Summary: In his 2026 New Year's address, Xi Jinping emphasized achievements of the past five years, highlighting China's economic resilience, innovation, and commitment to high-quality development. He underscored the importance of innovation in fostering new productive forces and the country's dedication to global cooperation and a shared future for humanity. Xi also mentioned China's continued efforts to promote a more just and equitable global governance system, exemplified by the Global Governance Initiative. The address conveyed confidence in China's future and its role in promoting world peace and development.
Summary: According to the article, the Party must maintain its historical mission and address the "cave dwelling question" (窑洞之问) to ensure its long-term rule and relevance to the people. The piece highlights efforts to strengthen Party discipline and combat corruption, citing specific examples of improved business environments and local governance. It emphasizes that strict Party management fosters a positive political environment and provides strong guarantees for high-quality economic and social development. The article stresses the importance of strategic clarity and proactive adaptation to change in the face of global challenges and the need to address misconceptions about the Party's self-revolution. The United States is not mentioned in the article.
Summary: An article in People's Daily discusses the necessity of investing in "future industries" like quantum technology and brain-computer interfaces, arguing they are crucial for long-term national competitiveness. It emphasizes that these investments are not a waste of resources but a strategic move to secure future technological dominance and avoid being "controlled by others." The piece highlights China's existing strengths in R&D spending and industrial capacity, as well as the importance of tailoring development to local conditions. The article suggests China's development of future industries will allow it to share technological achievements with all of humanity. It did not mention the United States.
Summary: In 2025, China's total box office revenue reached 51.832 billion yuan, a 21.95% year-on-year increase, with domestic films accounting for 79.67% of the total. The number of movie screens increased by 2,219, reaching a total of 93,187. Domestic films dominated the top ten grossing movies, with animated films achieving significant growth. There is no mention of any U.S. involvement in the reported article.
Summary: The article reports on the vibrancy of China's tourism and culture market at the start of the new year. It details the diverse activities undertaken by people across the country during the New Year holiday, including shopping, dining, experiencing local attractions, and participating in cultural and sports events. The article suggests these activities have contributed to a thriving tourism market. No U.S. or U.S.-China relations information is included.
Summary: On the first day of the New Year holiday, China's cross-regional personnel mobility reached 207.475 million, a 20.3% year-on-year increase, according to the Ministry of Transport. Road passenger traffic increased by 17.5%, with highway travel up 16.4%. Railway passenger traffic saw a significant rise of 67.9%. The postal industry handled 451 million collected parcels and 531 million delivered parcels.
Summary: At a recent press conference, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) spokesperson Li Chao addressed economic policy issues, including optimizing the "two new" policies (以旧换新 and 设备更新改造) for 2026 by adjusting funding allocation and expanding support, and advancing the construction of a unified national market. The NDRC has allocated 295 billion yuan for the first batch of key construction projects (两重建设项目) in 2026, focusing on strategic and forward-looking initiatives. Furthermore, the NDRC has been actively removing local barriers to market entry, having reviewed over 38,000 documents and revised or abolished over 2,300 regulations that violated national guidelines. The NDRC plans to establish rules to promote a unified market and address issues like unfair subsidies and discriminatory bidding practices. The NDRC is also pushing forward with major infrastructure projects with a total investment exceeding 400 billion yuan.
Summary: The article reports on the revitalization of "Chuangye" (创业) village in Jilin province, which overcame poverty through scientific methods of rice cultivation in its saline-alkali soil. Initial reluctance was overcome by village leaders who demonstrated successful yields, coupled with a shift towards green and branded agriculture to increase profits. The village successfully obtained green food certification and created a regional brand "Zhenlai Rice" valued at over 1 billion RMB. By 2025, the village collective had increased its income from zero to over 500,000 RMB, which allowed them to reinvest in the community. The village plans to continue expanding with its own processing plant and promoting agriculture with new technologies.
Summary: A villager who returned to his hometown after working in other places discusses his experience cultivating saline-alkali land with the help of agricultural technology, village support led by village secretary Li Guang, and agricultural experts. He overcame initial skepticism and increased yields and income through persistence and participation in agricultural training programs. While acknowledging improved village conditions, he notes that attracting young people to farming remains a challenge due to perceptions of it being unfashionable and unprofitable. He believes that scaling up operations, utilizing agricultural machinery, and extending the rice industry towards processing and sales are essential to create sustainable opportunities and attract the younger generation back to the village. The villager aims to demonstrate that modern agriculture offers promising career prospects.
Summary: China is advancing agricultural brand development, focusing on green, organic, and geographically-distinct products to improve farmer incomes and upgrade the supply-demand structure. Success stories like Zhenlai rice demonstrate how to leverage local conditions and improve processing, but challenges remain in building strong, widely-recognized brands. Future efforts under the "15th Five-Year Plan" will emphasize quality assurance, standardization, and marketing, addressing weaknesses in processing, logistics, and traceability. This includes fostering talent and coordinating efforts across departments to shift from selling raw materials to branded products. The article does not mention the United States or US-China relations.
Summary: China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced that the "Deep Sea No. 1" gas field completed its 100th crude oil shipment since commencing operations. The gas field is projected to produce over 4.5 million tons of oil equivalent in 2025, comparable to a medium-sized onshore oil field. The gas field currently produces 15 million cubic meters of natural gas and over 1,600 tons of condensate oil daily. The offshore gas field group around Hainan Island, including "Deep Sea No. 1," is expected to produce over 10 million tons of oil equivalent in 2025, doubling the output at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.
Summary: In December 2025, China's Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) rose to 50.1%, exceeding 50% for the first time in eight months, driven by increased market demand and production expansion. The new orders index increased to 50.8%, and the production index rose to 51.7%. High-tech manufacturing showed accelerated expansion with a PMI of 52.5%. The non-manufacturing business activity index also saw an increase to 50.2%, and the comprehensive PMI output index rose to 50.7%.
Summary: China's geographic information services and industry have seen robust growth during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, with an estimated total output value exceeding 900 billion yuan. The country has enhanced its geographic information service supply, including the release of 8.09 million resource catalogs and 13,000 standard maps. "Tiandi Map" has been revamped to integrate 24 thematic information categories, and breakthroughs have been made in surveying equipment R&D. The geographic information industry is also booming, with applications in autonomous driving, smart logistics, smart cities, and digital village construction.
Summary: The "Hualong One" Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Unit 2 has officially commenced commercial operation after a 168-hour full-power continuous operation assessment, marking the completion of the first phase of the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power project. "Hualong One" is a third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power technology with complete independent intellectual property rights designed and developed in China. Zhangzhou Nuclear Power is the starting point for the mass construction of "Hualong One" and the world's largest "Hualong One" nuclear power base. The base plans to build six "Hualong One" nuclear power units. The project is expected to provide approximately 60 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually after completion.
Summary: China is deepening its digital cooperation with African nations under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation frameworks, aiming to bridge the digital divide. Chinese companies like Jiangxi International are constructing digital infrastructure, such as the Botswana National Data Center, to improve ICT ecosystems. E-commerce platforms like Kilimall are expanding in countries like Kenya, utilizing Chinese-developed payment systems and logistics. China is also providing digital skills training through programs like the Luban Workshop in Rwanda, which prepares students for e-commerce careers and aims to transfer Chinese digital economic expertise. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: According to a German sinologist and historian, studying "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" series is crucial for understanding China's development, policies, and goals. The author argues that the series reveals China's consistent and adaptable approach to development, exemplified by its progress in areas like high-speed rail and renewable energy, particularly solar power. The author contrasts China's past environmental challenges with its current focus on ecological civilization. The author advocates for Germany to strengthen its China studies programs at all education levels. The author suggests that this is important because China plays a significant role in international affairs.
Summary: Several countries reiterated their commitment to the One China Principle, opposing external interference in China's internal affairs. Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Maldivian, Djiboutian, Central African Republic, and Libyan government officials affirmed their adherence to the principle, recognizing Taiwan as an integral part of China. South Korea's National Security Advisor Wei Sung-lak also reaffirmed Seoul's respect for the One China policy. Tajikistani People's Democratic Party First Deputy Chairman Nematzoda conveyed similar sentiments to Chinese Ambassador Guo Zhijun, opposing external interference. The statements underscore international support for China's position on Taiwan and opposition to perceived external interference.
Summary: In response to queries regarding the PLA Eastern Theater Command's "Joint Mission-2025" exercise, PRC Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang stated that the exercise showcased the PLA's capability to deter Taiwanese independence and counter foreign interference. Zhang criticized Lai Ching-te's remarks and the reactions of the U.S., Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and the EU, asserting that Taiwan is an integral part of China and that the Taiwan issue is an internal affair. He accused external forces of supporting Taiwanese independence and warned against interference in China's internal affairs, particularly regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Zhang urged relevant countries, including the United States, to adhere to the One China Principle and cease supporting "Taiwan independence" forces.
Summary: During the New Year holiday, workers at bicycle companies in Guangzong County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province, remained at their posts to fulfill orders and strive for a "good start" to the new year. The report highlights the assembly of bicycles for export at Wanyi Bicycle Guangzong Co., Ltd. on January 1st. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Alexander Lomanov, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that China's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) aligns with the common aspirations of most countries for improving the global governance system. He emphasized the initiative's focus on multilateralism, democratization of international relations, and inclusive economic globalization, countering the actions of certain Western countries seeking to maintain their hegemony. Lomanov highlighted the GGI's adherence to the UN Charter and its responsiveness to the concerns of the Global South. He emphasized Russia's willingness to strengthen cooperation with China and other Global South countries.
Summary: This article discusses Zhoushan city's policy of relocating elderly residents from small, remote islands to larger islands or the mainland to improve their access to public services like healthcare and elderly care. The "small island relocation, large island construction" project aims to equalize basic public services, addressing the disparity in resources between islands and urban areas. To encourage relocation, the city maintains the elderly residents' rights to collective assets, land contracts, and homesteads. Zhoushan is also developing industries on the now less-populated islands to revitalize their economies, implementing tailored "one island, one policy" approaches for sustainable development. The article does not discuss the United States.
Summary: The article discusses Zhoushan, Zhejiang's "Small Island Relocation, Large Island Development" project, an initiative addressing challenges faced by elderly residents on remote, sparsely populated islands with inadequate public services. This project concentrates elderly care on larger islands, improving efficiency and reducing the service gap between islands and urban areas. The relocated smaller islands are then redeveloped based on their specific resources, leading to increased economic activity. The article highlights the project as a model for other regions to optimize both public welfare and economic development. There is no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The 2025 China Rule of Law Forum in Shenzhen focused on strengthening the legal system to support economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan. Attendees, including Wang Hongxiang, Li Lin, and Mo Jihong, discussed building an independent body of Chinese legal knowledge rooted in Marxism and traditional Chinese legal culture. Discussions covered topics such as promoting high-quality economic development through rule of law, including legislation in emerging fields like AI and low-altitude economy. The forum also addressed aligning Hainan Free Trade Port regulations with international standards and enhancing cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms in the Greater Bay Area, emphasizing the need for high-caliber legal professionals to facilitate high-level opening up. There was no reporting on the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Police in Yunnan province's Pu'er city have created a social media account called "Tea City Forest Police" to disseminate information about wildlife protection. The account utilizes short videos showcasing law enforcement, rescue efforts, and educational content, aiming to raise public awareness and combat illegal wildlife activities, addressing the lack of public awareness of protected species. The team also consults with a group of 300 experts in related fields to ensure that their content is accurate and reliable. The project has seen considerable success, with videos receiving over 800 million likes, and has been recognized by a Pu'er Public Security Bureau official, Gu Ming, as a platform for strengthening police-community relations.
Summary: During the New Year holiday, many workers across various sectors remained on duty, spending the holiday diligently at work.
Summary: Several upgraded tourism trains were launched on January 1st, offering unique travel experiences for the new year. The Beijing Railway Bureau introduced the "Jinlu Time" train between Tianjin North Station and Beijing Station, featuring immersive cultural performances in each car. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Group launched the "Silk Road Dream" train, connecting tourist sites such as the Tar Monastery in Qinghai and the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu. Another train, the "Central Plains Railway, Great River of the South," departed from Zhengzhou Station on December 29, 2025, for a 13-day ice and snow tour to Yanji.
Summary: In his 2026 New Year's address, Xi Jinping conveyed confidence in China's achievements over the past five years, highlighting economic growth, innovation, and the expansion of new quality productive forces. He emphasized China's commitment to high-quality development, further reform and opening up, and common prosperity. Xi also reiterated China's dedication to global cooperation, promoting world peace and development, and contributing to a more just global governance system. The address underscored China's continued efforts to open its doors wider to the world, fostering mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
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Summary: The article discusses how young people are vital to the vibrancy and future of Chinese film festivals like the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival, and the Beijing International Film Festival. It highlights how these festivals provide opportunities for young filmmakers to realize their dreams through initiatives like the Golden Rooster film venture capital conference, where they can receive funding and mentorship. The article also emphasizes the enthusiasm of young moviegoers and volunteers who contribute to the festivals' atmosphere. Additionally, the article touches on how film festivals like the Cross-Strait Youth Short Film Season attract submissions from young filmmakers in places such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the U.S., and France.
Summary: Director Zhang Yimou reflects on his career coinciding with China's cinematic development, emphasizing the importance of grounding artistic creation in reality and connecting with the people. He highlights his film *Article 20* as an example of addressing social issues through cinema. Zhang underscores the need to combine commercial viability with artistic expression, especially for young directors. He stresses the importance of nurturing young talent in the Chinese film industry, believing they are the future of Chinese cinema.
Summary: An elderly man in Wuqi County, Shaanxi Province, initially struggled with the high cost of his daughter's wedding but was reassured by the local Party Secretary and head of the Red and White Affairs Council who emphasized frugality. The county has set guidelines for weddings, including limits on the number of vehicles and the cost per banquet table, reinforced by village regulations. The man ultimately hosted an affordable wedding within the new guidelines, using the savings to buy practical household appliances for his daughter's new home. The county has also invested in promoting civilized customs through a network of centers and stations, encouraging frugality and mutual assistance.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to be able to provide a summary that adheres to your specifications.
Summary: Huanggang Village in Guizhou Province, a recipient of the UNWTO's "Best Tourism Villages" designation, has successfully integrated tourism with its traditional "village committee + village elder" governance model. Village elders play a key role in mediating disputes and ensuring the preservation of the village's cultural heritage, including architectural styles and traditions like Dong folk songs. The village prioritizes community benefit, distributing tourism revenue through a cooperative, funding education and development. This collaborative approach has enabled sustainable tourism development while safeguarding the village's unique identity. The article does not make any mention of the United States.
Summary: The article explains the significance of "Xiaohan" (Minor Cold), the 23rd solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar, which usually falls around January 5th. It details how plants, including winter wheat and oilseed rape, adapt and prepare for spring during this cold period through dormancy, accumulating energy and undergoing processes like vernalization. The article also touches on agricultural practices undertaken to protect plants during this time, drawing from historical texts. The process of plant dormancy and adaptation is one of dynamic balance, it argues, a necessary step for spring growth.
Summary: The article discusses the traditional Chinese solar terms of "Lesser Cold" (小寒) and "Greater Cold" (大寒), the last two solar terms of winter. It explains that while Greater Cold literally means the most severe cold, meteorological data often shows Lesser Cold as having lower temperatures due to the timing of cold air masses and heat loss. The article also highlights regional differences, with northern China experiencing dry cold and southern China experiencing wet cold, leading to different perceptions of which term is colder. Ultimately, the piece emphasizes the importance of adapting to the season and staying warm during the coldest period of the year.
Summary: This article provides guidance on selecting and maintaining down jackets for optimal warmth during winter. It explains that the warmth of a down jacket depends on fill type (goose down vs. duck down) and fill power, and recommends a layered approach to wearing down jackets to maximize insulation. Hand washing with a neutral detergent is recommended for cleaning, followed by air drying and gentle patting to restore fluffiness. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to provide an accurate and concise summary for professional China analysts.
Summary: The article discusses the "One Seal" courtyard houses, a traditional residential form in Yunnan, particularly around Kunming, noting their compact, flexible, and rustic characteristics. These houses, typically featuring a "three-room, four-ear, reverse eight-foot" layout, have adapted over time to suit varying family needs and site conditions. The architectural features of "One Seal" houses are designed to address climate and safety concerns. Efforts are underway to preserve and repurpose these historical dwellings, integrating them into modern life as cultural and commercial spaces.
Summary: This article discusses the history, production, and economic impact of Fengdu spicy chicken (麻辣鸡), a local delicacy in Fengdu County, Chongqing. The dish, recognized as a municipal intangible cultural heritage in 2014, is made with specific ingredients and a meticulous process, including a special red oil. Innovations in flavor and standardized production have allowed Fengdu spicy chicken to expand beyond the local market, supported by local government initiatives. Chongqing municipality issued local food safety standards for the dish in October 2024. The local government plans to further support the industry with new centers for testing, storage, and distribution.
Summary: Jiangkou county in Guizhou province is becoming known as a "matcha factory," with 32,000 mu of its 160,000 mu of tea plantations dedicated to matcha production. Strict processing standards and advanced production lines are used to create matcha powder with a fine granularity. The county government has invested 180 million yuan to support the high-quality development of the matcha industry, including cultural events and product research. Jiangkou matcha is now exported to dozens of countries, increasing incomes for local tea farmers. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article discusses the discovery of ancient ceramic drainage pipes in China, dating back as far as 4,000 years ago to the Longshan period. These pipes, unearthed at sites like the Pingliangtai ancient city in Henan, demonstrate an early understanding of urban drainage systems to manage rainwater and sewage. The pipes feature interlocking designs and were part of sophisticated systems that included elements like T-shaped connectors found at the Yin Ruins. These archaeological finds highlight the ingenuity of ancient Chinese civilizations in addressing urban flooding. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to provide an accurate and concise summary for professional analysts of Chinese politics.
Summary: The article reviews notable Chinese artistic works from 2025, including the epic performance "Justice Will Prevail" commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory, the animated film "Ne Zha," the film "Nanjing Photo Studio" about the Nanjing Massacre, and the TV series "Silent Glory." Critics praised "Ne Zha" for its blend of traditional values and modern filmmaking, while "Silent Glory" was lauded for its realistic portrayal of unsung heroes, as well as catering to popular thirst for national unity. The review also highlights the emergence of "grassroots writing" and the popularity of micro-dramas, noting their cultural export potential and contribution to the Chinese cultural industry. Additionally, the article mentions the growing global interest in "Cool China," reflected in the popularity of Chinese culture online and the increasing influence of Chinese literature, TV dramas, and games abroad.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to provide an accurate summary for professional analysts of Chinese politics.
By: 本报记者 韩 鑫 谷业凯 屈信明
"We must anchor our goals and tasks, strengthen our confidence, seize the momentum, and forge ahead. We must solidly promote high-quality development, further comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, promote common prosperity for all the people, and continue to write new chapters of the Chinese miracle."
A happy agreement, a shared expectation. At the turn of the year, President Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered his New Year's message for 2026. The warm and powerful words were transmitted to the world through radio waves and the internet, conveying confidence and inspiring people to forge ahead.
Having passed through the "14th Five-Year Plan" and entered the "15th Five-Year Plan," reading the New Year's messages of the past 5 years at such a historical juncture reveals that "confidence" is consistently present and becoming increasingly firm—
"We have always grown in the trials and tribulations of wind and rain, and become stronger through tests. Everyone must be full of confidence." "As long as we are determined in our confidence and seek progress while maintaining stability, we will surely achieve our established goals."
Only with faith in our hearts can we go far. The New Year's message gathers the voice of China, captures the moments of China, surges with the stories of China, and unfolds a thriving China.
Confidence comes from the gradual increase in economic strength.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in his New Year's message for 2026: "In the past 5 years, we have strived forward with determination and courage, overcome numerous difficulties and challenges, successfully completed our goals and tasks, and taken steady steps on the new journey of Chinese-style modernization."
Hardship reveals courage, and磨砺始得玉成 (mó lì shǐ dé yù chéng - "polishing makes the jade," trials and tribulations lead to success). In the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," the adverse effects of changes in the external environment have deepened, and the domestic economic operation still faces many difficulties and challenges. Focusing on high-quality development, people see a China that is striving to move upward—
The total annual economic output is expected to reach 140 trillion yuan; grain production is stable at more than 1.4 trillion jin, achieving high-level growth; regional development is more coordinated, and the results of poverty alleviation are continuously consolidated and expanded; the national unified market is advancing in depth, and green mountains and clear waters have become a beautiful backdrop... Looking back on this year, the Chinese economy has moved forward against pressure and developed towards new and better directions.
Looking at 5 years from 1 year, China's total economic output has continuously crossed new thresholds, becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in terms of innovation, and its economic strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength, and comprehensive national strength have reached new levels... No matter how high the winds and waves, and regardless of the difficulties and challenges, Chinese-style modernization has taken new and solid steps.
The hard-won development answer sheet is fundamentally due to the leadership and steering of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, and to the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Industry is an important dimension to observe a country's economy. In the cold winter, the workshop of Henan Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd. (河南洛阳轴承集团股份有限公司) is bustling with activity. From millimeter-level to more than 10-meter-level, various types of bearings are continuously coming off the production line. Focusing on deep cultivation of bearings for more than 70 years, Luoyang Bearing's high-end bearing output value now accounts for 70%.
Developing the country through industry, and revitalizing the country through hard work. In January, Liaoning Benxi Steel (辽宁本钢); in May, Henan Luoyang Bearing (河南洛轴); in July, Shanxi Yang Valve (山西阳阀)... In 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) visited manufacturing enterprises many times, emphasizing: "Manufacturing is an important pillar of the national economy, and maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing is essential for advancing Chinese-style modernization."
Following the direction guided by the General Secretary, "Made in China" is accelerating its leap and upgrade—
A total of 1,260 5G factories have been built, a number of advantageous industries such as new energy vehicles and lithium batteries have been cultivated and grown, and new-generation communications, brain-computer interfaces, and bio-manufacturing have entered a stage of explosive growth... Traditional industries are "renewed," emerging industries are "leading," and future industries are "taking root," and the construction of a modern industrial system is constantly achieving new results.
Looking at the long term, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) drew a blueprint and made scientific plans for economic and social development in the next 5 years; decisively deployed and introduced a package of policies and measures, focusing on stabilizing employment, stabilizing enterprises, stabilizing the market, and stabilizing expectations... Taking action at critical moments and exerting efforts at critical points, the Chinese economic ship is riding the wind and waves, moving steadily and far, and the certainty of high-quality development is constantly consolidated and enhanced.
The encouraging and fruitful results are the result of the hard work, progress, cultivation, and dedication of hundreds of millions of people.
On the eve of the New Year, good news came—after more than 4 years of construction, the Xi'an-Yan'an High-speed Railway (西安至延安高铁) was officially opened, and the old revolutionary area of northern Shaanxi (陕北革命老区) has since entered the "high-speed rail era," and China's high-speed rail operating mileage has exceeded 50,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world.
