Footage of Chinese mergansers, a national first-class protected species, was captured for the first time at a river wetland in Shuyang County, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Sunday.
On the shimmering water, several Chinese mergansers were swimming gracefully, their distinctive black crests and unique "auspicious cloud" patterns on their flanks standing out in the sunlight.
The footage marks the first confirmed record of the species in the county.
Chinese mergansers are naturally agile and have extremely high requirements for water quality and food in their habitats, so they are often regarded as a barometer of wetland ecological quality.
Chinese mergansers recorded for first time in Shuyang County, east China's Jiangsu
China's online transactions saw a remarkable increase in both volume and value during the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, data from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) showed on Tuesday.
From Feb 15 to 23, Chinese online payment-clearing house NetsUnion Clearing Corporation and card payment giant China UnionPay processed approximately 39.3 billion online transactions totaling 13.12 trillion yuan (about 1.9 trillion U.S. dollars), according to the PBOC.
Compared to last year's Spring Festival holiday period, the average daily number of transactions rose by 37.45 percent and the average daily value of transactions by 19.26 percent.
The PBOC data also showed that in the same comparison period, the average daily value of transactions that inbound travelers made using the two platforms increased 78.1 percent in volume and 44.33 percent in value.
The Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New Year, fell on Feb 17 this year. It is usually a period of vibrant consumption activities as people return home for family reunions or travel to tourist destinations to celebrate the holiday.
China's online transactions rise during Spring Festival holiday
