Leaders of 18 overseas performance groups were appointed as inbound observers by the Shanghai Tourism Festival organizing committee on Sunday, with the hope of promoting the beauty and cultural wonder of Shanghai around the world.
At the invitation of the committee, these performance groups from 15 countries and regions, including Australia, Germany, Croatia and Italy, took part in a grand parade of the Shanghai Tourism Festival on Saturday night.
"We love to come to Shanghai, really enjoy being here. Yesterday's grand parade was awesome. The atmosphere was great. Different groups from various countries gathered here. We really like Shanghai a lot," said Jana Zschunke, board member of the orchestra group Blasorchester Leipzig.
Taking advantage of their visit to explore Chinese culture, over 1,000 international performers have been sightseeing around Shanghai from Wednesday.
"We eat Chinese food every day. I have to admit that it is quite delicious. We really like eating it. We may be a few pounds heavier when we return from China. I'm so glad that we have the chance to come to Shanghai, to China. For most of the girls, it is their first time here. I hope it would not be the last. We want to come back again, whether it is to Shanghai or other places in China," said Elizabeta Mikelj, leader of Mazoretkinje otoka Krka, a performance troupe dedicated to the art of majorette baton twirling.
Overseas performers become 'inbound observers' in Shanghai
The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the third estimate report released Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The growth was revised down 0.2 percentage points from the second estimate, primarily reflecting a downward revision to investment. It is below market expectations for a 0.7 percent growth, and much lower than the 4.4 percent growth reported in the third quarter.
The downward revision primarily reflects a reduction in the contribution of investment to growth, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Data showed that, under domestic private investment, the contribution of changes in private inventories to the quarter's economic growth rate was revised downward from 0.28 percentage points to 0.14 percentage points, while fixed investment's contribution to the economic growth was also lowered by 0.03 percentage points to 0.26 percentage points.
The sudden fall in U.S. GDP growth signals deeper economic weakness at a time when global uncertainty, policy shocks and demand pressures are rising together, local media reported Thursday.
The U.S. GDP rose 2.1 percent in 2025 on an annual basis, the same as previously estimated. The GDP increase in 2025 primarily reflected increases in consumer spending and investment, the report said.
The third report for the fourth quarter of 2025 was originally scheduled for March 27, 2026, but was rescheduled due to the October-November 2025 government shutdown.
US GDP growth in Q4 of 2025 revised lower to 0.5 pct
