Xiapu County in China's Fujian province is almost a little too picture-perfect, with photos of the county’s scenic spots abound on Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter.
The catch? Most of them are manufactured. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
The catch? Most of them are manufactured. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
Xiapu is still a largely agrarian town, but much of its picturesque landscape — and the people within it — is created by teams of photo crews masquerading as fake farmers and fishermen. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
For the right price, Chinese and foreign visitors alike can get the perfect shot for their social media profile, complete with "special effects" courtesy of local businessmen angling to facilitate photoshoots. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
These fishermen wave colorful nets at just the right angle for photographers to get the ideal shot.
Per @nytimes, photographers lined up in a row along a bridge to catch a staged snapshot of a model in a traditional hat rowing his boat toward the bridge. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
Per @nytimes, photographers lined up in a row along a bridge to catch a staged snapshot of a model in a traditional hat rowing his boat toward the bridge. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
Filtered photos from Xiapu often show geese taking a leisurely gander.
The woman in this photo is a model, though, and the geese are trained to play to the cameras, tourists told Insider. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
The woman in this photo is a model, though, and the geese are trained to play to the cameras, tourists told Insider. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
Eager to put up appearances, some visitors to the county have even likened its landscapes to scenes from the Oscar-winning animated film "Spirited Away."
"Heaven on earth," wrote one Weibo user ShenghuiFashi. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
"Heaven on earth," wrote one Weibo user ShenghuiFashi. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
But angry accounts on Weibo beg to differ, with some reviewers saying they were scammed into visiting Xiapu believing it would be a wonderful, untouched rural environment.
They were sorely disappointed. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
They were sorely disappointed. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
Some Weibo posters, however, were content to embrace the veneer of artificiality shrouding Xiapu County. insider.com/fake-rural-chi…
What do you look forward to most when visiting new places?
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