The stars do not ask those who rush on the road, and history belongs to those who strive forward. Hardworking farmers, hardworking workers, daring entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs who seize the momentum... On the new journey of Chinese-style modernization, beams of light converge into the mighty force of a striving China.
Today's China is a China where dreams are realized one after another. Tomorrow's China will create miracles through hard work.
"When more than 1.4 billion Chinese people think in one direction and work together, helping each other in the same boat and uniting as one, there is nothing that cannot be done and no obstacle that cannot be overcome."
Confidence comes from the vigorous and surging vitality of development.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized in his New Year's message for 2026: "We rely on innovation to empower high-quality development" "Innovation and creation have spawned new quality productive forces and made life more colorful."
Looking back on this year, the Chinese economy is moving towards new directions and is full of vitality—
From the beginning to the end of the year, a series of eye-catching achievements reflect the innovative momentum of the Chinese economy.
Appearing on the Spring Festival Gala stage to perform Yangko dance, appearing in the half marathon race, walking on the world's longest cat track, and "joining" factories in batches to work... In 2025, from "entering the venue" to "entering the factory," humanoid robots showed off their "Kung Fu mode," and China remained the world's largest robot producer.
In early 2025, DeepSeek (深度求索) emerged; today, hundreds of domestic large models have been connected to thousands of industries, and 1 out of every 3 Chinese netizens uses large models... From intelligent interaction to industrial empowerment, artificial intelligence large models are catching up with each other, and China has become the largest owner of artificial intelligence patents in the world.
The deep integration of science and technology and industry, and innovative achievements are emerging one after another—
Looking at the deep blue, the first electromagnetic catapult-type aircraft carrier was officially commissioned, and the Chinese Navy entered the "three aircraft carrier" era; looking up at the sky, Tianwen-2 (天问二号) began its "star chasing" journey, and drones performed gorgeous "fireworks"; pursuing new heights, the Yaxia Hydropower Project (雅下水电工程) started construction, and new breakthroughs have been made in independent research and development of chips... Looking back on this year, striving to climb with the spirit of self-improvement, there are daily changes everywhere.
Behind the surging innovation vitality is the accumulated new quality productive forces.
"It is necessary to keep up with the pace of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and cultivate new quality productive forces" "It is necessary to coordinate the integrated development of education, science, technology, and talent, and build a foundational and strategic support for the development of new quality productive forces"... At important meetings and local inspections, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out the direction and clarified the key points, promoting all regions to strive for the first and be good at doing things, and develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions.
The production and sales of new energy vehicles rank first in the world, the scale of network infrastructure is the largest and most extensive in the world, and the installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind power ranks first in the world... Looking back on these 5 years, "world's bests" have accelerated, and technological innovation has reported frequent successes, and the new momentum of development has become stronger.
Having passed through the "14th Five-Year Plan," upholding the豪情壮志 (háo qíng zhuàng zhì - "lofty aspirations and high ambitions," great ambition) of "chasing dreams in the sea of stars," new quality productive forces light up today's China, demonstrating a strong driving force and support for high-quality development.
Moving towards the "15th Five-Year Plan," putting the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions in a more prominent strategic position, tomorrow's China will be full of vitality and a new atmosphere.
Confidence comes from the open and win-win demeanor of a major country.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in his New Year's message for 2026, "We continue to open our hearts to embrace the world" "China always stands on the right side of history and is willing to work with all countries to promote world peace and development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind."
With the accelerated evolution of the century-old changes, President Xi Jinping's (习近平) New Year's message conveys a clear Chinese proposition and injects Chinese confidence into world development with the feelings of benefiting the world and the pattern of win-win cooperation.
Two sets of lenses in the autumn convey the firm belief in peaceful development—
On September 1, 2025, at the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (上海合作组织天津峰会), President Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly put forward the Global Governance Initiative to the world, which became another important public product contributed by China to the world in the new era after the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, injecting stability and certainty into a turbulent world.
On September 3, 2025, in Tiananmen Square (天安门广场), the commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年纪念活动) were grandly held. At the military parade, the reviewed formations set off in full gear. The sonorous footsteps surged with the echo of the times: "Adhere to the path of peaceful development and work with the people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind."
The great road is not alone, and the world is one family. In order to better cope with climate change, a new round of national independent contributions was announced; following the "Three Major Initiatives," the Global Governance Initiative was proposed to promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system... Looking back on this year, as the world's second largest economy and a developing major country, China's "circle of friends" has continued to expand, and it has continued to become a force for peace, stability, and progress in the world.
The open footsteps in winter record the sincere wish for win-win cooperation—
The tide rises in the south of the sea, and a new high ground for opening up. On December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) officially launched the island-wide customs closure.
The value of "first-line" imported "zero-tariff" preferential goods exceeded 400 million yuan; nearly 2,000 new foreign trade filing enterprises were added, an increase of 2.3 times year-on-year; the amount of offshore duty-free shopping was 1.1 billion yuan, an increase of 54.9% year-on-year... In the first week of customs closure, a number of "upgraded" free trade port policies were implemented one after another.
Opening up is a distinct symbol of Chinese-style modernization. Maintaining its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods for many years, the Canton Fair (广交会), the China International Fair for Trade in Services (服贸会), and the China International Import Expo (进博会) were held one after another, the number of China-Europe freight trains exceeded 120,000, and restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector were fully lifted... Looking back on these 5 years, China's door to opening up has become wider and wider, bringing more opportunities for world development.
The world's feelings and open mind are deeply rooted in the cultural roots—
At the end of 2025, after 10 years of renovation, the Hall of Mental Cultivation (养心殿) in the Forbidden City (故宫) reopened to the public, and many foreign tourists came to check in, lingering among the cultural relics and monuments. Continuing to expand high-level opening up, "China Tourism" continues to be popular. In the first three quarters of 2025, more than 20 million foreigners entered the country visa-free.
Cultural relics are connected to civilization, and also connected to the past, present, and future. In 2025, "carrying the cultural genes of the Chinese nation," the Palace Museum (故宫博物院) celebrated its 100th anniversary. A century of wind and rain, a century of protection, through the important window of the Forbidden City, the world saw the vigorous development power contained in the continuous Chinese civilization.
The cultural and museum craze and the intangible cultural heritage craze continue to heat up, new members are added to the World Heritage List, Wukong (悟空) and Nezha (哪吒) are popular all over the world, and ancient charm and Chinese style have become the "top aesthetic" in the eyes of young people... Looking back on this year, we nourish our spiritual home with culture. The integration of tradition and modernity makes Chinese culture bloom with more brilliant light.
"China is a great country with a long history and a vast civilization. This is the foundation of our confidence and the source of our strength."
Confidence is rooted in civilization, originates from the road, and is achieved in practice.
The East is white, and the rising sun is rising. 2026 is the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan." When the first ray of dawn in the New Year leaps out of the horizon, the giant ship "China" sails into a new sea. Looking back, the magnificent voyage of the "14th Five-Year Plan" has been recorded in history; looking forward, the grand blueprint of the "15th Five-Year Plan" is slowly unfolding. Let us work together for our dreams and strive for happiness, and the grand vision will eventually become a beautiful reality!
"山海寻梦，不觉其远；前路迢迢，阔步而行。" (shān hǎi xún mèng, bù jué qí yuǎn; qián lù tiáo tiáo, kuò bù ér xíng - "Searching for dreams across mountains and seas, not feeling the distance; the road ahead is long, stride forward," expressing determination to overcome challenges and pursue dreams despite difficulties).
Return to TopBy: 本报评论员
"Only when the Party thrives can the country be strong." In his New Year message for 2026, President Xi Jinping (习近平), focusing on the historical mission and contemporary responsibilities of our Party, emphasized, "We must strengthen our original aspiration and mission, persevere with sustained effort, continue to answer the 'cave dwelling question' of Yan'an (延安), and write a contemporary answer worthy of the people."
With such a long history, large scale, and extended period in power, how can our Party break free from the historical cycle of rise and fall? From "letting the people supervise the government" to "self-revolution," the two answers to the "cave dwelling question" transcend time and remain ever new, demonstrating the Party's shared destiny, close ties, and life-and-death relationship with the people.
In the past year, we have solidly carried out in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, further promoted the simultaneous investigation and treatment of misconduct and corruption, and resolutely rectified unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems around the people... Establishing credibility like moving a tree, strictly governing the Party, and promoting self-revolution by eliminating corruption and fostering integrity have brought about a continuous improvement in Party conduct and political integrity, and a stride forward in the development of our cause.
These changes happening around us are visible and tangible.
From settling in to applying for subsidies, enterprises "have not had a single meal, not drunk a single drink, not given a single cigarette"; when there are problems, government staff come to the door to solve them. Talking about the business environment in Hangzhou (杭州), Zhejiang (浙江), a private entrepreneur was full of praise.
In Yongfeng Village (永丰村), Taihe Town (太和镇), Meishan (眉山), Sichuan (四川), the village-level "micro-power" is managed in a list-based manner. After strict management of the entire process, doing things has become simpler. The village "two committees" convene village representatives to discuss matters, the accounts are clear, and things are done beautifully. Local cadres lamented: "Our hearts are bright, our relationships are harmonious, and our work is smoother."
The more effective the Party's governance, the stronger the guarantee for economic and social development. From promoting the concretization, precision, and normalization of political supervision, to unremittingly consolidating the Central Eight-Point Regulation embankment, the Party's governance forges a strong leadership core, purifies the environmental soil for development, and stimulates the surging power of doing things.
In the new year, we embark on a new journey. The requirement to continue to answer the "cave dwelling question" of Yan'an (延安) reflects our Party's sober historical consciousness and firm historical initiative.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party deliberated and approved the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal, drawing a blueprint for China's development in the next 5 years. This year is the starting year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," and the Party Central Committee has already made arrangements for the year's economic and social development and other tasks. How can we ensure that the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments are implemented and achieve a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan"?
Facing the accelerated evolution of a century of changes, facing old problems and new challenges, we must maintain strategic clarity and actively recognize, adapt to, and seek change. How can we maintain a state of readiness with the arrow on the string and effectively respond to risks and challenges at any time?
…………
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Our modernization is both the most difficult and the greatest." Only by knowing the difficulties and advancing, meeting the difficulties head-on, taking the initiative to shoulder heavy burdens, and daring to overcome difficulties can we continuously open up the path to a great cause in overcoming obstacles, and our contemporary answer will be worthy of the Party and the people.
At this moment, we must clarify ideological confusion, correct erroneous concepts, and further understand the Party's self-revolution.
The "four major tests" and "four dangers" exist for a long time, and the Party's governance cannot be relaxed for a moment. From implementing the Central Eight-Point Regulation to maintaining a high-pressure anti-corruption stance, the stricter it gets, the less anyone should harbor侥幸心理 (jiǎo xìng xīn lǐ - "lucky mentality," a mentality of seeking luck or taking chances), hold illusions, or have the wrong expectation of a downgrade or change of tune.
Comprehensive and strict Party governance and encouraging responsibility are inherently unified, and the Party's discipline and entrepreneurship are inherently unified. Strictness is not to control everyone to death, but to form a clean and upright political ecology within the Party. The Party's discipline is not a shackle for entrepreneurship, but a guideline for clean and bold entrepreneurship.
The Party's self-revolution will not only not dampen the enthusiasm of Party members and cadres, but will instead mobilize the enthusiasm of Party members and cadres more widely and fully; it will not only not affect economic and social development, but will instead provide a strong political guarantee for high-quality development.
Taking benefiting the people as the fundamental value orientation, adhering to achieving political achievements for the people and achieving political achievements through practical work, steadily embarking on the "road to the exam," and answering the "cave dwelling question," the new era of Chinese Communists has a firm direction and a sonorous pace, and our cause will surely overcome obstacles and move forward.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 谷业凯
It feels like future industries are still far from our daily lives, so why invest so many resources to promote them now?
——People's Daily Online User
This netizen's question touches upon an important and far-reaching issue.
Compared to traditional and emerging industries, future industries such as quantum technology, nuclear fusion energy, and brain-computer interfaces have low maturity and greater uncertainty in their growth. The intuitive feeling is that they are both "money-burning" and unable to "monetize" in the short term. Therefore, some people worry that investing heavily in these areas will lead to wasted resources.
Let's start by looking at the history of technological development.
Steam engines and electricity brought about two industrial revolutions, and computers sparked the "third wave." But when they were new, they also sparked controversy and even doubt. However, these innovations, once deemed "useless," ultimately drove human society forward. Today, technology is developing rapidly, and many "technology inflection points" are about to arrive: quantum computing is expected to rewrite the existing computing system, controlled nuclear fusion is regarded as the solution to "ultimate energy," and brain-computer interfaces bring hope to millions of patients... It is foreseeable that future industries can profoundly change the underlying logic of some fields, especially those disruptive innovative products, which are the key to opening a new round of innovation cycles.
Let's look at the logic of industrial evolution.
Today's future industries are likely to be tomorrow's emerging industries and even dominant industries. In recent years, major countries and economies have been investing heavily in supporting cutting-edge technology exploration, establishing future industry plans, and accelerating the layout of future industries. Whoever occupies the forefront has the dominant power of technology, products, and standards, and can master the discourse power of the future. If you are "slow" or follow suit, you will inevitably miss the opportunity, lose the initiative, and even lag behind and be controlled by others.
We can also look at China's practical experience.
Today's concentrated breakthroughs in Chinese science and technology are the flowers and fruits of the "seeds" sown many years ago. For example, the strong promotion of the national science and technology major projects more than a decade ago allowed us to quickly seize the high ground of 5G; the stable policy support and market cultivation over the past decade have made China's new energy vehicles lead the world; and more than 30 years of continuous development have made Beidou navigation a shining "national heavy weapon" globally... It is precisely because of forward-looking planning that we can catch up and even achieve a "corner overtaking" in some fields under unfavorable conditions with a late start and a weak foundation.
Technological development is changing rapidly, and the technology maturation cycle, the achievement transformation cycle, and the product iteration cycle are greatly compressed. The "window period" in many fields is very short, and it is easy to "not catch up in one step, and not catch up in every step." However, technological breakthroughs are difficult to preset timetables and roadmaps, especially some disruptive technologies, which usually require long-term accumulation and iteration, and cannot be expected to "invest this year and see results next year." True long-termism is to seize the opportunity when you see it, and be patient and wait. Only by adhering to long-termism can we overcome the "hard bones."
President Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in his New Year's message in 2024: "China has become one of the economies with the fastest-growing innovation capabilities." Today's China, with the second-largest investment in R&D expenditure in the world, the total number of R&D personnel, the number of high-level international journal papers, and the number of international patent applications all ranking first in the world, as well as the institutional advantages of concentrating efforts to do big things, and a super-large market, rich application scenarios, and the most complete industrial system. These provide fertile ground for the development of future industries and are conducive to concentrating efforts to achieve breakthroughs on the "same starting line."
The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes to "proactively plan future industries, and explore diversified technology routes, typical application scenarios, feasible business models, and market supervision rules." In recent years, the Party Central Committee has made a series of deployments around cultivating future industries, and various localities have also made many investment plans and reform measures. One point is very important: no matter what kind of industry is developed, we must adhere to adapting to local conditions.
Only by adhering to adapting to local conditions can future industries conform to the positioning of various regions in coordinated regional development and in the overall national development, thereby avoiding redundant construction, overcapacity, and "involutionary competition," and preventing "**先是一哄而起，最后一哄而散**" (xiān shì yī hōng ér qǐ, zuì hòu yī hōng ér sàn - "first swarm up, then disperse," describes a situation where people rush into something without proper planning, leading to failure).
In addition, we must face up to risks, allow "trial and error," and establish a diversified investment and risk-sharing mechanism, so that future industries conform to the objective laws of the development of new quality productive forces, and form a favorable situation of tiered layout and continuous development with traditional industries and emerging industries.
To go a step further, as the world's second-largest economy and a responsible major country, China's layout of future industries and exploration of the "sea of stars" is not only a need for its own development, but also allows scientific and technological achievements to be shared by all mankind.
In a word: developing future industries is essentially "sowing the seeds of the future." It is not a multiple-choice question of "whether to do it," but a compulsory question of "how to do it well."
This newspaper Beijing (北京), January 2nd (Reporter Liu Yang (刘阳), Ren Shanshan (任姗姗)) reported: The National Film Administration (国家电影局) released data showing that in 2025, China's annual film box office was 51.832 billion yuan, an increase of 21.95% year-on-year. The number of urban cinema viewers was 1.238 billion, an increase of 22.57% year-on-year. The box office of domestic films was 41.293 billion yuan, accounting for 79.67%. A total of 51 films had a box office of over 100 million yuan throughout the year, including 33 domestic films. A total of 511 feature films were produced throughout the year, and the total film production was 764.
The number of urban cinema screens increased by a net of 2,219 throughout the year, bringing the total number of screens to 93,187. There are 264 rural digital cinema lines and 44,000 screening teams nationwide that carry out public welfare film screenings. A total of 8.01 million public welfare film screenings were carried out throughout the year, including 5.07 million feature film screenings and 2.9 million science and education film screenings; the number of viewers was approximately 394 million.
It is understood that domestic films accounted for eight of the top ten films in the annual box office. A total of 8 films had a box office of over 1 billion yuan throughout the year, with the annual box office champion "Ne Zha: The Devil Child" (《哪吒之魔童闹海》) leading by a large margin with over 15.4 billion yuan. Among the top ten films in the annual box office, 4 are animated films. Driven by key films, the box office performance of animated films in 2025 was outstanding, achieving a 飞跃式增长 (fēi yuè shì zēng zhǎng - "leap-style growth," rapid and significant increase).
Return to TopAt the beginning of the New Year, various regions are carrying out a wide range of activities to boost the continued popularity of the cultural and tourism market. People are going out to shop and dine, experience unique projects, and participate in cultural and sports activities, enjoying the New Year's Day holiday in a variety of ways.
Return to TopAccording to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), January 2nd (Reporter Ye Haoming (叶昊鸣)) - The reporter learned from the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部) that on the first day of the New Year holiday (January 1st), the total cross-regional flow of people in the whole society was 207.475 million, an increase of 20.3% year-on-year.
Specifically, the flow of people on highways (including passenger trips by non-commercial small passenger vehicles on expressways and ordinary national and provincial highways, and commercial passenger traffic on highways) was 186.28 million, an increase of 17.5% year-on-year. Among them, passenger trips by non-commercial small passenger vehicles on expressways and ordinary national and provincial highways were 152.12 million, an increase of 16.4% year-on-year; commercial passenger traffic on highways was 34.16 million, an increase of 22.4% year-on-year.
Railway passenger traffic was 18.56 million, an increase of 67.9% year-on-year. Waterway passenger traffic was 684,000, an increase of 2.9% year-on-year. Civil aviation passenger traffic was 1.951 million.
On the 1st, the national postal industry collected 451 million packages and delivered 531 million packages.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘志强
In 2026, how to optimize the implementation of the "Two News" policy? How to stabilize investment with greater efforts? How to further promote the construction of a unified national market? The National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) recently held a press conference. Li Chao (李超), Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office and spokesperson of the commission, introduced some of the current hot issues in economic work.
The "Two News" policy will optimize fund allocation and support scope, etc.
Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) and the Ministry of Finance (财政部) issued a notice proposing to optimize the implementation of the 2026 "Two News" policy from the aspects of support scope, subsidy standards, and implementation mechanisms.
In terms of trading in old consumer goods for new ones, in 2025, there were problems such as intermittent and unpredictable subsidies, fraudulent subsidies, and "price increases before subsidies." Based on this, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委), together with the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) and other departments, conducted a centralized rectification, fully demonstrated, and specifically improved the policy implementation mechanism for 2026:
Optimize the method of fund allocation. On the basis of the original fund allocation standards, comprehensively consider the previous policy implementation, audit findings, and other factors to reasonably determine the fund allocation scale for various regions. At the same time, for regions with serious arrears in payments, efforts will be increased to supervise and penalize them through appropriate methods. Use funds in a balanced and orderly manner. At the national level, continue to reasonably grasp the pace of work and allocate funds in batches on a quarterly basis. At the local level, guide local areas to spend subsidy funds in a balanced and orderly manner, and do a good job in smoothly connecting across weeks, months, and quarters. Require local areas to establish a pre-allocation system for subsidy funds to reduce the pressure on companies to墊付资金. Severely crack down on illegal activities, focusing on strict fund review, strict price management, and strict law enforcement supervision.
In terms of equipment renewal and transformation, some companies have reported that they have not enjoyed the policy dividends due to reasons such as a shortage of their own funds and the project investment amount not meeting the application threshold. In response, the relevant work in 2026 will also be optimized in a targeted manner to support more companies in carrying out equipment renewal and expand the scope of policy benefits. The first is to optimize the scope. On the basis of generally continuing the support scope of 2025, three aspects of renewal subsidies will be mainly added: In the field of people's livelihood, add elevators to old residential areas and equipment renewal for elderly care institutions; in the field of safety, add fire rescue and inspection and testing equipment renewal; in terms of consumer infrastructure, add equipment renewal for offline consumer commercial facilities such as commercial complexes, shopping centers, department stores, and large supermarkets. The second is to further optimize the project application mechanism and review process, and significantly lower the investment threshold. In the 22 fields, most of them have no threshold, and only a small number of fields have set a lower threshold to ensure project quality and improve the efficiency of fund use. The third is to strengthen supervision. Strengthen the whole-chain supervision of equipment renewal projects through online, offline, and other methods to effectively solve corporate demands and improve the efficiency of fund use.
The 2026 advance batch of "Two Major" construction project list has been organized and issued.
Recently, in accordance with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee (党中央) and the State Council (国务院), in order to further expand effective investment, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) organized and issued the 2026 advance batch of "Two Major" construction project list and the central budget investment plan, totaling approximately 295 billion yuan.
In terms of "Two Major" construction, strengthen the "Two Major" nature, adhere to the top-down approach, and pay attention to the combination of soft and hard aspects. A total of approximately 220 billion yuan has been arranged to support 281 projects in the fields of urban underground pipe networks, high-standard farmland, the "Three Norths" project, and effectively reducing the logistics costs of the entire society, further highlighting the strategic, forward-looking, and overall nature of the "Two Major" construction.
In terms of central budget investment, focus on public areas that need to concentrate efforts, continuous investment, make up for shortcomings, adjust the structure, and benefit people's livelihoods. More than 75 billion yuan has been arranged to support 673 projects in urban renewal, water conservancy, ecological protection and restoration, pollution control, energy conservation and carbon reduction, and give full play to the guiding and driving role of government investment.
