China's scenic spots buzz with activity during Labor Day holiday

Tourist destinations across China witnessed a surge in visitors during the Labor Day holiday, offering a diverse range of experiences to enrich travelers' journeys.

Among the spots is Hengshan Mountain and Hanging Temple in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province, which has seen a peak in visitor numbers on Thursday, the first day of Labor Day holiday.

To manage the large crowds, the scenic area required tourists to book time slot in advance and extended its opening hours by one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.

"It's truly spectacular. I'm amazed at the wisdom of the ancients in building this temple," said a visitor.

To protect the wooden structure of the Hanging Temple, daily visitor numbers are capped at 3,260, and tickets for the holiday were sold out.

In Henan Province, the Mount Laojun scenic area in Luoyang City recorded nearly 30,000 visitors on Thursday.

While enjoying the scenery, visitors enjoyed traditional Chinese performances and participated in interactive activities like making lacquer fans.

"When the fan comes out of the water, the colors are so beautiful, like an ink painting. I've only seen it in videos before, and being able to experience it here is amazing," said Dong Feifei, a tourist.

"The scenery was breathtaking along the way I climbed up. I also went to see the performance. The performers were so graceful," said Li Jiaxue, another visitor.

In Shuanghe town of southwest China's Sichuan Province, hundreds of cold rice cakes in flavors like brown sugar, watermelon, and pineapple were lined up on a hundred-meter-long table, tempting a thousand visitors to savor the traditional treats and experience the charm of local culture.

The Shuanghe cold rice cakes, with a history of over 120 years, are renowned for their chewy texture and smooth taste.

In Hunan Province, the Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park attracted both domestic and international tourists with its stunning natural scenery.

As night fell, the mountainside was illuminated with colorful lights, transforming the 999 steps into a shimmering bridge to "Heaven," which made the Heaven's Gate, a water-eroded cave, more majestic.

"I really like the view. Because you can see the hole is very big and all the lights are very amazing. It's really beautiful," said Clara, a visitor from France.

China's scenic spots buzz with activity during Labor Day holiday

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.

In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.

"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.

Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.

Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.

"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.

Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.

Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.

"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.

Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela