From scenic spots to museums, attractions across China have launched cultural products and services to entertain tourists from home and abroad.
According to the State Information Center, an index tracking China's life service consumption increased by 18.3 percent from January to March compared to one year ago. The figure also marked a 7.4-percentage-point growth on a quarterly basis.
In the East Lake scenic area in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, stuffed bird toys, which are in pink and green colors and capable of speaking in local dialect, have sold very well since their launch.
"We use the talking toys to promote the Wuhan dialect in a very humanlike and friendly way. This is how we create emotional value," said Yang Bozhi, general manager of Wuhan Gift Cultural Tourism Industry.
In Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, Shanxi Museum has launched more than 600 new merchandise inspired by its collections since the beginning of this year.
"(The museum's efforts are aimed) to attract young people to buy the merchandise, to visit the museum and feel the charm of Chinese culture," said a tourist.
Services showcasing traditional Chinese culture have also become increasingly popular amongst consumers.
In Zibo City, east China's Shandong Province, Zhoucun Ancient Town is entertaining visitors an outdoor market and a variety of folk performances.
In the first quarter, the town received more than 1.84 million visits, a year-on-year increase of 7.35 percent, and reported 30-percent growth in product sales.
"The development of these quadrangle courtyards was aimed to build a leisure business targeting young consumers. We've succeeded in transitioning towards creating novel tourist experiences," said Guan Xuefeng, deputy general manager of Zhoucun Ancient Town Cultural Tourism.
In Zhengzhou City, central China's Henan Province, a movie-themed town and a theatrical theme park have prepared a slew of folk performances and engaging activities to immerse domestic and international tourists into traditional Chinese culture.
"Today, I wear traditional Chinese clothes. I'm totally indulged in this beautiful country," said a French tourist.
Chinese tourists' attractions launch cultural products, services
Russia said on Monday that Russian forces continue to strike Ukraine military units in Russia's Kursk region, while Ukraine said that its forces repelled dozens of Russian attacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing that its armed forces continued their special military operation on Monday.
According to the ministry, after the expiration of the 30-hour Easter truce at midnight on Sunday into Monday local time (2100 GMT on Sunday), the Units of the North military group continued to strike Ukrainian military units in Russia's Kursk region, destroying several military vehicles and artillery pieces.
The ministry said that its air defenses shot down over 100 Ukrainian drones on Monday, adding that between 09:10 and 09:30 local time (06:10 to 06:30 GMT), air defenses downed Ukrainian drones over Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions.
The Ukrainian Air Force on Monday reported that Russian forces launched one anti-ship cruise missile, two anti-radar missiles and 96 attack drones in the early hours of the day. By 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT), Ukrainian air defense forces had shot down 42 drones across the eastern, northern and central regions.
Ukrainian authorities said that the Russian attacks impacted the regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy.
A battlefield report released by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at 08:00 on Monday indicated that 96 clashes occurred in frontline areas over the past 24 hours.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the now-expired Easter truce.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that during the truce period, Russian forces strictly adhered to the ceasefire, while Ukrainian forces launched six attacks in various directions, including Donetsk and Kursk, all of which were repelled.
Ukrainian forces carried out a total of 1,404 artillery strikes and 3,316 drone attacks on Russian positions, with Russian forces recording about 4,900 instances of Ukrainian violations of the truce, Russia's defense ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in the early hours of Monday that Russian forces had violated the truce a total of 2,935 times on Sunday, including 96 assault attempts and 1,882 artillery strikes, with the most intense activity observed in the Pokrovsk region.
The Ukrainian president also said that Russia had not responded either to Ukraine's proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire after Easter, or to the proposal for at least extending the truce in the sky that would see an end to missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Russia claims strikes on Ukrainian military in Kursk region, Ukraine says repelling dozens of Russian attacks
