International financial institutions are increasingly upbeat on Chinese stocks, with the NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index surging by 14.86 percent in the 10 trading days ended on Friday, the highest growth rate for a two-week period since January 2023.
According to international financial giants including Morgan Stanley and Bridgewater Associates, the China market is a good place to diversify their investment portfolios and explore value, as international investors' interest in yuan-denominated assets is on the rise.
On Thursday, the index jumped by 6.01 percent, the highest daily increase since the end of July last year, data showed. Analysts said that an opportunity is emerging for medium- and long-term capital to flow into yuan assets, especially China's stock market.
Given the rollout of targeted policies to boost the high-quality development of the A-share market and the sustained recovery of China's economy, now is a good opportunity to invest in China's stock market and Chinese companies, Yang Delong, chief economist at Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund, told the Global Times on Sunday.
He said the valuations of the A-share and Hong Kong stock markets are near record lows, and confidence and patience are needed to achieve long-term gains.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau meeting, held on April 30, vowed to front-load efforts to effectively put the established macro policies in place, and well implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy.
Those policies will further promote an economic recovery and boost the development of China's stock markets, Yang said.
Since the beginning of 2024, global asset management companies have expanded their investment portfolios in China, boosted by their growing confidence in Chinese assets.
"Global funds are returning to China stocks," Bloomberg reported in March, citing Morgan Stanley analysts.
Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio posted on social media platform LinkedIn on April 1 saying that "[T]here is no such thing as a bad market; there is only bad decision making. I find the markets in China good for my type of decision making."
Recently, stocks in the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) staged a stunning rebound after the State Council, the country's cabinet, pledged measures to keep the stock market stable.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index regained the 3,100 level at the end of April after diving to a multi-year low.
In the first quarter of this year, net inflows of northbound capital - overseas money flowing into China's A-share market through the HKSAR - reached 68.22 billion yuan ($9.65 billion), exceeding the total in 2023, the China Securities Journal reported, citing data from information provider Choice.
In April, the State Council released guidelines on strengthening regulation, forestalling risks and promoting high-quality development of the capital market. This was the third guideline document on the capital market from the State Council in two decades.
By strengthening supervision, and effectively preventing and defusing risks, the new guideline has made arrangements in areas including listings, transactions and the entry of long-term capital. This is expected to enhance fairness and efficiency in the A-share market and stimulate market vitality, Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
The challenges faced by the A-share market are temporary and a bull market will eventually come, Dong said, noting that targeted policies and sound macroeconomic operations will inject new impetus into the capital market.
He said that more efforts are needed to strengthen regulations involving the major shareholders of listed companies, agencies, local governments and stock exchanges. In addition, diversified delisting channels are needed to protect the rights and interests of common investors during the whole process of delisting.
China's imports and exports roared back to growth in April after a significant drop in the previous month, according to official data on Thursday, and the strong data add to growing signs that the world's second-largest economy remains on a steady recovery trend despite lingering challenges at home and abroad.
The strong trade data underscored the resilience of China's trade sector, with growth in exports pointing to the country's unshakable role in global supply chains, while the expansion in imports highlighted strong domestic demand, experts said. With the country's laser-like focus on the economy through a slew of stimulus measures, China's economic recovery will continue to consolidate and is on track to meet annual growth targets, they noted.
In April, in US dollar terms, total imports and exports surged 4.4 percent year-on-year, reversing a 5.1 percent drop in March, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Thursday. Notably, exports expanded by 1.5 percent year-on-year in April, compared to a 7.5 percent contraction in the previous month, while imports jumped by 8.4 percent year-on-year, reversing a 1.9 percent decline in March, the GAC data showed.
"First-quarter trade data were dragged down by the drop in March due to a high base in March 2023. And April's data more accurately reflected the development trade in China's import and export sectors," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Zhou said that the trade data demonstrated the steady recovery trend of the Chinese economy supported by a strong rebound in the trade sector in the first four months of 2024.
During that period, in Chinese yuan-denominated terms, China's total imports and exports expanded by 5.7 percent year-on-year, accelerating from a 5 percent growth in the first quarter of the year, according to the GAC.
In terms of top trading partners, China's imports and exports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, better known as ASEAN, its largest trading partner, jumped by 8.5 percent year-on-year from January to April. Imports and exports with the EU, the second-largest trading partner, dropped by 1.8 percent year-on-year, while that with the US, the third-largest trading partner, grew by 1.1 percent year-on-year.
