Esports tournament finals in China attract millions of online viewers

The 2024 King Pro League (KPL) Grand Finals, China's premier Honor of Kings tournament, wrapped up in Beijing on Saturday, captivating over 3,000 passionate fans on site and millions of viewers online.

Esports enthusiasts from across China gathered in Beijing for the finals, where their favorite teams battled for ultimate glory. Chengdu AG Super Play claimed the championship after bouncing back from an early loss to Beijing WB in the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Chongqing Wolves pulled off thrilling comebacks, including a "one versus two" victory against Jinan RW Xia and Wuhan eStarPro.

"I'm a fan of Chongqing Wolves. I've watched the Wolves' games in Chongqing and Shanghai. This is my first finals," said a esports fan.

Major tournaments like the KPL are not just a spectacle for fans. They're also a driving force behind the surging revenue in esports streaming and ticket sales.

"Our viewership scale this year has grown by more than 20 percent compared to 2023. Ticket sales have also seen an explosive growth. Overall, our views are now comparable to those of many traditional sports," said Huang Cheng, head of the King of Glory Professional League.

Esports has continued its rapid expansion in China. A recent report estimates the sector is expected to grow into an industry of about 30 billion U.S.dollars by the end of this year.

It is also becoming a viable career path for young people in China.

"The booming esports industry has created more job opportunities for young people. It has now become a newly-emerged industry in the sports field,” said Li Daheng, a member of the Chongqing Wolves Esports team.

Xu Bicheng (Yinuo), a member of Chengdu AG, made headlines representing Team China during the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where Honor of Kings debuted as an official sport.

Esports tournament finals in China attract millions of online viewers

China's cold-chain logistics demand maintained steady growth in the first three quarters of the year, driving the recovery of the sector in both total volume and revenue, according to the data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Friday.

From January to September, the total demand for cold-chain logistics reached 304 million tons, an increase of 4.7 percent year on year, data showed.

In the period, China's domestic market for cold-chain logistics rose by 4.2 percent year on year to 6.4 trillion yuan (about 885 billion U.S. dollars), and the total revenue of the sector rose by 3.6 percent year on year to 417.8 billion yuan (about 57.75 billion U.S. dollars), according to the CFLP.

The federation attributes the growth to the surge in fresh produce and catering consumption since the third quarter and the thriving fresh food e-commerce.

"Both the market size and revenue of cold-chain logistics picked up, thanks mainly to a peak season of agricultural products consumption since the third quarter, particularly the surge in catering consumption. Another contributor is the fast development of fresh food e-commerce, which saw double-digit growth in online sales. All these have driven the rapid growth in cold-chain logistics," said Cui Zhongfu, vice president and secretary-general of the CFLP.

In the first three quarters, the nationwide online sales of fruits surged by 11.94 percent year on year, with the growth rate of fresh fruits reaching 18.23 percent year on year.

China’s cold-chain logistics market maintains steady growth in first three quarters