People's Daily - January 11, 2026

This is how we answer the "cave dwelling question"

By: 本报记者 张 洋 赵 成

"We must temper our original aspiration and mission, persevere with sustained effort, continue to answer the 'cave dwelling question' of Yan'an, and write a contemporary answer worthy of the people." On December 31, 2025, President Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered his New Year's address, specifically mentioning the "cave dwelling question."

With such a long history, large scale, and long tenure, how can our Party escape the historical cycle of rise and fall? This is a question that transcends time and space, a test that must be answered well.

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the "cave dwelling question." We have carried out in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, established credibility by strictly governing the Party, promoted self-revolution by eliminating corruption and fostering integrity, and continuously improved Party conduct and social atmosphere.

2025 is the final year of the "14th Five-Year Plan." China's economy has moved forward against pressure, developed towards new and better directions, successfully completed the main goals of economic and social development, and Chinese-style modernization has taken new and solid steps.

This year, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, we have unswervingly led social revolution with the Party's self-revolution, writing a new answer on the scroll of the times about original aspiration, responsibility, and the future. Don't stop chasing the wind and the moon; spring mountains lie at the end of the plains. Continuing to answer the "cave dwelling question" well will surely lead us on a new "road to examination," and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable.

(I)

To answer the "cave dwelling question," one must not forget the original aspiration, and it is important to maintain clarity.

Turning the clock back to January 2025, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) warned the entire Party: "Corruption is the biggest threat our Party faces, and anti-corruption is the most thorough self-revolution." "We must resolutely clarify various erroneous understandings, clear up ideological fog, and further strengthen our determination and confidence in the anti-corruption struggle"...

Without stopping for a moment or retreating half a step, the anti-corruption campaign will always sound the charge, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the road.

Self-revolution is the second answer to the "cave dwelling question" and the secret to our Party's perpetual vitality. It has long run through the Party's struggle, integrated into the Party's spiritual bloodline, and is bursting forth with even more powerful practical strength in the new era. In the Chinese narrative of 2025, this distinct characteristic is equally deeply rooted and penetrates the paper.

From the beginning to the end of the year, the pace of self-revolution has never stopped. Several important instructions in December 2025 particularly demonstrate this determination and perseverance—

At the Central Economic Work Conference, it was emphasized that "we must establish and practice a correct view of political achievements," "persist in achieving political achievements for the people," and "achieve political achievements through hard work";

Making important instructions on the work of central enterprises, emphasizing "we must improve the system, strengthen supervision, resolutely punish corruption, persevere in rectifying the 'Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles,' and strive to create a clean and upright political ecology";

At the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, it was pointed out that "Comrades of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee must serve as role models for Party spirit and Party conduct, and set a good example for the entire Party in being faithful, pragmatic, responsible, and self-disciplined";

…………

To manage China's affairs well, the key lies in the Party. Advancing Chinese-style modernization is a pioneering undertaking unprecedented in history. The more we shoulder heavy responsibilities, the more we must be strong ourselves. Every deployment and every exhortation contains historical clarity and demonstrates strategic determination, all of which are firm answers to the "cave dwelling question."

Looking back at 2025, if we were to discuss what distinct notes there are in self-revolution, the in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation must be a shining stroke. The vast number of Party members and cadres promoted learning, investigation, and rectification in an integrated manner, and used excellent work styles to unite efforts and start businesses.

In the new era and on the new journey, the Central Eight-Point Regulation is a move by the Party Central Committee to establish credibility, a landmark measure for governing the Party in the new era, which has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has attracted worldwide attention. Why is it being emphasized again at this time?

During inspections in Guizhou (贵州) and Yunnan (云南) in March 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) remarks were concise and profound: "In recent years, the Eight-Point Regulation has indeed promoted fundamental changes, and the atmosphere has been renewed. Most of the phenomena that were difficult to reverse in the past are gone. At the same time, it must be seen that there has been some loosening in some places, there are still blind spots and dead corners in some aspects, and some bad habits have rebounded. Like nailing nails, nail them a few more times, and with sustained effort, turn the wind into custom."

In his words, there is affirmation of historical achievements, but also a deep understanding of the stubbornness and repetitiveness of the "Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles" problems. The construction of work style is a tough battle and a protracted war, and we must have the clarity and consciousness of "always on the road" and the determination and perseverance of "doing what we say and fulfilling our promises."

Eighty years of vicissitudes, the "cave dwelling question" is still ringing in our ears.

On June 30, 2025, on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee conducted its 21st collective study on improving the long-term mechanism for implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation and rectifying the "Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles." At the meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements to the entire Party: "No matter what level or what work Party organizations and Party members are in charge of, they should have the responsibility of self-revolution."

The string of the Party's self-revolution must not be relaxed for a moment and must be tightened even more.

(II)

With determination and direction set, the key lies in action.

Over a hundred years of trials and tribulations, our Party has grown from small to large and from weak to strong, inseparable from the strong support of self-revolution. Since the new era, political construction, ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, and discipline construction have been carried out, with institutional construction running through them, and the anti-corruption struggle has been deeply promoted... Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has continued to advance, curbing many unhealthy trends that were previously considered impossible to curb, removing some stubborn diseases that were difficult to remove for many years, and opening up a new realm of self-revolution.

In June 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out profoundly: "To promote the Party's self-revolution, we must further implement it in terms of improving understanding, enhancing Party spirit, regulating the operation of power, strictly supervising and enforcing discipline, and fulfilling the responsibility of governing the Party."

Targeted treatment and systematic integration, our Party is promoting the new great project of Party building in the new era to develop in depth with the spirit of thorough self-revolution.

Let's look at "regulating the operation of power," the institutional cage is becoming tighter and tighter, and more and more secure.

In May 2025, the newly revised "Regulations on Practicing Economy and Opposing Waste in Party and Government Organs" attracted widespread attention as soon as it was issued. Working meals must not provide high-end dishes; it is strictly forbidden to add high-end configurations or luxurious interiors to official vehicles; strengthen the overall planning and standardization of investigations and inspections to the grassroots level to prevent repeated gatherings and increase the burden on the grassroots level... One new regulation after another releases a strong signal of grasping extravagant and wasteful behavior to the end and never relaxing.

Hard requirements become hard measures, and iron rules grow iron teeth. On the one hand, the special team for in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation at the central level and the General Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection publicly reported multiple typical problems of violations of regulations on eating and drinking, and warning education has become the norm; on the other hand, office supplies are purchased after looking at the public property warehouse first, meals are scanned and eaten during business trips, and official vehicles are transparent throughout the process... The system has moved from "on paper" to "in the heart," and saving has changed from "requirement" to "habit."

In 2025, the "Regulations on the Clean Performance of Duties by Rural Grassroots Cadres" and the "Regulations on the Accountability System for Ecological and Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leading Cadres (Trial Implementation)" were issued... The system of Party regulations continues to improve, putting power into the cage of the system.

Looking again at "strictly supervising and enforcing discipline," governing the Party is constantly extending to the grassroots level and exerting efforts in depth.

How effective is the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party? The people's reputation is the best measure.

In the past year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) went to local areas for inspection and walked among the people. In Huludao (葫芦岛), Liaoning (辽宁), and other places, he visited and comforted grassroots cadres and the masses; in Lijiang Old Town (丽江古城), Yunnan (云南), he learned about the business conditions of shops and the feelings of tourists; in Meizhou (梅州), Guangdong (广东), he inspected the development of rural characteristic industries...

"Every 'small family' is full of vitality, and China, this 'big family,' will flourish." According to the deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission and the discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continued to deeply rectify the unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems around the masses. "Campus meals" in primary and secondary schools, "difficulties in registration" of real estate, and management of "three assets" of rural collectives... One promotion after another and one rectification after another, strictly investigating and dealing with violations of discipline and law such as embezzlement and misappropriation, resolutely cutting off the "black hands" extending to the interests of the masses, making fairness and justice perceptible and accessible, and further consolidating the Party's heart and the people's heart.

He who conquers himself is strong, and he who surpasses himself is always surpassing.

Wherever the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee go, political supervision will follow. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission and the discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continued to promote the concretization, precision, and normalization of political supervision, focusing on strengthening supervision and inspection of the implementation of the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions and directives, identifying problems, consolidating responsibilities, and ensuring implementation.

Today, Party organizations at all levels adhere to grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, and connecting the rectification of work style, strict discipline, and anti-corruption, consciously making real efforts and seeking practical results in the "five further implementations," creating a strict atmosphere, and establishing a correct atmosphere. This is not only answering the "cave dwelling question" with practical actions, but also accumulating the power to win people's hearts, win initiative, and win the future.

(III)

Listening to the New Year's message, feeling the prosperous China: "The national ceremony is majestic and heroic, and the glory of victory will be recorded in history forever," "Innovation and creation have spawned new quality productive forces and made life more colorful," "Tradition and modernity blend together, and Chinese culture blooms with more brilliant light"...

Warm words convey confidence and凝聚力量.

2025, a very extraordinary year. Under the complex situation of increased external pressure and many internal difficulties, China's economy has maintained an overall stable and progressive development trend, showing strong resilience and vitality.

Behind this heavy report card, there is the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the united struggle of the vast number of Party members, cadres, and the masses, which profoundly confirms the internal logic of "leading social revolution with the Party's self-revolution"—the Party's prosperity can make the country strong. The more effective the governance of the Party, the more powerful the guarantee for economic and social development.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee reviewed and approved the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal. At the meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) had a concise and in-depth exposition: "Through the Party's self-revolution, promoting a new atmosphere of integrity, correcting stubborn diseases, creating a good political ecology, encouraging cadres to take responsibility, and凝聚民心民力, we can continuously inject positive energy into economic and social development."

This is a summary of historical experience and a deeper response to the "cave dwelling question"—the purpose of self-revolution is not only to consolidate the Party's ruling foundation and maintain the Party's vitality, but also to vigorously promote social revolution and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by forging a stronger leadership core.

This insight transcends the fog of history; this responsibility guides the future journey. It makes us more firm and more conscious when answering the "cave dwelling question."

In 2025, whether it was going to local areas for inspection or attending important meetings, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) always put forward clear requirements for Party building when deploying economic and social development work.

During the inspection in Shanxi (山西), it was pointed out that "we must carry forward the spirit of self-revolution, implement the responsibility of governing the Party, adhere to grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, and connecting the rectification of work style, strict discipline, and anti-corruption, adhere to the strict tone, strict measures, and strict atmosphere for a long time, and strive to create a clean and upright political ecology";

When listening to the report on the construction of the Hainan (海南) Free Trade Port, it was pointed out that "we must improve the mechanism for promoting the integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt, and strive to eradicate the soil and conditions for the breeding of corruption";

During the inspection in Guangdong (广东), it was emphasized that "we must run the rectification of work style, strict discipline, and anti-corruption throughout the entire process of power operation, promote the integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt, and lead the formation of a good development environment with a clean and upright political ecology";

…………

With a clean and upright atmosphere, it is the right time to forge ahead. Over the past year, Party organizations at all levels have unremittingly used Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to凝聚人心, guiding the vast number of Party members and cadres to get the ideological methods right and move forward in unison; resolutely fighting the tough battle of the anti-corruption struggle, urging the vast number of Party members and cadres to abide by rules and discipline and do things cleanly; and continuously rectifying formalism to reduce the burden on the grassroots level, promoting the vast number of grassroots cadres to start lightly and strive to make achievements.

I still remember that during the 2025 National People's Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Major economic provinces should shoulder major responsibilities and must adhere to the Party's comprehensive leadership and lead high-quality development with high-quality Party building."

This is a hard requirement and a "golden key." All localities adhere to Party building leadership, the Party organization's fighting fortress is becoming more and more solid, Party members and cadres are shouldering heavy responsibilities and taking the lead on the front line of tackling key problems, and the Party's political advantages and organizational advantages are continuously transformed into development advantages and governance effectiveness. If you want to ask how well the "cave dwelling question" has been answered, the answer is written in the vigorous vitality of economic and social development and in the smiles of the people living and working in peace and contentment.

The "examination" has no end, and the "cave dwelling question" is often answered and always new.

Return to Top

Taking care of people's livelihood as the guide, opening up new space for development

By: 钟才平

The "Suggestions" from the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed that we should focus on guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods in development, and expand development space in meeting people's livelihood needs. The Central Economic Work Conference proposed that we should adhere to the principle of prioritizing people's livelihoods and strive to do practical things for the people. We must always adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, adhere to the strategic base point of expanding domestic demand, adhere to the close combination of benefiting people's livelihoods and promoting consumption, investing in things and investing in people, lead new supply with new demand, create new demand with new supply, promote the virtuous interaction between consumption and investment, supply and demand, and open up new space for economic development.

Benefiting people's livelihoods is an important driving force for promoting development. Forming a strong domestic market is an important support for building a new development pattern and also the advantage of a large economy. Guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods is an important prerequisite and foundation for effectively expanding domestic demand and forming a strong domestic market. With economic and social development, the people's livelihood needs are gradually upgraded. From clothing, food, housing, and transportation to education, medical care, leisure, fitness, elderly care, and other aspects of demand, from commodity demand to service demand, from material demand to spiritual demand, people's livelihood needs drive consumption, drive supply, and are one of the important driving forces and sources of economic development.

At present, there is much that can be done to promote development by benefiting people's livelihoods.

Meeting the people's needs for improving housing quality and living environment, there is still considerable space for high-quality development of the real estate industry. At present, the total amount of urban housing in China is already considerable, but the housing needs of a considerable part of urban residents have not been well met, and there is still considerable development prospects. From the perspective of rigid demand, in 2024, China's urbanization rate of permanent residents is 67%, while the urbanization rate of registered residents is less than 50%, with a difference of nearly 18 percentage points. With the continuous advancement of people-oriented new urbanization, the rigid housing demand of "new citizens" such as newly settled migrant workers and new college graduates will continue to be released. From the perspective of improved demand, due to the aging of many existing houses, coupled with the uneven distribution of location and holding structure, the satisfaction of a considerable part of urban residents with housing is not high enough, and there is improved demand for "trading old for new" and "trading small for large." According to statistics, urban housing built before 2000 in China accounts for more than 30% of the existing housing stock, and some cities still have a large area of urban villages, and the potential for improved demand is still very large. From the perspective of the entire city, the residential population in many urban communities is too dense, and functions such as parking, shopping, green space, leisure and fitness are not complete or sufficient, and there is much to be done in urban renewal.

To meet demand and expand space, we must take the construction of a new model of real estate development as the traction, take high-quality urban renewal as an important starting point, vigorously promote the renovation of dilapidated houses and urban villages, increase the construction and collection of affordable housing, and orderly increase the supply of "good houses" with more space, higher quality, and better supporting facilities, to better meet the people's new expectations for improving living conditions, and make the road of high-quality development of the real estate industry wider and wider.

Meeting the people's new needs for service consumption and creating a "warm" new supply has broad space. At present, the consumption tendencies and consumption patterns of Chinese residents are undergoing important changes. After basic needs such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation are met, emotional consumption and service consumption such as cultural and entertainment experiences, health and beauty have become new trends in consumption. Consumption patterns with a strong sense of participation and high comfort, such as scene-based and interactive, are more popular, and experience-oriented cultural tourism economy, study tour economy, and night economy have become new hotspots of consumption. From 2013 to 2024, China's per capita service consumption expenditure increased from 0.5 trillion yuan to 1.3 trillion yuan, and the proportion increased from 39.7% to 46.1%.

To meet demand and expand space, we must lead new supply with new demand, and we must use creativity to enhance the "design content" of products and services to meet the diversified needs of consumers. For example, Jingdezhen (景德镇市), Jiangxi Province (江西省), launched "Spring Bowls" reflecting the scenes of the Spring Festival customs, extending the single catering function of porcelain bowls to functions such as appreciation, collection, and gift-giving; China National Railway Group (国铁集团) transformed the "retired" green-skinned trains into "silver-haired tourist trains," extending the single transportation function of the trains to diversified functions such as tourism, accommodation, and social interaction. We must use technology to enhance the "technical content" of products and services to meet consumers' quality needs. For example, Putian (莆田市), Fujian Province (福建省), supports shoe-making enterprises to use 3D modeling and virtual reality technology to realize consumers' personalized customization of shoes; Liuyang (浏阳市), Hunan Province (湖南省), introduced technologies such as drones, holographic projection, and artificial intelligence-generated images to create creative fireworks shows. We must use IP to enhance the "brand content" of products and services to meet consumers' emotional resonance and identity needs. For example, Hebei Province (河北省) has made the slogan "So close, so beautiful, go to Hebei on weekends" popular, and the number of tourists and income have increased sharply in recent years. Yunnan Province (云南省) advocates "There is a kind of life called Yunnan," and living in Yunnan has become a fashion hotspot. These "warm" new supplies have been favored by consumers and have good development prospects in the future.

