Domestic travel in China hit record highs both in 2025 and during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli said on Saturday.
The minister made the statement in briefing news media on China's travel boom in the past year and this year's Spring Festival holiday running from Feb 15 to 23, at a press conference on people's livelihood on the sidelines of the fourth annual session of the 14th National People's Congress.
"This year's Spring Festival holiday saw a surge in China's culture and tourism market. During the nine-day holiday, the country recorded 596 million domestic tourist trips, with tourism spending surpassing 800 billion yuan (about 115.93 billion U.S. dollars), both setting new records," Sun said.
The travel surge during the Spring Festival holiday season was merely a snapshot, the minister said, adding that the past year witnessed thriving momentum across the culture and tourism sectors.
"Data show that the business revenue of enterprises above the designated size (those each with an annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more) in culture and related industries hit 15 trillion yuan in 2025, up 7.4 percent year on year, while their total profits reached 1.4 trillion yuan, up 6.5 percent year on year. In terms of tourism, domestic tourist trips by Chinese residents exceeded 6.5 billion, up more than 16 percent year on year, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.5 percent -- setting new records in both the volume and spending," Sun said.
The annual session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, opened on Thursday and is scheduled to run till March 12.
China's domestic travel hits record highs in 2025: official
Science popularization and education are vital to fueling China's innovation-driven development, said Xu Xing, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Saturday in Beijing.
Xu Xing, who is also director of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a professor at Yunnan University, shared his views on science popularization in a group interview ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.
Xu noted that as a scientist and a political advisor, he has participated in the science lecture program organized by the CPPCC many times, adding that he has entered campuses to tell children stories about the dinosaur and share the joy of scientific research, and he deeply feels that this activity is particularly meaningful and valuable.
He also pointed out that during the science lectures, he often uses his own personal experiences to demonstrate to children that science is actually interesting and worth pursuing, sowing seeds of a love for science in their hearts.
Recalling the eager eyes of children and their aspirations for science, the professor shared touching stories from his science popularization efforts.
"I remember after a science lecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a group of children from the Uygur ethnic group surrounded me, asking questions one after another. I still clearly remember their eyes longing for knowledge. After a science lecture in Liaoning, I remember some children hugged me tightly and were reluctant to leave. Many children told me, 'Mr. Xu, I hope to become a scientist like you when I grow up.' Others asked, 'Mr. Xu, can you tell me how to become a scientist?' They expressed their yearning for science during the lecture," he said.
Xu also said that technological innovation and science popularization are two drivers of innovative development, and he will keep moving forward in advancing China's scientific culture.
He expressed a strong hope that more science and technology workers would dedicate themselves to science education in primary and secondary schools and to the advancement of science popularization across the country.
The fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee opened in Beijing on Wednesday and will run through March 11.
Professor advocates science popularization to inspire future innovators at CPPCC session
