Tens of thousands of migrating grey cranes have recently descended upon the wetlands in Emin County, Tacheng Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, pausing to rest in the gentle spring sunlight.
Some of the returning birds soar in graceful arcs across the vast grasslands and farmlands, while others forage, play, or settle along the wetlands, together forming a striking tableau of seasonal vitality.
These grey cranes, a species under second-class state protection in China, arrive in northern Xinjiang each spring to rest and refuel.
The region's well-preserved ecological environment has become a vital stopover for migratory birds, and the spectacle of thousands of cranes taking flight at once stands as a vivid testament to the progress of ecological protection and restoration in Xinjiang.
Migrating grey cranes descend on Xinjiang wetland, highlighting conservation gains
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
