BEIJING, Sept. 14 -- China's retail sales of consumer goods went up 2.1 percent year on year in August, the National Bureau of Statistics said Saturday.

The official data showed that the rural consumption gained 3.9 percent last month from a year ago and the catering sector saw its revenue rise 3.3 percent, well above the average level.

By products, sales of communication equipment climbed 14.8 percent, cereals, oil and food up 10.1 percent, medicines up 4.3 percent, and home appliances and audio and video products up 3.4 percent.

In the first eight months combined, retail sales of consumer goods increased 3.4 percent compared to a year earlier.

Online sales remained as a bright spot, rising steadily by 8.9 percent year on year in the January-August period. In particular, sales of physical goods increased 8.1 percent and accounted for a quarter of total retail sales.