Most Chinese people returned to work Tuesday after a five-day Labor Day holiday that was somewhat different from the past as the country battles severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The May Day holiday is traditionally celebrated with traveling and shopping. But the activities this year all centered around SARS.
On May 1, Motorola Company, the largest foreign enterprise in China, donated 200 special wireless interphones, 200 civil interphones and 200 mobile phones to help the municipal government fight against SARS.
The company also promised to provide round-the-clock technical service to ensure communication during the SARS war.
During the holiday, northwest China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region adopted many measures to fight against SARS. On May 1, the Hohhot municipal government launched activities on health to spread knowledge about SARS and call for more participation in physical exercise.
The city also assigned over 400 government cadres and medical staff members to the countryside to prevent the disease from spreading to the rural areas.
Ensuring adequate supply and stable prices of consumer goods during the holiday was a major concern of all levels of the government. The provincial government of north China's Jilin Province invested 2.48 billion RMB yuan (299.9 million US dollars)in logistics to guarantee market supply.
The commercial sector of the province increased its purchase ofdaily consumer goods including rice, wheat flour, salt, and vegetables.
"There are plenty of goods available and the price is stable," said Wang, a citizen of Changchun, capital of Jilin.
Despite the terror caused by SARS, people still enjoyed the Labor Day holiday. Tian'anmen Square saw many tourists taking photos or flying kites and Beihai Park also received many visitorsduring the holiday.
Zhao Xinghua, a tourist from central China's Hunan Province, chose to go shopping in Wangfujing, a popular shopping center in Beijing.
"We feel it's safe go shopping here since the shops are disinfected. We believe the government can beat SARS," said Zhao.
"We will try our best to satisfy customers" said Tang, manager of the Wangfujing Foreign Language Bookstore.
(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2003)
