National Day Golden Week · Full chronicle and history

Economist Yao Yang, Dean of the Dishui Lake Advanced School of Finance at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said in a video posted on "Yao Yang Shuo" that about 100 million people in China actually pay individual income tax, that an annual income of 100,000 to 120,000 yuan puts one in the top 10% by income, and that an annual income of about 300,000 yuan puts one in the top 1%. The bottom 10% of earners account for only 0.4% of all income and have negative net wealth, and around 600 million people nationwide still earn less than 1,000 yuan per month.

On October 17, a Douyin blogger complained that young people are told to abandon the “student mindset” as soon as they enter society, asking why honest people should reflect on themselves after being taken advantage of, and saying that those who cheat and deceive are the ones who should truly reflect. The post struck a chord with netizens, who left comments in共鸣.

A netizen inside the Great Firewall shared records of fines imposed on their family by the Chinese Communist Party. The fines covered a wide range of items, and the specific items were not detailed in the tweet.

According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, the box office for the 2026 National Day holiday (October 1 to 7) was about 1.1 billion yuan, lower than the 1.118 billion yuan in the same period of 2014, setting the lowest record since 2014 and only a quarter of the 4.466 billion yuan in 2019.

According to Reuters, as China's national statutory holidays approach, Chinese workers are publicly demanding the rest and holidays they are entitled to. The situation has drawn outside attention to labor rights and the implementation of holiday entitlements.

On October 6, Xinhua News Agency reported on the National Day film market with “Celebrating the National Birthday with Light and Shadow, New Trends Surging in the Market,” while CCTV Finance said the market’s heat continues to climb, placing the National Day box office breaking 1 billion yuan alongside the 480 billion yuan output value of the entire film industry chain.

On October 3, Xiaoxiang Morning News reported that a car owner from Gansu arrived at the Luotang service area on the Lanhai Expressway at 10 p.m. on September 30, and didn't manage to charge until 5 a.m. on October 1. With nighttime temperatures around 14°C, he didn't dare turn on the air conditioning, while another vehicle ran out of power and had to call a tow truck. At the Baolun service area in Sichuan, a car owner queued for 4.5 hours, charged to 75%, and then had to leave.

On October 2, YouTube creator Bumingbai Podcast released an episode, gathering letters from eleven listeners to discuss various experiences of feeling inferior while living in China.

X account holder “Canghai Yisu” posted a livestream clip featuring small business owners from various parts of China talking about their business conditions during the National Day holiday.

On October 1, 2026, the blogger went to Wangxian Valley in Shangrao, Jiangxi, and found that the well-known influencer scenic spot had few visitors during the National Day holiday, reflecting the phenomenon that the peak tourism season is not booming.

A blogger said that at 20:33 on September 30, traffic was flowing smoothly at the Shenzhen passage exit and the on- and off-ramp bridges, adding that this spot often saw long-lasting congestion in previous years.

According to a Reuters report on September 29, against the backdrop of weak consumer demand, deflationary pressure and a sluggish property market, average travel spending per trip during the 2025 Golden Week was 911.04 yuan, dropping to its lowest level in three years; the survey said only 5% of surveyed travelers planned to stay in luxury hotels, with tourists paying more attention to value for money.

At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Transport predicted that cross-regional passenger trips across society during the National Day holiday will reach 340 million, exceeding the same period last year.

On September 17, a netizen uploaded an AI short film to Douyin in which a young person runs desperately while carrying a basket on their back containing their parents, only to be criticized for falling behind, sparking widespread resonance and discussion among netizens about the heavy burden of family.

After Black Sea shipping routes were disrupted, China turned to South and North America for emergency spot purchases of grain, with international grain traders charging an extra $42.5 per ton.

China's total retail sales of consumer goods rose 0.6% year-on-year in July; retail sales of automobiles fell 13.2% year-on-year from January to July.

In May 2026, China's total retail sales of consumer goods fell 0.6% year-on-year, marking the first monthly decline since December 2022, with sharp drops in sales of automobiles, home appliances, building materials and other categories.

In May 2026, the total retail sales of consumer goods in China fell by 0.6% year-on-year.

After 1949, a large number of Chinese social elites left China; related accounts regard this as the starting point of the subsequent changes in social structure.