Peng Kang and his family chose Zhejiang Province in east China as their holiday destination during the eight-day National Day holiday from October 1 to 8. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival of family reunions, also fell during this period—on October 6. Upon arriving, they rented a car and went on to visit cities including Ningbo, Taizhou, Wenzhou and other cities.

"More of the festive spirit lies in everyday small details," the young Beijing-based TV program editor told Beijing Review. People often greet each other with "Happy National Day" and "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival." The hotels they stayed at hosted many weddings, creating a lively, market-like atmosphere.

Ningbo's Old Bund area organized three laser shows each night during the holiday. The laser projections transformed historic building clusters into light and shadow canvases, displaying messages like "Welcoming National Day" and a range of patterns. These light displays have become a modern way to express blessings and congratulations to the motherland. "It was quite beautiful," Peng said.

The eight-day holiday set new travel records. According to data from leading Chinese travel agency Qunar, in terms of domestic travel, hotel bookings in popular cities increased by over 20 percent year on year. For outbound travel, bookings for tickets to popular destinations surged by more than 30 percent compared to last year. Notably, among teenagers and university students, outbound flight bookings grew by over 50 percent.

Where the road took us 

Sun Chaochao, a bank employee from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, decided to drive with colleagues to Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, covering a distance of over 1,800 km. "We set off from Taiyuan on the evening of September 30 and returned on October 7," he told Beijing Review. 

Self-driving tours have become a popular trend among young Chinese. "Many people [we encountered] took a flight to Hulunbuir and then rented a car there. Self-driving is convenient and it also allows for more flexibility time-wise. We didn't make a definite itinerary and went where the road took us," Sun added.

Of course, holiday travel often also comes with problems, including rising prices and overcrowding among tourists. "Hotels are slightly pricy, but still acceptable," Peng said. "Finding where to eat, however, was a pain point, as there were several times when we arrived at a restaurant only to find over 300 tables queuing up, requiring us to wait for hours and making it basically impossible to dine there. It seems this might be due to the influence of online reviews, concentrating visitors in just a few popular places, causing major traffic jams at some spots along the way. However, when we gave up on these places and went to some smaller eateries, we found that the foot traffic was just fine."

Many places tried to ensure safe and smooth travel experiences during the holiday. "On the road, you could see traffic controls and crowd management were in place basically everywhere. During this time, scenic spots also offer free shuttle buses between attractions," he added.

Outbound travel, too, continued to prove popular. For example, in the past, Chinese travelers needed to apply for a visa to visit the Republic of Korea (ROK), but now, groups of three or more can travel visa-free under a policy implemented by the ROK government on September 28. Spontaneous trips to the ROK have become the new normal.

Qi Jianliang from Henan Comfort International Travel Agency Co. Ltd. told newspaper Henan Daily in a recent report that during the holiday, the number of outbound tour groups organized by the company increased by approximately 20 percent compared to the same period last year. Almost every day, ROK tour groups were fully booked.

Consumption on the up 

During the first three days of the holiday, foot traffic in 78 key pedestrian streets and shopping districts monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 4.2 percent year on year. Each major commercial area showcased its own characteristics, creating new consumer scenarios that deeply integrate commerce, tourism, culture, sports and exhibitions.

For example, total consumer spending in Chongqing's 20 major shopping districts, including Jiefangbei in the city center, increased by 11.38 percent year on year. The Central Avenue in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, is the city's most prosperous commercial hub. During the holiday, it launched puppet shows combining traditional music with modern electronic music, creating a new "performance plus shopping" experience, with an average daily visitor flow exceeding 800,000 people, a nearly 40-percent increase year on year.

China on September 25 launched the 2025 National Day Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month, with a series of cultural and tourism activities planned from late September to late October.

During the event, regions nationwide focus on popular themes such as celebrating family reunions, exploring landscapes and cultural experiences. Over 29,000 cultural and tourism events are taking place this month, and more than 480 million yuan ($67 million) in consumption subsidies will be distributed, providing people with a more comprehensive, affordable and hassle-free travel experience.

Consumption subsidies in China are financial incentives provided by the government (at both central and local levels), often in partnership with businesses and online platforms. Their primary goal is to encourage consumers to spend money by effectively lowering the price of goods and services.

These subsidies are rarely direct cash handouts. Instead, they are typically distributed as digital coupons (vouchers), direct discounts and promotions, among others. 

Day and night 

According to official statistics, Tianjin's consumer market experienced explosive growth during the holiday. The cultural tourism, commerce, dining and other sectors showed strong vitality. Commercial districts such as the Five Great Avenues Historical and Cultural Block and the Italian Style Street saw their daily foot traffic exceeding 500,000. Over 30 themed events, including parades and light shows, were organized, substantially increasing consumption. The night economy, which comprises economic activity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., continued to flourish, with six night markets launching events like bar festivals and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions.

The Porcelain House in Tianjin drew many visitors during the holiday. Located in Heping District, this French-style mansion features over 700 million porcelain shards and more than 13,000 antique porcelain vases, plates and bowls. Even the walls are adorned with intricate porcelain mosaics.

"During the National Day holiday, the average daily visitor flow at the Porcelain House was 6,390. Most of the Chinese tourists came from Beijing and Sichuan and Hebei provinces, while foreign tourists mainly came from Russia, Poland, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, African countries and the Netherlands," Zhang Lianzhi, the owner and curator of the house, told Beijing Review. 

The eight-day holiday is typically a bustling movie-going season for consumers and a highly competitive arena for the movie theater sector in China. The total holiday box office, including presales, exceeded 1.83 billion yuan ($256 million), according to data from China Film Administration. Leading this year's National Day box office as of October 8 was the domestic war epic The Volunteers: Peace at Last, the grand finale to director Chen Kaige's The Volunteers trilogy. The film recreates the intertwined struggles of battlefield combat and tense diplomatic negotiation during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

Data from Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, showed that the long holiday boosted public enthusiasm for travel, shopping and leisure, leading to strong growth in offline consumption sectors. From October 1 to 7, demand for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts surged, driving group-buy sales of skincare and personal care products up by 213 percent, and apparel and footwear by 204 percent. Additionally, pet grooming group-buy sales increased by 152 percent, while car wash and gas station sales rose by 110 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

(Print Edition Title: Vacation Vibes and Vouchers) 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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