From woolen sweaters, cashmere dresses, sheepskin jackets to toy lambs, anything associated with a goat or sheep is cutting a smart figure as the Chinese welcome in the year of the goat.
Weeks before the Chinese Lunar New Year that fell on Feb. 1, shopping centers in downtown Beijing had put up posters promoting wool and cashmere products, hoping to reap huge profits from the good-natured "star of the year" during the week-long vacation.
On the last two days of January, the Lufthansa Shopping Center in Beijing's central business district sold three million yuan's worth (360,000 US dollars) of goat-related products.
And the Beijing Municipal Commercial Committee estimated at least one billion yuan's worth (120 million US dollars) of goat- and sheep-related products were sold during the week.
Overall, Beijing's retail sales during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday reported an average 17-percent year-on-year rise, according to a survey the committee conducted on 630 stores in thecity.
Meanwhile, supermarkets reported an annual 35-percent rise in sales during the shopping spree before and during the holiday.
Traditional foods for the festival, including dumplings, pancakes and other pastries, remained the best selling products atmost supermarkets.
More costly items such as gold and jewelry, brand-name garmentsand shoes, color TVs with state-of-the-art technology, voguish mobile phones and personal computers all sold well at major department stores.
Fresh flowers, having been accepted by many urbanites in recentyears as an ideal decoration for their own houses and a suitable gift for friends and relatives, have continued to dominate the consumer market. The eight major flower markets alone reported average daily sales of 20 million bouquets.
Books also topped the shopping list for many Beijingers, who, away from dinner parties and entertainment activities with families and friends, still sought to enlighten themselves.
The Beijing Books Center located in the busy commercial street of Xi'dan sold nearly one million yuan's worth (120,000 US dollars)of books during the first six days of the Chinese New Year. Among the best sellers were reference books for college and high school students, literary works and computer operation manuals, accordingto a sales clerk at the store.
(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2003)
