The sub-index that shows the development expectations of enterprise executives also jumped to 65, a 10-month high, HSBC said.

"This improvement, alongside a rebound in manufacturing activity growth, suggests a broad-based but gradual growth recovery is on its way," said Qu Hongbin, chief economist in China for HSBC.

The ongoing recovery has improved the labor market, as the sub-index from the HSBC survey recorded the fourth consecutive month of modest expansion of employment. "It can stimulate more consumer consumption in the coming quarters to drive up the whole growth," Qu said.

Economic growth in the first quarter will be seen in the indicators released by the NBS on April 15, including GDP growth rate, industrial production, fixed-asset investment and consumer goods retail.

Wang Tao, chief Chinese economist for UBS AG, said on Wednesday that signals show economic activity has continued to recover, although momentum is weaker than expected.

Consumer inflation in March has likely dropped after the Chinese New Year to 2.5 percent year-on-year from 3.2 percent in February, while the producer price index may fall more due to the downward trend of raw material prices, Wang said.

chenjia1@chinadaily.com.cn