People's Daily - August 18, 2025

Xi Jinping's "On Upholding Comprehensive and Deepening Reform" Volumes I and II Published and Distributed

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 17th (北京) - The first and second volumes of "On Persisting in Comprehensively Deepening Reform" by Xi Jinping (习近平), edited by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央党史和文献研究院), have recently been published by the Central Literature Press (中央文献出版社) and distributed nationwide.

The manuscripts in this special collection are arranged in chronological order. "On Persisting in Comprehensively Deepening Reform," published in December 2018, has been re-published with the approval of the Party Central Committee (党中央), renamed "On Persisting in Comprehensively Deepening Reform," Volume 1, and includes 73 important manuscripts by Xi Jinping (习近平) on persisting in comprehensively deepening reform from December 2012 to December 2018. Volume 2 includes 92 important manuscripts by Xi Jinping (习近平) on persisting in comprehensively deepening reform from January 2019 to April 2025, some of which are being published for the first time.

Reform and opening up is an important magic weapon for the Party (党) and the people to catch up with the times by leaps and bounds. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee (党的十八届三中全会) initiated a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform in the new era, systematically designing and promoting reform as a whole, and created a new situation for reform and opening up in China (中国), which is of epoch-making significance. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee (党的二十届三中全会) made systematic plans for further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization, and promoted comprehensively deepening reform to advance in breadth and depth. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) personally led, personally deployed, and personally promoted the work of comprehensively deepening reform, scientifically summarized historical experience, profoundly grasped the laws of reform, and used the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method to creatively put forward a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments, clearly answering the major questions of why comprehensively deepening reform is needed in the new era and how to promote comprehensively deepening reform, constituting the richest, most vivid, and most creative part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想), which is of great guiding significance for further comprehensively deepening reform and comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.

(See page 2 for an introduction to the main articles in Volume 2 of "On Persisting in Comprehensively Deepening Reform" by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平同志))

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Let the people live an even better life.

By: 本报记者 申少铁 李晓晴

China in the new era is beautiful in its mountains and rivers, beautiful in its life, and beautiful in the hearts of every person.

In 2024, the average PM2.5 concentration in key cities across the country decreased by approximately 60% compared to 2013; in the first half of this year, the national per capita disposable income of residents increased by an actual 5.4% year-on-year, "outpacing" the GDP growth rate; a childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan per child per year is issued until the child reaches 3 years old... Heartwarming figures and people-benefiting policies vividly interpret "Chinese-style modernization, with people's livelihood as the top priority."

Xi Jinping (习近平) General Secretary emphasized: "We must focus on expanding domestic demand in all directions, unswervingly deepening reform and opening up, promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, continuously preventing and resolving risks in key areas, and taking multiple measures to guarantee and improve people's livelihoods."

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee held on July 30 pointed out: "Promote the effective improvement of the quality of the economy and the reasonable growth of quantity, and promote the comprehensive development of people and the solid progress of common prosperity for all people."

Chinese-style modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all people. "Let the fruits of modernization benefit all people more and more fairly" is the solemn commitment of our Party to the people.

The Beauty of Life——

Guaranteeing and Improving People's Livelihood in Development

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee pointed out: "We must earnestly do a good job in guaranteeing people's livelihood" and "Implement people-benefiting policies and improve the hierarchical and classified social assistance system."

Xiao Zhong, who lives in Sixian County (泗县), Suzhou City (宿州市), Anhui Province (安徽), was diagnosed with hemophilia at birth and requires lifelong treatment. The local civil affairs department applied for subsistence allowances for him; the medical insurance department handled critical illness insurance and medical assistance for him, and about 95% of his medical expenses can be reimbursed.

The local civil affairs department continues to pay attention to families in difficulty similar to Xiao Zhong's family, and jointly with health, medical insurance and other departments, to ensure the basic life of people in need.

Do a good job in top-level design and attach importance to people's livelihood construction.

The "Opinions on Further Guaranteeing and Improving People's Livelihood and Focusing on Solving the Urgent Difficulties and Problems of the Masses" issued by the General Office of the CPC (中办) Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council (国办) put forward 10 key measures, including effectively expanding the coverage of social security and strengthening the bottom-line assistance to low-income groups, to promote a more fair, balanced, inclusive and accessible people's livelihood construction.

Family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs, making people live a happy life is the top priority. At present, policies and measures in the field of people's livelihood are accelerating to benefit everyone.

From January 1, 2025, a subsidy of 3,600 yuan per child per year will be issued to infants and young children under the age of 3 who meet the provisions of laws and regulations, until they reach the age of 3. This year, the number of childcare slots for infants and young children under the age of 3 per thousand people will be increased to 4.5, and 660,000 new inclusive childcare slots will be added nationwide. Subsidies are real money, and increasing inclusive childcare slots will allow more families to afford and entrust their children.

This year, the national basic pension monthly minimum standard for urban and rural residents borne by the state finance will be increased by another 20 yuan. Approximately 190 million people are insured for long-term care insurance. As of the end of 2024, there are more than 6,000 secondary and above public comprehensive hospitals with geriatric medicine departments nationwide... Pensions continue to increase, and the elderly care service system continues to improve, making the "sunset years" more beautiful.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has newly deployed 114 national regional medical centers, and the construction of close-knit county medical communities and urban medical alliances has been fully promoted, promoting the balanced layout and sinking of high-quality medical resources. The national basic medical insurance participation rate is stable at 95%. Further solve the problems of difficulty and high cost of seeing a doctor for the masses, continue to deepen medical reform, and make it more convenient for the masses to seek medical treatment.

Deeply promote the renovation of old urban communities. In 2024, 58,000 old urban communities will be newly renovated; 1.8 million sets (rooms) of affordable housing for sale, guaranteed rental housing, and public rental housing will be built and raised. Housing is a basic need of the masses and is related to the warmth and coldness of life. This year, the state will continue to promote the renovation of old communities and the construction of guaranteed housing, so that more people can live in peace.

This year, the central government has allocated 156.68 billion yuan in assistance funds for people in need, supporting local governments in doing a good job in minimum living security, special hardship assistance and support, and temporary assistance. As of the end of May, the average standards for urban and rural subsistence allowances were 799.7 yuan and 594.9 yuan per person per month, respectively. Guarantee the basic life of people in need and secure the foundation and bottom line of people's livelihood security.

People's livelihood is no small matter, and every branch and leaf is always concerned. There are thousands of threads in people's livelihood work. We must accurately find the focus and breakthrough point in the urgent difficulties and problems of the people, adhere to doing our best and acting according to our ability, and continuously introduce people's livelihood measures that benefit the people, warm their hearts, and conform to their wishes, so that the people have more sense of gain, happiness, and security.

The Beauty of Common Prosperity——

Consolidate and Expand the Achievements of Poverty Alleviation and Promote Common Prosperity for All People

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee pointed out: "Consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation to ensure that there is no large-scale return to poverty."

The story of a bamboo shoot farmer's poverty alleviation and prosperity reflects China's achievements in consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.

In September this year, 810,000 mu of square bamboo in Yanjin County (盐津县), Zhaotong City (昭通市), Yunnan Province (云南) will enter the bamboo shoot harvesting season. "I can earn 400,000 yuan every year, and I am very happy." Li Xingzhen (李兴珍), a bamboo shoot farmer in Xinsheng Village (新生村), Shizi Town (柿子镇), is busy in her 200 mu bamboo forest. Her family used to be a poor household, but now they have been lifted out of poverty and become rich by relying on this "green bank."

The village's poverty alleviation industry also absorbs rural women like Li Xingzhen to work, further driving up villagers' income. In the Shuida Resettlement Area (水田易地扶贫搬迁安置区) for poverty alleviation through relocation in Yanjin County (盐津县), the plastic flower factory workshop of Kunpeng Human Resources Co., Ltd. (鲲鹏人力资源有限公司) is busy. This factory has absorbed hundreds of people from the surrounding area to work.

China has firmly held the bottom line of preventing large-scale return to poverty. As of the end of June, more than 6.8 million monitored objects nationwide have been helped to steadily eliminate the risk of returning to poverty.

The victory of poverty alleviation is not the end, but the starting point of common prosperity. How to transform the achievements of poverty alleviation into sustainable development momentum is the biggest test.

Change "blood transfusion" to "blood creation." At present, all 832 poverty-stricken counties across the country have cultivated and formed 2 to 3 characteristic leading industries, with a total output value of more than 1.7 trillion yuan, and nearly 3/4 of the people lifted out of poverty have established a benefit linkage mechanism with new agricultural business entities; promote the improvement of the quality and efficiency of assistance industries by category, and the scale of employment of labor lifted out of poverty nationwide is 32.833 million people. The poverty alleviation industry is being transformed into a wealth-generating industry.

"Next, we will improve the quality and efficiency of monitoring and assistance, firmly grasp industrial employment assistance, guide poverty-stricken areas to focus on leading industries to promote the extension, supplementation and strengthening of the chain, improve the linkage mechanism for benefiting farmers, and promote the improvement of the quality and efficiency of the entire industrial chain and the increase of farmers' income in all links," said Mairdan Mugaeti (麦尔丹·木盖提), Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Common prosperity is not only reflected in the elimination of poverty, but also in coordinated regional development. In recent years, China has deepened East-West cooperation, supplementing shortcomings, expanding markets, and adding increments through cooperation to enhance the development capacity of the West. From the "Mountains and Seas Love" spanning thousands of miles to the coordinated win-win of "industrial enclaves," the beauty of complementary advantages and coordinated development is constantly being written.

"We must improve the effectiveness of cooperation and assistance, give play to the role of the 'four forces' of East-West cooperation, fixed-point assistance, stationing village assistance, and social mobilization, and continue to carry out the 'four actions' of characteristic industry upgrading, industrial cluster creation, consumption assistance enhancement, and labor cooperation quality improvement," said Mairdan Mugaeti (麦尔丹·木盖提).

Common prosperity is also reflected in the narrowing of the income gap between urban and rural residents.

To say a thousand words and ten thousand words, increasing farmers' income is the key. This year's No. 1 Central Document made a systematic deployment of the "Three Rural Issues" work in 2025, clarifying that we should do everything possible to promote agricultural efficiency, rural vitality, and farmers' income. In the first half of this year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 11,936 yuan, an actual increase of 6.2% after deducting price factors, which was significantly faster than that of urban residents.

Promoting the free flow of urban and rural factors is of great significance for narrowing the urban-rural gap and achieving integrated urban-rural development. Further relax and liberalize urban settlement restrictions, and promote the settlement of migrant workers who are willing to enter the city; strive to establish "education alliances" in 50% of counties by 2025, and effectively promote the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education in counties... Step by step to solve the problems of unbalanced and insufficient urban-rural development, a series of policies and measures are being implemented.

From the comprehensive victory of poverty alleviation to the solid promotion of common prosperity, the "beauty" of China's economy is not a single-dimensional linear growth, but a better realization of both efficiency and fairness, and the happy smiles on the faces of hundreds of millions of people.

The Beauty of Ecology——

The Environment is People's Livelihood, Green Mountains are Beauty, and Blue Sky is Happiness

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "Two Mountains" concept that "Green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains." The "Two Mountains" concept has changed China, influenced the world, and changed the lives of each of us.

On the morning of June 30, in the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) under the scorching sun in Zhongwei City (中卫市), Ningxia (宁夏), more than 100 workers completed the last row of brush-shaped mesh rope checkerboard binding. So far, the sand-fixing and locking belt with a length of about 153 kilometers and a width of 10 to 38 kilometers on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) has been locked, marking the comprehensive completion of the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) locking in Ningxia (宁夏).

Tang Ximing (唐希明), a senior forestry engineer at the Zhongwei City (中卫市) State-owned Forestry General Farm, said with emotion: "This is the result of the efforts of several generations of sand control workers." The locking belt will consolidate the ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, significantly curb desert expansion and reduce sand dust sources.

The environment is people's livelihood, green mountains are beauty, and blue sky is happiness. In recent years, China has been working hard to build a beautiful China where we can see mountains, see water, and remember nostalgia, so that the beautiful scenery of natural ecology will remain forever in the world.

——Strengthen the management of forests, grasslands and deserts to make the mountains greener and the grass greener.

The forest area continues to expand. In 2024, the country completed afforestation of 4.446 million hectares, added 64,000 square kilometers of soil and water loss control area, planted and improved 3.224 million hectares of grass, and controlled 2.783 million hectares of desertified and stony desertified land. China's forest coverage rate exceeds 25%, the forest stock volume exceeds 20 billion cubic meters, and the area of planted forests ranks first in the world.

The greening and expansion of grasslands are significant. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," the central government has supported a total investment of 110 billion yuan in grassland protection and restoration, with an average annual restoration of more than 46 million mu of grassland, an average annual prevention and control area of more than 100 million mu of grassland rodent and insect pests, and a total output of more than 550 million tons of fresh grass.

"Adhere to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, strengthen coordination, and continue to promote large-scale land greening actions to achieve new results," said Liu Lili (刘丽莉), Deputy Director of the Ecological Protection and Restoration Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

——Strengthen water resources protection to make the water clearer and more fish.

The water in rivers and lakes has become cleaner. In the first half of the year, the proportion of sections with excellent water quality (Class I-III) in the seven major river basins of the Yangtze River (长江), Yellow River (黄河), Pearl River (珠江), Songhua River (松花江), Huaihe River (淮河), Haihe River (海河), and Liaohe River (辽河), as well as the rivers in Northwest China, Southwest China, and Zhejiang and Fujian, was 90.4%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points year-on-year; among the 209 key lakes (reservoirs) monitored, the number of lakes and reservoirs with excellent water quality (Class I-III) accounted for 78.0%.

The water ecology is recovering. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," water ecological condition monitoring and investigation have been carried out in the seven major river basins across the country, and water ecological assessment pilots have been carried out with the Yangtze River Basin as the focus, building an indicator system with the health of the water ecosystem as the core to guide local governments to increase protection and restoration efforts. For example, the Yangtze River knife fish went upstream to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake area again after 30 years.

"Adhere to the 'one river one policy', improve the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, strengthen water source conservation and soil and water conservation, build green ecological corridors for rivers, promote ecological protection of estuaries and deltas, and strengthen the ecological functions of river basins," said Wu Wenqing (吴文庆), Chief Planner of the Ministry of Water Resources.

——Strengthen atmospheric pollution prevention and control to make the sky bluer and the clouds whiter.

The overall air quality continues to improve. In the first half of the year, the average proportion of days with excellent air quality in 339 cities at the prefecture level and above was 83.8%, an increase of 1.0 percentage points year-on-year; the national average PM2.5 concentration was 32.1 micrograms/cubic meter, a decrease of 2.4% year-on-year. The average number of days with excellent air quality in key areas such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Yangtze River Delta continues to increase, and more blue skies appear in people's vision.

Energy conservation and carbon reduction are being steadily promoted. In 2024, the national energy consumption intensity decreased by 3.8% year-on-year, and the proportion of coal consumption decreased to 53.2%, a decrease of more than 15 percentage points compared to 2012. According to estimates, the annual carbon sink of forests and grasslands in China exceeds 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, ranking first in the world, and is the "ballast stone" for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. China's energy conservation and carbon reduction actions have made great contributions to global carbon emission reduction and green transformation.

*** ***

Governing a country has constants, and benefiting the people is the foundation. "The people's sense of gain is real." Adhering to the people-centered approach, adhering to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development results shared by the people, our development will have a firm position, a correct direction, and a warm background and infinite power.

"Grasping reform and promoting development is ultimately to make people live a better life."

(Reporters Xu Jing (徐靖), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), and Sun Haitian (孙海天) of this newspaper participated in the writing)

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Second comprehensive rehearsal for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War successfully completed.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 17th (北京) - Reporters learned from the press center for the 80th Anniversary Commemoration of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War that from 17:30 on August 16th to 3:30 on August 17th, the second comprehensive rehearsal for the commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held in the Tiananmen (天安门) area of Beijing (北京). Approximately 40,000 people participated in the rehearsal and on-site support work.

According to reports, the second comprehensive rehearsal added more elements and links on the basis of the first rehearsal. The various processes of the memorial meeting ceremony, assembly and evacuation, etc., were organized in an orderly manner and were 环环相扣 (huán huán xiāng kòu - "linked ring by ring," closely linked), achieving the expected goals. It also further tested the operation of the command system and organizational support work. Relevant departments in Beijing (北京) expressed that the second comprehensive rehearsal spanned a longer period of time and involved a larger area, and sincerely thanked the general public and tourists for their understanding and support.

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On Heroic Land, Striving Writes a New Chapter (Remembering History, Cherishing the Memory of Martyrs)

By: 本报记者 卫 庶 万秀斌 刘少华

The towering Taihang Mountains are filled with the immortal deeds of the Eighth Route Army's heroic resistance against Japan.

During the Anti-Japanese War, countless battles took place here. Back then, the cannons roared, and the military and civilians united to fight the enemy. Now, the trees are lush, and the battlefield where foreign invaders were once resisted has become a homeland for a better life.

From the former site of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Headquarters to the former capital of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region (晋察冀根据地), and then to the former site of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (抗日军政大学) main campus in Qian Nanyu (前南峪), the reporter visited Hebei Province (河北省) along the way, listening to people tell stories of the past resistance against Japan and tracing the source of today's happiness.

Villagers Live a Happy Life

Chikan Village (赤岸村) in She County (涉县) is backed by the Taihang Mountains and nestled beside the slowly flowing Qingzhang River (清漳河). This village witnessed the glorious years of the Anti-Japanese War.

In June 1940, Liu Bocheng (刘伯承) and Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) led the 129th Division into She County. Zhang Wusuo (张五所), a villager in Chikan Village, said that his father was a cook in the 129th Division Headquarters at that time, and during the war, "you never knew when the sound of artillery shells would ring out."

Climbing up the steps, several courtyards with the characteristics of southwestern Hebei folk residences come into view, where the former site of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Headquarters and the former residence of Liu (刘) and Deng (邓) are located.

"During the Anti-Japanese War, veteran revolutionaries such as Liu Bocheng (刘伯承) and Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) commanded more than 31,000 battles and campaigns here, annihilating more than 420,000 enemies, recovering 198 county towns, and repeatedly repelling the enemy's 'encirclement and suppression' and 'mopping-up' operations," said Shen Lifang (申利芳), deputy curator of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Memorial Hall.

Chikan Village has had a total of 24 village Party branch secretaries. Zhang Wusuo (张五所) is the ninth. They have worked one term after another, leading the villagers to live a good life.

The great spirit of the War of Resistance Against Japan truly inspires the villagers of Chikan Village. The current village Party branch secretary, Zhang Haikui (张海魁), said that the villagers are not afraid of hardship or fatigue. Under the leadership of the village's "two committees," they are working hard to start businesses, and their lives have undergone earth-shaking changes.

In the village, you can see many well-arranged two-story buildings. Zhang Haikui (张海魁) introduced that the residential construction project has solved the housing renovation problems of 146 villagers.

Not far away, there are also six newly built residential buildings. Villager Li Yuhong (李玉红) warmly invited the reporter into her house. She said that she is in her 50s and was originally a household with housing difficulties, but with the help of policies, she moved into a new house.

Chikan Primary School (赤岸小学), founded in 1945, also has a new campus. Teachers and students moved into the new 20-mu campus in the autumn semester of 2024, which is surrounded by ginkgo, pagoda trees, and redbud trees.

The place where Zhang Wusuo (张五所) remembers the frequent sound of artillery fire is now filled with the sound of reading.

Fulfilling the Wishes of Revolutionary Predecessors

Fuping County (阜平县), located at the intersection of two provinces, four cities, and nine counties, has been a transportation hub between Hebei (冀) and Shanxi (晋) since ancient times.

Fuping (阜平) is a place with a glorious revolutionary history. It is the capital of the first anti-Japanese base behind enemy lines created in the history of our Party and our army—the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region (晋察冀根据地). Veteran revolutionaries such as Nie Rongzhen (聂荣臻) once fought and lived here for 11 years.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, more than 20,000 people in Fuping County (阜平县) joined the army and participated in the war, and more than 5,000 people died heroically. Every village was a fortress, and every villager was a soldier, which could not be easily shaken.

This is a heroic land, but because it is located deep in the Taihang Mountains, its economic and social development has been relatively backward for a long time. Making Fuping (阜平) rich has always been the wish of revolutionary predecessors.

From December 29 to 30, 2012, Xi Jinping (习近平), General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, braved the severe cold of minus ten degrees Celsius to visit and comfort the poor people in Fuping (阜平) and inspect poverty alleviation and development work. Since then, Fuping (阜平) has embarked on a new journey to declare war on poverty and march towards a moderately prosperous society. After several years of hard work, by the end of 2019, all 164 poverty-stricken villages in Fuping (阜平) had been lifted out of poverty; in February 2020, Fuping (阜平) was removed from the list of poverty-stricken counties.

On the road to getting rid of poverty, many poverty alleviation cadres have found that the people of Fuping (阜平) have a "stubborn" streak. When the Party points out the direction, the people resolutely follow without ambiguity, just like during the War of Resistance Against Japan, they are simple, down-to-earth, hardworking, and pragmatic.

Chengnanzhuang (城南庄) in Fuping (阜平) was the site of an enlarged meeting of the Central Secretariat from April to May 1948. Today, many villages are lined with greenhouses, and everyone has found a way to get rich.

"The sweet potatoes we grow are very popular in big cities," said Zhang Dongming (张东明), secretary of the Party branch of Da'andi Village (大岸底村) in Chengnanzhuang Town (城南庄镇). Last year alone, sweet potatoes helped more than 100 people in the village find employment at their doorsteps.

In recent years, Zhang Dongming (张东明) has led the villagers to build several greenhouses, continuously improving the popularity and added value of local agricultural products. Zhang Dongming (张东明) is very confident that the good things deep in the Taihang Mountains will surely go to all parts of the country.

Innovation Road Where "Red" and "Green" Blend

The Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Exhibition Hall (中国人民抗日军政大学陈列馆) is located in Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村) in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains, and can only be reached by winding mountain roads.

Standing outside the door and looking into the distance, Yang Shu (杨树), curator of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Exhibition Hall, introduced that more than 40 villages in front of and behind the mountain have accepted teachers and students of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, and almost "every family lived with students."

The Anti-Japanese Military and Political University was born on the banks of the Yellow River and grew stronger on the top of the Taihang Mountains. Red has thus become the background color of Qian Nanyu (前南峪).

In 1939, more than 5,000 teachers and students of the main campus of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University crossed the Yellow River, waded through the Fen River, crossed the Lüliang Mountains, and crossed the Taihang Mountains. After more than a year of traveling, they arrived in Jiangshui (浆水) area of Xingtai (邢台) in November 1940 and set up the headquarters in Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村). Since then, they have persisted in running schools behind enemy lines for two years and three months.

Yang Shu (杨树) said that the soldiers' heroic aspirations to defend their homes and the country were gathered here, and from here they went to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War.

The local people have deep feelings for the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. In 1986, Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村) collectively funded and villagers actively participated in building an Anti-Japanese Military and Political University monument on the square at the east entrance of the village. The people cherish this place very much and always keep the square and the monument clean.

Today's Qian Nanyu people are also proud of being green.

Standing on the hillside, Guo Tianlin (郭天林), secretary of the Party committee of Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村), pointed to the mountains and forests in front of him and said proudly: "Whether you look at it from an airplane or from satellite pictures, our village is a green area!"

This is not the result of a day or two. The older generation of Qian Nanyu people will never forget the heavy rain in 1963. The dam was washed away, the trees on the hillside were uprooted, and the terraced fields were gone. After a whole week of heavy rain, the village held a meeting overnight. After the meeting, everyone went up the mountain to plant trees together. Since then, they have been doing it for more than 60 years, generation after generation.

Guo Tianlin (郭天林) said that the spirit of struggle left by the teachers and students of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University truly inspires the villagers. Managing the mountains is very hard. Everyone goes up the mountain under the stars and comes down the mountain under the stars. Village cadres take the lead in eating and living on the mountain, and all the men, women, and children in the village work together for more than ten hours a day.

Year after year, Qian Nanyu (前南峪) is now known as "the greenest place in the Taihang Mountains."

The people of Qian Nanyu (前南峪) are not satisfied with this. They also use their wisdom and hands to turn green waters and green mountains into gold and silver mountains, creating a happy life. In the Qian Nanyu Science and Technology Park (前南峪科技园区) in Xingtai Xindu District (邢台信都区), the village's "two committees" led the villagers to build a number of high-quality parks for kiwifruit, soft jujubes, and other products, and also built a sightseeing park.

The "red" and "green" of Qian Nanyu (前南峪) blend with each other. Relying on the red resources of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the green resources of the economic gully, the village's "two committees" led the villagers to develop the Qian Nanyu Ecological Tourism Area (前南峪生态旅游区), embarking on an ecological development path that combines the leadership of red culture and green sightseeing.

(Our reporter Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿) participated in the writing)

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Guangxi Promotes High-Quality Development of Manufacturing

By: 本报记者 邓建胜 张云河

Nearly 50,000 square meters of factory buildings, nearly 20,000 sensors "capture" data, and more than 80 sets of high-end equipment operate automatically... In Guilin (桂林), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区), after China's first digital civil aviation tire production line was fully completed and put into operation, the produced aviation tires have been installed and operated on multiple civil aircraft models.

In December 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out during his inspection in Guangxi (广西): "To promote high-quality development in Guangxi (广西), we must focus on strengthening industries and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system." In April 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized during his inspection in Guangxi (广西): "High-quality development of manufacturing is the top priority of high-quality economic development in our country." "We must promote the high-end, intelligent, and green transformation of traditional industries, promote the optimization and upgrading of the entire industrial chain, actively cultivate emerging industries, and accelerate the digitalization of industries and industrial digitalization."

To thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions, Guangxi (广西) is accelerating the development of emerging industries, strengthening the digital economy, promoting the optimization and upgrading of key manufacturing industrial chains, and consolidating the foundation for high-quality development.

Innovation-led, moving towards the "new"—

How high is the technological content of domestic new energy vehicles?

In the Guangxi New Energy Vehicle Laboratory (广西新能源汽车实验室), a 10-meter-long and 4-meter-high "patent wall" displays a dense array of new energy vehicle patent certificates. "For example, this technology patent related to the in-vehicle voice assistant can achieve a 1-second response to the owner's instructions and can recognize 8 dialects," said He Yibo (何逸波), deputy director of the laboratory and deputy general manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd. (上汽通用五菱汽车股份有限公司). The laboratory, jointly established by the company and relevant research institutions and enterprises, has been included in the support scope of Guangxi's (广西) "Spearhead" science and technology special action, and has cumulatively applied for 2,104 patents.

In the first half of this year, the added value of Guangxi's (广西) high-tech manufacturing above designated size increased by 29.6% year-on-year, and the added value of equipment manufacturing increased by 22.6% year-on-year. The output of photovoltaic cells, service robots, and integrated circuits increased by 23.3%, 32.4%, and 17.5% year-on-year, respectively. At present, the contribution rate of strategic emerging industries to industrial growth in Guangxi (广西) exceeds 32%, and a number of emerging industries such as new energy vehicles and new materials are moving towards the 100 billion yuan level.

Digital-real integration, riding the "digital" wave—

How long does it take for thousands of materials to transform into a heavy-duty engine?

The answer from Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. (广西玉柴机器股份有限公司) is 12 hours. Zhong Chengfen (钟承芬), a worker in the manufacturing division of Yuchai (玉柴), said: "More than 10 years ago, the heavy-duty engine processing production line required hundreds of people. Now, through full-process digital monitoring, 3 CNC operators can complete the work." Relying on "intelligent transformation and digital transformation" technological upgrades, the CNC rate of Yuchai's (玉柴) engine manufacturing process has increased to 91%, and the production cycle has been shortened by 80%.

Guangxi (广西) is promoting "artificial intelligence + manufacturing" and accelerating the digitalization of industries and industrial digitalization. It has cumulatively cultivated 49 autonomous region-level intelligent manufacturing benchmark enterprises, 377 intelligent factories, and 337 digital workshops, and more than 5,000 enterprises above designated size have implemented "intelligent transformation and digital transformation."

Efficient collaboration, gathering "chains" into clusters—

How can a loader be equipped with more than 80% of its components locally?

In Liuzhou (柳州), more than 200 small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction machinery field have gathered to form a chain: some have broken through key technologies in construction machinery transmission systems, some have developed robot integration systems, and some have launched software products and collaborated with more than 50 suppliers to "go to the cloud"... Zheng Jin (郑津), chairman of Guangxi Liugong Group Co., Ltd. (广西柳工集团有限公司), said: "Large, medium, and small enterprises complement each other's shortcomings and strengthen weaknesses, with reasonable division of labor and efficient collaboration, turning the industrial chain into a 'win-win chain'."

To strengthen, extend, and supplement the chain, Guangxi (广西) is carrying out industrial chain upgrading actions and cultivating 11 national-level characteristic industrial clusters for small and medium-sized enterprises, such as earthmoving machinery parts.

"Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) entrustment, Guangxi (广西) will base itself on its resource endowments and industrial conditions, adhere to establishing the region through manufacturing, place the development of industry, especially advanced manufacturing, in a more prominent position, seize the opportunities for the development of artificial intelligence, promote artificial intelligence to empower thousands of industries, and continuously consolidate the foundation for the high-quality development of key manufacturing industrial chains," said Chen Gang (陈刚), Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee (广西壮族自治区党委书记).

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The 12th World Games Conclude in 2025

This report from Chengdu (成都), August 17th (Reporters Ji Fang (季芳) and Song Haoxin (宋豪新)) On the evening of August 17th, the 12th World Games in 2025 concluded in Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川). The Chinese sports delegation won 36 gold, 17 silver, and 11 bronze medals, a total of 64 medals, ranking first in both the gold medal and total medal counts for the first time, achieving the best result in its history of participating in the World Games. Nearly 4,000 athletes from 116 countries and regions jointly wrote a new chapter for the World Games: "Unlimited Sports, Boundless Vigor."

In the para-sports events, 10 Chinese athletes won 5 gold and 1 silver. (Special report on the World Games on page 8)

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China's National Railway Completed Fixed-Asset Investment of 433 Billion Yuan in the First Seven Months

Beijing, August 17th (Reported by Li Xinping (李心萍)) This reporter learned from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司) that from January to July this year, the national railway completed fixed asset investment of 433 billion yuan, an increase of 5.6% year-on-year, injecting new impetus into the sustained economic recovery.

Focusing on the railway projects in the state's "14th Five-Year Plan" 102 major projects, since the beginning of this year, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司) has promoted the high-quality planning and construction of railways and the renovation of old railway equipment, effectively leveraging the pulling effect on investment in the whole society.

Significant progress has been made in several railway construction projects. The Panzhou to Xingyi High-speed Railway (盘州至兴义高铁) has completed track laying along the entire line; the construction of the new station building on the Chongzuo to Pingxiang section of the Nanning to Pingxiang High-speed Railway (南宁至凭祥高铁崇左至凭祥段) has been completed; the Wuhan to Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-speed Railway (沪渝蓉高铁武汉至宜昌段), the Shenyang to Baihe High-speed Railway (沈阳至白河高铁), and the Xiangyang to Jingzhou High-speed Railway (襄阳至荆州高铁) and other projects are being promoted in an orderly manner for joint commissioning and testing, in preparation for opening and operation.

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Introduction

Theory

History will not fail those who work diligently.

Ninth Edition

Dialogue with medical workers on the occasion of Chinese Doctors' Day (中国医师节):

Safeguarding life and health with medical innovation.

Sixth Edition

A Scroll of the New Era

Wonderful Moments from the World Humanoid Robot Games

Twelfth Edition

Offshore tax refund policy yields significant results.

"China Shopping" sales increased nearly doubled in the first half of the year.

Eighteenth Edition

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A Brief Introduction to the Main Articles in the Second Volume of Xi Jinping's "On Upholding and Comprehensively Deepening Reform"

The first and second volumes of "On Adhering to Comprehensively Deepening Reforms" by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平), edited by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央党史和文献研究院), include 73 important manuscripts by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) on adhering to comprehensively deepening reforms from December 2012 to December 2018, and 92 important manuscripts on adhering to comprehensively deepening reforms from January 2019 to April 2025, respectively. An introduction to the main articles in the first volume of "On Adhering to Comprehensively Deepening Reforms" by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) was published in the *People's Daily* (《人民日报》) on December 30, 2018. The following is an introduction to the main articles in the second volume of "On Adhering to Comprehensively Deepening Reforms" by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平).

"The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee Was Epoch-Making, and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee Was Also Epoch-Making" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the sixth meeting of the 19th CPC Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms on January 23, 2019. It pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was epoch-making, opening a new historical period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee was also epoch-making, opening a new era of comprehensively deepening reforms and systematically designing and promoting reforms as a whole, and creating a new situation for China's reform and opening up.

"Staying True to Our Original Aspiration and Keeping Our Mission Firmly in Mind, So That the Fruits of Reform and Development Benefit All the People More and More Fairly" is an excerpt from speeches by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) from January 2019 to April 2025. It pointed out that comprehensively deepening reforms is an important manifestation of our Party's commitment to staying true to its original aspiration and keeping its mission firmly in mind. We must always take meeting the people's new expectations for a better life as the starting point and foothold of development, focus more on fundamental, overall, and institutional major reform measures, focus more on reform measures that are conducive to maintaining sustained and healthy economic development and overall social stability, focus more on reform measures that are conducive to enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, and focus more on evaluating the effectiveness of implementing reform plans that have been issued, so that the fruits of development benefit all the people more and more fairly.

"Strengthening System Integration, Coordination, and Efficiency to Achieve Organic Connection and Integration of Reform Measures" is an excerpt from speeches by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) from September 2019 to October 2022. It pointed out that in implementing the various reform tasks determined by the CPC Central Committee (中共中央) since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, the initial focus was on laying the foundation and building the framework, the mid-term focus was on comprehensively advancing and accumulating momentum, and now the focus should be placed on strengthening system integration, coordination, and efficiency to promote the greater maturity and stability of various systems. We must adhere to problem orientation and use key breakthroughs to lead the in-depth advancement of reforms.

"Explanation on the 'Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capacity'" is an explanation given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on October 28, 2019. It pointed out that in planning comprehensively deepening reforms in the new era, we must take upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity as the main axis, deeply grasp China's development requirements and the trend of the times, place institutional construction and governance capacity construction in a more prominent position, continue to deepen the reform of systems and mechanisms in various fields and aspects, promote the greater maturity and stability of various systems, and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.

"Upholding and Improving the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capacity" is the main part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the second plenary meeting of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on October 31, 2019. It pointed out that the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a strict and complete scientific system, and the fundamental system, basic system, and important system play the role of the four beams and eight pillars, among which the leadership system of the Party has a leading position. We must not only adhere to and consolidate our country's national system and national governance system, which have been tested by long-term practice, but also improve and develop our country's national system and national governance system, and continuously better transform our country's institutional advantages into national governance effectiveness.

"Promoting the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capacity with New Achievements in Comprehensively and Strictly Governing the Party" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 13, 2020. It pointed out that the fundamental task of strengthening political supervision in the new era is to "uphold the 'Two Upholds'". The general requirement for improving the Party and state supervision system is that the Party exercises unified leadership, comprehensive coverage, authoritativeness, and high efficiency, and the focus is on enhancing the seriousness, coordination, and effectiveness of supervision. We must continue to improve the system and improve the system, so that the supervision system is in line with the Party's leadership system, integrated into the national governance system, and promotes the better transformation of institutional advantages into governance effectiveness.

"Promoting the Comprehensive Rule of Law and Giving Play to the Positive Role of the Rule of Law in the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capacity" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the third meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensive Rule of Law on February 5, 2020. It pointed out that China's socialist rule of law embodies the Party's theoretical achievements and practical experience in governing the country, and is the most basic, stable, and reliable guarantee of the rule of institutions. We must adhere to the combination of top-level design and the practice of the rule of law to enhance the effectiveness of the rule of law in promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.

"Speech at the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (深圳经济特区)" is a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) on October 14, 2020. It pointed out that we must adhere to the Party's leadership over the construction of special economic zones, we must adhere to and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must adhere to the principle that development is of paramount importance, we must adhere to all-round opening up to the outside world, we must adhere to innovation as the primary driving force, we must adhere to the people-centered development thought, we must adhere to scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice, and universal law-abiding, we must practice the concept that green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets, we must fully and accurately implement the "One Country, Two Systems" (一国两制) basic policy, and we must adhere to better leveraging the radiating and driving role of special economic zones in the overall national situation.

"On Building a New Development Pattern" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the second plenary meeting of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on October 29, 2020. It pointed out that building a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other is a major decision made after careful consideration based on the changes in China's development stage, environment, and conditions, especially based on the changes in China's comparative advantages. We must accurately grasp the strategic concept of accelerating the construction of a new development pattern from the overall and strategic height, and unswervingly implement the new development concept.

"Promoting the Deep Integration and Efficient Linkage of Reform and Development" is an excerpt from speeches by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) from November 2020 to July 2021. It pointed out that we must continue to grasp the inherent connection between reform and development, closely focus on implementing the new development concept, promoting high-quality development, and building a new development pattern, improve the strategic, forward-looking, and targeted nature of reform, so that reform can better connect with the needs of development, the expectations of the grassroots, and the aspirations of the people, and promote the deep integration and efficient linkage of reform and development.

"Promoting Greater Breakthroughs and Greater Achievements in Reform in the New Development Stage" are the main points of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 17th meeting of the 19th CPC Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms on December 30, 2020. It pointed out that we must combine the continuous advancement of reform with serving the overall work of the Party and the country, and promote creative and leading reforms around the strategic goals and tasks of implementing the new development concept, building a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development. We must combine deepening reform and tackling key problems with promoting institutional integration to enhance the comprehensive effectiveness of reform. We must combine promoting reform with preventing and resolving major risks to promote the steady and long-term progress of reform. We must combine stimulating innovation vitality with gathering the strength to forge ahead to promote reform to open up a new situation in the new development stage.

"Grasping the New Development Stage, Implementing the New Development Concept, and Building a New Development Pattern" is a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at a seminar for leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on January 11, 2021. It pointed out that entering a new development stage, implementing the new development concept, and building a new development pattern are determined by the theoretical logic, historical logic, and realistic logic of China's economic and social development, and the three are closely related. Grasping the new development stage is the realistic basis for implementing the new development concept and building a new development pattern, implementing the new development concept provides a guide to action for grasping the new development stage and building a new development pattern, and building a new development pattern is a strategic choice for responding to the opportunities and challenges of the new development stage and implementing the new development concept.

"Solidly Promoting Common Prosperity" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the tenth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission on August 17, 2021. It pointed out that common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and an important feature of Chinese-style modernization. The common prosperity we are talking about is the common prosperity of all the people, and it is the prosperity of the people's material and spiritual lives. We must adhere to the people-centered development thought, promote common prosperity in high-quality development, and enable all the people to make solid progress towards the goal of common prosperity.

"Grasping Deployment, Implementation, and Supervision with the Spirit of Nailing Down" is part of a speech given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Central Economic Work Conference on December 8, 2021. It pointed out that we must consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee (党中央), improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, implement it in action, and reflect it in the practical actions of implementing the Party's line, principles, and policies, in the practical actions of promoting high-quality development, and in the practical actions of sharing the Party's worries, serving the country, and dedicating ourselves to the people.

"The Great Changes in the Past Decade of the New Era" is part of a report given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) on October 16, 2022. It pointed out that over the past decade, we have adhered to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought (毛泽东思想), Deng Xiaoping Theory (邓小平理论), the Theory of Three Represents (三个代表重要思想), and the Scientific Outlook on Development (科学发展观), fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (新时代中国特色社会主义思想), fully implemented the Party's basic line and basic strategy, taken a series of strategic measures, promoted a series of transformative practices, achieved a series of breakthrough progress, and achieved a series of iconic results. We have withstood the tests of risks and challenges from politics, economy, ideology, and the natural world, and the cause of the Party and the country has achieved historic achievements and undergone historic changes, promoting China to embark on a new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way. The great changes in the past decade of the new era have milestone significance in the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of socialist development, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation.

"Opening up a New Realm of Adapting Marxism to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times" is part of a report given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) on October 16, 2022. It pointed out that our Party has the courage to conduct theoretical exploration and innovation, and deepens its understanding of the laws governing the Communist Party's governance, the laws governing socialist construction, and the laws governing the development of human society with a brand-new vision, and has achieved major theoretical innovation results, which are concentratedly embodied in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (新时代中国特色社会主义思想). The "Ten Clear Requirements" (十个明确), "Fourteen Upholds" (十四个坚持), and "Thirteen Aspects of Achievements" (十三个方面成就) proposed by the 19th National Congress and the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee summarize the main content of this thought, which must be adhered to for a long time and continuously enriched and developed. Only by combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's outstanding traditional culture, and adhering to the use of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, can we correctly answer the major questions posed by the times and practice, and can we always maintain the vigorous vitality and vigorous vitality of Marxism. Continuously writing a new chapter in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times is the solemn historical responsibility of contemporary Chinese Communists. To continue to promote theoretical innovation based on practice, we must first grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (新时代中国特色社会主义思想), and adhere to and apply the positions, viewpoints, and methods that run through it.

"The Mission and Tasks of the Communist Party of China on the New Journey in the New Era" is part of a report given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) on October 16, 2022. It pointed out that from now on, the central task of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country to comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country and achieve the second centenary goal, and to comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization. Chinese-style modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), which has both the common characteristics of modernization in various countries and the Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions. It is a modernization with a huge population, a modernization of common prosperity for all the people, a modernization of material and spiritual civilization coordination, a modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and a modernization of peaceful development. The essential requirements of Chinese-style modernization are to adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieve high-quality development, develop whole-process people's democracy, enrich the people's spiritual world, achieve common prosperity for all the people, promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and create a new form of human civilization. It emphasized that comprehensively building a strong socialist modern country is a great and arduous undertaking. We must adhere to and strengthen the Party's overall leadership, adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the people-centered development thought, adhere to deepening reform and opening up, and adhere to promoting the spirit of struggle.

"Accelerating the Construction of a New Development Pattern and Focusing on Promoting High-Quality Development" is part of a report given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) on October 16, 2022. It pointed out that high-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a strong socialist modern country. We must fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, adhere to the direction of socialist market economy reform, adhere to high-level opening up to the outside world, and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other. We must adhere to promoting high-quality development as the theme, organically combine the implementation of the strategy of expanding domestic demand with deepening supply-side structural reform, enhance the endogenous power and reliability of the domestic cycle, improve the quality and level of the international cycle, accelerate the construction of a modern economic system, focus on improving total factor productivity, focus on enhancing the resilience and security level of the industrial chain and supply chain, focus on promoting urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development, and promote the effective improvement of the quality and the rational growth of the quantity of the economy.

"Implementing the Strategy of Invigorating the Country through Science and Education and Strengthening Talent Support for Modernization Construction" is part of a report given by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) on October 16, 2022. It pointed out that education, science and technology, and talent are the basic and strategic support for comprehensively building a strong socialist modern country. We must adhere to the principle that science and technology are the primary productive forces, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force, deeply implement the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country through talent, and the strategy of innovation-driven development, open up new areas and new tracks for development, and continuously shape new momentum and new advantages for development. We must adhere to giving priority to the development of education, self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, and talent-led driving, accelerate the construction of a strong country in education, a strong country in science and technology, and a strong country in talent, adhere to cultivating people for the Party and cultivating talents for the country, comprehensively improve the quality of independent talent training, focus on creating top-notch innovative talents, and gather talents from all over the world and use them.
"Developing Whole-Process People's Democracy to Ensure the People's Role as Masters of the Country" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that people's democracy is the life of socialism and an essential requirement for building a modern socialist country in all respects. Whole-process people's democracy is the essential attribute of socialist democratic politics, and it is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective democracy. We must unswervingly follow the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people's role as masters of the country, and the rule of law, uphold the people's principal position, fully reflect the people's will, guarantee the people's rights and interests, and stimulate the people's creativity. We must improve the system for the people to be masters of the country, expand orderly political participation by the people, ensure that the people exercise democratic elections, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, give play to the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the people, and consolidate and develop a lively, stable, and united political situation.

"Adhering to Comprehensive Law-Based Governance and Advancing the Construction of a Rule of Law China" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that comprehensive law-based governance is a profound revolution in national governance, which is related to the Party's governance and the country's prosperity, the people's happiness and well-being, and the long-term peace and stability of the Party and the country. We must give better play to the fundamental, stable, and long-term guaranteeing role of the rule of law, and comprehensively build a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law. We must adhere to the path of the rule of law with Chinese characteristics, build a socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, and build a socialist rule of law country. Focusing on safeguarding and promoting social fairness and justice, we must adhere to the joint advancement of law-based governance, law-based administration, and law-based administrative governance, adhere to the integrated construction of a country under the rule of law, a government under the rule of law, and a society under the rule of law, comprehensively promote scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice, and universal law-abiding, and comprehensively promote the legalization of all aspects of the country's work.

"Promoting Cultural Confidence and Strength and Creating New Splendor of Socialist Culture" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that to comprehensively build a modern socialist country, we must adhere to the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, enhance cultural confidence, build a strong socialist cultural country around holding high the banner, uniting the people's hearts, cultivating new people, revitalizing culture, and displaying the image, develop a socialist culture that is oriented to modernization, oriented to the world, and oriented to the future, national, scientific, and popular, stimulate the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation, and enhance the spiritual strength to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must adhere to the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological field, adhere to serving the people and serving socialism, adhere to the principle of **百花齐放、百家争鸣** (bǎi huā qì fàng, bǎi jiā zhēng míng - "Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend," a policy promoting diverse perspectives in arts and sciences), adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, take socialist core values as the guide, develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture, inherit excellent traditional Chinese culture, meet the people's growing spiritual and cultural needs, consolidate the common ideological foundation for the unity and struggle of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, and continuously enhance the country's cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture.

"Enhancing People's Well-being and Improving the Quality of People's Lives" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that the country is the people, and the people are the country. The Communist Party of China leads the people to fight for the country and defend the country, and what it defends is the people's hearts. Creating benefits for the people is the essential requirement of the Party's commitment to serving the public and governing for the people. We must adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods in development, encourage joint efforts to create a better life, and continuously realize the people's yearning for a better life. We must realize, safeguard, and develop the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people, firmly grasp the most concerning, most direct, and most realistic interests of the people, adhere to doing our best and acting according to our ability, go deep into the masses and go deep into the grassroots, take more measures to benefit the people and warm their hearts, focus on solving the urgent, difficult, and worrying problems of the people, improve the basic public service system, improve the level of public services, enhance balance and accessibility, and solidly promote common prosperity.

"Promoting Green Development and Promoting Harmonious Coexistence between Man and Nature" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that nature is the basic condition for human survival and development. Respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature are inherent requirements for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. We must firmly establish and practice the concept that **绿水青山就是金山银山** (lǜ shuǐ qīng shān jiù shì jīn shān yín shān - "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," ecological protection is essential for long-term economic prosperity), and plan development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. We must promote the construction of a beautiful China, adhere to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass, and sand, coordinate industrial structure adjustment, pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response, synergistically promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, and promote ecological priority, conservation and intensive use, and green and low-carbon development.

"Promoting the Modernization of the National Security System and Capacity, and Resolutely Safeguarding National Security and Social Stability" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that national security is the foundation of national rejuvenation, and social stability is the prerequisite for national prosperity. We must unswervingly implement the overall national security concept, run the maintenance of national security through all aspects and the entire process of the Party and the country's work, and ensure national security and social stability. We must adhere to the people's security as the purpose, political security as the fundamental, economic security as the foundation, military, scientific, technological, cultural, and social security as the guarantee, and the promotion of international security as the support, coordinate external security and internal security, homeland security and national security, traditional security and non-traditional security, our own security and common security, coordinate the maintenance and shaping of national security, consolidate the grassroots foundation of national security and social stability, improve the mechanism for participating in global security governance, build a higher level of safe China, and guarantee a new development pattern with a new security pattern.

"Achieving the Centenary Goal of the People's Liberation Army and Creating a New Situation in the Modernization of National Defense and the Military" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that achieving the centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as scheduled and accelerating the building of the people's army into a world-class army are strategic requirements for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. We must implement the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era, implement the military strategic policy of the new era, adhere to the Party's absolute leadership over the people's army, adhere to building the army politically, strengthening the army through reform, strengthening the army through science and technology, strengthening the army through talent, and administering the army according to law, adhere to fighting, preparing for war, and building at the same time, adhere to the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization, accelerate the modernization of military theory, the modernization of the army's organizational form, the modernization of military personnel, and the modernization of weapons and equipment, improve the strategic capability to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and effectively fulfill the missions and tasks of the people's army in the new era.

"Unswervingly Exercising Full and Strict Governance over the Party and Deeply Promoting the New Great Project of Party Building in the New Era" is part of a report delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16, 2022. It points out that the key to comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation lies in the Party. The entire Party must bear in mind that full and strict governance over the Party is always on the road, the Party's self-revolution is always on the road, and there must be no slackening, no rest, and no fatigue. We must persistently promote full and strict governance over the Party, deeply promote the new great project of Party building in the new era, and lead the social revolution with the Party's self-revolution. We must implement the overall requirements for Party building in the new era, improve the system of full and strict governance over the Party, comprehensively promote the Party's self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation, and self-enhancement, so that our Party can adhere to its original aspiration and mission and always become the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"Comprehensively Promoting the Building of a Strong Country and the Great Rejuvenation of the Nation with Chinese-Style Modernization" is the main part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at a seminar for newly elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee and leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party on February 7, 2023. It points out that Chinese-style modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China, a major achievement of our Party leading the people in long-term exploration and practice, a broad road to building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation, and has created a new form of human civilization. It emphasizes that promoting Chinese-style modernization is a systematic project that requires overall consideration, systematic planning, and overall advancement, and correctly handling a series of major relationships such as top-level design and practical exploration, strategy and tactics, upholding fundamental principles and making innovations, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, self-reliance and opening up to the outside world, and opening up new horizons for the development of the cause through tenacious struggle.