Moreover, among the highlights of Thursday's data are the robust growth in exports by private enterprises and exports of mechanical and electrical products - both major growth drivers. Private firms' total exports expanded by 9 percent year-on-year in the first four months in yuan terms, accounting for 64.7 percent of China's total export value. Exports of mechanical and electrical products grew by 6.9 percent, accounting for 59.2 percent of China's total export value, according to the GAC.
Momentum to last
The strong figures for the January-April period also reflected China's strong competitiveness and prominent role in the global industrial and supply chain, Zhou noted. "If there are no major 'black swan' events in the future, and there are no policies and actions that significantly interfere with trade activities, trade will still maintain a sustained recovery," he said.
While the growth in exports highlighted China's unshakable role in global trade, the expansion in imports accentuated the strong recovery in China's domestic demand, which is key to the overall economic recovery, according to experts.
"In the previous two years, the growth rate of imports was relatively low, and the total import and export volume was mainly supported by exports, reflecting insufficient domestic demand, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the digital-real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"But vis-à-vis this year's data, the growth rate of imports is higher than that of exports, indicating that domestic demand is recovering and the overall internal circulation is becoming smoother," Hu noted.
Hu said that China has moved swiftly to tackle systemic risks, consumption has been recovering steadily and operations of various industries have been improving significantly.
The impressive trade data on Thursday come on the heels of a slew of indicators that showed a strong recovery momentum in the Chinese economy. In the first quarter of 2024, China's GDP expanded by 5.3 percent year-on-year, beating market expectations. Retail sales, a main gauge of consumption and the biggest economic growth driver, increased by 4.7 percent year-on-year.
Such strong momentum in China's economic recovery is widely expected to further gather traction, as Chinese policymakers continue to step up policy support to boost the economy, experts said.
The latest signal of strong policy support came from a meeting, held on April 30, of the Political Bureau of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee. Noting that the economy has secured a good start this year, the meeting called for various measures to further consolidate the recovery momentum, including front-loading efforts to effectively put the established macro policies in place and issuing ultra-long special treasury bonds at an early stage, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
In terms of trade, the meeting called for efforts to actively expand trade in intermediate goods, service trade, digital trade, and cross-border e-commerce exports, and support private enterprises in expanding overseas markets.
Apart from policy support, the strong recovery in domestic consumption will help stabilize trade throughout the year, according to Hu. "The full-year trade will maintain a generally positive growth rate that is higher than that of last year," he said.
Beyond trade, China's two other main economic drivers - consumption and investment - are also expected to maintain a strong recovery momentum, thanks to intensifying policy support, which will ensure that the full-year economic development goals will be met, experts noted.
In spite of challenges both at home and abroad, China has set a GDP growth target of around 5 percent this year. With the growing positive signs, many experts are increasingly confident that China will be able to meet its 2024 GDP growth target, and the country will remain the main driver for global growth.
China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe has successfully entered its circumlunar orbit after performing a near-moon braking procedure on Wednesday, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The near-moon braking procedure is a key orbital control action for the Chang'e-6 lunar probe during its flight. The probe should begin braking when approaching the moon to maintain a speed lower than the lunar escape velocity so that it could be captured by the moon's gravitational force and realize circumlunar flight.
If the braking is not applied hard enough and the speed is not reduced, the Chang'e-6 lunar probe will slide into outer space. On the other hand, if the braking is too strong, it could collide with the moon, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The Chang'e-6 lunar probe consists of an orbiter, a returner, a lander and an ascender. The orbiter is equipped with an orbit control engine to control braking and deceleration during gravitational capture.
The development team also pioneered the design of the secondary thermal protection composite system, for the orbiter to wear a "super protective suit." Layers of protection keep the important payload machine on the orbiter away from high temperature, creating a comfortable traveling experience for the Chang'e-6, Xinhua reported.
The Chang'e-6 lunar probe will later adjust the altitude and inclination of its circumlunar orbit with the support of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, and implement the separation of the orbiter and returner combination from the lander and ascender combination at an opportune time.
The lander and ascender combination will then make a soft landing on the South Pole-Aitken Basin and conduct a sample return mission on the far side of the moon as planned.
The entire flight of the Chang'e-6 mission is expected to last about 53 days, consisting of 11 flight phases, according to CNSA.
