Special activities have been put up in Beijing parks and Shanghai's Pudong District to celebrate the Duanwu or Dragon Boat Festival.

The annual festival on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar Chinese calendar fell on Saturday this year. It is a time to get rid of misfortune as venomous animals were believed to appear at this juncture. It is also a time to commemorate the beloved Chinese poet Qu Yuan (339-278 BC) from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
Running from Saturday to Monday, this year's three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday also overlaps with the June 1 International Children's Day on Sunday.
The Yuyuantan Park in Beijing held a fair of intangible cultural heritage objects for the holiday. Day 1 of the holiday saw the fair bustling with visitors.
One of the highlights was a Hanfu etiquette demonstration that captured the attention of many tourists. Park workers, dressed in Hanfu, the traditional costumes of the Han Chinese people, taught visitors to perform traditional Chinese ceremonial gestures.
Many visitors experienced the charm of traditions in the section of Touhu game, or Pitch-pot, which is an ancient entertainment that requires players to throw arrows from a set distance into a tube.
Other activities like Xiangbao (sachet) crafting and lacquered fan making were also held at the park.
"I think these activities are great, and the atmosphere here is appealing. I hope the park will arrange more of such events," said Li Guoxia, a local resident.
The park also arranged activities for children, allowing them to make traditional desserts and paint with soy sauce, so they could experience China's rich cultural tradition in fun.
The Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks has rolled out over 70 special holiday activities for the festival. Data show that major parks and the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture in Beijing received over 316,000 visitors on the first day of the holiday.
In Shanghai, a special initiative was launched to boost tourism spending. Consumers who purchased tickets for designated performances on specified platforms can upload their digital ticket stubs to tourism service platforms. In return, they will receive discounts for stays at selected hotels and admission to designated scenic spots.
"We hope that tourists could enjoy the accommodations and attractions in Pudong District at a good bargain," said Zhang Kuitang, a government official.