China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

China's consumer market showed signs of robust recovery in the first quarter of 2025, driven by pro-consumption policies and heightened spending during the Chinese New Year holidays, according to the latest high-frequency data from the State Information Center (SIC).

The SIC's offline consumption index, a key gauge of brick-and-mortar retail activity, surged by 14.2 percent year on year in Q1, against the 9.1 percent rise in the previous quarter.

Momentum strengthened further in March, with growth of the index hitting 20 percent -- up 4.7 percentage points from the January-February period.

The offline consumption index for China's first-tier cities, second-tier cities, third-tier cities and below saw year-on-year growth of 19.6 percent, 11.4 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively.

The small commodity market heat index, tracking sales of household goods and daily essentials, jumped 16.3 percent in Q1, with March alone seeing a 21.6 percent spike.

The figures underscore resilient demand for affordable, high-frequency consumer items, signaling a broader recovery in grassroots economic activity.

The country's service sector saw a notable expansion as well, with the life services consumption heat index climbing 18.3 percent in the first quarter - 7.4 percentage points higher from the last quarter of 2024.

Among them, the leisure and dining sectors saw growth of 67.6 percent and 14.5 percent respectively.

Online searches for the Qingming Festival travel and spring outing destinations -- including keywords like "cherry blossom spots" and "hiking trails" -- skyrocketed over 400 percent in March, the SIC's internet monitoring data revealed.

China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

An experienced voice actress in Vietnam has enriched her career by dubbing Chinese films and TV series, highlighting how visual entertainment plays a role in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

In Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, many people enjoy watching Chinese films and TV series. For decades, these shows have played a very important role in the local entertainment scenes.

Hellen Nguyen, a voice actress who has been dubbing movies for 30 years, started to dub Chinese films in 2014. She said that the more she dubs, the more she enjoys the films, with Chinese family-themed movies being her favorite.

"I grew up watching the Chinese drama 'Journey to the West', and it sparked my love for Chinese movies and dramas. I find them heart-warming, especially since their stories feel quite similar to those in Vietnam. It’s like watching reflections of my own culture," said Nguyen.

Thanks to translation apps on cell phones, the voice actors and actresses can easily leap over the language barrier as they find the right words in Vietnamese that capture the original meaning of the Chinese.

With her rich experience, Nguyen said she needs only a few minutes to grasp Chinese rhythm.

"Last year, I dubbed a Chinese TV program that introduced cuisine from China and ASEAN countries. Chinese TV shows and films made available in Vietnam help both nations understand each other’s cultures better. It feels as if we are traveling through China and Vietnam right from our screens," she said.

Chinese film and television culture has long been integrated into Vietnamese life. TV stations across over 50 provinces regularly air Chinese films and series, while online platforms and mobile devices also facilitate this trend.

Vietnam's dubbing of Chinese films brings two cultures closer