Mid-Autumn Festival sees vibrant cultural activities, tourism spending
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China's Mid-Autumn Festival, observed on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, is one of the country's most important traditional festivals. Centered on the full moon, the festival symbolizes reunion and togetherness, with families gathering to share meals, admire the moon and enjoy traditional customs.
As China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, the three-day holiday is highlighting both the enduring appeal of traditional culture and the vitality of domestic consumption, with a wide range of festive activities and tourism offerings bringing new momentum to the holiday economy.
Across the country, people are embracing the festival with colorful celebrations, from traditional performances and lantern displays to moon-viewing activities. Data from third-party travel platforms showed that Chinese-style nighttime tourism was especially popular on the first day of the holiday.
A land-and-air display about Chang'e, the moon goddess in traditional Chinese legends, is staged in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China, September 25, 2026. /VCG
Shougang Park, a former steel mill turned cultural and leisure landmark, is ablaze with lights as visitors admire the moon and lanterns to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, Beijing, capital of China, September 25, 2026. /VCG
A woman in traditional dress poses in front of an art installation about moon on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, east China, September 26, 2026. /VCG
The holiday also saw a travel peak as demand for family visits coincided with short-distance getaways.
China State Railway Group said 17.139 million passenger trips were made by rail nationwide on the first day of the Mid-Autumn holiday, with railway operations remaining safe and orderly. Average daily traffic on China's expressways was expected to reach about 41 million vehicles during the holiday, the Ministry of Transport's road network center estimated.
Online travel platforms showed that intercity travel bookings for departures on the day before and the first day of the holiday rose 18% from the same period during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, another three-day public holiday in China. Short-distance trips remained dominant, with bookings for local and nearby destinations accounting for more than 60% of total holiday travel.
Tourists visit the Temple of Heaven during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Beijing, capital of China, September 26, 2026. /VCG
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park draws domestic and international tourists for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Hunan Province, central China, September 26, 2026. /VCG
Residents and tourists enjoy an evening cultural performance at Minge Lake, Nanning City, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, September 25, 2026. /VCG
Passengers arrive on Guangzhou-Shenzhen intercity trains on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. The line carried 54,800 passengers, a record high, September 24, 2026. /VCG
Beyond tourism, family reunions remained at the heart of the festival, with dining and gatherings emerging as another major driver of holiday consumption. Online lifestyle service data showed that orders related to Mid-Autumn reunion dinners surged more than 105% year on year.
Train staff and passengers take part in a Mid-Autumn Festival-themed event celebrating reunion aboard a train from Hankou Station to Yichang East Station, September 23, 2026. /VCG
A family gathers in a rural courtyard in Sihong County, Suqian City, east China's Jiangsu Province, September 25, 2026. /VCG
