China opened the Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, on Sunday with nationwide tributes to fallen heroes.
The annual observance, which had been rooted in centuries-old traditions of honouring ancestors, was marked this year by the remembrance of modern-day sacrifices, including those of police and auxiliary officers and community workers.
Ceremonies were held across the country, where families, officials and local communities gathered to lay flowers, observe moments of silence and pay respects at memorial sites.
Fallen heroes remembered
During the country-wide commemoration, individuals who lost their lives in the line of duty were given tribute.
Among those remembered were police officers and personnel who died while serving the public, as well as grassroots workers whose efforts supported communities at the local level.
This year, their stories were brought into focus.
In Jiangsu province, 26-year-old Xie Yufeng was honoured after losing his life while attempting to rescue a suicidal man from a river.
In Ningxia, Yang Guolin, 34, was remembered for saving an unconscious driver trapped in a tanker truck filled with toxic gas, sacrificing his own life in the process.
Others, like poverty alleviation worker Fang Xuan, who died in a car accident, were commemorated for their dedication to improving rural livelihoods, Xinhua news agency reported.
Fang was travelling to a village site for her poverty-relief work when the accident happened. Prior to that, she had managed to give aid to hundreds of rural households.
Some were also honoured for years of service that ultimately took a toll on their health, including veteran officers who died from overwork after decades on the job.
Tribute
Zhang Xuejie, 55, was also given tribute. He was a veteran trace evidence examiner in Guangdong province, who died after 33 years of service.
His work contributed 400 forensic reports and helped 2,000 crime investigations, all without any mistakes.
In Urumqi, police station chief Cui Wenliang, 51, was also remembered after dying from a sudden illness in March 2025, after having carried out more than 800 services for residents, such as medicine delivery and fire rescue.
In Inner Mongolia, traffic officer Zhang Bingyi died in January 2024 after being struck by a vehicle while directing drivers to safety during a snowstorm.
He was said to have spent years of intensive field duty that kept him away from home for 300 days a year.
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Qingming Festival drives travel, spending
The country also saw a surge in travel at the start of the three-day festival, which coincided with primary and secondary students’ spring break in many regions.
According to the Chinese authorities, about 845 million passenger trips were recorded, driven largely by family trips.
Traffic was up six per cent year-on-year, with the traffic volume on expressways exceeding 62.67 million vehicles, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Scenic attractions
Tomb-sweeping rituals and rural tourism also boosted consumption in the countryside, with increased spending on hotels, car rentals and scenic attractions.
Due to this, the government has adopted measures to reduce road congestion, such as temporarily waiving expressway tolls for passenger cars with seven or fewer seats.
The Ministry of Transport also implemented actions to lessen traffic, such as by expanding capacity and enhancing new energy vehicles’ charging at expressway service locations.
Meanwhile, tourist attractions and graveyards have extended their operating hours.
Tradition and remembrance
This year’s Qingming Festival saw people across China coming together to honour the fallen with a mix of traditional rituals and public commemorations.
In Sichuan’s Zhongjiang County, a ceremony was held by new military recruits to pledge before the statue of a Korean War hero, where they vowed to honour the legacy of their predecessors.
Apart from flower-laying and moments of silence at cemeteries, the activities also included organised visits by schools, government offices and community groups, Xinhua reported.
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Shameeka Voyiya 
Carmela Calling