In the age of social media marketing, aesthetic photos and picturesque backdrops are a major draw for businesses hoping to go viral.
But one café in Qingdao, Shandong province, is now facing online backlash after a visitor discovered its stunning “seaside lemon tree view” was nothing more than a printed wall mural.
‘Not Italy, it’s Qingdao’
A China woman, known for exploring and reviewing trendy cafés, took to lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu to share her frustrating experience.
She had come across a newly opened café in Qingdao that was heavily promoted online with dreamy visuals and enticing captions like “Not Italy, It’s Qingdao” “Lemon-themed Seaview” and “Feels Like a Mediterranean Lemon Town”.
The online photos showed sunlight pouring into a coastal café with clear blue skies and a lemon tree in full bloom — a setting that looked like it came straight out of southern Europe.
Excited by the prospect, the woman made a special trip to see it for herself.
Just a photo on the wall
To her shock, the “breathtaking view” turned out to be just a large photo print on the interior wall. There was no real sea view, no lemon tree. Just a cleverly framed shot taken against a decorative backdrop.
“Who can explain this phenomenon?” she asked in disbelief.
Her post quickly went viral, triggering a wave of sarcastic and amused comments from netizens.
‘It’s not Italy, it’s just an AI-generated image used by influencers to attract traffic.’
‘It’s obviously AI — who would build houses so close to the sea? When the tide rises, the whole place would flood.’
‘After seeing that Xiaohongshu post, I honestly felt like calling the authorities.’
