Beating heat with red-hot leisure time

In addition, boating, river rafting, canoeing, kayaking and similar water-based activities have become popular this summer, especially at Gulong Gorge in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian province and Thousand Islands Lake in Zhejiang province.

This year, the Luobei River in Guiding county, Guizhou province in Southwest China, officially restored its 12.5-kilometer-long whitewater rafting excursion area. The most thrilling river section has a drop of 10 meters, and it has attracted a large number of water enthusiasts, according to Guizhou Shanshui Qinghui Tourism Investment and Development Co Ltd.

In addition, some companies have organized drift-boating tours for their employees at such places to strengthen teamwork, Tuniu said.

Meanwhile, a number of domestic museums have announced extensions to their opening hours that now stretch into late evening. Nighttime visits to museums have become so popular among Chinese travelers this summer that securing admission tickets for some top-rated museums has become a bit of a challenge.

Extended opening hours will provide visitors with more choices and offer richer cultural services, industry experts observed.

This summer, the number of bookings for domestic museums has seen double-digit growth over last year, and booking volumes of admission tickets for museums have exceeded those of theme parks, ranking first among all types of scenic spots in China, said Trip.com.

From July to August next year, the Shanghai Museum will hold an exhibition of ancient Egyptian civilization. It is tipped to be the largest and highest-level exhibition of ancient Egyptian cultural relics outside Egypt.

As words spread about the coming bonanza, summer sales of admission tickets at other museums in Shanghai surged nearly 400 percent over last summer, Trip.com found.

Since July 19, the Shanghai Museum has been offering pet tickets, allowing travelers to bring along their cats for 10 special evening visits to the museum. Called "Meow Night", each of the 10 sessions will be on successive Saturdays from 6 pm to 9 pm. This initiative is the first of its kind among comprehensive museums globally.

All 10 sessions were sold out within one hour of the start of ticket sales, with many buyers hailing from places other than Shanghai. To facilitate travel of long-distance visitors and their pets, the Shanghai Museum has recommended a number of pet-friendly hotels within 10 kilometers of the museum.

A report on urban residents' summer consumption habits by the Ministry of Commerce showed that over 60 percent of consumption occurs after sunset. In summer, more domestic cities have been targeting the nighttime economy, launching diverse entertainment and other activities.

"The nighttime economy has helped enrich the appeal of cities and attracted a large number of visitors from other places, enhancing their competitiveness comprehensively," said Guan Lixin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

"Given the fast pace of urban life, nighttime has become an important period for people to relax and socialize after work. Besides, the functions of cities have been gradually shifting from production to consumption, and the demand for services such as tourism, shopping and entertainment has been growing," Guan said.