China's commerce shows high-quality growth under 14th Five-Year Plan

As dusk falls over the Huangpu River, a new cultural experience is taking shape aboard a specially outfitted river cruise docked at one of Shanghai's landmark tourist piers. Part of a special exhibition by the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), the vessel transforms traditional sightseeing into an immersive artistic journey.

Once inside the ship's cabin, visitors are greeted by a seamless blend of art and space – corridors that have been reimagined as gallery halls, where figures and scenes from iconic paintings come to life. Through interactive, immersive design, art is no longer confined to frames but becomes part of the surrounding environment.

This exhibition marks the largest display ever mounted by Paris's Musee d'Orsay in China, and its only such presentation worldwide. Split between the MAP gallery and a river cruise, the museum-based portion features original works by some of the most celebrated artists in history, including Van Gogh and Monet. Meanwhile, the floating component offers a novel twist: as the boat passes the MAP's glass facade, masterpieces are projected in motion across the building's surface, creating a luminous open-air spectacle.

Such visual experience is a microcosm of China's push for cultural innovation and greater openness – two driving forces behind the country's steadily advancing commerce sector. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), China has largely met key targets in consumption, foreign trade, investment and international cooperation.

From a thriving consumer market and resilient trade routes to dynamic cultural initiatives and expanding global engagement, vivid examples across the board reflect a clear trajectory of high-quality commercial growth.

Across the city at another historic landmark, Yuyuan Garden, the summer season has brought a wave of domestic and international tourists. The centuries-old attraction recently launched a Chinese animation-themed event, integrating popular homegrown IPs into the garden's traditional architecture. The fusion of heritage and contemporary pop culture has drawn crowds of young visitors eager to explore and interact with the reimagined space.

Over the past five years, Yuyuan has successfully pioneered a model that blends nostalgia with modern fashion, creating an ideal setting for social engagement. By leveraging its rich cultural heritage and catering to younger tastes, the site has curated fresh experiences tailored to evolving consumer demands.

"For example, visitors want styling services, including costumes, accessories and makeup. So we integrated all these elements into a new styling service at Yuyuan, which has become a popular experience among guests," said Wang Peng, a marketing executive overseeing Yuyuan Garden's operations, in an interview with China Media Group (CMG).

'Quality-of-life consumption'

This year, Shanghai launched the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season, rolling out upgraded services for foreign visitors in areas such as transportation, accommodation and shopping. From July 1 to 15, immigration authorities at the city's airports processed 187,000 inbound foreign trips – a 35.5 percent year-on-year increase. Among them, approximately 92,000 entered Shanghai using visa-free or 240-hour transit visa exemption policies, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total. 

"We've fully upgraded our service offerings for inbound travelers this time. Following the rollout of the country's tax-refund-upon-departure policy for overseas visitors, we were the first in the city to launch a centralized refund point," Liu Min, deputy-director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, told CMG.

"The number of merchants participating in the tax refund program has nearly doubled compared to the end of last year," Liu said, adding that "many brands have also tailored campaigns specifically for 'Shanghai Summer,' reflecting the city's growing role in debuting new products and experiences – a trend that continues to attract more consumers to visit and explore."

Visa facilitation measures have effectively attracted a growing number of foreign tourists to China, offering a vivid example of the country's commitment to opening up on its own terms. Currently, China has extended its unilateral visa-free and transit visa exemption policies to 47 and 55 countries respectively. The steadily expanding visa-free list underscores China's firm resolve to advance high-level opening up.

The upgrade of consumer experiences and the surge in inbound tourism have become major drivers of domestic market growth. China's consumer market has remained the world's second largest during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Ministry of Commerce has said. Retail sales of consumer goods have grown at an average annual rate of 5.5 percent over the past four years, and are expected to surpass 50 trillion yuan ($6.9 trillion) this year. New forms of consumption are thriving, with diverse business models and scenarios emerging, and consumption now contributes around 60 percent of annual economic growth, according to the ministry.

Consumer demand in China is shifting from basic survival needs to quality-of-life consumption, and from goods-focused spending to a greater emphasis on services, Wang Xuekun, an official from the Ministry of Commerce, told CMG.

"This transformation goes beyond what people are buying – it reflects deeper changes in why they buy, how they buy, and where they buy. These shifts are reshaping everyday lifestyles across the country," Wang said.

Innovative logistical methods

On the afternoon of July 18, a freight train loaded with small commodities from Yiwu pulled into the Beilun port railway station of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province. The cargo was quickly transferred onto a cargo ship, illustrating the efficiency of China's expanding sea-rail intermodal network. By linking inland production hubs with maritime routes, Ningbo Zhoushan Port is extending its reach and opening faster channels for exports.

Sea-rail intermodal transport – which enables containers to move seamlessly from train to ship – is seeing record growth. In 2024, the port handled 1.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through intermodal operations, a 10 percent year-on-year increase and a historic high. The number of scheduled train routes rose to 27, covering 67 cities across 16 provinces.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has further cemented its position as a global trade powerhouse. The total volume of goods trade surpassed both the $5 trillion and $6 trillion thresholds, reaching $6.16 trillion in 2024 – up 32.4 percent from 2020. China has remained the world's largest trading nation for eight consecutive years, with its shares in global exports and imports holding steady at over 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

"The challenges facing China's foreign trade during the 14th Five-Year Plan period far exceeded expectations – and so did the results," said Wang. "From 2020 to 2024, China's exports grew from $2.6 trillion to $3.6 trillion, a $1 trillion increase. Despite mounting unilateralism and protectionism, China maintained stable growth at high levels, demonstrating strong resilience and pressure resistance."

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's Meishan terminal has become a key hub for China's booming automobile exports, particularly for new energy vehicles (NEVs). For Chen Xue, an executive from a logistical company in Ningbo, the transformation has been dramatic.

"In 2020, we focused mainly on imports, with almost zero car exports," Chen told CMG. "By 2021, exports hit 3,000 vehicles. In 2024, we shipped 50,000, among which the number of NEVs notably increased, reaching 20,000."

Export logistics are also evolving. Traditionally, cars are shipped via roll-on/roll-off vessels. But exporters are now innovating to pack cars into containers more efficiently. At the port, workers demonstrated a new stacking method using custom racks, allowing 3-5 cars to fit into a standard 40-foot container – up from just two – significantly cutting transportation costs.

Express sea route

In addition to new methods, new routes are opening. At the end of 2024, a direct sea route between Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Germany's Wilhelmshaven Port was launched – currently the fastest maritime connection between the Yangtze River Delta and Europe. Called the China-Europe Express, it uses a "point-to-point" model with no intermediate stops, enabling quicker delivery of NEVs, lithium batteries and other goods. In April, this route was successfully linked with sea-rail intermodal services, forming a new, integrated export corridor.

As the world thrives, so does China. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China accelerated high-level opening-up and expanded win-win cooperation. The country's negative list for foreign investment has been further shortened, and all restrictions in the manufacturing sector have been eliminated. Pilot programs in sectors such as value-added telecom and biotech services are progressing steadily. Meanwhile, the country has extended zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of products from least-developed and African countries with which it has diplomatic ties.

"China's opening up has entered a more advanced stage, moving beyond market access toward systemic openness," said Wang Wei, a research fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council.

"It's increasingly proactive. The progress under the 14th Five-Year Plan highlights China's resilience as a major trading power and reflects the continued momentum of high-quality development in commerce," Wang told CMG.