China's consumer market sees a strong start to the Year of the Horse

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 17, 2026 shows tourists tasting local delicacies on a snack street in Xuan'en County, central China's Hubei Province. During the Spring Festival, lantern decorations across the country created a joyful atmosphere for the holiday. [Photo by Song Wen/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- China's consumer market saw a strong start during the country's nine-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended on Feb. 23, with spending surging mainly across six key areas -- dining, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment, signaling a vibrant beginning to the Year of the Horse.    

Chinese authorities rolled out a series of policy measures to unlock consumption potential during the festival holiday, as domestic demand remains a key engine for economic growth. Local governments allocated 2.05 billion yuan (about 295.23 million U.S. dollars) in funds to directly benefit the public through consumption vouchers, subsidies and cash handouts during the holiday.  

The Spring Festival, China's most important traditional holiday, is typically a peak season for consumer spending, driven by family reunions, travel, dining, entertainment and gift purchases.

A drone photo taken on Feb. 22, 2026 shows tourists having fun at the indoor ice-and-snow theme park in the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. [Photo by Liu Yang/Xinhua]

Visitors have fun at Yangliuqing ancient town in Tianjin, north China, Feb. 22, 2026. [Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo]

People visit the historic and cultural city block Three Lanes and Seven Alleys in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 21, 2026. [Xinhua/Jiang Kehong]

Customers choose mobile phones at a consumer electronics store in Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 21, 2026. [Photo by Sun Zhongzhe/Xinhua]

Customers view a new energy vehicle at a shopping mall in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 21, 2026. [Photo by Zhao Jun/Xinhua]

People line up as they wait to watch a film at a cinema in Xiqing District of north China's Tianjin, Feb. 20, 2026. [Xinhua/Li Ran]

A drone photo taken on Feb. 17, 2026 shows tourists visiting a lantern fair in Xingyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Photo by Liu Chaofu/Xinhua]

A boy eats tanghulu, a traditional Chinese snack consisting of sugar-coated haws or fruits, at a tanghulu-themed fair in Jiaozhou, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 18, 2026. [Photo by Wang Zhaomai/Xinhua]

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 17, 2026 shows people attending a folk activity in Yixian County, east China's Anhui Province. [Photo by Wang Cheng/Xinhua]

People buy candied fruits at a fair in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 17, 2025. [Xinhua/Li Ziheng]