Tourist attractions are not the problem in themselves. Many are significant. The issue is what happens when a journey becomes only a chain of symbolic stops. In that model, the traveler sees a lot but understands very little of how China actually feels.
A stronger route includes ritual, tea, neighborhoods, design spaces, gardens, slower environments, and the contextual framing that turns visual exposure into relationship. The goal is not to avoid major sites altogether. It is to stop letting them define the whole trip.
