On Saturday, September 12, five million-follower bloggers from China visited the Zhilichi Palace and Park Ensemble as part of a familiarization tour of Belarus that began on September 7.

The tour was organized by the National Tourism Agency with the support of the Belarusian Embassy in China and JSC ASB Belarusbank. A packed week-long program was prepared to showcase Belarusian tourist and cultural attractions and gastronomic experiences to the guests from the Celestial Empire.

Ten bloggers took part in the trip across Belarus, with a combined audience of about 50 million subscribers. The route covered the capital, as well as the Gomel, Grodno, and Mogilev regions. According to Maria Streltsova, press secretary of the National Tourism Agency, the program was designed with an eye to what particularly interests Chinese bloggers: castles and sites of historical and cultural heritage, as well as Belarusian cuisine. “We wanted to show them Belarusian landmarks so that the Chinese audience could learn as much as possible about our country,” she said.

The guests from the Celestial Empire visited the Bulgakov Palace to learn its history and capture its beauty for their subscribers. The delegation was welcomed by Tatyana Rusetskaya, deputy chairwoman of the Kirov District Executive Committee. She wished the guests a pleasant stay and positive impressions.

The Chinese video bloggers were given a tour of the palace's majestic halls, where an extensive photo zone had been prepared for them. The grand banquet hall made a strong impression: the bloggers held a content marathon, capturing the luxurious dining table, mirrors, and statues.

Large arched openings adorned with stucco molding became popular photo spots for the fairer sex.

One of the memorable moments was a performance on a white 1911 grand piano by a blogger under the pseudonym Lin Tingyu.

At the end of the tour, guests received a stamp in the interactive guidebook “Pashpart Vandroŭnika” – a booklet resembling a Belarusian passport.

A warm conclusion to the event was a carriage ride around the ensemble's grounds, which allowed guests to have a mobile photo zone in the style of the 19th century.

Video bloggers from China E Fei (left) and Xuan Tang (right). Popular blogger E Fei (Chengdu, Sichuan Province) came to Belarus for the first time and shared her impressions: “Previously I had no idea about your country, but over these days I was impressed by many things. While in China, I could not even imagine how friendly the people are here and how delicious the food is.” The girl runs a blog about traveling with children; Belarus became the 31st country on her route.

As part of the tour, the guests saw many corners on the Belarusian map, and when asked about her impressions of Kirovshchina, E Fei noted: “I have never been to Versailles, but I heard that the palace in Zhilichi is the Belarusian Versailles. I am very impressed by the beauty of the interior: the stucco on the ceilings and the exhibits.”

Earlier, bloggers from China visited the national park “Pripyatsky”, Mir and Nesvizh castles, the landscape reserve “Ozery”, sights of Grodno, the Volovich Palace in Svyatsk, “Korobchitsy”, the Augustów Canal, and the tourist village “Belye Luga”. After Kirovshchina, the Chinese delegation visited the medieval history park “The Grand Duchy of Sula”, took a tour of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, and visited the “Stalin Line”. The info tour ended on Monday.

Maya GURYANOVA. Photos by the author and Nikita Laps.