China has launched the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on Friday to collect and return samples from the moon's far side, which is the first endeavor of its kind in the history of human lunar exploration, according to Xinhua.
The fourth phase of China's lunar exploration program, led and organized by the CNSA, includes four missions: Chang'e-4, Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8, with Chang'e-4 having achieved the world's first soft landing on the back of the moon.
The Chang'e-6 mission will carry out new planetary exploration missions and further upgrade the country's space launch capabilities in the next 15 years. Landing a Chinese national on the moon is expected to happen before 2030, according to previous reports.
The Chang'e-6 mission is also carrying four payloads developed through international cooperation, providing more opportunities for the world's scientists and merging human expertise in space exploration, according to Xinhua.
A Mother’s Day commercial poster by detergent maker Blue Moon has triggered controversy on Chinese social media for its stereotypical portrayal of mothers, as the poster suggests that mothers should be the first ones to use the promoted laundry products. The company has reportedly replied that the original idea of expressing gratitude to mothers may not have been conveyed effectively.
The controversy was caused by the poster promoting one of Blue Moon’s products in an elevator advertisement. In the advertisement, the company claims that mothers used big bottles of laundry detergent to wash clothes in the past, which was heavy and hard work. Now, the company uses a tech that makes laundry easier and more effortless for mothers, according to media reports.
In addition, the pattern of the poster background, features the image of a woman busy with housework, taking care of children, and working alone. Many netizens regarded the use of the phrase “mother, you can use it first” as a stereotypical portrayal of mothers.
The relevant topic has garnered more than 12 million views on Chinese X-like Sina Weibo. Some netizens also questioned why the advertisement, which is released for Mother’s Day, is promoting labor cleaning tools as gifts for mothers. Why not offer to do the laundry for mothers instead?
According to media reports, one customer service staff member from the company replied that their original idea was to express the gratitude to mothers, but the gratitude may have not been expressed effectively, and they will report the netizens’ feedback to the company immediately.
“Why do we always have to adhere to stereotypical labels? Does clothing always have to be washed by mothers? …And on Mother’s Day, shouldn’t we make it easier for our mothers by doing the laundry ourselves?” one netizen wrote.
“The incident has also sparked attention to the portrayal of gender roles in advertising. In modern society, people are expected to see more gender equality and diversity in advertising, rather than outdated and stereotypical portrayals,” another netizen said.
Some netizens expressed different opinions. “The advertisement has caused some discomfort for some people, but is it too sentimental? It’s good to show gratitude toward mothers and those who do household duties, so what’s the problem?” one netizen said.
If we look at the advertisement from a different perspective, it makes sense to show gratitude to mothers and express love. It all depends on how we interpret it, another netizen said.
The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair, which doesn’t allow any foreign interferences. The US should immediately stop hyping up the Taiwan question using the World Health Assembly as an excuse, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, urging the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques with practical actions, instead of saying one thing and doing another, and constantly indulging “Taiwan independence” activities.
Chen made the remarks on Friday in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement on Wednesday which “encouraged the WHO to reinstate an invitation to Taiwan to participate as an observer at this year’s WHA.”
Regarding Taiwan region’s participation in WHO activities, Chen said the mainland’s position is consistent and clear, which is that the situation must be handled in accordance with one-China principle, which is also the fundamental principle confirmed by UNGA resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1, Chen said. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities stubbornly insist in their “Taiwan independence” separatist stance, refusing to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle, resulting in the political basis for Taiwan region’s participation in WHA no longer existing. This situation is entirely caused by the DPP authorities, according to the spokesperson.
Chen said the mainland has made proper arrangements for Taiwan region’s participation in global health affairs under the premise of adhering to the one-China principle. However, the DPP authorities, in their pursuit of “Taiwan independence,” have deliberately politicized public health issues and attempted to rely on external forces to engage in secessionist activities at WHA. The facts of the past seven years have proven that this wrong path is not viable, and the attempt this time will also end up in failure, Chen said.
China’s foreign ministry also slammed Blinken’s statement on Thursday, saying China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the statement, noting the one-China principle has the extensive support of the international community. It is where global opinion trends and where the arc of history bends. There’s no denying or stopping that trend. Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” and use Taiwan to contain China will meet the firm opposition of the international community and is doomed to failure.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. High-level interactions between the two countries have been frequent, and exchanges in various fields such as the economy and trade have been increasing.
