China on Monday launched a nationwide consumption week featuring 284 million yuan (about 41.5 million U.S. dollars) in travel and culture vouchers, aiming to boost tourism ahead of the May Day holiday.
The campaign, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, runs through May 5, the final day of the five-day public holiday.
To give the tourism economy a lift during one of the country’s busiest travel seasons, authorities have put together a wide range of finely tuned offerings designed to appeal to different types of travelers, from flower-viewing tours and family-friendly activities to educational programs.
More than 13,000 cultural and tourism events and over 30,000 commercial performances will be staged across the country, giving travelers plenty of reasons to leave home.
The ministry has also worked with major companies and platforms to roll out targeted consumer incentives, including ticket discounts for popular attractions and fuel deals for self-driving holidaymakers.
China launches May Day holiday consumption week with 284 mln yuan in vouchers
Footage filmed at the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) shows giant pandas testing and gnawing on oversized bamboo shoots in a series of lively reactions.
In the first and second clips, female panda Ji Fu, and in the third, female panda You You, are seen eating bamboo shoots while perched in trees, stretched out on the ground, or rolling with them, each posture adding to the lively display.
Ji Fu, born on August 6, 2022, at the Shenshuping base of the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan to mother Cui Cui, weighed 270.4 grams at birth, the heaviest captive‑born panda cub on record. Her counterpart, You You, was born in September 2021 at the CCRCGP to mother Xiu Qiu.
The CCRCGP has built the world’s largest captive panda population and pioneered rewilding research through captive breeding and training. It also runs a global cooperation platform, linking 18 zoos in 16 countries and regions with 39 domestic breeding institutions and more than 10 research institutes.
Footage captures pandas’ lively reactions to oversized bamboo shoots in Sichuan
