Shenzhen, a major city in south China's Guangdong Province, recorded 2.88 trillion yuan (about 425.2 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign trade in the first half of 2026, securing the top spot among all Chinese mainland cities, the latest customs data showed.
This represented a 33-percent surge from the same period last year. The tech hub accounted for 11.3 percent of the country's total foreign trade and 52.5 percent of Guangdong's total during the period.
In the first six months, the city's exports expanded 15.5 percent year-on-year to 1.51 trillion yuan, also the highest among all mainland cities. Imports soared 59.8 percent to 1.37 trillion yuan, reflecting a sharp rebound in domestic demand.
The latest figures mark another milestone for the southern economic powerhouse, which has topped mainland cities in foreign trade for two consecutive years since 2024.
Shenzhen leads Chinese mainland cities in foreign trade in H1
Shenzhen leads Chinese mainland cities in foreign trade in H1
The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.
The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.
The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.
In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.
This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.
A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.
A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.
This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.
CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival
