Alibaba's Qwen AI Became Spring Festival Helper for 130 Million Users
How AI Became China's Lunar New Year Sidekick
The numbers tell an impressive story: During the recent Spring Festival holiday, Alibaba's Qwen AI assistant wasn't just helpful - it became indispensable. Official data shows over 130 million Chinese turned to voice commands for everything from bubble tea runs to booking entire holiday itineraries.
The Rise of Voice Shopping
What began as simple requests evolved into full-blown shopping sprees. "Qwen Treats," the platform's promotional campaign, saw explosive growth particularly in entertainment purchases. Movie ticket orders skyrocketed 372-fold after February 14th, with smaller cities leading the charge at a jaw-dropping 782% increase.
Zhang Yimou's thriller Silent Awakening emerged as the unexpected champion of AI-assisted bookings. Meanwhile, transportation purchases told their own tale - flight and train ticket orders multiplied sevenfold through voice commands.
Breaking Down Barriers
The real surprise? Who was using it. Nearly 4 million seniors aged 60+ completed their first-ever AI transactions during the campaign. Qwen's simple "one-sentence order" functionality proved revolutionary, eliminating tech anxiety for China's older population.
Regional data revealed another shift: Nearly half of all AI-assisted purchases originated from county-level cities and rural areas. This suggests China's much-discussed "下沉市场" (lower-tier city market) isn't just participating in digital life - they're driving its evolution.
Key Points:
- 5 billion voice requests demonstrate mainstream AI adoption
- 782% growth in movie sales shows entertainment as killer app
- 4 million seniors crossed the digital divide via voice tech
- County-level cities accounted for nearly half of all orders
