New energy vehicles highly favored at auto shows across China

Major auto shows have been held in many Chinese cities for the ongoing National Day holiday, attracting a lot of interested customers to sign orders for new energy vehicles with strong discounts provided by car companies and the national trade-in subsidies.

The China Motor Show 2024 is being held from Sept 29 to 0ct 5 at the National Convention and Exhibition Center in north China's Tianjin Municipality. The exhibition was bustling and hustling on Tuesday, the first day of the week-long National Day holiday.

The seven-day auto show has brought together nearly 100 car brands from across China and all over the world. About half of the vehicles on display are new energy powered. New products and technologies featuring the concept of "green and energy saving" are particularly attractive to possible buyers.

China has been promoting a nationwide trade-in program to support consumers to replace old cars that are high in energy consumption, emissions and safety risks with new energy vehicles or energy-saving ones.

The country rolled out a new round of trade-in policies to further raise subsidies for purchasing passenger cars in late August. Subsidy for trade-ins of new energy passenger vehicles has doubled from 10,000 yuan (about 1,418 U.S. dollars) -- a figure stipulated in an April document -- to 20,000 yuan, and subsidy for trade-ins of fuel passenger vehicles has also risen from 7,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan.

Posters introducing the trade-in policies can be seen everywhere at the motor show in Tianjin. If the buyers order on the spot, they can enjoy both reduced prices and state subsidies.

"We have targeted a car online. There is a motor show right here in Tianjin during the National Day holiday, so we especially come here to learn more about the car. It happened that the country has expanded the trade-in subsidies, so we decide to buy it here today as it is much cheaper," said Sun Mingyue, a local.

The six-day 2024 International Automobile Trade Fair was kicked off on Sunday in Shenyang City, northeast China's Liaoning Province. The event has seen the launch of nearly 30 new car models.

New energy vehicles have occupied most of the booths and also recorded more trading orders at the event.

"New energy vehicles give me a strong sense of science and technology, very cool. And they have lower costs. The government has subsidies, and the car companies have big discounts for each model. So I have placed a decisive order for a car that I like and have a pretty appearance," said Li Man, a local resident.

Trade-in subsidies, benefits from car companies and special discounts at the exhibition have combined to attract more than 450,000 visitors until Friday, with the transaction value exceeding 2.1 billion yuan (about 298 million U.S. dollars).

New energy vehicles highly favored at auto shows across China

Olga Sumarokova, a Moscow-based Russian artist, has been devoted to traditional Chinese painting for 15 years, serving as a cultural bridge between China and Russia.

Sumarokova has been deeply fascinated by Chinese painting, particularly the xieyi, or freehand style, which is marked by loose brushstrokes and light colors to convey poetry.

She said what she loves about Chinese painting is the philosophy it embodies, as well as the artistic conception that cannot be fully expressed in words.

Before studying traditional Chinese painting, Sumarokova worked as a designer. She began learning bird-and-flower painting and gongbi painting, a realistic and elaborate-style Chinese painting technique under Russian Chinese-painting artist Yulia Naumova. During her studies, Sumarokova traveled to China almost every year for further training.

At her studio in Moscow, Sumarokova also teaches freehand style Chinese painting. She said that the freehand style of Chinese painting requires long-term observation and moments of inspiration, but without an understanding of Chinese culture, the art would be groundless, like water without a source and a tree without roots.

Sumarokova said she will continue learning from Chinese masters and refining her skills. She said even when her hands tremble one day, she will not give up the art. She plans to keep running her studio, taking part in exhibitions and exchanging with artists from different parts of China.

"I truly admire China's development. China 14 years ago was totally different from it is today. And in terms of the people, the changes in the Chinese people are also remarkable. I'm sure that Chinese people are especially good at expressing their artistic charm," she said.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Sumarokova created an ink-wash painting of galloping horses in freehand style. Falling on Tuesday this year, the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is China's most important festival marked by family reunions, festive foods and New Year wishes. Chinese New Year's Day in 2026 marked the start of the Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Sumarokova said in Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes speed and achievement. She hopes this year will be filled with good ideas, achievements and exciting moments -- a blessing to her Chinese friends, and to herself.

Russian artist bridges cultures with Chinese ink painting