Beijing, China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of visitors at Tiananmen Square, taking photos; Great Hall of the People

Gulangyu Island, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, east China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Aerial shot of Bagua Building, Gulangyu Island
3. Spectators waving Chinese national flags
4. Various of music performance in progress; pianist playing piano duet with robot
5. Spectators waving Chinese national flags

Minqin County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province, northwest China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Cyclists riding along desert highway
7. Father helping daughter sled down sand dune
8. Vehicles driving along desert highway

Libo County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of Xiaoqikong Scenic Area; seven-arched stone bridge, green waters, visitors

Daxin County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of Detian Transnational Waterfall, visitors

Wuzhizhou Island, Sanya City, Hainan Province, south China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of Wuzhizhou Island; ferry terminal, corals, speedboat, visitors
12. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yu Bin, visitor (ending with shots 13-15):
"With the sea and mountains all around us and red national flags everywhere, I felt especially proud to be enjoying our country's beautiful scenery while celebrating National Day.".
13. Aerial shot of red-roofed pavilion, Lovers’ Bridge
14. Aerial shot of yachts sailing
15. Aerial shot of yacht spinning in circles, leaving white wake on water

Linqing City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. Traditional culture performance in progress, visitors watching
17. Various of visitors sampling local food

Jianhu County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, east China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
18. Aerial shot of cultural market
19. Various of Huai Opera performance in progress, visitors watching

Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, southwest China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
20. Aerial shot of cultural market
21. Lion dance performance in progress
22. Various of traditional craft activities in progress

Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
23. Aerial shot of cultural performance in progress
24. Various of visitors buying local cakes
25. Various of visitors walking, enjoying tea by riverside
26. Stone bridge, visitors
27. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Luo Yanqi, visitor (starting from shot 26/ending with shot 28)::
"You can see historic buildings here and try your hand at traditional crafts. There are tea cakes and glutinous rice cakes, too. It feels so relaxing, and you can really feel the National Day atmosphere."
28. Various of visitors

Shanghai, China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
29. Fireworks over river
30. Sightseeing cruise sailing, illuminated buildings along river
31. Various of robot performing martial arts, child interacting with robot aboard cruise; visitors taking photos

Tianjin Municipality, north China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
32. Various of light show along river, images projected onto buildings; visitors watching, taking photos; sightseeing cruise sailing

Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
33. Various of fireworks over Yangtze River, spectators taking photos

Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, east China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
34. Fireworks over Gan River with Tengwang Pavilion in view
35. Various of fireworks over river; spectators taking photos
36. Drones forming image of Tengwang Pavilion

Hong Kong, China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
37. Various of fireworks over Victoria Harbour

Macao, China - Oct 1, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
39. Various of fireworks over river with Macao Tower in view
40. Various of cultural gala in progress, spectators

Tourists flocked to scenic areas and heritage towns across China on Thursday as the seven-day National Day holiday began, with cultural performances, cruises and fireworks adding to celebrations marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

More than 300,000 people visited Beijing's Tiananmen area on the first day of the holiday, many carrying national flags and posing for photos.

On Gulangyu Island off Xiamen, in the eastern province of Fujian, music filled the lanes of the UNESCO World Heritage site. At a waterfront performance, a pianist played a duet with a piano-playing robot, while children also took to the stage.

For travelers seeking open landscapes, the choices ranged from the dunes of Minqin County in northwestern Gansu Province, where visitors walked on the sand and tried off-road rides, to the Xiaoqikong Scenic Area in southwestern Guizhou Province. The latter is known for a seven-arched stone bridge, green waters and waterfalls set amid Libo County's World Heritage-listed karst landscape.

Farther south, visitors stopped at Detian Transnational Waterfall in Daxin County, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on the border with Vietnam. Others headed to the coast, with more than 6,000 people visiting Wuzhizhou Island off Sanya, in the southern island province of Hainan, on the first day of the holiday.

"With the sea and mountains all around us and red national flags everywhere, I felt especially proud to be enjoying our country's beautiful scenery while celebrating National Day," said visitor Yu Bin.

The holiday trip could also be a journey through regional culture. In the eastern province of Shandong, visitors to Dongwanyuan Scenic Area in Linqing watched stage performances and sampled local food. In neighboring Jiangsu Province, Jiulongkou Scenic Area in Jianhu County featured Huai Opera, a regional form of traditional Chinese opera, alongside folk performances.

In the southwest, craft workshops and cultural markets lined both banks of the Nanhe River in Chengdu's Xinjin District, showcasing traditions from Sichuan Province and neighboring Chongqing.

Back in eastern China, the canals and old buildings of Xinshi Ancient Town in Zhejiang Province provided a setting for handmade crafts and stalls selling freshly prepared local snacks.

"You can see historic buildings here and try your hand at traditional crafts. There are tea cakes and glutinous rice cakes, too. It feels so relaxing, and you can really feel the National Day atmosphere," said visitor Luo Yanqi.

After dark, the festivities shifted to the waterfront. In Shanghai, fireworks lit up the sky over Wusongkou. On a Huangpu River sightseeing cruise, passengers watched a robot perform martial arts, while children interacted with it against a backdrop of illuminated buildings.

Along Tianjin Municipality's Haihe River, a light show projected city landmarks and scenes of local life. Fireworks also burst above the Yangtze River in Wuhan, in central Hubei Province, and over the Gan River in Nanchang, in eastern Jiangxi Province. In Nanchang, the display rose beyond Tengwang Pavilion, the city's riverside landmark, putting the illuminated structure and fireworks in the same view.

The celebrations continued in Hong Kong, where more than 30,000 fireworks shells lit up Victoria Harbour on Thursday night. Macao marked the anniversary with fireworks and a cultural gala, including an orchestral performance.