People's Daily - June 21, 2025

Xi Jinping Meets with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th (Reporter Dong Xue (董雪)) On the morning of June 20th, President Xi Jinping (习近平) met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is in China for an official visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (北京人民大会堂).

Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that over the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-New Zealand relations have weathered changes in the international landscape. The two sides have always respected each other and moved forward hand in hand. The bilateral relationship has long been at the forefront of China's relations with Western developed countries, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries. As the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership enters its second decade, the two sides should jointly promote greater development of China-New Zealand relations in the new decade and better benefit the people of both countries.

Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that China and New Zealand should place cooperation in a more prominent position in bilateral relations, leverage complementary advantages, deepen trade and investment cooperation, explore cooperation potential in areas such as scientific and technological innovation, climate change response, and infrastructure, and strengthen exchanges in education, culture, youth, civil society, and local areas to enrich the content of bilateral relations. There are no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest between China and New Zealand. The two countries should respect each other, 求同存异 (qiú tóng cún yì - "seek common ground while reserving differences," to seek common ground on major issues while reserving differences on minor ones), and correctly view and handle differences and disagreements between the two countries. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. As builders and maintainers of the post-war international order, China and New Zealand should jointly defend the international system with the United Nations as its core, maintain the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as its core, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

Luxon said that New Zealand-China relations are of great significance. In 2014, President Xi Jinping (习近平) visited New Zealand, and the two sides established a comprehensive strategic partnership. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, cooperation in various fields has flourished. New Zealand attaches great importance to its relations with China, will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, and is willing to work with China to adhere to mutual respect and mutual understanding, maintain high-level exchanges, expand trade and investment, deepen cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, and dairy industries, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges in tourism, education, and other fields to promote greater development of New Zealand-China relations. Today's world is full of uncertainties, and the international community expects China to play a greater role. New Zealand is willing to actively communicate and coordinate with China, maintain the multilateral trading system, and jointly address global challenges. New Zealand supports China in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting next year.

Wang Yi (王毅) attended the meeting.

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Those who unite their will achieve great things.

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 胡泽曦

"That which gets its roots right will flourish; that which follows the right path will succeed." From a dialogue, to a mechanism, to a spirit, the relationship between China and Central Asia has advanced by leaps and bounds in just a few years. It is quite fitting to explore its journey with this ancient saying.

A dialogue, held in January 2022, marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries. President Xi Jinping (习近平) mentioned at the video summit the need to run a series of dialogue and cooperation mechanisms between China and the five Central Asian countries, opening a new chapter in history.

A mechanism, established in Xi'an (西安) in May 2023, at the first China-Central Asia Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries announced the formal establishment of the China-Central Asia Summit Mechanism.

A spirit, born in the present, in Astana (阿斯塔纳), Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) in midsummer. On June 17 this year, the second China-Central Asia Summit was held as scheduled.

"Mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance, promoting common modernization with high-quality development." Surveying the trends of the times, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed for the first time the "China-Central Asia Spirit," which was unanimously supported by the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries. Subsequently, the *Astana Declaration*, written with thousands of expectations, was released, enshrining the consensus connecting the past and the future: "This spirit should be vigorously promoted to make it the basis for member states to develop friendly relations and promote mutually beneficial cooperation."

In the ever-changing international relations, what is "spirit"? In the strategic deployment of diplomacy, why is "spirit" placed in a prominent position?

To refine the way of getting along in the name of "spirit," to precipitate the scouring of history and the vicissitudes of time, and to demonstrate common ideals and common dreams, is to see clearly the path we have taken in the face of changing times, and to walk well the path under our feet.

(I) Two Words in China's "Diplomatic Dictionary"

Why is Central Asia important?

Spreading out the map, "Central Asia is the center of the Eurasian continent, at the crossroads connecting east and west, and running through north and south." Looking northwest from China, it is our close neighbor with interdependent relations. Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) alone shares more than 1,700 kilometers of common border with China.

Is it a "strategic asset waiting to be mined and shaped," or a handshake and embrace of a partner? The relations between different countries and Central Asia present their own distinct imprints.

In recent days, Astana (阿斯塔纳) has attracted global attention, and many observers are asking: Among the many C5+1 dialogues or mechanisms, why can the China-Central Asia mechanism come from behind and even stand out, and where does the vitality of China-Central Asia cooperation come from?

To answer these questions, it is helpful to observe from two words in China's "diplomatic dictionary."

One is the word "互" (hù - mutual). The first half of the "China-Central Asia Spirit," "mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance," fully demonstrates the principles of equality, deep trust, and the determination to work together. On the more than 13.6 million square kilometers of land in China and Central Asia, a new historical logic of interaction between major countries and regions is becoming increasingly clear.

President Xi Jinping (习近平) elaborated on these four keywords one by one in his keynote speech at the summit. In fact, every country has gained a sincere impression when dealing with China. "We interact closely, just like visiting relatives," "There is a Chinese saying '饮水思源' (yǐn shuǐ sī yuán - "when you drink water, think of its source," be grateful for blessings and their origins), we will never forget China's valuable help"... Two years ago, on the eve of the Xi'an (西安) summit, when a reporter lamented to Kazakh President Tokayev (托卡耶夫) that "it is not easy to be a 'permanent partner' in the face of geopolitical realities," he firmly replied: "I am confident."

The pomegranate tree planted by the heads of the six countries in Xi'an (西安) is like a metaphor, initially new green, and now full of flowers.

This time, the heads of the six countries signed a treaty of permanent good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation, setting a new milestone. It reads: "This treaty is valid indefinitely." At a time when the international situation is changing rapidly, the "indefinite" commitment is even more valuable.

One is the word "共" (gòng - common), embedded in the second half of the "China-Central Asia Spirit," "promoting common modernization with high-quality development."

Looking back at history, the word "共" (gòng - common) runs through the long history of exchanges between China and Central Asia. Twelve years ago, it was in Astana (阿斯塔纳) that President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed the joint construction of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" initiative. Adhering to the principles of joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, the "Belt and Road" has written "共" (gòng - common) on roads, bridges, fields, and factories, creating a harvest belt of cooperation in Central Asia.

"共" (gòng - common) means a shared future and working together hand in hand. Many people have a deep memory of President Xi Jinping's (习近平) Geneva speech in 2017. At the crossroads of history, facing the bullying logic of the strong preying on the weak and the winner taking all, the question of where the world is going, China's answer is unwavering: to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Today, the construction of a community with a shared future has formed a mutually reinforcing pattern at the global, regional, and bilateral levels. Central Asian countries are at the forefront, actively responding to the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind and the three major global initiatives, achieving full coverage of bilateral and regional communities with a shared future with China.

"互" (hù - mutual) and "共" (gòng - common) reflect each other, jointly shaping the unique style of China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The former is interpreted in exchanges with all parties, without one party's bullying from above, and without one party's humiliation of speaking in a low voice. The latter shows the general trend of sharing weal and woe and moving forward hand in hand, abandoning the practice of standing out alone and harming neighbors, and not engaging in closed and exclusive "small circles." Every choice reflects a more grand pattern and mission.

In the face of a turbulent world, the "China-Central Asia Spirit" conveys certainty and stability. It is the determination and confidence to seek development and revitalization through unity and cooperation, and it is also a thought-provoking inspiration in response to the changes of the times.

(II) Reading a Book and Approaching a Major Country

When leaders of Central Asian countries meet President Xi Jinping (习近平), they often take the initiative to mention a book. They share their thoughts and inspirations from reading, and cannot help but sigh:

"President Xi Jinping's (习近平) experience in governing the country reminds me of the wisdom of Chinese Confucianism";

"As a world-class great politician with profound strategic vision, and as a pioneer and builder of contemporary China's reforms, you have always actively promoted effective domestic and foreign policies";

…………

This time was no exception. At the bilateral meeting on the morning of the 17th Astana (阿斯塔纳) time, a head of state of a Central Asian country discussed the ideas about reform in the book at the meeting table, and wanted to hear President Xi Jinping (习近平) talk about it in more depth.

This book is *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*.

Reading, thinking, and questioning stem from the common dream marked by the "China-Central Asia Spirit" - "modernization." China and the five Central Asian countries, as developing countries, have always been fellow travelers on the road to modernization.

Dreams are the most moving force. A once poor and weak Eastern country, with everything waiting to be rebuilt, has explored a Chinese-style path to modernization that is different from the West, creating a new form of human civilization. For Central Asian countries that are diligently seeking modernization, they have seen the possibility of modernization blooming in various forms and drawn confidence in "taking their own path" from tangible and intangible "books."

"Promoting common modernization with high-quality development," the consensus of working together to pursue dreams is condensed into the "China-Central Asia Spirit," giving both sides a more profound development logic and richer historical meaning for mutually beneficial cooperation.

There are a few numbers:

During this summit, China and Central Asian countries reached 110 cooperation consensuses of various types. Economic, technological, cultural, between ministries, between provinces and states, between media, building a multi-dimensional and three-dimensional cooperation pattern. This shows the scale.

Since the Xi'an (西安) summit, bilateral trade has achieved a substantial increase of 35%. The trade target of 70 billion US dollars established three years ago for 2030 has already been completed ahead of schedule, and last year even set a new historical high of 94.8 billion US dollars in trade. This shows the speed.

And all this happened under the international situation of rising unilateralism and frequent trade frictions, becoming the most convincing narrative of opening up and developing with an open mind.

Foreign media have noticed the significance of this summit for multilateralism and the international economic and trade order: the China-Central Asia Trade Smooth Cooperation Platform was unveiled, and the six countries reached an action plan to strengthen economic and trade cooperation; China and Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) signed a new version of the investment protection agreement, and China and Uzbekistan (乌兹别克斯坦) successfully concluded bilateral market access negotiations for Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO... The arduous journey of modernization, whether it is closed or open, whether it is cooperation or confrontation, China and the five Central Asian countries have given their choice: "There are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars," "There is no way out for unilateralism and protectionism."

Advancing in the logic of historical progress, developing in the trend of the times. Looking at historical progress and the development of the times, there are the most vivid pictures on the "road":

As a "steel camel team" spanning Eurasia, 80% of the China-Europe freight trains pass through Central Asia, highlighting the development potential of the "golden crossroads." The solid promotion of a number of major transportation artery projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the third cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦), the China-Tajikistan (塔吉克斯坦) highway renovation, and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, helps Central Asia transform from "landlocked" to "land-linked," profoundly reshaping the regional cooperation framework.

Strategic deployment. In the new era, planning and laying out regional development, the large-scale development of the western region is advancing in depth, and the new western land-sea corridor is spreading and extending. Looking west, and then west again, China's domestic unified market with huge potential is connected to a series of thoroughfares that cross over mountains.

The wind is strong, and the tide is surging. This may be the strategic vision and era value of jointly building the "Belt and Road."

At this summit, the heads of the six countries jointly witnessed another "first": China signed a cooperation document on jointly building the "Belt and Road" with all countries in a single surrounding region for the first time.

Why firmly choose China? China, an "empowering major country," is full of sincerity, does not attach any conditions, and is pragmatic and down-to-earth. Just as President Xi Jinping (习近平) announced during the summit the establishment of three major cooperation centers for poverty reduction, education exchange, and desertification prevention within the framework of China-Central Asia cooperation, each field involves the concerns of the Central Asian people and responds to their urgent needs to boost their independent development capabilities.

"Amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness," the central conference on work relating to neighboring countries held this spring once again emphasized these four words. The advantage of China-Central Asia cooperation lies in this. From a deeper dimension, what China gives is opportunity, equality, and trust. It is like partners, friends, and brothers, interacting with each other with sincerity and achieving long-term success.

Giving and gaining. The confidence to resist headwinds is enhanced in cooperation; the ability to define the future is forged in cooperation.

(III) A Contemporary Expression of Five Thousand Years of Civilization

The gestation of spirit is like a magnificent river converging thousands of streams.

At the video summit in 2022, President Xi Jinping (习近平) condensed and proposed the successful code of China-Central Asia cooperation: "mutual respect, good-neighborly friendship, solidarity in adversity, and mutual benefit and win-win results"; at the Xi'an (西安) summit in 2023, he proposed "four proposals" on what kind of Central Asia to build from a macro vision, and "four insistences" on how to build a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Looking at history, human society has always been seeking the way of getting along between countries. It is precisely because of the continuous exploration of the development path of China-Central Asia relations at the level of ideas that the "China-Central Asia Spirit" has been proposed today. Past experience, current cooperation, and future vision are cast into a spiritual symbol with historical height.

Looking at it from another perspective, this evolutionary process precisely reveals the deep logic of the development of China-Central Asia relations: using ideas to refine and lead practical development, and using spiritual identity to build a solid bond of destiny.

In the depths of time, the Bandung Spirit, the Tanzam Railway Spirit, the "Four Goods" Spirit, and the "Shanghai Spirit"... have not diminished their brilliance due to the passage of time.

In the new era, the Silk Road Spirit, the BRICS Spirit, the China-Africa Friendship and Cooperation Spirit, the China-Arab Friendship Spirit, the China-Russia Strategic Coordination Spirit, the China-France Diplomatic Spirit, etc., are engraved with the progress and development of China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

These spirits are also the condensation and sublimation of the way of getting along, all pointing to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, profoundly shaping the future of international relations and even the global landscape.

The foundation and pattern of a civilization-type major country are all in it.

From the Silk Road Spirit, we can deeply appreciate the traditional wisdom of harmony in diversity and harmonious coexistence; from the China-Africa Friendship and Cooperation Spirit, we can clearly understand the value pursuit of "a country does not take profit as profit, but righteousness as profit"; from the China-France Diplomatic Spirit's advocacy of independence and autonomy, we can deeply see the civilization nourishment of "all things grow together without harming each other, and ways run parallel without contradicting each other"... That year, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) explained the "Shanghai Spirit" in this way: "Confucianism advocates '大道之行，天下为公' (dà dào zhī xíng, tiān xià wéi gōng - "when the Great Way prevails, all under heaven will work for the common good," the world is for all), and advocates 'harmonizing all nations, working together in harmony, and the whole world is one family.' This concept of 'harmony' has many similarities with the 'Shanghai Spirit.'"

The halo around the moon indicates wind, and the dampness of the plinth indicates rain. The direction of a country has its historical regularity and the inevitability of civilization.

The refinement and definition of each spirit reflects the world view, order view, and responsibility view of a major country. In the final analysis, it is also how to treat history and how to know oneself. From the perspective of the new era expression of the magnificent five thousand years of Chinese civilization, we can appreciate the profound meaning of President Xi Jinping's (习近平) words: "Excellent traditional Chinese culture is the outstanding advantage of the Chinese nation and our deepest cultural soft power."

The mind and responsibility of a responsible major country are all in it.

In the field of diplomacy, the various spirits that China promotes and practices today are immersed in the profound thinking of "China for the world, the world for China" and contain profound answers to "where is humanity going."

Openness and inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win; equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning; upholding justice and defending justice... These concepts are fixed in the spirits that China refines in its foreign exchanges, transcending traditional concepts such as civilization conflicts, Cold War thinking, and zero-sum games, and unified in the beautiful vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. And these are precisely the ideological public goods that this era urgently needs.

"The road of history is not all smooth. Sometimes it reaches a state of difficulty and danger. This is all about the vigorous spirit to overcome it."

During his visit to Russia last year, President Xi Jinping (习近平) talked about Chernyshevsky's famous book *What Is to Be Done?*: "The strong will and fighting passion of the protagonist in the book are precisely the spiritual strength we need now."

The waves of the times are surging. China, standing bravely at the forefront of the tide, never changes its "spirit of solidarity," taking the lead in setting an example of fairness and justice, and the ambition of mutual benefit and win-win results. What it contributes to the world is not the spiritual strength necessary to promote historical development?

When more and more countries choose to work with China, it is enough to prove that a China that is striding forward on the right path not only has friends all over the world, but also achieves its long-term success with morality.

Spirit is like a torch, illuminating the way forward; history is like a tide, surging forward.

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Li Qiang Holds Talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th (新华社北京6月20日电) Premier of the State Council Li Qiang (李强) held talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (拉克森), who is in China for an official visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (北京人民大会堂) on the afternoon of June 20th.

Li Qiang (李强) stated that, facing the current international situation characterized by change and turmoil, it is of great significance for China and New Zealand to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. This morning, President Xi Jinping (习近平) held a meeting with the Prime Minister, pointing out the direction for the development of bilateral relations in the next stage. China is willing to work with New Zealand to promote traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, better promote the common development of the two countries, and benefit the people of both countries more.

Li Qiang (李强) pointed out that the Chinese and New Zealand economies are highly complementary. China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with New Zealand, explore more areas of common interest, promote the improvement of quality and efficiency of cooperation in various fields, and achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results. The two sides should further expand the scale of trade, jointly fulfill the tariff reduction commitments of the free trade agreement, accelerate the negotiation of a negative list for trade in services, and continuously promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. It is necessary to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy vehicles, industrial green and low-carbon development, digital technology applications, and digital product services, and comprehensively and high-quality implement the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》) to better promote regional economic integration. China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural and food products from New Zealand and will continue to encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in New Zealand, hoping that New Zealand will provide a fair and open business environment for Chinese enterprises operating in New Zealand. China welcomes New Zealand to be the guest of honor at the 2025 China International Education Annual Conference and is willing to deepen exchanges with New Zealand in education, tourism, think tanks, local areas, etc., to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the people of the two countries. Currently, the global economic and trade landscape is undergoing profound changes and adjustments. China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with New Zealand within the framework of the United Nations (联合国), the World Trade Organization (世贸组织), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (亚太经合组织), etc., to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading system, create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory international economic cooperation environment, and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent world.

Luxon (拉克森) said that the relationship between New Zealand and China has a long history, is increasingly mature, and has always been based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. At present, the development momentum of bilateral relations is good, economic and trade cooperation is full of vitality, and cultural exchanges are increasingly close. New Zealand adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, agriculture, tourism, and education to promote common development. The current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and it is particularly important for New Zealand and China to strengthen dialogue and cooperation. New Zealand is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in areas such as addressing climate change and green development, and jointly commit to maintaining international order and promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

After the talks, the two prime ministers jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in customs, food safety, organic product certification, climate change, cultural heritage, and other fields.

Before the talks, Li Qiang (李强) held a welcome ceremony for Luxon (拉克森) in the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People (人民大会堂北大厅).

The two sides jointly issued the "Joint Outcomes Statement of the China-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting" (《中国—新西兰领导人会晤联合成果声明》).

Wu Zhenglong (吴政隆) participated in the above activities.

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Zhao Leji Meets with New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th (Xinhua) - Zhao Leji (赵乐际), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (拉克森) in Beijing (北京) on the morning of the 20th.

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) stated that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping (习近平) and New Zealand leaders, the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a good momentum of development, bringing benefits to the people of both countries. China is willing to work with New Zealand to continue the traditional friendship, enhance understanding and mutual trust, adhere to mutually beneficial cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, and continuously enrich the connotation of China-New Zealand relations. The National People's Congress of China is willing to work with the New Zealand Parliament to deepen friendly exchanges, strengthen cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, learn from each other's legislative supervision and other work experiences, and provide legal guarantees for practical cooperation between the two countries, focusing on implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Luxon (拉克森) stated that New Zealand firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and bilateral relations have continuously achieved high-quality development. New Zealand is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in areas such as economy, trade, and culture, strengthen exchanges between legislative bodies, and jointly address global challenges.

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Wang Huning Presides Over National Committee of the CPPCC Chairman's Meeting

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th. The 37th Chairperson's Meeting of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held in Beijing (北京) on the 20th. Wang Huning (王沪宁), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech.

The meeting conveyed and studied the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) recent important speeches and instructions. Wang Huning (王沪宁) stated that it is necessary to strengthen ideals and beliefs, maintain political resolve, implement the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation with 锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě - "carve without stopping," to persevere; to keep carving even if the material is hard), adhere to a pragmatic style, improve the quality of investigation and research, consultative political participation, and advice for governance, and better contribute to comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization. It is necessary to conscientiously study and comprehend General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work and his important expositions on religious work, adhere to the direction of Sinicization of religion in China, actively guide religion to adapt to socialist society, and unite and guide the vast number of ethnic minority people and religious believers to enhance their recognition of the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), and socialism with Chinese characteristics, so as to better promote ethnic unity, religious harmony, and the stable development and progress of Tibet (西藏). It is necessary to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speeches during his attendance at the Second China-Central Asia Summit and other foreign affairs activities, give play to the role of the CPPCC in the fields of public diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy, and better serve the overall situation of the Party and the country's foreign affairs work.

The meeting reviewed and approved the agenda (draft) and schedule of the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, and decided to convene the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC in Beijing (北京) in late August.

Shi Taifeng (石泰峰), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, and Wang Dongfeng (王东峰), Zhu Yongxin (朱永新), and Yang Zhen (杨震), Vice Chairmen of the CPPCC National Committee, made speeches on studying and implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) recent important speeches and instructions. Wang Dongfeng (王东峰) and others made explanations on relevant topics.

Vice Chairmen of the CPPCC National Committee Hu Chunhua (胡春华), Shen Yueyue (沈跃跃), Wang Yong (王勇), Zhou Qiang (周强), Leung Chun-ying (梁振英), Batel (巴特尔), Su Hui (苏辉), Shao Hong (邵鸿), Gao Yunlong (高云龙), Chen Wu (陈武), Mu Hong (穆虹), Xian Hui (咸辉), Jiang Xinzhi (姜信治), Jiang Zuojun (蒋作君), He Baoxiang (何报翔), Wang Guangqian (王光谦), and Qin Boyong (秦博勇) attended the meeting.

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Ding Xuexiang Attends and Addresses the Plenary Session of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Xinhua News Agency, St. Petersburg, June 20 (Reporters Hu Xiaoguang (胡晓光) and Zhao Bochao (赵博超)) - Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the plenary session of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on the 20th and delivered a speech entitled "Promoting the Common Values of All Mankind and Promoting the Development of a Multipolar World."

In his speech, Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said that 10 years ago, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed in his important speech at the general debate of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly that peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all mankind and the lofty goals of the United Nations. This important assertion transcends the differences between different countries, different ethnic groups, different social systems, and ideologies, and draws a concentric circle of values for building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has been widely supported and actively responded to by the international community. At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, multiple risks are intertwined and superimposed, and mankind faces many common challenges. We must revisit President Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, adhere to and promote the common values of all mankind, work together to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, and promote the world towards a bright future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) put forward four suggestions. First, adhere to the global governance concept of consultation, joint construction, and sharing, actively promote equality of rights, equality of opportunity, and equality of rules among countries, and safeguard the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice. Second, adhere to jointly building an open and diverse world economy, defend the multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order with practical actions, make the "cake" of economic globalization bigger and better distributed, and create more development opportunities for countries in the Global South. Third, adhere to exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, respect the diversity of human civilizations, respect the exploration of value realization paths by people of different countries, and oppose any form of "new cold war" and ideological confrontation. Fourth, adhere to safeguarding world peace and development, increase mutual trust through dialogue, resolve disputes through dialogue, promote security through dialogue, let the flame of peace be passed on from generation to generation, and jointly move towards lasting peace and common prosperity.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said that China and Russia are true friends forged in the crucible of trials and tribulations and good partners who achieve each other. Last month, President Xi Jinping (习近平) paid a state visit to Russia and attended the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Great Patriotic War. The two heads of state unanimously agreed to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen strategic coordination, and jointly send out the voice of safeguarding the achievements of World War II and international fairness and justice. China is willing to work with Russia to comprehensively enhance the height, dimension, and resilience of China-Russia relations, expand high-quality mutually beneficial cooperation, and better benefit the two peoples. We will strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral platforms to make greater contributions to building a more just, reasonable, and prosperous multipolar world.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said that despite the increasing impact of external shocks, the Chinese economy still shows a positive trend, demonstrating strong vitality and resilience to the world. China will step up the implementation of more proactive and effective macro policies, focus on stabilizing employment, stabilizing enterprises, stabilizing the market, and stabilizing expectations, and respond to the drastic changes in the external environment with the certainty of high-quality development. No matter how the external environment changes, China's door to opening up will only open wider and wider. We sincerely welcome companies from all countries to invest and start businesses in China, actively participate in the Chinese path to modernization, and share China's development opportunities.

During the interactive session after the speech, Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) answered questions from the moderator of the plenary session on major-country relations, China-Russia education, science, and technology cooperation, and other topics.

During the meeting, Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) also held meetings with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov (Мантуров), Deputy Prime Minister Novak (Новак), Rosneft CEO Sechin (Сечин), Gazprom CEO Miller (Миллер), and others. The two sides agreed to give full play to the role of the China-Russia Investment and Energy Cooperation Committee and the Energy Business Forum to promote high-quality development of investment and energy cooperation and provide more impetus for the development of bilateral relations.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) also had brief and friendly exchanges with Indonesian President Prabowo (普拉博沃), Bahraini National Security Advisor Prince Nasser (纳赛尔), South African Deputy President Mashatile (马沙蒂莱), and others.

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Inherit the Red Gene, Compose a New Chapter of Entrepreneurship

By: 本报记者 刘军国

A small red boat witnessed the initial spark, and a century of trials and tribulations has made the original aspiration as firm as a rock.

In 2005, when Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) was working in Zhejiang (浙江), he summarized the "Red Boat Spirit" as "the pioneering spirit of initiating heaven and earth and daring to be the first, the fighting spirit of firm ideals and 百折不挠 (bǎi zhé bù náo - "hundred folds unyielding," undeterred by setbacks), and the dedication spirit of serving the public and being loyal to the people."

Over the past 20 years, Jiaxing City (嘉兴市), Zhejiang (浙江) has firmly shouldered the responsibility of being the starting place of the Red Boat, guiding cadres and the masses throughout the city to consciously integrate "pioneering, fighting, and dedication" into their blood and transform them into action, inherit the red gene, and continuously write new chapters of pragmatic work and striving for the first.

Tell the story of the Red Boat and inherit the excellent traditions.

Beside Nanhu Lake (南湖), the sky is as blue as washing, and green trees are shaded. From sunrise to dusk, party member cadres, young students, and others who come to visit and study at the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆) are in an endless stream.

"With firm belief, there is the power to forge ahead. We must inherit the red gene, temper excellent character, have ideals, dare to take responsibility, be able to endure hardship, and strive to grow into pillars of talent," said Li Ruijia (李睿佳), an eighth-grade student at Jiaxing Shuangxihu Experimental Middle School (嘉兴双溪湖实验中学).

Yuan Jing (袁晶), director of the Propaganda and Education Department of the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆), has been engaged in lecturing for more than 20 years and is already familiar with the content of the lectures. Comprehensive rural revitalization, new quality productive forces, Chinese-style modernization... She and the lecturer team keep pace with the times, combining the "Red Boat Spirit" with economic and social development, so that the "Red Boat Spirit" is often talked about and always new.

