China’s Qingming Festival holiday just wrapped up with a record-breaking 845 million trips recorded nationwide, blending ancient traditions with modern wanderlust. From tomb-sweeping rituals to cherry blossom selfies, travelers flooded roads, rails, and waterways from April 4-6, 2026.
Road trips dominated with 778 million journeys (+5.8% YoY), while rail travel saw the biggest spike at 8.2% growth. Even waterway transport surged nearly 10%, though air travel dipped slightly – possibly due to TikTok-fueled ‘slow travel’ trends among Gen-Z explorers 🧳.
This year’s 6% overall increase reflects both post-pandemic recovery and younger generations reconnecting with cultural roots. As one Beijing student told us: ‘It’s like Coachella meets family history class – but with way better dumplings.’ 🥟
