With two weeks to go ahead of the opening ceremony of the 6th Asian Beach Games on April 22, excitement is growing increasingly palpable across hosting Sanya, in south China’s Hainan Province, as the event drew nearer.
On the beach at Sanya Bay's Haiyue Square, a themed statue engraved with "2026 6th Asian Beach Games" draws particular attention. Paired with the distinctive character of the Games' mascot Yaya, it attracts many residents and tourists to stop and take photos.
Across Sanya, whether on major thoroughfares, transport hubs, commercial districts, or scenic spots, Games elements are visible everywhere. These decorative setups not only include information on the event dates and related themes but also highlight various sports as part of the publicity campaign.
The Games organizing committee also brings promotional activities into communities and shopping areas, aiming to strengthen local residents' sense of being hosts.
"Now you can see Asian Beach Games promos everywhere — restaurants, markets, pharmacies. We've teamed up with the marketing and commerce bureaus to offer discounts on meals and medicine. It's about bringing the Games into people's daily lives," said Li Jindi, an organizing committee official.
The Games will run from April 22 to 30, featuring 14 sports, 15 disciplines and 62 events.
Excitement grows in Sanya as Asian Beach Games draw near
China's consumer goods industry got off to a good start in 2026, with main indicators registering steady growth in the first two months, according to the data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The value added of enterprises above the designated size -- whose annual main business income reaches 20 million yuan (about 2.93 million U.S. dollars) or more -- in this sector increased by 4.8 percent year on year in January and February, accounting for 29.2 percent of the total value added, 3.1 percentage points higher than that of last year. Among the 14 major industry categories, 10 achieved positive growth.
In the two months, these enterprises achieved a business revenue of approximately 5.1 trillion yuan, up 4.4 percent year on year, while the total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 8.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent.
"The first two months were in the traditional peak consumption season, driving the growth of orders and helping to unleash production capacity in the consumer goods industry. Some emerging consumption patterns, such as experience consumption and trendy toy consumption, grew rapidly, and the supply market showed a diversified growth trend," said Dai Xiaoxia, deputy director of the Institute of Consumer Goods Industry Research of China Center for Information Industry Development.
In terms of foreign trade, exporters above the designated size delivered consumer goods worth around 592.54 billion yuan, up 2.2 percent year on year, with the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, the papermaking and paper products industry registering relatively rapid growth.
China will increase the supply of high-quality products in the consumer goods industry, steadily promoting the intelligent, green and integrated development of the sector.
China's consumer goods industry posts steady growth in first 2 months
