China sees surge in inbound tourism during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

China's inbound tourism reached new highs during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with immigration authorities reporting record-breaking border crossings as the country's expanded visa-free policies attracted international visitors.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival fell on May 31 this year.

According to the National Immigration Administration, about 231,000 foreign travelers entered China under visa exemption programs during the three-day holiday, marking a 59.4 percent year-on-year increase.

Beijing's ports handled 178,000 border crossings, including 54,000 foreign nationals, a 34.7 percent jump from 2024. The capital hosted over 1,700 themed cultural events during the holiday, blending traditional celebrations with modern attractions.

"It's very delicious. You have the sweet ones. You have the salty ones. I like both. I think zongzi is absolutely delicious and I look forward every year to have some zongzi with my friends," said a French tourist enjoying the festival treats.

Ancient capitals emerged as favorite destinations, with northwest China's Xi'an seeing 17,000 border crossings, up 63 percent year on year.

Central China's Hubei Province, hometown of poet Qu Yuan, reported a 21.1 percent increase in international visitors exploring landmarks like the Yellow Crane Tower, using China's efficient rail network.

Regionally-focused policies were popular, particularly the six-month-old visa exemptions for South Korean and Japanese citizens. Since the visa-free policies took effect last November, Liaoning Province in northeast China has received 140,000 foreign arrivals, a 40 percent year-on-year growth, with 71 percent coming from these two nations.

"It was my first time visiting China and to Dalian. So what I liked about traveling to Dalian was that it was clean, had a lot of delicious food, and was convenient for traveling," said a Korean tourist.

In the eastern province of Shandong, 420 passengers arrived on cruise ships from South Korea's Pyeongtaek on May 31, the first day of the holiday, including 260 first-time visa-free visitors.

Data shows that during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the number of Korean tourists entering and leaving ports in Shandong reached 11,000, an increase of 117.5 percent year on year.

"We coordinated in advance with cruise operators and travel agencies to obtain passenger information and itineraries, implementing dedicated channels for Japanese and Korean tour groups while prioritizing clearance for seniors, children, and other special-needs travelers," said Sun Feixiang, head of the fifth duty team at the Yantai Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was a major draw during the holiday, with its "Greater Bay Area Dragon Boat Championship" featuring teams from all three regions. Traditional five-color zongzi and trendy ice zongzi emerged as popular souvenirs, reflecting the blend of heritage and modernity that attracted record numbers of travelers through area border crossings.

Shenzhen's major ports including Luohu, Huanggang and Futian all reported historic passenger volumes. The Shenzhen Bay Port hit 20 million crossings for the year on June 2, 45 days earlier than in 2024, with holiday traffic up approximately 30 percent year on year. Huanggang Port alone processed over 690,000 passenger crossings and 30,000 vehicles during the three-day holiday.

"Shenzhen is a nice city, I think, for my parents. It's their first time visiting China," said French tourist Valentin, echoing the international appeal of the region.

Zhuhai's border crossings with Macao handled 1.964 million passenger trips, a 6.7 percent year-on-year increase, while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge experienced 55 percent more vehicle traffic and 45 percent more passengers compared to last year.

China sees surge in inbound tourism during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

A new Type 055 guided-missile destroyer, the Dongguan (Hull 109), recently completed its first maritime training at the waters of the East China Sea after commissioning to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

During this combat-oriented training exercise, the Dongguan not only completed single-vessel training subjects such as navigating through narrow waterways and damage control, but also coordinated with other warships in the formation to conduct joint operation drills, including maritime assault missions, at-sea replenishment, and multi-domain coordinated strikes.

With the improved performance of weaponry and equipment, the software and hardware of the Dongguan are vastly different from those of previous vessels. Sailors onboard the warship said that it's much more well-equipped and responsive.

"The Dongguan can now observe farther and hear more clearly. From detecting the target to launching strikes, it may take only a few seconds. However, seeing farther and wider also brings exponentially more interference factors. This requires us to practice and observe more frequently to accumulate experience, so as to enable rapid identification and efficient response," said Guo Tian, a lieutenant onboard the Gongguan.

In addition to diversified subjects with a clear combat focus, the Dongguan also faced challenges posed by harsh weather conditions during the training exercise. The crew remained at their posts throughout the process, demonstrating exceptional skills in maneuvering the vessel.

"To accelerate the combat readiness of the vessel, we participated fully in the testing and trial navigation missions from the very beginning of taking over the ship. The very first power trial navigation was independently completed by our own crew. Throughout this process, we not only learned how to operate the ship, but also understood the working principles behind its operation. This has laid a solid foundation for our combat-oriented training and equipment maintenance," said Zhang Chen, a helmsman onboard the Dongguan.

"During this maritime training exercise, we adhered to a problem-oriented approach. By creating complex settings and simulating real combat scenarios, we thoroughly tested the quality and effectiveness of the integration of trial and training during the equipment handover period, while systematically validating the combat effectiveness of the new equipment. Next, we will further optimize deployment, consolidate our foundation, strengthen coordination and cooperation, actively integrate into formation and group training, and continuously enhance the vessel’s comprehensive combat capabilities," said Shen Kai, commanding officer onboard the Dongguan.

The Type 055 destroyer is the fourth-generation destroyer independently developed and built by China. As one of the Chinese PLA Navy's most advanced surface warships, it carries advanced radar, universal vertical launch systems, and comprehensive radio frequency system, serving as the core the naval fleets for far-sea missions.

The Dongguan was commissioned to the PLA Navy together with another Type 055, the Anqing (Hull 110). With these additions, the number of China's Type 055 10,000-ton-class destroyers has risen to 10 since the first Type 055 destroyer Nanchang (Hull 101) was commissioned in 2020.

China's newly commissioned Type 055 destroyer Donggaun completes 1st maritime training