Standing at a viewpoint high above Zhaoxing Dong village, a prime tourist attraction in China's southwestern province of Guizhou, I found myself competing for space with dozens of female tourists from China's majority Han population, posing for sunset shots in bullhorn-shaped silver headdresses -- part of the traditional garb of the minority Miao group.
I was back in China for the first time since its lengthy COVID-19 closure from 2021 to late 2023 on a free, 15-day tourist visa introduced for Italians (and citizens of some other European and Asian nations) earlier this year -- China's first visa relaxation of this kind, aimed at boosting foreign tourism.
