Digital technology empowers online shopping, new consumption modes in China

Digital technology has enabled more consumer formats to flourish across China, allowing consumers to enjoy a richer and more diverse supply of products and services through a simple touch on the screen.

In southwest China's Guizhou Province, special agricultural products including bamboo shoots, spicy dried peppers, sweet and sour pickled fish are on hot sale in various online livestream rooms.

In Tiantai Town, Chishui City, local authorities collaborated with a university to establish the first local rural revitalization research and practice base, where artificial intelligence technology is being explored to boost e-commerce livestreaming.

"I hope that through AI technology, we can reduce the operating costs of our livestream rooms, extend the time of livestreams, bring in more traffic, and help our villagers sell more agricultural products," said Dai Xiaoyong, Party secretary of Xinghong Village.

Meanwhile in urban area, the integration of online and offline shopping has also allowed many shopping centers to expand new ways of sales promotion.

In Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, many stores in shopping malls have opened livestream sessions, allowing customers to learn about their latest products without leaving home. Some malls have also launched new mobile apps, through which shoppers can place orders for delivery and make appointments for pickup, all in one stop on the phone.

"Now customers can learn about products and place orders online while enjoying our store services at the same time. This mode can also meet the needs of customers tight on time who just want to grab and go. It's more convenient for them," said Wang Dan, a salesperson.

Digital technology empowers online shopping, new consumption modes in China

Digital technology empowers online shopping, new consumption modes in China

Two roads leading to Medog County, nestled deep within the Himalayas of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, have fulfilled the long-held aspirations of its local community.

At a relatively low average elevation of 1,200 meters, Medog in the city of Nyingchi, was once the last county in China without permanent road access. The place has much more moisture in its air than other place in the region, fostering year-round frost, rain, snow and heavy fog.

Facing the tough geography and climate, China's outstanding engineers, however, build roads through mountains and bridges over rivers. They also bored a 3-kilometer-long tunnel facing the magnificent, snow-capped Galongla Mountain, and set up long sections of shed tunnels to shelter their road from frequent avalanches.

The Medog Highway, the first highway leading to Medog with a total length of 117 kilometers, opened to traffic in October 2013 after more than 50 years of sincere efforts, connecting the county with Zhamog Township of Bomi County in Nyingchi.

According to statistics, since its opening, the highway has endured 652 continuous heavy rainfalls, 265 heavy snowfalls, 258 slope and subgrade collapses, 394 mudslides and 71 avalanches. Therefore, efforts to upgrade the highway have never stopped over the past decade.

In October 2022, construction of a second highway was completed. The second passageway to Medog is a 67.22-km highway connecting Pad Township in the city of Nyingchi and Medog County.

After the new highway was opened to traffic, the length of the road connecting the city proper of Nyingchi and Medog County was shortened to 180 kilometers from 346 kilometers, cutting travel time to four hours, and it only takes three hours to drive to Nyingchi Mainling Airport from Medog.

New roads leading to Medog realize Xizang's long-held dreams