The dazzling display of molten "iron flower" fireworks, a traditional Chinese folk art preserved as a national intangible cultural heritage, is staged in Southwest China's?Chongqing?Municipality on February 7, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Photo: VCG

The Chinese Spring Festival's recognition as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage has sparked a renewed global interest in the festival's rich traditions. The extended holidays for the 2025 Year of the Snake have given tens of millions of Chinese families more time to reconnect and celebrate. While some worry that the traditional new year customs are fading, the Global Times reporters found through people from various walks of life during the holidays that, while traditional customs remain cherished, the festival is embracing new forms of celebration, becoming a vibrant mix of the old and the new.

Half reunions, half getaways

One of the most striking trends this year is the rise of "travel-style" celebrations. Thanks to the 8-day extended holiday, many in China have adopted a half-and-half approach - splitting their time between cozy family reunions and adventurous getaways to new destinations.

This shift has fueled a boom in both domestic and international travels. Intangible cultural heritage tours, winter sports and sunny retreats have become the three "pillars" of this Spring Festival travel season, Trip.com, Chinese online travel service giant, told the Global Times.

China's ice and snow tourism fervor has taken center stage during the festival season. Located in China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang, the Harbin Ice-Snow World, a breathtaking ice-themed park known for its dazzling ice sculptures, has become one of China's hottest tourist destinations during the Spring Festival holidays, with over 610,000 trips made to the park, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Meanwhile, ski resorts in the northern parts of the country, including Northeast China's Jilin and Heilongjiang, North China's Hebei and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have attracted large number of ski enthusiasts. They also leveraged ice and snow resources to create a comprehensive "snow + hot springs + folk culture" experience. In the south, Yunnan Province has also made waves by offering unique winter experiences, such as high-speed rail tours to snow-capped mountains, attracting many Southeast Asian tourists.

According to statistics from Trip.com, cross-border travel bookings surged by 30 percent during the Spring Festival holidays, said The Paper. Overseas popular destinations included Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, the US, as well as Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. 

Zhao, a resident from Beijing, shared with the Global Times that this year she chose to have the traditional New Year's Eve reunion dinner at home before setting off on a family trip to Vietnam. 

"By taking just two extra days off, I could enjoy an 11-day holiday. This year's Spring Festival break gave us working folks plenty of time to recharge," she said. Zhao's family had planned to go skiing in Xinjiang, but due to the surge in prices caused by the winter tourism boom, they decided to head to Southeast Asia instead, where the weather is warm and the costs are lower.

Inbound tourism has also thrived, fueled by global fascination with Chinese culture and the "China Travel" hit. Social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, have also played a key role, as inbound tourism sees a staggering 180 percent increase in ticket sales and a 60 percent jump in hotel stays, the travel agency told the Global Times.

Ethan, a traveler from the US, shared a video of his lavish dim sum experience in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, where each dish costs just $1-2. The exquisite flavors quickly won him over, he said. In the video, he expressed his intention to stay a few extra days to experience how Chinese people celebrate the Chinese New Year, and encouraged his followers to come to China for the festivities.

Lively ICH traditions

Being the first Spring Festival to be inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) by UNESCO, destinations featuring ICH attractions and experiences have seen a big surge in popularity compared with last year, data released by multiple travel agencies revealed. 

Activities such as lantern shows and folk performances are among the hottest trends. Culturally rich experiences, including admiring lantern displays, attending temple fairs, wearing Hanfu, making rice cakes and setting off fireworks, have dominated the Spring Festival holiday, according to Fliggy, a leading online travel agency. Tourism activities involving folk performances saw a 36 percent year-on-year increase in participation, it said. 

On Trip.com, searches for lantern shows doubled during the holidays. Overseas, ticket sales for ICH-related activities surged by 7.5 times.

What's more, family-friendly "multi-functional chartered tours" also gained traction, offering experiences like Yingge dance, Sichuan face-changing opera, deity parades, puppet shows and iron-flower fireworks.

Museums and cultural venues also became highlights of local tourism markets. Beijing, with its rich cultural atmosphere, topped the list of popular destinations, followed by Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xi'an. The Palace Museum, Temple of Heaven and Yonghe Temple drew massive crowds, according to travel agency Mafengwo.

The China National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing, in particular, saw a 115 percent increase in popularity, thanks to its Spring Festival-themed exhibitions featuring over 120 ICH items and 300 national and provincial-level works.

"In previous years, I always felt that Beijing lacked some of the traditional festive atmosphere during the Spring Festival. So, when I heard about the ICH exhibition at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum, I decided to check it out. It turned out to be incredibly lively and vibrant! For the first time, I gained a deeper understanding of the historical roots of the Spring Festival, something that Chinese people often take for granted," a Beijing resident surnamed Ma told the Global Times.

Ma said she also got to appreciate the similarities and differences in customs between the north and south of China. For example, there were Shandong's intricate dough sculptures, Shanxi's "Wanghuo" (prosperity fire) and Zhejiang's dragon boat lanterns - each showcasing unique ICH traditions.