China's market of basic food products including vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, and aquatic products has maintained ample supply, meeting the consumption needs of urban and rural residents, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The overall prices of daily necessities are seasonally trending upwards, but still remain lower than the same period of last year, according to the ministry.
In July, the wholesale prices of the national food supplies rose by 3.91 percentage points from the previous month, but were 2.29 percentage points lower year-on-year, the ministry said.
In terms of vegetables, prices have recently shown a seasonal increase. Regarding the dispatching situation, the national vegetable production in July reached 77.54 million tons, and the market has operated in a stable manner on the whole.
Due to the adverse effects of hot and rainy weather during the summer in some areas, vegetable growth was impeded, resulting in escalated harvesting costs. Following four consecutive months of decline, vegetable prices have now rebounded.
So far, 106 million mu (about 7.07 million hectares) of land is now planted with vegetables, an increase of 880,000 mu (about 58,667 hectares) over the same period of last year, providing a foundation for stable production and supply.
Affected by recent extreme weather events such as high temperatures and floods, prices of meat and eggs have slightly rebounded after a continuous decline.
Additionally, the overall supply of basic food products such as beef, lamb, milk, and fruits is sufficient, and prices continue to fall. The supply and demand for aquatic products are generally balanced, with prices remaining stable and slightly decreasing.
China's daily necessities market maintains ample supply
A festive atmosphere is building up as people across China have been making preparations to ring in the Spring Festival next week, with lights and decorations set everywhere, and with New Year goods markets all seeing booming sales.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunion.
In Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a grand lantern show is in its final stage of preparation before opening to the public ahead of the eve of the 2025 Chinese Lunar New Year. To be lit up on Wednesday, the large light sets presented at the event will draw numerous visitors, with lanterns that replicate 38 cultural relics as the highlight.
Buying New Year flowers has been a custom for Chinese people. In Yancheng City of east China's Jiangsu Province, various flowers which have auspicious meanings are already in high demand.
This year, tulips bred locally have been put on sale, and quickly become a favorable choice for many customers.
"I have never seen this kind of flower before. I think it is really bright-colored. Therefore, I decided to buy some to enhance the festive atmosphere at home," said Zhang Jinjian, a local resident.
The Anchang ancient town in Shaoxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province has a time-honored custom of making aired sausages and spiced duck.
As the Spring Festival draws near, plenty of visitors and tourists choose to purchase these local delicacies as ingredients for their Chinese New Year feast.
"The number of tourists has been increasing, so the sales of our spiced meat have been quite good. Compared with the same period of last year, our sales is expected to increase by about 50,000 yuan (about 6,835 U.S. dollars). We will earn an additional 200,000 to 300,000 yuan (27,335 to 41,000 U.S. dollars) in sales during this whole winter," said Yang Jing, owner of a local spiced meat shop.
In southwest China's Yunnan Province, the "Tiaocai dance" is a time-honored tradition of the Yi ethnic minority group. The dance is presented in the form of serving dishes while dancing to the rhythm. It usually happens on a joyous or grand occasion.
Since the most significant annual festival is around the corner, Yi people have dressed up in traditional costumes, and got ready to welcome the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year with the special dance.
People across China make preparations to welcome Spring Festival