When it comes to Chinese cuisine, a large number of dishes are celebrated as delicacies, but a few are often regarded as "weird" by foreigners who have never tried. Among the most typical examples is the century egg, or pidan in Chinese. In 2018, the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö, Sweden, surprisingly featured century eggs in its exhibit of the world's most "disgusting" foods.
But why are foods like century eggs, chicken feet, and animal offal, which are everyday delicacies in China, considered unpalatable by foreigners?
The answer lies in cultural differences and varying dietary preferences.
Traditionally, in China, a signifi cant cultural value is placed on the appreciation for diverse and unique flavors. However, many foreigners are unfamiliar with many of the foods on offer in China and hold different taste preferences.
But in recent years, an increasing number of foreign visitors and gourmets have initiated to try the new tastes they couldn't find easily in their home country. A timeless delicacy
Century eggs, also known as preserved eggs, are a beloved staple in Chinese cuisine with a history spanning centuries. It is said that during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) period, the owner of a tea house accidentally discovered that duck eggs buried in ash mixed with tea leaves had a unique aroma and a fresh, smooth texture.
Later, not only duck eggs but also chicken eggs, goose eggs, and others started being made into century eggs. Typically, century eggs made from chicken eggs are yellow and translucent, while those made from duck eggs are dark green and more common.
Although pidan is referred to as a century egg or even a "thousand-year egg" in English, it doesn't actually take that long to make. The process typically takes just a few days or up to about a month.
Made through a traditional process of curing fresh eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls, the eggs undergo a chemical transformation that turns the egg white into a dark, translucent jelly and the yolk into a creamy paste.
The distinctive appearance and intense aroma of century eggs are cherished in China. The eggs are often served in porridge, as a cold appetizer, or even as a topping for other dishes. In some regions, it is also enjoyed on its own.
On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, some videos show foreigners reacting to pidan, and many seem to dislike it.
Despite its divisive reputation, century eggs continue to attract curious eaters from all over the world. In June 2024, KFC China even launched a century egg tart, blending traditional flavors with modern fast food. A gastronomic icon
Another Chinese delicacy that baffles many Westerners is chicken feet, or feng zhao. Commonly served as a snack or in dim sum, chicken feet can be marinated, fried, steamed or boiled, resulting in a chewy texture.
At night markets all over China, chicken feet are usually an essential delicacy, while in Guangdong Province and other areas of southern China, chicken feet are also served as a breakfast item.
Sometimes the bones are specifically removed from chicken feet to make them easier to eat.
According to data from iiMedia Research, the online market for boneless chicken feet in China reached 4.98 billion yuan ($698.3 million) in 2023, and the market is projected to grow to 7.76 billion yuan by 2028, with the vast majority of consumers belonging to the younger generations, buyers under 44 years old account for 93.59% of the market.
Despite their popularity in China, chicken feet face significant resistance in Western countries due to health concerns, their appearance, and the unfamiliar eating experience.
Two American students visiting East China's Jiangsu Province earlier this month told the Global Times that they tried the chicken feet during their travel, describing them as "surprisingly good," and admitting that they "really liked them."
A culinary feast
Beyond century eggs and chicken feet, Chinese cuisine also embraces a wide range of animal offal, including organs like liver, kidney, and intestines. Dishes like luzhu in Beijing, made from pork head meat and pork offal, and fuqi feipian, a spicy Sichuan dish made from beef heart, tongue, and tripe, showcase the Chinese penchant for using every part of the animal.
Additionally, many parts of China use pork intestines to make Chinese sausage and in the southwestern regions, particularly in Sichuan and Chongqing, intestines are a key ingredient in many spicy dishes.
Mao xue wang, a famous Sichuan dish, features duck blood, beef tripe, and pork intestines cooked in a numbing and spicy broth made with Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers. Another popular dish is a noodle dish topped with stir-fried pig intestines and tofu, known for its bold flavors and chewy texture.
In addition to animal offal, traditional Chinese cuisine offers other examples of strong-flavored delicacies, one of the most well-known being stinky tofu. As the name suggests, stinky tofu is known for its pungent odor, which results from the fermentation process. While the smell can be off-putting, the flavor is beloved by many Chinese diners.
As global food cultures increasingly blend, an interest in traditional Chinese dishes is also growing. While some may never fully embrace century eggs or stinky tofu, a rising number of adventurous eaters are challenging their palates to experience the rich diversity of Chinese cuisine.
How can art and culture from the past survive in a globalized world? Inheriting the treasure of art and culture from the past thousands of years, young Chinese have created a new trend - Guochao, or China chic. It refers to a movement started by an increasing number of young people who are endeavoring to revive and reinvent China's traditional culture.
We can see fashion designers drawing inspirations from the precious murals inside the Yungang Grottoes, and traditional instrument players creating all new trendy music on pipa. These young Guochao trendsetters have helped China's cultural legacies be passed down and preserved for future generations.
In this series, we will interview young people who are using wisdom and creativity to reinterpret traditional Chinese culture in their particular field of expertise. This time, Global Times reporters Sun Langchen and Li Hang focused on two young women's efforts to revive the timeless crafts. From vibrant Chaozhou crochet revival to the timeless elegance of qipao, a close-fitting woman's dress with high neck and slit skirt, traditional crafts are finding new life and global appreciation. Combining tradition with modern design
As crochet hooks rhythmically traverse yarn, vibrant and lifelike patterns emerge, showcasing the traditional Chaozhou crochet technique. This unique art form, known for its intricate lacework, has been a staple in Chaozhou, South China's Guangdong Province, for generations.
Chaozhou crochet is a traditional craft from the Chaoshan region. Using just a single crochet hook and three basic techniques, intricate patterns can be woven. Known for its flexibility and convenience, with no limitations on where it can be practiced, crocheting became a popular way for many women in Chaozhou to supplement their household income during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2014, Chaozhou embroidery was included as part of the fourth batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage listings.
Huang Jiayu is a native of Chaozhou born in 1990. She grew up surrounded by women skilled in crochet. According to Huang, during the off-season for farming, local villagers would fulfill orders, with much of their handcrafted lace exported overseas, supplementing their income.
Huang's father opened a crochet factory, and her childhood was filled with memories of aunts working on orders at home.
"Some items with bright red and green colors were destined for Africa; the vividly colored bikinis mostly went to Europe and America; orders from Japan tended to be more nature-inspired, with lower color saturation," Huang said.
However, upon graduating from university in 2014, Huang discovered that the family business was on the brink of bankruptcy, as machinery had begun to overshadow traditional craftsmanship.
"It would have been a real pity if my parents had to close their crochet factory. The ladies working there would have lost their jobs, and their families also rely on that income," Huang recalled.
Determined to preserve this traditional art form, she began to sell her crochet designs while traveling in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. To her surprise, her creations quickly gained the favor of young people.
Returning to Chaozhou a year later, Huang rallied the local crochet aunties to form the "Crochet Team," combining their skills to innovate and rejuvenate the craft. The average age of the team members is about 50 years old.
"The aunties are very familiar with these traditional crafts, but they haven't independently designed any products. They tend to have more traditional ways of thinking, so it takes longer to refine products to fit the current market. Our ways of thinking are different," Huang said.
Take a smiley face, for instance: They think a mouth that curves downward or outward is basically the same. But in reality, the specific expression of an emoji can give people very different impressions, she noted.
Huang's vision is to break away from conventional designs and introduce vibrant, three-dimensional elements to her creations.
"Traditional crochet designs often seemed outdated in contemporary fashion," Huang said. "Combining diverse, modern designs with traditional techniques is crucial to stay relevant today."
Huang draws much of the inspiration for her work from life. When she encounters something she likes or a captivating color combination, she consciously incorporates it into her crochet designs.
Bikinis, earrings, backpacks… Huang is well-versed in crochet products. With spring approaching, she has designed the "Spring Bloom" series, featuring earrings inspired by canola flowers, angelica flowers, and goji berries to add a touch of spring vitality for youthful girls.
After watching a documentary about the ocean, she was inspired to create the "Coral Reef" series, using colors derived from underwater fish and seawater to bring a refreshing coolness. The "International Women's Day" series, characterized by square shapes and orange tones, encourages everyone to break free from conventions and be true to themselves. These refreshing crochet products, sold online across the country, are particularly popular among young customers.
While they were initially skeptical about whether Yang's designs would catch on or generate sales, the thriving online store business proves that their choice was the right one.
Huang also includes a signed card from the maker with each product, creating a personal connection between customers and creators.
She frequently shares customer's reviews and comments with the aunties, allowing them to enjoy the feedback and share in the customers' appreciation and joy.
In June, an exhibition featuring works by Huang and her team was held in Shanghai. Among the items was a vividly colored, fully hand-crocheted dragon that drew gasps of awe from many visitors.
