China has witnessed a robust nationwide consumption boom over the five-day May Day holiday, as regions across the country have rolled out a diverse array of integrated cultural, tourism, sports initiatives to enrich holiday experiences and unlock consumer spending potential.

As one of China’s major holidays, the May Day break sees concentrated release of residents’ demand for travel, leisure and consumption, with local governments having adopted targeted measures to create diversified consumption scenarios and deliver tangible benefits for consumers.

In Dongguan, a key manufacturing hub in south China’s Guangdong Province, innovative integrated culture and tourism scenarios were introduced to deliver affordable and entertaining holiday experiences for both residents and visitors.

In the city’s Binhai New Area, more than 40 coffee, dessert brands gathered at a bazaar, where customers can sample products before making purchases. The event has proven particularly popular among young consumers and families with children, according to the organizer.

“We are a brand from Chongqing, and this is our first time in Dongguan. We can really feel that local people love our brand and our products very much,” said a founder of a coffee brand at the bazaar.

Beyond catering experiences, e-sports events have also given a strong boost to holiday consumption in Dongguan. From May 1 to 3, an e-sports qualifying tournament drew over 60 teams and nearly 300 participants, with supporting promotional activities rolled out simultaneously to sustain the consumption upsurge. Local authorities have paired the event with inclusive consumer benefits to further drive spending.

“We have also launched a series of consumer vouchers. With one event ticket, consumers can enjoy a 30-yuan discount on purchases over 200 yuan at a wide range of participating merchants,” said Liu Cong, director of the Wanjiang Sub-district Office for Publicity, Education, Culture, Tourism and Sports in Dongguan.

Additionally, a bazaar was held in Dongguan’s Chashan Town, featuring more than 120 food stalls alongside wonderful live performances, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in both gourmet and cultural experiences.

While Dongguan tapped into the potential of cultural tourism and trendy youth events, east China’s Zhejiang Province has leveraged a “sports plus” model to fuel holiday consumption and expand inclusive benefits for residents.

In Linping District of Hangzhou, the provincial capital, the 2026 Zhejiang (Hangzhou) International Fashion Sports Week was held from April 30 to May 2.

At the event’s main venue, over 200 tents lined the footpaths, forming a bustling bazaar corridor, with more than 200 brands showcased at seven themed exhibition zones covering street sports, trendy equipment, outdoor lifestyle, smart technology and more. Visitors took their children to try rock climbing, shooting, or browsing sports apparel at trendy stalls, with a vibrant sports atmosphere blending with surging consumer enthusiasm.

The event struck a chord with families seeking fun and active holiday experiences.

“It’s really fun. I brought my kid here, and every check-in point has a sports activity for children to experience,” said Ms. Li, a visitor at the event.

To amplify the benefits, the Linping District government injected 2.6 million yuan (about 380,000 U.S. dollars) in targeted fashion sports consumption vouchers covering 10 scenarios such as equipment, training and cultural creative products.

Meanwhile, northwest China’s Gansu Province has also rolled out a comprehensive set of pro-consumption measures to create a consumer platform integrating commerce, tourism, culture and sports for the holiday.

In Lanzhou, the provincial capital, many shopping malls have offered extra off on top of national consumption subsidies during the holiday, drawing strong enthusiasm from consumers.

“I was just thinking about getting a new phone for the holiday. Luckily for me, with both the national consumption subsidy and the store promotion, I saved several hundred yuan. It’s really a good deal,” said Liu Wenqing, a consumer in Lanzhou.

According to Gansu’s commerce authorities, the province has deeply integrated multiple sectors including commerce, culture and tourism, sports and health for the holiday, with a focus on launching pro-consumption activities for home appliance and digital products in rural areas, and car promotion programs in communities.

Through issuing special consumer vouchers and discount coupons, implementing policies such as scenic spot ticket exemptions, catering discounts and profit-sharing campaign in shopping areas, the province has built a consumption platform featuring multi-format integration and multi-scenario linkage.

Preliminary estimates show that over the May Day holiday, commerce authorities at all levels in Gansu have invested 50 million yuan in pro-consumption funds, organized more than 100 events covering agriculture, culture, tourism and sports, and driven holiday consumption of over 15 billion yuan.

The Japanese society should do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression and adhere to the pacifist constitution, said Shiradori Hiroshi, a professor of the Hosei University, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Tokyo on April 30.

He said the government’s recent move to discuss revising the three security documents deserve particular attention as the country’s foreign and security policies have already witnessed major changes.

“People outside of the country hold that Japan’s post-war image as a ‘peace state’ is now facing a major shift. Against the backdrop of tremendous changes in its foreign and security policies, the revision of the three security documents deserves particular attention. There lacks public debate in terms of the procedure, with policy changes decided unilaterally at Cabinet meetings. It is necessary to fully explain to the public as to whether such a practice is proper,” said Hiroshi.

The Japanese government held its first expert panel meeting to discuss revisions to the three security documents at the Prime Minister’s Office on April 27, local media reported.

Japan’s current National Security Strategy and two related documents, formulated in 2022, were designed to cover the next 10 years, but the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to move up the timetable to accelerate the revision process.

Increasing defense spending is one of the key topics of the meeting, according to Kyodo News.

Hiroshi said this year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, or Tokyo Trials, and the Japanese society must do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression in WWII, when it brought enormous catastrophes on Asian countries.

“Eighty years have passed since the opening of the Tokyo Trials. Japan inflicted enormous suffering on Asian countries during WWII, which should serve as an opportunity for the soul-searching. It is exact on the basis of countless sacrifices that Japan’s post-war pacifism and its identity as a ‘peace state’ took shape. On this 80th anniversary, it is necessary for Japan to re-examine and do soul-searching regarding its history,” said Hiroshi.

The Japanese government’s effort to revise the pacifist constitution is widely opposed by the public.

On Sunday, around 50,000 people gathered at Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, chanting slogans and holding banners against the government’s push for constitutional revision and military expansion, the largest turnout of its kind in recent years.