Beijing has welcomed more than 3.6 million tourists during the May Day holiday, with total tourist income reaching over US$300 million. 

City officials say many Beijingers chose to drive private cars to the surrounding countryside, which was the main feature of this May Day holiday.

One highlight was Africa's Drumstruck Band’s thrilling performance at the Fourth "Meet in Beijing" festival in Beijing’s Longtan Lake Park. Artists from nine countries including Egypt, South Africa and Tanzania, have given performances.

And in Shanghai, the number of passengers at the city's Railway Station hit a record high at the start of the holiday. On May 1st, nearly 300,000 travelers moved through the station - a seven percent increase from 2002. China suspended the May Day holiday last year due to the outbreak of SARS.

It's expected this year's passenger number will be 10 percent higher from previous years.

During the weeklong holiday, some 440,000 mainlanders arrived in Hong Kong, thanks to the extension of the Individual Visit Scheme to the whole of Guangdong Province and some nine other cities in east China.

It's estimated that income brought about by mainland travelers would reach US$29 million. 

(Cri.com May 9, 2004)