China's National Online New Year Shopping Festival, which runs from Jan 7 to Feb 5, will feature three key events and different online and offline activities to meet consumers' needs during the Spring Festival season, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The shopping festival also aims at promoting traditional Chinese culture and boosting e-commerce sales, said the ministry.
The event marks the first nationwide online sales promotion since the Spring Festival and the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024, He Yadong, a spokesman for the ministry, noted at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
"This year's national online New Year shopping festival adopts a '3+N' form for the first time. Three key events will be held to involve various localities and platforms in holding more characteristic consumer activities focusing on consumer hotspots related to the Spring Festival in catering, shopping, cultural entertainment and tourism industries," He said.
The three key events are the opening ceremony of the shopping festival, which already took place in east China's Jiangxi Province, a Silk Road e-commerce activity, which will be held for the first time in Shanghai on Jan 22, and the China (Guangxi)-ASEAN Online New Year Shopping Festival, which kicked off on Dec 31 last year, according to He.
This year's New Year shopping festival will focus on the quality of consumer goods and increase the supply of high-quality products and services such as products from time-honored and 'China-chic' brands and online travel services.
"Integrating consumer promotions with cultural communication, various localities will hold exhibitions and performances of intangible cultural heritages and invite intangible cultural heritage inheritors to livestream shows to have consumers experience local Spring Festival customs in an interactive and immersive manner," He said.
The event will also bring in more foreign products delivered directly from overseas factories, according to He.
"Through offline exhibitions and fairs, and livestreaming shows, local specialties will be displayed and promoted comprehensively. Using digital technologies, e-commerce platforms will hold various activities such as 'winter voyage' and 'Spring Festival journey to China,'" He said.
The Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China, falls on Jan 29 this year.
Online New Year shopping festival to feature three key events: spokesman
Wildfires in southern California, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, continue to devastate the region, leaving at least five dead and over 2,000 structures such as homes and shops damaged or destroyed.
As of Thursday, the fires have prompted the evacuation of more than 150,000 people, with countless homes reduced to ash in the aftermath.
The fires began spreading rapidly on Tuesday, and by Wednesday night, flames had reached the iconic Hollywood Hills area, causing widespread destruction. According to local media footage, fires continued to spread across multiple districts.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on Thursday that at least six separate fires were still burning across Los Angeles County, with no effective containment in sight. The fire was most severe in areas like Pacific Palisades in the west of Los Angeles County and Altadena in the northeast, where areas consumed by fire had exceeded 69 and 42 square kilometers, respectively.
In addition to the fires, more than 360,000 households and businesses in California were left without power, with over 200,000 of those outages occurring in Los Angeles County alone.
President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster declaration for California on Wednesday, which unlocks immediate and long-term relief for residents and businesses impacted by the ongoing wildfires.
Liu Xiaoqian, a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter who entered the fire zone, described the catastrophic scene.
"This appears to be a residential building, roughly four stories high, and it has been completely burned down. What's even more dangerous is the small embers it is emitting, which are spreading toward nearby areas. In front of the building, there are many power lines and utility poles, so if the poles catch fire, it could cause even greater destruction," said Liu.
The air was thick with the scent of burning debris, and loud crackling noises from the fires echoed through the region, Liu said, adding the area was like a war zone.
Liu also reported that some areas had become so dangerous that police couldn't secure entire neighborhoods, and fire crews had been overwhelmed.
"In some of the wildfire-affected areas we previously visited, the police would cordon off specific zones. However, with fires raging across countless streets in this neighborhood, neither the police nor firefighters have had the chance to secure the area. As a result, it is now completely open," said Liu.
The U.S. National Weather Service warned that strong winds could still fan the flames, particularly in southern-facing foothills. The Fire Weather Watch issued by Los Angeles County is expected to remain in effect through Friday night.
California wildfires claim at least 5 lives, force thousands to evacuate
