China's consumption gains steam as shopping, tourism, catering rebound

A vendor attends to customers as they shop for decorations for Chinese Lunar New Year at a market selling Spring Festival ornaments ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year festivity, in Beijing, China January 7, 2023. - Reuters

SHIJIAZHUANG, CHINA: Though the Spring Festival is still a few days away, shopping malls in the city of Baoding, north China's Hebei Province, are already preparing for the most important Chinese holiday of the year. Right now red Chinese knots and the festival's mascot can be seen all over Baoding.

With continuously optimized COVID-19 prevention and control policies, Baoding, a city with a population of about 10 million, has gradually recovered from the negative impact of the epidemic, regaining its hustle and bustle, which is an epitome of Chinese cities.