The Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River presented a spectacular view of clear water cascading during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, attracting a large number of tourists.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, on Friday this year. The public holiday for the festival runs from Friday to Sunday. Thanks to moderate water flow, settled sediment and clear sunny weather, the rare sight of clear waterfalls and a rainbow stretching across the river valley fascinated the visitors there.
This year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday marks the first holiday break since the implementation of a ticket integration policy for the Shaanxi and Shanxi sides of the waterfall. The policy, which took effect on June 1, allows visitors to purchase tickets from either side and use them to visit both sides of the waterfall within two days.
Statistics show that the two sides received a total of about 10,000 visitors on Saturday, with an estimated 14,000 arrivals expected on Sunday.
The Hukou Waterfall is the second largest waterfall in China and the largest on the legendary Yellow River.
Hukou Waterfall offers dramatic sights during Dragon Boat Festival
New energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 56.9 percent of all new car sales in China in May, against 50.8 percent in 2025 and 40.9 percent in 2024, according to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
With nearly 1.5 million units sold last month, the country's NEV market is growing at a pace that continues to outstrip global expectations.
Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of CAAM, attributed the momentum to a combination of falling costs, rapid technological upgrades and a fundamental change in consumer preferences. Even as traditional gasoline car sales soften, NEVs have carved out an independent growth trajectory.
For Chinese buyers, the appeal of NEVs goes far beyond cost savings. The battleground has shifted to the software-defined cabin. Domestic AI models are increasingly being integrated into vehicles, transforming the driving experience from a mechanical task into something highly intuitive.
Some models now use sensors and facial recognition to detect a driver's mood, automatically adjusting ambient lighting, music and even cabin fragrances. As a dealership manager in Chongqing noted, consumers are no longer obsessing over horsepower; they are prioritizing smart features and the overall user experience.
This tech-heavy push is happening alongside a dramatic drop in prices. As battery material costs stabilize and advanced manufacturing techniques, such as integrated die-casting, become standard, automakers are passing the savings directly to consumers.
Brands like BYD and Leapmotor are now offering vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems for under 100,000 yuan, with some entry-level NEVs priced around 80,000 yuan.
Charging infrastructure, long cited as a potential bottleneck, is also keeping pace with demand. According to the National Energy Administration, China had deployed nearly 22 million charging facilities nationwide as of April.
The network now spans from urban centers to remote rural areas, making the promise of charging as convenient as refueling a tangible reality for millions of drivers. Government incentives, including trade-in subsidies, are further fueling this momentum.
Chinese consumers embrace NEVs
