Henan sees booming tourism market during National Day holiday

Massive holidaymakers are flocking to central China's Henan Province to explore its profound history and diverse cultural sites during the National Day holiday.

Dozens of immersive theater plays are well performed at China's first immersive theater theme park "Unique Henan: Land of Dramas", offering interactive experiences with a special focus on Henan's cultural heritage.

The park has seen a 20 percent increase in reservations compared to last year, with more performances added and park hours extended to accommodate the growing demand of holidaymakers.

Known as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Longmen Grottoes is another top destination. The immersive VR experiences and the popular 'Night Tour of Longmen' have given ancient history a new life, adding more excitement to the contact with history.

Tourist Wang Yinglin was deeply impressed by Henan's rich cultural and historical heritage.

"'Only Henan' seems like a scenic spot with a rich historical deposit, where I can learn so much," said Wang.

Drawn to photo-friendly locations, Generation Z, especially college students, are a major driving force among visitors.

"I'm just looking for beautiful places to take photos. I find traveling to be quite tiring, especially since we live far away," said Xu Yating, another visitor.

Meanwhile, Henan's natural landscapes are equally captivating. The Yuntai Mountain is offering outdoor music performances and customized routes to enjoy the autumn leaves, luring photographers to capture the golden scenery.

The National Day holiday, which runs from Oct 1 to 7, marks a peak period for travel and tourism in China.

Henan sees booming tourism market during National Day holiday

Russia reported on Saturday that its forces attacked several Ukrainian military targets over the past day, while Ukraine on the same day claimed it hit Russian oil facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in its latest report that over the past 24 hours, the Russian forces conducted strikes on Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure, drone storage sites and fuel depots, temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 145 locations. The ministry said Russian air defense forces shot down 568 drones over the past day.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the same day that a total of 151 combat engagements were reported on the battlefield over the past day. It said the Ukrainian forces launched attacks on multiple Russian troops and an equipment concentration area and drone control points, and shot down 2,104 operational-tactical level Russian drones. The Ukrainian forces also hit four key Russian oil facilities on Saturday, said the report.

Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) said in a social media post on Saturday that it had hit three Russian warships in Crimea. The SSU said that the hit warships included the Russian Navy's large landing ships Yamal and Azov,and a third warship of an unspecified type. Other reports said that a Russian Project 21980 anti-sabotage boat "may have been hit."

According to the SSU, Ukraine also launched drones to attack Russia's communication systems, a radar station, and an oil base in Crimea.

Russia has not responded to these reports.

Russia claims striking multiple Ukrainian targets; Ukraine reports hitting Russian oil facilities