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Urban Renewal '15th Five-Year Plan' Released, Set to Drive Trillions of Yuan in Investment

Source: Xinhua News Agency New Media | May 29, 2026 10:41

Xinhua News Agency New Media | May 29, 2026 10:41

Original Title: Urban Renewal '15th Five-Year Plan' Released, Set to Drive Trillions of Yuan in Investment

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 29 – The Economic Information Daily published an article on May 29 by reporter Liang Qian titled "Urban Renewal '15th Five-Year Plan' Released, Set to Drive Trillions of Yuan in Investment." The article states that cities are important carriers of modernization and key spaces for people's happy lives. On May 28, the State Council issued the "Urban Renewal '15th Five-Year Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"), providing a clear "construction blueprint" and "acceptance checklist" for national urban renewal efforts.

According to the Plan, by 2030, significant progress will be made in urban renewal actions, with initial results in the transformation of urban development and construction methods, a more solid foundation for safety development, continuously improved service efficiency, noticeably improved living environments, accelerated transformation of old and new growth drivers, effective protection of cultural heritage, more prominent landscape features, and greatly enhanced governance levels, making cities spaces for high-quality living for the people. By 2035, the urban renewal institutional mechanisms will be more complete, with significant achievements in urban structure optimization, growth driver transformation, quality improvement, green transformation, cultural continuity, and governance efficiency, and the basic completion of innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart modern people's cities.

Specifically, the Plan sets quantifiable targets for urban renewal during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period. In terms of housing and living, it will renovate about 500,000 units (rooms) of dilapidated urban housing, start renovation of about 115,000 old urban residential communities, and renovate about 4,000 urban villages. For public spaces, it will renovate and upgrade about 1,500 old neighborhoods and factory areas, newly build and expand 128,000 hectares of sports venues, and renovate and upgrade 20,000 hectares of urban parks and green spaces. For safety and resilience, it will complete 365,000 kilometers of urban underground pipeline network renovation, renovate 50,000 existing emergency shelters, and achieve a digitalization rate of over 95% for basic information on urban and rural housing.

According to estimates from multiple institutions, the total market capacity for urban renewal during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period is expected to reach 15 to 20 trillion yuan. This policy dividend will fully activate related industrial chains, bringing long-term investment opportunities. A research report from CITIC Securities stated that high-quality urban renewal places higher demands on creating high-quality housing, livable urban spaces, and convenient surrounding facilities. Real estate companies with strong product capabilities and a presence in core cities are expected to deeply participate in high-quality urban renewal work. From the perspective of Galaxy Securities, as urban development shifts to the stage of improving the quality of existing stock, sectors related to urban renewal and old residential community renovation, such as construction, planning consulting, inspection and testing, and decoration, will benefit.

Zhang Bo, Dean of the 58.com Research Institute, stated that the release of the Plan marks a new phase of institutionalized, long-term, and market-oriented urban renewal. Urban renewal is transforming from a single physical space renovation to a composite drive of "space + industry + consumption," with profound impacts on the real estate market.

“The release of the Plan marks a new phase of institutionalized, long-term, and market-oriented urban renewal. Urban renewal is transforming from a single physical space renovation to a composite drive of ‘space + industry + consumption,’ with profound impacts on the real estate market.”

Yan Yuejin, Vice President of the Shanghai E-House Real Estate Research Institute, pointed out that urban renewal has entered a period of comprehensive acceleration, injecting lasting momentum into high-quality urban development and bringing broad opportunities for the real economy and capital markets. Yan Yuejin estimates that urban renewal will directly drive the development of upstream and downstream industrial chains such as construction, building materials, engineering machinery, and planning and design, with underground pipeline network renovation alone reaching 5 trillion yuan. The renovation of old residential communities, urban villages, and dilapidated housing will also continue to drive growth in industries such as decoration, home building materials, and elevators.

According to the Plan, it will promote the transformation and upgrading of old neighborhoods and factory areas, low-efficiency industrial parks, and low-efficiency buildings, optimize and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging and future industries, develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and enhance the innovation vitality of urban industries. It will develop smart construction and cultivate a modern construction industry chain. It will promote the renovation and upgrading of consumption infrastructure, and develop the debut economy, silver economy, ice and snow economy, low-altitude economy, event economy, and experience economy.

Yan Yuejin stated that urban renewal is not simply "demolishing the old and building the new," but activating consumption potential through spatial restructuring. The renovation of old neighborhoods and factory areas into cultural and creative parks and characteristic commercial streets will directly drive the prosperity of industries such as catering, retail, and entertainment. The renovation and upgrading of sports venues and parks and green spaces will create new scenarios for sports consumption, parent-child consumption, silver consumption, and leisure consumption, further expanding the breadth and depth of urban consumption.

Due to the wide scope and large funding needs of urban renewal, the Plan also provides substantial policy support.