"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is our responsibility, and we should strive unceasingly!" "I cherish a child's heart, understand the glorious history, and will also remember this perseverance and forge ahead."... On the message wall, there are sonorous vows written. Every year, more than 3 million tourists from all over the country come here to receive red education and spiritual baptism.

In recent years, the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆) has focused on high-quality exhibitions, and the basic exhibition "Red Boat Sets Sail" has been made into a mobile exhibition board and exhibited in various places, creating a memorial hall without walls and flowing. At the same time, it has successfully held the national tour exhibition of the large-scale photo exhibition "Red Boat Spirit Miles" and temporary exhibitions such as "The Original Aspiration and Mission in Red Documents" and "Million Heroes Crossing the Yangtze River", using forms such as "tour exhibition + joint exhibition" to enable more people to understand the story of a large party and a small boat. In addition, combined with the real scene of the Red Boat, the integration of cultural relics and other situational designs, 4 "no appointment" micro-party lessons and special films are provided every day, and "5G + virtual reality" technology is used to set up 7 exhibition hall scene check-in points, and you can also get "commemorative ticket" postcards for free, promoting tourists to transform from visitors to participants and deepen historical perception.

Wu Jianhua (吴建华), Secretary of the Party Group and Curator of the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆), said: "In the future, we will tell the story of the Red Boat and spread the red culture as always with a higher position, better content, and newer forms."

Innovate communication forms to promote entry into the brain and heart.

"That day, I sat upright at the bow of the boat, seemingly leisurely, but actually vigilant. In the cabin, the representatives were enthusiastically discussing the program and resolutions, and conducting elections. The Communist Party of China was officially declared established!" In the evening, in the Youth Learning Station of Lianhua Community (莲花社区), Tongxiang City (桐乡市), youth lecturer Shen Weichao (沈伟超) was vividly interpreting the story of Wang Huiwu (王会悟), leading the young people on the scene to travel through the long river of history and understand the power of the spirit.

This lecture, entitled "The 'Red Boat Spirit' in Her Eyes," was created by the "Tongxiang Youth Orators Speak" theoretical lecture group.

Founded in 2019, "Tongxiang Youth Orators Speak" has attracted more than 1,300 young people to join the lecture group. In recent years, it has carried out more than 5,000 various thematic lectures, with an audience of 200,000 people. This team is good at using the thinking and language of young people to vividly promote the story of the Red Boat, making theoretical propaganda more youthful, more approachable, and more touching.

In recent years, with the "Jiali Good Voice" lecture brand as an important starting point, Jiaxing (嘉兴) has cultivated and created more than 200 8090 characteristic lecture brands and registered nearly 5,000 young theoretical lecturers. A relevant person in charge of the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department (嘉兴市委宣传部) introduced that relying on the strength of young lecturers, various places in the city have successively launched innovative forms such as "lecture + story", "lecture + market", and "lecture + art", which effectively promote the sweet spring of thought to nourish the heart and let the "Red Boat Spirit" take root in the hearts of the people.

Stimulate spiritual strength and always be at the forefront.

In the key laboratory of TianTong Holding Co., Ltd. (天通控股股份有限公司), 5 young party member technical backbones are gathering together to brainstorm and discuss the stuck points encountered in the promotion of a certain magnetic material project. In the shortest possible time, they tackled the technical problems faced by the latest product line and created more value for the enterprise.

"'Red Boat Spirit', for Jiaxing (嘉兴) enterprises, is a special spiritual nourishment, guiding us to strengthen our faith, have the country in mind, focus on the main business, strengthen the real economy, be determined to make progress, and pursue excellence," said Pan Jianqing (潘建清), Secretary of the Party Committee of TianTong Holding (天通控股党委). In the past 10 years, TianTong Holding (天通控股) has relied on party members to take the lead in tackling more than 400 difficult projects, creating a cumulative economic benefit of more than 380 million yuan. At present, the company has grown into a national high-tech enterprise with four business segments: electronic materials, electronic modules, intelligent equipment, and green energy. It is a leader in the field of global high-end soft magnetic materials and sapphire optoelectronic new materials.

From a party member to an enterprise and a city, Jiaxing (嘉兴) party member cadres, workers, and the masses, led by the "Red Boat Spirit", adhere to pioneering, fighting, and dedication, and focus on economic construction, reform and development, scientific and technological innovation, common prosperity, and people's livelihood services, and gather a strong joint force to promote high-quality development.

In 2024, Jiaxing (嘉兴) will deepen the leadership of party building, and members of the city's four leading bodies will take the lead in handling 15 major difficult projects, promote the establishment of 130,000 party member demonstration posts and 3,300 party member pioneer teams in cities, counties, and towns, and help fight major and tough battles such as airport high-speed rail construction; lead the construction of advanced manufacturing clusters, establish 13 industrial chain party committees such as hydrogen energy and photovoltaic new energy, and guide and promote the concentration of factors such as technology, capital, and talent...

Chen Wei (陈伟), Secretary of the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee (嘉兴市委书记), said that it is necessary to continue to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's (习近平) Thought on Culture, faithfully practice the "Double Eight Strategy", solidly promote the "Red Boat Spirit" to enter the brain and heart to consolidate the foundation, implement it in a down-to-earth manner and bear fruitful results, and strive to write a Jiaxing (嘉兴) chapter of Chinese-style modernization.

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A Story of Prickly Pear: How Technological Innovation Leads High-Quality Development

By: 振 兴

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei (任正非) recently told a story about the prickly pear in an interview with a reporter from the People's Daily (人民日报).

The prickly pear was originally a wild fruit found in the mountains of Guizhou (贵州) and other places. During the Anti-Japanese War, agronomist Luo Dengyi (罗登义) devoted himself to scientific research, analyzing the nutritional components of more than 170 kinds of fruits and vegetables. He discovered that the inconspicuous wild prickly pear was extremely nutritious, being the king of Vitamin C and Vitamin P. However, not many people understood the value of this research at the time.

In the new era of poverty alleviation, Guizhou (贵州) has turned prickly pears into beverages, promoting the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, and forming a prickly pear industrial cluster. The small prickly pear has a comprehensive annual output value of over 15 billion yuan, becoming an important channel for farmers to escape poverty and become rich. Ren Zhengfei (任正非) frankly stated that agronomist Luo Dengyi (罗登义) is worthy of admiration, and the new era is inspiring.

Why has a research result from seventy or eighty years ago blossomed and produced such good results in the new era?

In-depth analysis reveals that the prickly pear provides a unique perspective for decoding agricultural revitalization through science and technology and comprehensive rural revitalization, as well as for decoding high-quality development led by technological innovation.

In the new era, the innovation driving force for high-quality development is even stronger.

Innovation has been given a core position in the overall situation of modernization construction, technological innovation solutions are being used more consciously, and high-quality development is increasingly inseparable from innovation-driven and industrial support.

From promoting comprehensive rural revitalization to advancing Chinese-style modernization, technological innovation is the "linchpin."

Agricultural modernization is key to agricultural science and technology modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "To revitalize the countryside, choosing industries that enrich the people according to local conditions is key."

It is precisely under the environmental conditions of the new era that the value of Luo Dengyi's (罗登义) research has been rediscovered, and its significance has become more prominent.

Grasping the regional characteristics, advantages, and development potential of the prickly pear, Guizhou (贵州) is promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of this research—

Domesticating wild prickly pears, the "Guinong No. 5 (贵农5号)" and "Guinong No. 7 (贵农7号)" varieties can yield up to 1,000 kilograms per mu; building the world's largest prickly pear gene bank, using big data to precisely control the planting environment; and forming a complete chain of prickly pear raw juice, prickly pear preserves, prickly pear beverages, etc., with the planting area gradually reaching more than 2 million mu.

Driven by the East-West cooperation mechanism, prickly pear resources have gone out of the mountains, to the whole country, and to the world through Guangdong-Guizhou (粤黔) cooperation, forming new advantages in helping consumption upgrades. Guizhou (贵州) has become the region with the largest prickly pear planting area and the highest output in the country, and its comprehensive output value has increased by more than 30% annually in recent years.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) released the first batch of key cultivation lists for traditional advantageous food production areas and local specialty food industries, and Guizhou (贵州) prickly pear juice was selected, ushering in new opportunities for high-quality industrial development.

In March of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) visited Yunnan (云) and Guizhou (贵).

Important conclusions such as "grasping what others do not have," "continuing to play the trump card well," and "cultivating distinctive leading industries with lasting market competitiveness" reflect the development requirements of precise positioning, adapting to local conditions, and giving full play to their strengths in the overall national situation, and are a profound revelation of the methodology of local development.

From ordinary agricultural products to high-quality industrial products and then to healthy consumer products, the prickly pear has become a vivid footnote to how a region can develop its characteristic and advantageous industries.

From dedicated scientific research to industrial development, the prickly pear story told by Ren Zhengfei (任正非) not only contains the entrepreneur's respect for scientific research but also implies the simple feeling of benefiting the people with the achievements of technological innovation.

The Qing Dynasty's "Qian Shu (黔书)," "Compendium of Materia Medica - Supplements (本草纲目拾遗)," and other records record its medicinal value. Luo Dengyi's (罗登义) research in the 1940s provided empirical evidence, and in the new era, it has become a "new favorite" for people's health and wellness... The prickly pear, with the reputation of "Holy Fruit of Three Kings," has become a "fruit of prosperity" for farmers, which is impressive.

Chinese culture has a long history and is profound. From Luo Dengyi (罗登义) to Tu Youyou (屠呦呦), from prickly pears to artemisinin, one side vividly shows that fully absorbing the wisdom of outstanding Chinese traditional culture, stimulating technological innovation vitality, and promoting Chinese-style modernization are not only deeply rooted but also full of power.

In the new era, the transformation and application of technological innovation achievements are accelerating.

The deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and the seamless connection between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, are increasingly becoming a significant feature of the transformation of technological innovation achievements.

From the source to the terminal, the integration bottlenecks have been cleared, and technological innovation achievements have become tangible new quality productive forces, providing strong support for high-quality development.

Looking at the source of technological innovation, basic research has received unprecedented attention.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Many of the 'bottleneck' technical problems facing our country are rooted in the fact that basic theoretical research cannot keep up, and the source and underlying things have not been clarified."

In November 2023, Fudan University (复旦大学) established the Xianghui Research Institute (相辉研究院), focusing on key scientific problems; in December of the same year, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交大) established the Siyuan Research Institute (思源研究院), focusing on basic research fields. Over a longer period, practices such as "not assessing specific academic outputs or publication of results" and "not setting phased research goals" have attracted attention, reflecting long-termism.

Huawei (华为) invests 180 billion yuan in research and development annually, of which 60 billion yuan is used for basic theoretical research. Behind "no assessment," "no time limit," "not knowing" when it can be done, and "no requirements" for scientists is its "strategic patience" for theoretical scientists.

From the perspective of the main body of technological innovation, the initiative of enterprises has been significantly enhanced.

DJI Innovation (大疆创新), Unitree Robotics (宇树科技), DeepSeek (深度求索)... A large number of technology-based enterprises have risen rapidly because the innovation subject status of enterprises has been strengthened.

Deploying the innovation chain around the industrial chain and deploying the industrial chain around the innovation chain, the industry-university-research integrated innovation led by enterprises is continuously optimized...

In line with the general trend of integrated development, the transformation and application of Luo Dengyi's (罗登义) research results have become a natural success, and more technological achievements are constantly turning from samples into products and forming industries.

Today, China's technological innovation achievements have entered a period of intensive breakthroughs, and it is exclaimed that "the world's technological landscape is being reshaped by a 'Cambrian-style innovation explosion'," and an important reason is the zero distance from the bookshelf to the shelf.

In ways beyond imagination, the future has arrived.

In the new era, talented people with real talent and practical learning have a place to use their abilities.

The vast number of science and technology workers are respected because they "exhaust their hearts and blood," "do earth-shattering things, and be anonymous people," with a large number of original and disruptive research results, and remarkable "major country weapons," supporting the backbone of the nation and defending the honor of the motherland.

Respect is also reflected in the tolerance and support for scientists in conducting research.

"Let scientific researchers concentrate on their research without distraction";

"Strengthen agricultural science and technology innovation, and scientific researchers should write papers on the land so that farmers can use the best technology to grow the best grain";

From promoting the integrated development of education, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation, to implementing systems such as "seeking talents by posting a list" and "horse racing," to giving scientific research units and scientific researchers greater autonomy...

A good environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure is constantly being created, the soil for innovation culture is being accelerated, the atmosphere of innovation is becoming increasingly strong, and the new era has become a big stage for "Luo Dengyis (罗登义们)" to display their talents and contribute their wisdom.

When a world-class innovation ecosystem and scientific research environment are formed, what will grow will be strong basic research and original innovation capabilities, strong key core technology tackling capabilities, and strong high-level scientific and technological talent training and aggregation capabilities...

Now, there are only ten years left to achieve the goal of building a strong country in science and technology.

Ten years to forge a sword. Accelerating the promotion of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, and comprehensively promoting Chinese-style modernization with high-quality development, we have the determination, the confidence, and the ability.

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Screen Images Reflect Original Aspiration (Authoritative Release)

From filming in fields and rural areas to guarding late-night computer rooms, from visiting community users to tackling innovative projects in laboratories, radio and television, and online audio-visual practitioners are making unremitting efforts to launch more high-quality products, promote wider dissemination, and provide better experiences, continuously meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of the people.

At a meeting with Chinese and foreign journalists held by the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办公室) in Beijing (北京) on June 20, themed "Strivers on the New Journey," five representatives from the radio and television and online audio-visual industries shared their stories of struggle around the theme of "Keeping in Mind the Original Aspiration and Mission of Radio and Television, and Serving the People Wholeheartedly."

"My profession has given us a kind of luck, which is to be witnesses of many major historical moments and creators of collective memories for the audience." Yu Lei (于蕾), deputy convener of the Literature and Art Program Center of China Media Group (中央广播电视总台), has been engaged in television art creation for 23 years.

In *National Treasure*, she used art to empower cultural and museum institutions, bringing national treasures to life; in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics (北京冬奥会), she used literature to melt ice and snow, showcasing the Chinese-style romance of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms; in the Spring Festival Gala (春晚), she used sincerity to cook the New Year's Eve dinner, allowing Chinese people around the world to share joy and reunion at the moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

"I hope that I can use my heart and emotions to make our creations play the most beautiful movement of the times, and resonate with the pace of this era," Yu Lei (于蕾) said.

In 2024, the micro-drama *My Altay* became a "phenomenal" work, achieving good ratings in China and being shortlisted for the Cannes International Series Festival in France. The director of the drama, Teng Congcong (滕丛丛), has also gained more recognition from the audience.

Teng Congcong (滕丛丛) believes that in addition to a certain talent, the profession of director also requires a certain amount of life experience and the ability to understand human nature.

"At present, various new narrative carriers are constantly emerging and diverting the audience of film and television dramas," Teng Congcong (滕丛丛) said. This requires film and television creators to adhere to the path of high-quality products, so that the audience can expand their horizons, gain more spiritual nourishment, and gain warmth and strength in addition to entertainment.

As a veteran who has been deeply involved in the entire process of film and television post-production for nearly 30 years, Zhang Sheng (张升), chairman of Dingsheng Jiahe (Beijing) Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (鼎盛佳和（北京）文化传播有限公司), has personally experienced the industry's transition from the film era to the digital era, and has also witnessed the reshaping of audio-visual art by the wave of intelligence.

"In the early days of my career, when I used a digital camera for the first time, I was very excited about the function of being able to play back without waiting for film development. A few years ago, we decided to bring some special effects content forward, so I led the team to explore and apply LED virtual shooting." Zhang Sheng (张升) said that when the vast universe and spacecraft and other virtual scenes were turned into a real performance space for actors on a 600-square-meter LED screen, the staff all exclaimed that the creative imagination had finally broken through physical limitations.

Recently, Zhang Sheng (张升) has started to develop and train his own artificial intelligence tools, and has achieved results in ultra-precision model acquisition, sound migration, and image conversion, which have been applied in the post-production of many popular dramas.

"I am full of confidence and expectation that the entire audio-visual industry will be equipped with the wings of independent research and development, and realize the beautiful prospect of telling Chinese stories with Chinese technology," Zhang Sheng (张升) said.

Connecting thousands of households with microphones and measuring social changes with footsteps, this is a vivid portrayal of radio and television people taking root in the grassroots and serving the masses.

Yixi Zhuoma (益西卓玛), a host from Tibet Radio and Television Station (西藏广播电视台), was born in Gangtuo Village (岗托村) in Changdu City (昌都市), the "First Village of Liberation in Tibet." Before the age of 20, Yixi Zhuoma (益西卓玛) had hardly left Tibet (西藏). The largest city she had been to at that time was Lhasa (拉萨), but after starting work, in addition to traveling to all 74 counties in Tibet (西藏), she also represented Tibet Satellite TV (西藏卫视) many times to host various large-scale live programs and galas in domestic and foreign cities such as Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), and Seoul (首尔), South Korea.

Yixi Zhuoma (益西卓玛) said: "I seem to be growing up with Tibet (西藏). In my career as a journalist, I have witnessed the rapid development and changes in Tibet (西藏). This land and its people have given me rich creative materials and profound insights. Tibet (西藏) will be the object of my writing for the rest of my life."

When it comes to radio and television networks, many people often think of televisions, square set-top boxes, and coaxial cables on the wall. The work of Chen Yin (谌颖), deputy manager of the Technology Department of China Broadcasting Network Group Co., Ltd. (中国广播电视网络集团有限公司), is to turn the "old three things" of the radio and television network into "new three things" - upgrading ordinary televisions to smart screens, upgrading old set-top boxes to ultra-high-definition plug-in micro set-top boxes, and upgrading coaxial cables to optical fibers and 5G.

In 2023, the State Administration of Radio and Television (广电总局) launched the governance work of "nested doll" charging and complex operations of televisions. Chen Yin (谌颖) and his colleagues also fully invested in this "audio-visual experience defense war": from letting families watch live broadcasts when they turn on their TVs and watching TV with one remote control, to "conveniently watching TV" in public places such as hotels, and then to promoting the deployment of three-mode universal remote controls and plug-in micro set-top boxes - Chen Yin's (谌颖) goal is to "make it easier for everyone to watch TV."

"This is the daily life of our radio and television network technology workers, using technology to light up thousands of screens and wholeheartedly guarding the audience's audio-visual expectations," Chen Yin (谌颖) said.

(According to Xinhua News Agency (新华社) Beijing (北京), June 20, reporter Bai Ying (白瀛))

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"National subsidies for trade-ins will continue"

This newspaper reported from Beijing on June 20th (Reporter Wang Ke (王珂), Ding Qianqian (丁茜茜)) Relevant departments recently introduced that the policy of increasing efforts to expand the scope of trade-ins for consumer goods has not changed, the progress of subsidy fund utilization is in line with expectations, and the central funds for the third and fourth quarters will be allocated successively.

Since the beginning of this year, in accordance with the deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委), the Ministry of Finance (财政部), the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) and other relevant departments have jointly implemented the "Two New" policy with increased efforts to expand its scope, continuing the good experiences and practices of 2024, directly allocating 300 billion yuan of national debt funds to local governments to increase efforts to expand the implementation of trade-ins for consumer goods, and implementing it throughout the year within this year. In January and April of this year, two batches of central funds totaling 162 billion yuan have been allocated respectively to support local governments in doing a good job in the first and second quarters of trade-ins for consumer goods. In July and October, central funds totaling 138 billion yuan will be allocated for the third and fourth quarters to support trade-ins.

According to reports, the current utilization of national consumer goods trade-in subsidy funds accounts for approximately 50% of the annual scale, and the overall progress is in line with expectations. The "national subsidy" funds include three parts: First, the ultra-long-term special national debt funds allocated by the central government, the scale of which has doubled compared to last year; second, in accordance with relevant regulations, local governments provide matching funds in proportion to the funds allocated by the central government, implementing central-local co-sharing according to the overall principle of 9:1; third, some local governments will also arrange additional local funds in addition to the central government's allocation and proportional matching funds, based on the local work progress and implementation situation.

The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) introduced that, as of now, the sales driven by consumer goods trade-ins this year have exceeded the total for the entire last year. Overall, since the beginning of this year, the consumer goods trade-in policy has continued to show its effectiveness, powerfully promoting the continuous expansion of consumption and driving significant industrial transformation and upgrading. Next, local commercial authorities will be required to make good use of the arranged support funds, refine the fund utilization plans by field and time period, steadily and orderly promote trade-ins for consumer goods, and at the same time, work with relevant departments to strengthen product quality and price supervision, urge participating enterprises to operate in accordance with laws and regulations, strictly prevent fraudulent applications for subsidies, and ensure the standardized and orderly implementation of the policy.

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How to "examine" a bridge before it opens (China Record)

By: 本报记者 李心萍

Recently, the world's largest span cable-stayed bridge, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge (常泰长江大桥), underwent a load test, which is expected to last about a week.

Previously, on June 6, the world's first kilometer-level double-layer cable-stayed suspension cooperative system steel truss bridge, the G3 Tongling Yangtze River Railway-Highway Bridge (G3铜陵长江公铁大桥), successfully completed a 9,000-ton load test, taking a crucial step towards being ready for traffic in July.

What is a load test? How is a load test conducted?

Reporters learned that, just like a new car undergoing rigorous road tests before leaving the factory, a load test is an indispensable "ultimate physical examination" before a large bridge is opened to traffic, generally divided into static load tests and dynamic load tests.

The "ultimate physical examination" is, on the one hand, a "quality inspection" of the bridge, testing whether the bridge's strength, stiffness, and other properties meet the design requirements; on the other hand, it is an extreme test of the bridge, exposing defects that are difficult to detect during the construction process, and identifying potential "hidden injuries" that the designer did not anticipate, in order to carry out a final optimization and reinforcement.

Taking the G3 Tongling Yangtze River Railway-Highway Bridge (G3铜陵长江公铁大桥) load test as an example, this precise physical examination is completed in two steps.

The first is the static load test, where more than 200 heavy-duty trucks with a total weight of 9,000 tons are precisely deployed in the most "sensitive" and most easily deformed or stressed key areas of the bridge deck, according to the engineers' calculations.

"The total load of 9,000 tons is not applied in one step, but rather in a graded loading manner, first with 30% of the heavy-duty trucks fully loaded, then 60%, and finally 100%. The graded loading method allows the bridge structure to gradually adapt, in order to observe the subtle changes under each load level," said Yao Sen (姚森), chief engineer of the China Railway Bridge Bureau's G3 Tongling Yangtze River Railway-Highway Bridge (中铁大桥局G3铜陵长江公铁大桥).

The dynamic load test is then carried out.

There are three types of dynamic load tests. The first type is a constant speed test, where multiple heavy-duty trucks form a convoy and pass over the bridge at different constant speeds, simulating daily traffic conditions.

The second type is a braking test, where heavy-duty trucks will perform emergency braking at the most "vulnerable" or critical locations on the bridge, testing the bridge's stability and recovery ability under sudden impact.

The third type is a "bouncing" test, where heavy-duty trucks are driven quickly over a pre-set slight bump, or even using specialized excitation equipment to artificially induce bridge vibrations, in order to test the bridge's "anti-shake" ability and comfort.

Throughout the entire test process, the sensors distributed throughout the bridge are operating at full capacity. Massive amounts of data, such as the "tension" of the main beam steel structure, the "stance" of the bridge towers, the "tensile force value" of the stay cables, and the amount of bending of the bridge deck, are transmitted to the command center in real time.

"This data will become a key basis for the bridge's acceptance inspection. Only by passing the load test can the bridge be opened to traffic," said Yao Sen (姚森).

Moreover, the load test also records the bridge's first "health record." Over years of use, the bridge deck may deform, and the structural stress may undergo significant changes. "The data from the load test will become the original baseline data for the bridge's 'health record.' In the future, during the bridge's operation, comparing the monitoring data with the initial archive data will make it easier to detect and address any slight 'sub-health' signals in a timely manner," said the relevant person in charge of the China Railway Bridge Bureau's Design Branch (中铁大桥局设计分公司).

According to relevant national standards, newly built or significantly reinforced large and extra-large bridges must pass a load test before being opened to traffic.

Specifically, "super bridges" with novel structures and complex stress, such as the G3 Tongling Yangtze River Railway-Highway Bridge (G3铜陵长江公铁大桥), or "major arteries" of urban transportation, such as the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge (常泰长江大桥), or key large bridges on national railway main lines and highway networks that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood, all need to undergo load tests.

Load tests are generally carried out through bidding, selecting qualified and experienced units to design and implement them in accordance with relevant specifications, in order to ensure the authority, effectiveness, and fairness of the "ultimate physical examination."

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Those who unite their will achieve great things.

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 胡泽曦

"That which gets its roots right will flourish; that which follows the right path will succeed." From a dialogue to a mechanism, and then to a spirit, China-Central Asia relations have advanced by leaps and bounds in just a few years. It is quite fitting to explore its journey with this ancient saying.

A dialogue, held in January 2022, marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries. President Xi Jinping (习近平) mentioned at the video summit the need to manage a series of dialogue and cooperation mechanisms between China and the five Central Asian countries, opening a new chapter in history with new explorations.

A mechanism, established in Xi'an (西安) in May 2023, at the first China-Central Asia Summit, where President Xi Jinping (习近平) and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries announced the formal establishment of the China-Central Asia Summit Mechanism.

A spirit, born in the present, in Astana (阿斯塔纳), Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) in midsummer. On June 17 this year, the second China-Central Asia Summit was held as scheduled.

"Mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance, promoting common modernization with high-quality development." Surveying the trends of the times, President Xi Jinping (习近平) first proposed the "China-Central Asia Spirit," which was unanimously supported by the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries. Subsequently, the *Astana Declaration*, written with thousands of expectations, was released, recording the consensus connecting the past and the future: "This spirit should be vigorously promoted to make it the basis for member states to develop friendly relations and promote mutually beneficial cooperation."

In the ever-changing international relations, what is "spirit"? In the strategic deployment of diplomacy, why is "spirit" placed in a prominent position?

To refine the way to get along in the name of "spirit," to precipitate the scouring of history and the vicissitudes of time, to demonstrate common ideals and common dreams, is to see clearly the road that has been traveled in the face of changing times, and to walk well the road underfoot.

(I) Two Words in China's "Diplomatic Dictionary"

Why is Central Asia important?

Spreading out the map, "Central Asia is the center of the Eurasian continent, located at the crossroads connecting east and west, and running through north and south." Looking northwest from China, it is our close neighbor, as close as lips and teeth. Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) alone shares more than 1,700 kilometers of common border with China.

Is it a "strategic asset waiting to be mined and shaped," or a handshake and embrace with a cooperative partner? The relations between different countries and Central Asia present their own distinct imprints.

These days, Astana (阿斯塔纳) has attracted global attention, and many observers are asking: Among the many C5+1 dialogues or mechanisms, why can the China-Central Asia mechanism come from behind and even stand out, and where does the vitality of China-Central Asia cooperation come from?