"Taking Comprehensively Deepening Reform as the Fundamental Driving Force for Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization" is an excerpt of relevant content from speeches delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) from April 2023 to August 2024. It points out that further comprehensively deepening reform is promoted on the basis of comprehensively deepening reform since the new era. To achieve the goals and tasks of the new era and new journey, we must take comprehensively deepening reform as the fundamental driving force for promoting Chinese-style modernization, as an important grasp for stabilizing the overall situation, responding to changes, and opening up new situations, and continuously increase the driving force and vitality for economic and social development.

"Deeply Promoting the Party's Self-Revolution" is part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China on January 8, 2024. It points out that to deeply promote the Party's self-revolution, we must take upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee as the fundamental guarantee, take leading the great social revolution as the fundamental purpose, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the fundamental guideline, take jumping out of the historical cycle as the strategic goal, take solving the unique problems of a large party as the main direction of attack, take improving the comprehensive and strict governance system of the Party as an effective way, take forging strong organizations and building a high-quality team as an important focus, take rectifying conduct and enforcing discipline and fighting corruption as an important grasp, and take the combination of self-supervision and people's supervision as a powerful driving force.

"What is New Quality Productive Forces and How to Develop New Quality Productive Forces" is part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) while presiding over the 11th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee on January 31, 2024. It points out that high-quality development requires new productive forces theory to guide it, and new quality productive forces have already taken shape in practice and demonstrated a strong driving force and support for high-quality development. It emphasizes that new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that are dominated by innovation, get rid of traditional economic growth methods and productive forces development paths, have the characteristics of high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, and conform to the new development concept. The characteristic is innovation, the key is quality, and the essence is advanced productive forces. We must continue to do a good job in innovation and promote the accelerated development of new quality productive forces.

"Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform Should Closely Focus on the Theme of Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization" is the main point of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at a symposium with enterprises and experts held in Jinan, Shandong (山东) on May 23, 2024. It points out that to further comprehensively deepen reform, we must anchor the overall goal of improving and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities, closely focus on promoting Chinese-style modernization, highlight the focus of reform, grasp the value orientation, and pay attention to methods. We must resolutely eliminate ideological concepts and institutional mechanisms that hinder the promotion of Chinese-style modernization, plan and promote reform from the overall interests, fundamental interests, and long-term interests of the people, adhere to upholding fundamental principles and making innovations, pay attention to systematic integration, and grasp the implementation of reform with the spirit of **钉钉子** (dīng dīng zi - "driving nails," persevering and meticulous), and continuously inject strong impetus and provide strong institutional guarantees for Chinese-style modernization.

"Explanation on the 'Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization'" is an explanation made by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on July 15, 2024. The explanation is divided into three parts: 1. Considerations on determining the agenda of the plenary session; 2. The drafting process of the decision draft; 3. The basic framework and main content of the decision draft. It points out that on the new journey in the new era, to implement the strategic deployment established by the 20th National Congress of the Party and turn the blueprint of Chinese-style modernization into reality, the fundamental lies in further comprehensively deepening reform and continuously improving various systems and mechanisms to provide institutional guarantees for promoting Chinese-style modernization.

"Deeply Study and Comprehend the Spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and Effectively Grasp the Implementation" is part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on July 18, 2024. It points out that it is necessary to deeply understand and grasp the theme, major principles, major measures, and fundamental guarantees of further comprehensively deepening reform, and effectively grasp the implementation of the deployment of the "Decision." It emphasizes that further comprehensively deepening reform must be carried out closely around the theme of promoting Chinese-style modernization. We must anchor the overall goal of continuing to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities, pay more attention to systematic integration, pay more attention to highlighting key points, pay more attention to the effectiveness of reform, accurately exert force, synergistically exert force, and continuously exert force, resolutely eliminate various institutional and mechanism obstacles, further liberate and develop social productive forces, stimulate and enhance social vitality, effectively prevent and resolve major risks and challenges on the road ahead, and provide strong impetus and institutional guarantees for Chinese-style modernization.

"Speech at the Meeting Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of the National People's Congress" is a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) on September 14, 2024. It points out that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our Party has continuously promoted the theoretical and practical innovation of the people's congress system, put forward the major concept of whole-process people's democracy, and formed the Party's important thought on upholding and improving the people's congress system, providing fundamental guidance for promoting the high-quality development of the work of the National People's Congress in the new era.

"Speech at the Meeting Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" is a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) on September 20, 2024. It points out that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has a profound cultural foundation, theoretical foundation, and practical foundation, and has distinctive Chinese characteristics and significant political advantages. It is a scientific, effective, and useful institutional arrangement, and has unique political value in the history of the development of human political systems. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), we have adapted to the situation and tasks of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, promoted theoretical innovation of the CPPCC on the basis of practical innovation, and continuously deepened the understanding of regularity, forming the Party's important thought on strengthening and improving the work of the CPPCC, providing fundamental guidance for doing a good job in the work of the CPPCC in the new era and on the new journey.

"Several Major Theoretical and Practical Issues in Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform" is the main part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at a seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on October 29, 2024. It points out that the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee opened a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform and systematically designing and promoting reform in the new era, and created a new situation in China's reform and opening up, which has epoch-making significance. The comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era has achieved major practical results, institutional results, and theoretical results, which are remarkable and far-reaching. It emphasizes that adhering to upholding fundamental principles and making innovations is a major principle that must be firmly grasped and always adhered to in further comprehensively deepening reform. Reform is a systematic project, and it is necessary to adhere to the unity of reform and the rule of law, adhere to the dialectical unity of breaking and establishing, adhere to the unity of reform and opening up, and handle the relationship between deployment and implementation. It is necessary to effectively do a good job in guiding public opinion on reform, sing the main theme, and transmit positive energy.

"Comprehensively Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Joint Construction of the 'Belt and Road'" is the main point of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Fourth Symposium on the Work of the "Belt and Road" Construction on December 2, 2024. It points out that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has entered a new stage of high-quality development. We must adhere to drawing a blueprint to the end, doing one thing after another, be brave in overcoming various risks and challenges, unswervingly promote the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road," and make greater contributions to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
"Adhering to Managing and Governing the Party with the Spirit of Reform and Strict Standards" is part of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (中共中央纪委) on January 6, 2025. It pointed out that in the new era and on the new journey, we must adhere to managing and governing the Party with the spirit of reform and strict standards, promote the concretization, precision, and normalization of political supervision, consolidate and deepen the achievements of Party discipline learning and education, deeply promote the joint investigation and governance of misconduct and corruption, strengthen the main responsibility and supervisory responsibility for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, continuously deepen the rectification of unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems around the masses, ensure that the deployments of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大) and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee are implemented, ensure that the Party always becomes the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and promote the steady and long-term development of Chinese-style modernization.

"Focusing on Building a Strong Country and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, Scientifically Plan the Economic and Social Development During the '15th Five-Year Plan' Period" are the main points of a speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at a symposium on the economic and social development of some provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period held in Shanghai (上海) on April 30, 2025. It pointed out that in planning the economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we must accurately grasp the phased requirements of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, focus on building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, closely center around the goal of basically realizing socialist modernization, and reasonably determine goals and tasks and propose ideas and measures in each field. We must prospectively grasp the impact of the development and changes in the international situation on our country, and make adjustments and optimizations to the economic layout by adapting to circumstances. We must place the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions in a more prominent strategic position and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. We must take benefiting the people as the fundamental value orientation, adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood in development, and steadily promote common prosperity.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), August 17)

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Helping the "Land of High Mountains" Embark on the Road to Development (Jointly Building the "Belt and Road" - On the Ground)

By: 本报记者 邹 松

The Southern Hemisphere in August is in the midst of winter. The mountainous regions of Lesotho, the "Kingdom in the Sky," are occasionally dusted with snow, posing considerable challenges to mountain transportation. In Butha-Buthe (布塔布提), northern Lesotho, a convoy of dozens of semi-trailer trucks slowly makes its way, transporting massive components of Chinese tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project site of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase II. Chinese enterprises are participating in the construction of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II amidst the peaks and valleys of Lesotho. Upon completion of the entire project, the local water infrastructure will be significantly improved, promoting Lesotho's economic and social development.

Steel Dragons Busy Drilling Through Mountains

The transportation convoy ascends nearly 1,500 meters in altitude, with multiple hairpin turns and steep slopes presenting challenges. Muzak, 32, the lead driver of the convoy, told reporters, "This is my first time driving a heavy-duty truck in the mountains. I have to be very careful going up and down slopes and around curves. We are carrying important equipment for the Highlands Water Project Phase II, and the entire country of Lesotho is paying attention to this project."

Lesotho is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, completely surrounded by South Africa. As the largest infrastructure project between Lesotho and South Africa, the Highlands Water Project is being implemented in four phases, with plans to build a series of dams and tunnel networks to introduce Lesotho's abundant water resources to water-scarce areas of South Africa. Among them, the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project is a key project of the Highlands Water Project Phase II, jointly implemented by a consortium led by China Sinohydro Bureau 11 Co., Ltd. (中国水电十一局), China Sinohydro Bureau 3 Co., Ltd. (中国水电三局), and a South African local enterprise.

"The TBM is a key piece of equipment for the water transfer tunnel project, and we will use it for bidirectional tunneling," said Jin Junjie, chief engineer of the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project. He introduced that the first TBM was successfully put into use at the project's outlet section at the end of last year, and the main components of the second TBM are being successively transported to the project's inlet section and will be put into use after installation and commissioning.

The TBM used in the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project is 425 meters long and weighs approximately 1,500 tons. The reporter entered the tunnel at the project's outlet section and saw that many functional sections and control rooms, such as security, power, maintenance, and transfer, were installed on the rails laid forward, like an open-air train. The further one goes, the higher the temperature. Although it is a world of ice and snow outside the tunnel, the clothes of the builders inside the tunnel are soaked with sweat.

"The alloy cutter head of the TBM has a diameter of 5.35 meters and is specially designed to adapt to the local hard rock geology," introduced Liu Shuangchen, an engineer in the TBM's main control room. "This TBM can perform multiple processes simultaneously, such as cutting, support, slag removal, and measurement. It normally excavates about 20 meters per day, which is 3 to 5 times more efficient than traditional blasting excavation."

Stanley, a South African engineer and technical director of the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project, participated in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase I. He told reporters, "Phase II will complete the construction of a 38-kilometer-long tunnel, helping Lesotho's water conservancy cause enter a new stage and effectively alleviating South Africa's water shortage. I am very happy to work with my Chinese colleagues."

Developing Water Conservancy Benefits People's Livelihoods

When the second TBM component transported by Muzak was shipped from the Butha-Buthe port, officials from Lesotho and South Africa, as well as representatives from enterprises, held a welcome ceremony. The guests were dressed in national costumes and attended in full dress. Lesotho's Minister of Gender, Youth and Social Development, Pitso Lesasaona (皮措·莱萨瓦纳), said, "This is a historic moment for Lesotho's social development. Our country will achieve rapid development because of this water conservancy project."

Lesotho has a weak economic base and is one of the least developed countries in the world. It has always longed to make full use of local water resources to drive national economic development. Muzibile, an operations department consultant at Lesotho Electricity Company, said that water is Lesotho's most valuable resource, and the construction of the dam in the Highlands Water Project Phase II will lay the foundation for realizing hydropower generation and help Lesotho achieve electricity self-sufficiency as soon as possible. Taking the mountainous area of Mohotlong (莫霍特隆) in Lesotho as an example, most of the local villages are scattered on the slopes, and most of the thatched-roof houses have not yet been electrified. Villagers can only light kerosene lamps at night. After the project is completed, the area is expected to end its history of no electricity.

Asfi, the manager of a transportation company in Mohotlong, has seen his business volume double in the past two years. He told reporters, "The Highlands Water Project Phase II has brought a lot of business opportunities here. The supply of various materials, personnel exchanges, and the sale of small commodities are becoming more and more active."

It is understood that after the completion of the Highlands Water Project Phase II, Lesotho's water supply capacity to South Africa will increase from the current 780 million cubic meters per year to 1.26 billion cubic meters per year, and Lesotho's hydropower generation will also further increase. Through the water use agreement reached between Lesotho and South Africa, the Highlands Water Project Phase II will effectively alleviate the water shortage in five provinces, including Gauteng Province in South Africa, and Lesotho will also receive corresponding income.

Teaching a Man to Fish for Win-Win Cooperation

Walking into the training room of the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project employee camp, the trainees are busy decorating the graduation ceremony's background wall. In the small training room, some trainees are carefully drawing on the background wall with chalk, depicting their dreams; some trainees are pasting engineering element stickers, such as small gears and safety helmets; and some trainees are handwriting thank-you notes—"Thank you to the Chinese company for bringing hope"...

Leloka Sena joined the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project department two years ago, growing from an ordinary worker to a semi-skilled worker. Now, he has been selected to participate in the skill development training class organized by the project department and successfully graduated, becoming a professional firefighter. Over the past two years, his work skills have continued to improve, and his income has also increased several times. With this income, his family opened a small print shop, and their life is getting better and better.

Xu Xishuai, business manager of the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project, introduced that the skill development training class has opened professional courses such as on-site first aid, concrete worker, and plumber, and plans to train 3,500 skilled talents for the local area. As of now, more than 500 trainees have graduated and obtained graduation certificates. Xu Xishuai said that the localization rate of ordinary employees in the project is not less than 99%, creating more than 1,800 jobs for the local area.

During the construction of the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project, precast concrete segments need to be installed as support. The reporter saw at the segment factory built locally that almost all processes are completed by local employees. The local area originally did not have the ability to process, shape, store, and transfer precast building materials. In just two years, the factory has achieved independent production.

Lesotho engineer Serge Sop is responsible for tunnel maintenance and is very satisfied with his current job: "Chinese masters have brought advanced work experience and skills. I believe that with everyone's joint efforts, the project will be successfully completed."

The Chinese medical team to Lesotho recently launched a free clinic at the Polihali Transfer Tunnel project department. Masamola Sekonye (马萨莫拉·塞孔耶), the local community director of Mohotlong, brought villagers to the clinic. He said: "Chinese companies have built roads for the village, donated clothes, shoes, and stationery to the children, and Chinese doctors have brought medicines to everyone and taught health knowledge. Thank you to China for its contribution to Lesotho."

(Reported from Maseru by this newspaper)

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China Will Always Be a Sincere Friend Promoting the Development of the African Continent (International Forum)

By: 汉娜·赖德

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Driven by mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, cooperation between Africa and China has yielded fruitful results and has become a model of South-South cooperation. At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit held last year, the overall positioning of China-Africa relations was elevated to a new era of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future, and China-Africa relations are at their best historical period. The continuous improvement of cooperation mechanisms and the continuous expansion of cooperation fields between Africa and China have brought unprecedented opportunities to African countries.

I used to serve as the Deputy Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme, responsible for promoting cooperation between the United Nations Development Programme and China. I have noticed that with the advancement of the "Belt and Road" initiative on the African continent and the continuous revitalization of mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, African countries and China have become increasingly close in cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction and economic and trade exchanges. As a large number of Chinese companies invest in Africa, more and more African countries are participating in China-Africa cooperation with a more positive attitude. In 2024, the trade volume between Africa and China was nearly 300 billion US dollars, and China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Currently, I and a group of scholars from China and African countries are cooperating with African embassies in China, non-governmental chambers of commerce and other institutions to enhance mutual understanding and contribute wisdom to the development of China-Africa relations. Since 2019, we have participated in previous China-Africa Economic and Trade Expos, setting up booths to promote African specialty products. We actively negotiate with Chinese e-commerce platforms to settle in, promote "Made in Africa," and allow more African companies to share the dividends of the Chinese market. At the 2025 Autumn/Winter Shanghai Fashion Week, I brought 22 designer brands from 12 African countries to Shanghai to showcase the charm of the African fashion industry to Chinese audiences.

Looking back on the history of China-Africa cooperation, a distinct feature is that China fully considers the needs and capabilities of African countries and carries out targeted cooperation based on mutual respect. Taking infrastructure construction as an example, most African countries are in a critical stage of development and revitalization, and improving infrastructure conditions is a common expectation and urgent desire of African countries. Improving infrastructure can significantly improve the level of regional connectivity, provide employment, improve people's livelihoods, and create favorable conditions for economic and social development. Over the years, China has helped African countries build and upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, over 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 1,000 bridges, and nearly 100 ports, effectively promoting the industrialization and modernization of Africa. China conducts cooperation driven by Africa's needs, which also prompts other countries to consider the needs of African countries more when carrying out cooperation with Africa. Under the leadership of China, more countries have expressed their "willingness to listen to African voices and establish equal partnerships."

Some Western politicians and media have hyped up the so-called "debt trap" rhetoric when talking about China-Africa cooperation, which is groundless. China has always been a sincere friend in promoting the development of the African continent, always appearing at the time and place when African countries need it most, and effectively enhancing the endogenous development momentum of African countries. When African countries face difficulties, China supports reducing the debt burden of African countries and actively implements the G20's "Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the Poorest Countries." Among the G20 members, China's debt suspension amount is the largest.

China-Africa cooperation has withstood the test of time and is showing more vigorous vitality. At present, unilateralism and protectionism, such as raising tariff barriers, have cast a shadow over the world economy. As important members of the Global South, Africa and China should jointly defend true multilateralism, maintain an open and inclusive multilateral trading system, respond to the uncertainty of global changes with the stability of China-Africa relations, and promote China-Africa cooperation to continue to forge ahead.

(The author is the former Deputy Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme and the CEO of Kenya's Reinar New International Consulting Company)

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The belief in defending their home and country supported their return to China to fight the war. (Great Victory, Historical Contribution)

By: 本报记者 章念生 刘 慧

Stepping into the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Hall (陈嘉庚纪念馆) in Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡), the capital of Malaysia (马来西亚), one sees a map of Southeast Asia underfoot and a "sprinkling of stars" overhead. The statue of Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚) stands solemnly, his hand on his lapel, holding a wooden cane, gazing ahead.

"That dazzling star is the 'Tan Kah Kee Star'," said Tan Songqing (陈松青), Vice Chairman of the Tan Kah Kee Foundation Cultural Centre (陈嘉庚基金文化中心) in Malaysia (马来西亚), pointing to a bright spot of light in front of the statue. "This is asteroid number 2963, named 'Tan Kah Kee Star' by the Purple Mountain Observatory (紫金山天文台) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) in 1990."

Overseas Chinese leader Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚) made outstanding contributions in education, society, and economics, but what particularly moves the world is his contribution to the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In 1938, he promoted the establishment of the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Relief General Association for Refugees in the Motherland" (南洋华侨筹赈祖国难民总会), donating money and goods for the War of Resistance. In the same year, the Japanese army imposed a full blockade on China (中国), and the Burma Road (滇缅公路) became the only land route for international aid to China. From 1939 to 1942, under the call of Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚), nine batches of more than 3,000 Nanyang Overseas Chinese returned to China to fight against the Japanese, driving trucks on the Burma Road (滇缅公路) through gunfire, rushing to transport military supplies, and repairing transport vehicles, building an "unsinkable supply line" for the War of Resistance. They were called the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps" (南侨机工), more than 1,000 of whom heroically sacrificed their lives and were buried on this lifeline.

Tan Songqing (陈松青) has organized convoys to retrace the Burma Road (滇缅公路) many times. "In 2011, with reverence, we completed this 40-day journey," said Tan Songqing (陈松青). The convoy bumped along the way, and people felt the thrilling feats during the War of Resistance: 200,000 road-building civilians spent only 9 months opening up the Burma Road (滇缅公路) in the mountains; originally scheduled to assemble one truck a week, the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps (南侨机工) could assemble two trucks a day, or even four trucks a day; overhead were Japanese planes bombing, and underfoot were cliffs, and a slight carelessness would lead to a fall into the abyss...

"At that time, there was an exaggerated joke circulating among the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps (南侨机工): 'Crash on the first day of the month, reach the bottom on the fifteenth', which shows the danger of the Burma Road (滇缅公路) at that time." Speaking of that experience, Tan Songqing's (陈松青) eyes sparkled with tears: "Faced with the survival of the nation, the belief in defending the country supported them to return to China to fight against the Japanese. The sons and daughters of the Chinese nation have a national spirit of not fearing death, and a firm determination to fight the enemy to the end. They used their wisdom and tenacity to overcome various difficulties, and the great spirit of the War of Resistance was fully reflected in them."

Tan Songqing (陈松青), who is nearly seventy years old, once served as the Secretary-General of the Malaysian World War II Historical Association (马来西亚二战历史协会) and has done a lot of research on modern Chinese history. He said: "China's (中国) modern history is a history of suffering. The Chinese nation has gone through hardships, but the Chinese people have a spirit of perseverance. Faced with the Japanese invaders, the Chinese military and civilians were united in purpose and united as one, especially the formation of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, which laid a solid foundation for the victory of the War of Resistance."

Speaking of the role of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) in the War of Resistance, Tan Songqing (陈松青) cited an example, saying that in 1940, when Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚) was invited to visit Yan'an (延安), Chairman Mao (毛主席) hosted a banquet in front of the cave dwelling, with only two dishes and one soup on the table, which was in stark contrast to the luxurious reception he had previously received in Chongqing (重庆). During his 8-day trip to Yan'an (延安), Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚) was deeply moved, and then he called on overseas Chinese: "China's (中国) hope lies in Yan'an (延安)!"

Tan Songqing (陈松青) believes that the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War, but many people, especially the younger generation, do not really understand China's (中国) history of resistance. "Today, when we look back on that history, we must let young people understand the whole picture of World War II. Today, many young Malaysian Chinese have also participated in the activity of retracing the Burma Road (滇缅公路), cherishing the memory of this heroic history, so that the spirit of the ancestors can be passed down from generation to generation, and cherish the current peace even more," said Tan Songqing (陈松青).

In 2024, the Tan Kah Kee Foundation (陈嘉庚基金) hosted the "Geng · Continued: Retracing the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps Burma Road" (庚·续：重走南侨机工滇缅路) event to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps (南侨机工) returning to China to fight against the Japanese. Tan Songqing (陈松青), the captain of the team, specially pasted a transportation route map of that year on the car body to commemorate the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Motor Vehicle Drivers and Mechanics Service Corps (南侨机工) who sacrificed their lives here. "This revisit, the biggest shock to us was to see the changes along the road, and to see the rapid development of China (中国)," Tan Songqing (陈松青) told reporters that the Gaoligong Mountain Tunnel (高黎贡山隧道) of the Yunnan-Dali Railway (云南大瑞铁路) under construction is extremely magnificent, and border cities such as Jinghong (景洪) in Yunnan (云南) are now lined with high-rise buildings. "Witnessing the tremendous changes in the mountainous countryside, we feel deeply proud."

(Reported from Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡) by this newspaper)

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China Has Made Significant Contributions to Global Sustainable Development

By: 本报记者 汪思源

"I have visited many places in China and witnessed the transformation of the concept of green development into a sustainable development path that can be promoted. China has achieved a coordinated unity of ecological protection and economic development, setting a successful example for the world," said Mohamed Ali, Associate Professor at the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, in a recent interview with this reporter.

In Chengde, Hebei (河北承德), the local government continues to improve the collective forest tenure system and develop the forestry industry; in Longli, Guizhou (贵州龙里), the local government develops distinctive industries such as prickly pear planting and processing, achieving an annual output value of over 100 million yuan; in Guangxi (广西), the government hires farmers as ecological forest rangers... These firsthand examples deeply touched Ali. He said that the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" originated from the practice of Yucun, Zhejiang (浙江余村), reflecting a dialectical understanding of the relationship between environmental protection and economic development, which has not only generated tangible environmental and economic benefits, but also brought profound social impact and development dividends.

"China's promotion of modernization with harmonious coexistence between man and nature is both forward-looking and of great strategic significance," Ali said, adding that China's high attention to ecological protection and low-carbon development is fully reflected in China's forestry and grassland policies, with green technology innovation playing a pivotal role. For example, in the area of "bamboo instead of plastic," China has developed bamboo winding composite pipes and corridors that can be applied to construction, industry and other fields, effectively reducing carbon emissions. China promotes the utilization of agricultural and forestry waste, converting it into renewable biomass energy, and also cultivates excellent tree species resistant to diseases, pests, and fire through breeding technology and genetic engineering, enhancing the ability of forests to cope with climate change.

Ali said that while accelerating its own green transformation, China is actively carrying out international cooperation in areas such as green infrastructure and renewable energy. At present, Egypt's green cooperation with China is developing rapidly. "I have visited and inspected the Suez Canal Economic Zone. There, the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, jointly built by Egypt and China, has become a green industrial park," Ali said, adding that Egypt and China are promoting cooperation in areas such as photovoltaic power generation, wind power, seawater desalination and sustainable transportation, and also have great cooperation potential in areas such as smart agriculture, desert greening and carbon capture technology.

"China has made important contributions to global sustainable development." Ali said that in the global action to mitigate climate change, China has proposed the "dual carbon" goals, made significant progress on multiple sustainable development goals, and has also set an example for global green development through policies such as stopping the construction of new overseas coal-fired power projects and promoting green financial cooperation. Ali said: "In the global climate negotiation process, China has made constructive contributions to the conclusion of key agreements such as the Paris Agreement."

Ali said that while achieving its own development, China actively supports South-South cooperation and supports developing countries in improving their climate adaptation capabilities, especially by promoting international cooperation in green infrastructure and renewable energy through high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative. "We look forward to the international community further joining hands to build a greener and more sustainable world," Ali said.

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"My Neighbor: John Rabe" Exhibition Opens in Germany

According to Xinhua News Agency, Hamburg, Germany (Reporter Chu Yi (褚怡)) To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the exhibition "My Neighbor: John Rabe" recently opened in Hamburg, Germany. More than a hundred representatives from various circles in China and Germany attended the event to commemorate the German friend John Rabe (约翰·拉贝).

The exhibition restores historical scenes through precious documents and "interactive digital images," and is divided into 11 units, including "You Were Born in Hamburg," "Guardian of Life," and "The Re-emergence of 'The Diaries of John Rabe'," tracing Rabe's life trajectory and humanitarian deeds.

Chinese Consul General in Hamburg Cong Wu (丛武) said in his opening speech: "While commemorating history, we should focus more on the future. Looking back on the past is not to prolong hatred, but to avoid the recurrence of tragedy. 以史为鉴 (yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn - "take history as a mirror," learn from history), and innovate based on history, so as to better safeguard the hard-won achievements of peace."

In 1937, the invading Japanese army committed the Nanjing Massacre. John Rabe (约翰·拉贝), employed by Siemens, and other international figures in China established the "Nanjing Safety Zone" to provide shelter for more than 200,000 Chinese people. The diary he wrote during his time in China is one of the most important and detailed historical materials of the Nanjing Massacre.

Ulrich Johannes Schneider (乌尔里希·约翰内斯·施奈德), a visiting professor at the Cultural Institute of the University of Leipzig, Germany, told reporters after the visit that the exhibition showed "the power that individuals can exert in history" and interpreted the value of this power with Rabe's vivid story.

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Photo Report

In recent years, Yuhuan City (玉环市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省), has continuously strengthened its guidance for port enterprises. By integrating various business types such as port warehousing, foreign trade, and container transportation, it has enhanced the port's agglomeration and radiation functions, expanded the cooperation between Damaiyu Port (大麦屿港) and Southeast Asian countries, and achieved a breakthrough in port cargo throughput against the trend.

The picture shows the busy operation of gantry cranes and trucks at Damaiyu Port (大麦屿港) in Yuhuan City (玉环市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省) on August 16.

Photo by Duan Junli (段俊利) (Image China (影像中国))

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Why are "AI rumors" so easy to spread and difficult to prevent? (In-depth Reading)

By: 本报记者 金 歆

Currently, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is developing rapidly, bringing many conveniences to people's production and life. However, AI is also used to create and disseminate rumors and false information, which may cause distress to some people. In April of this year, the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) launched a special campaign called "Qinglang: Rectifying the Abuse of AI Technology" ("清朗·整治AI技术滥用"专项行动), focusing on rectifying the chaos of using AI to create and disseminate rumors and false information.

From forged videos of "landslides caused by heavy rain" to AI-generated news releases of "nuclear power plant leaks," "AI rumors" take various forms, leading many people to believe them. Where do "AI rumors" come from, why are they rampant, and how can they be rectified? The reporter conducted an interview.

Why do they appear?

Some people maliciously use AI to fabricate false information, and there is also the possibility of "AI hallucinations."

"The mortality rate of people born in the 1980s is 5.2%, marking the黯然离场 of the golden generation" "The mortality rate of people born in the 1980s has exceeded that of people born in the 1970s"... Not long ago, a set of data claiming to be derived from the Seventh National Population Census was shocking. Soon, relevant departments and experts辟谣: both the source and the data were unfounded.

Where did this set of false data come from?

Li Ting (李婷), a professor at the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China (中国人民大学), found that "AI hallucinations" are likely the "culprit" - the training corpus of AI large models in the field of demography is insufficient, and errors occur in answering questions, resulting in "AI hallucinations."

"‘AI hallucinations’ refer to the output of generative artificial intelligence systems without clear evidence. The language expression seems reasonable, but the content is actually false or even contrary to common sense," introduced Zeng Yi (曾毅), director of the Artificial Intelligence Professional Committee of the World Internet Conference (世界互联网大会) and head of the Security and Governance Promotion Plan. This phenomenon is particularly common in contemporary large language models, and the main manifestation is factual hallucinations, such as outputting incorrect character deeds and relationships, and fabricated scientific research.

From a mechanistic point of view, "current large models do not ‘understand facts,’ but rather predict ‘what is the most likely next word’ by processing a large amount of corpus. This will produce unpredictable errors in factual information," Zeng Yi (曾毅) analyzed.

Some people have ulterior motives, maliciously fabricating and spreading "AI rumors" to obtain benefits.

Some people create hype for their self-media accounts to "attract fans" for traffic. Previously, in the case of a missing girl in Shanghai (上海), a gang used AI tools to fabricate rumors such as "the girl's father is a stepfather," publishing 268 articles in 6 days, with many articles exceeding 1 million views.

Some people use this to carry out fraud and other illegal and criminal activities. "No matter how powerful AI is, it cannot predict winning numbers." Not long ago, a辟谣 statement from China Sports Lottery (中国体育彩票) attracted attention. It turned out that some platforms claimed that they could predict winning numbers through "AI large models," inducing users to pay.

Some people have even formed a production chain of "demand analysis - content production - precision delivery." "Explosion in Xi'an (西安)! Flames soaring! Casualties unknown!" One day, a "graphic" news spread on the Internet, with flames soaring in the picture, causing panic among local people. Soon, the news was辟谣. An investigation found that the organization to which the account belonged used AI to analyze hot words on social platforms, generate rumors in batches on topics with high attention, and then push them in a targeted manner through algorithms. At its peak, it could generate 4,000 to 7,000 fake news articles a day, with more than 800 associated accounts. Relevant personnel have been arrested by the public security organs.

Why are they rampant?

The threshold for spreading rumors is low, and they can be spread exponentially in a short period of time.

"AI rumors" come in various forms, some of which have caused social panic and even hindered policy implementation and disaster relief.

In February of this year, after the "2·8" landslide in Junlian County (筠连县), Sichuan (四川), some self-media accounts used AI software to炒作 and piece together old news, spreading posts such as "the landslide was filmed by a driving recorder" and "4 students in distress were rescued by passing drivers." Many errors in information caused trouble for disaster relief; for example, the "AI rumor" that "Guangdong (广东) medical insurance fund has a deficit" not only caused social panic, but also caused public misunderstanding of policies...

Why is the spread of "AI rumors" so strong?

First of all, it is closely related to its own characteristics.

Lu Honglei (陆洪磊), associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University (清华大学), introduced that "AI rumors" can be customized and released on different platforms, channels, time periods, and media, and the cost is low, and they can be spread exponentially in a short period of time. "AI rumors" can also cross, resonate, and amplify each other, greatly increasing the difficulty of辟谣.

At the beginning of this year, the earthquake in Dingri County (定日县), Tibet (西藏), affected hundreds of millions of people. A "child buried picture" circulating online was forwarded and commented on a large scale for a time. However, some netizens later discovered that the color, light, and movements of the picture were extremely unnatural. It turned out that the picture was created by AI tools. Lu Honglei (陆洪磊) said that this rumor used the combination of "disaster + children" and deliberately deleted the AI generation logo, triggering rapid dissemination.

Furthermore, AI applications have lowered the threshold for spreading rumors.

On a certain technology forum, a netizen uploaded a tutorial: using an open source AI model, enter "generate a picture of a terrorist attack in a certain city," and you can get a realistic picture in 30 seconds.

A netizen's comment hit the nail on the head: "In the past, spreading rumors required superb PS technology, but now you only need a sentence to generate it."

What are the "generational differences"?

"AI rumors" are better at "escaping" and are difficult to be blocked by technical means.

Compared with traditional online rumors, "AI rumors" are more difficult to prevent and control, and have even "evolved" into a more "intelligent" "anti-reconnaissance" mechanism.

The reporter found that the statements of "AI rumors" are often close to "the truth," seemingly clear and well-founded, and more difficult to be blocked by technical means.

At present, all network platforms have "rumor libraries," which generally block rumors by setting hot keywords. However, AI models can bypass rumor keywords through adversarial training, for example, changing "landslide" to "abnormal geological activity" to escape blocking.

"Traditional rumors are like fire, and the source can be extinguished; ‘AI rumors’ are like viruses, which will continue to mutate," sighed the person in charge of content security governance of a news aggregation platform.

In addition, most traditional online rumors are deliberately created, but many "AI rumors" are due to "AI hallucinations." Is there a way to avoid these "unintentional rumors" from the source?

Zeng Yi (曾毅) introduced that from the current technical level, completely eliminating "AI hallucinations" is highly challenging. "The generation mechanism of large models is essentially probability-driven language modeling, which makes it difficult to ensure that all outputs completely correspond to reality; at the same time, the current evaluation and correction mechanisms are still immature, and there is a lack of large-scale, high-accuracy automated fact verification capabilities."

"However, it is possible to alleviate the frequency and harm of ‘AI hallucinations’ through technical means," Zeng Yi (曾毅) said. At present, certain results have been achieved in multi-model collaborative judgment and fact-enhanced training, and the discrimination ability of large models will be improved.

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Leaving Room to Breathe (People's Forum)

By: 邹 翔

Leaving blank space is an important technique in Chinese art creation, and it also embodies the thinking and wisdom of development.

Just as leaving blank space in art can create infinite meaning in a limited space, leaving blank space in development can also expand and enrich the connotation of a city. Many old urban areas in large cities have limited space for industrial development. If everything is accepted without discrimination, “捡进篮里都是菜” (jiǎn jìn lán lǐ dōu shì cài - "everything picked into the basket is a vegetable," accepting anything and everything regardless of quality), it is easy to cause disordered development and overdraw the future. However, some places consciously "leave blank space" for future development, attracting high-quality projects and emerging industries, “守得云开见月明” (shǒu dé yún kāi jiàn yuè míng - "persist until the clouds disperse and the moon appears," perseverance will eventually be rewarded). At present, many cities, including Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), and Qingdao (青岛), have designated land for leaving blank space and issued management measures, reflecting the change in the concept and path of promoting development.

Reserving space for sustainable development and leaving a beautiful homeland with blue skies, green land, and clear water for future generations is a kind of forward-looking thinking and long-term vision.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that "the construction of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) is not a matter of one or two days. We cannot eat and squeeze everything dry at the moment. We must leave blank space and room for long-term planning to reserve projects and land." "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) must rely on such an ecological environment to reflect its value and increase its attractiveness."

Today, the forest coverage rate of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) has increased to 35%. More than 20 million saplings of oil pine, Chinese scholar tree, and ash planted at the beginning have grown into a continuous forest. A central green valley with a north-south length of 7 kilometers and an east-west span of 3.2 kilometers connects the ecological veins of the city, vividly portraying the construction concept of "planting green first, then building the city" and "the people's city is for the people."

Leaving blank space is not inaction, but planning before acting; it is not about not developing, but about grasping the opportunity after identifying it accurately, and striving to achieve a higher level of development.

Taking the implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (长江经济带) development strategy as an example, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized from the beginning that we must adhere to the principle of jointly grasping major protection and not engaging in large-scale development. With the ecological environment well protected, the beautiful scenery of “一江碧水向东流” (yī jiāng bì shuǐ xiàng dōng liú - "a river of clear water flows eastward," a river of clear water flowing eastward) has reappeared, and the recovery trend of aquatic biological resources is generally good, consolidating the foundation for the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (长江经济带).

For example, the Ganhe Industrial Park (甘河工业园区) in Xining (西宁), Qinghai (青海) cleared out and eliminated various "small, scattered, and disordered" enterprises and high-energy-consuming and high-emission enterprises, seized the "dual carbon" opportunity, and laid out emerging industries such as new materials and new energy. It is striving to build a highland of plateau green energy, becoming an epitome of Qinghai's (青海) practice of maintaining the major mission of ecological security and cultivating a modern industrial system that reflects local characteristics and advantages.

Finding the right positioning in the overall situation, thinking about the development path beyond the gains and losses of "one city and one place," clarifying the direction and focus with "what to do," and guarding the bottom line with "what not to do," so as to have a basis for advancing and retreating, and a way to choose, is a kind of overall thinking and strategic vision.

The techniques of "Chinese painting" include splashing ink and color, as well as outlining and rendering. Where to start and where to leave blank space depends on the overall and actual situation, adapting to the time and circumstances, and acting according to the rules. In grasping the safe production of key areas, no dead ends or loopholes can be left. For new technologies, new industries, new business forms, and new models, we must implement and improve inclusive and prudent supervision, leaving enough room for development while adhering to the bottom line of quality and safety.

The exquisite "borrowing the scenery of Beisi Pagoda (北寺塔)" in the Humble Administrator's Garden (拙政园) in Suzhou (苏州) is praised: looking into the distance from the Yihong Pavilion (倚虹亭), more than half of a pagoda is exposed in the ancient trees and green willows, as if the pagoda is in the garden. Such a landscape is inseparable from Suzhou's (苏州) efforts to protect the overall style of the ancient city with measures such as building height restrictions, showing the charm of "leaving blank space" in the "double-sided embroidery" of economic prosperity and cultural prosperity.

Drawing rich nourishment from the outstanding traditional Chinese culture will provide more ideas and methods for promoting Chinese-style modernization.

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Ministry of Emergency Management Dispatches Working Group to Guide Rescue and Response Efforts On-Site

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on August 17th (Reporter Liu Wenxin (刘温馨)) Around 22:00 on August 16th, a sudden flash flood occurred upstream of Dongwugou (东乌盖沟), Wugaisumu (乌盖苏木), Urad Rear Banner (乌拉特后旗), Bayannur (巴彦淖尔市), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区), causing campers in the wild to go missing. After the disaster occurred, the local fire and rescue team immediately dispatched professional forces to the scene for disposal. At present, the search and rescue work is still in progress.

After receiving the report, the Ministry of Emergency Management immediately made arrangements, requiring full organization of rescue efforts, verification of the situation of missing persons, and dispatch of a working group to the scene to guide rescue and disposal.

This newspaper's Hohhot (呼和浩特) dispatch on August 17th (Reporter Zhang Cheng (张枨)) As of 17:20 on August 17, the flash flood in Urad Rear Banner (乌拉特后旗) has resulted in the death of 10 campers, and 2 people are still missing. Currently, 1 person has been rescued.

The local government has organized more than 700 people from emergency management, public security, fire protection, natural resources, water conservancy, health and other departments, and various search and rescue teams are carrying mechanical equipment to conduct a carpet search along the flash flood gully where the incident occurred and the surrounding downstream areas.

Bayannur (巴彦淖尔市) launched a Level IV emergency response for flood control and a Level IV emergency response for rainstorm meteorological disasters at 02:20 on the 17th, and upgraded it to a Level III emergency response for flood control and a Level III emergency response for rainstorm meteorological disasters at 8:20; at 8:07, a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief was launched. Local departments at all levels are paying close attention to changes in rainfall and water conditions, making every effort to do a good job in the search and rescue of missing persons, and implementing various flood control measures.

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World's Largest Diameter Underwater Shield Tunnel Breaks Through

Beijing, August 17th (Reported by Li Xinping (李心萍)) The reporter learned from the Underwater Tunnel Engineering Technology Branch of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering: On the 17th, as the "Shanhe (山河) No." shield machine with a 17.5-meter excavation diameter broke through the hole, the shield section of the Huanggang Road Yellow River Tunnel in Jinan (济南), Shandong (山东) was completed, marking the successful completion of the world's largest diameter underwater shield tunnel. The tunnel is approximately 5.75 kilometers long, with a shield section of approximately 3.3 kilometers and a design speed of 60 kilometers per hour. The tunnel was constructed using the "Shanhe (山河) No." super-large diameter slurry balance shield machine. The shield machine has an excavation area of 240 square meters, which is larger than half of a standard basketball court.

The Huanggang Road Yellow River Tunnel is another north-south thoroughfare after the "First Tunnel of the Yellow River" - the Jinan (济南) Yellow River Jiluo Road Tunnel. After the tunnel is completed, it will further promote economic exchanges and cooperation between the north and south banks of the Yellow River.

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Ministry of Water Resources Initiates Level IV Emergency Response for Flood Defense in Hainan Province

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 17th (Reporter Wei Hongyi (魏弘毅)) - The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部): The Ministry of Water Resources (水利部) initiated a Level Ⅳ emergency response for flood defense in Hainan Province (海南省) on the 17th.

Affected by a tropical depression in the South China Sea (南海), it is predicted that from the 17th to the 19th, Hainan (海南) will experience heavy to torrential rain, with some areas in the east and north experiencing heavy torrential rain. Affected by this, the Nandu River (南渡江), the Wanquan River (万泉河), and the Changhua River (昌化江) will experience significant increases in water levels, and some small and medium-sized rivers in the rainstorm area may experience floods exceeding the warning level.

In response to the potential flood situation, the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部) requires local water resources departments and relevant river basin management agencies to closely monitor the development and changes in rainfall, water conditions, and flood conditions, strengthen monitoring, forecasting, early warning, and consultation and judgment, scientifically and meticulously schedule water projects, strengthen the inspection and defense of dikes, effectively implement safety measures for flood control in reservoirs and projects under construction, ensure that reservoirs with defects operate with empty reservoirs in principle, do a good job in preventing floods in small and medium-sized rivers and mountain torrent disasters, and promptly remind local governments and relevant departments to do a good job in transferring people in dangerous areas, achieving **应转尽转** (yīng zhuǎn jìn zhuǎn - "transfer everyone who needs to be transferred," ensuring all at-risk individuals are relocated), **应转早转** (yīng zhuǎn zǎo zhuǎn - "transfer early if needed," relocating people as early as possible), and **应转快转** (yīng zhuǎn kuài zhuǎn - "transfer quickly if needed," relocating people as quickly as possible), to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

Currently, the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部) has dispatched a working group to Hainan (海南) to assist and guide the work of preventing rainstorms and floods.

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China successfully launches Shiyan-28B 02 satellite.

Xinhua News Agency, Xichang (西昌) August 17th (Guo Mingzhi (郭明芝), Cui Wanying (崔婉莹)) At 16:55 on August 17th, China used the Long March 4C (长征四号丙) carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (西昌卫星发射中心) to successfully launch the Shiyan-28B 02 (试验二十八号B星02星) satellite into space. The satellite successfully entered its predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.

The Shiyan-28B 02 (试验二十八号B星02星) satellite is mainly used for space environment detection and related technology experiments.

This mission was the 589th flight of the Long March (长征) series carrier rockets.

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Let the people live an even better life.

By: 本报记者 申少铁 李晓晴

China in the new era is beautiful in its mountains and rivers, beautiful in its life, and beautiful in the hearts of every person.

The average PM2.5 concentration in key cities nationwide in 2024 decreased by approximately 60% compared to 2013; in the first half of this year, the national per capita disposable income of residents increased by an actual 5.4% year-on-year, "outpacing" the GDP growth rate; a childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan per child per year is issued until the child reaches 3 years old... Heartwarming figures and people-benefiting policies vividly interpret "Chinese-style modernization, with people's livelihood as the top priority."

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "We must focus on expanding domestic demand in all directions, unswervingly deepening reform and opening up, promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, continuously preventing and resolving risks in key areas, and taking multiple measures to guarantee and improve people's livelihoods."

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee held on July 30 pointed out: "Promote the effective improvement of the quality of the economy and the reasonable growth of quantity, and promote the comprehensive development of people and the solid progress of common prosperity for all people."

Chinese-style modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all people. "To enable the fruits of modernization to benefit all people more and more equitably" is the solemn commitment of our Party to the people.

The Beauty of Life—

Safeguarding and Improving People's Livelihood in Development

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee pointed out: "We must earnestly do a good job in guaranteeing people's livelihood" and "Implement people-benefiting policies and improve the hierarchical and classified social assistance system."

Xiao Zhong, who lives in Sixian County (泗县), Suzhou City (宿州市), Anhui Province (安徽), was diagnosed with hemophilia at birth and requires lifelong treatment. The local civil affairs department applied for subsistence allowances for him; the medical insurance department handled critical illness insurance and medical assistance for him, and about 95% of his medical expenses can be reimbursed.

The local civil affairs department continues to pay attention to families in difficulty similar to Xiao Zhong's, and jointly with health and health insurance departments, guarantees the basic living of people in difficulty.

Do a good job in top-level design and attach importance to people's livelihood construction.

The "Opinions on Further Guaranteeing and Improving People's Livelihood and Focusing on Solving the Urgent Difficulties and Problems of the Masses" issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee (中办) and the General Office of the State Council (国办) put forward 10 key measures, including effectively expanding the coverage of social security and strengthening the basic assistance for low-income groups, to promote a more fair, balanced, inclusive, and accessible people's livelihood construction.

Family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs, making people live a happy life is the top priority. At present, policies and measures in the field of people's livelihood are accelerating to benefit all people.

From January 1, 2025, a subsidy of 3,600 yuan per child per year will be issued to infants and young children under the age of 3 who meet the provisions of laws and regulations, until they reach the age of 3. This year, the number of childcare places for infants and young children under the age of 3 per thousand people will be increased to 4.5, and 660,000 new inclusive childcare places will be added nationwide. Subsidies are real money, and increasing inclusive childcare places will allow more families to afford and entrust their children.

This year, the national financial burden for the minimum monthly standard of basic old-age insurance for urban and rural residents will be increased by another 20 yuan. Approximately 190 million people are insured for long-term care insurance. As of the end of 2024, there are more than 6,000 secondary and above public general hospitals with geriatric medicine departments nationwide... Pensions continue to increase, and the elderly care service system is constantly improving, making the "sunset years" more beautiful.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has newly deployed 114 national regional medical centers, and the construction of close-knit county medical communities and urban medical alliances has been fully promoted, promoting the balanced layout and sinking of high-quality medical resources. The national basic medical insurance participation rate is stable at 95%. Further solving the problems of difficulty and high cost of seeing a doctor for the masses, continuing to deepen medical reform, and making it more convenient for the masses to seek medical treatment.

Deeply promote the renovation of old urban communities. In 2024, 58,000 old urban communities will be newly renovated; 1.8 million sets (rooms) of guaranteed housing for sale, guaranteed rental housing, and public rental housing will be built and raised. Housing is a basic need of the people and is related to the warmth and coldness of life. This year, the country will continue to promote the renovation of old communities and the construction of guaranteed housing, so that more people can live in peace.

This year, the central government has allocated 156.68 billion yuan in assistance funds for people in difficulty, supporting local governments in doing a good job in providing minimum living security, supporting special hardship assistance, and providing temporary assistance. As of the end of May, the average standards for urban and rural subsistence allowances were 799.7 yuan and 594.9 yuan per person per month, respectively. Guaranteeing the basic living of people in difficulty and safeguarding the foundation and bottom line of people's livelihood security.

There is no trivial matter concerning people's livelihood, and every branch and leaf is always related to emotions. People's livelihood work is complex and complicated, and we must accurately find the focus and breakthrough in the urgent difficulties and problems of the people, adhere to doing our best and acting according to our capabilities, and constantly introduce people-benefiting, heart-warming, and people-pleasing measures to make the people have a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security.

The Beauty of Common Prosperity—

Consolidating and Expanding the Achievements of Poverty Alleviation and Promoting Common Prosperity for All People

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee pointed out: "Consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation to ensure that there is no large-scale return to poverty."

The story of a bamboo shoot farmer's poverty alleviation and prosperity reflects China's achievements in consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.

In September this year, 810,000 mu of square bamboo in Yanjin County (盐津县), Zhaotong City (昭通市), Yunnan Province (云南) will enter the bamboo shoot harvesting season. "I can earn 400,000 yuan every year, and I am very happy." Li Xingzhen (李兴珍), a bamboo shoot farmer in Xinsheng Village (新生村), Shizi Town (柿子镇), is busy in her 200 mu of bamboo forest. Her family used to be a poor household, but now they have been lifted out of poverty and become rich by relying on this "green bank."

The village's poverty alleviation industry also absorbs rural women like Li Xingzhen for employment, further driving up villagers' income. In the Shuida Relocation for Poverty Alleviation resettlement area (水田易地扶贫搬迁安置区) in Yanjin County (盐津县), the plastic flower factory workshop of Kunpeng Human Resources Co., Ltd. (鲲鹏人力资源有限公司) is busy, and this factory has absorbed hundreds of people from the surrounding area for employment.

Our country has firmly guarded the bottom line of preventing large-scale return to poverty. As of the end of June, more than 6.8 million monitored objects nationwide have been helped to steadily eliminate the risk of returning to poverty.

The victory of poverty alleviation is not the end, but the starting point of common prosperity. How to transform the achievements of poverty alleviation into sustainable development momentum is the biggest test.

Change "blood transfusion" to "blood creation." At present, all 832 poverty-stricken counties across the country have cultivated and formed 2 to 3 characteristic leading industries, with a total output value of more than 1.7 trillion yuan, and nearly 3/4 of the poverty-stricken population has established a benefit linkage mechanism with new agricultural business entities; promote the improvement of the quality and efficiency of assistance industries by category, and the scale of employment of poverty-stricken laborers nationwide is 32.833 million. The poverty alleviation industry is being transformed into a wealth-generating industry.

"Next, we will improve the quality and efficiency of monitoring and assistance, firmly grasp industrial employment assistance, guide poverty-stricken areas to focus on leading industries to promote the extension, supplementation, and strengthening of the chain, improve the linkage mechanism for benefiting farmers, and promote the improvement of the quality and efficiency of the entire industrial chain and the increase of farmers' income in all links," said Mairdan Mugaeti (麦尔丹·木盖提), Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Common prosperity is not only reflected in the elimination of poverty, but also in coordinated regional development. In recent years, China has deepened East-West cooperation, supplementing shortcomings, expanding markets, and adding increments through cooperation to enhance the development capacity of the West. From the "Mountains and Seas Love" (山海情) spanning thousands of miles to the coordinated win-win of "industrial enclave," the beauty of complementary advantages and coordinated development is constantly being written.

"We must improve the effectiveness of cooperation and assistance, give play to the role of the 'four forces' of East-West cooperation, fixed-point assistance, village-based assistance, and social mobilization, and continue to carry out the 'four actions' of improving characteristic industries, creating industrial clusters, increasing consumption assistance, and improving the quality of labor cooperation," said Mairdan Mugaeti (麦尔丹·木盖提).

Common prosperity is also reflected in the narrowing of the income gap between urban and rural residents.

To say a thousand words and ten thousand words, increasing farmers' income is the key. This year's No. 1 Central Document (中央一号文件) made a systematic deployment of the "Three Rural Issues" (三农) work in 2025, clarifying that we should do everything possible to promote agricultural efficiency, rural vitality, and farmers' income. In the first half of this year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 11,936 yuan, an actual increase of 6.2% after deducting price factors, which was significantly faster than that of urban residents.

Promoting the free flow of urban and rural factors is of great significance for narrowing the urban-rural gap and achieving integrated urban-rural development. Further relax the restrictions on settling in towns and cities, and promote the settlement of migrant workers who are willing to settle in towns and cities; strive to establish "education consortia" in 50% of counties by 2025, and effectively promote the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education in counties... Step by step to solve the problems of unbalanced and insufficient urban and rural development, a series of policies and measures are being implemented.

From the comprehensive victory of poverty alleviation to the solid promotion of common prosperity, the "beauty" of China's economy is not a single-dimensional linear growth, but a better realization of both efficiency and fairness, and the happy smiles on the faces of hundreds of millions of people.

The Beauty of Ecology—

The Environment is People's Livelihood, Green Mountains are Beauty, and Blue Skies are Happiness

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "Two Mountains Theory" (两山理论) of "Green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains" (绿水青山就是金山银山). The "Two Mountains Theory" has changed China, influenced the world, and changed the lives of each of us.

On the morning of June 30, in the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) under the scorching sun in Zhongwei City (中卫市), Ningxia (宁夏), more than 100 workers completed the last row of brush-shaped mesh rope square grids. So far, the sand-fixing and locking belt on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) with a length of about 153 kilometers and a width of 10 to 38 kilometers has been locked, marking the comprehensive completion of the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) locking in Ningxia (宁夏).

Tang Ximing (唐希明), a senior forestry engineer at the Zhongwei City State-owned Forestry General Farm (中卫市国有林业总场), said with emotion: "This is the result of the efforts of generations of desert control workers." The locking belt will consolidate the ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, significantly curb desert expansion, and reduce sand and dust sources.

The environment is people's livelihood, green mountains are beauty, and blue skies are happiness. In recent years, China has been working hard to build a beautiful China where we can see mountains, see water, and remember nostalgia, so that the beautiful scenery of natural ecology will last forever in the world.

——Strengthen the management of forests, grasslands, and deserts to make the mountains greener and the grass greener.

The forest area continues to expand. In 2024, the country completed afforestation of 4.446 million hectares, added 64,000 square kilometers of soil erosion control area, planted and improved 3.224 million hectares of grassland, and controlled 2.783 million hectares of desertified and stony desertified land. China's forest coverage rate exceeds 25%, the forest stock volume exceeds 20 billion cubic meters, and the area of planted forests ranks first in the world.

Grassland greening and expansion are significant. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," the central government has supported a total investment of 110 billion yuan in grassland protection and restoration, with an average annual restoration of more than 46 million mu of grassland, an average annual prevention and control area of grassland rodent and insect pests of more than 100 million mu, and a total output of fresh grass on grasslands of more than 550 million tons.

"Adhere to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands, strengthen coordination, and continue to promote large-scale land greening actions to achieve new results," said Liu Lili (刘丽莉), Deputy Director of the Ecological Protection and Restoration Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

——Strengthen water resources protection to make the water clearer and more fish.

Rivers and lakes become cleaner. In the first half of the year, the proportion of sections with excellent water quality (Class I-III) in the seven major river basins of the Yangtze River (长江), Yellow River (黄河), Pearl River (珠江), Songhua River (松花江), Huai River (淮河), Hai River (海河), and Liao River (辽河), as well as the rivers in Northwest China, Southwest China, and Zhejiang and Fujian, was 90.4%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points year-on-year; among the 209 key lakes (reservoirs) monitored, the number of lakes (reservoirs) with excellent water quality (Class I-III) accounted for 78.0%.

The water ecology is recovering. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," water ecological condition monitoring surveys have been carried out in the seven major river basins across the country, water ecological assessment pilots have been carried out with the Yangtze River basin as the focus, and an indicator system with the health of the water ecosystem as the core has been constructed to guide local governments to increase protection and restoration efforts. For example, the Yangtze River knife fish (长江刀鲚) has once again moved upstream to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake area after 30 years.

"Adhere to the 'one river, one policy,' improve the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, strengthen water source conservation and soil and water conservation, build green ecological corridors for rivers, promote ecological protection of estuaries and deltas, and strengthen the ecological functions of river basins," said Wu Wenqing (吴文庆), Chief Planner of the Ministry of Water Resources.

——Strengthen atmospheric pollution prevention and control to make the sky bluer and the clouds whiter.

The overall air quality continues to improve. In the first half of the year, the average proportion of days with excellent air quality in 339 cities at the prefecture level and above was 83.8%, an increase of 1.0 percentage points year-on-year; the national average PM2.5 concentration was 32.1 micrograms/cubic meter, a decrease of 2.4% year-on-year. The average number of days with excellent air quality in key areas such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Yangtze River Delta continues to increase, and more blue skies appear in people's vision.

Energy conservation and carbon reduction are being steadily promoted. In 2024, the national energy consumption intensity decreased by 3.8% year-on-year, and the proportion of coal consumption decreased to 53.2%, a decrease of more than 15 percentage points compared to 2012. According to calculations, the annual carbon sink of forests and grasslands in China exceeds 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, ranking first in the world and serving as the "ballast stone" for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. China's energy conservation and carbon reduction actions have made a huge contribution to global carbon emission reduction and green transformation.

*** ***

Governing a country has constants, and benefiting the people is the foundation. "The people's sense of gain is real." Adhering to the people-centered approach, adhering to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development results shared by the people, our development will have a firm position, a correct direction, and a warm background and infinite power.

"Grasping reform and promoting development is, in the final analysis, to make the people live a better life."

(Reporters Xu Jing (徐靖), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), and Sun Haitian (孙海天) of this newspaper participated in the writing)

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First Edition Editors: Xu Nuo, Zhang Shuaizhen, Luan Xinyi; Second Edition Editors: Yin Xinyu, Qi Jiarun, Han Wenrong; Third Edition Editors: Wu Gang, Zhou Zhou, Chen Xirui; Fourth Edition Editors: Hu Anqi, Yang Shuobi, Chen Zhen

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Exploring the Radiance of Chinese Civilization in Zhouyuan (On-site Commentary)

By: 张 铁

Opening the "Moonlight Treasure Box" of Zhouyuan (周原), one can glimpse the profound riverbed of China, the land of ceremony and propriety, and see "the values upon which Chinese society depends for its survival and development, and the cultural genes that the Chinese nation uses daily without realizing it."

Not long ago, this writer came to the archaeological site in the northwest corner of the palace city of the Zhouyuan (周原) site and saw a scene of bustling activity. On the north side of the site, cars shuttled along an asphalt road; in the exploration square, on the Western Zhou (西周) road surface under the city wall, the wheel tracks from more than 3,000 years ago were clearly discernible. Yan Yongqiang (闫永强), a member of the Zhouyuan (周原) archaeological team, pointed to the space between the two roads and said, "There is also a Ming and Qing dynasty road remnant there." Spanning 3,000 years, the three roads are not far apart and arranged in parallel, telling the story of the continuous and vast development of Chinese civilization amidst change and constancy.

"Zhouyuan (周原) is lush, and even the sow thistle is as sweet as malt sugar." This land, where even weeds are as sweet as malt sugar, is located at the northern junction of Qishan (岐山) and Fufeng (扶风) counties in Baoji City (宝鸡市), Shaanxi Province (陕西省). From bronze artifacts and divination oracle bones to architectural complexes and pond and canal water systems, decades of Zhouyuan (周原) archaeology have yielded many gains. However, "finding the city" – searching for the early Western Zhou (西周) capital – has always been the wish of Zhouyuan (周原) archaeologists. Since 2020, the Zhouyuan (周原) archaeological team has discovered triple city walls and city gate sites from the Western Zhou (西周) period through "large-scale tracking drilling" and "targeted excavation of key areas," including a palace city, a small city, and a large city. This is a "framework discovery" that provides spatiotemporal coordinates for the Zhouyuan (周原) relics and objects, achieving a major breakthrough in settlement archaeology, and was therefore selected as one of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in China in 2024.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Archaeological work is an important task for displaying and constructing the history of the Chinese nation and the treasures of Chinese civilization. Understanding history is inseparable from archaeology." Why seek the city? This can be understood accordingly. "The discovery of the triple city walls has enriched the academic community's understanding of the structure and architectural technology of Western Zhou (西周) city walls, making the structure and development process of the Western Zhou (西周) city of Zhouyuan (周原) clearer," said Zhong Jianrong (种建荣), Dean of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology (陕西省考古研究院) and head of the Zhouyuan (周原) site archaeological project. From bronze casting, bone making, and pottery firing to roads, courtyards, water networks, and then to city walls, city gates, and cities, the relics and remains excavated from the Zhouyuan (周原) site are like notes and musical phrases, composing a symphony of the production and life of the ancestors. Zhouyuan (周原) was the capital of the Zhou people before they destroyed the Shang (商) dynasty, and it continued to exert influence after the destruction of the Shang (商) dynasty. The hand shovel peels away layers of loess, restoring the Zhou people's "eternal dream of home and country" and constantly enriching our historical understanding.

The thick layer of soil both buries and preserves the light of civilization. Opening the "Moonlight Treasure Box" of Zhouyuan (周原), one can glimpse the profound riverbed of China, the land of ceremony and propriety, and see "the values upon which Chinese society depends for its survival and development, and the cultural genes that the Chinese nation uses daily without realizing it." The "Jiu Gao" (酒诰) in the *Shangshu* (尚书) is a "prohibition order" issued by the Duke of Zhou (周公旦) in view of the Shang (商) dynasty's demise due to excessive drinking, warning the ministers "not to indulge in alcohol." The Shang (商) dynasty bronze sets mostly consisted of wine vessels such as *gu* and *jue*, while the Zhouyuan (周原) bronze sets were mainly food vessels such as *ding* and *gui*, which can confirm the change in social customs. Confucius (孔子) once exclaimed, "How rich and elegant is the Zhou (周) culture! I will follow Zhou (周)." This land under Qishan (岐山) pioneered the civilization of ritual and music. Excellent virtues such as respecting virtue and advocating propriety, appointing people on their merits, and holding great virtue to carry all things have constructed the common spiritual genes of the Chinese nation and still flow in the blood of the Chinese descendants.

Unlike many archaeological sites named after their location, the Zhouyuan (周原) site encompasses a large area. "Many of the villages in this area are named after surnames, such as Qijia Village (齐家村) and Liu Jia Village (刘家村)," said Yan Yongqiang (闫永强), pointing to a map of the Zhouyuan (周原) site at the Baoji Zhouyuan Museum (宝鸡周原博物院). "But some are different, such as Fengchu Village (凤雏村) and Yuntang Village (云塘村)." It was in Fengchu Village (凤雏村) that the site of a large palace building from the early Western Zhou (西周) period was discovered, and precious oracle bones were unearthed, which coincided with the allusion of "Phoenix Singing in Qishan (岐山)." Near Yuntang Village (云塘村), an artificial reservoir from the Western Zhou (西周) period was discovered, shaped like a cloud. The names of the small villages convey such rich historical information, adding specific, subtle, yet vivid and profound annotations to the prominent continuity of Chinese civilization.

Standing at the Zhouyuan (周原) site and looking out at Qishan (岐山), one can almost see the hunting flags of the Zhou (周) king returning from the hunt, and hear the rumbling sound of wheels rolling over the road. Liangzhu (良渚), Erlitou (二里头), Yin Xu (殷墟), Zhouyuan (周原)... These spatiotemporal coordinates shine together in the historical sky of the East, allowing people to feel the deep and heavy foundation and the enduring pulse of Chinese civilization. "Zhou (周), though an old state, its mandate is new." Inheriting in protection, and developing in inheritance, the ancient and modern Chinese civilization will surely bloom with more brilliant glory on the thick soil of history.

(The author is a reporter from the Shaanxi (陕西) branch of this newspaper)

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Opening up development ideas with cognitive upgrading (Commentator Observation)

By: 李 拯

Using cognitive elevation to unlock development ideas is a process of stepping outside oneself, focusing on the overall situation, and planning development ideas from a broader perspective.

During the hot summer, the mountain tourism of Changbai Mountain (长白山) in Jilin (吉林) has successfully "broken the circle," possessing the same popularity as the ice and snow season.

Upon closer observation, many ski resorts today are changing their thinking and breaking free from the seasonal "curse." The same hillside can be used for skiing in winter and sightseeing in summer; the same cable car transports skiers in the snow season and transforms into a sightseeing line in the warm season. When the development vision is no longer limited to a single ice and snow resource but adapts to consumer demand and innovates supply, the resource "idle period" is transformed into a development "opportunity period."

From "one season supporting four seasons" to "all four seasons being peak seasons," this is a vivid manifestation of achieving resource reuse and unlocking new development ideas through cognitive elevation. Changing the way you look at things may reveal new forms of resource combinations and new configurations between production factors, thereby generating new development ideas and finding new development paths.

Similarly, in terms of resource utilization, Hengyang (衡阳) in Hunan (湖南) has delivered a cultural empowerment answer sheet. The old factory buildings of the past are now new landmarks. Hengyang has awakened the industrial site of the Jianxiang Diesel Engine Factory (建湘柴油机厂), creating a cultural and tourism space integrating knowledge dissemination, creative culture, and leisure experience. Visitors can view industrial history exhibitions, make iron art products by hand, and experience modern trendy games. The dilapidated factory buildings have gained new vitality due to cultural empowerment, transforming into new consumption scenarios.

Furthermore, how many ways can culture be empowered? Can abandoned mining areas be transformed into geological parks? Can the renovation of old neighborhoods highlight the theme of "nostalgia"? Adapting to the new trend of the entire society paying more attention to cultural taste and elevating cognition in the direction of "culture +", a place can always find new working surfaces and new growth points for cultural empowerment development.

Breakthroughs in technological innovation will also bring about the effect of "turning stone into gold," changing people's definition of resource elements. Gutter oil was once something that "everyone shouted to beat," but with technological progress, waste oil can be converted into bio-aviation oil, creating new possibilities for reuse. "Garbage siege" once plagued urban governance, but with the popularization of garbage classification and the advancement of incineration technology, the efficiency of garbage incineration power generation has been continuously improved, and the NIMBY effect has been continuously reduced. Another example is Jieshou (界首) in Anhui (安徽), which insists on deeply cultivating the circular economy and has become the only region in the country approved as a national new industrialization industry demonstration base for the resource recycling industry, achieving a leap of "turning waste into treasure." Grasping the cutting-edge trends of technological innovation and gaining cognitive elevation from the remaking of production methods and the reshaping of production factors by technology can promote local development and seize new opportunities for technological innovation.

When Xi Jinping (习近平) was working in Zhejiang (浙江), he scientifically expounded the "Sweet Potato Economy" theory, profoundly pointing out that "it is necessary to jump out of Zhejiang to develop Zhejiang, and while vigorously introducing various elements, go outside the province and abroad, and use external resources and external markets to achieve greater development." Using cognitive elevation to unlock development ideas is a process of stepping outside oneself, focusing on the overall situation, and planning development ideas from a broader perspective. For example, wind power and photovoltaic power have turned the Gobi Desert in the Northwest into a high-quality power generation site, the development of the digital economy has transformed the mountainous areas in the Southwest into data centers, and strategic thinking and overall awareness allow us to re-recognize our strengths and weaknesses, and then achieve a transformation from short to long.

In fact, with the accelerated construction of a unified national market, traditional regional advantages and disadvantages are being rewritten. When express deliveries from all over the country can converge in remote towns, when the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (西部陆海新通道) builds a new bridge for inland opening, and when the China-Europe Railway Express (中欧班列) connects Chinese cities with Europe, our familiar concepts of coastal and inland areas are undergoing profound changes. The west can also become a highland of opening up, and the inland can also enjoy the convenience of "going to sea." Standing at the height of a unified national market to re-examine the development path of a region can capture new opportunities from the closer interaction between China and the world.

What limits our development is not only objective conditions, but also subjective thinking. Breaking through the limitations of thinking, looking at ourselves and the present from a higher dimension and a longer cycle, so as to more quickly capture changes and more keenly discover trends, we will surely find a way to break the situation and develop a good prescription in the tide of the times, and open up new space for the high-quality development of China's economy.

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Photo Report

Wenjiang District (温江区), Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川) Province, relies on 24-hour "Lit Book Houses" to run "Reserved Seat Art Night Schools." The "Meihousishi (美后肆时)" courtyard in Beijing (北京) hosts an average of more than 600 cultural activities annually. According to statistics, there are currently more than 40,000 new public cultural spaces nationwide. As an important extension and supplement to China's six-level public cultural facility network, these "new spaces" are rich in content and flexible in operation, becoming "cultural living rooms" around the masses.

This is precisely:

Cultural charm is spread in alleys and streets,
Suitable for all ages, joy is found.
Bathing in the breeze, knowing elegance nourishes fertile soil,
Moistening the heart, clarifying virtue, chanting new songs.

Admiring the virtuous, Wen (文)

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Sketching the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (China Road, China Dream: Youth Shouldering Responsibility for Chinese-style Modernization ⑬)

By: 胡容海

A vegetation map can reflect the condition of plant communities in a region and serves as a foundation for effective conservation and development efforts. Laying this foundation is difficult; even mapping a small area requires a large team to conduct field surveys and repeated verification. Mapping the vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau presents a challenge that is even more unimaginable.

This unimaginable challenge has been overcome by our team. In June of this year, we released the "Grassland Vegetation System Map of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (1:500,000)." This map, currently the most accurate grassland vegetation map of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, meticulously depicts the spatial distribution patterns of 65 plant communities or community groups.

There are existing grassland vegetation maps of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so why create another one? In recent decades, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been warming, becoming wetter, and becoming greener. Where exactly is it greening? Is it high-quality pasture or weeds? Previous maps could not provide accurate answers. The new map, supported by more than 37,000 field survey points, provides vegetation-geographic evidence for the warming and wetting trend of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, further solidifying the foundation for conservation and development.

What is "new" about our map? It not only depicts new changes, but also uses new mapping methods. Traditional mapping methods rely mainly on expert experience and repeated field trips. We use artificial intelligence, training a "plant identification expert" through deep learning technology, "feeding" it both the first-hand data brought back by "iron feet" and the massive features obtained by satellites, allowing it to analyze the community characteristics, grass production capacity, and growth rhythms of different plants. The "expert" is fast and can also discover complex patterns that are difficult for the human eye to detect. Technological updates have added new momentum to the advancement of scientific research.

While technology is certainly beneficial, scientific research will not be divorced from reality if it is rooted in the soil of reality. I am mainly responsible for "data translation" and "AI training." Although it seems like a "laboratory position," I have also climbed onto the plateau many times for field investigations. At an altitude of 5,000 meters, taking a few steps makes you pant like you've just run a hundred meters. But field investigation is necessary. The vitality of scientific research lies in its scientific nature and practicality, and it must draw nourishment from the soil. Experiencing the characteristics of grassland vegetation and measuring data in the field helps to have a deeper understanding of their characteristics as presented in satellite data.

The most unforgettable experience was going to Sanjiangyuan (三江源). At first, looking at the rivers and the surrounding sparkling pools, I was very excited. The further I walked, the more the cold air crept up from the soles of my feet, and coupled with altitude sickness, I had a splitting headache. After resting for a while with the team's care, I gritted my teeth and completed the remaining tasks. No matter how great the difficulties, they could not extinguish my determination to draw this map accurately. Outside the laboratory, the vast land is also the "battlefield" of scientific researchers.

Youth is a vital force in scientific research. In recent years, more and more young students have joined our team, and they are full of vitality and dare to think and act. In order to use the latest deep learning technology, the students took the initiative to study and research. With very few relevant references, the students spontaneously formed small teams, self-studied frameworks, wrote code, independently modeled, tested and optimized, relying entirely on a spirit of adventure, laying the foundation for subsequent research. Not waiting or relying on others, but relying on their own efforts and taking the initiative to use their talents to solve "long-standing and difficult" problems, vividly demonstrating that youth is an important force in meeting major national needs. Among the thousands of scientific research teams in China, we are just an ordinary one. Being able to calm down, endure hardship, and dare to be "the first to eat crabs," youth is bravely taking on the responsibility for Chinese-style modernization.

I have my own understanding of striving to write a youthful chapter: As a young scientific researcher, I must be willing to be a brick with the "national interest" in mind. Not seeking a gorgeous appearance or a prominent reputation, but firmly rooted in the basic work related to the country's long-term strategy. We have worked together to draw this vegetation map well, doing this thing that "others do not need to repeat in the short term," so that others can stand on our shoulders and do more. Making the building of science and technology higher and more stable, this is the value of the "foundation" and the meaning of the "brick."

(The author is an associate professor at the School of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大学) . This article was compiled and edited from an interview with Huang Chao (黄超), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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Nurturing Rooted Sentiments and Aspirations at the Grassroots Level

By: 曹怡晴

It's the time of year again when graduates enter the workforce, and many choose to dedicate themselves to grassroots work. Being new to a place, it's inevitable that they will experience some "acclimatization issues." Some areas have harsh conditions and lagging infrastructure. If they are not mentally prepared, it is easy to feel a sense of disappointment. Upon entering the grassroots level, some find their majors mismatched, lacking understanding of agricultural policies and clarity on industrial planning; others struggle to understand local dialects, rendering policy promotion in Mandarin ineffective. If plagued by anxiety, it is hard to avoid negative emotions.

Many young people who come to the grassroots level have experienced similar situations. More support, security, care, and love are needed to keep the passion and ambition of young people from fading.

In recent years, the growth and development of grassroots talent has received increasing attention. The parallel system of job titles and ranks breaks the grassroots ceiling effect, deregulation and burden reduction promote grassroots cadres to let go and work, and the implementation of talent support projects in remote and difficult areas and at the grassroots level... A series of measures continue to create favorable conditions for the growth and development of grassroots talent. At the same time, it must also be seen that turning the prospects paved by policies into the soil of reality requires more effort in implementation and refinement.

How to truly allow young people to take root? On the one hand, it is necessary to avoid the "short-sightedness" of using talent by "attracting without using, using without nurturing," and on the other hand, it is also necessary to further improve the "good prescription" for nurturing talent by "both putting pressure and building a platform."

The realization of value depends on the adaptation of supply and demand. Promoting the tilting of resources such as projects and funds towards remote and difficult areas and the grassroots level, and promoting the deep integration of university majors with local industrial characteristics, can allow all kinds of talents to have a stage for doing things and space for development. Optimizing the local "cultivation, management, selection, and use" training system according to the professional characteristics and development potential of grassroots talents can achieve the same frequency resonance between the grassroots and talents.

The ladder of growth depends on the construction of the system. In particular, attention should be paid to the practical difficulties faced by grassroots talents, such as housing security and children's education, to solve their worries. In addition, more tricks and practical tricks should be used in assessment and evaluation, career development, and other aspects. Break the 论资排辈 (lùn zī pái bèi - "ranking according to seniority," the practice of determining hierarchy based on seniority rather than ability), and establish a promotion mechanism of "only based on actual performance"; optimize the salary system to stimulate the vitality of entrepreneurship... Building a systematic and long-term system can attract more talents who are willing to come and stay.

Chasing dreams requires passion and ideals, and realizing dreams requires struggle and dedication. Without this energy, it is difficult to sink down. At the same time, sufficient care should be given in terms of material and spirit. In this way, it is being responsible for growth and fulfilling responsibility for the cause.

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Protecting Green Jobs, Polishing the Golden Brand (Online Commentator)

Participants:

Cui Yan (崔妍), *People's Daily* commentator
An Huaiwei (安华祎), *Inner Mongolia Daily* commentator

Cui Yan (崔妍): Not long ago, the forest and grassland belt along the edge of the three major deserts in Alxa League (阿拉善盟), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区), was fully connected. From a high altitude, this 1,856-kilometer-long sand prevention and control belt resembles a winding "Green Great Wall." Using grass squares to stabilize shifting sands, and then planting drought-resistant psammophytes such as *Haloxylon ammodendron*, combined with biological sand control technology, the "Green Great Wall" is backed by a three-dimensional sand prevention and control system. From simply planting trees to three-dimensional sand control, how has Inner Mongolia vividly applied the Party's innovative theories in its sand prevention and control practices?

An Huaiwei (安华祎): First, by enhancing innovation awareness. Looking first at technological innovation, we explored technical models suitable for afforestation by aerial seeding in extremely arid areas, innovated micro-invasive airflow afforestation methods, *Glycyrrhiza uralensis* flat-shifting planting, and other new technologies, and comprehensively promoted the application of intelligent sand barrier laying machinery and other new equipment... Mechanized operations and intelligent governance are key to effectively blocking the spread of shifting sands from the outer edges of the three major deserts. Looking next at institutional innovation, we established a sand prevention and control fund, built a regional linkage and joint prevention and control mechanism with shared responsibility, and explored models such as road-based sand control... The institutional system forms a network, firmly "grasping" the yellow sand.

Second, by strengthening dialectical thinking. Wind is both a cause and a resource. Based on the advantages of wind and solar resources and "sandy, Gobi, and desert" land resources, Inner Mongolia cleverly combines photovoltaic power generation with desert control, organically combining the battle against tough challenges with the development of new energy, deploying and implementing integrated sand prevention and control and wind power photovoltaic projects, promoting a win-win situation of increasing greenery, increasing energy, and increasing income.

Third, by adhering to a systematic perspective. Deserts span multiple provinces and cities, and sand prevention and control cannot be done alone; it requires concerted efforts. At the provincial level, we are carrying out desertification prevention and control in the 208-kilometer associated area of the Mu Us Desert (毛乌素沙地) with Ningxia (宁夏), signed a cooperation framework agreement for joint prevention and control with Gansu (甘肃), and jointly built a shelterbelt with Liaoning (辽宁) to create a joint prevention and control demonstration zone. At the municipal level, the five leagues and cities along the Yellow River (黄河) signed a regional joint prevention and control cooperation agreement for the "zigzag bend" battle of the Yellow River, joining hands to block the entry of shifting sands into the Yellow River. Forming a fist with fingers, grasping and managing together, we have built a large-scale, multi-level joint prevention and control network, gathering the joint force to bind the sand.

Cui Yan (崔妍): From "solo combat" to "system integration," Inner Mongolia's sand control practice reflects the modernization transformation of China's ecological governance. The ecosystem is a whole; to control sand, one cannot only talk about sand control, but must treat the ecosystem as a whole.

An Huaiwei (安华祎): Mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and deserts are a community of life, with each element interdependent and mutually promoting. Protecting forests involves vigorously implementing the natural forest protection project, with the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭) "hanging up axes and stopping saws"; protecting grasslands involves implementing ecological restoration projects for degraded grasslands, allowing the vast grasslands to "rest and recuperate"; managing water involves deeply implementing water conservation actions and strengthening rigid constraints on water resources; controlling sand involves making every effort to fight three landmark battles, with the integrated sand prevention and control and wind power photovoltaic project progressing smoothly... Inner Mongolia is writing an ecological answer sheet with a "coordinated" mindset.

Cui Yan (崔妍): Sand prevention and control cannot rely on the government to sing a "solo show," but must also play a good "grand chorus" of the whole people. How can we turn ecological "spectators" into sand control "protagonists"?

An Huaiwei (安华祎): Public participation is the source of endogenous power for sand prevention and control. We are actively exploring the establishment of a diversified investment mechanism "dominated by national investment, supplemented by local matching funds, and with broad social participation," establishing the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Sand Prevention and Control Foundation (内蒙古自治区防沙治沙基金会), expanding sand prevention and control investment and financing channels, and encouraging, guiding, and advocating all sectors of society to participate in sand prevention and control through investment and other means, concentrating financial resources to support comprehensive management of desertified land in key areas.

The masses are not without enthusiasm, but they also need a "green sense of gain." For example, promoting the implementation of an ecological protection compensation system, promoting mechanisms such as work-for-relief, reward-for-compensation, and "cooperative + management," and broadening participation channels. When more people taste the "sweetness" of green welfare, they will be more likely to identify with green and low-carbon production and lifestyles, providing lasting endogenous power for ecological protection work.

Cui Yan (崔妍): General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) urged Inner Mongolia to "build a solid ecological security barrier in northern China." Inner Mongolia's beneficial exploration is not only a green revolution led by science and technology and wisdom, but also a systematic project interwoven with institutions and the hearts of the people. Protecting the ecology benefits the present and benefits the future, and Inner Mongolia has a heavy responsibility on its shoulders. From "sand advancing and people retreating" to "green advancing and sand retreating" and then to "generating wealth from green," how does Inner Mongolia understand the dialectical relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection in practice?

An Huaiwei (安华祎): Vigorously promoting ecological industrialization, accelerating the improvement of the realization mechanism of ecological product value, and continuously broadening the channels of "generating wealth from green," "attracting wealth by nurturing green," and "turning green into gold"... Today's Inner Mongolia, the more it cherishes ecological resources as a "green rice bowl," the more it can brighten the "golden name card" of high-quality development.

Integrating into the overall national development situation, Inner Mongolia resolutely puts ecological and environmental protection at the forefront, solidly promotes integrated protection and systematic governance, coordinates the promotion of industrial ecology and ecological industrialization, uses "protection" to thicken the green development base, uses "governance" to consolidate the green development foundation, and uses "transformation" to improve the quality and efficiency of green development. Based on a new starting point, grasping the times and trends, always bearing in mind the **国之大者** (guó zhī dà zhě - "the most important affairs of the state," refers to issues of paramount national importance), and integrating the concept of green development into all aspects of economic and social development, we will surely be able to make more contributions to building a beautiful China with evergreen mountains, clear waters, and fresh air, and paint an even more magnificent picture by making more ecological "green content" and development "gold content" complement each other.

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Editor in charge of this edition: Chen Ling, Sheng Yulei, Meng Fanzhe

This edition's email: rmbpl@peopledaily.cn (Please indicate the column name when submitting articles)

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Safeguarding Life and Health with Medical Innovation (Promoting the Spirit of Scientists - Dialogue - Special Feature)

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that the vast number of medical workers are the guardians of the people's life and health and an important force in promoting the development of the health cause. As of the end of 2024, there were 12.95 million health technicians nationwide, including 5.05 million licensed physicians and licensed assistant physicians, and 5.84 million registered nurses.

As the eighth Chinese Doctors' Day on August 19th is approaching, this edition launches a special plan, focusing on cutting-edge medical technology, healthy living concepts, eugenic services, and adherence to medical ethics, and interviews three medical workers.

——Editor

Tang Zhouping (唐洲平), Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology:

"Researching Brain-Computer Interface Technology to Help Patients Recover"

By Wu Jun (吴君), reporter of this newspaper

Tang Zhouping (唐洲平), born in 1969, is the Party Secretary and Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He has been engaged in clinical diagnosis and treatment and research of cerebral hemorrhage for 30 years and is one of the first experts in China to apply brain-computer interface technology to upper limb function rehabilitation treatment for patients with cerebral hemorrhage.

Q: Currently, brain-computer interface technology is developing rapidly and receiving widespread attention. What is the principle of applying brain-computer interface technology to the medical field?

A: For some patients with cerebral hemorrhage, limb movement will be affected because the conduction pathway between the brain and the limbs is "broken." The brain-computer interface is to reconnect the "broken" conduction pathway between the brain and the limbs.

In the connection process, it is first necessary to capture the signals released by the brain. One is invasive, implanting electrodes in the cerebral cortex to collect the patient's brain electrical signals and record the discharge patterns of cortical neurons; the other is non-invasive, where the patient wears a special helmet to indirectly read signals by capturing brain waves on the scalp and infrared light reflected by the skull.

Then, the signals are decoded and analyzed, and artificial intelligence algorithms are used to identify the patient's motor intentions, language thinking, and other characteristics.

Finally, the instructions are sent to external intelligent devices, such as robotic arms and wheelchairs. The device receives the instructions and executes them, and feeds the results back to the system, forming a self-optimizing intelligent closed loop.

Currently, brain-computer interface research is mainly committed to helping patients achieve motor rehabilitation, language reconstruction, vision restoration, etc. After surgery, paralyzed patients can control robotic arms or wheelchairs through thought; aphasia patients can achieve "thought typing"; implanted electrodes can also help blind people perceive light and shadow.

Q: What prompted you to get involved in brain-computer interface research in the first place? Combining your scientific research experience, what has helped you to continuously achieve innovation and breakthroughs?

A: As a neurologist, I have come into contact with many stroke patients who have made many efforts for rehabilitation, but some still do not achieve the expected results. I have always wanted to find a technology that can help patients' brains fully recover. At an event I attended in 2019, I saw a robotic hand that could freely grasp objects under the control of a person's "thoughts." From then on, I decided to study brain-computer interface technology to help patients recover.

Initially, there was little relevant research at home and abroad, and we could only rely on ourselves to keep trying. We also experienced many failures and even wanted to give up. Whenever this happened, I would think of my early experience in researching minimally invasive surgical techniques: at that time, the main treatment method for patients with cerebral hemorrhage was craniotomy hematoma removal, which was prone to convulsions, hemiplegia, aphasia, and other conditions after surgery. We worked hard to develop a new minimally invasive technique, and eventually this technology was promoted nationwide, benefiting many patients. Seeing the good therapeutic effect of the new technology, the joy and shock made me more determined in my research direction.

Q: Medical scientific research should be "patient-centered." To this end, what common understandings should the vast number of medical workers gather?

A: The essence of medicine is the study of people, and the end point of technology is humanity; our job is to use the key of technology to open the door of hope for life. In terms of value leadership, we should promote the spirit of "respecting life, rescuing the dying and healing the wounded, being willing to dedicate, and boundless love"; in terms of technology empowerment, we should promote the integration of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data with medical scenarios to more efficiently capture potential health risks; in terms of institutional guarantees, we should consolidate the bottom line by improving relevant laws and regulations; in terms of ecological cultivation, we should promote the inclusion of medical ethics construction into the top-level design of public health policies, and create a good atmosphere through patient supervision and collaborative governance by public welfare organizations; in terms of talent cultivation, we should build a talent training system with humanistic spirit as the core and technological innovation as the driving force, and cultivate compound talents with both scientific and technological literacy and humanistic temperature.

Guo Yingqiang (郭应强), Chief Physician of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Clinical Medical College (West China Hospital), Sichuan University:

"Turn Healthy Lifestyles into Daily Habits"

By Wang Yongzhan (王永战), reporter of this newspaper

Guo Yingqiang (郭应强), born in 1974, is the Vice President and Chief Physician of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Clinical Medical College (West China Hospital), Sichuan University. For many years, he has been deeply involved in the research of cardiovascular surgery, guided by clinical problems, and constantly exploring new technologies for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Q: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are one of the main diseases threatening the life and health of Chinese residents. What unhealthy lifestyles are closely related to this, and how should they be improved?

A: The seemingly ordinary "eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping" in daily life all contain key factors that affect cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. Long-term high-salt, high-oil, and high-sugar diets can easily lead to weight gain, increased blood lipids and blood pressure, and thus lay hidden dangers for diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. At the same time, excessive drinking can easily cause acute injury and trigger various complications, smoking will catalyze the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and long-term lack of sleep, irregular work and rest, coupled with psychological pressures such as anxiety and depression, will also quietly increase the burden on the heart.

I often use one sentence to summarize: control your mouth, move your legs, and stay happy. Controlling your mouth means grasping the "three reductions" - reducing salt (less than 5 grams/day), oil (25-30 grams/day), and sugar (less than 25 grams/day), eating more vegetables, fruits, and coarse grains, and controlling portions; moving your legs means integrating exercise into daily life, such as brisk walking and climbing stairs every day, which is more effective than going to the gym occasionally; staying happy includes ensuring adequate sleep, learning to de-stress, and maintaining social connections. Turn healthy lifestyles into daily habits, starting from small things, such as putting fewer snacks at home, putting sports shoes at the door, and binding healthy behaviors with daily behaviors.

Q: You have been rated as a "National Medical Master Craftsman." What do you think it takes to become an excellent "Medical Master Craftsman"?

A: Medical ethics is the root, and medical skills are the wings. The two are indispensable. West China Hospital has been actively exploring standardized training for resident physicians and medical humanities education, integrating the cultivation of medical ethics and medical skills, teaching both ethics and communication, as well as evidence-based medicine and standardized operations; it is necessary to use patient experience to test the results, and also strive to minimize every step of risk. A "Medical Master Craftsman" must not only have the ability to develop new technologies, but also have the benevolence of a doctor and humanistic care.

Q: What role does medical humanities education play in guiding young medical workers to inherit good medical ethics?

A: From the moment young people step into the medical field, they must constantly strengthen their sense of responsibility and empathy, strengthen their communication skills, and enhance their respect for patients. In medical school education and training for resident physicians, legal, ethical, and communication training should be made compulsory courses; in clinical practice, key links such as informed consent and medical record writing should be made into standard procedures, and institutional norms should be used to guide medical workers to turn moral requirements into daily habits. In addition, young people should go into the wards more, communicate with patients, do scenario simulations, and record their feelings, turning medical humanities into a belief internalized in their hearts.

We must set a good example for young doctors, let them do rounds and participate in surgeries with experienced doctors, and inherit good medical ethics in an imperceptible way. We must also care about the psychology of medical workers and keep everyone in good condition. In addition, humanistic care should be included in the assessment requirements to ensure good medical ethics with institutional guarantees.

Gao Jinsong (高劲松), Chief Physician of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences:

"Lifelong Learning, Constantly Accumulating Clinical Experience"

By Shen Shaotie (申少铁), reporter of this newspaper

Gao Jinsong (高劲松), born in 1971, is the Director of the Obstetrics Center, Deputy Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Chief Physician of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (中国医学科学院). For many years, she has been engaged in clinical work in obstetrics and gynecology, and is good at the prevention and treatment of pregnancy complications and complications, and prenatal consultation.

Q: From a medical point of view, what are the main factors currently affecting fertility? How can you have a healthy baby?

A: The first is age. Many couples now marry later and are older when they prepare to have children. When the age exceeds 35, especially over 40, it is not easy to get pregnant, and the risk of complications after pregnancy will also increase. The second is lifestyle habits. Long-term staying up late, alcoholism, smoking, and obesity caused by overeating will all affect fertility. In addition, multiple abortions and underlying diseases can also lead to difficulty in getting pregnant.

Couples who plan to have children should prepare early while they are young; they should adhere to good living habits, maintain physical and mental health, and pay attention to nutritional balance; do a comprehensive pre-pregnancy physical examination to detect potential diseases in time and treat them in time; especially supplement folic acid 3 months before pregnancy, which can effectively prevent birth defects; standardize prenatal examinations and do a good job of pregnancy screening.

At present, the screening items during pregnancy include gestational diabetes screening, thyroid disease screening, infectious disease screening, hypertension disease screening, Down syndrome and fetal malformation screening. Timely detection of diseases through screening and intervention and treatment according to the specific situation are conducive to achieving eugenics.

Q: What medical methods are currently available to help women reduce childbirth pain?

A: Common methods to reduce childbirth pain include labor analgesia, doula delivery, accompanied delivery, and taking painkillers. Doula delivery is provided by professional doulas who provide physiological, psychological, and emotional support during the mother's delivery process; accompanied delivery is when a doctor or family member accompanies the mother throughout the delivery process, providing emotional support and humanistic care. Labor analgesia is the most important means to reduce childbirth pain. China has fully promoted painless childbirth, and the labor analgesia rate in the Department of Obstetrics of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院) has exceeded 80%. If natural childbirth is not suitable, a cesarean section can also be used for delivery.

Q: In 2024, the maternal mortality rate dropped to 14.3/100,000, and the infant mortality rate dropped to 4.0‰. Combining your clinical experience, what are the key factors in achieving the existing results?

A: This is due to the continuous improvement of perinatal health care in China. Last year, we encountered a patient with intravenous leiomyomatosis involving the heart. Under the stimulation of pregnancy hormones, the tumor grew rapidly and there was a risk of sudden death at any time. We searched domestic and foreign literature and found no successful cases of related surgery during pregnancy. After full evaluation by a high-level multidisciplinary consultation, we performed a multidisciplinary joint surgery in the mid-pregnancy, successfully removing the tumors in the uterus and blood vessels and heart, and preserving the fetus. The pregnant woman had no serious complications after the operation, the fetus grew well, and she delivered smoothly at full term. It is precisely because of the continuous exploration of medical innovation and the efforts to improve service levels by the vast number of medical workers that the health level of pregnant women and infants in China has been continuously improved.

Q: How do you think medical workers should hone their medical skills and improve patients' medical experience and sense of gain?

A: Doctors need lifelong learning and continuous accumulation of clinical experience. Relying solely on existing knowledge cannot provide patients with the best medical services. We must not only learn from books, but also learn from patients and diseases, and continuously improve our medical level. We must strive to study difficult and complicated diseases and constantly break through ourselves. We must also carry out medical practice based on the interests of patients. Only when doctors and patients face difficult medical problems together can they better formulate treatment plans and achieve better treatment results.

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Cultivating the Humanistic Spirit in Medical Services (Editor's Notes)

By: 宋 宇

Medicine directly confronts life, encompassing not only the healing of illnesses but also the solace of the soul. Only by cultivating a humanistic spirit can medical workers better carry out medical services.

The humanistic spirit in medical services originates from a reverence for life, empathy for patients, and a sense of responsibility for work, ultimately boiling down to being "patient-centered." The more medical technology develops, the more prominent the importance of the humanistic spirit becomes. Especially in the context of the widespread application of technologies such as artificial intelligence, it is even more necessary for medical workers to possess superb medical skills, keen perception, and accurate judgment. It can be said that technological development and the humanistic spirit jointly bear the mission of medicine and jointly influence the direction of medical development.

The theme of this year's Chinese Doctor's Day (中国医师节) is "Virtue in Action, Skill in Diligence" (德馨于行，技精于勤). Virtue is the foundation of skill, and skill is the wing of virtue. Properly handling the relationship between virtue and skill is precisely the inherent meaning of cultivating the humanistic spirit in medical services. At present, the topic of medical humanities construction is gradually entering the public eye, and having both professional precision and emotional warmth is becoming a broad consensus in the medical community. It is hoped that the vast number of medical workers will continue to base themselves on their posts, delve into medical skills, and promote medical ethics, so as to better provide the public with all-round and full-cycle health services.

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Tong Linge: A Heart Full of Patriotism Dedicated to the Nation (Remembering History, Cherishing the Memory of Martyrs - Anti-Japanese Heroes)

By: 新华社记者 刘 洋 吴文诩

At the north entrance of Tonglinge Road (佟麟阁路) in Xicheng District (西城区), Beijing (北京市), a pocket watch sculpture stands silently. It is mainly made of cast bronze, with two Qilin (麒麟) sculptures on top. The time on the pocket watch is frozen at the moment when the anti-Japanese hero General Tong Linge (佟麟阁) died for his country (2:30 p.m. on July 28, 1937), to commemorate the first senior general who died after the outbreak of the full-scale War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Tong Linge (佟麟阁) was born in October 1892 into a peasant family in Gaoyang County (高阳县), Zhili Province (直隶省) (now Gaoyang County (高阳县), Hebei Province (河北省)). After the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, he witnessed the humiliation of the country and the suffering of the people as a child, and from then on, he developed the idea of ​​joining the army to save the country.

In his early years, he joined Feng Yuxiang's (冯玉祥) army as a sentry. Because of his bravery in battle and his skill in using troops, he was promoted to company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander, and brigade commander, and participated in the National Protection War and the Northern Expedition. In 1933, Tong Linge (佟麟阁) participated in the Great Wall Resistance and won the Xifengkou Victory. In the same year, he and Feng Yuxiang (冯玉祥) organized the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Allied Army, and successively recovered Kangbao (康保), Baochang (宝昌), Guyuan (沽源), Duolun (多伦) and other lost lands, severely damaging the Japanese army. Later, he retreated to Xiangshan (香山), Beiping (北平).

In 1936, Tong Linge (佟麟阁) served as the deputy commander of the 29th Army (国民革命军陆军第29军) of the National Revolutionary Army. At that time, the situation was extremely serious, and only the southwest of Beiping (北平) was still under the defense of the 29th Army (第29军). In order to enable the 29th Army (第29军) combat troops to fully enter a state of combat readiness and to awaken the officers and soldiers who still had illusions about "peace" as soon as possible, Tong Linge (佟麟阁) believed after a deep analysis of the current situation that a Sino-Japanese war was inevitable. In a speech to military training class students, he said emotionally that if the central government ordered resistance against Japan, he would definitely take the lead.

Tong Linge (佟麟阁) said so and did so. On July 7, 1937, when the full-scale War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, he issued an order to all officers and soldiers, resolutely resisting any Japanese invasion and vowing to coexist with Lugou Bridge (卢沟桥).

Japanese warplanes often flew at low altitudes, artillery fire shook the sky, and the war was critical. In a letter to his wife, Tong Linge (佟麟阁) said, "The great enemy is at hand, this is the time to move filial piety to loyalty" (移孝作忠 (yí xiào zuò zhōng - "shift filial piety make loyalty," to transform filial piety towards one's parents into loyalty to the country)), and asked his wife to be filial to his parents on his behalf. After that, he never returned home.

On July 28, the Japanese army began bombing the Nanyuan (南苑) garrison barracks, and Nanyuan (南苑) instantly became a sea of ​​fire. Tong Linge (佟麟阁) knew that if Nanyuan (南苑) fell, the Japanese invaders could attack the city of Beiping (北平). Facing the Japanese attack, he personally led the officers and soldiers to resist stubbornly on the front line. When Tong Linge (佟麟阁) commanded the troops to break through, two Japanese warplanes suddenly attacked and strafed wildly. Tong Linge (佟麟阁) was shot in the leg, and the officers and soldiers asked him to retreat for bandaging, but he said: "Personal safety is a small matter, resisting the enemy is a big matter!" Then he continued to command with pain. The enemy plane swooped down again, and a shell fell, and Tong Linge (佟麟阁) unfortunately died heroically after being hit in the head, at the age of 45.

In 1938, Mao Zedong (毛泽东) said at a memorial service for the martyrs who died in the war against Japan in Yan'an (延安) that Tong Linge (佟麟阁) and others "gave all Chinese people a noble and great model." In 1946, the National Government renamed a street in Beiping (北平) as Tonglinge Road (佟麟阁路). After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Tong Linge (佟麟阁) was posthumously recognized as a revolutionary martyr and was named one of the 100 heroes and role models who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China in 2009.

Since the summer vacation, the Tong Linge General Memorial Hall (佟麟阁将军纪念馆) located in Xiangshan (香山), Beijing (北京), has welcomed batches of young visitors. Opening the message book, the same respect is expressed: "We must learn from the martyrs' aspirations and not shrink back in the face of difficulties" - students of the Affiliated Primary School of Beijing Institute of Technology; "His courage is like a raging fire, and his loyal soul is like a star" - students of the University of International Business and Economics; "We will continue on the road you have not finished" - students of Jiayuan Primary School (嘉园小学) in Fengtai District (丰台区), Beijing (北京市)...

"Every year, more than 10,000 visitors come to review the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, visit the former residence of General Tong Linge (佟麟阁), pay homage to the tomb of General Tong Linge (佟麟阁), and draw strength from the spirit of the hero," said Cui Chaoying (崔超英), a staff member of the memorial hall office.

Today, in Xiangshan (香山), Beijing (北京), the jujube tree personally transplanted by Tong Linge (佟麟阁) is still growing; in Beijing Tonglinge School (北京市佟麟阁学校), which is named after Tong Linge (佟麟阁), the sound of reading aloud echoes melodiously. The hero seems to have never left, because he has long been integrated into this land he loves deeply.

(According to Xinhua News Agency (新华社), Beijing (北京), August 9)

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People's Daily Launches "Landscapes of China" Short Video Series

People's Daily, Beijing, August 17th (Reporter Wu Yanli (吴艳丽)) "Looking at paintings to establish history and biographies, listening to mountains and rivers recount unyielding spirit, understanding in the flowing scroll: Why is the landscape so picturesque? Because someone once used their life to write the answer." To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the first episode of the "Landscapes" ("江山如画") series of short videos specially planned and produced by the People's Daily (人民日报社), "Unyielding" ("不屈"), will be launched online on August 18th. The product is based on more than 10 classic anti-Japanese war art works, re-created using digital ink painting, and completes the cross-media transformation from static paintings to three-dimensional narratives through the integration of animated images, original songs, and contemporary narratives, so as to promote the great spirit of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression with the visual power of the digital age.

"Landscapes" ("江山如画") is a key art media integration project of the People's Daily (人民日报社) Art and Propaganda Coordination Mechanism, adhering to the creative concept and meaning of "Rivers surging, mountains and seas vast, years like songs, brushes held together," relying on artificial intelligence technology to integrate famous paintings of past dynasties with the development of new scenes, using traditional Chinese painting as a medium, the spirit of the times as the soul, and technology as a boat, to depict a prosperous picture scroll jointly created by ancient and modern times, and to show the magnificent atmosphere of Chinese-style modernization.

