Why Foreign Visitors Are Calling Shanghai 'China Cool' This Summer

What 'China Cool' actually means

On 8 August, Xinhua reported a summer trend: as heatwaves hit the northern hemisphere, foreign visitors are choosing China to cool off — and 'China Cool' has become a tag on overseas social platforms. Shanghai, a top inbound destination, posted summer inbound orders up more than 20% year on year, even after 20 high-temperature days.

The 'cool' is not just temperature. It is hanfu photo shoots at Yu Garden, museum visits assisted by AI glasses, and shopping for Chinese original-design brands instead of the usual tea-and-silk souvenirs. Visitors are voting with their feet for a Shanghai that feels both traditional and unexpectedly modern.

• •Summer inbound orders up 20%+ year on year
• •Hanfu photo shoots ~60% foreign customers at Yu Garden studios
• •Shift from souvenirs to Chinese original-design brands

Try a hanfu 'time-travel' at Yu Garden

At Yu Garden's Nine-Zigzag Bridge, visitors from Spain to Madagascar are stepping into deep-red hanfu, posing with oil-paper umbrellas, and calling it 'too beautiful'. A full session — picking the outfit, hair and makeup, then outdoor shooting — takes at least two hours, yet overseas visitors happily brave the heat for the crossover shot.

You do not need to arrange it yourself. The Yu Garden & Bazaar area bundles the gardens, the old-town lanes and the shopping streets into one walkable, photogenic circuit — the easiest place in the city to feel the 'China Cool' romance firsthand.

• •Yu Garden Nine-Zigzag Bridge hanfu hotspots
• •2-hour hair, makeup and shoot sessions
• •Old-town lanes and bazaar in one walk

Shop Chinese original design, not just souvenirs

The Xinhua piece notes a clear shift: visitors now arrive with social-media lists of Chinese original-design stores — bags, footwear, clothing — rather than defaulting to tea or silk. The appeal is 'distinctive and comfortable' design that reads as a personal find, not a generic gift.

The French Concession and the Bund-adjacent boutique streets are where much of this scene lives, alongside the design-forward malls. Build an afternoon of slow browsing and a coffee, and you will understand why 'China Cool' is as much about taste as temperature.

• •Original-design bags, footwear, clothing
• •French Concession boutique streets
• •Slow-browse afternoons over big-box shopping

Our planning note

The 'China Cool' summer is best enjoyed as a soft, culture-led day: hanfu at Yu Garden in the cooler morning, a design-shopping stroll through the French Concession, and the Bund at golden hour. Pair it with a private guide who handles bookings and timing, and the heat becomes a minor footnote rather than the headline.