Shoppers choose New Year decorations in Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province on December 28, 2025. The 2026 Spring Festival will fall on February 17, and people have started preparing New Year supplies early, with large quantities of red Chinese knots, red lanterns, and other ornaments having hit the market. Photo: VCG

As China’s Spring Festival rapidly approaches now, various local governments in the country have allocated 2.05 billion yuan ($297 million) in funds, which will directly benefit a vast number of consumers through measures such as issuing consumption vouchers, subsidies, red envelopes, and other forms during the 9-day holiday period, an official from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday.

Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping made the remarks during a press conference held in Beijing regarding a shopping campaign during the Spring Festival holiday to boost domestic consumption.

According to Sheng, this Sunday marks the arrival of the longest Spring Festival holiday in history, which will usher in a peak period for people purchasing New Year's goods and gifts, visiting relatives and friends, and traveling for leisure. The MOFCOM will roll out a series of high-value policy packages during the Spring Festival to boost holiday consumption, including gift packages in its "trade-in" programs, lottery invoice and other means of financial support.

Sheng noted that, recently, in collaboration with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, the commerce ministry has allocated the first batch of 62.5 billion yuan in central government subsidies, which have been disbursed to commerce departments across various regions. During the 9-day Spring Festival holiday, MOFCOM will guide local authorities to ramp up subsidy distribution and fully ensure that consumers can claim these subsidies in accordance with the policy guideline.

In addition, MOFCOM, together with the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, has confirmed the launch of a lottery invoice pilot program in 50 cities. Over a six-month implementation period, a total of 10 billion yuan in prize and subsidy funds will be distributed. Of this, the prize pool for the 9-day Spring Festival holiday alone will exceed 1 billion yuan. In pilot cities, consumers who obtain invoices with a face value of 100 yuan or more for shopping, dining, tourism, accommodation, and other activities will all be eligible to participate in the prize draws, Sheng said.

During the long holiday, the People’s Bank of China and the National Financial Regulatory Administration will guide financial institutions and instant digital payment platforms to work with merchants in launching various promotional measures under the campaign, covering multiple consumption scenarios, including air tickets and hotels, gourmet dining, and attraction tickets, Sheng added.

Noting that the country welcomes friends from all countries to come and experience China during the Spring Festival, Sheng said that with over 13,000 departure tax-refund shops across the country stocked with quality products, foreign tourists shopping in China can enjoy what amounts to a 10-percent discount.

And, 11 Chinese departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the MOFCOM, have rolled out policies and initiatives to improve digital service convenience for inbound overseas visitors. Major airlines will also add capacity on high-demand routes, the official added.



Global Times