STORY: Figures out Friday (May 17) told two very different stories on China's economy.
The country's factories seem to be getting busier.
Industrial output grew 6.7% on the year in April.
That was up on the month before, and beat analyst forecasts.
It comes after earlier numbers showed exports returning to growth last month, and suggests a recovery is gathering pace for manufacturers.
But it's a very different outlook for the country's ailing property sector.
New home prices fell at their fastest pace in over nine years in April.
They were down 0.6% on the month.
That all comes despite Beijing's efforts to revive the sector, which accounts for about a fifth of the economy.
Recent media reports suggest officials could now require local governments to buy unsold homes in a bid to stabilize the market.
The crisis in the sector dates back to 2021, when watchdogs started to crack down the massive debts racked up by some developers.
A string of major property firms have since defaulted on their debts or gone under, leaving millions of homes unfinished or unsold.
On Friday, a Hong Kong court adjourned a liquidation hearing for major developer Country Garden, giving it more time to show it's making progress on restructuring efforts.
