Enjoy a smart journey, and discover China! On Jan 1, China Daily officially launched "China Bound," an English-language smart-tourism service platform designed for international tourists. This platform aims to provide overseas travelers with a comprehensive, one-stop service, covering everything from "travel inspiration" to "creating personalized itineraries, enjoying intelligent Q&A, convenient ticket booking, and sharing travel stories." With just one click, travelers can unlock the wonders of China. It's an invitation to friends from all over the world to better "see China, feel China, and fall in love with China."

The "China Bound" platform has established a diverse and multi-dimensional service system through a website, mini-programs, intelligent systems, and overseas social media accounts. The English-language website (www.chinabound.cn) uses a "main site + city sub-site" matrix. The main site features four core sections: "Travel Destinations," "Itinerary Planning," "Must-buy Items," and "Must-try Food." It showcases China's rich natural landscapes, profound historical culture, unique modern styles, and authentic local customs in a systematic, vivid, and comprehensive manner. The website is optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, offering a seamless browsing experience anytime, anywhere. City and regional sub-sites include seven distinctive columns: "Uniquely in (city)," "Pre-trip Knowledge," "Specialty Cuisine," "Popular Attractions," "Must-buy Items," "Hotel Accommodation," and "Festive Activities," which will gradually expand to cover more popular and unique tourist destinations.

The platform has also developed mini-programs for Alipay and WeChat. The initial Alipay mini-program, with technical support provided by Ant Digital Technologies, integrates frequently used travel services, such as intelligent real-time translation, flight and hotel booking, train-ticket purchasing, currency conversion, and online payment, making travel in China easier and more convenient for international visitors. Users can access the mini-program by searching "China Bound" or "游在中國(guó)" on Alipay.

To precisely cater to tourists' personalized travel needs, the China Bound platform has introduced a dedicated intelligent assistant that supports multilingual smart interactions. Through conversations with the intelligent assistant, users can customize itineraries, check real-time traffic, and receive cultural background explanations. It offers personalized smart tour guide services like "thoughtful companions anytime, anywhere."

Amid the continuous optimization of China's inbound tourism policies and the increasing enthusiasm of international tourists for visiting China, China Daily is actively fulfilling its mission of "connecting China and the world." The China Bound platform will collaborate with national cultural and tourism institutions, cultural venues, and related service units to provide more credible content, tangible experiences, relatable narratives, as well as intelligent, precise, and warm one-stop services. This initiative will accompany overseas tourists on their journeys from getting to know China to truly understanding China, building an important platform and bridge for spreading Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchanges.