China's National Day: October 1, 2016, in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang

October 1 was the celebration for the founding of the People's Republic of China and the beginning of a Golden Week holiday during which nearly 600 million people are expected to travel in China. I have spent the holiday in Mudanjiang — a city in China's most northeastern province. During the afternoon of October 1, I walked around a central commercial area including a pedestrian street and Culture Square, where I had already seen Chinese flags displayed for the holiday.

Some people carried a Chinese flag.

Some people sold Chinese flags.

Some streets were filled with vehicles.

Some streets were filled with pedestrians.

Some people carried a child.

Some people carried a dog.

Some people carried a bear's head.

Some people sang and played.

Some people sang and danced.

Some people checked their phone.

Some people took a drive.

And, of course, some stores had a sale.

In many ways what I saw was indistinguishable from other days I have spent Mudanjiang. For this reason, the day unexpectedly and somewhat ironically reminded me of another day in another Chinese city. The crowds did feel larger, though nothing like what is seen in more popular destinations. I don't expect that much will be different here in another week or two, except that there won't be so many flags.