China sees robust consumption boom during May Day holiday

China has witnessed a robust nationwide consumption boom over the five-day May Day holiday, as regions across the country have rolled out a diverse array of integrated cultural, tourism, sports initiatives to enrich holiday experiences and unlock consumer spending potential.

As one of China's major holidays, the May Day break sees concentrated release of residents' demand for travel, leisure and consumption, with local governments having adopted targeted measures to create diversified consumption scenarios and deliver tangible benefits for consumers.

In Dongguan, a key manufacturing hub in south China's Guangdong Province, innovative integrated culture and tourism scenarios were introduced to deliver affordable and entertaining holiday experiences for both residents and visitors.

In the city's Binhai New Area, more than 40 coffee, dessert brands gathered at a bazaar, where customers can sample products before making purchases. The event has proven particularly popular among young consumers and families with children, according to the organizer.

"We are a brand from Chongqing, and this is our first time in Dongguan. We can really feel that local people love our brand and our products very much," said a founder of a coffee brand at the bazaar.

Beyond catering experiences, e-sports events have also given a strong boost to holiday consumption in Dongguan. From May 1 to 3, an e-sports qualifying tournament drew over 60 teams and nearly 300 participants, with supporting promotional activities rolled out simultaneously to sustain the consumption upsurge. Local authorities have paired the event with inclusive consumer benefits to further drive spending.

"We have also launched a series of consumer vouchers. With one event ticket, consumers can enjoy a 30-yuan discount on purchases over 200 yuan at a wide range of participating merchants," said Liu Cong, director of the Wanjiang Sub-district Office for Publicity, Education, Culture, Tourism and Sports in Dongguan.

Additionally, a bazaar was held in Dongguan's Chashan Town, featuring more than 120 food stalls alongside wonderful live performances, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in both gourmet and cultural experiences.

While Dongguan tapped into the potential of cultural tourism and trendy youth events, east China's Zhejiang Province has leveraged a "sports plus" model to fuel holiday consumption and expand inclusive benefits for residents.

In Linping District of Hangzhou, the provincial capital, the 2026 Zhejiang (Hangzhou) International Fashion Sports Week was held from April 30 to May 2.

At the event's main venue, over 200 tents lined the footpaths, forming a bustling bazaar corridor, with more than 200 brands showcased at seven themed exhibition zones covering street sports, trendy equipment, outdoor lifestyle, smart technology and more. Visitors took their children to try rock climbing, shooting, or browsing sports apparel at trendy stalls, with a vibrant sports atmosphere blending with surging consumer enthusiasm.

The event struck a chord with families seeking fun and active holiday experiences.

"It's really fun. I brought my kid here, and every check-in point has a sports activity for children to experience," said Ms. Li, a visitor at the event.

To amplify the benefits, the Linping District government injected 2.6 million yuan (about 380,000 U.S. dollars) in targeted fashion sports consumption vouchers covering 10 scenarios such as equipment, training and cultural creative products.

Meanwhile, northwest China's Gansu Province has also rolled out a comprehensive set of pro-consumption measures to create a consumer platform integrating commerce, tourism, culture and sports for the holiday.

In Lanzhou, the provincial capital, many shopping malls have offered extra off on top of national consumption subsidies during the holiday, drawing strong enthusiasm from consumers.

"I was just thinking about getting a new phone for the holiday. Luckily for me, with both the national consumption subsidy and the store promotion, I saved several hundred yuan. It's really a good deal," said Liu Wenqing, a consumer in Lanzhou.

According to Gansu's commerce authorities, the province has deeply integrated multiple sectors including commerce, culture and tourism, sports and health for the holiday, with a focus on launching pro-consumption activities for home appliance and digital products in rural areas, and car promotion programs in communities.

Through issuing special consumer vouchers and discount coupons, implementing policies such as scenic spot ticket exemptions, catering discounts and profit-sharing campaign in shopping areas, the province has built a consumption platform featuring multi-format integration and multi-scenario linkage.

Preliminary estimates show that over the May Day holiday, commerce authorities at all levels in Gansu have invested 50 million yuan in pro-consumption funds, organized more than 100 events covering agriculture, culture, tourism and sports, and driven holiday consumption of over 15 billion yuan.

China sees robust consumption boom during May Day holiday

All the people injured in the fireworks plant explosion on Monday in central China's Hunan Province have been sent to local hospitals for treatment, according to authorities.

The accident has left 26 people dead and 61 others injured, according to officials speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.

The explosion occurred on Monday afternoon at the plant of Huasheng fireworks manufacturing and display company in Liuyang, a county-level city in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan.

"When I arrived at the scene, I saw everything was flattened. Everything. Look at me. I'm all covered by mud and sand stirred up by the explosion," said local villager Wu Yuliang.

Following the explosion, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to locate those still unaccounted for and to treat the injured. The person in charge of the company where the accident occurred has been detained by police.

More than 480 rescuers, organized into five teams, have been deployed, along with three rescue robots to support operations.

At Tuesday's press conference, local officials said the situation remains challenging, with difficulties in controlling the fire, extinguishing the blaze, and carrying out search and rescue operations.

"A large quantity of explosives stored in the warehouse area could not be moved immediately, posing a direct threat to the safety of our rescue personnel. Second, the accident site was chaotic since basically all buildings' walls, beams, columns, and roofs have collapsed, creating extensive rubble. People were buried under the debris, passageways were blocked, and our rescue efforts were severely hampered," said Ding Weiming, Party secretary and political commissar of Changsha's fire and rescue team.

The injured have been rushed to two hospitals for emergency treatment after the explosion, with most suffering from bone injuries.

A medical task force of leading experts in burns, intensive care, and trauma surgery has been assembled.

The People's Hospital of Liuyang received 25 of the injured people.

"She has fractures in both legs. The doctor won't allow her to walk or get out of bed. She can only use a wheelchair to get around. I have to carry her to the bathroom," one victim's son told reporters at his mother’s bedside in hospital.

All patients are reported to be in stable condition, though doctors say they will require further observation for more than 24 hours.

"For now, we don't recommend that they rush to be discharged, as there is still some psychological trauma and stress that we need to monitor," said Ding Shengqiang, head of the hospital's medical department.

After all of the city's fireworks enterprises were shut down on Monday night, local officials said a large-scale safety inspection will be carried out to address regulatory gaps and strengthen overall safety standards.

All injured hospitalized after central China fireworks plant explosion