To promote development by benefiting people's livelihoods, we must focus on smoothing the virtuous cycle of "employment-income-consumption-investment." To benefit people's livelihoods, we must first stabilize employment, strengthen the policy orientation of prioritizing employment, deeply implement the action of stabilizing jobs, expanding capacity and improving quality, carry out vocational skills improvement training, strengthen the development and utilization of human resources, increase policy support and precise services for key employment groups, and strive to promote high-quality and full employment. To benefit people's livelihoods, we must focus on increasing income, further improve the mechanism for determining, reasonably increasing, and guaranteeing the payment of workers' wages, increase the property income of urban and rural residents through multiple channels, strive to increase transfer income, standardize the order of income distribution and wealth accumulation mechanism, support hard work, innovation, and legal wealth, and encourage those who get rich first to help those who get rich later and promote common prosperity. To better realize the benefit of people's livelihoods and promote development in the virtuous interaction between supply and demand, we must clean up unreasonable restrictions in the field of consumption, effectively implement the paid vacation system for employees, release the potential of service consumption such as cultural tourism, sports events, catering, and health care; adapt to new changes in consumption demand, and develop new products, new services, and new scenarios. Through the joint efforts of all parties, we will promote the formation of a higher-level dynamic balance in which demand drives supply and supply creates demand, form more economic development models dominated by domestic demand, driven by consumption, and driven by endogenous growth, and realize the virtuous cycle of the national economy.

Return to Top

Building a loyal, clean, responsible, and courageous discipline inspection and supervision iron army good at fighting.

By: 本报记者 李林蔚

The discipline inspection and supervision organs are an important force in advancing the Party's self-revolution. Only by building a high-quality iron army can we further implement the requirements of the Party's self-revolution in the new era.

In 2025, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) deployed the "Year of Standardization, Rule of Law, and Regularization of Discipline Inspection and Supervision Work" action throughout the system to improve the quality and efficiency of handling cases in accordance with regulations, disciplines, and laws, strengthen the construction of the discipline inspection and supervision team, and strengthen discipline and legal education and training, in order to build a loyal, clean, responsible, and courageous discipline inspection and supervision iron army with higher standards and stricter requirements.

Loyalty is the most distinctive background color.

"Eight of the ten members of the first Central Supervisory Committee (中央监委) sacrificed, and none betrayed the Party. They used their blood and lives to interpret their belief in communism and their absolute loyalty to the Party..."

The Wuhan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection (武汉市纪委监委) of Hubei Province deeply explored the revolutionary lives and heroic deeds of the ten members of the first Central Supervisory Committee, and jointly launched the "Faith Casts Loyalty - Special Exhibition of Members of the First Central Supervisory Committee of the Communist Party of China" with the Wuhan Revolutionary Museum (武汉革命博物馆) to guide discipline inspection and supervision cadres to learn from the deeds of the martyrs and inherit the red gene. The discipline inspection and supervision team was born for the Party and fought for the Party. Loyalty to the Party is the most fundamental political character of the discipline inspection and supervision iron army. Over the past year, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have strengthened ideal and belief education and political loyalty education, organized visits to the discipline inspection and supervision exhibition, and promoted the use of vivid teaching materials from the history of discipline inspection and supervision throughout the system, guiding the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres to truly love the Party, worry about the Party at all times, firmly protect the Party, and fully revitalize the Party.

Only with theoretical clarity can we be politically firm and resolute in action. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have unswervingly used Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想) to strengthen their minds and souls, educating and guiding the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres to draw spiritual nourishment from the Party's innovative theories and build a solid ideological foundation for loyal performance of duties and responsibilities.

Along the winding canal line, a field visit to the "Water Great Wall" on the Taihang (太行) cliffs; a re-walk of the Hongqi Canal's (红旗渠) throat project - the Youth Cave (青年洞)... Recently, the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (河南省纪委监委) held a training course on Party spirit and discipline education for young cadres at the Hongqi Canal (红旗渠) Anti-Corruption Education Academy.

"I intuitively felt the great feat of 'splitting the Taihang Mountains (太行山) and bringing the Zhang River (漳河) through the mountains,' and I more deeply understood what General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said, 'Hongqi Canal (红旗渠) is a monument.'" One of the trainees said with emotion.

Over the past year, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) have unremittingly strengthened the Party's innovative theoretical arming, compiled and issued a teaching outline for studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important thoughts on the Party's self-revolution, and carried out centralized training on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (二十届中央纪委四次全会) throughout the system; carried out online and offline teaching and training around the entire process of supervision and case handling, and the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres have a more distinct background of loyalty to the Party, and their steps to assume their responsibilities and missions are more firm.

Improve the quality and efficiency of handling cases in accordance with regulations, disciplines, and laws.

The revised Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国监察法) and the Implementation Regulations of the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国监察法实施条例) came into effect simultaneously on June 1, 2025.

Using the thinking and methods of the rule of law to punish corruption is an important guarantee for achieving high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work in the new era and new journey. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) perform the duties of formulating Party regulations and supervisory regulations in an integrated manner, revise the implementation regulations of the Supervision Law, improve relevant supporting systems, and continuously improve the "four beams and eight pillars" of the system, driving the entire system to improve the system mechanism and tighten the "cage" of the system. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels adhere to the combination of authorization and control, strictly carry out work in accordance with powers, rules, and procedures, and ensure that the power of discipline inspection and supervision is always exercised correctly and in a standardized manner on the track of the rule of law.

Without a high-quality and professional discipline inspection and supervision team, there would be no standardization, rule of law, and regularization of discipline inspection and supervision work. Adhering to the integrated promotion of political training, business training, and practical combat training, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) issued a work plan for all-member training and practical combat rotation training, and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels combined their own realities to arrange for cadres to strengthen practical training.

The Fujian Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (福建省纪委监委) formulated the "Work Plan on Implementing the All-Member Training Plan by Carrying Out Practical Combat Training throughout the Province," organized cadres from comprehensive departments of the organs to participate in case-handling experience, and organized cadres from dispatched institutions, enterprises, and universities to participate in practical combat rotation training.

The Shanghai Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection (上海市纪委监委) insisted on cultivating business backbones on the front line of case handling, formulated and implemented an all-member training plan, and comprehensively trained cadres' abilities and qualities.

…………

"In the past, checking accounts relied more on manual labor. The data comparison and correlation analysis methods taught in class provided new ideas for discovering clues to problems in the future." Previously, the Kaizhou District Commission for Discipline Inspection (开州区纪委监委) of Chongqing (重庆市) organized discipline inspection and supervision business backbones to enter Chongqing University (重庆大学) to receive special training on information-based supervision. After the training, a cadre on the front line of review and investigation gained a lot.

At present, the use of information technology has become an important method to improve the quality and efficiency of case handling. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) have deepened the empowerment of science and technology, built an integrated work platform for discipline inspection and supervision that runs through the upper and lower levels, continuously upgraded and improved business application systems such as Party conduct and government style supervision, letters and visits reporting, case supervision and management, case review, and fugitive pursuit and赃物 recovery, and continuously strengthened information management of clue disposal and involved property, effectively helping the construction of standardization, rule of law, and regularization of discipline inspection and supervision work.

One must be strong to forge iron.

"Your family purchased a house last year, but did not fill it out as required. Please make a truthful explanation." Previously, the Eshan Yi Autonomous County Commission for Discipline Inspection (峨山彝族自治县纪委监委) of Yuxi City (玉溪市), Yunnan Province (云南省), conducted spot checks and verification of the integrity files of discipline inspection and supervision cadres in the county, conducted reminder talks with relevant personnel, and urged them to rectify.

Discipline inspection and supervision organs are an important force in governing the Party and administering the country, and they must be fully qualified before supervising others. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) formulated opinions on strengthening the construction of the discipline inspection and supervision team in the new era, implemented a three-year action plan for organizational construction, and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels integrated strict management and strict governance into daily life and grasped it regularly, and took practical actions to ensure that one must be strong to forge iron.

Exercising power with awe, over the past year, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) have focused on refining post powers, setting risk reminders, and listing the bottom line of exercising power, forming a list of powers, a list of risks, and a negative list; issued typical cases of violating regulations to inquire about case information and intervening in cases within the system, and notified cases of discipline violations and violations of laws in the work of accepting letters and visits reports, clue disposal, and review and investigation. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continuously increased the investigation and handling of cases of discipline violations and violations of laws by discipline inspection and supervision cadres, used various forms to deepen education and warning at different levels and categories, carried out family-based anti-corruption activities, and resolutely prevented "darkness under the lamp."

"According to the organization's arrangement, you will be transferred to a new position. The work pressure may increase. Please talk about your views." Recently, in the conference room of the Dong'an County Commission for Discipline Inspection (东安县纪委监委) in Hunan Province (湖南省), a heart-to-heart talk between discipline inspection and supervision cadres was underway. The county's Commission for Discipline Inspection (纪委监委) organized and carried out regular heart-to-heart talks to timely understand the ideological dynamics, work difficulties, and opinions and suggestions of cadres, and help cadres resolve their knots and relieve pressure.

The heavier the burden, the more we must care for the burden carriers. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (中央纪委) and the National Supervisory Commission (国家监委) and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels adhere to the combination of strict management and love, the combination of incentives and constraints, increase the publicity of advanced models both online and offline, implement practical care measures, make cadres more at ease in performing their duties, and continuously stimulate the vitality of the discipline inspection and supervision team to start businesses.

One must be strong to forge iron, and only after a hundred refinements can fine steel be produced. On the new journey, discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels and the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres will continuously temper their political character, improve their professional capabilities, and strictly enforce discipline and work style with the perseverance and determination of always being on the road, which will surely provide a stronger disciplinary guarantee for promoting Chinese-style modernization.

Return to Top

Last year, China's national railway system transported 4.588 billion passengers.

According to information obtained by reporter Li Xinping (李心萍) from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司): In 2025, the national railway completed fixed asset investment of 901.5 billion yuan, and put into operation 3,109 kilometers of new lines, including 2,862 kilometers of high-speed rail. The national railway completed a passenger volume of 4.588 billion passenger trips, an increase of 6.4% year-on-year.

Return to Top

How to Continuously Foster a Clean and Healthy Cyberspace (Policy Q&A: Addressing Concerns)

By: 本报记者 金 歆

Reader Concerns

When I go online to get information and interact, I sometimes encounter vulgar and false information. What policies, regulations, and measures have relevant departments taken to address the chaos in cyberspace and create a clean online environment?

Cyberspace is the shared spiritual home of hundreds of millions of people. A clear and healthy cyberspace is the common expectation of the vast majority of netizens.

On November 28, 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), while presiding over the 23rd collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, emphasized: "We must improve the long-term mechanism for governing the online ecosystem, focus on enhancing the foresight, accuracy, systematicness, and coordination of governance, and continuously create a clean and upright cyberspace."

To create a clean and upright cyberspace, we must dare to show our sword and resolutely crack down on online chaos, eradicating the soil and conditions for its breeding.

Rectifying the abuse of artificial intelligence technology, rectifying online "black mouths" targeting enterprises, rectifying malicious instigation of negative emotions... In recent years, the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has continuously deployed and carried out the "Qinglang" (清朗) series of special actions, concentrating time and resources to combat various chaotic problems online, strictly dealing with non-compliant platforms and accounts, achieving positive results, and forming a strong deterrent.

The formulation and revision of the Cybersecurity Law (网络安全法), the Data Security Law (数据安全法), and the Personal Information Protection Law (个人信息保护法) have continuously established and improved the basic system of cybersecurity and data security. A series of rules and regulations have been successively introduced, which also provide systematic regulations for governing online chaos: The "Measures for the Security Management of Facial Recognition Technology Applications" (人脸识别技术应用安全管理办法) have been implemented, effectively responding to the chaos of "face-swiping"; the "Measures for the Identification of AI-Generated Synthetic Content" (人工智能生成合成内容标识办法) have been implemented, reminding users to identify generated synthetic information through identification, and preventing the abuse of artificial intelligence technology... Establishing rules and regulations, managing for long-term stability, and effectively governing the online information content ecosystem.

To create a clean and upright cyberspace, we must adhere to shaping cyberspace with positive voices, mainstream values, and the new trends of the times, so that the Internet becomes an important front for ideological guidance, moral cultivation, and cultural inheritance.

In December 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) launched the 2025 China Positive Energy Online Masterpieces Collection and Exhibition Activity, focusing on enriching the supply of high-quality online content, better leveraging the exemplary and leading role of mainstream media, mobilizing the active participation of diverse entities, and selecting 550 online masterpieces in five categories: text, pictures, audio and video, special columns, and thematic activities, to provide strong spiritual power for forging ahead into the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" and pursuing new journeys. The event has been held for 9 sessions and has become a "weathervane" in the field of online content construction.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has strengthened online major theme publicity and major topic setting, innovatively created brand activities such as "How is China" ("何以中国"), "Writing the Splendid Chapter of Youth on the Land of the Motherland" ("把青春华章写在祖国大地上"), and "Red Star Over China" ("红星照耀中国"), and strengthened theoretical publicity brands such as "Reasoning China" ("理响中国"), gathering a powerful force for unity and progress in cyberspace.

To create a clean and upright cyberspace, we must fully mobilize all parties and comprehensively use various means such as administration and the rule of law.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has guided website platforms to deeply rectify the chaos of online live streaming rewards, and the "Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendation Compliance Self-Discipline Convention" (互联网信息服务算法推荐合规自律公约) and other documents have been successively released, effectively connecting administrative supervision and industry self-discipline.

Coordinating the promotion of legislation, law enforcement, justice, and legal popularization in the network field. More than 160 laws and regulations have been enacted in the network field, providing a solid institutional guarantee for the construction of a cyber power; promoting strict, standardized, fair, and civilized network law enforcement to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people; carrying out a series of legal publicity activities for the "National Network Legal Popularization Campaign" ("全国网络普法行"), with online clicks on related content exceeding 20 billion in the past three years...

The relevant person in charge of the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) stated that the cyberspace affairs departments will focus on mastering the dominant power of public opinion under informatization conditions, uphold integrity and innovation to strengthen the construction and management of online content, improve the long-term mechanism for governing the online ecosystem, and continuously create a clean and upright cyberspace.

Return to Top

Central government has allocated 103 billion yuan to support 52 "Mountains and Rivers Project" projects.

This newspaper Beijing (北京) January 10th (Reporter Qu Zhehan (曲哲涵)) Recently, the Ministry of Finance (财政部), the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部), and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (生态环境部), based on recommendations from various regions, selected 16 third-batch typical cases of integrated protection and restoration projects for mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. This further adds practical examples for national ecological protection and restoration work.

Since 2016, the central government has cumulatively allocated 103 billion yuan, supporting local implementation of 52 "Mountains and Rivers Project" projects in six batches, to 筑牢生态根基 (zhù láo shēng tài gēn jī - "strengthen the ecological foundation," to solidify and reinforce the foundation of ecological environment) for the construction of a beautiful China.

Return to Top

Software business revenue increased by 13.3% year-on-year.

This report Beijing (北京) January 10th (Reporter Liu Wenxin (刘温馨)) The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) data shows that in the first 11 months of 2025, China's (中国) software business revenue was 13,977.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%; the total profit of the software industry was 1,695.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%; software business exports were 56.89 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 8.1%, and the growth rate has maintained positive growth for 9 consecutive months.

Return to Top

A Digital "Training" Ground for Cars in Chongqing (New Economic Landscape: New Scenarios, New Momentum)

By: 本报记者 刘新吾

A new energy vehicle equipped with a connected automated driving system is driving smoothly. Suddenly, a pedestrian crosses the road at the intersection ahead. Roadside sensors accurately identify the situation and immediately transmit the data back to the cloud. The cloud platform completes the calculation and issues instructions, and the vehicle decelerates in advance to avoid the pedestrian...
　　Vehicles can "communicate," roads can "see," and the cloud can "make decisions." In the Intelligent Connected Vehicle Demonstration Zone of Western (Chongqing) Science City (西部（重庆）科学城), such road test scenarios occur frequently.
　　"In the demonstration zone, all types of data are fully connected and updated in real time." Chang Xueyang (常雪阳), Deputy Director of the Cloud Control Technology Center of the Science City Intelligent Connected Vehicle Innovation Center, said, pointing to the real-time monitoring screen, "With the help of 'vehicle-road-cloud integration' technology, the test road has truly become a digital 'training' ground."
　　Unlike traditional closed test sites, this digital "training" ground includes 50 kilometers of complex urban roads, from urban arterial roads and ramp hubs to community roads, covering vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles, as well as complex situations such as disabled vehicles occupying lanes.
　　"For vehicles, each test is a full-scale simulation." Chang Xueyang (常雪阳) said, "For road intelligent systems, pressure tests are also conducted every day."
　　Not only intelligent connected new energy vehicles, but the demonstration zone can also provide services for all types of vehicles. "By simply installing a small device, our logistics vehicles can use 'intelligent connectivity.' Express delivery can be combined with traffic lights, real-time road conditions, and cloud systems, making delivery safer and smoother," said Mr. Li (李先生), a logistics vehicle user.
　　In the demonstration zone, ordinary private cars, logistics vehicles, buses, etc. that are equipped with compliant communication terminals and positioning equipment can be connected to the system to achieve network upgrades, enjoy safety and convenience, and provide a large amount of real data. Currently, the system has been connected to more than 1,000 vehicles of various types.
　　Different vehicle types, different driving behaviors... In the demonstration zone, the massive amount of real data that is constantly accumulated is helping the system's decision-making model to continuously evolve, promoting innovative technologies to gradually move from the laboratory to broader applications.
　　Lai Chenguang (赖晨光), Dean of the School of Automotive Engineering at Chongqing University of Technology (重庆理工大学), said that the demonstration zone has solved problems such as the disconnection between closed sites and real road conditions, broken the "information silo" dilemma, and made testing closer to actual collaborative needs. "Combining single-vehicle intelligence with network empowerment helps car companies verify technologies through scenarios, reduce R&D and mass production risks, and also helps to solve the commercialization bottleneck of intelligent assisted driving," Lai Chenguang (赖晨光) said.
　　The construction of the digital "training" ground is also inseparable from policy support and institutional mechanism innovation.
　　Chongqing (重庆) has introduced a series of policies to promote the full coverage of perception, decision-making, control and other services based on "vehicle-road-cloud integration" in the demonstration area. At the same time, it explores mechanism innovation to clear key blockages for open testing such as multi-department management, road restrictions, and data disconnection: breaking down departmental barriers and promoting coordinated management by transportation, industry and information technology, public security and other departments; innovating test license and traffic accident insurance systems to reduce road test restrictions; establishing a unified data sharing and security management platform to promote cross-system integration of "vehicle-road-cloud"...
　　Precise policy support, rapid growth of road test scenarios, and release of strong industrial driving effects—
　　Attracted by the test scenarios, 15 car companies have unified standards to carry out joint debugging tests. Test vehicles from Toyota (丰田), Changan (长安) and other car companies have accumulated a large amount of data, which further promotes the rapid iteration of technologies such as networked assisted driving and virtual-real fusion testing; Zhiyu Weike (智御维科), Western Chuangyuan (西部创源) and other supporting companies have emerged, and the platforms and product orders they have developed are constantly flowing; Zhaoshang Cheyan (招商车研) has realized the simulation of thermal runaway propagation of complete vehicles, providing support for safety design, etc... Western (Chongqing) Science City (西部（重庆）科学城) has gathered more than 60 intelligent connected vehicle-related companies, covering the upstream and downstream of the industry such as complete vehicles, key components, charging facilities, and autonomous driving operations.
　　As of now, Chongqing (重庆) has gathered more than 270 automotive R&D centers such as the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Vehicle Safety Technology, launched the automotive "industrial brain," and built 4 future factories in the automotive industry. The city has 754 related industrial high-tech enterprises and 3,543 technology-based enterprises in the automotive field.

