Chinese revel in culture, tourism feast during week-long National Day holiday

BEIJING -- During China's National Day holiday, 18 students participated in a study tour in North China to learn about and appreciate traditional Chinese architecture.

They explored features like mortise-and-tenon joints and the iconic loong figures curled around pillars at Jinci, a renowned temple complex in Shanxi province, dating back over 1,400 years.

"We hope this tour will inspire an appreciation for architectural aesthetics in these children from Sichuan province and allow them to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture," said Kan Li, one of the four teachers who served as guides during the study tour.

During the week-long National Day holiday starting on Oct 1, Chinese people take a break to travel and enjoy leisure activities.

This year, the country's transport sector is expected to handle a daily average of 277 million passenger trips during the holiday, a 19.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019, according to the Ministry of Transport.

CULTURE, TOURISM FEAST

The holiday has seen a surge in cultural tours focused on ancient architecture, spurred by the popularity of the video game "Black Myth: Wukong." The game is based on Sun Wukong, the iconic character from "Journey to the West," one of China's four great classical novels, frequently adapted into TV series, movies and games over the years.

"Black Myth: Wukong" features 36 filming locations across the country, with 27 located in Shanxi, leading to a phenomenal travel boom in the province.

Data from Qunar, a leading online travel agency in China, shows that hotel bookings for the National Day holiday in Shanxi doubled year-on-year.

Shanxi is home to over 28,000 ancient structures, including 80 percent of China's ancient wooden buildings from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and earlier.

According to Qiu Ping, vice curator of the Jinci Museum, signs have been placed to highlight filming locations from the TV series "Journey to the West." The museum also organized staff to dress as characters from the series and interact with tourists.

"While ensuring the protection of cultural relics, we aim to shift from static sightseeing to more dynamic experiences, bringing history and culture to life," Qiu said.

According to a report from online travel services provider Ctrip, museums and study tours are among the top five most popular search topics for National Day holiday travel. Study tour bookings have surged, and museums in cities like Shanghai, Nanjing and Xi'an have extended their opening hours.

Earlier this year, the Chinese television drama series "To the Wonder" became a breakout hit, turning Altay Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region into a sought-after tourist destination.

On Oct. 1, over 1,000 visitors immersed themselves in the nomadic lifestyle of Jilin New Village in Habahe County, the shooting location of the TV series. Some purchased belts, alcohol and other souvenirs inspired by the series, while others enjoyed horse riding and playing with lambs, capturing memorable moments in photos.

"The integration of television and cultural tourism transforms tourists' imaginations of plays into reality, satisfying their diverse emotional experiences," said Delida Nabi, head of the culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau of Altay. She added that the prefecture is developing cultural tourism scenes and creative products based on the IP of popular works.

To meet the growing demand for cultural and tourism products, China has been offering a wider array of cultural activities and tourism options during the holiday, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

"The cultural tourism consumption model that deeply integrates local characteristics and cultural customs has huge development potential," said Zhao Huanyan, a senior economist in the tourism and hospitality industry.

DIVERSIFIED ENGAGEMENT

During a friendly football match on the evening of Oct 1 between teams from China's Chongqing and Malaysia, held in Rongjiang county in Southwest China's Guizhou province, players passionately aimed for the goal as over 10,000 spectators shouted and cheered.

The Guizhou Village Super League, also known as "Cun Chao," was initiated in Rongjiang in 2023 and quickly became a hit in China and globally, making this small county with a population of 385,000 well-known far and wide.

During the halftime break, a group of Dong ethnic villagers dressed in festive costumes sang folk songs, prompting the audience to join in the chorus, while tourists also experienced the local dance, embroidery, and other forms of intangible cultural heritage of Rongjiang.

"I did not expect to see an international game in a village stadium. It is worth driving this far to watch the game," said Li Jingjing, a tourist from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan.

According to Ctrip, tourists from first and second-tier cities are flocking to counties for leisure travel and to visit relatives, leading to a more than 60 percent increase in orders for rural tours and a 20 percent rise in county tours during the holiday.

Major cities like the Chinese capital Beijing remain popular tourism hotspots. The addition of Beijing's Central Axis to the UNESCO World Heritage List has further elevated landmarks such as the Drum Tower, Jingshan Hill and other cultural and historical sites along this 700-year-old axis.

Orders for tourism products related to the Central Axis have increased by 69 percent year-on-year during the holiday, particularly attracting a surge of visitors from villages, townships, young travelers and families, according to various reports.

Cross-border tourism also thrived during the holiday. Online travel platform Fliggy said its air ticket and hotel bookings for outbound travel saw a remarkable growth from the same period last year, with Japan, Thailand, Australia, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam, among others, emerging as popular destinations.

Optimized visa policy and the growing popularity of "China Travel" on global social media have helped attract more overseas tourists to China during the holiday. Ctrip data shows its inbound tourism orders rose 60 percent year-on-year.

China is projected to see 1.75 million inbound and outbound trips per day during the National Day holiday, up 18.5 percent year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration.