Weekend consumption has become vibrant across China, with diverse options, from coastal and cultural tours, seafood shopping, to smart technology presentations, all drawing crowds nationwide.
In south China's Hainan Province, numerous scenic spots have emerged along the tropical island's ring high-speed railway, which links the cities of Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, and Sanya.
A famous spot in Wenchang is a beach behind a home-stay inn, where tourists can gaze across the sea at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. Attracted by rocket launches, more and more people are coming to the site.
"The rocket launches are quite a plus to our business, after all many tourists come specifically for them. Each launch boosts our occupancy rate by about 30 or 40 percent," said Tan Rong, an employee at the Yunjuan Yunshu Seaview Inn.
Heading south from Wenchang, tourists can take on mountain challenges via ferrata and jungle treks in the Baishi Ridge Scenic Area in Qionghai, experience surfing and skydiving in Wanning, and savor local delicacies at night markets in Sanya.
"There is plenty of seafood here in a wide variety, and it feels very fresh. And the atmosphere is quite lively with people hawking," said Bao Lingwei, a tourist.
Moving to central China, the Jingzhou Ancient City in Hubei Province puts up themed activities at every weekend, like the gate-opening ceremony at the east gate, short immersive dramas at the north gate, chime bell music and dance performances at the Jingzhou Museum in the west, a blend of music and cuisines at the south gate, in addition to dazzling drone shows and light displays.
"I'm from Beijing. Coming to Jingzhou and seeing Guan Yu's city patrol performance and the drone light show, I felt the charm of a mixture of history and modern technology. This trip has been truly worthwhile," said Xu Chunfei, a tourist.
In east China, the eighth market in Xiamen of Fujian Province is presenting a bustling scene with crowds of visitors shopping for seafood.
Known among locals as the "grand seafood granary," the eighth market boasts 270 stalls, and a third of them are dedicated to seafood, selling more than 200 varieties of seafood daily.
The authentic hustle and bustle at the market has turned it into a new tourist attraction, motivating the authorities to plan on launching a tourism route featuring seafood market and local culture in collaboration with nearby historical blocks this year to further boost consumption.
Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in south China, has established the country's first full-space smart experience center at the Haixinsha Asian Games Park, providing a new venue for locals to spend the weekend by immersing themselves into intelligent technologies.
The center, which opened on Jan 1, features an exhibition of over 150 new products, including dozens of kinds of aircraft such as detachable flying cars and drones, as well as self-driving vehicles and boats, and robots for various scenarios.
The center also features various new consumption scenarios, including AI-powered camera drones and smart retail stores with humanoid robots serving as shop assistants.
As Guangdong vigorously promotes low-altitude economy, intelligent connected vehicles, smart ships, and embodied intelligence, more than 40 similar AI application scenarios, including unmanned sightseeing and island patrols, have come into reality at Haixinsha.
This year, Guangdong plans to cultivate 100 demonstration application scenarios and 500 cases across ten key sectors such as education, medical care, transport, and finance, to boost industrial growth with scenario-driven demand.
Diverse offerings boost weekend consumption across China
