In bid to spur consumption, the Hangzhou government has started to hand out E-coupons worth 1.68 billion yuan to all customers in the city since March 27.

The first amount of the coupons was 500 million yuan, of which 15 million yuan were used as the consumption benefits for people in straitened circumstances and the rest were issued as the consumer coupons. Users can get the coupons inside Alipay app and each can get five pieces of 10-yuan coupons with a total amount of 50 yuan.

The market consumption reached 171 million yuan within 24 hours.  

According to Hangzhou Commerce Bureau, as of 4 pm on 29 March, Hangzhou redeemed 28.83 million yuan in consumer coupon subsidies, which has strongly driven Hangzhou's market consumption to 453 million yuan across the city. 

The second batch of coupons will be handed out before April 3.