China Records Surge in New Consumption Trends During Labour Day Holiday

Beijing (ANTARA) - Zhao Hairui, an avid mountaineer with extensive experience conquering snowy peaks, tried indoor ice climbing for the first time at a gym in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. He flew in from his home in northeast China, a journey of about four hours. “I came here specifically for this experience,” said Zhao. The venue, which officially opened in January this year, is China’s first ice climbing gym, according to Xinhua news agency. Ice climbing, an activity involving scaling steep ice routes using tools like ice axes, is generally considered a niche sport. However, the ICE PANDA gym was bustling during the five-day Labour Day holiday that began on Friday (1/5) in China, fuelled by young people’s interest in novel holiday experiences. Daily reservations during the Labour Day holiday exceeded 40 people, approaching full capacity. More than 60 per cent of visitors came from outside Sichuan. “Many arrive with suitcases and start climbing right after checking them at the counter,” said Wajie, the gym’s head. According to a report from China’s General Administration of Sport (GAS), by early April 2025, more than 400 million people had participated in outdoor sports, with young and middle-aged groups as the main consumers. Located in Sichuan, known as a “paradise” for hiking and mountaineering enthusiasts with one of China’s richest snowy mountain regions, ICE PANDA hopes to attract not only mountaineers seeking training spots but also young people eager to try niche sports. “Even beginners can climb gentle slopes after a few lessons,” said Wajie, referring to the 60-degree slope provided for novices, distinct from the steep 79-degree and vertical 90-degree walls for experienced and professional climbers. The first-time experience is priced at 498 yuan (1 yuan = Rp2,536) or about 73 US dollars (1 US dollar = Rp17,324), including a one-hour session, private instruction, and full equipment. Though not cheap for many, it was worthwhile for Zhao. “People now prefer paying for activities they can participate in and engage with directly,” he said. “It gives me a great sense of achievement and relaxation as I reach the top step by step with guidance.” Another experience that prompts young Chinese to spend more is travelling with their furry family members. According to a white paper on the pet industry released in January, 69 per cent of cat and dog owners in urban China were born in the 1990s or 2000s last year. The white paper states that in 2025, there were 126 million pet cats and dogs in urban China. Meanwhile, more than 70 per cent of pet owners want to travel with their animals. Ahead of the Labour Day holiday, a pet-themed live streaming session by Li Jiaqi, a renowned e-commerce streaming host in China, featured more than 120 pet products, from travel safety gear to outdoor resting equipment. The broadcast attracted over 10 million viewers. “We are responding to the strong consumer demand for leisurely travel and the public’s desire to include pets in travel plans,” said a source from Meione, the company behind Li’s live streaming room. With forecasts of a record 1.52 billion inter-regional trips during this Labour Day holiday, the trend of renting items for travel, especially cameras, is gaining popularity among young people. On rrzu.com, an online rental platform, pre-orders ahead of the holiday surged by 58 per cent compared to the previous year. Popular rental items include cameras, drones, handheld gimbals, and telephoto lenses. Most orders were placed by consumers under 30 years old, according to the platform, which has more than 60 million users. Even though rental prices rose to around 650 yuan for four days during the holiday for a full-frame Sony camera with lens, many rental shops on Xianyu, China’s leading second-hand trading platform, appeared fully booked for both smartphones and cameras. “Concerts, travel, and fandom-related photography make up the largest portion of rental orders during the holiday,” said Liu Junzhi, a staff member at a camera shop in Shanghai. According to Chen Liang, who oversees the rental business at Xianyu, the number of rental orders has increased more than tenfold in the past three years, making it a new growth engine for the platform. The main categories include digital electronics, as well as clothing and accessories like cosplay costumes. “These items are relatively expensive to buy but rarely used in daily life and often only needed for one-off occasions,” he said, adding that this reflects the more rational consumption mindset of young people. China’s rental services market is expanding rapidly. In 2025, the value added of the rental and business services sector grew 10.3 per cent year on year (yoy). A report from Analysys, a Beijing-based data analysis firm, predicts that China’s new rental market, based on digital platform credit systems and mainly targeting young generations, will approach 1 trillion yuan by 2030. According to Chen, the rising rental services market not only reflects innovations in consumption models but also developments in the circular economy. “As consumption concepts continue to evolve, the rental industry will bring d