China Steps into the "Recreation Era"

The change of China's recreation situation has also fostered a strong study atmosphere in all of whole society. More and more people spend their holidays in libraries. The national library alone receives more than 10,000 people every day .The reading zest has brought a business boom to the Beijing Book Edifice, raising its sales volume from 160 million Yuan (US$19.33 million) in 1999 to 220 million Yuan (US$26.57 million) in 2000 and further to 260 million Yuan (US$31.40 million) in 2001.

　　Besides, the increase of leisure has caused the quick development of the educational market. People are willing to spend money and time on studying many kinds of technical aspects. Postgraduate qualifying examination training, English training, MBA classes, and software financial analyst coaching as well as a batch of new developing training schools have arose. Beijing Municipal Education Commission statistics showed that in Beijing alone, the number of people trained in English was more than 200,000 every year, producing a market of 700 million Yuan (US$84.56 million).

In addition, colorful cultural activities, such as art appreciation, flower arrangement , and tea art, have taken a growing part of the people's leisure time. People, who once favored strolls at emporiums, now tend to pass their time in libraries, theatres, concerts, art exhibitions, and museums.

　　The present ways of leisure are often permeated with romanticism. On weekends or during holidays, various types of cafes and teahouse s are often full of people who want to enjoy a romantic and relaxed time. The rapidly growing number of teahouses, bars, coffee shops, and Internet cafes in cities has become the bays for leisure with a bourgeois sentiment.

　　The changes in the ways of leisure indicate that with basic needs and necessities more than adequately met, Chinese people are now treasuring the taste of life and the pursuit of spiritual attainment and a happy and easy life. Furthermore, the expansion of the leisure economy has brought along the coordinated development of tourism, transportation, information, commerce, catering, culture, recreation, and other sectors.

　　Author: Ivana