Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk

On May 22, the Shenzhou-20 crew successfully completed their first extravehicular activity (EVA). This marks the first spacewalk conducted via the node module of the Tianhe Core Module since China’s space station entered its application and development phase. For the first time, astronaut EVA tasks were coupled with cargo operations. Astronaut Chen Dong returned to spacewalking after more than two years, while astronaut Chen Zhongrui performed his first EVA. The mission set a new record for the shortest time between crew arrival and their first spacewalk since the station’s full completion.

21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair Opens

The 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair opened on May 22 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The five-day event features eight major exhibition halls, including three comprehensive halls and five specialized ones. A total of 6,280 government delegations, cultural institutions, and enterprises are participating online and offline. Over 120,000 cultural products are on display, with more than 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects presented for exhibition and trade.

China’s Consumption Recovery: Home Appliance Sales See Double-Digit Growth for Eight Consecutive Months

On May 22, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that from September 2024 to April 2025, retail sales of home appliances maintained double-digit growth for eight consecutive months. In April alone, retail sales of household appliances and audio-visual equipment by major retailers increased 38.8% year-on-year—ranking first among 16 major consumer categories.

According to the Ministry’s home appliance trade-in system, over 34 million consumers participated in the program between January and April, purchasing more than 51 million units across 12 categories of home appliances. This nationwide “trade-in for new” initiative—part of the Chinese government’s broader consumer stimulus campaign—boosted overall sales by RMB 174.5 billion.

4th China–Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo Opens

The 4th China–Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair opened on May 22 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. With the theme “New Vision, Practical Cooperation, Shared Future,” the expo features a CEEC exhibition zone and an export consumer goods zone, covering 80,000 square meters.

A total of 435 companies from 14 Central and Eastern European countries, along with nine other nations including the UK, France, and Germany, are participating. Over 3,000 overseas buyers from 72 countries and regions have registered. The four-day expo also includes forums and cultural exchange activities.

China’s Health Insurance Grows with RMB 17.79 Billion Pooled in Four Months

According to official statistics, personal accounts under China’s employee medical insurance system facilitated 133 million pooled transactions totaling RMB 17.792 billion from January to April 2025.

Currently, account pooling can be done by real-time linking of designated family members’ accounts or through transfers via the medical insurance wallet. RMB 17.759 billion was pooled within provinces via real-time binding, while RMB 326 million was transferred using the wallet system for both intra- and inter-provincial pooling.

The eligible beneficiaries for account pooling now include spouses, parents, children, siblings, and grandparents, with coverage expanded to all provinces. Additionally, 227 pooled regions have enabled cross-provincial pooling.