New consumption scenarios boost economy in China's National Day holiday

New consumption scenarios have been seen playing a role in injecting vigor and vitality into the Chinese economy while meeting the people's diverse demands so far in the week-long National Day holiday which started on Tuesday. Around 24,000 events featuring cultural and tourism consumption are being unfolded across China in the holiday, in carrying forward traditional culture with new ideas and technologies.

Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, renowned for its abundance of historic sites, is enticing tourists by enabling them to taste cuisines from ancient recipes, wear customized costumes and visit old buildings dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) with VR glasses.

In Changde City of central China's Hunan Province, traditional operas and music plays have been staged on the bank of the Yuanjiang River, wowing tourists taking the boat down the watercourse.

With new high-speed railways facilitating transport to eastern Guangdong, Shanwei City has attracted flocks of tourists with its island and sea views. "We can try wearing head-pinned flowers, integrating coastal culture with China's traditional dresses. I think it is a new fashion among us young people," said Li En, a tourist. As the government-offered subsidy of 60 billion yuan (around 8.51 million U.S. dollars) for trade-in consumption is being distributed across China, over 1.04 million consumers bought over 1.54 million sets of the eight designated kinds of home appliances in the first three days of the holiday, with the sales reaching 7.357 billion yuan (around 1.04 billion U.S. dollars), according to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce.

The eight kinds of home appliances consist of refrigerators, washing machines, television sets, air conditioners, computers, water heaters, cooking utensils, and range hoods.

Mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai have opened a new batch of commercial complexes for consumers. In Beijing, an old railway station with a history of over half a century has been converted into a fair selling China chic products. The 60 major commercial circles in Beijing registered nearly 27 million tourist visits in the three days, up 20.9 percent year on year. In Shanghai, new fashion stores and art spaces have opened, enabling people nearby to enjoy a quality life.

New consumption scenarios boost economy in China's National Day holiday

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday that the group is willing to consider a ceasefire proposal if it includes guarantees for a truce in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

A member of Lebanese parliament from the Hezbollah coalition made the statement at a news conference in Beirut.

He criticized Israel's strike on a Beirut health care facility that killed at least five people, and warned the international community against Israel's continuous violations of international law.

"The world is facing a challenge. Can they find one humanitarian or international law that Israel hasn't violated? All U.N. charters, U.N. Security Council resolutions, Israel has violated them. Isn't it enough that it tore the U.N. Charter? Isn't it enough that it declared the [U.N.] secretary general an undesirable person, a Persona Non Grata" said Ibrahim Al Moussawi, an Hezbollah official and member of the Lebanese parliament.

The group also vowed to continue their fight until it sees a realistic proposal for a ceasefire.

"The decision for a ceasefire is left to those in the battlefield. We consult with those in the field, and we who deal with politics when we receive an offer that is realistic and would also achieve a ceasefire in Gaza as well. Only then we can consider making a deal," said Ibrahim.

The Israel Defense Forces have been carrying out an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon, dubbed "Arrows of the North", since Sept. 23, after nearly a year of low-intensity cross-border exchanges of fire with Hezbollah. And in another sign of escalation, the country has launched a ground incursion into Lebanon since early Tuesday.

The Israeli air and ground raids have since killed 1,974 people, including 127 children, wounded 9,350 others, and forced more than 1.2 million civilians to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese health minister.

Hezbollah willing to consider ceasefire proposal if it includes guarantees for truce in Gaza: official