By He Yin, People’s Daily
During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, more than 2.3 billion passenger trips were made in China, and the total box office revenue surpassed 11 billion yuan ($1.51 billion), leading to increased consumption spending in catering and shopping.
The lively Spring Festival celebrations have mirrored China’s economic vitality. The Chinese economy has demonstrated stronger growth momentum and more open-market advantages, propelling the consumer market toward innovation and high-quality development. International observers believe that the travel and spending boom during the Spring Festival holiday has sent a positive signal to the world, showing the resilience and vitality of China’s economy.
The vibrant holiday market reflects the strong momentum of China’s high-quality economic growth.
Expanding domestic demand remains a top priority for China’s economic agenda in 2025 and beyond. According to the latest value-added tax invoice data released by China’s State Taxation Administration, the eight-day Spring Festival holiday saw the average daily sales revenues of consumer-related industries increase 10.8 percent year on year, with goods consumption up 9.9 percent and services consumption rising 12.3 percent.
Thanks to China’s policy-backed consumer goods trade-in program, the sales of home appliances and furniture have skyrocketed in the country, making them new highlights of the Spring Festival shopping season. Sales revenues from household audiovisual equipment, such as televisions, soared by 226.8 percent compared to the same period last year.
“China had a solid start to the Year of the Snake,” said Citi Research analysts. Many global financial institutions have recognized the tangible progress of China’s high-quality development in their 2025 economic outlooks. They believe that the green economy, digital economy, and high-tech manufacturing are emerging as new growth drivers, and service consumption will continue to account for a larger share of the Chinese economy.
The creative economic activities during the Spring Festival holiday this year highlight the innovation-driven development of the Chinese economy.
This year’s Spring Festival is the first since its inscription on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. A number of traditional cultural activities have been held across China, providing foreign visitors with an immersive festival experience.
Meanwhile, winter sports have become a popular option for Chinese people during the holiday. A range of ice and snow activities have drawn travelers to explore snow-covered landscapes, ice and snow sports, and winter-themed cultural experiences.
Digital technologies have injected new impetus into Chinese cultural exhibitions and brought AI-powered Spring Festival temple fairs to the public, blending technology and traditional culture through interactive and immersive experiences.
The booming holiday spending echoes China’s economic vitality, with cultural prosperity and economic growth mutually reinforcing each other. The unique appeal of Chinese culture has sparked a “China travel” boom, which is expected to further expand the country’s services trade.
The benefits brought by China’s vibrant holiday market to the world demonstrate the positive impact of the country’s efforts to expand high-level opening up.
According to statistics released by China’s National Immigration Administration, 14.37 million cross-border trips were made during this year’s Spring Festival holiday, 6.3 percent more than a year earlier. Chinese travel platforms reported that Chinese tourists visited over 2,100 overseas cities during this period, reflecting China’s recovering outbound travel demand.
Chinese New Year goods have gained rising popularity in the global market, indicating the growing global appeal of Chinese products. For instance, spring couplets, dumplings, and “blind boxes” inspired by the Chinese zodiac flew off the shelves in overseas supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. Smart home appliance sets from China became trendy gifts among foreign youth.
Besides, China’s increasingly diversified consumer demand has boosted imports, with New Zealand kiwis and Chilean cherries becoming highly sought-after holiday goods.
As China continues to advance high-level opening up, the Chinese market will welcome more high-quality products from around the world.
The economic boom during the Spring Festival holiday indicates a positive beginning for the Chinese economy in 2025, significantly boosting confidence in the country’s development prospects throughout the year. With policies taking hold, China will continue to invigorate its consumer market, expand high-level opening up, strengthen momentum for steady economic growth, and remain the biggest engine of world economic growth.
Tourists enjoy the splendid night view on a boat at the Hetou ancient street scenic area in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei province, Jan. 26, 2025. (Photo by Liu Mancang/People’s Daily Online)
Tourists watch lion dance performance at the Wanshou Palace cultural block in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi province, Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Zhang Hui/People’s Daily Online)