At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) is also accelerating the introduction of a number of "soft construction" measures to promote the best use of various funds and continuously improve investment efficiency. For example, promote the improvement of the investment and financing model for the construction and transformation of urban underground pipe networks and the price and fee mechanism for municipal public utilities, improve the incentive mechanism for agricultural water conservation in irrigation areas, accelerate the improvement of the modern logistics standard system, and focus on building a comprehensive solid waste management system to promote the formation of a long-term mechanism for project construction, implementation, operation, and maintenance.
Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) has also approved or approved a number of major infrastructure projects, including transportation facilities such as Guangzhou New Airport (广州新机场) and the new Zhanjiang to Haikou (湛江至海口) cross-sea ferry and related line projects, water conservancy facilities such as the Liaodong Peninsula (辽东半岛) water resource allocation project in Liaoning Province (辽宁省) and the Nanguaping Reservoir (南瓜坪水库) project in Lijiang City (丽江市), Yunnan Province (云南省), energy facilities such as the Zhejiang (浙江) UHV AC ring network project and the Sichuan Dadu River Danba Hydropower Station (四川大渡河丹巴水电站), and scientific research facilities such as the major scientific research platforms of the Huairou (怀柔) and Yazhou Bay (崖州湾) laboratories.
"The total investment of these projects exceeds 400 billion yuan, which will further improve my country's modern infrastructure system and provide strong support for the smooth start of the '15th Five-Year Plan'," said Li Chao (李超).
Centralized cleanup of more than 2,300 documents and regulations in which local areas illegally set up access barriers
Building a unified national market is both an **攻坚战** (gōng jiān zhàn - "assault warfare," a battle to overcome key difficulties) and a **持久战** (chí jiǔ zhàn - "protracted war," a long-term struggle). Among them, breaking down market access barriers is an important aspect. In April 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) deployed and carried out a market access barrier cleanup and rectification campaign, which has made positive progress.
On the one hand, a batch of documents and regulations in which local areas illegally set up access barriers were centrally cleaned up. A total of more than 38,000 documents and regulations were sorted out and investigated nationwide, and more than 2,300 documents and regulations that lacked a basis in higher-level laws or contradicted higher-level laws and illegally set up access barriers were revised or abolished. For example, a prefecture-level city issued local regulations stipulating that it can determine whether a company can enter the local market by organizing demonstrations and holding hearings. This is essentially a disguised market access barrier, which has hindered local companies from applying for the establishment of trading markets such as used cars. It is a typical case of illegally adding access items and access links outside the negative list of market access. After urging and guidance, the city has immediately rectified and reported to the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress to abolish the local regulations in full.
On the other hand, a batch of practices and situations in which access barriers were illegally set up were broken down. All sectors of society and relevant media have reported 372 effective problem clues, 225 of which have been verified, involving multiple industries and fields such as used car trading, drug retail, construction, and transportation, and all have been rectified. For example, a local state-owned enterprise in a certain county formed a local construction enterprise database, requiring that the industrial and commercial registration location of the enterprises in the database must be located locally, restricting the fair access of foreign enterprises. The county has ordered the relevant enterprises to abolish the local construction enterprise database. For another example, the transportation bureau of a district under the jurisdiction of a certain city illegally suspended the application for road transportation permits for concrete mixer trucks during the road transportation safety rectification, hindering the legal access of business entities. The city has urged the district to rectify the situation and resume handling relevant businesses.
Li Chao (李超) said that in the next step, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) will adhere to the problem-oriented approach and further promote the construction of a unified national market.
On the one hand, establish various systems and rules that are conducive to the construction of a unified national market. Promote the promulgation of a list of matters that hinder the construction of a unified national market to further regulate the economic promotion behavior of local governments; study and formulate policy measures to promote the healthy development of investment promotion, and guide local governments to explore new models of high-level investment promotion in accordance with local conditions; study and formulate regulations on the construction of a unified national market, improve the administrative discretion benchmark system in the fields of administrative punishment, etc., and strengthen the legal guarantee; promote the improvement of a fiscal and taxation system, statistical accounting system, and assessment and evaluation system that are conducive to market unity. On the other hand, eliminate various obstacles that are not conducive to the construction of a unified national market. Continue to promote the rectification of problems in the fields of illegal return of financial and tax rewards and subsidies, bidding and tendering, etc.; widely solicit clues to various problems that hinder the construction of a unified national market, and publicly report relevant typical cases in a timely manner.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 门杰伟
Adhere to simultaneously focusing on output and capacity, production and ecology, and increased production and income; comprehensively develop scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and branded agriculture; and build agriculture into a modern, large-scale industry.
——Excerpt from the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal
In Gashigen Township (嘎什根乡), Zhenlai County (镇赉县), Baicheng City (白城市), Jilin Province (吉林省), there is a village named "Chuangye" (创业), meaning "Entrepreneurship." When asked about the reason, Li Guang (李光), the village Party branch secretary, said, "A major flood in 1998 washed away several villages, which were later merged to form a village named 'Chuangye'."
The villagers worked hard to **创业** (chuàng yè - "start an undertaking," to start an enterprise; to do pioneering work) and quickly rebuilt their homes. However, located in a concentrated distribution area of soda saline-alkali soil, the vegetation here is sparse and the soil is mottled with salt and alkali. "At that time, one hectare of land could only yield three to five hundred kilograms of corn, not even enough to cover the cost of the seeds." Li Yanjun (李彦君), a large grain grower, remembers that during the most difficult times, 1/5 of the village's households wore the "poverty" hat.
The turning point came from a small building in the east of the village—the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (吉林省农业科学院) Soda Saline-Alkali Soil Improvement and Utilization Science Experimental Station. Here, scientific researchers conduct research, experimentation, and promotion of rice planting technology in saline-alkali land.
Technology can cure the "disease" of the land, but it cannot cure the "disease" of the villagers' hearts. "I wouldn't plant it even if you gave it to me for free!" Li Guang (李光) still remembers the embarrassment of going door-to-door to persuade people to cultivate the land, "Everyone had suffered losses and lacked confidence. Good land with clear roads and canals only cost 1,500 yuan per hectare per year to rent, but no one wanted to plant it."
"To see if the effect is good, we must take the lead in trying it out." Amidst a chorus of doubts, the village cadres took the lead in trial planting, gradually exploring the technical details. During the autumn harvest, seeing the heavy rice ears, the villagers put aside their concerns. The village originally had only more than 280 hectares of registered cultivated land. After years of **创业** (chuàng yè - "start an undertaking," to start an enterprise; to do pioneering work), the existing more than 950 hectares of land are fully planted with rice.
With the increase in production, the difficulty of not being able to sell at a good price became a new problem.
Wang Jianguo (王建国), the then-station director of the Gashigen Township (嘎什根乡) Agricultural Technology Extension Station, found the village and said, "Weakly alkaline rice is our local specialty." The city and county came up with ideas: create green agriculture and branded agriculture to sell good rice at a good price.
The villagers didn't understand much, let alone how to do it. Li Guang (李光) once again went door-to-door to do work: "To make rice into a brand, we must control quality and use pesticides scientifically."
"What if production decreases? My land is not under the village's control."
"If the brand is established, the selling price can be higher, so it's not a loss."
Li Guang (李光) said that he talked to the villagers every day to transform good ideas into household accounts and explain them to everyone. The village also coordinated resources to introduce an "order agriculture" model, "The villagers only need to grow good rice, and they don't have to worry about sales."
With the worries resolved, everyone slowly joined the ranks of green rice planting, including Li Yanjun (李彦君). According to him, green rice has an average price 20% higher than ordinary rice, and his family's 13 hectares of rice fields had a gross income of over 400,000 yuan in 2025.
At the end of 2024, Gashigen Township (嘎什根乡) was successfully included in the national list of standardized production bases for green food raw materials. As of now, the rice planting area in Zhenlai County (镇赉县) has reached 1.559 million mu, and 9 processing enterprises and more than 20 cooperatives have obtained 100 green rice brand certifications. The regional public brand value of "Zhenlai Rice" (镇赉大米) has exceeded 1 billion yuan.
"More than 10 years ago, the village collective account had no money, but in 2025 it has exceeded 500,000 yuan." Li Guang (李光) said that 200,000 yuan was distributed to the villagers as dividends, and the rest was used for the village's infrastructure construction. Today, the village roads are clean and tidy, and people often dance the Yangko in the cultural square...
In the new year, Li Guang (李光) made a wish: "Strive for more funds to build the village's own rice processing plant; strengthen training and introduce more new agricultural technologies; do live streaming e-commerce to further open up rice sales... To start a business and revitalize the village, our Chuangye Village (创业村) must continue to **创业** (chuàng yè - "start an undertaking," to start an enterprise; to do pioneering work) and continue to work hard."
This issue is coordinated by: Zhang Anyu (张安宇)
(Related new media reports can be found on the People's Daily National Party Media Information Public Platform's "Big Country, Small Village" Communication Cloud Platform, the Farmer's Daily official WeChat account, and the "Xuexi Qiangguo" (学习强国) learning platform with the same name.)
Return to TopBy: 李彦君
I am a native of this village, having worked outside in the past and saved some money. But I couldn't bear to leave my home, so I returned to the village to farm.
It's too difficult to grow grain in saline-alkali land. The villagers all laugh at me, and my parents also complain, "We farmed this land when we were young, but it was all in vain."
Looking back, the reason I dared to stubbornly invest money in saline-alkali land was not only because I saw the progress of agricultural technology, but also because the village Party secretary, Li Guang (李光), persuaded me after visiting my home several times.
Year after year, relying on a spirit of not admitting defeat, as well as the help of the village and the guidance of agricultural experts, grain yields have become higher and higher, and income has also risen accordingly. I have dug out "gold nuggets" from the saline-alkali land. Afraid of not keeping up with the trend of agricultural development, in recent years, I have also signed up for various new-type professional farmer training courses organized by the city, county, and township, and have learned all kinds of rice planting techniques such as field management and pest and disease control, making me more confident in growing grain.
Now, the village has built roads and has street lights, and the conditions are better, but some young people still feel that returning home to farm is not decent or profitable.
I think that in the future, we will still have to rely on large-scale operations plus large agricultural machinery; now the village is engaged in green agriculture and brand agriculture, and the rice industry chain must also be extended in the direction of processing and sales. But this requires money, people, and technology, and ultimately we have to attract young people back.
Chuangye Village (创业村) has experienced one entrepreneurial venture after another to get to where it is today, and I must also take my own entrepreneurial path well, so that young people know that not only can "gold nuggets" be dug out of saline-alkali land, but also the "golden rice bowls" of professional farmers, green agriculture, and brand agriculture.
(Interview and compilation by Men Jiewei (门杰伟), reporter of this newspaper)
Return to TopBy: 陈秧分
China is promoting the construction of agricultural brands, cultivating a batch of green, organic, famous, special, high-quality, and new agricultural products with geographical indications, increasing farmers' income, and promoting the upgrading of the supply and demand structure of agricultural products.
Take Zhenlai Rice (镇赉大米) in Jilin (吉林) as an example. On the production side, it transforms the disadvantages of saline-alkali land into advantages by adapting to local conditions, and introduces high value-added categories such as weakly alkaline rice by combining intensive processing. It improves the benefit linkage mechanism to realize the联动 development of farmers, enterprises, and scientific research institutions. On the sales side, it does a good job in production and sales connection, and strives to achieve high-quality and high prices through precise positioning, brand development, and three-dimensional marketing.
It should also be noted that there are not enough well-known, strong, and widely radiating brands. Some places "emphasize production and neglect the market," lack long-term planning, the quality of agricultural products fluctuates, and the patience and determination of brand cultivation need to be strengthened.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the construction of brand agriculture should be strengthened. Quality should be used as a guarantee to promote the construction of a standardized system for agricultural products, make up for shortcomings in processing technology, cold chain logistics, quality traceability, etc., so that consumers can buy with confidence. We will accelerate the construction of an agricultural product marketing service system, cultivate compound talents who understand agriculture, know how to manage, and are good at marketing, promote the echelon cultivation and coordinated development of regional public brands, enterprise brands, and product brands, and form a multi-departmental synergy in channel docking, financial services, marketing promotion, etc., to promote the transformation of agriculture from "selling raw materials" to "selling products" and "selling brands."
(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (中国农业科学院农业经济与发展研究所). This article was compiled and edited from an interview with Yu Jingxian (郁静娴), a reporter from this newspaper.)
Return to TopAccording to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (中国海油) on January 2nd, reported by Ding Yiting (丁怡婷) from this newspaper, China's largest offshore gas field, "Deep Sea No. 1 (深海一号)," recently completed its 100th shipment of crude oil since being put into production. The total oil and gas production in 2025 is expected to exceed 4.5 million tons of oil equivalent, which is equivalent to the production scale of a medium-sized onshore oil field.
The gas field currently produces 15 million cubic meters of natural gas and more than 1,600 tons of condensate oil per day. The crude oil export operation of the "Deep Sea No. 1 (深海一号)" energy station has been shortened from the initial 18 hours to less than 8 hours.
It is reported that in 2025, the cumulative production of oil and gas from the offshore gas field group around Hainan Island (海南岛), including "Deep Sea No. 1 (深海一号)," will exceed 10 million tons of oil equivalent, a **翻番** (fān fān - "double," to increase many times over) increase compared to the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. Among them, deep-sea oil and gas has become an important growth pole, accounting for more than 90% of the region's new oil and gas production.
Return to TopThis newspaper reported from Beijing on January 2nd (Reporter Ouyang Jie (欧阳洁)) The service industry survey center of the National Bureau of Statistics (国家统计局) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (中国物流与采购联合会) recently released the December 2025 Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) at 50.1%, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, rising to the expansion range after operating below 50% for eight consecutive months. Among them, the December manufacturing production and operation activity expectation index was 55.5%, an increase of 2.4 percentage points from the previous month, reaching a new high since April 2024.
The data shows that in December, market demand in China's manufacturing industry was released to some extent, corporate production expanded well, and market prices operated favorably. The new order index for December 2025 was 50.8%, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from the previous month, returning to the expansion range after operating below 50% for five consecutive months. Manufacturing exports developed steadily in December, with the new export order index at 49%, an increase of 1.4 percentage points from the previous month. The release of demand and positive policy expectations drove a good expansion of manufacturing enterprises' production activities. The production index was 51.7%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points from the previous month, and the index increase was relatively significant.
Positive changes are emerging in the manufacturing structure. The expansion momentum of high-tech manufacturing has accelerated significantly. The high-tech manufacturing PMI was 52.5%, an increase of 2.4 percentage points from the previous month. The consumer goods industry PMI was 50.4%, an increase of 1 percentage point from the previous month, with the production index rising to over 52% and the new order index rising to over 51%, indicating a good expansion of market supply and demand in the consumer goods manufacturing industry.
The China Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index for December 2025, also released, was 50.2%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the previous month. The December Comprehensive PMI Output Index was 50.7%, an increase of 1 percentage point from the previous month.
Return to TopThis newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on January 2nd (Reporter Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶)) - This reporter learned from the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部) that China's public geographic information services are continuously enriched, and the integration of the geographic information industry with new business forms is constantly deepening. By the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan," the total output value of the geographic information industry is expected to exceed 900 billion yuan.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has continuously strengthened the supply of geographic information services. The National Geographic Information Resource Directory Service System has released a total of 8.09 million resource catalogs of various types, and a total of 13,000 standard maps have been released nationwide, forming a three-level service architecture at the national, provincial (autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government), and municipal levels. The emergency surveying and mapping support system and mechanism have been further improved, and it has the ability to obtain high-resolution remote sensing images of the scene within 6 hours of a sudden event and provide the first batch of emergency surveying and mapping results within 12 hours. At the same time, "Tianditu" (天地图) has completed a brand-new revision, realizing the convergence and release of 24 thematic information such as planning, geological survey, forestry and grassland on a geographic base map. Breakthrough progress has been made in the research and development of surveying and mapping equipment, and products such as unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry systems, Beidou receivers, and high-precision total stations have joined the ranks of international first-class products. At the same time, the real-scene 3D China has been initially built, and a series of products such as 5-meter and 10-meter grids cover the land territory, and 1:10000 data covers 70% of the land territory.
At the same time, the geographic information industry is booming. A standard system for autonomous driving maps has been gradually constructed, and L3-level and below autonomous driving map products covering ordinary roads in large and medium-sized cities across the country have been widely used. Innovative applications in the fields and scenarios of smart logistics, smart cities, and digital rural construction are also constantly deepening.
Return to TopThis newspaper Beijing (北京) January 2nd (Reporter Gu Yekai (谷业凯)) reported: The reporter learned from China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团) that on January 1st, after a 168-hour full-power continuous operation assessment, the Unit 2 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power (漳州核电) "Hualong One (华龙一号)" officially entered commercial operation, marking the full completion and commissioning of the first phase of the Zhangzhou Nuclear Power (漳州核电) project.
"Hualong One (华龙一号)" is a third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power technology with complete independent intellectual property rights designed and developed by China (中国). A single "Hualong One (华龙一号)" nuclear power unit can generate up to 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 8.16 million tons, equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by more than 3 million tons per year. "Hualong One (华龙一号)" is the third-generation nuclear power technology with the largest total number of units in operation and under construction globally.
Zhangzhou Nuclear Power (漳州核电) is the starting point for the mass construction of "Hualong One (华龙一号)" and the world's largest "Hualong One (华龙一号)" nuclear power base, with a planned construction of 6 "Hualong One (华龙一号)" nuclear power units. Units 1 and 2 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power (漳州核电) have been put into commercial operation, of which Unit 1 has generated 10.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity; Units 3 and 4 are in the civil construction and installation stage; and Units 5 and 6 are steadily advancing preliminary work. Once the base is fully completed, it is expected to provide approximately 60 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 戴楷然
Digital transformation is an important goal of the African Union's "Agenda 2063." In recent years, under the frameworks of high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the depth and breadth of China-Africa cooperation in the digital economy have continued to expand. From accelerating the construction of digital infrastructure to building e-commerce service platforms and cultivating digital talents, China is actively helping African countries bridge the digital divide.
"Improved the local information and communication technology ecosystem"
In the science and technology park in Gaborone (哈博罗内), the capital of Botswana (博茨瓦纳), stands a modern building with a novel design. This is the Botswana National Data Center, built by China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Co., Ltd. (中国江西国际经济技术合作有限公司) (hereinafter referred to as "Jiangxi International (江西国际)"), and is also the country's first national-level data center.
The Botswana National Data Center started construction in March 2021 and was handed over to the Botswana government in June 2024. The construction project includes a new two-story data center building with office areas, functional equipment areas, and server room areas, as well as ancillary facilities such as pump rooms and generator areas. Zhu Yahan (朱亚汉), project manager of Jiangxi International (江西国际)'s Botswana (博茨瓦纳) branch, told reporters that the data center's computer room can store high-performance servers, large-capacity storage devices, high-speed network equipment, etc., to meet the needs of the Botswana (博茨瓦纳) government and commercial users for large-scale data storage, processing, and transmission.
The data center is not only a node on the information superhighway but also a guarantee of data security. Unlike general building projects, data centers have very high requirements for fire prevention, earthquake resistance, and power supply security. Molefe (莫莱费), 40, served as the chief engineer during the project construction period and is responsible for the security work during the project operation and maintenance period. "During the project construction period, the Chinese team taught us knowledge such as mechanical equipment operation, maintenance, and how to deal with emergencies such as power outages and fires," said Molefe (莫莱费). Zhu Yahan (朱亚汉) said that the data center's computer room uses independent municipal power supply, uninterrupted emergency power supply, and diesel generator triple power security. Once the municipal power supply fails, the emergency power supply can maintain power for 10 minutes, and the supporting 4 diesel generators can be started within 2 minutes to ensure the safety of data center equipment and data.
"Weak digital infrastructure has affected Botswana (博茨瓦纳)'s progress in promoting digital transformation. The operation of the Botswana (博茨瓦纳) National Data Center has improved the local information and communication technology ecosystem," said Segole (塞戈莱), CEO of Botswana Fibre Networks (博茨瓦纳光纤网络公司), the operator of the Botswana (博茨瓦纳) National Data Center. Before the project was delivered, much of Botswana (博茨瓦纳)'s government and business data was stored in other countries, resulting in low transmission efficiency. After the Botswana (博茨瓦纳) National Data Center is in operation, Botswana (博茨瓦纳) Internet users can achieve faster speeds and lower costs for data interaction, and their online experience has been improved. "Now, we have an efficient basic data platform, and network and data exchange services have been developed, which helps to promote the digital transformation of the entire country. We look forward to cooperating with more Chinese companies to continuously improve digital infrastructure and improve the efficiency of data transmission, sharing, and interconnection," said Segole (塞戈莱).
"Convenient and efficient services are recognized by consumers"
In the warehouse of the e-commerce platform Kilimall (Kilimall) located in the suburbs of Nairobi (内罗毕), the capital of Kenya (肯尼亚), employees shuttle between rows of shelves, counting goods, scanning codes, and packing boxes... Outside the warehouse, "delivery guys" in red uniforms are ready to go, preparing for delivery.
As the first Chinese company to enter the African Internet and e-commerce industry, Kilimall (Kilimall) has been developing in Africa for more than 10 years, covering many African countries such as Kenya (肯尼亚), Tanzania (坦桑尼亚), and Uganda (乌干达). It has more than 8,000 sellers and more than 12,000 stores, and has established more than 1,500 community self-pickup points. The number of mobile application downloads is growing at a rate of 50% per year. "The Kilimall (Kilimall) platform has also independently developed a payment system to provide consumers with convenient and diverse online payment channels," said Liao Zheng Rong (廖峥嵘), brand director of Kilimall (Kilimall).
In the view of Patrick Musyoki (帕特里克·穆肖基), home and kitchen category assistant at Kilimall (Kilimall), Kilimall (Kilimall)'s self-built logistics system and self-developed payment system greatly improve the consumer shopping experience, "Convenient and efficient services are recognized by consumers."
Kariuki (卡里乌基), 36, is a Kenyan (肯尼亚人) who mainly sells furniture such as TV cabinets and coffee tables. "The transportation costs of these products are very high, and most local e-commerce platforms adopt the method of cash on delivery, which makes me a little hesitant. After a friend's introduction, I learned that Kilimall (Kilimall) independently developed an online payment system. Customers prepay when placing an order on the platform, and I can receive the payment as soon as possible after confirming receipt. This payment method gave me the confidence to settle in," said Kariuki (卡里乌基). Since settling in Kilimall (Kilimall), furniture sales have continued to increase, and now he can sell 300 to 400 products per month. "Through Kilimall (Kilimall), my products can reach customers in different regions of Kenya (肯尼亚). Next, I plan to enrich the product categories and provide customers with more diverse choices."
