China’s Camping and Outdoor Trend: How Young Urbanites Found Escape in the Wild
On a Friday afternoon in Shanghai, 28-year-old graphic designer Wang Jia throws her pre-packed duffel bag into the trunk of a rental car. Inside: a two-person tent, sleeping bags, an inflatable mattress, a portable stove, a collapsible table and chairs, and a cooler full of marinated meat and cold beer. She picks up two friends from their apartments, and they drive three hours southwest to a lakeside campsite in Anhui province. By sunset, they are sitting around a campfire, staring at a sky full of stars that no one in downtown Shanghai has seen in months.
Wang Jia is part of a massive outdoor movement that has swept China’s cities over the past five years. Domestic camping — known as lùyíng (露营) in Chinese — has grown from a niche hobby into one of the fastest-growing segments of China’s domestic tourism industry. According to the China Tourism Academy, camping trips in China exceeded 180 million in 2025, up from just 35 million in 2020. The market for camping equipment and related services is now estimated at over 80 billion yuan annually.
What Drove the Camping Boom
The camping trend took off during the pandemic, when international travel was impossible and domestic tourism became the only option. Young professionals who had never slept in a tent discovered that a weekend away from the noisy, crowded city was not only affordable but deeply refreshing. Social media played an enormous role: Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) now hosts over 15 million posts tagged with “camping” or “outdoor lifestyle.” Douyin’s camping-related videos have been viewed over 50 billion times.
The rise of glamping (luxury camping) made outdoor life accessible to people who had no prior experience. Glamping sites near major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou offer pre-pitched tents with real beds, electricity, heating, and even air conditioning. Guests pay between 500 and 2,000 yuan per night for a setup that looks like a hotel room inside a canvas tent. These sites are often fully booked months in advance, especially during autumn when temperatures are mild and the scenery is at its best.
Where Chinese Campers Go
Popular camping destinations cluster around major cities within a two-to-four-hour drive. Near Beijing, campers head to the grasslands of Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia or the mountains around Chengde. From Shanghai, the lakes of Anhui and Zhejiang — including Qiandao Lake (Thousand Island Lake) and Fuchun River — are top choices. In the south, Shenzhen residents drive to Huizhou’s coastal campsites, while Chengdu’s campers head into the western Sichuan highlands for views of snow-capped peaks and alpine meadows.
The most Instagram-worthy camping destinations are often at high altitude. Campsites near Lugu Lake on the Yunnan-Sichuan border, Kanas Lake in Xinjiang, and Erhai Lake near Dali are famous for their stunning backdrops. These trips require more planning — high-altitude camping demands warm sleeping bags rated for below-freezing temperatures and careful management of food and water supplies.
The Gear and the Social Scene
Camping gear has become a fashion statement in China. Chinese brands like Naturehike, Mobi Garden, and Decathlon China have grown rapidly, producing affordable gear specifically designed for the domestic market. Japanese brands like Snow Peak and American brands like The North Face and Arc’teryx are also popular among serious campers. A full beginner setup — tent, sleeping bag, mat, stove, and basic furniture — costs between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan.
Camping in China is a highly social activity. Groups of friends typically camp together, sharing meals, playing music, and taking photos. Many first-time campers join organized group trips run by outdoor clubs or camping companies, which provide all equipment and a guide. Solo camping is less common but growing, especially among experienced outdoor enthusiasts who hike into remote areas with ultralight gear.
The trend has also created an unexpected revival of rural economies. Small villages near popular camping spots have opened supply stores, shower facilities, and parking lots. Some farmers have converted their fields into paid campsites, earning more in a camping season than they did from a year of crops.
Challenges and the Future of Camping in China
Not everything is picture-perfect. The rapid growth of camping has created environmental problems: litter at popular sites, damage to grasslands from vehicle traffic, and conflicts with local communities over land use. In response, several provinces have introduced camping regulations. Yunnan requires campers to obtain permits for overnight stays in protected areas. Sichuan has designated specific camping zones to prevent damage to alpine meadows.
Despite these challenges, the camping trend shows no sign of slowing. For Wang Jia and millions like her, camping is not a pandemic-era fad that will fade. It is a new way of living — a way to reclaim weekends from shopping malls and phone screens, and to remember that China’s landscapes are as varied and beautiful as its cities are crowded.
Discover more about how young Chinese spend their leisure time: read about China’s smartphone photography culture and the staycation and micro-tourism boom that accompanies the outdoor movement.