In terms of investment and financing, the Plan establishes a sustainable urban construction and operation investment and financing system. It explicitly allows the use of local government special bonds to support eligible urban renewal projects, including as project capital. For projects with controllable risks, commercial sustainability, and eligibility, it allows the use of market-oriented models such as comprehensive development, syndicated loans, and project investment for support. It promotes the issuance of infrastructure real estate investment trusts (REITs) and asset-backed securities for eligible urban renewal projects, and supports eligible urban renewal enterprises in issuing corporate bonds and medium-term notes.

At the same time, following the principle of "who benefits, who contributes," it will fully leverage market mechanisms to build a reasonable cost-sharing mechanism among the government, market, and residents. It will standardize the implementation of new mechanisms for government and social capital cooperation, encouraging private enterprises to actively participate in the construction and operation of urban infrastructure. It will prudently and steadily advance public utility price reforms. It will increase support for revitalizing existing land. For example, it will promote the legal and reasonable conversion of land use and building functions, encourage multi-subject cooperative renovation, and reasonably reduce tax burdens in land integration, replacement, and joint development. It will standardize land supply methods such as long-term leasing, lease-before-sale, and flexible-term supply, and support land transfer with plans.

From "development" to "renewal," from "having or not" to "good or bad," as trillions of yuan in investment steadily lands, new consumption scenarios bloom one after another, and new industrial spaces grow, the comprehensive benefits of urban renewal will continue to be released across multiple dimensions such as economy, society, and ecology, injecting lasting momentum into high-quality development. (End)

Editor: Si Xiaoying

Responsible Editor: Jiao Jian

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 29, 2026

✏️ Original Content TechRitual Editorial Team Growing up in Taiwan, have you ever wanted to write special messages using Zhuyin symbols ㄅㄆㄇ on social media or in notebooks, but found the standard version too plain and lacking personality and fun? Especially when sharing Taiwan-specific memes or fantasy stories with friends, standard Zhuyin feels too bland to convey that unique cultural flavor. The Elf BPMF Converter is designed precisely for such users. Launched by justfont as a free tool, it transforms traditional ㄅㄆㄇ into calligrapher-designed elf-style fonts, allowing you to easily create your own Taiwanese fantasy cipher. Whether for daily chats or creative projects, it adds an epic touch. Calligrapher Daphne personally created two styles: Elf Script Rock and Elf Script Fern What makes this converter unique is that it is entirely handwritten by Taiwanese calligrapher Daphne. Each Zhuyin symbol is infused with handcrafted strokes, avoiding the mechanical feel common in digital fonts. The Elf Script Rock version presents a rugged, rocky texture, suitable for expressions emphasizing strength and stability; the Elf Script Fern version features delicate fern-like curves, creating a light, fantastical atmosphere. Users simply input standard ㄅㄆㄇ, and it converts instantly, perfectly preserving the original meaning while giving it a fresh visual look. Compared to typical font tools, the handcrafted style here highlights Taiwan's local aesthetics, making it especially appealing to Taiwanese users who love calligraphy or cultural creative design. Elf BPMF Converter – justfont official page screenshot One-click input of ㄅㄆㄇ for instant conversion into elf cipher font Using it is straightforward: open the justfont webpage, type Zhuyin symbols into the input box, and the system automatically applies the elf font to generate an image output. This instant conversion feature requires no software download—it's purely web-based, supporting copy or download in PNG format, making it easy to paste directly into Line, Instagram, or documents. Compared to traditional font installation, this one-click generation method is more flexible, especially for casual users who don't want to mess up their system font library. The converted text maintains high resolution, remaining clear and readable on both phones and computers. Additionally, the page offers paper background options, also created by Daphne, simulating real writing textures to give the output images a more handcrafted notebook style. You can choose between plain white or antique paper textures to further enhance the visual layers, especially useful when sharing Taiwanese holiday messages or hipster posts to add a vintage charm.

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Source: Read the original article | Published: May 29, 2026

With the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan, China's construction industry is undergoing a profound transformation from 'construction' to 'intelligent manufacturing' and from 'high-carbon' to 'low-carbon'. From September 20 to 23, 2026, in Hefei, Anhui, a major industry event—the Green Building Materials and Intelligent Construction Expo at the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention—will be held at the Hefei Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center. This expo brings together innovative forces across the entire industrial chain, including green building materials, intelligent construction, prefabricated technology, and integrated home furnishings. As a core component of the market-oriented exhibition of the World Manufacturing Convention, the expo is themed 'Green Leadership, Intelligent Manufacturing Summit' and covers a total planned area of approximately 90,000 square meters. Organized by the Anhui Green Building Materials Products Association, it aims to create an industrial highland deeply integrating government, industry, academia, research, finance, and application.

