Qingming Festival 2025: A Time for Remembrance and Renewal
Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a longheld tradition in China that has been observed for over 2,500 years. During this time, families come together to honor their ancestors by cleaning tombs, making offerings, and burning incense or joss paper.
As spring blooms across the country, the festival also encourages outdoor activities such as spring outings (踏青, tàqīng), kite flying, and enjoying seasonal treats like Qingming cakes (青团, qīngtuán)—sweet glutinous rice dumplings.
Qingming cakes are a traditional Chinese delicacy associated with the Qingming Festival, particularly popular in southern China, including regions like Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.
Made by combining glutinous rice flour with juice from mugwort or barley grass, these cakes have a distinctive green color and are typically filled with sweet fillings like red bean or sesame paste. They are steamed for a soft, chewy texture.
Eating Qingming cakes is a custom that aligns with the festival’s themes of honoring ancestors and embracing the renewal of spring.
2025: An Uninterrupted Mini-Break
This year, the Qingming Festival holiday provides a three-day break from Friday, April 4, to Sunday, April 6. Unlike some holidays that require makeup workdays, this holiday allows for an uninterrupted mini-break.
Free Expressway Travel for Small Cars and Passenger Vehicles
Planning a road trip during Qingming Festival? Great news! From 00:00 on April 4 to 24:00 on April 6, all toll roads, including airport expressways, toll bridges, and tunnels, will waive tolls for small cars and passenger vehicles.
Normal toll collection resumes at 00:00 on April 7.
Upcoming Public Holidays in 2025
Labor Day (May 1 – May 5)
Holiday: May 1 (Thursday) to May 5 (Monday) – 5 days off.
Makeup Workday: April 27 (Sunday).
Dragon Boat Festival (May 31 – June 2)
Holiday: May 31 (Saturday) to June 2 (Monday) – 3 days off.
National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival (October 1 – October 8)
Holiday: October 1 (Wednesday) to October 8 (Wednesday) – 8 consecutive days off.
Makeup Workdays: September 28 (Sunday) and October 11 (Saturday).
Related article: Starting March 20, All New Energy Vehicles Entering Hainan Island Must Use Hai’an New Port
