Various scenic spots and tourist attractions across east China's Zhejiang Province welcomed a massive influx of tourists on Friday, the first day of this year's May Day holiday, with major destinations recording peak visitor numbers.
At Hangzhou City's West Lake scenic area, one of China's busiest tourist destinations and most celebrated cultural landmarks, crowds gathered around the Duanqiao Bridge or enjoyed leisurely boat rides across the lake, soaking up the beauty of rippling water and the rich history and culture that have shaped West Lake's eternal charm.
"The weather is fantastic, so I brought my child to the West Lake; its scenery and the historical culture are both appealing to us," said Liu Chang, a visitor.
At the World Internet Sci-Tech Museum in the picturesque ancient river town of Wuzhen, novel technologies such as coffee-making and chess-playing robots drew strong interest from visitors, offering an immersive experience of the charming modern technology.
"This sci-tech museum helped me experience how technology develops -- from the beginning to today's improvements -- so I gained more knowledge," said Chen Yayun, a visitor.
During this year's five-day holiday, over 100 scenic areas, museums, and archaeological site parks across Zhejiang are offering over 150 programs designed for primary and middle school students, including fee discounts, to provide practical and family-friendly benefits for these young and curious visitors.
Zhejiang tourist hotspots see record crowds on May Day holiday's first day
Police in Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province have deployed 24-hour drone patrols around the Shenzhen Sports Center to enhance public safety control during the 2026 Chinese Super League season.
The Shenzhen Xinpengcheng Football Club has officially made the Shenzhen Sports Center its home ground for the 2026 Chinese Super League season. Football matches have attracted more than 10,000 fans per match, leading to intense crowd density and severe traffic congestion, which places immense pressure on security.
Amid the excitement of tens of thousands, the calmest "guards" aren't in the stands, but stationed over 100 meters above, in the sky.
Before a match began, police officer Wang Yiyuan and two teammates would be already deployed with well-defined roles: one would pilot the drones, another would keep an eye on the spectrogram to monitor the drone activity, and the third would coordinate with other ground police via his walkie-talkie.
Just before the end of the second half, a sudden alert for crowd flow popped up at the south square, where a large number of spectators had begun to gather as they leave the site. As this area served as the only passage for leaving the stadium, the crowd pressure could easily lead to a stampede.
From the initial alert to the loudspeaker broadcast and then to the arrival of police reenforcements on the scene, it took Wang and his colleagues just three minutes to complete the communication, and the crowds began to disperse.
Police deploy 24-hour drone patrols during football matches in south China's Shenzhen
Police deploy 24-hour drone patrols during football matches in south China's Shenzhen