Policy Dividends + Trillion-Yuan Market: Green Construction Enters the ‘Fast Lane’

2026 marks the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and the digital transformation of the housing and urban-rural construction sector has entered a critical phase. A series of policies, such as the 'Action Plan for Digital Transformation in Housing and Urban-Rural Construction (2026–2028),' have been intensively released. New technologies like digital twins, full-lifecycle BIM applications, construction robots, and the construction industry internet are rapidly reshaping the industry ecosystem. Anhui, as a strategic intersection of the Yangtze River Delta integration and the rise of central China, has seen its total construction output value reach the trillion-yuan scale, with a surge in demand for the integration of green buildings and intelligent construction.

'This expo is not only a window for technology display but also an accelerator for industrial implementation,' said a representative of the organizer. Leveraging the national-level platform of the World Manufacturing Convention, the expo will gather large real estate developers, central state-owned infrastructure enterprises, local governments, and buyers from countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, precisely matching supply and demand to help companies seize opportunities in the green and low-carbon transformation.

Seven Exhibition Areas Covering the Full Spectrum: From ‘Good Homes’ to ‘Future Construction Sites’

Unlike the single perspective of traditional building materials exhibitions, this Green Building Materials and Intelligent Construction Expo focuses on the innovation and upgrade of the entire construction industry chain, setting up seven themed exhibition areas. These areas present a panoramic view of the complete ecosystem, from green basic materials and intelligent construction equipment to integrated home furnishings and energy-saving systems:

Green Building New Materials Exhibition Area: Focuses on green walls, new concrete, waterproof and insulation systems, eco-friendly coatings, and flooring materials, promoting a 'greener foundation' for buildings.

Intelligent Construction Industry Exhibition Area: Features construction-specific robots, smart construction sites, BIM technology, digital design, and operation and maintenance platforms—showcasing 'good home' demonstration projects.

Prefabricated Building Exhibition Area: Displays PC component production equipment, precast concrete structures, formwork scaffolding, and connection technology, supporting the concept of 'building houses like manufacturing cars.'

Building Energy Efficiency Products Exhibition Area: Presents Class A fireproof insulation materials, energy-efficient doors and windows, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), turning buildings into 'green power stations.'

Customized Home Furnishings Exhibition Area: Offers whole-house customization, smart home ecosystems, woodworking, and hardware accessories, providing complete solutions from rough construction to smart living spaces.

Doors, Windows, and Accessories Exhibition Area: Showcases system doors and windows, smart shading, fire doors, and curtain wall glass, balancing safety, energy efficiency, and aesthetics.

Eco-Friendly Decoration Materials Exhibition Area: Features water-based coatings, integrated ceilings, smart sanitary ware, fresh air systems, and comfort home products, leading the upgrade of indoor environmental health.

'From a brick to a construction robot, from design drawings to delivery and operation, visitors will see how 'green + intelligence' runs through the entire lifecycle of a building,' said the expo representative.

10+ High-Level Events: Building a ‘Four-in-One’ Industry Ecosystem

Adhering to the model of 'exhibition + forum + matchmaking + release,' the expo will concurrently host over 10 professional events to strengthen industry leadership:

High-End Forums: Inviting leaders from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, academicians, experts, and executives from leading companies like Huawei and Country Garden to engage in top-level dialogues on topics such as 'AI + Housing and Urban-Rural Construction,' 'Prefabricated Steel Structures and Modular Buildings,' and 'Urban Renewal: Renovation Design for Old Houses.'

Precise Matchmaking: Establishing a 'one-on-one business matching' service, pre-screening core buyers such as real estate developers, design institutes, and engineering companies. It is expected that over 70% of professional visitors will have procurement decision-making power. The expo will also organize government-enterprise procurement meetings and industry chain supply-demand matching sessions.

Results Release: Hosting new technology/product launches and excellent case evaluations, and including selected cases in the 'Application Case Collection of New Construction Methods' for comprehensive brand promotion.

Talent and Finance: Collaborating with relevant departments to hold specialized recruitment events for the housing and construction sector and government-bank-enterprise project promotion meetings, bridging capital and talent chains to address innovation pain points for enterprises.

Seizing the ‘Intelligent Manufacturing Summit’ Window: Global Recruitment Now Open

'The World Manufacturing Convention is an international high-level event approved by the State Council. In 2025, it attracted over 500,000 offline visitors. In 2026, coinciding with the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the Green Building Materials and Intelligent Construction Expo will serve as an excellent stage for companies to announce annual strategies, showcase benchmark technologies, and connect with quality resources,' said the organizer. Recruitment for exhibitors is now fully underway, inviting domestic and international enterprises and research institutions in green building materials, intelligent equipment, prefabricated buildings, and integrated home furnishings to actively participate.

