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The Camino de Santiago has charmed China. In a country with such a wide tradition of cultural routes full of History, more and more Chinese pilgrims are deciding to live the Jacobean experience.
The numbers speak for themselves. Only in 2024, a total of 2.557 pilgrims from China obtained the Compostela, according to the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago de Compostela.
Without context, it may seem like a small achievement, especially if we compare it with the more than 38.000 pilgrims coming from the USA (second country with more pilgrims after Spain) or Italy (third in the world ranking). But in 2023, the number of Chinese pilgrims that arrived in Santiago was less than half of that, 1.036 pilgrims. A number that was even smaller in 2022, when only 601 were registered.
These numbers are still far from the amount of other Asian pilgrims who already make up the Jacobean landscape, such as the Corean or the Japanese. But since 2010, the trend has been increasing, especially since the pandemic.
The profile of the Chinese Pilgrim
In a country with more than 1400 million inhabitants we cannot say that the Camino is in vogue. And if we compare the number of pilgrims to the number of Chinese citizens who travel to other European destinations, even less. But it is true that it is catching more and more attention from certain segments of the Asian giant.
How did the Camino become popular in China? The release of the American movie The Way in 2010 was a game changer. And the word of mouth did the rest.
Over the last few years, a new phenomenon was added to the mix: social media. Specifically Xiaohongshu, a social net very popular among young Chinese students abroad, where they have posted their different Jacobean experiences and have also encouraged other students to follow their example.
And that became another trace of the Chinese pilgrims: the majority of those who walk the Camino are Chinese students who study in Europe, so it is easier for them since they have a visa.
Retirees and professionals with a certain economic capacity and the desire to open up to new cultures complete the profile of the Chinese pilgrim.
If we pay attention to the motivations that lead Chinese people to walk the Camino, we will find personal experiences to be the most popular: finding balance, testing oneself or finding the meaning of life are some of the most popular. This being said, getting to know other cultures is also very relevant.
When it comes to choosing a route, the Camino Francés is the winner, and a lot of pilgrims decide to elongate it until Fisterra and Muxía. This is followed by the coastal Camino Portugués and the Camino del Norte.
Regarding the time of the year in which they use to pilgrim, Chinese people usually choose the summer, unlike other Asian pilgrims such as the Corean, who usually choose the winter months.
Jacobean partnership in China
More data confirms the Chinese awakening. The increase of the Chinese presence in the Jacobean Routes has translated in the foundation of Jacobean entities in the past decade. The oldest one was founded in China in 2017.
It is the case of 北京 卡弥诺国际文化交流中心 - Beijing Camino International Cultural Exchange Center (BCC).
Members and volunteers of this association keep updating information platforms about the Camino and collaborating with different Jacobean entities and institutions to promote the pilgrimage in China. BCC is partner with the Friends of the Camino de Santiago Association in Madrid and with the Xunta de Galicia.
BCC members also boosted another Jacobean association in Spain founded in 2019 and promoted the creation of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago Association in Taiwan, where a lot of Chinese pilgrims start their Camino. In 2024, 3706 Taiwanese citizens obtained the Compostela.
BCC is immersed in various projects such as the translation of the Credencial to Chinese or the formation of Chinese volunteers as hospitaleros (the people who provide hospitality at the hostels or traditionally at their homes), all of this in collaboration with the Oficina del Peregrino and other associations.
The association is also behind of the elaboration of guides of the Camino in Chinese, such as Editorial Buen Camino, the most popular app among pilgrims.
Chinese: new language in the El Camino con Correos website
With the purpose of continuing to be useful to pilgrims, from El Camino con Correos we also have collaborated with BCC in order to provide a new web section in Chinese. There, we offer information of the services that Correos provides for the Camino de Santiago in a bilingual Chinese-Spanish edition.
There, Chinese pilgrims can find services such as PaqMochila, our rucksack transfer service from stage to stage; our Luggage Storage Service in Santiago, where they can leave their suitcase, bike or pilgrim staff to enter the Cathedral without having to worry about their luggage.
They can also find services such as the PaqPeregrino, perfect to ship those extra things we carry in our bags or to send luggage to Santiago in order to have it there when they arrive.
Apart from practical information about our services, the web section includes updated rates for 2025 and information about how to book our services.
With the Chinese section, we add a new language to our website, which already includes nine other languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician and Basque, in addition to a special section in Korean.
A small step towards making to the Camino de Santiago more universal than ever.
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