High-level opening-up: A tourist from Poland takes photos at Yu Garden in Shanghai on Dec 4, 2024. China relaxed its visa-free transit policy in 2024, allowing foreigners to stay for up to 240 hours, an increase from the previous 144 hours. XINHUARunning from disaster: An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as a wildfire tears through some parts of Butte county in California, US, on July 25, 2024. The year 2024 saw many natural disasters, including high temperatures, floods, droughts and hurricanes. VCGCelebrating a big anniversary: Two people pose together after taking part in a national flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland on Dec 20, 2024. XINHUAGrowing tourism: A boy poses in front of a snowman near the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on Dec 15, 2024. In 2024, tourism in China thrived, and several places became viral online, such as Shanxi and Tianshui in Gansu. XINHUA