"Bring the experience of China's digital economy development back to my hometown"
Justin (朱斯廷), 22, is a student at the Rwanda (卢旺达) Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊). After completing two years of professional study at the Musanze Polytechnic (穆桑泽职业技术学院) in Rwanda (卢旺达), he came to Jinhua Polytechnic (浙江金华职业技术大学) in Zhejiang (浙江) for a one-year e-commerce practical training. "This is the second batch of students from the Rwanda (卢旺达) Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) to come to China (中国) for practical training," said Ge Rui (葛睿), an e-commerce professional teacher at Jinhua Polytechnic (浙江金华职业技术大学). In early 2025, the first batch of 30 students majoring in e-commerce and electrical automation from the Musanze Polytechnic (穆桑泽职业技术学院) in Rwanda (卢旺达) completed their practical training and returned to their country. Many e-commerce majors began to engage in e-commerce live broadcasting and e-commerce operations in Rwanda (卢旺达).
"Chinese teachers not only taught us knowledge such as e-commerce platform management, data analysis, and logistics management, but also taught us practical skills such as video shooting and lighting. On the virtual e-commerce platform built by Chinese teachers, my classmates and I simulated real e-commerce operation scenarios and competed to see who had higher sales," said Justin (朱斯廷). He said that this teaching method helps everyone quickly improve their professional skills. "China (中国)'s development in digital technology and business is at the global forefront. I hope to open my own online store and bring the experience of China (中国)'s digital economy development back to my hometown."
"At present, the technical standards of the two majors of e-commerce and electrical automation cooperated by the Rwanda (卢旺达) Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) have been approved by the Rwanda (卢旺达) Higher Education Council and the Rwanda (卢旺达) Ministry of Education and have been incorporated into the Rwanda (卢旺达) vocational and technical standard system," introduced Xu Anqi (徐安琪), head of the e-commerce major at Jinhua Polytechnic (浙江金华职业技术大学). "Through the 'classroom learning + e-commerce practice' method, we hope to cultivate more talents with digital skills for Rwanda (卢旺达) and help Rwanda (卢旺达)'s digital transformation."
Hettie Grobbelaar (赫特·格罗布勒), former senior South African (南非) diplomat and honorary professor at the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University (浙江师范大学非洲研究院), said that from jointly building the largest optical cable manufacturing plant in Africa (非洲) to improve optical cable manufacturing capabilities, to helping African (非洲) countries add and upgrade approximately 150,000 kilometers of communication backbone networks, with network services covering approximately 700 million users; from undertaking national data centers in many African (非洲) countries to providing smart government service solutions; from holding the "Huawei ICT Competition" to improve the information and communication technology knowledge and practical skills of African (非洲) youth, to China Merchants Group (招商局集团) holding the "Digital Innovation and Cross-border E-commerce" training camp for many years to provide a platform for African (非洲) young entrepreneurs to learn digital technology, entrepreneurial operation, and other knowledge... Over the years, China (中国) has actively participated in the construction of digital infrastructure on the African (非洲) continent, and has continuously injected impetus into the digital transformation of the African (非洲) continent by cultivating e-commerce industries and professional talents.
Return to TopBy: 培高德
Through studying "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," we can grasp the latest pulse of China's development and decode the path of Chinese development.
The publication and distribution of Volume V of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" is an exciting piece of news. For Chinese readers, President Xi Jinping's (习近平) important discourses are related to both national development and individual life; for foreign readers, Volume V of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" provides rich guidance for understanding contemporary China.
Today's China plays a pivotal role in major international and regional affairs, and the world needs to understand China as much as possible, which is inseparable from professional Chinese research capabilities. Germany still has a lot of room for improvement in this regard. At present, some German think tanks' research on China is often not in-depth enough, and the conclusions lack originality. In fact, there are quite a lot of materials available for us to study and research China, and "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" is such a treasure trove.
China's policies, development goals, and development paths are by no means as "mysterious" as some descriptions suggest. For example, many people find the achievements China has made, especially the take-off of its science and technology, incredible, but if you carefully study "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," you can understand why China can do it. China puts forward ambitious development goals, attaches great importance to the paths and measures to achieve the goals, and steadily promotes them as always. Volume V of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" elaborates on topics such as "developing new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions to achieve high-quality development" and "promoting the development of education, science and technology, and talent in an integrated manner" at great length.
Chinese-style modernization is an important theme running through Volume V of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China." This theme involves not only economic and technological progress, but also many fields such as society, culture, and the environment. Taking ecological civilization construction as an example, China once faced environmental pollution problems in the early stage of modernization, but now it has undergone profound changes. In the field of solar energy development and application, China is already a global leader. The four important articles included in the chapter "Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China" in Volume V will help us understand how contemporary China promotes the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
We must realize how complex it is to comprehensively deepen reforms in a country as vast as China. Facts have proved that China's leadership and coordination mechanisms operate extremely efficiently. Taking railway development as an example, when I first visited China in 1992, the railway network was old and slow. It often took a whole day to get from one big city to another, and some lines took even longer. I once sat in a hard seat for 36 hours in the hot summer. Today, these have become distant memories.
Today's Chinese high-speed trains are modern, comfortable, clean and efficient, and can cross half of China in just a few hours. The convenience of buying tickets is also amazing. In the 1990s, I had to squeeze through the crowded crowds to the ticket window. As a foreigner, it was lucky to be able to accurately find the corresponding ticket window. Today, just open the 12306 mobile app to buy, change or refund tickets for the whole family, and even a temporarily decided itinerary can be quickly arranged. I encountered a small episode when I took a train in Zhengzhou (郑州): a local friend accidentally took me to the wrong station and didn't realize it until the ticket was checked. I canceled the original ticket and repurchased a new ticket within a few minutes, and took the train to my destination in less than half an hour.
These achievements are all the result of careful planning and unremitting efforts. However, this is not all - another characteristic of China's development is "flexibility." China's development is a continuous learning path, constantly updating and adjusting policies in a timely manner according to realistic changes. Readers who study "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" will find that the focus of the book keeps pace with the development of the times.
The insights presented in President Xi Jinping's (习近平) works are far from being covered in my article. Since its publication in 2014, each volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been carefully edited. I have successively collected the German, English, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese versions of this set of books. By studying this set of works, we can grasp the latest pulse of China's development and decode the path of Chinese development. In the future, Germany needs to strengthen the curriculum of Chinese studies in basic and higher education, constantly enrich the knowledge reserve related to China in the government system, and cultivate more professionals who are familiar with Chinese issues.
(The author is a German sinologist and historian)
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 2nd (Reporter dispatches from Xinhua News Agency overseas): Governments and political figures from multiple countries have recently continued to voice their support for the One China principle and opposition to any external interference in China's internal affairs.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi (塔希尔·安德拉比) stated at a regular press conference that Pakistan and China are **铁杆朋友** (tiě gǎn péng yǒu - "ironclad friends," extremely close and reliable friends) and all-weather strategic partners, and Pakistan has always firmly supported China on all issues involving China's core interests. Pakistan has always maintained that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and will continue to firmly adhere to the One China principle.
The Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry issued a statement solemnly reiterating Bangladesh's firm adherence to the One China principle and stating that Bangladesh attaches great importance to friendly relations between Bangladesh and China.
The Maldivian Foreign Ministry reiterated that Maldives firmly adheres to the One China policy, recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing all of China, and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.
The Djiboutian Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating that the Djiboutian government firmly supports China's position on the Taiwan issue, firmly supports the One China principle, firmly supports China's efforts to achieve national reunification, and firmly opposes any attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."
South Korean National Security Advisor Wei Sung-rak (魏圣洛) reiterated on January 2 that the South Korean government's position is to respect One China.
First Deputy Chairman Nematzoda (涅马特佐达) of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan stated during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Guo Zhijun (郭志军) that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, Tajikistan adheres to the One China principle, and opposes any external interference in China's internal affairs.
Spokesperson Mbatta (姆巴塔) of the Prime Minister's Office of the Central African Republic issued a public statement emphasizing that the One China principle is a universal consensus of the international community. The Central African Republic firmly supports China's legitimate position on the Taiwan issue, understands and supports China's necessary countermeasures taken in accordance with the law, and believes that this is a just act to safeguard national sovereignty.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry issued a statement reiterating its adherence to the One China principle and firmly opposing any form of interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京) January 2nd (Reporter Wang Chuntao (王春涛)) Defense Ministry Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang (张晓刚) answered reporters' questions on January 2nd regarding overseas hype about the "Joint Sword-2025" exercise.
A reporter asked: Not long ago, the Eastern Theater Command (东部战区) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (中国人民解放军) held the "Joint Sword-2025" exercise. Lai Ching-te (赖清德) claimed that this military exercise brought uncertain risks to regional stability. The United States, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, the European Union, and others made unwarranted comments on this exercise, hoping that the mainland would exercise restraint and oppose unilaterally changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. What is your comment on this?
Zhang Xiaogang (张晓刚) stated that the Eastern Theater Command (东部战区) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (中国人民解放军) successfully organized the "Joint Sword-2025" exercise, comprehensively tested the integrated joint combat capabilities of the mission troops, fully demonstrated the powerful strength to fight "independence" and promote reunification, and resolutely declared that any egregious acts of crossing the line and provoking on the Taiwan issue will be resolutely countered, and any sinister attempts to obstruct China's reunification will not succeed.
"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, which brooks no external interference. The People's Liberation Army (解放军)'s organization of anti-secession and anti-interference actions around Taiwan Island is completely legitimate, necessary, and beyond reproach," Zhang Xiaogang (张晓刚) said. The biggest status quo in the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the strait belong to one China, and the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the "Taiwan independence" separatist acts and the connivance and support of external forces. No one cherishes peace in the Taiwan Strait more than we do, but we will never accept anyone or any force using the maintenance of peace in the Taiwan Strait as a reason to tie our hands in curbing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities; we will never allow anyone or any force to interfere in China's internal affairs and disrupt the Taiwan Strait under the guise of peace.
Zhang Xiaogang (张晓刚) stated that we urge relevant countries and institutions to strictly abide by the one-China principle, stop conniving at and supporting "Taiwan independence" forces, and stop stirring up trouble on the Taiwan issue; we hope that the vast number of Taiwan compatriots will clearly recognize the extreme danger and harm of Lai Ching-te's (赖清德) "Taiwan independence provoking war," prevent being deceived and coerced by "Taiwan independence" forces, and earnestly safeguard their own safety, well-being, and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (中国人民解放军) will continue to strengthen military training and preparedness, be ready at any time to respond to provocations seeking "independence," resolutely thwart all external interference attempts, and defend national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
Return to TopDuring the New Year holiday, workers at bicycle companies in Guangzong County (广宗县), Xingtai City (邢台市), Hebei Province (河北省) remained at their posts, rushing to complete orders and striving to achieve a "flying start" to the New Year. The picture shows workers assembling bicycles for export in the production workshop of Wanyi Bicycle Guangzong Co., Ltd. (万怡自行车广宗有限公司) in Guangzong County (广宗县) on January 1st.
Photo by Wang Lei (王垒) (Image China (影像中国))
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 肖新新
"The Global Governance Initiative conforms to the trend of the times and meets the needs of the world." Alexander Lomanov (亚历山大·洛马诺夫), Deputy Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a recent interview with this reporter that the Global Governance Initiative meets the common demands of the vast majority of countries to reform and improve the global governance system, which is conducive to better safeguarding and practicing multilateralism, promoting the democratization of international relations, and promoting equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization. "At a time when the international order is facing severe challenges, the proposal and implementation of the Global Governance Initiative will inject more stability and certainty into the world."
Lomanov believes that the Global Governance Initiative adheres to the concept of a shared future and clarifies the principles, methods, and paths for reforming and improving global governance. "People-centered" as one of the core concepts, not only inherits the ancient governance wisdom of "the people are the foundation of the state" (民惟邦本), but also conforms to the value pursuit of global governance—allowing development results to benefit the people of all countries and jointly enhance human well-being.
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The United Nations is the core platform for practicing multilateralism and promoting global governance. Lomanov said that at present, the international situation is complex and volatile. Some Western countries, in order to seek private interests and maintain their hegemonic dominance, have carried out acts of power politics and bullying, which have seriously impacted and eroded the authority and effectiveness of the United Nations and damaged the common interests of all mankind. The Global Governance Initiative adheres to and promotes the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, which will powerfully promote the international community to jointly safeguard the authority and status of the United Nations and further improve the multilateral cooperation framework for global governance.
The collective rise of the Global South is a clear sign of the great changes in the world. Lomanov believes that the countries of the Global South have become a key force in global governance, but the current global governance system has not adapted to the development of the situation and cannot reflect the reasonable demands of the countries of the Global South. The Global Governance Initiative responds to the universal concerns of the Global South, advocates that the international system and international mechanisms better serve the interests of all countries, especially developing countries, and leads global governance to advance with the times.
The Global Governance Initiative is another major public good that China has contributed to the world after the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. Lomanov believes that in today's world, the peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit, and governance deficit are increasing, posing severe challenges to human development. The international community's demand for building a more just and reasonable global governance system and achieving world peace and development is becoming increasingly urgent. The four global initiatives cover the four dimensions of development, security, civilization, and governance, which will promote countries to jointly meet challenges, expand the intersection of mutual interests, and promote the world to achieve more inclusive development.
Lomanov said that Russia and China firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations as the core and the international order based on international law, closely coordinate and cooperate on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (上海合作组织), and BRICS (金砖国家), and promote world multipolarization and economic globalization with true multilateralism. Russia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China and other countries of the Global South to safeguard international fairness and justice and promote the establishment of a more equal and multipolar world.
(Reported from Moscow by this newspaper)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘军国
Steadily advance the equalization of basic public services.
——Excerpt from the "15th Five-Year Plan" Proposals
"It's so much fun to have so many people together making dumplings, it's so lively!" In the activity room of the subsidized rental housing for relocated residents in Shengsi County (嵊泗县), Zhoushan City (舟山市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省), steam is swirling and the aroma is rich. Wang Yaqiu (王亚球), 73, and the elderly who arrived from Xiluhua Island (西绿华岛), about 16 nautical miles away, just over half a month ago, are enjoying winter delicacies together.
Watching her mother with everyone, Wang Yaqiu's (王亚球) daughter, Jin Jianna (金建娜), smiled too. "Now that my parents have a home on Sijiao Island (泗礁本岛) and so many old friends with them, I feel at ease." Jin Jianna (金建娜) said that one night a few months ago, her mother fell on Xiluhua Island (西绿华岛). Due to the limited medical conditions on the island, she could only apply a plaster for temporary relief. It was not until 10 days later, when she could no longer bear the pain, that she went to the county hospital for examination and found that she had five rib fractures on each side.
"We, as children, were always worried about our parents living on the small island," Jin Jianna (金建娜) said. "Now that they have moved to the big island, we no longer have to take a boat to send things to the small island, and we can come to see them in 15 minutes by electric bike."
It only takes two or three minutes to walk from the doorstep to the bus station, and the bus is free; a few hundred meters away from the doorstep is the "Happiness Inn," where volunteers regularly give haircuts, trim nails, and perform operas for the elderly... "We will have a good life in the future," Wang Yaqiu (王亚球) said.
In fact, the idea of "to move or not to move" had been swirling in Wang Yaqiu's (王亚球) mind. "Although we can grow vegetables and set nets (to catch small seafood on the shore) on the small island, it is better to be closer to our children when we get older." Wang Yaqiu (王亚球) said that most of her relatives and friends on the island had moved before, and she finally made up her mind to move. "The policy is good, and the rent for the house is only 150 yuan per month."
In Zhoushan (舟山), only a small number of elderly people remain on the remote islands, and the sharing of public service resources such as elderly care, medical care, and transportation on the islands is poor and the supply is uneven. In March 2024, Zhoushan City (舟山市) studied and issued a policy system to guarantee the relocation of small island residents, implemented the "small island relocation, large island construction" project, gradually guided the elderly on small islands to move to the mainland for centralized care, and innovatively implemented the principle of "rights follow the person (household)," maintaining the "three invariables" of collective asset income distribution rights, land contract rights, and homestead rights, effectively eliminating the concerns of the relocated elderly.
Yu Lingling (於玲玲), Director of the Elderly Care Service Department of the Zhoushan Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau (舟山市民政局), introduced that in order to ensure that the elderly "can move out, live stably, and live well," Zhoushan (舟山) has also built subsidized rental housing, public rental housing, and centralized care facilities, and increased the integration of policies such as elderly welfare, social assistance, and funeral arrangements.
Peace of mind in leaving the island and centralized elderly care have greatly narrowed the gap in elderly care services between the islands and the urban areas. As of now, 14 of the 16 small islands with a permanent population of fewer than 100 people and the islands relocated by the project in Zhoushan (舟山) have completed the relocation work. At the same time, the city has built 6 centralized care homes and more than 10 relatively centralized care communities.
"We will continue to take the integrated reform of basic public services as the driving force, focus on optimizing the three-level elderly care network at the county, township, and village levels, deepen and solidify the 'doorstep' elderly care services, and continuously enhance the sense of gain and happiness of the elderly on the islands," said Zhu Zuibo (竺最波), Deputy Director of the Zhoushan Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau (舟山市民政局).
After the elderly moved out, the small islands also ushered in new development: Xiju Island (西岠岛) developed the South American white shrimp farming industry, and shrimp pond restaurants, transparent factory study tours, and festival markets **破土而出** (pò tǔ ér chū - "break ground and emerge," to spring up or emerge suddenly); Xixiezhi Island (西蟹峙岛) has seen vigorous development in energy storage and transportation and shipbuilding industries; Dashuangshan Island (大双山岛) has linked up with surrounding islands to form a new space for recreational fishing, characteristic homestays, and water sports tourism; Dongluhua Island's (东绿华岛) wind turbines output a continuous stream of clean energy...
"Each island has different resource endowments, and we will implement 'one island, one policy' to achieve precise development and standardized management," said Wang Zhe (王哲), Director of the Social and Population Development Department of the Zhoushan Municipal Development and Reform Commission (舟山市发展改革委). A series of practical and effective measures to revitalize island resources, ensure ecological safety, and cultivate characteristic industries have allowed Zhoushan's (舟山) small islands to be beautiful in their own way and play a greater role.
(Fang Zhibin (方智斌) participated in the writing)
Return to TopBy: 韩春瑶
Faced with problems such as the scattered residences of elderly people on remote islands and the shortage of public services, Zhoushan (舟山), Zhejiang (浙江) innovatively implemented the "small island relocation, large island construction" project, giving full play to the scale effect and exploring a new path for the coordinated development of people's livelihood improvement and economic development.
From the perspective of people's livelihood, concentrated elderly care on large islands improves quality and efficiency. Building centralized elderly care communities and improving supporting facilities on large islands significantly reduces the cost of public services and greatly narrows the gap in elderly care services between the islands and urban areas, making life more convenient, safer, and warmer for the elderly.
From a development perspective, small islands show their strengths and revitalize. Under the guidance of "one island, one policy," the relocated small islands have not "fallen asleep," but have instead been based on resource endowments to achieve precise development and release greater development vitality.
All regions should adhere to a systematic approach, adapt to local conditions, and will certainly be able to find a better solution between improving people's livelihood and economic development, achieve a win-win situation for all parties, and draw a new picture of a better life. 一岛一策 (yī dǎo yī cè - "one island one policy," tailor-made policy for each island).
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 金 歆
On December 29, 2025, the China Rule of Law Forum (2025) and the 16th China Jurist Forum were held in Shenzhen (深圳), Guangdong (广东).
At the forum, guests from all walks of life held exchanges and dialogues focusing on the theme of "In-depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law (习近平法治思想), Providing a Solid Legal Guarantee for the '15th Five-Year Plan' for Economic and Social Development."
The participating guests stated that the vast number of legal scholars and practitioners should grasp the historic achievements made in China's rule of law construction, actively promote legal research, proactively serve legal practice, and jointly create a new situation in the construction of a rule-of-law China.
Constructing an Independent Knowledge System of Chinese Jurisprudence
At the forum, many guests stated that accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese jurisprudence and creating a legal discipline system, academic system, teaching material system, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner is an important mission of legal scholars and practitioners in the new era.
Wang Hongxiang (王洪祥), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of the China Law Society (中国法学会), stated that to construct an independent knowledge system of Chinese jurisprudence, it is imperative to always adhere to the "two combinations" as the greatest magic weapon, adhere to the "soul" of Marxist rule of law theory that cannot be discarded, and the "root" of outstanding traditional Chinese legal culture that cannot be severed, and introduce more high-quality legal research results with autonomy, originality, and identification.
Li Lin (李林), Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of the China Law Society and President of the Jurisprudence Research Association, stated that it is necessary to deepen the jurisprudential research on "building a socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics" and promote the improvement of the rule of law system with theoretical innovation in the rule of law.
At the forum's "Promoting the Construction of an Independent Knowledge System of Chinese Jurisprudence" session, Mo Jihong (莫纪宏), Vice President of the China Law Society and Director of the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), stated that it is necessary to base on China's rule of law practice, summarize and refine the successful experiences in the construction of the rule of law, such as the legal innovation of the "Fengqiao Experience (枫桥经验)" and the Chinese path of judicial protection of the ecological environment, and elevate these practical achievements to legal theories to enhance the scientific and practical nature of legal knowledge.
"The Chinese legal system adheres to the people-oriented approach, advocates the combination of ritual and law, and maintains family ethics and social harmony in grassroots governance. These excellent traditional legal cultures are of great significance for promoting the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese jurisprudence," said Nie Xin (聂鑫), professor at the School of Law of Tsinghua University (清华大学). Inheriting outstanding traditional Chinese legal culture and telling the story of the rule of law in China are important measures to enhance the international influence and discourse power of China's rule of law theory and system.
Rule of Law Empowers High-Quality Economic Development
"High-quality economic development cannot be separated from the escort of the rule of law." At the "Rule of Law Empowers High-Quality Economic Development" session, Li Yan (李燕), Vice President of Southwest University of Political Science & Law (西南政法大学), stated that the rule of law provides a stable and predictable institutional environment for high-quality economic development, and the rule of law continuously stimulates market vitality by protecting property rights and innovative achievements.
Xu Yan (徐炎), Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology Law and Vice President of Tencent (腾讯公司), introduced that in response to the problems of internet addiction and erosion by harmful information among minors, relevant departments have launched a "combination punch" of governance: from special regulations on online game management to the "Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet" to relevant technical standards, the industry's technical explorations have been elevated to legal standards.
"Scientifically advancing legislation in emerging fields is a major issue of promoting high-quality development through high-quality legislation." At the "Rule of Law Helps Efficient Governance" session, Feng Yujun (冯玉军), Executive Vice President of the China Law Society's Research Association on Legislation and Professor at the School of Law of Renmin University of China (中国人民大学), said that accelerating legislation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the low-altitude economy, adapting to the situation of accelerated national and social transformation, and consolidating the legal foundation for cultivating new quality productive forces.
Xu Duoqi (许多奇), Director of the Fudan University Research Center for Digital Economy and Rule of Law (复旦大学), stated that China should strengthen the identification, monitoring, early warning, disposal, and accountability of financial risks by improving financial legislation and supporting technical means, and improve the supervision of systemically important institutions, the security management of financial infrastructure, and the crisis disposal mechanism of financial institutions.
