Holiday spending reflects the recovery of China’s consumer market

During the national holiday in China, online and offline shopping has gained momentum in the country, thanks to increased consumer enthusiasm and the implementation of spending policies.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shu Jueting announced that during the seven-day celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, various pro-consumption activities were launched across the country to boost consumption and maintain the recovery of the country’s consumer market.

Local governments have presented a variety of measures, which include the distribution of consumer vouchers, investments in tourism activities and the organization of festivals to encourage culture and tourism consumption.

For example, the city of Fuzhou in southeast China’s Fujian Province plans to issue consumer vouchers worth 3 million yuan (about US$423,000) during the holiday season to encourage spending, and southwest China’s Sichuan Province is organizing more than 70 activities such as cultural and evening tours to attract travelers.

“Local governments have taken strong measures this year and they are available to a wide range of consumers,” explained Chen Lifen, a researcher at the State Council Development Research Center. He added that such measures will further release the consumption potential.

The travel craze is on the rise during this week-long vacation season. According to Lvmama, a domestic online travel agency, seven-day travel bookings through the platform increased by more than 87% from September 11 to 20, compared to the previous 10 days.

Travel items have become increasingly popular on online delivery platforms, reflecting the boom in China’s National Day celebrations.

CFP – Tourists at Beijing’s Yuanmingyuan Park, also known as the Old Summer Palace, during the National Day holiday in China (4/10/22)

China’s software sector recorded revenue growth in the period from January to August

China’s software industry recorded an annual growth of 9.8% in operating income in the first eight months of this year. Revenue from this sector totaled 6.44 trillion yuan (about US$907.07 billion) from January to August. The data are from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Companies in the industry brought in 695.2 billion yuan in combined profit during the period, up 3.6% year-on-year. During this period, China’s exports of software services totaled US$34.4 billion, an increase of 4.8% year-on-year.

The Grand Canal witnesses the transition of Hangzhou from an industrial center to a cultural gem

Cruise ships glide down the Grand Canal in the historic city of Hangzhou as the public address system announces famous attractions: Gongchen Bridge, Xinyifang, Wulinmen.

With a history of over 2,500 years, the Grand Canal connects Beijing and Hangzhou and served as an important traffic artery in ancient China. In 2014, a 1,000 km section of the canal was declared a world heritage site.

There is no shortage of traffic along this waterway in the capital of eastern China, Zhejiang Province, with visitors eager to experience the architectural wonders of the city dubbed “Heaven on Earth.”

Today, when boats pass through the confluence of two tributaries – the Yuhangtang and Xitang rivers – it is obvious that the former desert industrial oil field has been transformed into waterfront parks.

Built in the early 1950s, Xiaohe Oil Depot is representative of the city’s ancient industry. It once provided the energy to drive industrialization on both sides of this stretch of the Grand Canal.

The depot is now dead, but three oil tanks have been preserved as a monument to the city’s industrial heritage. Thousands of holes of various sizes were drilled in the industrial remains as part of the strengthening and restoration process.

In 2010, the transportation company Hangzhou Waterbus started hiring people for cruise ships and Song became an employee.

From the 1950s, industrial enterprises and warehouses crowded the banks of the canal, taking advantage of water transport. In the 1980s, the hundreds of tributaries feeding the canal brought more industrial and domestic wastewater. At that time, there was a popular saying: “If there’s a stench in the air, you’re in Hangzhou.”

The municipal administration tried to solve the problem and implemented comprehensive water purification and landscaping measures along the canal.

Over the years, the water quality of the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal has improved from Class V to Class IV, or even Class III in some areas. Hangzhou has achieved the goal of restoring the canal, with clear water, green trees and beautiful scenery along its banks.

Along with canal ecology, several desert industrial sites along the waterway have been transformed by industrial heritage protection as well as cultural and economic development.

West of Gongchen Bridge, several museums have sprung up on former industrial sites, such as the Chinese Knife, Scissors and Sword Museum, the Chinese Fan Museum, and the Chinese Umbrella Museum. The cultural cluster added new tourist features to canal tours.

Xinhua – The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal River Canal in Wangjiangjing District, Xiuzhou District of Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, East China.

Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular among the elderly in China

In the consumer sector, the elderly in China have gradually become accustomed to online shopping, and the items they buy are becoming more diverse.

A new report from e-commerce platform JD.com shows that in the first eight months of 2022, China’s online shopping transaction volume, online shopping users, and order volume per capita grew 3 times, 1.8 times, and 1.7 times, respectively, compared to 2018

Older people attach more importance to smart products. In the first eight months of this year, items such as household washing machines and dryers recorded significant growth.

Elderly Day or the Ninth Double Festival is celebrated throughout China

About six million train trips were made on Tuesday (4), the fourth day of the national holiday week, which celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China from Saturday (1). The data is from China State Railway Group, the state-owned company responsible for the country’s railway lines.

On the 4th, the Ninth two-day festival, known as the Day of the Elderly, is celebrated. China established this holiday in 1989 to show respect, affection and support for the elderly.

On Huashan Mountain in the central Shaanxi province, a group of veteran artists celebrated the festival with a traditional local opera.

Outdoor recreation activities for senior tourists were held at Songshan Mountain in central Henan Province.

Double Nine cake, a traditional snack used to express good wishes to elderly family members, is a hit in Shanghai.

With information from CGTN and Xinhua