To answer these questions, we might as well observe from two words in China's "diplomatic dictionary."

One is the word "mutual" (互). The first half of the "China-Central Asia Spirit," "mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance," fully demonstrates the principles of equality, deep trust, and the determination to work together. On the more than 13.6 million square kilometers of land in China and Central Asia, a new historical logic of interaction between major countries and regions is becoming increasingly clear.

President Xi Jinping (习近平) elaborated on these four keywords one by one in his keynote speech at the summit. In fact, every country has gained a real sense of dealing with China. "We interact closely, just like visiting relatives," "There is a Chinese saying 饮水思源 (yǐn shuǐ sī yuán - "when you drink water, think of its source," be grateful for blessings and their origins), we will never forget China's valuable help to us"... Two years ago, on the eve of the Xi'an (西安) summit, when reporters lamented to Kazakh President Tokayev (托卡耶夫) that "it is not easy to be a 'permanent partner' in the face of geopolitical realities," he firmly replied: "I am confident."

The pomegranate tree planted by the heads of the six countries in Xi'an (西安) is like a metaphor, initially new green, and now full of flowers.

This time, the heads of the six countries signed a treaty of permanent good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation, setting a new milestone. It reads: "This treaty shall be valid indefinitely." At a time when the international situation is changing rapidly, the "indefinite" commitment is even more precious.

The other is the word "common" (共), embedded in the second half of the "China-Central Asia Spirit," "promoting common modernization with high-quality development."

Looking back at history, the word "common" runs through the long history of exchanges between China and Central Asia. Twelve years ago, it was in Astana (阿斯塔纳) that President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed the joint construction of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" initiative. Adhering to the principles of joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, the "Belt and Road" has written "common" on roads, bridges, fields, and factories, creating a harvest belt of cooperation in Central Asia.

Common, is a community of destiny, is working together hand in hand. Many people have a deep memory of President Xi Jinping's (习近平) Geneva speech in 2017. At the crossroads of history, in the face of the bullying logic of relying on the strong to bully the weak and the winner takes all, the world asked where to go, and China's answer was unwavering: to build a community of human destiny.

Today, the construction of a community of destiny has formed a mutually reinforcing pattern at the global, regional, and bilateral levels. Central Asian countries are at the forefront, actively responding to the construction of a community of human destiny and the three major global initiatives, and have achieved full coverage of bilateral and regional communities of destiny with China.

"Mutual" and "common" reflect each other, jointly shaping the unique style of China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The former is interpreted in exchanges with all parties, without one party's high-handed bullying or one party's humble humiliation. The latter shows the general trend of sharing weal and woe and working together, abandoning the idea of being the only one to flourish and benefiting oneself at the expense of others, and not engaging in closed and exclusive "small circles." Every choice reflects a grander pattern and mission.

In the face of a turbulent world, the "China-Central Asia Spirit" conveys certainty and stability, and is a determination and confidence to seek development and revitalization through unity and cooperation, and even more so, an intellectual enlightenment in response to the changes of the times.

(II) Reading a Book and Approaching a Major Country

Leaders of Central Asian countries often proactively mention a book when they meet President Xi Jinping (习近平). They share their thoughts and inspirations from studying it, and cannot help but sigh:

"President Xi Jinping's (习近平) experience in governing the country reminds me of the wisdom of Chinese Confucianism";

"As a world-class great statesman with profound strategic vision, and as a pioneer and builder of contemporary China's reforms, you have always actively promoted effective domestic and foreign policies";

…………

This time was no exception. At the bilateral meeting on the morning of the 17th Astana (阿斯塔纳) time, a head of state of a Central Asian country discussed the ideas about reform in the book at the meeting table, and wanted to hear President Xi Jinping (习近平) talk about it in more depth.

This book is *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*.

Studying, thinking, and questioning stem from the common dream marked by the "China-Central Asia Spirit" - "modernization." China and the five Central Asian countries, as developing countries, have always been fellow travelers on the road to modernization.

Dreams are the most moving force. A once poor and weak Eastern country, with everything waiting to be rebuilt, has explored a path of Chinese-style modernization that is different from the West, creating a new form of human civilization. For Central Asian countries that are diligently seeking modernization, they have seen the possibility of a hundred flowers blooming in modernization and drawn confidence in "taking their own path" from tangible and intangible "books."

"Promoting common modernization with high-quality development," the consensus of working together to pursue dreams is condensed into the "China-Central Asia Spirit," giving both sides a more profound development logic and richer historical meaning for mutually beneficial cooperation.

There are a few numbers:

During this summit, China and Central Asian countries reached 110 cooperation consensuses of various types. Economy, science and technology, culture, between ministries and commissions, between provinces and states, between media, a multi-dimensional and three-dimensional cooperation pattern has been built. This shows the scale.

Since the Xi'an (西安) summit, bilateral trade has achieved a substantial increase of 35%. The trade target of 70 billion US dollars established three years ago for 2030 has already been completed ahead of schedule, and last year even set a new historical high of 94.8 billion US dollars in trade. This shows the speed.

And all this happened under the international situation of rising unilateralism and frequent trade frictions, becoming the most convincing narrative of opening up and development with an open mind.

Foreign media have noticed the significance of this summit for multilateralism and the international economic and trade order: the China-Central Asia Trade Smooth Cooperation Platform was unveiled, and the six countries reached an action plan to strengthen economic and trade cooperation; China and Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) signed a new version of the investment protection agreement, and China and Uzbekistan (乌兹别克斯坦) successfully concluded bilateral market access negotiations for Uzbekistan's (乌兹别克斯坦) accession to the WTO... The arduous journey of modernization, is it closed or open, is it cooperation or confrontation, China and the five Central Asian countries have given a choice: "There are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars" "There is no way out for unilateralism and protectionism."

Advance in the logic of historical progress, and develop in the trend of the development of the times. Observing historical progress and seeing the development of the times, there are the most vivid pictures on the "road":

As the "steel camel team" spanning Eurasia, 80% of the China-Europe freight trains pass through Central Asia, highlighting the development potential of the "golden crossroads." The solid advancement of a number of major transportation artery projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (吉尔吉斯斯坦-乌兹别克斯坦) railway, the third cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦), the China-Tajikistan (塔吉克斯坦) highway reconstruction, and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, has helped Central Asia transform from "landlocked" to "land-linked," profoundly reshaping the regional cooperation framework.

Strategic deployment. In the new era, planning and layout for regional development, the large-scale development of the western region is advancing in depth, and the new western land-sea corridor is expanding and extending. Looking west, and then west again, China's domestic unified large market with huge potential is connecting to a series of thoroughfares that cross over mountains.

The wind is strong, and the tide is surging. This may be the strategic vision and era value of jointly building the "Belt and Road."

At this summit, the heads of the six countries jointly witnessed another "first": China signed a cooperation document on jointly building the "Belt and Road" with all countries in a single surrounding region for the first time.

Why firmly choose China? China, an "empowering major country," is sincere and does not attach any conditions, and is pragmatic and down-to-earth. Just as President Xi Jinping (习近平) announced during the summit the establishment of three cooperation centers for poverty reduction, educational exchanges, and desertification prevention within the framework of China-Central Asia cooperation, each field involved is a concern of the Central Asian people, responding to their urgent need to boost their independent development capabilities.

"Amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness," the central conference on work relating to neighboring countries held this spring once again emphasized these four words. The advantage of China-Central Asia cooperation lies in this. From a deeper dimension, what China gives is opportunity, equality, and trust, is to treat each other with sincerity like partners, friends, and brothers, and to achieve long-term success.

Giving, and also harvesting. The confidence to resist headwinds is enhanced in cooperation; the ability to define the future is forged in cooperation.

(III) The Expression of Five Thousand Years of Civilization in the Era

The gestation of the spirit is like a magnificent river converging thousands of streams.

At the video summit in 2022, President Xi Jinping (习近平) condensed and proposed the successful code of China-Central Asia cooperation: "mutual respect, good-neighborly friendship, solidarity in times of difficulty, and mutual benefit and win-win results"; in 2023, at the Xi'an (西安) summit, he put forward "four proposals" on what kind of Central Asia to build from a macro vision, and "four insistences" on how to build a China-Central Asia community of destiny.

Looking at history, human society has always been seeking the way for countries to get along with each other. It is precisely because of the continuous exploration of the development path of China-Central Asia relations at the conceptual level that the "China-Central Asia Spirit" has been proposed today. Past experience, current cooperation, and future vision are cast into a spiritual symbol with historical height.

Looking at it from another angle, this evolutionary process precisely reveals the deep logic of the development of China-Central Asia relations: to lead practical development with conceptual refining, and to consolidate the bond of destiny with spiritual identity.

In the depths of time, the Bandung Spirit, the Tanzam Railway Spirit, the "Four Goods" Spirit, and the Shanghai Spirit have not diminished in brilliance due to the passage of time.

In the new era, the Silk Road Spirit, the BRICS Spirit, the China-Africa Friendship and Cooperation Spirit, the China-Arab Friendship Spirit, the China-Russia Strategic Coordination Spirit, the China-France Diplomatic Relations Spirit, etc., are engraved with the progress and development of China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

These spirits are also the condensation and sublimation of the way to get along, all pointing to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, profoundly shaping the future of international relations and even the global pattern.

The foundation and pattern of a civilizational major country are all in it.

From the Silk Road Spirit, we can deeply appreciate the traditional wisdom of harmony in diversity and harmonious coexistence; from the China-Africa Friendship and Cooperation Spirit, we can clearly understand the value pursuit of "a country does not take profit as profit, but takes righteousness as profit"; from the China-France Diplomatic Relations Spirit's respect for independence and autonomy, we can deeply see the civilization nourishment of "all things grow together without harming each other, and ways run parallel without contradicting each other"... That year, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) explained the "Shanghai Spirit" as follows: "Confucianism advocates 'when the Great Way is followed, all under heaven will be as one family,' and advocates 'harmonizing all nations, working together in harmony, and the whole world as one family.' This concept of 'harmony' has many things in common with the 'Shanghai Spirit.'"

A halo around the moon indicates wind, and moisture on the plinth indicates rain. The direction of a country has its historical regularity and civilizational inevitability.

The refinement and definition of each spirit reflects the major country's worldview, order view, and responsibility view, and in the final analysis, it is also how to treat history and how to recognize oneself. From the perspective of the new era expression of the magnificent five-thousand-year Chinese civilization, we can appreciate the deep meaning of President Xi Jinping's (习近平) words: "The outstanding traditional Chinese culture is the outstanding advantage of the Chinese nation and our deepest cultural soft power."

The mind and responsibility of a responsible major country are all in it.

In the field of diplomacy, the various spirits that China promotes and practices today contain profound reflections on "China to the world, the world to China," and contain profound answers to "where is humanity going."

Openness and inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win results; equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning; upholding justice and safeguarding justice... These concepts are defined in the spirit that China refines in its foreign exchanges, transcending traditional concepts such as civilization conflicts, Cold War thinking, and zero-sum games, and are unified in the beautiful vision of building a community of human destiny. And these are precisely the ideological public goods that this era urgently needs.

"The road of history is not all smooth. Sometimes it reaches a difficult and dangerous situation, and it is only with a strong spirit that it can be overcome."

During his visit to Russia last year, President Xi Jinping (习近平) talked about Chernyshevsky's famous book *What Is to Be Done?*: "The strong will and fighting passion of the protagonist in the book are precisely the spiritual strength we need today."

The waves of the times are turbulent. China, standing bravely at the forefront, never changes its "spirit of solidarity with the world," takes the lead in demonstrating the heart of fairness and justice, and the ambition of mutual benefit and win-win results. What it contributes to the world is nothing less than the spiritual strength necessary to promote historical development.

When more and more countries choose to work with China, it is enough to prove that a China that is striding forward on the right path not only has friends all over the world, but also achieves its long-term success with morality.

The spirit is like a torch, illuminating the way forward; history is like a tide, surging forward.

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Joint Outcomes Statement of the Meeting Between Chinese and New Zealand Leaders

I. At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang (李强) of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand paid an official visit to China from June 17 to 20, 2025.

II. On June 20, President Xi Jinping (习近平) of the People's Republic of China met with Prime Minister Luxon in Beijing (北京). Premier Li Qiang (李强) held talks with Prime Minister Luxon again, one year after their meeting in New Zealand last year. Zhao Leji (赵乐际), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with Prime Minister Luxon. The leaders of the two countries exchanged views on China-New Zealand relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

III. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the 1972 Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and New Zealand. The New Zealand side reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy. Both sides affirmed the continuous expansion of bilateral relations in the 11 years since the establishment of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. Both sides are willing to deepen cooperation, manage differences, and enhance understanding through regular dialogue between leaders, ministers, and officials at all levels, within the bilateral framework and based on their respective national positions, including equality, fairness, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to regular exchanges in the fields of diplomacy, economy and trade, agriculture, consular affairs, law enforcement, defense, Pacific affairs, and human rights.

IV. Both sides welcomed the ongoing cooperation in food safety, customs, agriculture, forestry, climate change, trade and investment facilitation, improving the business environment, and the green economy. Both sides welcomed the progress made in the first round of negotiations on the negative list for trade in services under the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people exchanges in tourism, culture, local government, sports, scientific innovation, and other fields to bilateral relations, and welcomed the recent China-New Zealand Mayors' Forum and the upcoming China-New Zealand second-track dialogue.

V. Both sides affirmed the positive progress made in educational cooperation between the two countries, including the establishment of institutionalized partnerships, and welcomed New Zealand as the guest of honor at the 26th China International Education Annual Conference. Both sides appreciated the measures taken by both countries to promote tourism to each other's countries. The New Zealand side welcomed China's implementation of a visa-free policy for New Zealand citizens. The Chinese side welcomed New Zealand's recent announcement of amendments to visa settings and adjustments to operating procedures to facilitate visa applications. The Chinese side appreciated New Zealand's removal of transit visa requirements for Chinese citizens.

VI. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the Charter of the United Nations and the need to address international and regional issues through strengthened dialogue and consultation. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core. Both sides are jointly committed to cooperation in relevant multilateral and regional platforms such as the United Nations, the WTO, APEC, the East Asia Summit, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the ASEAN-centered architecture. New Zealand supports China in hosting the 2026 APEC meeting and looks forward to its success.

VII. New Zealand attaches importance to China's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and reaffirms that the CPTPP remains open to economies that can meet the "Auckland Principles." New Zealand values the ongoing discussions in the working group on China's accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA).

VIII. Premier Li Qiang (李强) and Prime Minister Luxon welcomed the positive progress made by both sides in strengthening cooperation in areas of common interest, including the signing of the following cooperation documents:

(I) Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the New Zealand Customs Service on Cooperation in International Trade "Single Window"

(II) Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand on Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Export of New Zealand Deer Velvet and Antlers to China

(III) Working Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for Wild Aquatic Products Exported from New Zealand to China

(IV) Export Plan between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand on the Export of Fresh Chinese Pomelos to New Zealand

(V) Cooperation Project on Food Safety Capacity Building between the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand

(VI) Action Plan for Cooperation on Organic Product Certification between the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand 2025-2026

(VII) Agreement on Metrological Science Cooperation between the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China and the Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand

(VIII) Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the New Zealand Customs Service on Enhancing Trade Efficiency between Shanghai and Auckland Airports

(IX) Arrangement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of New Zealand on Climate Change Cooperation

(X) Strategic Cooperation Arrangement between China Media Group and Tourism New Zealand

(XI) Arrangement between the National Cultural Heritage Administration of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage of New Zealand on Strengthening Exchanges and Cooperation in the Field of Cultural Heritage

IX. Prime Minister Luxon expressed his gratitude to the government and people of the People's Republic of China for their warm and friendly reception. The New Zealand side invited Chinese leaders to visit New Zealand at a time convenient to both sides, and the Chinese side expressed its gratitude for this.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), June 20)

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Tightening the Bonds of Shared Values and Close Affinity (Walking Hand in Hand: Elevating the Quality and Upgrading China-Central Asia Cooperation)

By: 本报记者  陈尚文  曲  颂  屈  佩

For two years, China and Central Asian countries have made progress in establishing cultural centers in each other's countries, opening branches of Chinese universities and the Luban Workshops. China and Kazakhstan, and China and Uzbekistan have achieved mutual visa exemptions. Last year alone, personnel exchanges between China and Kazakhstan exceeded 1.2 million. The Tourism Year, Culture Year, and Art Festivals of Central Asian countries are very popular in China. Chinese film and television works such as "Minning Town" and "To the Wonder" have become popular in Central Asia, and the China-Central Asia cultural tourism train has been successfully launched. "Today, we will witness the number of sister cities between China and Central Asia exceeding 100 pairs." On the afternoon of June 17 local time, President Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered a keynote speech at the Second China-Central Asia Summit, vividly depicting the fruitful results of cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia.

More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian (张骞) of the Han Dynasty (汉代) in China was sent to the Western Regions, opening the door to friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia through the ancient Silk Road. Today, China and Central Asian countries, adhering to the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, are strengthening the cultural ties of unity and affinity, and consolidating the public opinion and social foundation for long-term friendly cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

Educational Cooperation Sows Seeds of Friendship for Generations

"Peach Blossom Pool is thousands of feet deep, yet it's not as deep as Wang Lun's (汪伦) affection for me," "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near" ... In the audio-visual classroom of the Kazakh branch of Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学), local students rhythmically chant along with their Chinese teachers, savoring the charm of ancient Chinese poetry.

On July 3, 2024, witnessed by President Xi Jinping (习近平) and Kazakh President Tokayev (托卡耶夫), the Kazakh branch of Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学) was officially inaugurated, becoming the first overseas branch established by a Chinese university in a Central Asian country with Chinese education as its core. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the branch offered three core courses: Chinese, Chinese Reading and Writing, and Ancient Poetry Culture, cultivating nearly 100 local Kazakh Chinese preparatory students.

"Chinese is becoming more and more popular around the world. I hope to become a translator, an international relations expert, or a Chinese education worker." As the end of the preparatory stage approaches, 19-year-old Kazakh student Bejina Mukhtarkyzy (贝吉娜·穆赫塔尔克孜) is full of anticipation for the future. It is reported that the Kazakh branch of Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学) will open two undergraduate majors in International Chinese Education and Chinese Translation this autumn, and will begin enrolling master's students. Mukhtarkyzy told reporters that she is preparing the relevant application materials for the branch's undergraduate programs.

"Language is the bridge for communication between hearts." Saule Koshanova (萨乌列·科莎诺娃), the Kazakh Dean of the Kazakh branch of Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学), told reporters that the branch will not only serve Kazakhstan, but also plans to open its doors to students from all Central Asian countries. "We hope to cultivate more Chinese professionals, sow the seeds of friendship for generations, and deepen practical cooperation between Central Asian countries and China."

Language is the bridge, and skills are the foundation. At the 2024 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference, Davlatov Abdurmannon (达夫拉托夫·阿卜杜尔曼农), a student from the Tajikistan Luban Workshop, and three other students formed a team and won the silver medal in the final of the "Urban Gas Pipeline Installation and Leakage Detection" project. "As the Tajik proverb says: 'Knowledge is like a spring in the desert, which can give travelers a new life.' Through learning in the Luban Workshop, I have touched the pulse of Chinese manufacturing, learned a real skill, and witnessed vocational education become a link connecting Tajik-Chinese friendship," said Abdurmannon.

As the first Luban Workshop in Central Asia, the Tajikistan Luban Workshop has provided learning and practical training opportunities for more than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students since it started operating in November 2022. Currently, Luban Workshops have been established in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and the construction of the Turkmenistan Luban Workshop is progressing in an orderly manner.

Local Cooperation Gathers Strength for People-to-People Friendship

Local cooperation is an important part of practical cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. During this Astana Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries witnessed the signing of several sister city agreements, bringing the number of sister cities between China and Central Asian countries to over 100 pairs.

From June 1 to 2, the Second China-Uzbekistan Local Cooperation Forum was held in Uzbekistan. Many Chinese provinces and cities and relevant regions of Uzbekistan carried out extensive cooperation and signed agreements, covering the establishment of friendly provinces and states, city relations, as well as cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation.

During the period, the China-Uzbekistan cultural exchange performance was held in Samarkand. Shaanxi (陕西) Province, China, brought programs with local characteristics. The opening dance "Shaanbei Yangko" (陕北大秧歌) reproduced the welcoming scene of the first China-Central Asia Summit with its passionate dance, and "Qinqiang Opera Highlights" (秦腔荟萃) showed the majestic spirit of the Loess Plateau. Uzbek folk songs "Yearning for a Lover · Mustahzod" and the dance "Andijan Dance" conveyed people's love for a better life and their enthusiasm for distant guests.

In April last year, the "Ten Thousand Miles Journey, Heart Escort" rehabilitation ceremony for children with congenital heart disease in Kyrgyzstan was held at the Henan Provincial Chest Hospital (河南省胸科医院). Nine children with congenital heart disease from poor families in Kyrgyzstan successfully completed surgery and post-operative rehabilitation. Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Baysalov (拜萨洛夫) sent a special letter to express his gratitude. "Through health cooperation, sick children have the opportunity to receive treatment in China. The happiness and hope on their faces are deeply moving," said Aktilek Musayeva (阿克提列克·穆萨耶娃), the Kyrgyz Ambassador to China.

Shandong Province (山东省) recently held a series of activities for the 2025 Shandong International Sister Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week. Young students from many Central Asian countries and youth representatives from other countries gathered in Zibo (淄博) to experience cultural activities such as calligraphy and intangible cultural heritage handicrafts. Tajik youth Shiruzi (施鲁资) said that after studying and living in Shandong (山东) for eight years, he truly felt the profound cultural heritage of the Qilu land. In Shiruzi's (施鲁资) view, China is vast and rich in resources, and the people are warm and friendly. He looks forward to more young people from Central Asian countries coming to China to study and live in the future.

Tourism Cooperation Enhances Mutual Understanding

On May 31, a train adorned with the theme of "Silk Road Golden Bridge" and carrying more than 200 Chinese tourists slowly entered the platform of Almaty Railway Station (阿拉木图火车站) in Kazakhstan. This was the first departure of the China-Central Asia cultural tourism train (Xi'an-Almaty section).

The welcoming crowd sang and danced. Li Guoyi (李国屹), a high school student from the Affiliated High School of Shaanxi Normal University (陕西师范大学附属中学), came to Kazakhstan for the first time. He said, "Traveling abroad by train is a special experience." During the journey, he and his companions enjoyed the magnificent natural scenery and experienced intangible cultural heritage activities. After the train arrived in Kazakhstan, with the opening of the Xi'an-Almaty Cultural Tourism Exchange Week, Li Guoyi's (李国屹) school football team played a five-a-side friendly match with Kazakh football teenagers. Everyone also visited cultural bazaars and viewed cultural and archaeological exchange exhibitions. "This immersive cultural experience is far more vivid than the knowledge in books," said Li Guoyi (李国屹).

This year is the "China Tourism Year" in Kazakhstan. Since the implementation of the mutual visa exemption agreement between China and Kazakhstan at the end of 2023, the popularity of two-way tourism between the two countries has increased. Starting from the Khorgos Port (霍尔果斯口岸) and traveling along the China-Kazakhstan section of the "Western China-Western Europe" highway, it takes only more than 4 hours to reach Almaty (阿拉木图). "Eating nang bread in Khorgos (霍尔果斯) in the morning and drinking milk tea in Almaty (阿拉木图) at noon" has now become a reality.

On June 1, the mutual visa exemption agreement between Uzbekistan and China officially came into effect, becoming another Central Asian country to have mutual visa exemptions with China after Kazakhstan. Rustam Alipov (鲁斯塔姆·阿里波夫), a reporter from Uzbekistan's Fergana Truth (费尔干纳真理报), is very optimistic about the potential for tourism cooperation between the two countries, believing that the visa-free policy can make it easier for tourists from both countries to understand each other.

Ctrip platform data shows that the number of travel orders from mainland Chinese tourists to Central Asian countries has increased by 74% since the beginning of this year. At the same time, the popularity of Central Asian tourists traveling to China continues to rise, with inbound travel orders increasing by 106% year-on-year. At present, cities such as Urumqi (乌鲁木齐), Beijing (北京), Xi'an (西安), and Chengdu (成都) have opened direct flights to Central Asia, making travel more convenient. Central Asian countries are also accelerating the promotion of Chinese signage, mobile payment and other services to further enhance their reception capacity for Chinese tourists. Daniel Serzhan (丹尼尔·赛尔江), Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhstan Tourism National Company, said that tourism has become an important link for cooperation between Central Asian countries and China, and cultural exchanges have made us, who are geographically close, more understanding and friendly.

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Realizing Development Dreams, Leading Generations to Friendship (Harmony Voice)

At the second China-Central Asia Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed the "China-Central Asia Spirit" of "mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance, and promoting common modernization with high-quality development." This spirit is rooted in the common concepts and values ​​formed by the six countries in long-term cooperation, demonstrating the firm will of the six countries to follow the wishes of good-neighborliness, strengthen the foundation of trust, gather the strength of unity, and take mutual assistance actions, providing guidance and compliance for the two sides to be friendly from generation to generation and jointly build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The "China-Central Asia Spirit" is based on the long-term cooperation practice between the two sides and has profound historical and realistic logic. The "China-Central Asia Spirit" is interpreted in the firm mutual support and mutual respect between China and Central Asian countries on issues involving each other's core interests and development paths over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, marked in the "three full coverage" of China's comprehensive strategic partnership with the five Central Asian countries, partners in jointly building the "Belt and Road," and bilateral and regional communities with a shared future, and also demonstrated in the current all-round cooperation among the six countries under the traction of the China-Central Asia mechanism. Based on practice, the extraction of the "China-Central Asia Spirit" is not only a summary of experience and sublimation of concepts for the cause of win-win cooperation and common development between the two sides, but also indicates the firm determination to continue cooperation and embark on a new journey.

The "China-Central Asia Spirit" refines the successful code of cooperation between the two sides and provides important guidance for the two sides to be friendly from generation to generation and help each other. President Xi Jinping (习近平) incisively summarized the core meaning of this spirit, that is, to adhere to mutual respect and equal treatment; to adhere to deepening mutual trust and responding in the same voice; to adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results and common development; to adhere to helping each other and sharing weal and woe. These "four adherences" reflect the principles upheld by China and Central Asian countries in their exchanges and cooperation, demonstrating equal status and common will. With the "China-Central Asia Spirit" as a guide, the spiritual cohesion and ideological centripetal force of China-Central Asia cooperation will continue to increase, and the six countries will surely take a more progressive attitude and more pragmatic measures to go further on the road of cooperation.

The "China-Central Asia Spirit" embodies the common development dreams of the six countries and clarifies the direction of China-Central Asia cooperation. China and the five Central Asian countries are all developing countries, and modernization is the common dream of the six countries. "Promoting common modernization with high-quality development" is a common theme of the current all-round cooperation between China and Central Asia. With the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" as the main line, mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between the six countries has been continuously promoted, forming a pragmatic, efficient, and deeply integrated cooperation pattern. At this summit, the six countries reached 110 cooperation consensuses of various types, and a series of pragmatic measures demonstrated China's determination and sincerity to work with Central Asian countries to promote modernization, injecting strong impetus into the six countries to carry forward the "China-Central Asia Spirit" and achieve each other on the road of development and revitalization.

