Guangxi border tourism draws holiday crowds as Friendship Pass adds robot dog shows
In short
Guangxi's border tourism drew crowds during the National Day holiday, with the Friendship Pass scenic area in Pingxiang receiving nearly 40,000 visitors as of Oct 5, China News Service reported. The scenic area staged robot dog and mecha parades as holiday attractions, while the China-Vietnam Detian waterfall cross-border zone offered a “one ticket tours two countries” arrangement. Xinhua reported that border tourism in Guangxi was continuing to heat up.
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China News Service reported on Oct 5 that the Friendship Pass scenic area in Pingxiang, Guangxi, had received nearly 40,000 visitors as of that day during the National Day holiday, as border tourism in the region drew crowds. The report said robot dogs paraded in the square in front of the pass, drawing tourists who filmed them. The scenic area put on a “盛世国门·2026国庆盛典” series of activities, with a mecha formation parading past the border street, the Feng Zicai statue and the French-style building, along with robot dog stunts and dance performances. [ 2 ]
Huang Liping, manager of the scenic area management department at Guangxi Pingxiang Friendship Pass Tourism Development Co., said the scenic area had embedded technology elements into the ancient pass to add new attractions for the holiday, according to the report. [ 2 ]
The report said Puzhai street in Pingxiang, converted from a traditional border trade market into a cultural tourism commercial district, drew visitors with Jing ethnic costume parades, interactive games through which tourists could collect “silver tickets”, and evening street performances. Wu Yang, an out-of-town merchant running a coffee shop there, was quoted saying the street looked new after renovation and that his shop's customer flow had clearly increased during the holiday. [ 2 ]
At the Detian transnational waterfall, the China-Vietnam Detian (Ban Gioc) waterfall cross-border tourism cooperation zone uses a “one ticket tours two countries” model, the report said. Under it, tourists can book online with their ID cards and clear customs on site in groups to move between the Chinese and Vietnamese sides of the waterfall along the Guichun River. Ma Chengwu, who runs a homestay in Detian village, said rooms were fully booked during the holiday and that many guests came from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. [ 2 ]
Xinhua reported on Oct 4 that Guangxi border tourism was continuing to heat up during the National Day holiday. Its report was available only as a headline, giving no figures or locations beyond that. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The reports describe a border region drawing holiday visitors with technology-themed events and with a cross-border tourism zone that lets tourists move between the Chinese and Vietnamese sides of the Detian waterfall on one ticket. Both accounts come from state outlets and focus on holiday activity, and the documents give no independent measure of the events' economic effect or of visitor spending.
Key facts
- China News Service reported that on Oct 5 robot dogs paraded in the square in front of Friendship Pass in Pingxiang, Guangxi, drawing tourists who filmed them. [ 2 ]
- The Friendship Pass scenic area launched a “盛世国门·2026国庆盛典” series of National Day activities including a mecha formation parade, robot dog stunts and dance performances. [ 2 ]
- China News Service reported that the Friendship Pass scenic area had received nearly 40,000 visitors as of Oct 5. [ 2 ]
- Puzhai street in Pingxiang has been converted from a traditional border trade market into a cultural tourism commercial district with costume parades and evening street performances, according to the report. [ 2 ]
- The China-Vietnam Detian (Ban Gioc) waterfall cross-border tourism cooperation zone uses a “one ticket tours two countries” model with online booking by ID card and on-site group customs clearance, the report said. [ 2 ]
- A homestay owner in Detian village said rooms were fully booked during the holiday, with many guests from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. [ 2 ]
- Xinhua reported that Guangxi border tourism continued to heat up during the National Day holiday. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The period covered by the figure of nearly 40,000 visitors to the Friendship Pass scenic area. China News Service said the figure was “as of Oct 5” without giving a start date, and no other document reports a number.
- Details of Xinhua's report on Guangxi border tourism beyond its headline. Only the headline was provided; the outlet's summary and article text were empty, so no locations, figures or quotes from it could be checked.
- Whether the cross-border “one ticket tours two countries” arrangement at Detian applies outside the National Day holiday. The documents describe it only during the holiday period and give no start or end date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On Oct 4, Xinhua publishes a report saying Guangxi border tourism is continuing to heat up during the National Day holiday. [ 1 ]
- On Oct 5, China News Service reports robot dogs parading at Friendship Pass, nearly 40,000 visitors at the scenic area as of that day, and new offerings at Puzhai street and the Detian cross-border zone. [ 2 ]