The opening ceremony of “Ideal City,” the offline “Double 11” shopping festival of Alibaba's e-commerce platform Tmall, was held in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei province, on Nov. 1, China.com.cn reported.

(Photo/China.com.cn)

Apart from the ceremony, which was held at Jianghan Road, Wuhan's most famous commercial street with a history of more than 100 years, a fashion show for the shopping festival was put on outside of the Yellow Crane Tower, a landmark of the city, together with a dazzling light show.

Both events kicked off the shopping season for Wuhan, the former epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic, aiming to stimulate the business of the city and help local businesses recover from the epidemic.

(Photo/China.com.cn)

On the day the “Ideal City” kicked off, an online show was launched that allowed online customers to see the busy Jianghan Road and Hubu Lane, a well-known cuisine street of the city, in online live streaming sessions. In addition, special efforts were made to help local farmers sell agricultural products through live streaming platforms.

Incorporating many local elements, including artists, brands, and the culture of Wuhan, the fashion show was broadcast live through platforms such as Taobao and Youku. Viewers could not only enjoy the show online, but also purchase hot-selling clothes when they appeared on the catwalk.

(Photo/China.com.cn)

It is the first “Double 11” shopping festival since the outbreak of COVID-19, and therefore carries special significance for Wuhan. According to the statistics of local government, the city saw a robust economic recovery in the third quarter of the year, with a number of economic indicators turning positive in this period.