China’s ‘golden week’ gains added lustre as millions make up for lost time after coronavirus outbreak

Millions are using the extended National Day break to enjoy a ‘belated lunar new year’ after the Covid-19 pandemic wrecked their plans for the earlier festival

Consumer spending is starting to bounce back, with tourist revenues reaching US$46bn halfway through the break

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Visitors crowd onto a narrow alley in Zhujiajiao Water Town on the outskirts of Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 9:04pm, 5 Oct 2020Updated: 11:48pm, 5 Oct 2020

Shops have extended business hours while traffic has returned to the roads and people to the streets as tens of millions of Chinese enjoyed a “belated spring festival” during the current extended national holiday.

The current holiday, which began on National Day last Thursday, has been extended to eight days, offering a long-anticipated break for many holidaymakers as the country tries to get back on its feet after the Covid-19 outbreak.

The disease, which was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, severely disrupted Lunar New Year celebrations, traditionally the main Chinese festival, and killed at least 4,600 people in the country.

But no new domestic infections have been reported since mid-August, according the National Health Commission, triggering a mini-boom in tourism as the authorities relaxed travel restrictions and opened attractions to the public.

Millions of families have taken advantage of the extended “golden week” break to meet family members and friends, especially those who faced months of tight controls.

They include Qiu Min, a 26-year-old from Wuhan, who met her fiancé’s family for the first time on Monday.