China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is celebrating the seven-day National Day holiday starting from Tuesday by offering various incentives and discounts for residents and visitors, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Public tram rides and ferries are free to all passenger during the holidays, while underground rail passengers enjoy a 25 percent fare discount for every ride, including cross-boundary trips.
Public leisure facilities, including swimming pools and basketball courts, along with government-operated museums, are also open to the public free of charge.
Cinemas are enticing moviegoers with half-priced tickets, and at least 10,000 stalls and street vendors are providing a 25-percent discount on their goods.
Around 3,000 restaurants and shops are also offering special deals on selected items.
Canton Road remains one of the most popular shopping destinations for mainland visitors, with one shopper expressing delight at the diversity of big-name brands and styles available.
"There are many big brands, with many different styles and options. I feel great when I'm shopping," said a tourist from the mainland.
Another tourist extended warm birthday wishes to the PRC, expressing her joy at the warm and hospitable welcome.
"It's a bit hot here in Hong Kong, but overall, whether it's the working staff or the local people, they're all very warm and friendly to us," she said.
The metropolis is expected to see around 1.2 million tourist visits from the mainland during the seven-day holiday, up 20 percent from the previous year.
"One of the rather appealing offers is that Hong Kong Tourism Board they have a lot of promotions and then publicity in mainland talking about this National Day, what's happening in Hong Kong. So I think one of the offers is very, I like it very much, attractive to mainland tourist - that is they work with Go Duck, which is an app that they can call for the local transportation service, and then with a 20-percent discount. So I think this is exactly the mode of travel of our mainland visitors, and I think that that helps a lot,” said Fanny Yeung, executive director of the Hong Kong Travel Industry Council.
Another big attraction of the holiday was a firework display over Victoria Harbor on Tuesday night.
The show, which lasted around 23 minutes and featured eight scenes, was themed “splendid fireworks shining over a prosperous China," with a total of 31,888 fireworks illuminating the night sky.
Hong Kong celebrates National Day with alluring promotions and offers
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
