Gulangyu Piano Art Week hits the main stage

The State Council Information Office recently released a report covering the highlights of China's transition to a greener economy. The green microgrid project in ABB Xiamen's industrial hub, which is in the Xiamen Torch Hightech Zone, earned mention as model project of integrated energy production, grid, load and storage.

City authorities recently issued a three-year action plan to promote its Xiamen Enterprises Going Global initiative. The city is also in the midst of its Brand Xiamen campaign. The effort will help 1,000 enterprises to participate in at least 100 overseas exhibitions annually.

City officials announced recently the reduction of required minimum down payments for commercial personal housing loans for second homes to 15 percent, in line with the minimum down payment for first-time buyers. The regulations determine the number of houses owned based on the district in which the house intended for purchase is located.

Local customs officials announced recently that more than three million inbound and outbound travelers transited through Xiamen's airport during the National Day holiday, more than 1.5 times that of the same period last year and surpassing the entire total for 2023. The totals included nearly 100,000 foreigners eligible to enter China visa-free, up 20-fold over last year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced the expansion of its visa-free transit policy for holders of ordinary passports to the citizens of Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia. The new policy runs through the end of 2025. Eligible tourists can travel to China for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting relatives or transit for up to15 days.

Hulishan Fortress, one of Xiamen's top tourism draws during the National Day holiday, unveiled during this year's peak travel season a new campaign to emphasize green tourism and the importance of garbage sorting. The program's slogan read as follows: A new trend in the Garden of the Sea, garbage sorting starts with me.

Onsite staff members held an awareness campaign for guests in an effort to promote the practice of green tourism. Activities included a Little Green Guardian program in which children had the opportunity to exchange recyclable materials for fortress souvenirs.

Multiple online ticket sales platforms announced that sales of movie tickets (including previews and presales) exceeded 2 billion yuan on October 7. China's top three films by revenue included The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death, Bureau 749, and Tiger Wolf Rabbit.

More than 16,000 construction workers labored throughout the National Day holiday at the upcoming Xiamen Xiangan Airport. Construction of the airport's terminal building is currently underway. A sample section of the building's interior decoration will be completed by the end of the month. Construction also continued on the main portion of the facility's cargo area, which debut at the same time as the terminal building.

The Xiamen Joy City shopping mall officially debuted on October 1. The shopping complex includes more than 200 brands. More than 70 percent of the mall's stores are the first outlet for their brand in Fujian, in Xiamen or in the region.