Over the past week, several ministries, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, have publicized figures that related to the Spring Festival holiday, environmental protection, and responded to a number of questions.

Mobile data traffic rises

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that China’s mobile data traffic rose during the Spring Festival holiday as more people prefer to send greetings through mobile platforms.

Over the holiday, mobile data traffic jumped 236 percent from the same period last year to 849,000 terra bites. On Feb 15, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, mobile data traffic was up 245 percent to 121,000 TB.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is traditionally a time for family gatherings and blessings, and with the increasing penetration of digital devices and improved internet infrastructure, more people are using mobile phones to socialize.

Nursing home numbers surge

The number of nursing homes has surged in the past five years. Statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows China had more than 144,600 nursing institutions as of September 2017, 226 percent more than at the end of 2012.

High-quality goods in focus

A growing number of Chinese consumers, seeking higher-quality consumer goods, are splashed out more money during the Spring Festival holiday on imported fresh food and intelligent home appliances.

Figures from the Ministry of Commerce show that the retail and catering sectors posted sales of 926 billion yuan ($146 billion) during the holiday period that began on Feb 15 and ended on Feb 21, an increase of 10.2 percent over the same period last year.

The ministry said the key term for the Lunar New Year holiday is “consumption upgrade”, as shoppers spent more in restaurants, retailers and the movies, with higher quality and diversified products and services gaining popularity.

Emission permits issued

Authorities have issued more than 20,000 pollutant emission permits by the end of 2017, an official from the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.

The permits were granted to companies in 15 sectors including steel, iron, and cement, which started reforming the permit system in 2016 to better protect the environment, according to the ministry.

Liu Youbin, spokesperson for the ministry, said the ministry will continue improving legal standards and technological aspects of the emission permit system and formulate norms and standards for the application and approval of emission permits for other major industries.