More travelers choose moon-viewing flights for China's Mid-Autumn Festival

Moon viewing has always been at the heart of China's Mid-Autumn Festival, a tradition of gathering under the brightest moon of the year to celebrate family reunions. This year, more travelers than ever are taking that ancient ritual to the skies, admiring the full moon through the window of a plane cruising at an altitude of about 10,000 meters.

Data from an online travel booking platform showed that searches for "moon-viewing flights" increased by 200 percent year on year during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Friday.

Moon-viewing flights are scheduled at night during the Mid-Autumn Festival, offering passengers an unobstructed view of the full moon from above the clouds.

Data from Umetrip, a Chinese aviation and travel service platform, shows that more than 3,000 domestic moon-viewing flights are scheduled this year, with more than 150,000 passengers expected to take these flights during the optimal viewing period.

Unlike previous years, many travelers this year are considering factors such as flight direction, departure and arrival times, and aircraft window size when purchasing tickets and selecting seats, hoping to get a better moon-viewing experience.

"Among passengers buying night flights, the number of users actively checking aircraft models increases by 200 percent compared with last month. During seat selection, over 50 percent of users book and lock window seats in advance, and this proportion is even higher on popular moon-viewing routes. This also shows that demand for this romantic high-altitude moon-viewing experience is growing," said Shi Ke, a researcher from the Qunar Big Data Research Institute.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is an occasion for families to gather, share mooncakes and admire the full moon together.

More travelers choose moon-viewing flights for China's Mid-Autumn Festival

A Mid-Autumn symphony concert celebrating shared cultural heritage and family ties across the Taiwan Strait was held Thursday evening in Beijing, bringing together traditional Chinese music, opera, popular classics and contemporary orchestral works.

Jointly hosted by the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League Central Committee and the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, the concert opened with "Lunar Overture", with flowing orchestral melodies evoking the poetic beauty of a Mid-Autumn night.

Throughout the evening, traditional Chinese instrumental music, Chinese opera, classic pop songs and modern symphonic works were woven together, expressing affection for the homeland, bonds between compatriots separated by the sea, and a shared aspiration for family and national reunification.

"We selected some well-known pieces that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have long been familiar with, such as 'The Moon Represents My Heart' and 'The Girl of Alishan.' Through these pieces that our audience can hear, feel and resonate with, we hope they will experience the fact that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same roots and cultural heritage. We aim to build a cultural bridge across the strait through art, bring hearts closer together, and ultimately express our shared wish for national reunification," said Zhang Gaoxiang, chief director of the concert.

"When that stirring music began to play, I felt that we really are one family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, that our cultures have been passed down through the same lineage, and I could strongly feel a sense of pride in our nation," said an audience member from Taiwan.

Mid-Autumn symphony concert in Beijing celebrates shared cultural roots across Taiwan Strait