Hailing district in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, experienced a surge in holiday consumption during the recently concluded National Day break from Oct 1 to 7, driven by bustling morning tea houses, lively shopping districts, and scenic rural attractions.
Local restaurants refreshed the traditional morning tea experience by incorporating cultural performances. Huibinlou offered Peking Opera shows, while Liufang Teahouse launched dining cruises featuring face-changing and fire-breathing acts. Eleven major morning tea establishments generated over 4.2 million yuan ($627,245) in revenue, with most seeing customer traffic rise by more than 20 percent.
A Peking Opera artist performs in full costume inside a packed morning tea restaurant in Hailing district, Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
Shopping centers and night markets also posted strong numbers. Major malls created immersive consumer scenes with live sports broadcasts, interactive games, and promotional vouchers. Across the district, 12 key commercial complexes achieved 87 million yuan in sales and welcomed over 1.04 million visitors, representing a 2.1 percent year-on-year growth in traffic.
In Huagang town, the He'an scenic area attracted nearly 20,000 visitors to its 17-hectare blooming oil sunflower fields. Offering a "morning tea plus flower viewing" rural getaway alongside a 20-stall market of local snacks and handicrafts, the site highlighted the growing popularity of suburban micro-vacations.
Tourists paddle kayaks along the waterway at the He'an scenic area in Hailing district, Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]