Second day of Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to record 210 mln cross-regional trips across China

Sunday, the second day of this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, is expected to record more than 210 million cross-regional trips across China, marking a 6.2-percent increase compared to the same day of last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Transport.

With the Dragon Boat Festival coinciding with the International Children's Day, which is celebrated on June 1 every year, the number of passenger trips have surged.

On Sunday, the national railway welcomed 11.8 million passengers, and it added 658 extra trains to meet the surging demand.

In a unique touch, a special children's carriage was added to the high-speed train from Guangzhou City to Meizhou City in south China's Guangdong Province, where train attendants celebrated the holiday with kids.

The second day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday also saw a significant rise in short-distance trips by road, with around 190 million people traveling to nearby cities and suburbs.

As temperatures rose, many tourists headed to coastal cities and water attractions to cool off, with highways and scenic routes seeing concentrated road traffic flow.

In water transport, the three-day holiday is expected to see over 1 million passengers per day on average.

However, due to strong winds, 87 coastal ferry routes in east China's Zhejiang Province have been temporarily suspended starting midday Sunday.

Local maritime authorities have implemented control measures to ensure the safety of waterway travelers.

As short-distance road trips have continued to dominate during the festival, new technology is being applied to support new energy vehicle (NEV) drivers.

At a parking lot of Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark in south China's Hainan Province, a mobile charging vehicle assisted NEVs that couldn't find charging stations.

The vehicle uses a modular and mobile energy system to offer greener and smarter solutions for travelers.

"Through AI monitoring of the environment, we can deploy the vehicle and follow up at any time, providing emergency support," said Li Shuwang, a staff member of Hainan Rongchu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

In the scenic spot of West Lake in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, a smart charging stations has installed over 30 new liquid-cooled supercharging piles to boost charging efficiency and reduce waiting times.

"When I got here, the battery was at only 20 percent, but after just over ten minutes, it was charged to 90 percent," said Chen Yuxiao, a NEV owner.

This year's Dragon Boat Festival is predicted to see 8.3 million NEVs on China's highways every day, a 33-percent increase from last year.

With NEV ownership on the rise, many regions have launched smart navigation apps that provide real-time updates on charging station locations, while innovative services like mobile chargers are helping ease range anxiety for drivers.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it was celebrated on May 31, and the holiday runs from May 31 to June 2.

Second day of Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to record 210 mln cross-regional trips across China

Second day of Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to record 210 mln cross-regional trips across China

Second day of Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to record 210 mln cross-regional trips across China

Second day of Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to record 210 mln cross-regional trips across China

The traditional friendship between China and Mozambique has transcended time and space, said President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday when holding talks with visiting President of the Republic of Mozambique Daniel Francisco Chapo.

"The traditional friendship between China and Mozambique has transcended through history and across mountains and oceans. Over 600 years ago, China's navigator Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) led a fleet to the Mozambican coast. In the 1960s and 1970s, despite its own great difficulties, China firmly supported the Mozambican people in their struggle for national independence and liberation. The two sides forged deep revolutionary feelings that laid a solid foundation for bilateral friendship," Xi said.

At the invitation of President Xi, President Chapo is on a state visit to China from April 16 to 21. It is the Mozambican president's first visit to China since he took office.

Chapo arrived in Beijing on Monday after visiting central China's Hunan Province and northwest China's Qinghai Province.

"The people of Mozambique and China share brotherly bonds. Our visit to China is in response to the series of important initiatives and proposals you have put forward, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Governance Initiative, as well as the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity. These important ideas are driving the world toward sustained progress, and China is playing a very important role [in these areas]," Chapo said during the talks.

China-Mozambique traditional friendship transcends time, space: Xi