A photo taken on January 31, 2025, shows a dragon dance performance at Qionglai, Sichuan Province, China. /VCG

China experienced a significant boom in its culture and tourism market, with several sectors setting records during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that concluded on Tuesday.

During the holiday, 501 million domestic trips were made, a rise of 5.9 percent from the previous year. Tourist spending hit a record high of over 677 billion yuan ($92.6 billion) during the period, a 7 percent year-on-year increase.

A photo taken on January 29, 2025, shows a lion dance performance at Linyi, Shandong Province, China. /VCG

The 2025 Spring Festival marked the first celebration since the holiday's inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, prompting a deeper exploration of its cultural significance across the country. Various regions organized traditional events such as temple fairs, lion dances, dragon dances, and bench lantern dragons, drawing large crowds of both locals and tourists.

Cultural performances during the holiday were as lively as they were diverse, with traditional performances such as opera and folk arts gaining immense popularity.

Visiting museums became a favored activity, with institutions such as the Palace Museum, the Shaanxi History Museum, and the Sanxingdui Museum seeing high foot traffic. Exploring unique exhibitions has now become a popular way for people to celebrate the Chinese New Year.