China's holiday economy roared to life during the ongoing Spring Festival, with retail sales, tourism, and cultural experiences driving robust consumer growth across the nation during the nine-day official holiday.
In Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province, a trending panda-themed cultural IP is drawing tens of thousands of daily visitors to the downtown Chunxi Road for photos and boosting traffic to nearby shops.
"I like it very much. It's adorable and soft - I love the colors," said young tourist Wang Wenshuai after buying a highly sought-after panda toy.
The 2026 Spring Festival holiday, extended to nine days from usually seven, is the longest in recent years.
Beijing has over 5,000 holiday activities planned across the city, including more than 30 temple fairs and lantern shows.
Shanghai staged over 2,000 performances, exhibitions and other holiday cultural and tourism events. Residents participating in some of the events on Tuesday, the day of the Chinese New Year, said they show a good balance of holiday traditions and the chic urban life of the east China metropolis.
"It has traditional culture and modern vibes," said Wang Meijuan, a tourist.
Holiday spending is already showing strong momentum. Foot traffic at 78 major commercial pedestrian streets jumped 23.2 percent year-on-year on Sunday, the first day of the holiday, with revenue up 33.2 percent, according to the Ministry of Commerce's data.
National retail and catering sales rose 10.6 percent compared to 2025's Spring Festival on the first two days, with green, smart and healthy products led the charge. Online wearable tech sales spiked 1.3 times and smart blood pressure and glucose monitor sales surged over 60 percent. Consumers are also more willing to spend on leisure and experiences.
Chinese tourists are also making the most of the long holiday. According to Commerce Ministry data, hotel bookings leaped 32.7 percent on Sunday, while car rentals soared 54 percent and ice-and-snow tourism spending more than doubled. Winter escape spending also grew 68 percent.
Spring Festival drives holiday spending boom across China
The 2026 China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala, which aired from Monday night to Tuesday in celebration of the Chinese New Year, offered a joyous audiovisual feast to audiences both at home and abroad, setting new records in viewership.
As of 08:00 on Tuesday, the gala's total media reach in China soared to 23.063 billion views, a 37.3-percent increase compared to the previous year. The live broadcast captured a remarkable 79.29 percent share of the national television market, achieving a 13-year high. During the gala time, the average number of viewers (or listeners) online simultaneously reached 325 million, with peak viewership exceeding 400 million.
The gala's viewership on Chinese new media platforms reached new heights this year. The total number of direct-on-demand views skyrocketed to 16.207 billion, a 49 percent year-on-year increase. Among these, CMG's own app recorded a total playback volume of 770 million, up 2.7 percent year on year. Live broadcast playback reached 605 million times, an increase of 60.05 million compared to last year. The accessible version of the gala accumulated a direct-on-demand playback volume of 28.3366 million on CMG's channels and apps, representing an impressive 144 percent year-on-year increase.
The gala's online popularity continued to climb, with nearly 2,000 topics trending. As of 13:00 on Tuesday, the total reading volume for topics related to the 2026 gala reached 27.12 billion. Major platforms experienced a surge in trending discussions, listing a total of 1,939 topics. Among the viewers across all media channels for the gala, young users accounted for a growing share of 41.82 percent, an increase of 1.35 percentage points from the previous year. Mentions of programs related to new quality productive forces also rose, with content about AI and humanoid robots making up 20.99 percent, reflecting a remarkable 5.4-fold increase. Meanwhile, CMG reported the gala globally through 85 foreign language platforms. CGTN's (China Global Television Network) related reports reached a global readership of 2.309 billion, while video views totaled 843 million, representing increases of 32.85 percent and 43.61 percent, respectively, compared to last year. The CMG coordinated with nearly 4,000 media outlets worldwide to provide simultaneous broadcasts and coverage of the gala, marking a 37.95 percent increase. A total of 4,062 public screens across 140 cities from 98 countries livestreamed and promoted the event, with the number of countries and screens rising by 12.6 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, compared to last year.
2026 Spring Festival Gala achieves record-breaking viewership, global reach
