A light show accompanied by cultural performance and a wide assortment of street food is helping attract flocks of visitors to Beijing's major commercial circles.
The light show consisting of a series of themed light performances held in the landmarks, parks, and shopping halls of the city's Chaoyang District will last about three weeks until Nov 10.
Kicking off in the Olympic Common Domain on Friday, the show greeted visitors with exotic street foods, band and cultural performances.
"It's all high-tech lighting and it brings an amazing vibe. I'm very impressed and like the show very much. I've also had a great time enjoying the street food," said Qu Chenglin, a visitor.
The lake and the castle in the Chaoyang Park were also well lit up, inviting the visitors to tour around by boat, take photos with iconic spots while enjoying the changing patterns made by light beams, which depict various fantastic stories.
Aimed at more than just sightseeing, the light show helps attract visitors to more than a dozen major commercial circles in Beijing, encouraging more consumption by visitors who are interested in nighttime city walk and shopping.
Customers in these shopping malls can have the opportunity to enjoy indoor light show as well, with one of them featuring major planets of the solar system. The symphonies played by orchestra on site also boost the festivity, drawing many residents and tourists to check in and enjoy the visual and audio feasts.
Light show helps Beijing boost nighttime consumption
Switzerland, known for its pristine lakes and rich tradition of fishing, is facing a significant challenge of plunging fish stocks that could threaten the livelihood of many in the fisheries industry.
In recent years, local fishermen have seen their catches decline drastically, with about 90 percent of the fish consumed in the country now being imported. This shift reflects broader environmental changes impacting Swiss fisheries, and the difficulties local fishermen are enduring are becoming more evident each year.
At seven in the morning, as the first light of dawn begins to break, a handful of fishermen at a dock in Geneva prepare to head out to the lake to check the nets they set the previous day. As the long nets were hauled from the water, the catch of perch was relatively small, but the fishermen were still satisfied, especially since they managed to net two large pike, which would fetch a good price.
Francois Liani, a fisherman of 30 years, said 2024 has been the worst year for fishing with the lowest amount of catch.
"I have never seen anything like this in over 30 years. That's right, 2024 is the worst year in the past 30 years," he said.
Fifty years ago, there were more than 800 professional fishermen in Switzerland. Today, that number has dropped to fewer than 90.
"There are many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is global warming -- it is one of the biggest problems. We have also new mussels that come from the Black Sea on the Eastern Europe that came about five, seven years ago. They have a large impact on the food availability for the fishes," said Maxime Prevedello, communication officer for the French-speaking region of the Swiss Fishing Federation (SFV).
As a result, the growth rate of fish has slowed significantly. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, a professional fisherman was able to catch around 1,000 tons of fish annually. Today, that number has dropped to just around 100 tons -- a mere one-tenth of what it used to be, according to Prevedello.
In the summer of 2024, Switzerland once again endured high temperatures. Native fish species such as perch, grayling, and the Alpine char, which have adapted to cold water, have been particularly affected. According to Switzerland's environmental authorities, 58 percent of the country's native fish species are now classified as endangered.
Swiss fishermen face growing struggle as local fish stocks plunge