At present, the once-in-a-century changes are accelerating, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. History cannot go backwards, it should move forward; the world cannot be divided, it should be united; mankind cannot return to the law of the jungle, it should build a community with a shared future for mankind. China-Central Asia cooperation is an important part of South-South cooperation. The "China-Central Asia Spirit" embodies the original aspiration of unity, demonstrates the will to forge ahead, and demonstrates the awareness of a community with a shared future, conveying the cooperative concept of mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness, and mutual benefit and win-win results, which is of great significance for responding to the changes of the times and promoting greater international cooperation, and will inject more stability and certainty into world peace and development.

Guided by the "China-Central Asia Spirit," China and Central Asian countries will continue to stand firmly on the right side of history, on the side of human progress, jointly protect peace, jointly seek development, jointly promote progress, and jointly uphold justice, build a good China-Central Asia common home, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

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Li Qiang Holds Talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th (新华社北京6月20日电) Premier of the State Council Li Qiang (李强) held talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (拉克森), who is in China for an official visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (北京人民大会堂) on the afternoon of June 20th.

Li Qiang (李强) stated that, facing the current international situation characterized by change and turmoil, it is of great significance for China and New Zealand to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. This morning, President Xi Jinping (习近平) held a meeting with the Prime Minister, pointing out the direction for the development of bilateral relations in the next stage. China is willing to work with New Zealand to promote traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, better promote the common development of the two countries, and benefit the people of both countries more.

Li Qiang (李强) pointed out that the Chinese and New Zealand economies are highly complementary. China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with New Zealand, explore more convergence of interests, promote the improvement of quality and efficiency of cooperation in various fields, and achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results. The two sides should further expand the scale of trade, jointly fulfill the tariff reduction commitments of the free trade agreement, accelerate the negotiation of a negative list for trade in services, and continuously promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. It is necessary to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy vehicles, industrial green and low-carbon development, digital technology applications, and digital product services, comprehensively and with high quality implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and better promote regional economic integration. China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural and food products from New Zealand and will continue to encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in New Zealand, hoping that New Zealand will provide a fair and open business environment for Chinese enterprises operating in New Zealand. China welcomes New Zealand to be the guest of honor at the China International Education Annual Conference in 2025 and is willing to deepen exchanges with New Zealand in education, tourism, think tanks, local areas, etc., to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the people of the two countries. Currently, the global economic and trade landscape is undergoing profound changes and adjustments. China is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with New Zealand within the framework of the United Nations (联合国), the World Trade Organization (世贸组织), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (亚太经合组织), etc., to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading system and create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory international economic cooperation environment, injecting more stability and certainty into the turbulent world.

Luxon (拉克森) said that the relationship between New Zealand and China has a long history, is increasingly mature, and has always been based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. At present, the development of bilateral relations is good, economic and trade cooperation is full of vitality, and cultural exchanges are increasingly close. New Zealand adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade, agriculture, tourism, education, and other fields to promote common development. The current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and it is particularly important for New Zealand and China to strengthen dialogue and cooperation. New Zealand is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in areas such as addressing climate change and green development, and jointly commit to maintaining international order and promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

After the talks, the prime ministers of the two countries jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in customs, food safety, organic product certification, climate change, cultural heritage, and other fields.

Before the talks, Li Qiang (李强) held a welcome ceremony for Luxon (拉克森) in the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People (人民大会堂北大厅).

The two sides jointly issued the "Joint Outcomes Statement of the China-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting" (《中国—新西兰领导人会晤联合成果声明》).

Wu Zhenglong (吴政隆) participated in the above activities.

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Ding Xuexiang Attends and Addresses the Plenary Session of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

St. Petersburg, Xinhua News Agency, June 20 (Reporters Hu Xiaoguang (胡晓光) and Zhao Bochao (赵博超)) Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the plenary session of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on the 20th and delivered a speech entitled "Promoting the Common Values of All Mankind and Promoting the Development of a Multipolar World."

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said in his speech that 10 years ago, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed in his important speech at the General Debate of the 70th United Nations General Assembly that peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all mankind and the lofty goals of the United Nations. This important assertion transcends the differences between different countries, different ethnic groups, different social systems, and ideologies, draws a concentric circle of values for building a community with a shared future for mankind, and has received widespread support and positive responses from the international community. At present, the world's century-old changes are accelerating, multiple risks are intertwined and superimposed, and mankind faces many common challenges. We must revisit President Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, adhere to and promote the common values of all mankind, work together to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization, and promote the world towards a bright future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) put forward four suggestions. First, adhere to the global governance concept of consultation, joint construction, and sharing, actively promote equality of rights, equality of opportunity, and equality of rules among countries, and safeguard the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice. Second, adhere to jointly building an open and diversified world economy, defend the multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order with practical actions, make the "cake" of economic globalization bigger and better distributed, and create more development opportunities for countries in the Global South. Third, adhere to exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, respect the diversity of human civilization, respect the exploration of different countries' people on the path to value realization, and oppose any form of "new cold war" and ideological confrontation. Fourth, adhere to safeguarding world peace and development, increase mutual trust through dialogue, resolve disputes through dialogue, promote security through dialogue, let the flame of peace be passed down from generation to generation, and jointly move towards lasting peace and common prosperity.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said that China and Russia are true friends who have been tempered and good partners who have achieved each other. Last month, President Xi Jinping (习近平) paid a state visit to Russia and attended the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Great Patriotic War. The two heads of state unanimously agreed to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen strategic coordination, and jointly send out the voice of safeguarding the achievements of World War II and international fairness and justice. China is willing to work with Russia to comprehensively enhance the height, dimension, and resilience of China-Russia relations, expand high-quality mutually beneficial cooperation, and better benefit the people of the two countries. We will strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral platforms to make greater contributions to building a more just, reasonable, and prosperous multipolar world.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) said that despite the increasing impact of external shocks, the Chinese economy is still showing a positive trend, demonstrating strong vitality and resilience to the world. China will step up the implementation of more proactive and effective macro policies, focus on stabilizing employment, stabilizing enterprises, stabilizing the market, and stabilizing expectations, and respond to the drastic changes in the external environment with the certainty of high-quality development. No matter how the external environment changes, China's door to the outside world will only open wider and wider. We sincerely welcome companies from all countries to invest and do business in China, actively participate in the Chinese path to modernization, and share China's development opportunities.

During the interactive session after the speech, Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) answered questions from the host of the plenary session on major-country relations, China-Russia education, science and technology cooperation, and other topics.

During the meeting, Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) also held meetings with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Manturov (曼图罗夫), Deputy Prime Minister Novak (诺瓦克), Rosneft CEO Sechin (谢钦), and Gazprom CEO Miller (米勒). The two sides agreed to give full play to the China-Russia Investment and Energy Cooperation Committee and the Energy Business Forum to promote high-quality development of investment and energy cooperation and provide more impetus for the development of bilateral relations.

Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥) also had brief and friendly exchanges with Indonesian President Prabowo (普拉博沃), Bahraini National Security Advisor Prince Nasser (纳赛尔), and South African Deputy President Mashatile (马沙蒂莱).

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It is imperative to promote the easing of tensions in the Middle East (Zhong Sheng)

In recent days, tensions in the Middle East have continued, and the international community is deeply concerned about the possibility of the situation spiraling out of control. On June 19, President Xi Jinping (习近平) spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin (普京) by telephone, emphasizing that promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority, ensuring the safety of civilians is of paramount importance, initiating dialogue and negotiations is the fundamental way out, and the international community's efforts to promote peace are indispensable. These four points take into account both the present and the long term, reflect the mainstream consensus of the international community, and fully demonstrate China's responsible commitment to playing a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East.

The current critical situation in the Middle East once again confirms that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. If the conflict further escalates, not only will both sides of the conflict suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also be deeply affected. The Middle East cannot remain in the shadow of conflict forever, and the security deficit in the Middle East should not be indefinitely aggravated. All parties should jointly prioritize peace and make active efforts to de-escalate the situation.

To promote the easing of the situation, the urgent task is a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. The use of force is not the right way to resolve international disputes, it will only exacerbate hatred and conflict. The international community is generally concerned that if the current conflict persists and expands, it may trigger a chain reaction in the region and push the Middle East into an "extremely dangerous unknown situation." The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating in turn and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war. The sooner a ceasefire is achieved, the smaller the losses will be.

To promote the easing of the situation, ensuring the safety of civilians is of paramount importance. At no time should the red line of protecting civilians in military conflicts be crossed, and the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable. In this round of conflict, the destruction caused by intensive military operations has far exceeded military targets, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties and severely damaging a large number of civilian facilities. The parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international law, resolutely avoid harming innocent civilians, and provide convenience for the evacuation of citizens of third countries.

To promote the easing of the situation, the fundamental way out is to start dialogue and negotiations. This round of conflict has interrupted the hard-won indirect negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue, and attacking Iranian nuclear facilities has set a dangerous precedent that could have catastrophic consequences. Communication and dialogue are the right path to achieving lasting peace. It is necessary to firmly adhere to the general direction of a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and insist on promoting the return of the Iranian nuclear issue to the track of political settlement through dialogue and negotiation. Iran should continue to adhere to its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, and all parties should fully respect Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy as a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

To promote the easing of the situation, the international community's efforts to promote peace are indispensable. The conflict has led to high tensions in the Middle East and has also had a serious impact on global security. The international community, especially regional countries, should further strengthen synergy, uphold justice, and form an international momentum against war, advocating peace, and promoting political solutions. Twenty-one Arab and Islamic countries issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, the resumption of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue, and the maintenance of lasting peace in the region, which is very timely and necessary for de-escalating the situation. Major countries with special influence on the parties to the conflict should make efforts to de-escalate the situation, rather than "taking sides" and engaging in "military coercion" and "maximum pressure." The Security Council should make good use of all the means conferred by the Charter to ensure that the relevant resolutions of the Security Council are implemented and play its due role in maintaining regional peace and security.

If the Middle East is unstable, the world will be uneasy. At this critical moment, the international community should further build consensus, take more concerted action, and make every effort to promote peace and talks, and make unremitting efforts to achieve peace. China will further maintain communication and coordination with all parties and play a constructive role in promoting the cessation of hostilities and restoring peace in the Middle East on platforms such as the United Nations.

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Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Visit China

The People's Daily, Beijing, June 20th (Reporter Han Xiaoming (韩晓明)) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson announced on the 20th: At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang (李强), Prime Minister Huang Xuncai (黄循财) of Singapore will pay an official visit to China from June 22nd to 26th.

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Thai Parliament Speaker and House Speaker to Visit China

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th. At the invitation of Zhao Leji (赵乐际), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Wan Noor (万诺), Speaker of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, will lead a delegation to visit China from June 22nd to 28th.

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China's Representative Speaks on Behalf of the Group of Friends of the Right to Development at the Human Rights Council, Promoting Dialogue and Cooperation on Human Rights

This report Berlin, June 19th (Reporter Xu Xin (徐馨)) Geneva News: Chen Xu (陈旭), Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland, spoke on June 17th at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of the Group of Friends of Dialogue and Cooperation to Promote Human Rights, calling on international human rights mechanisms to adhere to the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-politicization, and non-selectivity, and to safeguard their own image and credibility. The joint statement received broad support from developing countries, and many countries actively echoed it in their statements.

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Publicly Announcing the Issue of Wei Chuanshi and Others Violating the Eight-Point Regulation Spirit by Illegally Eating and Drinking

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th (北京) -- Recently, the special working group at the central level for in-depth implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation and the General Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) issued a notice regarding the problem of WeI Shuanshi (魏栓师), a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Committee of the People's Congress of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区), a cadre at the level of Director-General of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Autonomous Region (自治区国资委), and others, for violating regulations on eating and drinking and seriously violating the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation.

An investigation revealed that on May 6th, Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) accompanied his relatives to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College of Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology (内蒙古科技大学包头医学院二附院) for medical treatment. Subsequently, he, Wang Qiufeng (王秋枫), the former Party Secretary of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Guo Jun (郭俊), the director of the interventional department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, met with He Yuxi (贺玉玺), the former director of the radiology department of the Fourth Hospital of Baotou City (包头市第四医院) (retired, planning to be rehired to work in the interventional department of the Second Affiliated Hospital), in He Yuxi's (贺玉玺) office at the Second Affiliated Hospital to reminisce. He Yuxi (贺玉玺) proposed a dinner on May 7th, and Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) said that he would prepare the alcohol and pay for the meal. On the evening of May 7th, Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师), He Yuxi (贺玉玺), Guo Jun (郭俊), Wang Qiufeng (王秋枫), Shi Jihai (石继海), a cadre at the level of director of Baotou Medical College (包头医学院), Li Zhanshan (栗占山), the Party Secretary and Director of the Baoshen Railway Public Security Bureau of the Baotou Public Security Bureau (包头市公安局包神铁路公安分局), Jiang Zhenyu (江振宇), the deputy director of the gastroenterology department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and others had dinner at a hotel in Baotou City (包头市). That evening, Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) brought his own liquor. Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师), Guo Jun (郭俊), Wang Qiufeng (王秋枫), Jiang Zhenyu (江振宇), and others drank liquor, while He Yuxi (贺玉玺), Shi Jihai (石继海), and Li Zhanshan (栗占山) did not drink. The meal was paid for by a private business owner arranged by Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师). After the dinner, Wang Qiufeng (王秋枫) organized Guo Jun (郭俊) and Jiang Zhenyu (江振宇) to continue the gathering and drink at a barbecue restaurant near her home. At about 6:00 a.m. on May 8th, Guo Jun (郭俊) died at home. After learning of Guo Jun's (郭俊) death, Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) and others discussed jointly funding a private settlement with Guo Jun's (郭俊) family. Due to a large disagreement in the amount, Guo Jun's (郭俊) family threatened to report the matter. On May 15th, Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) proactively reported the relevant situation to the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Autonomous Region (自治区纪委监委).

After the problem occurred, the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区纪委监委) organized an investigation and gave disciplinary actions to the relevant responsible persons. Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师) should have been given the punishment of removal from Party posts and demotion in administrative positions, but because it was discovered that he was also suspected of other serious violations of discipline and law, he has been placed on file for investigation and has been subjected to detention measures, which will be dealt with together. He Yuxi (贺玉玺) should have been given the punishment of demotion in administrative positions, but given that he has retired, his retirement benefits will be adjusted according to the sixth level of professional and technical posts. Wang Qiufeng (王秋枫), Shi Jihai (石继海), and Jiang Zhenyu (江振宇) were given a serious warning within the Party. Li Zhanshan (栗占山) was given a warning within the Party. Wang Zhanli (王占黎), the Party Secretary of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College (包头医学院二附院), failed to fulfill his primary responsibility for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, and Yun Ying (云鹰), a member of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, failed to fulfill his supervisory responsibility. Both were given admonishment treatment.

Wei Shuanshi (魏栓师), as a leading Party member cadre at the director-general level, took the lead in violating regulations by gathering for meals and drinking, and took the lead in violating the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation during the in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation, causing serious consequences and adverse effects. The cadres involved participated in study and education on one hand and accepted illegal banquets on the other, turning a blind eye to the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation. This is a typical case of disregarding discipline and law and violating regulations against the trend, which is extremely serious in nature and a painful lesson. This shows that some Party members and cadres, even leading cadres, have extremely weak political awareness and discipline and legal concepts, are extremely unclear about the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and do not pay special attention to the special and important responsibilities borne by leading cadres in the construction of Party conduct and clean governance. They still cannot change their "eating" habits and cannot quit their drinking addiction under high pressure. This reflects that the unhealthy trend of eating and drinking is deeply rooted in some places and units, and the prohibition of illegal eating and drinking has not been completely eliminated. It reflects that some places and units are not strict and practical in promoting study and education, and do not care about or pay attention to the requirements for centralized rectification of illegal eating and drinking. It reflects that some places and units lack the primary responsibility for implementing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and the supervisory responsibility is absent, and a strict atmosphere has not been truly formed. It is necessary to take real action and hard measures to correct the stubborn disease of illegal eating and drinking.

Currently, study and education is at a critical juncture. Party organizations at all levels must resolutely shoulder their primary responsibilities, continuously promote learning, investigation, and rectification in an integrated manner, and promote the deepening and solid implementation of study and education. It is necessary to conscientiously implement the Party Central Committee's requirements for centralized rectification of illegal eating and drinking, adhere to learning from cases, guide Party members and cadres to put themselves in the position, conduct self-examination and reflection in light of the cases, recognize the essence and harm of illegal eating and drinking, and grasp the boundaries between public and private. It is necessary to focus on the key tasks of centralized rectification of illegal eating and drinking, and severely investigate and deal with those who violate discipline against the trend in accordance with regulations and discipline. It is necessary to consolidate the responsibility for promoting reform and governance through cases, strengthen warning through cases, and increase the efforts to investigate and treat both corruption and misconduct. It is necessary to distinguish between normal catering consumption and illegal eating and drinking, and avoid adding layers of restrictions, simplification, and a **“一刀切”** (yī dāo qiē - "one knife cut," a one-size-fits-all approach), to prevent deviations and changes. Party-member leading cadres must lead by example and set an example from above, taking the lead in resisting the unhealthy trend of illegal eating and drinking. Guidance groups and supervisory groups should play the role of "sharp swords" and strengthen guidance and supervision over the centralized rectification of prominent problems such as illegal eating and drinking.

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Easing the Burden at the Grassroots Level and Boosting Enthusiasm for Work (Rectifying Formalism to Reduce Burdens at the Grassroots Level)

By: 本报记者  颜  珂

How is the flood season flood prevention preparation work being done? Not long ago, a special inspection was carried out in Jiahe County (嘉禾县), Chenzhou City (郴州市), Hunan Province (湖南省).

"After the inspection plan reported at the beginning of the year was approved, the coding was just completed the day before yesterday." Chen Yuehui (陈跃辉), director of the Jiahe County Party Committee Supervision Office (嘉禾县委督查室), opened the Hunan Province Disturbance-Free Supervision System (湖南省无扰督查系统) to show the approval process and inspection content. "Now, all kinds of supervision matters are subject to annual list management, and inspections shall not be carried out for matters not included in the plan and record-keeping list."

Since 2024, Hunan (湖南) has been promoting disturbance-free supervision throughout the province. No supervision without a plan, no supervision without procedures, and no supervision without problems are the "hard and fast rules" drawn by disturbance-free supervision.

At 3:00 p.m., without prior notice or accompaniment, Chen Yuehui (陈跃辉) and Hu Guojun (胡国军), head of the Water, Drought, and Geological Disaster Section of the Jiahe County Emergency Management Bureau (嘉禾县应急管理局水旱地灾股), walked into the village office of Dafangyuan Village (大方元村), Longtan Town (龙潭镇), Jiahe County (嘉禾县).

The first thing was to show the code. Chen Yuehui (陈跃辉) explained the purpose and opened the QR code in the disturbance-free supervision mini-program. Peng Wenqing (彭文清), secretary of the village Party branch, took out his mobile phone to scan the code. The items and contents of this special inspection were fully displayed on the mobile phone.

In the past, Dafangyuan Village (大方元村) was a key village for inspection, examination, and assessment. "At most, there were four or five times a week. Now, there have only been two times from April to now," said Peng Wenqing (彭文清).

All supervisions must be reviewed, and no supervision without a code solves the troublesome problem of grassroots cadres being exhausted from dealing with inspections, examinations, and assessments. Hunan Province (湖南省) uses the disturbance-free supervision system to break down data barriers, so that supervision results can be shared and mutually recognized, solving the problems of high frequency, excessive traces, and multiple reports in inspections, examinations, and assessments. In 2024, the number of provincial-level inspections, examinations, and assessments in Hunan (湖南) decreased by 62.4% year-on-year, and the number at the city and state level decreased by 59.8%.

The preparation of emergency supplies is one of the key points of this inspection. Peng Wenqing (彭文清) led the inspection team directly to the material reserve room. Food, drinking water, emergency power supplies, explosion-proof headlights... the inspection team checked them one by one.

Then, the inspection team rushed to the Longtan Town (龙潭镇) government and went straight to the material reserve point. After watching the scene, the inspection team put forward several suggestions: the material reserves are complete, but they should be sorted and organized for easy use when needed; it is recommended to try out some unopened equipment to ensure that it can be used in an emergency.

Instead of checking unnecessary materials, records and minutes without clues, and supporting measures without regulations, the focus is on going directly to the site to see the actual effect. Hunan (湖南) has defined a "negative list" for disturbance-free supervision to strictly prevent formalism such as excessive trace retention.

In the past, Dafangyuan Village (大方元村) had to use more than a dozen packs of A4 printing paper a year, and the task of data ledgers made village cadres physically and mentally exhausted. "In the past, the focus was on looking at materials and ledgers, as if the work effect was reflected in the 'books'. Now, we look at the scene and the effect, which is solid," said Peng Wenqing (彭文清).

There are many geological disaster hidden danger points in Yuanjia Town (袁家镇), Jiahe County (嘉禾县). Among the winding mountain roads, the inspection team walked into a geological disaster hidden danger point in Xingcun Village (行村村), Yuanjia Town (袁家镇). Hu Guojun (胡国军) said: "Last year, a landslide occurred, fortunately the villagers were evacuated in time. This place has been designated as a relocation area, and we came here specifically to see if the closure is in place."

At the scene, warning lines and warning signs blocked the road to the closed area. After repeatedly confirming that no villagers had returned to live there, the inspection team urged the accompanying village cadres: "We must do a good job in the work of the villagers to ensure that the closure is in place."

How to ensure the implementation of work when strictly controlling the number of inspections? In early May of this year, Jiahe County (嘉禾县) had a heavy rainfall. Hu Guojun (胡国军) once found that the warning sign was blown down by the wind and immediately notified the town and village by phone. "The key is to solve problems together with the grassroots," said Hu Guojun (胡国军).

In two days, 3 townships, after on-site inspections, it is also necessary to do a good job in the "second half of the article": through the disturbance-free supervision system, assign problems, track rectification, feedback evaluation, upload reports... the entire process of supervision matters is realized in the system closed-loop management.

Returning from the geological disaster hidden danger point in Xingcun Village (行村村), Yuanjia Town (袁家镇), you can see the pepper trees that were just planted last year along the way. The cadres in the town said as they walked: "Now, grassroots cadres have more time to plan development and serve the masses. More than 2,000 mu of pepper trees have been planted in the town, and we want to blaze a new trail in green transformation!"

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Deepen practical cooperation and achieve win-win development.

By: 本报记者  朱思雄 叶传增

On June 19th, the 9th China-South Asia Expo, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) and the People's Government of Yunnan Province (云南省人民政府), opened in Kunming (昆明市), Yunnan Province (云南省). This year's South Asia Expo continues the theme of "Unity and Cooperation, Seeking Common Development," with the participation of 73 countries, regions, and international organizations, and over 2,500 exhibiting companies, covering all countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

"Compared to previous years, this year's South Asia Expo has significantly expanded in scale," said Li Chaowei (李朝伟), Director of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province (云南省商务厅). Among the exhibiting companies, there are more than 120 well-known enterprises and leading enterprises in the industry, including Fortune Global 500 and China 500 companies, an increase of 36% compared to the previous session.

Sri Lankan black tea and spices, Pakistani wooden furniture, Afghan handmade carpets... Walking into the South Asia Pavilion, distinctive exhibits come into view, and nearly 800 booths allow visitors to experience the cultural customs of South Asian countries in one stop.

As the theme country of this year's South Asia Expo, Sri Lanka's 360-square-meter immersive exhibition area has attracted attention. The exhibition area has areas for Ceylon black tea tasting, 3D experience of world heritage sites, and gem processing observation, bringing an immersive viewing experience to the audience. "This is my fifth time participating in the South Asia Expo. I brought our country's unique handicrafts, spices, etc. I hope Chinese friends like them," said Anura Perera (阿努拉·佩雷拉), a Sri Lankan exhibitor.

This year's South Asia Expo has set up 11 professional pavilions, including the Manufacturing Pavilion, Green Energy Pavilion, Coffee Industry Pavilion, and Travel and Residence in Yunnan Pavilion, focusing on displaying advanced manufacturing, clean energy, modern agriculture, travel, residence, and health care with economic and trade cooperation potential between China and South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

As a highlight of this South Asia Expo, the Travel and Residence in Yunnan Pavilion, established for the first time, takes "There is a kind of life called Yunnan·Travel and Residence in Yunnan" as its theme, creating a new model of livable, travelable, and healthy residence. The Coffee Industry Pavilion, as the "only single-product professional pavilion," takes "Chinese Coffee in Yunnan" as its theme, presenting the entire coffee industry chain ecology in all directions. "We have established long-term cooperative relationships with more than 600 coffee shops in China, and our products are exported to Singapore, Australia, and other countries. In 2024, the foreign trade export volume exceeded 20 million yuan," said Gao Jie (高洁), head of Gaosheng Coffee Manor (高晟咖啡庄园) in Baoshan City (保山市), Yunnan Province (云南省). She hopes to use the South Asia Expo platform to promote the Baoshan small-grain coffee brand, broaden market channels, and establish cooperation with more domestic and foreign coffee companies.

In the Manufacturing Pavilion, Yuntianhua Group (云天化集团) exhibited LDK high-performance glass fiber. By scanning the code with a mobile phone, you can get detailed product parameters and application scenarios with one click. In the Chinese Medicinal Materials Industry Pavilion, the intelligent non-invasive electroacupuncture device developed by Yunnan Baiyao Group (云南白药集团) can achieve painless acupuncture without breaking the skin. In the Boutique Lifestyle Pavilion, the multilingual AI transparent screen launched by iFlytek Co., Ltd. (科大讯飞股份有限公司) can provide window intelligent translation and has broad application prospects in public service windows such as airports and hotels. Strolling through the pavilions, the exhibits with both "technological sense" and "experience" are dazzling.

In addition, nearly 40 professional economic and trade activities such as the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum and the "Invest in China·Invest in Yunnan" series of activities will be held during the exhibition. A series of cultural exchange activities such as the "Yunnan Province International Friendship City Cooperation Week" and the "Silk Road Yunnan Fashion·South Asia Expo Fashion Week" will also be held simultaneously.

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Inherit the Red Gene, Compose a New Chapter of Entrepreneurship

By: 本报记者 刘军国

A small red boat witnessed the initial spark, and a century of trials and tribulations has strengthened the original aspiration.

In 2005, when Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) was working in Zhejiang (浙江), he summarized the "Red Boat Spirit" as "the pioneering spirit of initiating heaven and earth and daring to be the first, the fighting spirit of firm ideals and unyielding perseverance, and the dedication spirit of serving the public and being loyal to the people."

