NPR: May Day! May Day!

May Day! May Day!

Today is May 1 -- International Labor Day.

Here are two snapshots from Chengdu on this day, the start of a 3-day national holiday.

Children of migrant workers find ways to amuse themselves in a courtyard outside the rooms their families rent.

Andrea Hsu, NPR

I spent the afternoon just outside Chengdu's 3rd ring road, in a migrant worker enclave packed with ramshackle buildings, makeshift outdoor kitchens and shared bathrooms. There were lots of children running about, a few teenagers watching television, some old people playing mahjong, but otherwise very few adults. They were at work, on construction sites, in restaurants and hotels, or on the road somewhere.

Crowds gather in Tianfu Square on May 1 to enjoy the spectacular fountain and lights show, which is set to music.

Andrea Hsu, NPR

I wandered down to Tianfu Square in the heart of Chengdu this evening, just in time for the start of the spectacular fountain and lights show. After a hot and sticky day, the cool spray from the fountains came as a welcome relief.

-- Andrea Hsu

8:02 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink

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About 'Chengdu Diary'

We first launched this blog in the spring of 2008, when a team from NPR's All Things Considered headed to Chengdu, China, the capital of Sichuan Province, to prepare for a week of special programming on China. On May 12, 2008, the staff found themselves in the middle of an unexpected story when a massive earthquake struck southwestern China.

The 2008 entries on this blog offer a day-by-day chronicle of the team's experiences before and after the quake. The 2009 entries document a return visit to Chengdu and to the parts of Sichuan Province most affected by the disaster.

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