Chinese man awarded US$73,500 for video featuring Tibet’s beauty, garnering 21 million likes

The tourism authority of Tibet has announced a 500,000-yuan (US$73,500) award for an online influencer whose viral road trip video promoted local tourism and garnered millions of likesThe blogger, who goes by the handle @Liyaode, released the video on July 4 showing he had hailed a taxi to go from Chongqing, in southwestern China, where he lives, to Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan autonomous region, a distance of 2,200km. It received 15 million likes within a day, the Jiupai News reported.The two cab drivers hired by Liyaode took turns at the wheel and spent seven days to finish the journey.On July 5, the Tibet-tourism-bureau" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="161821" data-entity-type="organization">Tibet Tourism Bureau took to social media to praise Liyaode’s video for displaying the region’s natural landscape and humanistic features from multiple perspectives.To pull off the extraordinary feat, blogger Liyaode hired two taxi drivers who took turns at the wheel, completing the arduous 2,200-km journey over seven days. Photo: Handout“It generates effective online traffic and conveys positive values. It is in line with Tibet tourism authority’s promotional spirit and has positive effects on society,” the bureau said.“The video meets the demands of our rule that a single video clip which receives more than five million likes and forms a spotlight topic like Zibo-barbecue" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="161822" data-entity-type="topic">Zibo Barbecue will be entitled to half a million yuan. We will disburse the reward funds in a timely manner,” it said.Zibo-barbecue" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="161822" data-entity-type="topic">Zibo Barbecue refers to the phenomenon in 2023 of tourists flocking to Zibo, a city in eastern Shandong province, for its delicious barbecue after some bloggers shared their experience online. The travel frenzy lasted for almost a year thanks to the attention and heated debate online.“I am extremely excited about the reward. I have never experienced this before,” Liyaode said in his latest clip.The man, a full-time blogger who creates humorous content, said he came up with the idea of taking a taxi to Tibet when he saw the news about the region’s reward policy in June.“During the trip, I expected to achieve 200,000 to 300,000 likes and aimed to get a reward of 10,000 yuan (US$1,500). I didn’t imagine it could be so viral. Internet users are quite supportive!” said Liyaode through tears.Dressed in traditional Tibetan attire, Chinese tourists pose for photos in the square beneath Lhasa’s iconic Potala Palace. Photo: AP/Mark SchiefelbeinHe said once he receives the money from the Tibetan government, he will give the cab drivers 10,000 yuan each and donate the rest to charity.Further ReadingThe beginning of his 22-minute-long video showed that most Chongqing taxi drivers refused his fare, thinking he was just joking.Finally, a driver in his 30s showed interest and asked his friend, also a cab driver and in his 50s, to share the task of driving.The trip cost Liyaode more than 10,000 yuan to cover the taxi fares and their food and hotel expenses.The blogger admitted he suffered from moderate altitude sickness in the second half of the journey, developing symptoms of headache and tightness in his chest.Along the trip, they passed some notable tour sites in Tibet, such as Ranwu Lake and Namtso Lake.Standing in front of the Potala Palace, the landmark museum complex in Lhasa, Liyaode emotionally said in the video: “I have finally arrived in Lhasa. I want to say to myself, ‘You are really awesome! Don’t worry about what others think. Be brave and do it.’”Standing before the majestic Potala Palace in Lhasa, an emotional Liyaode takes a moment to celebrate his incredible achievement, giving himself a well-deserved pat on the back. Photo: HandoutHis video has a total of 21.15 million likes as of July 7, the SCMP has found.“Folks, he deserves the reward. Let’s give him a thumbs-up,” one internet user said.Another said: “The video is worth half a million yuan. I want to travel to Tibet now.”