"I love witnessing the connections between people through art that combines traditional symbols with fresh, modern forms. The first expression of amazement when people see the works is always the same," she told the Global Times. Revising cultural appropriation
Heather Guo, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, is making a significant impact on the appreciation of traditional Chinese fashion through her boutique, the Xiangjiang Silk Company, located in Manhattan's West Village in New York City. Named after Hong Kong's alternate name, Xiangjiang, the store is dedicated to preserving and celebrating qipao, a traditional dress that takes inspiration from the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people.
Guo's journey into the world of qipao began serendipitously when she encountered a collection of vintage qipao in a New York gift shop. These garments, relics of Hong Kong's golden era of fashion, were woven from silk and adorned with intricate patterns.
"They were densely woven, often featuring intricate patterns," Guo told the Global Times.
As more and more people grew interested in qipao, she gained a passion for preserving and celebrating it.
The history of qipao is a tapestry of cultural evolution and craftsmanship. It traces its origins back to the traditional attire of the Manchu ethnic group, who ruled China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Qipao was originally designed for men. In the 1920s, as feminist consciousness rose, Chinese women embraced qipao, transforming it into a form-fitting, figure-flattering dress.
However, it may be surprising that over time, this trend became Westernized and continuously intersected with Western fashion trends.
"It is distinctly Chinese, yet it has not developed in isolation, as it has always drawn from foreign clothing trends. China and other countries have always maintained cultural exchanges," Guo noted.
It is also worth noting that despite this historical background, qipao's role as a symbol of Chinese cultural heritage has often been misunderstood or appropriated in popular Western culture. Even now, some may acknowledge that it has been commercialized as part of the "Eastern dream," a trend that sometimes overlooks its cultural roots and significance.
Some may even think that qipao has the same origin as the kimono, a traditional item of clothing from Japan.
Many foreign interpretations of the qipao reduce it to mere exoticism, failing to recognize the depth of its historical and cultural context.
"You can only embrace a culture when you really understand it," Guo said, noting this kind of foreign interpretation is "cultural appropriation."
Guo's dedication to preserving the authenticity of the qipao is evident in her approach to both vintage and contemporary designs. At Xiangjiang, she refuses to alter vintage dresses, honoring them as perfect representations of past wisdom and style.
"Each vintage qipao in our store is unique, reflecting the personal choices of its original owner," she emphasized.
Her commitment also extends to creating new qipao designs that respect traditional techniques while integrating modern fashion concepts for greater comfort and inclusivity.
Guo's improvements include replacing the wide and very visible iron zippers with modern invisible zippers. Some complex and difficult-to-wear styles, like the shoulder-opening qipao, were hard to fasten and wear, and people were unwilling to wear such inconvenient clothing, so there was no need to keep these complicated designs.
However, "The New Chinese style must originate from the Old Chinese style, without the Old Chinese style, the New Chinese style is like water without a source," she noted.
The fabrics Guo chooses to use still adhere to the framework of the 1950s and 1960s, avoiding overly modern materials. The workshop, staffed by four tailors, produces around 150 dresses per month using high-quality silk from Hangzhou.
By introducing vintage qipao while designing new qipao, Guo highlights the importance of understanding and respecting the cultural background of traditional garments through education.
A lack of understanding often leads to the superficial use of traditional elements without genuine appreciation, which she has encountered in her sales experience.
Once a seller from New York received vintage qipao dresses from a Chinese lady who had given them to the seller's granddaughter. The way she sold them caused a heated dispute to erupt between her and her granddaughter.
"The granddaughter told me the seller just labeled it a 'simple Chinese dress' and sold it without her permission," Guo said. "It's of course not just a simple Chinese dress, even her granddaughter knew that."
One significant acquisition for Guo's store was a collection of qipao dresses from a diplomat's wardrobe.
These garments, initially sold off without regard for their cultural value, highlighted the need for deeper respect and understanding.
At Xiangjiang, Guo also creates an immersive experience that connects visitors with the rich history and craftsmanship of these garments. Her boutique features vintage items and decor that evoke a sense of nostalgia and cultural appreciation, making each visit a journey through time and tradition.
Now Guo has opened a store in Shanghai, her hometown, for qipao fans in China who'd also like to gather one of these precious pieces of culture. Looking ahead, Guo intends to open a new store in London, the UK and increase cultural outreach to others about the true essence of qipao.
"I want to continue to share the beauty and significance of qipao as a symbol of Chinese culture and heritage," she said.