Industry insiders widely believe that with the deepening of the 'dual carbon' goals and the shift in the construction industry's labor structure, green and intelligent development have become unavoidable issues for the sector. In September 2026, Hefei, Anhui, will draw global attention, witnessing China's construction industry transition from 'scale dividends' to 'quality dividends.' Green, low-carbon, smart, and efficient 'future buildings' will emerge from here and spread across the country and the world.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 28, 2026

According to a report by Mining Weekly, China's steel production is declining due to weak real estate construction and falling exports, but iron ore imports continue to increase. This trend is driven by temporary factors such as inventory rebuilding and potential supply disruptions, as well as structural factors like declining domestic iron ore output and deteriorating ore quality. In the long term, China may continue to rely on iron ore imports to meet its steel production needs.

China produces slightly more than half of the world's steel. In April, China's steel output was 86.63 million tons, down 2.8% from the same month in 2025, marking the weakest April data since 2018. In the first four months of the year, steel output was 331.12 million tons, down 4.1% year-on-year, mainly due to persistently weak real estate construction and declining exports.

However, iron ore imports increased by 8% in the first four months of the year, reaching 418.6 million tons. China's April iron ore imports were 103.9 million tons, down 0.8% from March's 104.74 million tons; but since April has one fewer day than March, the daily average actually increased slightly. The market expects imports to remain relatively strong in May, with DBX Commodities analysts estimating seaborne arrivals at 104.67 million tons.

A long-term factor driving iron ore imports is the slow decline in China's domestic iron ore output, exacerbated by deteriorating ore grades, meaning that even if the same amount of ore is mined, the actual iron content produced is lower. According to MySteel data, China's iron ore output in the first four months of the year was 326.8 million tons, down 1% year-on-year. In 2025, China's iron ore output had already fallen by 2.8%, from 1.04 billion tons in 2024 to 983 million tons.

Over the past two decades, China has built the world's largest steel industry chain, relying on real estate, high-speed infrastructure, and export-oriented manufacturing. However, with the adjustment of the real estate bubble, slowing global demand, and rising energy and geopolitical risks, China's steel market is gradually entering a new phase. The changes in iron ore imports and domestic supply structure are important signals of this transformation.

China's past steel demand was highly dependent on residential construction, with the real estate sector once accounting for nearly 30% of China's GDP and driving massive demand for rebar, hot-rolled steel plates, and building materials. However, since the Evergrande crisis, China's real estate market has continued to deleverage, with a large number of projects halted, local government finances deteriorating, and population growth slowing with a declining young population, making it difficult for housing demand to recover to past peaks.

On the other hand, China's steel exports are also facing pressure. In recent years, China has absorbed excess capacity through low-priced steel exports, but as the global economy slows and protectionism rises, many countries have launched anti-dumping investigations and tariff restrictions on Chinese steel. In the first four months of the year, China's steel exports fell by 9.7% year-on-year, indicating weakening external demand.

However, despite weakening demand, China's steel industry has become more dependent on imported iron ore. One important reason is the continuous deterioration in the quality and output of domestic iron ore. Therefore, even as total steel output declines, China still needs to import large quantities of high-grade iron ore to improve steelmaking efficiency and reduce pollution. This is also why iron ore exports from Australia and Brazil remain strong.

This also exposes China to long-term raw material security issues. China is the world's largest steel producer, but it is highly dependent on iron ore imports, especially from Australia. In recent years, China has tried to reduce its dependence on Australia through the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, Africa, but it is difficult to change the global supply pattern in the short term. Against this backdrop, the importance of high-grade imported iron ore will continue to rise, as high-grade ore can reduce coking coal consumption and carbon emissions, aligning with China's carbon neutrality policy direction.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 27, 2026

From fading pharmaceutical packaging and food trays, to urgent shortages of garbage bags and medical gloves, and further to construction materials like paint and asphalt causing project delays or even stoppages—a crisis triggered by naphtha shortages is spreading across Japan, affecting various aspects of the economy and social life.

According to Xinhua News Agency, why is naphtha so important? How severe is Japan's 'naphtha crisis'? What is the root cause of the crisis?

How Important Is Naphtha?

Naphtha is a key byproduct of crude oil refining, serving not only as a core basic raw material for modern manufacturing and chemical industries but also as a critical upstream material in the semiconductor industry chain.

Through cracking, naphtha generates basic chemical raw materials such as ethylene, propylene, and butadiene, which then extend downstream into plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, paints, adhesives, surfactants, and pharmaceutical intermediates. Simply put, from clothing, phone cases, and garbage bags to food packaging, medical consumables, automotive interiors, and building materials, everyday life is almost inseparable from it. Once naphtha supply decreases or is interrupted, numerous downstream related industries will be affected.

Japan is highly dependent on energy imports. As of the end of February, its dependence on Middle Eastern crude oil approached 95%, and over 40% of its naphtha consumption also requires imports from the Middle East. Due to the ongoing Middle East conflicts and the persistent 'blockage' of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Japan's imports of crude oil and naphtha have stalled.

The latest trade statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance show that in April, Japan's crude oil imports fell by 63.7% year-on-year, hitting the lowest monthly level since 1979, with a significant decline in imports from the Middle East; the import price of crude oil in that month rose by 37.9% year-on-year, setting a new record since comparable data began in 1979. According to statistics from market service firm IHS Markit, Japan's imports of petroleum products including naphtha fell by about 30% month-on-month in March, with further declines in April.