Rule of Law Escorts High-Level Opening to the Outside World
The Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) will fully implement independent customs operations on December 18, 2025. "After independent customs operations, the connection between the Hainan Free Trade Port's regulatory system and international high-standard economic and trade rules will become the core soft power for the Hainan Free Trade Port to participate in international competition." At the "Rule of Law Escorts High-Level Opening to the Outside World" session, Wang Chongmin (王崇敏), Vice President of the China Law Society's Research Association on Legislation and Deputy Director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Hainan Provincial People's Congress (海南省人大), introduced that after the promulgation and implementation of the Hainan Free Trade Port Law, Hainan has proactively benchmarked international high-standard economic and trade rules in legislation, and more than 30 institutional opening measures have been implemented and achieved results in Hainan.
Expanding high-level opening to the outside world requires the innovation and improvement of cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms.
"Building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区) into an international commercial arbitration destination with high attractiveness and credibility can better serve the overall development of the country." Xi Chao (习超), Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (香港中文大学), stated that how the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area promotes arbitration legal services to a higher level of collaborative development is becoming an important issue. For example, in terms of the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards, on the basis of a relatively mature existing mutual recognition mechanism, further promotion of facilitation and stabilization at the enforcement level can be achieved.
Building a high-quality team of foreign-related legal talents with both ability and integrity and combining both morality and law is an important task to accelerate the advancement of China's foreign-related legal system and capacity building. Huang Jin (黄进), President of the Chinese Society of Private International Law and Senior Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Wuhan University (武汉大学), stated that this requires the joint efforts of the state, society, universities, industries, and individuals over a long period of time. For example, it is necessary to deepen the reform of higher legal education, focusing on cultivating students' creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial spirit and abilities, and carry out foreign-related legal talent training through various models.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 叶传增
How to let more people understand and support wildlife conservation? The public security police in Pu'er City (普洱市), Yunnan Province (云南省) have opened a "Tea City Forest Police" (茶城森警) wildlife science popularization account, updating wildlife protection knowledge and daily rescue videos, using Internet-savvy content to carry out legal publicity and create a good atmosphere for wildlife protection.
Participating in the rescue of hundreds of wild animals a year, helping netizens identify thousands of "magical animals," bringing their own baby bottles to feed wild animal cubs when dispatched... Open the "Tea City Forest Police" account, and various interesting science popularization videos protecting wild animals are dazzling.
"For a while, we often received clues about illegal acquisition, trafficking, and domestication of wild animals. In addition to cases of deliberate illegal crimes, many were caused by the public's lack of awareness of protection." As one of the founders of "Tea City Forest Police," Bi Xiaodong (毕晓东), director of the News and Publicity Section of the Pu'er Public Security Bureau (普洱市公安局), said, "For example, some people think that they have only shot a wild pheasant, so how can it be illegal? In fact, this pheasant is a white-bellied pheasant, a national second-class protected animal."
How to better publicize wildlife protection legal knowledge has become a question that Bi Xiaodong (毕晓东) and his colleagues often think about. In order to get more people to pay attention to and care for wild animals, the "Tea City Forest Police" account started with short videos explaining the law through cases. "Police, don't move!" "Squat down! Hands up!" Once, "Tea City Forest Police" released a short video entitled "Illegal Hunting of Leopard Cats, a National Second-Class Protected Animal, is a Real Crime!" The tense capture plot allowed netizens to have an "immersive" experience of the real law enforcement process of forest police. Once the video was released, it attracted the attention of many netizens.
This attempt made Bi Xiaodong (毕晓东) realize that it is feasible to use short videos for online legal publicity. "Tea City Forest Police" has successively launched a series of videos on on-site law enforcement, science popularization and rescue, and shared the real stories of wildlife rescue with netizens.
"Every time a video of a successful rescue of a wild animal is noticed by netizens, I also feel very accomplished." Li Hongfei (李虹霏), a police officer from the Simao Branch of the Pu'er Public Security Bureau (普洱市公安局思茅分局), said, "Every rescue is a legal publicity. It not only popularizes wildlife protection knowledge in a warm and interesting atmosphere, but also conveys the warm affection of harmonious coexistence between humans and animals."
In addition to releasing videos, "Tea City Forest Police" also attaches great importance to interacting with netizens in their daily work. In order to deepen netizens' understanding of wildlife protection, the operation team summarized a catchy doggerel based on netizens' comments: "The weirder the shape, the faster the sentence; the uglier the appearance, the longer the sentence."
Good at using Internet language, not lecturing with a straight face... The innovative expression with a strong Internet sense has made many netizens like this serious and humorous police media account. More and more netizens who see wild animals they don't recognize will habitually find "Tea City Forest Police" for consultation. The operation team has set up a "Tea Powder Mentioned Wild Animals" column to answer questions for netizens and collect various wildlife identification videos reflected by netizens across the country.
Bi Xiaodong (毕晓东) introduced that in order to ensure the accuracy and authority of science popularization, the team has established an expert group, bringing together more than 300 experts from forestry and grassland, customs, public security, forest fire protection and other departments and scientific research institutes as the account's "think tank." "When we encounter species that we are not sure about, we will consult experts, verify them in many ways, and then give feedback to fans," said Bi Xiaodong (毕晓东).
Under the team's continuous innovation and exploration, "Tea City Forest Police" has released thousands of short videos, and the short videos have received more than 800 million likes, becoming an important legal publicity platform for promoting wildlife protection. "In the future, we will continue to use methods that the masses like to see and hear, build a good police-civilian interaction platform represented by 'Tea City Forest Police', and continuously create a harmonious atmosphere of police-civilian mutual assistance and interconnection, and promote the online mass line to go deeper and more solid," said Gu Ming (顾明), member of the Party Committee and Director of the Political Department of the Pu'er Public Security Bureau (普洱市公安局党委委员、政治部主任).
Return to TopNew Year's Day holiday, many workers in various industries stuck to their posts and spent the holiday in hard work.
Return to TopThis newspaper's Beijing (北京) January 2nd dispatch (Reporter Li Xinping (李心萍)): On January 1st, multiple upgraded tourist trains made a concentrated debut, providing passengers and friends with a unique New Year travel experience.
China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd. (国铁北京局) launched the "Jinlu Shiguang (津旅时光) Hao" Tianjin North Station (天津北站) - Beijing Station (北京站) route. The "Jinlu Shiguang (津旅时光) Hao" is a themed immersive cultural tourism special train, with each carriage having both viewing and interactive functions. Drama, song, and dance performances are staged in the carriages in turn.
China Railway Qingzang Group Co., Ltd. (中国铁路青藏集团有限公司) launched the first cross-bureau tourist train in 2026, the "Silk Road Dream Enjoy (丝路梦享) Hao," breaking the regional operation barriers of railway tourist special trains, connecting Qinghai's Ta'er Monastery (塔尔寺) and Gansu's Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟), Mingsha Mountain (鸣沙山) and other important attractions, using Silk Road culture as a link to connect the cultural and tourism resources of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原) and the Hexi Corridor (河西走廊).
In addition, the "Zhongyuan Railway · Dahe Zhi Nan (中原铁道·大河之南) Hao" special tourist train departed from Zhengzhou Station (郑州站) on December 29, 2025, heading to Yanji (延吉), carrying 116 passengers on a 13-day in-depth ice and snow experience tour.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 韩 鑫 谷业凯 屈信明
"We must anchor our goals and tasks, strengthen our confidence, seize the momentum, and forge ahead, solidly promote high-quality development, further comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, promote common prosperity for all the people, and continue to write new chapters of the Chinese miracle."
A happy agreement, a shared expectation. At the turn of the year, President Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered his New Year's message for 2026. The warm and powerful words spread to the world through radio waves and the internet, conveying confidence and inspiring people to forge ahead.
Having passed through the "14th Five-Year Plan" and entered the "15th Five-Year Plan," reading the New Year's message from the past 5 years at such a historical juncture, "confidence" is consistently present and becomes even more firm—
"We have always grown in the trials and tribulations and become stronger through tests. Everyone should be full of confidence." "As long as we are determined in our confidence and make steady progress, we will surely achieve our established goals."
Only with faith in our hearts can we go far. The New Year's message gathers the voice of China, pulsates with Chinese moments, surges with Chinese stories, and unfolds a thriving China.
Confidence comes from the rising economic strength.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in his New Year's message for 2026: "In the past 5 years, we have strived forward with determination and courage, overcome numerous difficulties and challenges, successfully completed our goals and tasks, and taken steady steps on the new journey of Chinese-style modernization."
Difficulties reveal courage, and磨砺始得玉成 (mó lì shǐ dé yù chéng - "polishing begins to make jade," adversity refines and improves one's character or work). In the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," the adverse effects of changes in the external environment have deepened, and the domestic economic operation still faces many difficulties and challenges. Focusing on high-quality development, people see a China that is striving to move upward—
The total annual economic output is expected to reach 140 trillion yuan; grain production is stable at more than 1.4 trillion jin, achieving high-level growth; regional development is more coordinated, and the results of poverty alleviation are continuously consolidated and expanded; the national unified market is advancing in depth, and green mountains and clear waters have become a beautiful backdrop... Looking back on this year, the Chinese economy has moved forward against pressure and developed towards new and better directions.
Looking at 5 years from 1 year, China's total economic output has continuously crossed new thresholds, becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in terms of innovation, and its economic strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength, and comprehensive national strength have reached new levels... Regardless of the high winds and waves, and unafraid of difficulties and challenges, Chinese-style modernization has taken new and solid steps.
The hard-won development answer sheet is fundamentally due to the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Industry is an important dimension to observe a country's economy. In the midst of winter, the workshops of Henan Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd. (河南洛阳轴承集团股份有限公司) are bustling with activity. From millimeter-level to over 10-meter-level, various types of bearings are continuously rolling off the production line. For more than 70 years, Luoyang Bearing has been focusing on the deep cultivation of bearings, and now the output value of high-end bearings accounts for 70%.
Invigorating the country through industry and revitalizing the nation through hard work. In January, Liaoning Bengang (辽宁本钢); in May, Henan Luoyang Bearing (河南洛轴); in July, Shanxi Yang Valve (山西阳阀)... In 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) visited manufacturing enterprises many times, emphasizing: "Manufacturing is an important pillar of the national economy, and maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing is essential for advancing Chinese-style modernization."
Following the direction guided by the General Secretary, "Made in China" is accelerating its leapfrog upgrade—
A total of 1,260 5G factories have been built, a number of advantageous industries such as new energy vehicles and lithium batteries have been cultivated and grown, and new-generation communications, brain-computer interfaces, and bio-manufacturing have entered a stage of explosive growth... Traditional industries are "renewed," emerging industries are "leading," and future industries are "taking root," and the construction of a modern industrial system is constantly achieving new results.
Looking at the long term, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) drew a blueprint and made scientific plans for economic and social development in the next 5 years; resolutely deployed and launched a package of policies and measures, focusing on stabilizing employment, stabilizing enterprises, stabilizing the market, and stabilizing expectations... Taking action at critical moments and exerting efforts at critical points, the Chinese economic ship is riding the wind and waves, moving steadily and far, and the certainty of high-quality development is constantly consolidated and enhanced.
The encouraging and fruitful results are the result of the hard work, enterprising spirit, and dedication of hundreds of millions of people.
On the eve of the New Year, good news came—after more than 4 years of construction, the Xi'an-Yan'an High-speed Railway (西安至延安高铁) was officially opened, and the old revolutionary area of northern Shaanxi (陕北革命老区) has since entered the "high-speed rail era." The operating mileage of high-speed railways in China has exceeded 50,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world.
The stars do not ask those who rush on the road, and history belongs to those who strive forward. Hardworking farmers, hardworking workers, daring entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs who seize the momentum... On the new journey of Chinese-style modernization, beams of light converge into the mighty force of a striving China.
Today's China is a China where dreams are realized one after another. Tomorrow's China will create miracles through struggle.
"More than 1.4 billion Chinese people think in one direction and work together with one heart, helping each other in the same boat and uniting as one. There is nothing that cannot be done and no obstacle that cannot be overcome."
Confidence comes from the vigorous and surging vitality of development.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized in his New Year's message for 2026: "We rely on innovation to empower high-quality development" "Innovation and creation have spawned new quality productive forces and made life more colorful."
Looking back on this year, the Chinese economy is moving towards new directions and is full of vitality—
From the beginning to the end of the year, a series of dazzling achievements reflect the innovative momentum of the Chinese economy.
Appearing on the Spring Festival Gala stage to perform Yangko dances, appearing in half-marathon races, walking on the world's longest cat ladder, and being "employed" in factories in batches... In 2025, from "entering the venue" to "entering the factory," humanoid robots showed off their "Kung Fu mode," and China remained the world's largest robot producer.
In early 2025, DeepSeek (深度求索) emerged; today, hundreds of domestic large models have been connected to thousands of industries, and one in every three Chinese netizens uses large models... From intelligent interaction to industrial empowerment, artificial intelligence large models are catching up with each other, and China has become the largest owner of artificial intelligence patents in the world.
The deep integration of science and technology and industry, and innovative achievements are emerging one after another—
Looking at the deep blue, the first electromagnetic catapult-type aircraft carrier was officially commissioned, and the Chinese Navy entered the "three aircraft carrier" era; looking up at the sky, Tianwen-2 (天问二号) began its "star chasing" journey, and drones performed gorgeous "fireworks"; pursuing new heights, the Yaxia Hydropower Project (雅下水电工程) started construction, and new breakthroughs have been made in the independent research and development of chips... Looking back on this year, we have strived to climb with the spirit of self-improvement, and everywhere is a creation that is changing with each passing day.
Behind the surging innovation vitality is the accumulated new quality productive forces.
"We must keep up with the pace of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and cultivate new quality productive forces" "We must coordinate the integrated development of education, science, technology, and talent, and build a foundational and strategic support for the development of new quality productive forces"... At important meetings and local inspections, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out the direction and clarified the key points, promoting all regions to strive for the lead and be good at making achievements, and develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions.
The production and sales of new energy vehicles rank first in the world, the scale of network infrastructure is the largest and most extensive in the world, and the installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind power ranks first in the world... Looking back on these 5 years, "world's bests" have accelerated their emergence, scientific and technological innovation has reported frequent successes, and new drivers of development have become increasingly strong.
Having passed through the "14th Five-Year Plan," adhering to the豪情壮志 (háo qíng zhuàng zhì - "grand aspirations," lofty ambitions) of "pursuing dreams in the sea of stars," new quality productive forces are illuminating today's China, demonstrating a strong driving force and support for high-quality development.
Moving towards the "15th Five-Year Plan," putting the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions in a more prominent strategic position, tomorrow's China will be full of vitality and have a new atmosphere.
Confidence comes from the open and win-win attitude of a major country.
President Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in his New Year's message for 2026, "We will continue to open our hearts to embrace the world" "China has always stood on the right side of history and is willing to work with all countries to promote world peace and development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind."
With the accelerated evolution of the century-old changes, President Xi Jinping's (习近平) New Year's message conveys a clear Chinese proposition and injects Chinese confidence into world development with a heart that benefits the world and a pattern of win-win cooperation.
Two sets of lenses in the autumn convey the firm belief in peaceful development—
On September 1, 2025, at the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (上海合作组织天津峰会), President Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly proposed a global governance initiative to the world, which became another important public product contributed by China to the world in the new era after the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, injecting stability and certainty into a turbulent world.
On September 3, 2025, in Tiananmen Square (天安门广场), the commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年纪念活动) were grandly held. At the military parade, the reviewed formations set off in full gear. The sonorous footsteps surged with the echo of the times: "Adhere to the path of peaceful development and work with the people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind."
The great road is not alone, and the world is one family. In order to better cope with climate change, a new round of nationally determined contributions was announced; following the "Three Major Initiatives," a global governance initiative was proposed to promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system... Looking back on this year, as the world's second largest economy and a developing major country, China's "circle of friends" has continued to expand, and it has continued to become a force for peace, stability, and progress in the world.
The open steps in winter record the sincere desire for win-win cooperation—
The tide rises in the south of the sea, and a new high ground for opening up. On December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) officially launched the island-wide customs closure.
The value of "first-line" imported "zero-tariff" preferential goods exceeded 400 million yuan; the number of newly registered foreign trade enterprises was nearly 2,000, an increase of 2.3 times year-on-year; the amount of offshore duty-free shopping was 1.1 billion yuan, an increase of 54.9% year-on-year... In the first week of customs closure, a number of "upgraded" free trade port policies were successively implemented.
Opening up is a distinct symbol of Chinese-style modernization. Maintaining its position as the largest trading nation in goods for many consecutive years, the Canton Fair (广交会), the China International Fair for Trade in Services (服贸会), and the China International Import Expo (进博会) were held one after another, the cumulative number of China-Europe Railway Express (中欧班列) trips exceeded 120,000, and restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector were fully lifted... Looking back on these 5 years, China's door to opening up has been opening wider and wider, bringing more opportunities for world development.
The world's feelings and open-mindedness are deeply rooted in the cultural roots—
At the end of 2025, after 10 years of renovation, the Hall of Mental Cultivation (养心殿) in the Forbidden City (故宫) reopened to the public, and many foreign tourists came to check in, lingering among the cultural relics and monuments. Continuing to expand high-level opening up to the outside world, "China tours" continue to be popular. In the first three quarters of 2025, more than 20 million foreigners entered the country visa-free.
Cultural relics are connected to civilization, and also connected to the past, present, and future. In 2025, "carrying the cultural genes of the Chinese nation," the Palace Museum (故宫博物院) celebrated its 100th anniversary. A century of wind and rain, a century of protection, through the important window of the Forbidden City (故宫), the world has seen the vigorous development power contained in the continuous Chinese civilization.
The enthusiasm for museums and cultural relics and intangible cultural heritage continues to rise, new members are added to the list of world heritage sites, Wukong (悟空) and Nezha (哪吒) are popular all over the world, and ancient Chinese styles have become the "top aesthetic" in the eyes of young people... Looking back on this year, we have nourished our spiritual home with culture. Traditional and modern blend together, and Chinese culture blooms with more brilliant light.
"The vastness of China, the length of its history, and the breadth of its civilization are the foundation of our confidence and the source of our strength."
Confidence is rooted in civilization, originates from the path, and is achieved in practice.
The East is white, and the sun rises. 2026 is the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan." When the first ray of sunshine in the new year leaps out of the horizon, the giant ship "China" sails into a new sea area. Looking back, the magnificent voyage of the "14th Five-Year Plan" has been recorded in history; looking forward, the grand blueprint of the "15th Five-Year Plan" is slowly unfolding. Let us work together for our dreams and strive for happiness, and the grand vision will eventually become a beautiful reality!
"山海寻梦，不觉其远；前路迢迢，阔步而行 (shān hǎi xún mèng, bù jué qí yuǎn; qián lù tiáo tiáo, kuò bù ér xíng - "Searching for dreams across mountains and seas, not feeling the distance; the road ahead is long, stride forward," pursuing dreams with perseverance and determination, undeterred by challenges)."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘 阳
Every year during the corresponding period, there is always a group of young people who follow the large and small film festivals held in various places to meet, gather, and celebrate. Among them are film practitioners, movie fans, and volunteers... Whether viewed from the dimension of time or space, they are like a group of migratory birds migrating for film festivals. Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (金鸡百花电影节), Shanghai International Film Festival (上海国际电影节), Beijing International Film Festival (北京国际电影节), Changchun Film Festival (长春电影节), Hainan Island International Film Festival (海南岛国际电影节), Silk Road International Film Festival (丝绸之路国际电影节), Pingyao International Film Festival (平遥国际电影展)... are the destinations they yearn for and reach.
At the film festival, some young people are realizing their film dreams, allowing creative ideas to take root and grow into visualized works; some are enjoying the charm of light and shadow and gaining more spiritual recognition; and some are silently contributing, becoming behind-the-scenes "promoters"...
Young people and film festivals illuminate each other and achieve each other. The dreams of youth bloom at the film festival, bringing more vitality and hope to the film festival.
Dream
On November 13 last year, at the final roadshow of the 2025 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference (Science Fiction Film Unit), 31-year-old Liao Feiyu (廖飞宇) sat on the jury and gave suggestions on the projects. This was Liao Feiyu's first time participating in the Golden Rooster Venture Capital session as a jury member. "A few years ago, I wouldn't even dare to think about this," said Liao Feiyu.
Flashback to 2021, in a rice noodle restaurant in Chengdu (成都), Liao Feiyu received a phone call that made him jump up with excitement. The Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference Organizing Committee notified him that his debut film "Rooftop Football" was selected for that year's final roadshow (in production unit).
"Rooftop Football" is a film Liao Feiyu shot in 2020. He, who majored in business administration, had no industry resources. That year, he raised funds himself and formed a team of only 5 people. After the filming was completed, he and the editor A Kai (阿楷) rented a house in a tube building in Leshan (乐山), Sichuan (四川). The two completed the first cut of "Rooftop Football."
"Rooftop Football" tells the story of a pair of young sisters in a remote mountain village in Yunnan (云南) searching for their mother thousands of miles away. Mountains, girls, and football are the three elements of the film.
Since its establishment in 2019, the Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference has been an important unit of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, aiming to support the realization of creative ideas with development potential into film and television. Each year, this unit collects thousands of valid projects, and most of those who come are young film creators full of enthusiasm, who come with an unfinished production, a script, or even just a whimsical idea to realize their film dreams.
When he first signed up for Golden Rooster Venture Capital, Liao Feiyu concealed it from everyone: "I didn't have confidence in myself, I just had a try-and-see attitude." At that time, he couldn't even afford basic living expenses for this film.
Coming to Golden Rooster Venture Capital, he sighed, "Every project displayed here is so great, like a martial arts conference with masters gathered. Do I, a child from the mountains, have a chance?"
That year, the final roadshow gave each project 15 minutes of presentation time, and Liao Feiyu cut a 13-minute film. "Let everyone see more and I say less." Standing in the corner of the podium, he trembled nervously, holding his breath and staring at the judges and guests. To his surprise, everyone watched the short film seriously and quietly, and the questions and answers far exceeded the prescribed time.
Standing out in the competition, he won a 100,000 yuan award from the organizing committee, and also gained many suggestions from the judges.
A few days later, the organizing committee notified him that director Huang Jianxin (黄建新) had taken the initiative to be the project supervisor. "He not only provided money but also effort. He not only found funds but also participated in the entire post-editing and production process," said Liao Feiyu. With Huang Jianxin's help, he learned the industrial process of producing films, and the most beneficial thing was Huang Jianxin's respect for films. "This gave me a new film enlightenment and opened up another understanding of films," he said.
In 2024, "Rooftop Football" was released nationwide and was nominated for the 37th China Golden Rooster Awards for Best Children's Film, Best Director Debut, Best Art Direction, and Best Music, and won the Best Children's Film Award.
At the 2025 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, he became a judge for the final roadshow (Science Fiction Film Unit). "Friends say I am a 'Golden Rooster Baby'. Along the way, Golden Rooster Venture Capital helped me 'clear the level'. The process of participating in the review is another leap in self-growth," said Liao Feiyu.
Today, almost all domestic film festivals have venture capital units, where young filmmakers with dreams receive encouragement. Those expectations of "wanting to be seen and recognized" have become a reality on the stage of the film festival.
"The Wandering Earth II," "Lighting Up The Stars (人生大事)," "B for Busy (爱情神话)," "The Shadowless Tower (白塔之光)"... Similar to "Rooftop Football," a batch of films loved by audiences have emerged from the venture capital section of the film festival. The style of youth blooms here again and again. In this sense, the film festival nurtures the hope of Chinese films.
Vitality
22-year-old Lü Weize (吕蔚泽) graduated from Suzhou University of Science and Technology (苏州科技大学) in 2025 and became a civil servant in Changzhou (常州), Jiangsu (江苏). Speaking of his experience of following film festivals, he is very enthusiastic. The Shanghai International Film Festival (上海国际电影节) is the one Lü Weize goes to most often.
The Beijing International Film Festival (北京国际电影节) is also one of his destinations. In 2025, he took a green-skinned train and spent the night to come to Beijing (北京). "I didn't feel tired at all, but full of excitement," said Lü Weize. "I can see so many movies that I can't usually see, and I can also meet many movie fan friends who usually communicate online offline. These all make me very yearning."
Watching 2 to 3 films every day is Lü Weize's film festival rhythm. "Sometimes, because of the schedule, I can only watch two films a day, and I feel it is a great regret," he said.
The film festival is a field filled with a wonderful atmosphere. Here, the distance between filmmakers and movie fans is no longer far away. Perhaps in an ordinary scene, such as a cinema in Beijing, a street in Shanghai (上海), or a restaurant in Pingyao Film Palace (平遥电影宫), they can meet unexpectedly and start a conversation.
What impressed Lü Weize was that on the last night of the 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival, he was preparing to watch "The Boys from Fengkuei" at the Peace Cinema (和平影都). By chance, he met the main creative team of "Mr. Deavak, Do You Believe in Angels?", a film shortlisted for the main competition unit of this year's Shanghai Film Festival. Thinking that this film had just won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Cinematography at the Shanghai Film Festival the night before, he congratulated the film's director of photography, Marcus Nestroy, and took a group photo.
In addition to watching movies, Lü Weize also sends various forms of materials such as movie postcards, ticket stubs, bookmarks, and film to movie fan partners who "meet in real life": "We often eat together after watching a movie, and chat about our experiences and feelings in restaurants and pubs. All of this makes me feel that the people behind the film festival are even more touching."
The film festival does not only belong to film practitioners, but also to more people who love movies. In particular, the participation of young filmmakers, audiences, and volunteers turns the film festival into a youth "carnival."
Shu Lan (舒岚), a doctoral student at the Communication University of China (中国传媒大学), is a volunteer active in major film festivals in China. In 2025, Shu Lan joined the volunteer team of the Pingyao International Film Festival for the first time. His task was to play external subtitles when the film was screened.
Playing subtitles looks monotonous, but it is not without unforgettable moments. One night, the Iranian film "Women and Children" was screened outdoors, and most of the audience were young people. As soon as the movie started, it suddenly rained heavily. The organizing committee released information that due to the weather, viewers who did not want to continue watching could get a refund. To Shu Lan's surprise, almost no one left the venue. "Everyone just moved from the rainy place to a place with some cover, and watched from sitting to standing. After a while, the rain lessened, and they sat down again, and watched like this for more than 120 minutes," he said. "This is the love of young people for movies, which cannot be concealed."
Every year, large and small film festivals gather hundreds or thousands of volunteers. The average age is under 25, and they have made every film festival a success.
In Shu Lan's view, young people bring vitality to the film festival and provide support for "running it well" and "running it down." "Seeing so many enthusiastic young filmmakers, audiences, and volunteers always makes me believe that everyone's enthusiasm will make the film festival better and better."
Innovation
2025 is the eleventh year that Sha Dan (沙丹) has been involved in this film festival as the curator of the screening unit of the Beijing International Film Festival.
In recent years, in order to connect with the industry, he and his team have launched the "Oasis" unit, a highly type-creative inspirational overseas new work; in order to embrace the market, they have explored the "Within Reach" unit, which screens non-film content products; in order to attract audiences, they have organized the "Gourmet Night" unit, which meets the needs of young people for late-night movie watching...
"I found that among the audiences of the Beijing International Film Festival, young people aged 20-35 account for 70%, so the design of the screening unit should take this part of the audience into consideration," said Sha Dan. He has many WeChat movie fan groups in his mobile phone, and he has been keeping in touch with movie fans to communicate movie news and exchange movie-watching experiences. "Only by truly understanding the audience can we do a good job in curation and better serve the film festival."
At 10 pm on November 11 last year, the "ice-breaking" ceremony of the 2025 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival Cross-Strait, Hong Kong and Macao Youth Short Film Season was held in Xiamen (厦门). Young filmmakers break the sense of strangeness and establish new friendships here. During the film festival, the daytime is the screening of the participating short films, and the evening is the gathering of young people. Here, the works of young creators are played in turn, and whoever's work is played, they pick up the microphone to introduce themselves to everyone, and others start a heated discussion around the work.
In 2022, the Cross-Strait Youth Short Film Exchange Unit of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival was renamed the Cross-Strait, Hong Kong and Macao Youth Short Film Season. Zhang Chi (张驰), Director of the Foreign Liaison Department of the China Film Association (中国电影家协会), is responsible for this unit. To his surprise, young people from countries and regions such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, and France have submitted their works.
The young people participating in the short film season have different educational, cultural, and social backgrounds. "They bring richer elements to the film festival and collide with more possibilities. Many of the works that have emerged in recent years are 'hybrid babies' jointly created by young filmmakers across countries and regions," said Zhang Chi. In particular, the participation of young people who are not from film majors makes the entire industry more innovative and creative.
"People who are new to this industry are often very lonely, and the future is full of uncertainty. They meet at the film festival, find partners, find confidants, and most importantly, gain spiritual recognition and reaffirm their love for movies. And the film festival also rises with the love and dreams of these young people. Out of vigorous vitality," said Zhang Chi.
By: 张艺谋
The year 2025 marks the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema. Standing at this historical juncture, looking back at the development of Chinese cinema from silent to sound, from black and white to color, from traditional to digital, each stage embodies the hard work and wisdom of filmmakers and is deeply imprinted with the spirit of the times.
My personal journey in filmmaking also began in sync with the development of the times. In 1978, I was fortunate enough to enter the Cinematography Department of the Beijing Film Academy (北京电影学院) to study, and from then on, I was considered to have entered the industry. From being a cinematographer to later becoming a director, from early art films full of exploration to various commercial films I later tried, my creative journey has always been closely linked to the development and changes of Chinese society. Looking back on my life and creative work, and summarizing some of the successful experiences of my works, I deeply feel that truly vital artistic creation must be rooted in the soil of reality and must share the same breath and destiny with the broadest masses of the people.
In creative practice, observing reality is an important mission for filmmakers. First of all, in the selection of themes, we must insist on drawing inspiration from social reality. For example, in "Article 20," I tried to introduce comedic humor into serious legal themes, entertaining while educating, allowing the audience to understand the importance of fairness and justice in laughter, and allowing legal provisions to exude human warmth. This creative attempt made me further realize that we must be good at discovering the bits and pieces in the process of the times, have both individual artistic expression and a perspective close to ordinary people, show the personal destiny under the great era, and tell good stories of the people, so that the audience will love to watch.
In the context of the continuous acceleration of the industrialization of Chinese cinema, I have always felt that we should attach importance to exploring the organic combination of commercial films and art films. Especially young directors who have just graduated from school should consciously try to combine the two and exercise their comprehensive abilities.
Any country, when it comes to the film industry, cannot do without the prosperity and development of commercial films. It is with this understanding that I explore and try my own creations. For example, "Hero" back then. In recent years, I have also tried various types such as suspense, war, and comedy through works such as "Cliff Walkers" (悬崖之上), "Sniper" (狙击手), and "Full River Red" (满江红), injecting humanistic care into the type framework, conveying positive energy, and exploring new ways of film narrative. These practices have given me many feelings and have also exercised my comprehensive abilities.
Looking back on the journey, generations of filmmakers have created brilliance. From Zheng Zhengqiu (郑正秋) and Zhang Shichuan (张石川) to Xia Yan (夏衍) and Cai Chusheng (蔡楚生), to the fifth generation and the new generation, and to generations of younger creators, the spiritual bloodline of Chinese cinema has continued to extend in inheritance. Facing a new historical orientation, as a participant, I deeply feel the great responsibility. Filmmakers need to both adhere to their personal artistic ideals and undertake the social mission of cultural inheritance.
I went to university at the age of 28 and graduated at the age of 32. Because I started late, I felt the preciousness of youth and time even more. Therefore, my personal experience has made me pay special attention to cultivating young people in the creative process of decades. At all levels, our team can be said to be one of the creative teams with the most young people. Whether it is film, various stage arts, large-scale outdoor performances, or national-level large-scale performance activities, I choose and recruit many young people, and "teach and guide" young people while creating. I also taught doctoral students in "Large-scale Performance Activities" at Hunan University (湖南大学) for several years. Now, the backbone of China's large-scale performance activities and a large number of young creators come from our "Double Olympics" team. At the opening and closing ceremonies of the 15th National Games, there were many young people who worked with me.
In addition to actively supporting the "Green Onion Project" and other young director support projects sponsored by the China Film Directors Association (中国电影导演协会), I also serve as the producer of some new directors' debut works to support their creations.
I always believe that the future of Chinese cinema does not rely on us so-called "big directors and old directors," but on countless young directors, young actors, and young "directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, art designers, sound recorders, costume designers, makeup artists, and prop masters." Only when they make more and better movies will our film industry prosper. If the youth are strong, then China is strong. Only young people are the future of Chinese cinema.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 贾丰丰
The matter of Old Hang's daughter's wedding has recently been put on the agenda.
Old Hang lives in Tongzhai Village, Wugu Town, Wuqi County, Yan'an (延安), Shaanxi (陕西) Province. He only has this one daughter, and the whole family cherishes her dearly. Because of this, he started planning more than a month ago: which relatives and friends to invite? Whether to hold the wedding banquet at home or in a hotel? What should be the standard cost per table? Old Hang even made a detailed list, but when he finally calculated the costs, he became worried: "The whole process will cost seventy to eighty thousand yuan, which is a really heavy burden for us farmers."
"We can't be too shabby and lose face, but we can't be extravagant and turn a happy event into a burden for the whole family." Old Hang was very conflicted. "Who doesn't want to save face, but what if the in-laws think we're stingy? The villagers will definitely say that Old Hang's family is stingy, and unwilling to spend money even on their daughter's lifelong event!" He smoked one bag of dry tobacco after another, pacing back and forth in front of the kang... Old Hang went to discuss it with Zhuang Rui (庄瑞), the Party Branch Secretary and Director of the Funeral and Wedding Council of Tongzhai Village (桐寨村).
"Old Hang! Look at the past, if any family in our village had a short motorcade or a poor banquet, people would really criticize them behind their backs. So the motorcades became longer and longer, and the banquets became more and more extravagant, but honestly, isn't this 打肿脸充胖子 (dǎ zhǒng liǎn chōng pàng zi - "slap face swollen pretend fat person," to try to look better than one really is; to keep up appearances)? It's lively for a while, but the debts behind it crush many people!" Zhuang Rui said sincerely, "Aren't we farmers just looking for peace of mind and a prosperous life? Why has thrift become a sign of losing face?"
Seeing that the knot in Old Hang's brow had loosened a bit, Zhuang Rui continued, "But things are different now! The county first drew a 'red line' for Party members and cadres: no more than 10 wedding cars, no more than 20 wedding banquet tables, and the standard for each table is capped at 800 yuan. No one can cross the line. In our Tongzhai Village, the village committee has set even more detailed rules: the gift money should not exceed 200 yuan. These are all in the *Village Rules and Regulations*, which are posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the village, in black characters on a red background, clear and understandable."
His words were full of reason and emotion, and based on evidence, Old Hang gained confidence.
Joyful suona music came from the cave dwelling, and Old Hang's daughter was finally getting married! They chose an auspicious day, and the wedding banquet was simple but solemn: paper-cuts, red dates, peanuts, all overflowing with blessings; mutton saozi noodles, buckwheat noodles, and millet wine, all with Shaanbei (陕北) characteristics; 20 tables of wedding banquets, each costing no more than 800 yuan, totaling less than 20,000 yuan. The remaining money was all used to buy dowry for the daughter: refrigerator, computer, washing machine, practical furniture and appliances, supporting a stable new home.
In the warm sunshine, the village's New Era Civilization Practice Station has become Old Hang's favorite place to go: in the "Moral Lecture Hall," the old Party secretary uses authentic Shaanbei dialect to explain the policies: "In the past, people were 'willing to suffer to save face,' but now we emphasize 'a small gift with great affection.' The money saved can be used to buy books for the children or clothes for the elderly, which is better than anything else, right?" During the "Red Propaganda," volunteers tell the story of the Wuqi Town (吴起镇) battle: "When the Red Army fought in those years, they shared even a bowl of millet porridge. Now that our lives are better, we must not forget the old tradition of thrift!"
In recent years, Wuqi County (吴起县) has built a "civilization network": 1 county-level New Era Civilization Practice Center, 10 town (street) practice centers, 100 village (community) practice stations, and even 20 well-established plain villages have been built into "model stations." The county, town, and village three-level positions have achieved 100% coverage. "In the evening, the villagers wear red silk shirts and perform Yangko dances, the young men gather together to play basketball, the children play in the village square, and the tunes of Xintianyou (信天游) drift from afar. Neighbors help each other look after children and harvest crops. Mutual help has become the norm, and that simple rural sentiment has returned." Zhuang Rui sighed: The civilized rural customs are like the millet fields of northern Shaanxi, spreading seeds to every corner.
Unburdened by social obligations, retaining the simple rural sentiment. "Not seeking extravagance but seeking long-term benefits, not comparing wealth but comparing harmony." The villagers praised Old Hang's daughter's wedding banquet, "Good village customs and good folk customs are also part of a good dowry!" The wrinkles at the corners of Old Hang's eyes were full of smiles, "My silly son's (小儿子) wedding will be handled the same way in the future!"
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马跃峰 陈隽逸
Eat authentic farm-style meals, try intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, and step into old folk houses... Nowadays, rural tourism that "allows people to see mountains, see water, and remember nostalgia" has become a popular choice for many people's holiday trips. A group of "Best Tourism Villages" with unique characteristics in natural landforms, cultural forms, and development paths have emerged, injecting new momentum into the development of cultural tourism.
When ancient conventions meet the modern tourism wave, how can the remote Dong village preserve its roots and embrace development? How to reconcile neighborhood conflicts, protect the traditional features of the village, improve basic tourism facilities, and share tourism income with the community... The reporter walked into Huanggang Village (黄岗村), Liping County (黎平县), Guizhou Province (贵州省), to deeply understand how the collaborative governance model of "Village Committee + Village Elders" is cleverly integrated with tourism development.
——Editor
In the evening, the Baoji Drum Tower (包几鼓楼) in Huanggang Village (黄岗村), Liping County (黎平县), Guizhou Province (贵州省) stands majestically, and the firewood in the fire pit crackles. Wu Shenglian (吴生连), a 62-year-old village elder, sits by the fire pit, surrounded by more than 30 village representatives, enthusiastically discussing the division of labor for the Dong New Year tourism activities. "30 people will welcome guests, 10 people will be responsible for preparing meals, and each household will contribute meat and grain," said Wu Shenglian (吴生连).
In Huanggang Village (黄岗村), village elders are present for festivals, major events, and minor matters. Under the leadership of the village Party branch and within the framework of laws and regulations, the village elders regulate and standardize the daily lives of villagers in accordance with the "village compacts" (款约). When the modern tourism wave arrives, the village elders not only resolve general neighborhood disputes, but also play the role of "guardians" of local tourism development, allowing this Dong village with more than 800 years of history to preserve its roots and see the future.
Roots: The Dong Village Compacts that Keep Pace with the Times
In Dong ethnic areas, "kuan" (款) is a form of folk social organization. "'Kuan' is composed of several villages, and regulates behavior and mediates disputes through jointly agreed-upon village compacts," introduced Wu Jiaxian (吴家贤), vice president of the Liping County Dong Studies Research Association (黎平县侗学研究会). Huanggang Village (黄岗村) historically belonged to the "Qiansan Sizhai Kuan" (千三四寨款) area, and the content of the village compacts covers many aspects such as mountain forest ownership, marriage and family, and ecological protection, and has been passed down orally for hundreds of years.
The key to the implementation and inheritance of the village compacts lies in the "village elders" (寨老). As symbols of morality and culture in the village, village elders are not officially appointed, but are elected by villagers in drum tower gatherings, and must possess the qualities of "uprightness, impartiality, and high moral standing." Wu Shenglian (吴生连) was elected as a village elder in 2023, precisely because of his impartiality in handling neighborhood disputes.
"The village elders do not use power to suppress people, but rely on the fairness that villagers feel in the mediation of disputes," said Wu Longbao (吴龙保), secretary of the Huanggang Village (黄岗村) Party branch.
The vitality of the village compacts lies in keeping pace with the times. The village compacts of Huanggang Village (黄岗村) do not have written provisions, but are constantly adjusted with the development of the times. Past post-event punitive measures, such as "those who cause fire damage to two or three families shall not be allowed to enter the village for three years," have now been changed to preventive measures, such as strictly prohibiting farmers from storing flammable and explosive materials at home, and strictly prohibiting random wiring, etc.
The village committee took the lead in formulating the "Huanggang Village 'Village Management Committee' Deliberation System" (黄岗村“寨管委”议事制度), village rules and regulations, and other rules and regulations, and clarified the principle of "major matters discussed together, practical matters handled together, and difficult matters resolved together" from the system. However, the role of the village elders is still irreplaceable. Wu Longbao (吴龙保) frankly said: "If we encounter situations that are difficult to coordinate, we will also ask the village elders to go with us again. According to relevant regulations, the village elders' humane persuasion will make the work progress more smoothly." This collaborative governance model of "Village Committee + Village Elders" has become an effective way for Huanggang Village (黄岗村) to solve tourism development problems and adhere to the protection of village features.
Reconciliation: Governance Challenges in Village Development
Strolling through Huanggang Village (黄岗村), wooden stilted buildings are scattered, with green tiles and mortise-tenon structures showing traditional craftsmanship; streams pass through the village, and bluestone roads crisscross the village, connecting every household; the surrounding terraced fields are layered, and the mountains and forests are lush, complementing the village.
In the past, Huanggang Village (黄岗村) was still a village "raised in the deep boudoir and unknown to people." Thanks to the improvement of transportation infrastructure and the rise of the trend of searching for "niche tourist destinations" on the Internet, tourists have flocked here. In 2024, it received 36,800 tourists.
The development opportunities brought by tourism have extended the coordination function of the village elders from "maintaining order" to "protecting features." The most direct change is reflected in the control of architectural style. In order to protect the traditional features of the village, the village rules and regulations of Huanggang Village (黄岗村) stipulate that village houses must be wooden structures, brick houses are prohibited, and the number of floors is controlled within 3 floors.
Behind the regulations is the insistence on "traditional authenticity." "Wrapping a layer of wood outside reinforced concrete is not a traditional wooden house," said Wu Shenglian (吴生连). The village rules and regulations also take into account actual living needs and fire safety requirements, allowing kitchens and bathrooms to use brick-concrete structures.
In 2023, young man Wu Xianzong (吴显忠) returned to his hometown to build a house, and initially wanted to build a house with "brick inside and wood outside." "I didn't expect that when I went to the village committee to apply, it was not approved," Wu Xianzong (吴显忠) recalled. The village elders took the initiative to visit, and instead of rigidly explaining the policies, they calculated the big picture of "traditional features and tourism income": "It will take more effort to build a wooden house now, and the homestay business will definitely be good in the future. If the village features are well protected, there is no need to worry about not having tourists." In the end, Wu Xianzong (吴显忠) adopted the "wooden structure + brick kitchen and bathroom" plan.
Huanggang Village (黄岗村) also incorporated the "Tourism Business Management" clause into the village rules and regulations through the drum tower council, stipulating that farmers must go through the village committee for approval and record before developing tourism businesses such as homestays to ensure orderly development. "We must develop and protect traditions," said Wu Longbao (吴龙保). In recent years, the village committee has integrated project funds such as traditional village protection to implement tourism infrastructure supporting projects such as tourism trails, feature renovation, and sewage treatment, to ensure the sustainable development of rural tourism.
Promote: A Virtuous Circle of Cultural Tourism Economy
In October 2025, this village in the deep mountains won the title of "Best Tourism Village" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This selection is strictly scored from the aspects of cultural and natural resources, cultural heritage, economic and social sustainability, etc. "Huanggang Village (黄岗村) has relatively completely preserved the traditional features of Dong architecture, the production and life of the Dong people, and cultural customs. It is a 'living exhibition hall' of Dong culture," said Tang Dacai (唐大才), director of the Liping County Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism (黎平县文体广电旅游局).
The village's forest closure and afforestation system continues the ancient agreement's requirements for "ecological protection." The mountains and forests around the village are collectively owned, and cutting down trees requires the consent of the drum tower council and can only be used for collective construction. This ecological protection tradition allows Huanggang Village (黄岗村) to maintain the original ecological features of "mountains and rivers depend on each other, and fields and villages are connected," attracting a large number of study tourists.
Huanggang Village's (黄岗村) farmland still continues the tradition of "rice-fish farming, ducks, fish, and ducks eating grass and removing insects." The rice-fish-duck symbiosis system has become a tourism business card here. Fragrant glutinous rice and salted duck eggs have become special products loved by local people and tourists.
Huanggang Village (黄岗村) is also the "Hometown of Dong Grand Chorus for Men." Although the village compacts have no written provisions, they integrate the grand chorus into life and pass it down from generation to generation through the consensus that "it is difficult to marry if you can't sing." In order to develop tourism, the drum tower council determined that "each drum tower must have at least two singing teams." Every year during the Dong New Year and Hantian Festival, the singing teams will perform for villagers and tourists in the drum tower and Caigetang. "There is no need to rehearse for the performance. Singing is our daily life, and every day is a 'live broadcast'," said Wu Chenglong (吴成龙), a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Dong Grand Chorus intangible cultural heritage.
