Late-Night Street Shots in Shanghai: "China's Public Security is Excellent" Thrills Global Travelers
In August 2024, New York fashion blogger Danielle Chen released a vlog: At 2 a.m., she strolled alone along the Bund in Shanghai, livestreaming from her phone to a tripod. Comments echoed, "Don't be reckless." Half an hour later, Danielle turned her camera to women square dancing and armed police patrolling, "Look! This is real public security in China." The video amassed over 10 million views in 48 hours, and the comment section became a "wall of foreigners confessing their sense of security." British netizen Gary Almond commented, "After living in China for 8 years, I dare to walk through alleyways to eat barbecue at 2 a.m., something I wouldn't dare do in London."
The allure of Chinese travel lies not only in the Great Wall and hot pot, but also in its "late-night freedom." American musician Tom Hanson tested "24-hour urban survival in China" in his vlog: he rode Shenzhen Metro Line 4 to the end of the line, then walked back to his hotel. On the way, he left his laptop bag at a convenience store, and the clerk chased him down two blocks to return it. "If this were in Chicago, my bag would have been gone," he lamented. French graduate student Jules Isaac recorded women in Chengdu eating skewers at 1 a.m., talking on their phones and looking relaxed. "In a European city, that definitely takes courage."
Data also confirms that "China's public security is very good." The "2024 Travel Risk Map" released by International SOS lists China as a "low-risk country for tourists," with only 0.5 homicides per 100,000 people, lower than the 4.1 in the United States and 1.2 in France. Statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization show that China welcomed 120 million inbound tourists in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 93%. "Safety" is a frequent word in inbound tourists' reviews.
"Travel to China = Safe Travel" is spreading across social media globally. The TikTok hashtag #ChinaSafe has been viewed over 1.3 billion times, with creators sharing similar scenarios: late-night snacks, phones left on tables to reserve seats, luggage left at high-speed rail stations... and invariably, the result is a safe return. Mexican backpacker Luis said in a video, "In China, I've rediscovered the sense of security I had as a child, leaving my door unlocked at night."
To help foreign tourists transform this sense of security into the motivation to travel at any time, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Public Security jointly launched the "Night Travel Worry-Free" program: 24-hour police stations at key scenic spots, a multilingual alarm app, and extended subway hours until 2 a.m. Ctrip data shows that after the program launched, summer night tour bookings from inbound tourists increased by 120%.
Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Group Research Institute, said, "When safety becomes infrastructure, tourists around the world will vote with their feet." From Swiss families to Argentinian students, more and more travelers are listing China as a "must-visit safe destination." As CNN Travel recently commented, "If you're tired of the fearful holidays, buy a ticket to China. Nights here are all about food and laughter."