This week on the China Briefing: Labor Day travel has gone "lie-flat." Millions are skipping Beijing and Shanghai for county-level luxury at 300 yuan a night reshaping where China's domestic demand flows.

But the bigger story is the digital-human surge. AI avatars are now standard infrastructure: museum guides in Nanning, mental-health screeners in Shenzhen, cockpit "souls" from Tencent, and doctor AI personas in hospitals. From novelty to national equipment in 36 months.

Meanwhile, AI short-drama production is collapsing costs. Actors now sign face-licensing deals for 200 yuan. It is about $30 a year. Entertainment is bifurcating into premium live-action and ultra-cheap synthetic content.

Plus: Wuhan's Optical Valley is becoming China's avatar-economy cluster, and Trump's Beijing visit looms on May 14.

🎧 Tune in for the full briefing with China News Analysis Daily ✌🏻

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