When one thinks of Beijing, what often comes to mind is the bustling tech metropolis, the heart of Chinese governance, and the impressive skyline marked by innovation. Yet, underneath AI breakthroughs and economic power lies a less-highlighted but incredibly powerful industry—tourism. NGOZI EGENUKA, who recently toured Beijing and Qingdao, reports her wow experience.

Beijing is widely known as China’s political and innovation capital, a city of imposing skyscrapers and global tech ambition.

Yet, beyond its economic and political might lies a quieter, underreported story, one of tourism as a pillar of national identity, soft power, and economic strategy.

In China, tourism is not just leisure; it is a cultural mission, an educational experience, and a powerful tool of internal development.

One arrived at this conclusion on noticing that the majority of tourists in China’s most visited sites are not foreigners, but locals, with some travelling across provinces just to witness the attractions.

At every location, I saw at least 90 per cent of Chinese people strutting excitedly into the gates. Those in a group led by a guide with a microphone recounting history in rich detail, speaking Mandarin, the old, middle-aged, young and even children.

Several of the youths came prepared for the experiences, most of them putting on their different types of costumes as props for their pictures. Parents didn’t discourage their toddlers from visiting such sites, as most of them either came with their strollers or rented one at the tourism venue.

It was obvious that China’s tourist infrastructure is more than just preserved heritage. In 2024, Beijing alone generated $4.9 billion from inbound tourism, with overall tourism revenue reaching 672 billion yuan (RMB). This reflects the country’s self-sufficiency, civic discipline, and unrelenting investment in its people and places. The display of preservation and proper management could not be hidden.

In the heart of Beijing stands the Forbidden City, one of the largest and most complete wooden structures in the world. Formerly the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was once rumoured to have 9,999 rooms, symbolising celestial perfection.

The palace, as it is today, still has at least 8,600 rooms. Though some structures were lost to lightning or fire in previous centuries, much of its grandeur remains intact. An important fact of the city is that Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, facing defeat, famously committed suicide on nearby Meishan (now Jingshan Park); his eunuch was said to have also committed suicide after him.

Tour Guide, Zhang Heng, said that in history, the emperor lived a very luxurious life. It was recorded that at some point, for every meal, they had more than 100 dishes and 40 kinds of sweets. Royal women were bathed with more than 100 new white towels daily.

Climbing up the stairs at the park revealed a breath-taking atmosphere of the buildings, all with similar roofing and colour, some bigger in size than the other, showcasing the vast land space occupied.

The Temple of Heaven continues to tell a story of architectural brilliance and spiritual devotion. Built in 1420 during the Ming dynasty in the reign of Emperor Yongle (also known as Zhu Di, the same person who built the Forbidden City), the structure was where emperors performed yearly rituals to secure good harvests.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a 36-meter-tall wooden structure held together without a single nail, supported by wooden pillars, remains one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements. It is said that more than 100 people died in the process of moving each piece of wood for the construction of the hall of prayer.

The emperor believed himself to be the “Son of Heaven” and used the temple as a physical link between earth and the divine. There are also more than 100,000 trees within the premises, most of which have existed for well over 300 years. There was also a corridor, a passage for slaughtered animals, which were used for sacrifice at the temple and the temple contained golden images.

The Great Wall of China, which stretched over 8,800 kilometres across 15 provinces, remains a colossal example of human resilience. Built during the Ming Dynasty to keep out Mongolian invaders, sections like Juyongguan (meaning “Living Prison”), one of the most relevant, are a testament to how prisoners and common citizens toiled under severe conditions to complete the wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

According to the tour guide, this section of the wall attracts over 20,000 visitors daily. Stones used in building the wall were sourced locally, but bricks were manufactured in the city and carried manually to the wall’s higher points. Failure to meet deadlines often resulted in the execution of supervisors. Historical records suggest workers who built the wall lived an average of just four months afterwards.

Today, the Wall is not only a historical site but also a venue for international marathons and educational tours. The scenery remains preserved and still holds on to its view. Some of the cannons used during the battle were imported from Portugal. A technology-enhanced museum situated at the bottom right-hand side of the location depicts what the scenes looked like during that era.

One of the most majestic sites, the Summer Palace, was constructed in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong as a gift to his mother on her 60th birthday. This 290-hectare complex, filled with hand-dug lakes and mountain-shaped landscapes, is an architectural poem to longevity and maternal love.

At the heart of the palace is the Pavilion of Joy and Longevity, a three-story building where gifts were presented, prayers were offered, and banquets held. The lake itself is shaped like a peach (symbolising long life), and features a turtle-shaped bridge, a traditional symbol of immortality.

Destroyed by Anglo-French forces in 1860 and rebuilt afterwards, the palace is also home to the world’s longest painted corridor, spanning 728 metres and once containing 14,000 individually hand-drawn artworks. This number was chosen in honour of the Queen Mother’s birthdate, July 28. Its construction started when his mother was 45 years old. The location is three degrees cooler than the city.

The Beijing Capital Museum was built in 2006 with an investment of 1.2 billion RMB. It occupies 2.5 hectares and houses more than 120,000 artefacts. Labelled an “eternal witness to civilisation,” this museum encapsulates over 700,000 years of Chinese history—from Palaeolithic tools to modern socialist relics.

The museum is striking not just because of the breadth of the collection but also its technological infrastructure. Touchscreens, virtual reality, AI-powered tour assistance, and automated lighting systems make this one of the most visitor-friendly museums in the world.

