Cities across China light up new nighttime tourism experiences to boost economic growth

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities across China have transformed their natural and cultural treasures into vibrant nighttime tourism hotspots, drawing surging visitor numbers and energizing local economies during the bustling summer period.   The Haihe River, which runs through north China's Tianjin Municipality, has gained increasing popularity among tourists due to its spectacular night view.   The municipality upgraded the lighting fixtures on 216 buildings, 13 bridges and seven berths along the river. Besides the colorful lights, tourists can also enjoy wonderful performances, such as traditional operas and cross talks on boat.   As a result, tourist boats on the Haihe River have received more than 330,000 travelers this summer.   In Zaozhuang City of east China's Shandong Province, traditional buildings were decorated with dazzling lights in Tai'erzhuang Ancient Town, with performances such as traditional molten iron fireworks, shadow plays, and operas captivating numerous tourists.

The ancient town saw a month-on-month increase of 35 percent in tourist trips in July.   In Fuzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, the historic district of SanFangQiXiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013, has been bustling with tourists every evening.   In recent years, Fuzhou has enriched its nighttime consumption scenarios, with historic sites such as the SanFangQixiang designated as key areas, where intangible cultural heritage fairs and art performances were introduced. Since July, the district has seen a flow of 3.42 million travelers.   In Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, traditional fish-shaped lanterns, have highlighted ancient streets, towns and villages, where tourists can experience activities related to the intangible cultural heritage. These activities have boosted tourist numbers and spending this summer by 8.79 percent and 8.98 percent, respectively.   In Yangzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, the culture stemming from the Grand Canal has reinvigorated its nighttime economy by means of performances, light shows and immersive experiences.   From January to July, the night tours of the ancient canal saw a turnover of around 30 million yuan.

Cities across China light up new nighttime tourism experiences to boost economic growth

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.

Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.

"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.

The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.

Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar