Looking for a vacation getaway this week? Don't go to China if you don't like crowds.
Oct. 1-7 marks China's "Golden Week," a seven-day public holiday celebrating China's national day, which was on Oct. 1. Typically during this week, offices and factories shut down, the skies are relatively clear of pollution and people travel.
This year, over 750 million Chinese people are expected to make trips across the country, per Chinese transport authorities. After a stampede on the Bund, a historical tourist hotspot in Shanghai, killed 36 people on New Year's Day this year, China mandated that all tourist landmarks had to stop selling tickets and alert local authorities as soon as visitor numbers reached maximum capacity.
But armed with smartphones, umbrellas and selfie sticks, people still braved the crowds to visit iconic Chinese landmarks, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing and West Lake in Hangzhou. Take a look at the photos below, and never complain about personal space ever again:
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