Manuel Carvalho, the Portuguese ambassador, who previously served as consul general in Macao and Hong Kong from 2009 to 2013, has been excited about visiting Xi'an, in Shaanxi province, for its historical significance.

"I don't think there is anything else like the Terracotta Warriors," he says, adding that the appeal of Chinese tourism lies in its thousands of years of history, diverse landscapes, and modern technology.

The cultural tour has served as a bridge for human connection, which diplomats agree is the foundation of diplomacy.

"To me, it's really the crux of my job," says Bethel.

"I do believe very firmly that people-to-people diplomacy is really the heart of any type of diplomacy. We get the opportunity to meet people at the very local level and at other levels, to engage with them, and to get to feel a little more of what the country is about, because the country is nothing without the people," she adds.

She considers these cultural tours important opportunities to meet people and to build bridges.

"We're here to expand relationships and deepen friendships, and that's how you do it, person to person," she notes.

In the months ahead, diplomats joining the cultural tour will travel to Beijing, Chongqing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Hubei and Shaanxi. They will walk through cities and villages, through landscapes ancient and new.

Having been in China for two and a half years, Zammit has become, by her own admission, an unofficial promoter of Chinese tourism.

"I feel like they should call me a tourism ambassador for China now, not a Maltese diplomat, because all I do is talk about China," she says with a laugh.

When her friends and family ask about China, she tells them to look beyond the usual destinations.

"When foreigners think of China, they think of Beijing, Shanghai, maybe Hong Kong, and that's it. But if you want something different, you really have to look at the other provinces."

What she values most about the Discover China program is its ability to take her to places she could not reach by herself.

"China is huge, you can't reach everything," she says.

"Even if I've been to a place before, when you travel in a group, you see different things — the niche places that I wouldn't be able to visit on my own."