As the 2025 World Games draw to a close in southwest China's Chengdu, athletes and visitors from around the globe are celebrating athletic achievements with a shopping spree, taking advantage of the city's famously vibrant selection of retail offerings.
From high-tech gadgets to local cultural souvenirs and mouthwatering street food, foreign athletes have been enthusiastically embracing Chengdu's consumer culture, transforming the city's bustling commercial hubs into international gathering spots.
Near the Games' conclusion, the Egyptian Wushu Sanda team made a final stop at Chengdu's bustling Hehuachi Market, a renowned wholesale and retail hub. The team's head coach Rami Kamel was shopping for souvenirs and other goods to bring home.
"The people are perfect. Everybody here smiles in your face. The hospitality is wonderful," said Kamel.
Another popular destination has been the New Century Global Center -- a colossal complex with a total floor area of 1.76 million square meters, recognized as Asia's largest single-building structure. For many international guests, it's a must-visit landmark.
"We know that it's the biggest building in Asia, and it's why we want to visit it. And we are really passionate to visit it," said Clemence Laroche, a member of the French delegation.
Austrian athlete Noel Salzburger was equally impressed with Chengdu's diverse architecture.
"I think it's a very cool city, [with] very big buildings and a very crazy mall, because back in Austria, we don't have this big of buildings. It's crazy," said Salzburger.
New Zealand's athlete Pheline Rosin praised not only the variety, but also the quality of the goods they found in the city.
"Whatever you want, it's there, you can get it. It's pretty cheap as well, [with] good quality, and the food is really good," said Rosin.
Ease of payment has also won high marks. Chengdu has rolled out comprehensive foreign-card payment coverage across key tourist sites, shopping districts, hotels, and scenic spots, allowing international visitors to shop with convenience.
Multiple commercial zones now feature centralized tax refund centers or in-store "instant refund" services, making the shopping experience seamless for overseas travelers.
"It's easy for us to travel, to (go) shopping. Everybody is very kind. We just have to ask if we don't know where to go," said Agnes Legroux, another member of the French delegation.
As Chengdu pushes forward in building itself into a global hub for consumption and tourism, the city is leveraging this international event to open its doors wider than ever.
First held in 1981 and staged every four years, the World Games is the highest-level international multi-sport event outside the Olympic Games, featuring sports and disciplines that are not on the Olympic program. This year's competition runs from Aug. 7 to 17.
Global athletes snatch up China-made goods during Chengdu World Games
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
