Shandong county's cultural charm draws thousands over May Day holiday

A datiehua performance at a scenic area in Ningyang county during the May Day holiday. [Photo by Li Tian/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Ningyang county in Shandong province received a total of 186,400 tourists during the May Day holiday, which was from May 1 to 5.

With the development of the tourism industry and the upgrading of consumer demand, various tourist destinations in Ningyang tapped into their cultural heritage this holiday, creating unique projects to enhance the consumer experience.

For instance, the Wenyu Scenic Area in the county welcomed 28,500 visitors, who enjoyed performances such as the Royal Circus and intangible cultural heritage item datiehua (molten iron fireworks).

The "parent-child picking" activity at an agricultural industry park called Xiangyin Xianglian attracted a large number of tourists.

In Dongzhuang town, a variety of activities were held combining Fengxian Mountain, Yunv Lake, and the Sophora Flower Festival, attracting numerous tourists.

"I loved the creative food competition the most. I got to taste many dishes I've never had before, like cold mixed sophora flowers, sophora flowers steamed buns, and sophora flowers tofu," said a tourist surnamed Hou.

A sophora flower creative food competition is held in Ningyang county during the May Day holiday. [Photo by Li Tian/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Ningyang County will continue to delve deeper into local folklore, plan more innovative activities, and bring more cultural and tourism events into scenic areas. (Edited by Yang Yi)