Visitors experience tongue diagnosis by TCM robots at the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai, East China, July 17, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
TIANJIN — From virtual and augmented reality experiences that bring museum collections closer to visitors, to artificial intelligence-powered travel planning and personalized recommendations on e-commerce platforms, digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping how Chinese consumers discover and enjoy exciting new services.
In response to this wave of enthusiasm, the country's service consumption is evolving, becoming smarter and more dynamic than ever before.
In the first half of 2026, retail sales of services in China rose 5.3 percent year-on-year — 4.2 percentage points faster than goods sales. Tourism, consulting and leasing services, and cultural, sports and leisure services all posted double-digit growth, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
In August 2024, China's State Council issued guidelines to promote high-quality development in services consumption, urging innovation to unlock the sector's internal momentum and cultivate new drivers of growth. Digital technology is now emerging as a key enabler in that effort.
