China Travel 2026: The 'China Haul' Trend — Why Foreign Tourists Fly In With Empty Suitcases
China Haul is the new Chinamaxxing wave: foreign tourists fly in with empty suitcases, fill them with tea sets, silk, hanfu and snacks, then claim tax refunds. 2025 refund sales nearly doubled (≈ past 10 years combined); H1 2026 filers +366%. How the refund works: 200 RMB minimum, ~9% back, instant refund at purchase.
Key takeaway
China Haul — foreign tourists arriving with empty suitcases for tax-refund shopping — is the newest viral China travel wave after China Travel and Chinamaxxing, acknowledged at a Foreign Ministry briefing on Oct 18 2026. 2025 national tax-refund sales grew ~100% (≈ previous 10 years combined) with 270,000 filers (+3x YoY); H1 2026 filers +366%, sales +69% (Xinhua). Beijing's two airports verified 130,000+ claims in 7 months (+516%). Refund basics: 200 RMB minimum at one store in a day, 11% or 8% VAT minus 2% fee (~9%/6%), depart within 90 days, instant refund at purchase at major stores.
Full report
At a regular Foreign Ministry press briefing on October 18, a reporter asked about the latest travel buzzword: "China Haul." After "China Travel" and "Chinamaxxing," the next viral phenomenon is Chinese shopping unboxing — foreign visitors landing in China with empty suitcases, leaving with them packed, and sharing their loot online. The spokesperson's reply was simple: Beijing is glad more and more travelers are discovering China this way. Pop-up stores for Chinese brands in London and Paris have queues around the block.
The numbers behind the trend
This is not a niche internet moment. According to Xinhua, tax-refund shopping sales nationwide grew nearly 100% in 2025 — one year's volume roughly equaled the previous ten years combined — and 270,000 travelers filed refunds, triple the 2024 figure. The momentum kept building in the first half of 2026: the number of outbound travelers filing tax refunds jumped 366% year on year, with refundable sales and refund amounts up 69%. Beijing's two international airports alone verified over 130,000 tax-refund claims in the first seven months of 2026, up 516% — with refundable purchases worth more than 1 billion RMB.
What visitors actually buy
The most-shared "China Haul" videos are remarkably consistent: tea sets and teacups (a Singaporean traveler told Xinhua she bought teapots as gifts for her mother and brother), silk scarves, hanfu and traditional clothing, snack boxes, small appliances, stationery and cultural-creative goods, and electronics accessories. What sells the trend is the mix — things that are genuinely hard to find abroad, at prices that feel impossible. Many travelers now arrive with three empty suitcases, and "three suitcases per person" has become a running symbol of the trend.
How the tax refund actually works
The refund system got dramatically easier in 2025. In April 2025, China's tax authority rolled out "instant refund at purchase" nationwide: in its first year, the number of travelers using it grew nearly 13-fold. In May 2026, six ministries issued new rules to push the system further, including a streamlined random inspection policy from July 1, 2026 — claims under 10,000 RMB are now spot-checked instead of inspected one by one.
Practical basics travelers should know:
- Minimum purchase: 200 RMB at one designated tax-refund store on the same day (cut from 500 RMB in 2025).
- Refund rate: 11% or 8% of the invoice depending on the goods' VAT rate, minus a 2% handling fee — about 9% or 6% in practice.
- Timing: You must depart China within 90 days of purchase, and file before leaving.
- "Instant refund at purchase" stores: you get the money immediately at the counter, no airport queue — look for the "tax refund" sign at major department stores and shopping districts.
Where the shopping trip happens
Beijing's twin airports (Capital + Daxing) processed 130,000+ claims in seven months — the gateway for most haul videos. Shanghai is running its "Summer in Shanghai" international consumption season with a digital tax-refund upgrade under the "2.0" policy. Xiamen, Hangzhou and other destinations are featuring China Haul content in local travel campaigns, and most big-city shopping streets — from Wangfujing in Beijing to Nanjing Road in Shanghai — have dedicated refund counters. Wangfujing Group alone issued 14,000 instant-refund orders in H1 2026, up nearly 380%, already surpassing its full-year 2025 total.
Why it fits the value story
The China Haul trend is the shopping version of everything travelers already love about China: real experiences, emotional payoff, and a price-to-value gap that feels like a cheat code. A full set of good-quality tea ware that costs double back home, a silk scarf at a fraction of boutique prices, hanfu that would be a special-order overseas — then another 9% or so comes back as a refund. For young travelers budgeting a trip, the suitcase math often pays for the flight.
Our China Travel guides cover the visa-free entry rules and 240-hour transit stays that make these shopping trips possible, plus the night markets and experiences worth spending on along the way.
Sources: Xinhua "Why global travelers flock to China with empty suitcases" (Oct 2 2026) and tax-refund data reports (Aug 5 2026); China News Service "China Haul trend fuels foreign tourists' shopping sprees" (Oct 10 2026); CCTV on Beijing airport refund claims (Aug 15 2026); Ministry of Foreign Affairs press briefing (Oct 18 2026); State Council & six-ministry notice on optimized departure tax refunds (May 12 2026); People's Daily Overseas on Wangfujing refund data (Jul 28 2026).
The takeaway
China Haul turns shopping into a travel experience with its own culture — empty suitcase in, full suitcase out, and a refund slip to prove the value. It is the newest, most practical entry point to Chinamaxxing for budget-conscious travelers.
What to do next
Book a visa-free or 240-hour transit trip, pack an empty suitcase (or three), hit designated tax-refund stores — tea ware, silk, hanfu, snacks, gadgets — and use instant refund counters where available. Keep same-day 200 RMB minimum and 90-day departure window in mind; check our visa-free and transit guides before booking.
What may vary
Refund rates vary by goods' VAT rate (11% or 8%) and the 2% handling fee applies; the 1万元 spot-check threshold applies from Jul 1 2026; traveler figures are government/Xinhua-reported and may be revised; store eligibility for instant refund varies by merchant.