China ramps up cultural tourism offerings as May Day holiday approaches

As China's five-day May Day holiday approaches, major attractions across the country have rolled out a series of upgraded tourism offerings, with interactive cultural shows drawing interest.

In Beijing, the Great Wall's Badaling section has unveiled an upgraded night tour that runs from April 30 to October 6, featuring stunning light shows and up-close cultural performances that encourage audience participation.

A key feature of the tour is a dance performance titled "Bonfire Beyond the Old Frontiers," which combines traditional and modern art forms to showcase the grandeur of the Great Wall through dynamic choreography and creative use of the square in front of the wall's historic fortified gatehouse.

While the upgraded Great Wall night experience brings a fresh take on a classic landmark, northwest China's Shaanxi Province is rolling out a slate of cultural and tourism programs to meet surging travel demand. The programs highlight the province's history as a cradle of Chinese civilization and its abundance of cultural relics.

Among the most anticipated events is the return of the grand performance, "Dream of Chang'an - The Grand Tang Welcoming Ceremony", to Shaanxi's capital city, Xi'an. The immersive show is being held at the historic city wall's oldest gate, Yongning Gate.

Staged with performers dressed in authentic traditional costumes from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the production vividly recreates the grand imperial rituals once held to welcome distinguished guests to Chang'an, the name by which Xi'an was known during that era.

The scenic spot at Yongning Gate has also launched a one-stop cultural and tourism consumption package for the duration of the May Day holiday. By combining platform discount coupons with exclusive package offers, the initiative integrates sightseeing, live performances and interactive experiences to stimulate demand for cultural experiences.

According to Shaanxi provincial cultural and tourism authorities, the province has coordinated cultural and tourism venues, scenic spots, cultural districts, and museums across the region to launch 765 themed cultural and tourism events and 110 preferential measures for the May Day holiday.

China ramps up cultural tourism offerings as May Day holiday approaches

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and constitutes the biggest risk in China-U.S. relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday when speaking to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that the U.S. side should honor its commitments and make the right choices, opening new space for China-U.S. cooperation and doing its part to promote world peace.

Head-of-state diplomacy has always been the "anchor" of China-U.S. relations, Wang said.

Noting that bilateral ties have generally remained stable under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, Wang said it serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and meets the common expectations of the international community.

Both sides should safeguard the hard-won stability, prepare well for key high-level interaction agendas, expand areas of cooperation, manage differences, explore building a China-U.S. relationship that is strategic, constructive and stable, and achieve mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

For his part, Rubio said that the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and head-of-state diplomacy is at the core of the relationship.

Both sides should maintain communication and coordination, respect each other, properly handle differences, accumulate achievements for high-level interactions between the United States and China, and seek strategic stability in U.S.-China relations, said Rubio.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, among others.

Taiwan question constitutes biggest risk in China-US relations: Chinese FM