China sees surge in traveler trips during Qingming Festival holiday

China is experiencing a significant travel boom during the ongoing three-day Qingming Festival holiday, with railways, highways, and airports operating at peak capacity to accommodate surging passenger flows.

The Qingming Festival on April 4 this year, also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival observed to honor ancestors by visiting their graves to clean the tombstones, offer sacrifices, and pay respects.

According to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway), railway passenger trips in China hit 20.093 million on Friday, the first day of the holiday, marking the highest single-day figure for passenger train trips since the beginning of the year.

The China Railway also estimated that the country is expected to handle 13.55 million passenger trips on Saturday, with 622 additional trains added to meet the surging demand for short-distance travel for family visits, ancestral worship, and spring outings.

Passengers are expected to make over 119,000 trips between Guangdong and Hong Kong via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway on the same day, an increase of 11,000 passenger trips over the same period last year. Among them, passengers traveling from the mainland to Hong Kong account for nearly 60 percent.

To address overnight demand, China Railway Jinan Group and China Railway Xi'an Group have introduced nighttime high-speed rail services on select routes.

Road travel has also surged, with national expressways expected to handle approximately 60 million vehicle trips. Private cars dominate the roads, accounting for about 53 million trips, over 99 percent of all passenger vehicle traffic. Highways are expected to witness a significant rise in demand for short-distance travel within urban areas and their surrounding regions.

Air travel remains brisk, with airlines set to operate 15,465 flights on Saturday, transporting an estimated 1.68 million passengers.

China sees surge in traveler trips during Qingming Festival holiday

China sees surge in traveler trips during Qingming Festival holiday

China sees surge in traveler trips during Qingming Festival holiday

China sees surge in travelers during Qingming Festival holiday

China's research icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, departed Christchurch, New Zealand for the 42nd Antarctic Expedition on Thursday after completing resupply operations.

The vessel arrived at New Zealand's Lyttelton Port Sunday evening.

During its stay in Lyttelton, the vessel took on 1,200 tons of light oil and replenished supplies including vegetables, fruits, and fresh water.

The light oil will be brought to China's Zhongshan Station in Antarctica, exclusively for fixed-wing aircraft.

Thirty four new crew members boarded the ship in Lyttelton to commence oceanographic operations.

The supplies of fruit, vegetables and other food items include not only items for the Xuelong crew but are also destined for the Qinling Station.

"The Qinling Station has a longer overwintering period, so they will run out of fruits later in the season. To better support their daily needs, we've replenished large quantities of green vegetables, fruits, beverages, as well as beef and mutton," said Li Donghui, the service team leader of the Xuelong vessel.

During its port call, the Xuelong also completed a freshwater replenishment of approximately 600 tons. The freshwater is primarily for drinking and kitchen use, serving as vital daily supplies for the expedition team during their subsequent fieldwork.

China's Xuelong icebreaker leaves New Zealand for Antarctic expedition after replenishment