China has been stepping up efforts since the start of this year to promote consumption and upgrade related infrastructures in the counties across the country, with the goal of boosting county-level markets and driving the growth of the retail and service sectors.

In Yuqing County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, a newly built agricultural and sideline products fair is thriving with vendors and a steady stream of buyers. The well-organized indoor venue, upgraded from its original outdoor setup, now covers 12,000 square meters and includes supporting facilities such as a pesticide residue testing room, a parking lot, and drinking water service spots.

"What I like most is that it's warm in the winter and cool in the summer here, and has easy access to water and electricity. It's far more comfortable than the original one," said Yang Guangying, a vendor at the market.

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China will focus on the construction and upgrading of 19 county-level commercial zones and logistics centers this year.

In the popular tourist destination of Yangshuo County, a new duty-free shopping mall covering more than 100,000 square meters recently opened to welcome customers, featuring stores of over 500 well-known brands.

"I didn't expect such a big mall with so many brands in the small Yangshuo County," said customer Shan.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that from 2023 to the present, a total of 2,628 county-level comprehensive commercial service centers, 13,391 township commercial centers, and 138,000 village-level convenience stores have been built and renovated nationwide.

In addition, the efficiency of county logistics distribution continues to improve. Currently, over 100 million express parcels are being delivered to and from rural areas every day.

In 2024, the total value of online retail sales in rural areas reached 2.56 trillion yuan (about 354 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.4 percent compared to the previous year.