The Palace Museum in Beijing is fighting ticket scalping in order to provide an orderly visit experience for tourists, as it recently disclosed that during some peak hours of visit, 99 percent of ticket buyers turned out to be ticket scalpers.
This UNESCO World Heritage site revealed to the public its anti-scalping measures and its back-end system to ensure fair chance of acquiring a ticket for the first time.
In response to the overwhelming demand, the Palace Museum plans to maintain reception capacity at 40,000 people on weekdays, the number of tickets will be increased by about 25 percent to improve accessibility for visitors during the summer.
This initiative, announced by the museum's Information Technology Department, aims to enhance accessibility during the busy summer months and will be extended to future peak periods, such as the National Day and May Day holidays.
Additionally, the museum will continue to offer free admission to underprivileged groups, including minors, people with disabilities, active military personnel, and firefighters, ensuring these communities have access to the attraction.
With the summer vacation season in full swing, Chinese families nationwide are eager to explore the country's top cultural landmarks.
However, many travelers are struggling to secure tickets to the Palace Museum. Recent reports indicate that scalpers have been reselling tickets for as much as 1,100 yuan ($154), with some walk-in reservations skyrocketing to 1,600 yuan.
In stark contrast, tickets sold through the museum's official booking system are priced at just 60 yuan for the summer season.
To uphold fairness and protect consumer rights, the Palace Museum is implementing measures to isolate ticket inventory for travel agencies and individual visitors, thus preventing travel agencies from monopolizing tickets intended for the general public.
A timed ticket release strategy will also be introduced to further combat automated ticket grabs, allowing tickets to be sold in batches at fixed intervals during high-demand periods.
To thwart scalpers, the museum's risk control engine operates at high speed every day. During the summer season, over 99 percent of ticket requests come in within a single peak hour.
Market authorities have made it clear that using software to quickly purchase tickets for resale is a criminal offense, and emphasized their commitment to ongoing efforts to ensure fair access for all museum visitors.
Chinese soccer fans have taken to social media to express their gratitude to Singapore's goalkeeper for preventing Thailand's landslide victory, and thus keeping China's World Cup hopes alive by the narrowest of margins.
China managed to advance to the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup despite a 1-0 loss to South Korea.
Thailand, who finished the group with the same number of points and goal difference as China, missed out the next stage with an inferior head-to-head record.
Having to beat bottom side Singapore by three goals to edge past China into second place in Group C, Thailand could only win 3-1 at home as Singaporean goalkeeper Hassan Sunny's performances helped China squeeze into the third qualification round.
Singaporean forward Ikhsan Fandi's equalizer in the second half put the Thais on the brink and 40-year-old Sunny pulled together 11 saves in the game, preventing Thailand from scoring more goals. During the stoppage time, he even received a yellow card in the 95th minute for time-wasting.
After the game, Sunny's personal social media account has been inundated with thank-you messages from Chinese fans. The goalie runs a stall selling Malaysian coconut milk rice in Singapore. Some Chinese fans posted the pictures and address of Sunny's stall, calling for Chinese tourists to visit the stall and give it a "five-star review." His stall was flooded with visitors on Wednesday.
Some netizens reportedly posted the payment QR code of Sunny's stall online and made payments to show their support and gratitude.
In response to Chinese fans' gratitude, Sunny said "Thank you, China" during a short video filmed by his teammates after the game. One of his teammates said in the footage that "He saved China."
The social media accounts of the Singaporean Embassy to China and of the Singapore Tourism Board on China's X-like Weibo also received a great deal of thank-you messages from fans.
"Thank you Singapore for your fair play. I would love to travel to Singapore," wrote one Weibo user.
Eighteen teams will be divided into three groups for the third qualifying round in Asia, where the top two teams of each group will secure automatic spots for the 2026 World Cup. Two more teams will earn direct entry to the World Cup from a fourth qualification stage and another will go into intercontinental playoffs for a spot at the global soccer showpiece.
An Italian exhibition titled A journey of knowledge: The Travels of Marco Polo and Its Legacy between East and West, was unveiled at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing on Friday. Consisting of six sections, the exhibition features 130 artifacts from 15 Chinese and Italian museums. Experts told the Global Times that the exhibition reflects the positive results of cross-cultural exchanges between China and Italy.
Exhibits tell the legend of Venice with manuscripts, oil paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, coins, glass products, textiles, illustrations and a unique VR experience.
This year marks the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, as well as the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership.
This exhibition showcases a variety of cultural relics to present to the visitors the historical trade and cultural exchanges.
