National Day Holiday - Golden Week
Suitable for Grades 4-6
Ignite Curiosity!
See?
What do you see?
Think?
What does it make you think about?
Wonder?
What questions do you have?
Explore Ideas!
WHAT IS GOLDEN WEEK?
October 1st is China's National Day which commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 (Communist China). There are usually national celebrations and military parades in Tian'anmen Square, Beijing to acknowledge and celebrate the day. National Day is always a week long celebration, October 1–7 and is referred to as ‘Golden Week’. It is the biggest week for tourism in China when people have a week off to visit their families and take trips for the holiday around China and abroad. Because it is a national holiday and China has a big population, this means millions of people travel across China and there are large crowds everywhere during this week.
HOW IS IT CELEBRATED?
Explore these images below and ask students to notice ways they observe the festival being celebrated. Then watch the videos on the next page and discuss together activities done and anything else they note about the festival.
- Tiananmen Square at the Forbidden Palace with a national Chinese flag.
- Chinese tourists get ready to travel.
- Chinese tourists visit the beach
China celebrates National Day ‘Golden Week’ holiday with colour and crowds:
Which activities would you like to try?
China’s Golden Week By Numbers:
Which of the different destinations would you most like to visit? Why?
Article:
Identify the key info about the festival and how it is celebrated.
Create!
ACTIVITY: TOURISM IN CHINA
Brainstorm together famous tourist spots in China - e.g. The Great Wall or The Panda Reserve (in Chengdu). There are many famous tourism spots that are visited during National Week and at other times during the year. Activities:
- look through the images in 17 Best Places to Visit in China
- watch China Top Ten video
- make a poster drawing their favourite places they would like to visit.
ACTIVITY: SUSTAINABLE TRAVELLING
Watch the videos and discuss together the challenges that are faced by the tourism industry and travellers during this period.
Brainstorm solutions to the issues identified linked to the fact that all of China is on holiday at the same time and most people travel in this period e.g. move the holiday for different states, build temporary hotels, etc.
Tourist swarm mountain during Golden Week
Millions on the move as China welcomes ‘golden week’, first major holiday after coronavirus
Extension: Different Chinese Holidays
Chinese culture celebrates many different festivals and holidays. You've probably learnt about some of them already this year!
Brainstorm 3-5 together as a class or in groups, identify the main ideas for each festival or holiday.
Check the holidays by watching the video below. Choose National Week and 1-2 other Chinese holidays or festivals, then make a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast them all.
Share!
- Share your students’ fantastic work with your school community to show them the great intercultural learning taking place in your classroom!
- Prepare an assembly item, social media content or posters to share about this holiday.
- Create a Learning Wall about the festival, with Inquiry Questions.
- Display students‘ work on the festival on the Learning Wall or around the school.
Post!
- Tag @MegGlobalEd on school posts so we can celebrate your students’ wonderful work. Find Meg on Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram