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On Heroic Land, Striving Writes a New Chapter (Remembering History, Cherishing the Memory of Martyrs)

By: 本报记者 卫 庶 万秀斌 刘少华

The towering Taihang Mountains are filled with the immortal deeds of the Eighth Route Army's heroic resistance against Japan.

During the Anti-Japanese War, countless battles took place here. Back then, cannons roared, and the military and civilians united to fight the enemy. Now, the trees are lush, and the battlefield where foreign invaders were once resisted has become a homeland for a better life.

From the former site of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Headquarters to the former capital of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region (晋察冀根据地), and then to the former site of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (抗日军政大学) main campus in Qian Nanyu (前南峪), the reporter visited Hebei Province (河北省) and listened to people tell stories of the past resistance against Japan, tracing the source of today's happiness.

Villagers Live a Happy Life

Chikan Village (赤岸村) in She County (涉县) is backed by the Taihang Mountains and nestled beside the slowly flowing Qingzhang River (清漳河). This village witnessed the glorious years of the Anti-Japanese War.

In June 1940, Liu Bocheng (刘伯承) and Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) led the 129th Division to station in She County. Zhang Wusuo (张五所), a villager in Chikan Village, said that his father was a cook in the 129th Division Headquarters at that time, and during the war, "you never knew when the sound of artillery shells would ring out."

Climbing up the steps, several courtyards with the characteristics of southwestern Hebei folk houses come into view, where the former site of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Headquarters and the former residence of Liu (刘) and Deng (邓) are located.

"During the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Bocheng (刘伯承), Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) and other veteran revolutionaries commanded more than 31,000 battles and campaigns here, annihilating more than 420,000 enemies, recovering 198 county towns, and repeatedly repelling the enemy's 'encirclement and suppression' and 'mopping-up operations'," said Shen Lifang (申利芳), deputy curator of the Eighth Route Army 129th Division Memorial Hall.

Chikan Village has had a total of 24 village Party branch secretaries. Zhang Wusuo (张五所) is the ninth. They have worked one term after another, leading the villagers to live a good life.

The great spirit of the War of Resistance against Japan truly inspires the villagers of Chikan Village. Zhang Haikui (张海魁), the current village Party branch secretary, said that the villagers are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and under the leadership of the village committee, they are engaged in entrepreneurship, and their lives have undergone earth-shaking changes.

In the village, you can see many well-arranged two-story buildings. Zhang Haikui (张海魁) introduced that the residential construction project has solved the housing renovation problems of 146 villagers.

Not far away, there are also six newly built residential buildings. Li Yuhong (李玉红), a villager, warmly invited reporters into her house. She said that she is in her 50s and was originally a household with housing difficulties, but with the help of policies, she moved into a new house.

Chikan Primary School (赤岸小学), founded in 1945, also has a new campus. Teachers and students moved into the new campus covering an area of 20 mu in the autumn semester of 2024, surrounded by ginkgo, Chinese locust, and cercis trees.

The place where Zhang Wusuo (张五所) remembers the sound of artillery fire is now filled with the sound of reading.

Fulfilling the Wishes of Revolutionary Predecessors

Fuping County (阜平县) is located at the intersection of two provinces, four cities, and nine counties, and has been a transportation hub between Hebei (冀) and Shanxi (晋) since ancient times.

Fuping (阜平) is a place with a glorious revolutionary history. It is the capital of the first anti-Japanese base area behind enemy lines created in the history of our Party and our army - the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region (晋察冀根据地). Veteran revolutionaries such as Nie Rongzhen (聂荣臻) once fought and lived here for 11 years.

During the Anti-Japanese War, more than 20,000 people in Fuping County (阜平县) joined the army and participated in the war, and more than 5,000 people died heroically. Every village was a fortress, and every villager was a soldier, which could not be easily shaken.

This is a heroic land, but because it is located deep in the Taihang Mountains, its economic and social development has been relatively backward for a long time. Making Fuping (阜平) rich has always been the wish of revolutionary predecessors.

From December 29 to 30, 2012, Xi Jinping (习近平), General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, braved the severe cold of minus ten degrees Celsius to visit and comfort the people in need in Fuping (阜平) and inspect the poverty alleviation and development work. Since then, Fuping (阜平) has embarked on a new journey of declaring war on poverty and marching towards a well-off society. After several years of hard work, by the end of 2019, all 164 poverty-stricken villages in Fuping (阜平) had been lifted out of poverty; in February 2020, Fuping (阜平) was removed from the list of poverty-stricken counties.

On the road to getting rid of poverty, many poverty alleviation cadres have found that the people of Fuping (阜平) have a "stubborn" spirit. The Party points out the direction, and the people resolutely follow without ambiguity, just like during the Anti-Japanese War, they are simple, down-to-earth, hardworking, and pragmatic.

In Chengnanzhuang (城南庄), Fuping (阜平), an enlarged meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee was held here from April to May 1948. Today, many villages are lined with greenhouses, and everyone has found a way to get rich.

"The sweet potatoes we grow are very popular in big cities." Zhang Dongming (张东明), secretary of the Party branch of Da'andi Village (大岸底村) in Chengnanzhuang Town (城南庄镇), said that last year, sweet potatoes drove more than 100 people in the village to achieve employment at their doorstep.

In recent years, Zhang Dongming (张东明) has led the villagers to build several greenhouses, continuously improving the popularity and added value of local agricultural products. Zhang Dongming (张东明) is very confident that the good things deep in the Taihang Mountains will surely go to all parts of the country.

"Red" and "Green" Blend to Innovate New Paths

The Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Exhibition Hall (中国人民抗日军政大学陈列馆) is located in Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村) in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains, and can only be reached after passing through winding mountain roads.

Standing outside the door and looking into the distance, Yang Shu (杨树), curator of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Exhibition Hall, introduced that more than 40 villages in front of and behind the mountain have accepted teachers and students of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, and almost "every family lives with students."

The Anti-Japanese Military and Political University was born on the banks of the Yellow River and grew stronger on the top of the Taihang Mountains. Red has thus become the background color of Qian Nanyu (前南峪).

In 1939, more than 5,000 teachers and students of the main campus of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University crossed the Yellow River, waded through the Fen River, crossed the Lüliang Mountains, and crossed the Taihang Mountains. After more than a year of traveling, they arrived in Jiangshui (浆水), Xingtai (邢台) in November 1940, and set up the headquarters in Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村). Since then, they have persisted in running schools behind enemy lines for two years and three months.

Yang Shu (杨树) said that the soldiers' heroic aspirations to defend their homes and the country were gathered here, and from here they went to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War.

The local people have deep feelings for the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. In 1986, Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村) collectively funded and villagers actively participated in building an Anti-Japanese Military and Political University monument in the square at the east entrance of the village. The people cherish this place very much and always keep the square and monument clean.

Today's Qian Nanyu (前南峪) people are also proud of green.

Standing on the hillside, Guo Tianlin (郭天林), secretary of the Party Committee of Qian Nanyu Village (前南峪村), pointed to the mountains and forests in front of him and said proudly: "Whether viewed from an airplane or from satellite images, our village is a green area!"

This is not the result of one morning or evening. The older generation of Qian Nanyu (前南峪) people will never forget the heavy rain in 1963. The dam was washed away, the trees on the hillside were uprooted, and the terraced fields were gone. After a whole week of heavy rain, the village held a meeting overnight. After the meeting, everyone went up the mountain to plant trees together. Since then, they have been doing it for more than 60 years, generation after generation.

Guo Tianlin (郭天林) said that the fighting spirit left by the teachers and students of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University truly inspires the villagers. Managing the mountains is very hard. Everyone goes up the mountain under the stars and comes down the mountain under the stars. Village cadres take the lead in eating and living on the mountain, and all the men, women, and children in the village go into battle together, working for more than ten hours a day.

Year after year, Qian Nanyu (前南峪) is now known as "the greenest place in the Taihang Mountains."

The people of Qian Nanyu (前南峪) are not satisfied with this. They also use their wisdom and hands to turn green waters and green mountains into gold and silver mountains, creating a happy life. In the Qian Nanyu Science and Technology Park (前南峪科技园区) in Xingtai Xindu District (邢台信都区), the village committee led the villagers to build a number of high-quality parks for kiwifruit, soft jujube, etc., and also built a sightseeing park.

The "red" and "green" of Qian Nanyu (前南峪) blend with each other. Relying on the red resources of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the green resources of the economic gully, the village committee led the villagers to develop the Qian Nanyu Ecological Tourism Area (前南峪生态旅游区), and embarked on an ecological development path combining the leadership of red culture and green sightseeing.

(Our reporter Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿) participated in the writing)

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This edition's editors: Zhang Yanchun, Kang Yan, Liu Juanxi

Layout Design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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36 Million Yuan Passenger Station Unused for 10 Years (Letter Investigation)

By: 本报记者 赵 兵 金 歆

Dear Editor,

The Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站) in Suihua (绥化), Heilongjiang (黑龙江) Province, was announced as a public welfare project for the city, with a total investment of over 36 million yuan. However, since its completion in 2015, the project has remained unused. Citizens still take long-distance buses from the dilapidated old passenger transport station, which is in poor condition. Passenger vehicles operate by crowding the roadside, causing great inconvenience. It is hoped that relevant departments will promote the use of the new station as soon as possible to create a good travel environment for the general public and make better use of public resources.

Mr. Wang (王先生), Suihua (绥化) City, Heilongjiang (黑龙江) Province

After receiving the letter, the reporter rushed to Suihua (绥化) City, Heilongjiang (黑龙江) Province, to investigate and interview about the passenger transport station issue reflected by the reader.

What is the current situation: The new station is built but not used, and the old station is small and dilapidated.

On the afternoon of August 6, the reporter came to the "newly built" Suihua Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (绥化东城客运站) (see Figure ①). The reporter saw that the main structure of the passenger transport station located on Taiping Street (太平街) in Beilin District (北林区) is about 80 meters long from east to west and about 10 meters high.

Walking closer, the main entrance on the north side of the passenger transport station's waiting hall was tightly locked. The ground in front of the door was potholed, and dozens of cars were parked haphazardly. Many damages have appeared on the exterior facade of the passenger transport station, with the wall peeling off and the glass broken. Looking through the glass window, the waiting hall was very empty, with rows of seats, many of which were still covered with plastic packaging cloth.

The reporter then came to the supporting parking lot on the south side of the passenger transport station. Several cars were parked in the large station, and there was a row of large vehicle parking garages on the south side of the parking lot. There was not a single long-distance bus in the entire field. On the west side is a residential building, and downstairs is also a large vehicle garage.

"The new station has been built for 10 years, and I don't know why it has not been put into use." A supermarket owner next to the passenger transport station told reporters that he saw an announcement in 2017 saying that the station would be put into use, and spent 700,000 yuan to take over the supermarket store, but the station has not been put into use, and business is not good. "I look forward to it opening soon every day, so that my business can also benefit."

A passerby pointed to the east of the passenger transport station and told reporters: "The old Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (老东城客运站) is over there. Many passengers who have never been there follow the navigation to the new station, delaying their journey. So many people go wrong!"

Following the guidance, the reporter walked for about 10 minutes and came to a row of somewhat dilapidated storefronts opposite the Suihua Railway Station (绥化火车站). A dozen long-distance buses were parked in the open space in front of the storefronts. Several people were holding signs and shouting: "The bus to Hailun (海伦) is leaving," "Suiling (绥棱), Suiling (绥棱)"...

"This is the Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站)? Where is the 'station'?"

Faced with the reporter's doubts, a taxi driver pointed to the middle of a row of storefronts, "That's it!"

Looking in this direction, there is a small doorway in the storefront, no more than two or three meters wide, with a blue background and gold lettering sign "Waiting Hall" (候车厅) (see Figure ②), which is very inconspicuous.

"Is this a regular station?"

"This is the regular Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站), not a private small station. You can buy tickets normally inside, and you can print out the ones you bought online here." A ticket seller in front of the door said.

Walking into the waiting hall, there are 5 rows of seats in the hall of more than 100 square meters, surrounded by ticket offices, office areas, and refund windows. A sign of "Pioneer Post for Party Members" (党员先锋岗) is hung on one of the windows. The wall skin in the station is peeling off, and a corner of the hall is piled with boxes of snacks and drinks, next to which are refrigerators and rice cookers, selling mineral water, cooked corn and other foods to passengers.

A banner hangs in the waiting hall: "Check three items for passengers entering the station, travel safety for you, me and him" (进站乘客查三品，出行安全你我他), but the reporter stayed in the waiting hall for half an hour and found that passengers all entered and exited from the same door, without any security checks.

"It's too dilapidated here. Look at the walls and the ground. It feels like it's about to close down. No one cares. The new station is not used either." A bus driver complained.

The old station is so dilapidated, why hasn't the new station been used for a long time?

"It seems that the government owes the construction unit the project payment. The government wants to take over the station, but the construction unit is unwilling." A supermarket owner said.

"I heard that the residential buildings on the west and south sides of the parking lot are illegal buildings, occupying the planned land of the station, and did not pass the acceptance, so the station cannot be used." A nearby resident said.

"There is a nail household in front of the passenger transport station, which has not been demolished. It was demolished a few years ago, but the passenger transport station is still not in operation." A sanitation worker said... Everyone's opinions vary.

Why is it idle: Late submission of acceptance materials? New officials ignore old accounts?

The reporter interviewed the competent department of the Suihua Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (绥化东城客运站) - the Suihua Municipal Transportation Bureau (绥化市交通运输局).

The information provided by the Transportation Bureau shows that the Suihua Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (绥化东城客运站) started construction at the end of 2011, and the construction was basically completed at the end of 2015. The total land area is 10,000 square meters, the main station building area is 3313.07 square meters, and the estimated investment is 36,007,300 yuan.

Regarding the main reasons why the passenger transport station has not been put into use, Song Jiaping (宋加平), Director of the Suihua Municipal Transportation Bureau (绥化市交通运输局), gave three reasons: First, there was a delayed relocation house in front of the station, which was not completely demolished until the end of 2021, resulting in a delay in project acceptance; second, the construction unit Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) did not submit the project acceptance materials in a timely manner, which affected the progress of the main body acceptance. Third, the project has not been finally settled.

Regarding the issue of delayed relocation households, relevant staff of the Transportation Bureau stated that the delayed relocation household was located at the main entrance of the passenger transport station, which affected the use of the passenger transport station. Jin Fujie (金复杰), the person in charge of Xinwei Company (鑫威公司), denied this statement: "The delayed relocation household is located on the west side of the main entrance of the passenger transport station and does not affect passengers' entry and exit."

The data photos and photos presented by Jin Fujie (金复杰) that the reporter checked online showed that the delayed relocation household was a two-story residential building, and the location was indeed in the open space on the west side of the main entrance of the passenger transport station.

Regarding the illegal construction rumored by the people, the relevant person in charge of the Suihua Municipal Natural Resources Bureau (绥化市自然资源局) stated that the "illegal construction" reflected by the residents is Building 5 and Building 8 of Xinwei Shengtai Plaza (鑫威盛泰广场). The planned construction nature of Building 5 is commercial and residential, and the planned construction nature of Building 8 is commercial. They are not supporting buildings of the long-distance passenger transport station, and the construction content meets the planning approval requirements and does not belong to illegal construction.

So, where is the key blockage that the passenger transport station has not been put into use for 10 years after its completion?

"The most important reason is still the 'procedures' issue. Because the materials provided by Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) are incomplete, the completion acceptance has not been completed in a timely manner, and the subsequent procedures cannot be carried out." Relevant personnel of the Suihua Municipal Transportation Bureau (绥化市交通运输局) stated that they had repeatedly urged Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) to submit relevant procedures and materials, and showed the reporter two "Notices" sent by the Suihua Highway Passenger Transport East Station Construction Headquarters (绥化市公路客运东站建设指挥部) to Xinwei Company (鑫威公司), which stated "Please provide relevant information and documents in accordance with relevant requirements so as to complete the project acceptance and settlement work as soon as possible", with the dates of the signatures being October 2016 and November 2018 respectively.

Song Jiaping (宋加平) introduced that it was not until July 2023 that Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) provided complete acceptance filing materials. The Suihua Municipal Transportation Bureau (绥化市交通运输局) then organized design, construction, supervision, and survey units to conduct acceptance and obtained the "Completion Project Acceptance Report" - that is, 8 years after the completion of the passenger transport station, Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) completed the materials.

In this regard, Jin Fujie (金复杰) expressed disagreement. He said that initially his company and the Transportation Bureau did have disputes over the scope of project settlement, and did not organize completion acceptance. After negotiation, the two parties reached an agreement on the scope of settlement in November 2018, and received the last "Notice" to submit materials in the same month. After Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) supplemented the materials, it immediately organized the completion project acceptance.

Jin Fujie (金复杰) presented a "Completion Project Acceptance Report", which had the seals of relevant units, but no clear acceptance date. Jin Fujie (金复杰) explained that in the past, local enterprises generally believed that the report was valid if it had the seal of the responsible unit, and did not care about the signature of the responsible person and the date of the signature. "Now, because the date is not written, the other party is shifting the responsibility for the delayed opening of the station to us." Jin Fujie (金复杰) said.

"The project has not been finally settled" is a fact. The Transportation Bureau has paid more than 16 million yuan of project funds, and the remaining more than 18 million yuan has not been settled.

"As a construction enterprise, why would I not want to prepare the procedures and materials as soon as possible and get the money as soon as possible?" Jin Fujie (金复杰) said, "Over the years, I have run to the Transportation Bureau no less than a hundred times."

So, what is the reason for the delay in settling the project funds for the passenger transport station? In Jin Fujie's (金复杰) view, it is caused by the inaction and laziness of cadres. "**新官不理旧账**" (xīn guān bù lǐ jiù zhàng - "new officials don't care about old accounts," a new leader is unwilling to deal with the issues left by their predecessor). "Some leading cadres are unwilling to pay attention to the affairs of their predecessors, and new officials ignore old accounts. Some people are afraid of taking responsibility for matters involving project funds." He said that since the start of construction of the passenger transport station, the Transportation Bureau has changed many leaders in more than 10 years, and he has repeatedly visited to request the promotion of project settlement, but there has been no progress.

In addition, Jin Fujie (金复杰) believes that the staff of relevant departments also have problems such as unfamiliarity with business processes, "They don't know how to handle the procedures, and the enterprises have to promote it themselves."

What are the lessons learned: Is the process reasonable? Is the planning scientific?

During the interview, some citizens told reporters that the new Suihua Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (新绥化东城客运站) has been built for many years and has not been used. Many people have reported that it has no effect. They are watching the new passenger transport station slowly become old while idle.

It was not until last year that this problem gradually showed a glimmer of hope. According to reports, the Suihua Municipal Transportation Bureau (绥化市交通运输局) has hired a third-party evaluation company to evaluate the project settlement price, and plans to report it to the Finance Review after settlement, and the handover work can be carried out after the review is completed. The Municipal Passenger Transport Station has also established a working group to conduct a survey of the supporting facilities and equipment in the station. At the same time, the transportation department has reached an agreement with Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) to enter the passenger transport station in advance to repair damaged doors, windows, walls and equipment installation.

Jin Fujie (金复杰) also said that on the project funds for the main building of the passenger transport station, the two parties have basically reached an agreement according to the results of the third-party evaluation. The expenses incurred by Xinwei Company (鑫威公司) in managing the passenger transport station for many years need to be further negotiated.

"The new Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (新东城客运站) is expected to be put into use by the end of 2025." Song Jiaping (宋加平) said.

What lessons have the relevant local departments learned from the fact that a "public welfare project" with an investment of tens of millions of yuan has been built for 10 years and cannot be put into use?

"At that time, there were still some imprecise aspects in the procedures and contracts, and there were also problems with the lax management of the system and mechanism." Song Jiaping (宋加平) said that lessons must be learned, and such things must never happen again.

In addition to this, are there any problems such as unreasonable planning?

"Not only this Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站), but also a larger Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站) in Nancheng, which has not been used much after it was built. Now there are more private cars, and there are fewer people taking long-distance buses. I don't know why so many new long-distance passenger transport stations were built at the beginning." A citizen reported to reporters.

The reporter took a bus from Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站) and drove south for more than 20 minutes to Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站), and found that it had been changed to "Suihua Economic and Technological Development Zone Innovation and Development Center" (绥化经济技术开发区创新发展中心), and the construction scale was larger than Dongcheng Passenger Transport Station (东城客运站).

Data shows that Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站) was completed at the end of 2015, with a land area of about 20,000 square meters and an investment of about 51.56 million yuan.

Why invest more than 80 million yuan to build two large passenger transport stations in the same period?

Staff of the Municipal Transportation Bureau (市交通运输局) stated that the construction of the two stations was during a period of good development in the long-distance passenger transport market, and it cannot be simply considered that the planning is unreasonable. "At that time, the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government planned to add a new district, and the construction of Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站) was intended to meet the needs of urban development." Relevant person in charge of the Suihua Municipal Passenger Transport Station (绥化市客运总站) stated that the construction of the new district was not approved by the relevant national departments, resulting in the failure of Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站) to play its due role, and it was closed due to losses after operating for more than a year after its completion.

In October 2020, the overall transfer to the Municipal Economic Development Zone for management and use, the Municipal Economic Development Zone transformed the Liuhe Passenger Transport Station (六合客运站) into the "Innovation and Development Center" and carried out revitalization and utilization. However, the reporter saw that in addition to the Suihua Economic and Technological Development Zone Government Service Center (绥化经济技术开发区政府服务中心), there was only one imported goods supermarket and two companies hanging signs in the huge building, and most of the space was still idle.

"We will now conduct full demonstrations in advance." Song Jiaping (宋加平) introduced, "For example, road construction will be scientifically and effectively demonstrated from the planning, on-site inspections, and questionnaire surveys will be conducted to fully solicit the opinions of the masses to avoid waste of finance and resources."

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Comprehensive Cleanup of Illegally Dumped Waste (Feedback)

By: 本报记者 郑洋洋

On July 28th, the "Reader's Letters" section of this newspaper published a report entitled "Disorderly Dumping of Garbage Pollutes the Surrounding Environment," exposing the dumping of garbage in mountain gullies and farmland in some rural areas of Shangdang District (上党区) and Pingshun County (平顺县), Changzhi City (长治市), Shanxi Province (山西), polluting the surrounding environment. The Changzhi Municipal Party Committee (长治市委) and Municipal Government (市政府) immediately arranged and deployed, requiring the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment (市生态环境局) to take the lead in promoting the rectification of the problem. The Shangdang District Party Committee (上党区委) and District Government (区政府), and the Pingshun County Party Committee (平顺县委) and County Government (县政府) respectively established special working teams headed by the main leaders of the district and county, conducted on-site investigation and verification, studied and formulated plans, and organized forces for rectification.

First, comprehensively clean up the dumped garbage. Shangdang District (上党区) organized working forces to transfer the garbage in the eastern and southern parts of Dongfen Village (东坟村) in Beicheng Township (北呈乡) (see picture) and the pond on the west side of Beihe Village (北和村) to designated locations in batches and by region. As of 10:00 on July 30, all of it had been cleaned up. Shangdang District (上党区) self-checked and completed the cleaning and rectification of various domestic waste problems in Nancheng Village (南呈村), Beicheng Township (北呈乡) on July 20. Pingshun County (平顺县) dispatched forces to clean up the garbage on site. From August 2nd to 4th, the standardized leveling and covering of the original garbage dumping area was completed. On the 5th, the Yuxia Pass Town People's Government (玉峡关镇人民政府) of Pingshun County (平顺县) began to implement afforestation work. Second, deal with it seriously in accordance with laws and regulations. In response to the existing accountability issues, the municipal and county discipline inspection and supervision agencies are investigating and dealing with relevant personnel in accordance with laws and regulations. Third, comprehensively carry out investigation and rectification. Shangdang District (上党区) and Pingshun County (平顺县) conducted a carpet-like investigation of areas such as the junction of urban and rural areas, roadsides, both sides of rivers, surrounding farmland, industrial parks, and abandoned sites within their jurisdictions. Fourth, carry out environmental monitoring and governance. In response to the environmental pollution that may be caused by dumping garbage, Shangdang District (上党区) and Pingshun County (平顺县) invited third-party environmental testing agencies to conduct on-site surveys and put forward monitoring plan suggestions, and are monitoring and evaluating the possible pollution of soil, groundwater, and surface water at garbage dumping points according to the plan.

In the next step, Changzhi City (长治市) will incorporate standardized garbage management into the urban and rural refined management assessment system, improve the three-level linkage supervision network of counties and districts, townships (streets), and villages (communities), and integrate law enforcement forces such as urban management, environmental protection, transportation, and public security to form a normalized joint inspection and law enforcement mechanism. At the same time, it will increase financial investment to ensure the continuous improvement of infrastructure construction and operation and maintenance such as garbage collection, transfer, and disposal. By building a full-chain management system of strict prevention at the source, strict management in the process, and severe punishment for consequences, we will ensure that the rectification results are 常态长效 (cháng tài cháng xiào - "normal state long effect," sustained and effective).

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Construction Causes Road Collapse and Water Accumulation (Local News)

I live in Shuncheng District, Fushun City, Liaoning (辽宁抚顺市), and I pass the intersection of Gebu Back Street (葛布后街) and Geshan Road (葛山路) every day. This spring, road construction was carried out nearby. After the construction, multiple collapses appeared on the road surface, forming large pits and affecting residents' travel. Recently, it has been raining frequently, and coupled with the possibility that some pipelines were damaged during construction, there has been continuous water seepage, causing stagnant water to remain in the pits (see picture). Over time, it has even become smelly water. I hope that the relevant departments will repair the road surface as soon as possible and pay attention to the restoration status of the construction unit after completion to avoid similar situations from happening again.

Ms. Liu (刘女士), Fushun City, Liaoning (辽宁抚顺市)

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How to Ensure "What You See Is What You Get" When Buying Plants Online (Focus on People's Livelihood)

By: 本报记者 史一棋

Goods not matching descriptions, false promises, delayed after-sales service, and difficulties in returns and exchanges... Some readers have recently written to reflect their unpleasant experiences purchasing green plants online in live-streaming rooms, calling on practitioners to operate with integrity and protect consumer rights.

"The host said all the goods were of the same quality as shown in the live-streaming room, but what I received was completely different," said netizen "爱植物的发福蝶" (ài zhíwù de fāfú dié). She purchased a caladium plant in the "南艺花卉" (Nányì Huāhuì) live-streaming room on a certain online shopping platform. The host clearly promised that the delivered plant would have leaves showing pink, but all the leaves were green upon receipt.

Similarly, netizen "T婷T" (T Tíng T) placed an order for a Nandina domestica potted plant in the "桔桔的美丽花园" (Jú Jú de Měilì Huāyuán) live-streaming room. The actual measured height after receiving the goods was more than 110 centimeters, while the host promised a height of 120 to 150 centimeters.

Some live-streaming rooms also mislead consumers by using plant varieties with similar appearances. Netizen "日向雏菏" (Rìxiàng Chúhé) once purchased a maple sapling of the 'Geisha' variety in the "幸福花卉" (Xìngfú Huāhuì) live-streaming room. "I felt the sapling was in good condition, so I went back to repurchase." However, the repurchase occurred during the merchant's live-streaming at night. "The light in the live-streaming room was not good at the time, so it was a bit difficult to see clearly. In addition, the host misled me, and I mistakenly selected a maple sapling of the 'Shirasawa' variety, which was lower in price." It was not until the maple sapling grew up the following year that netizen "日向雏菏" (Rìxiàng Chúhé) discovered the problem.

Once the above problems are encountered, consumers often face greater resistance when seeking after-sales rights protection from the store. Some merchants delay after-sales service time under the guise of providing maintenance guidance; others raise various unreasonable excuses to refuse returns and exchanges.

Netizen "默默" (Mòmò) purchased two crystal peppers in the "SANGOO" live-streaming room and found that the saplings were wilted upon receipt. After observing for a day, the plant's condition still did not improve. When he reported the situation to the merchant, the merchant stated that the seedlings should be "left to stand for 1 to 2 days to allow them to adapt to the environment, without immediate watering, and keep the soil dry," and also said that wilting was a normal phenomenon and did not require special treatment. Therefore, he continued to wait and observe according to the merchant's guidance.

"On the fourth day after arrival, it actually died completely." Netizen "默默" (Mòmò) dug open the soil ball to check the root system and discovered that the merchant had shipped diseased and dead seedlings. He then requested a refund. However, the merchant refused the refund on the grounds that "the plant's death was caused by improper maintenance and was not the merchant's responsibility."

Netizen "默默" (Mòmò) complained to the platform, but the merchant then proposed that "the plant must be guaranteed to survive in order to be returned." "The plant is already dead, otherwise why would I return it?" What made him even more angry was that he later found out that "crystal peppers are a moisture-loving plant variety that needs to be shaded and kept moist in summer at high temperatures. The merchant provided incorrect maintenance advice, which led to the complete death of the plant."

Ultimately, with the platform's intervention, the merchant compensated 15 yuan, which was only 1/10 of the plant's price.

How can online green plant purchases be more worry-free? "When selecting green plants in live-streaming rooms, 'what you see is what you get' is very important." In the view of Wu Jiafan, the founder of "浇浇植物超市" (Jiāo Jiāo Zhíwù Chāoshì), what the host shows is what is shipped, and doing this can prevent false promises and goods not matching descriptions.

However, plants are not industrial products, and even plants of the same variety are different from each other. How can "what you see is what you get" be achieved? Wu Jiafan said that they are working hard to explore standardized sales: for plants of the same price, consumers receive the same number of leaves, and the plant height, maximum leaf diameter, and degree of leaf variegation are basically the same. "Meeting these conditions will give consumers a certain psychological expectation for the plants they are about to receive," he said.

Regarding after-sales disputes, Wu Jiafan believes that merchants' after-sales promises should be specific, clear, and enforceable. For example, many merchants promise "guaranteed survival or refund," but plants have a lifespan. Is it still "guaranteed refund" if they die after 2 years? "Such a promise seems responsible, but it is actually unenforceable." He proposed an after-sales promise of "unconditional replacement for plants under 100 yuan that die within 30 days," stipulating the specific conditions for after-sales service. "When consumers encounter problems, they can follow the standards, which can avoid many after-sales disputes."

"The various problems that arise in online green plant purchases ultimately come down to the issue of operating with integrity. Given that this special commodity cannot achieve standardized production in the industrial sense, it leaves room for unscrupulous merchants to defraud consumers. In addition, most consumers do not understand the industry or the characteristics of the plants they purchase and simply place orders because they look good, and they cannot meet their psychological expectations after receiving the goods." Qu Peng, associate professor at Yunnan Agricultural University (云南农业大学), analyzed that green plants, as an emerging online consumption growth point, need to go through a process from development to maturity. As the market system matures, supervision is in place, and merchants and consumers interact well, the above situation can be effectively improved.

In addition, Qu Peng believes that online shopping platforms should fulfill their main responsibility. In addition to setting certain qualification thresholds for merchants entering the green plant category, there should also be more stringent dynamic reviews. "If the platform detects that a certain merchant has a large number of negative reviews or a high after-sales rate recently, it can remind the merchant to regulate transaction behavior or take corresponding punitive measures to more actively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers."

(Min Jinghan (闵靖涵) participated in the writing)

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Safety management of agricultural drones needs to be strengthened (suggestion)

In recent years, some regions have applied agricultural drones to agricultural production, which has improved production efficiency. However, at the same time, due to improper operation, some drones have touched power lines and even caused personal injury.

I suggest strengthening the safety management of agricultural drones. In addition to strengthening safety skills training for operators, it is also necessary to strengthen all-round supervision and management: do a good job in the registration of agricultural drones to eliminate unlicensed operation; increase safety publicity on the protection of power facilities and the protection of personal safety related to drone operation; strengthen the investigation and handling of illegal drone operations, and comprehensively use visual devices, special inspection drones, etc., to avoid accidents such as drones mistakenly entering the protection restricted areas of power equipment in a timely manner.

Wu Qinghua (吴庆华), Nantong City (南通市), Jiangsu (江苏)

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Editor in charge of this page: Shi Yiqi

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Igniting a Unique Arena with Passion

The Games have a set duration, but sports have no end, and passion is limitless.

On August 17th, the 12th World Games in Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川) in 2025 came to a close. This World Games included events in artistic and sports dance, ball sports, and martial arts. The Chinese sports delegation won 36 gold, 17 silver, and 11 bronze medals, ranking first in both the gold medal and total medal counts.

Although the torch has been extinguished, the brilliance and warmth, inclusiveness and diversity presented both inside and outside the arena will continue to illuminate the world.

Victory and defeat are only a moment apart, but there are no boundaries to limits. In the clear water, Polish athlete Magdalena Kozerska won the gold medal in apnea diving with a dive of 222.5 meters, extending her own world record in the women's dynamic apnea without fins event by 8.5 meters. Under the scorching sun, Mexican athlete Anahi Alvarez Corral accidentally fell while running, but still, with an attitude of never giving up, she reversed the situation in the women's individual biathle competition by 0.02 seconds to win the championship. On the side of a cliff, Chinese star Deng Lijuan (邓丽娟) won the gold medal in the women's speed climbing individual event with a lead of 0.01 seconds over her teammate Qin Yumei (覃于妹).

Beyond striving, there is plenty of warmth. In the quarter-finals of the women's 60kg Muay Thai event, Hungarian athlete Adel suffered an accidental injury, which ended the match. Chinese athlete Han Xin (韩鑫) took the initiative to offer her opponent a warm and strong hug. At the moment the men's 50m apnea final came to an end, Zhang Siqian (张思骞), the champion of the previous edition from China, and Shin Min-jun (申明俊), the gold medalist of this edition from South Korea, smiled at each other and shook hands tightly. The men's softball game was put on "pause" by a sudden heavy rain, and the organizing committee handled it wisely, creating a "double crown" story.

"Niche" is not small, but full of variety. Taking the opportunity of the World Games, canoe polo, fistball, water skiing, and squash have begun to be known to the public. Traditional Chinese projects such as Wushu and dragon boat racing have welcomed masters from all over the world, revitalizing in a broader world. The addition of events such as Para jiu-jitsu and Para freediving has added a humanistic touch to this 44-year-old sports event. Fans from all over the world came to watch the games, helping "niche" projects to continuously "go viral" and also providing richer options for national fitness.

Sports may be divided into "popular" and "niche," but people's love for life and dedication to sports are no different. Through the window of the Chengdu World Games, we feel the infinite possibilities of sports and show the world a thriving and vibrant China.

(Reported by Chen Chenxi (陈晨曦), this newspaper's reporter)

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Editor in charge of this page: Lin Lin, Tang Tianyi, Wang Bo

Layout Design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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History will not let down those who work diligently (In-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)

By: 韩振峰

From July 7th to 8th, 2025, during his inspection in Shanxi Province, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that "industry revitalizes the country, and hard work builds the nation," emphasizing "咬定青山不放松 (yǎo dìng qīng shān bù fàng sōng - "bite the green hills and not relax," to remain steadfast and determined)." At this critical moment when China is comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) issued another powerful mobilization order to the entire party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, inspiring spirit and boosting morale.

"Hard work builds the nation" is an important assertion that General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has always emphasized. In 2012, when visiting the "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized "empty talk harms the country, and hard work builds the nation," pointing out that "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a glorious and arduous undertaking, which requires generations of Chinese people to work together for it." In the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) once again emphasized "empty talk harms the country, and hard work builds the nation," calling on us to "create new great achievements with new great struggles." "Hard work builds the nation" is an important assertion with profound philosophical reasoning drawn from General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) profound summary of our party's experience in governing the country, and it is a resounding call to action to encourage the entire party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to firmly advance towards the goal of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

Adhering to "hard work builds the nation" is the only way to smoothly advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

In the new era and new journey, why does General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) propose and repeatedly emphasize "hard work builds the nation"? This is because "hard work builds the nation" has important historical basis and practical significance, as well as important ideological foundation and theoretical value. It is the right path to smoothly advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, and to continuously move towards the grand goal.

The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country. The overall strategic arrangement is to take two steps: "basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 to 2035; build our country into a strong socialist modern country that is prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 to the middle of this century." The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed: "The current and future period is a critical period for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization." 2025 is the closing year of China's "14th Five-Year Plan" and also the planning year for the "15th Five-Year Plan." How to implement the "two-step" strategic arrangement and the blueprint for further comprehensively deepening reforms? How to complete the "14th Five-Year Plan" goals with high quality and scientifically plan the economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period? General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Chinese-style modernization is achieved through hard work, and great undertakings are accomplished through hard work!" Hard work is an important bridge connecting dreams and goals. To turn the grand blueprint of Chinese-style modernization into reality and advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, we must rely on hard work in the final analysis.

History is the best textbook. The more than 100-year struggle and valuable experience of our party tell us that all the great achievements made by the party in leading the revolution, construction, and reform are the result of the unity and hard work of the people of all ethnic groups across the country. The long-lasting spirit of hard work of the Chinese nation flows in the blood of Chinese Communists. From "self-reliance and ample food and clothing" in the Yan'an Great Production Movement to "self-reliance and hard struggle" in building a new China, from "crossing the river by feeling the stones" in the early days of reform and opening up to the "final fortress being completely conquered" in the new era's poverty alleviation battle, it is based on the hard work and hard work of generations of party members and cadres leading the masses. In the new era and new journey, to continue to advance the cause of the party and the country, it is still necessary to vigorously promote the fine tradition of opposing empty talk, emphasizing hard work, and paying attention to implementation, taking action first, breaking through difficulties with action, and winning with action. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) told the story of the Jin Dynasty scholars "虚谈废务 (xū tán fèi wù - "empty talk wastes affairs," engaging in idle talk to the neglect of practical matters)," pointing out that "if there is no responsibility, no action, no execution, and no combat effectiveness, then we will be defeated." The vast number of party members and cadres must learn from the "lesson of harming the country," work hard and diligently, and never sit and talk or just talk without doing.

From a theoretical point of view, opposing empty talk and emphasizing hard work embodies the inherent requirements of the Marxist view of practice. In life, people often call practice "putting into practice" or "implementing." Specifically, in practical work, it is what we often call "hard work." Marx pointed out: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it." Comrade Mao Zedong (毛泽东) pointed out: "If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear and eat it yourself." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "We promote various tasks and rely on practice to gain true knowledge. Theory must be unified with practice." Any understanding and theory that deviates from practice is empty and useless. Only by working hard and diligently in practice, leading the masses to turn the party's line, principles, and policies into a powerful spiritual and material force for understanding and transforming the world, step by step, can we ultimately achieve the goal of understanding and transforming the world.

After the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor. The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed: "To comprehensively build a modern socialist country, we must have a contingent of cadres who are politically strong, adapt to the requirements of the new era, and have the ability to lead the construction of modernization." In today's world, profound changes unseen in a century continue to evolve, various contradictions are becoming increasingly prominent, and there are many foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges on the road ahead. Under such circumstances, party members and cadres need to promote the work style of grasping implementation and seeking practical results, and continuously improve their ability to grasp implementation and create practical achievements. However, in some places, departments, and units, there are still phenomena of boasting and not doing practical things. For example, some cadres' work is implemented in slogans and making superficial articles; some cadres are passive, lazy, and inactive, and perfunctory. All of this will delay reform and development. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "The party puts cadres in various positions to take responsibility and do things, not to be officials and enjoy happiness." Grasping implementation and implementing it firmly are important manifestations of the good mental state of party members and cadres, and also an important test of the working ability of party members and cadres. As the "builders" of the country's grand development blueprint, party members and cadres must be firm actors and doers of Chinese-style modernization, and implement and achieve practical results in various tasks for promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Profoundly understand and grasp the profound philosophy and rich connotation contained in "hard work builds the nation."

Profoundly understanding and grasping the profound philosophy and rich connotation contained in "hard work builds the nation" is the prerequisite for thoroughly implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important exposition on "hard work builds the nation." "Hard work builds the nation," the "nation" refers to the fate and future of the country, and "work" is practice and action. "Hard work builds the nation" emphasizes that we must promote Chinese-style modernization through "work" and strive to realize the beautiful aspirations and longings for building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

"Hard work builds the nation" demonstrates the spirit of historical initiative and is the courage to act and be good at acting based on the historical orientation of the new era. Hard work is the inherent requirement and important condition for doing any work well and achieving any cause. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "History will only favor those who are firm, enterprising, and fighting, and will not wait for those who hesitate, slack off, and fear difficulties." "Hard work builds the nation" emphasizes seizing opportunities and accelerating development through labor, struggle, hard work, and creation, which embodies the historical initiative of Chinese Communists. In the new era, China faces both rare development opportunities and unprecedented risks and challenges. The various opportunities in the tide of the times can only be seized through hard work; the various problems in development can only be solved through hard work. For example, how can China's new energy vehicle industry be a global leader? Over the years, China has broken through more and more key core technologies in new energy vehicles, power batteries, motor electronic controls, and intelligent networked vehicles. Based on the technical advantages accumulated through long-term research and development investment, the new energy vehicle industry has flourished. From scratch, from weak to strong, China's new energy vehicle industry has seized the opportunities of the times by taking the initiative to work hard and persevere. In the new era of a hundred boats racing and thousands of sails competing, only by taking the initiative and daring to act and be good at acting can we achieve practical results and achieve success in our careers.

"Hard work builds the nation" demonstrates the spirit of seeking truth from facts and is a scientific ideological and working method of proceeding from reality and acting according to laws. "Hard work" emphasizes an attitude and spirit of doing things and starting a business, and is a quality and style that is simple, unpretentious, and unpretentious. Seeking truth from facts and proceeding from reality in everything are the basic principles of Marxist dialectical materialism. Comrade Mao Zedong (毛泽东) pointed out: "'Facts' are all things that exist objectively, 'truth' is the internal connection of objective things, that is, regularity, and 'seeking' is what we study." Comrade Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) pointed out: "All the victories we have achieved in the past in carrying out the revolution have been based on seeking truth from facts; now we want to realize the four modernizations, and we must also rely on seeking truth from facts." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Seeking truth from facts is the fundamental viewpoint of Marxism, the fundamental requirement for Chinese Communists to understand and transform the world, and the basic ideological method, working method, and leadership method of our party." Seeking truth from facts is an important part of our party's ideological line and the fundamental requirement for us to do all our work well. To implement the requirements of seeking truth from facts into various practical activities is "hard work." For example, the establishment of China's free trade pilot zones in the new era is an important decision made based on the actual conditions and actual needs such as the profound changes in the global trade environment, the reshaping of the international economic and trade rules system, and the need to improve the quality and efficiency of China's opening up to the outside world. Today, free trade pilot zones have become a new highland for China to lead high-level opening up. For another example, Xiong'an New Area "plans every inch of land clearly before starting construction," and the "three cities" of "above ground, underground, and cloud" are promoted in coordination, and a future city that takes the road of connotative development is rising from the ground. These reflect the hard work of proceeding from reality and acting according to laws.

"Hard work builds the nation" demonstrates the tenacity to overcome difficulties and is a work style requirement put forward to the vast number of party members and cadres. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Even if the road is far, it will arrive if you travel; even if things are difficult, they will be accomplished if you do them." The realization of any grand goal cannot be a "100-meter sprint" that can be achieved overnight, but a "marathon" that will last for a long time. To promote the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, we must make very arduous efforts. Without a good work style of being willing to work hard and do practical work, grand goals cannot be achieved. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Cadres, cadres, doing is the most important thing. They must not only want to do, be willing to do, and actively do, but also be able to do, know how to do, and be good at doing." From Jiao Yulu (焦裕禄), a good cadre who "lives in sand dunes and dies in sand dunes," to Gu Wenchang (谷文昌), a "four-have" secretary who "benefits one party when he is an official," to Liao Junbo (廖俊波), a "woodcutter" who "dares to do it for development and for the masses"... They all insisted on doing practical things and did practical things that were beneficial to the development of the party and the people's cause, and established achievements that could stand the test of history. In the theme education carried out in the new era, hard work is a consistent requirement. In his important speech at the summary meeting of the theme education of "staying true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission in mind," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) required the vast number of party members and cadres to "dare to be the first and take the lead, be brave to take responsibility and be good at acting." Studying and implementing Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the theme education takes "hard work and responsibility to promote development" as an important goal; in-depth implementation of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation and learning education also focuses on emphasizing that party members and cadres should unite their efforts and work hard to start a business with a good work style. Only by consciously forging a work style of seeking truth and being pragmatic, being clean and doing things, and daring to do things, and actively leading the vast number of people to work hard and diligently, and striving to do every small thing well and do every good thing well, can we promote the implementation of various measures to take effect, solve various problems, and achieve practical results in various tasks.

Comprehensively promote Chinese-style modernization with the new responsibility and new actions of "hard work builds the nation."

We have created a glorious past through hard work, and we must also create a better future through hard work. Adhering to the principle that hard work builds the nation and taking action as the top priority, striving to make progress, overcoming difficulties, we will surely be able to write an excellent answer sheet that lives up to the times and the people on the new journey of comprehensively promoting Chinese-style modernization.

Use scientific theory to guide the firm action of hard work. Thought is the guide to action, and theory is the guide to practice. The subject of "hard work" is people, and only under the guidance of correct thought can there be correct action. Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism, 21st century Marxism, and the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit. To adhere to "hard work builds the nation," the primary task is to deeply study and understand Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, adhere to and apply the positions, viewpoints, and methods that run through it, truly learn the skills of Marxism, and transform the party's innovative theories in the new era into a powerful ideological weapon for transforming the subjective world and the objective world, and work hard in a spirit of striving for progress, achieve practical results in hard work, and achieve practical results in hard work.

Adhere to proceeding from reality in everything and truly achieve seeking truth from facts. Adhering to proceeding from reality in everything is the starting point and foothold for us to think about problems, make decisions, and do things. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly emphasized the importance of adhering to proceeding from reality in everything, pointing out: "No matter in the past, present, or future, we must adhere to proceeding from reality in everything, linking theory with practice, and testing and developing truth in practice." To adhere to hard work and build the nation, we must accurately grasp the world situation, national conditions, party conditions, and social conditions, and on this basis, use the methodology of specific analysis of specific problems to make decisions and do things according to the actual situation of the region and unit. We must not mechanically implement the policies of the higher authorities or engage in "uniformity from top to bottom," but must come up with practical and effective measures to continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security with practical results and effectiveness.

Boost the spirit of starting a business and always maintain a fighting posture of forging ahead and meeting difficulties head-on. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "We must vigorously promote the good atmosphere of grasping implementation and working hard in the whole society." A person cannot stand without spirit, and a country cannot be strong without spirit. To promote the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, we must not only adhere to the good work style of seeking truth and being pragmatic and grasping implementation, but also carry forward the spirit of knowing the difficulties and forging ahead and persevering. Adhering to hard work and building the nation cannot be separated from the spirit of starting a business and working hard of every party member and cadre. Only by being willing to go all out, daring to break through and work hard, and taking the responsibility of "always being uneasy" can we dare to take responsibility and be good at acting, so as to ensure that various measures are implemented and open up a new world for the development of the party and the people's cause.

Put in enough effort, hard work, and deep work, and grasp implementation with the spirit of nailing nails. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Formulating a good document is only the first step in a long march, and the key lies in implementing the document." One point of deployment, nine points of implementation, no strategic deployment will automatically be transformed into a beautiful reality, but must put in enough effort, hard work, and deep work in grasping implementation. To adhere to hard work and build the nation, we must always keep in mind the "major affairs of the country" and the "major plans of the party," and continuously improve our political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, and fully and accurately understand the spirit of the central government. We must knock one hammer after another and roll up our sleeves and work hard to implement various tasks in detail and ensure that the direction determined by the Party Central Committee does not deviate and the tasks are not left undone, and implement the various decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee without compromise.

Pay attention to scientific methods and improve the ability and skills of hard work. Scientific methods are the bridge leading people to success. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "We must be good at using scientific methods to promote reform, systematically plan and act after deliberation, and avoid phenomena such as blind action and setbacks." To adhere to hard work and build the nation, we must master scientific methods, especially the systematic concept, which is a basic ideological and working method. We must be good at looking at reality through history, seeing the essence through phenomena, grasping the relationship between the overall situation and the local situation, the current and the long-term, the macro and the micro, the main contradictions and the secondary contradictions, the special and the general, and thinking prospectively, planning globally, deploying strategically, and promoting holistically, and use scientific methods to achieve high efficiency and good results.
History favors those who are pragmatic, and the future belongs to those who strive. In advancing Chinese-style modernization, we will inevitably encounter many "Mount Lou (娄山关)" and "Lazikou Pass (腊子口)" on the journey, and it is inevitable that we will encounter "turbulent rapids" and "high winds and raging waves." As long as we adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想), with a spirit of perpetual diligence and an ever-forward-looking striving posture, earnestly grasp implementation, dare to act and be good at acting, and be good at accomplishing results, we will surely be able to overcome any difficulties and obstacles and achieve the grand goal of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

(The author is a special researcher at the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心).)

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Providing a Solid Guarantee for Young People in the New Era to Defend the Country and Guard the Borders

By: 马金祥

Maintaining national security and social stability is the bottom line requirement for border governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out during the 18th collective study session of the 20th CPC Central Political Bureau: "Improve the overall capability of defending and guarding the border." Youth are the future of the country and the hope of the nation, and they are a vital force and shock brigade in strengthening border defense. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "On the new journey of the new era, young people of all ethnic groups across the country should listen to the call of the Party and the people, and bravely be pioneers and a vital force in various fields and aspects such as scientific and technological innovation, rural revitalization, green development, social services, and defending the country and guarding the border, demonstrating a confident, self-reliant, strong, and promising spirit." General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important exposition profoundly elucidates the inherent connection between the historical mission of the younger generation and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, elevating the cause of defending the country and guarding the border to a height where it resonates with shaping their spiritual outlook, realizing personal value, and national stability and development. Defending the country and guarding the border in the new era has transcended the traditional form of "braving wind and snow, standing guard," and has become a systematic project integrating military defense, economic development, social governance, cultural enrichment of Xinjiang (润疆), and ethnic unity. Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest entrustment to cherish and help young people succeed, ensuring long-term stability in the border areas and the country's prosperity and development requires effectively stimulating, strongly supporting, and orderly guiding the vast number of young people in the new era to transform their aspirations to serve the country into practical actions to defend the country and guard the border.

