Customized travel photography is flourishing in the picturesque Kanas scenic spot in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as more and more Chinese tourists are viewing travel as an opportunity to craft unique experiences and self-expression rather than just sightseeing.
Compared with traditional travel photography, this emerging customized business provides tourists with one-stop and personalized services including styling, travel portrait shooting, itinerary planning and tour guiding.
Travel photography customizer was classified as a new job type by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China earlier this month.
Han Qi, 54, is one of the photographers who have been engaged in this newly-developing industry. His studio at Kanas, Altay has been busy recently as the enchanting scenic area has ushered in the peak tourist season since the start of May.
He customized a set of travel photography works for a tourist from east China's Anhui, who wanted to capture her special moments at Hemu Village, a fairytale-like wonderland boasting exquisite wooden houses surrounded by green grassland and boundless forest at the foot of snowcapped mountains.
"After watching [the television drama series] 'My Altay,' I had been wanting to travel here to experience horse riding and archery, and to visit the village's characteristic sites. I want to preserve this wonderful memory," said Jiao Dandan, the tourist.
With over 20 years of experience in photography and proficient Internet marketing, Han has become a travel photography customizer who can independently design tour routes and provide professional shooting and guiding services. He said his studio receives some 10 groups of customers every day during the peak season.
"Customized travel photography requires us to invest more time and energy. It often takes a whole day [for one customer]. We need to consider every detail, such as the sunlight in the morning and the travel routes, so as to present the uniqueness and distinctive style [of each customer]," said Han.
At present, there are 14 customized travel photography studios at the Kanas scenic spot. The professions said they hope that visitors will immerse themselves in the unique ethnic customs while enjoying shooting in the magnificent landscape.
Tourists flock to Xinjiang scenic spot for unique photography experiences
A new round of trade-in subsidy program is energizing China's consumer market these days, with provinces across the country seeing a surge in demand for cars, home appliances and digital devices.
In north China's Shanxi Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, which started on January 9, has further helped boost sales in home appliances and digital devices which are covered by the new round of subsidies.
To enjoy the subsidies, six types of home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, must meet national Level 1 energy-efficiency or water-efficiency standards. Digital and smart products include four types, such as mobile phones and tablets, with a sales price cap of 6,000 yuan (about 800 U.S. dollars) per item.
In both categories, subsidies are set at 15 percent of the final transaction price. For home appliances, the maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per item. For digital products, the cap is 500 yuan per item. Each consumer can receive a subsidy for one unit in each category.
Neighboring Shanxi, Hebei Province kicked off the year of 2026 with the new round of trade-in subsidy program starting on January 1.
The subsidies cover automobiles, home appliances, and digital products. Individual consumers who purchase designated Level 1 energy-efficiency appliances or eligible digital products priced at no more than 6,000 yuan can receive subsidies equal to 15 percent of the transaction price. The maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per appliance and 500 yuan per digital or smart device, with each person limited to one subsidized item in each category.
Data showed that from Jan 1 to 9, Hebei's home appliance trade-in program alone disbursed more than 130 million yuan in subsidies, driving sales of over 920 million yuan.
In east China's Jiangsu Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, taking effect for two weeks, has brought the province a boom in trade-in.
At a local 4S store in Jiangsu's Suqian City, showroom traffic has spiked as salespeople walked customers through the new benefits from the trade-in subsidy program.
"Under the scrappage-and-replacement scheme, customers who buy a new energy vehicle (NEV) can receive a subsidy worth 12 percent of the vehicle price, capped at 20,000 yuan (about 2,860 U.S. dollars). For combustion-engine cars, the subsidy is 10 percent, with an upper limit of 15,000 yuan. For trade-ins, NEVs are able to receive a subsidy worth 8 percent of the vehicle price, up to 15,000 yuan, while combustion-engine cars will receive a 6-percent subsidy, with a cap of 13,000 yuan," said Sun Yue, a saleswoman at the store.
In the home appliance sector, Jiangsu's policy this year stipulates that only products that meet China's Level 1 energy-efficiency standard are eligible for subsidies. The scheme covers six major categories, including refrigerators and washing machines.
Consumers who purchase qualifying appliances can receive a subsidy equal to 15 percent of the final retail price, up to a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. Each person is limited to one subsidized unit per product category.
Four types of digital and smart products, such as mobile phones and tablets, are eligible for a 15-percent subsidy capped at 500 yuan per unit, with a retail price no more than 6,000 yuan.
"With the national subsidy policy back in place this year, I went to the store to check what discounts I could get. It knocked 500 yuan off the price. [The discounted price is] very reasonable," said Wang Kang, a resident of Jiangsu's Xuzhou Province.
To enhance the shopping experience for consumers, many retailers are pairing subsidies with "one-stop" services that combine the delivery of new products with on-site collection of old ones.
"After consumers place an order for new home appliances, our staff will schedule a time to pick up the old units. Recycling the old appliance can also further offset the purchase price of the new one," said Yang Jie, a sales supervisor at a major home appliance company.
China's new trade-in program sparks consumption boom