In Beijing, at least 50 per cent of cars seen were Green Energy cars, identified by their green plate number. All their buses are electric too. There was also a good number of green energy cars seen in Qingdao, buttressing reports that over 20 million electric vehicles are on China’s roads as of December 2023.

With the efforts China puts in preserving its culture and history as well as adapting to green innovation, Nigeria can glean a thing or two towards the maintenance of its historic sites. When properly explored, these sites could fetch the nation massive revenue.

China’s tourism strategy doesn’t end at historical sites. In Qingdao, domestic gadgets and smart technology meet maritime logistics in the most futuristic way possible. Commuting to Qingdao, from Beijing (a five-hour trip), with the speed train that travels between 340 and 380 kilometres per hour, one notable sight was the farmlands. For about three hours of the journey, all that was visible were farms, mostly green farms and small settlements for the farmers.

Located on the southern tip of the Shandong Peninsula and by the shores of the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is a coastal open city known for the Qingdao JiaoZhou Bay Tunnel, a 7.8-kilometre undersea road tunnel. Culturally known as the “City of Beer,” thanks to the iconic Tsingtao Brewery, Qingdao now ranks sixth among China’s top 100 cities in advanced manufacturing.

At the Tsingtao Beer Museum, visitors pay 60 RMB for regular and 269 RMB for VIP tour tickets. In 2024 alone, the museum recorded 1.8 million visits. With 60,000 beer cans processed per hour, the tourism income far exceeds its operational costs. The brewery, established in 1903 by German settlers, stands as one of China’s oldest and most successful beer brands.

Beyond its iconic beer, Qingdao is also known for its wine. Nestled on the scenic hillsides of Qingdao, the Huadong Wine Estate is a testament to the region’s evolving wine tradition.

Founded with a commitment to blending local craftsmanship and international techniques, the winery has refined its one-label identity over the years, starting from a simple logo and evolving into a personalised label system allowing customers to add photos and custom elements. With vineyards both in Qingdao and Ningxia, Huadong uses advanced monitoring systems to manage quality and climate. Their grapevines, some up to 40 years old, yield varieties that are carefully aged in oak barrels to produce premium wines.

It is often said that the strength of a nation’s tech ecosystem lies in its private sector’s ability to innovate. Two brands that stood out on this trip are Hisense and Haier, both headquartered in Qingdao. These companies are not just local champions; they are global players.

With 31 research centres and 36 industrial parks worldwide, Hisense is investing five per cent of its yearly income in research and development. This has enabled breakthroughs in AI-powered home appliances, smart TVs with RGB mini-LED technology, and even medical imaging systems.

In 2024, Hisense earned 99.6 billion yuan from overseas revenue, comprising 46.3 per cent of its total income. The company has expanded into 4K medical displays, AI ultrasound devices, and ultra-low temperature freezers for organ and vaccine storage. Haier is another tech juggernaut driving China’s smart home revolution.

With 24,000 research workers and 130,000 employees globally, the company supplies 60 per cent of the world’s smart appliances. Their devices are voice-activated, AI-responsive, and are designed for minimal energy consumption.

Their products feature smart kitchens and interconnected living spaces where users can speak to devices to receive responses or carry out tasks. Haier is also exploring AI interfaces that suggest recipes based on refrigerator contents, monitor air quality, and adjust room temperatures autonomously.

Other places visited included the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong, Tiananmen Square, Shilaoren (Stone Old Man) Beach, Laoshan Xiaoyangchun (Spring Morning Sunshine) Tea Museum, and Laoshetehouse.

Research indicates that Nigeria has over 1,000 tourist destinations, including 33 museums and 65 national monuments, with only Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa State and Osun Osogbo Groove in Osun State declared as World Heritage Sites, yet a very large number of citizens are not aware of these sites, and foreign tourists hardly know about them.

According to reports, the combination of security challenges, poor infrastructure, economic instability, nonchalant attitude to tourism, poor regulation, marketing and incompetence has further compounded the woes of Nigeria to play big in the sector and threatens the estimation to generate $8.2 billion in revenue and create 2,600,000 new jobs by 2032.

Acting Director of Research and Studies, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Prof. Efem Ubi, said there are lessons to learn from China in their outlook to tourism, which they have upgraded and reformed, adding that they have a habit of building replicas as well as leveraging on their population and those who cannot afford going to Europe for tourism, opt for China.

“For instance, in Ningxia, a desert town, they tried to stop the desert from spreading and in doing so, that also turned it into a tourist attraction. They capitalise on every opportunity to make maximum use of what they have,” he said.

The professor explained that there are three perspectives every government should consider, namely adaptation, innovation and resilience (AIR). “So, if as a nation you cannot adapt, you innovate. If that’s not possible, then be resilient and work with what you have, and the Chinese people have been able to do this,” he said.

He urged the leadership of Nigeria to innovate in science and technology, while calling for a proactive governance approach. He added that Nigeria previously had investment in tourism, like zoos, reserves, and resorts, but they have since declined.

“We should learn from China, adopt and adapt to suit our peculiarities. We should also work with comparative advantage and invest in what we know how to do best. So, we need to sit down and redefine our domestic environment to maximise the benefit of comparative advantage,” he added.

Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Dr Kester Onor, said Nigeria cannot talk about attaining great heights in its tourism sector with insecurity, adding that Nigeria should eliminate threats to its security.

“With a security crisis, nobody wants to come to a country that is not secure, so failure to address it endangers foreign direct investment and the nation,” he said.