epa10483056 A child holding an umbrella walks near the Turret of the Palace Museum in Beijing, China, 22 February 2023. The Chinese government expects the tourism market to flourish in 2023, with more and more travellers flocking to vacation destinations, after the end of the zero-COVID policy. According to information provided by the China Tourism Academy, it is estimated that in 2023 the number of domestic tourists will be about 4.55 billion, a year-on-year increase of about 80 percent, and it will recover to about 76 percent of 2019. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10466810 Couples interact with each other in a shop at Solana shopping mall on Valentine's Day in Beijing, China, 14 February 2023. Valentine's Day in China is similar to the Qixi festival, the lover's day, celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. However, The Western version of Valentine's Day in China is not vastly celebrated among Chinese people, but it's attractive to younger generations. Though the 14 February doesn't culturally resonates with aged people, the local shoppers and restaurants create special offers to engage customers. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epaselect epa10415423 A woman buys decorations of red lanterns and couplets ahead of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, 19 January 2023. Chinese lunar new year, also called 'Spring Festival', will fall on 22 January 2023, marking the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10395109 People wearing face masks skate on frozen lake in Beijing, China, 08 January 2023. Chinese officials insisted they had been transparent with the international community about the COVID-19 data on 05 January 2023, as a response to the World Health Organization (WHO) criticism that the number of virus deaths was understating the true impact of the outbreak, with mounting international concern over China's rapid rise in COVID-19 infections since Beijing lifted years of strict restrictions last month. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10384922 A performer plays with fire during a fire show on new year’s eve at Aranya resort in Qinhuangdao, China, 01 January 2023. After the cancelling of COVID-19 restrictions for inter-provincial travel, Chinese youth celebrated the new year during art festival held at Aranya resort from 31 December 2022 to 01 January 2023, which contain a series of concerts and performance art installations. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10377673 A visitor interacts with immersive digital art by Tokyo-based art collective teamLab at their newly opened museum in Beijing, China, 24 December 2022. The 'teamLab Massless', regarded as one of the collective's largest museums to date, opened its doors for visitors at Chaoyang Joy City in Beijing on Christmas Eve. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10338411 An elderly woman wearing a face mask walks past a volunteer health worker in Beijing, China, 30 November 2022. According to the National Health Commission, China has reported 37,828 new COVID-19 cases on 29 November, slight drop than a day earlier, of which 1,282 new locally transmitted cases were detected in Beijing, as the country continues to contain outbreaks in several cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing in the south. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10329288 A woman under quarantine looks outside of her window in an Unit building with confirmed cases in Beijing, China, 26 November 2022. According to the National Health Commission, China has reported 35,183 new COVID-19 cases on 25 November, making it a record high for the third consecutive day as the country continues to contain outbreaks in several cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing in the south. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10260217 Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) leads the new members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, Li Qiang (2-R), Li Xi (3-R), Zhao Leji (3-L), Ding Xuexiang (2-L), and Wang Huning (L) at a press conference at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, 23 October 2022. The members of the Politburo Standing Committee in China represent the collective supreme power of the Chinese Communist Party for the next five years. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10191274 Youngsters rest during break of a disco activity in Groundless Factory at Anjia iWork Science and Innovation Park in Beijing, China, 18 September 2022. The disco test activity held by FUN DA MENTAL between 16 to 17 September attracted hundreds of youths after many nightclubs and disco activities were banned since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic at a nightclub called 'Heaven Supermarket' in Beijing on 09 June 2022. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10173824 Models present creations by Guitian Sun for the SUNGUITIAN brand collection show during the China Fashion Week in Beijing, China, 09 September 2022. The fashion event runs from 04 to 12 September 2022. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10143929 A man swims in the Jiangling river, a major tributary of the Yangtze River, in Chongqing, China, 28 August 2022 (issued 29 August 2022). According to a report by the Chongqing Meteorological Bureau issued on 26 August, it is expected that the long-awaited cooling and wet weather will gradually arrive beginning 29 August, and that the daily maximum temperature in most areas of Chongqing will gradually drop to below 35 Celsius degrees, and terminates the current round of high-temperature weather in Chongqing. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

epa10116864 A pet owner bids a last farewell to his deceased pet dog during a pet funeral service at the Rainbow Planet pet funeral store in Beijing, China, 11 August 2022 (issued 12 August 2022). China’s pet industry is expanding rapidly where the market is worth nearly 300 billion yuan (43 billion euros) in December 2020, and is expected to reach 445.6 billion yuan (64 billion euros) by 2023, according to the Chinese pet industry white paper released by IResearch Consulting Group in January 2020. There are more than a thousand pet funeral related companies in China which provides pet cremation and funeral service, one of which is the Rainbow Planet pet funeral store in Beijing. Cost for the basic cremation and funeral service provided by the store is between 600 to 6000 yuan (860 euros), depending on the breed and weight of the pet. 'We received around 800 to 1000 reservation for funeral services from our clients each year, most of our clients would book the service a day after their pet passes away, it's based on the necessary needs of pet owners, and has nothing to do with a certain (Hungry Ghost) festival.' said Wang Yinghao, the co-founder of Rainbow Planet pet funeral store. The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, falling on 12 August this year. According to traditional Chinese belief, this is the period when restless spirits roam the earth, and people cherish the memory of their dead relatives at this time. EPA-EFE/WU HAO ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET

epa10095092 Players snatch for a frisbee during a match of the first Frisbee pre-season CUDL (Chinese Ultimate Disc League) on a football field in Beijing, China, 09 July, 2022 (issued 28 July 2022). As strict Covid-19 prevention policies in China make it difficult for people living in urban cities to travel around, ultimate frisbee has became an increasingly popular outdoor activity for young people to socialize. The Chinese word for 'Frisbee' was ranked in the top 50 of Weibo hot search list on 27 May, 2022, with search volume reaching 20,000 times. The number of searches increased to 4.43 million just half a month later. The rise in popularity could be attributed to social media like Weibo and Xiaohongshu, where many newly established frisbee clubs and members promote themselves, attracting many young people to join their Frisbee rookie training activities or participate in games. The State General Administration of Sports (GAS) issued a notice on 07 July, 2022 to hold the first Chinese Frisbee League between August 2022 to February 2023. Candidate cities for the sub race include Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Guangzhou. EPA-EFE/WU HAO ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET