Latest news with #Qunar
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Eastern China heatwave threatens crops and industry with 40°C temperatures
SHANGHAI/BEIJING: Sweltering heat enveloped China's eastern seaboard on Friday, as a high-pressure system settled over the country's most populous region, baking key agricultural and manufacturing hubs along the Yangtze River and raising fears of droughts and economic losses. Large swathes of China's economic heartland are set to roast in temperatures of 37-39 degrees Celsius (99-102 degrees Fahrenheit) over the coming week. Forecasters are warning that parts of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, as well as the more central provinces of Hubei and Henan, could top 40 C. The subtropical high causing the heat has arrived unusually early this year. China's 'Sanfu Season' - an agricultural marker thought to have been in use for more than two millennia - typically begins in mid-July and lasts through late August, sending people sheltering from intense summer heat. 'It's getting hot earlier and earlier now,' said Tao Sijia, a 30-year-old Shanghai resident. 'I prefer the cooler weather in my childhood. The summers in my memory were cool. Now, it's pretty hot.' Extreme heat, which meteorologists link to climate change, has emerged as a major challenge for Chinese policymakers. As well as scorching croplands and eroding farm incomes, higher temperatures can affect manufacturing hubs and disrupt operations in key port cities, and strain already overburdened healthcare systems. 'Heatwaves in China bring drought risks, and this could be a concern in southwestern China this year,' said Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit specialising in energy and climate change. 'Sichuan is already experiencing lower-than-average rainfall, and this will have ramifications for the region's hydropower output, which in turn will affect its power exports to eastern China.' However, China does not appear to be heading for a record-breaking summer, Lee said, noting that recent high temperatures in northern China and the number of hot days so far remain lower than during the same period in 2023. Still, authorities across eastern and central China issued warnings about the dangers, urging workers to take precautions as the combination of extreme heat and humidity during commutes created a heightened risk of heat stroke. 'I feel very hot after walking out of the office,' said Iris Chen, a 21-year-old student. 'It's just the beginning of July, so it's probably not the highest temperature yet.' WORLD'S LARGEST LEGOLAND The world's largest Legoland is set to open in Shanghai on Saturday, but the searing heat shows little sign of curbing enthusiasm for the city's newest attraction. Online searches for the theme park increased five-fold in June compared with May, while hotel bookings in the surrounding area increased by an annual 250%, data from Qunar, China's second-largest travel agency, showed. In 2022, China was hit by the worst heatwaves since 1961, with many parts of the country enduring a 79-day hot spell from mid-June to late August. No official death toll was disclosed and China does not give a tally of heat-related deaths, although domestic media occasionally report fatalities citing local authorities. In a 2023 report published in the medical journal The Lancet, heatwave-related mortality in the world's second-largest economy was estimated at 50,900 deaths in 2022, doubling from 2021. China is not alone in having to contend with the potentially catastrophic consequences of extreme heat. Earlier this week, Greek firefighters battled wildfires on the island of Crete and near Athens, as an early summer heatwave linked to the deaths of at least eight people sweeps across Europe. California has also seen conflagrations erupt well outside the traditional wildfire season in recent years, displacing tens of thousands of people. Compounding the challenge facing Chinese officials, while the east bakes, other parts of the country are struggling with torrential rain, conditions that analysts also attribute to climate change. The national meteorological centre forecast more torrential rain across parts of north- and southwest China on Friday and Saturday, with videos circulating on Chinese social media showing residents canoeing through flooded streets in the city of Chengdu. - Reuters
The Star
04-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Eastern China swelters under early heatwave, threatening crops and industry
SHANGHAI/BEIJING: Sweltering heat enveloped China's eastern seaboard on Friday (July 4), as a high-pressure system settled over the country's most populous region, baking key agricultural and manufacturing hubs along the Yangtze River and raising fears of droughts and economic losses. Large swathes of China's economic heartland are set to roast in temperatures of 37-39 degrees Celsius (99-102 degrees Fahrenheit) over the coming week. Forecasters are warning that parts of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, as well as the more central provinces of Hubei and Henan, could top 40 deg C. The subtropical high causing the heat has arrived unusually early this year. China's "Sanfu Season" - an agricultural marker thought to have been in use for more than two millennia - typically begins in mid-July and lasts through late August, sending people sheltering from intense summer heat. "It's getting hot earlier and earlier now," said Tao Sijia, a 30-year-old Shanghai resident. "I prefer the cooler weather in my childhood. The summers in my memory were cool. Now, it's pretty hot." Extreme heat, which meteorologists link to climate change, has emerged as a major challenge for Chinese policymakers. As well as scorching croplands and eroding farm incomes, higher temperatures can affect manufacturing hubs and disrupt operations in key port cities, and strain already overburdened healthcare systems. "Heatwaves in China bring drought risks, and this could be a concern in southwestern China this year," said Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit specialising in energy and climate change. "Sichuan is already experiencing lower-than-average rainfall, and this will have ramifications for the region's hydropower output, which in turn will affect its power exports to eastern China." However, China does not appear to be heading for a record-breaking summer, Lee said, noting that recent high temperatures in northern China and the number of hot days so far remain lower than during the same period in 2023. Still, authorities across eastern and central China issued warnings about the dangers, urging workers to take precautions as the combination of extreme heat and humidity during commutes created a heightened risk of heat stroke. "I feel very hot after walking out of the office," said Iris Chen, a 21-year-old student. "It's just the beginning of July, so it's probably not the highest temperature yet." The world's largest Legoland is set to open in Shanghai on Saturday, but the searing heat shows little sign of curbing enthusiasm for the city's newest attraction. Online searches for the theme park increased five-fold in June compared with May, while hotel bookings in the surrounding area increased by an annual 250%, data from Qunar, China's second-largest travel agency, showed. In 2022, China was hit by the worst heatwaves since 1961, with many parts of the country enduring a 79-day hot spell from mid-June to late August. No official death toll was disclosed and China does not give a tally of heat-related deaths, although domestic media occasionally report fatalities citing local authorities. In a 2023 report published in the medical journal The Lancet, heatwave-related mortality in the world's second-largest economy was estimated at 50,900 deaths in 2022, doubling from 2021. China is not alone in having to contend with the potentially catastrophic consequences of extreme heat. Earlier this week, Greek firefighters battled wildfires on the island of Crete and near Athens, as an early summer heatwave linked to the deaths of at least eight people sweeps across Europe. California has also seen conflagrations erupt well outside the traditional wildfire season in recent years, displacing tens of thousands of people. Compounding the challenge facing Chinese officials, while the east bakes, other parts of the country are struggling with torrential rain, conditions that analysts also attribute to climate change. The national meteorological centre forecast more torrential rain across parts of north- and southwest China on Friday and Saturday, with videos circulating on Chinese social media showing residents canoeing through flooded streets in the city of Chengdu. -Reuters
Borneo Post
08-06-2025
- Borneo Post
China's lesser-known destinations draw more inbound tourists
Foreign tourists learn to make traditional wheaten food at a homestay in Pingyao, north China's Shanxi Province, May 15, 2025. (Photo by Qiao Yan/Xinhua) TAIYUAN (June 9): Basking in the sunshine, John Jammet and his wife sat in the courtyard of a traditional house in the historic Pingyao County of north China's Shanxi Province, with coffee in hand. Their trip seemingly offered them a glimpse into the lives of Chinese back in the day. 'Last night we traveled in the main streets and the lanterns were very beautiful,' said the man from France. 'What attracted me most were a lot of young girls and boys wearing traditional clothes. It showed that they love their culture and history.' Fascinated by the video game 'Black Myth: Wukong,' Jammet became interested in the culture behind it, and thus decided to come to China and have a look. The couple carefully planned their trip, with it including China's capital Beijing, Pingyao, the ancient capital Xi'an in northwest China and the picturesque Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, reflecting their quest to see 'both modern cities and traditional culture.' 'In the Western world, I think there is misunderstanding about China, because our countries are different,' he explained. 'It is important to see with our own eyes what's the truth about China. For me, China is safe and clean, people are kind and helpful.' At the mention of China, images that immediately jump into the minds of many foreign tourists are normally the Great Wall, giant pandas and the many skyscrapers in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai in east China. Thanks partly to China's eased visa policies, an increasing number of foreign tourists are now also turning their attention to lesser-known destinations to delve deeper into Chinese history and culture, just like Jammet and his wife. Zachary Iziah Smith, an American travel blogger, poses for a photo at Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 11, 2025. (Xinhua) OFF THE BEATEN TRACK As of the beginning of May, China has granted unilateral visa-free entry to people from 38 countries, and has extended its visa-free transit period to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries. In 2024, China recorded 64.88 million border crossings by foreign nationals, an 82.9-percent increase year on year. In the first quarter of 2025, this number stood at 17.44 million, up 33.