　　This issue is coordinated by: Cui Bin (崔斌)

Return to Top

Road Tests Help Automobiles "Practice in Real Combat" (Expert Commentary)

By: 郭 栋

Chongqing has a wide distribution of mountainous and hilly areas, with many complex road conditions such as sharp bends, steep slopes, and intersections, making it suitable as a "training ground" for assisted driving and autonomous driving technologies. On the one hand, the Western (Chongqing) Science City integrates road resources to allow technology to be perfected in "real combat"; on the other hand, it integrates the automotive industry chain and industry-university-research resources, forming a virtuous cycle of "testing-research and development-improvement."

China has built 17 national-level intelligent connected vehicle testing demonstration zones, with a cumulative opening of over 35,000 kilometers of testing demonstration roads. Various regions are solving complex environmental technical problems through differentiated scenario construction. From January to July 2025, the penetration rate of L2-level passenger cars in China reached 62.58%, and the installed capacity of 5G and cellular vehicle-to-everything (V2X) exceeded 3 million vehicles, continuously releasing the synergistic effect of the industry chain.

Building real and complex scenarios for road testing can allow intelligent connected technologies to be more fully verified and optimized, making vehicles safer and more reliable. At the same time, through unified standards and cross-regional data sharing, road testing pilots are gradually solving industry pain points and accelerating the commercialization of new technologies.

Today, with the empowerment of artificial intelligence technology, assisted driving functions can better cope with complex situations, and more and more ordinary-priced cars can also be equipped with this function. Various regions are accelerating the improvement of road intelligent facilities, promoting the interconnection of vehicles, roads, and clouds, and companies from different industries are working together to create many new travel services and industrial highlights.

In the future, more and more intelligent connected vehicles will move from test sites to daily life, promoting new vitality in China's automotive industry.

(The author is the Deputy Dean of the School of Vehicle Engineering at Chongqing University of Technology (重庆理工大学), and this article was compiled from an interview with Liu Xinwu (刘新吾), a reporter from this newspaper.)

Return to Top

Focus on Cultivating Integrated New Scenarios (Editor's Notes)

By: 崔 斌

Effectively cultivating new scenarios often proves insufficient through 单打独斗 (dān dǎ dú dòu - "fighting alone," acting individually without cooperation). The General Office of the State Council (国办) issued implementation opinions proposing support for the construction of "industry-specific integrated scenarios," emphasizing the collaborative and integrated nature of building new scenarios.

The demonstration zone conducts full-area road testing, relying not only on the progress of individual technologies but also on the mutual integration and promotion of new technologies, the improvement of the entire industrial chain's innovation capabilities, precise policy support, and a sound collaborative innovation ecosystem. The comprehensive effect of all aspects forms a path of "technological breakthrough - scenario verification - industrial application - system upgrade," helping new scenarios land and fully leverage their industrial driving role.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) announced the first batch of L3-level conditional autonomous driving vehicle access permits, and related models are being piloted in designated areas in Beijing (北京) and Chongqing (重庆). This means that new scenario applications such as intelligent connected vehicles and "vehicle-road-cloud integration" are gradually maturing and will have broader prospects. It is believed that as various regions further leverage the traction of related new scenarios, more complete and safer intelligent driving will be accelerated for application in daily travel.

Return to Top

How to Protect Nature Reserves

By: 本报记者 董丝雨

Natural reserves protect typical natural ecosystems, naturally concentrated distribution areas of rare and endangered wild animals and plants, and natural relics of special significance, playing an important role. On January 9, the State Council Executive Meeting reviewed and approved the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves (Revised Draft)." Why is it necessary to revise the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves"? What is the significance of this for promoting the development of natural reserves? The reporter interviewed relevant departments and experts.

Key Legislation Connecting the Past and the Future in the Field of Natural Protected Areas
The "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves" came into effect in 1994 and have played an important role in strengthening the construction of natural reserves, protecting the natural environment and natural resources, and safeguarding national ecological security.

With the continuous and rapid development of the economy and society and the in-depth promotion of the construction of a Beautiful China, the construction of natural reserves is facing new situations and tasks. Currently, China is building a natural protected area system with national parks as the main body, natural reserves as the foundation, and various natural parks as supplements, and has established more than 2,600 natural reserves of various levels and types. On January 1 this year, the National Park Law officially came into effect. The functional positioning, management system, control zoning, management measures, and legal responsibilities of natural reserves urgently need to be adjusted and improved to coordinate and connect with laws and regulations such as the National Park Law.

Yuan Jiming (袁继明), Director of the Natural Protected Area Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局), said that the revision of the regulations is a key piece of legislation connecting the past and the future in the field of natural protected areas. It is an institutional guarantee for promoting the standardized, standardized, and scientific management of natural reserves, and will further improve the legal and regulatory system for natural protected areas, promote the scientific and healthy development of natural reserves, and consolidate the foundation for ecological civilization construction.

From "Enclosure-style" Management to Refined Governance Improvement
To promote the construction of natural reserves with high quality, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of ecological protection first, coordinate protection and development, and implement overall protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive management of natural reserves in accordance with the characteristics and inherent laws of natural ecosystems.

Zoning control plays an important role in the protection and management of natural reserves. "A natural reserve is a complex ecosystem, and it is necessary to comprehensively consider the value of the ecosystem, the difficulty of resource protection, the environmental dependence of the original residents, and other factors, and take targeted zoning control measures to achieve a high degree of coordination in the management of different regions," said Gao Jixi (高吉喜), chief scientist at the Satellite Environment Application Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (生态环境部). The revision of the regulations adjusts the control zoning of natural reserves to core protected areas and general protected areas in accordance with the requirements of the "Guiding Opinions on Establishing a Natural Protected Area System with National Parks as the Main Body," further improving protection and management measures.

Differentiated control is a key governance measure to achieve strict protection and rational utilization. "Differentiated control must be scientifically demonstrated and carried out on the premise of ensuring the safety of the main protected objects and not damaging ecological functions," said Xu Jiliang (徐基良), Vice President of Hainan Normal University (海南师范大学). The differentiated control measures for different areas within natural reserves in the revision of the regulations mark the upgrading of China's natural protected areas from traditional "enclosure-style" management to refined governance based on scientific assessment, zoning, and classification.

Achieving the Unity of Ecological Protection, Green Development, and People's Livelihood Improvement
It is currently the migratory bird overwintering season. In the Yunnan Huize Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve (云南会泽黑颈鹤国家级自然保护区), black-necked cranes sometimes lower their heads to forage in the wetlands and sometimes take off gracefully. It not only carries the habitat needs of 233 species of overwintering migratory birds, but also guarantees the production and living needs of more than 20,000 residents.

"The revision of the regulations provides a legal basis for us to implement seasonal zoning and differentiated control, which helps us to better coordinate high-level protection and high-quality development, and broaden the paths and channels for the utilization of ecological products," said Xiao Liangkai (肖良开), Director of the Reserve Management Bureau.

To promote the construction of natural reserves with high quality, it is necessary to improve public service functions on the premise of ensuring that the ecology is protected, build a mechanism led by the government, with multiple parties participating and society sharing, and achieve the unity of ecological protection, green development, and people's livelihood improvement.

Most of Changle Village (长乐村) in Nanling County (南陵县), Wuhu (芜湖), Anhui (安徽), is located within the Anhui Yangtze Alligator National Nature Reserve (安徽扬子鳄国家级自然保护区). Thanks to ecological protection and restoration, the water quality and soil in the village have continued to improve. By transferring land to plant ecological rice, the village collective has increased its income, and villagers have also been able to find employment at their doorsteps. Zhang Chongzhi (章崇志), Director of the Reserve Administration Bureau, said that the original residents in the reserve can truly benefit from the green mountains and clear waters, turning "passive constraints" into "active protection," and building a community of interests for protection and development.

"On the premise of ecological protection, explore new models of natural protection and resource utilization to achieve ecological benefits for the people and scientific utilization," said Gao Jixi (高吉喜).

Yuan Jiming (袁继明) said that the next step will be to strictly manage natural protected areas in accordance with the law, strengthen departmental collaboration, jointly carry out law enforcement actions, form a joint regulatory force, severely crack down on illegal and criminal activities that damage natural protected areas, and ensure that laws are followed, law enforcement is strict, and violations are investigated. At the same time, we will sort out and improve the supporting system of systems and standards, orderly establish new national parks, strictly establish other new natural protected areas, establish a regular evaluation and exit mechanism for natural protected areas, and refine measures to protect the production and livelihoods of the original residents.

Return to Top

Photo Report

January 10th, the Qianhai Ice Rink in Shichahai (什刹海) of Beijing (北京) officially opened, attracting many citizens and tourists to come here for leisure and recreation. The operating area of the Qianhai Ice Rink is 35,000 square meters, and the business hours are from 8:00 to 21:00. The picture shows citizens and tourists playing on the ice rink on the 10th.

Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Han (谢晗) photographed.

Return to Top

"West-East Electricity Transfer" to Exceed 420 GW by 2030

This newspaper reported from Beijing on January 10th (Reporter Ding Yiting (丁怡婷)) that recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) and the National Energy Administration (国家能源局) jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of the Power Grid," which clarified that by 2030, a new type of power grid platform with the main grid and distribution network as important foundations and smart microgrids as a beneficial supplement will be initially built. The ability of the power grid to optimize resource allocation will be effectively enhanced, the scale of "West-East Electricity Transfer" ("西电东送") will exceed 420 million kilowatts, the new inter-provincial power mutual assistance capacity will be about 40 million kilowatts, supporting the proportion of new energy power generation to reach about 30%, and supporting more than 40 million charging infrastructures.

It is reported that China's power grid has become the world's largest extra-large power grid with the strongest transmission capacity, the highest operating voltage level, the largest new energy grid-connected scale, and the longest safe operation record. The national "West-East Electricity Transfer" capacity has reached 340 million kilowatts, accounting for about 23% of the country's maximum power load in 2025.

Zhang Lin (张琳), Director of the Planning and Development Department of the China Electricity Council (中国电力企业联合会), believes that energy production and consumption show a clear trend of electrification. Facing the new situation of rigid growth in future electricity demand, a gradual increase in the proportion of new energy supply, and a rapid expansion of the scale of inter-provincial and regional power transmission, power grid development is also facing new challenges such as increased system stability risks and insufficient safety bearing capacity. It is urgently necessary to scientifically coordinate and systematically plan the development direction and construction path of the power grid in the future.

The guiding opinions put forward seven aspects of tasks and measures, including clarifying the functional positioning of the new power grid platform, strengthening the unified planning and construction of power grids at all levels, and building a new power dispatching system. It mentioned that to implement the country's major strategic deployments, moderately advance, but not excessively advance, power grid investment and construction, increase the intensity of upgrading existing power grids, and ensure the construction of a new power system. Encourage eligible private capital to participate in power grid investment and construction.

Return to Top

This is how we answer the "Cave Dwelling Question"

By: 本报记者 张 洋 赵 成

"We must temper our original aspiration and mission, persevere with sustained effort, continue to answer the 'cave dwelling question' of Yan'an, and write a contemporary answer worthy of the people." On December 31, 2025, President Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered his New Year's address, specifically mentioning the "cave dwelling question."

With such a long history, large size, and long tenure in power, how can our Party escape the historical cycle of rise and fall? This is a question that transcends time and space, a test that must be answered well.

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the "cave dwelling question." We have carried out in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, established credibility through strict Party governance, removed corruption and fostered integrity to promote self-revolution, and the Party's conduct and political atmosphere have continued to improve.

2025 is the final year of the "14th Five-Year Plan." China's economy has moved forward against pressure, developing in a new and better direction, successfully completing the main goals of economic and social development, and Chinese-style modernization has taken new and solid steps.

In this year, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, we have unswervingly led social revolution with the Party's self-revolution, writing a new answer on the scroll of the times about original aspiration, responsibility, and the future. Don't stop chasing the wind and the moon; spring mountains lie at the end of the plains. Continuing to answer the "cave dwelling question" well will surely lead us on a new "examination road," and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable.

(I)

To answer the "cave dwelling question," one must not forget the original aspiration, and it is important to maintain clarity.

Turning the clock back to January 2025, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) warned the entire Party: "Corruption is the biggest threat our Party faces, and anti-corruption is the most thorough self-revolution." "We must resolutely clarify various erroneous understandings, clear up ideological fog, and further strengthen our determination and confidence in the fight against corruption"...

Without stopping for a moment or retreating half a step, the anti-corruption trumpet will always sound, and the Party's self-revolution will always be on the road.

Self-revolution is the second answer to the "cave dwelling question" and the secret to our Party's lasting vitality. It has long run through the Party's struggle, integrated into the Party's spiritual bloodline, and burst out with even more magnificent practical power in the new era. In the Chinese narrative of 2025, this distinct character is equally profound and penetrating.

From the beginning to the end of the year, the pace of self-revolution has never stopped. Several important instructions in December 2025 particularly demonstrate this determination and persistence:

At the Central Economic Work Conference, it was emphasized that "we must establish and practice a correct view of political achievements," "persist in achieving political achievements for the people," and "achieve political achievements through hard work";

Important instructions were made on the work of central enterprises, emphasizing "we must improve the system, strengthen supervision, resolutely punish corruption, persevere in rectifying the 'Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles' (四风), and strive to create a clean and upright political ecology";

At the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, it was pointed out that "comrades of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee should serve as a model of Party spirit and Party conduct, and set a good example for the entire Party in being faithful, pragmatic, responsible, and self-disciplined";

…………

To manage China's affairs well, the key lies in the Party. Promoting Chinese-style modernization is a pioneering undertaking unprecedented in history. The more we shoulder heavy responsibilities, the more we must be strong ourselves. Every deployment and every exhortation contains historical clarity and demonstrates strategic determination, all of which are firm answers to the "cave dwelling question."

Looking back at 2025, if we were to discuss the distinct notes of self-revolution, the in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation must be a shining highlight. The vast number of Party members and cadres have promoted learning, inspection, and rectification in an integrated manner, using excellent work styles to unite and concentrate efforts and start businesses.

In the new era and new journey, the Central Eight-Point Regulation is a move by the Party Central Committee to establish credibility, a landmark measure for governing the Party in the new era, which has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and attracted worldwide attention. Why is it being emphasized again at this time?

During his inspection in Guizhou (贵州) and Yunnan (云南) in March 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) remarks were concise and profound: "In recent years, the Eight-Point Regulation has indeed promoted fundamental changes, and the atmosphere has been renewed. Most of the phenomena that were difficult to reverse in the past are gone. At the same time, we must see that some places have loosened up, some aspects still have blind spots and dead corners, and some bad work styles have rebounded. Like nailing nails, nail them a few more times, and with sustained effort, transform customs and habits."

In his words, there is affirmation of historical achievements, but also a full understanding of the stubbornness and repetitiveness of the "Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles" (四风) problem. Work style construction is a battle of attrition and a protracted war, and we must have the clarity and consciousness of "always on the road" and the determination and perseverance to "do what we say and deliver on our promises."

After eighty years of vicissitudes, the "cave dwelling question" is still ringing in our ears.

On June 30, 2025, on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee conducted its twenty-first collective study on improving the long-term mechanism for implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation and rectifying the "Four Forms of Undesirable Work Styles" (四风). At the meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements to the entire Party: "Party organizations and Party members, no matter what level they are at or what work they are responsible for, should have the responsibility of self-revolution."

The string of the Party's self-revolution must not be relaxed for a moment and must be tightened even more.

(II)

With determination set and direction clear, the key lies in action.

In over a hundred years of trials and tribulations, our Party has grown from small to large and from weak to strong, inseparable from the strong support of self-revolution. Since the new era, political construction, ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, and discipline construction, with institutional construction running through them, have deeply promoted the anti-corruption struggle... Comprehensive and strict Party governance has continued to advance, curbing many unhealthy trends that were previously considered impossible to curb, removing some stubborn maladies that were difficult to remove for many years, and opening up a new realm of self-revolution.