Cultivating patriotic sentiments and inspiring the spiritual motivation of young people in the new era to defend the country and guard the border. Patriotic sentiments transcend the limitations of material incentives and enhance young people's ideological awareness of transcending the "small self" and achieving all-round development. Integrating personal value into the destiny of the country is not only a spiritual call to defend the country and guard the border but also a necessary path to achieving a higher level of spiritual pursuit. Defending the country and guarding the border by young people in the new era is not only a vivid practice of continuing the red gene and promoting the revolutionary spirit, but also the most authentic and profound tempering and sublimation of their patriotic sentiments. Since the new era, the value identity of young people defending the country and guarding the border has reached a new height, with "military border defense" and "enriching the border and benefiting the people" working together in the same direction. College students joining the army to serve the country and going to the border directly provide high-quality soldiers for the border defense forces. At the same time, grassroots service projects represented by the "Western Plan" (西部计划) and "Three Supports and One Assistance" (三支一扶) attract a large number of outstanding young people to take root in the border areas, providing a solid social foundation for the cause of defending the country and guarding the border. It should also be noted that some young people lack a personal perception of the hardship and greatness of defending the country and guarding the border, and feel confused in weighing personal prospects and national needs. To this end, we can use tangible, knowable, and learnable role models to internalize the "Karakoram Spirit" (喀喇昆仑精神) into the emotional identity of young people, promote them to reshape their value coordinates, and realize that investing in the border is an important way to temper their will and sublimate their personality. In the place where the motherland needs them most, they can integrate their personal ideals into the great cause of defending the territory and achieve a higher level of life in the process of tempering.

Improve the support system and consolidate the institutional foundation for young people in the new era to defend the country and guard the border. Relieving the worries of young people who defend the country and guard the border, and providing social recognition and institutional guarantees commensurate with their special contributions, is the inherent requirement and direct manifestation of the superiority of the socialist system. Through precise and effective institutional supply, organically unifying the promotion of national security and development with ensuring that young people can devote themselves to training with peace of mind, can inject lasting impetus into consolidating border defense and stabilizing the team. In recent years, the state has introduced a series of policy "combination punches," and the three-dimensional security network covering economic treatment, hardware environment, and family support has become increasingly dense, and the social respect for defending the country and guarding the border has continued to increase. Taking precise implementation to fully demonstrate the goodwill and warmth of the system, and enhancing the sense of gain and belonging of young people who defend the country and guard the border, attention should be paid to overcoming the problem of policy implementation attenuation and building a timely response policy implementation closed loop. On the one hand, promote the transformation of policy supply from "flood irrigation" to "precision drip irrigation." Accurately collect and dynamically update the life and development needs of young people who defend the country and guard the border, and provide targeted and operational solutions. On the other hand, promote the transformation of policy implementation from "one-way delivery" to "two-way convection." Build a vertical feedback mechanism of "lower-level information reaching higher levels" and a "checklist" authorization adjustment mechanism, and ensure that front-line demands reach the decision-making level directly through the establishment of an online direct reporting platform or service hotline. At the same time, grant grassroots micro-adjustment authority to optimize processes in light of local realities and open up the "micro-circulation" of policy implementation.

Expand the space for growth and smooth the development path for young people in the new era to defend the country and guard the border. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "The viewpoint of practice and the viewpoint of life are the basic viewpoints of Marxist epistemology." The process of "practice, knowledge, re-practice, and re-knowledge," which is repeated and endless, constitutes the general law of human cognitive development. The border area is a "furnace" and "university" for tempering the will and enhancing the practical ability of young people, providing a broad field for young people to realize the key leap from book knowledge to realistic cognition and then to guiding innovative practice. The harshness of the environment and the arduousness of the tasks prompt young people to improve their realm, enhance their abilities, and improve their level in overcoming difficulties and solving contradictions. Helping young people in the new era to forge personal development advantages in the tempering of defending the country and guarding the border not only provides solid talent support for consolidating border defense, but also delivers backbone forces capable of undertaking important tasks for grassroots governance, and also establishes a clear guidance in the whole society of "letting contributors have a place and a position." In recent years, a growth system spanning the military and local areas and supporting the entire life cycle of young people defending the country and guarding the border has basically taken shape. The internal promotion, recommendation, and non-commissioned officer selection system within the army provides a clear path for the military promotion of young people defending the country and guarding the border. At the same time, the personal development of young officers and soldiers after retirement is also strongly supported. It is worth noting that the social perception of the value of young people defending the country and guarding the border still has a bias of "emphasizing spiritual incentives and neglecting realistic returns," and their unique advantages have not been fully transformed into explicit indicators of talent evaluation and career development; there are also problems of poor connection between what some young people learn during the period of defending the country and guarding the border and the social needs after retirement. To this end, it is necessary to implement systematic measures, strengthen value leadership, explore the establishment of special establishment for border defense talents, and clearly define the experience of defending the country and guarding the border as an important consideration factor for talent evaluation and selection and appointment. Improve the training and transformation mechanism for military and civilian dual-use talents, and accurately carry out skills training and academic education in line with social needs during the period when young people defend the country and guard the border. Build high-energy platforms, and create a broader stage for young people who defend the country and guard the border to display their talents and realize their value through accurate employment recommendations and entrepreneurial incubation.

(Author's unit: Youth Organization Research Institute, China Youth and Children Research Center)

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Always Hold "Three Kinds of Awe" (Ideological Perspectives)

By: 耿姗姗

"A gentleman's heart always holds reverence and awe." The Chinese nation has revered the principles of reverence and awe since ancient times. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Party members and cadres must always remember that all power is endowed by the people, and always hold reverence for the people, reverence for the organization, and reverence for laws and discipline." This important discourse is not only a continuation and sublimation of the reverence principle in outstanding traditional Chinese culture, but also contains the profound wisdom of governing the party and the country in the new era. The "three reverences" demonstrate the境界 (jìng jiè - "realm," state of mind) of Communist Party members who have something to fear in their hearts, something to be cautious of in their words, and something to stop at in their actions, from the three aspects of adhering to the party's fundamental purpose, complying with the party's organizational system, and strictly abiding by party discipline and state laws.

The foundation of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) lies in the people, its bloodline is connected to the people, and its strength comes from the people. The trust and support of the people are the powerful foundation for our party to stand invincible, and the strong foundation for every party member and cadre to start a career. The power in the hands of party members and cadres is given by the people, and they should always think about what the masses think, always consider the urgent needs and expectations of the masses, and often ask themselves whether they have used their power for the people. "Afraid of being pointed at by the common people," "Afraid of failing the trust of the masses"... These voices of party members and cadres reflect their reverence for the people. With reverence for the people, party members and cadres will use their power more rigorously, prudently, justly, and honestly to seek benefits for the people.

To revere the people, we must break the chronic illness of official standard ideology. In the decision-making process, take whether the masses agree or disagree as the "first signal," let in-depth grass-roots investigations and research, open and transparent hearings and demonstrations become necessary procedures, so that decisions truly originate from the needs of the people and conform to the will of the people; in the implementation of policies, take whether the masses are satisfied or not as the "first standard," improve the mass evaluation and feedback mechanism and incorporate it into the cadre assessment system, strengthen the use of power for the people and gain the trust of the people; in supervision, take whether the masses participate or not as the "first driving force," unblock channels for mass supervision, and ensure that power is exercised in a standardized manner under the sunshine. When the word "people" becomes the highest measure of the boundary of power and the fundamental yardstick for judging the effectiveness of power, the psychological soil and institutional space for arbitrary use of power to breed and spread will be lost.

Our party is a Marxist political party organized in accordance with the principle of democratic centralism, with a strict organizational system and strict organizational discipline, which is a major advantage of our party. To revere the organization is essentially to respect the organizational principles and institutional logic of the operation of power. It requires party members and cadres to consciously safeguard the party's unity and solidarity, resolutely implement the organization's decisions and deployments, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee (党中央) in ideology, politics, and action, and strictly place the exercise of power under the leadership, management, and supervision of the organization.

In reality, a few party members and cadres regard public power as private property, use public power to seek personal or interest group, or "small circle" private interests, form factions and engage in double-dealing, which not only ruined their own future, but also seriously eroded the party's body. This reminds us that safeguarding the party's unity and solidarity has never been an abstract slogan, but a concrete action. Party members and cadres must not only identify with the organization ideologically and integrate their personal pursuits into the party's cause, but also obey the organization in action, so that orders are obeyed and actions are consistent; they must also trust the organization emotionally, always put the organization first and share the organization's worries. The organization is the biggest "backer" and the strongest "guardrail" for party members and cadres. With reverence for the organization, party members and cadres can guard and hold the line of defense against corruption and degeneration.

"The law is the measure of the country, and the standard of the times." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Without strict discipline, there is no way to talk about strict party governance." Reverence for laws and discipline is the "amulet" for party members and cadres to take responsibility, and it is a solid dam to protect the right path of power and the interests of the people. Disregard for laws and discipline is a loss of the bottom line. There is no special case in front of the law and discipline, and there is no room for侥幸 (jiǎo xìng - "lucky," a fluke). Whether it is the "anthill" of micro-corruption or the "collapsed dam" of巨贪 (jù tān - "huge corruption," extreme greed), it all starts with the disregard for rules and the destruction of discipline. To adhere to the bottom line and not step on the red line, it is necessary to build a defense line in "knowing" and "doing." Party members and cadres must not only study and understand the provisions of laws and regulations in depth, and understand the restricted areas of "what cannot be done," but also恪守不渝 (kè shǒu bù yú - "strictly abide by without change," adhere unswervingly) in their daily words and deeds, and develop the consciousness of "knowing reverence." Only by internalizing the law and discipline in the heart and externalizing it in action can we resist all kinds of temptations and ulterior motives, and always maintain political定力 (dìng lì - "composure," ability to concentrate) and integrity.

Reverence for the people, reverence for the organization, and reverence for laws and discipline are mutually supportive, interacting, and organically unified as a whole, jointly building a solid foundation for party members and cadres to cultivate themselves, establish morality, and start a career. Party members and cadres often hold the "three reverences" in their hearts, and constantly enhance their ability to resist corruption and prevent degeneration, so that they can稳舵 (wěn duò - "steady the rudder," steer firmly) and not迷航 (mí háng - "lost at sea," lose one's way) in the face of various tests, so that the original intention does not fade and the mission is always on the shoulder, and truly let the party rest assured and the people satisfied.

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Prospering Through Green Transformation: Synergistically Promoting Carbon Reduction, Pollution Control, Green Expansion, and Growth (High-Quality Development Stories, Episode 10)

By: 本期主讲人：生态环境部部长 黄润秋

China's modernization is a modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. Since the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has united and led the people of the whole country, while continuing to write new chapters in the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability that are rare in the world, it has also created ecological miracles and green development miracles that have attracted worldwide attention. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee emphasized the coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth. This is not only a major strategic deployment, but also an important part of China's governance in ecological civilization construction in the new era.

Major innovative achievements of Xi Jinping (习近平)'s thought on ecological civilization.

High-quality development is the primary task of building a socialist modern country in all respects, and promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of economic and social development is a key link in achieving high-quality development. Coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth is not only a summary and sublimation of practical experience, but also an accurate grasp of the new situation of ecological civilization construction, and a long-term plan based on the overall development situation, which contains profound truths, theories, and philosophies, and innovatively develops Xi Jinping (习近平)'s thought on ecological civilization from the perspectives of epistemology, practice, and methodology.

An innovative expression of correctly handling the relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection. Handling the relationship between development and protection is not only a global problem, but also an eternal topic. At present, China's economy has entered a stage of high-quality development. On the basis of continuous improvement in the quality of the ecological environment, the importance and urgency of carbon reduction have become more prominent. The Party Central Committee has proposed the "dual carbon" goal, which is a major strategic decision made by coordinating the domestic and international situations. Coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth is an inevitable requirement of adhering to problem orientation.

Practical requirements for achieving the goal of building a beautiful China. Carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth are a strict logical system. Carbon reduction can reduce pollutant emissions from the source, pollution reduction can improve the quality and stability of the ecosystem, green expansion can improve carbon sink capacity and expand environmental capacity, and green growth is both a goal and a means. In terms of content, they respectively correspond to climate change response, pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, and green transformation. In terms of methods, carbon reduction and pollution reduction are doing subtraction, while green expansion and growth are doing addition. Coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth is to coordinate industrial structure adjustment, pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response, promote ecological priority, conservation and intensive use, and green and low-carbon development. This is a practical deepening of the strategic deployment to comprehensively promote the construction of a beautiful China on the new journey.

Great achievements have been made in the coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, and under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平)'s thought on ecological civilization, new steps have been taken in the construction of a beautiful China, high-quality development and high-level protection have become more mutually reinforcing, the sky is bluer, the mountains are greener, and the water is clearer, and the vast land is more colorful.

Historical achievements have been made in ecological and environmental protection. The battle against pollution has been advanced in depth, environmental governance has achieved remarkable results, and the blue sky, white clouds, clear water, and green banks around the people have significantly increased. The national air quality has steadily improved, heavily polluted weather has significantly decreased, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities at the prefecture level and above has decreased from 46 micrograms/cubic meter in 2015 to 29.3 micrograms/cubic meter in 2024, and the proportion of days with good air quality has reached 87.2%, making it the country with the fastest improvement in air quality in the world. The proportion of sections of national surface water with excellent water quality is 90.4%, exceeding 90% for the first time, an increase of 28.8 percentage points compared with 2012, achieving "nine consecutive rises" since the "13th Five-Year Plan," and the proportion of excellent water quality in nearshore sea areas is 83.7%. Black and odorous water bodies in cities at the prefecture level and above have been basically eliminated.

Remarkable results have been achieved in the green transformation of economic and social development. The pace of industrial structure optimization and upgrading has accelerated, and the green background of high-quality development has become more distinct. Since the new era, China has supported an average annual economic growth of more than 6.1% with an average annual energy consumption growth rate of 3.3%, becoming one of the countries with the fastest decline in energy consumption intensity in the world. Actively and steadily promote carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, accelerate the implementation of fiscal, taxation, financial, investment, price policies and standard systems that support green and low-carbon development, and promote the establishment of a new mechanism for the comprehensive transformation of energy consumption dual control to carbon emission dual control. The industrial structure has been continuously adjusted, and the world's largest clean coal power supply and steel production system has been built. The energy structure has been continuously optimized. As of 2024, the proportion of clean energy consumption in China's total energy consumption has increased to 28.6%, the proportion of coal in energy consumption has decreased to 53.2%, the newly installed capacity of renewable energy accounts for 86% of the country's newly installed power capacity, exceeding half of the world's newly installed capacity, and the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power, solar power, and biomass power generation all rank first in the world. Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP have cumulatively decreased by more than 35%, reversing the rapid growth trend of carbon dioxide emissions. China's production and sales of new energy vehicles account for more than 70% of the world's total, ranking first in the world for 10 consecutive years. Green and low-carbon lifestyles are gradually becoming a trend, injecting lasting green momentum into economic and social development.

The value of the concept that green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains continues to be highlighted. Twenty years since the "Two Mountains" theory was proposed, the channels for transforming ecological advantages into development advantages have been continuously broadened. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has established a natural reserve system with national parks as the main body, and established the first batch of 5 national parks such as Sanjiangyuan (三江源), and built the first national botanical garden. As of 2024, the area of national terrestrial ecological protection red lines accounts for more than 30% of the national terrestrial land area, the forest coverage rate exceeds 25%, and the forest stock volume exceeds 20 billion cubic meters, making it the country with the largest and fastest growth in forest resources and the largest area of artificial afforestation. Improve the horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanism, promote various regions to explore and form transformation paths such as guarding green for gold, adding green for gold, turning green into gold, and borrowing green to generate gold, as well as practical models such as ecological markets and ecological tourism, and build 7 batches of 572 ecological civilization construction demonstration zones and 240 "green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains" practice and innovation bases, so that a good ecological environment can release unlimited economic value.

Unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority, conservation and intensive use, and green and low-carbon high-quality development.

On the new journey, to coordinate the promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, we must firmly grasp the primary task of high-quality development, give full play to the leading optimization and reverse forcing role of ecological and environmental protection, coordinate high-quality development and high-level protection, unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority, conservation and intensive use, and green and low-carbon high-quality development, and achieve a virtuous interaction and mutual reinforcement of high-level protection, high-quality environment, and high-quality development, and accelerate the construction of a beautiful China where humanity and nature coexist in harmony.

Adhere to taking the construction of a beautiful China as the overall command. It is necessary to improve the "1+1+N" implementation system for the construction of a beautiful China, actively promote the construction of pilot zones for a beautiful China, systematically strengthen the ecological and environmental protection work of regional coordinated development strategies and major regional strategies, and promote the implementation of responsibilities for the construction of a beautiful China.

Adhere to taking the synergistic efficiency of pollution reduction and carbon reduction as the general grasp. Pay more attention to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and law-based pollution control, strengthen source governance, systematic governance, and comprehensive governance, deeply promote environmental pollution prevention and control, and accelerate the adjustment and optimization of industrial structure, energy structure, and transportation structure. It is necessary to strengthen target coordination, multi-pollutant control coordination, departmental coordination, regional coordination, and policy coordination, accelerate the construction of a dual control system for carbon emissions, and promote the integration of carbon reduction and pollution reduction systems. Continue to promote multi-field and multi-level synergistic innovation in pollution reduction and carbon reduction, deepen the synergistic innovation pilot of pollution reduction and carbon reduction in cities and industrial parks, and accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of key industries.

Adhere to taking the promotion of the transformation of green mountains and clear waters into golden mountains and silver mountains as the focus. It is necessary to adhere to the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, vigorously promote ecological industrialization and industrial ecology, cultivate and strengthen green productivity in accordance with local conditions, promote the effective improvement of quality and the rational growth of quantity in green transformation, and coordinate the promotion of people's prosperity, national strength, and a beautiful China. Deeply implement ecological environment zoning control and differentiated control, strictly control the environmental assessment access, provide a green benchmark for optimizing the layout of productive forces and adjusting the industrial structure from the source, strengthen the guidance on the layout of key industries, and resolutely curb the blind launch of high-energy-consuming, high-emission, and low-level projects. Give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of resource and environmental factors, accelerate the improvement of the market-oriented allocation system of resource and environmental factors such as pollution discharge rights, carbon emission rights, water use rights, and energy use rights, and activate the resource and environmental rights market. Deeply promote the practice and innovation of green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains, the realization of ecological product value, and the ecological environment-oriented development model, and continuously broaden the path of transforming green mountains and clear waters into golden mountains and silver mountains.

(Compiled by Ouyang Yijia (欧阳易佳), reporter of People's Daily Online)

Case 1

How is "Green" Steel Made?

Narrator: Yang Rongli (杨荣力), Minister of Environmental Protection Department, Shougang Co., Ltd. Qian'an Iron and Steel Company

When it comes to steel plants, people often think of scenes of smoke billowing. Today, walking into the Shougang Co., Ltd. plant area, the roads are clean, the green plants are lush, and the sky is blue, as if you are in a modern ecological park.

We are a steel company that has passed the ultra-low emission assessment and monitoring, and has achieved ultra-low emissions throughout the entire process. This "green" transcript stems from the systematic transformation and practice of unswervingly following the path of green development.

To achieve ultra-low emissions, the key is to play a "combination punch." Strictly prevent at the source, we strictly control the entry of harmful elements into the furnace, and promote front-end technologies such as blast furnace gas purification and coke oven gas deep desulfurization; strictly manage the process, apply flue gas purification technology to key processes, and unorganized emissions such as dust in the production process are difficult to capture, we installed "sharp eyes" on 3117 unorganized emission points for intelligent detection and precise treatment; strictly control at the end, railways play the leading role, material sheds "wear clothes," and dust removal ash "go through pipelines," weaving a tight logistics "protective net."

Driven by innovation, blast furnaces can also quench "green kinetic energy." Due to excellent green parameters, we have become a high-quality supplier for many well-known car companies. The tangible ecological benefits are also integrated into the lives of surrounding people: "After washing the car, it is no longer dusty, the quilts are fresh and clean, and the fruits and vegetables at the doorstep can be eaten with confidence..." The blue sky and white clouds visible when you look up reflect the "green" steelmaking record of Shougang Co., Ltd., which is the moving background of high-quality development.

(Compiled by Liu Yang (刘阳) and Xia Xiaolun (夏晓伦), reporters of People's Daily Online)

Case 2

How Can the Taipu River Be So Clear?

Narrator: Shen Xiaohua (沈晓华), Party Branch Secretary of Fenhuwan Village, Lili Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province

The Taipu River is one of the largest artificial rivers in the Taihu Lake Basin. The three villages of Fenhuwan Village, Xinchi Village, and Hubin Village next to the river belong to Wujiang District of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Qingpu District of Shanghai, and Jiashan County of Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, respectively. The sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard from each other, and the water systems converge. Standing on the bank of the river, you can see the clear river flowing eastward, birds flying happily, and the greenway stretching.

This river used to worry us. In the 1990s, many enterprises and workshops were built along the coast, the river was polluted, water hyacinths grew wildly every year, and cross-provincial cleaning often caused conflicts.

The turning point came in 2018. The integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta was elevated to a national strategy. Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang jointly managed the Taipu River, and demolished polluting enterprises and workshops within 11 months, and vacated 68 mu of land along the coast. Shen Jianchun (沈建春) from Hubin Village, Chi Jianfang (池建芳) from Xinchi Village, and I became "river chief partners."

Some people worry that governance will affect development. I calculated an account: After cleaning up the polluting enterprises along the coast, the village collective income increased by two or three times; the enterprises that were relocated also appreciated the compensation policy of that year, and they either transformed into new technologies or invested in other industries, and achieved better development.

Now the three of us love to patrol the river the most. Seeing water hyacinths blocking the river, we immediately divided the work, and with a call in the WeChat group, the cleaning teams from the three places immediately coordinated their actions. The relationship between the villagers is closer, and the feeling of being a family in the Yangtze River Delta is getting stronger and stronger!

More than 200 enterprises have entered the park, and villagers "see green when they go out, see the river when they open the window, and find employment at their doorstep." The Taipu River has become our "happy river."

(Compiled by Ouyang Yijia (欧阳易佳) and Tang Jia (唐佳), reporters of People's Daily Online)

Case 3

Being a Good "Dad" to Tibetan Antelopes

Narrator: Caiwenduojie (才文多杰), staff member of Sonam Dargye Protection Station, Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration

At the source of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River, in the Hoh Xil of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, there is a group of people silently guarding this pure land. I am one of them. Here, I have a vast and boundless "office" - the snowy wilderness; and also "children" that I devote my efforts to protect - Tibetan antelopes.

Every summer, tens of thousands of Tibetan antelopes travel hundreds of kilometers to the Zhuonai Lake in the hinterland of Hoh Xil to reproduce. Some newborn Tibetan antelope calves are lost from their mothers in the chaos and danger, becoming helpless "loners" in the vast wilderness.

On the shore of Zhuonai Lake, I once found a small Tibetan antelope curled up behind a rock, frozen and almost unable to stand. It was so small, like a ball of fluff that could be blown away at any time. I took it back to the wildlife rescue center of the Sonam Dargye Protection Station. The 550-mu "Tibetan Antelope Kindergarten" surrounded by fences is a temporary haven for these "loners."

In the "Tibetan Antelope Kindergarten," the first task every day is to "roll call" - to confirm that the rescued small Tibetan antelopes are safe and sound. Then check the feces, feed special milk, and clean the fences. Slightly larger small Tibetan antelopes also need to undergo wild training to facilitate a successful return to nature.

Decades ago, poaching left only less than 20,000 Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil. With the full protection of the management department and the help of the whole society, the number of Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil has now exceeded 70,000. Groups of Tibetan antelopes run freely on the snowfield, and that vigorous figure is the most beautiful picture of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

(Compiled by Li Tong (李彤) and Ouyang Yijia (欧阳易佳), reporters of People's Daily Online)

Case 4

Unlimited "Scenery" in the Desert

Narrator: Zhao Chunyu (赵春雨), member of the Party Committee and Deputy Mayor of Ordos City People's Government, Inner Mongolia

On the grassland of Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, a picture of energy transformation is unfolding: the continuous photovoltaic panels shine brightly in the sun, and the white wind turbines in the distance turn leisurely.

As an important national energy base, Ordos has explored a characteristic path in the process of energy transformation and upgrading - riding the "wind" and going up, chasing the "light," supporting with "zero" carbon, and loading with "hydrogen"... New energy industry clusters are accelerating their formation.

In the Kubuqi Desert, the seventh largest desert in China, the past was full of wind and sand, but today there is unlimited "scenery." Relying on the implementation of sand prevention and control and wind power photovoltaic integration projects, Ordos has vigorously promoted photovoltaic sand control, the first batch of national large-scale wind power photovoltaic bases have been built and connected to the grid, and two 10-million-kilowatt "sand, Gobi, and desert" large bases are accelerating construction. It is estimated that by 2030, the installed capacity of new energy in Ordos will exceed 100 million kilowatts.

In the Dalate Banner Photovoltaic Power Generation Application Leading Base in Ordos, power generation on the panels and restoration under the panels, this blue ocean not only changes the appearance of the desert, but also brings a continuous stream of ecological, economic, and social benefits.

Local herders said: "In the past, we chased water and grass for grazing, but now we chase the scenery to generate electricity." This photovoltaic sea will be like a steed, moving forward and continuously transmitting green energy and hope. In the future, more stories of "deserts turning into blue oceans" will be written on this land.

(Compiled by Ouyang Yijia (欧阳易佳) and Du Yanfei (杜燕飞), reporters of People's Daily Online)

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Lü Zhongzheng, Wu Yan, Wang Donghui

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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Mine Pit "Grows" Urban Park (Hometown's Scenery Can Generate Wealth)

By: 本报记者 白光迪

Core Reading

Tangshan (汤山) Mountain in Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏) Province, was once damaged due to long-term quarrying. In recent years, Jiangning District (江宁区), Nanjing (南京), has carried out ecological restoration, building urban parks on the quarry pits and developing rich consumer formats, achieving a win-win situation for both ecological and economic benefits.

From satellite cloud images, five exposed quarry pits are clearly visible on the southern foot of Tangshan (汤山) Mountain in Jiangning District (江宁区), Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏) Province. The Tangshan Quarry Park (汤山矿坑公园) is located among the grayish-white rocks.

Nanjing Tangshan (南京汤山) has a long history of quarrying, with approximately 430,000 square meters of ancient quarry sites still existing. During the peak of quarrying, there were 56 quarrying enterprises in the surrounding area. Long-term quarrying caused damage to mountain vegetation and water pollution. In 2004, the quarries were completely shut down, but the damage caused was difficult to recover. In the 10 years after the closure, the mining area was overgrown with weeds and covered with slag. Problems such as rockfalls from cliffs and sewage in the mining pits still existed.

The change occurred in 2017. Nanjing Tangshan Hot Spring Tourism Resort (南京汤山温泉旅游度假区) officially launched the planning, design, and ecological restoration of Tangshan Quarry Park (汤山矿坑公园), kicking off a transformation.

Precise Construction, Promoting Ecological Restoration with Systemic Thinking

In the past, mountain ecological restoration often required large-angle slope cutting, soil filling, and spraying grass seeds. "Although this method can achieve greening to a large extent, the project cost is too high, and there is a risk of damaging the geology," said Bu Kaijie (卜凯捷), Deputy Chief of the Geological and Ecological Section of the Jiangning Branch (江宁分局) of the Nanjing Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau (南京市规划和自然资源局). The Tangshan Quarry Park (汤山矿坑公园) project ultimately decided to design and construct with a precise "surgical" approach, focusing on strengthening and stabilizing the cliff structure without making large-scale modifications to the mountain.

"We completed 40,000 cubic meters of slope cutting in some areas to ensure the stability of the main structure of the mountain," Bu Kaijie (卜凯捷) said, using an analogy, "If we compare restoring the mountain to an operation, slope cutting is like cutting off the necrotic tissue."

Getting closer to the quarry pit, you can see anchor rods in the middle of the mountain. These anchor rods reinforce the surrounding rock within a certain area, making the entire structure more stable and reliable. "We also use grouting backfilling to inject cement slurry, chemical slurry, etc., into the gaps, holes, or loose layers through pressure to improve the overall strength and stability of the rock mass," said Bu Kaijie (卜凯捷).

Due to years of quarrying, the soil in the mining area has become compacted, with a large amount of slag and rock mixed in, which is not conducive to plant growth. "We used soil removal and terrain reshaping to remove 150,000 cubic meters of slag and 120,000 cubic meters of earth and stone, raising the average height of the quarry area by 1.5 meters to improve the soil environment," said Wang Zenghui (王增辉), Chief of the Planning and Resources Section of the Tangshan Resort (汤山度假区).

Water is also an important part of the ecological restoration of the quarry pit. "The project has constructed facilities such as lake bodies at the bottom of the quarry pits, ecological grass ditches, rainwater gardens, artificial wetlands, and ecological detention ponds, implementing a full-chain closed-loop management from the source, path, and end," Wang Zenghui (王增辉) introduced. While beautifying the landscape, the park has built a relatively complete system for water source conservation and natural water purification.

In addition, grass stacks made of gravel and fallen leaves are occasionally seen in the park, filled with soil mixed with native plant seeds. "This is built to restore biodiversity in the mining pit, which not only adds natural elements to the park but also provides food and shelter for animals," Wang Zenghui (王增辉) told reporters. Currently, several national second-class protected animals can be observed in the park.

Scientific Development, Building Urban Parks Combining Quarry Pit Characteristics

Before the start of ecological restoration, the Tangshan Resort (汤山度假区) established an expert team for the planning, design, and ecological restoration project of the Quarry Park (矿坑公园). After multiple communications and studies, the area was finally positioned as an open and shared citizen park, an urban park with scene tension, a dynamic park with innovative experiences, and a characteristic quarry experience park with mountains as the backdrop.

"While carrying out ecological restoration, we have increased commercial supporting content such as science and education entertainment, hot spring experiences, and parent-child activities," said Rui Peng (芮鹏), the operations manager of the Quarry Park (矿坑公园). The park has now introduced restaurants, cafes, bookstores, and other business formats, and has also built facilities such as the Kuangye Shiqu (矿野拾趣) non-powered amusement park, the Da'ao (大凹) Theater, and a camping base.

The Kuangye Shiqu (矿野拾趣) amusement park in the central area of the park was originally an area where the quarry piled up waste materials. "Based on the site conditions, after restoring the hydrological ecology and reinforcing the hillside, we combined slides, trampolines, and other facilities, combined with mining cultural elements, to form a leisure place with distinctive quarry characteristics," said Rui Peng (芮鹏).

In fact, the Quarry Park (矿坑公园) has come into contact with many projects with high economic returns. In the second year of opening, a company engaged in rock climbing sports found the park, hoping to build a large-scale rock climbing sports experience project on the southwest side of the No. 3 quarry pit Da'ao (大凹) Theater, and proposed considerable investment conditions.

"The project proposed to add a large number of external force components to the mountain, however, changing the stress structure of the rock mass would affect the stability of the rock mass, so we decisively rejected it," Rui Peng (芮鹏) recalled. Facing economic benefits, the Quarry Park (矿坑公园) has never wavered in its commitment to ecological priority. "The specific commercial project selection of the Quarry Park (矿坑公园) must meet the specific requirements of ecological and environmental friendliness."

Creating rich consumer formats, with equal emphasis on ecological and economic benefits. Since its opening in 2019, the Quarry Park (矿坑公园) has received more than 6 million visitors. Among them, the total revenue of consumer projects such as non-powered amusement parks, go-karts, mountain camping, and catering in 2024 was approximately 16 million yuan, providing more than 300 jobs.

Cultural Preservation, Strengthening Geological Science Popularization and Retaining Historical Imprints

"Old friend, I'm here to see you again," said 79-year-old Zhang Kefa (张克发), leaning against the mountain of Quarry Pit No. 1 and stroking the grayish-white rock mass.

Zhang Kefa (张克发) used to be a quarry worker. "I used to think that only stones were valuable, but now I find that ecology is valuable." Zhang Kefa (张克发) introduced the park's facilities one by one, and a group of elementary school students holding geological science popularization manuals walked past him.

"The Quarry Park (矿坑公园) has become one of the top ten research bases in Jiangning District (江宁区). Children can learn about geological movements and fossil formation in the park," said Ji Shujing (嵇书静), Deputy Director of the Jiangning District (江宁区) All-Area Tourism Service Center.

Bookstores transformed from old brick kilns, sky corridors spiraling up made of weathering steel plates, curved weathering steel pipe-shaped street lights, rock-shaped ground lights... "We hope to present the historical imprint of urban industrialization in various forms," said Qi Lin (祁林), Director of the Tangshan Resort Management Office (汤山度假区管理办公室).

The increasingly better ecological environment has driven many locals to return to their hometowns to start businesses. In 2019, citizen Li Yun (李云) resigned from her job in downtown Nanjing (南京) and returned to her hometown to open a local restaurant.

"Braised sea miscellaneous fish and chrysanthemum leaf egg soup are here!" In the evening, Li Yun (李云) was busy in the store, and customers were talking about the interesting things in the Quarry Park (矿坑公园); in the distance, a movie was being screened in the Da'ao (大凹) Theater, and the lighting effects were very cool... The Quarry Park (矿坑公园) is constantly improving in its construction, and the story of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature continues.

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Practicing the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," advancing Chinese-style modernization with new energy productive forces.

By: 辛保安

On August 15, 2005, Xi Jinping (习近平), then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, proposed the "Two Mountains" theory of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" during an inspection and research visit to Yucun Village (余村) in Anji (安吉), Zhejiang Province (浙江省). This concept profoundly elucidated the relationship between economic development and ecological environmental protection. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "Two Mountains" theory. As a strategic and foundational industry of the national economy, the energy and power sector must deeply study and comprehend the profound meaning of the "Two Mountains" theory, accelerate the construction of a new energy system, vigorously develop new quality productive forces, and make new contributions to realizing a Chinese-style modernization where humanity and nature coexist harmoniously.

I. The "Two Mountains" Theory Provides Scientific Guidance for Advancing Chinese-Style Modernization

The "Two Mountains" theory is a vivid embodiment of the Sinicization of Marxism in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "High-quality development and high-level protection complement each other and reinforce each other." Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, embodying the dialectical materialism of the unity of opposites. Lucid waters and lush mountains are both ecological and economic wealth. The "Two Mountains" theory embodies a people-centered development philosophy, is in line with the Chinese nation's historical tradition of respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature, and is an inheritance and innovation of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.

The "Two Mountains" theory is the value principle for high-quality economic and social development. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "It is necessary to fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, maintain strategic focus, and plan economic and social development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature." On the one hand, by accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society, we will change the "high pollution, high consumption, and high emission" development mode, so that development will no longer be at the expense of the ecological environment; on the other hand, a beautiful ecological environment can create huge economic value, shape new development momentum and new advantages, and provide strong support for high-quality development.

The "Two Mountains" theory provides public goods with Chinese wisdom for global development. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Protecting the ecological environment and addressing climate change requires all countries in the world to work together in the same boat." The "Two Mountains" theory advocates building a community of life, taking a new path of ecological priority and green development in practice, and not taking the old path of pollution first and treatment later, providing a new path choice for countries to coordinate economic development and environmental governance.

II. The Green Transformation of Energy Plays a Key Role in Building a High-Quality Ecological Environment and Promoting High-Quality Development

Energy is an important material foundation for economic and social development. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have consumed large amounts of fossil energy and emitted greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, causing increasingly serious climate change problems. In 2024, global energy-related carbon emissions reached 37.8 billion tons, accounting for more than 85% of global carbon emissions. Methane produced by the development and utilization of fossil energy accounts for 1/3 of human activity methane emissions. At the same time, various pollutants generated by fossil energy consumption damage ecosystems such as the atmosphere, freshwater, soil, and oceans. For example, more than 85% of global air pollutants come from fossil energy combustion and the inefficient use of some biomass energy. From China's perspective, carbon dioxide emissions mainly come from electricity, industry, transportation, and other fields, of which electricity carbon emissions account for about 40%. The exploitation and utilization of coal, oil, and natural gas have exacerbated the fragility of China's ecological environment.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Ecological and environmental problems are ultimately problems of development and lifestyle." To achieve high-quality development, we must change the energy development mode, promote the transformation of the main energy source from fossil energy to clean energy, and achieve green and low-carbon development.

First, take the "Two Mountains" theory as the guide. Take the carrying capacity of resources and environment as the premise and foundation, coordinate energy resource development and ecological protection, synergistically promote carbon reduction and pollution reduction in all links of production and consumption, deeply explore the ecological value, economic value, and social value of green energy, and explore new paths for transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets.

Second, take the construction of a new energy system as the direction. Energy production should actively develop clean energy such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower, reliably replace fossil energy power generation, and achieve clean production; energy consumption should vigorously promote the replacement of direct combustion of fossil energy with electric energy, replacing coal with electricity, replacing oil with electricity, and replacing gas with electricity, to achieve consumption electrification; energy allocation should strengthen power grid interconnection, empower the power grid with digitalization and intelligence, and achieve wide-area optimal allocation of clean energy.

Third, take the development of new quality productive forces as the support. Green development is the background color of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces. Taking innovation as the driving force for developing new quality productive forces is an inevitable requirement for accelerating energy transformation. It is necessary to promote comprehensive innovation in energy technology, industry, policy, mechanism, and model, substantially improve the total factor productivity of energy, and empower and enhance the efficiency of the construction of a new energy system.

III. Practicing the "Two Mountains" Theory, China's Energy Green and Low-Carbon Development Has Made Great Achievements

First, clean energy has developed rapidly. In the past 20 years, the proportion of clean energy in China's primary energy consumption has increased from 7.4% to 19.7%, and the proportion of clean energy power generation has increased from 18.2% to 36.8%. As of June this year, the total installed power generation capacity in the country was 3.65 billion kilowatts, and the installed clean energy capacity accounted for more than 60%, an increase of 37 percentage points compared with 2005.

Second, carbon reduction and pollution reduction have achieved remarkable results. In 2023, the national carbon emissions per unit of power generation decreased by 37% compared with 2005, and cumulative power carbon emissions decreased by more than 28 billion tons from 2006 to 2023. The emission intensity of pollutants from thermal power has decreased by more than 95% compared with 10 years ago, promoting a decrease of more than 50% in the national average PM2.5 concentration, effectively protecting the beautiful blue sky of the motherland.

Third, development and protection are promoted in coordination. While changing the energy development mode, we actively explore innovative measures for ecological protection. The Shennongjia Forest Area (神农架林区) in Hubei (湖北) has built a "photovoltaic storage integrated microgrid" to provide green electricity for the breeding of golden monkeys; "life bird nests" have been built on the Three-River-Source (三江源) power transmission towers for birds; the 500,000-kilowatt photovoltaic project in Liaoning (辽宁) "locks sand with light" to achieve effective desertification control; hydropower in the Yangtze River Basin (长江流域) is protected during development, rebuilding homes for rare animals and plants. These cases have been included in the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization's "Energy Transition to Promote Biodiversity Conservation List" and have been highly praised by the international community.

Fourth, technological innovation has made rapid progress. Ultra-supercritical coal power and million-kilowatt hydropower technology lead the world, the efficiency of crystalline silicon-perovskite photovoltaic cells has exceeded 34.8%, and the single-unit capacity of offshore wind power has reached 26 megawatts. The world's first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor fourth-generation nuclear power plant and the first 35 kV kilometer-level superconducting power transmission demonstration project have been built. As of June this year, 45 UHV AC and DC projects have been put into operation, with a cross-provincial and cross-regional power transmission capacity of more than 400 million kilowatts, and smart grid technology ranks among the world's top.

Fifth, the policy mechanism has been continuously improved. Deepen the reform of key areas and key links, promulgate and implement the Energy Law, and continuously formulate five-year plans for energy development. Build a unified national electricity market and the world's largest carbon market. In 2024, 6.2 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity were traded in the market, more than 230 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity were traded, and 450 million green certificates were traded.

IV. Accelerate the Development of New Quality Productive Forces in Energy to Help Achieve a Modernization in Which Humans and Nature Coexist Harmoniously

At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and international competition in green technology and industry is becoming increasingly fierce. China's energy development still faces many challenges, the problem of environmental pollution has not been fundamentally solved, and the task of achieving the "dual carbon" goal is arduous. With the accelerated construction of a new power system, the pressure of power supply security and transformation has increased sharply, and many fields have entered the "no man's land." It is urgent to do a good job in innovation, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces in energy, and build a solid green foundation for Chinese-style modernization.

First, vigorously promote technological innovation. Facing the major needs of the construction of a new energy system, break through key core technologies such as high-efficiency photovoltaic cells, small modular reactors, new energy storage, carbon capture utilization and storage, and complex power grid operation control. Promote the deep integration and application of technologies such as digital intelligence perception, quantum communication, artificial intelligence, and embodied intelligence with energy and power.

Second, continue to promote industrial innovation. Use breakthroughs in key core technologies to create strategic emerging industries and future industries in energy and power, strengthen collaboration between upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, cultivate new formats and new models of energy and the digital economy, and build a green and intelligent new energy industry system.

Third, accelerate the innovation of development methods. Vigorously promote the development and utilization of new energy, and steadily and reliably replace fossil energy power generation. It is estimated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will add an average of 200 million to 300 million kilowatts of wind and solar power generation annually. Accelerate the electrification of energy consumption, deeply explore the potential of electricity substitution in industry, transportation, construction, agriculture, and other fields, and further improve the level of electrification of the entire society.

Fourth, deeply promote institutional innovation. Establish an energy innovation system led by national strategic scientific and technological forces, with enterprises as the main body and the market as the orientation. Optimize scientific research organization models such as "seeking talents by posting a list," improve evaluation and incentive mechanisms, and allow more outstanding talents and innovative achievements to stand out. Steadily promote market-oriented reforms, continuously improve market rules and trading mechanisms, and form a green and efficient energy market system.

Fifth, comprehensively deepen international cooperation. Participate in global energy governance, promote agenda setting, contribute Chinese solutions, and continuously enhance China's voice in global energy governance. Facing the energy transition needs of developing countries, carry out cooperation in new energy, energy storage, power grids, hydrogen energy, and other fields to promote Chinese enterprises to better "go global." Relying on international organization platforms, actively carry out the formulation of international standards for energy and power, and use international standards as a carrier to promote Chinese technology to the world.

(The author is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (全国政协) on Environment and Resources and Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization)

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Photo Report

On August 16th, in Lushan City (庐山市), Jiujiang (九江), Jiangxi (江西) province, cargo ships shuttled back and forth on Poyang Lake (鄱阳湖), creating a busy scene.

Photo by Shen Jiapeng (沈嘉鹏) (People's Vision)

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Electronic Navigation Chart of Beijing Section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Completed

This newspaper's Tianjin (天津) August 17th dispatch (Reporter Jin Bo (靳博)) - This reporter learned from the Beihai Navigation Security Center (北海航海保障中心) of the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部): The center recently completed the task of surveying and charting the Beijing (北京) section of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河) and successfully produced the electronic navigational chart of the Beijing (北京) section of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河).

In June 2021, the Beijing (北京) section of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河) achieved full tourist navigation, and the increase in vessel traffic and changes in channel conditions have made the demand for inland waterway traffic safety service guarantees more urgent.

Entrusted by the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission (北京市交通委员会), in November 2024, the Beihai Navigation Security Center (北海航海保障中心) of the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部) organized the Tianjin Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center (天津海事测绘中心) to use advanced multi-beam echo sounding systems, Beidou (北斗) receivers and other professional equipment to conduct full-coverage, high-density scanning of approximately 40 kilometers of the Beijing (北京) section of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河).

Through scanning, the Beihai Navigation Security Center (北海航海保障中心) of the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部) accurately captured the underwater topographic panorama of the Beijing (北京) section of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河), measured the channel water depth distribution in detail, and produced a precise underwater topographic map; located underwater obstructions to navigation, and identified the location and shape of potential hazards such as reefs, sunken ships, and shallow spots; surveyed and mapped the shoreline bridges, and collected spatial information on key navigation facilities such as the topography of both banks, wharves, bridges, and sluice gates.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Zhang Ye, Yang Xiaoyu, Ren Tongtong

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Highlights from the World's First Humanoid Robot Olympics (New Era in Pictures)

From August 14th to 17th, the world's first comprehensive competition with humanoid robots as the main participants, the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, was held at the National Speed Skating Oval ("Ice Ribbon") (国家速滑馆（“冰丝带”）) in Beijing (北京). The Games were jointly hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government (北京市政府), China Media Group (中央广播电视总台), the World Robot Cooperation Organization (世界机器人合作组织), and the Asia-Pacific Robot World Cup International Council (亚太机器人世界杯国际理事会). Over 500 robot athletes from 280 teams across 16 countries and regions participated, staging a technological feast themed "Intelligent Competition Towards the Future."

Humanoid robots competed in 26 events, including competitive events like the 100-meter dash, high jump, and 5V5 soccer, performance events like group dance and free gymnastics, scenario events like hotel and hospital scenarios, and peripheral events like free combat and table tennis. With a height of 95.641 centimeters, the humanoid robot Xingdong L7 (星动L7) won the gold medal in the high jump; with a time of 33.71 seconds, the Unitree G1 (宇树G1) humanoid robot won the 100-meter obstacle race; and with full autonomous control, the 5V5 soccer game ignited the atmosphere. Striving with all their might, challenging limits, and surpassing themselves, the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together" was embodied by the robot athletes.

Beyond the competitive matches, there was also the integration of technology, culture, and life. At the opening ceremony, opera robots sang "Mu Guiying Takes Command" (穆桂英挂帅) with young actors; in the group dance competition, the Beijing Dance Academy (北京舞蹈学院) and the Hubei Guanggudong Zhilian Team (湖北光谷东智联队) performed "Qin Terracotta Army Soul" (秦俑魂); and at the robot camp beside the venue, people took photos with adorable pet robots and enjoyed coffee prepared by robots, filling the air with laughter.

The arena pulsed with youth and depicted the future. At this Games, the average age of the team engineers was 26, with the youngest being only 14. A total of 192 teams from 70 schools qualified to participate, including 3 middle school teams. As one participating student said, "Participation is success, and every fall and rise is a valuable experience."

Innovation knows no bounds, and exploration never stops. Over the course of a few days, people witnessed not only 487 events but also the latest achievements in robotics technology. This Games will become another spark, igniting a new journey towards "Intelligent Competition Towards the Future."

(Reported by Wang Haonan (王昊男), this newspaper's reporter)

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This edition's editors: Liu Nian, Guo Yue, Shang Rongzheng

Layout Design Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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Transformation Stories of Three Industrial Workers (On the Front Lines of People's Livelihood)

By: 本报记者  付明丽

China is accelerating the technological transformation of its traditional industries, while emerging and future industries are continuously growing. The deep integration of high-end, intelligent, and green technologies is accelerating, bringing new opportunities for the professional development of industrial workers.

Shanxi Huaxiang Group Co., Ltd. (山西华翔集团股份有限公司) is a private enterprise in the equipment manufacturing field, headquartered in Linfen City (临汾市), Shanxi Province (山西省). Since 2018, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) has changed its extensive management model, introduced a lean management system, and directly collected data from more than 3,000 equipment units in the production workshop at the millisecond level, realizing full-process digital management. According to calculations, the average output per person has increased by 30%, and the number of employees in the machining production line with the largest reduction has decreased by 90%.

Where did the workers reduced from the production line go? While enterprises are transforming, how do laborers transform? The reporter walked into the Huaxiang (Hongtong) Intelligent Technology Industrial Park (华翔（洪洞）智能科技产业园) of Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) to explore the transformation path of industrial workers behind the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing.

Engineer Born in the 1960s

From Doubt to Recognition, Learning to Apply New Technologies

In the past two months, Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰), Deputy Minister of the Technology Department and Engineer of the Heavy Industry Division of Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团), has been leading the team to design a V-method casting mold.

Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰), born in the 1960s, joined Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) in 2001 and has focused on V-method casting technology research and product development. Over the past 20 years, Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) has witnessed Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) gradually complete the transformation and upgrading of mechanization, automation, digitization, and intelligence, and his working methods have also changed accordingly.

"At the beginning, drawings were drawn manually, and a set of system drawings took a month to draw. Later, there were two-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling software. Now, after a drawing task is broken down, everyone uses the online system to collaborate, optimizes process design through simulation software, reduces trial and error costs, and improves efficiency a lot," Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) introduced.

When the digital intelligence platform was first promoted, many people questioned it, and Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) was not optimistic either: "Many years of work habits cannot be changed all at once, and a lot of software has to be installed. I'm just afraid it's a **花架子** (huā jià zi - "flower rack," something showy but impractical)."

Data does not lie. In the second year of operation of the digital intelligence system, the group's benefits achieved double-digit growth, and have basically maintained a growth trend in the following years. Guo Lingbing's (郭凌冰) understanding has also changed accordingly.

At the beginning of the year, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) realized the connection and implantation of the production system and artificial intelligence. Based on the massive data of digital intelligence for 7 years, it realized artificial intelligence analysis and early warning, and provided decision-making suggestions.

Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) said: "In the past, if I didn't understand something, I would ask experienced masters, or find answers in books. Now, artificial intelligence can also provide references."

Now, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) is planning an intelligent upgrade 2.0 strategy to realize the upgrade of artificial intelligence from "tool" to "decision-making partner." Relevant负责人 (fù zé rén - person in charge) of Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) said that the key to supporting the operation of the digital intelligence system is every employee, and a symbiotic mechanism between talents and the system must be established to comprehensively improve the digital skills of employees.

In this process, Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) also has a deeper understanding of the industry. "As an engineer, I used to pay more attention to the casting technology itself. Now I have to learn systematic thinking, improve cross-departmental collaboration capabilities, improve multi-disciplinary knowledge structure, and learn to use big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies to optimize production processes." Guo Lingbing (郭凌冰) sighed, "Live and learn, and must actively embrace new technologies."

