A lantern fair marking the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day opened at the Garden Expo Park in Beijing on Sunday.
Running through this month, the lantern fair covers an area of more than 40 hectares with nine themed sections, including "beautiful landscapes", "Beijing culture", and "colorful childhood".
As the largest lantern fair ever held in Beijing, the event presents more than 200 sets of lanterns, including 75 large and medium-sized ones, and 100,000 vibrant decorations such as "Blossoms and Moonlight", "Panda Paradise", and "Bright Moon over the Lugou Bridge".
"I've seen many characteristic exhibits related to Beijing's culture and the Winter Olympics. It's even more magnificent than I imagined. I've never seen so large a lantern fair," said Tian Qing, a visitor.
The fair also has a street that provides a wide variety of dining options, themed activities and traditional stores.
"I'm here to appreciate the various kinds of lanterns on show and see if there are any new and innovative lanterns. Besides, there's also a snack street, so I've taken children and seniors here to enjoy the snacks," said another visitor.
Also on display are lanterns from Zigong, known as the "city of a thousand lights", for its history of lantern-making that dates back more than 1,000 years.
"We have taken into consideration the comfort and visual experience of visitors and the richness of content to make the lantern fair a place where visitors can feel the joy, the happiness and the festive vibe of family reunion," said Shen Hongyue, president of the Zigong Lantern Industry Association.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a cherished occasion for family reunions in China. It falls on September 17 this year.
The National Day falls on October 1.
Largest-ever lantern fair held in Beijing for Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day
China's three-day Qingming Festival holiday, which ended on Sunday, sparked a nationwide travel upsurge, with domestic and cross-border trips and consumer spending all seeing steady growth, official data showed on Monday.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a total of 126 million domestic trips were made during the holiday, up 6.3 percent from last year. Travel-related spending reached 57.55 billion yuan (around 8 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 6.7 percent year-on-year increase.
The dynamism showed across the transport sector as well. The Ministry of Transport estimated that interregional passenger flows across China hit a record high of 790 million during the break. On average, there were about 264 million passenger trips daily, up 7.1 percent from 2024.
Cross-border travel also registered a notable jump. The National Immigration Administration reported that border control authorities processed over 6.21 million inbound and outbound trips over three days. The average daily number of exits and entries through ports across China exceeded two million, reflecting a 19.7 percent increase from a year earlier.
Traditionally a time for tomb sweeping and paying tribute to ancestors, the Qingming Festival holiday has also become a catalyst for travel and tourism spending in recent years.
Short-haul getaways and local excursions continued to dominate travel choices this year. There's a growing demand for rural escapes and outdoor activities, with self-drive trips, cycling, and hiking among the most popular options.
Historic neighborhoods, commercial districts, and countryside destinations bustled with visitors thanks to their integrated dining, lodging, and shopping offerings.
One major highlight was the rise of the "flower-viewing economy." Online travel platforms reported a 220 percent surge in searches for floral attractions as spring blossoms became a magnet for holidaymakers.
Qingming Festival holiday sees travel boom, tourism spending surge