In June 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out profoundly: "To promote the Party's self-revolution, we must further implement it in improving understanding, enhancing Party spirit, regulating the operation of power, strictly supervising and enforcing discipline, and fulfilling the responsibility of Party governance."

Targeted treatment and systematic integration, our Party is promoting the new great project of Party building in the new era to develop in depth with the spirit of thorough self-revolution.

Let's look at "regulating the operation of power." The institutional cage is becoming tighter and tighter.

In May 2025, the newly revised "Regulations on Practicing Economy and Opposing Waste in Party and Government Organs" was issued, attracting widespread attention from society. Working meals must not provide high-end dishes; it is strictly forbidden to add high-end configurations or luxurious interiors to official vehicles; strengthen the overall planning and standardization of investigations, inspections, and supervision to the grassroots level to prevent repeated gatherings and increase the burden on the grassroots level... One new regulation after another releases a strong signal of grasping extravagant and wasteful behavior to the end and never relaxing.

Hard requirements become hard measures, and iron rules grow iron teeth. On the one hand, the special team for in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation at the central level and the General Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection publicly reported multiple typical problems of violations of regulations on eating and drinking, and warning education has become the norm; on the other hand, purchasing office supplies first looks at the public property warehouse, scanning codes to eat during business trips, and the entire process of official vehicles is transparent... The system has moved from "paper" to "heart," and saving has changed from "requirement" to "habit."

In 2025, the "Regulations on the Clean Performance of Duties by Rural Grassroots Cadres" and the "Regulations on the Responsibility System for Ecological and Environmental Protection of Local Party and Government Leading Cadres (Trial Implementation)" were issued... The system of Party regulations continues to improve, putting power into the cage of the system.

Let's look at "strictly supervising and enforcing discipline." Party governance continues to extend to the grassroots level and exert efforts in depth.

The effectiveness of comprehensive and strict Party governance is best measured by the reputation of the masses.

In the past year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) went to various places for inspection and walked among the people. In Huludao (葫芦岛), Liaoning (辽宁), and other places, he visited and comforted grassroots cadres and the masses; in Lijiang Ancient City (丽江古城), Yunnan (云南), he learned about the operating conditions of shops and the feelings of tourists; in Meizhou (梅州), Guangdong (广东), he inspected the development of rural characteristic industries...

"Every 'small family' is bustling with activity, and China, this 'big family,' will thrive." According to the deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continued to deeply rectify unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems around the masses. "School meals" in primary and secondary schools, "difficulty in registration" of real estate, and management of "three rural assets" of rural collectives... One item after another is promoted and rectified, strictly investigating violations of discipline and law such as embezzlement, misappropriation, and interception, resolutely cutting off the "black hands" extending to the interests of the masses, making fairness and justice perceptible and accessible, and further consolidating the Party's heart and the people's hearts.

He who conquers himself is strong, and he who surpasses himself is forever transcendent.

Wherever the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee go, political supervision follows. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continued to promote the concretization, precision, and normalization of political supervision, focusing on strengthening supervision and inspection of the implementation of the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions and directives, identifying problems, consolidating responsibilities, and ensuring implementation.

Today, Party organizations at all levels adhere to grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, integrating the rectification of work style and discipline with anti-corruption, consciously making real efforts and seeking practical results in the "five further implementations," creating a strict atmosphere, and establishing a correct work style. This is not only answering the "cave dwelling question" with practical actions, but also accumulating the power to win people's hearts, win the initiative, and win the future.

(III)

Listening to the New Year's message, feeling the thriving China: "The national ceremony is majestic and heroic, and the glory of victory will be forever recorded in history," "Innovation and creation have spawned new quality productive forces and made life more colorful," "Tradition and modernity blend together, and Chinese culture blooms with even more brilliant light"...

Warm words convey confidence and凝聚力量 (níng jù lì liàng - "coagulate strength," to gather strength).

2025 was a very extraordinary year. Under the complex situation of increased external pressure and more internal difficulties, China's economy has maintained an overall stable and progressive development trend, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality.

Behind this heavy report card, there is the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the united struggle of the vast number of Party members, cadres, and the masses, which profoundly confirms the internal logic of "leading social revolution with the Party's self-revolution"—the Party's prosperity leads to the country's strength. The more effective Party governance is, the more powerful the guarantee for economic and social development will be.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee reviewed and approved the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal. At the meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) had a concise and in-depth explanation: "Through the Party's self-revolution, promoting new trends and righteousness, correcting stubborn maladies, creating a good political ecology, inspiring cadres to take responsibility, and凝聚民心民力 (níng jù mín xīn mín lì - "coagulate people's hearts and strength," to unite the people), we can continuously inject positive energy into economic and social development."

This is a summary of historical experience and a deeper response to the "cave dwelling question"—the purpose of self-revolution is not only to consolidate the Party's ruling foundation and maintain the Party's vitality forever, but also to vigorously promote social revolution and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by forging a stronger leadership core.

This insight transcends historical fog; this responsibility guides the future journey. It makes us more firm and more conscious when answering the "cave dwelling question."

In 2025, whether it was going to various places for inspection or attending important meetings, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) always put forward clear requirements for Party building when deploying economic and social development work.

During his inspection in Shanxi (山西), he pointed out that "we must carry forward the spirit of self-revolution, implement the responsibility of Party governance, adhere to grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, integrating the rectification of work style and discipline with anti-corruption, adhere to the strict tone, strict measures, and strict atmosphere for a long time, and strive to create a clean and upright political ecology";

When listening to the report on the construction of the Hainan (海南) Free Trade Port, he pointed out that "we must improve the mechanism for comprehensively promoting the courage to not be corrupt, the inability to be corrupt, and the unwillingness to be corrupt, and focus on eradicating the soil and conditions for the breeding of corruption";

During his inspection in Guangdong (广东), he emphasized that "we must贯穿 (guàn chuān - "run through," to permeate) the entire process of power operation with the rectification of work style and discipline and anti-corruption, comprehensively promote the courage to not be corrupt, the inability to be corrupt, and the unwillingness to be corrupt, and lead the formation of a good development environment with a clean and upright political ecology";

…………

With a clear breeze and righteousness, it is the right time to forge ahead. Over the past year, Party organizations at all levels have unremittingly used Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to凝聚 (níng jù - "coagulate," to concentrate) the soul, guiding the vast number of Party members and cadres to get the ideological methods right and move forward in unison; resolutely fighting the tough battle and protracted war against corruption, urging the vast number of Party members and cadres to abide by rules and discipline and work cleanly; continuously rectifying formalism to reduce the burden on the grassroots level, and promoting the vast number of grassroots cadres to go into battle lightly and strive for progress.

I still remember that during the 2025 National People's Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Major economic provinces must shoulder heavy responsibilities, adhere to the Party's comprehensive leadership, and lead high-quality development with high-quality Party building."

This is a hard requirement and a "golden key." Various localities adhere to Party building leadership, the Party organization's fighting fortress is becoming more and more solid, and Party members and cadres are shouldering heavy responsibilities and taking the lead on the front line of tackling tough problems, and the Party's political advantages and organizational advantages are continuously transformed into development advantages and governance effectiveness. If you want to ask how the "cave dwelling question" is answered, the answer is written in the vigorous vitality of economic and social development and in the smiles of the people living and working in peace and contentment.

The "examination" has no end, and the "cave dwelling question" is always answered with new insights.

Return to Top

The number of "Xiong'an All-in-One Cards" issued exceeds 800,000.

This newspaper, Xiong'an (雄安), January 10th (Reporter Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿)) - The reporter learned from the Public Service Bureau of Hebei Xiong'an New Area (河北雄安新区): As of the end of December 2025, the number of "Xiong'an All-in-One Card" social security cards issued has exceeded 800,000, with a cumulative usage of over 6 million times.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Public Service Bureau of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), the "Xiong'an All-in-One Card" social security card was officially issued in January 2024. Through the continuous expansion of livelihood function integration, the card has achieved "multi-card integration." Residents of the New Area only need to carry one social security card to conveniently complete identity verification and payment, and enjoy various services such as government affairs, human resources and social security, medical care, transportation, culture and tourism, and finance. Currently, with the "Xiong'an All-in-One Card," universal access to six major scenarios, including human resources and social security services, medical treatment and drug purchases, transportation, tourism, book borrowing, and museum visits, can be achieved in both Beijing (北京) and Xiong'an (雄安).

In order to better meet the needs of relocated personnel and residents of the New Area for the convenience of public services, the Public Service Bureau of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) launched the "Xiong'an All-in-One Card" WeChat mini-program in April 2025, establishing special zones such as "All-in-One Card Application," "Featured Services," "Life Services," and "Social Security Card Resident Service One-Stop Shop," undertaking multiple rounds of government consumption voucher distribution activities, benefiting 600,000 people.

Return to Top

First Edition Editors: Yang Xu, Zhang Shuaizhen, Luan Xinyi; Second Edition Editors: Jiang Xuejie, Qi Jiarun, Guo Xueyan; Third Edition Editors: Han Xiaoming, Jiang Bo, Li Anqi; Fourth Edition Editors: Bai Zhiyu, Chen Zhen, Zhang Xueyan

Return to Top

Sharing Ice and Snow Opportunities, Jointly Promoting Urban Development

By: 本报记者 祝大伟 方 圆

From January 6th to 8th, the "World Mayors Dialogue · Harbin" event was held in Harbin (哈尔滨), Heilongjiang Province (黑龙江省). Mayors, deputy mayors, and mayor representatives from countries such as Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and China participated. With the theme of "Ice and Snow Connect the World, Cooperation and Win-Win Future," this event focused on topics such as the sustainable development of the ice and snow economy and global cooperation, innovation in urban public governance, technology empowering the ice and snow industry, and the creation of "Ice and Snow IPs," exchanging and sharing experiences and practices in the development of the ice and snow industry.

Ice and Snow Economy: Drawing a New Picture of Industry

City representatives attending the event jointly released the "Harbin Initiative of the World Mayors Dialogue on 'Sharing Ice and Snow Opportunities and Promoting Urban Development.'" From "**各美其美**" (gè měi qí měi - "each appreciates its own beauty," each appreciating its own unique beauty) to "**美美与共**" (měi měi yǔ gòng - "appreciating the beauty of others together," a state where everyone appreciates the beauty of others and lives in harmony), they brainstormed and contributed solutions for exploring diverse paths for high-quality development of global cities.

"Harbin (哈尔滨) transforms the ice and snow endowed by nature into ice and snow tourism products and 'gold and silver mountains.' Ice and snow culture and the ice and snow economy are becoming new driving forces for Harbin's (哈尔滨) high-quality development and new bonds for opening up to the outside world. We hope to work hand in hand with cities around the world, cooperate for win-win results, and jointly write a new chapter of high-quality development," said Wang Hesheng (王合生), Mayor of Harbin (哈尔滨).

On January 6th, as dusk fell, the Harbin Ice and Snow World (哈尔滨冰雪大世界) was resplendent with colorful lights. Guests who had just attended the opening ceremony of the "World Mayors Dialogue · Harbin" strolled through the park.

"This is an unforgettable experience. I would recommend the Ice and Snow World to everyone – you must come here in person," said Andrew Knack, Mayor of Edmonton (埃德蒙顿), Canada.

In recent years, Harbin (哈尔滨) has continuously explored new scenarios for ice and snow consumption, with diversified business formats such as ice and snow hot springs, themed homestays, immersive performances, and regional cuisine flourishing. Ice and snow tourism outlines Harbin's (哈尔滨) poetic "beauty value," while the ice and snow economy forges a solid "output value" for urban development.

On January 6th, the 2026 Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo opened. At the expo site, guests directly felt the development pulse of Harbin's (哈尔滨) ice and snow economic industry. "In the morning, we look at the ice and snow economy; in the afternoon, we appreciate the ice and snow scenery. This city has taken ice and snow to the extreme," the guests exclaimed.

The expo has an exhibition area of over 20,000 square meters, with one central exhibition area and six themed exhibition areas covering ice and snow sports, culture, education, and other fields. About 300 companies from countries and regions such as Finland, Switzerland, and Austria gathered at the expo to promote cultural exchange and industrial and trade cooperation between international cities.

Rovaniemi (罗瓦涅米), Finland, is the guest of honor city at this year's expo. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of international friendship city relations between the city and Harbin (哈尔滨). Heikki Kontiosaari, Deputy Speaker of the City Council, said: "Ice and snow are not only a gift of nature but also a global platform for business and innovation. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Economic Expo is a practical invitation to the world for cooperation."

Ice and Snow Culture: New Opportunities for Exchange and Cooperation

On January 7th, guests attending the "World Mayors Dialogue · Harbin" came to the Harbin Concert Hall (哈尔滨音乐厅) to listen to the symphony "Ode to Civilization" with the citizens of Harbin (哈尔滨). The music integrates Eastern and Western musical elements, presenting the process of exchange, mutual learning, and mutual integration of different civilizations in the long river of history.

Thorsten Kroll, Deputy Mayor of Magdeburg (马格德堡), Germany, highly praised "Ode to Civilization." He said that music transcends language and national boundaries, and he deeply felt the power of mutual learning and diverse integration of civilizations in the symphony.

Harbin (哈尔滨) has been awarded the title of "City of Music" by the United Nations. The city's characteristic of "**海纳百川，中西合璧**" (hǎi nà bǎi chuān, zhōng xī hé bì - "all rivers run into the sea, a combination of Chinese and Western styles," embracing diverse cultures and integrating Chinese and Western elements) goes far beyond music. The integration of Chinese and Western cultures in Harbin (哈尔滨) flows in the city's breath – the bustling Central Street (中央大街), where buildings of Baroque, Art Nouveau, and other styles are densely intertwined and staggered.

Heikki Kontiosaari said that the practical experience of Harbin (哈尔滨) and Rovaniemi (罗瓦涅米) in architecture, planning, tourism, and climate adaptation can provide useful lessons for global cities to cope with extreme weather and climate change.

During the event, various cities extended cooperation invitations to Harbin (哈尔滨): Magdeburg (马格德堡), Germany, is willing to learn from Harbin's (哈尔滨) mature development model and practical path in the field of ice and snow tourism; Halandri (哈兰德里), Greece, hopes to carry out cultural exchange activities with Harbin (哈尔滨); Bucheon (富川), South Korea, hopes to carry out in-depth cooperation with Harbin (哈尔滨) in smart cities, economic and trade activities, and cultural and artistic exchanges... Harbin (哈尔滨) is actively connecting with and embracing the world with an open attitude.

Ice and Snow Sports: Releasing New Urban Vitality

Ice skating, curling, ice dragon boat racing, and other ice sports are being carried out enthusiastically. Outdoor robot performances drew applause and cheers from citizens and tourists... On the morning of January 7th, the guests ushered in an immersive ice and snow experience. They walked into the mass activity area of the Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival (松花江冰雪嘉年华) to feel the passion brought by ice and snow sports.

On the ice, Harbin (哈尔滨) citizens skated lightly on ice skates; in the sound of ice tops, children played to their heart's content; athletes from local trade unions were stepping up preparations for the职工冰雪运动会 (Staff Ice and Snow Games)... This ordinary and lively scene allowed the guests to appreciate the philosophy of life of Harbin (哈尔滨) people, and also allowed them to directly feel the charm of Harbin (哈尔滨) as the "City of Olympic Champions." The guests also listened to the story of Harbin (哈尔滨) as the "birthplace of modern ice and snow sports in China" – from the first introduction of modern ice and snow sports from the Arctic Ski Resort to the establishment of the first ice training class in the country, and to the glorious history of Harbin (哈尔滨) athletes winning 9 Olympic gold medals for the country so far.

Zafer Aynalı, Deputy Mayor of Erzurum (埃尔祖鲁姆) Metropolitan Municipality, Turkey, was particularly interested in the curling project: "I am the chairman of the curling association in my region. It is admirable to hear that Harbin (哈尔滨) is the first city in China to develop curling."

The urban spirit nurtured by the enthusiasm of the whole people for ice and snow continues to be transformed into vigorous development momentum. Andrew Knack shared: "When citizens stay active and social in winter, the city's health, cohesion, and economic vitality will be improved simultaneously."

Ice and snow have shaped the optimistic and fearless character of Harbin (哈尔滨) people, and have also created the city's unique development path of turning "cold resources" into a "hot economy." Thanks to the wave from the inside out, from citizens to tourists, and from sports to industry, Harbin (哈尔滨) received a cumulative total of 90.357 million tourists during the 2024-2025 ice and snow season, and the total scale of the ice and snow economy in 2024 exceeded 160 billion yuan.

Return to Top

"I perform 'physical examinations' on trains along the China-Laos Railway"

By: 本报记者 杨 一

As night falls, the trains on the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway finish their day's operations and return to the depot one after another. The Vientiane (万象) Rolling Stock Depot and Maintenance Workshop enters its busiest time of the day. Late at night, the trains undergo routine "check-ups" here to ensure safe and smooth operation the next day.

28-year-old Lao girl Phomphimone Mongchanty has a beautiful Chinese name – Peng Mengyu (彭梦雨). She is a locomotive fitter on the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway, responsible for "diagnosing and prescribing" for the important locomotive in the train set.

