BEIJING: China’s Qingming Festival holiday, spanning Saturday to Monday, witnessed a massive surge in travel as millions honored ancestors through tomb-sweeping rituals and enjoyed the vibrant spring scenery across the country.
An estimated 845.38 million passenger trips were made across China during the three-day holiday, up 6% year on year, the Ministry of Transport said on Monday.
Road travel accounted for 778.45 million trips, rising 5.8% from the same period last year, while railway trips reached 57.68 million, up 8.2% year on year. Waterway transport handled about 3.7 million passenger trips, an increase of 9.8%, while civil aviation carried approximately 5.5 million trips, down 1.3%.
The travel boom was fueled by the overlap of the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival for people to pay tribute to the deceased, which fell on Sunday this year, and spring breaks for primary and secondary school students in many regions, prompting a rise in family trips and parent-child tours.
Data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that on Saturday, 66,300 funeral service institutions nationwide provided on-site memorial services, receiving nearly 19.29 million visits. Of these, about 12.10 million opted for green, low-carbon memorial methods, accounting for 62.73% of total on-site visits. In addition to honoring ancestors, authorities nationwide encouraged patriotic reflection and a deeper appreciation of China’s historical legacy, urging people to cherish the hard-won happiness of today during the holiday.
On Saturday, Nanjing’s Yuhuatai Martyrs’ Cemetery attracted numerous visitors. Beneath lush pines and cypresses, floral arrangements spelling out “Remembrance” added solemnity to the Martyrs’ Monument. In front of the monument, elementary school students wearing red scarves gently laid chrysanthemums and bowed in tribute.
The introduction of the spring break for primary and secondary school students in some parts of China has extended the three-day Qingming holiday into a longer vacation, roughly five or six days, allowing families to travel farther and spend more quality time together. In Beijing’s Yuyuantan Park, cherry blossoms bloom over rippling spring waters. Near the trees, Chen from Foshan City, south China’s Guangdong Province, photographed her two daughters, capturing the memories of their spring holiday.
“I’ve always wanted to bring my children to Beijing. My daughter’s school gave her a two-day spring break, which conveniently coincided with Qingming, making it perfect for a short trip,” Chen said. This is her children’s first visit to Beijing, with plans to explore Yuyuantan Park, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall.
Data from Qunar, a leading Chinese travel service platform, showed a significant surge in trips from April 1 to 6, with long-distance travel over 800 kilometers increasing by over 30%. Families with children became the main travelers: passengers aged 13–18 increased by 85% on flights and those under 12 up 55%.
Zhang Weifu, a professor at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, said the extended holiday provides ample time for travel, with family groups showing strong spending vitality. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
