Provinces in China see boosted consumption during Qingming Festival holiday

East China provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu introduced a series of measures and trade-in policies and have boosted consumption during the Qingming Festival holiday, from movie-going to car and home appliance purchases.

Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4 this year, is a traditional Chinese festival for honoring ancestors, and it is a three-day holiday for Chinese people to relax and engage in social activities and family outings. The two provinces made more efforts in executing the newly pushed stimulation policies for consumption during the holiday.

In Jiangsu, the government issued cinema vouchers and attracted more moviegoers. A total of 15 films hit the screen during the three-day holiday, covering multiple genres to attract all groups of people.

Used car trade-in policies are extended in the province. Many citizens chose to buy new cars during the break, making full use of the policy and the holiday.

"I happen to have an old car that was bought around 2010 and is due to be scrapped. My family has been driving it for years. With the current scrappage subsidy policy, the government offers up to 20,000 yuan (about 2,747 U.S. dollars), which is quite a good deal," said Mr. Feng from Nantong City of Jiangsu.

Zhejiang Province's Tonglu City expanded the coverage of its regional trade-in policies from eight categories to 12 and organized fairs for home-appliance brands to boost sales.

Night markets in commercial streets in Jiangsu are the best places to see brisk holiday activities, where tourists and shoppers enjoy newly introduced performances and sales promotion events.

In Jiangsu's coastal city, Lianyungang, a tourist from central China's Henan Province, Wang Zihan, said, "It is quite lively here, and you can watch performances over there. The seafood is also quite good. I would come back to Lianyungang next time, as I really enjoy the atmosphere."

More reported sales of gold and home appliances are in the adjacent province of Zhejiang, thanks to government stimulation and trade-in policies.

A department store in Zhejiang's capital city, Hangzhou, set up special counters to promote top brands and attract sales during the holiday.

"The gold price is quite good with the activities of the mall and deductions of the store," said Ms. Hu, a resident of Hangzhou.

Provinces in China see boosted consumption during Qingming Festival holiday

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.

In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.

"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.

Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.

Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.

"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.

Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.

Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.

"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.

Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela