From the vibrant streets of Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, to the jazz-filled stages of Beijing, China's May Day holiday has transformed cities into hubs of cultural celebration and immersive entertainment.
In Chengbei District of Xining, the nights during the May Day holiday come alive with dazzling folk parades and music. On a 700-meter snow leopard-themed street, crowds of over 10,000 gather nightly to dance, snap photos, and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Performances run from 07:30 to 21:30, creating an immersive experience for visitors. A rotating lineup of acrobatics, magic tricks, traditional Hanfu fashion shows, and Shehuo folk performances keeps the audience engaged. Interactive games like the finger-guessing game and pitch-pot between performers and tourists add to the fun. The night concludes with a spectacular fireworks display, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Shehuo, a traditional folk celebration in China, is a festivity in multiple forms consisting of dragon dance, lion dance, traditional Chinese opera, drum playing and other folk performances that may vary in different regions.
Beyond the performances, riverside camping has become a popular way to spend the evening. Dozens of tents adorned with colorful lights dot the wetland park, where families and friends gather under the night sky.
"During the May Day holiday, our campsite sees over 3,000 visits daily. Our tents are almost fully booked every night. Business is booming," said Bai Yuhong, head of a local camping base.
Xining has also embraced the snow leopard theme with creative shops. Visitors can purchase themed souvenirs like plush toys, fridge magnets, and decorative ornaments. Special holiday coupons have boosted sales significantly.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) launched a jazz-themed music festival at its Taihu Stage Art Center. Throughout the holiday, the event features free indoor and outdoor concerts, with over 200 jazz musicians from nine countries performing.
Outside the concert venues, a bustling market offers food, crafts, and cultural and creative products. "From the snack stalls to the recreation area, and back to the music, it's amazing. I love how it blends everything together," said Ma Yue, a visitor.
As the tunes of jazz fill the air, visitors enjoy a laid-back holiday experience that combines music, food, and cultural shopping.
"We hope the Taihu Jazz Festival will create a fusion of performance and tourism. We want our audience to experience great shows and also enjoy the gardens, shop for cultural and creative products, and taste delicious food," said Guan Jianbo, NCPA's deputy director.
Celebrations light up China’s May Day holiday
A group of experts said they are expecting China's economy to post steady growth in 2026 despite an increasingly uncertain global situation that posts challenges to the country's development.
The experts made the remarks in a recent interview with China Global Television Network in south China's tech hub Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
An official for Qianhai, a special economic zone that has become a critical growth engine for south China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster, said that like other major economies around the world, China is also facing increasing challenges, but he believes the country will post steady growth in 2026.
"I mean [for] other major economies right now, they [are] kind of also facing a bit of challenges. Geopolitical risks are rising. Trade war [has] not yet completely ended. But having said that, I think [for] China, there is also a domestic-oriented economy. You know that 80 percent -- more than 80 percent -- is still domestic demand. And also we start to see some kind of, particularly in the areas like the new industries, but even in some kind of the broad-based industry, we still see the manufacturing investments keep rising despite the uncertainties, despite all these various kinds of pressures. I expect China's economy still going to remain kind of a stable piece of growth. [The growth rate of] four point five to five percent, I think, is still going to be quite achievable for the next twelve months or so," said Qu Hongbin, chief economist for Qianhai authority.
Greg Smith, chairman at AustCham South China, an institute for promoting Australia-China commercial relationship, said China's resilient partnerships with other countries around the world can help the country navigate through the uncertain global landscape.
"I think that you'd be a very brave person to bet against the Chinese economy. It's been resilient over a long period and it's gone through some fairly strong headwinds and come out with still the flag waving. Taking some of the issues that you're talking about with tariffs and the geopolitics that's in place, there's resilience in the partnership [which] is what all the countries are looking for in their trades. So the stronger relationships that you have, I think that's going to really be the bedrock to making sure that we do hit the 4.5 [growth] rate. I think all the countries around the world are looking for trusted partners to be able to work and trade with," said Smith.
Sunny Tan, chairman at the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), said he believes the rest of the world wants to be part of China's economic growth.
"I would say that China has a very, very good number -- achievable number. And I can see the big market by itself, the resilience, and also [it] is really providing a certainty in the time of uncertainty. Our country can continue to grow as planned. At the same time we can see very good interest from around the world, who wants to be part of this growth, and be wanting [who wants this growth] to be in China," Tan said.
Qin Youming, founder and CEO of Manifold Tech, a startup based in Shenzhen, said the entrepreneurs still see opportunities in globalization and companies should be quick in adapting themselves to the changing environment to survive.
"For market wise, we still see there are opportunities in globalization even though there are a lot of geopolitical matters going on. But the uniqueness of the Greater Bay Area, I think, is still unmatched, like the talents we can find here, the craftsmanship, the well experienced engineers here, is [are] still unmatched. I think even though there's uncertainty around the world, the business has to grow globally. Anyone who can adapt [themselves to] this quickly can survive," he said.
Experts expect China's economy to continue growing amid uncertainties in global landscape
