National Day holiday events in 4 provinces

People in Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Sichuan provinces are spending the seven-day National Day in various ways, having a good time on the New China's 75th birthday.

In ancient Zhenze Town in east China's Jiangsu Province, parent-child activities are held in paddy fields for holidaymakers to appreciate a pastoral lifestyle.

"Breathing fresh air in fields with children in autumn and embracing the nature, I feel very pleasant and light-hearted," said a visitor surnamed Shen.

In Taizhou City of Jiangsu, 100 primary school pupils gathered around a large canvas to paint the sceneries of the country and new outlook of their native town on the theme of "growing together with the motherland."

"I am so proud that I can express my love for the motherland with my paintbrush," said Yin Tianci, a pupil from Hailing District of the city.

In Xianyang City of Shaanxi Province in northwest China, people spontaneously sang in chorus during the holiday, holding national flags in their hands.

"This generation of ours catches up with a great era. I wish the motherland prosperity, and our life better and better," said Bai Yinping, a local resident.

In Chengde City of Hebei Province in north China, Mountain Resort, once a summer retreat for the imperial families during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), tourists are enjoying the refreshing autumn breeze.

In Xiong'an New Area of the province, its first youth art festival offers many novel interactive experiences to visitors.

At the Jianmen Pass scenic area in southwest China's Sichuan Province, anyone who is able to recite "Hard Is the Road to Shu," a classic poem by Li Bai (701-761), one of greatest Chinese poets, can get a free admission to the park, worth of some 90 yuan. While Shu is a poetic term for Sichuan, Li Bai's poem of the Shu road comprises of 294 characters in 40 lines, which dedicates a section to specially describe the precipitous Jianmen Pass.

And in Jiajiang County of the province, various cultural activities held on the county's century-old main street attract both residents and tourists.

"I specifically brought my child to experience the traditional quarter. It is special. We not only tasted delicious Sichuan food, but also felt the nostalgic cultural memories," said Jiang Danxue, a tourist.

National Day holiday events in 4 provinces

Shanghai welcomed two more cruise ships on Sunday, lifting the total at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal to three, as inbound tourism booms under China's new visa-free and travel facilitation measures.

The newly arrived ships, MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, joined Mein Schiff 6, which had docked a day earlier at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.

During the weekend, cruise ports in Shanghai handled over 20,000 inbound and outbound passengers, with foreign nationals accounting for more than half of the total.

"Immigration service, very good, very fast. Everything very quick," said a Russian tourist.

"We going to Disneyland, it's a cool trip," said another Russian tourist.

China’s expanded visa-free entry is reshaping inbound travel. Since February, ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK have been exempted, and arrivals from both countries have climbed sharply.

"Very good, excellent policy and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had ten days in China already," said a Canadian tourist.

Shanghai’s ports have already processed more than 10 million passenger trips this year, up 2.9 percent from 2025, underscoring sustained growth in cross-border movement. China now offers unilateral visa exemption to 50 countries, mutual visa-free access with 29, and 240-hour transit privileges to travelers from 55 nations, a policy framework that is reshaping inbound tourism at scale.

Shanghai sees surge in cruise tourism as visa policies boost inbound travel