Mainland China sees massive travel rush during May Day holiday; traffic jams stretch 55 kilometers

▲ On the first day of the May Day holiday, major attractions across China were flooded with crowds. (Photo / Provided by CFP Visual China)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Compiled by HowToTrip

Compared to the previous seven-day May Day holiday, the current break has been shortened to three days, yet travelers' enthusiasm remains undiminished. With clear weather in many regions, tourist attractions across the country are packed with visitors.

On the first day of the May Day holiday, the Palace Museum in Beijing opened earlier than usual and sold over 20,000 tickets within just one hour. More than 15,000 tourists hiked Mount Hua, while Mount Tai attracted 40,000 visitors in just half a day. Other sites such as Lingyin Feilai Peak and Hangzhou Zoo also welcomed 33,200 and 26,500 visitors respectively. Meanwhile, the famous West Lake scenic area saw 667,000 visitors on the first day of the holiday — a 61.23% increase from the same period last year. Just the lakeside area alone received 129,600 visitors.

▲ The famous West Lake scenic area welcomed 667,000 visitors on the first day of the holiday. (Photo / Provided by CFP Visual China)

Due to the large number of travelers, traffic in many areas was severely affected. Roads leading out of Beijing experienced traffic jams stretching 55 kilometers. Nanjing Metro’s two major stations served 225,000 passengers, and Hangzhou Metro Line 1 saw 800,000 riders in a single day. Many locations have urged the public to avoid peak travel times to prevent congestion.

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