China on Thursday celebrated the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with nationwide flag-raising ceremonies and a record surge in travel as millions began a week-long National Day holiday.
More than 100,000 people gathered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing before dawn to watch the national flag-raising ceremony and sing the national anthem as celebrations got underway.
The square was decorated with an 18-metre-high flower basket featuring 15 floral designs and five types of fruit, symbolising the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, covering the period from 2026 to 2030.
In Hong Kong, Chief Executive John Lee and senior officials attended a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. The ceremony featured a performance by the Police Band, a fly-past and a water parade involving disciplined services vessels.
In Macao, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai joined central government officials, members of the People’s Liberation Army Macao Garrison, and representatives of the local legislature and judiciary for a flag-raising ceremony.
The celebrations mark the beginning of the National Day holiday, which runs from October 1 to 7. The break follows the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from September 25 to 27, allowing some residents to enjoy an extended 13-day break by taking additional leave.
Travel demand has surged across the country, with Chinese travel platforms reporting that tours lasting 10 days or more account for 26 percent of bookings, while international flight reservations have increased by more than 20 percent compared with last year.
Domestic flights covering more than 2,000 kilometres have also exceeded 1.74 million, representing a 14 percent increase, according to Umetrip, an official platform for China’s civil aviation sector.
The Ministry of Transport forecasts about 2.13 billion domestic trips during the holiday period, averaging around 300 million trips per day. This is about 1.7 times the normal level, with October 1 alone expected to record about 340 million trips.
Road travel, including private vehicle journeys, is expected to account for more than 90 percent of all trips. Authorities are also offering free expressway access for vehicles with seven seats or fewer from October 1 to 7.
China’s railway system has increased capacity to meet the surge in demand. China Railway Beijing Group expects to handle 22.32 million passenger trips during the 16-day holiday transport period from September 23 to October 8, with October 1 projected to be the busiest day, at about 1.79 million passenger trips.
The government has also introduced measures aimed at increasing tourism spending. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched a nationwide campaign running from late September to the end of October, while local governments are planning more than 20,000 events and providing more than 310 million yuan (about US$45.9 million) in tourism vouchers and subsidies.