Night tours get popular in China during National Day holiday

Night tours have gained popularity in China during the National Day holiday, with cities hosting various activities to promote tourism and entertain holidaymakers during the nighttime hours.

In Ma’anshan City, located in east China’s Anhui Province along the country’s longest water way, the Yangtze River, a theme park featuring Yangtze culture, named Yangtze Everbright City, buzzes with activities at night. Highlights of the park include the night parade featuring 11 floats, each representing one of the 11 provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze Scroll sculpture, standing 12 meters tall and stretching nearly 400 meters, illustrating the culture and history of the 11 provinces to audiences.

In Wudang Mountain of central China’s Hubei Province, one of the country’s four sacred Taoist mountains, drone light shows are combined with traditional cultural activities and performances, lighting up the sky with the national flag of China and Taoism symbols.

In Danjiangkou City, also in Hubei, which serves as the starting point for the middle route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, China’s mega project that has benefited over 150 million people, a cruise ship titled after the influential initiative offers passengers a chance to enjoy the night scene of the Han River, a vital water source of the project and an ancient cultural center, with light shows and performances for visitors to have fun.

“I am so excited! We just enjoyed excellent performances and sang together ‘Ode to The Motherland.’ The trip totally worth it and I had such a great time,” said Cheng Hao, a passenger.

In Fuyuan City of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, known as “China’s East Pole,” tourists around China gathered to witness the earliest sunrise in the country while holding national flags, wishing for the rise and thrive of the nation.

Night tours get popular in China during National Day holiday

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, on Tuesday pledged to closely monitor the energy supply, so as to ensure steady supply of power and heating, as the country braces for the peak winter period of high electricity, heating and gas consumption.

Li Chunlin, deputy director of the NDRC, told the media that power plants with a coal reserve of over 200 million tonnes can meet the nation’s energy needs for an average of 30 days, which is at a historically high level for this time of year, adding that the northeastern region has ample winter coal stockpiles.

As of the end of August, the national installed generating capacity had reached 3.13 billion kilowatts, with renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, wind, and solar, accounting for more than half of the total capacity, Li said.

Despite increasing uncertainties in power supply, the NDRC will take measures in intelligent scheduling and enhanced inter-provincial cooperation to guarantee a stable and reliable electricity supply.

In the natural gas sector, resource availability is also robust, with peak-shaving storage capacity up by 8 billion cubic meters from the previous year, said Li, emphasizing the need for optimal storage before winter arrives.

Looking ahead, the NDRC will continue to enhance monitoring and analysis to maintain the stability of energy supply, according to Li.

China ensures stable energy supply ahead of winter peak