20-year-old Tibetan herder becomes internet celebrity

Tamdrin listens to the sound of some traditional tools at the Sounds of Himalaya Museum in Letong Town of Litang County, the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 2, 2020. Tamdrin, whose Mandarin name is Ding Zhen, is a 20-year-old Tibetan herder from a village of Litang County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in Sichuan Province. Less than a month ago, he was still an ordinary herder, until a 7-second video featuring a smiling Tamdrin went viral, making him the latest social media sensation in China. What makes Tamdrin stand out from other internet celebrities is not just his "sweet and wild" look, as it has been described by fans. As he releases more videos, his innocence and sincerity have also made legions of Chinese urbanites eager for a closer look at his home. Soon after Tamdrin's first video went viral, a local tour operator hired him as the tourism ambassador for Litang. According to online travel service provider Qunar.com, hotel bookings in the Garze prefecture from Nov. 11 to Nov. 25 had increased 89 percent year on year and continued to rise in the following week. Travel websites are tapping into the trend by introducing routes, hotels and places to visit in Litang, and Trip.com has projected Litang will be a hotspot over the upcoming New Year's holiday for tourists from both inside and outside Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)