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Seeing a different kind of lifestyle and digging out some-

thing new by myself is my way of travelling.

Turning Hobby into a Career food blogger in New York. So, I started to think why can’t
Zhang shares her travel experience on Little Red Book, I turn my hobby (of travelling around the world) into a
a Chinese social media platform, where she runs an ac- career and give it a try,” she says.
count named Pipi with nearly 200,000 followers. On April 10, 2020, Zhang started sharing a set of photos
Growing up in Beijing, Zhang studied communication she took online. She did some photo uploads during quar-
at the University of Southern California for her undergrad- antine after returning to China from the United States. It
uate degree. Influenced by the entrepreneurial atmosphere was her first shot, and it became a hit with over 10,000 likes
there, she set up her own photography platform in 2018 on Little Red Book, a social media platform used in China,
during her third year of study. in two days.
“Almost everyone around me started a business, so I
thought I should start one too,” Zhang says. “But I did not Make Friends with Locals During Travel
know what I wanted to do and I did not find much pleasure When choosing travel destinations, Zhang avoids visit-
in starting a business (during my undergraduate study),” ing internet-famous tourist attractions and big cities.
she adds. “I can see pictures of those tourist attractions online
Zhang is now on a gap year of her postgraduate study and there is nothing new… Seeing a different kind of life-
at Columbia University in New York where she studies risk style and digging out something new by myself is my way
management. of travelling,” Zhang says.
“(In New York,) the atmosphere encourages people to During her trip in Mohe, the northernmost city of Chi-
try something new and that broadens my horizon,” Zhang na, Zhang chose Beihong Village instead of Beiji Village,
says. which is a much more famous place for Chinese tourists.
“I ran into a primary school classmate who is now a She found Beiji Village highly developed as a tourist attrac-

Zhang Junqi in the northeast of China.
(Photo courtesy of Zhang Junqi)