![]() ![]() Its revenue for the January-to-March period jumped 43% from the same period in 2019 and was the highest since its 2015 listing. Its stock surged 44% over the past 10 trading sessions, becoming one of the best performers on Chinese stock markets during the period.Īnhui Jiuhuashan Tourism Development, which runs the Jiuhua Mountain scenic area in central Anhui province, also shattered quarterly sales records. Social media has also fueled the boom in temple tourism, as young people like to share their experiences on social networks, she added.Įmei and Jiuhua are two of China’s famous “four sacred mountains of Buddhism,” home to the country’s largest Buddhist temples and cultural heritage sites.Įmei Mountain in southwestern Sichuan province received 2.48 million visitors between January and May, up 53% from the same period in 2019, before any pandemic restrictions were imposed.Įmei Shan Tourism, which provides travel services around the mountain, has enjoyed soaring sales, posting a record $9.8 million in net profit in the first quarter, up 262% from the same period in 2019. ![]() “Under pressure about school, jobs, marriage and relationships, more and more young people are turning to traditional culture, such as temple prayer and blessings, to relieve stress,” said Yang Yan, an analyst with Chinese brokerage firm Nanjing Securities. About half of the visitors are people in their 20s and 30s, according to the sites. Temple visits have surged this year more than fourfold from a year ago, according to recent data from Qunar and, another travel site. The first two religions are an essential part of Chinese culture, with tens of thousands of temples and monasteries across the country. It recorded the biggest increase in visitors of any temple in the country in March and early April, up 530% from the same period last year, according to Qunar.Ĭhina is officially an atheist nation, but it recognizes five faiths: Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Islam. Soeren Stache/picture alliance/dpa/Getty Images Visitors to the Yonghe Temple in April 2023. The Yonghe Temple in Beijing, also known as the Lama Temple, which caters to the Tibetan Buddhism faith, is a popular site for those looking for career or financial success. The youth unemployment rate could get even worse as a record 11.6 million college students enter the already tough job market this summer, as the education ministry estimated earlier this year.ĭifferent temples tend to attract different types of worshippers. The jobless rate for people between 16 and 24 years old reached a record 20.4% in April, according to official statistics. “Incense-burning youth” has become the number one catchphrase in China’s tourism industry this year, according to a survey jointly conducted in April by, a travel website, and Xiaohongshu, an Instagram-like app, which looked at the top travel trends. “No school-going, no hard-working, only incense-burning” has been a popular hashtag on social media since March, referring to a growing trend among young people in China who escape a pressure-cooker society by going to temples to pray for luck. Factory activity contracted again last month, and youth unemployment stands at a record high.Įconomic uncertainty has driven temple visits and tourism to new heights, according to analysts and travel websites. ![]() But after an early burst of activity, growth in the world’s second largest economy appears to be stalling.ĭisillusioned by the deteriorating economic outlook, young people are flooding to Buddhist and Taoist temples to pray for divine intervention in securing jobs, getting into good schools or becoming rich overnight.ĭata released this week showed Chinese exports fell 7.5% in May from a year ago, much more than expected, as global demand waned. China’s post-Covid reopening was supposed to be the stimulant that the world needed. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |