Beijing parks receive over 300,000 holiday visitors

BEIJING - Beijing parks welcomed more than 300,000 visitors on Friday, the first day of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, according to local authorities.

A total of 11 public parks have prepared up to 50 outdoor recreational activities for the three-day holiday, according to the municipal administration center of parks.

At Beihai Park, tourists enjoyed the full moon on the lake and Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park held a traditional Chinese music concert for the festival. At Taoranting Park, visitors were invited to make moon cakes.

At the Summer Palace, over 2,000 colorful palace lanterns were set along the east dam of Kunming Lake. In the octagonal pavilion, performances of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera attracted lines of visitors.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of August on the Chinese lunar calendar, is traditionally a time for family gatherings in China, which fell on Friday this year. During the festival, people usually eat moon cakes, admire the moon and celebrate good harvests together.