Qingming Festival is one of China's traditional festivals that integrates solar terms and folk customs, bearing profound historical connotations and rich cultural significance. Its origin dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period, closely related to Jie Zitui, a loyal minister of the State of Jin. Legend has it that when Duke Wen of Jin was in exile, Jie Zitui cut flesh from his own thigh to feed the starving lord. After ascending the throne, Duke Wen of Jin intended to reward Jie Zitui with an official post, but Jie refused to take office and lived in seclusion in Mianshan Mountain. To lure him out, Duke Wen of Jin ordered to set fire to the mountain, yet Jie and his mother were burned to death under a willow tree. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Duke Wen of Jin decreed that on the anniversary of Jie's death, no fire was allowed in any household, and people could only eat cold food, which was the Cold Food Festival, the predecessor of Qingming Festival.
As time went by, the Cold Food Festival gradually merged with the Qingming Solar Term. Initially a solar term guiding agricultural production, Qingming took on the implications of ancestor worship and tomb sweeping. Since the Tang Dynasty, Qingming Festival has become an official festival for people to honor ancestors, mourn the deceased, and sweep tombs. It also includes folk customs such as spring outings, tree planting and kite flying, combining the sentiment of cherishing the memory of ancestors with the vitality of spring, evolving into a traditional festival that inherits family ethics and promotes harmony between man and nature.
In accordance with the official holiday notice issued by the General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the 2026 Qingming Festival holiday will be from Saturday, April 4 to Monday, April 6, totaling 3 days, without any work make-up. During this period, enterprises and public institutions will arrange rest and on-duty shifts in line with relevant regulations, and most commercial activities will be adjusted accordingly. Qingming Festival is not only a carrier of traditional Chinese culture but also an important period for national rest and cultural inheritance, which exerts a certain influence on business operations, logistics and transportation, as well as corporate office arrangements.