Dazu District of Chongqing Municipality lights up the night sky with illuminated displays that integrate local rock carving culture to celebrate the approaching New Year, attracting both locals and tourists for an immersive cultural experience.
As night falls, plazas, landmarks, and city streets come alive with brilliant lighting, creating a joyful atmosphere. Local cultural elements, including rock carvings, paper-cutting, and Chinese flowering apples, are incorporated into the decorative lights, showcasing the district's rich cultural heritage.
"This year's New Year decorations are brilliant and truly reflect Dazu's customs and character. My friend just arrived, and I've been sharing many stories related to these lights," said Liang Yi, a local resident. To present the unique and charming culture, local authorities have leveraged the district's traditions, blending them with striking and tactile lighting displays.
"The 2025 New Year lighting displays in Dazu District were designed with the area's deep history and culture in mind. By carefully selecting cultural symbols that reflect local features, we aim to showcase the city's cultural richness through the harmonious collaboration of lights and the night sky," said Chen Zhi, a staff member at the Street Lamp Management Office of Dazu District.
Chongqing's Dazu shines with cultural light displays to welcome New Year
China has intensified efforts to streamline payment options for foreign visitors this year, aimed at enhancing their travel experience and boost inbound tourism, which has seen steady growth in recent years.
From January to November, the number of foreign arrivals in China surged by 86.2 percent year on year, reaching 29.2 million.
This influx of tourists has been accompanied by a significant rise in the use of foreign payment methods.
In the first half of this year alone, transaction volumes of foreigners using overseas wallet apps to pay for goods and services in China increased more than sevenfold, according to data from NetsUnion Clearing Corporation, a Chinese online payment clearing house under the People's Bank of China.
During the same period, the number of foreign wallet transactions in China hit 28.75 million, up 5.29 times from the previous year. Meanwhile, transaction volume reached 5.32 billion yuan (about 729 million U.S. dollars), a 7.67-fold increase from last year's figures.
Overseas bank cards are now widely accepted across China, and Chinese mobile payment giants Alipay and WeChat Pay have integrated Visa and Mastercard, allowing foreign visitors to pay seamlessly like locals. "We managed to link our two credit cards to Alipay, and everything worked fine. We looked on the Internet, there are some blogs that explain how to create your Alipay account and how to link your credit card. We only paid with the QR code, almost did not use cash," said a foreign visitor.
"Our collaboration with Alipay and WeChat, is just the first start. Really what it enabled is our global network, our global consumer base, and our global partner network with all the financial institutions. And also another good example is we just announced in September that the Beijing subway can accept direct Mastercard payment. So, as an inbound traveler to Beijing, for them to take subway, they just need to tap their Mastercard at the gate and they can enter the subway," said Dennis Chang, president of Mastercard Greater China.
In September, Beijing's subway system launched a service allowing passengers to tap their Mastercard or Visa card at the gate, eliminating the need for physical tickets.
Since Sept 13, a total of 490 stations across the city's subway network have adopted this new system, further improving convenience for foreign visitors.
China expands payment options for int'l inbound tourists