For 20 years, Jiaxing City (嘉兴市), Zhejiang (浙江) has firmly shouldered the responsibility of being the starting place of the Red Boat, guiding cadres and the masses in the city to consciously integrate "pioneering, fighting, and dedication" into their blood and transform it into action, inherit the red gene, and continuously write new chapters of pragmatic work and striving for the first.

Telling the Story of the Red Boat, Inheriting Excellent Traditions

On the shore of Nanhu Lake (南湖), the sky is as blue as washing, and green trees are shaded. From sunrise to dusk, party member cadres, young students, and others who come to visit and study at the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆) are in an endless stream.

"With firm belief, there is the power to forge ahead. We must inherit the red gene, temper excellent character, and strive to have ideals, dare to take responsibility, be able to endure hardship, and strive to grow into pillars of talent," said Li Ruijia (李睿佳), an eighth-grade student at Jiaxing Shuangxihu Experimental Middle School (嘉兴双溪湖实验中学).

Yuan Jing (袁晶), director of the Publicity and Education Department of the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆), has been engaged in lecturing for more than 20 years and is already familiar with the content of the lectures. Comprehensive rural revitalization, new quality productive forces, Chinese-style modernization... She and the lecturer team keep pace with the times, combining the "Red Boat Spirit" with economic and social development, so that the "Red Boat Spirit" is often talked about and always new.

"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is our responsibility, and we should strive unremittingly!" "With a child's heart, I understand the glorious history, and I will also remember this perseverance and forge ahead."... The message wall is filled with sonorous vows. Every year, more than 3 million tourists from all over the country come here to receive red education and spiritual baptism.

In recent years, the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆) has focused on high-quality exhibitions, turning the basic exhibition "Red Boat Sets Sail" theme exhibition into a mobile exhibition board, which is exhibited in various places, creating a memorial hall without walls and flowing. At the same time, it has successfully held the national巡展活动 of the "Red Boat Spirit Miles" large-scale photo exhibition and temporary exhibitions such as "The Original Aspiration and Mission in Red Documents" and "Million Heroes Crossing the Yangtze River", using forms such as "巡展+联展" to enable more people to understand the story of a large party and a small boat. In addition, combined with the real scene of the Red Boat and the integration of cultural relics, 4 "no reservation" micro-party classes and special films are provided daily, and "5G+virtual reality" technology is used to set up 7 exhibition hall scene check-in points, and you can also get "commemorative boat ticket" postcards for free, promoting tourists to transform from visitors to participants and deepen historical perception.

Wu Jianhua (吴建华), Secretary of the Party Group and Curator of the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆), said: "In the future, we will tell the story of the Red Boat and spread red culture as always with a higher position, better content, and newer forms."

Innovative Communication Forms, Promoting In-depth Understanding

"That day, I sat upright at the bow of the boat, seemingly leisurely, but actually vigilant. In the cabin, the representatives enthusiastically discussed the program and resolutions and conducted elections. The Communist Party of China was officially declared established!" In the evening, in the Youth Learning Station of Lianhua Community (莲花社区), Tongxiang City (桐乡市), youth lecturer Shen Weichao (沈伟超) was vividly interpreting the story of Wang Huiwu (王会悟), leading the youth on the scene to travel through the long river of history and understand the power of the spirit.

This lecture, entitled "The 'Red Boat Spirit' in Her Eyes," was carefully created by the "Tongxiang Youth Orators Speak" theoretical lecture group.

Founded in 2019, "Tongxiang Youth Orators Speak" has attracted more than 1,300 young people to join the lecture group. In recent years, it has carried out more than 5,000 various theme lectures, with an audience of 200,000 people. This team is good at using the thinking and language of young people to vividly promote the story of the Red Boat, making theoretical propaganda more youthful, more approachable, and more touching.

In recent years, with the "Jiali Good Voice" lecture brand as an important starting point, Jiaxing (嘉兴) has cultivated and created more than 200 8090 characteristic lecture brands and registered nearly 5,000 young theoretical lecturers. A relevant person in charge of the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department (嘉兴市委宣传部) introduced that relying on the strength of young lecturers, various places in the city have successively launched innovative forms such as "lecture + story," "lecture + market," and "lecture + art," which have effectively promoted the sweet spring of thought to nourish the heart and let the "Red Boat Spirit" take root in the hearts of the people.

Inspiring Spiritual Strength, Always Staying Ahead

In the key laboratory of TianTong Holding Co., Ltd. (天通控股股份有限公司), five young party member technical backbones are gathered together to brainstorm and discuss the stuck points encountered in the promotion of a certain magnetic material project. In the shortest possible time, they tackled the technical problems faced by the latest product line, creating more value for the company.

"'Red Boat Spirit', for Jiaxing (嘉兴) enterprises, is a special spiritual nourishment, guiding us to be firm in our beliefs, have the country in mind, focus on the main business, strengthen the real economy, be determined to make progress, and pursue excellence," said Pan Jianqing (潘建清), Secretary of the Party Committee of TianTong Holding (天通控股). In the past 10 years, TianTong Holding (天通控股) has relied on party members to take the lead in tackling more than 400 difficult projects, creating a cumulative economic benefit of more than 380 million yuan. At present, the company has grown into a national high-tech enterprise with four business segments: electronic materials, electronic modules, intelligent equipment, and green energy. It is a leader in the field of global high-end soft magnetic materials and sapphire optoelectronic new materials.

From a party member to an enterprise to a city, Jiaxing (嘉兴) party member cadres, employees, and the masses, guided by the "Red Boat Spirit," adhere to pioneering, fighting, and dedication, focusing on economic construction, reform and development, scientific and technological innovation, common prosperity, people's livelihood services, etc., and gather a strong joint force to promote high-quality development.

In 2024, Jiaxing (嘉兴) will deepen party building leadership, and members of the four leading bodies of the city will take the lead in handling 15 major difficult projects, promote the establishment of 130,000 party member demonstration posts and 3,300 party member pioneer teams in cities, counties, and towns, and help fight major and hard battles such as airport and high-speed rail construction; lead the construction of advanced manufacturing clusters, establish 13 industrial chain party committees such as hydrogen energy and photovoltaic new energy, and guide and promote the gathering of technical, capital, and talent elements...

Chen Wei (陈伟), Secretary of the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee (嘉兴市委书记), said that it is necessary to continue to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's (习近平) Thought on Culture, faithfully practice the "Double Eight Strategy," solidly promote the "Red Boat Spirit" to deeply root in the hearts of the people and consolidate the foundation, and achieve fruitful results in implementation, and strive to write a Jiaxing (嘉兴) chapter of Chinese-style modernization.

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Qingshan Stilt Houses, Misty Cooking Smoke in Villages (In Search of the Most Beautiful Villages: Shang'ao Village)

By: 本报记者  苏  滨

In midsummer, Shang'ao Village (上敖村) in Xitang Zhuang Ethnic Township (秀塘壮族乡), Congjiang County (从江县), Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (黔东南苗族侗族自治州), Guizhou Province (贵州省) is lush with vegetation, and cicadas chirp incessantly. Shang'ao Village (上敖村) is in the third group of "Chinese Ethnic Minority Characteristic Villages (中国少数民族特色村寨)".

Stepping into the village, the most striking feature is the wooden stilt houses built on the mountainside. They are scattered on the slopes in a well-arranged manner, complementing the surrounding terraced fields and showcasing the unique architectural style of the Zhuang ethnic group. The wooden stilt houses are divided into two levels: the lower level neatly displays various farm tools, and the upper level is the living space for the villagers. At mealtimes, wisps of smoke rise from every household. The roof is in the shape of a Chinese character "人" (rén - "person"), embodying the residential wisdom of "天人合一 (tiān rén hé yī - "unity of man and nature," the belief that humans should live in harmony with nature)".

The village retains intangible cultural heritages such as warm wine and Zhuang songs. During traditional festivals such as adulthood ceremonies and the Beginning of Autumn, villagers sing and dance to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests (风调雨顺、五谷丰登 - fēng tiáo yǔ shùn, wǔ gǔ fēng dēng - "favorable weather and abundant harvest," a wish for good weather and a plentiful harvest).

In recent years, Shang'ao Village (上敖村) has actively promoted the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside while protecting its traditions. The appearance of the village has been completely renewed, infrastructure has been continuously improved, and the living standards of the villagers have significantly increased. Today, Shang'ao Village (上敖村) is a tourist destination full of ethnic customs and a vivid example of the inheritance and development of Zhuang culture.

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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Regulations on Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Work Published as a Separate Edition

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 20th. The "Regulations on Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Work" issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, published as a separate edition by People's Publishing House, will be distributed in Xinhua bookstores nationwide starting today.

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China's advertising industry development index rose 8.0% year-on-year in 2023

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) June 20th dispatch (Reporter Lin Lili (林丽鹂)) The State Administration for Market Regulation (市场监管总局) recently released the "China Advertising Industry Development Index Report (2025)". The data shows that in 2024, China's advertising industry development index reached 128.4 points, a year-on-year increase of 8.0%, and China's advertising industry has maintained a vigorous development trend.

The index shows that in 2024, the advertising business revenue of advertising institutions and large-scale enterprises nationwide was 1546.41 billion yuan, an increase of 17.9% over the previous year. Under the promotion of "advertising to help enterprises" and "advertising to help farmers" and other work, the advertising industry is deeply integrated with related industries, and is increasingly embedded in all aspects of the industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain, forming a virtuous interaction with agriculture, manufacturing, cultural tourism and other industries, and jointly building a diversified and symbiotic industrial ecology. This integration is an inevitable requirement for the advertising industry to serve the construction of a new development pattern and smooth the domestic circulation.

Since 2015, the State Administration for Market Regulation (市场监管总局) has taken the implementation of the new Advertising Law as an opportunity to accelerate the formulation and revision of supporting rules and regulations. In 2024, market supervision departments across the country investigated and handled 47,000 advertising violation cases, with a total fine of 350 million yuan, striving to create a standardized and orderly, fair and competitive market environment, and escorting the healthy development of the industry.

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First Edition Editors: Xu Nuo, Zhang Shuaizhen, Yin Le; Second Edition Editors: Jiang Xuejie, Qi Jiarun, Zhang Anyu; Third Edition Editors: Mou Zongcong, Zhou Zhou, Chen Xirui; Fourth Edition Editors: Yuan Zhenxi, Yang Shuobi, Chen Zhen

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Digitalization Opens New Spaces in the Classroom (Big Data Observation)

By: 本报记者  吴  丹

Experiencing the satellite simulation teaching system, using smart paper and pen for writing, and immersively feeling the underwater operation process... At the 2025 World Digital Education Conference, a large number of application achievements integrating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and multi-modal interaction made people look forward to the future of education.

At this conference, the Ministry of Education (教育部) released the "China Smart Education White Paper," proposing "2025 as the first year of smart education." Currently, the rapid evolution and widespread application of artificial intelligence technology are reshaping the knowledge supply model and scientific research innovation paradigm, prompting profound changes in educational content, educational models, and educational forms. What achievements has China made in promoting digital education? How can we seize the historic opportunities brought by smart education? The reporter conducted interviews.

Growing Together on "One Cloud"

High-Quality Resources Enrich Education Supply

Yangguang Elementary School (阳光小学) in Xining (西宁) City, Qinghai (青海) Province, is a rural boarding primary school. Most of the children here have never participated in holiday interest classes.

During the 2024 winter vacation, this village school had a 撞了个满怀 (zhuàng le gè mǎnhuái - "bumped into a full embrace," to encounter something unexpectedly and enthusiastically). Creative paper making, hard-pen calligraphy, fancy rope skipping, clay art... Relying on the National Smart Education Platform, the school offered 35 holiday services, covering science, art, sports, and other fields, greatly enriching the holiday life of rural children.

After the winter vacation, the children were still full of enthusiasm. "Will this course be offered during the summer vacation?" "I will perform better next time!" The children shared their feelings in platform messages. Platform statistics show that the average weekly login frequency and the duration of independent browsing of learning resources by students at Yangguang Elementary School have increased significantly, and their enthusiasm for learning has greatly improved.

Sharing resources on "One Network" and growing together on "One Cloud." Connecting urban and rural areas, crossing mountains and seas, the National Smart Education Platform system is accelerating its construction. The White Paper shows that since its launch in March 2022, the National Smart Education Platform has built a "four horizontal and five vertical" resource supply pattern, integrating four national platforms including basic education, vocational education, higher education, and lifelong education, and 32 provincial platforms. The five aspects of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education are vertically connected, realizing platform interconnection, user intercommunication, and resource sharing.

Today, the platform has gathered more than 110,000 primary and secondary school resources, 11,300 online quality courses for vocational education, 31,000 quality online courses for higher education, and more than 2,000 lifelong learning courses. Digital education support activities have been implemented in 10 provinces and 95 districts and counties, delivering more than 10,000 hours of high-quality courses to 60,000 students in 252 rural schools.

Massive knowledge is readily available, and application services are blooming in many places. At present, the National Smart Education Platform can provide 8 categories and 51 services. Among them, employment services promote the matching of people and positions, and collect and release more than 20 million job postings for college graduates every year; examination services cover the college entrance examination, primary and secondary school teacher qualification examinations, College English Test Band 4 and 6, Putonghua Proficiency Test, etc., with a cumulative total of 4.37 million examination services processed. Academic qualification and degree services are convenient and accurate, providing nearly 700 million free inquiry and verification services in 2024, with a daily average service volume exceeding 1.9 million.

From "Blackboard + Chalk" to "Cloud + Terminal"

Artificial Intelligence Empowers Educational Transformation

How many steps does it take to make a "smart Mars rescue vehicle"?

"We need an ultrasonic sensor, a servo motor, a T-shaped spiral bracket..." Through interactive dialogue with the exclusive intelligent agent "Project Planner" independently developed by the teacher, Wei Ziyu (魏子玉), a student in Class 1, Grade 6 of Shenlong Primary School (神龙小学) (Lakeside Campus) in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone (武汉经开区), Hubei (湖北) Province, and his classmates formed a step-by-step solution.

Not long ago, when the students were studying at the Science and Technology Museum, they listened to the story of the "Zhurong" Mars rover roaming in space, and they came up with the idea of making their own "smart Mars rescue vehicle."

Under the guidance of the teacher, everyone used VR equipment to immersively experience the Martian landforms and environment, analyzed the functions that the rescue vehicle should have, designed the appearance and printed exclusive car logo badges through 3D printing technology, and wrote operation and obstacle avoidance programs for the rescue vehicle based on the Keda Xunfei (科大讯飞) large model technology. Finally, after simulated sandbox testing and driving, a "smart Mars rescue vehicle" was launched, and the students cheered.

Project-based learning is not limited to this. Wan Jinrui (万瑾瑞) from Class 4, Grade 5, came over with a tablet computer: "Listen, I used AI music software to create 3 new songs for the rescue vehicle." Zhou Zeying (周泽颖) from Class 1, Grade 6, quickly added: "Our 7 classmates cooperated to film the process of making the rescue vehicle into a micro-movie. I became a little anchor for the first time and recommended our micro-movie live."

"A 'smart Mars rescue vehicle' interprets the important role of new technologies represented by artificial intelligence technology for future education," said Han Jin (韩瑾), the principal of Shenlong Primary School Education Group.

At present, a general artificial intelligence education system covering all academic levels and all groups of people is being built, and the fruitful results of digital transformation of education are benefiting hundreds of millions of teachers and students. Smart blackboards have become "AI teachers": virtual person Sima Qian (司马迁) talks with students about the past and the present, and technologies such as dynamic number-shape conversion and 3D model analysis make mathematical formulas and geometric figures three-dimensional and vivid; intelligent marking machines have become "AI teaching assistants": completing homework marking in the blink of an eye, accurately locating errors, and generating detailed analysis reports to help teachers understand student learning and adjust teaching strategies in a timely manner... At present, 23 provincial-level education administrative departments have deployed and carried out artificial intelligence education in primary and secondary schools, and education and teaching are shifting from "blackboard + chalk" to "cloud + terminal."

Tutoring learning and accompanying learning. The National Open University has opened the customization function of "Intelligent Learning Companion." Students can generate their own exclusive "Intelligent Learning Companion" in 5 minutes through the lifelong education "Intelligent Base" platform, just like building blocks. At present, the National Open University has 661 "Intelligent Learning Companions" to provide students with personalized learning companionship services.

A New Education Model is Accelerating its Formation

Smart Education Calls for Educational Wisdom

What will the classroom of the future look like?

At the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Digital Education Conference, a wonderful simulated classroom spanning time and space was launched - 90 college students from 23 countries and regions online and offline, under the guidance of 3 university teachers and AI tutor Huiya (慧雅), used advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and virtual simulation to jointly complete the research and development of antiviral drugs in a project-based learning approach.

"Teacher, our group predicted some protein structures, but we are not sure where the protein is located in the virus."

"According to real-time data, 26% of the students encountered the problem of inaccurate structure prediction, and 52% of the students encountered problems that may be caused by the complexity of the virus system," AI tutor Huiya gave a real-time analysis.

"Now I will open the system for everyone and enter the microscopic molecular world. Please put on your equipment and prepare to start the virtual simulation experiment..." Chen Dongping (陈东平), a teacher at Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学), continued to guide students to observe and think.

The new classroom model of "teacher-student-machine" ternary collaboration vividly presents the new possibilities of future education. In the future classroom, teachers will transform into learning ecosystem designers, students will "evolve" into autonomous knowledge constructors, and artificial intelligence will become a "super lever" that catalyzes cognitive leaps.

The iteration of teaching and learning models and the reconstruction of teacher-student relationships put forward higher requirements for cultivating future teachers. At present, many places have made arrangements in advance to encourage schools to integrate artificial intelligence into the entire process of education and teaching before, during, and after class: Central China Normal University (华中师范大学) has developed and launched the "Xiaoya" intelligent teaching platform, which has functions such as one-click generation of knowledge graphs and rapid design of lesson plans, helping teachers realize intelligent lesson preparation and teaching; Ningxia (宁夏) and Guangxi (广西) have carried out digital literacy assessments for primary and secondary school teachers throughout the region, and implemented targeted training, significantly reducing the digital divide between urban and rural teachers; Qinghai (青海) has launched a series of training projects for primary and secondary school teachers' digital literacy, and implemented a series of training for digital application seed teachers, artificial intelligence seed teachers, and management guidance team personnel...

"Looking to the future, teachers need to lay a solid foundation for digital literacy, get used to using artificial intelligence and other tools, and constantly improve their design capabilities for smart teaching," said Sun Yu (孙宇), Executive Dean of the China Education and Social Development Research Institute of Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学). "At the same time, teachers should not rely solely on technology, but should continue to provide students with emotional and other support."

In the era of artificial intelligence, the digital wave is reshaping the educational landscape. Education is being redefined, and a new education model is accelerating its formation. What does this mean for education practitioners? "The fundamental purpose of education lies in talent cultivation. Smart education is not just the introduction of digital technology, but also the innovation and transcendence of educational concepts and educational thinking. Fundamentally speaking, smart education requires more educational wisdom," said Huang Taiyan (黄泰岩), Secretary of the Party Committee of Wuhan University (武汉大学).

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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Hebei Accelerates Construction of a Modern Trade and Logistics Hub

By: 本报记者 马 晨

Early in the morning, in the YTO Express Northern Headquarters Base Phase II project express sorting workshop in Yongqing County (永清县), Langfang City (廊坊市), Hebei Province (河北省), the fully automated sorting line is operating at high speed. It takes only 10 minutes for packages to go from unloading, sorting, to loading. As YTO's largest hub base in the north, after the second phase of the project was put into use at the end of last year, the daily express processing capacity increased from 6 million pieces to 12 million pieces.

From June 16th to 20th, the 2025 China Langfang International Economic and Trade Fair (2025年中国·廊坊国际经济贸易洽谈会), a professional exhibition themed on modern commercial and trade logistics, will be held in Langfang (廊坊). In recent years, Hebei (河北) has focused on the functional positioning of building an important national modern commercial and trade logistics base in the "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Plan Outline" (《京津冀协同发展规划纲要》), built a number of logistics bases in important node cities, promoted the construction of a commercial and trade facility system integrating urban and rural areas, accelerated the development of an integrated Internet of Things network connecting provinces, cities, and counties, and continuously built a modern logistics operation system to help the high-quality development of local characteristic industries.

Unblocking logistics channels and expanding new space for industrial development

"Woo—" The whistle sounded loudly, and a China-Europe freight train loaded with containerized export goods slowly departed from Shijiazhuang International Land Port (石家庄国际陆港).

"Previously, exports were shipped by sea, and we had to go to the seaport to pick up containers, transport the empty containers back, load the goods, and then transport them back to the seaport." Liu Jinpeng (刘金朋), general manager of Shijiazhuang International Land Port, introduced that Shijiazhuang International Land Port has provided Hebei (河北) with a convenient international land logistics channel. Foreign trade goods can be declared locally in the port area and directly exported by China-Europe freight trains. One-stop logistics services save enterprise costs and improve transportation efficiency.

The rapid development of the China-Europe freight train at Shijiazhuang International Land Port has also significantly accelerated and diversified the import and export of products in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (京津冀) region.

As an important assembly center and the largest land port hub for China-Europe freight trains in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, from clothing and home appliances to new energy vehicles and precision instruments and equipment, more and more "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei manufacturing" products are shipped from Shijiazhuang International Land Port to all parts of the world via China-Europe freight trains.

At present, relying on the China-Europe freight train, Shijiazhuang International Land Port has built a "four-way and eight-channel" logistics pattern connecting the Maritime Silk Road in the east, the Land Silk Road in the west, RCEP in the south, and the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor in the north, opening up 18 international routes and radiating to more than 50 countries and regions in Asia and Europe. From January to April this year, Shijiazhuang International Land Port has operated 396 China-Europe (Asia) freight trains, sending 40,287 TEUs, with a cargo value of 4.361 billion yuan, continuing to maintain the leading position among similar international land ports in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

"This year, we will focus on the construction of the Shijiazhuang International Land Port logistics channel, promote the construction of the Land Port China-Europe freight train assembly center, and accelerate the release of the superimposed advantages of the 'China-Europe freight train + bonded logistics center + designated supervision site' policy," said Wang Lei (王蕾), director of the Regulations and Comprehensive Business Division of Shijiazhuang Customs (石家庄海关).

Serving the development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and continuously improving logistics service capabilities

At 5 a.m., Pan Zhengxia (潘正霞), a vegetable wholesaler at the Shouheng Smart Cold Chain Logistics Park (首衡智慧冷链物流园) in Gaobeidian City (高碑店市), arrived at her stall, and the cold chain logistics vehicle was already in place.

Opening the cold storage door, workers loaded boxes of vegetables onto the truck and sent them to Beijing (北京) supermarkets. "It's only a 50-minute drive from here to Beijing, and they can be on the shelves by 7 a.m. and on the table by noon," said Pan Zhengxia. In recent years, the park has built an efficient and convenient logistics system, with more and more routes, and business has spread from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei to the whole country.

Shouheng Gaobeidian Market (首衡高碑店市场) has built an agricultural product circulation system covering 13 provinces in northern China, becoming a super hub for agricultural product circulation in northern China. In particular, the "One-Hour Fresh Agricultural Product Circulation Circle around the Capital" built here accounts for more than half of the daily transfer volume of Beijing and Tianjin (天津).

According to reports, the first phase of the Shouheng Smart Cold Chain Logistics Park was put into use in 2021, with 6 large-scale intelligent cold storages, 1 fresh agricultural product trading hall, and a famous and high-quality product exhibition center, with a total storage capacity of 300,000 tons. "Relying on the location advantages of the southwest Beijing transportation hub, we have built a 'five vertical and three horizontal' green channel network," said Wei Shujian (魏树俭), president of Shouheng Group (首衡集团). Through the collaborative operation of the intelligent dispatching system and the million-ton-level cold storage, precise delivery within a radius of 100 kilometers can be achieved within 1 hour.

Shijiazhuang (石家庄), Qinhuangdao (秦皇岛), Tangshan (唐山), Baoding (保定), and Cangzhou (沧州) were selected into the list of national backbone cold chain logistics base construction; Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), Langfang (廊坊), Shijiazhuang (石家庄), Baoding (保定), and Tangshan (唐山) were selected as national postal express hub bearing cities; more than 30 agricultural product wholesale markets, distribution centers, and cold chain logistics projects have been built around Beijing, with a market share of more than 40% for "vegetable basket products" in Beijing; 45.8% of express deliveries entering and leaving Beijing are centrally sorted in Hebei, and the proportion of Hebei's express delivery volume in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei business volume has increased to 67.3%... In recent years, Hebei (河北) has driven the rapid development of the logistics industry with hub construction.

Attracting industrial agglomeration and building a full-chain development system

In the Hebei Runwo Smart Logistics (Xingtai) Industrial Park (河北润沃智慧物流（邢台）产业园) in Nanhe District (南和区), Xingtai City (邢台市), trucks loaded with pet food processing auxiliary materials drove in an orderly manner, and the intelligent distribution system quickly dispatched them, and they could be delivered to the production lines of surrounding enterprises within 3 hours. "The time for raw materials to reach the factory has been shortened from 7 days to more than 3 days, and the inventory turnover rate has increased by 50%." Chen Guangyuan (陈光远), sales manager of Xingtai Shijue Pet Food Co., Ltd. (邢台仕爵宠物食品有限公司), calculated an account: shortening the raw material reserve cycle alone can save the company nearly 300,000 yuan per year.

Today, the market demand for freeze-dried food, fresh food, and other pet foods is growing rapidly, and the demand for raw material storage and cold chain logistics is urgent. The second phase of the Runwo Smart Logistics Industrial Park project is under construction. Shen Pengguang (沈鹏广), the person in charge of the industrial park's operation, introduced that after the project is fully put into operation, the park's cold chain service radius will reach 200 kilometers, and the total annual cargo throughput is expected to exceed 5 million tons.

Making the commercial and trade logistics industry bigger and stronger has injected new impetus and vitality into the high-quality development of Hebei's economy.

In Yongdingcheng · Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Guan) International Trade City (永定城·京津冀（固安）国际商贸城), merchants from all over the country shuttle through the dazzling array of clothing stalls, selecting goods, negotiating prices, and packing... As a landmark project for Hebei (河北) to undertake the non-capital function relief of Beijing (北京), the urban logistics distribution center built here has settled in more than 70 logistics companies, with an average daily express delivery volume of about 40,000 orders. "We have built a full-chain system of merchants and terminal purchasers, strengthened the deep linkage with surrounding industries, and created a shoe and clothing industry cluster integrating design, research and development, production, and sales," introduced Song Jian (宋健), investment operation director of Gu'an Commercial and Trade City (固安商贸城).

"In order to help the development of county-level characteristic industrial clusters, we have developed the supply chain comprehensive service platform 'Jichengtong' (冀诚通)," introduced Huang Qiang (黄强), general manager of Hebei Jiaotong Yiatong Supply Chain Service Co., Ltd. (河北交投怡亚通供应链服务有限公司). In recent years, the development momentum of Hebei's characteristic industrial clusters has been strong, but there are also characteristics of being small, scattered, and weak. The "Jichengtong" platform integrates logistics, finance, channels, and brand service resources, and uses the advantages of industrial integration and procurement and sales resource channels to reduce costs and increase efficiency for enterprise production.

