Millions travel, shop, and celebrate during China’s extended holiday.
From patriotic choruses atop Mount Tai to holiday crowds jamming Qingdao’s Zhanqiao Pier and snack streets in Changsha, China’s eight-day National Day break drew throngs to landmarks, waterfronts, and festival grounds in a nationwide travel rush.
This year’s Golden Week is one of the longest in recent memory, stretching from Oct. 1 to 8 as the National Day holiday overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival, giving millions of travelers extra days to head out in record numbers.
In Shanghai, the Expo Cultural Park alone drew 40,000 visitors on day one, while the zoo, Gongqing Forest Park, and the botanical gardens all saw heavy foot traffic as the city rolled out art tours, shopping festivals, and night-time light shows.
These snapshots offer a glimpse of the festivities across China.
Crowds pack Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai, Oct. 1, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Visitors gather on the Bund in Shanghai, Oct. 1, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A young vendor sells jasmine and national flags near Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai, Oct. 1, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Tourists visit Shanghai Romance Park in Shanghai, Oct. 2, 2025. VCG
A crowd gathers to watch a performance by 5,000 drones in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Oct. 1, 2025. VCG
Visitors watch a drone and fireworks show at the TEDA Aircraft Carrier Theme Park in Tianjin, Oct, 1, 2025. VCG
Crowds at a snack street in Changsha, Hunan province, Oct. 2, 2025. VCG
Tourists jam the Qiansimen Bridge in Chongqing, Oct. 2, 2025. VCG
Crowds jam Qingdao’s Zhanqiao Pier in Shandong province, Oct. 1, 2025. VCG
A visitor takes photos at Zhongshan Mountain National Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Oct. 3, 2025. VCG
Crowds at the Great Wall at Badaling in Beijing, Oct. 3, 2025. VCG
Visitors wave Chinese national flags and sing on Mount Tai in Tai’an, Shandong province, Oct. 1, 2025. VCG
A cycling event in Huai’an, Jiangsu province, Oct. 1, 2025. VCG
Visitors attend the 2nd Shanghai International Light Festival at the West Bund in Shanghai, Sept. 28, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Visitors attend the 2nd Shanghai International Light Festival at the West Bund in Shanghai, Sept. 28, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Visitors attend the 2nd Shanghai International Light Festival at the West Bund in Shanghai, Sept. 28, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
(Header image: Tourists watch performers of Dashuhua, or striking iron flowers, at an ancient town in Qionglai, Sichuan province, Oct. 1, 2025. VCG)
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