10 years
We run a hostel in Singapore and due to the location of our hostel in Asia, we do see a lot of Asian travelers, including Chinese backpackers.
They are definitely less generous with their ratings, even though if you read what is written, it is generally positive.
I have also backpacked a bit in China back in early 2000s and recently again just 2 years back. The number of independent Chinese travelers have been on the rise. I've also seen them in other countries popular with backpackers such as India, Nepal and even Iran. These were traditionally places where Chinese people in general do not have a good impression and would have avoided in the past. So I would say the Chinese youth are getting more adventurous.
If they seem more withdrawn in a social setting, it could very well be due to a language issue.
They are very active on social media and they love a good bargain. If they are satisfied with a hostel, you can be sure to get great word of mouth buzz through the different Chinese social media platforms (equivalent of Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook). I've seen them get a good deal at the local bazaar and immediately they will share it on their Chinese Twitter account.
Travel websites that they used are like qyer.com and also backpacker forums (Taiwan based) such as backpackers.com.tw
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