BEIJING — China's retail sales of consumer goods went up 33.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, the National Bureau of Statistics said on April 16.

The growth reversed from declines seen in the first quarter last year, when consumer spending was disrupted by the COVID-19 epidemic.

Average Q1 growth for the past two years stood at 4.2 percent, the NBS said.

In March, retail sales surged 34.2 percent year-on-year and was 12.9 percent higher from the 2019 level. The two-year average growth was 6.3 percent.