Shanghai's cultural festivities attract record numbers of tourists during Spring Festival

Shanghai has emerged as one of China's top tourist destinations, with a staggering 203 percent increase in inbound travel orders during the Spring Festival compared to the previous year, according to recent data. To enhance the visitor experience, Shanghai has introduced over 110 cultural and tourism activities across 10 major commercial districts, attracting both domestic and foreign tourists to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Shanghai's iconic commercial hubs, including Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road, and Yuyuan Garden, have joined forces to host a variety of New Year's discount and promotional events.

At the Nanjing Road Spring Festival market, visitors are treated to a vibrant array of cultural displays, featuring traditional handicrafts and artisanal creations. Foreign tourists can immerse themselves in cultural experiences, sample festive delicacies, and take part in multiple rounds of voucher giveaways for purchases within the district.

Meanwhile, Yuyuan Garden's lantern festival and temple fair offer a magical atmosphere, where foreign visitors can enjoy the unique blend of traditional Chinese architecture and "Shanghai-style" folk customs.

"I'm from Germany. The architecture is really cool. I'm an architecture student, and the roof, how it's bent, reminds me movies that we see from China. (switch to Chinese) Beautiful. (switch back to English) There's a lot of food downstairs, a lot of dumplings (switch to Chinese) steamed buns. (switch back to English) It's really delicious," said a German tourist.

Lujiazui District has launched special New Year events incorporating floral displays, folk art, and handcrafted creations with an old Shanghai aesthetic. These activities allow foreign visitors to experience the rich traditions and festive spirit of Chinese culture firsthand.

To enhance accessibility, shopping areas like Nanjing East Road, Nanjing West Road, Lujiazui, Xintiandi, and Yuyuan Garden, as well as international shopping destinations such as Bicester Village, have upgraded their services to include foreign-language guides and menus.

Shanghai's cultural festivities attract record numbers of tourists during Spring Festival

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO