The hardest reservation in China is a factory tour

, meanwhile, are looking for novel ways to connect with customers in the country’s uber-competitive market. People are flocking to factory tours hosted by EV maker NIO, dairy manufacturer Mengniu, brewer Tsingtao and others.Xiaomi, a top phone maker that launched its first EV in 2024, began offering its public tours after receiving requests from customers.

The company bumped up the number to 126 for January from 118 in December to accommodate increased demand from students on winter break.One mom who scored a slot last month said seeing her daughter’s eyes light up in the factory made the trip from their home in neighboring Hebei province worth it.“The best education is letting children see the power of technology with their own eyes,” she wrote on social-media platform Xiaohongshu. “It’s more effective than saying ‘study hard’ a hundred times.”Moms looking for that same STEM spark now trade tips for getting a reservation.

One piece of advice: Make sure to pick up the phone if Xiaomi calls.“My first booking failed, probably because my husband didn’t answer the call,” one woman from Beijing posted on Xiaohongshu.On one tour last year, a group of about 30 visitors included five elementary-school-aged kids, three teenagers and two young couples holding hands. Several people stored suitcases near the check-in table.

Everyone wore stickers saying “tourist” in Chinese and “sightseer” in English.Before the 15-minute drive through the factory, visitors are given pouches to lock their phones; no photos or videos allowed. Golf cart-like vehicles guide tourists through a whir of mechanical arms and machines die casting, stamping and assembling car bodies.Afterward, there are plenty of photo ops.