Spring break coincides with Qingming holiday, fueling tourism boom across China

Cities across China are experiencing a significant tourism boom as the three-day Qingming Festival holiday coincides with the first-ever student spring breaks in multiple cities, creating an extended travel period for many families.

Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year. It is a traditional Chinese festival for honoring the deceased and paying tribute to ancestors. The holiday also provides a short break for Chinese citizens as they engage in outdoor activities and sightseeing. The Qingming Festival holiday will last from April 4 to 6.

In addition, primary and secondary school students in several regions are going to enjoy their first-ever spring break to head beyond the classroom for travel and engaging in a wide range of activities. In some areas, the spring break takes place just before the three-day Qingming Festival in early April, while in others it extends into the five-day May Day holiday, allowing students to combine leave into six- to eight-day mini-breaks.

With spring in full bloom, many families are venturing into nature to enjoy the spring scenery and experience the spring atmosphere in mountains and fields.

At Maoshan Forest World, a scenic spot in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu, families from surrounding cities such as Nanjing, Nantong, and Zhenjiang are coming in groups. They interacted with adorable animals and experienced digging for bamboo shoots. Under the guidance of the staff, children identified and dug bamboo shoots, experiencing the joyful moments of labor.

"I want my child to get closer to nature, feel the breath of spring, and experience the joy of labor," said Deng Jie, a tourist.

During the holiday, traveling to famous destinations featured in textbooks has become a popular choice for many families.

In east China's Zhejiang Province, several scenic spots have introduced free admission for primary and secondary school students. At the Yanguan Ancient Town in Haining, many students can experience the spectacular sight of magnificent tidal waves of Qiantang River described in textbook.

"We just rode a bamboo raft and are going to watch the Qiantang River tidal bore tomorrow," said Zhao Ziyu, a tourist.

Integrating educational content with holiday vibes, study tours remain popular during the holiday.

At the Wujiangzhai Scenic Spot in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, after watching an ethnic performance, many young visitors went to a lantern shop to experience making intangible cultural heritage lanterns. From constructing bamboo frames to pasting paper and coloring, a teacher guided them step by step, and the visitors incorporated the scenic area's landscapes and their own life expectations into their creations.

In Liangdancheng (city of nuclear bombs), the site where China's first atomic and hydrogen bombs were designed, in Zitong County of Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, a large number of students visited the local aerospace science and technology museum. In the interactive experience area, students operated simulated spaceflight equipment, acting as little astronauts exploring a virtual universe. By wearing Mixed Reality (MR) glasses, they can observe the mysteries of planets up close.

Spring break coincides with Qingming holiday, fueling tourism boom across China

Spring break coincides with Qingming holiday, fueling tourism boom across China

Badagry, once a major slave port on Nigeria's coast, still holds the physical relics of a brutal trade that shipped millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, making it a silent witness to one of history's darkest chapters.

Sunday marks the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition. Established by UNESCO in 1997, the day is observed to honor the victims of the transatlantic slave trade and encourage reflection on its legacy.

At the height of this inhuman commerce, Badagry emerged as one of West Africa's busiest slave hubs. Local historians estimate that more than three million enslaved Africans were forcibly transported from this small coastal town to America and Europe. Centuries later, its museums, marketplaces, and historic sites still bear witness to the atrocities committed in the city.

At the Mobee Royal Family Slave Relics Museum, guide Simon Eyonam walks visitors through a haunting collection of shackles, restraints, and instruments of punishment. He demonstrates how some of these tools were used to seal the mouths of captives.

"They also use it to perforate because communication is not allowed. They put this inside the fire. They draw the upper lip and put a hole. They put another hole here. Now, after the clipping of the upper and lower lips, they have to draw the lip through this mouth clip or mouth guard," Eyonam said.

The displays leave few visitors unmoved. Hassana Babasnaya, a Nigerian visitor, said the experience was particularly unsettling because it brought her ancestors' possible suffering to mind.

"It is very sad to see how all the slaves were treated. And seeing all the instruments the ones they used to tie to their neck, the ones they used to perforate their mouths. It's just very emotional to see, knowing that some of my ancestors might have had to pass through this," she said.

Not far from the museum stands the last remaining slave market in Badagry. It is now a quiet, empty space, but local accounts describe how enslaved people were once displayed and bargained over like commodities.

The cruelty was not only physical. One of the most chilling sites in Badagry is the so-called "Slave's Spirit Attenuation Well." According to local tradition, enslaved people were forced to drink from this well before their final march to the ships. It was believed that the water had been treated with herbs and incantations to suppress resistance and erase memory. Many residents still avoid drinking from it today, a sign of how deeply the history remains embedded in local consciousness.

According to historical records, the slave trade in Badagry began in 1473 and was legally abolished in 1852, though illicit operations continued until 1888, spanning more than four centuries. This prolonged exploitation not only inflicted immense suffering on African populations but also dismantled local agricultural and craft industries, contributing to the economic and social challenges that many parts of Africa continue to face today.

Peter Olaide, the curator of Badagry Heritage Museum, said that a debt is owed to Africa for these historic wrongdoings.

"Several millions of Africans died. European countries, all those participating countries should come, apologize to Africa, and see how Africa can be compensated after the transatlantic slave trade," Olaide said.

Slave relics in Nigeria's Badagry offer glimpse into tragic past