As the National Day holiday is coming to an end, the long break has revitalized urban commercial areas, with trade-in programs for consumer goods and multiple cultural and sports events attracting considerable crowds, resulting in a bustling consumer market across various regions.
The National Day holiday, starting on October 1 and known as a "Golden Week," is one of China's largest annual public holidays.
During the first five days of the holiday, an average of around 300 million trips were made daily, with bustling crowds at major scenic spots and museums. Nationwide, ticket bookings increased by over 37 percent compared to last year.
In Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, naked-eye 3D experience program has attracted hordes of consumers.
"I took my child to experience it and hope that he can feel the charm of technology through these experiences," said Luo Zhiyong, a local in Chengdu City.
In the first four days of the National Day holiday, Beijing's 60 key commercial districts recorded a foot traffic of 26.969 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 20.9 percent. In east China's Jiangsu Province, key retail enterprises achieved cumulative sales of approximately 2.06 billion yuan (about 293.5 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent. Key commercial areas in cities like Chengdu and Hangzhou also showed significant growth in both foot traffic and sales.
During the National Day holiday, various regions accelerated the promotion of trade-in programs for consumer goods, boosting the consumption of bulk commodities. The government allocated 60 billion yuan in subsidies for these trade-in initiatives, stimulating the holiday economy and invigorating market activity.
To ensure that consumers nationwide receive the freshest agricultural products from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China Post has utilized a green transport channel for fresh produce, helping local geographical indication (GI) products reach markets across the country.
"We primarily use air freight and express rapid delivery to transport our walnuts from Yecheng County to major cities within two to three days, ensuring that people can enjoy the freshest walnuts available," said Yan Qiang, general manager of China Post Xinjiang Yecheng County Branch.
National Day holiday sees booming consumption due to various stimulus measures
National Day holiday sees booming consumption due to various stimulus measures
Rescue and recovery work is ongoing at the site of a deadly train collision at a station on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta which has killed at least 15 people and left dozens injured, while the search for potential survivors trapped in the wreckage continues.
The incident unfolded at around 20:50 local time on Monday when a commuter train on the Jakarta-Bekasi route hit an electric taxi and came to a halt. Minutes later, a long-distance express train traveling from Jakarta to Surabaya crashed into the stationary commuter train from behind. The rear carriage, designated for women only, bore the full force of the impact.
One anxious mother, Fitria Yunis, said she had been waiting at a hospital overnight following the crash. Her daughter, who was on board the commuter train, suffered serious injuries and is receiving treatment in the ICU.
"My daughter didn't realize at first that a train had hit a taxi. She was on her phone. When the second crash happened and the train collided, she was immediately thrown across the carriage. Her legs flew up in the air, and she became trapped between two metal poles. She screamed for help, and after several hours, they were able to evacuate her through a nearby window," she said.
Rescue teams have remained on-site since the collision and have been using heavy-duty equipment to reach victims who who are trapped inside the damaged carriages. Officials say the scale of destruction has made the operation slow and highly challenging.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited survivors at a hospital in Bekasi on Tuesday morning, extending condolences on behalf of the government and promising a swift investigation.
Agus Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development of Indonesia, gave an update from the site of the tragic incident.
"Right now we are in the second stage: the recovery process. We aim to have the damaged carriages lifted from the tracks. We will continue to evaluate the technical and operational side of this accident. We are aware that having a rail network that overlaps with our road and land transport is challenging, but we will investigate this further to find out what steps are needed to prevent a similar incident from happening," he said.
The accident has disrupted services across Jakarta's commuter rail network, which carries nearly one million passengers daily, affecting hundreds of thousands of commuters who rely on the trains for their daily journeys.
An investigation into the cause of the incident is being conducted by the rail operator and the National Transportation Safety Committee.
Death toll rises in Indonesian train collision as rescue, recovery work continues
