A bird's-eye view of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province. [Photo/WeChat account: fztour]

The total retail sales of consumer goods in Fujian province hit 1.02 trillion yuan ($157.13 billion) in the January-June period in 2021, a cumulative increase of 17.9 percent, according to the provincial department of commerce.

The province's retail sales in the first half of the year grew 11.5 percent compared to 2019, with the main factors behind this rise being the nation's comprehensive epidemic prevention and control efforts and the robust economic recovery. 

From January to June, the retail sales of commodities hit 928.22 billion yuan, a cumulative increase of 17.4 percent, and catering revenue stood at 86.83 billion yuan, a cumulative increase of 23.4 percent. 

During the same period, total retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas reached 875.94 billion yuan, up 18 percent year-on-year and a growth of 11.3 percent from 2019. In rural areas, sales increased by 17.3 percent year-on-year to 139.11 billion yuan, an increase of 13.2 percent compared with 2019. 

Retail sales of sports and entertainment products, clothing, textiles, cosmetics, jewelries, and home appliances all increased during the first half of the year, a clear indication of consumption upgrade. 

Buoyed by the subsidy policy for automobiles, retail sales of new energy vehicles increased to 94.16 billion yuan in the first six months of this year. 

Online retail sales of goods also maintained rapid growth. From January to June, the province's online retail sales was 82.91 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 33.1 percent and accounting for 20 percent of the province's total retail sales.