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024. During the five-day May Day holiday, the most recent vacation in China for family outings and tourism, statistics regarding air ticket bookings on Chinese travel services platform Qunar showed that in addition to the megacities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the lower-tier cities of Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing, Chongqing and south China's Haikou were also among the top-ranking destinations for non-Chinese tourists. In addition, hotel bookings made by foreign passport holders in Zhuhai, east China's Qingdao and central China's Wuhan grew by 70, 60 and 50 percent respectively. Hotels, restaurants and even hairdressers in residential areas not very close to traditional attractions in Beijing are beginning to greet foreign tourists, while small cities and counties are also seeing more inbound visitors. Kang Mobei is general manager of a shop affiliated to the Gansu Provincial Museum, which sells creative cultural products inspired by items in the museum, like a green fluffy toy based on the iconic copper galloping horse. Notably, Gansu Province in northwest China is home to many historical sites, including the Mogao Grottoes UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the May Day holiday, she found more foreign tourists in her shop, many of whom came from countries like Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. 'Some of them had already been to the museum, and a few even showed me pictures they found on social media platforms like 'rednote' when asking for products,' said Kang, who observed that some customers had fluffy toys from other creative cultural product shops dangling from their bags. With overseas customers in mind, the store installed POS machines for international bank cards and carried out language training for their staff. A foreign visitor (L) learns how to make matcha beverage at a tea industrial park in Jiangkou County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin) EASIER, FASTER, BETTER KNOWN To meet this increasing demand from foreign customers for niche tourist destinations, Chen Wanni and Chen Min last year founded China Explorer Tour (CET), a tour operating company specializing in authentic food, adventure and cultural-immersion themed retreats and experiences across China. 'It was more successful than we had expected,' said Chen Wanni, admitting that she was prepared for a loss in the first year, but surprisingly they managed to break even. The referral rate of the tourist routes reached 60 percent, with many customers recommending to their friends to come back, while quite a few have come more than once. 'Tourism is not only an industry, but also a window for overseas travelers to learn about China,' she said. Chen Min informed Xinhua that more and more overseas tourists are expressing interest in China's lesser-known destinations, in addition to the traditional attractions, representing the maturity of the nation's tourism industry in recent years. Tom Peacock-Nazil from Britain last September booked a 10-day tour with CET, and visited not only Beijing and Xi'an but also southwest China's Guizhou Province, where he saw both the stunning beauty of nature and various ethnic cultures. 'I realized I had massively underestimated China,' he said. 'I think I've fallen in love with China. That's mainly because we've been off the beaten track. I'm dying to come back and I've been learning about other provinces. I've got plans already.' Sun Weili, a regional manager with the Chinese travel platform Group, noted that the surge in foreign tourists for in-depth tours in China is a result of combined efforts. 'Along with eased visa policies, they can also feel the convenience in terms of payment and traffic, as well as more diversified tours,' he said. For instance, a 16-day luxury train tour from Chengdu to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has attracted overseas visitors, which promises to take them to an in-depth journey to the northwestern region. So far tickets for all the 10 trips between May and October have been sold out, with 70 percent of the customers inbound tourists. Meanwhile, thanks to movies, video games and social media, Chinese culture is better promoted across the world, luring more curious overseas visitors to have a closer look. 'We are more open and confident,' Sun said. Zhang Jun, who is with a travel agency in Datong in Shanxi, has worked as a tour guide for 18 years. He has noted the huge development of inter-city transportation which has made self-guided tours possible. 'For instance, we used to sit in overnight trains and transfer to reach Pingyao from Beijing. But now the journey takes less than four hours.' John Jammet this time traveled in China for 15 days, which he found not enough to explore the country. 'China is big,' he said. 'I might need to spend a month here.' – Xinhua China domestic tourism traditional
South China Morning Post
30-01-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Lunar New Year travellers try to outsmart algorithms for cheaper fares
Published: 10:00am, 30 Jan 2025 The Lunar New Year holiday is among the priciest time to travel in China, but this year, Chinese internet user Lan He managed to score a one-way flight ticket from Kunming, Yunnan province, to her parents' home about two hours away in Jian, Jiangxi province, for less than 500 yuan (US$68). The trick? Fool the algorithms, according to Lan. Before Lan booked her flight, she unleashed a string of social media posts complaining about costly holiday airfares. 'I'm not going because flight tickets are too expensive,' she wrote, singling out some of China's most widely used travel booking platforms. 'Look at me, Qunar, Tongcheng, Fliggy: I'll uninstall you all if you keep increasing the price.' Five days after, Lan said she found the cost of her desired ticket went down by more than half from 1,200 yuan. Qunar, , Tongcheng and Fliggy did not respond to requests for comment. Fliggy is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post. Travellers at Beijing Capital International Airport. Photo: AFP Lan is among a growing number of Chinese internet users who are looking for ways to fight what they describe as Big Data-enabled discrimination. They believe that online platforms charge existing customers and frequent visitors higher prices, and occasionally withhold discounts from them.
