China expects to see 18.4 million railway passenger trips on Tuesday, the eve of the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
To accommodate the surge in travel demand, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. has scheduled an additional 2,002 trains.
The railway network is projected to reach peak passenger flow on Wednesday. The holiday travel rush began on Monday and will continue until October 10.
The extra trains will primarily serve high-demand routes, including connections from major cities such as Shenzhen to Hong Kong, Wuhan, and from Beijing to Zhengzhou, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Xi'an, and Jinan, as well as routes from Guangzhou to Nanning and from Hangzhou to Beijing.
From Monday to Thursday, and again from October 7 to 9, nighttime high-speed trains will operate on busy routes. High-speed sleeper trains will also be added for connections from Beijing to Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as from Beijing and Shanghai to the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Guizhou.
This year’s holiday will see an increase in circular high-speed rail services, thanks to new lines now in operation. For example, the recently opened Shenyang-Baihe high-speed railway in the northeastern region has enabled circular train services between the provincial capital cities of Shenyang and Changchun. Additionally, the circular high-speed rail line in eastern China's Shandong Province will operate multiple trains to cities within the province and neighboring Jiangsu Province. In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, special tourist trains have connected the northern and southern regions.
Passengers can also buy discounted tickets on select routes. The Zhengzhou Railway Bureau is offering a 40 percent discount on business class and second-class seats for five additional nighttime high-speed trains from Luoyang Longmen Station to Zhengzhou East Station in central China's Henan Province, while first-class seats will see a 41-percent reduction from original prices.
China's railways to see passenger surge ahead of National Day Holiday
Breaking long-standing Western heroic narrative conventions in filmmaking, the trending Chinese anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East", is reshaping global cinematic discourse on war and peace.
The summer blockbuster was released on Tuesday nationwide and had earned box office revenue of more than 536 million yuan (around 79.5 million U.S. dollars) as of 22:00 Friday.
The story centers on Xu Fu, a down-on-his-luck Chinese chef portrayed by celebrated comedian Shen Teng, who travels to the Middle East to settle his debts. There, he joins forces with a local restaurant manager to operate a bustling restaurant, bringing authentic Chinese culinary traditions to a war-torn foreign land.
As a distinct Chinese anti-war feature, "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" abandons timeworn Western heroic storytelling. The film adopts the humble viewpoint of Xu Fu, an ordinary cook. Through his eyes as a neutral bystander, it portrays the struggles and sufferings of ordinary people trapped in conflict and uses food and everyday life to explore survival, compassion and the value of peace, rather than focusing on the battlefield.
Such a narrative perspective is quite pioneering among global anti-war film productions.
"It realistically reflects the turmoil of war. Therefore, we desire peace and oppose the suffering that wars of aggression inflict upon the people," a moviegoer praised.
Meanwhile, the blockbuster has garnered massive overseas anticipation prior to its international debut. Many global film enthusiasts agree that the production epitomizes a transformative shift in Chinese film industry, which is overhauling Hollywood's established narrative paradigms and reinterpreting the global narrative of war and peace at a higher level.
"Just imagine how this story would unfold if Hollywood were to film it. It would almost certainly follow the standard formula of superheroes, super-soldiers, or elite operatives swooping in, resolving the crisis in a flash, and then disappearing. What does the 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' offer? The idea that the best days are those spent sharing a meal together. Conversely, what drives people to fight instead of dining together? Anyone who has seen the film knows the answer. That is why some netizens have said that if this movie were to compete for a U.S. Oscar award, it would be a voice representing the Global South," said Zuo Heng, a researcher at the China Film Archive.
Many scholars also hold the view that war narratives on international screens have long revolved around contests of victory and military conquest, but "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" does not stoke hatred nor glorify victory by force. Instead, it hides the key to peace amid the mundane routines of daily meals.
This vision of peace, rooted in the moderation and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization, blazes a new trail of expression for global anti-war films.
It constitutes an innovation in film creation and enables the world to see perceptions of peace different from those of the West.
"The film delivers an anti-war perspective that diverges from the Hollywood paradigm. It abandons Hollywood-style individualism, and quietly challenges the 'America First' mindset. 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' keeps exploring innovative approaches to shape contemporary Chinese discourse and narrative systems," said Sun Jiashan, a researcher with the Department of Chinese Culture Education and Research under the Central Institute of Socialism.
Chinese anti-war film offers new cinematic narrative on war and peace