Every working day at 8:00 AM, Peng Mengyu puts on her work clothes, wears her safety helmet, and appears in the maintenance workshop on time. As soon as a locomotive returns to the depot, she immediately gets inside the locomotive to conduct a comprehensive inspection and maintenance of the components of equipment such as the internal combustion engine and braking system. When the locomotive first returns to the depot, the temperature inside the car is as high as 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, and a single maintenance usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. After each maintenance, Peng Mengyu is covered in sweat. "The maintenance work is related to the safety of passengers' lives and cannot tolerate any carelessness. No matter how hot or tired we are, we must ensure the safe operation of the train," Peng Mengyu said firmly. Since the train sets return to the depot in the evening, late-night maintenance is commonplace for locomotive fitters. Peng Mengyu maintains an average of 17 trains a day, and the latest she has worked was until 4:00 AM.

Locomotive fitters often work shifts and overtime, and their work schedule is irregular, but Peng Mengyu has never regretted her initial choice. In 2015, the China-Laos Railway started construction in Laos. Peng Mengyu, who was studying at Guiyang Vocational and Technical College (贵阳职业技术学院) in China at the time, was very excited when she saw the news. After completing her language studies, she chose the Railway Transportation Operation and Management major without hesitation. After graduation, Peng Mengyu submitted her resume to Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (老中铁路有限公司) and successfully joined the company. After a series of theoretical and practical training and internships, she officially became a locomotive fitter in February 2022. "I have liked disassembling and assembling things since I was a child, and I am particularly interested in mechanical structures," Peng Mengyu said. "Although locomotive fitting is a traditionally male-dominated position, I think that as long as you love it and are willing to study it, women can do it well too."

With this love and tenacity, Peng Mengyu has been working as a locomotive fitter for more than three years. "Initially, I encountered tests of physical strength and lack of experience. Many operations involved in maintenance work require strength, such as disassembling large parts and carrying heavy tools, which is a very real challenge for women," Peng Mengyu said. "At that time, I often asked my master for advice, practiced the correct force posture and learned to use auxiliary tools whenever I had free time, and strengthened my physical exercise at the same time. Gradually, my physical fitness improved, and the work became safer and more efficient to complete." These experiences made Peng Mengyu understand that difficulties are not terrible, the key is to learn and improve with your heart.

Peng Mengyu feels that compared with male colleagues, female locomotive fitters are more careful and patient, and are more sensitive to equipment inspection, parts measurement, and assembly accuracy. "Locomotive maintenance requires high standards and great responsibility. Every time I complete a maintenance and see the locomotive safely leave the depot, a sense of accomplishment arises spontaneously. I give trains 'check-ups' on the China-Laos Railway, and this job makes me more confident and stronger," Peng Mengyu sincerely said. Now she has a stable income, can support her younger sister to go to college, and often gives her parents and younger brother pocket money. "My family is also proud that I can be engaged in important work on this important railway."

Peng Mengyu lives in Mengsai County (孟赛县), Oudomxay Province (乌多姆赛省) in northern Laos, where the China-Laos Railway has a station. "Before the railway opened, it took me 12 hours to travel from Vientiane (万象) to home. Now it only takes more than two hours by train, and I go home to see my family every month," Peng Mengyu said.

As the China-Laos Railway has been in operation for four years, there are more and more Lao female train attendants and maintenance workers like Peng Mengyu, contributing female strength to the burgeoning Lao railway industry. At present, Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (老中铁路有限公司) has 345 female employees, accounting for about 20%, which is higher than the average level of the international railway industry. They are active in locomotives, vehicles, communications, engineering, passenger transport, trains, coordination, and other positions, undertaking the key responsibilities of ensuring the safe and smooth operation of the China-Laos Railway.

In order to continuously optimize and improve the training mechanism for female employees, the China-Laos Railway encourages female employees to study professional skills and bravely shoulder management responsibilities through activities such as holding technical competitions, skills training, and training in China. In previous evaluations, female employees accounted for 40% and 21% of "Excellent Lao Employees" and "Professional and Technical Experts" respectively. More and more women are taking on the positions of squad leader and team leader, gradually participating in railway production management, and growing into the first generation of railway professional and technical management talents in Laos.

"I am very grateful to the Chinese masters who led me at the beginning. They not only taught me technology, but also taught me the attitude to treat work and face difficulties." Talking about the future, Peng Mengyu said that she hopes that she can be like the predecessors on the railway, "**把自己的经验传授给年轻职工**" (bǎ zìjǐ de jīngyàn chuánshòu gěi niánqīng zhígōng - "pass on one's experience to young employees," to impart one's knowledge and skills to the next generation), help more people like and take root in this position, and become a role model for female technicians.

Return to Top

Denying Forced "Comfort Women" Challenges Basic International Consensus (International Forum)

By: 苏圣捷

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (高市早苗) recklessly described the so-called "Taiwan emergency" as a "survival-threatening crisis" that might constitute Japan's exercise of the right to collective self-defense, exposing her confrontational attitude towards the post-war international order and historical responsibility: downplaying the national guilt in the history of aggression into a "disputed narrative," and then using exaggerated or even fabricated risk narratives to hollow out the post-war international order. On the issue of "comfort women," Takaichi's position also clearly exposes this erroneous view of history.

When dealing with the historical issue of World War II aggression, Takaichi did not adopt "positive reflection," but "unreasonable counterattack." She portrayed the legitimate accountability of the forces of justice surrounding the issues of forced "comfort women" and laborers as China and South Korea "spreading false information to the world," and demanded that the Japanese government strengthen its so-called "historical diplomacy" and actively "correct" the outside world. As early as 1997, she joined the Diet Members' League "Thinking about Japan's Future and Historical Education Youth Diet Members' Association," which was formed by Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三) and others with the so-called "correcting masochistic historical views" as its guideline, and served as acting secretary-general. In 2014, the Liberal Democratic Party's (自民党) Policy Research Council, led by her, formed a decision on the "comfort women" issue, publicly demanding that the then-Cabinet Secretary-General issue a new "statement" to replace the 1993 "Kono Statement." In 2021, when she ran for president of the Liberal Democratic Party, she said in an interview with Japanese media that Japan's "historical diplomacy" was too weak and that a cross-departmental mechanism should be established to speak out to the outside world.

On the issue of "comfort women," Takaichi often uses two sets of rhetoric, and her political purpose clearly points to "de-responsibilization." First, she endlessly dwells on the expression "military comfort women" (从军慰安妇), emphasizing that this statement is not an official wartime term and has a strong accusatory color, in order to achieve the purpose of public opinion manipulation that "'comfort women' issue is fabricated after the war." Second, she denies the existence of coercion and national responsibility in the Japanese military's "comfort women" system, emphasizing that "there is no evidence to prove the military's direct forced recruitment." The two sets of rhetoric support each other. The former seems to be a dispute over words, but in fact it paves the way for the latter: first shift public attention from institutional facts to appellations, and then break down national responsibility into "individual excesses."

The term "comfort women" (慰安妇) has long existed in Japanese, but as a specific historical term for the group of female victims under the Japanese military's sexual slavery system during World War II, it was formed by consensus from various expressions when academia in various countries investigated and studied this history after the war. Wartime documents used both "comfort women" (慰安妇) and other terms such as "prostitutes" (酌妇) and "special women" (特殊妇女) to record relevant personnel and conduct flow management. In recent years, the Japanese government changed "military comfort women" (从军慰安妇) to "comfort women" (慰安妇) in order to cut off the relationship between the government, the military and "comfort women." Deleting the word "military" (从军) is intended to show that "comfort women" (慰安妇) has nothing to do with the government and the military. Its essence is a kind of issue transfer: replacing the issue of "where is the institutional responsibility chain" with "whether a certain word appears in historical documents." Once this transfer is established, it will be easier to shirk national responsibility to "private transactions."

The "Kono Statement" clearly pointed out that the Japanese military directly or indirectly participated in the establishment and management of "comfort stations" and the transportation of "comfort women"; "comfort women" were mainly recruited by merchants who accepted military requests, but in reality, there were many cases of using flowery words or coercion against their will, and there were indeed phenomena of official participation in this matter; "comfort women" were in a forced state in "comfort stations" and lived a miserable life. The Japanese right wing limits "coercion" to "whether they were kidnapped with guns," artificially cutting off the entire chain of institutional coercion - from military demand-driven, administrative intervention, to the deception and coercion in the recruitment process and the control of personal freedom, and even pushing national responsibility back to "market spontaneity," and calling institutional guilt "individual excesses." It needs to be emphasized that the "Kono Statement" is not a political rhetoric under external pressure, but a formal statement made by the Japanese government on the basis of investigation, and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs still publishes its full text. Denying the key content of the statement is tantamount to denying the Japanese government's own investigation conclusions.

Based on archival materials and a large number of survivor testimonies, the international community has long formed a clear conclusion. A 1996 report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights pointed out that the "comfort women" system was a system in which the Japanese government forced women from victimized countries to serve as sexual slaves for the Japanese military during World War II, and the Japanese government should apologize. The Japanese right wing continues to tout the so-called "no coercion," which is essentially to deny national responsibility, deny the legitimacy of apologies and compensation, and attempt to fundamentally challenge the basic consensus formed by the international community on the war crimes of Japanese militarism.

Faced with Takaichi's "double revisionism" in the dimensions of history and security, countries in the region and the international community have a responsibility to speak with archives, facts, and international law, firmly safeguard historical justice and the post-war international order, oppose any words and deeds that glorify aggression and promote war, and jointly maintain peace and stability in East Asia and the world.

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Social History and Literature, East China Normal University (华东师范大学))

Return to Top

Tanzanian President Hassan Meets with Wang Yi

Xinhua News Agency, Dar es Salaam, January 10th (Reporters Hua Hongli (华洪立) and Lin Guangyao (林光耀)) Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (萨米娅·苏卢胡·哈桑) met with Wang Yi (王毅), Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Dar es Salaam on the 10th.

Hassan (哈桑) asked Wang Yi (王毅) to convey her New Year greetings and best wishes to President Xi Jinping (习近平), and thanked China for providing substantial support for Tanzania's development within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Tanzania firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and is willing to actively align its development plans with China, deepen practical cooperation, revitalize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and build a regional prosperity belt, strengthen inter-party exchanges, expand people-to-people exchanges, help Tanzania's economic growth, and benefit the people of both countries. Tanzania highly appreciates the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping (习近平) and is willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China to promote the establishment of a more just and reasonable international governance system.

Wang Yi (王毅) conveyed President Xi Jinping's (习近平) cordial greetings to Hassan (哈桑), saying that China and Tanzania are friends with a shared future. The friendship between the two countries was personally forged and nurtured by the older generation of leaders, and has withstood the test of international vicissitudes. It is our most valuable spiritual wealth. The two sides should jointly inherit and carry forward this friendship and constantly enrich it with new connotations of the times. China cherishes the relations between the two parties and two countries and is willing to work with Tanzania to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen exchanges of experience in governance, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen cultural exchanges, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Tanzania.

Wang Yi (王毅) said that China appreciates Tanzania's adherence to the one-China principle and firmly supports Tanzania in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and national dignity, and in following a development path that suits its own national conditions. The two sides should actively promote high-quality development of cooperation between the two countries and turn the revitalized Tanzania-Zambia Railway into an engine for regional development. China supports Tanzania in playing a greater role in regional and international affairs and is willing to work with Tanzania and other developing countries to be a force for peace, a force for stability, and a force for progress in the world.

During his visit, Wang Yi (王毅) also held talks with Tanzanian Foreign Minister January Yusuf Makamba (孔博) and jointly met with reporters.

Return to Top

China and Africa jointly defend justice, jointly pursue progress, and jointly advocate mutual benefit.

Dar es Salaam, January 9 (Xinhua) -- (Reporters Hua Hongli (华洪立) and Lin Guangyao (林光耀)) On January 9, 2026, local time, Wang Yi (王毅), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with reporters jointly with Tanzanian Foreign Minister, January Makamba (孔博), after their talks in Dar es Salaam.

Wang Yi (王毅) said that China and Tanzania have a long-standing traditional friendship. The profound friendship forged by Tanzania's founding President Julius Nyerere (尼雷尔) with Chairman Mao Zedong (毛泽东) and Premier Zhou Enlai (周恩来) laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of China-Tanzania relations. Since China entered a new era, President Xi Jinping (习近平) visited Tanzania for the first time in Africa in 2013, where he put forward the concept of genuine affinity, sincerity, amity and good faith towards Africa, carrying on the past and forging ahead, keeping pace with the times, and setting a new milestone in the history of China-Africa relations. My visit is to follow the friendly policy towards Africa established by President Xi Jinping (习近平), implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and inject new impetus into the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Tanzania.

Wang Yi (王毅) said that this visit to Africa is the 36th consecutive year that the Chinese Foreign Minister has made Africa the first visit of the new year. 36 years have passed 弹指一挥间 (tán zhǐ yī huī jiān - "snap of the fingers," in the blink of an eye; in an instant), what has changed is the vicissitudes of life and the cycle of time, what remains unchanged is China's consistent and unwavering policy towards Africa. We will show the world through adhering to and carrying forward this tradition that China-Africa friendship transcends the limitations of time and space, transcends the changes in the international situation, and transcends the disturbances of temporary events. Common ideals unite us closely, and the need to accelerate development and revitalization unites us closely. China-Africa cooperation is an important part of global South-South cooperation, with huge endogenous power and a bright development prospect.

Wang Yi (王毅) said that we can summarize China-Africa friendship and trust into three points:

First, jointly defend justice. China and Africa fought side by side in the arduous struggle against imperialism and colonialism, for national liberation and the pursuit of development and revitalization. Now, they support each other on issues involving each other's core interests, firmly safeguard the common interests of the Global South, firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and firmly act as a stabilizing force in a world intertwined with changes and chaos. China supports Tanzania in safeguarding its own sovereignty, security and development interests, supports the Tanzanian people in taking a successful development path that suits its own national conditions, and opposes any external forces interfering in Tanzania's internal affairs under various pretexts.

Second, jointly pursue progress. Both China and Africa are people-centered, closely follow the pulse of the times for development and progress, and promote the leapfrog development of China-Africa relations. President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed that China and Africa join hands to achieve "six modernizations" and build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, leading the direction of South-South cooperation and staying at the forefront of the times. China and Africa have agreed to continue to stand on the side of historical progress and on the side of the common interests of all mankind. China-Tanzania relations have transcended the bilateral scope, fit the historical trend of the collective rise of the Global South, and have important ideological value and guiding role.

Third, jointly advocate mutual benefit. China-Africa cooperation is a symphony, not a solo. China and Africa's joint pursuit of modernization is the pursuit of mutual benefit and win-win results. China is willing to further connect its development strategies with those of African countries, promote the implementation of the results of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Africa more and faster, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, minerals, manufacturing and other fields, and work together on the journey of modernization. Two months ago, with the personal concern and promotion of the heads of state of China, Tanzania and Zambia, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (坦赞铁路) revitalization project started smoothly. This is the best way for our generation to comfort our predecessors and inspire future generations. China is willing to work with Tanzania to promote the revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (坦赞铁路) with high efficiency and high quality, jointly build a prosperity belt along the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (坦赞铁路), make it a new engine for Tanzania's development, give Tanzania wings to take off, and enable the railway and all cooperation projects involving China to better and more sustainably benefit the local people, and continuously enrich and develop the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Tanzania.

Return to Top

Joint Press Communiqué Between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Republic of Tanzania

"From Shared History to Shared Future: China and Tanzania Join Hands to Forge a Fruitful Partnership"

At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, January Makamba (马哈茂德·萨比特·孔博), Wang Yi (王毅), Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, paid a visit to Tanzania from January 9 to 10, 2026.

The two foreign ministers held talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, highly praising the traditional friendship between China and Tanzania based on trust and mutual respect. The Chinese side congratulated Tanzania on the successful holding of the general election in October 2025 and firmly supported the Tanzanian government in safeguarding constitutional order in accordance with the law, protecting the lives and property of the people, and maintaining national stability. Both sides reaffirmed their common opposition to violence, external interference, and acts that endanger national unity. The Chinese side reiterated its full confidence in the Tanzanian national leadership and system to independently handle internal affairs.

The Tanzanian side reiterated its firm support for the one-China principle, always believing that there is only one China in the world, respecting China's national unity and territorial integrity, and emphasizing that any form of division is unacceptable. The Tanzanian side supports all efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification and safeguard territorial integrity.

The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the fruitful results achieved in China-Tanzania relations and friendly cooperation over the past 60 years, and committed to implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state in September 2024, further promoting the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level of all-round political mutual trust, and coordinating positions and supporting each other on issues concerning each other's core interests. The Chinese side is willing to continue to work with the Tanzanian side to implement the results of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, actively consider supporting projects in infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, green development, digital economy and other fields, systematically promote the quality and upgrading of practical cooperation between the two sides, and achieve common development.

China and Tanzania are committed to strengthening the alignment of development strategies. The "Tanzania Development Vision 2050" is anchored on the goals of achieving a strong and inclusive economy, human resource development, and sustainable prosperity. China will basically realize socialist modernization by 2035. The two sides agreed to further expand bilateral trade and investment. The Chinese side welcomes Tanzania's ambition to double its exports to China by 2030 and pledged to support Tanzania through capacity building in trade and customs management. The Chinese side reiterated that China's super-large market is always open to Tanzania, granting African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China 100% zero-tariff treatment for products under tariff items. The Chinese side will encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Tanzania. Both sides reaffirmed that they will further create a fair and convenient business environment.

