In the past two years, as inbound tourism to China has gradually picked up, a subtle divergence has emerged within the industry.
On one side, the “China Travel” tag has gone viral across social platforms: high-speed trains, QR code payments, and drone light shows have become fast-spreading “China marvels” in the eyes of foreign tourists. On the other side, many travel products remain stuck in the old logic of “linking attractions together”: tight schedules, heavy explanations, but little real understanding.
Based in Lanzhou, China Eagle Travel, which specializes in Silk Road Tibetan-area, and western China inbound tourism, happens to connect these two narratives, aiming to tell China’s story through customized travel experiences.
Its founder, Jianjun Feng, known as Eagle, grew up on the pastures of Gannan, right next to monasteries. His childhood wasn’t filled with classrooms and tutoring sessions, but with religious rituals, pastoral life, and the interweaving of multiple languages and cultures.
This environment exposed him early to a broader worldview—one shaped by ideas of beauty, freedom, and diversity.
He studied English education at university and could have become a middle school teacher, but it didn’t feel like the right fit, so he became a tour guide after graduation.
For him, travel is not merely a movement through space, but an ability to enter someone else’s life.
That is why the products he later developed rarely emphasize “how many attractions you’ve seen.” Instead, they focus on deeper questions: Have you truly spent time in a place? Have you understood the people who live there?
In Yunnan, for example, he takes visitors into Yi villages to see how locals make tofu, grow beans, wear traditional clothing, and perform music. In western China, beyond the landscapes, he highlights local markets, streets, and everyday scenes—the parts rarely written into travel guides, yet closest to real life.
“My trips must be deeply rooted in the land,” he says.
In his view, what truly moves foreign travelers is rarely a meticulously planned itinerary, but the unplanned moments of everyday life.
He intentionally leaves room for guests to interact with local people, slows down the pace, and allows uncontrollable moments to unfold naturally.
Because true understanding is never simply explained—it is experienced.
