CP Edition: Creating a Travel Lovers Community Across China

By Sophie Steiner, December 14, 2021

CP Edition is a community for travel lovers and travel-focused content creators. Through CP Edition, co-founders Cynthia C. and Phoebe B. host various types of offline and online events to attract people with different creative ideas and interests, bringing them together through a travel lens.

Phoebe B. & Cynthia C.

How did CP Edition start, and where does the name come from?
CP stands for our initials, Cynthia and Phoebe, but also the first letters of our motto and what we aim to do: Connect People.

CPE also translates to “Culture, People, Experiences,” which is what we like to focus the most on. We started and are currently based in Shanghai, but hoping to soon expand our community further out into China and abroad.

We first got the idea to start CP Edition after meeting and connecting through Instagram just a year ago. We quickly became close friends and partners within the realm of creating content.

We started building on the idea of connecting with our followers – real people that have been traveling with us (either physically or digitally) all over the world, watching us go through life’s journey, all through a tiny screen.

We had a desire to meet these people in person, so we planned our first meetup in Shanghai this past summer. At first we thought it would be a small gathering, but 50 people came to that first meet-up.

The response from the first event was overwhelmingly positive, and we knew at that moment we were on to something.

What are your backgrounds?
Cynthia: I am a Mexican content creator and graphic designer, born and raised in Monterrey. I moved to Spain for university when I was 18, and during my first solo trip in Europe, I discovered that travel and photography are my passion.

After finishing school, I started to explore Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Guatemala and the US. All those experiences encouraged me to pursue my dreams and to return to Europe.

I worked as a graphic designer in Spain, Belgium and the UK before moving to China to share my travel experiences from a foreign perspective.

Phoebe: I am a travel blogger hailing from the seaside city of Dalian, China. I left home at 17 to pursue the ‘American dream,’ and spent over a decade studying and working in the States.

While visiting home in 2020, the pandemic hit, and I was stranded, thousands of miles away from my friends, job and the life I’d built. But now, I’m happily 'stuck' in China, using my platform as a travel blogger to share the distinctive culture and history of my motherland.

As a third culture kid, I always struggled with my identity living abroad and at home. It wasn’t until I started traveling extensively in China that I realized it is a community, rather than a physical place, that cultivates a sense of belonging.

Being far from home is one of the reasons why we started this community. Connecting with like-minded souls that share the same passion is what inspires us to keep sharing our journey.

Now we are ready to create that community by bringing together people with a thirst for getting the most out of life through travel.

How is CP Edition different than other travel communities?
We are built on the concept of connecting people and are grown from the trust of the people in our community. People remain the core value of our community.

We would like to provide a sense of belonging for people and help them to go through any period of change and settlement, wherever that is in the world.

We have seen and experienced several travel communities in China, but have not seen communities who create experiences that offer off-the-beaten track experiences, while introducing cultural aspects of China.

We see a gap and want to be the first to create “experiences that matter” for our community. Our goal is not only to connect people but also help them discover their purpose in this country.

How do you engage with others outside of Shanghai in a meaningful way to continue to develop the community?
For now, all of CP Edition offline events are hosted in Shanghai, but we are looking to expand to other cities in the future. Meanwhile, we are building CP Edition’s official WeChat account and Instagram account to share the latest travel trends, and also to highlight the people in our community, not only from China but also the rest of the world.

What kinds of online and offline events does CP Edition host?
Currently, in the CP Edition WeChat group chat, we share the latest travel news, trends, recommendations and exclusive discounts for CPE members. On Instagram, we highlight and introduce people from our community.

For offline events, we currently have bi-monthly casual meet-ups, where we gather people from our community to build a deeper and more meaningful connection with them.

For major holidays, we host more formal events to bring people together to celebrate special occasions and make them feel they are not alone.

For example, for Christmas, we are partnering with Pudong Shangri-La hotel to host our first Christmas event, Christmas in the Clouds. This event will bring together our ‘family’ of followers for the holiday season, with a panoramic backdrop of the city.

Going forward, we are working hard to create experiences to share and educate people about Chinese culture.

How do you see CP Edition changing as the world continues to open up post-COVID?
We see CP Edition not only as a community, but also as a platform for people from the rest of the world who are coming to China to get first-hand travel recommendations and information.

Our goal is to connect with foreign travelers and to provide memorable experiences that matter. With this, we also hope to establish CP Edition in other major China cities so that travelers coming to China will have a ‘home base’ of knowledge no matter which city they arrive in.