In 2024, the added value of Hebei Province's commercial and trade logistics industry was 733.91 billion yuan, an increase of 4.8% year-on-year, contributing 13.9% to the province's economic growth; the express delivery volume was 9.54 billion pieces, an increase of 31.8% year-on-year.

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National "Rain and Dew Program" Vocational Development Alliance Established in Tianjin

Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin, June 20th (Reporters Xu Siyu (徐思钰) and Wang Hui (王晖)) On the 20th, the inaugural meeting of the National "Rain and Dew Program" Vocational Development Alliance was held at Tianjin University of Technology and Education (天津职业技术师范大学).

It is reported that the National "Rain and Dew Program" Vocational Development Alliance is a public welfare collaboration mechanism to help new labor forces from rural poverty-stricken families and low-income families receive vocational education, improve employment skills, and promote stable employment and sustainable career development.

The establishment of this alliance is an important measure to enhance the endogenous development momentum and self-development capabilities of people lifted out of poverty. It will strive to become a "lighthouse" that illuminates students' future and promotes the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside by building a standardized operating mechanism, creating a high-quality talent platform, expanding promising employment channels, and shaping the social image of the "Rain and Dew Program."

Qin Boyong (秦博勇), Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (全国政协) and Vice Chairman of the China Vocational Education Association (中华职业教育社), stated at the conference that, taking the establishment of the alliance as an opportunity, efforts should be made to gather all parties to promote the "Rain and Dew Program" from "blood transfusion" to "blood creation," from "poverty alleviation" to "revitalization," and to effectively help "Rain and Dew Program" students embark on the path to skill-based success, contribute to the development of vocational education in China, and promote the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.

It is understood that the conference was hosted by the Vocational Guidance Center of the China Vocational Education Association (中华职业教育社职业指导中心) and jointly organized by the Tianjin Vocational Education Association of China (天津中华职业教育社) and Tianjin University of Technology and Education (天津职业技术师范大学).

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Photo Report

On June 20th, in the sweltering summer heat, Mingzhu Road Community of Zhicheng Street, Changxing County (长兴县), Huzhou City (湖州市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省), held a summer cooling activity. Deliverymen and food delivery riders participated in games such as bottle-standing challenges at the rider's station, enjoying a moment of coolness during work breaks. The picture shows a food delivery rider experiencing making ice jelly.

Photo by Tan Yunfeng (谭云俸) (People's Vision).

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Jiangxi Holds Themed Event for Online Ideological and Political Education

This newspaper's Nanchang (南昌) June 20th dispatch (Reporter Zhou Huan (周欢)) On the 19th, the "Youthful Chapter, Full of 'Gan' Vigor" online major ideological and political course theme event was officially launched at Nanchang University (南昌大学). The ideological and political course activity held that evening was divided into four segments: Academician's Lecture, Passing on the Flame, Youth with Me, and Full of "Gan" Vigor. It adopted a "narration + stage performance" format to present a vivid major ideological and political course for the vast number of young people and netizens.

After the launch of this event, the organizers will also successively hold the "2025 Digital Action for Inheriting the Red Gene," the "Jiangxi (江西) is a Good Place" Red Culture AI Short Video Competition, the Walking Ideological and Political Course - "Cultural Ganpo (赣鄱) Tour" 2025 Jiangxi Province (江西省) College Students' Major Ideological and Political Practice Activity, and the "Youth Taking Responsibility for Chinese-style Modernization" Drama Troupe Course Performance Activity.

This event is guided by the Bureau of Internet Communication of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办网络传播局), jointly hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee (江西省委网信办), the Education Working Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee (江西省委教育工委), and the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League (共青团江西省委), and jointly undertaken by Nanchang University (南昌大学) and People's Daily Jiangxi Branch (人民网江西分公司).

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Former Party Member of the Standing Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Congress, Former Vice Chairman, and Former Secretary of the Guilin Municipal Party Committee Zhou Jiabin Severely Violated Party Discipline and Laws and Was Expelled from the Party and Removed from Public Office

Beijing, June 20th (People's Daily) -- With the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共中央), the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission (中央纪委国家监委) have filed a case for investigation into the serious violations of discipline and law by Zhou Jiabin (周家斌), former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区人大常委会), and former Secretary of the Guilin Municipal Party Committee (桂林市委).

The investigation found that Zhou Jiabin lost his ideals and beliefs, abandoned his original aspiration and mission, made reckless comments on the major policies of the Party Central Committee, engaged in speculation and befriended political swindlers; violated the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation of the Central Committee, engaged in tourism at public expense, and accepted banquets that might affect the impartial execution of official duties; practiced cronyism in cadre selection and appointment, used his power to seek benefits for others, failed to report personal matters as required, and did not truthfully explain problems during organizational talks; illegally accepted gifts and money, and engaged in 权色交易 (quán sè jiāo yì - "power-sex trade," abuse of power for sexual favors); became greedy and transformed public power into a tool for seeking personal gain, used his position to seek benefits for others in project contracting, job promotion, etc., and illegally accepted huge amounts of property.

Zhou Jiabin seriously violated the Party's political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, and life discipline, constituted a serious violation of duty and was suspected of bribery crimes, and after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的十八大) did not restrain himself or stop his actions. The nature of his actions was serious, and the impact was vile, and he should be severely punished. In accordance with the "Regulations on Disciplinary Sanctions of the Communist Party of China," the "Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China," the "Public Officials Political Disciplinary Law of the People's Republic of China" and other relevant regulations, after research by the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, it was decided to give Zhou Jiabin a punishment of expulsion from the Party; the National Supervisory Commission gave him a punishment of dismissal from public office; terminated his qualifications as a representative of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大代表), the 12th Party Congress of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区第十二次党代会代表), and the 6th Party Congress of Guilin (桂林市第六次党代会代表); confiscated his illegal gains; and transferred his suspected criminal problems to the procuratorial organs for investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law, and the property involved was transferred together.

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This edition's editors: Ji Yalin, Lu Tao, Shang Rongzheng

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"Super-Earth": Humanity's Next Home? (Glimpse of the Frontier)

By: 王晓彬 孙磊磊

In the vast universe, are humans alone? Are there life-sustaining homes like Earth? Throughout history, people have been searching for answers to these questions. Recently, the discovery of a "super-Earth" seems to bring us closer to these answers—an international joint research team led by the Yunnan Observatories (云南天文台) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) has discovered a new "super-Earth" Kepler—725c, providing a new "problem-solving path" for exploring planets in the universe that may harbor life.

—Editor

What Does the New "Super-Earth" Look Like?

For a long time, human exploration of planets has been limited to the solar system. Over the past 30 years, astronomers' research on planets has undergone fundamental changes. In 1995, Swiss astronomers discovered a planet similar to Jupiter in the solar system around the star 51 Peg in the constellation Pegasus, taking the first step for humans to discover exoplanets around solar-like stars. As of June 10, 2025, humans have discovered 5,979 exoplanets distributed in 4,483 exoplanetary systems.

Discovering exoplanets does not mean finding the "answer." Scientists need to further explore planets like Earth that are suitable for life. The range within a planetary system where liquid water can exist is called the habitable zone, and liquid water is key to the birth of Earth's carbon-based life. Therefore, when searching for exoplanets, researchers pay special attention to some "problem-solving conditions," such as the spectral type of the host star (i.e., the star that gravitationally binds the planet and causes it to orbit), the type of planet, and whether the planet is located in the habitable zone. These conditions will jointly point to the possibility of the planet nurturing life.

The "super-Earth" Kepler—725c, newly discovered by Chinese scientists, orbits a G9V-type host star named Kepler—725. This "super-Earth" is located within the habitable zone of the host star, about 0.674 astronomical units (approximately 100 million kilometers) away from the host star.

"Super-Earth" refers to exoplanets with a mass greater than Earth but far less than the ice giants in the solar system (Uranus and Neptune, with masses 14.5 times and 17.1 times that of Earth, respectively). Kepler—725c has a mass 10 times that of Earth, so it falls into the "super-Earth" category. According to theoretical speculation, it has the opportunity to form a thicker atmosphere and may also generate a magnetic field stronger than Earth's. However, these require further observation and verification. The spectral type of the host star Kepler—725 is similar to the Sun, but it is younger than the Sun, with an age of only 1.6 billion years, and the magnetic field activity on its surface is more intense than the Sun. It is not easy to detect a "super-Earth" in the habitable zone around this active solar-like star.

Finding "Hidden Planets" Is Not Easy

The most important significance of this discovery and research of the "super-Earth" lies in establishing a new way to discover low-mass exoplanets in the habitable zones of solar-like stars, and verifying the effectiveness of the Transit Timing Variation (TTV) inversion technique. This is the first time internationally that the TTV inversion technique has been successfully applied to discover such planets in the habitable zone around solar-like stars.

Initially, this "super-Earth" was not directly captured by the Kepler Space Telescope (开普勒太空望远镜). For astronomers, the actual difficulty of detecting low-mass exoplanets is very high. Since planets themselves do not emit light and mainly reflect the light of their host stars, exoplanets are very dim relative to their host stars and are easily drowned out by the light of the stars. When planets are too close to their host stars, or the exoplanetary systems themselves are too far away from us, scientists find it difficult to distinguish planets from their host stars even when using astronomical telescopes.

Usually, astronomers mainly rely on two methods to detect low-mass exoplanets. One is the radial velocity method, which detects whether the host star is slightly wobbled by the planet in the line-of-sight direction to discover planets; the other is the transit method, which measures the light emitted by the host star blocked by the planet to discover planets. However, for planets like Earth that are small in size and orbit far from their host stars, both methods are difficult to work due to insufficient observation accuracy.

The discovery of Kepler—725c this time was achieved by analyzing the slight deviations of the moments when another transiting planet in the Kepler—725 planetary system crosses the surface of the host star relative to its orbital period, and then successfully inferring its existence. For exoplanetary systems with multiple planets, the gravitational interactions between the planets will affect the movement of the planets. When subtle changes occur in the moments when known transiting planets pass over the surface of the star, just like a precise clock suddenly running fast or slow by a few seconds, it means that other planets may have affected the orbital motion of this planet. In layman's terms, the TTV inversion technique is similar to observing whether clocks at the same moment are consistent to determine whether there is an "invisible hand" quietly moving the clock hands. This "invisible hand" is the "hidden planet" to be found.

Exploring Planets Truly Suitable for Life

The discovery of this "super-Earth" has aroused widespread attention and discussion. Kepler—725c is 2472 light-years away from us. Even if we could travel at the speed of light, it would take nearly 2500 years to travel from Earth to Kepler—725c. Nevertheless, the secrets that may be hidden on this planet will help answer one of humanity's ultimate questions: Are we alone?

Currently, Chinese scientists are preparing the "Earth 2.0" (地球2.0) detection satellite project, the goal of which is to find "another Earth" similar in size to Earth in the habitable zone of stars similar to the Sun. Through the "Earth 2.0" project, scientists will search for planets that are truly suitable for life. In the future, scenes such as "space migration" in science fiction movies may become a reality.

This discovery and subsequent research of the "super-Earth" will also provide new observation targets and technical support for China's future space astronomy missions, such as the China Space Station Telescope (CSST) (中国载人航天工程巡天空间望远镜), the "Earth 2.0" (ET) project, etc. The relevant research groups of the Yunnan Observatories (云南天文台) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) also plan to apply the TTV inversion technique to more exoplanetary systems in order to find more exoplanets "hidden" in the habitable zones of solar-like stars and red dwarfs. In terms of international cooperation, they will also work with global scientists to promote the exploration of extraterrestrial Earth-like life.

Looking up at the vastness of the universe, we are more aware of the preciousness of our Earth home. When the distant starlight travels through the vast space of the universe to reach Earth, it may also be reminding us: we must not only love the planet under our feet, but also have the courage to go to the stars and the sea.

(Author's affiliation: Yunnan Observatories (云南天文台), Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院))

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Why Does AI Hallucinate? (Talking "Science")

By: 徐  剑

In science fiction movies, artificial intelligence is often portrayed as an omniscient and omnipotent "super brain," but in reality, AI often manifests as a "confident liar." For example, when asked to describe "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong," AI can not only "narrate" fictional storylines but also "guess" user preferences, fabricating non-existent archival documents with great seriousness. This phenomenon, known as "AI hallucination," has become a real problem plaguing many artificial intelligence companies and users.

Why does AI talk nonsense with such seriousness? The root lies in the fundamental difference between its way of thinking and that of humans. The AI large models that people use and come into contact with most today are essentially vast language probability prediction and generation models. They learn the associative rules between words by analyzing trillions of texts on the Internet and then generate seemingly reasonable answers word by word, sentence by sentence, like playing a word-guessing game. This mechanism makes AI adept at imitating human language styles but sometimes lacks the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

The generation of AI hallucinations is inextricably linked to the training process of large models. AI's knowledge system is basically derived from the data sources it "swallows" during training. Various types of information from the Internet are mixed, including false information, fictional stories, and biased viewpoints. Once this information becomes the data source for AI training, data source pollution occurs. When there is insufficient professional data in a certain field, AI may use vague statistical rules to "fill in the blanks." For example, describing "black technology" from science fiction novels as real, existing technology. With AI being increasingly used for information production, the massive amount of fictional content and misinformation generated by AI is entering the content pool for training the next generation of AI, and this "matryoshka doll" ecosystem will further exacerbate the generation of AI hallucinations.

During the training process of large models, in order to make AI generate content that meets user needs, trainers will set certain reward mechanisms—for mathematical problems and other problems that require logical reasoning, rewards are often given by confirming whether the answer is correct; for open-ended propositions such as writing, it is necessary to judge whether the generated content conforms to human writing habits. For the sake of training efficiency, this judgment focuses more on indicators such as the logicality of AI language and content format, but ignores the verification of facts.

In addition, defects in the training process can also lead to AI having a tendency to "please" users. Even if it knows that the answer does not conform to the facts, it is willing to follow instructions to generate content that caters to users and fabricate some false examples or seemingly scientific terms to support its "hypothesis." This "role-playing" expression makes it difficult for many ordinary users to distinguish AI hallucinations. A national sampling survey conducted by the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学) showed that about 70% of respondents lacked a clear understanding of the risk of large models generating false or incorrect information.

How to crack AI hallucinations? Developers are trying to "correct" AI through technical means. For example, the "retrieval-augmented generation" technology means that AI needs to retrieve relevant information from the latest database before answering, reducing the probability of 信口开河 (xìn kǒu kāi hé - "open mouth, spout river," to speak without thinking; to blurt out whatever comes to mind); some models are required to actively admit "I don't know" when they are unsure of the answer, rather than forcibly fabricating an answer. However, since current AI cannot understand the real world behind language like humans, these methods are difficult to fundamentally solve the problem of AI hallucinations.

To deal with AI hallucinations, we need not only technical regulations but also a systematic "hallucination immunity" built from the dimensions of public AI literacy, platform responsibility, and public communication. AI literacy not only includes the basic skills of using AI, but more importantly, having a basic cognitive ability of AI hallucinations. Clarifying the responsibility boundaries of technology platforms is equally important. AI products should embed risk warning mechanisms in their design, automatically marking warning content such as "may contain factual errors," and provide functions that facilitate users to conduct fact-checking and cross-validation. The media can further cultivate the public's ability to identify by regularly publishing typical cases of AI-forged facts. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the cognitive fog in the intelligent era can be truly dispelled.

(The author is a distinguished professor at the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学). This article was compiled and edited from an interview with Huang Xiaohui (黄晓慧), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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Academic Perspective

China Successfully Achieves Commercial Reactor Production of Yttrium-90

(People's Daily, Beijing) (Reporter Gu Yekai) The reporter learned from China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团): Recently, yttrium-90 glass microspheres, after being irradiated in a heavy water reactor, were successfully discharged from the reactor at Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (秦山核电) of China National Nuclear Corporation and passed relevant tests, marking China's successful mastery of the technology for commercial reactor production of yttrium-90, enabling mass production.

Yttrium-90 is a therapeutic radioisotope. Yttrium-90 microspheres play a crucial role in the field of interventional therapy for liver cancer. Their ability to precisely destroy tumor cells by releasing beta rays is an internationally used treatment for intermediate and advanced liver cancer. For a long time, the yttrium-90 microspheres used clinically in China have relied on imports. Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (秦山核电), in conjunction with the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (上海核工院), China Nuclear North (中核北方), the Fourth Research and Design Institute of China National Nuclear Corporation (核四院), and other research teams and manufacturing units, carried out joint research, overcoming key technologies from design and development, installation and commissioning to in-reactor irradiation, dismantling, and testing. After testing, the specific activity and other parameters of this batch of yttrium-90 microspheres meet the design requirements, filling the technological gap in China's commercial reactor irradiation production of yttrium-90.

It is understood that the localization of yttrium-90 glass microspheres will bring domestic liver cancer patients treatment methods with higher radiation doses, smaller radiation ranges, and more precise effects. Currently, Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (秦山核电) is working with upstream and downstream enterprises, research teams, and large hospitals to build a full-chain localization system of "isotope research and development - drug development - clinical application" in Haiyan (海盐), Zhejiang (浙江).

Chinese Researchers Break Through Testing Bottleneck for Micro LED Wafers

(Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin) (Reporters Zhang Jianxin, Li Yating) Micro LEDs are the core components of the next-generation high-end display technology. Wafers carrying micro LEDs must achieve a 100% yield; otherwise, it will cause huge repair costs for terminal products. However, the industry has not yet found a good method for non-destructive contact testing of wafers. Recently, Chinese researchers have filled this technological gap with an "overcoming the unyielding with gentleness" approach.

Professor Huang Xian's (黄显) team from the National Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments and the Department of Sensing Science and Engineering of the School of Precision Instrument and Opto-electronics Engineering at Tianjin University (天津大学) has broken through the testing bottleneck of micro LED wafers, achieving high-throughput non-destructive testing of micro LED wafers. The research results were published in the international academic journal "Nature Electronics."

The research team first proposed a detection method based on flexible electronics technology. The three-dimensional structured flexible probe array constructed by this method can adaptively deform the surface topography of the measurement object with the characteristic of "overcoming the unyielding with gentleness," and lightly touch the wafer surface with a "breathing-level pressure" of 0.9 MPa.

"The probe contact pressure of this technology is only one ten-thousandth of that of traditional rigid probes, which not only does not cause wear on the wafer surface, but also reduces the wear of the probe itself. The probe remains 'as good as new' after 1 million contact measurements," said Huang Xian (黄显). In addition, the team also developed a measurement system that matches the three-dimensional flexible probe. Through the collaborative work of the probe and the detection system, it provides key tools for efficient process control and good product screening of micro LED products.

Currently, this technology has started the commercialization process in Tiankai High-level Scientific and Technological Innovation Park (天开高教科创园). In the future, it will provide batch, non-destructive, and low-cost testing solutions for the domestic micro LED industry, further expanding the application fields of flexible electronics technology.

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This "Hand" is So Dexterous (On the Front Lines)

By: 本报记者  王昊男

In the laboratory of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (北京通用人工智能研究院), a robotic bionic hand is performing a challenging task: holding a bottle with its thumb and palm while using its other fingers to grasp a golf ball and precisely transport it to a designated location.

In the field of robotics, how to achieve full-hand high-resolution tactile coverage without affecting motor function has always been a difficult problem. "It can perform precise operations through tactile feedback, just like a human," said Liu Tengyu (刘腾宇), a researcher at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (北京通用人工智能研究院). This is a robotic bionic hand called "F-TAC Hand," which integrates high-resolution tactile perception on 70% of its palm surface, achieving human-level adaptive grasping ability for the first time.

Recently, this achievement, jointly researched by China's Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (北京通用人工智能研究院), Peking University (北京大学), and Queen Mary University of London (英国伦敦大学玛丽女王学院), was published in *Nature Machine Intelligence*.

Research on human hand function is a cutting-edge field in embodied intelligence and robotics. Liu Tengyu (刘腾宇) explained, "When we pick up objects, it involves two major capabilities: 'tactile feedback' and 'motor function.' In previous research, the integration of tactile feedback and motor ability was considered one of the key challenges in the field of robotics."

How to give a robotic hand "touch"? "We have successfully embedded 17 visual-tactile sensors into a robotic hand with the proportions of a real human hand for the first time," said researcher Li Wanlin (李皖林). The modular visual-tactile sensor of the robotic hand mainly consists of a multi-color light source, a flexible coated silicone body, a rigid support, a miniature camera, and a sensor board.

When the reporter picked up a pen and pressed it against the robotic hand, the computer screen in the background immediately displayed the exact contact position, pressure distribution, and texture of the pen. "In order to make all the sensors work simultaneously, we designed a multi-camera image synchronous acquisition system," said researcher Wang Meng (王濛). "The sensor is both a sensing element and a structural component, achieving an unprecedented tactile coverage range without sacrificing the flexibility of the hand."

The human hand has 27 bones and 34 muscles, which can achieve 24 degrees of freedom. Researcher Li Boren (李博韧) introduced that in terms of motion control, the robotic bionic hand adopts a rope-driven method, with five tendons routed along both sides of the fingers to control the flexion and extension movements of the five fingers respectively. At the same time, the joint has a built-in torsion spring structure to achieve automatic reset when the tendon rope is relaxed, which can achieve a total of 15 degrees of freedom and a grip strength of 10 Newtons.

"We have developed an algorithm that generates diverse human grasping strategies to solve this problem. The algorithm is based on a probabilistic model and can produce grasping methods very similar to humans, covering 19 common human grasping types," said Li Yuyang (李宇飏), an intern at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (北京通用人工智能研究院) and a doctoral student at the Peking University (北京大学) Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Li Yuyang (李宇飏) introduced that compared to systems without tactile feedback, "F-TAC Hand" shows significant adaptive advantages when facing execution errors and the risk of object collisions, with the average success rate increasing from 53.5% to 100%. "The tactile-based closed-loop feedback mechanism enables it to maintain efficient and flexible operation in uncertain environments like humans, which is crucial for the practical application of robots in home, medical, and industrial environments," said Li Yuyang (李宇飏).

Zhu Songchun (朱松纯), Dean of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (北京通用人工智能研究院) and Dean of the Peking University (北京大学) Institute for Artificial Intelligence, said that this research result verifies that full-hand high-resolution perception can be achieved without affecting hand motor function, opening up new research avenues for exploring complex tactile embodied intelligence, "More broadly, our research results provide strong evidence for the key role of enriching sensory feedback in intelligent behavior and provide a directional exploration for the development of embodied artificial intelligence systems that go beyond purely computational methods."

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This edition's editors: Xiao Yao, Cao Xuemeng, Dong Yingxue

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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"Time Capsule" Decodes 10,000 Years of Agricultural Civilization (Archaeological China)

By: 吕厚远

In the loess layers of the Lajia Site (喇家遗址) in Qinghai, a turned-over pottery bowl holds solidified millet noodles of a yellowish-brown color from 4,000 years ago, preserving the dietary wisdom of prehistoric humans. In the soil strata of the Shangshan Culture Site (上山文化遗址) in Zhejiang, phytoliths, shimmering like gemstones under a microscope, record the 100,000-year-long evolutionary history of rice from wild to domesticated. Semi-carbonized plant leaves from the Hanyangling Mausoleum (汉阳陵) underground palace and food residue unearthed from tombs in the Guru Jiang Monastery (古如江寺) in Ali, Tibet, serve as the earliest physical evidence of tea, revealing the secrets of civilization exchange across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Interpreting these remnants hidden in the soil relies heavily on "phytoliths," these microfossils.

The Paleoecology and Paleoenvironment Team of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (地质与地球物理研究所), Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), has spent 30 years deeply cultivating the field, using the study of biological microfossils such as phytoliths, spores, and snails as a means to construct a research paradigm "from microscopic fossils to macroscopic civilization." Phytoliths are like a microscopic key, decoding ten thousand years of agricultural civilization.

In traditional archaeology, plant remains mainly rely on carbonized seeds, but organic matter in early strata is extremely prone to decay and ashing, making it difficult to distinguish between tiny, fragmented carbonized particles of millet and sorghum. The emergence of phytoliths has completely changed this predicament. These silica particles, deposited in plant cells, are like the plant's "miniature ID card," capable of being preserved for tens of thousands of years. They are not only abundant but also carry unique "plant fingerprints." To unlock the secrets of these "fingerprints," we spent more than 10 years dissecting and analyzing the phytoliths of over 2,000 modern plant species, establishing China's first phytolith classification and identification system, and further establishing international identification standards for wild-domesticated crop phytoliths of millet, sorghum, and rice.

The Cishan Culture (磁山文化) in Hebei and the Peiligang Culture (裴李岗文化) in Henan have long been considered to have an agricultural structure based primarily on millet. Through phytolith research, we found that the proportion of sorghum in the early strata accounted for more than 95%, a result that redefines the agricultural structure of the early Neolithic period in the Central Plains cultural distribution area.

Rice domestication also has its own "fish-scale pattern code." Based on systematic research on rice phytoliths in plants and soil of modern wild rice-domesticated rice, we established the use of the number of fish-scale patterns in bulliform cell flabellate phytoliths as a criterion and statistical method for distinguishing between wild and domesticated rice, clarifying the relationship between the increase in the number of fish-scale patterns in rice flabellate phytoliths and the enhancement of plant physiological and agronomic traits in rice domestication. Through phytolith research on the Shangshan Culture Site (上山文化遗址) in Zhejiang, we have made a series of major discoveries: as early as about 100,000 years ago, wild rice was already widely distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River; around 24,000 years ago, during the transition to the Last Glacial Maximum, humans had already begun to collect and utilize wild rice; around 13,000 years ago, the pre-cultivation process of wild rice domestication began; and around 11,000 years ago, the proportion of domesticated rice phytoliths rapidly accumulated to a significant standard, marking the beginning of the origin of rice agriculture. This discovery reveals the complete and lengthy process of wild rice from collection to domestication in East Asia, further confirming that China is the origin of rice. The origin of rice agriculture in the Shangshan Culture area (上山文化区) 11,000 years ago was synchronous with the origin of wheat agriculture in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia, which had a profound impact on the historical process of human society worldwide.

Climate change is the underlying driving force of civilizational evolution. We collected more than 3,000 topsoil samples from different climatic zones across the country, establishing quantitative conversion functions of phytoliths, spores, etc., with annual average temperature and precipitation, achieving accurate reconstruction of paleoclimate parameters, thereby revealing the temperature and precipitation climate changes in eastern China over the past 20,000 years, and systematically quantifying the spatiotemporal patterns of climate change from dry farming areas to rice farming areas.

