China's ongoing trade-in program for home appliances has led to a surge in sales which topped 73.36 billion yuan (10.3 billion U.S. dollars) since August, the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) showed Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, around 10.83 million consumers have benefited from the program for which the central government has provided more than 13.96 billion yuan in subsidies for consumers, the MOC said.
MOC data showed that green and smart home appliances are favored by consumers, with products labeled with top-level energy efficiency accounting for more than 90 percent of the sales volume during the period.
Regions such as Hubei Province, Chongqing and Shanghai municipalities, and the city of Shenzhen have expanded the categories of home appliances eligible for subsidies according to local conditions, incorporating green and intelligent products such as sweeping robots, dishwashers, air purifiers, and unmanned aerial vehicles, the ministry said.
In the next step, the ministry will continue to encourage various regions to speed up the implementation of subsidy policies and guide home appliance manufacturers as well as distribution companies to seize the consumption boom periods such as the Double Eleven online shopping festival to boost consumption under the trade-in program, it said.
The Double Eleven online shopping festival, also known as the Singles' Day shopping festival, is a Chinese version of Black Friday when discounts and sales promotions are usually offered for consumers in the month of November.
In a significant push to stimulate consumer spending, China has rolled out an expansive trade-in policy across multiple sectors since August.
China reports home appliance sales surge under trade-in program
China's National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) immersed the audience in colorful cultural experiences with 15 performances and 50 activities in a recent art festival celebrating the 17th anniversary of the center. The audience admired charming symphony concerts, experienced intangible cultural heritage handicraft making, and participated in interactive performances during the festival. Exquisite performances like dance flash mobs, Yunnan intangible cultural heritage song and dance performance and accordion quintet were staged at the open areas, along with complementing activities such as the book fair, cultural and creative fair, and intangible cultural heritage skill demonstrations. "We will also organize workshops, jazz performances and other activities, along with some surprise events for the audience to explore, like behind-the-stage visits," said Zhu Jing, deputy director of the NCPA. This year's art festival featured a specially designed event, enabling the audience to experience the technological power behind artistic creation through programs using 360-degree photography, AI composition and AR animation. "For example, we launched the 'Everyone can be a conductor' program this year, using the motion sensing technology and music mapping technology. Through the application of artificial intelligence, ordinary audience members are able to step onto the conductor's podium and experience what it's like to be a conductor themselves," said Sheng Lei, an exhibtion planner at the NCPA. In 2024, NCPA's 11 theaters have hosted 1,200 performances, reaching new heights of performance scale. Since its establishment 17 years ago, the NCPA has created 112 plays, with over 14.2 million audience members watching the performances at the venue.
NCPA stages performances, activities to enrich cultural experiences for audience
