BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of phone users in China had exceeded 960 million as of July, including over 600 million mobile phone users, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Wednesday.

More than 290 million mobile users were in the more developed east.

The first seven months saw a net increase of mobile phone users of more than 61 million, averaging a monthly 8.7 million increase, the highest growth yet.

Fixed-line subscribers dropped 10.6 million from January to July, or a reduction of 1.35 million monthly, with the total at 355 million as of July.

Daily sales on Beijing´s market up 17% during Olympics

Sales of 193 sample enterprises in Beijing averaged 190 million yuan (about 27 million U.S. dollars) per day during the Olympics, up 17 percent from the same period last year, said Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce on Tuesday.

The sample enterprises included stores with a distinctive "Chinese flavor" such as those in the Silk Street and famous traditional restaurants like Quanjude, known for roast ducks.

Two customers from Santa Lucia choose clothes in the Xiushui Market, also known as the Silk Street, in Beijing August 14, 2008. Many foreign athletes, reporters, officials and tourists from across the world visit the market selling items with  Chinese characteristics during the Beijing Olympic Games,  raising the tourists flow in the market to nearly 50,000  persons a day. (Xinhua/He Junchang)

From Aug. 1 to 24, nearly one million people visited the five-floor Silk Street mall in eastern Beijing, pushing its sales to 383 million yuan (about 56 million U.S. dollars), eight times as much as that in the same period last year.

Tailored clothes, silk by the roll, jewelries and chinaware were most popular among customers, of which foreigners accounted for 80 percent including state heads and government officials from 24 countries and world famous athletes.

For example, the 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, pole vault world record keeper Isinbaeva, NBA star Manu Ginobili and the Argentine soccer team all went shopping at Silk Street.

Visitors from home and abroad poured into old restaurants such as Quanjude and Bianyifang to taste the special-flavored duck.

Quanjude restaurant chains received visitors totaling more than previous records set during Golden Week holidays and Spring Festivals. On one night, people lined up outside the Quanjude restaurant at Hepingmen amounted to 400.

Another chain restaurant Bianyifang sold more than 580 roast ducks every day. Its sales were up 30 percent compared with the same period last year.

An Australian newspaper even speculated that the roast duck helped swimmer Libby Trickett win her gold medal as she could not stand a meal without it.