China sees surge in return trips as Dragon Boat Festival wraps up

China

China sees surge in return trips as Dragon Boat Festival wraps up

2025-06-02 16:43 Last Updated At：21:57

Chinese holidaymakers are making return trips in surging numbers, as this year's three-day Dragon Boat Festival break draws to a close on Monday.

Passengers trips by rail are expected to hit 17.9 million on the last day of the annual holiday, according to official estimates.

Nationwide, the China State Railway Group has added 1,279 trains to handle Monday's travel rush.

Notably, the China Railway Guangdong Group expects to handle over 2.37 million passenger trips, an increase of 9.3 percent from the last day of the traditional holiday in 2024, with 92 overnight high-speed trains added on Tuesday to meet the travel demand.

Meanwhile, air passenger trips are estimated to reach 1.97 million on Monday.

The country's civil aviation sector expects to handle a total of 5.6 million passenger trips during this year's holiday from May 31 to June 2.

The country's expressways also expect to see heavy traffic on Monday afternoon, with the peak hours lasting from 16:00 to 18:00.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, with celebrations ranging from eating rice dumplings to watching dragon boat races.

The festival fell on May 31 this year.

Film IP fuels expansion of consumer market

China's movie industry is increasingly deriving its earnings from broader consumer economy.

Released during the 2025 summer season, the film "Nobody" became China's highest-grossing two-dimensional animated film -- and its success went beyond theaters.

Through licensing and brand partnerships, the movie has generated 2.5 billion yuan (about 358.3 million U.S. dollars) in retail sales to consumers, with more than 800 licensed products on the market.

Ranging from plush toys to food and home goods, the movie-related merchandise can be purchased from over 3,000 online and offline outlets.

Meanwhile, souvenir stores are crowded at Shanghai Disneyland's Zootopia themed land, with hats, plush toys, and collectibles seeing steady demand from visitors.

"China's film industry is no longer defined by box office revenue alone. It has become a new growth engine that links and energizes multiple cultural sectors. At the heart of every successful film is strong storytelling. High-quality productions create cultural value, which in turn enhances the commercial value of intellectual property and opens up new consumption opportunities. I believe China's film industry delivered an outstanding performance in the past year," said Chen Xiaoda, vice dean of Shanghai Vancouver Film School.