Lunar New Year consumption mirrors China's economic strength
DINING OUT
The combined sales of retail and catering enterprises in China rose 8.5 percent year on year to a new high of 1.01 trillion yuan (about 150 billion US dollars) from Feb 4 to 10, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.
Lunar New Year's Eve dinners, family reunion feasts and party dinners with relatives and friends dominated the festival dining consumption, but a lot more Chinese chose not to cook this year, resulting in an increase in Lunar New Year's Eve take-out orders by various degrees in different cities.
In North China's Tianjin municipality for instance, 36 major restaurants received 12,000 orders for Lunar New Year's Eve dinners, up 5.3 percent year on year. Beijing's major restaurants saw their revenue up by more than 10 percent during the holiday compared with the same period last year.
The number of orders for fully- or half-cooked dinners sold online rose noticeably as more Chinese ordered ready to eat meals through e-commerce platforms or hired a chef to cook meals at home.
On one online ordering platform, the number of orders for Lunar New Year's Eve dinners increased 107 percent, said the ministry.
- Beijing court sees rise in disputes involving digital economy
- Wenchang hosts Space Day celebration with meteorology integration
- Posters: Health literacy rate up in 2023
- Fish farming on dry land nets multiple catches
- Mainland to expand use of travel permits for Taiwan residents
- Strict regulations create conditions for finless porpoises to find way back home