At the end of November, the 12th meeting of the China-Vietnam Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee, aimed at discussing the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations, was held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. The Vietnam News Agency reported that enormous potential dwells in the China-Vietnam trade cooperation - a highlight in bilateral ties. Vietnamese media sources also pointed out that China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for many years, and Vietnam is China's largest trading partner within the ASEAN. It proves that achievements in China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation have been highly recognized by both sides. Recently, several Chinese and Vietnamese experts, based on their own research and observations, spoke to the Global Times about the cooperation between China and Vietnam in the field of economy and trade, and expressed their optimism about future development potential.
3,000 tons of durian export to China
Bui Trong Van, former minister counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in China, told Global Times that economic and trade cooperation between China and Vietnam has evolved from a simple trade pattern to a higher level of cooperation closely related to the industrial and supply chains. This is mainly due to the political and strategic guidance of the top leaders of both countries, as well as the continuous, stable, and healthy development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides. At the same time, the two economies have great complementarities. Deepening economic and trade cooperation fully serves the fundamental interests of both countries.
Data are the most convincing evidence. In 1992, when the two countries signed the economic cooperation agreement, the bilateral trade volume was only $179 million. In 2000, trade volume between the two countries surpassed $2 billion. Statistics provided by China's customs authorities showed that the two countries' trade increased by 19.7 percent to $230.2 billion in 2021, surpassing the $200 billion mark for the first time in history. In the first 10 months of this year, the bilateral trade volume has reached $185.1 billion.
Trade growth is inseparable from the comprehensive development of port infrastructure. In recent years, both central and local governments on both sides have attached great importance to port upgrading to improve customs clearance efficiency. Cross-border ports between the two sides are connected by highways, and China's high-speed rail has been extended to border cities in Vietnam and will soon be extended to port cities.
Border trade is drawing increasing attention from both China and Vietnam. For example, Dongxing, a county-level city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is the only port city in China connected by both land and sea to Vietnam. Mong Cai is the largest, most open, and most promising economic zone in northern Vietnam.
At the end of November and the beginning of December, Dongxing and Mong Cai jointly held the 15th Vietnam-China International Trade and Tourism Fair, as well as a forum on promoting cross-border tourism between Dongxing and Mong Cai, attracting extensive media attention.
According to Vietnamese statistics, in the first 10 months of this year, Vietnam's vegetable and fruit exports to China reached $3.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 165 percent. Among them, Vietnamese durian is a particular favorite for Chinese consumers. Since being allowed to enter the China market in July 2022, Vietnamese durian has directly promoted the surge in vegetable and fruit exports to China. A woman engaged in the fruit business in Vietnam's Long An Province told the Global Times, "In the first half of this year, my family exported over 3,000 tons of durian to China and made a lot of money." The highlights of the China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation are not only reflected in trade, but also in the accelerated promotion of investment and industrial cooperation.
During the first half of 2023, Global Times' special correspondent conducted an in-depth research at the industrial zones in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong in Vietnam, and found that compared to the situation five years ago, the proportion of Chinese-funded enterprises in various industrial parks has significantly increased, and the signboards of Chinese-funded enterprises are particularly prominent. Almost all interviewed representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises stated that their decision to invest in Vietnam has turned out to be correct, and they are optimistic about Vietnam's development prospects.
According to statistics from Vietnam, China is Vietnam's sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment, with 3,949 active projects, and total registered capital exceeding $25.8 billion.
Chinese enterprise investment in Vietnam has provided employment for hundreds of thousands of local people, improved local industrial support mechanisms, and driven local export growth. For example, China's investment in the Vietnamese textile industry has increased year-on-year, and several Chinese large-scale modern textile enterprises have formed a relatively complete industrial chain locally.
The China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation has entered a new stage of building international industrial supply chains. Vietnam imports intermediate products like industrial raw materials and mechanical equipment from China, processes and assembles them, and then exports them to other countries, including the US, South Korea, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries. It can be seen that the China-Vietnam main industrial and supply chains naturally extend to a global industrial and supply chains. This is the most vivid embodiment of the success of jointly building the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is not only of important economic significance but also of important strategic significance.
Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that Vietnam regards its relationship with China as a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy, and China regards Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. Both sides attach great importance to their diplomatic positioning toward each other. Although Vietnam has elevated its bilateral relationships with the US and Japan to comprehensive strategic partnerships this year, its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China has lasted 15 years, which is apparently long, and we have one more element - cooperation.
Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute at the Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times that although Vietnamese businesspeople also realize that close cooperation with China in the industrial chain and supply chain may be under US pressure, this cooperation nonetheless holds huge commercial interests. If the chain with China is cut off, it will be difficult for the Vietnamese manufacturing industry to sustain itself based solely on its own industrial foundation and manufacturing capabilities. Therefore, Vietnamese companies often take measures to avoid adverse effects from the West.
At the 12th meeting of the China-Vietnam Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee, held on November 28, the Chinese side expressed its willingness to work with Vietnam for high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations. China will continue to take measures to promote unimpeded trade with Vietnam, support bilateral cooperation in railway, 5G, and other infrastructure projects, accelerate investment cooperation in the digital economy and green development, and expand cooperation in agriculture, border trade, supply chains, industrial parks, and at sub-national levels. China will ensure high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP) and accelerate the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0.
Zhao Weihua, director of the Center for China's Relations with Neighboring Countries at Fudan University, told the Global Times that Vietnam views the RCEP positively, as it brings tariff reductions that benefit countries like Vietnam and promote its exports to China. Vietnam attaches great importance to exporting agricultural products to China, which is its largest export market for agricultural products.
Zhao pointed out that Vietnam also recognizes that China's demand is changing, and ordinary agricultural products can no longer meet the demand. Instead, it needs to export high-quality agricultural products.
Therefore, in the agricultural sector, Vietnam holds a welcoming attitude toward various Chinese enterprises and hopes that they can assist Vietnam in food processing in areas such as rice, tropical fruits, and aquatic products, with the end products being exported to China, he noted.
Xu, who is currently on a research visit to Vietnam, pointed out that one area of focus in the China-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation is green energy.
Vietnam, with a high demand for solar energy, needs to promote the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, Xu said, adding that Vietnam faces significant pressure to transition to new-energy sources but lacks the necessary technological expertise. On the other hand, China has been rapidly developing in the field of new energy. This creates strong complementarities between the two countries.
The 26th China Fisheries and Seafood Expo (CFSE) held in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province between October 25 and 27 was the event's first offline appearance since the epidemic.
Ambassador of Chile to China Mauricio Hurtado, and Natalia Cortes, Trade Commissioner of ProChile Beijing, attended this year's CFSE. In her remarks, Cortes noted the high nutritional value, safety and healthy qualities of Chilean seafood, pointing out that it has obtained all the most important international certifications. She mentioned the great importance Chile attached to CFSE as a platform, arranging every year for Chilean enterprises and industry associations to make the long journey from Latin America to take part. Cortes said she was looking forward to everyone enjoying a taste of Chilean seafood and learning more about the country's cuisine, wines, and culture.
The Chilean Pavilion with 13 Chilean seafood enterprises alongside Chile Mussel, has been a big draw at this year's CFSE. This is the first time Chilean companies have come to China to take part in the CFSE in person in the post-COVID era. They look forward to taking this opportunity to interact face-to-face with Chinese friends old and new in the sector, to better understand the latest developments in the local market and optimize the quality of their products and services.
China's exports to the US reached 522 billion yuan ($72.52 billion) in the first two months of 2024, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, which analysts said reflects the strong competitiveness of Chinese products despite Washington's protectionism.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Thursday, the US remained China's third largest trade partner in January and February, with bilateral trade up 3.7 percent on a yearly basis to reaching 707.7 billion yuan.
China's imports from the US fell 7 percent to reach 185.7 billion yuan.
China's trade surplus with the US hit 336.3 billion yuan during the period, up 18.8 percent year-on-year, GAC data showed.
"The remarkable growth in China's export to the US during a slack season is uplifting, underscoring the important trade relations between the two countries," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Although China and the US have engaged in dialogues in a variety of fields following the meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco in November, they failed to reach consensus in many aspects. The US needs to send more cooperation signals to the market, Zhou said.
Dismissing Western media hyping up that Mexico replaced China as the top exporter to the US in 2023, Zhou said that Chinese goods are internationally competitive, and without Washington's political interference, there is still possibility that China and the US will continue to be each other's most important trade partners.
