Yiwu, the eastern Chinese city known as "the world's supermarket," saw its foreign trade value reach a record high of 836.5 billion yuan (119.37 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, Yiwu Customs announced on Saturday.
Imports alone grew remarkably last year, rising 32.3 percent year on year to 105.8 billion yuan and crossing the 100-billion-yuan threshold for the first time.
Located in Zhejiang Province, Yiwu has long been a dynamic hub in China's opening-up endeavors. The Yiwu International Trade Market houses nearly 80,000 booths offering over 2.1 million types of commodities, and maintains trade ties with 233 countries and regions worldwide.
The launches of both the Yiwu (Suxi) international port and the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center in 2025 have further expanded the city's logistics and digital trade ecosystem, enabling small commodities to reach global markets faster than ever.
China's Yiwu witnesses record-high foreign trade in 2025
The China Media Group (CMG) held the first rehearsal for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala on Saturday, fine-tuning the highly anticipated TV event amid the festive atmosphere of the traditional Chinese New Year.
The rehearsal seamlessly integrated innovative technologies with vibrant stage visuals, offering a first glimpse of the gala's overall impact under the theme "Galloping Steed, Onward Unstoppable.”
Inspired by traditional Chinese culture, the Year of the Horse gala incorporates zodiac themes that symbolize perseverance and progress. The production merges art and technology, using AI, AR, and XR to create immersive, blended-reality visuals. Horse-themed artistic installations shape a dynamic stage, while original songs and opera pieces convey the spirited ethos of the zodiac year.
Robots, which made their debut in last year's gala, will once again take the stage at the Spring Festival Gala, showcasing the country's technological advancements.
Known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, the gala has been broadcast live annually since 1983 and is regarded as a major cultural symbol for the Chinese New Year celebrations in China. This year's gala will air on Feb 16, the eve of the Chinese New Year.
The gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program worldwide. Just over a year ago, the Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
CMG holds first rehearsal for 2026 Spring Festival Gala
