Six Siberian tiger cubs celebrated their first birthday on Sunday at Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, where 50 local children, invited as lucky participants, took part in a special event to learn about biodiversity and wildlife protection.
The six cubs showed no fear of the crowds of visitors. Their eyes were fixed on a special birthday cake made of layers of raw meat, weighing about five kilograms.
After finishing the cake, the tigers began pouncing on and wrestling with each other, and occasionally paced up to the glass walls, curiously observing the visitors outside.
Some visitors specially brought homemade celebratory flower-shaped buns for the cubs.
"I made all these simple things: mushrooms, little flowers, little grass, and these stones," said Lei Jize, a young visitor.
For many families, the occasion was also a chance to celebrate International Children's Day, observed on June 1 in China.
"My kid really likes animals, so for Children's Day, I decided to bring him along to celebrate the little tiger's birthday. That way, we can celebrate the holiday for the kid too, and have a good time together," said Lei Xiangdong, Jize's father.
Watching the tigers eat their birthday treat also allowed young visitors to learn about the tigers' diet.
"For other kinds of cakes, you can use all sorts of ingredients. But tigers only eat raw meat. So we made a cake for it using chicken, beef, and pork, layered together," said Li Junzhou, keeper of the wild beast pavilion under Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park.
After the birthday party for the tigers, two one-month-old tiger cubs also made an appearance, reigniting the children's excitement.
The park staff said that the new cubs born this spring will be introduced to the public soon. Starting from Children's Day, educational activities featuring two tiger cubs and five wolf cubs will allow visitors to witness their growth up close.
Six tiger cubs celebrate first birthday with local children in Xi'an
As amateur football tournaments heat up across China, cities in Jiangsu and Liaoning Provinces have set up off-site venues for fans to watch the games, giving a strong boost to local consumption.
Last year, the Su Super League, an amateur competition featuring 13 city teams from east China's Jiangsu Province, became a nationwide sensation and ignited a grassroots football fever, prompting the establishment of similar events in other regions, such as Fujian Province and Northeast China.
The second season of the Su Super League kicked off in April and concluded its eighth week of games on Saturday night.
The tournament has driven a sharp rise in restaurant revenues in Jiangsu's Taizhou City, and local shopping malls have also launched match-watching promotions to lure customers.
"Thanks to the popularity of the Su Super League, our foot traffic has surged, and our revenue, particularly nighttime revenue, has more than doubled year on year," said Zhu Xuepeng, owner of a local restaurant.
Yancheng City, a famous hub for crayfish production in Jiangsu that hosts crayfish festivals every summer, is also screening Su Super League games at the festival site and offering special discounts tied to the matches.
The month-long food festival is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors and drive over 30 million yuan (about 4.4 million U.S. dollars) in combined sales from catering, retail, and related sectors.
The 2026 Northeast China City Football League, popularly dubbed the "Northeast Super League," is also underway, drawing fans from across the country.
To elevate the fan experience, the four host regions -- Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia -- have jointly launched a cultural and tourism campaign titled "Super Tour Northeast." The initiative features seven curated travel routes and multiple public viewing venues.
Fans holding match ticket stubs can enjoy exclusive discounts at partner hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and local bathhouses.
Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning, has set up 33 viewing spots across the city, where vendors are enjoying a boom in sales.
"On the busiest day, we sold 500 or 600 chicken racks. The three of us couldn't keep up. Now, people from all over the country are coming to Shenyang. I'm really looking forward to the game on June 13, and I will stock up for it," said Ma Jixing, a vendor.
According to the schedule, the Shenyang team will host the team of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture on June 13.
Amateur football tournaments boost China’s catering, tourism consumption
Amateur football tournaments boost China’s catering, tourism consumption