At the entrance of the exhibition, visitors are impressed by the very first world map, standing in front of the cultural relics long, looking for their own cities.
Planning Director of the China Millennium Monument, Jiang Haimei, one of the curators, told the Global Times that the exhibition recreates the adventures of the missionaries, merchants and warriors who traveled between Europe and Asia with Marco Polo on the Silk Road through their perspectives, showcasing an oriental picture of the interweaving of romantic legends and historical realities
"It reveals the fruitful results of cross-cultural exchanges between China and Italy, and the profound impact of this legendary journey on the contemporary world is still relevant," she said.
The 890 square meters exhibition space is decorated with red and blue, with unique designs of golden images from the book Le devisement do monde (The Development of the World), the exhibition provides signposting for visitors to navigate through the route that Marco Polo travels over his life.
Sono Guicciardo Sassoli de Bianchi, an art historian and project curator for the exhibition from the Italian institute of culture in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday that Marco Polo introduced China to the West, promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations.
"He [Marco Polo] played an important role in promoting the progress of human civilization. Looking back at history will help create a better future," he stressed.
Many cultural relics are displayed in China for the first time and some porcelain exhibits show the infusion between Chinese and Western culture, organizers said.
The exhibition remains open in Beijing until November 24 before be exhibited in other museums across China.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership held a meeting on Tuesday to analyze the current economic situation and set out priorities for the second half of this year.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.
China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Finance on Thursday co-released a 16-point document on how to implement the plan for equipment renewal and trade-in of consumer goods, as officials said the policies will stimulate the consumer market in the second half of the year.
Some 300 billion yuan ($41.58 billion) in funds raised by ultralong treasury bonds will be used to support the campaign, Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the NDRC, said at a press conference on Thursday, emphasizing that relevant departments are making efforts to complete the fund allocation by the end of August this year.
The document listed various financial support measures for equipment renewal, including granting subsidies for the scrapping of operating ships and vehicles, agricultural machinery based on their capacity and emission volume, and increasing the subsidy for new-energy bus and battery renewal.
In terms of consumer goods, the document listed a detailed plan to support home appliance trade-in by offering subsidies of 15 to 20 percent of the original price of the products. Subsidies for vehicle scrapping will be lifted to 15,000 to 20,000 yuan.
China's cabinet, the State Council, on Mar 13, 2024, released the action plan to promote the large-scale renewal of equipment and the trade-in of consumer goods, which is aimed at bringing more high-quality durable consumer goods into people's lives, smoothing the recycling chain of resources, and significantly improving the quality and level of economic circulation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
For over four months, the action plan has made positive progress in attracting investment, stimulating consumption potential, improving the recycling system and promoting the green transition, said Zhao, adding that China's investment in equipment and tools increased by 17.3 percent year-on-year, contributing 54.8 percent to overall investment growth in the first half of 2024.
In addition, retail sales of household appliances and audio-visual equipment of enterprises with annual income of no less than 5 million yuan increased by 3.1 percent year-on-year, with the growth rate accelerating by 2.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year, Zhao revealed at the press conference.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, on Tuesday issued a notice to support high-quality enterprises in borrowing medium- and long-term foreign debt to promote high-quality development of the real economy.
This move aims to further expand high-level opening-up, enhance cross-border investment and financing facilitation, and support high-quality enterprises in better integrating domestic and international markets and resources, the NDRC said in a notice on its website.
The goal is to fully leverage foreign debt funds to serve high-quality development. Efforts will be made to actively support high-quality enterprises that have significant industry status, have good credit, and play a leading role in promoting high-quality development of the real economy, the NDRC said.
The move underscores the Chinese government's momentum in encouraging quality enterprises to better coordinate their domestic and international funding resources to ultimately boost the real economy, experts said.
The notice relaxes standards for borrowing foreign debt, simplifies the review process, and strengthens supervision before, during, and after borrowing to reduce risks. Its implementation helps attract resources from both domestic and international markets, promotes international economic circulation, and thus enhances the vitality and potential of China's economic growth, Tan Xiaofen, an expert at the School of Finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
These enterprises must comply with relevant regulations and macro-control policies, be among the top five in their industry, demonstrate strong financial performance, and maintain a good credit rating of investment grade (BBB or above) or a domestic credit rating of AAA. They should also have a clean record of debt repayment, no major violations, and receive a positive assessment from a registered accountant, according to the notice.
"It further defines high-quality enterprises in detail and encourages more eligible companies to borrow foreign debt," Tan said.