The latest opinion poll by Kyodo News shows that 70.6% of Japanese respondents directly stated they 'feel uneasy' due to insufficient naphtha supply.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 23, 2026

Release and Interpretation of the "Anxi, Yongchun, Dehua Industrial Integration Development Blue Paper (2026)" (Photo by Zheng Zhide)

On May 9, the "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense Accompany Fashionable Living in Quanzhou" Conference and the Summary Meeting of the Anxi, Yongchun, and Dehua County Collaboration for Industrial Integration were held in Quanzhou. Anxi, Yongchun, and Dehua have evolved from "one county, one product" to "multiple counties, one cluster," from "selling single products" to "selling Eastern lifestyle aesthetics," and then to the tri-county linkage of the "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" full-chain collaboration. The three regions have forged a distinctive path that breaks down administrative barriers and achieves regional coordinated development.

From Selling Tea Sets to Selling “Tea Space Solutions”

Dehua He Bai Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd., founded in 2024, is one of the participating enterprises in this integration. Project manager Jiang Kaixuan admitted that from its very first day, the brand actively embedded itself into the industrial collaboration system of "Anxi tea, Dehua porcelain, and Yongchun incense."

This is not just a slogan. After nearly two years of effort, its core team has successfully incubated the "He Bai Long Kiln" ceramic brand. Their zero-to-one operational experience made them realize: pure ceramic products are facing homogenized competition, while consumer demands have changed. "Consumers are no longer just buying a tea set; they want to build a complete tea space experience," said Jiang Kaixuan.

This insight is directly reflected in product design. Take the "Reunion Elegant Collection" set as an example: it collaborates with provincial-level masters to replicate the Ming Dynasty "Child Red" glaze, insists on firing with raw ore clay and raw ore glaze, and features the Inviting Moon Teapot, Deep Autumn Cup, and Jade Rabbit Incense Holder, all showcasing ancient craftsmanship. Paired with Yongchun's intangible cultural heritage "Laosan" sandalwood's elegant smoke and the rich tea flavor from Anxi's core production areas, the set has sold over 600,000 yuan, becoming a benchmark gift for "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense." What "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" sells is not utensils, but an immersive experience scene for the Mid-Autumn reunion. Another product, the "Galloping Horse" incense holder, sold over 1,000 units in less than a month, validating the daily consumption potential of the "porcelain + incense" combination.

He Bai project manager Jiang Kaixuan introduces the "Reunion Elegant Collection" to clients (Photo by Zheng Zhide)

He Bai's practice reveals a deeper shift: brands are moving from "selling tea sets" to "providing solutions for tea drinking." Jiang Kaixuan observed that discerning tea drinkers will deduce the capacity and shape of tea utensils based on the type of tea. For example, drinking high-aroma rock tea requires a pot that concentrates fragrance, with a tea-to-water ratio of 1:30 corresponding to a 110 ml pot. This means the brand must understand tea to make good porcelain.

This is precisely the challenge of integration. Currently, He Bai's collaboration within "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" is mainly achieved through online live streaming, promoting tea and incense products alongside porcelain, which has yielded good results, with several tea and incense items becoming minor hits in the live stream. However, deep offline integration is still being explored. Jiang Kaixuan stated that future plans include outputting complete "tea space" solutions through offline showrooms, deeply binding tea, porcelain, and incense with consumers' need for tranquility.

From Production-End Exploration to Supply-Side Support

If He Bai represents exploration on the production end, then the "iCeramic" industrial internet platform demonstrates how the supply chain can provide offline selection centers and online digital platforms for the integrated development of "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense."

This platform was created and operated by Fujian Zhongci Network Technology Co., Ltd. in 2018, dedicated to empowering the transformation and development of China's ceramic industry with digital technology. According to Tu Rongbiao, General Manager of the iCeramic platform, the platform has served over 3,000 enterprises, displayed over 100,000 products, and provided one-stop services for buyers, including source goods, live-streaming training, shared cloud warehouses, and flexible customization. This system has significantly reduced the transaction costs of cross-border cooperation within "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense." "Last year, the platform collaborated with the government to invite top streamers for origin-tracing live streams," Tu Rongbiao said. Streamers from Taobao's top accounts, such as Bee Surprise Club and Lie'er Baby, visited the production areas of Dehua, Yongchun, and Anxi. In the live rooms, streamers simultaneously recommended ceramic tea sets, Anxi tea leaves, and Yongchun incense, shaping a lifestyle of "brewing tea, lighting incense, and appreciating porcelain." Among these, Lie'er Baby's special live stream achieved a total transaction volume exceeding 4 million yuan.

