Multiple activities have been taken across China to lure tourists, as the Mid-Autumn Festival draws near.
Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important parts of Chinese traditions, inherits customs with a long history. With celebrations centered on moon viewing and night tours, it has formed a unique charm for countless tourists.
On the eve of this important festival, many airlines have launched special moon-viewing routes to provide tourists with a unique travel experience.
"According to our data predictions from previous years, the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday will drive a new round of travel boom. Currently, the booking rate from Changsha to Kuala Lumpur, Urumqi, Tianjin, Shenyang and other places is relatively high," said Li Yiyao, the route manager of China Southern Airlines Hunan Branch.
The China Southern Airlines Hunan Branch plans to handle more than 80 flights during the moon viewing period.
In Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, people prefer to visit gardens or attend lantern fairs with the beautiful night scene and the bright moon.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and I just made a rabbit lantern to suit the occasion. With the evening breeze blowing, I brought my little lantern over to see the night view of Tiger Hill. I thought it was very wonderful," said Chen Xiaoyun, a Suzhou citizen.
Carrying people's wishes and blessings, various lanterns and moonlight complement each other, forming a unique urban landscape.
"The lantern fair has a strong sense of ritual, with lanterns of different styles, some based on folk tales, and others incorporating auspicious patterns and good wishes. They also symbolize light and reunion, and express people's yearning for a better life," concluded by Wang Jinwei, professor from the School of Tourism Science, Beijing International Studies University.
During the festival, citizens and tourists can visit the first floor of the Tiger Hill Tower in batches without reservation. Visitors can also participate in activities such as Hanfu, tea drinking, as well as flying wishing bottles to deeply experience the charm of Chinese traditional culture.
China's attractions hold activities to boost tourism before Mid-Autumn Festival
Chinese cities, towns and villages are putting on dazzling light and lantern shows, staging distinctive folk customs performances, and holding festive mooncake banquets in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.
In the ancient city of Kaifeng of central China's Henan Province and Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, popular tourist attractions and landmarks are bathed in lights, promising a mesmerizing nighttime experience for local residents and tourists alike.
Beijing's famous Beihai Park, a public park and former imperial garden, is staging performances themed around bianzhong, or Chinese chime bells which has a history of over 2,000 years.
In tourist towns and villages of Yunnan Province in the southwest, Zhejiang Province in th east and Guangdong Province in the south, lively folk and dragon dances are gathering numerous locals and tourists to join in the festivities.
Audiences are enjoying a poetry recitation show in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, and a symphony in Zunyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, respectively.
This year, Suining City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest, have both prepared giant freshly made mooncakes enough to treat hundreds of people at a same time. And in a village of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, people have prepared their own mooncakes on a flour ground from their newly harvested red sorghum.
"We are filled with the joy of harvest during the merry traditional festival. The festive mood is really nice," said Liu Ya, a local of Jiangjun Village in Chongqing's Bishan District.
Elsewhere, villages in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, are also celebrating their harvest of red pepper by drying them on the roofs. And another village in the eastern province of Shandong has recently held a large banquet for local households to share.
Outside the mainland, colorful lanterns are also dotting the various landmarks, streets and alleyways of Hong Kong and Macao, adding to the festive joy.
Celebrations held across China to mark traditional Mid-Autumn Festival
