Shanghai has seen a robust rebound in diamond consumption during the ongoing eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which is also a wedding season in China, with retailers rolling out various promotional activities.
The surging demand has also led to a significant increase of diamond imports.
"I'm selecting some gold jewelry and diamond rings for my wedding. I want to buy some natural diamonds," said Ms Liu, a customer.
"In the first four days of the holiday, we received nearly 150 couples seeking diamond rings and couple rings," said Ye Qiuxiang, manager of a jewelry store.
In addition to purchasing diamonds for weddings, many customers would like to take advantage of the discounts during the holiday to treat themselves to diamond jewelries.
Diamond consumption has shown a growing trend toward using diamonds for everyday enjoyment rather than for wedding purpose, and the consumers are getting younger and younger, according to industry insiders.
"Since the beginning of this year, global diamond consumption has steadily recovered, with retailers' diamond inventories decreasing and consumer confidence improving," said Hong Liang, assistant president of Shanghai Diamond Exchange.
Shanghai sees diamond consumption rebound during National Day holiday
Director of the 2025 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala Yu Lei took part in the torch relay for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Rome on Saturday.
The relay began at the Stadio dei Marmi on Saturday morning, marking the start of a two-month journey ahead of next year's opening ceremony.
"In 2022, I was very fortunate to be part of the core creative team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The experience, especially witnessing the Milan-Cortina eight-minute presentation at the closing ceremony, is still vivid in my memory. It was broadcast worldwide through CMG. Being here in Rome today for the torch relay, I hope the Olympic spirit and the brilliance of the Winter Olympics will continue from Beijing to Milan," Yu said.
The opening leg of the torch relay began at Rome's Stadio dei Marmi and stretched about 30 kilometers, passing several historic landmarks.
Locals lined the streets to witness the event, proudly celebrating Rome's role in carrying forward the Olympic flame.
"I like it (the torch relay). Rome is an international metropolis that can host all these types of events," said Antonio, an Italian spectator.
The torch will traverse 12,000 kilometers over 60 days across Italy, passing through more than 300 municipalities, featuring celebrations in 60 cities, reaching all 110 Italian provinces, and lighting up UNESCO sites along the route.
More than 10,000 torchbearers from all walks of life will take part in the journey, including figures from the worlds of sports, culture, film, and civil society.
The relay will conclude on February 6 at Milan's San Siro Stadium.
CMG Spring Festival Gala director takes part in Winter Olympics torch relay in Rome
