Armed with maps and guidebooks, hordes of Chinese families set off across the nation this summer - but some had a hidden agenda to their holidays.

The destinations for many middle-aged parents were residential areas around universities, and sights included more real estate agents' offices than places of cultural interest.

"We get many parents from other cities and provinces during the summer vocation. Most of them came to buy houses for their children who are studying at the college here," said Wang Shang, an agent with the Century 21, a real estate agency in Qingdao, Shandong province.