Tourists view crabapple blossoms during the Qingming Festival holiday at a park in Beijing, capital of China, April 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)
BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) — Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year. It is a traditional Chinese festival for people to pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors. The holiday also provides a short break for people as they engage in outdoor activities and sightseeing.
An aerial drone photo taken on April 5, 2026 shows tourists viewing blossoms in Changshu, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo taken on April 4, 2026 shows people taking a train for sightseeing in a flower field during the Qingming Festival holiday in Xuyi County, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Xu Changyin/Xinhua)Tourists enjoy their leisure time at a botanical garden during the Qingming Festival holiday in Shijiazhuang, north China’s Hebei Province, April 4, 2026. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo taken on April 4, 2026 shows visitors enjoying the scenery during the Qingming Festival holiday at Hongcun Village, Yixian County of Huangshan City, east China’s Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Du Yu)A tourist in traditional Chinese attire poses for photos in Yantai, east China’s Shandong Province, April 4, 2026. (Photo by Sun Wentan/Xinhua)An aerial drone photo taken on April 4, 2026 shows tourists viewing sunset at a scenic area in Yangzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Qi Liguang/Xinhua)
According to the national railway operator, this year’s Qingming Festival holiday features strong demand for travel related to visiting relatives, ancestor worship, spring outings and tourism, with the passenger flow witnessing a large proportion of medium and short-distance trips, and a significant increase in tourism-related travel.
A child checks in at Huzhou Railway Station in Huzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Yi Fan/Xinhua)Passengers are seen at a platform of Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)
Across China, primary and secondary schools in several regions have introduced a new spring break, often timed around the three-day Qingming Festival in early April or the five-day May Day holiday, allowing more children to combine time off into six to eight-day vacations. Students in several regions of China are enjoying a spring break combined with the Qingming Festival. For many parents, the extended holiday offers an opportunity to spend more time with their children, with family trips among the top plans during this period.
Children have fun at a park in Gaomi, east China’s Shandong Province, March 31, 2026. (Photo by Li Haitao/Xinhua)Primary students fly kites at a pear garden in Hai’an City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, April 4, 2026. (Photo by Gu Binbin/Xinhua)People enjoy their leisure time at a park during the Qingming Festival holiday in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, April 4, 2026. (Photo by Hu Ping/Xinhua)■
