Scenic spots in Hunan Province were thronged with visitors around the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5. In Changsha, the provincial capital, Juzizhou, or Orange Isle, attracted tourists not only for its natural beauty but also for its storied past. In Zhangjiajie, a well-known tourist city that is home to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the immersive night tour of the 72 Qilou, or 72 Odd Towers, was hugely popular, as were performances by members of the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups at the foot of Tianmen Mountain.

The 72 Qilou attracts hordes of visitors on April 30. At 109.9 meters tall, the wooden tower complex in Zhangjiajie holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s highest stilted building

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a hot destination during the holiday, on April 30

Performers interact with the audience at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie on May 2

A digital mural wishes passengers a Happy May Day, in a self-service luggage storage point on Changsha’s Metro Line 2 on May 3

(Text and photos by Wang Yajuan)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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