Vloggers capture the best of Shanghai, Delta
Wanghong (online celebrity) vloggers from Britain, Italy, Croatia, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela experienced the splendor of Shanghai on Tuesday during a tour of the Yangtze River Delta region and will share all their experiences on social media platforms.
Two vloggers take photos on Shanghai Sinar Mas Plaza.
A vlogger takes a video of the Normandy Apartments.
Vloggers take in the view from Lujiazui in Pudong New Area.
The Daka China activity will take the vloggers to Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Huangshan in Anhui Province as well.
They will learn about ecological and environmental protection, industry innovation and people's livelihood services during the visits and experience the development and achievements of the region.
On Tuesday, the vloggers appreciated the landscape along the Huangpu River.
Lee John Barrett, a British vlogger living in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, was busy taking videos from the top of the Shanghai Sinar Mas Plaza in the North Bund. He will share it with his audience on social media platforms such as You Tube, Douyin and Bilibili.
The magnificent and breathtaking beauty of the Huangpu River and landmarks such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Shanghai Tower were captured in his camera.
Barrett lived in Shanghai for about three years from 2007 to 2010 before moving to Shenzhen. He started making vlogs about two years ago and has over 1.2 million followers on Chinese social media platforms.
"There are a lot of negative sentiments against China from the West and I want to show the western audience what China is really like," he said.
"I try to encourage more people to see what China is like, encourage them to come here and experience for themselves," he added.
Barrett said Shanghai is his favorite city.
"I am familiar with Shanghai and it is actually my favorite city. Shanghai has very modern and very old parts and I really like that contrast."
Barrett still remembered when he first came to the city in 2007, it took him almost two hours to take a train to Hangzhou.
"I have seen a lot of development and when I first came here, there was no high-speed railway," he said.
"I have seen the development of the high-speed railway, which is amazing," added Barrett.
Two vloggers shoot videos at Normandy Apartments.
A vlogger takes photos in Pudong.
"Shanghai is now a very international city and a financial hub, which attracts foreign investments to projects and industries," he said.
Barrett's favorite food of Shanghai is shengjianbao, which are pan-fried dumplings that are a must-eat for tourists and a quintessential part of local culture.
"There are a lot of nice bakeries and cafes in Shanghai, and Xintiandi is a great place," he said. "The Bund is beautiful and people can visit Nanjing Road if they want to shop."
Jason Richard Lightfoot, another British vlogger who lives in Guizhou Province, has been making videos about China, showing its culture, traditions, lifestyle and cuisines for over 10 years.
"I hope that through my videos, I can show what China is really like and what it is like living here," he said.
"From what I saw in the Western media of China, I feel that's not what is happening here. It is not an accurate image of China that I see here," he said.
"Then I decided to start my vlog to show what's actually happening live in China," he said.
Lightfoot lived in Shanghai for about three years before he moved to Guizhou Province.
"I made videos about China, showing my everyday life, especially from my perspective in Guizhou Province," he said. "I could show the Western audience a rare insight into Guizhou Province.
"I witness the incredible speed of China's development over the past decade and the development is quite remarkable in such a short period of time," he said.
"In Guizhou, millions of people's lives throughout the region have been improved and many have been lifted out of poverty," he said.
He now lives in Xingyi City.
"There has been a lot of development here over the past years and now... there are brand new expressways and hospitals," he said.
He said Shanghai is like a science fiction movie.
"I was impressed by the city 10 years ago. When I was in the Bund I felt like I was in the future. I still feel the same, it looks very futuristic."
"It is such a convenient city to live in with an advance Metro system and is a great city to explore," he added.
He was excited about the trip.
"The Yangtze River Delta is one of the most dynamic growth engines in China. Because of the region's unique advantages in urbanization, industrialization, town cultivation and digital revolutions, it is one of the most influential and robust driving forces of this country's development."
"I am very excited to see this economic powerhouse and what it will become in the future, and explore Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces," he said.
They also visited the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China and Pathe Villa in Xuhu District, where China's national anthem was recorded.
