Shopping festival adds joy to Hehuachi ahead of Chinese New Year

The Rongbeihaobasi Chinese New Year shopping festival opens in Hehuachi subdistrict in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Tuesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A shopping festival opened on Tuesday in Hehuachi subdistrict in northern Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan province, to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 29.

Titled "Rongbeihaobasi", meaning "comfortable life in northern Chengdu", the shopping festival is jointly hosted by the local government and the business and arts sectors. The event will run until Jan 25.

The shopping festival is taking place in popular areas such as Dacheng Market and Hongzheng Square, with a focus on younger consumers. It aims to provide a fresh Chinese New Year shopping experience featuring trendy products that embody Sichuan culture.

The opening day coincided with Laba Festival. Laba means the eighth day of the 12th month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is traditionally seen as a prelude to Chinese New Year. Participating stores are decorated with red lanterns and couplets, creating a festive atmosphere.

A calligrapher writes New Year blessings during the opening ceremony of the Rongbeihaobasi Chinese New Year shopping festival on Tuesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The opening ceremony attracted a large number of spectators with its festive activities, including a drum performance, Chinese calligraphy demonstration, the opening of a giant mystery box, and the distribution of New Year gifts.

Hundreds of booths have been set up in the Hehuachi area, offering a diverse selection of Chinese New Year goods and trendy products. The event showcases well-known brands from Sichuan and other provinces, covering various categories such as clothing, handicrafts, home textiles, and cultural and creative products.

A shopper surnamed Zhou traveled from Jianyang, a city under the administration of Chengdu, to Hehuachi to purchase Chinese New Year goods at the shopping festival.

Members of the public buy products at the Rongbeihaobasi Chinese New Year shopping festival on Tuesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"There's so much to buy. The products here offer great value for money," Zhou said as he struggled to carry his shopping bags.

As a prominent center in Chengdu's commercial landscape, Hehuachi in Jinniu district has experienced remarkable growth since the 1980s, evolving from a local market to a major commercial hub in Southwest China.

An official from the government department responsible for promoting the development of business districts in northern Chengdu said they aim to make the shopping festival a flagship event in the Hehuachi area.

 "Now is the ideal time to inherit and carry forward the development story of Hehuachi, as the country advances the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and Chengdu pursues transformation and upgrades," the official noted.

Organizers of the Rongbeihaobasi Chinese New Year shopping festival give out New Year gifts on Tuesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]