Beijing has unveiled a list of its top "under the moonlight" cultural and tourism hotspots to keep locals and visitors entertained during the night-time hours of the ongoing Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which runs from Sunday to Tuesday.
The night tour recommendation list features 60 cultural and tourism projects across the Chinese capital, with many of the highlighted projects including activities based around China's traditional Mid-Autumn festival celebrations, which is a cherished time for family reunions, appreciating the full moon and enjoying colorful lantern shows.
One of the stand-outs is the Jingcai Lantern Festival, which was launched on Saturday in the Beijing Garden Expo Park, and has been drawing in visitors with its fascinating illuminated lantern displays, making it the perfect place to celebrate the festival with family members well after dark.
The lantern show integrates the national intangible cultural heritage of lantern craftsmanship of Zigong - a southwest China city famous for its lantern making - with distinctive elements of the city of Beijing, and is showcasing more than 200 groups of lantern displays, making it a dazzling night-time spot in the city during the festive period.
"The 'Jingcai Lantern Festival' is a new platform to present the culture of the Chinese capital, and a new product that brings together cultural, tourism, and leisure services. We hope that everyone can appreciate the beauty of Beijing this autumn," said Wu Jinmei, the general manager of the lantern festival.
In addition to the natural and cultural attractions, the night tour list also includes a variety of activities, such as night parades in Beijing's historic old city alleys, known as 'Hutongs', to bus tours to popular spots, as well as art performances, and bookstores and museums extending their opening hours and hosting evening events.
For both locals and tourists, the list can serve as a good guide to soak up the very best Beijing has to offer during the festive period.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.
Night-time attractions keep visitors entertained after-dark in Beijing
Since the beginning of this year, China's financial sector has further improved financing services for small and micro enterprises, particularly by addressing financing blockages for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), amidst the country's strengthened support for businesses in recent years.
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission recently issued a document addressing the blockages in the financing process of MSMEs.
According to the document, the range of entities eligible for liability exemption upon fulfilling due diligence has been broadened to cover loans in key areas such as small and micro enterprises, self-employed individuals, owners of small and micro enterprises, and farmers. This move aims to effectively reduce the burden on grassroots credit personnel and address their concerns regarding lending.
Meanwhile, the scope of renewal has been broadened from certain small and micro enterprises to include all small and micro enterprises.
It is specified that small and micro enterprises with working capital loans and owners of small and micro enterprises, self-employed individuals, and farmers who continue to require financing after the loan terms can seek renewal support from banks.
To enhance support for small and micro enterprises, coordination among different national departments, as well as between national ministries and local governments, is growing increasingly tight.
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission have established a coordination mechanism to bolster financing for small and micro enterprises.
For instance, special teams have been set up at the county and district levels throughout China to comprehensively assess the financing needs of small and micro enterprises.
For small and micro enterprises with genuine financing needs and good credit standing, banks are required to complete credit approvals within one month in principle, guaranteeing direct access to credit funds for these enterprises.
As of the end of August this year, the balance of inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises nationwide reached 31.9 trillion yuan (around 4.5 trillion U.S. dollars), doubling that at the end of 2017, with the average interest rate decreasing by a cumulative 3.5 percentage points.
By the end of September, the six major commercial banks - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), Bank of China (BOC), China Construction Bank (CCB), Bank of Communications (BCM), and Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC) - have collectively extended over 2.2 trillion yuan (around 310.9 billion U.S. dollars) in newly added inclusive loans to small and micro enterprises this year.
China's financial sector further removes MSMEs' financing blockages in 2024