Both sides welcomed the smooth start of the TAZARA (Tanzania-Zambia Railway) activation project and expressed their willingness to support the implementation of the project. The two sides will actively implement the joint statement of the governments of China, Tanzania and Zambia on jointly building the TAZARA prosperity belt, actively promote the comprehensive development along the railway, connect infrastructure such as railways and ports, expand cooperation in the TAZARA prosperity belt, release regional development potential, and create a model for high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" between China and Africa. The two sides are exploring the possibility of holding a high-level conference on the TAZARA prosperity belt in the near future.

The two sides agreed to jointly organize the "China-Africa People-to-People and Cultural Exchange Year" activities in 2026, expand bilateral cooperation in culture, tourism, education, public health, sports, youth, think tanks, media and other fields, and consolidate the public opinion foundation for China-Tanzania friendship. The two sides agreed to take measures to further facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries, promote people-to-people connectivity and trade exchanges.

The two sides pledged to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs and multilateral institutions. Tanzania appreciates the series of global initiatives proposed by China and is committed to actively participating in relevant activities through existing bilateral mechanisms to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In addition, both sides believe that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected by international law. Both sides reaffirmed their firm defense of the Charter of the United Nations, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and called for resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation.

(Xinhua News Agency, Dar es Salaam (达累斯萨拉姆), January 10)

Return to Top

Indonesia welcomes Chinese companies to invest in key national development areas.

Jakarta, January 10th (People's Daily reporter Li Peisong (李培松)) Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga (艾尔朗加) stated on the 9th that Indonesia welcomes Chinese enterprises to carry out deeper cooperation in key areas that align with Indonesia's national development agenda.

Airlangga (艾尔朗加) stated that he welcomes Chinese companies to invest and cooperate in key areas such as high-quality infrastructure and logistics, industrial downstreaming and manufacturing, clean and renewable energy, the digital economy, food security, healthcare, and human capital development.

Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong (王鲁彤) said on the same day that China and Indonesia are both major developing countries, emerging market countries, and major forces in the Global South. The relationship between the two countries has significant strategic importance and far-reaching global influence.

Return to Top

China-Europe Railway Express (Changsha) Exceeds 1,000 Trains for 5th Consecutive Year

This newspaper Changsha (长沙) January 10th (Reporter Yang Xun (杨迅)) The reporter recently learned: In 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express (Changsha) operated 1,037 trains, exceeding the 1,000-train mark for five consecutive years, with a cumulative total of over 6,500 trains to date.

In 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express (Changsha) transported 85,072 TEUs, with a cargo value exceeding US$2.3 billion. Among these, 681 were export trains and 356 were import trains, with the scale and channel efficiency continuing to improve. Twelve regular "premium routes" radiate to nearly 30 countries and 100 cities in Europe and Asia, building a solid logistics support for high-level opening up to the outside world.

At the end of 2025, the nation's first multimodal transport "single bill" United Nations transferable cargo document based on the United Nations Convention on Transferable Goods Documents was successfully applied to the China-Europe Railway Express (Changsha), solving the industry pain point of traditional railway bills of lading not having the function of property rights certificates. The Changsha Municipal Logistics Port Office (长沙市物流口岸办) and Xingsha Customs (星沙海关) jointly exerted efforts to facilitate the operation of the China-Europe Railway Express.

Return to Top

53 Years of Persistent "Deliberation":桂花 Village Gets Better and Better

By: 本报记者 朱 磊

Although the north wind is cold, in the Guihua Village (桂花村) village committee of Yifeng County (宜丰县), Yichun City (宜春市), Jiangxi Province (江西省), the 9 o'clock meeting was already full by 8:40.

Pushing open the door of the meeting room, village Party secretary Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) was leading the study of the "15th Five-Year Plan" recommendations, "Strengthening Party building to lead grassroots governance and the construction of grassroots political power, my understanding is that Party members must step forward when something happens."

How to drive industrial development, how to solve the problem of tap water in remote natural villages... everyone discussed enthusiastically.

The 15th of each month as "Party Member Study and Deliberation Day" is a rule that Guihua Village (桂花村) has adhered to for 53 years. "What is being discussed is our own business, if you come late, there will be no seat." Some villagers joked.

In the "Original Intention Hall" on the first floor, 210 notebooks with different handwriting recording the "Deliberation Day" are neatly archived. The first one tells the story of the old Party secretary Qi Chengsheng (漆成生) "eating crabs."

"Don't marry a Guihua (桂花) man, thin porridge reflects the shadow of people, the stove is cold and there is no surplus grain..." A folk rhyme reveals the predicament of Guihua Village (桂花村) in the 1970s. Qi Chengsheng (漆成生) secretly resolved to start with Party member learning. In 1973, Guihua Village (桂花村) had a "Party Member Study and Deliberation Day."

Later, when the People's Daily published the deeds of Yuan Longping (袁隆平), Qi Chengsheng (漆成生) wanted to learn how to grow hybrid rice. Faced with doubts, he brought agricultural technicians from the county, held a meeting in a flurry, and persuaded everyone by holding up the newspaper: Party members should first use 10 mu of land for experiments.

The yield per mu in the experimental field was nearly 1,000 jin, more than double the previous yield. As a result, the whole village followed suit, and Guihua Village (桂花村) became the "county's first grain-producing village."

"Party members should plan for the masses, and cadres should lead the villagers to work. Deliberate fully and work solidly!" Over eighty years old, recalling the past, Qi Chengsheng (漆成生) still has a loud voice.

Promoting deliberation through learning and gathering strength through deliberation. Looking through the record books, Guihua Village (桂花村) has created several "firsts" in Yifeng (宜丰) local area: taking the lead in running village enterprises, forming construction teams, building economic and trade buildings...

However, they also stumbled.

In 1984, the village began to try growing various fruits, but after a few years, the market response was lukewarm and the villagers suffered considerable losses. Some people hung up banners expressing "heartache." At the "Deliberation Day," the then village Party secretary Yang Shilin (杨仕林) made a public self-criticism. After the meeting, they pooled their wisdom and decided to return to the vegetable business. The village organized everyone to study in Shouguang (寿光), Shandong (山东), and the cadres also took the lead in self-studying agricultural technicians. The following year, nearly 20 greenhouses of vegetables had a bumper harvest, with an average increase of nearly 1,000 yuan per mu.

Since then, the "Deliberation Day" has explored a "three-day deliberation method": representatives of the masses put forward opinions, branch committee members conduct research with questions, and then make decisions three days later.

Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) became the village Party secretary in 2020 and also "ate a crab": promoting the entry of e-commerce platforms.

"The opposition almost lifted the roof." Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) said, fortunately, he reviewed the record books before taking office and carried forward the good tradition, "During the reconsideration, bringing investors and policy documents, the problems were explained thoroughly, and everyone accepted."

Today, Guihua Village (桂花村) has become an e-commerce live broadcast village, with nearly 10 companies settled in. In recent years, various industries have brought more than 2 million yuan in revenue to the village collective each year, and the per capita net income of villagers exceeds 30,000 yuan. After years of accumulation, Guihua Village (桂花村) has become the first village in the county with assets exceeding 100 million.

Walking in Guihua Village (桂花村), three-story buildings are lined up, with small vegetable gardens in front of and behind the houses, both modern and pastoral.

Villager Cai Helin (蔡鹤林), who was tidying up in the vegetable garden, looked up to say hello.

Previously, in order to welcome the county's hygiene inspection, these small vegetable gardens were almost leveled. Cai Helin (蔡鹤林), who is over seventy years old, was anxious: "I've been farming all my life, and I don't even have this little thought?"

The Party branch conducted a "Deliberation Day" reconsideration and finally decided: the vegetable gardens can be kept, but there must also be rules, and each household's small vegetable garden is a "responsibility field." Veteran Party members formed a volunteer team to conduct regular inspections.

"This system, like crops, has to grow." Talking about "Deliberation Day," Yang Shilin (杨仕林) said with emotion.

"There have been new attempts in the past two years." Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) continued, as the village continues to develop, the "Deliberation Day" has added a new agenda. The director of the village supervision committee "breaks down" the monthly income and expenditure and puts it in the sunlight.

The grassroots should do things that the masses care about. When something happens, the village Party branch takes the lead, and Party members learn one step ahead, understand deeply, deliberate thoroughly, and work solidly. Over the years, how many things have been discussed, that's how many things have been done!

Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) rattled off the achievements: Since 2020, 60 Party member cadres have sunk into the grid, solving 31 "urgent, difficult, and worrying" problems for the masses, and doing 98 practical things. Honors such as "Jiangxi Province's Fourth Civilized Village and Town" are displayed on the wall... "Everyone says that the system grown from the soil can bear good fruit." Cai Helin (蔡鹤林) said.

Leaving the farmland, let's look at "digitalization." Many street-facing shops in the village have become live broadcast rooms.

Taking photos, retouching software, AI generation... Qi Xueting (漆雪婷), born in the 1980s, returned from studying abroad and became a live-streaming influencer. What makes her feel at ease to start a business is the village's solid support: entrepreneurial assistance and door-to-door policy guidance.

Looking familiar, I suddenly remembered that she also spoke at the "Deliberation Day" this morning.

"Everyone often comes up with good ideas." Qi Xueting (漆雪婷) said with a smile, "Returning to my hometown, I, this 'mobile Party member,' have also found a home."

"Young people are increasingly identifying with the Party organization, and the village receives more than a dozen applications to join the Party every year. Among the 15 activists applying for Party membership, many are born after 2000." Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) introduced.

Leaving the live broadcast room, Cai Zhiying (蔡志鹰) asked: "What do you want to develop next?"

Qi Xueting (漆雪婷) had already thought about it: "The '15th Five-Year Plan' recommendations propose to support the development of new types of rural collective economies. Our Guihua Village (桂花村) can integrate e-commerce, strengthen brands..."

Chinese-style modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all the people, and grassroots Party organizations must become leaders in the masses' path to prosperity. The "Deliberation Day" of the new era is even more exciting.

Return to Top

Making Reading a Habit (Striving for the "15th Five-Year Plan" - First-Line Observations - Great Power, Small Village)

By: 本报记者 白光迪

Adhere to benefiting the people with culture and implement actions to improve the quality and efficiency of public cultural services.

-- Excerpt from the "15th Five-Year Plan" Recommendations

"The child always procrastinates when doing homework, should I urge them?" At the "Book Sharing and Reading" reading club in Changjiang Village (长江村), He Yingmei (何英梅) raised her concerns. In the activity room, everyone sat around, the sound of pages turning rising and falling, and several villagers took notes while listening, highlighting key points.

This reading club took "How to Cultivate Children's Independent Learning Ability" as its common reading material, and exchanges were conducted around common confusions in family education. Facing questions, the teacher responded one by one from the perspectives of goal setting and positive feedback, and from time to time deconstructed cognitive misunderstandings by combining examples.

He Yingmei (何英梅) listened with particular attention, writing page after page of notes. She came to this reading club hoping to learn more scientific methods so that she could get along better with her grandchildren in the future.

He Yingmei (何英梅) is 49 years old this year. In 2018, she came to Changjiang Village (长江村), Jiangyin City (江阴市), Jiangsu Province (江苏省) with her husband to work, engaging in hoisting work. She has loved reading since she was a child, but because of moving around for work and other reasons, she often faced the trouble of "difficulty in reading." "When I worked in big cities, book resources were relatively abundant, and it was easier to read. But in some villages where I worked before, there were few books, and it was inconvenient to read, so I gradually stopped reading," He Yingmei (何英梅) admitted frankly.

After the reading club, He Yingmei (何英梅) still felt that she had not had enough and prepared to borrow two more new books to take home. She came to the smart bookshelf in the center square of the village and scanned the code. The book borrowing page popped up, and the books updated this quarter were quietly "lying" on the shelves, which surprised her very much. After careful selection, she borrowed two books. "Holding my favorite book in my hand, I feel like I'm back to my youth," He Yingmei (何英梅) said.

Changjiang Village (长江村) is strong in industry and rich in people. After a significant improvement in the material living standards, the village committee found that the construction of spiritual civilization is an even "greater undertaking."

"We now have a 'three deliveries' slogan: delivering culture, delivering health, and delivering security," said Gao Jing (高静), a member of the village committee. In recent years, Changjiang Village (长江村) has been committed to creating various forms of reading scenes and striving to cultivate the reading habits of groups of different ages.

The time for distributing the *New Changjiang Daily* (《新长江报》) every month is clearly remembered by the old villager Gao Zhongdu (高中度). "There are many fresh things happening in the village, and it also publishes poems and essays. It is quite readable and very suitable for us elderly people," Gao Zhongdu (高中度) said.

"The *New Changjiang Daily* (《新长江报》) was founded in 2003, initially to promote the industrial development achievements of Changjiang Village (长江村), but in recent years it has gradually transformed into a carrier for benefiting the people with culture," said Lü Xiaobo (吕晓波), editor-in-chief of the *New Changjiang Daily* (《新长江报》). "The lives of villagers and employees of village enterprises are the focus of our reports, and everyone likes to see them. In order to make the reports close to life, we especially encourage villagers and employees of village enterprises to contribute and interact."

In addition to smart bookshelves and the *New Changjiang Daily* (《新长江报》) and other carriers, Changjiang Village (长江村) also integrates reading activities into the lives of villagers. "We organize the Changjiang Village (长江村) 'Book Sharing and Reading' Reading Festival every year, and we have successfully held 6 sessions. The regular activities include book recommendations, parent-child reading, 'you order, I buy', and 'drifting bookshelves'," Gao Jing (高静) introduced. During the 2025 Reading Festival, Changjiang Village (长江村) also held offline viewing and reading sharing sessions of *Chang'an's Lychee* (《长安的荔枝》), and world coffee encyclopedia reading and tasting events. "We hope to attract different audiences to participate in reading activities by innovating the form of activities."

Today, reading has become a common practice in Changjiang Village (长江村): reading sharing sessions are organized 1-2 times a month, and the book list is determined according to the villagers' intentions. About 40 sessions have been successfully held; the smart bookshelf has been in operation for 6 years, with a total of more than 5,000 borrowings and more than 1,200 books updated; more than 4,000 copies of the *New Changjiang Daily* (《新长江报》) are printed every month and distributed to readers free of charge...

Now both of her daughters have found jobs in Jiangyin (江阴), and He Yingmei (何英梅) has also settled down in Changjiang Village (长江村). "It is very convenient to see many books here, and participating in reading activities is really happy." In the afternoon, He Yingmei (何英梅) opened the latest borrowed book, *2049: The Possibilities of the Next 10,000 Days* (《2049：未来10000天的可能》). The grand proposition of the future of mankind has thus fallen into the quiet reading time of a crane operator...

(Related new media reports can be found on the People's Daily National Party Media Information Public Platform's *Big Country, Small Village* (《大国小村》) Communication Cloud Platform, the official WeChat account of the *Farmers' Daily*, and the "Study Times" learning platform with the same name)

Return to Top

Injecting a Warm Cultural Current into the Comprehensive Revitalization of Rural Areas (Expert Commentary)

By: 刘 烈

He Yingmei (何英梅), who works in Changjiang Village (长江村), has transformed from finding it "difficult to read" to finding it "easy to read" through the various forms of reading scenarios created by the village committee in the village. This is a vivid illustration of the grassroots implementation of rural spiritual civilization construction.

From the smart bookshelf's scan-and-borrow system to the free distribution of the *New Changjiang Daily*, from the diverse activities of the Reading Festival to the regular reading sharing sessions, Changjiang Village's (长江村) reading promotion continues to innovate its forms, accurately meeting the needs of different groups: workers can easily obtain new books, the elderly can understand village affairs and appreciate beautiful articles through newspapers, and parent-child families can cultivate reading habits through interaction. More than 5,000 borrowings, more than 1,200 updated books, and about 40 reading sharing sessions... Behind these data is the people's livelihood temperature of Changjiang Village (长江村) villagers' spiritual and cultural needs being seen and met.

The comprehensive revitalization of the countryside should not only enrich pockets but also enrich minds. Changjiang Village (长江村) embeds reading scenes into the fabric of the countryside, integrating spiritual civilization into daily life, which not only continues the original intention of cultural benefits for the people but also builds a spiritual home in a low-cost and wide-coverage manner. This "down-to-earth" cultural construction gives the countryside not only the "muscles and bones" of industry but also the "soul" of culture.

In the context of the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal to implement actions to improve the quality and efficiency of public cultural services, Changjiang Village's (长江村) practice provides a referable sample for cultural benefits for the people and the construction of rural public cultural services. When reading becomes a normal part of rural life, cultural confidence will take root and sprout, and the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside will also gain a continuous spiritual impetus.

(The author is the editor-in-chief of Wuxi Radio and Television Group (无锡广播电视集团).)

Return to Top

National Public Security Organs Celebrate the Sixth Chinese People's Police Day

According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), January 10th (Reporter Xiong Feng (熊丰)) The sixth Chinese People's Police Day is January 10, 2026. Public security organs across the country celebrated the festival through a series of activities such as raising police flags, singing police songs, reviewing police oaths, organizing police camp open days, and commending advanced individuals.

In recent days, the Ministry of Public Security (公安部) has reported to the people on the new progress and achievements made in public security work and the construction of the public security team over the past year, and demonstrated the new responsibilities and contributions made by public security organs in safeguarding national security and social stability, and protecting the people's happiness and tranquility through press conferences, special programs, and organized integrated media live broadcasts.

