Stay-local drive
Su Jianxiong, a postgraduate
in Central South University of Forestry and Technology, central China's Hunan
Province, spent his first Chinese New Year away from home.
On New Year's Eve,
traditionally one of the most important occasions of family reunion, Su was
invited to dinner hosted by the university. He also received a gift package
including masks, disinfectants, nuts and chocolates from the school.
Su, who hails from Zhejiang
Province, about 1,000 km away, chose to stay at the school to avoid potential
risks of infection during the trip and spend more time preparing for his
thesis.
"The care and
hospitality shown by the university gave me a homely feeling," Su said.
Another large group
responding to the stay-put call is migrant workers.
A survey led by the China
Association for Labor Studies showed, among over 57,000 respondents in about
480 enterprises, 75.38 percent of migrant workers chose to stay at their
current enterprises or cities for the Spring Festival this year.
Li Baojun, a worker in
Daxing district in southern Beijing, which recently witnessed a resurgence of
sporadic COVID-19 cases, decided to stay put instead of going back to his
hometown in east China's Anhui Province.
The Daxing district
government has offered shopping coupons, phone data packages and free online
reading services to migrant workers like Li.
"Everything is smooth
here, and my wife understands my decision of not returning home this year as it
is for the sake of safety," Li said.
Migrant workers who choose to stay put during the Spring Festival gather to celebrate the festival at a construction site in Hefei, East China's Anhui province, Feb 10, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Moving online
Ye Sifan, who works in the
southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, decided not to return to her hometown
in north China's Hebei Province. Instead, she celebrated the festival with two
other colleagues by booking a table for New Year's Eve dinner through a food
delivery platform.
"I got a seven-course
meal for 398 yuan (about 61.65 U.S. dollars), which is a decent New Year's Eve
dinner," Ye said.
Traditionally, the dinner is
homemade or enjoyed together with families at restaurants. This year, however,
a new trend with the surging popularity of semi-finished products and online
offerings has been seen.
According to statistics from
China's major online food delivery platform Ele.me in early February, the
number of brands and stores offering New Year's Eve dinner sets surged by 164
percent and 260 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year.
The number of New Year's Eve
dinner sets that were offered surged nearly three times compared with the
figure last year.
More people have also opted
to shop online for the Spring Festival.
China's Ministry of Commerce
launched a campaign in late January to promote online shopping by offering online
vouchers for the Spring Festival.
In Hunan Province, online sales have exceeded 9.8 billion yuan since the launch of the campaign, up 14.7 percent year on year, according to the provincial department of commerce.
Staff members from the federation of trade unions of Jiulongpo District of Chongqing distribute Spring Festival gift packs to employees who choose to stay put during the Spring Festival holiday at a company in Chongqing, Southwest China, Jan 28, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Traveling local
Ye Lusha, a Beijing
resident, canceled her travel plan to the tropical city of Sanya in south
China's Hainan Province this year. Yet family trips are not completely off the
table.
Ye's new plan is to take her
parents to the Great Wall and enjoy a hot spring bath afterward.
"My parents are really
anticipating the trip although it's local. Against the backdrop of the
epidemic, we have come to appreciate the simple things around us more than
ever," Ye said.
Many Chinese travel agencies
have rolled out services focusing on "local trips" to meet the travel
demands such as Ye's.
Dai Yu, a marketing director
of online travel agency Trip.com Group, said the company provides private tours
that cater to those who want to travel locally in a family unit.
"Through private tour using
an independent vehicle as well as family dinner service on New Year's Eve,
cross-infection can be avoided while ensuring quality time for the
family," Dai said.
When it comes to short
trips, an increased preference for suburban resort hotels has been seen among
customers, with most rooms in popular scenic spots booked up.
A number of hotels in
Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, have promoted "hotel vacations"
for local residents. Some also organized reading events and exhibitions in the
hotel for families to enjoy together.
Due to the limitation on the
flow of people, Beijing held online temple fairs to showcase traditional crafts
and cooking skills.
Starting Feb 8, tourists can
also book free tours to Beijing's parks. Tickets to the Summer Palace, a famous
tourist site, have been fully booked up for the first five days of the Chinese
New Year.
Source: China Daily