The Spring Festival, China’s most significant holiday, is also a vital driver of the country’s economy. This year, it shone even brighter, as the festival followed its inclusion on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, sparking renewed enthusiasm domestically and attracting heightened interest from abroad.
The statistics speak for themselves: 2.3 billion cross-regional trips and a record box office of 9.51 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) during the Spring Festival holiday from 28 January to 4 February. As an economic barometer, the festive period offers an opportunity to observe economic trends in China.
Elements of intangible cultural heritage played a major role in spurring consumption during this period. Lion dance hats, Year of the Snake lanterns, New Year prints – these festive items enticed consumers who were immersed in a lively atmosphere. JD.com, one of the leading e-commerce platforms, recorded a year-on-year increase of over 120 percent in searches for the Fu figure (good luck), silhouettes, and colourful lanterns.
But the appeal of traditional culture was not confined to the sale of festive goods. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism set up 31 tourism routes dedicated to intangible cultural heritage and organised almost 7,000 related activities. From the giant lanterns of Zigong in Sichuan Province to the Yingge dances of Shantou in Guangdong Province and the puppet shows of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, cultural tourism experienced a remarkable boom.
According to Meituan, another major Chinese e-commerce platform, searches for Spring Festival tourism increased by 168 percent compared to a year ago, while searches for arts and crafts and intangible cultural heritage increased by 387 percent and 790 percent year on year. Notably, a large proportion of these queries came from young people born after 2000.
“Products and activities related to intangible cultural heritage give the younger generation a taste for traditions, strengthen cultural identity, and promote more sustainable consumption,” said Yang Hong, director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Centre at the Communication University of China.
A touch of technology
New technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), have given folklore a contemporary dimension. In Beijing’s Haidian District, AI musicians played electronic instruments while robotic arms performed traditional calligraphy on red paper. The first AI fair in the capital, which took place from 30 January to 3 February.
In south China’s Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, the lion dance was reinvented through a fusion of costumed dancers and mechanical lions. On Taishan Mountain in Tai’an, Shandong Province, assistive robots combining advanced ergonomics and AI have made it easier for the elderly and people with reduced mobility to climb.
“These celebrations, enlivened by new technologies, show the world the romance and richness of the Spring Festival,” said Lin Jifu, a professor at China’s Minzu University.
A sales bonanza
At the same time, the national subsidy programme was a great success during the celebrations and played an important role in boosting consumption. In Changsha, Hunan Province, many people visited shops to get new phones because of the government’s offer to subsidise part of the cost.
Yu Huang, a local resident, shared his experience: “My old phone was valued at more than 1,700 yuan ($234), and thanks to the national subsidy of 500 yuan ($69), I was able to get a discount of more than 2,200 yuan ($303), which is a big advantage.”
According to the National Development and Reform Commission, 8.6 million units of cars, household appliances, furniture, and mobile phones were sold under the programme, generating more than 31 billion yuan ($4.3 billion). Sales of household appliances and mobile phones increased by 166 percent and 182 percent year on year respectively. This has boosted the market and supported economic growth.
International influence
The Spring Festival is now celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide, involving a fifth of the world’s population. In the United Arab Emirates, the Burj Khalifa presented a light and laser show to mark the event, and in South Africa, Sun City organised festivities for the third year running, attracting more than 1,200 Chinese tourists.
The influx of foreign visitors to China also increased thanks to visa exemption measures, rising by 22.9 percent year on year to 958,000 cross-border trips, according to the National Immigration Administration. Payments made via China UnionPay and NetsUnion by these visitors soared by 90.49 percent. At the same time, Chinese tourists explored more than 2,100 cities around the world, an increase of 50 percent year on year, according to Qunar, a Chinese travel platform.
The economic boom during the festival also confirmed the strength of the Chinese economy, which has attracted international attention even before the festival. In December last year, Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical company, agreed to invest almost $1.05 billion in a new research and development centre in Beijing. At the beginning of January, the International Monetary Fund revised upwards its growth forecasts for the Chinese economy in 2025, while several international bodies published forward-looking analyses of global investment, reflecting renewed optimism about China.
The Year of the Snake began under the auspices of an “economic carnival” on an unprecedented scale, heralding a promising future.
African Times has published this article in partnership with ChinAfrica Magazine