Public security organs and the vast number of public security police in various regions, combined with their local realities, organized a series of colorful celebration activities that were close to the police and close to the masses. Public security organs in Tianjin (天津), Shanghai (上海), Zhejiang (浙江), Jiangxi (江西), Sichuan (四川), Yunnan (云南), Gansu (甘肃) and other places held press conferences. Public security organs in Beijing (北京), Shandong (山东), Hubei (湖北) and other places organized centralized interviews, new media live broadcasts and other activities to comprehensively display the new achievements made in public security work and vividly demonstrate the good spiritual outlook of the vast number of public security police. Railway and civil aviation public security organs, customs anti-smuggling departments and immigration management agencies, combined with the characteristics of the police, organized a variety of celebration activities to create a strong atmosphere for the Police Day.

During the Police Day, the vast number of public security police performed their duties diligently, charged ahead, were loyal to their missions, and served the people wholeheartedly. They adhered to and developed the "Fengqiao Experience" of the new era, and stood firm on the front line of preventing risks, ensuring safety, maintaining stability, and promoting development, celebrating the festival with practical actions to safeguard national political security and social stability.

Return to Top

"Glorious Pavilion" New Book Launch Held

This newspaper Fuzhou (福州) January 10th (Reporter Zhong Ziwei (钟自炜)) On January 10th, the new book launch of "Glory Pavilion - Stories from Caixi (才溪) Grassroots Social Governance" and the reading club "Talking about the Original Intention under the Pavilion · Nourishing the Police Camp with Books - Understanding the Power of the Firewood in Fengqiao (枫桥) Police Affairs" was held in Caixi Town (才溪镇), Shanghang County (上杭县), Longyan City (龙岩市), Fujian Province (福建省). The event was jointly organized by the Fujian Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles (福建省文学艺术界联合会), the Xiamen Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles (厦门市文学艺术界联合会), the Propaganda Department of the Longyan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共龙岩市委宣传部), the Longyan Municipal Public Security Bureau (龙岩市公安局), the Longyan Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles (龙岩市文学艺术界联合会), and the School of History and Cultural Heritage of Xiamen University (厦门大学历史与文化遗产学院).

The Glory Pavilion is located in Caixi (才溪), an old revolutionary area. The new book "Glory Pavilion" focuses on the Caixi Police Station (才溪派出所) police officers who are rooted in the red soil and inherit the tradition of the "Caixi Township Survey." It reflects the great era with a small incision and decodes the "Caixi Answer" of grassroots governance with literary brushstrokes. The work vividly describes the deliberative wisdom of "speaking on the eighth day of the month" in Caixi Police Station, the people-oriented feelings of "night visits to villages," and the innovative practice of "tent police affairs," demonstrating the grassroots governance practice of continuing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era.

In the new book release session, the participating guests presented books to the prototype representatives of the stories, police representatives, and relevant units. Zheng Xinming (郑新明), the prototype of the "Iron Bull Director" in the book and director of the Caixi Police Station, shared his grassroots experience in practicing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era. "The book 'Glory Pavilion' is a true portrayal of the ordinary and persistent dedication of the police's daily work," said Zheng Xinming. "The story of Glory Pavilion continues, and our footsteps will never stop."

Return to Top

Building a loyal, clean, responsible, and courageous discipline inspection and supervision iron army that dares to and knows how to fight.

By: 本报记者 李林蔚

The discipline inspection and supervision organs are an important force in advancing the Party's self-revolution. Only by building a strong and iron-willed team can we further implement the requirements of the Party's self-revolution in the new era.

In 2025, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) deployed the "Year of Standardized, Rule-of-Law, and Regularized Construction of Discipline Inspection and Supervision Work" throughout the system to improve the quality and efficiency of handling cases in accordance with regulations, discipline, and law, strengthen the construction of discipline inspection and supervision teams, and strengthen discipline and legal education and training, so as to build a loyal, clean, responsible, and courageous discipline inspection and supervision iron army with higher standards and stricter requirements.

Loyalty is the most distinctive background color.

"Eight of the ten members of the first Central Supervisory Committee sacrificed their lives, and none betrayed the Party. They used their blood and lives to interpret their belief in communism and their absolute loyalty to the Party..."

The Wuhan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) of Hubei Province deeply explored the revolutionary lives and heroic deeds of the ten members of the first Central Supervisory Committee, and jointly launched the "Faith Casts Loyalty - Special Exhibition of Members of the First Central Supervisory Committee of the Communist Party of China" with the Wuhan Revolutionary Museum to guide discipline inspection and supervision cadres to learn from the deeds of the martyrs and inherit the red gene. The discipline inspection and supervision team was born for the Party and fought for the Party. Loyalty to the Party is the most fundamental political character of the discipline inspection and supervision iron army. Over the past year, the CCDI and NSC and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have strengthened ideal and belief education and political loyalty education, organized visits to discipline inspection and supervision exhibition halls, promoted the use of vivid teaching materials on the history of discipline inspection and supervision throughout the system, and guided the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres to truly love the Party, worry about the Party at all times, firmly protect the Party, and fully revitalize the Party.

Only with theoretical clarity can we be politically firm and resolute in action. The CCDI and NSC and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have unswervingly used Xi Jinping (习近平)'s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to strengthen their souls, educate and guide the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres to draw spiritual nourishment from the Party's innovative theories, and build a solid ideological foundation for loyal performance of duties and responsibilities.

Along the winding canal line, we made an on-the-spot visit to the "Water Great Wall" on the Taihang (太行) cliffs; we retraced the throat project of the Red Flag Canal (红旗渠) - the Youth Cave (青年洞)... Recently, the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) held a training course on Party spirit and discipline education for young cadres at the Red Flag Canal (红旗渠) Clean Governance Education Academy.

"I intuitively felt the great feat of 'splitting the Taihang Mountains (太行山) and bringing the Zhang River (漳河) through the mountains,' and I more deeply understood what General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said, 'The Red Flag Canal (红旗渠) is a monument.'" One trainee exclaimed.

In the past year, the CCDI and NSC have unswervingly strengthened the arming of the Party's innovative theories, compiled and issued a teaching outline for studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平)'s important thought on the Party's self-revolution, and carried out centralized training on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CCDI throughout the system; offline and online teaching and training were carried out around the entire process of supervision and case handling, and the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres have a more distinct background of loyalty to the Party, and their steps to assume their responsibilities and missions are more firm.

Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Handling Cases in Accordance with Regulations, Discipline, and Law

The revised Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China and the Implementation Regulations of the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China will be implemented simultaneously from June 1, 2025.

Using the thinking and methods of the rule of law to punish corruption is an important guarantee for achieving high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work in the new era and new journey. The CCDI and NSC perform the duties of formulating Party regulations and supervisory regulations in an integrated manner, revise the implementation regulations of the Supervision Law, improve relevant supporting systems, and continuously improve the "four beams and eight pillars" of the system, driving the entire system to improve the system mechanism and tighten the institutional "cage." The CCDI and NSC and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels adhere to the combination of authorization and control, and carry out work strictly in accordance with powers, rules, and procedures to ensure that the power of discipline inspection and supervision is always exercised correctly and in a standardized manner on the track of the rule of law.

Without a high-quality and professional discipline inspection and supervision team, there would be no standardized, rule-of-law, and regularized discipline inspection and supervision work. Adhering to the integrated promotion of political training, business training, and actual combat training, the CCDI and NSC organs issued a work plan for all-member training and actual combat rotation training, and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels combined their own realities to arrange for cadres to strengthen practical training.

The Fujian Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) formulated the "Work Plan on Implementing the All-Member Training Plan by Carrying Out Actual Combat Training in the Province," organized cadres from comprehensive departments of the organs to participate in case-handling training, and organized cadres from dispatched institutions, enterprises, and university discipline inspection and supervision agencies to participate in actual combat rotation training.

The Shanghai Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) insisted on cultivating business backbones on the front line of case handling, formulated and implemented an all-member training plan, and comprehensively trained cadres' abilities and qualities.

…………

"In the past, we relied more on manual labor to check accounts. The data comparison and correlation analysis methods taught in class provided new ideas for discovering clues to problems in the future." Previously, the Kaizhou District Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) of Chongqing organized discipline inspection and supervision business backbones to enter Chongqing University to receive special training on information-based supervision. After the training, a cadre on the front line of review and investigation gained a lot.

At present, the use of information technology has become an important method to improve the quality and efficiency of case handling. The CCDI and NSC deepened the empowerment of science and technology, built an integrated discipline inspection and supervision work platform that connects the top and bottom, continuously upgraded and improved business application systems such as Party conduct and government style supervision, letters and visits reporting, case supervision and management, case review, and fugitive pursuit and stolen goods recovery, and continuously strengthened information-based management of clue disposal and involved property, effectively helping the construction of standardized, rule-of-law, and regularized discipline inspection and supervision work.

One Must Be Strong to Forge Iron

"Your family purchased a house last year, but did not fill it out as required. Please make a truthful explanation." Previously, the Eshan Yi Autonomous County Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) of Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, conducted spot checks and verifications on the integrity files of discipline inspection and supervision cadres in the county, conducted reminder talks with relevant personnel, and urged them to rectify.

Discipline inspection and supervision organs are an important force in managing the Party and governing the country, and they must be fully qualified themselves before supervising others. The CCDI and NSC formulated opinions on strengthening the construction of discipline inspection and supervision teams in the new era, implemented a three-year action plan for organizational construction, and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels integrated strict management and strict governance into daily life and grasped it regularly, and took practical actions to ensure that one must be strong to forge iron.

Exercising power with awe, over the past year, the CCDI and NSC have focused on refining post powers, setting risk reminders, and listing the bottom line of exercising power, forming a list of powers, a list of risks, and a negative list; issued typical cases of violating regulations to inquire about case information and interfering in cases within the system, and notified cases of violating discipline and law in the work of accepting letters and visits reports, clue disposal, review, and investigation. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels have continuously increased the investigation and handling of cases of discipline inspection and supervision cadres violating discipline and law, used various forms to deepen education and warning at different levels and categories, carried out family-based integrity activities, and resolutely prevented "darkness under the lamp."

"According to the organization's arrangement, you will be transferred to a new position. The work pressure may increase. Please talk about your views." Recently, in the conference room of the Dong'an County Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDI) and Supervisory Commission (SC) in Hunan Province, a heart-to-heart talk between discipline inspection and supervision cadres was underway. The county's CDI and SC organized and carried out regular heart-to-heart talks to promptly understand the ideological dynamics, work difficulties, and opinions and suggestions of cadres, and help cadres resolve their knots and relieve stress.

The heavier the burden, the more we must take care of the burden carriers. The CCDI and NSC and discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels adhere to the combination of strict management and love, the combination of incentives and constraints, increase the publicity of advanced models both online and offline, implement practical care and love measures, make cadres more at ease in performing their duties, and continuously stimulate the vitality of the discipline inspection and supervision team to start businesses.

One must be strong to forge iron, and only after a hundred refinements can fine steel be produced. On the new journey, discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels and the vast number of discipline inspection and supervision cadres will continuously temper their political character, improve their professional ability, and strictly enforce discipline and work style with the perseverance and dedication of always being on the road, and will surely provide a stronger disciplinary guarantee for promoting Chinese-style modernization.

Return to Top

Comrade Jia Qiyu Passes Away

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 5th (Xinhua) -- Comrade Jia Qiyu (贾启玉), a retired cadre at the corps level and former president of the PLA Army Command College (陆军指挥学院), passed away in Beijing (北京) on December 20, 2025, due to illness, at the age of 96.

Jia Qiyu (贾启玉) was a native of Quwo County (曲沃县), Shanxi Province (山西省). He joined the army in 1946 and the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党) in 1947. During the Liberation War, he served as a cadet and staff officer, participating in the Yuncheng (运城), Linfen (临汾), Jinzhong (晋中), Taiyuan (太原), Fumei (扶眉), and Qinling (秦岭) campaigns and battles. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as a staff officer, deputy director, director, deputy minister, and director of the General Office of the General Staff Department (总参谋部办公厅), participating in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and contributing to the revolutionization, modernization, and regularization of the armed forces.

Jia Qiyu (贾启玉) was a member of the 8th and 9th National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (中国人民政治协商会议). He was awarded the rank of Major General in 1988 and received the Liberation Medal and the Victory Merit Honor Medal.

Return to Top

How to Continuously Foster a Clean and Healthy Cyberspace (Policy Q&A: Addressing Concerns)

By: 本报记者 金 歆

Reader Concerns

When I go online to get information and interact, I sometimes encounter vulgar and false information. What policies, regulations, and measures have relevant departments taken to address the chaos in cyberspace and create a clean online environment?

Cyberspace is the shared spiritual home of hundreds of millions of people. A clear and healthy cyberspace is the common expectation of the vast majority of internet users.

On November 28, 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized while presiding over the 23rd collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee: "We must improve the long-term mechanism for governing the online ecosystem, focus on enhancing the foresight, precision, systematicness, and coordination of governance, and continuously create a clean and upright online space."

To create a clean and upright online space, we must dare to show our sword against online chaos, resolutely crack down on it, and eradicate the soil and conditions for its breeding.

Rectifying the abuse of artificial intelligence technology, rectifying online "black mouths" targeting enterprises, rectifying malicious instigation of negative emotions... In recent years, the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has continuously deployed and carried out the "Qinglang" (清朗) series of special actions, concentrating time and resources to combat various chaotic problems online, strictly dealing with non-compliant platforms and accounts, achieving positive results, and forming a strong deterrent.

The formulation and revision of the Cybersecurity Law (网络安全法), the Data Security Law (数据安全法), and the Personal Information Protection Law (个人信息保护法) have continuously established and improved the basic system of cybersecurity and data security. A series of rules and regulations have been successively introduced, which also provide systematic regulations for governing online chaos: The "Measures for the Security Management of Facial Recognition Technology Applications" (人脸识别技术应用安全管理办法) have been implemented, effectively responding to the chaos of "face-swiping"; the "Measures for the Identification of AI-Generated Synthetic Content" (人工智能生成合成内容标识办法) have been implemented, reminding users to identify generated synthetic information through identification, and preventing the abuse of artificial intelligence technology... Establishing rules and regulations, managing for long-term stability, and effectively governing the online information content ecosystem.

To create a clean and upright online space, we must adhere to shaping the online space with positive voices, mainstream values, and the new trends of the times, so that the Internet becomes an important front for ideological guidance, moral cultivation, and cultural inheritance.

In December 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) launched the 2025 China Positive Energy Online Masterpieces Collection and Exhibition Activity, focusing on enriching the supply of high-quality online content, better leveraging the exemplary and leading role of mainstream media, and mobilizing the active participation of multiple entities. It will select 550 online masterpieces in five categories: text, pictures, audio and video, special columns, and thematic activities, to provide strong spiritual power for forging ahead in the "15th Five-Year Plan" and pursuing new journeys. The event has been held for 9 sessions and has become a "weathervane" in the field of online content construction.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has strengthened online publicity on major themes and the setting of major topics, innovatively creating brand activities such as "How is China" ("何以中国"), "Writing the Splendid Chapter of Youth on the Land of the Motherland" ("把青春华章写在祖国大地上"), and "Red Star Over China" ("红星照耀中国"), and strengthening theoretical publicity brands such as "Lixiang China" ("理响中国"), gathering a powerful force of unity and progress in cyberspace.

To create a clean and upright online space, we must fully mobilize all parties and comprehensively use various means such as administration and the rule of law.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) has guided website platforms to deeply rectify the chaos of online live streaming rewards, and the "Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendation Compliance Self-Discipline Convention" (互联网信息服务算法推荐合规自律公约) and other documents have been successively released, effectively connecting administrative supervision and industry self-discipline.

Coordinating and promoting legislation, law enforcement, judicial practice, and legal education in the network field. More than 160 laws and regulations have been enacted in the network field, providing a solid institutional guarantee for the construction of a cyber power; promoting strict, standardized, fair, and civilized network law enforcement to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people; carrying out a series of legal publicity activities for the "National Network Legal Popularization Campaign" ("全国网络普法行"), with online clicks on related content exceeding 20 billion in the past three years...

The relevant person in charge of the Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办) stated that the cyberspace administration department will focus on mastering the dominant power of public opinion under informatization conditions, strengthen the construction and management of online content by upholding integrity and innovation, improve the long-term mechanism for governing the online ecosystem, and continuously create a clean and upright online space.

Return to Top

Three Perspectives on the Integrated Development of Education, Science & Technology, and Talent (In-depth Focus)

Currently, the topic of "education, science and technology, and talent" has become a focus of attention. How do the three support each other and advance in an integrated manner? Practice is providing vivid answers: At Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学), the research topic of doctoral student He Jingkai (和敬凯) is updated synchronously with the real needs of Huawei's HarmonyOS system; in Jiangsu (江苏), Professor Li Fei (李飞) of the School of Pharmacy of Nanjing Medical University (南京医科大学) has completed the "last mile" of new drugs moving towards industrialization; in Shenzhen (深圳), we have seen a healthy ecosystem of deep integration of industry, academia, and research.

In this issue of the Education Edition, let us step into a university, a regional center, and a city to witness the fertile ground of education, science and technology, and talent, nurturing the flowers of innovation and creation.

-- Editor

Looking at it from a university:
The "Two-Way Running" Exploration of Talent Cultivation
Our reporter Huang Chao (黄超)

In Shanghai Zizhu National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (上海紫竹国家高新技术产业开发区), at the weekly "Technology Alignment Day," He Jingkai (和敬凯), a doctoral student at the Institute of Parallel and Distributed Systems at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学), meets with Huawei (华为) enterprise mentors at the Huang Danian Tea House (黄大年茶思屋).

"Can the latency data you measured be reproduced in the mobile phone camera startup scenario?" a senior Huawei (华为) engineer asked, looking at the curve on the computer screen. "Yes, this is simulated data. But I need tracking logs on the real machine to accurately quantify the impact," He Jingkai (和敬凯) replied. On the screen, the code of the HarmonyOS operating system flickered.