Factory Director Born in the 1980s

Production Management Changes from "Relying on Experience" to "Relying on Data"

As soon as he went to work, Guo Yongjiang (郭永江), the factory director of the Flange Factory of Huaxiang (Hongtong) Intelligent Technology Industrial Park (华翔（洪洞）智能科技产业园), used the daily operation visualization management system and the human efficiency management system to observe the production situation of the previous day. Through the data analysis of the intelligent manufacturing platform, the product quantity, quality, cost and other conditions are clear at a glance.

Guo Yongjiang (郭永江), born in the 1980s, entered Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) after graduating from a junior college. In 14 years, he has grown from a technician to a factory director. "In the past, I only needed to do a good job in product development. Now I have to organize and coordinate everything. In recent years, there have been many orders and production has been non-stop for 365 days. Production management is facing great challenges." The role change and capacity increase have put higher demands on Guo Yongjiang's (郭永江) management ability.

At the beginning, Guo Yongjiang (郭永江) relied on experience to make decisions, but later found that data could reflect the real situation better. Production efficiency data reflects which links need to be optimized, and inventory data can avoid waste. In addition, in the past, it was impossible to predict when the equipment would break down and how long it would take to repair. The production capacity could not be controlled. Now, through the digital intelligence system, the status of each equipment can be clearly recorded, and potential problems are automatically warned. The factory investigates and repairs at the first time, and the failure rate has dropped by 50%.

Guo Yongjiang (郭永江) realized: "We must be proficient in using data tools to gain an advantage in market competition."

When the digital intelligence system was first promoted, there were many dissenting voices. "How workers cooperate with the system is a big problem," Guo Yongjiang (郭永江) introduced. The digital intelligence system needs to input production data, which is equivalent to adding processes to workers. Once workers input data untimely or incorrectly, it may affect the whole body.

After a period of running-in, the workers saw the benefits of the digital intelligence system. For example, management is more transparent, and workers can know how much work they have done and how much money they have earned every day after get off work; equipment inspection responsibilities are assigned to individuals, clearly recording what maintenance has been done on which equipment, how long it took, and how long each link took, so that the skill shortcomings of each employee can be directly understood and targeted training can be carried out.

From "relying on experience" to "relying on data" is an important upgrade of the management model of Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团). "The digital intelligence system is like a 'smart brain', making decisions more scientific, and the execution of employees is improved accordingly. The number of workers on a single production line has also been reduced," Guo Yongjiang (郭永江) said.

Where did the reduced workers go? "The company has been expanding production. After training, most of them are added to the new production line to engage in equipment operation, maintenance, etc., and highly educated talents are transformed into automation engineers, system operation and maintenance engineers, etc.," said Chen Qi (陈旗), Director of Operation and Management Platform of Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团).

With the digital intelligence transformation, Shanxi Huaxiang Group's (山西华翔集团) market competitiveness has been improved, and many Fortune 500 companies have taken the initiative to seek cooperation. With the increase in orders and product types and the extension of the industrial chain, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) has built new crankshaft factories, piston factories, commercial vehicle parts production lines, etc., and expanded the production of lightweight alloy, military, robot and other industry parts. The total output has increased from 300,000 tons to more than 500,000 tons, and the number of employees has increased from more than 5,000 to more than 6,500.

Technical Supervisor Born in the 1990s

Front-line Operation Changes from "Exerting Brute Force" to "Relying on Skills"

At 8 o'clock in the morning, Li Wei (李伟), the technical supervisor of the Flange Factory of Huaxiang (Hongtong) Intelligent Technology Industrial Park (华翔（洪洞）智能科技产业园), entered the factory to inspect the line. "In the past, the process needed to be copied to each machine tool with a USB flash drive. Now it can be issued with one click on the computer, and the equipment operation can be monitored in real time," Li Wei (李伟) introduced.

Li Wei (李伟), born in the 1990s, is 30 years old this year. He joined Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) in 2016 after graduating from university. He started as a lathe operator, loading and unloading materials, measuring the size of workpieces with gauges, adjusting tools... He repeated these processes every day. "At that time, I worked hard with brute force, and it became boring after a long time," Li Wei (李伟) recalled.

In the second year of his employment, the flange factory production line introduced articulated robots to replace manual loading and unloading. "When I first saw these equipments, I felt very novel, but I was confused when I learned it." If he didn't know how to operate, Li Wei (李伟) would follow the manufacturer's technicians to record the operation points and practice repeatedly. A month later, Li Wei (李伟) basically mastered the operating skills.

The flange factory production line has been iterated and upgraded four times. The iteration of the production line requires front-line workers to not only be familiar with traditional processing technology, but also understand industrial Internet and production management system knowledge, and be able to deal with equipment failure alarms in real time. Li Wei (李伟) loves to study and is willing to endure hardship. After 6 years of work, he became a technical supervisor. "The company's digital intelligence transformation has made me grow very fast," Li Wei (李伟) said.

In response to the government's call to promote employment for college graduates, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) recruits more than 50 college students like Li Wei (李伟) every year, and more than 120 at most. In order to help college students grow and become talents, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) signs a "master-apprentice" agreement when new employees join the company, from basic operation knowledge to machine tool debugging, and then to production line management, systematic training for 3 months before they can officially start working.

The digital intelligence transformation puts higher demands on workers' education and skills. Since 2018, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) has cooperated with two universities in Linfen City (临汾市) to integrate industry and education, and train nearly 300 students every year. "When graduating, there is a two-way choice. The company gives scholarships to students who join the company and reimburses university tuition fees," Chen Qi (陈旗) introduced. In June this year, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) cooperated with Shanxi Electronic Technology College (山西电子科技学院) to establish Huaxiang Industrial College (华翔产业学院) to train talents through order-based, apprenticeship and other models. This training model not only meets the company's employment needs, but also launched the "Huaxiang Craftsman" (华翔工匠) Linfen (临汾) municipal labor brand to serve the transformation and upgrading of local manufacturing.

Relevant负责人 (fù zé rén - person in charge) of the Linfen (临汾) Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau introduced that the city launched a special action for digital intelligence empowerment this year, and included digital-related occupational training such as digital solution designers into the government subsidy catalog. In the first seven months of this year, the city organized a total of 14,520 person-times of various vocational skills training.

Next, Shanxi Huaxiang Group (山西华翔集团) will deploy artificial intelligence testing equipment in batches on the production line. Facing the increasingly intelligent production line, Li Wei (李伟) has a greater sense of crisis and motivation for progress: "I will continue to improve my skills, keep up with the pace of transformation, and strive to become a technical industrial worker."

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Beware of "Claiming Childcare Subsidies" Scam Tactics (Service Window)

By: 本报记者  叶传增

The implementation plan for the national childcare subsidy system clearly states that from January 1, 2025, regardless of whether it is the first, second, or third child, a subsidy of 3,600 yuan can be received annually until the age of 3. Recently, the Zhaoyang District (昭阳区) police in Zhaotong City (昭通市), Yunnan Province (云南省), issued a message reminding the public that some "childcare subsidies" cannot be received. Why is this?

"This was originally a national policy to benefit the people, but it has been used by some fraudsters to 蹭热点 (cèng rè diǎn - "rub heat point," to capitalize on a trending topic) and create new types of scams," said Shao Lijun (邵丽君), a police officer from the Zhaoyang Branch (昭阳分局) of the Zhaotong Public Security Bureau (昭通市公安局). "Currently, the branch has received reports from many people claiming that the 'receive childcare subsidy' information they received on social media is fraudulent."

Shao Lijun (邵丽君) revealed the scam tactics of "receiving childcare subsidies": Fraudsters infiltrate various social groups through social software and publish notices and links to "receive childcare subsidies" to induce people to click. After people click on the link, they enter a fake website forged by criminals. The fake website will pop up a window prompting visitors to complete the collection within a time limit, otherwise they will lose their eligibility to apply, creating a sense of urgency. At the same time, it induces people to enter their name, ID number, phone number, bank card number, password, verification code and other information according to the prompts on the webpage. Then, the fraudsters can remotely log in to the public's mobile banking account, resulting in financial losses.

Shao Lijun (邵丽君) reminded that when applying for childcare subsidies, the public should first pay attention to the public information released by official channels and not easily believe information on social platforms.

Secondly, it is necessary to improve prevention capabilities. If you receive information about "receiving childcare subsidies" in text messages, social platforms, or social groups, especially those with links and so-called customer service phone numbers, do not click or dial them, and do not easily forward them to relatives and friends.

Finally, it is necessary to enhance vigilance. If you accidentally click on the relevant link and receive a call or text message from the so-called platform "customer service" or "staff", and you are asked to provide your ID number and bank card number, password, verification code, or even asked to perform facial recognition, you should immediately terminate the operation and, even more so, do not download "meeting software" to connect with others.

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Shanghai issues three-year action plan to enhance the capabilities of neighborhood committees

This newspaper reported from Shanghai on August 17th (Reporter Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏)) The Shanghai Municipal Committee Social Work Department (上海市委社会工作部) has formulated and officially implemented the "Three-Year Action Plan for Enhancing the Capacity of Neighborhood Committees in Shanghai (2025-2027)" (上海市居委会能力提升三年行动计划（2025—2027年）), which aims to enhance the ability of neighborhood committees to connect with and serve the masses, organize and mobilize, and solve problems.

The plan includes 11 key measures, including guiding neighborhood and village cadres to flexibly use methods such as "online + offline" and "staggered peak visits" to build a classified visit system, increase the frequency and accuracy of care for special groups, and proactively intervene to provide assistance; at the same time, actively advocating "neighbor" culture, guiding the formulation of "building group covenants," and promoting residents' affairs to be transformed into "community issues"; strengthening the team through centralized re-election and selection of outstanding personnel, increasing the localization rate of workers, and actively guiding small and micro enterprises, individual industrial and commercial households, professional markets, and new employment groups to integrate into the community, revitalizing resources inside and outside the walls to solve problems such as parking difficulties.

Shanghai (上海) will also strive to ensure that "small things around us do not leave the community," creating a short, fast, and complete chain, intelligent problem "discovery - disposal - feedback" closed loop.

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This edition's editors: Cheng Chen, Xu Yang, Li Zhiyao

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Grid Whistleblowing Coordinates All Parties, How Was It Responded To? (New Observation of Cadre Status: Stepping into the Front Lines to Explore Work Style)

By: 本报记者 季觉苏

Half a year ago, Yuan Jujun (袁菊俊), a resident of Tao'an residential area in Taojiazhai residential district, Huayang Road Subdistrict, Changning District, Shanghai (上海市长宁区华阳路街道陶家宅居民区陶安小区), went out for a walk. In the residential area, the newly paved road was smooth, the adjacent garbage bin room was clean and tidy, and the exterior walls of the buildings gleamed with fresh paint. Although it was an old public housing estate built in the 1990s, the residential area was quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, and the residents' lives were also very convenient.

Looking up along the branches and leaves, the view was "tripped" by a mass of messy black lines. These "spider webs" varied in thickness and were intertwined, climbing from utility poles to building bodies, cutting the blue sky into fragmented pieces. The tidier the surrounding scenery, the more abrupt the "spider webs" hanging in mid-air seemed, and the more unpleasant they were to look at. This tangle of wires gradually became a "heart disease" for the residents of the entire residential area.

Community cadres also wanted to solve the problem, but the cables involved multiple departments such as electricity, telecommunications, public security, and radio and television. Each cable had its own "owner," and each unit had its own plans. Without a unified platform to bring everyone to the table, no one could make decisions for others.

"In the past, we called them one by one, asking them to come and see the site. After much effort, when people arrived, Unit A said that this section of the line was under the jurisdiction of Unit B, and Unit B said that it had to wait for further planning from Unit C. The various units could not reach a consensus. After a round, the problem returned to the starting point," said Zhu Biyun (朱必赟), Secretary of the Party General Branch of Taojiazhai residential district. "Time and energy were spent on coordinating back and forth, but the problem remained suspended in the air like the cables." This fragmented governance left Tao'an residential area's "spider web dilemma" unresolved for several years.

Taking advantage of Shanghai's promotion of the "multi-grid integration" of urban operation grids, police affairs grids, comprehensive governance grids, and Party building grids, Huayang Road Subdistrict took the problem of suspended cables in Tao'an residential area as a pilot project to explore solutions. In March of this year, relying on the "multi-grid integration" working mechanism, Gong Tao (龚涛), the station chief of the Third Comprehensive Grid Station of Huayang Road Subdistrict where Tao'an residential area is located, tried to "blow the whistle" and convene a meeting for the first time. Instead of making phone calls one by one as in the past to negotiate meeting times, he directly issued a meeting notice. However, Gong Tao was also a little apprehensive: Could he really get everyone together at once?

The result was unexpected. Not long after the notice was sent out, confirmation replies came one after another. On that day, not only did all the departments attend, but they also sent responsible persons who "had the authority to speak" – representatives from the District Housing Management Bureau, the District Public Security Bureau, the power supply company, the three major telecommunications operators, as well as the Subdistrict Management Office, the Urban Operation Center, the residential district, the property management company, and the owners' committee, all sitting around the same table.

This time, why did all parties cooperate so quickly? The main reason was that the "multi-grid integration" mechanism provided "high-level promotion." In Changning District (长宁区), this was not a "favor" from any one department, but a collaborative model already clearly written into the system: when the grid "blows the whistle," relevant departments must follow up. Each unit also had its own ideas: messy cables, numerous complaints, and difficult maintenance in old residential areas were common problems. By attending once and resolving the knot, they could also learn a set of methods that could be replicated in other residential areas. In the end, they not only solved the immediate problem but also saved effort in the future.

At the beginning of the meeting, spread out on the table were cable routing diagrams, draft renovation plans, and photos of the "spider webs" on each building... In the past, this information had to be transmitted back and forth between different departments. Now, they could discuss while pointing at the drawings: this section is for electricity, that section is for telecommunications, which cable can be cut, and which cable must be placed in a conduit, all clearly.

Disagreements were inevitable, such as whether the routing of the underground pipes would affect other facilities, and how the timing of the conduit installation would coordinate with the construction cycle. But because everyone was present, they could discuss and settle things face-to-face, without having to "wait for documents" or "wait for official replies" as in the past. Zhu Biyun's role also changed from a petitioner to a more confident coordinator. He could directly connect with the construction party or relevant parties based on the decisions of the grid meeting and supervise the progress of the project.

The speed visibly increased. The first "whistleblowing" was in early March, construction started at the end of March, and the project officially concluded in May. "It's not just about straightening out the cable network, but also about straightening out the collaborative model of all parties," said Gong Tao. In the future, when encountering similar multi-headed problems, everyone will know how to work together to solve them.

Before becoming the station chief of the grid station, Gong Tao was responsible for the 12345 citizen hotline at the Subdistrict Urban Operation Center. His work was like a "relay race": when a complaint came in, he would find the relevant department to solve the problem, always responding passively. Now it's different. He has become the "outpost" in the grid, proactively discovering problems and handling them in advance, often resolving issues before a complaint is even made.

Every morning, Gong Tao rides an electric scooter around the 0.67-square-kilometer grid. There are industrial parks, historical and cultural blocks, and new and old residential areas, so the problems are diverse: shared bicycles are parked randomly in front of street shops, the downspout on the exterior wall of a residential building is leaking... He takes a photo and sends it directly to the responsible department, "whoever's problem, they handle it," without having to pass it through layers.

As the birthplace of Shanghai's urban grassroots Party building brand, the "Cohesion Project," Huayang Road Subdistrict's grassroots cadres' specialty is to use "iron feet" to carry out "entering a hundred homes, visiting a hundred families' situations, solving a hundred families' difficulties, and warming a hundred families' hearts." In the past, problems that grassroots cadres couldn't solve had to be reported upwards layer by layer, and if they involved multiple departments, they had to explain the background repeatedly. Now, they turn these problems over to Gong Tao, who brings them to the "bi-weekly meeting" for centralized "consultation," where they are discussed on the spot, and the responsible person, solution, and timetable are all clearly defined.

If the station chief "blows the whistle" to gather people and holds a bi-weekly meeting, will it increase the burden on the grassroots? Gong Tao said: "Grassroots cadres are happy to come because it's a meeting to solve problems. This meeting is not about assigning tasks to the grassroots, but about listening to the community's feedback on problems, so everyone's enthusiasm is naturally different."

"Now we dare to face difficult problems directly because there is a 'network' supporting us behind the scenes, and the connection point of this network is in the comprehensive grid," said Zhu Biyun. "From being unable to push things forward to being able to accomplish them, from being exhausted to being able to handle things with ease, our work focus can also return to our duty of serving residents, which has stimulated our enthusiasm for starting businesses and making achievements."

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Hanging Cables, Hanging Problems (Editor's Note)

By: 徐雷鹏

Bundles of cables hang in mid-air, obscuring the view like spiderwebs, adding clutter to the community environment. Residents are anxious, community cadres see it, but the problem remains unresolved. Such governance dilemmas are not uncommon. In the present day, with calls for refined governance, grassroots organizations often find themselves in a dilemma when faced with governance challenges that span departments, industries, and fields: either the responsible department is helpless in the face of a "hot potato," or multiple departments engage in 九龙治水 (jiǔ lóng zhì shuǐ - "nine dragons governing the water," a situation where multiple authorities are in charge, leading to inefficiency and confusion), causing the problem to remain in place.

Cables hanging in the air, the problem cannot be left hanging. How to break the deadlock? The multi-grid integration model offers an exploration. Traditional grids have their own divisions of labor, but this is not conducive to concentrating efforts. "Multi-grid integration" gives full play to the coordinating function of Party organizations, precisely integrating originally dispersed administrative resources, professional forces, and social forces into a unified governance unit. On this platform, all parties sit around a table, discuss countermeasures together, and act in coordination.

Moving from finely divided grids to the power aggregation of multi-grid integration is a powerful response to the grassroots governance problem of "a small horse pulling a large cart." Upgrading from fragmented divisions to collaborative co-governance, using Party building as a guide to mobilize and unite forces, can transform passively "chasing after problems" into actively "pushing problems to be solved."

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A City's Profound Remembrance of Four Heroes

By: 本报记者  崔  佳  何思琦  祝大伟

The Songhua River flows, passing through the city of Harbin (哈尔滨市), Heilongjiang Province (黑龙江省). Near the Songhua River, four streets are particularly noteworthy: Jingyu Street (靖宇街), Shangzhi Avenue (尚志大街), Zhaolin Street (兆麟街), and Yiman Street (一曼街). These four streets are all named after martyrs of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army (东北抗联), commemorating their heroic deeds and conveying the remembrance and respect of future generations.

Jingyu Park (靖宇公园) is the starting point at the eastern end of Jingyu Street. Inside the park, a statue of Yang Jingyu (杨靖宇) stands facing Jingyu Street. In November 1931, Yang Jingyu came to Harbin, serving as the Secretary of the Daowai District Committee (道外区委) of the Chinese Communist Party (中共) in Harbin, and later as the Secretary of the Harbin Municipal Committee (哈尔滨市委) of the CCP and Acting Secretary of the Military Commission of the Manchuria Provincial Committee (满洲省委军委). He resisted the Japanese invasion and left footprints of his struggles in the streets and alleys of Harbin. "The story of Yang Jingyu cleverly evading a search by Japanese military police at the Zhengyang Street (正阳街) intersection is still circulating today," said Bian Qingshan (边清山), Director of the Party History Compilation and Research Department of the Harbin Municipal Party History Research Office (哈尔滨市委史志研究室党史编研处). After the victory against Japan, Zhengyang Street was renamed Jingyu Street.

About one kilometer west of Jingyu Street is Shangzhi Avenue. Zhao Shangzhi (赵尚志) served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and was jointly known as "Southern Yang and Northern Zhao" (南杨北赵) with Yang Jingyu. On the west side of Shangzhi Avenue, on West Thirteenth Street (西十三道街), there is an old two-story brick and wood structure building with a mottled wall. In 1933, Zhao Shangzhi recuperated from injuries in a room on the second floor of this building before returning to the anti-Japanese battlefield. After the victory against Japan, Harbin renamed the street Shangzhi Avenue.

Zhaolin Street is just over 100 meters away from Shangzhi Avenue, the two streets appearing to "walk side by side." In the summer of 1933, Li Zhaolin (李兆麟) was transferred to work in Harbin, working in the Military Commission of the Manchuria Provincial Committee of the CCP, and participated in the creation of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Armed Forces. "General Li Zhaolin was one of the few leaders of the Anti-Japanese United Army who experienced the entire 14-year process of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Third Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army," Bian Qingshan said. On March 9, 1946, Li Zhaolin was assassinated by Kuomintang (国民党) secret agents, only 49 days before the liberation of Harbin. Later, Harbin renamed Shuidao Street (水道街), where Li Zhaolin was killed, Zhaolin Street.

Yiman Street was once stained with the blood of the anti-Japanese martyr Zhao Yiman (赵一曼). In 1932, the Party organization sent Zhao Yiman to work in Harbin, where she served as the Acting Secretary of the Harbin Federation of Trade Unions (哈尔滨总工会), among other positions. In November 1935, Zhao Yiman was unfortunately arrested in a battle with the Japanese army and puppet police forces. She endured various tortures, but she remained steadfast and unyielding, never revealing any Party secrets. On August 2, 1936, Zhao Yiman heroically sacrificed her life. In 1946, the city of Harbin named the street where she fought Yiman Street.

The Northeast Martyrs Memorial Hall (东北烈士纪念馆), the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army Museum (东北抗联博物馆), Yiman Park (一曼公园), Yang Jingyu Red Army Primary School (杨靖宇红军小学), the Shangzhi Memorial Hall (尚志纪念馆), the Tomb of General Li Zhaolin (李兆麟将军墓)... These red memories on both sides of the streets constantly remind future generations to remember history.

In the changing light and shadows, the statues of heroes such as Yang Jingyu and Zhao Yiman are illuminated once again. In 2024, the Harbin Madier Culture and Tourism Investment Group (哈尔滨马迭尔文旅投资集团) innovatively created a large-scale live-action performance, "Encounter Harbin" (遇见·哈尔滨), in which the red stories deeply moved people. "Harbin is a city that will always remember heroes," said Zhu Shu (朱姝), a native of Harbin, who played Zhao Yiman writing her last letter to her child in the "City of Heroes" chapter. The performance reflects Harbin's efforts to remember the history of the War of Resistance and build a famous red tourism city.

"Harbin continues to carry out in-depth excavation, research, and promotion of red culture, focusing on the revitalization and utilization of cultural relics, promoting the 'revitalization' of the city's revolutionary cultural relics and red collection resources, so that this red city always maintains the inheritance of the heroic spirit," said Lan Feng (兰峰), member of the Standing Committee of the Harbin Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department (哈尔滨市委常委、宣传部部长).

"The cultural and tourism boom allows us to see the potential of urban development." Yu Bing (于冰), who grew up in Harbin, opened a cultural and creative center in the China Baroque Historical and Cultural Block (中华巴洛克历史文化街区) at the intersection of Jingyu Street, enjoying five years of rent-free support, attracting more than 20 young people to start businesses together. Yu Bing and his colleagues painted words such as "Northeast Revitalization" on cultural and creative products. Yu Bing said: "The city's red culture not only encourages us to start businesses, but also is the source of our creativity."

Harbin continues to improve the construction of the China Baroque Historical and Cultural Block, and this century-old street located in Daowai District (道外区) of Harbin has ushered in a rebirth. "Daowai District takes 'old city revitalization' as its goal, using cultural tourism as a starting point for economic transformation, allowing 'old buildings + new consumption' to drive the two-way improvement of cultural value and economic benefits," said Li Hanlong (李晗龙), Secretary of the Daowai District Committee. In 2024, Harbin received a cumulative total of 179 million tourists, achieving a total tourism expenditure of 231.42 billion yuan, with year-on-year growth exceeding 30%.

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How to Sustain the Development of Rural Characteristic Industries

By: 本报记者 黄 娴 程 焕

The quaint and exquisite stilt houses are built against the mountain, and among the crisscrossing lanes are scattered workshops for making silver ornaments, batik, and embroidery, all intangible cultural heritage crafts. Stepping into the "Silver Craftsman Village" in Kala Village (卡拉村), Longquan Town (龙泉镇), Danzhai County (丹寨县), Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (黔东南苗族侗族自治州), Guizhou (贵州), a rich ethnic flavor rushes towards you.

Looking at the bustling tourists, Wang Guochun (王国春) feels very gratified. The initial hardships of creating the "Silver Craftsman Village" have finally paid off. "Intangible cultural heritage projects are scattered throughout the county. If they don't develop together, it will be difficult to turn these cultural resources into distinctive industries." With 30 national and provincial intangible cultural heritage items, Danzhai County (丹寨县) has a profound ethnic cultural heritage. Wang Guochun (王国春) is a provincial representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Miao silver ornaments and has always wanted to build a platform to drive the clustered development of the intangible cultural heritage industry.

In October 2021, with the 1 million yuan of development funds he applied for, plus 500,000 yuan from his own savings, Wang Guochun (王国春) started the construction of the "Silver Craftsman Village." Buying building materials, paying labor costs... money was needed everywhere. After a period of construction, Wang Guochun (王国春) faced a shortage of funds.

"We are optimistic about the radiating and driving ability of this project, which is very helpful for enhancing the county's cultural tourism industry." Just when Wang Guochun (王国春) was at a loss, Wu Kailiang (吴开亮), the president of the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Danzhai County Branch (丹寨县支行), came to his door. After completing an assessment of the "Silver Craftsman Village," the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Danzhai County Branch (丹寨县支行) decided to provide Wang Guochun (王国春) with a 4 million yuan working capital loan. Relieving the immediate urgency, the construction of the "Silver Craftsman Village" progressed smoothly and soon ushered in its opening, and was selected as one of the first batch of national preferred projects for the integrated development of intangible cultural heritage and tourism.

Today, the "Silver Craftsman Village" has integrated more than 30 intangible cultural heritage projects, integrating the production and display of intangible cultural heritage handmade products, tourism experience, and consumption, receiving 200,000 tourists annually, and radiating a comprehensive output value of over 10 million yuan in the region. "We are enriching our product line and incorporating fashionable elements to better adapt to the diversified needs of consumers." In March of this year, the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Danzhai County Branch (丹寨县支行), based on Wang Guochun's (王国春) business needs, promptly issued an incremental working capital loan to support him in expanding production scale, improving production technology, and expanding into the jewelry market.

In Qiandongnan Prefecture (黔东南州), Wang Guochun (王国春) is not the only intangible cultural heritage inheritor who has received financial support from the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行). As of now, the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) has provided credit support to 48 intangible cultural heritage inheritors at all levels in Qiandongnan Prefecture (黔东南州). Under the precise irrigation of "financial living water," various counties and cities in Qiandongnan (黔东南) have successfully created intangible cultural heritage brands and series of tourism routes such as the "China Danzhai Intangible Cultural Heritage Week" (中国丹寨非遗周) and the "Hundred-Li Dong Village Intangible Cultural Heritage Theme Experience Corridor" (百里侗寨非遗主题体验走廊), relying on ethnic characteristic culture.

Focusing on regional characteristic industries, the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Guizhou Branch (贵州省分行) optimizes the effective allocation of financial resources, is committed to doing a good job in characteristic products, helping the extension of the industrial chain, and promoting the development of new business forms.

"Financial services have given us the confidence to expand production and increase capacity, thereby establishing a complete industrial chain covering grain planting, storage and processing, and cold chain logistics." Not long ago, with the loan in place and the problem of capital turnover smoothly resolved, Chen Aimin (陈爱民), chairman of Guizhou Gaofeng Shili Xiang Rice Industry Co., Ltd. (贵州高峰十里香米业有限公司), was relieved and strived to sell 700,000 tons of finished products to various places this year. Fully supporting the development of green industries, the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Guizhou Branch (贵州省分行) helps enterprises break through technical bottlenecks and expand market space, and promotes the transformation of traditional industries towards high-end, green, and intelligent.

In addition, the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Guizhou Branch (贵州省分行) has increased its financial support for technology-based enterprises. At the end of 2024, the loan balance of technology-based enterprises of the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Guizhou Branch (贵州省分行) reached 8.3 billion yuan, supporting 429 enterprises, and successively launched exclusive products for technology-based enterprises such as the "Specialized, Refined, and New Little Giant Loan" ("专精特新小巨人贷") and the "Kejie Loan" ("科捷贷"), to meet the financing needs of different technology-based enterprises. "Focusing on serving the real economy, comprehensively revitalizing the countryside, revitalizing industries to strengthen counties and enrich the people, and integrating culture, tourism, and sports, our bank will continue to tilt credit resources, innovate financial products, and increase credit investment," said Luo Tao (罗涛), president of the Agricultural Bank of China (中国农业银行) Guizhou Branch (贵州省分行).

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One-stop platform for cross-border commercial dispute resolution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area launched

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cross-border Commercial Dispute Resolution One-Stop Platform, jointly launched by the Guangdong Provincial High People's Court (广东省高级人民法院) and the Guangdong Provincial Department of Justice (广东省司法厅), was recently launched, reported our Guangzhou (广州) based newspaper on August 17th (reporter He Linping (贺林平)). The platform integrates three major dispute resolution channels: mediation, arbitration, and litigation, providing "one-stop" dispute resolution services for domestic and foreign parties involved in cross-border commercial matters, and helping the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区) to become a preferred destination for international commercial dispute resolution.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区) Cross-border Commercial Dispute Resolution One-Stop Platform provides both Chinese and English versions and includes sections such as litigation services, mediation services, and arbitration services. The platform provides one-stop access to the Guangdong Court Network (广东法院网), official websites of mediation organizations, and case handling system ports of arbitration institutions. Parties can apply online for litigation filing, mediation, arbitration, arbitration preservation, judicial confirmation, and enforcement matters. Notifications and service of relevant work and procedural progress and results by the People's Courts (人民法院), mediation organizations, and arbitration institutions can all be completed online.

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Photo Report

The new semester is approaching, and Daozhou Yutan School in Dao County (道县), Yongzhou (永州市), Hunan Province (湖南省) is organizing military training for new senior high school students to enhance their physical fitness, temper their willpower, and cultivate a spirit of teamwork. The picture shows students participating in an arm-wrestling friendship competition during a break from military training on August 17.

Photo by Jiang Keqing (蒋克青) (Image China)

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This edition's editors: Ji Jianming, Xu Leipeng, Cao Wenxuan

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Eating for Nutrition, Eating for Health (Health Focus)

On July 27, the "Implementation Plan for Promoting Agricultural Product Consumption" issued by 10 departments including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) and the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委) proposed to "improve nutrition and health public services" and "strengthen health consumption publicity and guidance."

Grain output of 706 million tons, meat output of 97.7 million tons, vegetable output of 860 million tons... In 2024, China's output and consumption of agricultural products such as grains, meat, peanuts, tea, fruits, and marine products ranked first in the world. The high-quality development of China's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industries has enriched the food on the tables of more than 1.4 billion residents.

With the improvement of people's living standards, how to eat scientifically and reasonably has become a new topic. Some people have developed diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia due to overeating; others, in pursuit of a slim figure, over-diet or have picky eating habits, leading to various health problems. It is easy to obtain delicious food, but difficult to obtain health. How to balance eating enough and eating well? Can deliciousness and nutrition be combined? How to eat for nutrition and health? The reporter interviewed nutrition experts.

——Editor

Staple Food: Learn to Eat Carbohydrates "Smartly"

People's Daily reporter Yang Yanfan (杨彦帆)

In recent years, low-carbohydrate diets have become popular, and many people even avoid staple foods, believing that not eating rice and noodles can lead to weight loss or better health. However, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the human body, and completely rejecting staple foods can bring a series of health risks.

"To lose weight, I didn't eat carbohydrates for a long time, only vegetables, fruits, and chicken breast every day, which led to frequent dizziness, and my weight rebounded." Gao Jia (高佳), who lives in Chaoyang District (朝阳区), Beijing (北京市), is 30 years old this year and has a body mass index of over 24. She told reporters: "I went to the weight loss clinic in the hospital, and the doctor made a scientific diet for me. It turns out that carbohydrates are not something you can't eat."

"The problem is not whether to eat carbohydrates, but what kind of carbohydrates to eat. Currently, the real challenge many people face is the quality of carbohydrates. The glycemic index (GI) is an important indicator for measuring carbohydrate quality," said Xiang Xuesong (向雪松), a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (中国疾控中心).

Xiang Xuesong said that carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for the human body, especially the brain and nervous system, which rely almost entirely on glucose for energy. Long-term abstinence from staple foods may lead to insufficient energy supply and affect brain function, because the main source of energy for the brain is glucose, and carbohydrates are the most efficient supplier of glucose. Long-term low-carbohydrate diets can also lead to inattention, memory loss, and even mood swings, leading to metabolic disorders, nutritional imbalances, and increased risk of chronic diseases.

"Staple foods can be divided into grains, tubers, beans, etc. The GI values of different agricultural products vary significantly," said Xiang Xuesong. Refined grains such as white rice and white flour generally have a GI of over 80. After ingestion, they raise blood sugar quickly and lose a lot of nutrients. Whole grains, such as brown rice, oats, and quinoa, are medium- to low-GI foods, rich in dietary fiber and B vitamins. Red beans, mung beans, chickpeas, etc. are also low-GI, high-protein foods, and can lower the overall GI when paired with rice.

Xiang Xuesong analyzed that in modern diets, refined carbohydrates (such as white rice, white flour, and desserts) account for too high a proportion. These foods have high GI values, which can easily lead to rapid increases in blood sugar. Long-term consumption may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is recommended that the carbohydrates you ingest account for 50%-65% of your total daily energy, and try to choose high-quality carbohydrates with low GI and high fiber, rather than completely abstaining.

How to choose a healthy staple food that suits you? Xiang Xuesong said that different groups of people should choose according to their own needs. Elderly people are prone to constipation and often need to control blood sugar and protect their cardiovascular system. Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and mixed bean porridge are recommended. Try to avoid glutinous rice, because it raises blood sugar quickly and is not easy to digest. If fitness and weight loss people do not eat carbohydrates at all, it may lead to weight rebound. It is recommended to eat more sweet potatoes, corn, and whole wheat bread, and avoid refined sugar and fried staple foods. Children and adolescents need sufficient energy for growth and development, so there is no need to pursue excessively low-GI staple foods. They can eat multigrain rice and whole wheat noodles, and avoid excessive consumption of sweets and fried foods.

There are also some tips and precautions for eating healthy staple foods. Xiang Xuesong said that combining coarse and fine grains can reduce the overall GI value by using "white rice + brown rice/mixed beans," and increase dietary fiber and delay sugar absorption by using "noodles + vegetables." "Eggs + whole wheat bread" raises blood sugar more slowly than eating bread alone.

Xiang Xuesong said that cooking methods also affect the GI value. Under normal circumstances, the more thoroughly cooked the carbohydrates are, the higher the GI. For example, porridge has a higher GI than rice, and mashed potatoes have a higher GI than baked potatoes. Portion control is also very important. The amount of staple food ingested per meal should be about the size of your own fist. Also, avoid the "hidden high-carbohydrate" trap. Some sugar-free foods only do not contain sucrose, etc., but contain a large amount of refined starch.

"Carbohydrates are essential nutrients for the human body. Instead of giving up carbohydrates, it is better to learn to eat carbohydrates 'smartly.' The key to health lies in choosing high-quality staple foods with low GI and high fiber, and matching them reasonably," said Xiang Xuesong. Eating staple foods scientifically can not only meet energy needs, but also prevent chronic diseases.

Meat: Control Total Amount and Cook Reasonably

People's Daily reporter You Yi (游仪)

Near meal time, Liu Hongbin (刘洪斌), who lives in Beicheng Yunjing Community (北城云璟小区), Guanghan City (广汉市), Deyang (德阳), Sichuan (四川), was troubled by two pieces of pork. His wife's high blood pressure and diabetes relapsed. According to the doctor's advice, she needs to eat lightly, but his grandson, who is in elementary school, is growing and likes to eat meat, clamoring for sweet and sour pork ribs.

Aunt Liu divided the meat in half. One piece was finely chopped and slowly stewed with winter melon into a clear soup meatball, sprinkled with a little salt. The other portion was coated in flour and fried until golden and crispy, then drizzled with sauce, filling the air with fragrance. At the dinner table, the light meatball soup was handed to his wife, and the bright red ribs were placed in his grandson's bowl.

How to balance deliciousness and nutrition when eating meat? Like Aunt Liu's family, there are many people who have troubles with eating meat.

Meat is an important source of high-quality protein. The essential amino acids it contains are complete, sufficient in quantity, and appropriate in proportion. It is not only easy to absorb, but also provides trace elements such as zinc and iron. However, some people feel that meat is high in fat and calories. Excessive intake can easily induce obesity, fatty liver, and metabolic syndrome, increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. How to eat meat healthily?

Yu Fengmei (于凤梅), deputy chief nutritionist of the Clinical Nutrition Department of West China Hospital (华西医院) of Sichuan University (四川大学), believes that one should start from the perspectives of dosage, type, and cooking method to eat meat scientifically and reasonably.

First, control the total intake. If it is livestock and poultry meat or aquatic products, the daily intake for adults is 40-75 grams, which is equivalent to three or four slices of thin meat or five or six shrimps the size of a palm.

Second, reasonably match varieties. Eat white meat and red meat together, mainly white meat with relatively lower fat content, such as fish, shrimp, and chicken. Eat less processed meats such as ham, bacon, and bacon. It is recommended not to exceed once a week. Eating vegetables and fruits with meat can not only supplement dietary fiber and vitamins, but also avoid excessive calories.

Third, choose appropriate cooking methods. You can reduce calories by removing fat. Choose low-fat parts such as skinless poultry, pork tenderloin, and beef shank. Give priority to cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, stewing, and mixing to avoid increasing fat and calorie intake due to heavy oil and heavy salt.

How to eat different types of meat more healthily?

"High-salt and high-fat processed meat products such as ham and bacon can be boiled in water for 5 minutes before cooking to reduce nitrite, and eaten with high-vitamin C foods such as green peppers, broccoli, and kiwi fruit," said Zhou Dianyuan (周钿苑), a nutritionist at the Clinical Nutrition Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Fish rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and are easy to digest and absorb. It is recommended to cook it lightly and use less frying; chicken is low in fat and high in protein, and is a preferred choice for fitness and muscle gain. It is recommended to eat it without the skin, and steaming, boiling, and stewing are the best; pork is rich in heme iron and high-quality protein, but has a higher saturated fatty acid content. It is recommended to give priority to tenderloin and lean meat from the hind legs, and remove the white fat layer before cooking.

Different groups of people also have particularities when it comes to eating meat. Zhou Dianyuan gave the following suggestions:

The protein synthesis ability of the elderly declines, and their digestive function will also weaken. It is generally recommended to give priority to easily digestible meats such as fish. Eat 100-150 grams per day, divided into two meals, and pair with vegetables rich in vitamin C to promote iron absorption.

Children and adolescents need a lot of high-quality protein, iron, zinc, etc. for growth and development. It is recommended to match red and white meat and eat less processed meat. During pregnancy, it is necessary to increase iron intake, and during breastfeeding, it is necessary to additionally increase the intake of high-quality protein every day. It is recommended to eat aquatic products regularly, avoid eating raw meat and sashimi, and eat less animal liver. Fitness people need high biological value protein to quickly repair muscles after exercise. They can eat more chicken breast and less high-fat red meat. Protein powder lacks heme iron and cannot replace natural meat.

Different types of patients with chronic diseases also have different types of meat suitable for consumption. For example, for patients with hyperuricemia and gout, it is recommended to eat more blanched white meat and less thick meat soup, offal, sardines, etc., and use eggs instead; for patients with coronary heart disease, it is recommended to eat more deep-sea fish and less fatty meat and animal skin.

Vegetables and Fruits: Develop Habits and Ingest Moderately

People's Daily reporter Shen Shaotie (申少铁)

"My child is a picky eater and doesn't like to eat vegetables, he only likes to eat meat." Wang Hui (王慧) from Haidian District (海淀区), Beijing, is very anxious looking at her 12-year-old son Xiaoming (小明) getting fatter and fatter. Xiaoming, who is 160 cm tall, already weighs more than 130 kg, which is obviously "a circle" fatter than his peers.

"The child's body resistance is also not good, and he often catches colds." Recently, Wang Hui took her child to the Third Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital (解放军总医院第三医学中心) for treatment, and the diagnosis result was that obesity led to low body resistance. The doctor suggested that the child improve his diet and eat more vegetables. Wang Hui made up her mind to cook more vegetables at ordinary times and guide Xiaoming to eat more vegetables.

"Children are in the stage of growth and development. Eating only meat and not vegetables can easily lead to excessive energy intake, resulting in subcutaneous and visceral fat accumulation, leading to problems such as obesity, scoliosis, and decreased body immunity," Chen Qiao (陈巧), director of the Nutrition Department of the Third Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, analyzed. Vegetables are rich in nutrients and are an important source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants for the human body. In particular, dark-colored vegetables can provide vitamin B12, vitamin K2, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber, which have a good preventive effect on diseases such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition)" (《中国居民膳食指南（2022版）》, hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines") recommends that Chinese residents should eat vegetables every day, and the daily intake of fresh vegetables should be 300-500 grams. How to eat vegetables correctly?

Chen Qiao suggested that it is best to eat four or five kinds of vegetables every day, and dark-colored vegetables should account for half of vegetable consumption. That is to say, if there are two vegetables on the table, it is best to have one dark-colored vegetable, such as rapeseed and spinach, and the other half can be various light-colored vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage and winter melon. Children should develop the habit of eating vegetables from infancy. For example, when adding complementary foods to infants, gradually increase the feeding of vegetable leaves as they grow older. Adults should pay attention to ensuring that the intake of vegetables per meal is about 2 times the volume of the meat they eat. The elderly should increase the proportion of dark-colored vegetables in their daily diet. If there is loose teeth and decreased digestive function, eat more eggplant and root vegetables.

"Fruits are high in sugar, and I'm afraid my blood sugar will be high if I eat them." Wang Deye (王大爷) from Chengde City (承德市), Hebei (河北), is 62 years old. After a physical examination, he found that his blood sugar was a little high, and his wife told him to eat less fruit. Wang Deye has a question: Can diabetic patients eat fruit?

"The 'Guidelines' recommends that Chinese residents consume 200-350 grams of fruit per day. As long as normal people do not eat more than this amount every day, it will not cause large fluctuations in blood sugar," Chen Qiao said. Fruits are one of the important sources of nutrients for the human body. If you do not eat fruit for a long time, it will cause a lack of vitamins and minerals, such as insufficient intake of carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. Children who do not eat fruit for a long time will affect the normal development and immune function of the body. It is recommended that diabetic patients eat fruit between meals when their blood sugar is well controlled, and the intake per time is 100 grams. Fruits with high sugar content include mangoes, pineapples, lychees, and sugar cane. Diabetic patients should pay attention to the total amount when eating these fruits.

Nowadays, some people only eat vegetables and fruits for three meals a day in order to lose weight. Chen Qiao believes that the weight loss method of using vegetables and fruits as regular meals is not advisable, it is not easy to persist, and it will cause an unbalanced nutritional intake. Fruits contain fructose, which belongs to monosaccharides and needs to be metabolized by the liver before being absorbed by the human body. Excessive intake of fruits will cause a large amount of glycogen to accumulate in the liver, forming fatty liver. If you are pursuing a slim figure, it is recommended to strengthen exercise, achieve a balanced diet every day, ensure a variety of food types for three meals a day, eat regularly and quantitatively, and eat 70% full for each meal.

Some people believe that eating out-of-season vegetables and fruits is not good for health. "Out-of-season vegetables and fruits may not be as good as naturally ripe seasonal vegetables and fruits in terms of taste and flavor, but the benefits of vegetables and fruits to the human body lie more in maintaining a suitable proportion and variety of long-term intake," Chen Qiao said. No matter what season, eating enough vegetables and fruits is beneficial to health. From the perspective of preventing cancer and protecting cardiovascular health, eating out-of-season vegetables and fruits is beneficial to maintaining health. In daily life, it is necessary to do a good job in cleaning and peeling vegetables and fruits to remove pesticide residues on the surface. For vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled, you can add a small amount of fruit and vegetable cleaner for soaking, and rinse two or three times with running water after soaking.

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How to Match Three Meals a Day

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" (《中国居民膳食指南（2022）》) released by the Chinese Nutrition Society (中国营养学会) proposes the following standards:

Adhere to cereals as the mainstay. The daily diet should include cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, livestock, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and beans. On average, more than 12 kinds of foods should be ingested every day, and more than 25 kinds of foods should be ingested every week. Consume 200-300 grams of cereal foods per day, including 50-150 grams of whole grains and miscellaneous beans, and 50-100 grams of potatoes.

Have vegetables at every meal. Ensure that you consume no less than 300 grams of fresh vegetables per day, and dark-colored vegetables should account for 1/2. Eat fruits every day, ensuring that you consume 200-350 grams of fresh fruits per day. Fruit juice cannot replace fresh fruit. Eat a variety of dairy products, with an intake equivalent to more than 300 ml of liquid milk per day.

Eat fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat in moderation. The intake of fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat should be moderate, averaging 120-200 grams per day. It is best to eat fish 2 times or 300-500 grams per week, eggs 300-350 grams, and livestock and poultry meat 300-500 grams. Eat eggs without discarding the yolk, and eat less deeply processed meat products, fatty meat, smoked and marinated meat.

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Medical ethics is the "everlasting light" (shadowless lamp) of a doctor's career.

By: 白剑峰

August 19th this year marks the eighth Chinese Doctors' Day. As the festival approaches, Lang Jinghe (郎景和), a renowned obstetrics and gynecology expert at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院), wrote a poem titled "It's Good to Be a Doctor": "It's good to be a doctor, like the spring breeze gently caressing painful wounds. It's good to be a doctor, being a devout guardian of health in the quiet of the night. Holding up the crying newborn with both hands, and also seeing off the peaceful falling leaves. It's good to be a doctor, every lift is a solemn promise to life..."

"It's good to be a doctor" is Lang Jinghe's reflection after more than 50 years of medical practice. Since ancient times, doctors have been a noble and sacred profession. From Zhang Zhongjing (张仲景) to Sun Simiao (孙思邈), from Lin Qiaozhi (林巧稚) to Wu Mengchao (吴孟超), their names are as bright as stars, shining in the long sky. The standard of a good doctor in the hearts of the people has never changed: high medical ethics and superb medical skills. Between medical ethics and medical skills, "ethics" comes first, and "skills" come second. The theme of this year's Chinese Doctors' Day is "Virtue in Action, Skill in Diligence." Virtue is the foundation of skill, and skill is the wing of virtue. Only by integrating the warmth of "virtue" and the sharpness of "skill" can one become a great doctor for the people.

Recently, the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委) and other departments issued the "Medical Staff Professional Ethics Guidelines (2025 Edition)" (《医务人员职业道德准则（2025年版）》, hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), requiring further standardization of medical staff's moral behavior, promoting noble professional spirit, practicing socialist core values, and guiding medical staff to understand great virtue, abide by medical ethics, observe public morality, and strictly observe personal morality. This marks that the professional ethics assessment of medical staff will change from "flexible requirements" to "rigid constraints," running through the entire life cycle of medical staff's careers. The "Guidelines" are not only a response to social concerns, but also a reminder to professional groups: the evaluation of medical quality should not only look at the patient's survival rate, but also whether the patient has dignity during diagnosis and treatment; the success of medical education is not to see how many papers students have published, but whether they are willing to hold hands when patients are most vulnerable. These seemingly unquantifiable indicators constitute the most important "core indicators" of medicine.

Medical ethics is the "Beidou Navigation" (北斗导航) of medical practice. Modern medical technology is changing with each passing day, but medical treatment is always people-oriented. Every decision, every operation, and every prescription embodies not only knowledge and skills, but also humanistic care, ethical judgment, and value choices. Is the patient regarded as an individual with dignity, or a cold patient? Is the patient's well-being the highest principle, or is it to shirk responsibility in order to avoid risks? These choices cannot be completely dependent on systems or technical specifications, but only on the guidance of professional ethics.

The manifestation of medical ethics lies not only in the **义无反顾** (yì wú fǎn gù - "not turning back from righteousness," to do something without hesitation) at the time of major decisions, but also in the subtle aspects of daily work. Zhang Zhinan (张之南), an internal medicine expert at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院), recalled before his death: "I followed the attending physician on morning rounds and came to the bedside of a patient with cirrhosis. The patient suddenly vomited blood. Standing behind the attending physician, I subconsciously flashed to the side, but at this moment, my superior doctor leaned over to the patient to help him wipe it off. The purple-red blood stained his body. This incident shocked me a lot... A few years later, I became an attending physician. One day, the exact same scene happened. When the patient vomited blood, I did not hesitate to bend down and use a sputum container to catch the vomit and wipe his mouth with a towel. Of course, I was also covered in blood. Afterwards, the intern who followed me told me: 'Your actions gave us a lesson. How differently would patients feel if the doctor was afraid of the patient dirtying himself, dodging or moving forward!' I realized that the influence of superior doctors on subordinate doctors is sometimes invisible, and personal example is often better than verbal instruction." It can be seen that medical ethics is tempering, edification, and inheritance. Generations of medical predecessors have set an example, leaving valuable samples of great medical sincerity for future generations.

Medical ethics is a "long-lasting lamp," accompanying doctors' careers and illuminating the way forward. Technology will always become obsolete, but medical ethics will always "retain its value." May every doctor cultivate medical ethics, practice benevolence, and become a good doctor in the hearts of the people, and when the years are engraved in wrinkles, they will smile and say: "It's good to be a doctor!"

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Autumn Health: Focus on "Three Defenses" (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

By: 宗彼安

After the Start of Autumn, the yang energy begins to收 (shōu) and residual dampness still exists. The summer heat and dampness between heaven and earth have not yet receded, and the dryness is just beginning to sprout. The human body is easily troubled by the dual problems of damp evil trapping the spleen and dry evil injuring the lungs. Autumn health preservation requires doing a good job in "three preventions."

First, prevent dryness. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dryness is the dominant qi of autumn, called autumn dryness. In autumn, when the dryness evil is in power, the lungs are delicate organs, and the human body is prone to feeling the evil of autumn dryness. Chronic respiratory system diseases often recur or gradually worsen. Traditional Chinese medicine believes, "Dryness should be moistened." The prevention and treatment of autumn dryness mostly uses the "moistening" method to protect the body's fluids from being lost. You can eat some foods that have the effect of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, such as lily bulbs, white fungus, lotus seeds, and pumpkin.

