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China's Golden Week celebrations have lost their sparkle, owing to the country's economic woes. The National Day holiday that would receive hoards of tourists is now bland, highlighting China's struggling economy, according to a report by Voice of America.
China's celebration of its National Day, starting on October 1, called the "Golden Week", is known for travel, tourism and leisure spending. However, many locals Chinese claim that this year's National Day could be a day of 'mourning' due to higher costs while the economy continues to struggle. A 37-year-old white-collar worker in Beijing chose to join the crowd of travellers during China's National Day holiday for a seven-day vacation in South Korea. She said, "Usually the ticket is only 2,000 yuan (about USD 284), but now it has risen to almost 4,000 (about USD 568) during the National Day holiday. But I still decided to go out and have fun. Otherwise, what are you doing in Beijing? It's so boring." Additionally, a well-off urban dweller from China said, "I went to get a manicure today, and the lady said that all of her friends have lost their jobs. Now, a lot of people don't have money. The domestic economy is not good. We just don't know how bad it is, and we can't see the truth." The Beijing resident believes the main reason for these circumstances was the downfall of the economy. "Many people have lost their jobs, and if a grand National Day celebration were held, it would be criticised. The government might not have the money to hold a celebration either," she said in the VOA report. A man living in Shanghai associated with the publishing industry claimed that he believed that in today's China, national pride is becoming less and less marketable. "It's because the people's personal economic lives are not good. And now there is a bit of a difficult situation at home and abroad, and people are not in the mood for celebrations," he said. A middle-class translator from Beijing told VOA that he and his friends thought that "the national fortune is very grey" because the economy is unpredictable. The employee further said, "Who would want to invest? So, are your economic fundamentals getting better? Is your business environment improving? Is your international environment improving? I think these are some of the basic questions. Not to mention the rule of law. So, we want it to get better, but you tell me, which aspect is getting better?" While China's middle class lamented the country's downturn, they noted the lives of people with limited skills are the most difficult. Meanwhile, taxi drivers are taking advantage of the temporary increase in passengers for the National Day holiday to earn as much as they can. China's Transport Ministry described passenger transport since the beginning of this year as "robust," with nearly 44 billion passenger trips recorded during the first eight months, a 6 per cent increase from the same period last year, as per the VOA report. (ANI)
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