Turpan City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has launched its 2026 apricot blossom cultural tourism season, drawing crowds with 5,600 hectares of blooms and more than two dozen vibrant activities.
The event kicked off in Turpan's Toksun County on Friday and will run until April 10.
Activities include camel rides through apricot blossoms, folk parades and acrobatic performances, all attracting large numbers of visitors.
"The blooming flowers here are so beautiful and the camel-riding activities are quite distinctive," said a tourist named Yang Siwei.
"The flowers here are particularly beautiful. My close friends and I have taken many pretty photos," said another tourist named Gao Ling.
Vibrant spring blossoms are drawing visitors to China's countryside, with events like Turpan's apricot season boosting rural tourism and showcasing the appeal of cultural activities beyond the cities.
Apricot blossoms draw tourists to Xinjiang's Turpan
Yangzhou City in east China's Jiangsu Province is stepping up its efforts to advance industrial upgrading through digital and intelligent technologies, supporting more than 200 enterprises in its Economic and Technological Development Zone with targeted policies.
At a new materials factory, newly installed automated production lines for liquid crystal polymer (LCP) have significantly improved efficiency while easing the workload for employees. The company has already met its first-quarter goal ahead of time.
Elsewhere in the zone, a medical supplies manufacturer has put all its 200 automated production lines into operation, with a daily output of up to three million safety syringes.
According to the company, orders placed after the Spring Festival have already been booked through April, and the newly installed smart production lines have boosted efficiency by 30 percent compared with the traditional equipment.
Combined with government subsidies for technological upgrades, the investment has delivered solid financial returns.
Since the start of this year, the Economic and Technological Development Zone has rolled out series of targeted supportive measures, including targeted funds and inclusive subsidy application standards. Medium, small, and micro enterprises are eligible for subsidies as long as they have demanded for intelligent upgrades. Tailored evaluation benchmarks have also been introduced for companies at different stages of development, from startups to industry leaders.
"The goal of our measures is to use precise policy tools to unlock enterprises' internal drive for science and technology innovation and transformation. By removing rigid thresholds, we aim to ensure that companies of all sizes can identify their strengths and pursue upgrading accordingly," said Zhang Feng, deputy director of the zone's administrative committee.
Targeted policies help accelerate industrial intelligent upgrading in Yangzhou City
