The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is typically a time for family reunions and visits with friends. However, this year Ren Jun and his family decided to celebrate it in a different way.

Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in the city of Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)

They set off on an adventure across northwest China, exploring ancient Buddhist caves in the mountains, discovering the secrets of temples, and even stepping into a 2,000-year-old underground tomb in the heart of the Gobi Desert.

"We're from the south, and our daughter's really into the culture of the northwestern region, so we thought it'd be a great idea to come check it out during this long break," Ren said.

In recent years, driven by a growing interest in traditional Chinese culture and greater consumption power, an increasing number of people have been choosing to spend the Spring Festival holiday exploring the country's splendid cultural wonders.

The Spring Festival, the most important festival in China, fell on Jan. 29 this year, with an eight-day public holiday break running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4. During the 40-day travel rush surrounding the holiday, China is once again experiencing the world's largest annual migration, with tourism accounting for a significant share of this travel surge.

Since Jan. 1, flight bookings to destinations known for their cultural heritage, such as the cities of Datong, Yangzhou, Quanzhou and Jingdezhen, have doubled compared to last year, according to data from Meituan Travel.

By the second day of the holiday, tickets for major attractions like the Palace Museum in Beijing were already sold out for the entire holiday, while the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province had only a few remaining tickets for the last three days of this holiday.

Fueled by rising demand for more immersive travel experiences, travel agencies are offering group tours led by scholars who provide expert guidance during the journey.

Ren's tour group was led by Xing Yaolong, a scholar with the Chinese Association of Dunhuang and Turfan Studies. With years of expertise as an expert guide, Xing has observed a "larger appetite" for cultural experiences among tourists.

Using Dunhuang's Mogao Grottoes, a treasure trove of ancient Buddhist relics and art, as an example, Xing noted that more and more people are willing to dip into their pockets for visits to the exclusive, higher-priced caves with restricted access.

Riding this wave, niche travel agencies have been popping up. Having had trouble finding a satisfactory guided tour to culture-rich Shanxi Province in north China, Ding Manwen, a former documentary filmmaker, founded "The Seekers" in 2023 -- a travel agency dedicated to cultural heritage tours.

Today, the agency offers not only in-depth tours to Shanxi but also a dozen other trips to destinations such as south China's Guangdong, east China's Fujian and southwest China's Yunnan, with all available during this Spring Festival holiday.

"As the people enjoy greater material wealth, their hunger for spiritual enrichment has only grown. Moreover, the elderly, especially retirees, are now playing a key role in driving cultural and tourism consumption," said Wang Lei, a professor at the school of government management, Beijing Normal University.

Instead of flocking to popular landmarks, many travelers have opted to visit charming, lesser-known ancient towns and villages that are buzzing with vibrant folk traditions during the Spring Festival.

A few days prior to the festival, a young man nicknamed "Daodao" shared his unique experience in Zhanqi Village in east China's Anhui Province on popular Chinese social network and lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, also known as rednote.

"As dusk falls, the village comes alive, with the sky glowing under a sea of colorful fish-shaped lanterns, swaying gently as they're carried by the crowd. The air hums with the infectious energy of village galas, cheers echoing through the crowd, as locals and tourists alike get swept up in the lively dance, moving to the rhythm of folk music," he shared in a short video, adding that he had returned to the village the following day to learn more about the fish-shaped lanterns.

To promote the fish-shaped lantern culture, an 800-year-old intangible cultural heritage item, local authorities have established workshops dedicated to this craft, while sharing schedules and locations of lantern performances on social media for the convenience of tourists.

From temple fairs to carnivals -- a wide range of events celebrating intangible cultural heritage can be found all over China these days.

For those unable to make it in person, there is the option of soaking up the festive vibes online. This year's Spring Festival Gala, broadcast by China Media Group on Chinese New Year's Eve, featured significant intangible cultural heritage content and garnered 16.8 billion views across all media platforms.

"Gorgeous! I want to travel to Wuxi and Chongqing after watching this," commented a user on the microblogging site, Weibo, in response to the gala.

"Only by understanding our roots can we know where we are headed," said another user.