China to hold Farmers' Harvest Festival around the country next month

China will hold its eighth annual Farmers' Harvest Festival in September, with a series of nationwide activities celebrating bumper crops, rural traditions, and the achievements of agricultural modernization, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Friday.

This year's festival will continue to emphasize farmers as the main participants while showcasing the country's rural vitalization achievements, said Lei Liugong, head of the organizing office and director of the ministry's department of market and informatization.

The main event will be hosted in a village of Zhaoyuan city in Shandong province, around the Autumn Equinox, featuring 12 key activities including cultural performances, exhibitions on rural vitalization, and displays of local agricultural specialties.

In addition, the organizing committee, joined by 17 departments such as the Ministry of Education, will carry out 58 major events, including farmer-oriented cultural and service activities, Lei said.

Local governments will hold festivals tailored to regional traditions, focusing on celebrating harvests, boosting consumption, and promoting rural culture. Activities will include large-scale autumn shopping fairs, food exhibitions, folk song performances, and international exchanges for rural handicrafts.

The festival, first launched in 2018, has quickly grown into a brand for highlighting the country's rural development, officials said at a news conference.

Meanwhile, the autumn consumption season, as a part of the festival, will kick off on Sept 5 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and run through November. Major online platforms, including Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, will host special harvest promotions, offering subsidies, traffic support, and e-commerce training.

Since the autumn consumption season launched several years ago, it has generated more than 130 billion yuan ($18 billion) in farm product sales, helping link rural producers with urban consumers through fairs, e-commerce platforms, and cultural tourism, Lei said.

"With the autumn consumption season, we aim to further connect the countryside and the cities, turning the joy of harvest into common prosperity," he added.