Some 300,000 people gathered in the Tian'anmen Square to watch the national flag rise with the sun to mark the prelude to a week-long holiday beginning Wednesday, the International Labor Day.

Chen Ronghui, 21, in a cook's uniform, said, "It is most special to watch the flag hoisting in a working uniform on the International Labor Day."

Chen, from Yangzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, said he planned to climb mountains in the outskirts of Beijing later in the morning.

Visitors and natives also had numerous choices to spend their holidays. They could watch performances by some 30 international troupes or visit a book fair. Over 100 museums in Beijing prepared special events for visitors.

Parks in Tianjin, a municipality close to Beijing, have put on folk performances such as the drum yangge dance to attract tourists.

Still, tens of thousands of others planned to go to tourism cities. Sources with the Capital International Airport in Beijing said they would carry a total of 800,000 passengers during the seven days.

Sources added they have 700 flights on Wednesday alone, with 120 by Air China, carrying 70,000 passengers. Their destinations mainly focus on such cities as Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou and Dalian.

Statistics from Guangzhou show 3.5 million of its citizens are traveling to other cities. It was reported its airport, railway station and bus stations were filled with people.

Guangzhou people have a special interest in the western regions and competition has made travel agencies cut their fees by hundreds of yuan or so.

Experts said the Chinese had more freedom and choice now. They not only wanted to celebrate their holidays securely, but in highly-qualified and diverse ways.

( People's Daily May 2, 2002)