China's three-day Qingming Festival holiday started on April 4th, with a large number of people traveling for tourism or returning to their hometowns to pay respects to ancestors. Tourist cities once again saw huge crowds, with the Hangzhou Feilai Peak Scenic Area receiving over 20,000 visitors just on the morning of the 4th. Both land and air transportation systems are experiencing a peak in traffic, with China Railways expecting to send 84.5 million passengers during Qingming. On April 4th, traffic on China's highways reached 62 million vehicles, 1.8 times the usual volume. The total cross-regional movement of people during the three-day holiday is expected to reach 760 million trips.
April 4th to April 6th marks this year's Qingming holiday in China. Around 6 a.m., the Lingyin Temple Feilai Peak Scenic Area in Hangzhou opened its doors to a large influx of tourists, and by noon, the area had received a total of 23,000 visitors.
Another popular spot, West Lake in Hangzhou, saw an influx of tourists enjoying their time. One tourist mentioned they left home before 8 a.m. only to find West Lake already crowded, saying, "When did all these people leave their homes, they've already boarded the boats."
Aside from the crowded scenic spots, the land transportation system is also experiencing a peak in traffic. China Railway Group noted that April 4th is the peak day for Qingming travelers, expecting to send 9.85 million passengers and adding 1,009 trains. According to train ticket pre-sales, popular routes are concentrated between Nanning and Guangzhou, Wuhan and Changsha, Xi'an and Chengdu, and Beijing and Shanghai.
The Ministry of Transport estimates that the total cross-regional movement of people during the Qingming holiday will reach 760 million trips. Authorities expect that on the 4th, national highway traffic will reach about 62 million vehicles, approximately 1.8 times the normal flow.
In terms of civil aviation, this year's Qingming Festival holiday in China is expected to achieve an airline passenger transportation volume of 5.4 million, with a daily average of 1.8 million passengers, an increase of 7.4% year-on-year.