Double Delight: China’s National Day Meets Mid-Autumn Festival

From Harbin to Shanghai, a photo collage illustrates the fusion of festivities across the country.

In a rare confluence of celebrations, the National Day holiday, marking the 74th anniversary of the founding of New China, and the Mid-Autumn Festival coincided this year, offering the country an extended eight-day holiday.

This serendipitous overlap has driven a significant uptick in travel and festive preparations. According to Xinhua News Agency, traffic volume surged by 37.38% compared to last year during the initial days, while cities nationwide have ramped up festivities, decorations, and activities to mark the dual occasion.

From Harbin’s picturesque Songhua River Bridge in northeastern China to the dazzling ‘Mid-Autumn Festival Supermoon’ installation in Shanghai, landmarks and public spaces across the country have been transformed into hubs of cultural expression, attracting both locals and tourists alike.

Here are snapshots capturing the essence of this dual celebration across China.

Residents and tourists visit the highest peak of Baiyun Mountain to photograph the full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Sept. 29, 2023. Liang Yingfei for Sixth Tone

The Mid-Autumn full moon sky in Fuzhou, Zhejiang province, Sept. 29, 2023. Lü Ming/IC

The ‘Mid-Autumn Festival Supermoon’ landscape installation at the BFC Bund Financial Center, drawing a huge number of tourists. Shanghai, Sept. 28, 2023. SFC-SHEPHERD/IC

After a three-year hiatus, the Macau International Fireworks Festival resumed. Teams from ten countries and regions, including China, participated in the month-long fireworks extravaganza in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Sept. 23, 2023. VCG

The Hangzhou East Railway Station saw peak passenger flow, with the waiting hall more crowded than usual. Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Sept. 27, 2023. IC

Children celebrating the National Day holiday at Yinghui Kindergarten in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, Sept. 28, 2023. Wang Huabin/IC

An aerial view of the National Day flower installation at Zhongshan Square in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Sept. 27, 2023. Huang Jinkun/VCG

Tourists on the Songhua River Bridge in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Sept. 28, 2023. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone

A tourist posing on the Songhua River Bridge in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Sept. 28, 2023. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone

A tourist shopping at a mall in Dalian, Liaoning province, Sept. 30, 2023. Wu Jiaxiang for Sixth Tone