Countryside road trips hot amid Beijing's epidemic control during May Day holiday

Countryside road trips have become a favored choice during the five-day May Day holiday, which ended Wednesday, as the Chinese capital city intensified restrictive measures against COVID-19 to curb cross-infection.

Visiting urban parks as well as cycling, camping and touring countryside scenic sites and rural bed and breakfasts (B&B) are Beijingers' holiday travel options, with three suburb districts of Yanqing, Pinggu and Miyun ranking among the top three destinations, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism on Thursday.

The city logged 3 million tourists with the total tourism revenue reaching 1.58 billion yuan (about $238.9 million) during the holiday.

The anti-virus measures implemented will be continued after the holiday, meaning the operations of performance venues and other entertainment sites, internet cafes and indoor sports venues will continue to be suspended, while indoor scenic spots and libraries, cultural centers, art galleries and other public cultural venues will be closed. The number of visitors to parks and outdoor scenic spots will be capped at 50 percent of their receiving capacities.

During the holiday, Beijing canceled hundreds of shows and thousands of performances at cultural venues.

However, some online platforms still provided streaming of shows and performances, including a concert from the National Centre for the Performing Arts, relic exhibitions in the National Museum and artworks collected by the Art Museum of the China National Academy of Painting.