"The notice states that high-quality enterprises can submit a consolidated foreign debt quota application for both parent and subsidiary companies, allowing for phased use, which means combining quotas to facilitate better fund allocation. For example, a subsidiary can use the borrowing quota from the parent company which borrows foreign debt more easily," Tan said.
The main content of the notice includes defining standards for high-quality enterprises, simplifying review requirements and processes, continuously supporting and serving high-quality enterprises in their foreign debt financing and improving corresponding supervision during and after the process, according to the NDRC
The notice allows for "processing with missing documents" for applications for international commercial loans or overseas bond issuance. "This is a significant breakthrough, as previously full documentation was mandatory. The new regulation increases flexibility and speeds up the process," Tan said.
Since October 2023, the central government has implemented several financial facilitation policies. Corporate borrowing of foreign debt, especially medium- and long-term, is essential for China's use of foreign capital and expanding openness. Enhancing foreign debt management promotes balance of payments, economic and financial stability, and a new development paradigm, NDRC said as it introduced why it issued the notice at the press conference on Tuesday.
The measures, set to take effect on July 29, 2024 which will be valid until July 29, 2029, will oversee the borrowing of foreign debt by eligible companies through a review and registration system.
Medium to long-term foreign debt includes debt instruments issued by Chinese corporations as well as their overseas subsidiaries and branches. These loans could be denominated in local or foreign currency and have durations longer than a year. These include perpetual debt, medium-term notes and convertible bonds.
The Chinese economy in the first half of 2024 showed resilience and vitality, with upbeat GDP figures for many provinces and municipalities, fueled by favorable factors such as the thriving high-tech industry, robust foreign trade, an expanding services sector and growing investment.
Observers said the progress is likely to continue in the second half of the year, backed by firm policy support, continuous industrial upgrading and transformation, growing domestic demand and optimizing business environment.
The GDP of East China's Zhejiang Province grew by 5.6 percent to 4.09 trillion yuan ($562.59 billion), with an unexpectedly strong trade performance as one of the country's major trade hubs. The province's trade grew 7.8 percent year-on-year to 2.56 trillion yuan.
Beijing's GDP grew 5.4 percent to 2.18 trillion yuan, with continuous expansion by emerging industries playing a vital role.
The added value of the capital's strategic emerging industries rose by 12.9 percent year-on-year.
The GDP of Shanghai grew by 4.8 percent year-on-year to 2.23 trillion yuan, with the expanding services sector, growing leading industries and fast investment growth being the top three drivers. The added value of the city's tertiary industry increased by 5.8 percent.
The GDP of Southwest China's Sichuan Province expanded 5.4 percent to 2.95 trillion yuan amid the accelerated development of high-tech industries. The provincial added value of the high-tech manufacturing sector above the designated size increased by 6.9 percent.
The GDP in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality rose 6.1 percent to 1.51 trillion yuan. The strong demand for digital, smart and green products from emerging sectors such as new-energy vehicles propelled the local economy.
These results showed that Chinese localities have promoted economic development through their industrial competitiveness and strengths, while actively guiding the advancement of new quality productive forces, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Stepped-up policy support for provinces and cities covering various sectors contributed to the steady economic growth, according to Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.
Wang told the Global Times on Sunday that the targeted policies safeguarded economic progress in the first half and will lay a solid foundation for the rest of the year.
The GDP announcements by local governments came along with the release of national first-half GDP data and the conclusion of the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
China's GDP expanded 5 percent to reach 61.68 trillion yuan in the first half of 2024. The stable growth has put China on a firm track to hitting its full-year economic growth target of about 5 percent as the fundamentals of the economy remain positive and are set to improve in the second half.
Global confidence in China's stable economic growth is unchanged. The IMF last week raised China's GDP growth forecast for 2024 to 5 percent in its latest World Economic Outlook, an upward revision of 0.4 percentage points compared with the April WEO report. HSBC said earlier that it expects China to achieve its annual GDP growth target of 5 percent.
There will be both opportunities and challenges in the second half, Li and Wang said.
They expect further enhanced policy support following the conclusion of the third plenary session last week, with more stimulus accompanying an active fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy.
Wang also emphasized the nation's continuing industrial upgrading and transformation. Emerging industries will become indispensable engines for driving sound economic development, while the upgrading of traditional industries will help boost their competitiveness and market share.
Expanding domestic demand and optimizing the business climate will become standout drivers to propel economic development for the rest of the year.
