Chongqing — Chongqing concluded its first spring break across multiple districts and counties, coinciding with the three-day Qingming Festival holiday. Families took advantage of the period to travel, visit cultural sites, and participate in structured educational programs, while authorities worked to refine policies that ensure the break benefits both students and parents.
Children play at Chongqing Happy Valley. (Photo/Liu Li)
“Ancient Shu civilization is truly breathtaking,” said Xiao Mo, a first-year junior high student at Luneng Bashu Middle School in Liangjiang New Area, reflecting on a visit with his mother to the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan Province. To help Xiao Mo understand the history behind the artifacts, they arranged for a museum guide.
Other families also chose educational or nature-focused travel. Eleven-year-old Yang Haodi from Jiangjin explored the mountains and fields of Siping Town with friends, while Zhang Yanjia, a second-year student at Chongqing No. 7 High School, Affiliated to Chongqing University, camped near Banan District with his family, learning how to set up a tent and prepare meals outdoors. Third-grader Xiao Tong from Bashu Experimental Primary School explored tropical rainforests in Lingshui, Hainan Province, experiencing local ecology firsthand.
Tourism and recreational sites saw strong family attendance. According to Ctrip, bookings for parent-child travel in pilot cities rose more than 300% year-on-year, roughly five times the growth of non-family travelers. Local recreational spending increased by 106%, attraction ticket sales rose by 50%, and hotel bookings grew by 48%, reflecting the economic impact of family-centered travel.
With children on break but parents often still working, schools and community centers offered structured programs to ensure meaningful, supervised activities. At Chongqing Zhongshan Foreign Language School, Primary Division, more than 60 students participated in spring break activities with six teachers, combining morning exercise, reading sessions, and a creative “Finding Spring” project that turned fallen flowers and twigs into art.
Bashu Experimental Primary School hosted public welfare programs combining sports, calligraphy, pottery, and hands-on farming at its Xingzhi Nature Classroom. Community centers and micro youth palaces provided additional activities, including traditional craft workshops, kite-making, and culinary and art classes, giving children opportunities for experiential learning close to home.
Students from Bashu Experimental Primary School in Banan District, Chongqing, visit the Xingzhi Nature Classroom farm to learn about seasonal crops. (Photo/Interviewees)
Despite these programs, challenges remain. Many parents cannot take leave simultaneously with their children, limiting family participation. Rural children often face gaps in supervision, as parents work away and grandparents are unable to fully monitor them. Even where programs exist, limitations in facilities and resources can reduce their effectiveness.
Yu Tao, Secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee at Southwest University, suggested synchronizing parent and student leave, strengthening enforcement of the Regulations on Paid Annual Leave for Employees, and providing incentives, such as social security subsidies for companies that implement flexible leave policies.
Zhu Huaming, a lecturer at the School of Geography and Tourism, Chongqing Normal University, recommended an integrated school-community system in which schools provide activity design and teacher support while communities manage venues and daily operations. Trained volunteer teams could be deployed as needed to maximize resources and ensure safety.
Songling Community in Chongqing’s High-tech Zone hosts the spring break activity “Spring Fields Bean Art: Bug Adventure,” teaching children to create insect patterns with beans. (Photo/interviewees)
Yu Tao and Zhu Huaming emphasized that spring break should be a “window into society” for children, not merely supervised care. They proposed modular programs in cultural heritage, STEM learning, labor practice, and vocational experiences, supported by multi-department collaboration, to make spring break a true “second classroom.”
Chongqing’s first spring break, overlapping with the Qingming Festival holiday, highlighted a growing focus on family-centered travel, hands-on education, and community engagement. While challenges remain, coordinated efforts by schools, communities, and local authorities are expanding opportunities for children to explore, learn, and grow. By combining leisure, culture, and experiential learning, Chongqing’s approach demonstrates how holidays can be transformed into meaningful growth experiences for both children and their families.