(Photo: CCTV News)
This year's May Day holiday, running from May 1 to 5, has seena wave of novel travel trends and experiences. Among them, government cafeterias in many regions have unexpectedly surged in popularity thanks to their authentic local cuisine and cheap prices, becoming a new favorite among tourists. In addition, a wide range of cultural and intangible heritage activities are lighting up the holiday, allowing visitors to experience the charm of traditional culture up close.
Topics related to the surge of tourists flocking to government cafeterias have repeatedly topped trending lists on China's X-like social media platform Weibo in recent days. During this year's May Day holiday, several provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Chongqing, Hubei, and Shaanxi have opened the doors of government buildings and their staff cafeterias to the public. They also offered free services such as parking and drinking water, drawing waves of curious visitors.
(Photo: CCTV News)
Among these, the cafeteria of the People's Government of Rongchang District in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has emerged as a breakout hit. According to the local government's official WeChat account, the staff cafeteria will remain open to the public throughout the holiday.. On the first day of the holiday alone, more than 3,000 tourists showed up for the first lunch services, CCTV reported on Saturday.
The cafeteria manager said that over 500 kilograms of rice were cooked that day. Visitors were served more than 20 types of locally flavored dishes—including Rongchang-style braised goose and yellow jelly noodles—priced affordably at just 3, 5, 8, or 10 yuan. A two-meat, two-vegetable set meal was also offered at 18 yuan, allowing tourists to sample the region's traditional cuisine all in one place, according to the CCTV report.
"The facility typically serves around 800 people per day, while the number on Saturday surged to nearly 7,000," said Wu Na, the cafeteria manager, according to Jimu News. Wu said while lunch supplies were sufficient, dinner service faced shortages, prompting an emergency delivery of more than 200 kilograms of pork. In total, over 800 kilograms of pork was consumed by tourists throughout the day, the report said.
The parking lot was filled with vehicles from across the country, and inside the dining hall, every seat was taken with visitors eager to sample the food. Even the trays used for free rice refills ran out. "Every time a new batch of rice is served, it's gone in seconds—we don't even have enough bowls," one staff member said.
"Such services of local government cafeterias not only turned local dishes into viral sensations, but also transformed the once mysterious image of government cafeterias into something approachable and relatable. This kind of opening-up has earned more than just praise from diners - it has also reflected growing public appreciation for a more service-oriented government," commented one netizen on Weibo, calling the move "a warm and down-to-earth mutual journey between the people and the government."
In addition to the Rongchang government, Quzhou city in East China's Zhejiang Province also opened up its government cafeteria to the public during the holiday, drawing long lines that stretched from the cafeteria entrance all the way to the main gate, media reported on Saturday.
Beyond the popularity of government cafeterias, Chinese tourists are also flocking to a wide range of cultural and intangible heritage activities nationwide, as immersive experiences and creative approaches to tradition attract strong interest.
On Friday, the second day of the May Day holiday, Sichuan's cultural and tourism sector continued gainingmomentum, with interactive intangible cultural heritage activities across the province proving especially popular among tourists, Sichuan Daily reported on Saturday.
In Zigong, the China Lantern Museum hosted a special May Day event featuring games such as touhu (pitch-pot) and hand-painting lanterns to engage visitors in traditional crafts. In Jiuzhaigou, the local scenic spot hosted a colorful event where tourists could experience vibrant folk performances rooted in intangible heritage.
Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province creatively launched a themed series of events titled "Discover Intangible Cultural Heritage Through Films," combining hands-on heritage experiences with free public movie screenings. The initiative has attracted widespread participation and emerged as a new highlight in cultural tourism consumption during the May Day holiday.
Every afternoon at 2:30 pm, the Quyi Garden at Guangzhou's Cultural Center transforms into a movie theater, offering free screenings of heartwarming and engaging films to the public. On the ancient stage of Quyi Garden, century-old carved beams and pillars create a striking contrast with the modern movie screen..
This initiative not only enriches residents' cultural life but also creates new opportunities for the promotion and preservation of intangible cultural heritage in Guangzhou, according to Yangcheng Evening News.
