Festival experiences continuity, changes

Old traditions of national holiday inherited with modern adaptations

For more than 2,500 years, Tomb Sweeping Day, locally known as Qingming Festival, has been an occasion for Chinese to mourn the deceased and worship their ancestors. Today, although there have been changes, the tradition is well preserved.

"To me, it is an important holiday, second only to Spring Festival," said Shi Yukun, who spent 15 hours flying from Birmingham, England, to Kaifeng in Henan province via Germany and Beijing.