As the National Day holiday approaches, Hunan has prepared a series of cultural and tourism activities and special offers, inviting residents and tourists to enjoy its natural scenery, explore its culture, and experience local folk customs. Keep this guide handy, and bring your family and friends along to savor Hunan's feast of culture and tourism!

Ticket Discounts to Benefit the People

During this year's National Day holiday, many scenic areas in Hunan have launched solid discounts.

Visitors who were born on October 1 can present a valid ID. and enjoy a free entry to four core attractions in the Langshan Mountain Scenic Area — Bajiaozhai, Tianyi Lane, Chili Peak, and Zixia Cave. They can also enjoy half-price cable car rides and Fuyi River rafting. Accompanying immediate family members can enjoy half-price tickets for the scenic area's Route B by presenting proof of relationship. Those who have visited any of the scenic areas such as Zhangjiajie National Forest Park or Tianmen Mountain within the past 15 days can also enjoy half-price tickets for Route B by presenting a ticket stub or reservation voucher. 

Changde's Taohuayuan Scenic Area will offer free admission to visitors born on October 1 or whose names contain "Jianguo" (national founding) or "Guoqing" (national day). The four scenic areas of Yangming Mountain, Tongzi'ao, Flower Valley-Moon Lake, and Qinglongyan in Shuangpai County, Yongzhou, also waive the first admission fee for visitors born on October 1, while A-level scenic areas in Daoxian County will waive both admission and parking fees. Jiuxian Lake Scenic Area in Youxian County, Zhuzhou, will offer free main-gate admission to visitors whose names contain "Aiguo" (patriotism), "Zhonghua" (China) or "Jianguo" (national founding) throughout the National Day holiday.

Discounts go beyond free admission. At the Chenzhou Baoshan National Mining Park, those who purchase a ticket for the underground scenic area will also receive free admission to the Copper Coin Square, Baoshan National Mining Park Museum, and Zilong Taolve Camp. Meishan Cave in Loudi will offer a 30% discount to pickleball event participants and spectators, while the Chaxigu Scenic Area will offer a 40% discount on tickets. South Dongting Birds Park in Yiyang will offer adult tickets at 99 yuan and family packages starting at 138 yuan, with Yuanjiang residents enjoying 20% off upon presenting valid ID. Leiyang Cailun Bamboo Sea in Hengyang will offer half-price tickets, and the Tiantang Mountain Scenic Area will offer half-price admission, with free entry for those who sing folk songs.

Ancient Charm and New Trends Bring Culture to Life

If discounts draw visitors in, culture is what makes them stay. Throughout the province, the integration of intangible cultural heritage and guochao, or "China-chic," has become a defining feature of this year's National Day holiday.

The Hunan Museum has launched the "Unraveling the Mysteries of Angkor: A Guide to the Gods" event, inviting visitors to become treasure hunters and uncover clues about the Khmer gods among the exhibits. The Site of Hunan Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition and Experience will organize hands-on activities, including the Seven-Step Rapid Continuous Piercing Staff exercise from Wujia quan or Wu Family Boxing, National Day-themed dough figurines, and a special session on creating the Miao painting "Butterfly Mother" with fuse bead art, with representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage providing on-site instruction. The Hunan Peking Opera Protection and Inheritance Center will stage an immersive, interactive Peking Opera show "The Essence of Chinese Culture Promoted in Hunan" daily at 15:00. Audience members take their exclusive seats on drum stools and follow artists in beating the drums to immerse themselves in the performance. Fire-breathing, "face-changing," and spear-wielding acts will be performed in succession, accompanied by all-around lighting and projections that create an atmosphere brimming with excitement.

Tianxin Pavilion in Changsha, with a focus on "China-chic trends + cultural immersion + nationwide interaction," will stage intangible cultural heritage performances and China-chic situational shows. Tongguan Kiln China-chic Park integrates the thousand-year ceramic culture of the Changsha kiln, offering a moon worship ceremony, a water market, molten iron fireworks performances, and a drone show. The Zhang Guying Scenic Area in Yueyang will host shadow puppet shows and ancient-style parades, while the Intangible Cultural Heritage Craftsmen Center in Dongting Lake Town will offer hands-on experiences in paper-cutting, pottery, shadow puppetry, and cloisonné enamel. The "Opera-themed Blind Box" carnival on Changde's Hejie Street will offer a different lineup every day during the holiday, ranging from Gaoqiang opera excerpts to Changde silk string and Huagu opera. Taohuayuan Scenic Area will present a live-action show of "Peach Blossom Spring," allowing visitors to travel back a thousand years amid the light and shadow on Qinxi Creek.

Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town in Huaihua will launch the "Explore Huaihua with Meng Man: National Day Family Travel Season." Qianzhou Ancient Town in Xiangxi will stage a Nuo mask dance parade, blending Miao Badai heritage with immersive folk performances. These events share a common logic: to make intangible cultural heritage something you can touch, taste, and wear, and to make "guochao" not merely a symbol but an interactive part of daily life.

From Dawn to Dusk, the Joy Never Ends

Instead of operating in isolation, these scenic areas, blocks, venues, and events will be linked to form a complete experience chain from morning to night and from cities to landscapes.

Changsha Dawangshan International Tourism Resort integrates Xiangjiang Ocean Kingdom, Xiangjiang Snow World, and other venues to launch a mountain and sea fantasy season. Wanlou Youth Pier in Xiangtan will operate from 9:00 to 23:00 during the holiday, with folk performances, Wanlou Tower light shows, and a "Chinese red" electronic music festival bringing joy around the clock. At night, a variety of activities will be held at Yangmei Isle, including aerial wire stunt performances, a Huohu (fire pot) show alongside a molten iron fireworks display, climbing a knife ladder, bonfire dancing, and a burning pagoda.

The "China-chic Culture Carnival" at Dayong Ancient Town in Zhangjiajie features a "Chinese red" electronic music festival, China-chic robot parades, and an Eight Immortals-themed flower boat night cruise on the Lishui River. The carnival will also highlight traditional folk acrobatics performances, creating continuous day-and-night spectacles. The "Waterfall Music Season" at Furong Town-Red Stone Forest Resort in Xiangxi will take night tours to the extreme, with three stages in the Huayuewan Valley Waterfall Theater presenting performances simultaneously as well as waterfall fireworks shows. The Hebotan Cultural Tourism Area in Yueyang features nighttime torch parades, Chu-style performances, circle dances, and fireworks shows, and the tourism area will also give away one million tickets for the chrysanthemum art flower sea season to visitors nationwide. The "Hunan Football League Gathering: Game-Watching Night" on Yuhou Street in Chenzhou will combine beer concerts with live event broadcasts, adding sports passion to night tours. 

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan