On October 3, Qilian County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, received more than 100,000 visitors, with all hotels and guesthouses fully booked. Online, many tourists who could not secure accommodation posted messages of gratitude, saying that when all hope of finding a room was lost, they were placed free of charge by the local culture and tourism department into heated student dormitories, and they praised Qilian's culture and tourism services. On the morning of October 4, reporters learned that from the night of October 3 to the early hours of October 4, Qilian County had arranged accommodation for nearly 500 stranded tourists through public welfare beds.

Warm Dormitories at Minus 4 Degrees Celsius

According to tourist Lin Bin (pseudonym), during the National Day holiday he traveled from Xi'an to Qinghai, arriving in Qilian County on October 3. From that afternoon until nightfall, he searched every major platform but could not find any accommodation. "Later, feeling frustrated, I was scrolling on my phone and came across an announcement from Qilian Culture and Tourism saying that anyone having trouble finding accommodation could contact them, so I gave them a call." Lin told reporters that he was arranged to stay at Qilian County Ethnic Middle School that very night. "Four people to a room, and brand-new bedding was handed out on the spot." Lin said it rained in Qilian that day, snow fell on the mountain tops, and nighttime temperatures dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius. He was very grateful for the free dormitory coordinated by local authorities and believed it gave Qilian County a huge boost in reputation. Another netizen told reporters that on October 3, after their family spent three hours searching for a hotel without success, they got through to the culture and tourism bureau's phone number thanks to a local man's introduction. The staff on the phone asked how many people there were and then told them to go directly to the school. "I'd only ever heard about staying in schools online, but I actually got to experience it." The netizen said that upon arriving at the school, many vehicles were already parked at the entrance, and after a quick registration, men and women were accommodated separately. In just half an hour, they went from "homeless" to staying in a heated dormitory. The netizen said that the next day, they tidied up all the beds and items before leaving. On social platforms, numerous tourists also posted videos or messages expressing thanks to Qilian's culture and tourism services, "giving them a shout-out."

Over 400 Calls Received in 7 Hours

Mr. Chen, a staff member of the office of the Qilian County Culture, Sports, Tourism, Radio and Television Bureau, told reporters that from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on October 3, they received more than 400 calls in the office, almost all from tourists looking for accommodation. "For nearly 7 hours, we didn't stop for a single moment." During those 7 hours, Chen and his colleagues handwrote on sticky notes the phone numbers, number of guests, gender composition, and other information for each caller, then photographed the notes and sent them one by one to groups for each local hotel to check for vacancies. They also sent them to work groups to share information with colleagues at the school dormitory placement sites so that enough beds could be arranged at any time. "That night the calls came one after another. The bureau chief was worried we hadn't eaten, so she ordered takeout for us. I spent two hours on a single burger and still couldn't finish it—there was just no time to eat." Chen said that the tourists who called that night were all very understanding, making no special or unreasonable demands. Some even proactively offered to pay normally for staying in student dormitories, and were very surprised when they heard it was free, expressing their gratitude to Qilian County over the phone. "During the National Day holiday, all staff of the culture and tourism department are on standby. When visitor flow surges, everyone is deployed. These past two days, some colleagues went to the school placement sites to transport emergency supplies such as quilts, while others stayed in the office to coordinate arrangements." Chen said that in the culture and tourism work group, messages were still being sent at 3 or 4 in the morning. In addition, Chen also noted that the tourists were all very well-behaved, and so far no cases of damaged items or lost belongings in the student dormitories had been reported.

Culture and Tourism Bureau Chief Makes Beds for Tourists

In a video circulating online on October 3, Feng Lingling, Party Secretary and Director of the Qilian County Culture, Sports, Tourism, Radio and Television Bureau, was seen making beds and carrying luggage for tourists in a student dormitory. On the afternoon of October 4, Feng Lingling told reporters in an interview that because this year's National Day holiday saw even more visitors than the regular peak season, she spent both October 2 and 3 helping on the front lines at the temporary public welfare placement sites in school dormitories. "We originally expected National Day visitor flow to at most match the peak season, but never imagined it would surge so suddenly." Feng said that starting from around 5 or 6 p.m. on October 2, they began receiving reports of tourists unable to find accommodation. Following pre-existing contingency plans, they contacted the education bureau and schools that evening, opened the dormitories, and the entire bureau was mobilized. "The day before yesterday I made beds together with my colleagues, and yesterday I helped with registration over there." Feng said that during holidays they are always on duty without rest. This National Day holiday, matters such as scenic area safety, large-scale event sites, and handling complaints all required staff on site, so personnel were spread thin. In the dormitories, Feng Lingling led staff in carefully packing up and organizing all the students' belongings, then laid out brand-new bedding obtained from the emergency management department on the beds. "When tourists checked in, we specifically reminded each one not to touch the children's things. From what we've seen, more than 90 percent of the tourists have been extremely well-mannered." Feng said they were wholeheartedly serving tourists, and the tourists' attitude toward them was also very heartwarming. On the night of October 3, because one school's dormitories were insufficient, another school was arranged. At the time, because many people were queuing, the culture and tourism bureau temporarily placed several elderly people over 80 years old in the room where staff were doing registration. Later, as registration continued late into the night, staff worried about disturbing the elderly and prepared to move to the hallway to register. But the elderly were very kind, saying it was too cold outside the room and there was no need to leave—they could stay in the room and wouldn't be disturbed. In the end, the staff still chose to register in the hallway. One colleague had been busy carrying things without eating and nearly fainted from low blood sugar, only recovering after eating two mooncakes given by a tourist. That night, Feng Lingling and other staff worked until about 2:40 a.m. on October 4 before going home to rest. Feng Lingling said that Qilian County, a county town of 50,000 people, saw more than 100,000 visitors pour in on October 3 based on an estimated 35,000 vehicles. Some may have just passed through, but even if only a small portion stayed, the county's accommodation capacity still could not contain them. Feng Lingling expected that on the night of October 4, there would still be quite a few tourists needing placement.

Reporters learned that from October 3 to 2:30 a.m. on October 4, the Qilian County Culture and Tourism Bureau received 510 calls for accommodation assistance from tourists, involving more than 800 people. Among them, 453 people were placed through emergency support beds at Qilian County Ethnic Middle School and Haibei Prefecture No. 3 Senior High School, and 200 people were placed through other rural tourism reception sites, guesthouses, homestays, and hotel cancellation rooms. The remaining tourists either found accommodation on their own or went to surrounding areas to stay, and all related accommodation needs were properly resolved. On the morning of October 4, Qilian Culture and Tourism issued its latest notice: On October 3, Qilian County saw nearly 35,000 vehicles, and all of the county's more than 400 hotels and guesthouses were fully booked, with public welfare beds accommodating nearly 500 people. Due to limited beds, tourists encountering accommodation difficulties are now advised to promptly call the service numbers 0970-8672109, 8676625, or 8676879 to reserve public welfare beds or adjust their itineraries. Reporters also learned that Qilian County's tourism peak season is generally July and August each year. Due to the popularity of the local Route 9 on the internet this year, a large number of tourists were attracted to visit during the National Day holiday.