China has created a fake city for tourists: it’s Xiapu, the biggest lie on Instagram

Xiapu County, a region of southern China’s Fujian Province, seems lost in time, trapped in the Asian country’s past and filled with picturesque landscapes and a population that seems to have been torn straight from another era. Home to farmers and fishermen, the village has recently become one of the most popular places to take photos as various lifestyle images captured by photographers have caused a stir.

From photo contests to Instagram, images were everywhere. For years, hundreds of enthusiasts who saw these beautiful images believed they were real. Always believe that the people of rural China really lived as they were portrayed in the photographs.

But it all turned out to be a sham.

“I am no longer sure what is true or false”wrote a netizen on social media when he learned that the long-awaited photographs of China were a staging, produced by various teams of photographers and actors who They pose as farmers and fishermen.

Social networks have been full of fake messages for years and give an idea of ​​an idyllic life far from reality. China understood this market well, so they created a city become the best photography site in the world. A place where everything is wrong.

Its only goal: to serve as decoration and create the perfect moments to show off on social networks.

According to Magnet, the tour guides lead groups between different parts of the county to “find” the scenic spots prepared. At each location, an advertising banner with images can be found for visitors to copy. That’s not all, if you want to take one of those memorable photos, but aren’t good with the camera, don’t despair, because guides shout instructions on angles and times through megaphones.

“Under the trees, old people were walking and it looked like a movie,” one Weibo user noted. “Corn the fog was only the smoke of a burning pile “.

During peak season, which runs from April to June, there can be up to 500 visitors per day, each paying $ 3.50 to capture the footage. Also, tourists they can pay extra $ 36 for a straw hat model to row a boat. The guide runs everything with a walkie talkie, so everything is coordinated and the photographers are ready to shoot.

A report published by the New York Times suggested that this “perfect photoshoot” feeling is boosting Xiapu County’s economy since the fishing economy collapsed. According to the report, Xiapu was previously known for its seafood and restaurants. However, after several years of poor harvests, the local economy deteriorated and the local government came up with the idea of ​​”profiting from rural tourism”. Since then, the city has become a tourist center.

Xiapu attracts 10 times more tourists today than in 2009 and is ready to continue charging as long as there is interest.

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