At the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, a painting named "Spring Excursion" depicts people enjoying the natural spring scenery. It is believed by many to be the oldest surviving Chinese landscape painting, dating back over 1,400 years.

Spring excursion, or spring outing, which is literally "Taqing" in Chinese, is a centuries-old Chinese tradition that continues to ignite people's passion for travel in contemporary society.

During the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that ended on Saturday, a total of 119 million domestic tourist trips were made, up 11.5 percent on a comparable basis from the same period of 2019, with a tourism expenditure of 53.95 billion yuan (about $7.6 billion), an increase of 12.7 percent from 2019.

Flower viewing

Flower viewing, a traditional custom of enjoying beautiful flowers in spring, was one of the most popular activities during the Qingming holiday as observed by traveling companies.

According to China's online travel agency Ctrip, during the Qingming holiday, bookings for scenic spots known for mountainous scenery or vibrant flowers increased by 7.7 times and 3.9 times year on year, respectively.

Local governments and businesses have been busy welcoming tourists from across the country during the peak blossom season, as tourists have been eager to enjoy a variety of flowers from cherry blossoms and peonies to azaleas and rapeseed flowers.

In the downtown of the northern municipality of Tianjin, the block of "Wudadao," literally meaning five avenues, is renowned for its architecture and the former residences of celebrities in the early 1900s. During the Qingming holiday, the block received over 2 million visits by tourists eager to admire the crabapple blossoms along its streets.

A crabapple blossom festival held by the local government, featuring pop-up markets and musical performances, also created new opportunities for local businesses.

Wu Sitong, who runs a coffee shop in Wudadao, said they sold crabapple-inspired ice cream and cups during the festival, and that "the recent period saw a peak in customers at the shop and the turnover doubled the usual figure."