Eliot said that April is the cruelest month. The poet may have been overly pessimistic—April is actually a season full of hope.
It was in April that Beipiao girl Xiaoyan (@Tomorrow_Will_Get_Better) poured out her grievances about the heaviness of work and the hardships of striving in a foreign land on Sina Weibo. Little did she expect that her Weibo "venting" would be discovered by the official Weibo account of the Henan Provincial Tourism Administration, which then engaged with her in a heartwarming exchange.
The official Weibo account of the Henan Provincial Tourism Administration introduced Xiaoyan to the new look of her hometown, Henan. With the May Day holiday approaching, “Where to go during the May Day holiday?” became a hot topic online and on Weibo. Xiaoyan once again tagged a bunch of tourist destinations, expressing her wish to unwind and rejuvenate during the break.
Yet another unexpected thing happened—Xiaoyan’s post directly led to the launch of the “Fellow Townsmen Take You on a Tour of Henan” campaign. The Henan Provincial Tourism Administration noticed on Sina Weibo that many netizens shared Xiaoyan’s desire. After repeated internal discussions, the heartwarming campaign “Fellow Townsmen Take You on a Tour of Henan – Let Your Busy Soul Soar Back to Your Hometown” was officially launched for netizens to travel together.
According to information, this campaign adopts a “You travel, they accompany, we pay” model, where participants tour Henan accompanied by fellow townsmen. In the end, 10 fellow townsmen and 10 out-of-province travelers will be selected from applicants and paired into 10 groups to explore Henan based on their preferences. Each group can receive up to 2,000 yuan in travel funds for a 2-night, 3-day trip within Henan. After the campaign, the Henan Provincial Tourism Administration will also select the “Best Travel Experience Route” among the 10 itineraries, and the winning participants may receive an additional cash prize of 1,000 yuan.
It is reported that deeply moved, Xiaoyan not only signed up herself but also encouraged her friends to join. Currently, the “Fellow Townsmen Take You on a Tour of Henan” campaign is still actively recruiting. Interested netizens can visit the Henan Tourism Experience website, or follow the Sina platform @Henan_Provincial_Tourism_Administration or the official Henan Tourism WeChat account for detailed information and to sign up.
