In addition, government rules stopping all tour groups from entering Shanghai have made the holiday far from festive for local retailers.

Along the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall, China's premier shopping street, 132 national flags hang from 66 street lights but there are few shoppers to enjoy the sight.

The road and most department stores around the city were far from packed yesterday unlike previous national holidays.

Shao Haiyan, a cashier at Shanghai Landmark department store said business is down by at least a third from the same period last year.

"Although holiday shopping is much better than the last few weeks, the SARS fear has apparently keep many young fashion seekers out of the stores," said Shao.

At Itokin Department Store, which was just reopened in March after renovation, salespeople said the number of customers in the store during peak times is only about half of what they are used to during the holidays.

Even the normally crowded Yuyuan tourist market is far from bustling this week.

Tang Qigen, a photographer near the Nine-Bend Bridge, lamented that a lack of foreign tourists has damaged his business.

"During past May Day holidays, security guards had to control the tourists' flow on the bridge, sometimes allowing only one-way traffic," Tang said. "Now it is clear and I seldom see foreign tourists who made up the bulk of my customers."

Even the normally long queue at a shop selling Nanxiang small steamed bread, a famous Shanghai snack, has been cut to about 20 customers, half its usual size.

At a Haoledi Karaoke lounge on Nanjing Road E, receptionists said they received about 100 groups of customers every day, less than half the number they received a year ago.

To prevent university students from traveling and prevent the spread of SARS to rural areas, local educational authority has required schools to hold classes during the holiday.

At Fudan University, every student is required to attend classes until May 11, including May Day. But the university promised to add three more days to the upcoming summer vacation. An instructor in the Physics Department even encouraged students to play computer games to keep them on campus.

Naturally, some students are disappointed with the ban of traveling. "I miss my parents a lot," said Yu Ou, an English major who planned to visit her hometown of Nanjing during the holiday.

"I'm not afraid of SARS, instead I'm more concerned that I will become bored."

(eastday.com May 3, 2003)