China's railways, expressways receive growing tourists ahead of May Day holiday

China's railways and expressways are set to receive growing numbers of tourists as the five-day May Day holiday is to start on Friday.

Many holiday-makers have already left for their tourism destinations one day ahead to avoid the travel peak expected to come on Friday and Saturday.

"I'm just passing through from Zhejiang (Province). Since schools there are on spring break, I'm taking my kid to travel. We set off early, because if we wait until the May Day holiday, the 1st and 2nd of May would be way too crowded," said Yan Meng, a passenger at Nanjing Railway Station.

China's railways are expected to handle 158 million passenger trips during the May Day holiday travel period -- an eight-day travel rush from April 29 to May 6, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd said on Wednesday.

During this period, an average of 12,000 passenger trains are scheduled to run daily. May 1 is projected to be the busiest day, with an estimated 24.5 million passenger trips -- the holiday's peak single-day figure.

In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, many tourists are traveling to Kazakhstan through the land port of Horgos.

With the mutual 30-day visa-free agreement between China and Kazakhstan, many domestic and international tourists are traveling through the port daily.

"I'm traveling abroad to see and explore different places. I want to record the beautiful experiences along the way," said He Ying, a Chinese tourist.

China's railways, expressways receive growing tourists ahead of May Day holiday

Tokyo stocks tumbled on Tuesday, with the benchmark Nikkei index falling below the 70,000 mark after snapping an eight-session winning streak, as investors took profits amid concerns over an overheated market.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 2,565.58 points, or 3.55 percent, from Monday at 69,788.38.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 104.67 points, or 2.56 percent, lower at 3,990.38.

On the top-tier Prime Market, nonferrous metal, electric appliance, and information and communication issues were notable decliners.

The Nikkei briefly traded higher at the open but soon reversed course as selling pressure mounted after the index had surged more than 8,100 points during its eight-session advance.

Heavyweight technology shares, particularly recent gainers such as Kioxia Holdings Corp. and Tokyo Electron, led the decline. The selloff was partly cushioned as dip-buyers stepped in.

Losses extended in the afternoon, with the Nikkei diving more than 3 percent toward the close.

Tokyo stocks slump on overheating concerns