On October 7th, Qiuyue reported from Beijing that the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development revealed exciting news: during the first five days of the National Day holiday, city parks across China attracted about 121 million visitors and hosted nearly 3,200 special events, enhancing the holiday experience for many.
Urban parks offered a plethora of engaging activities this holiday season, including flower viewing, sports and fitness events, cultural heritage showcases, and lively lantern festivals. For instance, Luogang Park in Hefei, Anhui, held the “China Hefei Youth Football Elite Tournament” alongside a circus festival. In Nanjing, Jiangsu, visitors enjoyed food fairs and cultural heritage markets at Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake Parks, where they could savor local dishes and appreciate traditional crafts. Meanwhile, Anshan City in Liaoning kicked off the 2024 outdoor table tennis series, aptly named “National Sport in the Park,” celebrating the holiday with energetic festivities. In Shanghai, the Shanghai Zoo and Botanical Garden featured an exhibition called “Butterfly Dance in Golden Autumn,” along with a horticultural culture showcase.
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism shared that the capital welcomed about 21.6 million visitors during the National Day holiday, reflecting an 18.35% increase over last year. This surge generated a whopping 26.9 billion yuan in tourism revenue, marking an 11.67% rise and setting new records for the city.
This year, holiday-goers particularly enjoyed cultural heritage tours, exploring the Beijing Central Axis, suburban excursions, short getaways, sports events, visits to distinctive cultural shopping districts, lantern festivals, and popular social media spots. The top ten tourist attractions in Beijing included iconic sites such as Wangfujing, Qianmen Street, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Nanluoguxiang, Yuanmingyuan, Olympic Park, Blue Harbor, Olympic Forest Park, and Shougang Park.
Rural tourism also experienced a boost, welcoming 4.55 million visitors—an increase of 13.6%—and generating 602 million yuan in revenue, a 4.5% rise. The standout rural destinations included Yanqing, Miyun, and Huairou Districts.
The performing arts scene thrived as well, featuring 367 commercial performances made up of 2,071 shows—an impressive 14% rise from the previous year. A rich variety of high-quality productions like theme showcases, concerts, dramas, operas, and family-friendly performances enriched the holiday cultural offerings.
In Beijing, public cultural institutions hosted a total of 855 community cultural activities, attracting around 446,900 participants. Among them, the Beijing Garden Expo’s “Beijing Color Lantern Festival” drew approximately 100,000 visitors, generating over 12 million yuan in revenue. Meanwhile, three major cultural venues in the Beijing urban sub-center welcomed nearly 299,000 visitors.
On a national scale, science museums offered a plethora of activities, attracting an estimated 3 million visitors and sparking a wave of enthusiasm for science education during the holiday. The China Science and Technology Museum kicked off an educational initiative titled “Forty Years of Prosperity and the Dream of a Strong Nation through Technological Innovation.” With interactive experiences, hands-on practices, scientific experiments, and lectures, the program aimed to inspire the youth and ignite a passion for science. The museum’s first immersive stage drama, “The Light of Huaxia—The Flame of Civilization,” was met with widespread acclaim, drawing 200,000 visitors over the holiday, with over 90% coming from outside Beijing.
Across different regions, science museums supported cultural public endeavors by providing innovative exhibitions and activities. For instance, the Tianjin Science Museum introduced outdoor thematic study programs focused on “Young Biologists,” “Agricultural Research,” and “Cell Technology,” helping children grasp modern agricultural intelligence and efficiency. Liaoning Science Museum hosted a themed science event that attracted 138,000 visitors, while Guangxi Science Museum showcased exhibitions like the “Pianlu Canal Science Exhibition,” allowing audiences to appreciate China’s advancements and the charm of technology.
