The overlapping Qingming Festival and public holiday in China's Hong Kong from April 3 to 7 brought a surge in cross-border traveling between the special administrative region and neighboring Shenzhen City in the southern Guangdong Province on the mainland.
Data released by Shenzhen's rail authorities showed that from April 3 to 7, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link saw 642,000 cross-border passenger trips, up 22.5 percent year on year. And on April 3, 86,000 mainland-bound passenger trips were made from Hong Kong via the rail link, a new single-day record.
During the five-day holiday period, Shenzhen government rolled out a wide range of cultural programs for tourists, including a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area flower show and special performances such as stand-up comedies and classical music concerts.
Hong Kong tourists enjoyed seamlessly connected experiences -- they can watch the performances right after border inspections, then begin shopping in Shenzhen's commercial areas soon after the shows, thanks to the "one-hour living circle" of the Greater Bay Area facilitated by convenient transportation, customs clearances and cross-border payments.
Overlapping holidays see travel surge between Shenzhen, Hong Kong
Farmers in Gaza have been forced to find innovative ways to keep their livelihoods ticking over following the devastating conflict, with many now growing vegetables inside recycled tin cans after losing their land during the war.
Inside temporary greenhouses in southern Gaza, Palestinian farmers are growing mint and vegetables inside empty food cans recycled from aid supplies, after suffering severe shortages of essential agricultural materials.
Local farmers say they have been searching for simple alternatives to continue farming amid the widespread destruction, with many seeing their land and crop fields decimated.
"The idea came from the shortage of nylon in Gaza. We started using empty vegetable cans left behind by charity kitchens. We use them as an alternative to nylon and plant inside them," said Mohammad Zaarab, a Palestinian farmer.
Israel's designation of what Palestinians call the 'yellow zone' has swallowed up most of Gaza's available farmland, reducing usable agricultural land to only around six percent, while farmers continue to face the risk of Israeli fire during their work.
"We are exposed to gunfire in this area. Whenever they shoot at us, we hide until the firing stops. We work in fear and risk our lives while farming," said Shadi Zaarab, another farmer.
According to the United Nations, agriculture made up around 10 percent of Gaza's economy before the war, with more than 560,000 Palestinians relying on farming, livestock, or fishing for their livelihoods.
Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture says reusing empty food cans has become one of the few remaining ways for farmers to continue growing and providing food after the war that began in 2023 devastated much of the agricultural sector.
"Since October 7 [2023], about 86 percent of Gaza's agricultural land has been destroyed by the [Israeli] occupation. Farmers have turned to alternatives, especially for growing aromatic plants that Gaza's farmers traditionally relied on for production," said Ali Abu Amer, director of the Khan Younis Governorate under Palestine's Ministry of Agriculture.
The recycled can practice adopted by farmers also has some positive knock-on effect, as collecting and preparing empty food cans has also created limited work opportunities for unemployed youth amid the Israeli blockade.
Gaza farmers turn to growing vegetables in recycled tin cans after losing land
