Outbound passengers grow by 12.9 percent

As many as 42.42 million passengers from Shanghai traveled overseas in 2016, an increase of 12.9 percent year-on-year, according to data from Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection. There were 35,000 passenger trips made last year since the implementation of the 144-hour visa exemption transit policy on Jan 30, 2016.

Travelers from 51 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, France and Germany, who are visiting Shanghai as well as the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are covered by the new policy.

Compared to the previous 72-hour visa-free entry for international transit passengers, the new policy saw a 90 percent year-on-year increase in passenger trips in Shanghai.

YHD to dish out 500 million yuan subsidy

Shanghai-based e-commerce platform YHD said that it will be injecting another 500 million yuan ($71.96 million) in East China in order to maintain its leading role in the market. According to Song Chunhui, senior vice president of YHD's merchandising department, the subsidy means that customers will get to enjoy further discounts on goods.

YHD made a similar move last August by spending 1 billion yuan a month after its fiercest rival Tmall, owned by Alibaba, gave out subsidies worth 2 billion yuan. Song said that this 1 billion yuan subsidy drove its revenue up by nearly 100 percent year-on-year in the following three months.

Bookstore to introduce VR technology

A bookstore founded by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press will launch a virtual reality facility, making it possible for readers to get access to unlimited volumes of books that are not sold in the shop, according to ThePaper.cn. The second floor of the store is designed as a showroom where visitors can use VR equipment to select, read or even buy books in the future.

The bookstore also said that it is also aiming to expand its functions and transform itself into one of the city's cultural landmarks. Traditional bookstores have in recent years been losing customers to e-commerce platforms and ebook stores, and many of those that have not adapted to the digital landscape have shuttered.

Raising awareness for colorectal cancer

A book on colorectal cancer was recently launched by Team Curis Group and Pineapple Healthcare Studio in Shanghai and contains basic knowledge of the disease as well as prevention and treatment methods.

Experts said that the book aims to promote the early diagnosis and lower the mortality rate by educating people on the disease through formal channels. In China, the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer has been rising in recent years, especially among people aged above 45. Many people fail to get timely treatment because of the lack of awareness of the disease.

(China Daily USA?01/06/2017 page7)