A crowd gathers at a beach in Qidong to watch the sunset over the sea. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

This May Day holiday, Qidong saw a boom in cultural tourism, welcoming 697,000 visitors and generating 348 million yuan ($51.18 million) in tourism spending.

Popular attractions were packed. At Qitang City in Jianghai Lanwan Resort, special ancient Chinese-style events created a lively atmosphere, with fireworks shows, datiehua (striking iron flowers), and lantern fairs taking place. The resort received 20,000 visitors over the holiday.

The sunny May weather made Black Sand Beach a popular gathering spot, attracting some 36,000 visitors. A seawall separates two different scenes: on one side, dark mudflats stretch out as waves hit the shore, offering a wide ocean view; on the other side, green grass grows in abundance, with cattle and horses roaming the land. 

At the Blue Sea Silver Sand scenic area, the first Beach Bubble Festival was a big hit, welcoming over 6,000 visitors on the first day of the holiday alone, and 20,000 in total.

Lyusi Port was full of local flavor. On April 30, the day before the summer fishing ban took effect, fishing boats returned to port with full loads. About 15,000 visitors showed up to breathe in the ocean breeze and enjoy the fresh seafood.