Second, prevent dissipation. Autumn health preservation should focus on 收 (shōu) and not dissipation. Eating sour foods helps to astringe lung qi. You can eat some sour foods appropriately, such as oranges, lemons, pomegranates, tomatoes, dark plums, grapes, and other fruits and vegetables. Try to eat less pungent foods such as scallions, ginger, garlic, and chives. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pungent flavors通肺 (tōng fèi). If you consume too much pungent food, it is easy to cause excessive lung qi, leading to symptoms such as internal heat and constipation.

Third, prevent cold. As the weather gradually turns cooler, the indoor air conditioner should not be set too low, and it is necessary to close the windows appropriately to keep warm. You must follow the principle of "yin essence stored internally, yang qi collected internally," and do not be excessively greedy for coolness. In daily life, avoid air conditioning or cold wind blowing directly on the neck, back, and feet. These parts should be kept warm and not cold.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Shen Shaotie

Layout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Savoring "Oriental Bordeaux" in the "Northern Mountain City" (Border Town Observations)

By: 本报记者  王  远  郑智文  张博岚

Tonghua City (通化市) in Jilin (吉林) is known as the "Mountain City of the North," with more than two-thirds of its area being mountainous, and the mountains are full of treasures. The vast Changbai Mountains (长白山) are home to over 2,000 species of plants. Especially in the mountains from Liuhe County (柳河县) to Ji'an City (集安市), wild mountain grapes are abundant.

Wild mountain grapes, known as "Amulu" in Manchu, are a unique and rare grape variety in China. They are cold-resistant, high in acidity, and low in sugar, with complete fruit clusters, pure color, rich aroma, and abundant nutrition, making them an excellent raw material for winemaking. Local residents have long had the habit of making wine from mountain grapes. Li Shizhen (李时珍) of the Ming Dynasty recorded in the *Compendium of Materia Medica* (《本草纲目》) that wine "warms the waist and kidneys, preserves complexion, and resists cold," with the effects of benefiting the kidneys and beautifying the skin. The *Liuhe County Chronicle* (《柳河县志》) of the Qing Dynasty stated, "There are fruit wines made with new methods, such as Zhuangyuan Hong (状元红) and Rose Dew," indicating a wide variety of types produced locally. In the 1930s, mountain wine achieved industrialized production, making China one of only three countries in the world capable of producing mountain wine at that time. A large number of oak barrels for storing mountain wine, made by Soviet craftsmen at that time, have now become cultural relics.

After the founding of New China, Tonghua (通化) wine once became a major exporter of Chinese wine, a "diplomatic calling card" connecting the world and conveying friendship. Today, Tonghua (通化) mountain grapes, after artificial selection and hybridization, are used to brew a variety of mellow wines, making this border town internationally renowned as the "Bordeaux of the East" and fostering friendship with neighboring regions.

"Red National Wine"——

A Shining "Diplomatic Calling Card"

Stepping into the underground wine cellar of Tonghua Winery (通化葡萄酒厂), 4.5 meters deep and with a constant temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius, a rich aroma of wine fills the air. Giant wine barrels, taller than a person, are neatly arranged in a 200-meter-deep passage. This cellar is the world's largest underground cluster-style wine cellar with large oak barrels, with a total of 772 large oak barrels, each with a capacity of 3 to 8 tons, capable of storing about 6,000 tons of wine.

"These wine barrels are made of century-old oak from the Changbai Mountains (长白山). The earliest barrels can be traced back to the 1930s. At that time, a group of hired Soviet technicians helped make the oak barrels," said Guo Fenghua (国凤华), chief winemaker of Tonghua Wine Co., Ltd. (通化葡萄酒股份有限公司). The selection criteria for oak barrel planks are very strict. "They need to be cut or split along the grain of the tree with tools, and finally assembled according to the grain of the wood. Aging in oak barrels can make the quality of mountain wine more mellow and unique."

Tonghua (通化) is located between 40 and 43 degrees north latitude, belonging to the golden latitude belt for grape cultivation in the world, and has the climate and geographical conditions for growing high-quality grapes. After the founding of New China, Tonghua (通化) wine became the only wine brand in China named after a city, and it appeared on many important occasions such as National Day banquets and receptions for foreign guests, becoming a "red national wine." In 1949, Tonghua (通化) wine and Fenjiu (汾酒) became special wines for the founding ceremony. In 1954, Premier Zhou Enlai (周恩来) led a delegation to the Geneva Conference, and Tonghua (通化) wine was among the carefully prepared diplomatic gifts. For decades, Tonghua (通化) wine has been the national wine for receiving foreign guests. Nixon, Kakuei Tanaka (田中角荣), and Margaret Thatcher all tasted it during their visits to China. Therefore, Tonghua (通化) wine was once known as the "diplomatic calling card" of China's light industry.

The Tonghua (通化) wine underground cellar is one of the earliest underground wine cellars in China. In 1983, the state invested in expanding the cellar, making it the world's largest original wine storage cellar for "wild mountain grapes" at that time. In 2013, the cellar was listed by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit, attracting more Chinese and foreign tourists to experience the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and foreign drinking cultures.

Unique Selection and Breeding——

"Chinese Flavor" Goes to the World

The Yalu River (鸭绿江) meanders through the Changbai Mountains (长白山), welcoming the warm and humid air from the south, making Tonghua (通化), located in the northeast, experience an early spring, late autumn frost, no severe summer heat, and no extreme winter cold. It is one of the few regions that can grow grapes suitable for brewing top-quality "ice wine."

Ice wine refers to sweet wine made from naturally frozen grapes. Grapes must be harvested after freezing in a natural environment with a temperature below minus 8 degrees Celsius, and pressed while still frozen.

There is a consensus in the wine industry: good wine is not produced, but grown, and the selection and breeding of grape varieties is particularly important. In 1997, Tonghua Winery (通化葡萄酒厂) established a research team and went to Canada, the world's largest ice wine producer, for inspection. In 2003, Canadian winemaker Dominic Rivard was invited to Tonghua (通化) to help the Canadian grape variety "Vidal" adapt to the Tonghua (通化) terroir and achieve large-scale planting.

"'Vidal' is a cold-resistant grape variety that grows well in the Canadian climate. In Tonghua (通化), we started with small-scale experimental fields in different vineyards, tracking grape growth, sugar-acid levels, and flavor," said Dominic. "Eventually, 'Vidal' expanded from the initial few hectares of experimental fields to large-scale commercial planting. This was a true collaboration, combining Canadian expertise and the unremitting efforts of Chinese wineries."

After returning to Canada, Dominic brought Tonghua (通化) ice wine and late-harvested mountain grapes to his colleagues. "I brought back my experiences in Jilin (吉林) to Canada. We were pleasantly surprised by Tonghua's (通化) oak barrel aging and ice brewing technology. This exchange and mutual learning can improve the level of Canadian ice wine brewing from a technical level," said Dominic. "The important experience that Tonghua (通化) brought me is: to understand the local climate and adjust everything according to the local climate—grapes, vineyards, and winemaking techniques." He believes that these gains have been very useful for him in helping to select varieties and improve brewing technology in other countries in recent years.

Tonghua (通化) has never given up the natural gifts of the mountains and forests. Local wineries tried to use wild mountain grapes to make ice wine in the early years, but all failed due to unsuitable acidity or intolerance to air drying. With persistent research and experimentation, Tonghua (通化) has finally added new grape varieties for winemaking to the world of ice wine.

"After decades of scientific cultivation, Tonghua (通化) has produced mountain grape varieties represented by 'Beibinghong' (北冰红), 'Shuangyou' (双优), and 'Shuanghong' (双红)," said Guo Fenghua (国凤华). "'Beibinghong' (北冰红) is the world's first mountain grape variety cultivated by the Special Products Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for brewing ice wine. It naturally hangs on the tree until it freezes, and can be directly pressed and brewed into a deep ruby red color, with a rich and pleasant aroma of honey, red dates, and raisins. This means that 'Chinese flavor' has entered the world of ice wine."

Fragrant Overseas——

Fine Wine Attracts Guests from All Over the World

At the end of June, an award certificate made Kong Qingsen (孔庆森), general manager of Yajiang Valley Winery (鸭江谷酒庄) in Ji'an City (集安市), very excited.

"Ice wine has won many awards, but it is the first time that dry red wine made from 'Beibinghong' (北冰红) mountain grapes has won an international award." Upon learning of the gold medal at the 2025 Brussels International Wine Competition, Kong Qingsen (孔庆森) said, "This is truly Chinese grapes and Chinese wine. These grapes have created an international 'gold card' for Ji'an (集安)."

Ji'an City (集安市) is located in the southern part of Tonghua (通化), backed by the Laoling Mountains (老岭山脉) of the Changbai Mountains (长白山) in the north and bordering the Yalu River (鸭绿江) in the south. The unique geographical environment has formed a superior microclimate. The Yalu River Valley (鸭绿江河谷) production area is the only grape production area in China named after a regional river.

In recent years, Tonghua (通化) wine has accelerated its pace of "going out" and actively participated in many international large-scale wine competitions. In the underground wine cellar, Kong Qingsen (孔庆森) picked up a bottle of wine and introduced, "This is the award-winning wine, with a rich aroma." Multiple award certificates from international wine competitions are displayed on the table. "Winemakers and winery managers from Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, Austria, and other countries have come here to visit, full of curiosity about the unique flavor and technology of Chinese wine," said Kong Qingsen (孔庆森). The wine produced in the small city of Ji'an (集安) alone has won nearly a hundred awards in domestic and foreign wine competitions. From participating in competitions to winning awards, and then to repeatedly winning gold medals, each certificate witnesses the development of the Tonghua (通化) wine industry and records the history of Tonghua (通化) promoting Sino-foreign exchanges with wine as a medium.

"Only by going out can we know how well our wine is made," Sun Yanfeng (孙延锋), head of the Ji'an City (集安市) Mountain Wine Research and Development Center, clearly remembers the situation when Ji'an (集安) wine first participated in international competitions more than 10 years ago. "Everyone was very nervous, with both expectations and anxiety about the results. As a result, we won an award in our first competition, which gave us more confidence in making wine."

Using wine as a medium, we must not only let the fine wine spread overseas, but also attract guests from all over the world. With the bridge built by wine, international exchanges in the border town are becoming increasingly close, and Sino-foreign cultural exchanges are active. Every winter, the unique landscape of Ji'an (集安) ice grape harvesting is amazing. The earth and mountains are covered in silver, the grape leaves have fallen, but strings of round purple "pearls" still hang on the branches. These ice grapes, which stand proudly against the frost and snow, are the "Beibinghong" (北冰红). In recent years, Ji'an (集安) has held an "Ice Wine Festival," attracting wine experts, enthusiasts, and tourists from Russia, France, and other countries to admire the unique landscape and taste the unique flavor.

German sommelier Georg Philipp and his wife set foot on the land of Jilin (吉林) for the first time, with Ji'an (集安) as their destination. "The taste is very fresh, and the acidity and sugar are very suitable." Philipp, who has served as a judge in many international wine competitions, gave full recognition to "Beibinghong" (北冰红) ice wine. Having visited many wine regions, the Philipps were deeply impressed by Tonghua (通化) wine. "The ice wine produced in Tonghua (通化) carries a unique terroir and has a distinct imprint in wine products."

The aroma of fine wine is fragrant, and the movement of exchange and mutual learning is melodious. In the northeastern border, Tonghua (通化) wine, with its mellow taste and rich fruity aroma, welcomes the world with its unique flavor, telling a story of cultural exchange and mutual learning of civilizations.

Link·Tonghua (通化) in Jilin (吉林)

Tonghua City (通化市) is located in the southeastern part of Jilin Province (吉林省), facing North Korea across the Yalu River (鸭绿江). It is an important hub of the eastern passage in Northeast China and an important window for Jilin Province (吉林省) to open to the south.

In recent years, Tonghua City (通化市) has actively expanded foreign exchanges and cooperation, and has established friendly city relations with Magadan City (Магадан) in Russia and Songpa District (송파구) in Seoul (서울특별시), South Korea. At the same time, it has continued to deepen exchanges and connections with Wolfurt in Austria and Matsue City (松江市) in Shimane Prefecture (島根県), Japan. It has held events such as the "China Tonghua·Austria Winter Sports Summit Forum and Ski Competition," the "China Tonghua·Changbai Mountain (长白山) International Medical and Health Industry Development Forum," the "3rd International Fullerene Science Symposium," and the "'Nurturing the Mind in Nature, Touring Tonghua (通化)' Foreign Tourism Experts and Authoritative Media Entering Tonghua (通化) Vitality Ice and Snow Tour Theme Activity," building bridges for transnational exchanges, which not only promotes the mutual appreciation of science, technology, and culture, but also consolidates the foundation for pragmatic cooperation in economic, cultural, and tourism fields.

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Tasting Openness in Wine, Seeing Integration in Vineyards (Reporter's Notes)

By: 郑智文

The Yalu River flows, the Changbai Mountains (长白山脉) stretch endlessly, and the sun-drenched river valley is instantly shrouded in mist and rain. The unique local conditions are concentrated in each grape, brewed into bottles of fine wine.

In the vineyards of the river valley, the "Vidal" grape variety, which has traveled across the ocean, and the locally cultivated wild grape variety "Beibinghong" (北冰红) coexist harmoniously. The "one white and one red" ice wines made from them witness the mutual learning and exchange between Chinese and foreign cultures, jointly creating the unique flavor of the Yalu River (鸭绿江) valley production area.

Through the open door, various grape varieties, wine products, and other items enter the vast Chinese market, and wine culture is spread and popularized along with them, illustrating from one aspect that China embraces diverse cultures with an open attitude. With the bridge built by wine, uniquely flavored Chinese wines have gained recognition and praise internationally, opening up new channels for the world to understand today's China.

Tasting openness in wine, showing integration in the vineyard. "Vidal" originated in Europe and became famous in North America, but it has taken root in the small northeastern city of Ji'an (集安), producing ice wines that have won numerous gold medals. Behind this, there is both the cultivation of unique local conditions and the adaptation of management and protection to local conditions, with breakthroughs and innovations in the harmonious integration of Chinese and foreign concepts, technologies, and cultures.

Ji'an (集安) attracts the attention of Chinese and foreign wine experts, enthusiasts, and tourists precisely because it promotes exchanges through openness and revitalizes through integration. The aroma of wine is riding the east wind of communication, drifting from the small northeastern city to distant places.

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This page editors: Zou Zhipeng, Zhao Yipu, Chu Jun

Layout Design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

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Soaring Eagle Strikes the Sky, Heroic Name Endures Forever (Remember History, Create the Future)

By: 本报记者  王骁波  谢亚宏  肖新新

During the difficult times of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, more than 2,000 Soviet pilots joined the Soviet Volunteer Group, "soaring through the skies" in Nanjing (南京), Wuhan (武汉), Chongqing (重庆), and other places, fighting against the Japanese invaders alongside the Chinese military and civilians. Many pilots sacrificed their precious lives.

More than 80 years later, in front of the monuments built in Nanjing (南京), Wuhan (武汉), Chongqing (重庆), and other places for the Soviet Volunteer Group, Chinese and foreign friends often present bouquets to commemorate the heroes who guarded peace with their lives. When the descendants of the Soviet Volunteer Group pilots talk about the heroic deeds of their ancestors, they are all proud of the glorious history of the two peoples fighting together with a common hatred and shedding blood.

Shuster (舒斯特尔), a martyr of the fighter squadron—

A letter sent home from Wuhan (武汉) a month before his sacrifice: "Everything will be alright."

In the northeast corner of Jiefang Park (解放公园) in Jiang'an District (江岸区), Wuhan (武汉), Hubei Province (湖北), the cemetery of the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Group martyrs stands quietly. On the light cyan granite tomb wall, white stone slabs are inlaid in a scattered manner, with the names of the Soviet martyrs engraved on them. At the time of their sacrifice, the oldest was 33 years old and the youngest was 24 years old.

Yelena (叶莲娜) came to the stone slab engraved with the name of her maternal grandfather, Lev Zakharovich Shuster (列夫·扎哈罗维奇·舒斯特尔), gently placed a bunch of red carnations and a wedding photo of her grandfather and grandmother Mina (米娜), and was reluctant to leave for a long time. This was her first time visiting Wuhan (武汉) to pay her respects. Although she had never met her grandfather, who sacrificed here, Wuhan (武汉) always gave her a strange sense of intimacy.

Shuster (舒斯特尔) was born in 1914. After graduating from pilot school, he joined the Lyubertsy Fighter Squadron (柳别尔齐战斗机大队) of the Soviet Air Force. In 1938, he joined the Soviet Volunteer Group and arrived in Wuhan (武汉) with the team, joining the fighter squadron of the Soviet Volunteer Group. At that time, Wuhan (武汉) was suffering from continuous Japanese air raids. The Chinese Air Force, in coordination with the Soviet Volunteer Group, fought hard and engaged in fierce battles with the Japanese army in the skies over Wuhan (武汉) many times.

On February 18, 1938, the Chinese Air Force shot down 12 enemy planes in 12 minutes, achieving the first large-scale victory for the Chinese Air Force after the fall of Nanjing (南京), shattering the myth of the Japanese army's air supremacy. On April 29, the Japanese army once again dispatched multiple bombers and fighters in an attempt to destroy the Chinese Air Force. Pilots from China and the Soviet Union took off and once again joined forces to achieve victory in the air battle against Japan, but Shuster (舒斯特尔) heroically sacrificed himself in a collision with an enemy plane.

"This is a letter sent home by my grandfather from Wuhan (武汉) a month before his sacrifice." Yelena (叶莲娜) took out a yellowed letter, which was filled with writing. In the letter, Shuster (舒斯特尔) said to his wife Mina (米娜): "Everything will be alright. You must take good care of our daughter and raise her to grow up healthy and safe." Yelena (叶莲娜) said that after Shuster (舒斯特尔) sacrificed himself, her grandmother treasured this letter, shouldered the burden of the family alone, and fulfilled her husband's wish.

During her visit to China, Yelena (叶莲娜) donated the original letter, the document approving his membership in the Communist Party, the Soviet Red Banner Medal certificate, and wedding photos to Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (中南财经政法大学). "Before leaving, my mother called me and said that this letter had been with her for 87 years. She decided to let me bring it back to Wuhan (武汉), to the place where her father once fought, to play a greater role in inheriting Russian-Chinese friendship." Yelena (叶莲娜) said.

"My mother was only six months old when my grandfather sacrificed himself. All her memories of her grandfather are in this letter, so when she thinks of her grandfather, she thinks of Wuhan (武汉). She repeatedly told me to take more photos and videos in Wuhan (武汉) so that she could see what the city her father fought to the death for looks like now." Yelena (叶莲娜) said that she believes her mother will be very pleased to see the modern and beautiful Wuhan (武汉) today.

In Wuhan (武汉), Yelena (叶莲娜) also visited Zhang Tiao (张眺), the daughter of Zhang Lianggao (张良皋), the designer of the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Group Martyrs Cemetery. Zhang Tiao (张眺), who is over seventy years old, held Yelena's (叶莲娜) hand tightly and said, "Your grandfather sacrificed himself for our city, and we are very grateful to him!" Yelena (叶莲娜) said, "We also want to thank your father! The Martyrs Cemetery witnesses the friendship between the Russian and Chinese people, and we Russians will always preserve this memory and pass it on from generation to generation!"

Bomber Squadron Leader Polenin (波雷宁)—

Led 28 warplanes in a surprise attack, writing in his memoirs: "I deeply know the suffering of the Chinese people."

"Whether in the Soviet Union or in China, my father regarded death as home, because fascism and militarism are our common enemies." At a theme event commemorating the victory of the Soviet Great Patriotic War, Peter (彼得), the son of "Soviet Hero" and Soviet Air Force General Fyodor Petrovich Polenin (费奥多尔·彼得罗维奇·波雷宁), was telling young people the story of the Soviet Volunteer Group, "The best way to commemorate heroes is to protect the truth of history."

Polenin (波雷宁) was born in 1906 and graduated from the Volsk Joint Theoretical School of Pilots and Aviation Technicians, the Orenburg Third Military School of Pilots and Flight Observers, and other Soviet Air Force academies. In 1933, he went to China for the first time as a senior aviation military advisor, training Chinese pilots with a large number of experienced Soviet instructors. "The Chinese students were so engrossed in studying flying skills that they wanted to join the war of resistance as soon as possible." Peter (彼得) said that his father forged a sincere friendship with the Chinese students and was also moved by their spirit of actively serving the country.

In November 1937, Polenin (波雷宁) joined the Soviet Volunteer Group and later served as the bomber squadron leader. "I had been waiting for this opportunity." He wrote in his memoirs: "I deeply know the suffering of the Chinese people." Peter (彼得) said that the Soviet pilots who accompanied his father were full of fighting spirit and ready to sacrifice their lives for the just cause of the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression. On February 23, 1938, Polenin (波雷宁) led a bomber squadron of 28 warplanes from Hankou Airport (汉口机场) in a surprise attack on Songshan Airport (松山机场) in Taipei (台北), which was occupied by the Japanese army, writing a strong and colorful stroke for the Soviet Volunteer Group's operations against Japan.

"This mission was extremely risky. In order to save fuel and ensure a safe return, they flew at an altitude of 5,500 meters for a long time, overcoming the effects of hypoxia and bad weather with great perseverance." Peter (彼得) said that the bomber squadron destroyed about 40 Japanese planes in the surprise attack and destroyed infrastructure such as hangars, aprons, and oil storage tanks. The aviation fuel in the oil storage tanks alone could supply the Japanese army for 3 years. When the Soviet pilots returned safely to their base, the nearby Chinese military and civilians excitedly cheered for them and rushed forward to embrace the Soviet pilots.

In June 1938, Polenin (波雷宁) returned to the Soviet Union and was awarded the title of "Soviet Hero" in November of the same year. After that, he devoted himself to the Soviet Great Patriotic War and made outstanding military achievements, and was awarded the rank of Air Force General in 1946.

"My father always cherished the valuable experience of fighting alongside the Chinese military and civilians, and always told us to remember the sacrifices made by the two countries for the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War." Peter (彼得) said that he always keeps his father's teachings in mind and often participates in World War II-themed activities, telling the glorious history of the two countries fighting side by side. "We must learn from history and adhere to peace and justice. I hope that the younger generation of the two countries will carry on the past and forge ahead, and work together for a better future."

Flight Squadron Leader Slyusarev (斯柳萨列夫)—

The first mission he carried out was to drive warplanes from the factory in Irkutsk (伊尔库茨克) to China.

"My father forged a bond with China and the Chinese people in the flames of war. We must pass on the spirit of Russian-Chinese friendship and cooperation." Natalia (娜塔莉娅) showed the awards that have been treasured in her home for many years. This award was personally signed by Chairman Mao Zedong (毛泽东) to her father, "Soviet Hero" and Soviet Air Force Lieutenant General Sidor Vasilyevich Slyusarev (西多尔·瓦西里耶维奇·斯柳萨列夫).

Slyusarev (斯柳萨列夫), like Polenin (波雷宁), was born in 1906. He graduated from the Leningrad Military Theoretical School of the Soviet Red Army Air Force and the A.F. Myasnikov First Military Flying School. After serving as a flight instructor for a period of time, he joined the army. In May 1938, he joined the Soviet Volunteer Group. "The first mission my father carried out was to drive warplanes from the factory in Irkutsk (伊尔库茨克) to China." Natalia (娜塔莉娅) said that Slyusarev (斯柳萨列夫) was responsible for training Chinese pilots in China while also joining the war against Japan as a flight squadron leader. In less than a year, he participated in the destruction of 70 Japanese ships and 30 aircraft, making the Japanese army afraid to launch air raids during the day for a time.

"In one battle, the oxygen tube of my father's mask was cut off by shrapnel. He almost lost consciousness at an altitude of 8,000 meters and finally had to make an emergency landing with the crew in an unfamiliar village." Natalia (娜塔莉娅) said that after the villagers discovered that they were Soviet pilots, they quickly hid the plane on the spot and took them to the town, organized a rally to express their gratitude, and then hid them in a freight train and sent them to a safe area. "My father's face suffered severe frostbite, and thanks to the local doctors' treatment with traditional Chinese medicine, he was able to recover safely."

Stories of Chinese military and civilians extending a helping hand to Soviet pilots have appeared many times in Slyusarev's (斯柳萨列夫) memoirs. Like him, many Soviet pilots were actively rescued by Chinese military and civilians after encountering danger, and the Soviet pilots who died in battle were also deeply mourned by the Chinese people. In a comrade's funeral recorded by him, Chinese military and civilians kept vigil all night for the sacrificed Soviet pilots according to local customs, and the next day they also organized a memorial service in the city. While deeply mourning the heroes, people excitedly shouted slogans of friendship.

"My father later transferred to Lanzhou (兰州) to be stationed and had the opportunity to have in-depth exchanges with representatives of the Communist Party of China, and was deeply impressed by the determination and courage of the Communist Party of China in leading the people to resolutely resist Japan." Natalia (娜塔莉娅) said that before and after the founding of New China, Slyusarev (斯柳萨列夫) traveled back and forth between the Soviet Union and China many times to help the development of the New China Air Force and participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and was awarded the Friendship Medal by the Chinese government.

"Preventing the tragedy of World War II from happening again and safeguarding the post-war international order are our common missions." Natalia (娜塔莉娅), as the vice chairman of the Russian Association of Descendants of Volunteer Pilots to China, is still active on the front line of Russian-Chinese friendship. She promotes the association's cooperation with the Chinese side to carry out commemorative activities, and also created a script about the two countries' pilots jointly resisting the Japanese army. She looks forward to Russian and Chinese artists cooperating to create more artistic works, remembering the history of the two peoples fighting side by side against fascism, and guarding common memories and honors.

(This reporter Qiang Yuwen (强郁文) participated in the writing)

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Strengthening Strategic Coordination, Defending Fairness and Justice (International Observation)

By: 尼基塔·斯捷潘诺夫

I have a special connection with China. During World War II, my great-grandfather was in the Soviet Red Army, responsible for training military experts sent to China. In 2017, on the recommendation of Russian veterans, I began serving as the head of the Russian-Chinese group of the International Public Affairs Committee of the Russian Veterans Association.

Currently, the Russian-Chinese group of the International Public Affairs Committee of the Russian Veterans Association has more than 30 main members, most of whom are Soviet aid-China veterans and their descendants, and also members of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Association. Veterans such as Shudlo and Yasnev, who received the Commemorative Medal for the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression personally awarded by President Xi Jinping (习近平) in September 2015, once worked in the Russian Veterans Association. President Xi Jinping (习近平)'s awarding of commemorative medals to Russian veterans and his cordial conversations with them demonstrate China's deep friendship towards international friends who helped and supported the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

In recent years, members of the Russian Veterans Association, together with their Chinese partners, have organized friendly people from both countries to lay flowers at the Soviet Martyrs' Memorials in China, and held exhibitions and lectures on the theme of Soviet-Chinese cooperation during World War II, aiming to let the younger generation remember the dedication and friendship of their predecessors, and let the friendship between the two countries be passed down from generation to generation.

During the activities, I saw that the Soviet Martyrs' Memorials in various parts of China are well protected, and I was deeply moved by the support and efforts of governments at all levels and non-governmental organizations in China. In exchanges with the veterans, I also learned about their heroic deeds in fighting against the Japanese invaders alongside the Chinese military and civilians in China. The contributions made by the people of the two countries to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War will surely be remembered by history.

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. During the War of Resistance, the Japanese army occupied large areas of Chinese territory, causing profound disasters to the Chinese people. Facing the Japanese invaders, the Chinese people showed extraordinary resilience and courage. The Communist Party of China (中国共产党) widely mobilized the masses, organized guerrillas, and established anti-Japanese base areas in rural areas, making great contributions to promoting the anti-Japanese national united front and achieving the final victory of the War of Resistance.

Having experienced the cruelty of war, we know better the value of peace. At present, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), China adheres to the path of peaceful development, has made great development achievements, and has injected strong impetus into world peace and development. China has proposed important concepts and initiatives such as building a community with a shared future for mankind, promoting cooperation to address global challenges such as climate change, and working together to build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and cleanliness and beauty, which has received responses and support from more and more countries.

In May of this year, President Xi Jinping (习近平) attended the celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Great Patriotic War in Moscow (莫斯科). On September 3, China will hold a grand rally at Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) in Beijing (北京) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. I and many descendants of veterans will be invited to participate in this grand event. Many descendants of veterans have told me that they are very happy to see that today's China has made new achievements on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and to see that today's Russian-Chinese relations have continuously achieved new results under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries.

More than 80 years ago, the Russian and Chinese people fought side by side and supported each other. The deep friendship forged by the people of the two countries in the test of blood and fire, life and death, has become an important cornerstone of the relations between the two countries. We look forward to the two countries continuing to strengthen strategic coordination and safeguard fairness and justice while jointly safeguarding historical memory.

(The author is a senior researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the head of the Russian-Chinese group of the International Public Affairs Committee of the Russian Veterans Association. This article was compiled and edited by Xie Yahong (谢亚宏), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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This section edited by: Han Bingchen, Wang Xiaobo

Layout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

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"China Buy" Sales Nearly Double in the First Half of the Year (Economic Watch)

By: 本报记者 王 观

Since the beginning of this year, the popularity of "Travel in China" has remained strong, and "Shopping in China" has continued to heat up. "Going to China with empty suitcases" has become a new trend for overseas tourists to "explore stores" and "check-in" for cross-border travel. From silk, tea, and traditional porcelain to trendy Chinese products, cultural and creative items, and technological gadgets, overseas tourists have more "new favorites" to buy in China. With lower "starting and refund points," smooth payment and invoicing, and faster tax refunds and verification, a series of optimized measures surrounding departure tax refunds have become another important plus for boosting inbound consumption.

Data released by the State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局) shows that from January to June this year, the number of domestic departure tax refund stores has doubled, exceeding 7,200, the number of people enjoying tax refunds has increased by 186% year-on-year, and the sales of tax-refunded goods and the amount of tax refunds have increased by 94.6% and 93.2% year-on-year, respectively.

With the new upgrade of the departure tax refund policy, what are the highlights of inbound consumption? How can we make the popularity of "Shopping in China" more sustainable? The reporter conducted interviews.

More Products to Buy

New products are launched in stores, and tax refund districts are fun and easy to browse.

On the Golden Coast, tents are neatly arranged, and in Donggang Water City (东港水城), tourists are shoulder to shoulder. Recently, Dalian (大连), Liaoning (辽宁) has attracted tourists from all directions.

At the sea cucumber counter in a Dalian shopping mall, Marina, a tourist from Russia, purchased 3,600 yuan worth of sea cucumber products. The staff guided her to the mall's centralized refund point to process the departure tax refund "instant refund." Soon, she received a notification that a 324 yuan tax refund prepayment had been credited to her account. "I bought satisfactory goods and can get a refund. I plan to buy some small souvenirs." The tax refund on shopping gave Marina an unexpected surprise.

Since July 1 this year, Dalian has begun to implement the departure tax refund policy for overseas tourists. In the first month of the policy's implementation, it has shown a good development trend, not only bringing benefits to overseas tourists but also creating more business opportunities for merchants.

Dalian Jinhua Watch & Jewelry Co., Ltd. (大连锦华钟表珠宝有限公司) is a local established enterprise mainly engaged in high-end watches and other commodities. Currently, the company's 5 stores in Dalian have been registered as tax refund stores. "With the driving force of the departure tax refund policy, it is expected that sales this year will increase by more than 10%," said the relevant person in charge of Jinhua Watch.

Driven by the booming sales and extensive policy promotion, direct-sale stores of brands such as Huawei (华为) and DJI (大疆) are also preparing to apply for tax refund store registration. At present, the Dalian Municipal Taxation Bureau (大连市税务局) is actively coordinating with the commercial department to launch the relevant work of Dalian's local specialty products entering the departure tax refund store, selecting shops selling shell carving crafts, Liaoyu grilled fish fillets, Zhuanghe big bone chicken, red shrimp crisp candy, Dalian scallop, Yichang condensed pastries and other "foreign trade excellent products" and "Dalian gifts," and promoting more local specialty products to enjoy the tax refund policy to increase the sales of local specialty products.

This year, driven by the new upgrade of the departure tax refund policy, not only are more high-quality stores launching new products, but also various regions are actively laying out and creating departure tax refund characteristic blocks to continuously enhance the attractiveness of inbound consumption.

At present, among the more than 1,500 departure tax refund stores in Beijing (北京), domestic brands account for 40%, and "Beijing flavor" has become a distinctive feature of local tax refund stores. While cultivating the diversified development of departure tax refund stores, the Beijing Municipal Taxation Department (北京市税务部门) also helps upgrade key shopping business districts, deeply exploring the potential of the four international consumption experience zones of "CBD×Sanlitun (三里屯)," "Wangfujing (王府井)×Xidan (西单)×Qianmen (前门)," "Universal Studios (环球影城)×Grand Canal (大运河)," and "Lize (丽泽)×Capital Business New Area (首都商务新区)," developing more than 600 departure tax refund stores, and further expanding the brand agglomeration advantages of the business district.

In Shanghai (上海), from the bustling commercial buildings on Nanjing West Road (南京西路) to the traditional markets in Yu Garden (豫园), from time-honored intangible cultural heritage workshops to international brand flagship stores, more than 1,400 tax refund stores weave a tax refund service network covering Shanghai. Since the beginning of this year, the Shanghai Municipal Taxation Department (上海市税务部门) has processed departure tax refunds for more than 80,000 tourists from over 174 countries (regions), with a cumulative total of more than 110,000 tax refund application forms issued.

Developing departure tax refunds is an important means to vigorously boost consumption and an important way to expand high-level opening up to the outside world. Sun Kunpeng, associate professor of the School of Finance and Taxation of the Central University of Finance and Economics (中央财经大学财政税务学院), believes that from the perspective of commodity types, in the future, we should strengthen support for stores with immersive shopping experiences and multilingual support capabilities, guide traditional international luxury brand shopping malls to operate in the same venue as time-honored brands and trendy domestic brands, and take into account brand trust and local characteristics. From the perspective of commodity types, the focus is on forming a full-category coverage driven by culture and technology. We should further strengthen support for cultural identification products such as intangible cultural heritage and local characteristics that are more popular, as well as technological trendy products such as domestic drones and smart wearable devices, and promote more domestic high-quality products to the international market.

Departure Tax Refunds are More Convenient

"Code-based refund" and online processing accelerate the tax refund process in a "fancy" way.

"No need to download and register, departure tax refunds can be 'code-based refund,' which is really convenient." Recently, in the cultural and creative store of the new hall of the Sanxingdui Museum (三星堆博物馆) in Deyang (德阳), Sichuan (四川), Mr. Yang, a tourist from Macau (澳门), purchased a bronze standing statue figurine worth 328 yuan and experienced the convenient service of "code-based refund" for departure tax refunds.

"After overseas tourists shop, they use their mobile phones to scan the 'code-based refund' QR code of the store, upload identity information, credit card and shopping invoices, tax refund forms, complete the electronic signature of the agreement and credit card pre-authorization. After the system passes the online review, the tax refund prepayment will be credited to the account in real time," said the relevant person in charge of the Sichuan Provincial Taxation Bureau (四川省税务局) of the State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局).

It is reported that the "code-based refund" mini-program relies on technologies such as image and text recognition and rule verification, and by optimizing and transforming the existing business processes, it moves the processes of tax refund application, credit card pre-authorization, and tax refund review online, realizing "fingertip tax refund, worry-free throughout the process," which has been well received by tax refund merchants and overseas tourists.

Since the beginning of this year, the tax department has promoted the "instant refund" service measure for departure tax refunds nationwide, and the efficiency of tax refund processing has increased by more than 40%. How to make departure tax refunds faster? There are many innovative measures in various places——

"Touch it," and the tax refund will be credited to the account in seconds. In Beijing, the tax department, together with the agency Bank of China Beijing Branch (中国银行北京市分行) and the Alipay platform, launched the Alipay "Touch" tax refund function at the city's centralized refund points, realizing the real-time transfer of tax refunds to overseas tourists' Alipay e-wallets.

"Self-service processing" replaces "manual invoicing." In Shanghai, the New World Daimaru Department Store (新世界大丸百货商场) is piloting the first self-service invoicing machine in the country. It can generate and print tax refund application forms by one-click recognition of passport information and scanning invoice QR codes, realizing self-service invoicing. "The introduction of the self-service invoicing machine has effectively alleviated the processing pressure during peak shopping hours in the mall. Since the beginning of this year, we have issued more than 5,000 tax refund application forms," said the person in charge of Daimaru Department Store.

"Compared with the previous declaration process, the current various convenience measures have greatly improved the efficiency of overseas tourists in handling departure tax refunds, but some processes and links still need to be further opened up and optimized. For example, there may be differences between the efficiency of online departure tax refunds and offline processing, and the tax refund service processes in different regions will also be different. We must further improve publicity and guidance for overseas consumers, and meet the diversified tax refund needs of overseas consumers by continuously improving service levels," said He Daixin, director of the Fiscal Research Office of the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院财经战略研究院财政研究室).

Travel Arrangements are More Flexible

From "instant refund" in single stores to "one-stop" centralized refund, there are also new measures for mutual recognition of departure ports.

"I just bought a watch at the Wangfu Central (王府中環) tax refund store. I thought I could only process the tax refund at the airport. I didn't expect the salesperson to say that not only the items I bought today, but also the bookmarks I bought when I went to the Forbidden City (故宫) yesterday, can be processed for tax refund here. It's really convenient." Lin Shuyun, a Singaporean tourist who came to Beijing for the first time, shared her shopping experience with reporters.

In June this year, the Beijing Municipal Taxation Department (北京市税务部门) launched three centralized refund points in Wangfujing (王府井), Financial Street (金融街), and the Guomao business district: Wangfu Central (王府中環), Financial Street Shopping Center (金融街购物中心), and China World Mall (国贸商城), making it more comfortable and convenient for overseas tourists to buy and get refunds.

Setting up centralized refund points is not a new thing. Recently, Guangzhou (广州), Guangdong (广东) opened its first centralized refund point in Tianhuan Plaza (天环广场) in the Tianhe Central Business District (天河中央商务区); Shenzhen (深圳) added one centralized refund point in Luohu Dongmen Pedestrian Street (罗湖东门步行街), bringing the total number of centralized refund points in the city to 12, all located in areas with high passenger traffic such as commercial and trade business districts.

Expanding from "instant refund" in single stores to "one-stop" centralized refund not only provides convenience for tourists but also effectively clears the blockage of single merchants needing to prepare their own tax refund cash.

"Since the establishment of the centralized refund point, merchants' willingness to apply to become departure tax refund stores has increased significantly. At present, there are nearly 90 tax-refundable merchants in Shanghai's Plaza 66 (恒隆广场), basically covering major international well-known brands. From January to July this year, the 'instant refund' centralized refund point in Plaza 66 has processed more than 500 transactions, and the departure tax refund sales of the entire mall have increased by nearly 60% year-on-year," said Zhang Linna, director of Plaza 66.

There is also good news about making tax refund processing more convenient. Not long ago, Li Dehua, an overseas tourist, purchased Yongchun old vinegar (永春老醋) and other specialties in a specialty store in Quanzhou (泉州), Fujian (福建), and chose the "instant refund" service for departure tax refunds, and received the tax refund on the spot; a few days later, Li Dehua chose to depart from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (厦门高崎国际机场) and successfully passed the verification and completed the relevant business.

It seems ordinary, but there is a big change behind it - previously, overseas tourists who enjoyed the "instant refund" service in departure tax refund stores in Fujian Province (excluding Xiamen) could only depart from Fuzhou Changle International Airport (福州长乐国际机场), Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport (泉州晋江国际机场), and Pingtan Aoqian Passenger Ro-Ro Terminal Port (平潭澳前客运滚装码头口岸); those who enjoyed the "instant refund" service in departure tax refund stores in Xiamen could only depart from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, which brought inconvenience to some overseas tourists in arranging their travel.

"Now, the province is piloting the mutual recognition of departure ports for 'instant refund' for departure tax refunds for overseas tourists, allowing overseas tourists to arrange their travel routes in the province more freely and smoothly after shopping. In addition to the original mutual recognition of ports, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Terminal (厦门五通客运码头) has also been added this time to provide more choices for overseas tourists," said the relevant person in charge of the Fujian Provincial Taxation Bureau (福建省税务局) of the State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局).

Recently, taking the service of the 12th World Games as an opportunity, the Sichuan Provincial Taxation Bureau (四川省税务局) jointly launched a new measure for mutual recognition of departure ports for "instant refund" service for departure tax refunds with the taxation bureaus of Chongqing (重庆), Yunnan (云南), and Shaanxi (陕西). After overseas tourists shop in designated stores in Sichuan Province and enjoy the "instant refund" service, they can freely choose to depart from any of the following ports to complete customs verification: Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (成都天府国际机场), Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (重庆江北国际机场), Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (西安咸阳国际机场), Kunming Changshui International Airport (昆明长水国际机场), and Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (丽江三义国际机场). This means that after tourists shop and get tax refunds in Sichuan, the choice of departure ports will be greatly expanded, and travel arrangements will be more convenient.

From entering the country full of expectations to leaving the country with a full load, the smoothness of each step is very important. "Next, we need to further promote cross-provincial mutual recognition, establish a high-level coordination mechanism, and at the same time expand the coverage of departure methods, explore the inclusion of cruise ports and other ports in the scope of departure port tax refunds, and provide greater convenience for overseas tourists," said Sun Kunpeng.

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What Can Break the Financial Industry's "Involution"? (Economic View)

By: 葛孟超

The financial industry must continuously improve its value creation capabilities, break the "**内卷**" (nèi juǎn - "involution," excessive internal competition leading to stagnation), enhance the sense of gain for residents and enterprises with higher-quality products and services, and achieve its own high-quality development.

Recently, two pieces of news related to the financial industry are quite thought-provoking.

One is that the first batch of new floating fee rate fund products linked to performance have been officially established recently. This type of fund product establishes a mechanism for fund managers and investors to share benefits and risks, which has been positively responded to by the market. According to statistics, more than 20 fund products have attracted more than 240,000 investors to participate in the subscription.

The second is that at the mid-year meeting, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (中国工商银行) required in the second half of the year to "implement in detail various existing and incremental policies to stabilize the economy, adhere to the alignment of products and customers, and take the lead in rectifying 'involution-style' competition," releasing a clear signal to the outside world that large commercial banks are rectifying "**内卷**" (nèi juǎn - "involution," excessive internal competition leading to stagnation).

Economic development is an organic unity of quality and quantity, and the principle of achieving effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity also applies to the financial industry. Taking the public fund industry as an example, the asset scale of public funds in China (中国) has repeatedly reached record highs in recent years. However, the industry has also exposed problems such as deviations in business philosophy and a weak sense of gain for investors. These two pieces of news convey a new market signal: the old path of scale expansion is becoming increasingly unsustainable, and the financial industry must continuously improve its value creation capabilities, break the "**内卷**" (nèi juǎn - "involution," excessive internal competition leading to stagnation), enhance the sense of gain for residents and enterprises with higher-quality products and services, and achieve its own high-quality development. To achieve this goal, the joint efforts of regulatory authorities, financial institutions, and other industry players are indispensable.

From the perspective of regulatory authorities, it is necessary to continue to establish rules and regulations, clarify regulatory rules, and guide the financial industry to pay more attention to the actual returns of investors. Taking floating fee rate fund products as an example, in fact, this type of product is not a new concept, and the industry has explored it many years ago. This upgrade of the floating fee rate charging model is closely related to the "Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of Public Funds" released by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (中国证监会) in May this year. The plan requires the establishment of a floating management fee collection mechanism linked to fund performance, emphasizing the protection of investors' interests; comprehensively strengthening the long-term performance evaluation and incentive and restraint mechanism of fund companies, directly addressing the industry's past evaluation model oriented towards scale growth. Complete and effective regulatory rules are like a "baton," guiding the industry to transform from emphasizing scale to emphasizing investor returns by "blocking wrong paths and opening new paths," and also encouraging more practitioners to improve their investment research capabilities.

For financial institutions, it is necessary to work hard to improve their internal skills and create value and profits in serving economic and social development. At present, the "involution-style" competition in the banking industry is mainly manifested in irrational price wars, relaxation of risk management bottom lines, and homogenization of services. The underlying reasons include the industry's blind worship of scale. To change this situation, financial institutions must differentiate their development and complement each other's advantages, and perform their respective duties and leverage their strengths in serving the real economy. In terms of optimizing their main business, large banks should actively support the implementation of major national strategies and better serve the overall national development; small and medium-sized banks should cultivate local markets and leverage their own advantages to be close to the grassroots. In terms of refining their expertise, banks can consider international transformation to serve Chinese (中国) companies "going global"; diversify operations to broaden income sources and reduce reliance on traditional businesses; and use specialized services to avoid homogeneous competition; and so on.

Finance has both functional and profitable attributes, and cannot be purely profit-oriented. Profitability should be subordinate to the function. The transformation from scale-driven to value creation is an exploration for the financial industry to better balance functionality and profitability, and also involves fundamental changes in business methods, evaluation mechanisms, and other aspects. It is necessary to persevere and strive to promote it. It is believed that in the process of serving the high-quality development of the economy and society, the financial industry will also obtain reasonable returns and achieve its own high-quality development.

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Why "Pilot Scale" Matters (Financial Science Popularization)

By: 本报记者  刘温馨

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) recently announced the first list of 241 key pilot test platforms for cultivation. So, what is a "pilot test"?

Simply put, a pilot test is a transitional experiment that converts new products in the trial stage to the production process, focusing on verifying technology reproducibility, mass production feasibility, quality reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Data shows that the industrialization success rate of scientific and technological achievements after pilot testing can reach 80%, while the industrialization success rate without pilot testing is only 30%.

If the investment in R&D samples is 1, the investment in forming a product prototype is 10, and the investment in forming mass production requires 100. The high investment and high risk of pilot testing have become a pain point for many technology companies that 不敢试、试不起 (bù gǎn shì, shì bù qǐ - "dare not try, cannot afford to try," afraid to try due to high costs and risks).

Technology finance can effectively improve this situation. In May of this year, the "Several Policy Measures to Accelerate the Construction of a Technology Finance System and Strongly Support High-Level Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance and Self-Improvement" was released, proposing to promote innovation in science and technology insurance products and services, including exploring the use of a co-insurance model to carry out risk protection for science and technology insurance in key areas, and carrying out risk diversification pilots for major technology breakthroughs, pilot tests, and cybersecurity, providing customized financial solutions for technological innovation through innovative financial products and service models.

Zhang Yongji (张永冀), Associate Professor at the School of Management and Economics of Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学), said that relying on means such as science and technology insurance, achievement transformation funds, patent pledge, and risk-sharing mechanisms, a collaborative framework of "capital + technology + system" can be built to effectively connect the "scientific and technological achievements - pilot test incubation - industrialization - capital exit" chain, accelerating the transformation and implementation of scientific and technological achievements.

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Observing the Rise of "Hard Technology" Through the STAR Market

By: 本报记者 赵展慧

Recently, the Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) celebrated its 6th "birthday." In this reform experimental field set up for "hard technology," 589 listed companies have taken root and grown vigorously in the past six years. These companies are concentrated in new-generation information technology, biomedicine, high-end equipment, new energy, new materials, energy conservation, and environmental protection, and other high-tech industries and strategic emerging industries. As of the end of July, the total market value has exceeded 7 trillion yuan. From the innovation trajectory of these "hard technology" enterprises, we can see the surging momentum of the development of new quality productive forces in China.

Technological innovation is blooming in many places, innovation elements are accelerating their convergence, and the level of independent control is steadily improving.

In 2024, the R&D investment of Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) listed companies reached 168.1 billion yuan, more than three times the overall net profit attributable to the parent company, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. At the same time, Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) enterprises have gathered a group of high-level scientific research talents, with 240,000 R&D personnel, accounting for nearly 30% of the total number of employees. With the gathering of talent and capital, Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) enterprises added 20,000 new invention patents throughout the year last year, and have accumulated more than 120,000 invention patents.

Among the innovative achievements of Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) companies, import substitution and international originality are constantly increasing, and the level of independent control is steadily improving. According to statistics, 30% of Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) companies' products or projects under research are original in the industry, more than 80% of companies' core products are aimed at import substitution and independent control, and more than 850 products or technologies of more than 380 companies have reached the international advanced level.

Industrial innovation is accumulating momentum, innovative enterprises are stringing together into chains, and a hardcore industrial system is being built.

Relying on the achievement transformation platform of the "National Engineering Laboratory for Superconducting Materials Preparation," Western Superconducting Technologies Co., Ltd. (西部超导材料科技股份有限公司) has broken through a number of key technologies such as the engineering of high-performance high-temperature alloys, realizing complete import substitution of superconducting products, high-end titanium alloys, and other products, and has embarked on a successful path of industrializing laboratory achievements.

Enterprises are not only the main body of technological innovation, but also the leading force of industrial innovation, and the key carrier for the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. Among the Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) listed companies, more than 60% of the founding teams are scientists, engineers, and other scientific research talents or industry experts, nearly 30% of the actual controllers also serve as core technical personnel, nearly 30% of the actual controllers have doctoral degrees, and nearly 40% of companies have established cooperative relationships with universities and scientific research institutes.

While Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) listed companies are promoting the accelerated industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, they are also accelerating the formation of a matrix-style industrial cluster led by "chain owners" and with the coordinated development of upstream and downstream enterprises in key areas, relying on the advantages of China's entire industrial chain. In the field of integrated circuits, there are 120 listed companies, covering all links in the industrial chain such as chip design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, equipment, materials, and software, gradually forming a complete chain and a coordinated innovation development pattern. In the field of biomedicine, more than 110 biomedical companies are innovating and increasing revenue simultaneously, filling domestic gaps in key treatment areas such as tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and rare diseases. In the field of high-end equipment manufacturing and new materials, approximately 180 companies continue to empower the manufacturing industry to upgrade to "high-end, intelligent, and green."

