the top three most influential cities, Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, is more than double that of the 4th position which was secured by Chengdu.

On TikTok, videos showing Shanghai's attractions, popular sites, food and cultural souvenirs are short, but beautiful.

Videos on overseas social media video sharing platforms offer a window into China, enabling people overseas to experience the glamour of Chinese cities.

Interestingly, the unique cultural and tourism elements embodied in these videos are revealing the "persona" of a city, the report says.

On TikTok, giant pandas are featured most frequently in videos about Chengdu.

These include the daily life of giant pandas at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the "giant panda" sculpture climbing the Chengdu IFS, making the giant panda the cutest "ambassador" of the city.

The popularity of Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, mainly comes from the famous Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle with beef, or Lanzhou beef lamian.

A Lanzhou beef noodle restaurant in Kazakhstan uploads at least one vlog about the food on TikTok every day, and launched hand-pulled noodle competitions to lure diners.

Vlogs of the Great Wall, Metro in Chongqing and Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu also triggered widespread attention, according to the report.

The dazzling and spectacular night view of Nanpu Bridge offers a window for overseas Netizens to explore the splendid city scenery of Chinese cities, while diverse traditional Chinese food like hotpot, xiaolongbao, bingtanghulu (crispy sugar-coated haw), and wonton tempts their taste buds and showcases the vivid and fascinating food culture of the country.

The diversified elements about China interwoven on overseas social media video sharing platforms show a fresh, lively and splendid country with pluralistic cultures to the outside world.