Tu Rongbiao also admitted that the current integration of "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" remains mostly at the marketing activity level. "It's not about rigidly packaging three products into one gift box, but naturally matching them in a live-streaming scenario." He gave an example: the "Shadowy Blue Relief Tea Set," with Song Dynasty shadowy blue glaze as its soul and three-dimensional relief peony petals visible through the body, paired with a porcelain-carved zodiac horse incense holder, Yongchun incense, and Anxi tea, at least quadruples the average order value—this is real incremental growth. However, deeper integration is still anticipated. Tu Rongbiao believes that enterprises from the three regions can embed each other in the product design stage, such as reserving a spot for incense in ceramic ornaments, using Dehua porcelain as standard ware in Anxi tea shops, and reflecting tri-county co-branding in packaging design. "The government has already built the basic platform; the next act needs to be played out among enterprises."

Another value of iCeramic lies in data feedback. The platform feeds back market hot-seller information and trend data to factories, helping them precisely develop products. This is particularly crucial in developing integrated "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" products; enterprises need to know what combinations of tea sets, teas, and incense are more popular in the market, rather than blindly matching them.

Tu Rongbiao pointed out that the brand awareness of Dehua ceramics as a production area still has significant room for improvement, which objectively limits the market recognition of integrated products. To this end, he suggested continuously inviting top influencers and celebrities to visit the production areas for origin-tracing promotions, thereby strengthening the production area's brand image and promoting the Dehua ceramic industry and "Chinese White" culture to become stronger and better through the internet.

The "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" live-streaming scene gains market favor (Photo by Zheng Zhide)

From Event Momentum to Building a “Six-Link” Mechanism

From the government perspective, "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" is no longer just a series of events; it is a highly anticipated path for regional coordinated development.

Data shows that since 2024, the three counties have organized over 210 high-quality enterprises, integrated more than 2,300 fusion products, and driven cumulative sales exceeding 2.7 billion yuan, achieving a synergistic effect of "1+1+1>3." Behind this figure lies the operation of the "Six-Link" mechanism: "county alliance, industry linkage, brand co-branding, master collaboration, enterprise joint operation, and e-commerce joint broadcasting."

The three county governments jointly signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Integration and Collaboration," established a joint working group, and set up a regular consultation mechanism. They advance work around six key tasks: co-building brands, sharing channels, co-creating products, co-cultivating talent, co-establishing standards, and co-expanding markets. This mechanism ensures that integration is not a fleeting trend but a sustained institutional arrangement.

However, the "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" integration is still in its early stages. The Dehua ceramic industry is mainly constrained by the fragmentation of enterprises and homogenized competition, a lack of deep product and channel integration, and a shortage of composite talent. The future key lies in whether market mechanisms can drive enterprises to truly play their roles.

The "Anxi, Yongchun, Dehua Industrial Integration Development Blue Paper (2026)" released by the Research Institute of the China International Electronic Commerce Center attempts to answer the question of "how to integrate in the future." The Blue Paper suggests shifting from traditional manufacturing to value creation, promoting design R&D and the transformation of cultural symbols. Jiang Yaoping, former Vice Minister of Commerce, emphasized in his keynote speech that the highest level of business model is to supply a lifestyle that people aspire to.

The industrial integration and upgrading of the three counties under "Tea, Porcelain, and Incense" is not simply about selling a few more products; it is about packaging Anxi tea, Yongchun incense, and Dehua porcelain into a holistic output of Eastern lifestyle aesthetics. (Photo by Zheng Zhide)

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 21, 2026

On the afternoon of May 15, on the eve of the 10th China-Russia Expo and the 35th Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair (the "Harbin Fair"), a government delegation led by Alexei Sambuevich Tsydenov, President of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia and Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia, paid a special visit to the Fujian General Chamber of Commerce in Heilongjiang Province and the Xilong Sub-venue of the Harbin Fair. The delegation held a symposium with representatives of some entrepreneurs from the chamber, engaging in in-depth exchanges on investment cooperation, trade cooperation, and other fields. At the Xilong Sub-venue of the Harbin Fair, Tsydenov and his delegation conducted an on-site tour of various themed exhibition areas, including ceramic stone, hardware and plumbing, decorative materials, home decoration building materials, home furnishings and appliances, landscape and garden anti-corrosion wood, high-end international home furnishings, and the supporting Northeast Asia Logistics Distribution Center. During the visit, Tsydenov showed particular concern for the current status of enterprises in the park in conducting trade with Russia and highly praised Xilong's efficient operation model and mature business ecosystem.

