Countryside, culture popular with tourists

Visiting farms and participating in folk customs were popular activities for tourists during Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sept 22 to 24, according to a report released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sept 24.

The holiday coincided with the first Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival on Sept 23, which featured events popular with visitors like picking vegetables on farms.

The harvest festival, launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, coincided with the autumnal equinox, one of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Over 100 rural cultural events were held nationwide during the festivals. In the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, over 30,000 travelers visited Erdos for rural cultural events that featured raising animals and picking fruit.

Enjoying the glories of the full moon remains the most important event during the holiday and more innovative activities were launched to attract tourists to scenic spots, the ministry's report said.

A moon-appreciation party held in Henan province included ancient music and the reading of poems by thousands of people.

Celebratory events were also held overseas, the report said. Mooncakes flavored with tom yum hot and sour spices were sold in Thailand, while in Brazil, orchestral concerts were performed in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Foz do Iguacu to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.

In China, the holiday has seen a steady increase in visits and revenues, the report said.

During the three-day break, tourist attractions logged about 98 million visits with revenues reaching 43.5 billion yuan ($6.3 billion), the report said.

Beijing had about 3.95 million visits during the three-day break, up 4.7 percent year-on-year. The city's attractions earned revenue of 127 million yuan, an increase of 11.5 percent compared with last year.

Holiday safety was emphasized, with Beijing carrying out checks on 1,934 travel service outlets and 213 tour guide providers. About 7,700 law enforcement officials in Beijing were on duty to safeguard travelers and help solve disputes over travel issues.