Local residents shop for red couplets and other decorations. [Photo/WeChat account: xinghuafabu]
With the Chinese Lunar New Year almost here, the folks in Xinghua – a county-level city administered by Taizhou, in East China's Jiangsu province – are now really busy shopping.
On Jan 12, one mom came to a fruit market early in the morning with her family, saying that the New Year shopping was also a way to take the elderly and children out to relax – and by eating some sweet fruit, they could joyfully welcome in the New Year.
The Xiao Wu wholesale sugarcane store, one of the biggest of its kind in the city, recently sold about 2,500 bundles a day, about three times the usual level. Shopkeeper Wu Liuling said because his produce was sweet, it augured well for customers who wanted sweet days ahead and a better life.
Other consumers, who go to the RT-Mart supermarket, can now find red decorations for the New Year everywhere, along with relaxing and cheerful music. In the candy area one customer was busy shopping. "Eating candies in the New Year holiday is fun," she said.
RT-Mart has expanded its staff and stocked up on its products, to ensure an adequate supply for Chinese New Year.
Couplets and lanterns are also must-have items. One merchant, called Zhu Hongjin, said that her store has attracted many people from the adjacent city – Yangzhou – due to its wide variety of goods.