At the Fujian General Chamber of Commerce in Heilongjiang Province, Tsydenov and his delegation gained an in-depth understanding of the chamber's founding history and organizational structure. They expressed appreciation for the chamber's commitment to optimizing its member service system and precisely serving enterprise development, and inquired about the investment intentions and specific cooperation needs of some key enterprises in the chamber regarding the Republic of Buryatia. At the symposium, Wu Qinghe, President of the Fujian General Chamber of Commerce in Heilongjiang Province and President of the Harbin Xilong International Trade and Logistics Park, introduced that in 2023, the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province inaugurated the China-Russia Home Building Materials Trade Park at Xilong, laying a solid foundation for local enterprises to carry out cooperation with Russia. He noted that Buryatia has vast territory and unique resources, providing broad space for cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises. In the next step, he will organize a delegation of entrepreneurs from China's Heilongjiang and Fujian provinces to conduct field inspections in Buryatia to promote the implementation of cooperation visions.

Tsydenov provided a detailed introduction to Buryatia's resource endowments, industrial characteristics, and investment and business environment. He pointed out that Buryatia has a superior geographical location, extremely convenient transportation, and abundant mineral and energy resources. In particular, it has a deep industrial foundation in fields such as helicopter manufacturing, metal cutting technology, and jade processing and trading. He sincerely invited the Fujian General Chamber of Commerce in Heilongjiang Province to organize entrepreneurs to conduct field inspections in Buryatia, promoting cooperation between the two sides in areas such as trade circulation, park construction, and mining. During the meeting, entrepreneurs from the Fujian General Chamber of Commerce in Heilongjiang Province also exchanged and discussed cooperation projects with members of the Buryatia delegation in fields such as mineral development, rough stone trade, import and export of aquatic products, cross-border trade of anthracite coal, and herbal biomedicine. Wu Qinghe also presented Buryatia with a national intangible cultural heritage gift—Putian wood carving—as a precious token of the friendship between the two sides.

This exchange has built a solid bridge and platform for further strengthening local economic and trade exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises in China and Russia.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 16, 2026

San Francisco's tradition of tiled stairways has now extended to a pedestrian bridge in the Glen Park neighborhood. According to a report by SFGATE, the overpass at the intersection of Bosworth Street and Lippard Avenue in Glen Park had long been an unremarkable piece of infrastructure. But last week, it became a city first: a tiled bridge. Set against a bright blue background, the 400-square-foot bridge, supported by five pillars, is covered in mosaic tiles: soft semicircular patterns beneath yellow stars, and orange-edged diamonds embedded between slender parallel lines. The bridge connects Glen Park School to the south with the Glen Park Greenway to the north, allowing students and residents to safely cross the busy and often congested street below. It spans four lanes of Bosworth Street, which leads directly to Highway 280.

The project was spearheaded by the community volunteer organization "Glen Park Beautiful," with help from Glen Park School students and the San Francisco arts education nonprofit "Create Peace Project." The effort involved months of planning, grassroots fundraising, weeding, priming, and painting before the bridge was completed.

The organization selected artist Ross Holzman for the project. To translate the design from paper to tile, Holzman recruited students. During after-school programs at Glen Park School, children from kindergarten through fifth grade spent seven days using hammers to break donated tiles from Heath Ceramics, Fireclay, and McIntire Company. Following Holzman's hand-drawn design, they pieced the fragments together on a large sheet of plywood. The bridge adds a splash of color to the community, and for those who helped build it, it also carries the time spent and the companions shared during the process.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 12, 2026

The Ceramics Industry Association stated that the cost of construction waste disposal has surged five-fold recently, and there is nowhere to dispose of it. Taking Kaohsiung City as an example, the unit price of legally disposed construction waste has skyrocketed from NT$600 to NT$800 per ton to NT$3,000 to NT$4,000 per ton within one year (2025–2026). For an 8-ton truck, the cost has jumped from about NT$8,000 per truck to about NT$24,000 per truck, an average increase of five times. The association pointed out that due to the nationwide surge in construction waste disposal costs and the lack of available disposal sites even when operators are willing to pay high fees, three major impacts have emerged. First, the government's intensified enforcement actions have significantly increased the risk cost of illegal dumping, forcing waste haulers to exit non-compliant business models and turn to legal channels. However, this has simultaneously driven up waste disposal costs, which operators pass on to construction companies, building material dealers, and end consumers, further fueling market price hikes.

Second, with higher classification standards, the difficulty of handling waste in the renovation market has increased substantially. Many projects now require separate handling of demolition and disposal, doubling labor and time costs in the industry. For example, in residential renovations, the disposal cost per household for a full renovation used to be around NT$300,000 to NT$400,000; now it has climbed to NT$700,000 to NT$900,000, a staggering increase. Third, the five-fold increase in waste disposal costs, coupled with the lack of disposal options, has led consumers to choose not to renovate, causing a rapid contraction of the building materials market. This has resulted in renovation workers stopping work and small contractors closing down—a classic case of market freeze due to soaring disposal costs and insufficient disposal capacity.

