Less pomp, but same traffic woes for National Day

The first National Day of the Xi Jinping era was marked by relatively low-key public celebrations, but traffic was clogged as usual as two-thirds of a billion mainlanders hit the road for the "golden week" holiday.

Across the country, holiday events lacked of the pomp of recent years with government leaders going out of their way to reduce flower displays and other regalia in an effort to conform to Xi's anti-extravagance campaign.

Subdued state television reports focused on the Politburo's supreme Standing Committee sombre annual visit to the Tiananmen Square monument dedicated to those who lost their lives defending the country since the first opium war in 1840.

The restrained celebrations appeared in keeping with Xi's call to rein in official extravagance, which has been blamed for contributing to a culture of corruption in the ruling party.

In Tiananmen Square, the 18-metre-high floral display used silk petals left over from last year. Flower arrangements in and around the heart of the capital were also less elaborate and lush than usual, China National Radio reported.

Shijiazhuang had only two floral displays in its central square, using cheap flowers and plants in old pots. Tianjin cancelled grand flower floats and used less than one-fifth of flowers shown in previous years. Qingdao used many recyclable silk flowers and Zhengzhou had only 200,000 pots of flowers, one-tenth the number last year, China News Service reported.

The extravagant gala performances that were once a hallmark of national holidays were also toned down this year. Hunan province used grain threshing grounds in villages as venues for its holiday events, thereby saving nearly 40 million yuan (HK$50 million), according to China Central Television.

Meanwhile, Xu Caihou , a former vice-chairman of the Communist Party's powerful Central Military Commission, appeared in public for the first time in months to attend a National Day reception in the Great Hall of the People on Monday.

Xu's absence from the National People's Congress in March aroused suspicions that he was implicated in a corruption case involving a senior People's Liberation Army figure, Lieutenant General Gu Junshan .

The Politburo spent the morning before National Day visiting Zhongguancun Science Park, known as the mainland's Silicon Valley, for a study session, which state media said was the first to be held outside the leadership compound of Zhongnanhai.

Saying that the nation would continue with its reform drive, Xi said the market should decide how resources were spent on technological development and the government should focus on supporting and co-ordinating that development.

During the seven-day holiday, which started yesterday, at least 700 million people are expected to travel by train, car, plane and ship, exerting extra pressure on infrastructure, China National Radio reported, citing the Ministry of Transport.

Roads near tourist attractions were especially congested because of a toll-free policy the government put into effect during the holiday.

Severe traffic jams were reported yesterday in several regions, including Henan and Jiangsu provinces and Tianjin. On the Ningxia section of the Beijing-Tibet Highway, 19 people were injured in a pile-up involving 34 vehicles including tanker trucks, coaches and cars.