The "collective" framework emphasized by the village compacts also allows tourism income to be truly shared by the whole village. The tourism income of Huanggang Village (黄岗村) is coordinated by the cooperative. After deducting operating costs and reinvestment funds, it is distributed throughout the village, and scholarships are set up to give rewards to students who are admitted to high school and university.
This sharing model allows villagers to transform from "bystanders" to "participants" in tourism development, realizing a virtuous circle of culture, ecology, and economy under the joint promotion of the village committee and the village elders. In addition to the Hecang Meisu (禾仓美宿) built with the help of China Tourism Group, there are also 6 villagers in the village who operate their own homestays. The village's fragrant glutinous rice, pickled fish, glutinous rice wine and other special products are sold to various places through homestays and cooperatives. Wu Xianzong's (吴显忠) homestay is also planning to open recently: "The title of 'Best Tourism Village' has brought new opportunities. I believe that more and more people will come to Huanggang (黄岗) for tourism and experience the traditional Dong culture."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孟 扬
The Lesser Cold
The Lesser Cold (小寒) is the twenty-third solar term in the twenty-four solar terms and the fifth solar term in winter. This Lesser Cold will occur on January 5, 2026.
Plum blossoms bloom during the Lesser Cold. As an ornamental plant, the plum blossom is a leader among China's traditional famous flowers and has been cultivated in China for more than 2,000 years. The image of the plum blossom braving the snow and frost is precisely its character, representing perseverance and courage. Plum blossoms are matched with pine and bamboo and are collectively called the "Three Friends of Winter" (岁寒三友); when paired with orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, they are known as the "Four Gentlemen."
"During the Lesser Cold, it's the second and third nines, the weather is so cold that the ground freezes and you shiver." During the Lesser Cold, the minimum temperature in most parts of China drops below 0 degrees Celsius, the north wind howls, frost and snow alternate, and the soil freezes. Migratory birds migrate south, and the animals that stay behind either hibernate or hide in swamps and caves. Plants that cannot "move freely" retreat from their lush greenery, their colors dim, and there is a desolate scene between heaven and earth. However, in the seemingly "barren" wilderness, plants are "recuperating" in their own way, accumulating the power to return to green in quiet dormancy.
Having experienced thousands of years of wind and frost, and facing "urgent survival resources" and "physiological function crises," plants have evolved a low-energy "active defense" strategy—dormancy—to accurately respond to the changing cold and heat. Before the arrival of the Lesser Cold, most deciduous trees prepare in advance, completing the "decluttering" of self-protection in a state of "withering." Leaves are the main organs of transpiration. The complete shedding of leaves can reduce water evaporation and energy consumption, concentrating "vitality" in the thick branches and roots. At this time, on the bare branches, bud scales are like a "small cotton-padded jacket," tightly wrapping the leaf buds and flower buds, protecting them to overwinter with extremely low metabolic rates. Evergreen plants such as pine, cypress, and bamboo retain a touch of green in a "steadfast" posture. Their leaves are usually needle-shaped or scale-like, and the surface is covered with a waxy layer, which can reduce water evaporation and resist low-temperature freezing damage. Their cells have higher concentrations of sugar and soluble protein, which is like adding "antifreeze," lowering the freezing point, and preventing cells from being damaged by freezing. There are also some herbs whose above-ground parts gradually wither, while storing hope in underground tubers and bulbs, accumulating the power to sprout in spring under the protection of the soil.
During the coldest days of winter, in the fields covered with frost and snow, winter wheat, rapeseed, and other overwintering crops are enacting a life ritual about harvest. After sowing in late autumn, they use the short warm period to grow seedlings and tillers. Entering the Lesser Cold, winter wheat enters a carefully prepared "sleep." They grow close to the ground, the chlorophyll in the leaves quietly decomposes, and the sugar and protein inside the cells increase. The growing point hidden underground is protected by multiple layers of leaf sheaths, and the roots are slowly extending, laying a solid foundation for the jointing in the coming year. In the rapeseed fields, although growth is extremely slow, photosynthetic assimilation products are continuously transported to the roots of the crops, reserving energy for bolting and flowering after the beginning of spring.
Plant dormancy is not a cessation, but a dynamic balance of retreating for advancement, a tacit understanding reached with nature. Some overwintering crops must experience a period of sustained low temperatures to flower and bear fruit normally in the spring. This process is called "vernalization." If they have not experienced enough cold, the crops may experience growth delays, only growing leaves but not flowering, and other phenomena. Therefore, the "cold" during the Lesser Cold is a test, but also a gift, and a "catalyst" for a good harvest.
In order to create a more suitable environment for the dormancy of plants and crops, people also carry out some agricultural activities and garden maintenance work. For example, covering wheat fields with straw to suppress and preserve moisture, using soil and miscellaneous fertilizers to keep rapeseed warm, and pruning flowers and trees. In *Essential Skills for the Common People* (《齐民要术》), there are records such as "In winter, cut off dead branches and wrap them with grass," which shows that the ancients had already understood the "mystery" of winter storage of plants and trees.
During the Lesser Cold, the appearance of complete silence contains diverse and exquisite survival wisdom. Dormancy is a necessary silence in the cycle of life, a slowing down of pace to accumulate growth inward, reflecting the composure that life should have. After the accumulation of winter, we usher in the blooming of spring. This is the enlightenment about life and time that the Lesser Cold solar term gives us.
Return to TopBy: 文 馨 唐嘉跃
Great Cold
The Great Cold is the last of the twenty-four solar terms and the sixth solar term of winter. This year, the Great Cold solar term begins on January 20, 2026.
Among the twenty-four seasonal flower messengers, orchids bloom during the second pentad of the Great Cold. Orchids can be divided into Chinese orchids and foreign orchids according to their origin. The orchids in the traditional Chinese famous flowers mainly refer to Chinese orchids, including Spring Orchid, Hui Orchid, Jian Orchid, Ink Orchid, Cold Orchid, Lotus Petal Orchid, and Spring Sword Orchid, etc., which have a long history of cultivation in China. The "foreign orchids" mentioned by the people are also called tropical orchids, including Butterfly Orchid, Vanda Orchid, Oncidium, Cattleya, Paphiopedilum, and Dendrobium, etc. Compared with Chinese orchids, foreign orchids have larger flowers, brighter colors, and less fragrance.
"Minor Cold and Great Cold, frozen into a ball," the successive Minor Cold and Great Cold are undoubtedly the most shivering periods in the **数九寒天** (shǔ jiǔ hán tiān - "nine cold days," the coldest period of the year according to the traditional Chinese calendar). Which of these two solar terms is colder? Behind the question lies climatic patterns, regional differences, and people's personal feelings about "cold."
Minor Cold, the "Collection of Seventy-Two Pentad Signs of the Months" says, "The cold is still small at the beginning of the month, so it is called Minor Cold"; Great Cold, the "Comprehensive Examination of Time Granting" calls it "the extreme of the cold air's reversal, so it is called Great Cold." Literally, the ancients believed that the Minor Cold, which arrives around the "Third Nine" (the third nine-day period after the winter solstice), is a sign of the beginning of severe cold, while the Great Cold is a state of accumulated cold. The word "minor" emphasizes the initial emergence, while the word "great" means cold to the extreme. Therefore, Minor Cold and Great Cold are staged divisions of the cold process.
Interestingly, real climate data often deviates from the ancients' "naming expectations." Meteorological data in China shows that the Minor Cold solar term has the lowest temperature. Taking Beijing (北京) as an example, the average temperature during the Minor Cold period is about minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius, while the Great Cold period is slightly higher by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius; in the Yellow River basin, "cold fronts" are concentrated during the Minor Cold period, and the extreme minimum temperature often breaks through minus ten degrees Celsius. Therefore, the saying "Minor Cold is better than Great Cold, it is common and not rare" and "**三九四九冻破石头**" (sān jiǔ sì jiǔ dòng pò shí tou - "the third and fourth nine-day periods freeze and break stones," describes the extreme cold during this period) is spread.
Simply put, this situation is caused by the strong cold air's strong debut during the Minor Cold season and the "lag effect" of ground heat income and expenditure. The winter solstice is the day with the shortest daylight and the least solar radiation received in the Northern Hemisphere, but the heat stored in the ground has not been completely dissipated. As heat is further consumed, it reaches the peak of "heat deficit" by the time of Minor Cold. In addition, cold air activities such as cold waves, strong winds, and snowfall are frequent at this time, and the temperature drops to the trough of the year. During the Great Cold solar term, as the daylight in the Northern Hemisphere becomes longer, the solar radiation received by the ground gradually increases, but it is still not enough to offset the loss of heat. Cold air activity is still active, but the intensity and frequency may be slightly reduced. Therefore, the average temperature of the Great Cold is slightly higher than that of the Minor Cold. However, "cold in the third nine" is not absolute. In some years, strong cold air may break out during the Great Cold period. Especially in recent years, with climate warming, winter temperatures have a rising trend. In the southern region, there is a phenomenon of "Minor Cold in the north is better than Great Cold, and Great Cold in the south is colder than Minor Cold."
In addition to the "numerical" competition, differences in body sensation also affect people's perception of the degree of cold. In the north, it is a pure "dry cold" with biting north winds and piercing cold. Whether it is the cold of the Great Cold or the cold of the Minor Cold, it is condensed into temperature readings that often drop to minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius. In the south, it is another kind of "wet cold" taste. During the Minor Cold season, the temperature is mostly between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius, which seems not cold enough. During the Great Cold season, cold air activity is often more frequent. Due to the high humidity in the south, affected by the convergence of cold and warm air, there are often continuous rainy and snowy weather, and the probability of the temperature falling below 0 degrees Celsius is higher than that of the Minor Cold. The cold air is mixed with abundant water vapor, which penetrates the muscles and bones. The "wet cold" is unbearable, showing the characteristics of "Minor Cold is not cold, Great Cold is colder."
In addition to temperature, in the solar term sequence, Minor Cold and Great Cold also carry different cultural meanings. Minor Cold is a "declaration" of deep storage and accumulation of strength, and Great Cold implies a "turning point" of the end of cold and the beginning of spring. They jointly complete the cycle of seasons.
During the **数九寒天** (shǔ jiǔ hán tiān - "nine cold days," the coldest period of the year according to the traditional Chinese calendar), all things hibernate and conserve energy. Whether it is the marking of Minor Cold or the description of Great Cold, it shows the ancients' sensitivity to the seasons and their awe of nature. For us, what is more important than asking "which is colder" is probably to adapt to the seasons, prevent cold and keep warm, and safely spend the coldest time of the year.
Return to TopBy: 杨永生
In winter, down jackets have become an important option for many people to keep warm and "resist the cold." Faced with the wide variety of down jackets on the market with varying prices, how can you choose one that is both warm and durable? The following points are worth noting.
The warmth of a down jacket mainly comes from its unique "still air layer" structure. The down filaments and feather branches in the down interweave to form a large number of micro-gaps, which effectively lock in still air with a very low thermal conductivity, thereby slowing down the loss of body heat. The warmth effect depends on filling parameters, structural design, and process details.
In terms of filling type, goose down usually has larger down clusters and higher fill power, and its warmth performance is relatively superior; duck down generally has better practicality and price advantages. In terms of fill power (FP), 500-600FP can meet the warmth needs of general urban winters, 700FP or more is suitable for severe cold environments, and 800FP or more is used for polar or alpine activities; in terms of fabric and structure, the outer fabric should be windproof and water-repellent, and the inner layer should remain breathable.
To maximize the warmth of a down jacket, it is recommended to use the "sandwich layering method": wear moisture-wicking and breathable close-fitting clothing on the inner layer, match a fleece or other insulation layer in the middle layer, and use a down jacket to block the wind on the outer layer. Wear clothes that are moderately loose to form an insulating air layer, and pay attention to windproof designs such as cuffs and hems to reduce heat loss.
The best way to clean a down jacket is by hand: the water temperature should be around 30 degrees Celsius, use a neutral laundry detergent, and for small areas of stains, gently wipe with a damp cloth or soft brush dipped in a special detergent. Do not wring it out after washing, you can gently squeeze out the water by hand, then place it in a ventilated place to dry, and intermittently pat each part gently with a hanger to help the down restore its fluffiness.
(The author is a professor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Wuhan Textile University (武汉纺织大学), interviewed and compiled by Fan Haotian (范昊天), a reporter from this newspaper)
Return to TopLayout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)
Return to TopBy: 翟 辉
Courtyard residences are a traditional housing form of the Chinese nation. In Yunnan (云南), while maintaining the basic form, courtyard residences present a rich and diverse morphology due to the natural environment and local cultural characteristics. The "One Seal" residence is a typical case.
The "One Seal" residence is mainly distributed in the central Yunnan (滇中) area, especially in Kunming (昆明). Kunming (昆明) is located on the Yun-Gui Plateau (云贵高原) at low latitude and high altitude, with abundant sunshine. Coupled with the dense population and tight land use, this has promoted the emergence of the "One Seal" residence—this type of building is compact in space, moderate in size, small and flexible, and has no fixed orientation, allowing it to be arranged along the slopes. Its layout is flexible and changeable, and it can be distributed as a single building or arranged in rows to form a composite courtyard. The overall appearance is simple and unadorned. It can be said that "small" (compact space), "flexible" (flexible layout), and "wild" (simple appearance) are the significant features that distinguish the "One Seal" from other types of courtyard residences.
Adapting to Local Conditions, Diverse Functions
The standard layout of the "One Seal" residence is "three bays, four ears, and a reversed eight chi": three main rooms, about 12 meters wide, with two ear rooms on each side, and a reversed seat with a depth of eight chi (more than 2 meters) as a porch, together forming a small square courtyard. The courtyard base is a rectangle about 12 meters wide and 15 meters deep. Each room is two stories high and connected by a carefully designed "stairway alley." Looking down from above, the overall appearance of the residence is square and neat, like a dignified seal stamped on the earth.
The "One Seal" residence has strong adaptability. In addition to the "three bays, four ears, and a reversed eight chi" form, it has also evolved into various variants to suit the population structure, economic conditions, and land use conditions of different families.
For example, by adjusting the number of bays in the ear rooms, forms such as "three bays, two ears, and a reversed eight chi" and "three bays, six ears, and a reversed eight chi" can be derived. In cases where land use is limited, there is a "half seal" design of "three bays and two ears." In urban street areas, "shop below, residence above" and "shop in front, residence in back" variations are common. These flexible and changeable forms fully demonstrate the architectural wisdom of adapting to local conditions.
The "One Seal" residence has a rich and diverse range of functions.
The three-meter square courtyard is relatively small, and the main room and ear rooms all have overhanging eaves facing the courtyard. The main room's eaves are called "dasha" (大厦), while the ear rooms' eaves are called "xiaosha" (小厦). The dasha and xiaosha are connected, making it easy to walk through in rainy weather. The courtyard, in coordination with the dasha and xiaosha, forms a self-shading system in summer, effectively blocking the direct sunlight at high angles, while in winter, it allows low-angle sunlight to penetrate deep into the interior. The narrowness of the courtyard and the height of the houses also create a unique "chimney effect," promoting natural air circulation.
The ground in the courtyard is usually paved with bluestone slabs, with hidden ditches around it, which not only facilitates drainage but also regulates temperature by using the thermal inertia of the stone slabs. The main structure of the building mostly uses local wood such as fir and pine, which are common in Yunnan (云南), to construct a stable mortise-and-tenon wooden frame, with adobe or rammed earth walls built on the outside. The walls are thick and the windows are extremely small, which not only enhances the seismic performance of the building but also effectively resists the plateau monsoons.
The roofs of the residences are mostly covered with small blue tiles, and the tiles are closely overlapped, providing good rain protection. The roofs of the ear rooms also adopt a design combining long and short slopes, with the inner slope being long and the outer slope being short, which collects rainwater into the courtyard, symbolizing "four waters returning to the hall" (四水归堂), and also increases the height of the outer walls, strengthening functions such as wind protection, fire prevention, and theft prevention.
In terms of decoration, the "One Seal" residence has a simple style, with exquisite carvings only applied to key parts such as the gate lintel and the eaves fascia board. The patterns mostly contain auspicious meanings. These architectural elements work together to form the architectural wisdom of the "One Seal" residence: cleverly solving multiple problems such as living, climate, and safety in a limited space.
Carrying Memories, Connecting the Past and Present
The systematic recording of this unique "One Seal" residential form is due to the work of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture (中国营造学社) during the Anti-Japanese War.
In 1938, while the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture (中国营造学社) was stationed in Longquan Town (龙泉镇) near Kunming (昆明), architect Liu Zhiping (刘致平) conducted systematic surveying and research on local residences. In his paper "The One Seal of Yunnan" (云南一颗印), he described in detail the morphological characteristics of this residential building. This paper is still an important document in the field of "One Seal" residential research. The rigorous survey drawings in the paper are not only a precious witness to that arduous and glorious academic journey but also provide a reference for future generations to protect the cultural heritage of vernacular residences.
The "One Seal" residence carries important historical memories. The Yang Family Courtyard (杨家宅院) in Chenjiaying (陈家营), where the families of Wen Yiduo (闻一多) and Hua Luogeng (华罗庚) lived in Kunming (昆明), is a common conjoined "One Seal" at that time. The former residence of Nie Er (聂耳) in Yongdao Street (甬道街) can also be regarded as a variant of the "One Seal" residence with shops facing the street.
From its rudimentary form in the Ming Dynasty to its finalized form in the Qing Dynasty, the "One Seal" residence has undergone changes. During the Wanli (万历) period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a record of "(Yunnan) residences are all courtyard tile houses," which shows the popularity of courtyard residences in the area. By the early Qing Dynasty, the "three bays, four ears, and a reversed eight chi" form had become increasingly mature.
However, with the continuous acceleration of urbanization and changes in residents' lifestyles, the "One Seal" residence is no longer able to fully meet the needs of modern life in terms of functional scale, physical performance, and sanitary facilities.
In recent years, Kunming (昆明) has been striving to revitalize the "One Seal" residence through dynamic protection and innovative utilization. On the one hand, actions such as "saving old houses" are being implemented in ancient villages, providing financial subsidies to villagers who voluntarily repair traditional residences, and the village collective invests in protective repairs and modernization of internal facilities. On the other hand, idle old houses are being revitalized, and modern translations are being realized by rationally adjusting the spatial scale and diversifying the use functions while maintaining the courtyard form and spatial rhythm, creating a rich tourism and accommodation industry.
Today, the ancient "One Seal" has been rejuvenated. On the streets of Kunming (昆明), carefully renovated "One Seal" residences have been transformed into distinctive bookstores, cultural exhibition halls, and other places, attracting citizens and tourists. In the villages and alleys of the suburbs, the originally idle old houses have developed rural homestays and cultural and creative markets, which not only protect the villagers' nostalgic memories but also create new community value.
From a simple residential function to a carrier of historical and cultural heritage, the "One Seal" connecting the past and the future not only demonstrates the strong contemporary adaptability of traditional architecture but also gives us profound inspiration: the continuation of residential traditions not only requires the preservation of its traditional material form but also should be integrated into contemporary life through revitalization and utilization, and inspire a better future through wise inheritance.
(The author is a professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Kunming University of Science and Technology (昆明理工大学), interviewed and compiled by Li Maoying (李茂颖), a reporter from this newspaper)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姜 峰 王欣悦
"Mixed well! Enjoy!"
In the evening, in Fengdu County (丰都县), Chongqing (重庆), at a spicy chicken restaurant on Binjiang Road (滨江路), the store manager Chen Shuyu (陈淑玉) is holding a long-handled spoon, quickly mixing in a stainless steel bowl. In the bowl, the chicken is coated in red oil, with bright colors and a rich aroma.
Take a chopstick and put it in your mouth, the tenderness of the chicken, the fragrance of the chili peppers, and the spiciness of the peppercorns are immediately released on the customer's taste buds.
This kind of scene is played out every day in the streets and alleys of Fengdu (丰都). In 2014, the traditional technique of spicy chicken pieces was included in the fourth batch of representative items of intangible cultural heritage in Chongqing (重庆), becoming an intangible cultural heritage card for this ancient city of Fengdu (丰都) with a thousand-year history.
The people of Fengdu (丰都)'s love for spicy chicken is engraved in every frame of life.
In the early morning, people buying vegetables at the market will bring a box of spicy chicken home to eat with porridge; on the dinner table during festivals, if you don't see a plate of bright red and oily spicy chicken, you always feel like something is missing; departing travelers will also pack a few boxes of chicken pieces to take to other places to satisfy their cravings.
The reason why Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken can stand out among many delicacies is inseparable from its attention to ingredients and exquisite production techniques.
"To make spicy chicken, choosing the chicken is the first step. The best is local free-range native chickens raised under the forest for 180 days and weighing about 5 jin," said Fan Shuying (范淑英), president of the Fengdu Spicy Chicken Industry Association (丰都麻辣鸡产业协会). "Such chicken has a firm and elastic texture and a good taste."
Fresh chicken also needs to go through more than a dozen processes, including washing, braising, cooling, and slicing. In the entire production process, modulating the red oil is a crucial step.
"We use five or six kinds of chili peppers, such as lantern peppers and Er Jing Tiao (二荆条), and pound them into pieces, then pour in hot rapeseed oil to stimulate the aroma. Then add peppercorn oil made from 3 kinds of peppercorns, as well as dozens of spices, and carefully simmer before we can achieve that classic spoonful of red oil," Fan Shuying (范淑英) introduced, "Spicy chicken made in this way is complete in color, aroma, and taste, spicy, fresh, sweet."
While upholding tradition, innovation is also needed. In recent years, in order to satisfy the taste buds of different customers, new flavors such as fresh peppercorns and spicy flavors have continued to emerge.
Today's Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken has grown into a large industry driving the development of the county's economy.
Corrosion-resistant wall panels, fully automatic washing machines, hydraulic steam boilers... Walking into the fully enclosed production workshop of Chongqing Chengfan Food Co., Ltd. (重庆诚梵食品有限公司), the ozone sterilization system and the fresh air system work together, and a series of modern processing equipment cooperate smoothly to produce packages of attractive and authentic spicy chicken products.
"By building standardized workshops, our products have made important technological breakthroughs in extending the shelf life of food, providing strong support for Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken to go out of the local area and into the national market," said Chen Kequan (陈柯全), chairman of Chongqing Chengfan Food Co., Ltd. (重庆诚梵食品有限公司).
In October 2024, the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission (重庆市卫生健康委员会) released local food safety standards for Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken, establishing unified specifications for it in terms of raw and auxiliary material requirements, sensory requirements, and other aspects. The introduction of the standards not only reduces food safety risks, but also promotes the standardization and large-scale production of spicy chicken.
From street snacks to sales across the country, technological and standard innovations have allowed Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken to break through geographical restrictions. Long Xiaobo (隆小波), head of the Fengdu County Commerce Committee (丰都县商务委员会), said: "In the future, we will continue to increase support for relevant enterprises, promote the construction of inspection and testing centers, unified storage and distribution centers, and auxiliary material sorting and distribution centers to help Fengdu (丰都) spicy chicken move towards a broader world."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 苏 滨
"Boss, a matcha latte, please!"
