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China's ports see high passenger traffic during Qingming holiday

China

China

China

China's ports see high passenger traffic during Qingming holiday

2026-04-06 16:16 Last Updated At:04-08 10:56

Passenger traffic at international ports across China remained high during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, as people of Chinese ancestry, returning to participate in annual traditions, joined the steadily growing inflow of international travelers.

Falling on April 5 this year, Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival for honoring the deceased and paying tribute to ancestors.

During this Qingming holiday, ports in east China's Jiangsu Province are expected to inspect and clear approximately 34,000 cross-border travelers. Returning home for tomb sweeping, taking parent-child educational trips, and going on cross-border spring outings have become the primary purposes of travel.

"I came to Wuxi City this time because I wanted to see the cherry blossoms at Yuantouzhu. The new direct flight route from Kuala Lumpur to Wuxi is very fast, and China's 30-day visa-free policy for Malaysia is very convenient," said a Malaysian traveler surnamed Chen.

In Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, average daily passenger traffic during this Qingming holiday is expected to reach 990,000, potentially breaking historical peak records, with the single-day peak possibly exceeding 1.13 million.

At Shenzhen's Liantang Port, many cycling enthusiasts from Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) crossed the border with their bicycles.

The border inspection authorities have deployed new temporary inspection platforms to facilitate rapid clearance during peak hours.

"Very efficient, very quick and we just love cycling through here. It's very easy to cross and very convenient," said a foreign tourist named Jagdish.

China's ports see high passenger traffic during Qingming holiday

China's ports see high passenger traffic during Qingming holiday

The delegation of the Houthis returned to Sanaa on Thursday after signing an agreement with Yemen's government to exchange detainees. During their talks in the Jordanian capital of Amman, the two sides signed the agreement to exchange around 1,750 detainees from both sides following months of UN-sponsored negotiations.

The agreement includes the release of detainees linked to the Yemeni government, the Houthis, allied military formations, and members of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, according to statements issued by the two sides.

This marks the largest exchange of detainees between the two sides since the conflict in Yemen broke out in 2014.

The swap is expected to take place on July 10 this year.

"Before the swap, there are still some procedures that we will announce at an appropriate time, such as confirming whether there are any detainees left in both sides' prisons. In addition, we also need to prepare for welcoming the released detainees back," said Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the Houthis' prisoner affairs committee.

A UN-mediated truce between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, brokered in April 2022, lasted six months before expiring. However, both sides have largely maintained a "de facto ceasefire" since then.

The last major UN-mediated detainees swap between the two sides took place in 2023, with around 900 detainees released.

Houthis delegation returns to Sanaa for prisoner swap

Houthis delegation returns to Sanaa for prisoner swap

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