An increase of 7 percent to 1.94 million holidaymakers came to Zhuhai from May 1 to 4 and spent 1.14 billion yuan ($169 million and a 28.8 percent year-on-year rise).

Almost 455,000 of them booked rooms, up 6.7 percent from 2018, according to the Zhuhai Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism & Sports Bureau.

Music, revelry, and a theme of sea environmental protection marked the ever-popular Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin New Area. There, 150 tightly organized circus artists from more than 20 countries and regions performed at the same time.

Nearby, Sumlodol Hengqin Camping Town attracted multitudes eager to sleep under the stars, ready for a rest perhaps after taking part in 3V3 basketball games and table tennis challenges.

Tangjia tea refreshments [Photo by Cheng Lin / Zhuhai Daily]

Farther north, throngs feasted on authentic locally famous dishes along with delicacies from all over China at the 5th Tangjiawan Gourmet Festival on Qi'ao Island.

"Red tourism" (referring to visits to prominent sites of China's revolutionary period) was up in numbers as tourists flocked to former residences of celebrities and historic exhibition halls. For instance, visitors at Su Zhaozheng's Former Residence on Qi'ao Island numbered 7,500, a nearly 27 percent increase over the same period last year.

Qi'ao old roads also attracted visitors eager to take in the stunning scenery. And for scenery on a smaller scale, Zhuhai Agricultural Paradise in Qianshan invited children and families to explore the world of plants and insects.

Beach activity

In the west, Doumen Paddy Field Art Festival attracted tourists and photographers with creative images using the field as the canvas and colored rice stalks as "paint."

Doumen's distinctive cultural style was revealed at the Traditional Quyi Art Performances, Shiyiren Fun Labor Week, Yu Wen Quan Imperial Hot Springs Resort Grand Feast & Temple Fair, and First Folk Culture Festival of Crocodile Island.

Kite-flying [Photos by Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]