Museums across China have been hosting exhibitions, performances, and interactive activities in celebration of the Qingming Festival holiday, attracting numerous visitors of all ages to explore cultural history.
Qingming Festival -- also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day -- dates back over 2,500 years as a time when Chinese people to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and deceased loved ones. This year, the festival fell on Friday.
In northeast China's Liaoning Province, an exhibition showcasing ancient Chinese bamboo slips, one of the most important writing mediums in ancient China, was jointly held by Liaoning Provincial Museum and Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum.
With 253 sets of cultural relics displayed, the exhibition offers insights into the country's rich historical record.
As a testament to Chinese civilization, the information recorded on bamboo slips reflects ancient social life and historical heritage. In northeast China's Jilin Province, a series of revolution-themed stage plays were showed at the former site museum of China's Changchun Film Studio, the cradle of Chinese cinema.
The plays adapted from classic revolution-and-war-themed films offered a moving portrayal of revolutionary heroes. In Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's Henan Province, museums hosted music performances and hands-on craft activities, allowing people to experience traditional culture firsthand.
"During the three-day Qingming Holiday, volunteers of the museum have arranged more lectures to provide better services to the public," said Xu Nan, director of interpretation section of Henan Museum. In north China's Shanxi Province, the municipal museum of the capital city Taiyuan saw a peak of visitor flows during the holiday.
Taiyuan Museum offered educational lectures and workshops on folk customs, engaging young visitors with interactive learning.
Museums in China offer rich cultural experiences during Qingming holiday
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
