China sees record-breaking interregional travels during Qingming Festival holiday

The total number of interregional passenger trips across China during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday is estimated to reach a record high of 790 million, according to official data released on Sunday -- the last day of the holiday.

The Ministry of Transport said that an average of 264 million passenger trips were made each day during the three-day period, up 7.1 percent year on year.

On Friday, the first day of the holiday, 20.09 million railway passenger trips were made nationwide, a new high for daily railway passenger transport so far this year.

The number of road trips increased significantly during the holiday, with self-driving trips accounting for more than 90 percent of the total.

Waterway trips and air trips all registered an increase of over 10 percent year on year, according to the ministry.

Ports in Zhuhai City of south China's Guangdong Province reported record numbers of inbound and outbound passenger trips and vehicle crossings.

From Friday to noon on Sunday, the ports in Zhuhai saw more than 272,000 passenger trips and more than 57,000 vehicle crossings through them, up 32.1 percent and 41.7 percent respectively over the same period of last year.

Many households in China's Hong Kong and Macao entered the mainland to pay respect to their ancestors, visit their relatives and take short trips during the holiday, contributing to the surge in traffic on the famous Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

During the three-day period, 41,000 crossings by vehicles registered solely in Hong Kong or Macao were processed at the bridge's border checkpoints, up 50 percent over the same period of last year.

The number of Hong Kong-bound and Macao-bound trips made by mainland travelers through the border checks reached 42,000, up 30.6 percent year on year. The number of border entries and exits through the bridge by foreigners visiting the Chinese mainland during the holiday season reached 3,700, up 27.4 percent year on year.

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, traditionally falls on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. It is a traditional Chinese festival focusing on paying tribute to the dead and the worship of ancestors. It is also customary to enjoy outdoor activities and sightseeing during the festival.

China sees record-breaking interregional travels during Qingming Festival holiday

Xi'an, the capital city of what is now northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has played a pivotal role in facilitating China's exchanges with the rest of the world through the ancient Silk Road.

The city, which was called Chang'an in ancient China, served as the starting point of the Silk Road. Chang'an was the capital city of several ancient Chinese dynasties, including the Western Han and the Tang, from 202 BC to AD 907.

Stepping out of the Xi'an Railway Station, one will encounter the colossal ruins of the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace. This gate was the national gateway of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Over 1,300 years ago, envoys from all nations from every corner of the world would pass through this very gate to pay homage to what was then the world's most powerful empire.

In Istanbul, the Topkapi Palace Museum, built in 1478, was the heart of the Ottoman Empire.

As camel bells echoed across deserts from Chang'an and merchant ships sailed oceans from east China's Quanzhou City, treasures of civilization from ancient China ultimately settled within this museum.

Its collections include vast numbers of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and precious gold and silver artifacts, among them 12,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain.

At the Topkapi Palace Museum, these porcelain wares now stand on display for the world, telling a history of civilizational exchange spanning Eurasia.

Northwest China's Xi'an plays pivotal role in boosting ancient exchanges with outside world