We found that the three millennial-scale climate warm and humid periods in the Holocene correspond precisely to the flourishing periods of the Peiligang Culture (裴李岗文化), Yangshao Culture (仰韶文化), and Longshan Culture (龙山文化) agricultural cultures; and that approximately 500-year periodic climate warming is conducive to the development of regional agricultural cultures in North China, which is closely related to monsoon climate fluctuations. We proposed a model of warm climate promoting the development of prehistoric agricultural cultures in East Asia, providing a scientific basis for understanding the relationship between civilization and climate.

Why did agriculture originate? Why did global agriculture originate in the last 20,000 years, and why did it originate in the three central regions of Central and South America, West Asia, and East Asia? Why did agricultural origins in different regions choose to domesticate Gramineae plants? Through quantitative paleoclimate data, millet, sorghum, and rice phytolith and carbonized particle change data, and human activity intensity change data, we analyzed and compared the evidence of climate change and agricultural origins and human activities, discovering three key nodes: short-term warming 14,000 years ago, sudden cooling 12,000 years ago, and long-term warming since 10,000 years ago, which correspond one-to-one with pre-cultivation of rice domestication, rice degradation, and the completion of millet, sorghum, and rice domestication in time, establishing an interconnected chain of evidence of East Asian climate and agricultural origins and human activities. During the Last Glacial Period, the climate was cold and rapidly changing, with no conditions for domestication. The warming climate 14,000 years ago, the sudden cooling 12,000 years ago, and the continuous warming since 10,000 years ago are the universal mechanisms driving Gramineae domestication and agricultural origins in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

Phytoliths, the "time capsules" of the microscopic world, not only record the life and death cycles of plants but also witness the origin and development of human civilization. From a millet phytolith to the logic of the continuation of a civilization, the microscopic world holds the genetic code of the "unity in diversity" of Chinese civilization. 多元一体 (duō yuán yī tǐ - "diversity in unity," describes the structure of Chinese civilization).

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (地质与地球物理研究所), Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院))

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Beacon Fire Tianxin Pavilion (Appraising History Through Objects)

By: 谭 凯

I have been studying and living in Changsha (长沙) for a full 20 years, and today, as I ascend Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), my heart is filled with emotion.

From the Wanli (万历) period of the Ming Dynasty (明朝) onwards, Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) has overlooked the myriad lives and the changing times of the city below, but it was destroyed in the Wenxi Fire (文夕大火) during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In October 1938, Wuhan (武汉) fell, and the War of Resistance entered a stalemate. The next target of the Japanese invaders was Hunan (湖南). Changsha (长沙) was turned into a sea of fire in the "scorched earth resistance" of November that year. For five days and five nights, more than 3,000 people perished in the flames, infrastructure was completely destroyed, homes were burned, and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.

This disaster did not destroy the will of the soldiers and civilians of Changsha (长沙), but instead inspired their determination to defend their homeland. With the Japanese army likely to launch an attack at any time, the Chinese soldiers and civilians quickly began production and self-help. Zhou Enlai (周恩来), then Deputy Minister of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the National Government, was also in Changsha (长沙) at this time, and telegraphed personnel from all departments of the Third Hall of the Political Department to rush to Changsha (长沙) to provide disaster relief. Tian Han (田汉), the director of the Sixth Section of the Third Hall, saw the city filled with scorched earth, and amidst the desolation, he tragically wrote "Still possessing an indomitable heroic spirit, rebuild Hunan (湖南) from the scorched earth." Fighting the war while providing disaster relief, it is hard to imagine what kind of suffering the people of Changsha (长沙) had to endure to usher in the city's recovery and rebirth.

Before reconstruction was completed, Changsha (长沙) was subjected to a fierce attack by the Japanese army. From September 1939 to January 1942, the Japanese army launched three large-scale invasions of Changsha (长沙). The Chinese soldiers and civilians fought bravely, forcing the Japanese army to retreat from Changsha (长沙), a historical event known as the "Changsha Campaign (长沙会战)." In the Third Changsha Campaign (第三次长沙会战), the Chinese army used Hunan's (湖南) unique terrain and hydrological environment to create the "Heavenly Furnace Tactics (天炉战法)." The so-called "Heavenly Furnace (天炉)" was a strategy against the Japanese mechanized forces advancing south from Yueyang (岳阳) to Changsha (长沙). The Chinese army adopted a strategy of first retreating and then encircling, luring the Japanese army into the "furnace," increasing the "furnace temperature," and ultimately annihilating the enemy. And the bottom of the "Heavenly Furnace (天炉)" was the city of Changsha (长沙) under Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁). The city of Changsha (长沙), which had barely recovered from the fire, was once again subjected to the ravages of war. Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), with only broken walls remaining after the fire, was still the highest point in Changsha (长沙), and throughout the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it remained a key fortress for air defense, anti-air raids, and a major position for military deployment.

On New Year's Day 1942, Changsha (长沙) was filled with sleet all day, and the wind on Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) was bitterly cold. Dozens of enemy planes strafed and bombed in low-altitude rotations, and ground artillery fire was even more intense. The sand and dust stirred up by the shells on the ground, combined with the gunpowder smoke from the war, made Changsha (长沙) seem like hell. Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) was a place that the Japanese army wanted to capture by force but never succeeded. On New Year's Day, the Japanese army attacked to the foot of Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁). The army guarding Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) could clearly see the melee combat between the enemy and ourselves within the city. Even though the Japanese army had superior air and ground firepower, the Chinese army still fought bravely, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Chinese army stationed on the walls of Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) decided to abandon defense and attack, taking the initiative to strike. As soon as the bugle sounded, the Chinese soldiers, their faces covered in black ash, jumped out of the trenches of Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) and charged down to the Japanese camp. At this time, the Japanese army, caught off guard, chose to retreat quickly. The offensive breakthrough under Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), in close coordination with the Chinese artillery units on Yuelu Mountain (岳麓山) west of the Xiang River (湘江), laid the foundation for the victory of the Third Changsha Campaign (第三次长沙会战).

During the Changsha Campaign (长沙会战), more than 40,000 farmers in northern Hunan (湘北) destroyed more than 1,230 kilometers of roads to hinder the Japanese army's advance; the women used their hands to make more than 40,000 pairs of shoes and 130,000 towels; and the people of Changsha (长沙) who survived the fire cooked their own food and sent it to the front lines. The cooperation between the Chinese soldiers and civilians in jointly resisting foreign aggression was the greatest highlight of the Changsha Campaign (长沙会战). The Changsha Campaign (长沙会战) stood in stark contrast to the Allied forces' repeated defeats on the European battlefield, greatly boosting morale and strengthening the Chinese people's determination to resist Japan.

Resurrected and reborn from the scorched earth of the fire, and resolutely resisting in the artillery fire of the War of Resistance, this tenacious vitality is precisely the interpretation and continuation of the cultural spirit of Hunan (湖湘) for thousands of years.

After the victory of the War of Resistance, in order to commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed in the Changsha Campaign (长沙会战), all sectors of society actively donated money and built architectural complexes such as Chonglie Gate (崇烈门), Chonglie Pavilion (崇烈亭), and Chonglie Pagoda (崇烈塔) next to Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁). The rebuilt Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) and the anti-war memorial complex are integrated, becoming an important landmark of the city.

Today's Tianxin Pavilion Park (天心阁公园) has become an important place for the people of Changsha (长沙) to enjoy entertainment and leisure, and also an important destination for foreign tourists. Climbing to the top of Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), you can see Yuelu Mountain (岳麓山) in the distance. There is no longer the fire of war under Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), but instead, a bustling scene of traffic and intertwined lights and sounds, a changed world. As I came down from Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁), I saw the citizens of Changsha (长沙) walking or sitting idly in the park, peacefully enjoying the tranquility and harmony of today. At this time, the couplet on Tianxin Pavilion (天心阁) is particularly eye-catching: "Four sides of clouds and mountains all enter the eye, ten thousand families' livelihoods are always of concern (四面云山都入眼，万家烟火总关心)."

(The author is a teacher at Hunan First Normal University (湖南第一师范学院))

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Spring and Autumn Annals Seen in Painted Murals (New Arrivals)

By: 杨 红  郭 凯

In June, in the Forbidden City (故宫), red walls reflected green willows. Under the eaves of the Yongshou Palace (永寿宫), the "Millennial Color Paintings - Inheritance and Innovation Exhibition of Chinese Official Color Paintings" quietly opened, with colorful paintings revitalizing the faded beams and rafters.

Pushing open the wooden doors of the main hall of Yongshou Palace (永寿宫) is like opening the "time-space door" of Chinese color paintings. When the flying ribbons of Dunhuang (敦煌) entwine the auspicious beasts and birds of the Forbidden City (紫禁城), those civilization codes once blurred by the years are telling the world, in their most vivid form, that "frozen poetry, three-dimensional paintings" on ancient Chinese buildings.

Chinese official color paintings have formed a unique aesthetic system in their eclecticism. The beauty of color paintings lies not only in the two-dimensional outlines but also in the creation of space. In the exhibition hall, the Song Dynasty's "Yingzao Fashi (营造法式)" "Five-Color Full Decoration" Dougong model stands shoulder to shoulder with the Ming Dynasty's "Gold Thread Stone Roller Jade" Dougong model. The former is like Tang and Song Dynasty's gorgeous clothing, weaving the vitality of color with "cyan, green, red, and yellow"; the latter is like Ming and Qing Dynasty's court attire, outlining the majesty of patterns with "cyan and green interspersed with gold." From two-dimensional drawings to three-dimensional models, from static copying to dynamic deconstruction, the audience can see, in a 庖丁解牛 (páo dīng jiě niú - "butcher dissecting an ox," to understand something thoroughly through careful analysis) manner, how Dougong has transformed from a load-bearing component into an aesthetic symbol, and how color has become a symbol of ritual in "regulating heaven and earth."

In the display case, the color painting samples of Mr. He Wenkui (何文奎) and Mr. Zhang Decai (张德才) quietly bloom with the luster of the years. On these small paper samples, dragon scales are meticulously depicted with gold powder, auspicious clouds are dyed with indigo, lines are as resilient as gossamer, and gradations are as soft as the morning light. When we gaze at these samples, we see not only the grace of the twining lotus and the solemnity of the treasure-like flower, but also the ancient craftsmen's persistence in "carrying the Tao with instruments." On the yellowed drafts, Mr. Wang Zhongjie's (王仲杰) red-penned "Analysis Diagram of the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasty's Whirlpool Color Paintings of Xihua Gate (西华门)" and the blue-penned "Brief Analysis and Display Diagram of the Dating of the Interior and Exterior Eaves Color Paintings of the Sanqing Hall (三清殿) of Yongle Palace (永乐宫) in Ruicheng County (芮城县), Shanxi Province (山西省)" remain as clear as yesterday, even after more than 30 years. Mr. Wang Zhongjie (王仲杰) has been engaged in the research and protection of official color paintings for more than 70 years. The exhibition focuses on displaying Mr. Wang Zhongjie's (王仲杰) achievements in official color painting engineering practice, theoretical research, and talent cultivation through photographs, color painting reproductions, and drawings. "Choose one thing, finish a lifetime." This is not only a tribute to Mr. Wang Zhongjie's (王仲杰) personal achievements but also a eulogy to generations of "Forbidden City (故宫) people."

The Forbidden City (故宫) Ancient Architecture Department team used the "13th Five-Year Plan" scientific research results as a pen, from the screening of mineral pigments to the layer-by-layer laying of the base ground, from the "three stops and nine similarities" dragon pattern drawing to the "gradation stacking" color preparation, to research and restore the lost color painting techniques. On the multimedia screen, the audience can see that behind a faded beam and rafter is a symphony of ingenuity in seven processes.

The "Innovation" chapter in the rear hall is the achievement exhibition of the 2024 National Art Fund's "Creative Talent Training for Chinese Official Color Painting Pattern Art Design." The creative works of 23 trainees take "Southern Wind's Fragrance," "Cloud Dragon's Majesty," and "Flower Brocade's Splendor" as prisms, reflecting the contemporary spectrum of traditional color paintings. Two-dimensional swirling flowers grow into three-dimensional models in the computer, static dragon patterns stretch their bodies in animation, and even the chemical molecular structure of pigments becomes the creative code of art, bringing the color paintings of Nanxun Hall (南薰殿) "to life." In the West Wing Hall, when the audience puts on VR glasses and sees their fingertips stroking the virtual beams and rafters, the patterns bloom layer by layer like ripples. This "immersive deconstruction" transforms the ancient color paintings from "viewable from a distance" to "participatory."

When the colors on the vermilion beams are no longer just historical footnotes, and when the patterns in the Dougong become the starting point of creativity, Chinese official color paintings complete the transformation from "cultural relics" to "culture."

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Footprints of Field Archaeology

By: 沈丽华

If counting from the time he entered the archeology major, archaeologist Xu Guangji (徐光冀) has been walking on this path for 70 years. He has witnessed the development of Chinese archeology and the cause of Chinese cultural relic protection.

I first met Mr. Xu in the winter of 2006. That time, I accompanied him from Beijing (北京) to Henan (河南) to inspect the excavation of sites such as the "Anyang Gu'an Cemetery (安阳固岸墓地)" in the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Previously, as a member of the cultural relic protection planning group of the Three Gorges Project, Mr. Xu participated in the formulation of the "Overall Plan for Cultural Relic Protection of the Three Gorges Project (三峡工程文物保护总体规划)," which was the first systematic cultural relic protection plan in China, highlighting the concept of "cultural relic protection, planning first." As a member of the expert group for cultural relic protection in the preliminary planning of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project of the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部), Mr. Xu participated in the compilation of the cultural relic protection plans for the central and eastern routes of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and conducted long-term inspections and guidance on archeological sites. Switching from archeology to the field of cultural heritage protection, Mr. Xu's rich field archeological experience, strong sense of responsibility, and clear protection stance left a deep impression on everyone.

Xu Guangji (徐光冀) was born in 1935. His childhood coincided with the War of Resistance Against Japan (抗战时期), and he was displaced. He returned to Beijing (北京) to study in middle school in 1948, and entered the Department of History of Peking University (北京大学) as his first choice in 1954 to study archeology. In 1959, he joined the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院考古研究所) (affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院) after 1977). He misses the teachers he met on his growth path—Mr. Xia Nai (夏鼐), Mr. Su Bingqi (苏秉琦), Mr. Su Bai (宿白), and others. Mr. Xia Nai (夏鼐) presided over the work of the Institute of Archeology for more than 30 years. He always attached importance to and strictly required field archeological work, formulated strict rules and regulations and urged their implementation. Mr. Xia personally inquired about the annual academic goals, work plans, and annual reports of the field team. These traditions have been passed down to this day. Xu Guangji (徐光冀) often listened to Mr. Su Bingqi's (苏秉琦) teachings and has been carrying out archeological work under Mr. Su's guidance. Mr. Su Bai (宿白) taught Xu (徐) and his classmates about the archeology of the Three Kingdoms, the Two Jin Dynasties, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the Song and Yuan Dynasties. "Mr. Su Bai (宿白) was originally very amiable, but he was very strict in doing scholarship. I have benefited from it as a student for life. Every article was submitted to him for review, and he always carefully reviewed and revised it, even the punctuation marks."

From the age of 24 to 48, Mr. Xu (徐) mainly engaged in prehistoric and Bronze Age archeology and was one of the founders of the Inner Mongolia Archeological Team (内蒙古考古队). Together with Liu Guanmin (刘观民), he successively presided over or participated in the excavation of important sites such as Yaowangmiao (药王庙), Xiajiadian (夏家店), Nanshangen (南山根), Fuhegoumen (富河沟门), Jinguishan (金龟山), and Dadianzi (大甸子). As the excavator of the Fuhegoumen site (富河沟门遗址), Mr. Xu (徐) first analyzed the Fuhe culture from the collectively referred to as "microlithic culture," which opened the prelude to clarifying the various cultures of the Neolithic Age in the Liaohe River Basin (辽河流域). In particular, the establishment of the lower layer culture of Xiajiadian (夏家店下层文化) and the upper layer culture of Xiajiadian (夏家店上层文化) established the chronological sequence of the prehistoric to Bronze Age in western Liaoning (辽西地区). The scientific excavation of the Dadianzi Cemetery (大甸子墓地) in Aohan Banner (敖汉旗) for many consecutive years unearthed more than 400 pieces of painted pottery, many of which were brightly colored and painted with pottery similar to the taotie pattern, showing the connection between this culture and the bronze wares of the Xia and Shang dynasties in the Central Plains (中原夏商青铜器). Today, these pottery pieces are neatly placed in a prominent position in the Archaeological Museum of China (中国考古博物馆), displaying the splendid appearance of this prehistoric culture.

It was precisely when academic accumulation had reached the point of producing results that Xu Guangji (徐光冀), at the age of 48, was selected by the then director Xia Nai (夏鼐) to preside over the archeological excavation of the Yecheng site (邺城遗址). "Yecheng (邺城) is an ancient capital site that has not been covered by modern cities. It is a treasure land and is of great significance in archeology and history." A completely new field, too many things needed to be relearned, but Mr. Xia Nai's (夏鼐) words moved him. Facing such a vast area, but after man-made and natural destruction, severely damaged and with a weak research foundation of the "Six Dynasties Ancient Capital (六朝古都)," Xu Guangji (徐光冀) led the Yecheng team to create a set of effective capital archeological methods through general drilling and key excavation to first understand the layout and then find key parts. In just over 10 years, he basically clarified the plane layout of the Yecheng site (邺城遗址) and established a basic chronological sequence. The establishment of the single palace city system and the central axis of the city in Cao Wei Yecheng (曹魏邺城) opened a new stage in the layout of Chinese capitals.

Under the guidance of the concept of "Archeology of the Great Yecheng Site (大邺城遗址考古)," Mr. Xu Guangji (徐光冀) led the investigation of the Northern Dynasties tombs in Cixian County (磁县北朝墓群) and focused on the excavation of the Wangzhang Northern Dynasties mural tomb (湾漳北朝壁画墓). The "Cixian Wangzhang Northern Dynasties Mural Tomb (磁县湾漳北朝壁画墓)" he presided over was a model for the excavation report of the Northern Dynasties tombs. The basic work such as the description of pottery figurines and the writing of mural content provided great convenience for other scholars. As a rigorous archeologist, he cautiously stated that the Wangzhang tomb is likely to be the tomb of Gao Yang (高洋), and believes that "with the deepening of the archeological work in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi mausoleum area in Cixian County (磁县东魏北齐陵区), the owner of the Wangzhang tomb may be further determined." This kind of rigor is also reflected in his attitude towards confirming the tomb owner of Anyang Xigaoxue No. 2 Tomb (安阳西高穴2号墓) ("Cao Cao's Mausoleum (曹操高陵)"). Mr. Xu (徐) often said that scientific research has no end, and the results we have achieved now are only temporary.

In 1994, after resigning from his positions as the captain of the Yecheng Archeological Team (邺城考古队) and the executive deputy director of the Institute of Archeology, Xu Guangji (徐光冀) served as a member of the archeological expert group of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (国家文物局), guiding archeological work across the country. But Yecheng (邺城) has always been the place he is most concerned about. On September 23, 2023, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the continuous archeological work at the Yecheng site (邺城遗址), the Yecheng National Archeological Site Park (邺城国家考古遗址公园) was opened, which was the proudest moment for archeologists. Mr. Xu Guangji (徐光冀), who is 88 years old, emotionally recalled the hardships of starting from scratch in a 15-minute "academic summary," and was full of expectations for the inheritance of the team.

Although he has entered his twilight years, Mr. Xu (徐), who is in good health, still works 6 hours a day. Under his guidance, the "Yecheng: Archeological Excavation Report from 1983 to 1994 (邺城：1983—1994年考古发掘报告)" was smoothly compiled. We occasionally see Mr. Xu (徐) appearing on archeological sites. The things that need to be solved clearly in the field must be solved in the field. This is his consistent proposition and his lifelong practice.

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Take a Stroll Through Rural Museums in Huzhou

By: 楼 婷

In my spare time, I enjoy visiting rural museums in Huzhou (湖州). The most impressive one is the Farming Culture Museum in Chejiadou Village (车家兜村), Shanlian Town (善琏镇), Nanxun District (南浔区). Inside, there are many exhibits with stories: a cylindrical millstone was unearthed from the field based on clues provided by villagers; a bamboo sieve used to catch flour when grinding was "rescued" by villagers from a pile of firewood in a turtle pond; an ancient and mottled wooden barber box contains rusty scissors, combs, and a yellowed electric clipper, belonging to a deceased old barber in the village. This old master used to carry the wooden box and go from village to village to cut hair for the villagers... Strolling through it, it seems like returning to the traditional life scenes of rural areas in northern Zhejiang (浙北) and even the Jiangnan (江南) water towns.

Today, in Huzhou (湖州), there is a rural museum for every eight villages on average, and a registered museum for every 30,000 people. In the 122 rural museums that have passed the acceptance inspection, each museum has more than 200 collections. Villagers take a walk after dinner, and tourists turn a corner in the streets and alleys, and the museum at their "doorstep" is within reach.

In August 2021, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (国家文物局) explored the construction of "Chinese Rural Museums," and Zhejiang (浙江) also regarded the construction of rural museums as an important starting point for building a strong cultural province and deepening the integration of culture and tourism. Huzhou (湖州) became the only pilot city for the construction of rural museums in the country. It should be said that the policy "**组合拳**" (zǔ hé quán - "combination punch," a series of coordinated policies or measures) at that time provided a solid backing for the construction of rural museums. The tailor-made "Three-Year Action Plan for the Construction of Chinese Rural Museums in Huzhou Pilot Project," the first promulgated "Measures for the Recognition of Rural Museum Construction" and "Measures for the Management of Rural Museums," as well as the supporting "Implementation Rules for Funding Subsidies for Huzhou Municipal Rural Museums," have allowed many rural museums to stand out in Huzhou (湖州).

Rural museums are not all the same "face," but "cultural living rooms" with their own characteristics. The Zhao Mengfu and Guan Daosheng Art Museum (赵孟頫管道昇艺术馆), the Zang Maoxun Memorial Hall (臧懋循纪念馆), and the Yao Xingwu Former Residence Exhibition Room (姚醒吾故居陈列室), which are funded by the government, make the spirit of the celebrities around them tangible, concrete, and three-dimensional. A number of Song Ming White Tea Museum (宋茗白茶博物馆), Hubi Culture Museum (湖笔文化馆), and Freshwater Fish Specimen Exhibition Hall (淡水鱼标本展示馆), which are built relying on industries, have become new cultural and tourism spaces for displaying local industrial and agricultural culture. Changxing County Baifu Silkworm Culture Exhibition Hall (长兴县白阜蚕文化展示馆), Anji County Dahe Shadow Puppet Culture Exhibition Hall (安吉县大河皮影文化展示馆), etc., allow more people to understand, familiarize themselves with, and fall in love with intangible cultural heritage through rich and colorful exhibition activities. Relying on cultural IPs such as "Hubi" (湖笔), "Husi" (湖丝), and "Hucha" (湖茶), Huzhou (湖州) has created a large number of "Hu-branded" themed museums such as the Hubi Culture Museum (湖笔文化馆), the Silkworm Culture Exhibition Hall (蚕文化展示馆), and the Tea Culture Museum (茶文化博物馆), forming a cluster effect.

Before the opening of the Jieli Wedding Museum (岕里婚庆博物馆) in Fangyan Village (方岩村) in 2021, Wu Xiaoli (吴晓力), a specially appointed expert from the Zhejiang Provincial Museum Society (浙江省博物馆学会), conducted an on-site investigation and creatively proposed that the internal and external museums could be linked, and the entire line from the village entrance to the museum could be designed and upgraded to create a "living" museum that can be perceived and experienced. Today, the immersive Jieli Wedding Folk Performance has become the museum's "**流量密码**" (liú liàng mì mǎ - "traffic password," a key element that attracts a large number of visitors or online traffic). Similarly, under the guidance of experts, Yigao Village (义皋村), which has a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage site, built the Taihu Lougang Culture Exhibition Hall (太湖溇港文化展示馆). It not only displays ancient water management tools and water conservancy maps, but also uses sound, light, and electricity technology to allow tourists to immerse themselves in the wisdom of thousands of years of water conservancy. There is also the Lianshi Grand Canal Historical and Cultural Museum (练市大运河历史文化博物馆), which introduces the history of canal transportation, and the Xinyuan Village Changgwang Coal Mine Industrial Culture Expo Park (新源村长广煤矿工业文化博览馆), which records the changes in the coal mining industry, which have also become benchmarks for star-rated rural museums in Zhejiang Province (浙江省). The most popular in Huzhou (湖州) is the advisory group composed of experts from institutions such as the Shanghai History Museum (上海市历史博物馆), the Zhejiang Provincial Museum (浙江省博物馆), and Fudan University (复旦大学), and the expert guidance group composed of state-owned cultural and museum backbones, as well as the "five-member" volunteer team composed of retired teachers, veteran cadres, local sages, college students, and cultural workers. The "strongest expert team" composed of the "national team + local team + grassroots team" has created a number of small but beautiful, small but refined, story-telling, and warm rural museums for Huzhou (湖州).

Rural museums are born and grow here, and they should also give back to here. Digang Ancient Village (荻港古村), which has a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, its Mulberry-Dyke Fish Pond System Historical and Cultural Museum (桑基鱼塘系统历史文化馆) not only displays the wisdom of thousands of years of ecological agriculture, but also becomes a powerful engine for driving rural development. Characteristic homestays, fishing villages, and research tourism are booming, with an average annual number of tourists exceeding one million, becoming a "Jiangnan (江南) window" for displaying Chinese agricultural civilization. Relying on the "Jiangnan Culture Exploration" research tourism route built by 122 rural museums in the city, Huzhou (湖州) has helped Huzhou's (湖州) total rural tourism operating income rank first in the province for the seventh consecutive year.

Huzhou's (湖州) rural museums, under the passionate irrigation of all parties, are writing a wise poem about cultural inheritance, civilization continuation, and rural revitalization.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Yang Xuemei

This edition's email: ysbjs@peopledaily.cn

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Accompany you to appreciate orchids together.

By: 周大新

Orchids have a prominent reputation in the Chinese flower world. However, my understanding and knowledge of them, as a country person, has gone through a long process.

When I was a child, I saw a cousin in the village name his daughter "Xianglan," and I asked him: Why did you choose such a name? The cousin said that orchids are very fragrant, and giving such a name is auspicious. I asked again: Have you ever seen an orchid? He replied that he had seen pictures of orchids in books. I asked again: Does the book say whether orchids are edible? He shook his head and laughed at me: You can't say three sentences without talking about eating! At that time, I thought, if orchids are not edible, what's the point of having them? In those days, my stomach often growled with hunger, and whenever I talked about anything, the first thing I cared about was: Can it be eaten?

My hometown is in the Nanyang (南阳) Basin in Henan (河南) Province, surrounded by plains. I know most of the flowers that grow in the fields: wild chrysanthemums, morning glories, pea flowers, and impatiens. I have eaten these flowers raw when I was hungry. As for the taste, none of them are particularly good, and I didn't find them very fragrant. I always wanted to taste the flavor of orchids, but I never encountered them. The adults told me: Orchids don't grow in our area.