It is worth mentioning that Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) companies 墙内开花两头香 (qiáng nèi kāi huā liǎng tóu xiāng - "flowers bloom inside the wall, fragrant on both sides," meaning a success both domestically and internationally), with a strong momentum of going overseas, deeply integrating into the global industrial chain and supply chain, and competing for the upstream of the value chain. The overseas income of 173 companies increased by more than 30% year-on-year, the products of 63 companies are sold to more than 50 countries or regions, 58 companies participated in the formulation of international standards, and 110 companies have built production capacity in 37 countries or regions...

"Through the observation window of the Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板), we can clearly see the accelerating development of new quality productive forces in China." The relevant person in charge of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (上交所) said that the Science and Technology Innovation Board (科创板) will continue to deepen reforms, enhance its inclusiveness and adaptability to innovative enterprises, so that the capital market system and the laws of technological innovation and industrial development resonate at the same frequency, and promote more two-way rush of technological innovation and industrial innovation.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Ge Mengchao

Layout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Manned Lunar Landing: Hurdles to Overcome (Science & Technology Perspective)

By: 本报记者 刘诗瑶

According to the plan, China will achieve its first manned landing on the moon before 2030.

Since its establishment, the development of China's manned lunar landing mission has been progressing smoothly overall. The new-generation manned spacecraft "Mengzhou" (梦舟) zero-altitude escape flight test was successfully completed, and the lunar lander landing and take-off comprehensive verification test achieved complete success. At present, the research and construction of each system are being advanced in an orderly manner according to the plan. The dream of Chinese people landing on the moon is gradually becoming a reality.

Manned lunar landing, how many hurdles to overcome? The reporter interviewed relevant experts.

The first hurdle – flying to the moon

To fly to the moon, 380,000 kilometers away, the rocket must be large, and the spacecraft also needs to have stronger orbital maneuverability.

"As a child, I did not recognize the moon, calling it a white jade plate." Looking up at the night sky, this bright moon is the Earth's only natural satellite, and the average distance between the Earth and the moon is about 380,000 kilometers.

The uniqueness of the moon lies in its close relationship with the Earth. Revealing the mysteries of the moon is of great help to the study of the Earth itself and the origin of the universe. The moon has no atmosphere, weak magnetic field, and no light pollution. It is also a natural "laboratory" for conducting outer space scientific observations, and the best transfer station for exploring Mars and other more distant planets.

Major aerospace projects can fully stimulate scientific innovation, effectively drive technological progress, and benefit the national economy and people's livelihood. Some people have calculated that the input-output ratio of aerospace projects is 1:15, with an input of 1 yuan and an output of 15 yuan. Whether it is the construction of the Chinese space station or the lunar exploration project, the BeiDou (北斗) project, etc., they have driven the rise of a large number of cutting-edge technologies, advanced materials, intelligent manufacturing and other industries, and the results are widely used in various industries.

For humans to fly out of the Earth and head to the moon, "distance" is the primary challenge. Choosing which route to fly and in how many stages to fly tests courage and wisdom.

The main flight process of China's manned lunar landing is:

Two carrier rockets are used to send the lunar lander and manned spacecraft to the Earth-Moon transfer orbit respectively;

The spacecraft and lunar lander rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, and astronauts enter the lunar lander from the spacecraft;

The lunar lander will brake and descend and land in a predetermined area on the lunar surface, and astronauts will land on the moon to carry out scientific investigation and sample collection;

After completing the established tasks, the astronauts will take the lander to rise to the lunar orbit to rendezvous and dock with the spacecraft, and take the spacecraft back to Earth with samples.

The goal is clear, the route is clear, and it is full of challenges.

First of all, the carrying capacity must be strong, and the rocket must be large.

Just like driving a car to different places, because the distance is different, the fuel consumption is different. Compared with flying to a 400-kilometer low-Earth orbit and flying to the moon 380,000 kilometers away, the rocket's power system is completely different. After scientific demonstration, aiming at the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, the ability of China's rocket to launch payloads should be no less than 27 tons.

Reviewing China's current main rocket family, although it has made great achievements, it is difficult to take on this important task. Even the current largest thrust rocket has an Earth-Moon transfer orbit carrying capacity of about 8 tons, which is still a gap from the 27-ton level capacity required for manned lunar landing. Developing a new rocket platform with the ability to deliver large-mass deep-space orbits has become an inevitable choice.

The Long March 10 (长征十号) series of carrier rockets came into being.

"This type of rocket not only has a large carrying capacity, but also has the characteristics of high reliability, high safety, and intelligence." Qian Hang (钱航) of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (中国航天科技集团) said that the manned lunar landing mission has a long cycle, extreme environment, and many irreversible links. Ensuring the life safety of lunar landing astronauts and the success of the mission requires the rocket to have much higher reliability and failure response capabilities than ordinary rockets. At the same time, two Long March 10 (长征十号) carrier rockets need to be launched in sequence according to the design time to accurately send their respective payloads into the predetermined Earth-Moon transfer orbit to ensure the feasibility and efficiency of subsequent lunar rendezvous and docking, which requires the rocket to have extremely high orbit entry accuracy and launch window flexibility.

In addition, it is also necessary to take into account the adaptability of multi-mission configurations. Rocket development is not easy. In order to achieve "one type for multiple uses," the Long March 10 (长征十号) carrier rocket implements two configuration designs, both lunar landing type and near-Earth type.

It is understood that the Long March 10 (长征十号) carrier rocket development plan is steadily advancing, and a new "ladder" is about to be built.

The rocket has changed, and the spacecraft must also change.

It must not only withstand the huge thrust of the new generation of rockets and have stronger orbital maneuverability, but also provide a larger and more comfortable cabin environment and more comprehensive life support capabilities. The new generation of manned spacecraft "Mengzhou" (梦舟) is highly expected.

Tian Lin (田林) of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (中国航天科技集团) told reporters that the "Mengzhou" (梦舟) manned spacecraft can carry up to 7 astronauts into low-Earth orbit, which can support both manned lunar landing missions and low-Earth space station missions. "Different from the 'rocket responsible for escape, spacecraft responsible for life-saving' mode in the Shenzhou (神舟) spacecraft launch, 'Mengzhou' (梦舟) is responsible for escape and life-saving after receiving the rocket escape command, and assumes the overall function of the escape system. In the event of an emergency failure, 'Mengzhou' (梦舟) can take the spacecraft return capsule containing astronauts away from the dangerous area in time and ensure the safe return of astronauts to the ground."

In June of this year, China successfully organized and implemented the "Mengzhou" (梦舟) manned spacecraft zero-altitude escape flight test at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (酒泉卫星发射中心), adding another layer of protection for the safety of the manned lunar landing mission.

The second hurdle – landing on the moon

Faced with the moon's extreme high and low temperatures, high vacuum, and complex terrain environment, astronauts face many unknown challenges.

The new generation of manned spacecraft is named "Mengzhou" (梦舟), the lunar lander is named "Lanyue" (揽月), the lunar landing suit is named "Wangyu" (望宇), and the manned lunar rover is called "Tansuo" (探索). The naming of China's manned lunar landing mission reflects the integration of traditional culture and aerospace spirit.

According to the plan, after the "Mengzhou" (梦舟) manned spacecraft and the Lanyue (揽月) lunar lander rendezvous and dock, two astronauts will enter "Lanyue" (揽月) to prepare for lunar landing; another astronaut will stay in "Mengzhou" (梦舟) and fly along the lunar orbit to be ready to respond.

The next focus is how "Lanyue" (揽月) can successfully land on the lunar surface.

Tian Lin (田林) said: "'Lanyue' (揽月) carries a lunar rover and scientific payloads. It is the lunar surface living center, energy center, and data center for astronauts after landing on the moon. It can support lunar surface stay and lunar surface activities. Its lunar descent and landing process, as well as the process of taking off from the lunar surface and returning to lunar orbit after the lunar mission is completed, can be said to be the most critical link in the lunar landing."

On August 6 this year, at the extraterrestrial celestial body landing test site in Huailai County (怀来县), Hebei Province (河北省), the Lanyue (揽月) lunar lander landing and take-off comprehensive verification test was successfully completed, mainly verifying the key core technologies of this "one down and one up."

Sun Xingliang (孙兴亮) of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (中国航天科技集团) introduced that in the test, the Lanyue (揽月) lunar lander needs to simulate the landing process, use advanced equipment, and rely on autonomous obstacle avoidance algorithms to real-time sense lunar meteorites and craters, flexibly adjust the descent trajectory, and ensure safe landing. "In particular, the tower and the follow-up disc and multiple steel cables in the test site can simulate the moon's low-gravity environment through mutual cooperation, and can accurately track the flight trajectory of the lander. The ground is also paved with special materials to form the shape of pits or slopes, which are used to simulate the lunar surface environment."

When "Lanyue" (揽月) lands steadily and everything is ready, astronauts wearing the "Wangyu" (望宇) lunar landing suit will come down from "Lanyue" (揽月) and take the first step in landing on the moon.

Tian Lin (田林) told reporters that astronauts usually have two ways to move on the moon. "Walk or take a manned lunar rover, and after reaching the predetermined work point, stay, collect samples, and place detection instruments, etc."

Although a large number of tests will be carried out in the simulated lunar environment on the ground to verify the safety of "lunar walking," astronauts face many unknown challenges in the face of the moon's extreme high and low temperatures, high vacuum, and complex terrain environment. For example, the actual thickness of the lunar soil on the lunar surface is uneven, and there may be hidden pits that trip people; the lunar dust rises, which may hinder the line of sight; the moon lacks an atmospheric protection layer, and may face micrometeoroid attacks at any time.

"We will exhaust all technical means, make emergency plans in advance, protect the safety of astronauts, and be able to go out and come back." Tian Lin (田林) said.

At present, the "Wangyu" (望宇) lunar landing suit, the Tansuo (探索) manned lunar rover, etc. are all carrying out research and development tests in full swing.

The third hurdle – returning to Earth

To accurately land on Earth, a spacecraft returning from the moon and flying at high speed needs to experience "skipping stones" in space.

Safe lunar landing, but also safe return to Earth.

According to the design plan, when the lunar landing mission is completed, two astronauts will return to "Lanyue" (揽月), rise from the lunar surface to the lunar orbit, and achieve the second rendezvous and docking with "Mengzhou" (梦舟), which is flying and waiting with another astronaut. The two astronauts in "Lanyue" (揽月) enter "Mengzhou" (梦舟), and the three astronauts take "Mengzhou" (梦舟) to separate from "Lanyue" (揽月) and return to Earth.

Next is the challenging "home" journey.

Astronauts carry lunar samples, take "Mengzhou" (梦舟) to achieve lunar acceleration, leave the lunar orbit, enter the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, and aim at the best time to fly into the Earth.

Heat protection during high-speed re-entry is a test. When the return capsule crosses the Earth's atmosphere, it will generate a large amount of heat due to high-speed flight and violent friction with the atmosphere. Returning to Earth from the moon will generate more intense high temperatures due to the faster initial re-entry speed.

"Scientific researchers have always adhered to a belief that they must do a good job in the heat protection of the spacecraft, and the life safety of astronauts is always the first priority." Tian Lin (田林) said.

Precise flight is a more severe test. In the manned lunar landing mission, "Mengzhou" (梦舟), which returns from the moon and flies at high speed, accurately lands on the Earth, and also needs to experience the "skipping stones" process experienced by Chang'e 6 (嫦娥六号) returning to Earth.

The so-called "skipping stones" means that during the return journey, "Mengzhou" (梦舟) enters the Earth's atmosphere for the first time, implements initial aerodynamic deceleration, jumps out of the atmosphere after descending to a predetermined altitude, and begins to glide and descend after reaching the highest point. After that, "Mengzhou" (梦舟) enters the atmosphere again and implements secondary aerodynamic deceleration. This process is commonly known as "space skipping stones," and the standard term is "semi-ballistic skip return."

Why return in a "space skipping stones" style?

Scientific researchers introduced that "Mengzhou" (梦舟) flies from the moon to the Earth very fast, and the return process must be decelerated. The purpose of this design is to fully use the atmospheric resistance in the thousands of kilometers of the voyage to gradually consume the initial energy of "Mengzhou" (梦舟), so that its speed is significantly reduced when it crosses the atmosphere again, and it no longer has the conditions to orbit the Earth, so it enters the atmosphere for the second time.

In order to achieve this goal, scientific researchers are stepping up the development of simulated flight simulations and developing more intelligent guidance, navigation and control systems to ensure that "Mengzhou" (梦舟) flies freely, smoothly and safely.

The curtain on China's manned lunar landing has been raised. Improving the understanding of the moon, accumulating technical experience, and the early achievements of the lunar exploration project provide strong support for manned lunar landing. A series of key technologies have been broken through one after another, laying a solid foundation for China to achieve manned lunar landing before 2030.

Manned lunar landing will open a new journey of China's space exploration. Subsequently, China will also explore the construction of lunar scientific research test facilities, and carry out systematic and continuous lunar exploration and related technical test verification.

Dreaming of lunar landing is worth looking forward to.

Link: China's Lunar Exploration Project

The initial plan of China's lunar exploration project is divided into three phases: orbiting, landing, and returning.

Orbiting (Phase I): Achieve lunar orbiting exploration.

Landing (Phase II): Achieve soft landing on the lunar surface and automatic roving exploration.

Returning (Phase III): Achieve unmanned sample return. The goal of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project is to achieve soft landing and sample return on the back of the moon, plan to build a basic lunar scientific research station, and carry out lunar environmental exploration and other tasks.

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Is the Northern Climate Becoming "Southernized"? (New Knowledge)

By: 朱定真

Against the backdrop of global climate change, the northern region is experiencing a trend towards warmer and wetter conditions. However, it is still too early to say that the northern climate has become "southernized" or "warmer and wetter," and further research is needed.

After the northern region entered the flood season this year, there has been more rainfall with higher frequency in North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China. The rain is also more like the rain that occurs in the south, often accompanied by high temperatures and high humidity, as well as heavy rainfall and long duration. As global warming continues to develop, is the climate in the north beginning to become "southernized"?

Meteorological department monitoring shows that since July this year, multiple rounds of heavy rainfall processes have occurred in northern China, with a high degree of overlap in the rainfall areas. Among them, from July 23 to 29, some areas of Qinghai (青海), Gansu (甘肃), Inner Mongolia (内蒙古), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (京津冀), and Northeast China experienced heavy rain to torrential rain, and some areas of Hebei (河北) and Beijing (北京) experienced extremely heavy rain locally. Due to the long duration of rainfall, strong local rainfall intensity, and large cumulative rainfall, some national meteorological observation stations have recorded extreme heavy rainfall that has broken historical records. Data shows that since July (as of August 5), 13 heavy rain processes have occurred in China, 5 more than the average for the same period in previous years.

Recently, the repeated occurrence of heavy rainfall processes in the north is directly related to abnormal atmospheric circulation, and the anomaly of the Western Pacific subtropical high (hereinafter referred to as "subtropical high") is the most important and direct factor. The North China rainy season officially began on July 5 this year, nearly half a month earlier than the average start date of July 18, making it the earliest since 1961. The subtropical high ridge line (representing the overall north-south position of the subtropical high) reached its northernmost position in the same period in history. At the same time, the subtropical high itself is relatively stable and its strength is relatively strong, which is conducive to the continuous transport of warm and humid air currents to the north along the periphery of the subtropical high. The warm and humid jet stream and high atmospheric instability on the western and northern edges of the subtropical high create favorable water vapor and thermal environment conditions for heavy rainfall. Once it converges with southward cold air in the northern region, it will form rainfall with a long duration and high intensity. At the same time, weather systems such as short-wave troughs in the westerly belt on the northern edge of the subtropical high are more frequent. The superposition of the above factors has led to abnormally high precipitation in North China, Inner Mongolia, and other places.

People feel stuffy and humid when it rains because warm-zone heavy rain has started in the northern region, while warm-zone heavy rain usually occurs more in the south. A warm zone refers to an area that is not directly affected by obvious cold air or fronts and is dominated by warm and humid air currents. Strong precipitation weather that occurs in warm zones is called warm-zone heavy rain. This year, the subtropical high moved northward earlier, bringing the warm-zone heavy rain of the south to the north.

Is the early northward movement of the subtropical high caused by the increased warmth and humidity of the northern climate? The reasons for the early northward movement of the subtropical high this year are more complicated, but the climatological community clearly believes that global warming is closely related to the northward movement of the subtropical high. The academic community believes that after the air currents in the equatorial region rise and flow towards the poles, due to the effect of the Coriolis force, the subtropical high-pressure system is formed in the subtropical sinking branch (called the "Hadley circulation"). Global climate warming leads to more significant warming of the tropical troposphere, and the rising of air currents becomes stronger. The Hadley circulation will "drift" to farther areas in the polar direction, promoting the northward movement of the subtropical high. This is one of the reasons speculated by the academic community. The specific reasons also need to consider the dynamic mechanism of the subtropical high, the thermal differences between land and sea, and the influence of regional climate (including regional monsoon changes). Therefore, it can be said that against the backdrop of global climate change, the northern region has shown a trend of warming and humidification, but it is too early to say that the northern climate has become "southernized" and "warmer and wetter," and further research is still needed.

Currently, global climate warming is intensifying, and extreme climate events are becoming more frequent and more intense, causing serious losses. A report released by the World Meteorological Organization shows that the number of disasters related to weather, climate, or water hazards has increased fivefold in 50 years. China is a sensitive area and a significantly affected area of global climate change. The warming rate is higher than the global average level in the same period, and extreme weather and climate events tend to be more frequent and stronger. In 2024, China's climate risk index is the highest since 1961, with flood risk and high temperature risk being particularly prominent.

Extreme weather and climate events refer to events in which the state of weather (climate) deviates severely from its average state and is statistically unlikely to occur, including extreme high temperatures, persistent droughts, heavy precipitation, blizzards, and super tropical cyclones. The normalization of extreme weather and climate events means that China, especially the ecologically fragile northern region, needs to face more frequent risks such as extreme, sudden, cross-regional, anti-seasonal, unpredictable, and complex damage.

From the perspective of response measures, the current urgent task is to implement the meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation work mechanism of government leadership, early warning first, departmental linkage, and social participation in the face of each extreme weather process. First, we must do a good job in risk census, dynamic risk monitoring, forecasting, and early warning; second, we must do a good job in emergency preparedness, disaster prevention and mitigation training and drills, and popularize relevant knowledge at key defense locations; we must also strive to reduce the exposure of people and property to risks, and after the early warning is issued, we must promptly transfer people in the affected areas. The public should avoid high-risk areas in the wild and reduce going out.

Research believes that modern extreme climate events are the result of the combined effects of natural variability and human activities. From the perspective of sustainable development, to address climate change, the entire society needs to actively implement mitigation and adaptation measures, with equal emphasis on both, build a climate-adaptive society, promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and minimize risks. The United Nations has launched a universal early warning initiative, which aims to ensure that by 2027, everyone on Earth is protected by early warning systems from disastrous weather, water, or climate events. China's meteorological early warning program has gone to the world, helping many countries to cope with climate change. In the future, it is still necessary to continuously improve the emergency linkage mechanism led by meteorological early warning and coordinated by departments, so that the meteorological early warning system can more effectively protect everyone and try to avoid the impact of extreme weather and climate events.

(The author is a specially appointed expert of the Meteorological Publicity and Science Popularization Center of the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局), and this report was compiled by Li Hongmei (李红梅), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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Editor in Charge for This Edition: Gu Yekai

Layout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Visiting Wang Pu in Yechang Village (Seeking)

By: 翟英琴

Driving for an hour from Baoding City (保定市) into Shunping County (顺平县), and then another 40 minutes, we arrived at Dabei Township (大悲乡). The green carpet of the North China Plain (华北平原) began to swell into hills, joining hands with the Taihang Mountains (太行山脉). The further northwest we went, the higher the mountains became. Under the bright sunshine, the hills were also green, with verdant waves surging in the wind.

Following the navigation, we drove through the mountains and turned onto a village road. Soon, we saw a plaque stone in the color of sunset glow, standing beside the road, hidden by greenery. The three large characters "Yechang Village (野场村)" were written in red, very eye-catching. Further ahead was a gray sign with white characters that read "Sweet Potato Plantation," with a bright yellow top that stood out against the green background.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived at Yechang Village (野场村). The main road into the village was a cement road. Introductions to the deeds of the young hero Wang Pu (王璞) and his portrait greeted us from both sides of the street. Wang Pu (王璞) stood by the roadside, holding a red-tasseled spear in one hand and clenching a fist in the other, radiating heroism and seeming ready to spring into action, naturally evoking the scene of him standing guard.

"The Communist Party, the Eighth Route Army, are everywhere for the people, defeating the Japanese devils and traitors, defending the country and praised by the people..." Eighty-two years ago, those children learned many songs from the Eighth Route Army (八路军), songs originally created for them by the soldiers. The school teachers also taught the children to sing. Zang Jian (臧建) once taught Wang Pu (王璞). He taught the children revolutionary principles and was also good at integrating education with entertainment, teaching them to play games on the hillside. On one occasion, Wang Pu (王璞) wore a wild grape vine around his waist and held a small wooden gun in his hand, gesturing and singing: "I am a little soldier, please don't look down on me. If anyone bullies our China, my little pistol will show no mercy." Then, Wang Wei (王伟), wearing a gray military cap and holding a discarded grenade, came on stage and sang: "Grenade, grenade, it's really **沾** (zhān - "effective," dialect for 'good') in battle, first blow up the Japanese devils' soldiers and horses, then blow up the commander." Er Xing (二兴) pretended to be a Japanese devil, wearing a yellow hat askew and carrying a flag made of hemp paper, with a red ink circle painted on it. Er Xing (二兴) looked around and sang: "Japanese devil, that's me, killing and arson, I do everything..." Then Er Xing (二兴) bent down, took out a match, and pretended to set a fire. Wang Pu (王璞) and the others rushed up, shouting: "Don't move! Hands up! Surrender and you won't be killed!" Er Xing (二兴) hurriedly raised his hands in surrender. The watching students shouted in unison: "Down with Japanese imperialism!"

After the game, Zang Jian's (臧建) face was serious and excited. He picked up the chalk and wrote ten large characters on the blackboard: "**宁为抗战死，不做亡国奴** (nìng wéi kàng zhàn sǐ, bù zuò wáng guó nú - "Rather die resisting the Japanese, than be a slave of a conquered nation," expressing a strong patriotic sentiment and determination to resist foreign invasion).

**宁为抗战死，不做亡国奴** (nìng wéi kàng zhàn sǐ, bù zuò wáng guó nú - "Rather die resisting the Japanese, than be a slave of a conquered nation," expressing a strong patriotic sentiment and determination to resist foreign invasion). These ten large characters, like tenacious seeds, were sown in Wang Pu's (王璞) heart. Wang Pu (王璞) served as the head of the children's corps, lively when playing games, serious when standing guard, and resolutely refused passage to anyone without a pass. Wang Pu (王璞), who adhered to principles, even caught a spy who came to gather information.

In the winter of 1973, Han Panshan (韩盼山) interviewed Zang Jian (臧建) at the Yangfangkou Coal Mine (阳方口煤矿) in Ningwu County (宁武县), Shanxi Province (山西省). At that time, Han Panshan (韩盼山) was a teacher in the Chinese Department of Hebei University (河北大学), having just graduated and stayed on at the university. He wanted to write about Wang Pu (王璞) and spent more than two months collecting Wang Pu's (王璞) deeds. At that time, it was 30 years since the "Yechang Massacre (野场惨案)" in 1943. Many survivors of the massacre, teachers who had taught Wang Pu (王璞), and people who had experienced the War of Resistance Against Japan were still alive. Therefore, after interviewing in and around Yechang Village (野场村) in Baoding (保定), Han Panshan (韩盼山) also went to Zhangjiakou (张家口), Beijing (北京), Shanxi (山西), and other places to search for information, obtaining a large amount of first-hand material, and published the book "Wang Pu (王璞)" in 1977. Han Panshan (韩盼山) was my university teacher, and when he learned that my ancestral home was Shunping County (顺平县), he told me about his search. In 2013, I wanted to create a "Beacon Fire Youth" series of children's novels, and "His Name is Wang Pu (他叫王璞)" was one of them. Based on researching historical materials, I borrowed the interview notes of teacher Han Panshan (韩盼山). The "Beacon Fire Youth" series was published in 2015.

Ten years, **弹指一挥** (tán zhǐ yī huī - "snap one's fingers," in the blink of an eye); ten years, changes in personnel. This time to Yechang Village (野场村), I came specifically for Wang Pu (王璞), for the "Yechang Massacre (野场惨案)" 82 years ago. Yechang Village (野场村) is located in the middle of Dabei Township (大悲乡), at the foot of the Taihang Mountains (太行山). The village is not large, with only more than 100 households. This mountain village, facing the sun, was particularly quiet under the scorching sun, with each household taking a midday nap behind closed doors. From the main road to the south, a cool breeze blew from the mountain pass, as refreshing as the shade of green trees. Who would I meet here?

Unable to wait for people to wake up, I contacted Wang Shuai (王帅) through a friend. He is the Party Branch Secretary and Director of the Village Committee of Yechang Village (野场村), a post-90s generation, who usually leads more than 30 young people in photovoltaic construction and installation projects. Learning of my purpose, Wang Shuai (王帅) called Shi Lanke (石兰科).

Shi Lanke (石兰科) is 72 years old this year, joined the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党) in 1984, a retired teacher, talkative, and quick-witted. Shi Lanke (石兰科) grew up listening to the story of Wang Pu (王璞).

The grandfathers and grandmothers said that on the morning of May 7, 1943, the Japanese devils divided into two groups, one on the top of the mountain and one at the bottom, ambushing Shiguo (石沟). A traitor informed them that many people were hiding in Shiguo (石沟). The translator began to ask, where are the Eighth Route Army's (八路军) grain, clothing, guns, and ammunition hidden? At that time, the rear supply department of the 9th Military Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region (晋察冀军区) was stationed in Yechang Village (野场村). The translator said: "Whoever knows, speak up, and the Imperial Army will reward you." There were adults and children among the people in Shiguo (石沟). The translator asked the first time, but no one spoke. Shiguo (石沟) is a gully running east-west. The Japanese devils set up three machine guns on the embankment on the south side. Seeing that people didn't speak, the devils fired at the opposite mountain, threatening them. The translator said: "If you don't speak, you will die."

At this critical moment, 14-year-old Wang Pu (王璞) stood up and said: "Grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles and aunts, none of us can speak. **宁为抗战死，不做亡国奴** (nìng wéi kàng zhàn sǐ, bù zuò wáng guó nú - "Rather die resisting the Japanese, than be a slave of a conquered nation," expressing a strong patriotic sentiment and determination to resist foreign invasion)!" The devils became enraged and dragged Wang Pu (王璞) out of the crowd, beating him with gun butts and forcing him to identify the Eighth Route Army (八路军) and village cadres. Little Wang Pu (王璞) refused to cooperate. The enemy put a knife to his neck, but Wang Pu (王璞) refused to yield. The enemy opened fire on the crowd, and blood flowed like a river. Wang Pu (王璞) and his mother, Zhang Zhuzi (张竹子), both sacrificed their lives. Those who were not killed at the time were stabbed one by one by the devils with bayonets. In a half-mu (亩, a Chinese unit of measurement) area of embankment in Shiguo (石沟), people fell in piles. Some were injured and pressed under the corpses, escaping the devils' bayonets, and crawled out of the pile of dead bodies after the devils retreated.

Shi Lanke (石兰科) has a deep impression. When he was a child, there was a grandmother in the village who had no mouth. When drinking porridge, she poured it directly into her throat. To eat cakes or steamed buns, she had to break them into small pieces and feed them into her throat little by little. Later, Shi Lanke (石兰科) learned that she had escaped from the massacre. She had been shot in the mouth, and her lips, teeth, and gums had been blown away.

Every Qingming Festival (清明节) and on May 7th, the people of Yechang Village (野场村) and the surrounding villagers go to Shiguo (石沟), where the massacre occurred, to sweep the tombs and pay their respects. Of the 118 people who died in the "Yechang Massacre (野场惨案)," most were from Yechang Village (野场村), and several families were killed entirely. There were also victims from the surrounding Jiefang Village (解放村), Wangjiazhuang (王家庄), Longwangshui Village (龙王水村), and Huangyan Village (黄岩村).

Shi Lanke (石兰科) told me that a few days ago, CCTV (中央电视台) made a special trip to Yechang Village (野场村) to film a series on anti-Japanese heroes, and he and Wang Xinghua (王兴华) participated in the filming. Speaking of Wang Xinghua (王兴华), I suddenly remembered that Han Panshan (韩盼山) had also interviewed Wang Xinghua (王兴华) in 1973.

Wang Xinghua (王兴华) was born in 1931. He was 12 years old when the massacre occurred, and Wang Pu (王璞) was 14 years old. They were both in the children's corps. As time passed, the survivors of the massacre grew older and older, and they disappeared one after another into the folds of time. Could I interview Wang Xinghua (王兴华) today?

Fortunately, Shi Lanke (石兰科) helped me contact him.

Wang Xinghua (王兴华) was sitting in a wheelchair, enjoying the cool air under the wall outside his courtyard. Seeing us, he actually got out of the wheelchair, stood up, and walked several steps to greet us. I was stunned and worried that he would fall, so I hurried over and shook his hand tightly.

"My father and mother both died in the massacre. They used their bodies to protect me and my 7-year-old brother." Speaking of this, tears welled up in Wang Xinghua's (王兴华) eyes. Like a child, he cried and showed me the gunshot wound on his right foot. The scar was clearly visible, accusing the invaders of their atrocities in the summer sun. Shi Lanke (石兰科) and Wang Xinghua's (王兴华) families are neighbors. After the massacre, Shi Lanke's (石兰科) mother felt sorry for the Wang Xinghua (王兴华) brothers, who had lost their parents, and often brought them food. Now, Wang Xinghua (王兴华), who is almost ninety years old, usually lives in the city with his son, but he clearly remembers the massacre and remembers the kindness of the villagers to them.

Standing at the door of Wang Xinghua's (王兴华) house, across the road are Wang Pu's (王璞) heroic deeds and an introduction to the "Yechang Massacre (野场惨案)." Along the road to the east, out of the village, there is a monument to Wang Pu (王璞) and 117 fellow villagers who died heroically, as well as the site of the massacre - Shiguo (石沟).

Before the Japanese invaders came, Shiguo (石沟) in Yechang Village (野场村) was once planted with peach trees, with peach blossoms blooming in spring and sweet peaches hanging heavily in midsummer. Today, Shiguo (石沟) is surrounded by crops, as green as the mountains. In Shiguo (石沟), green grass creeps, commemorating those lives lost 82 years ago.

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Grasp the Value of Knowledge

By: 于文岗

In Yangzhou, visiting the Geyuan Garden (个园), I saw a couplet in the Hanxue Hall (汉学堂): "Bite firmly onto a few useful books, forgetting food and drink; nurture several stalks of new bamboo, upright like sons and grandsons." The first line says that reading should involve selecting useful books, grasping the main points, and practicing them diligently; the second line speaks of nurturing bamboo-like qualities in one's children and grandchildren, educating them to be upright and principled. This couplet comes from Zheng Banqiao's (郑板桥) inscription at the Xiaolinglong Mountain Villa (小玲珑山馆) in Yangzhou, widely recorded in ancient books. I also admire this couplet, especially the line "Bite firmly onto a few useful books." Reflecting on it, understanding it, and putting it into practice, I believe this is Zheng Banqiao's (郑板桥) method of reading, which can be broken down into three keywords.

First, "useful." The sea of books is vast, but life is limited. Reading should involve selection, choosing the "useful," discarding the "useless," and staying away from the "harmful." Zheng Banqiao (郑板桥) said in his "Letter to My Younger Brother Mo (墨) Written in the Rain at Biefeng Nunnery (别峰庵), Jiaoshan (焦山)": "From the Wei (魏) and Jin (晋) dynasties down to the Tang (唐) and Song (宋) dynasties, there have been thousands of authors. Among them, there are countless works with flowery language, irrationality, and harm to morality..." This is what Zheng Banqiao (郑板桥) said at the time, and this situation still exists today. In addition to irrational texts such as pseudo-philosophy, false morality, foolishness, and cognitive distortion that damage the brain and harm people, there are also pseudo-science, pseudo-history, and toxic chicken soup that bewitch people's minds, as well as trivial matters and 无病呻吟 (wú bìng shēn yín - "groaning without illness," making a fuss about nothing; affected complaint) books that are just filling space. Opening a book is not necessarily beneficial, and may even be harmful. Therefore, what to read is the most important thing in reading.

Choosing "useful" should prioritize what is most useful. How much is considered a lot? In my opinion, the most important is what is useful for self-cultivation and being a good person. Cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, self-cultivation is the most fundamental. Gao Panlong (高攀龙) of the late Ming Dynasty (明朝) said in his "Gao Family Instructions (高氏家训)": "We are born between heaven and earth, and the most important thing is to think about being a good person; other things are not important." Educator Tao Xingzhi (陶行知) also said, "Thousands of teachings teach people to seek truth, and thousands of learnings teach people to be real people." Furthermore, from the perspective of real life, the problems of some people, including some officials, mostly stem from problems in their character. According to this, books on "seeking truth" and "being a good person" can be considered highly useful and should be the first choice. Some family instructions, which focus on self-cultivation and being a good person, are sincere, earnest, simple, and concise, without deceitful words, and can be the first choice.

Second, "a few sentences." "A few sentences" and "reading ten thousand books" are not mutually exclusive. "Reading widely" is about the breadth of reading, reading "leisure books" is about cultivating temperament, inspiring thought, and triggering inspiration, while "a few sentences" is about grasping the essence, mastering the key points, and benefiting from them throughout life. No matter what you read, only by grasping the essence, understanding its meaning, and using it for your own benefit can you truly benefit. Therefore, the "Preface to Banqiao (板桥自序)" says: "Banqiao (板桥) Layman reads books, seeking quality over quantity." He disdains cursory reading, 囫囵吞枣 (hú lún tūn zǎo - "swallowing a date whole," to accept without thinking; to read superficially), reading hastily without gaining any insights, wasting effort.

"A few sentences" does not mean light weight, small value, or little benefit. "Essential words are not verbose," "a true transmission is a single sentence, a false transmission is ten thousand volumes," "a few sentences" can also be constantly beneficial and greatly beneficial. Moreover, "less is more, more is confusing." When Liu Bang (刘邦) was critically ill, he personally wrote the "Imperial Edict to the Crown Prince (手敕太子文)": "I encountered a chaotic world, when the Qin (秦) dynasty banned learning. I was pleased, thinking that reading was useless. Since ascending the throne, I have occasionally studied books, which has made me understand the intentions of the authors. Reflecting on what I did in the past, much of it was wrong." He deeply regretted his early frivolous attitude towards reading and, based on his personal experience after ascending the throne, instructed Crown Prince Liu Ying (刘盈) on the importance of learning. These few sentences are undeniably important, significant, and necessary. Zhuge Liang's (诸葛亮) "Admonition to His Son (诫子书)" consists of 86 Chinese characters, with the core being the two sentences: "Cultivate oneself with tranquility, nurture virtue with frugality. Without indifference, there is no clarity of ambition; without tranquility, there is no attainment of far-reaching goals." His "Admonition to His Nephew (诫外生书)," "Aspiration should be lofty and far-reaching..." consists of just over 80 characters, all in a few words, but all with profound meaning.

Third, "bite firmly." What does it mean to "bite firmly"? In my opinion, it means wearing out the leather cords of the books, reading the books thoroughly, completely, and rotten, and adhering to them throughout life. Coincidentally, there is another He Garden (何园) in Yangzhou. The "He Family Instructions (何氏家训)" in the ancestral hall of He Garden (何园) instructs: "Read a book a hundred times, making sure to chew it repeatedly to extract the flavor. Make the words seem to come from your own mouth, and the meaning seem to come from your own heart, integrating and understanding them thoroughly. If you are not proficient, add another hundred times. You must still review it often. If your effort is not enough, and you memorize it by rote, vaguely and forcibly, you will ultimately not truly understand the words or see through the principles, wasting your energy and not benefiting your learning." You see, isn't this an interpretation of "bite firmly"! It can be said that Geyuan Garden (个园) poses the question, and He Garden (何园) answers it.

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My name is Li Xiaogang (Encounter)

By: 朱宜尧

"My name is Li Xiaogang (李小缸), the gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank." The two little girls giggled upon hearing this, "Can eat and can hold!" They rushed to answer, shouting out the "connection" password.

The evenings in Xilin Park (西林公园) are always lively. On the rubber mats, several children somersault and do splits, like a group of tireless little spinning tops. Next to the fitness equipment are piles of stone barbells and homemade equipment. During the day, it's the battlefield for muscular uncles, and at night it becomes the playground for children.

The two little girls initially met there. One of them is called Guoguo (果果). She had just done a beautiful cartwheel when her grandma grabbed her and scolded loudly, "The ground is so dirty! What if you fall?" The 7-year-old girl's face immediately darkened, and tears fell on the rubber mat.

I called the crying Guoguo (果果) to my side and realized that little Guoguo's (果果) bangs were curly, naturally curly. "Little beauty, you must have a very nice name, what's your name?" The little girl wiped away her tears and said, "My name is Guoguo (果果)." "What a coincidence?" I showed extreme surprise, "My name is Tangtang (糖糖). The two of us together are 'candies'." The 7-year-old Guoguo (果果) immediately smiled like a flower. I started teasing her again, "You must have a special skill, you're learning to dance, right!" I guessed, "Give me a performance." Without thinking, Guoguo (果果) did a straight vertical split, her body pressed tightly against her leg.

Another 5-year-old girl next to her, with round eyes like crystal grapes, also came over, "I can do it too!" Saying that, she also did a vertical split. "Don't move! I want to see who of you is the best!" The two little girls, upon hearing this, straightened their backs, standing straight up, waiting for my judgment. I slowly circled around them, "You two are both the best! You two are the best in this park!" Saying that, I raised my thumb and waved it in front of the two little darlings. Upon hearing this, they stared at me, and I continued to whet their appetites, "You two are the best, you've taken up the second place, there's no second place for the children in the park."

Children are just children, easy to coax. The two little darlings began to show me their special skills, somersaults, horizontal splits, lying on the ground, legs rotating in the air... innocent and lively, making people happy. Many people watched the three of us "perform," including Guoguo's (果果) grandma, of course.

That day, after playing tired, when it was time to leave, the two little girls were reluctant to part and asked me what my name was. I said, "My name is Li Xiaogang (李小缸), the gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank, can eat and can hold." I gestured exaggeratedly with my hands. They both laughed so hard that they bent over, telling me, "Tomorrow night at 8 o'clock, still here!" I readily agreed, "Okay, okay."

The next day I couldn't make it. In the evening, a voice message suddenly popped up on WeChat. When I opened it, it was a crisp child's voice: "Wang Xiaogang (王小缸)! The gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank! If you don't come, we'll punish you!" In the background, there was also a small voice chiming in: "Punish him to eat ten bowls of rice!"

On the fourth day, I went. As soon as I arrived at the park, "Crystal Grapes" spotted me, stood in front of me, looked at me carefully, and shouted after a long while, "Wang Xiaogang (王小缸) is here, the gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank!" Guoguo (果果) ran over upon hearing this, putting her hands on her hips like an adult, "Where did you go the day before yesterday? What about our agreement?" I said, "When I was eating and drinking, I had already put the two little beauties in my stomach." Then I patted my stomach, "I guarantee I didn't forget!" I continued, "You two tell me, what's my name?" "Wang Xiaogang (王小缸), the gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank!" "Totally wrong, my name is Li Xiaogang (李小缸), the gang (缸) is the gang (缸) of water tank, can eat and can hold!" Children are just children, they said the "surname" wrong that I said when I was coaxing them, and now they remembered it. "You can't call my name wrong in the future. Also, I didn't not come last night, but—I came late. If you had persisted a little longer, you would have seen me. You two have to persevere in everything you do!" The two little girls looked at me with their eyes twinkling, as if they understood.

Since then, the number of times I went out to eat and drink has decreased, and the number of times I went to the park has increased. I also have many more innocent and lovely children.

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A Casual Discussion on "You Bao Shuang Cui" (From Duoweizhai)

By: 张 钊

If asked which Chinese dish is the most difficult to make, many gourmets would point to "You Bao Shuang Cui" (油爆双脆) from Shandong cuisine. The main ingredients are not complicated: one is chicken gizzard (if you can't find large chicken gizzards, duck gizzards will do), and the other is pork tripe. Both need to be scored with deep, fine cross-hatch cuts. They are then blanched in oil until half-cooked, then stir-fried in oil at over 90% temperature, and sauce is added. It's a quick process, and then it's ready to be served. The gizzard is chewy and crisp, the tripe is refreshing and crisp. The aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic, along with the flavor of the broth, come first, and after a slight chew, the original freshness of the ingredients is revealed. The texture is quite wonderful. Recently, restaurants in Beijing (北京) have also slightly added rice vinegar and pepper to the sauce, adding a touch of sour and spicy flavor to remove the fishy taste and add fragrance, creating a unique flavor.

In Jinan (济南), there is another method called "Tang Bao Shuang Cui" (汤爆双脆). Using the same ingredients, they are blanched in clear broth and served with preserved shrimp paste, which is even more refreshing. In Wu Zimu's (吴自牧) "Meng Liang Lu" (《梦粱录》) of the Song Dynasty, there are entries such as "Jicui Soup, Sancui Soup, Shuangcui Soup" and "Shuangcui Shidu Soup," but the details are difficult to know. Checking the context, they are always linked to dishes such as "Salt Wine Waist" and "Ku Waist," so it is speculated that the ingredients of these "crisp" dishes may also include internal organs.

Generally, recipes trace the origin of this dish back to Yuan Mei's (袁枚) "Suiyuan Shidan" (《随园食单》) "Two Methods of Pork Tripe," specifically the "Northern Method." Sichuan cuisine's Spicy Blanched Tripe, Hunan cuisine's Sour and Spicy Tripe Tips, and Anhui cuisine's Stir-fried Tripe Tips all come from this. Liang Shiqiu (梁实秋) said in "Yashe Tan Chi" (《雅舍谈吃》) that lamb tripe should be used for Shuang Cui, and pork tripe is inferior. This is just one person's opinion and may not be credible. As for adding chicken gizzards, according to Zhou Dawen (周大文), the "Chef Mayor" of that time, in his "Cooking and Health" (《烹调与健康》), it should have been first created by Chef Tu Zhongjiang (屠忠江) of the "Minghu Chun" (明湖春) restaurant in Tianjin (天津) in the early Republic of China. Because the ingredients mature at different times, it is not easy to add this subtle crispness. Later, the "Quan Bao" (全爆), which has up to 6 to 8 main ingredients, was probably derived from this.

For a long time, it has been difficult to find "You Bao Shuang Cui" (油爆双脆) in restaurants in Beijing (京) and Shandong (鲁). At the same time, many so-called "dish innovations" have taken the path of piling up labor and ingredients, after all, this is something that can be done if the cost is sufficient. The work that truly relies on people and accumulation has declined instead.

Last year, when the old president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美院), Jin Shangyi (靳尚谊) asked when viewing the graduation painting exhibition: "Why are all the Chinese painting majors doing meticulous brushwork? Where has the freehand style gone?" Actually, it is the same principle. Meticulous brushwork takes a long time and has complicated procedures. If one or two strokes are wrong, it is not difficult to cover up. After polishing for a month or so, the result will not be too bad. A freehand painting may be finished in three to five minutes, but to ensure that the spirit of the brush and ink is not slack in these three to five minutes, you cannot achieve it without ten years of effort. Even with this effort, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no flaws, which are easily picked out by the evaluators. "You Bao Shuang Cui" (油爆双脆) is the same. To stir-fry both ingredients to just cooked in three to five seconds, and also coat them evenly with the sauce, requires ten years of cooking experience. If the hand shakes slightly on the spot, it may "crash." Mapo tofu with lobster, regardless of whether it tastes good or not, the price of the dish will not be low because of the lobster. But how much are gizzards and tripe worth? Those who don't understand the mystery behind it, who would pay for it?

If restaurants only desperately "卷 (nèi juǎn - "involution," excessive internal competition)" on the surface skills that are obvious at a glance, no one will care about the real skills. But the essence of Chinese cuisine does not lie in the nobility of the ingredients, but in the "three to five seconds" of "You Bao Shuang Cui" (油爆双脆), in the ingenuity passed down from knife skills to heat control for more than a hundred years. Don't you think so?

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Photo Story

Chinese painting "Scholarly Fragrance Drifts Through Villages and Towns," by Liang Wenbo (梁文博), Zhao Peng (赵鹏), and Song Xin (宋欣).

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Chongqing, To Youth (Selected Poetry and Essay Submissions)

By: 梁馨元

The wind snatches whispers by the Jialing River (嘉陵江).

The river wind brushes across young foreheads.

This group is filled with the silence and burden of star clusters.

Some are willing to use the spine of a book as a steep cliff, climbing upwards.

Some stand tall like trees, their roots reaching into the earth.

Some return to the countryside to plant tangerines.

Waiting for the abundant harvest in autumn,

Bathing in the morning sun with familiar villages,

And slowly aging together.

After this summer, they will eventually disperse.

Some return to the hive to resonate with spring.

Some guard the silence of the snowy region above the snow line.

And on the river, more small boats will sail into

The destined course of life, amidst reefs and whirlpools,

Identifying pearl-like, firm desires.

They may choose to become the river itself,

A kind of forward pouring, with countless

Tiny and persistent surges, rushing to the sea.

Welcome readers to submit articles. Submissions must be original and first-published, not multiple submissions of the same article.

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<b style="color:red">[Generation Error]</b>

By: 柯 军

"Tap, tap, tap." A few soft knocks on the door. "Come in!" But no one came in.

"Come in, the door isn't closed." Still no one came in. I got up from my seat and went to the door, oh! Mr. Bai Dongmin (白冬民), my enlightenment teacher from opera school, had arrived! I quickly invited Teacher Bai in.

After the teacher sat down, he said, "Today, I've come to thank you." "Thank me?" "Your student, my grandson Yang Yang (杨阳), has won the 'Wenhua Award' this time. His father is a genuine farmer, and his ancestors have been farmers for generations. Their gratitude is hard to express, and they aren't good with words, so they asked me to express their thanks in person."

"No need, no need. I'm very happy that my student won an award. There's no need to thank me."

This is the result of Yang Yang's own efforts. I train Kunqu Opera (昆曲) talents. If Yang Yang wasn't involved in Kunqu Opera, I wouldn't be able to help. Yang Yang is grateful. He knows his achievements come from his own efforts and understands the support and dedication of his teachers behind the scenes.

Students should understand "thanking for grace," and teachers should also understand "relieving grace." We must understand that we are the inheritors of Kunqu Opera, and we should only be grateful to Kunqu Opera, kowtow to our ancestors, and bow to the audience.

"Teacher Bai, you're almost 80 years old this year, right?" I asked.

"82 years old. I taught you in 1978. In a blink of an eye, more than 40 years have passed. The first opera I taught you was 'Night Flight' ('夜奔'). I remember you didn't talk much in opera school, but you were very obedient. Your physical condition wasn't great, your legs and feet were very stiff, and your voice was changing, but you were willing to 闷头吃苦 (mèn tóu chī kǔ - "silently endure hardship," to work hard without complaint). During the dress rehearsal of 'Night Flight,' you weren't allowed to play Leopard Head Lin Chong (豹子头林冲), but instead played the supporting role Golden Spear Xu Ning (金枪手徐宁). You didn't have any objections and always obediently followed the teacher's arrangements."

Now, looking back, one of my characteristics is obedience: listening to the teacher's words. I did whatever the teacher asked me to do. I didn't disobey a single word from the teacher, and I didn't fail to complete a single action.

"I remember once during a performance for foreign guests at the opera school, your eyes were particularly bright and you had a lot of style when you made your appearance in 'Wu Song Fights the Tavern' ('武松打店'). You did a 360-degree spin on the table steadily. A very famous teacher from across the country was watching below, and he asked me who taught this student. 'I taught him!' I told him. I was very proud at the time. Later, Principal Wu Shijian (吴石坚) asked me to learn 'Farewell Mother, Chaotic Arrows' ('别母乱箭') from Teacher Zheng Chuanjian (郑传鑑), saying that the Peking Opera (京剧) version was about to be lost, and I should quickly learn it from the Kunqu Opera teacher. After I went to Shanghai (上海) to learn from Teacher Zheng, I had to choose a student to teach, and at that time, you were learning vocalization from voice teacher Qian Huizhu (钱惠珠), and your voice had come out, so I chose you. After graduation, you and other classmates even came to my house to see me. Other students would make some comments, but you still didn't say anything on the side. You really didn't talk much, but you practiced a lot."

Teacher Bai taught me opera and also observed me. "Ke Jun (柯军), you have now made achievements in Kunqu Opera. It can be said that you didn't come to this world in vain. But I wasn't as lucky as you. My teachers were all great, very famous Mr. Liu Tianhong (刘天鸿), Mr. Guan Shengming (关盛鸣), and Mr. Guo Chunyang (郭春阳). But I let my teachers down. I didn't become famous." As the teacher spoke, he suddenly choked up a bit, his eyes red.

There are several reasons why Teacher Bai didn't become famous: one is that his voice wasn't ideal, and the other is that he wasn't tall. But Teacher Bai's foundation is very deep, which many insiders know, and even Peking Opera critic Weng Sizai (翁思再) had said so before.

The teacher continued, "I can't perform the operas my teachers taught me well, but I can only teach the operas my teachers taught me well. I see that you have a scholarly air in your performances, and this is more or less a reflection of my teaching. I taught you 'Night Flight' in 1978, and in 2018, the Little Kunqu Opera Troupe (小昆班) asked me to teach 'Night Flight' again. I was 40 years old when I taught you back then, but after all, I'm older now, 80. The teacher is old, the shoulder posture isn't round anymore, and the stance isn't good-looking anymore. It's not standard to demonstrate for the children, so I decided not to teach anymore. I teach for the good of the students. I don't teach also for the good of the students..."

I saw the teacher out the door, watching the elevator doors slowly close on the teacher's figure. When I was a child, the teacher's image was always tall, but today I realized that the teacher is so thin and weak. However, the teacher's spirit is very good, which shows the nobility in ordinariness.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Cheng Hong

This edition's email: dadi@peopledaily.cn

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