This spring, a new trend called the Color Walk has quietly gained popularity among Chinese tourists.
The Color Walk is simple: randomly choose a theme color, go outside and focus on spotting and photographing things related to that color, then make a 'color collage.'
Zhou Xiaoying, a girl from Wuhan born after 2000, told a reporter from China News Service that she is usually busy with work and seldom travels, but she doesn’t want to miss the beautiful springtime, so she started trying Color Walks. “I chose yellow that day. While passing by fruit shops and vegetable markets, I paid close attention—for example, fresh corn, bananas, pepino melons, the poster at the café by my home, yellow shared bikes, etc.,” Zhou Xiaoying said.
She said this way of going out let her break free from the 'two-point-one-line' routine of going between work and home. Even if she isn’t visiting scenic spots, the daily commute, or the streets near home, can feel like a zero-cost 'treasure hunt game.'
The Color Walk adds freshness and novelty to flower viewing season. Zhang Mingmin, a tourist from Henan, recently came to Wuhan’s Guishan and East Lake to enjoy the blossoms. She said that she visits Wuhan every spring, and this year made a pink-themed Color Walk date with her boyfriend.
Qi Shao, a photography enthusiast from Chengdu, believes the Color Walk has already become a new way to socialize. At the beginning of March this year, he posted online looking for Color Walk companions and quickly attracted five young people to join. They gradually went from strangers to friends. “It feels like I’m creating a memory file for spring 2026. When I look at these photos in the future, I’ll definitely recall the time spent with them. It’s very healing,” said Qi.
The reporter found that cultural and tourism bureaus in many regions are actively embracing the Color Walk travel trend. Cities like Beijing, Wenzhou, Dalian, Dongying, and Wuhan have recommended related travel routes and guides, turning 'color' into a tool for city marketing. This allows local residents to 'rediscover' beauty in familiar settings and lets out-of-town visitors experience a city’s daily life through the clue of color.
Since March, topics related to the Color Walk have garnered over 140 million views on Xiaohongshu. Many people share their 'color collages' and 'exchange spring' with users from different countries and cities.
Deng Aimin, dean of the Tourism Research Institute at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, believes the Color Walk turns ordinary strolls into a light, themed, aesthetically pleasing, and expressive form of travel. It brings people a complete experience of 'seeking—discovering—recording—sharing' and reflects young people’s desire for relaxation, emotional value, and self-expression.
He suggests that cultural and tourism departments across China can design micro-tourism products themed around colors, with task mechanisms and social sharing functions, in conjunction with spring outings and neighborhood strolls. This would guide tourists to shift from 'looking at sights' to 'playing with sights' and 'showcasing sights,' lowering the threshold for participation, driving local spending, and enhancing city visibility.