Artists performs for tourists at the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
SHENYANG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) — This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism.
According to the Ministry of Transport, China is expected to see around 2.36 billion passenger trips nationwide during the period, highlighting the country’s enormous tourism potential.
IGNITING PASSION WITH TRADITIONAL CULTURE
“You can interact with the actors anytime, anywhere, as if you’ve stepped straight into the martial arts world of ancient times,” said Zhang Jie from northwest China’s Gansu Province, who visited Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City in Kaifeng, Henan Province, a Disney-style theme park that offers an immersive experience of Song Dynasty (960-1279) martial arts culture.
According to Wang Xueying, the park’s publicity manager, more than 100 staff dressed as swordsmen, shopkeepers and storytellers will interact with visitors during the holiday, putting on nearly 2,000 performances a day to make them feel like protagonists in a martial arts tale.
“We have created an interactive treasure-hunting system that makes traditional culture perceptible, playable and shareable,” she told Xinhua.
In Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, the centuries-old art of creating molten iron fireworks along the Puhe River drew many tourists. Originally a northern Chinese ritual to pray for bountiful harvests, national peace and prosperity, it involves throwing molten scrap iron against a cold wall to produce a spectacular firework effect.
One visitor surnamed Liu stood in awe, holding a sugar painting, a traditional Chinese folk art that uses hot, liquid sugar to craft two-dimensional figures. “It’s so enjoyable to visit the market, taste delicious food and watch free performances all at once,” she said with a smile.
Zhang Xiangyu, head of the Henan academy of cultural and tourism planning, noted that such events integrating culture and hands-on experiences have become a highlight of the tourism market. “Tourists have moved from passive sightseeing to active exploration,” he said. “Traditional culture has been revitalized through innovative expressions and has become a key driver for attracting visitors during the holiday.”
CREATIVITY UNLEASHING CONSUMPTION VITALITY
Last week, China launched the National Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month, issuing over 480 million yuan (about 67.4 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies nationwide and introducing innovative cultural and tourism products to attract visitors.
Latest bookings on tourism platform Tuniu showed that the number of its users traveling on Wednesday, first day of the holiday, increased by nearly 10 percent compared with the same period last year.
In Henan’s capital Zhengzhou, an exhibition by the trendy toy brand Pop Mart drew many young visitors eager to take photos near the ancient city wall, which dates back some 3,600 years.
The exhibition is located on a newly opened high street, which welcomed visitors on Monday and features 40 percent of brands new to the city, drawing over 100,000 visitors on its first day.
Benxi City in Liaoning is hosting its 19th maple festival, where visitors can enjoy the iconic autumn scenery, watch performances and exhibitions, and shop for creative cultural products at a pop-up market.
Zhang Wei, a photography enthusiast who traveled from Shenyang, was busy capturing the scenes. “The maple leaves usually reach their reddest around Oct. 10, turning the mountains into a sea of red,” he said, adding that the festival’s photo exhibition offers inspiration for photographers like him.
“The ‘first store economy’ and ‘debut economy’ have created new growth points in the tourism industry,” said Zhang Xiangyu. “Whether through cultural experiences that transcend time and space or trendy, fashionable consumption venues, they not only offer the public diverse experiences but also showcase the vitality and resilience of China’s holiday economy.” ■
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows a view of a morning-tea food culture festival in Wuzhong City, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)
A chef prepares dishes for tourists during a culinary competition at a morning-tea food culture festival in Wuzhong City, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)
Tourists visit the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Tourists pose for a selfie at the Qilou old street in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Tourists watch a Wuju Opera performance in Jinhua City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Shi Kuanbing/Xinhua)
A drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists visiting the Wujiangzhai scenic spot in Zunyi, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Yuan Fuhong/Xinhua)
Tourists watch a wedding custom performance of Tujia ethnic group at an ancient town in Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Hu Cheng/Xinhua)
People visit the Longmen Grottoes scenic spot in Luoyang City, central China’s Henan Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Li Weichao/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists visiting the Shenxianju scenic spot in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Wang Huabin/Xinhua)
Tourists experience folk customs at an ancient town in Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Hu Cheng/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists taking boat at the Slender West Lake scenic spot in Yangzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Ren Fei/Xinhua)
Artists perform for tourists at Baohua Mountain National Park in Jurong, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhong Xueman/Xinhua)
Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang City, northwest China’s Gansu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)
Tourists watch a folk performance at a village pier in Shitang Town of Wenling City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Xu Weijie/Xinhua)
Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang City, northwest China’s Gansu Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)
Tourists watch a string puppetry show in Jinhua City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Oct. 1, 2025. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Shi Kuanbing/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows tourists taking boat at Qinhu National Wetland Park in Jiangyan District of Taizhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. This year, with China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling alongside National Day, an eight-day holiday starting Wednesday is set to energize local economies through a surge in cultural tourism. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua)
