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

Melting permafrost, increasing geographical disasters, and water shortage triggered by rising global temperatures are affecting the operation of Alpine huts, one of Switzerland's most cherished institutions, according to Schweizer Alpen-Club (SAC).

Alpine huts are central to Switzerland's mountain culture and tourism economy. They provide essential shelter, unique hospitality, and historical preservation across the Swiss Alps.

Originally built in late 19th and early 20th centuries as shelters for scientists and explorers, Swiss Alpine huts are now havens for hikers.

Most Alpine huts sit on permanently frozen ground, which acts like natural concrete stratum to keep mountain terrain stable.

As global temperature keeps rising, melting permafrost is loosening the foundation of roughly 40 percent of mountain huts, according to SAC.

Currently, about half of the Swiss mountain huts still offer spectacular views of snow-capped mountains and glaciers, but scientists predict that most of these glaciers will disappear by the end of this century.

"We can see from our mountain hut that every year, the glaciers in front of us keep melting and are becoming smaller and smaller," said a hut runner.

SAC said mountain regions bear the serious impacts of climate change.

"It's the hut that has also been shut down. You see, this is built on permafrost. You see, here, the cracks and you try to have it together stable with steel, but it didn't work anymore. Mountain regions experience climate change much stronger than global average. You see here, we have had, in the last 60 years, maybe roughly one degree on the global average rising temperatures. But in Switzerland and in the Alps, it's the double," said Philippe Wager, head of huts and environment at SAC.

High-altitude mountain huts are also facing water crisis as they rely primarily on winter snowpack and summer glacial meltwater as the major water source.

Melting glaciers and warmer winters, which bring less snow every year, jointly contribute to less water supplies.

Meanwhile, increasing geological hazards such as rockfalls, landslides and mudflows are also threatening safety of mountain huts and hikers.

Climate change threatens Swiss Alpine huts