The Ceramics Industry Association believes that the government's use of GPS tracking for construction waste, comprehensive strict enforcement, heavier penalties, and the elimination of non-compliant disposal sites have led to a severe shortage of disposal sites, skyrocketing fees, and nowhere to dispose of waste. While the policy direction is correct, the government's supporting measures are insufficient. In response, the association has two major recommendations for the competent authorities—the National Land Management Agency and the Resource Recycling Agency of the Ministry of Environment. First, urgently set up temporary waste collection sites through public operation, commissioned private operation, or public-private partnerships to provide immediate relief.

Second, a modern country must have complete systems for handling garbage and construction waste, and long-term planning is essential.

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 10, 2026

As residential construction costs continue to climb in the United States, more homeowners are seeking ways to cut expenses. According to CNN, one engineer bypassed local suppliers and imported most of his home materials directly from China, estimating savings of up to $100,000. Social media has also seen a surge in Chinese suppliers directly marketing to US consumers, offering low prices on kitchen cabinets, tiles, and other materials. However, while this approach is highly attractive, it involves complex risks such as tariff fluctuations, language barriers, and shipping delays, making it unsuitable for everyone.

Engineer’s Personal Experience: Cutting Out US Middlemen

Gypsy, an engineer from Baltimore, decided to skip local suppliers and big-box retailers like Home Depot, importing nearly all of his home renovation materials directly from over 20 factories in China. His dream home features gray fiber cement siding, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an open-plan kitchen, with even the smallest details—such as magnetic-lock silent doors and European-style windows—sourced from China. In 2024, Gypsy traveled to China in person to select some products. He described building a house as a once-in-a-lifetime project, which he treated as an adventure and found enjoyment in.

Gypsy estimates this approach saved him up to $100,000, and his home is currently seeking LEED certification. However, he emphasized that the process is far from "cheap," with each container of custom goods from China costing an average of $13,000 to ship. Builder IronGate Builders told CNN that materials can account for two-thirds of a custom home's total cost, with the remainder being labor. Gypsy noted that the brown siding panels for his home were priced 150% higher on Amazon than at the source, and most of these products are originally imported from China anyway. In the US, floor-to-ceiling windows are unaffordable, and magnetic-lock soundproof doors are nearly four times more expensive based on website listings.

Social Media Trend: Chinese Suppliers Directly Target US Homeowners

With rising US building material prices, more homeowners are discussing direct imports from China on social media. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), residential building material prices have risen 3% year-over-year. The association's chief economist told CNN that metal forms and trim prices have increased 45% year-over-year, driving up window costs. Lumber prices have risen 8% over the past year, and aluminum prices have also increased due to trade and tariff policies. Against this backdrop, a woman shared on social media that she rejected a local quote of $50,000 for kitchen cabinets and instead imported them from China. The post garnered over 165,000 likes, and others began sharing supplier lists.

Chinese sellers are well aware of the appeal of low prices to consumers. Many aspiring homeowners see Chinese sourcing agents promoting luxury bathroom models and cabinets in English on search engine recommendation pages. Chinese manufacturers also directly advertise on social media, claiming they can deliver cabinets, tiles, and any other materials to your doorstep. On TikTok, one Chinese sourcing agent claimed they could buy all materials for an entire house in one day for under $10,000. Another Chinese manufacturer with nearly 30,000 TikTok followers said they could replicate an entire house based on floor plans at half the cost.

Many of these sellers are based in Foshan, a city known for its home decor and building materials industry. A professor at the University of Southampton in the UK noted that Foshan likely produces many products available at Home Depot and Amazon. As China's domestic real estate market slows, factory owners are more actively seeking overseas markets. A sourcing agent operating under the account name "Cody Sourcing" on social media said he receives about 300 US home-building clients per month, with 5 to 10 of them traveling to China to visit showrooms and order products. Even amid trade tensions, more people have been buying from Chinese manufacturers in recent years.

Complex and Risky Process: Tariffs, Language, and Logistics as Barriers

While direct imports from China save costs, the actual process is fraught with challenges and risks. Gypsy admitted the initial process felt like "fumbling in the dark," as he had to search for products on sites like Alibaba and contact Chinese manufacturers with US certifications. This research eventually led to his 2024 trip to China. CNN noted that this approach is not for the faint of heart, as materials can be affected by volatile tariffs. Last year, US tariffs on Chinese goods reached as high as 145%. Additionally, shipping times are longer. Gypsy's home construction began in October 2024, and returns or repairs can take months. He acknowledged that problems always arise with orders of this scale.

Domestically, Gypsy also had to find builders willing to work with designs unfamiliar to the US market. His builder revealed that while material quality surprised them, there were other hassles, such as craftsmen needing to translate Chinese instruction manuals and adjust for dimensional differences. Those looking to follow suit also need to invest in expensive equipment like telescopic forklifts. The builder said this was a first for their company, and they actually tried to dissuade Gypsy but ultimately respected his decision, as it was his money and his house. Gypsy concluded that the main benefit of direct imports from China is access to products that are hard to find or expensive in the US market. He described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity, but also one that is "complex and risky."

Source: Read the original article | Published: May 09, 2026