He said there is a great potential for China to export machinery products, electric vehicles and charging equipment to the US. While the US aims to revitalize its domestic manufacturing sector, China also has advantages in exporting intermediate products and components.
In response to the US investigation into Chinese made vehicles that use "connected" car technology, Zhou said the US' protectionist moves bring harms to market stability and global industrial and supply chains.
"If the US wants to reach some achievements in climate change and green development, it should fully give play to each country's advantages across the global market and reduce the trade barriers," he said.
Around 9:30 am on a blisteringly cold Sunday morning in China's "ice city" Harbin, people were lining up quietly in long queues in front of a museum, which is about an 80-minute subway ride from the city's center. No one complained about waiting in the cold for more than half an hour.
The capital of China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang, Harbin has emerged as one of the top tourist destinations this winter. During the three-day New Year holiday alone, the city welcomed nearly 3.05 million visitors, raking in 5.91 billion yuan (about $832.39 million) in tourism revenue. The enthusiasm of visitors from across the country toward Harbin has remained unabated.
Far from the hustle and bustle at these hot tourist spots in the city, the Museum of Evidence of War Crimes by the Japanese Army Unit 731 is located in Pingfang District. Yet, many visitors came here, and a lot of them were tourists from other parts of the country, dragging their luggage behind them, apparently to catch a train or flight afterward. Some were holding bouquets of white or yellow chrysanthemums, which are traditional Chinese symbols for mourning.
"Welcome to Harbin. Welcome to visit the museum," a local resident handed out small stick flags of China's national flags, greeted every visitor with a genuine smile, his face turned red from standing too long in the cold. To keep visitors warm, some local residents also set up stalls to give hot ginger tea and heating pads. The museum told the Global Times that they weren't volunteers with the museums. "They were just warm-hearted residents who live nearby and offered to help."
Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin in 1935 as the center of Japan's biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during the war. In August 1945, the retreating Japanese invaders destroyed most of the facilities that produced germ weapons, which reportedly included bubonic plague, typhoid, anthrax, and cholera.
In the 1980s, an exhibition hall was established to strengthen the protection and investigation of the evidence of war crimes, such as their notorious human experiments in the development of germ warfare by the Japanese Army Unit 731. In 2015, a new museum at the site was opened to the public. The new museum is divided into six exhibition rooms, displaying relics excavated from the remains of Unit 731's headquarters.
"Local schools or companies organize student visits to the museum regularly. I just live right across the street from the museum. But I have never seen so many people waiting in lines, not even during the New Year holiday just passed," a taxi driver told the Global Times.
During the tourism boom, some tourists visited the museum and shared their experiences on social media. A Douyin (China's Tiktok) user with the handle xiaoshiya, who traveled from East China's Zhejiang Province, chose the museum as her last stop for her two-day visit to Harbin based on recommendations from netizens in Harbin.
She noted that she didn't know there was a biological warfare committed by the Japanese Army Unit 731 in Ningbo (a city in Zhejiang Province). "The excruciatingly painful memory shouldn't solely be carried by our brothers and sisters in the Northeast. It's a history that should be known and remembered by all of us," she wrote in the video, tearing up. The video has received 1.79 million likes, more than 56,000 comments, and has been shared over 182,000 times.
The museum announced on Saturday to carry out a strict reservation system, starting from Sunday, to maintain its daily maximum reception to 12,000 visitors. "Since the New Year holiday this year, the number of visitors to the museum has surged significantly," said the announcement.
"Visitors will be admitted to the museum during their reserved time slot upon presenting their ticket code. Visitors who have not made a reservation can enter our museum's lecture hall under the guidance of staff to watch the documentary on the Japanese Army Unit 731 (each session not exceeding 200 people) or visit the core area of the site. They may enter the museum to visit only after all reserved visitors have been admitted."
Inside the museum, there was a pillar-shaped installation with names of victims on the top and some running numbers below. "The numbers are increasing one by one, standing for the loss of one life of our people," the museum introduced. In silence, visitors laid down China's national flags in memory of the victims who lost their lives to the atrocities committed by the Japanese Army Unit 731.
Many visitors shared videos of them walking inside a long, dark tunnel towards the end of the exhibition on social media, with a caption that went viral online. "Don't look back. Keep walking. At the other end of the tunnel, there's light, the simple beauty of life, the prosperity of our country and the peaceful life of our people. Yet don't forget the journey we weathered through to get here."
