I spent China’s October holiday traveling across the country on a work trip. I was working on a video project and a short post for Danwei about corner stores in China, but took some shots of crowds and buildings around China during the holiday week:
Above: Clouds cover Shanghai, September 27, 2011. This view from the observation deck of the Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong district of Shanghai is 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level. See their very fancy website here.
Workers clean the observation platform of the Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong district of Shanghai, 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level.
Taken October 5, 2011 in a crowded Tiananmen Square, Mao Zedong’s portrait is seen on the outside of the Forbidden City. China’s National Tourism Administration reported:
From Oct 1 to 7, the days of the holiday, about 24.3 million tourists went to the 119 national scenic spots that are directly overseen by the National Tourism Administration. That was about 8.84 percent more than had done so in the same period of 2010.
Children and adults alike show their support for the People’s Republic of China with flags in Tiananmen Square. While the infamous square and adjacent temple are not new to crowds, Beijing allowed more tourists in the area during the week:
Meanwhile, more than 127,800 tourists went to the Forbidden City on Sunday, far more than the maximum of 80,000 tourists that the administrative office for the site had previously said could be admitted there during a single day, according to a report by the Beijing Times. To maintain order during the holiday, more than 500 security workers were stationed at the Forbidden City. By Thursday afternoon, more than 50 ticket scalpers had been detained by the police for manipulating ticket prices, said Jiang Yanjie, deputy head of the Tiananmen public security sub-bureau.
A man collects cans and bottles from the thousands of tourists who pass through Tiananmen Square every hour during the October holiday.
The expanding cityscape of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, now home to more than 8 million people.
China’s largest lavender field outside of Shenyang, capital city of northeast China’s Liaoning Province. The park covers an area of 333 hectares.
A couple in matching “Astroboy” sweet shirts strolls through Shenyang’s lavender field, September 25, 2011.
Residents play majong in a park in central Chengdu, Sichuan Province, September 26, 2011.
A sea of tourists walks passed the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province.
A crane is sillouetted near the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, October 2, 2011.
– Further photos by Jonah Kessel from the October holiday are on Danwei here, or see Jonah Kessel’s website for more.