TikTok personality Khaby Lame kicks off China visit

Against the backdrop of the ongoing "China travel" craze, Senegalese-Italian influencer Khaby Lame — who is famed for his wordless reactions of complicated life hacks, which earned him the nickname "speechless brother" — arrived in Beijing on Tuesday and kicked off his China journey, according to a post on his Sina Weibo account.

The TikTok personality with over 160 million followers is set to be in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Wednesday, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Sunday and will participate in intangible cultural heritage experiences in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, next Wednesday, according to a livestream announcement released by China's short video platforms Kuaishou.

"I can't wait to come to China. It's gonna be an amazing trip," Lame said in a video posted Monday on his social media accounts. 

Photo: Screenshot from a post from Senegalese-Italian influencer Khaby Lame's Sina Weibo account

He added that he looks forward to learning about the Chinese culture and history, with a particular interest in kung fu. He is also excited to try the local cuisine. "I've never been there — it's gonna be my first time," he said in the video.

In March, another international influencer, American YouTube sensation Darren "IShowSpeed," previously drew attention for his trip to China.

The 20-year-old streamer visited the Great Wall and the Palace Museum in Beijing, experienced the country's high-speed bullet train and traveled to the Shaolin Temple, in Central China's Henan Province, to pursue his kung fu dream. He also enjoyed the mesmerizing "Bian Lian" (face-changing) performance, a traditional Sichuan opera art.

The visits of international influencers to China reflect the country's growing global influence, and the recent easing of entry policies has significantly lowered the threshold for visiting, Wei Xiaoan, chief expert of the World Tourism Cities Federation and chairman of the China Leisure Association, a branch of the China Tourism Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China's visa-free policies are also fueling the boom. According to the National Immigration Administration, 76 countries now enjoy unilateral or mutual visa-free entry, with transit exemptions expanded to 55 countries. In the first half of 2025, 13.64 million travelers entered China visa-free, a year-on-year increase of 53.9 percent, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Besides the most well-known cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, influencers visiting China also tend to choose distinctive cities offering fresh and unique activities, the expert noted.

Compared with traditional official promotions, their perspectives are closer to young audiences and can achieve greater reach and engagement, Zhang Lingyun, professor and the executive editor-in-chief of the Tourism Tribune, told the Global Times.

Through these influencers' trips, overseas audiences have the chance to see a different, more authentic and objective side of China, highlighting the appeal of cultural differences, Zhang added.

Regarding visits to China by foreign friends, including some top social media influencers, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in April that the one-shot livestreaming by foreign influencers presents China as it is in a panoramic view, one that has not been edited in any way. This again spurs growing enthusiasm for China. 

The spokesperson added that this shows that the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries enjoy profound support from the people, and such bonds cannot and will not be severed.

(Global Times)