Climb a Hill Above the Autumn City
On October 18, 2026, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Beijing does what it has done for centuries: it goes uphill. The Double Ninth Festival, 重阳节, is built on the idea of ascent — nine is the highest yang number, and two stacked nines make 重阳, "double yang." Families head for the hills and pagodas to rise above misfortune and take in the autumn views. In Beijing that means joining the crowds on the ridges west and north of the city, walking up through turning leaves with the plain spread out below you.
If you want the ritual without a long hike, climb a pagoda instead — the tradition explicitly includes ascending towers as well as mountains. Wear a sprig of zhuyu (dogwood), the protective herb from the festival's Han-dynasty origins, and you are participating in a custom recorded since the Warring States period.
Eat the Cake, Drink the Chrysanthemum
The festival has its own table, and it is easy to find in Beijing's markets and pastry shops around the date.
- Chongyang cake — the signature food of the day, eaten across the city.
- Chrysanthemum wine — a long-life elixir steeped from chrysanthemum flowers and sometimes goji berries, traditionally drunk by elders.
- Chrysanthemum tea — the non-alcoholic version, and just as seasonal.
- Longevity peaches — the gift you bring when you visit grandparents, along with a shared meal.
Because the festival doubles as Senior Citizens' Day (老人节), the food is bound up with visiting elders: you bring the peaches, you pour the chrysanthemum wine for the oldest person at the table, you eat together.
Mark It as Senior Citizens' Day
In modern China the Double Ninth is officially observed as Senior Citizens' Day, and that is the frame for most public celebration in Beijing. Rather than a single ticketed spectacle, the day is marked by visiting elders — grandparents, older neighbours, residents of care homes — and by community gatherings in neighbourhoods across the city. If you are travelling, this is the most meaningful way in: spend part of the day with an older Beijinger, share a meal, and offer the festival greeting.
Say "Chong Yang Jie An Kang" — wishing peace and health. Do not say "Happy Festival." The taboo is real and specific: this is a day for health and longevity, not cheer, and "Peace and Health" is the preferred wish.
When to Go, and What the Day Looks Like
The 2026 festival falls on Sunday, October 18 — a weekend date, which puts the hills, parks and markets at their busiest. Autumn in Beijing is at its best then: clear, cool, good for climbing.
- 2026: Sunday, October 18
- 2027: Friday, October 8
- 2028: Thursday, October 26
Expect the reliable pattern of the day rather than a fixed programme: morning climbs, chrysanthemum wine and cake at family tables, visits to elders, and markets selling the seasonal foods and zhuyu sprigs in the days around the date. The festival is also celebrated in Chinese diaspora communities, so the customs you learn here travel with you.
The Legend Behind the Climb
Knowing the story makes the ascent mean more. Huan Jing defeated a plague monster by having villagers climb a mountain carrying dogwood sprigs — which is why the climb, the zhuyu and the protective ritual are bound together. The Han-dynasty customs of climbing heights, wearing dogwood and drinking chrysanthemum wine began as protection against disease and became a celebration of longevity. When you reach the top and look back over Beijing, you are repeating a gesture people have made here for a very long time.
October 18, 2026 is a Sunday. Put the climb in the morning, the cake and chrysanthemum wine in the afternoon, and a visit to an elder somewhere in between — then start looking at flights, because autumn in Beijing is short and this is the day the city walks uphill together.