Darren Watkins Jnr’s IShowSpeed channel hit 38 million followers as he live streamed from Hong Kong on Friday. He had previously visited a number of mainland cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Chengdu.

Watkins, who started his whirlwind tour on March 24, sat in the passenger seat for an EV test drive in Shanghai while viewers peppered the live streaming with comments and expressions of approval.

In Chongqing, Watkins was filmed in a car park where a different EV was showing its dancing abilities – a moment that had Chinese internet users cheering him in appreciation for showing American viewers the advanced side of their country.

The success of the videos – each one lasted from four to six hours and attracted tens of million of views – has made Watkins an accidental ambassador for Chinese development and culture.

Analysts said that influencers like Watkins could inspire more foreigners to visit the country and called on Beijing to foster similar activities by making entry easier and being more open and inclusive.

At multiple points in his travels, Watkins commented on the difference between his expectations and what China was really like. His live broadcasts appeared to resonate with audiences, giving them a direct and engaging look at the country.

He was seen meeting excited fans and experiencing some of China’s hi-tech advances – riding a train through a tunnel in Beijing without losing internet connection, and trying on a pair of glasses that also gave translations in real time, as well as the latest in EVs.

Watkins was in the country on a 10-year, multiple-entry travel visa – which he showed on screen as he promised to return to China. The travel category was restored in March 2023 after it was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.

China loosened its visa-free transit policy, which permits travellers from more than 50 countries to visit parts of the mainland for up to 10 days if they transit via one of its 60 international ports, in a bid to attract more foreign visitors.

Nationals of 38 countries, mostly in Europe, can visit China without a visa and stay up to 30 days for business, tourism and visiting family members.

“We need more figures like IShowSpeed [to visit China],” said Zhou Xinyu, a professor specialising in public diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University’s Academy of Regional and Global Governance.

The country’s channels of communication with the outside world were still limited, while increasing the number of these cultural ambassadors was crucial for fostering a positive image of China, he said.

Zhou noted that from the government’s perspective, it could increase the number of visitors by further loosening visa policies, as well as adopting a more open and inclusive mindset.

“Criticism is inevitable, yet it is essential to show a willingness to include and accept varying viewpoints. Failing to do so could result in even more stringent barriers to communication and exchange,” he said.

“Speed’s journey to China provided his foreign audiences with a more authentic and nuanced view of the country, including elements of everyday life, local culture and leisure activities, which are often under-represented in traditional American media.”

According to Zhang Chang, an associate professor at Communication University of China’s school of government and public affairs, shifts in the national image could not be achieved through a single video or influencer visit.

Instead, the effort would require a “diverse and sustained supply of content” that reflected the country’s multifaceted nature, she said.

“The most effective communication seems to occur spontaneously and naturally. However, this is underpinned by a societal environment that is open, confident and enriched by a dynamic cultural life.”

Chinese officials have warmly welcomed Watkins, recognising the potential of this kind of engagement.

Speaking at the foreign ministry’s regular press briefing on Tuesday, spokesman Guo Jiakun said that one-shot live-streams by foreign influencers showcased China in a panoramic and “unfiltered” way.

“This shows that the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries enjoy profound support from the people, and such bonds cannot and will not be severed,” he said.

Guo added that China intended to further expand its visa-free policies and introduce more measures to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Watkins’ responses to his experiences in China have struck a chord with millions around the world at a time when traditional diplomatic efforts are facing mounting challenges to the building of civilian exchanges.

Chinese users on the mainland-based social media platform RedNote thanked Watkins for showing an unfiltered version of China that transcended its usual portrayal in the West.

“More people have begun to truly understand China, where there are beautiful cities, kind-hearted people and a united nation,” read one comment.

Josef Gregory Mahoney, an international relations professor at East China Normal University, said Watkins’ trip to China was a “bold and unexpected move”, given the background of a looming US trade war, attacks on TikTok and the unprecedented migration of American social media users to RedNote in January.

According to Mahoney, it would be premature to speculate on the potential effects that Watkins might have on cultural exchanges, but the tour could set a precedent, encouraging other influencers to embark on similar journeys.

China would garner more attention globally due to its “major, exceptionally developed market for social media”, he said, adding that more content producers would want access to the Chinese market.

“They will be independent producers who won’t care much about US government policies the way large media companies must,” Mahoney said.

Social media influencers could engage effectively with vast audiences of loyal followers, communicating in a way that was often more relatable to ordinary people and avoided direct association with official discourses, he added.

“These kinds of personalities could be very effective in promoting soft power perceptions both in and outside China … Consequently, they can be much more effective than Chinese diplomats, and they can subvert official US characterisations as well.”