I didn't really see orchids until I went to Feicheng (肥城), Shandong (山东) Province, to join the army. Once, I went to deliver documents to the home of a regimental leader and saw many pots of flowers on his windowsill. One of the pots had bloomed, and I curiously walked to the windowsill to look at it. The hostess said: This pot of orchids bloomed yesterday, it's very fragrant, isn't it? When I heard it was an orchid, I immediately became interested and quickly lowered my head to smell it. Sure enough, a refreshing fragrance filled my nostrils. Before leaving, I couldn't help but touch one of the flowers and asked: Auntie, is this flower delicious? She laughed: Silly child, this flower is for people to admire, not to eat.

After I became a platoon leader, I shared a dormitory with another company-grade officer. He was from a big city and had joined the army after graduating from university. One Sunday, he brought back a pot of flowers from outside and placed it on the windowsill, examining it from left to right. I recognized it as a pot of orchids, so I happily asked him: Did you buy orchids? He smiled and said: A pot of spring orchids, one yuan. I "heh"ed in surprise at his willingness to spend money. At that time, my monthly salary was only 52 yuan, and one mao (1/10 of a yuan) could buy 10 eggs. It was quite novel to exchange 100 eggs for a pot of orchids!

In Jinan (济南), Shandong (山东) Province in 1978, a small stall selling potted flowers appeared on the northern slope of Hero Mountain (英雄山). The stall was run by an old man, and he was selling orchid grass planted in small pots. At this time, I had already come to work in Jinan (济南), and I saw the flower stall while jogging one Sunday morning. I curiously walked to the stall, and the old man immediately enthusiastically promoted to me: Buy a pot and take it home to raise, this is spring orchid, one yuan! I laughed: It's too expensive, how much is a month's salary? He smiled bitterly and said: I have many children in my family, life is difficult, little brother, please take care of me, buy this pot of orchids, you can give me 8 mao. Hearing him say this, I was embarrassed to refuse, so I took out 8 mao and bought the pot of spring orchids. At that time, I had already been assigned a dormitory and a small kitchen in the military district compound, and I had a place to put flowers. When I got home, I put the pot of orchids on the windowsill. This was the first time I raised flowers. At that time, I was not yet married, and having this pot of orchids as a companion when I came home from work could be considered less lonely. Unfortunately, because I didn't have the knowledge and skills to raise orchids, the pot of orchids withered before my eyes in less than a year.

After being transferred to Beijing (北京), the first thing I thought of was to buy a few pots of flowers and green plants to decorate my living room. I ran to several flower markets and finally picked out a pot of Cymbidium goeringii and a pot of Phalaenopsis, plus two pots of pothos. I put the Cymbidium goeringii on the coffee table because I wanted to smell its elegant fragrance, and I put the red and white Phalaenopsis on the windowsill because I wanted to see its bright and brilliant appearance. I put the two pots of pothos on the flower stand because I wanted to ask them to use their breath to take away the peculiar smell in the house. Perhaps because my utilitarianism in raising flowers and green plants was too strong, the orchids and pothos were not very happy, so they did not thrive in my home for too long and successively became ill. Although my family and I tried our best to rescue them, we ultimately failed to make their beautiful appearance last long. When I sent the gradually withered ones out of the room, my interest and confidence in raising orchids had been completely lost.

In the early spring of the Yi Si (乙巳) year, I took a trip to Tongbai Mountain (桐柏山) in Tongbai (桐柏), Henan (河南) Province. In Tongbai (桐柏) County, a friend told me that Tongbai Mountain (桐柏山) is one of the producing areas of Cymbidium goeringii, and many farmers in the mountains have made money and become rich by raising orchids, and have escaped poverty.

I was very surprised: "Can raising orchids make you rich?"

"Of course! Why don't you go to the orchid cultivation base in Dahe (大河) Town in the county to take a look?"

That would be great! I immediately drove to Dahe (大河) Town with my friend. In a small mountain valley, I saw a row of glass greenhouses. These are all sheds dedicated to raising orchids. One shed contains more than a hundred or even several hundred pots of orchids, with various varieties. The orchids that are about to bloom or are half-bloomed are safely seated on their respective pot stands, and the orchids in full bloom spread their elegant fragrance throughout the greenhouse.

In one of the greenhouses, I asked the shed owner, Huang Faguo (黄发国): "How did you think of raising orchids?"

He smiled and said: "Our climate here is mild and the rainfall is abundant, which is suitable for the survival of orchids. Villagers often dig up orchids in the mountains and forests."

Once, Huang Faguo (黄发国) dug up a Cymbidium goeringii on the mountain and showed it to a Korean (韩国) businessman who came to buy orchids. Huang Faguo (黄发国) thought that he could sell it for 5 yuan. Who knew that the businessman directly offered 3,000 yuan. Later, Huang Faguo (黄发国) found out that in Korea (韩国), some varieties of orchids can be sold at astonishingly high prices. From then on, he went around asking people with knowledge of orchids and experience in raising orchids for advice and learning, studying the types of orchids and their growth habits and artificial cultivation techniques, and also built his own orchid cultivation greenhouse, gradually earning some money. When the villagers saw that he had made money, they all followed suit, and more and more people built orchid cultivation greenhouses. The county even established an orchid association because of this...

This was the first time I learned that raising orchids can lead to wealth, that there are tens of thousands of people in the world engaged in orchid cultivation and sales, and that raising and appreciating orchids has become a fashion in some countries. It really opened my eyes!

In this orchid cultivation base in Dahe (大河) Town, I also learned some tips for appreciating orchids. To appreciate orchids, you must first smell the fragrance. The fragrance of orchids is a paroxysmal fragrance. This fragrance is fresh and profound, with varying degrees of intensity. A clear fragrance is better than a strange fragrance and a light fragrance. The fragrance is one of the important conditions for evaluating the quality of orchid varieties. Secondly, you must observe the color, which is to look at the leaf color and flower color. Orchid leaves are usually green, moist, and bright. Those whose leaf color changes to golden yellow or have silver-white edges, lines, and spots are called art orchids and are considered top-grade. Traditionally, pure color is considered top-grade for flower color. Next, you must look at the posture, which is to look at the leaf posture and flower posture. The leaf posture is considered beautiful if it is not oblique and stands upright. The best flower posture is one branch standing alone, gracefully and elegantly. The flower arrow should be higher than the leaf surface, and the number of flowers should be large and evenly symmetrical, neither sparse nor dense. Finally, you must observe the shape, which is to look at the flower shape and petal shape. The shape of the flower is considered beautiful if it has a "correct top and flat shoulders, tightly embracing heart, relaxed lip and upright nose, and petals not turned back."

It was also in this base that I learned that in addition to ornamental value and cultural value, orchids do have edible value. Dishes made with orchids taste fresh, are rich in nutrition, and have beautiful colors. Orchids can also be used to make wine and flower tea, and the wine and tea made are fragrant to the nose. This means that I was not wrong to ask my cousin if orchids could be eaten.

I think this orchid cultivation base hidden in the mountain valley of Tongbai Mountain (桐柏山) is worth seeing. If a friend is willing to appreciate orchids, I can accompany you.

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The Gan River Remembers All Names (Wen Si)

By: 叶 帆

It's embarrassing to say that after visiting Nanchang (南昌) several times, this is my first time visiting the renowned Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁).

　　In May, Nanchang (南昌) is often misty and rainy, which is the charm of Jiangnan (江南). Although many people don't think Nanchang (南昌) is part of Jiangnan (江南), historically, it belonged to "Jiangnan West Road (江南西路)."

　　At the visitor service center of the south gate of Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁) Scenic Area, several tourists are reciting Wang Bo's (王勃) timeless masterpiece, "Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁序)." A boy of about ten years old, with his hands in his pockets, recited with particular enthusiasm: "The treasures of natural resources shine, and the dragon's light shoots to the ruins of the Ox and Dipper constellations; outstanding people and fertile land, Xu Ru (徐孺) lowered his mat for Chen Fan (陈蕃). Majestic prefectures stand like a formation of clouds, and brilliant talents dash like shooting stars..." With beautiful words, Wang Bo (王勃) praised the talents of Jiangxi (江西): 人杰地灵 (rén jié dì líng - "outstanding people and fertile land," a place producing outstanding people and possessing spiritual significance) and 俊采星驰 (jùn cǎi xīng chí - "brilliant talents dash like shooting stars," describes many talented individuals emerging at the same time).

　　Walking into Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁), it showcases the outstanding figures of Jiangxi (江西) throughout history. To be honest, before the Song Dynasty (宋朝), the talents of Jiangxi (江西) were difficult to describe as "brilliant talents dashing like shooting stars," but by the Song Dynasty (宋朝), its prominent figures indeed shone like stars. Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修), who had "the hope of three dynasties for his career and the teacher of a hundred generations for his writing," Wang Anshi (王安石), who promoted the Xining Reform (熙宁变法), Zeng Gong (曾巩), one of the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties (唐宋八大家)," Huang Tingjian (黄庭坚), who excelled in both poetry and calligraphy, Yang Wanli (杨万里), who left behind many beautiful poems such as "The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, an endless green, the lotus flowers reflecting the sun, a different kind of red," Zhu Xi (朱熹), who compiled the great achievements of Neo-Confucianism, Lu Jiuyuan (陆九渊), the founder of Idealism, and Wen Tianxiang (文天祥), who "left his loyal heart to illuminate the annals of history"... Yes, they are all from Jiangxi (江西), and we all grew up reciting their poems and articles. The achievements of many of them were not one-sided, profoundly influencing the progress and height of Chinese history and civilization. If you look through the biographies in the *History of the Song Dynasty* (*宋史*), the talents from Jiangxi (江西) are too numerous to count.

　　Go up another floor. Looking out through the curtain of fine rain, the Gan River (赣江) is vast and misty, and every ripple blown by the wind resembles the rings of its life. The highest excellence is like water. The Gan River (赣江), thousands of miles long, runs through Jiangxi (江西), shaping the history and civilization of the Ganpo (赣鄱) land with its endless river water.

　　China's terrain is high in the west and low in the east, and the major rivers such as the Yangtze River (长江) and the Yellow River (黄河) all flow from west to east, but the Gan River (赣江) flows from south to north, which gives it unique transportation value. After the completion of the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties (隋唐大运河), it further connected the north and the south, but it stopped in the south at Hangzhou (杭州). During the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), Zhang Jiuling (张九龄) opened the Meiling Post Road (梅岭驿道) in the Nanling Mountains (南岭) that straddle Jiangxi (江西) and Guangdong (广东), and the Gan River (赣江) thereby connected the Yangtze River (长江) and Pearl River (珠江) systems, creating the "Beijing-Guangzhou Grand Waterway (京广大水道)" including the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (京杭大运河). Jiangxi (江西), located in the hinterland, was thus suddenly enlightened, opening up a great channel for its destiny to rise, and profoundly affecting China's economic pattern thereafter.

　　Imagining the past, standing on the Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁) and looking out, the Gan River (赣江) should have been full of sails, transporting grain, porcelain, and tea, carrying officials, merchants, and students... either going north with the current or going south against the current. People coming and going left their figures in the Gan River (赣江). The Gan River (赣江) remembers all the names and witnessed the prosperity of Jiangxi (江西).

　　Jiangxi (江西) rose to become a prosperous and flourishing place because of the Gan River (赣江), and then became a place of flourishing culture and education. Those outstanding talents who came out of Jiangxi (江西) are the echoes of the sound of reading aloud in the academies of Ganpo (赣鄱), and the peaks on the talent plateau built by thousands of scholars in Jiangxi (江西). Its foundation comes from the economic and social development of Jiangxi (江西) at that time, and tracing back to the source, they are all inseparable from the nourishment of the Gan River (赣江).

　　Rivers give people life, and people also give rivers life. The Gan River (赣江), which flows continuously, is not only a natural existence, but also a cultural existence. In those days, when Wang Bo (王勃) went to Jiaozhi (交趾) to visit his father, he passed through Nanchang (南昌) and left the timeless line "The falling霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色" for the Gan River (赣江) at this Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁); Su Shi (苏轼) went south to Huizhou (惠州) along the Gan River (赣江) in his later years and wrote "First Entering Gan Passing Through the Terrifying Shoals on the Seventh Day of August (八月七日初入赣过惶恐滩)"; Xin Qiji (辛弃疾) climbed the Yugu Terrace (郁孤台) on the edge of the Gan River (赣江), and his heart was filled with the thoughts of his family and country, "Looking northwest to Chang'an (长安), how pitiful are the countless mountains"... The Gan River (赣江) has "poetic nature," which is its cultural life. The cultural life of the Gan River (赣江) will become more mellow as its natural life continues.

　　Climbing to the height of the Tengwang Pavilion (滕王阁), the fine rain is gradually stopping at this time, and the reflections of the high-rise buildings on both sides of the Gan River (赣江) in the river are clearer, so there is a city skyline on the river, and when the wind rises again, it is crushed by the river water and integrated into the sparkling waves. Not far away, two cargo ships are slowly approaching. An old comrade next to him, probably seeing the cargo ships, talked to his companions about the future of the Gan River (赣江): "If the Gan-Yue Canal (赣粤运河) is built, there will be more than just these cargo ships on the Gan River (赣江), and this thousand-year-old golden waterway will regain its glory." The Gan-Yue Canal (赣粤运河) under research and demonstration can connect Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (京津冀), the Yangtze River Delta (长三角), and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区). With this canal, Jiangxi's (江西) location advantage of "connecting the east and west, connecting the north and south, and reaching the sea through the river" will naturally be more obvious, and the Gan River (赣江) will have a new historical mission for Jiangxi (江西) and for the country.

　　Rivers and mountains have their own era opportunities. The development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (长江经济带) and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin (黄河流域) have revitalized the Yangtze River (长江) and the Yellow River (黄河). The new era is also giving the Gan River (赣江) a new life.

　　The Gan River (赣江) never ceases; it is history, and it also heads towards the future.

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A child is a poem.

By: 赵 霞

Walking outside, I like to quietly listen to children talking. Just a short while, and you're sure to hear something interesting.

A child said to his mother, "Mom, if you buy me an ice cream, my happiness will be as big as a house." Another child asked his parents, who were holding his hands, "Why do adults go to work and children go to school? Why don't children go to work and adults go to school?" One child said to another, "Let's be a tree." After saying that, he immediately stood straight in place. The other child was still walking around. His partner asked him why he didn't stand like a tree. He said, "I am now a walking tree..."

They casually drop these words, and I quickly pick them up from the side. The world is sparkling, both light and joyful.

Children are natural poets. From the beginning of babbling to the entire childhood stage, a child's expression is full of the imagination and feelings that are essentially poetic. At this time, all the rules of language and culture are yet to be established, and where the child's feet stand, half we can see, and the other half is hidden in some invisible mysterious place. When they open their mouths, the words are so naive, and yet they collide and meet each other in such a wonderful way. Adult poets may be able to skillfully mobilize unfamiliar language to weave poetic images and feelings, but they rarely can build such unexpected and natural poetic realms. That clear and magical gaze and voice of watching and describing the world, most of us lose after adulthood.

When my son was three and a half years old, I took him back to my hometown for vacation. After a rain, on the courtyard wall, he saw a slug for the first time and ran in to tell us, "Outside Grandpa's (外公) house wall, a snail without a shell crawled by!" We told him it was a slug. He asked, could this slug find its original shell and be a snail again? This is a unique childhood illusion and concern, descending from the sky, difficult to replicate, and also the spontaneous poetry and poetic meaning of life. Every time I hear a child's poetic language, it makes me even more convinced that poetry, like philosophy, is indeed born simultaneously with human life.

One of my colleagues, after retiring, devoted herself to early childhood education. One year, she gave everyone in our office a calendar. When you open it, each page, in addition to the date, creatively recorded various interesting questions and answers between kindergarten teachers and children. What is home? "Home is where we live, home is good, from home we can see the tall moon." This is one of the most simple and moving expressions I have ever read about home. If your body could transform, what would you want to become? This question was very lively, and the children scrambled to answer: "I want to become a grain of rice and give it to Grandma (奶奶) to eat." "I want to become a door, so that Mom (妈妈) and Dad (爸爸) can open it wherever they are." "I want to become a shoe, my sister (姐姐) likes shoes with shoelaces." "I want to become a small tree and grow on Mom's (妈妈) head." To me, every answer leads to a castle of childhood spirit, lively and abundant. Although this calendar has expired, I still treasure it.

A child walks around, carelessly scattering these poetic languages everywhere, like the richest king of poetry in the world. If you pay attention, you will find that childhood poetic language is everywhere in life. I have encouraged parents and kindergarten teachers on many occasions to record the poetic language of children. In recent years, many interesting works have emerged using children's innocent words as poetry, and even many specialized competitions have been established as a result. Even the property management of my residential community has organized poetry writing activities for children in the past two years. Everyone reads together, appreciates, rejoices, and marvels. That feeling of joy is not just for the children, but seems to be more for oneself. The child's naive poetic language is like a little light leaking from the dark well of language and life, small, but comforting and full of hope. The luster of words and the spirituality of the senses are bright and fresh at this moment, restored to their original state.

There is a child's words that I can never forget since I heard them. It was in an article by the writer Tie Ning (铁凝). One early autumn afternoon in the 1990s, in a remote mountain village, beside a muddy path after the rain, on a small stone slab on the windowsill of a house, three lines of words were crookedly written: "The sun rises, the sun sets, when will I get better?" The 9-year-old boy who wrote these three lines of words was probably busily cutting mountain chives somewhere in the mountains when the writer saw these words. These three lines are such shocking three lines of poetry! The poem has the rising and setting of the sun, the most simple and original value and ethical concern of the individual in the eternal rotation and magnificent silence of time, and countless vivid and silent childhood stories related to "When will I get better?" When I first read these three lines, an unspeakable surprise and tremor surged in my heart. Reading it again today, I am still moved to tears. Such childhood poetic language is not just a shock, but also an impact. Its innocence carries the weight of the world and the soul, and its weight flies lightly on the wings of innocence. "When will I get better?" Like a match striking sandpaper for a moment, a dazzling light flashes across the darkness.

Every child is a poem, small, big, so light, so heavy. I often think that a child comes into the world to save us. The increasingly rusty language and feelings after adulthood, at the moment of encountering a child's innocent poetic language, burst out again with memories and longing for brilliance - even if it is only for a moment.

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Photo Story

Oil painting "Two-Colored Peonies," by Han Jingsheng (韩景生), collection of the National Art Museum of China (中国美术馆).

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Unexpected Encounter on a Mountain Road

By: 刘益善

That was an evening after the rain in Mount Mufu (幕阜山), the mountains were green and crystal clear, and clusters of plants were graceful and charming, with a verdant, almost dripping, green. Every leaf had an eye, sparkling and bright, giving us travelers a charming and pure smile. The mountain breeze blew gently, and the trees began to whisper, swaying and dancing, gentle and affectionate. The Mount Mufu (幕阜山) after the rain is a vivid and colorful painting, with light and heavy strokes, and distinct layers.

The best is yet to come. The path was pulled out from the belly of the mountain forest, and when we saw it, it was gently thrown out again, throwing out the endless, throwing out the spirituality and lushness of the mountains, throwing it into the distance.

Lush and delicate mountain women walked on the path, carrying lush nan bamboo on their shoulders. The bamboo was neither thick nor thin, neither long nor short, fitting perfectly on their beautiful, sloping shoulders, their beautiful hair brushing against the green bamboo as it fluttered. Their steps were leisurely, and their feet in straw sandals made a solid step, stepping out the crisp chirping of mountain sparrows.

A long, endless green ribbon rippled on the path, and the mountain women carrying nan bamboo walked one after another in single file, the mountains dancing a slow foxtrot. Seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls, wives in their early twenties, sisters-in-law in their thirties, walked together, with youth, beauty, and maturity, having everything. Beauty is infinite, beauty is a kind of fluttering, beauty is a kind of winding, beauty is a kind of green foundation, beauty is silver bell-like laughter, beauty is the sound of footsteps passing by, beauty is a mountain song that resounds through the evening of Mount Mufu (幕阜山).

We, a group of travelers, stood blankly by the roadside, letting the women pass. We stood there, becoming a few short stones of Mount Mufu (幕阜山). We are seekers and appreciators of the beauty of nature, and we are completely immersed in an unexpected enjoyment of beauty.

The path has been extended from a very, very long time ago, and the path extends to a very, very far place. Winding and winding, where is the starting point, where is the ending point? Anywhere can be the starting point, anywhere can be the ending point. The distance between two points is a line segment, and life cannot finish all the roads in the world, everyone can only finish the line segment of his life. The women carrying nan bamboo are walking the beautiful line segment of their lives. They are walking leisurely, dancing, this is the life of mountain women, this is the life integrated with nature and beauty. Lush and long nan bamboo forests, lush and long mountain roads, lush and long women, dancing gracefully and quietly on the mountain roads, dancing a unique experience of life.

After we waited for the team of women carrying nan bamboo to pass, our eyes were still chasing the green ribbon dancing in the evening sunset. What did we think of? Did we think of our hometown? Did we think of a soulmate? We thought of warmth, we thought of the call of our loved ones at home!

We have to hurry. After passing this mountain back, is our campsite. There, we once again exclaimed: the road of life, everywhere there is beauty and pursuit.

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Ballad of Youth (Selected Poetry Submissions)

By: 赵  琳

Before dawn, stars question the mountaineers.

The mountain path meanders, overgrown with weeds.

Startled crickets are jumping notes in the grass.

The boy's backpack holds maps, trains, and

Ideals covered by mountains and rivers. Before sunrise,

One must also unload the overly heavy baggage, and accept

The desolation of eroded rock layers in the mountains.

And through the gaps in the sea of clouds, the sun rises in bright clothes.

The heartbeats of the young men strumming the strings

Seem as if this highest peak outweighs all the weight of light.

Those who reach the summit are fascinated by the altitude, while those descending

Pay more attention to the remaining path under their feet. Only the plants and trees

Have survived in the mountains to this day.

Eagles graze the clear rivers, and waterfalls in the deep ravines

Knock out the sound of melting snow. When pine needles are possessed by the mist,

The star clusters that have not completely dispersed polish

Time over and over again, and the distant lighthouse goes out.

We bid farewell to this magnificent moment; the small details

Are about to become the philosophy of fate.

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Old Liu Who Wrote the Factory Song (Encounter)

By: 武 歆

Lao Liu (老刘) has been retired for 3 years and feels busier than when he was working. When people ask him what he's busy with, he just smiles and says nothing more. If asked again, he says calmly, "Check my WeChat Moments." Obviously, those who ask this don't understand him.

Of medium height, with large eyes, a broad face, and slightly plump cheeks, one immediately senses upon meeting Lao Liu (老刘) that he is a skilled and conscientious person.

In the early 1980s, after graduating from high school, Lao Liu (老刘) joined a large state-owned manufacturing factory in Tianjin (天津) and became a welder. His home was far from the factory, and it took three hours to commute back and forth by bicycle, but Lao Liu (老刘) persisted for eight years. Later, to take care of his elderly parents, Lao Liu (老刘) transferred to a food seasoning factory closer to home. He worked there until retirement. Lao Liu (老刘) spent his entire career at two units, two completely different enterprises. Speaking of his factories, he always stood up straight.

Lao Liu (老刘) is skillful. When he was young, he developed and printed his own photos with practiced ease. He wrote song lyrics, played guitar, and sang "Grandma's Penghu Bay." He could also do calligraphy and simple sketches that looked quite professional, earning him admiration from others. Lao Liu (老刘) also applied his intelligence to his work. As a welder, he practiced diligently. Just by glancing at the thickness of the weldment, he could determine the appropriate current without test welding, saving both welding rods and time. The resulting fish-scale pattern was beautiful, and the inspection was 100% qualified.

Upon entering the food seasoning industry, Lao Liu (老刘) 重打锣鼓另开张 (chóng dǎ luó gǔ lìng kāi zhāng - "beat the gong again and start a new business," to make a fresh start). He worked as a canteen purchaser and as a worker in the pickled vegetable workshop. Once, because he was new and unfamiliar with the process, he fell into an open-air pickle pool wearing a cotton-padded coat and pants. But he loved reading, thinking, and technology, and quickly adapted to the new work environment. Lao Liu (老刘) saw the master workers in the workshop bite the soybeans, then put them in a container, and stir them with their hands, listening to the sound of the soybeans colliding. With these simple steps, they could determine the moisture content of the soybeans. Using scientific instruments to measure, the data obtained by the master workers' "local method" was exactly the same. Lao Liu (老刘) was fascinated and learned seriously from the master workers. He also made full use of his love of reading. New apprentices were not interested in the boring work, so Lao Liu (老刘) would tell them Mao Zedong's (毛泽东) poems, "We like to see the rice and bean crops, and heroes all over the evening sky." Do you know what "菽 (shū)" is? It is a general term for beans, of course including soybeans. Chairman Mao (毛主席) put soybeans in his poems, and you deal with soybeans every day, so you know the knowledge in it, right? This greatly increased the new workers' interest, and they became more motivated to work.

When he was working, Lao Liu (老刘) never went to shopping malls. After retiring and having more time, he liked to go to supermarkets, but only to the seasoning section. Especially when he saw that the seasonings produced by his own factory were not arranged neatly, he would take the initiative to help arrange them, and also take the opportunity to educate the shelf stockers. Because he spoke humorously, most of the shelf stockers accepted the criticism with a smile. The large and small supermarkets near Lao Liu's (老刘) home all knew that there was a retired old man nearby who liked to organize seasonings. When going to large and small restaurants, Lao Liu (老刘) always tried his best to see what seasonings were used in the back kitchen and conducted on-the-spot interviews. The reasons for using this seasoning and not using that seasoning, these solid first-line "intelligence," were immediately called to the leaders of the old factory as a reference for improving the factory's work. When eating breakfast at a breakfast shop, Lao Liu (老刘) saw that the shop owner was using fermented bean curd buckets with the company's trademark as garbage cans. Lao Liu (老刘) waited until there were fewer customers and then found the shop owner to discuss whether he could find a good way to properly use the discarded fermented bean curd buckets.

Last year, Lao Liu (老刘) bought a new house, only one subway stop away from where he used to work at the first company. Standing on the overpass and looking in the direction of the old factory, he no longer saw the old chimneys and gray factory buildings. The old factory site had been built into a new factory building for a high-tech enterprise. In the future, whenever he crossed the overpass, Lao Liu (老刘) would face the direction of the old factory and stare for a long time. His reason was that he had to treat both factories impartially. If he didn't 一碗水端平 (yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng - "hold a bowl of water level," to be impartial), he would feel uncomfortable. Others who heard this said he was pretentious. Lao Liu (老刘) didn't rush or panic, saying he wouldn't argue with them. As he spoke, he hummed the factory song he wrote for the food seasoning factory before retiring: "Facing the rising sun in the east, we enter the clean and beautiful factory, we are building the city's kitchen..." His smug expression was like a child carrying a schoolbag and walking on the way to school.

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Editor in charge of this edition: Ma Yong

This edition's email: dadi@peopledaily.cn

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