Sichuan Province logs 2.63 trillion yuan in retail sales of consumer goods in 2023

The total retail sales of consumer goods in southwest China's Sichuan Province reached 2.63 trillion yuan (about 360 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 9.2 percent, said a provincial official on Monday.

In a press briefing on Sichuan's development, Vice Governor Zuo Yongxiang noted that the province ranked the fifth in the country in terms of total retail sales of consumer goods in 2023.

"Sichuan is a major economically developed province and a significant consumption hub. With a population of 91 million and a surrounding market reaching nearly 400 million people, Sichuan's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 2.63 trillion yuan last year, ranking the fifth in the country, with a year-on-year increase of 9.2 percent," said Zuo.

Zuo said catering consumption is a pillar of consumption in the province.

"In Sichuan, various catering establishments can be found on both main streets and alleys. Chengdu City alone boasts more than 10,000 teahouses, over 20,000 hotpot restaurants, and more than 300,000 other types of restaurants. In recent years, the promotion of world-class events such as the FISU World University Games, the World Table Tennis Championships and the Thomas Cup has stimulated the consumer market. The International Horticultural Exhibition 2024, which opened on April 26, attracted over 300,000 visitors to engage in consumption activities in Sichuan," Zuo said.

He also stressed that the provincial government has been taking various actions to promote consumption in the region and has seen some achievements in recent years.

"We have continued to promote the upgrading of business formats, vigorously improve commercial blocks at various levels, intelligently transform traditional commercial blocks, and promote the construction of demonstration pedestrian streets. Chunxi Road and Jiaozi Park in Chengdu have become landmark business districts with global influence, attracting many well-known brands," he said.

"We also launch 40 new consumption scenarios with Sichuan characteristics in the province every year and release a 'heat map' according to their popularity. The Chengdu Eastern Suburb Memory Park, Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival and Trade Fair, and Zhanggong Bridge food street in Leshan City are popular among consumers. In addition, we encourage the development of the first-store economy. Last year, 45 new international brands were invited to open their first stores in Sichuan, either globally or nationally," he said.

Sichuan Province logs 2.63 trillion yuan in retail sales of consumer goods in 2023

China’s first intelligent field plant phenotype precision identification platform went into operation recently in Sanya City, south China’s Hainan Province, which is a milestone in the country’s development of intelligent breeding.

The phenotype of a plant is a term used to describe observable characteristics of the plant, such as its appearance, and some inherent physiological characteristics, such as resistance to drought and diseases.

In an experimental field of the National Nanfan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a large piece of equipment is moving across the field. The equipment, called the field plant phenotype precision identification platform, can move according to the preset track and can be remotely controlled. While moving, the equipment can scan the plants with its six sensors, just like a CT machine for plants.

"The ultimate goal is to achieve high-throughput, large-scale, efficient and precise collection of germplasm resources, which can be four to five times higher than the efficiency of the traditional manual collection," said Jin Xiuliang, a researcher at the institute.

Although the equipment looks simple from the outside, it contains six high-precision image acquisition devices such as multi-spectral, thermal infrared, and chlorophyll fluorescence devices. Data can be collected at fixed times and points according to experimental needs, and the collection of a germplasm material can be completed within 30 seconds.

After the data collected through this platform is transmitted to the data analysis center, researchers can more quickly and accurately screen out germplasm resources with excellent traits, laying the foundation for subsequent crop breeding.

"The plant phenotype identification facility at the National Nanfan Research Institute is a milestone in the field of crop science in China. It can greatly enhance the independent innovation capabilities of germplasm innovation, gene mining, and variety breeding, and enhance the international competitiveness of China's seed industry," said Li Huihui, vice president of the institute.  

China makes major progress in smart crop breeding