China’s Holiday Traffic Jam Turns 36-Lane Highway Into Sea of Red Lights

What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway turned into a logistical nightmare for millions in China as a massive traffic jam paralyzed highways during the return leg of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays.

In a now-viral moment, drone footage captured an extraordinary scene from Anhui province, where a 36-lane expressway turned into a sea of red brake lights creating a glowing, gridlocked mosaic that some netizens joked “made traffic look attractive.”

The gridlock unfolded as millions of holiday-goers attempted to return home at the same time, overwhelming transportation infrastructure across major routes like the G60 Hukun Expressway and Changan Interchange, two of the busiest roadways in eastern China. 

What was meant to be a short vacation left many stranded for hours in slow-moving traffic, with cars barely crawling along the highway. Social media platforms like Weibo and Douyin (China’s TikTok) exploded with user-shared clips and photos of the jam, many adding a sarcastic twist to the frustrating ordeal. One post with over 2 million views read: “They even made a traffic jam look like a music festival.”

China's National Day holiday, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2025, created a rare eight-day Golden Week, prompting over 890 million domestic trips, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. While boosting tourism, retail, and family reunions, it also exposed the strain on transport systems during peak migration periods.

This isn’t the first time China has made headlines for extreme traffic scenarios. Similar scenes were witnessed during Golden Week in 2015, where a 50-lane checkpoint bottleneck near Beijing caused a 10-day traffic standstill.

While authorities had increased toll booth staffing and issued staggered travel advisories, it seems the sheer volume of vehicles was too much for infrastructure to absorb. Analysts say smarter traffic flow algorithms, real-time route updates, and greater adoption of high-speed rail alternatives may help ease future gridlocks.

For now, though, the 2025 Golden Week will be remembered for one of the most aesthetic  and agonizing  traffic jams the world has seen.