Dragon Boat Festival drives surge in family travel amid cultural festivities

China

Dragon Boat Festival drives surge in family travel amid cultural festivities

2025-06-01 15:21 Last Updated At：23:57

The three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, coinciding with International Children's Day, spurred a significant rise in family trips across China, with parent-child tours accounting for 35 percent of total bookings.

Falling on Saturday this year, the festival commemorates Qu Yuan (342-278 BC), a patriotic poet of the Chu State during the Warring States Period who drowned himself in the Miluo River to protest against government corruption. Local people threw zongzi -- sticky rice dumplings wrapped in reed leaves -- into the river to prevent fish from eating his body, originating the tradition of eating zongzi during the festival.

In Miluo City's Quzi Cultural Park, Hunan Province, the historical site of Qu Yuan's death, hundreds of student visitors participated in rituals reenacting the ancient memorial ceremony.

"I watched ancient-style music performances and saw people throwing zongzi into the Miluo River to commemorate Qu Yuan. These activities made my day both fulfilling and joyful. I hope to visit here again," said a student tourist named Yu Yan.

The cultural park also held dragon boat racing, which originated from villagers rowing in the Miluo River to rescue Qu.

The colorful events featuring Chinese traditions are expected to attract over 10,000 visitors on average per day during the holiday, setting a new record for this year.

"So far, compared to the same period last year, visitor numbers have increased by 56 percent while revenue has grown by 78 percent. This year, the [popularity] of parent-child tours and the enthusiasm for student visitors is exceptionally high," said Zhou Yang, staff of Quzi Cultural Park.

Also in Miluo, tourists are flocking to make xiangnang, a traditional scented sachet filled with mugwort and herbs originating from ancient plague-prevention customs, with workshops booked through July.

Similar heritage activities like rice seedling cultivation in Jiangxi's De'an and pottery-making in Jingdezhen are also attracting families seeking immersive cultural experiences.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it fell on Saturday, May 31.

Butterfly boom forecast to hit 10-year high at butterfly valley in Yunnan

The Honghe butterfly valley in southwest China's Yunnan Province is expected to see a 10-year high butterfly boom this year.

As one of the world's richest regions for butterfly species, the butterfly valley in Jinping County sees a massive butterfly emergence every year in late spring and early summer.

From May to June, billions of butterflies emerge and fill the skies above the valley.

Experts estimate this year's butterfly number could be the highest in nearly a decade.

Scientists say such a spectacle is only possible in a healthy ecosystem.

For nearly three decades, local resident Yang Zhenwen has devoted himself to monitoring and protecting the butterflies.

Every day during the emergence season, he serves a special meal to help the tiny creatures replenish their energy: a nutrient solution he developed together with researchers.

"The solution is made mainly from local ingredients, including pineapples, fermented glutinous rice juice and brown sugar. After being boiled together, a small amount of salt is added," said Yang.

Yang regularly patrols the mountains, monitors butterfly habitats, records species data and tracks the growth of host plants.

Recently, over 40 content creators were invited to the county to promote biodiversity conservation through artistic installations and online campaigns. With support from the local government, conservation is also driving rural development.

"We have invited some social organizations. They bring some artists to come here to help our people design butterfly craft products, and also, some professional guides to train our people to become a good tourist guide. I would like to say it's a vivid proof of how human beings and nature can live in harmony," said Liu Xuan, deputy head of Jinping County.

The butterfly valley is drawing in a growing number of tourists.