Stepping into Jiangkou County (江口县) in Tongren (铜仁), Guizhou (贵州), at the foot of Mount Fanjing (梵净山), the refreshing aroma of matcha fills the air. Many matcha experience stores are crowded with tourists, and if that's not enough to satisfy your cravings, there's also a range of products such as matcha ice cream and matcha craft beer available nearby.
In recent years, Jiangkou (江口) has become increasingly well-known as a "matcha factory." Jiangkou County (江口县) has a low latitude, high altitude, frequent cloud cover, and little sunshine. Furthermore, the local area emphasizes ecological protection, which has created Jiangkou's (江口) tea with its fresh, sweet, and long-lasting flavor. Among the county's 160,000 mu of tea gardens, 32,000 mu are dedicated to matcha production.
The production and processing of matcha have strict standards. After the tea leaves are picked, they need to be cut, steamed, and quickly cooled, then the veins and yellow leaves are removed, leaving only the leaf meat, which becomes "tencha." After drying, sterilization, and grinding, it becomes bags of matcha powder with a rich, refreshing fragrance.
The grinding precision of matcha is a key indicator for evaluating production and processing. Meng Zude (蒙祖德), chairman of Guizhou Guicha Group Co., Ltd. (贵州贵茶集团有限公司), introduced that in 2017, Guicha Group (贵茶集团) invested in building a refined matcha workshop in Jiangkou County (江口县), equipped with 4 advanced refined production lines, and the particle size of the matcha produced is less than 1/10 of that of milk powder.
In order to improve the competitive advantage of matcha and promote industrial development, Jiangkou County (江口县) has issued implementation opinions on supporting the high-quality development of the matcha industry, investing 180 million yuan, while also deeply exploring the history and culture of matcha, and hosting activities such as the "Matcha Culture Festival." Around "matcha + " products, a research and development team was formed to build a complete matcha industry chain, and various products are constantly being updated.
The culture behind matcha also attracts people. In a matcha culture experience center in Jiangkou County (江口县), tourists can experience the matcha production process and appreciate the Song Dynasty's tea ceremony skills: the tea artist places matcha powder in a tea bowl, then pours in boiling water, and as the tea whisk gently stirs, a beautiful pattern appears on the surface of the tea soup.
Up to now, Jiangkou (江口) matcha has been exported to dozens of countries and regions, driving tens of thousands of tea farmers to increase their income and become rich. From the deep mountains to the world, Jiangkou (江口) matcha "chains" out more tracks and enters thousands of households.
Return to TopBy: 刘海旺
Prolonged heavy rainfall tests the resilience of cities. Even today, we are constantly weaving denser underground pipe networks and improving the level of refined urban management. So, how did the ancients solve the problem of water accumulation around their houses after rain? Let's start with a section of ceramic drainage pipe from the Henan Museum (河南博物院).
This section of ceramic drainage pipe is cylindrical, 42.5 cm long and about 1.2 cm thick. The two ends have different diameters, with the smaller end being 27.5 cm in diameter and the larger end being 34 cm in diameter. It was unearthed in 1980 at the Pingliangtai Ancient City Site (平粮台古城遗址) in Zhoukou (周口), Henan (河南). It looks unremarkable, but it is one of the earliest ceramic drainage pipes discovered in China to date.
The Pingliangtai Ancient City (平粮台古城) is archaeologically classified as a late Longshan period site, dating back approximately 4,000 years. Archaeological excavations show that the layout of the Pingliangtai Ancient City (平粮台古城) has the characteristics of being square and symmetrical. About 30 cm below the road surface of the south gate passage of the ancient city, archaeologists discovered a section of ceramic drainage pipe with a remaining length of more than 5 meters.
The pipeline was laid in a ditch that was high in the north and low in the south. The ditch was 74 cm wide and deep. Each section of the pipeline was 35 to 45 cm long, with different diameters at both ends. The narrow end had a tenon, which could be connected. This section of ceramic drainage pipe could accommodate a large amount of drainage, making it easy to discharge rainwater and domestic sewage accumulated in the city to the outside of the city.
Archaeological surveys and explorations show that 4,000 years ago, the Huaiyang (淮阳) area where the Pingliangtai Ancient City Site (平粮台古城遗址) was located was not the vast plain it is today, but rather a network of rivers and lakes. The ancestors who lived in the city planned a drainage system and manufactured ceramic drainage pipes in order to discharge rainwater from the city in a timely manner.
Ceramics have good sealing properties and high water resistance. It must be said that burying ceramic drainage pipes underground without affecting traffic and defense, and connecting them section by section, was an innovation.
Ceramic drainage pipes with tight joints have also been unearthed at the Huaiyang Jiangtai Site (淮阳蒋台遗址), which dates back to the same period as the Pingliangtai Ancient City Site (平粮台古城遗址). In addition, ceramic drainage pipe facilities have been found at the Erlitou Site (二里头遗址) in Luoyang (洛阳), the Dashigu Site (大师姑遗址) in Zhengzhou (郑州), and the Shangcheng Site (商城遗址) in Zhengzhou. Some ceramic pipes have more complex craftsmanship, and new components such as "funnel-shaped devices" and "square tube-shaped devices" have appeared. In Yin墟 (Yinxu) in Anyang (安阳), a "T"-shaped ceramic tee pipe was also unearthed, which can collect water from different directions and discharge it in one direction. It can be seen that as early as thousands of years ago, in order to solve the problem of urban waterlogging, the ancients had explored a set of effective drainage methods.
(The author is the Party Committee Secretary of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology (河南省文物考古研究院) and the director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration's Key Scientific Research Base for Urban Archaeology and Protection. This report was compiled by Zhang Wenhao (张文豪), a reporter from this newspaper.)
Return to TopLayout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)
Return to TopAnnual Works
Literary and Art Gala "Justice Will Prevail"
This is an epic literary and artistic grand ceremony dedicated to the great victory more than 80 years ago, revealing the historical truth that justice will prevail. The gala integrates historical facts, scenes, and drama into one, and melts images, emotions, and spirit into one furnace. It has lofty intentions, rich content, novel forms, and magnificent waves, turning the Great Wall built by the blood of the Chinese nation (中华民族) into a dazzling artistic rainbow.
——Xiang Yunjun (向云驹) (Former President of China Art News)
Film "Ne Zha (哪吒): The Devil Child's Adventure in the Sea"
The film integrates traditional values, the spirit of the times, and universal emotions, showing a boundless, magnificent visual spectacle, raising the level of Chinese film industry production to an unprecedented height, and also demonstrating the broad prospects for the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding Chinese traditional culture.
——Zhan Qingsheng (詹庆生) (Professor of Military Culture College of National Defense University)
Film "Nanjing (南京) Photo Studio"
The film is based on real events in the history of the Nanjing Massacre (南京大屠杀), praising the bravery and kindness of ordinary people shining in the face of life's desperate situations. The film's keynote is somber and profound, the style is restrained and introverted, and it is full of insight and compassion for complex human nature, so the exposure and criticism of war atrocities are even more powerful.
——Suo Yabin (索亚斌) (Professor of School of Theater, Film and Television, Communication University of China)
TV series "The Silent Glory"
The tragic history tells us that heroes do not necessarily have to go to heaven and earth, and overcome obstacles; forbearance and perseverance require greater strength and courage; literary and artistic works do not necessarily have to have a happy ending, and true and restrained empathy will surely turn into deafening resonance.
——Gao Changli (高长力) (Vice President of China Alliance of Radio and Television Social Organizations)
TV series "The Birth of All Things"
In the past 10 years, few TV series have been able to express the relationship between farmers and the land as deeply, profoundly, and profoundly as "The Birth of All Things" does. The work inherits the ideological essence of the original novel and carries out image-based rewriting that conforms to the tastes of contemporary audiences, becoming a model of literary adaptation dramas.
——Li Xingwen (李星文) (Vice Chairman of China Literature and Art Critics Association)
Novel "Human Dwellings"
Chen Yan (陈彦) uses sincere populist aesthetics and solid depictions of worldly affairs to view the stories of a time and place in the long river of civilization, and explores the possibility of spiritual settlement through in-depth dialogues between worldly conditions, human relationships, and cultural bloodlines.
——Xie Youshun (谢有顺) (Chairman of Guangdong (广东省) Writers Association)
Amateur Writing
("Holding a Beam of Light in the World", "My Love for Rice Valley", etc.)
Ordinary workers use the Internet platform to write and disseminate, becoming a representative phenomenon of new mass literature in the literary field. "Workers sing about their affairs" makes writing return to the natural connection between literature and life, and truly realizes the reflection and singing of "people's lives."
——Bai Ye (白烨) (Honorary President of China Contemporary Literature Research Association)
Wuju Opera "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon"
With more precise, high-difficulty, and creative methods, the theme has been comprehensively sublimated and expanded, highlighting the "skill" beauty of Chinese opera, shaping character images with genre personality, and presenting a new style of contemporary opera inheritance and creation.
——Wang Kui (王馗) (Director of the Institute of Chinese Opera, Chinese Academy of Arts)
Song "Jade Plate"
It cuts in from the perspective of children, simple melodies, and pure human voices, and uses the classic image of "jade plate" and the spirit of exploration to achieve a subtle fusion of tradition and modernity, conveying cultural confidence.
——Han Xin'an (韩新安) (Former Party Secretary of China Musicians Association)
Micro-short Drama
("Wrathful Assassination", "Inside and Outside the Home", "Lion City Mountains and Seas", etc.)
In 2025, micro-short dramas shifted from "emerging" to "**如火如荼**" (rú huǒ rú tú - "like fire and rushes," flourishing and vigorous). Culturally, they are popular among the people, and "going overseas" is more solid; industrially, they are in line with humanistic economics, and industry revenue has reached new highs. Attention should be paid to content improvement and cultural leadership, and this new form of mass literature and art should be used to help the dual leap of image art and cultural industry.
——Zhang Yiwu (张颐武) (Professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University (北京大学))
Travelers Must Have Stories, and Good Stories Resonate for a Long Time
Hu Yanyan (胡妍妍)
Mountains and rivers, the journey of 2025 has come to an end, time gathers its wings behind us, and the dawn of 2026 is gently shining on the earth.
This is a brand new beginning, and all that has passed is a prologue. This is also a reluctant review, and all the gains are full of profound meaning.
Turn the clock of history back to the beginning of 2025. On the big screen, Ne Zha's (哪吒) roar "Give me - break" as he broke free from the Tianyuan Ding (天元鼎) was thunderous and deafening. Outside the screen, "Ne Zha (哪吒): The Devil Child's Adventure in the Sea" was unstoppable, with 138 animation companies, 5 years of production, 324 million viewers, and 15.4 billion box office, breaking both the box office records of Chinese film history and global animation film history. Chinese literature and art have taken on new weight and exude a new spirit: the deep integration of strength and beauty, the enthusiastic response between creation and acceptance, confidently shaking off the long tradition, and warmly welcoming the contemporary soul!
Looking back at 2025, the four characters "**势不可挡**" (shì bù kě dǎng - "momentum cannot be resisted," unstoppable) are visualized before our eyes. The "14th Five-Year Plan" (十四五) concluded with firm steps, and the "15th Five-Year Plan" (十五五) was planned for the long term. In the turbulent world situation, the giant ship of China calmly adjusted its course and bravely broke through the waves. DeepSeek (深势科技) came out of nowhere, and Yushu Technology (宇树科技) robots made a cool appearance. From the Dongfeng-5C (东风—5C) with "global coverage" to the Huajiang Canyon Bridge (花江峡谷大桥) in Guizhou (贵州), which is "the world's first in both horizontal and vertical directions," the Chinese people have turned over a magnificent 1/4 chapter of the 21st century with hard-core strength and speed of renewal that has attracted worldwide attention. Standing at the forefront of such an era, how can literary and artistic creation not "**眼纳千江水，胸起百万兵**" (yǎn nà qiān jiāng shuǐ, xiōng qǐ bǎi wàn bīng - "eyes take in thousands of rivers, chest rises millions of soldiers," to have a broad vision and great ambition), how can it not wash away the dust and open up a new realm?
This year, focusing on the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, we saw how deeply a nation's culture and its history are bound together. At the Nine-Three Parade (九三阅兵) site, the sonorous footsteps were magnificent; in the "Justice Will Prevail" gala, the dialogue across time was touching. A "Silent Glory," your name will be known to everyone from now on; a "Nanjing (南京) Photo Studio," photos will fade, but the truth will never. Why does "Anti-Human Atrocities" make the audience "reluctant to watch but reluctant to stop"? Because it tears open historical wounds in repression and shock. Why did Yang Zhenning's (杨振宁) sentence "Jia Xian (稼先), I understand what you mean by 'common path'" become a hit online? Because patriotic feelings have long been engraved in our DNA.
This year, whether it is the "Top Ten Buzzwords" or the "Top Ten Youth Hot Words," "resilience" ranks first. It is a country's stable attitude and pace of progress when tackling difficulties, and it is also the value determination behind the mixed emotions of an era. "One's life will experience a lot of pain, but looking back, it is all legendary," the award-winning speech of a young writer has received countless likes online. Only by crossing the hills can one maturely understand "maturity." This may also explain why this generation of "new quality youth" on the one hand pursue new ways of living, new emotions, and new expressions, pushing comedy, trendy toys, and stand-up comedy to the forefront of culture, and on the other hand, in the hundreds of millions of bullet screens on video websites, the word "salute" has become the annual consensus choice. "Living the way I like" is based on positive energy that never goes out of style, and is never deviated from kindness, courage, love, and heroism.
This year, where is not a stage, where is there no literature and art? Folk music actors from national-level troupes walked off the stage, letting the melodious flute ripple the park pool, rippling the ripples in the hearts of the audience. Farmers in the fields, subway police, and retired workers took to the stage to share their "ordinary world" of life. The hot new mass literature and art is a magnificent world. The 516 "wild players" of "Su Chao" dribbled between life and dreams, and the passionate cheering of tens of thousands of people proved that what we stand on is the home of a better life.
This year, in the wave of the world "looking to the East," "Cool China" has become a popular fashion. From "Jia Kang Ge's" (甲亢哥) live broadcast of China trip to the song "Great Prospects" becoming popular all over the Internet, the camera and screen not only have China's beautiful scenery and food, famous historical sites, and Hanfu (汉服) style, but also amazing transportation, payment, and services, and the success code of China's governance. The cultural going overseas of online literature, online dramas, and online games, the "new three things," is going further and further, not only communicating different cultures, but also reflecting national personality, allowing Chinese culture to say goodbye to "other shaping" and confidently and freely tell stories.
No amount of language can exhaust the past year. This year is also connected to the extension of history, outlining the waterline of the future. In the innovation and creation of literature and art, there is a profound transformation of the spiritual life of the Chinese people.
All of these cannot replace your own annual review. In 2025, which moment was your moment of emotion, connecting with a wider world in deep resonance? Which moment was your moment of creation, pouring out those lingering thoughts at the tip of your pen? Please cherish such moments, they enrich your life and highlight the preciousness of being human in the age of artificial intelligence.
Travelers must have stories, and so do you and I, let alone a great civilization that has never been interrupted for more than 5,000 years? This story is expressed in the thousands of peaks of literary and artistic masterpieces, and it is also submerged in the long river of people's spiritual life. With the ambition in the story and the spirit in the story, with this heavy harvest, we set off again, continue to move forward vigorously and steadily, create with great enthusiasm, and believe that new harvests will continue to emerge, and good stories will resonate for a long time.
Keep Up with the Audience's Aesthetics and Catch Up with the Times
Yang Yazhou (杨亚洲)
Unexpectedly, "The Silent Glory" became popular.
There were concerns that this work that insisted on "old craftsmanship" could not keep up with today's pace. Like when we filmed "Nine Phoenixes in the Family" more than 20 years ago, we shaped characters with the imprint of life and the texture of the times, unhurriedly, according to the rhythm of real life, telling stories like "**于无声处听惊雷**" (yú wú shēng chù tīng jīng léi - "hear thunder in silence," a sudden turn of events).
If data and formulas are used as the standard, it seems very alternative, without dense reversals and without ups and downs of suspense. In addition, there was almost "zero publicity" before the broadcast, so it was really unexpected that it could have such a popular response.
Why? After thinking about it, the bottom line is that the real stories and emotions touched the audience.
For more than 70 years, the heroic deeds of Wu Shi (吴石), Chen Baocang (陈宝仓), and Nie Xi (聂曦) have been sealed for too long, and this "silence" itself contains huge emotional tension. Before filming, we reached a consensus: they are "ordinary people who hide themselves," and as long as they are filmed originally and steadily, the audience will love to watch them. The spirit of silently dedicating themselves to the great cause of the nation, not seeking fame, and having no regrets will naturally hit the softest part of the audience's heart. This kind of truth cannot be fabricated behind closed doors, it is a precious wealth given to us by history.
There is a saying that literary and artistic creation is for the "heart" to see. What is the "heart"? It is the audience's true thoughts, the imprint of the times in everyone's heart, and the common emotions of our country and nation at this moment. "The Silent Glory" conformed to our situation of approaching the center of the world stage and conformed to the people's desire for national reunification, so it was recognized. Our creation should explore more of this kind of truth that boosts the spirit and unites the people.
In the past two years, people have often said "film and television winter" and "long drama winter," but I don't think so. "**冬天来了，春天还会远吗**" (dōng tiān lái le, chūn tiān hái huì yuǎn ma - "if winter comes, can spring be far behind," after hardship comes happiness), the power of transformation and innovation is conceived and growing in it, and the key is whether we can keep up with the audience's aesthetics and the pace of the times in time to provide valuable content.
Long dramas, medium dramas, micro-short dramas, text-to-image, text-to-video, virtual shooting... New forms and technologies continue to emerge, and the threshold for creation is further reduced. We need to think more about what the purpose and value of literary and artistic creation are. This reminds me of what director Wu Tianming (吴天明) often said: "Sprinkle a handful of Chinese soil on every play you shoot." Of course, we do not reject new creative tools, but we cannot deviate from the source of creation - the hot life and times - because of the pursuit of new trends. The audience has taught us a lesson with their choices: no matter how the carrier changes, sincere and life-rooted creations will always have their market and value.
(The author is a director, interviewed and compiled by Zhang Mingse (张明瑟), a reporter from this newspaper)
Open Up a New World of Opera
Wang Xiaoping (王晓平)
Wuju Opera (婺剧), as a local opera genre, was once "**藏在深山人不识**" (cáng zài shēn shān rén bù shí - "hidden in the deep mountains, unknown to people," unknown to the world), and many people could not even read the word "婺" (wù). The emergence of Wuju Opera's "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon" has not only been affirmed by industry experts, but also won the praise of audiences of all ages. The recommendation of "tap water" on social media has made the performance sold out as soon as tickets are released a common occurrence, and invitations from all over the world are even more continuous.
All kinds of praise are encouragement and spur, and also prompt us to think about how opera art can develop better in the new era.
Holding on to the roots is the foundation of a stable career. Generations of artists have ventured into the wilderness and stepped on swamps, creating a freehand and stylized aesthetic, and forming the artistic style of this genre. For example, Wuju Opera's "civil opera is performed with martial arts, and martial arts opera is sung with civil opera" is our family heirloom, and "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon" gives full play to this feature. Many viewers feel that it is enjoyable to watch, but we are just showing the valuable wealth left by our ancestors in a proper manner.
Opening the door is the premise of career development. If you close yourself off and do not absorb the strengths of other art types, it will inevitably shrink. In the process of creating "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon," we also learned from and borrowed from brother opera genres, drawing on the strengths of others. For example, the White Bone Demon's rapid face change and the Golden Toad Monster's sedan chair bumps learned from Sichuan Opera (川剧) and Gaojia Opera (高甲戏) respectively. In order to enrich stage means, we used modern technologies such as drones, lasers, and wires, because they are novel, they have become "famous scenes" that have gone out of the circle on social platforms. But all of this is based on holding on to the roots, and needs to be closely combined with the opera situation and character image.
Talent support is the guarantee of career success. We have made efforts to cultivate and attract all kinds of talents through various methods. The martial arts actors in "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon" who are full of flowers on the stage come from all over the world. We always adhere to the excellent tradition of "giving the stage." Chen Meilan (陈美兰), a Wuju Opera performing artist and winner of the "Second Plum Blossom Award," has taken the initiative to give the stage to young actors since she was in her 40s, which has promoted the growth of a generation of backbones such as Yang Xiayun (杨霞云), Lou Sheng (楼胜), and Chen Lili (陈丽俐). "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon" boldly used young actor Zhou Hongwei (周宏伟) as the leading actor Sun Wukong (孙悟空). He worked hard day and night, and used his hard work, sweat, and pain to exchange for artistic growth. Finally, he lived up to expectations and successfully shaped a remarkable Monkey King image.
The success of a play cannot be separated from team spirit, and the development of the team depends on the support of one excellent play after another. "Three Attacks on the White Bone Demon" is popular with the audience, which proves that the potential vitality of opera is being activated. We firmly believe that as long as opera people join hands and work hard in the right direction, they will definitely be able to create a new world of opera.
(The author is the Party Secretary and Dean of Zhejiang Wuju Opera Art Research Institute)
Netizen Comments
Which literary and artistic work touched your heart?
Qi Lin (麒麟): "Ne Zha (哪吒): The Devil Child's Adventure in the Sea" has beautiful pictures, full characters, and a compact plot. More importantly, it conveys a spirit of self-improvement that "my fate is up to me, not up to heaven," which encourages us to work hard and move forward.
Li Yunyao (李云遥): "The Silent Glory" touched me the most. In the park in Xishan (西山), in the weeds of the horse farm, the heroic spirits are sleepless and tirelessly sheltering us. Thank you for your silence, and thank you for your immortal glory.
7fYgMX: In 2025, I read Wang Jibing's (王计兵) poems and Wang Liuyun's (王柳云) novels. One is a takeaway poet and the other is a cleaner painter, amazing! In fact, many people have literary dreams. The important thing is to put them into action and write them down. On such a big stage, everyone can show their talents!
Kevin: The children's voice singing "Jade Plate" actually gave me a sense of majestic ritual. The sonorous, detached, and vitality are impressive.
Kevin: The children's chorus version of "Jade Plate" surprisingly evoked a grand sense of ritual. The cadence, exuberance, and vitality were deeply impressive.
DianDian12345: Having watched the micro-dramas "Wrathful Stab" (怒刺) and "Inside and Outside the Home" (家里家外), the acting is solid, the plot is heartfelt, and it's "addictive" but not "brain-deadening." I hope micro-dramas break the mold and bring more surprises.
(Excerpted from People's Daily (人民日报) Client and People's Daily (人民日报) Weibo comment section)
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