This is a daily microcosm of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University-Huawei Operating System Joint Training Class (上海交大—华为操作系统专项联培班) (hereinafter referred to as the "Huawei Class"). Since its launch in 2021, it has become a unique "interface," connecting the cutting-edge exploration of the campus on one end and the real needs of the industry on the other. With the participation of teachers and students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学), Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system and OpenHarmony (开源鸿蒙) are becoming increasingly perfect, and an experiment on "collaboratively cultivating the next generation of basic software root technology talents" is also being carried out simultaneously.

"The country and the industry are in urgent need of high-end basic software talents, especially technology leaders with artificial intelligence integration, but there is a certain disconnect between engineering education and innovative practice," said Chen Haibo (陈海波), a distinguished professor at the Institute of Parallel and Distributed Systems at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学) and the founding chairman of the Technical Steering Committee of the OpenHarmony (开源鸿蒙) project group. The Huawei Class (华为班), which focuses on graduate student training, explores and forms a distinctive "three-year, three-stage" path: in the first year, Huawei (华为) mentors deeply participate in curriculum teaching; in the second year, students enter Huawei (华为) joint training projects for practical combat; and in the final year, they focus on dissertations and defenses.

As a student in the Huawei Class (华为班), He Jingkai's (和敬凯) scientific research starting point stemmed from a seemingly small observation. A large amount of data copying in operating systems and applications slows down overall efficiency. "In the real-world scenarios of HarmonyOS (鸿蒙), this problem is amplified. For example, in continuous shooting with a camera and high-definition video decoding, users have extremely high requirements for smoothness," He Jingkai (和敬凯) said. Initially, this was just his own "whim," but in the Huawei Class (华为班), he had a channel to verify it.

Thus, He Jingkai (和敬凯) began a "two-way running" approach: at school, he buried himself in designing a new asynchronous copy kernel service; at the Tea House (茶思屋) located in the development zone, he repeatedly tested the feasibility of the solution with Huawei (华为) engineers.

The gains are three-dimensional. In terms of industry, the code optimized by He Jingkai (和敬凯) has been verified in the HarmonyOS (鸿蒙) kernel, making the device experience smoother. Academically, this achievement helped him win the best paper award at a conference in the field of operating systems. He Jingkai (和敬凯) said that in the Huawei Class (华为班), seeing his own paper "running" in a real system and solving practical problems for users, "this is a real sense of accomplishment."

His mentor, Chen Haibo (陈海波), is also "running in both directions," going to work at Huawei (华为) on weekdays and returning to the school laboratory on weekends. Chen Haibo (陈海波) is the designer of this university-enterprise joint training model: "My role is a bridge," he defines it, "connecting the 'from 0 to 1' original innovation courage and imagination in universities with the 'from 1 to N' engineering and scenario-based capabilities of enterprises. Collaborative education is no longer about filling a bucket with water, but about lighting a fire and leading this fire to where light is needed."

What the "two-way running" has produced is a carefully designed and continuously iterated Huawei Class (华为班) training system, the key to which is two words: collaboration. Key courses such as "Advanced Operating Systems" and "Parallel and Distributed Database Systems" are jointly designed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学) professors and Huawei (华为) experts; each student is equipped with one academic mentor and one Huawei (华为) enterprise mentor; the Huang Danian Tea House (黄大年茶思屋) and Huawei Shanghai Company (华为上海公司) have become the students' "second campus."

Over the past 5 years, the list of innovative achievements in collaborative education has grown longer and longer—in addition to publishing papers in top international operating system conferences and journals, a number of student-led technologies have been implemented in the OpenHarmony (开源鸿蒙) system; more than 30 students have participated in the HarmonyOS (鸿蒙) commando team, participating in the creation of the native HarmonyOS (鸿蒙) application ecosystem; in cutting-edge directions such as edge-side intelligent agents and the integration of artificial intelligence and operating systems, a batch of key technologies and prototype systems have been formed; and many graduates have become the backbone of basic software research and development departments in Huawei (华为) and other companies...

More important than the achievements is the cultivation of national sentiment. Gu Jinyu (古金宇), a young teacher at the School of Computer Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学), said: "The students in the Huawei Class (华为班) have personally experienced the process of tackling core problems in independent operating systems. This confidence and responsibility in solving 'bottleneck' problems cannot be given by general classroom education."

"We are reserving strategic capabilities for the country and the industry. When young people are accustomed to thinking and fighting in complex scenarios, they may have the opportunity to participate in rule-making and lead new ecosystems such as operating systems in the era of artificial intelligence in the future," Chen Haibo (陈海波) sees further.

Through the glass door of the Huang Danian Tea House (黄大年茶思屋), you can see many slogans about innovation inside. The Huawei Class (华为班) is such a door. Inside the door, confident young people are in deep dialogue with technology companies; outside the door, there is the country's expectation for high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.

When asked about their plans for 2026, a Huawei Class (华为班) student's eyes lit up, "Through OpenHarmony (开源鸿蒙), we will enable terminal devices to speak 'Chinese' and realize the Internet of Everything. We are not only participants, but also have the opportunity to become definers. This is exciting to think about."

Looking at it from a regional center:
University-Enterprises Become "Innovation Partners"
Our reporter Yao Xueqing (姚雪青)

December 15, 2025, was an important day for Li Fei (李飞), a professor at the School of Pharmacy of Nanjing Medical University (南京医科大学) and the general manager of Suzhou Yuanju Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (苏州缘聚医药科技有限公司): on this day, the company signed a patent and technology transfer agreement for a small-molecule analgesic drug with a pharmaceutical company in Hunan (湖南), with a total transaction amount of nearly 400 million yuan, and the new drug developed by the team officially moved towards industrialization.

"Behind this, we cannot do without the full-process empowerment of the National University Regional Technology Transfer and Transformation Center (Jiangsu) (全国高校区域技术转移转化中心 (江苏))," Li Fei (李飞) said.

Yang Shubing (杨树兵), Deputy Director of the Department of Education of Jiangsu Province (江苏省教育厅), introduced that the National University Regional Technology Transfer and Transformation Center (Jiangsu) (全国高校区域技术转移转化中心 (江苏)) is a public platform jointly built by the Ministry of Education (教育部) and Jiangsu Province (江苏省) to serve the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements of universities across the country. It has sub-centers in Nanjing (南京) and Suzhou (苏州), which not only provides support for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements of universities, but also injects new momentum into regional industrial upgrading.

Starting in 2012, Li Fei's (李飞) team aimed at original research on neuropathic pain drugs with complex causes. In 2023, they had preliminary results, and in 2024, they established a company in Suzhou (苏州). However, the first step of transformation encountered a problem: the development cycle of new drugs is long and the risk is high. Where does the money come from? How to develop the market?

Under the introduction of Nanjing Medical University (南医大), the Suzhou (苏州) Biomedical Sub-center invited Li Fei's (李飞) team to try first, and evaluated it from the aspects of technical path and commercial prospects. "The technology manager helped us connect with pharmaceutical companies, and the Suzhou (苏州) Biomedical Sub-center provided special funds for concept verification, and the experimental data was further improved," Li Fei (李飞) said.

What if the transformation risk is high? The Suzhou (苏州) Biomedical Sub-center explored the "pay-after-use" model, and also jointly with the insurance company configured "Yuan Yan Bao (园研保)" for the team, providing all-round transformation risk protection - this "bottom line" gave Li Fei (李飞) great confidence. After Yuanju Pharmaceutical (缘聚医药) reached a cooperation intention with a pharmaceutical company in Hunan (湖南), the "escort" continued: the staff of the Suzhou (苏州) Biomedical Sub-center not only provided professional support in business negotiations, but also helped review contract details, helping both parties efficiently and compliantly complete the technology transfer process, and completed the "last mile" of the new drug from the laboratory to industrialization. "In the future, our new drugs will benefit more patients," Li Fei (李飞) said.

The National University Regional Technology Transfer and Transformation Center (全国高校区域技术转移转化中心) not only helps universities transform achievements, but also helps enterprises connect with universities and solve technical problems.

In June 2025, Wang Jian (王健), the founder of Nanjing Jingming Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (南京惊鸣创新科技有限公司), received a new order to produce a batch of drones for power plant boiler inspection. This made him, who came from a communication major, embarrassed: "Drone research and development is a system engineering. The new product needs to solve multiple interdisciplinary problems such as uninterrupted power supply, communication in closed spaces, and positioning in dusty environments at the same time. Where does the innovative technology come from?" Wang Jian (王健) asked the Nanjing Information and Communication Sub-center (南京信息通信分中心) for help.

The Nanjing Information and Communication Sub-center (南京信息通信分中心) is like an "innovation supermarket." According to the needs of enterprises, it selects scientific research teams from Southeast University (东南大学) and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (南京航空航天大学) from the university achievement database. The former is good at automatic control and algorithm positioning, and the latter is strong in the aerodynamic design of the whole machine. The three teams overcame one problem after another through brainstorming and a large number of experiments. Now, the new product has been put into use.

Yang Shubing (杨树兵) introduced that in supporting the transformation of achievements, the Jiangsu (江苏) Regional Center has built 32 "one-stop" public transformation platforms to provide universities across the country with full-chain services such as technology research and development, concept verification, and pilot-scale familiarization, and has formed a service team of more than 400 people to provide full-factor services such as technology finance and intellectual property; in serving enterprises, it regularly collects technical needs and carries out more than 200 industry-university-research activities such as "Dialogue between Education and Industry" and "Unveiling the List and Taking the Lead" to promote the efficient connection of advantageous disciplines and advantageous industries. Since its establishment more than a year ago, it has connected 5337 university achievements, condensed more than 2100 enterprise technology needs, and promoted the implementation of 245 transformations.

It is worth mentioning that the Regional Center is not only a gathering platform for university scientific research teams, but also a training platform for innovation and entrepreneurship talents.

In the Suzhou (苏州) Advanced Materials Sub-center, Jing Yufei (荆虞飞), a master's student at Nanjing University of Technology (南京工业大学), deepened his understanding of the industry through joint training, and successfully stayed on the project after graduation, realizing "smooth employment."

"During the summer vacation of my first year of graduate school, I came to the Suzhou (苏州) Advanced Materials Sub-center for a visit and saw that there was a joint training program, so I signed up when I returned to school," Jing Yufei (荆虞飞) said. The industry mentor is the person in charge of the characterization device technology project incubated in the Suzhou (苏州) Advanced Materials Sub-center, and the topic comes from the real technology research and development needs of the enterprise.

The first "assignment" of joint training is to make parts for characterization devices in groups - not models, not samples, but commodities for the market. "The industry mentor encourages us to be bold in innovation, and failure doesn't matter," Jing Yufei (荆虞飞) said. In addition to polishing technology, we also need to consider various factors such as product cost and material selection when learning in the front line of the industry. It is also because of this experience that although he has only been in the job for 4 months, he is already an "old employee."

It is reported that since its establishment, the Suzhou (苏州) Advanced Materials Sub-center has jointly trained 64 master's students, 23 joint doctoral students with Tsinghua (清华), Fudan (复旦) and other universities, and provided internship positions for 246 undergraduates, working with universities to cultivate outstanding innovative talents.

Looking at it from a city:
Universities and Industries "Run in Both Directions"
Our reporters Cheng Yuanzhou (程远州) and Jiang Xiaodan (姜晓丹)

"Please analyze the effective peptide components in the sample..." In the laboratory of the School of Pharmacy of Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学), Zhong Zhiling (钟智灵), a freshman, is talking to the "AI intelligent agent." The screen quickly begins to automatically analyze data and generate reports. Under the guidance of her tutor, she is participating in a project of a pharmaceutical company.

At Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学), students can join different experimental teams according to their interests as soon as they enter the school. Every Friday, students enter leading enterprises or cutting-edge laboratories to carry out scientific research practice. The training rhythm of "four days of classes and one day of experiments" is very different from the undergraduate education methods of most domestic universities. "Participating in university-enterprise cooperation projects has given me a more real understanding of the development of the pharmaceutical industry," Zhong Zhiling (钟智灵) said.

Students improve their skills in innovative practice, and scientific research talents also grow in serving the industry. Zhong Zhiling's (钟智灵) tutor is Professor Feng Zhiwei (冯志炜) of the School of Pharmacy, majoring in "Artificial Intelligence + Medicine." In May 2025, Feng Zhiwei (冯志炜) joined Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学) after returning to China. What he valued was the mechanism of this new research university that encourages scientific research to go to application, and the strong scientific and technological innovation atmosphere of Shenzhen (深圳).

Since its establishment in 2024, Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学) has closely followed Shenzhen's (深圳) "20+8" industrial cluster layout, setting up seven interdisciplinary professional colleges such as life and health, synthetic biology, and computing microelectronics, accurately connecting with Shenzhen's (深圳) core industrial needs such as high-end medical care, new energy, integrated circuits, and artificial intelligence, and helping Shenzhen's (深圳) new quality productivity development and industrial transformation and upgrading. Responding to industrial needs with technological breakthroughs, cultivating practical talents with real projects, and then using talents and scientific research achievements to feed back industrial upgrading - in the young Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学), this sustainable innovation link is already clear.

Since the reform and opening up, the "Shenzhen Speed (深圳速度)" has attracted worldwide attention. Shenzhen's (深圳) total industrial output value above designated size and industrial added value rank "first in the country" among cities, and the industrial system is constantly seeking new quality, upgrading to excellence, and advancing to strength. However, in terms of high-quality higher education resources, Shenzhen (深圳) has a significant gap compared with other first-tier cities.

Education is the pioneer of scientific and technological innovation and the foundation of talent cultivation. "In recent years, Shenzhen (深圳) has proposed to build an 'innovation city' in an all-round way, and strive to create a good scientific and technological innovation ecology and talent development environment. Rapidly building universities has become an inevitable choice for Shenzhen (深圳) to 'make up for shortcomings'," said Zheng Xiuyu (郑秀玉), Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau (深圳市教育局).

Five universities in five years, the "Shenzhen Speed (深圳速度)" of university construction has once again attracted attention. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Shenzhen (深圳) newly established 5 universities, including Shenzhen Institute of Technology (深圳理工大学), with a high starting point. At present, there are 18 higher education institutions in the city; the number of full-time students in universities has reached 187,000, an increase of nearly 40% compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" period.

So, what kind of universities does Shenzhen (深圳) need? Zheng Xiuyu (郑秀玉) said that universities should serve major strategic needs and resonate with the city's industrial development; in terms of discipline and professional settings, they should accurately connect with industrial development and talent training needs.

The layout of deep integration of industry, academia and research started very early. Since its establishment, Shenzhen University (深圳大学) has taken serving the development of the special zone industry as its school-running orientation and carried out extensive industry-university-research cooperation with local enterprises. In April 2025, as soon as the School of Artificial Intelligence of Shenzhen University (深圳大学人工智能学院) was established, it signed strategic cooperation agreements with Tencent (腾讯), Cloud Sky Flying (云天励飞) and other local enterprises and institutions, and is committed to realizing the closed loop of scientific research and industrial transformation.

Shenzhen Technology University (深圳技术大学), which began enrolling students in 2019, has jointly built 4 industrial colleges, 10 enterprise elite classes, and 49 joint laboratories with enterprises, undertaken 672 enterprise projects, and achieved a series of important achievements in laser and additive manufacturing, new energy technology and intelligent networked vehicle technology, and new materials.

In addition to building local universities, Shenzhen (深圳) has also widely issued "hero posts" to invite Peking University (北大), Tsinghua University (清华大学) and other famous universities to set up graduate schools, and introduced Harbin Institute of Technology (哈工大), Sun Yat-sen University (中大), Jinan University (暨南大学), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (香港中文大学) and other schools to set up Shenzhen (深圳) campuses.

A series of innovative measures have helped gather education, science and technology, and talent resources: Shenzhen (深圳) has given universities the autonomy to evaluate and appoint talents, and has cumulatively given universities about 4.2 billion yuan of scientific research start-up funding support in the past 3 years; supported by platforms such as Science City and Science and Education City, universities in the city have built more than 750 scientific research platforms of various types; and established the Xili Lake International Science and Education City University and Institute Alliance (西丽湖国际科教城高校院所联盟) to promote the sharing and co-use of nearly 6,000 major scientific research instruments and equipment. Today, Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学) has been selected as a "double first-class" construction university, and 8 universities including Shenzhen University (深圳大学) have been included in the Guangdong (广东省) high-level university construction plan, and a number of "bottleneck" technical problems have been solved in the collaborative research of industry, academia and research.
A series of innovative measures help gather educational, scientific, technological, and talent resources: Shenzhen grants universities autonomy in talent evaluation and recruitment, and has cumulatively provided universities with approximately 4.2 billion yuan in research start-up funding support in the past three years. Supported by platforms such as the Science City and Science and Education City, universities across the city have built more than 750 various scientific research platforms. The Xili Lake International Science and Education City University and Institute Alliance was established to promote the sharing of nearly 6,000 major scientific research instruments and equipment. Today, Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学) has been selected as a "Double First-Class" construction university, and 8 universities including Shenzhen University (深圳大学) have been included in Guangdong Province's high-level university construction plan. A number of "choke point" technical problems have been solved in the collaborative research between industry, academia, and research institutions.

"By adhering to the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent development, Shenzhen is forming a virtuous cycle: strengthening the main position for independent talent cultivation, creating a high-level strong magnet for gathering and attracting talents, and stimulating the source of power for industrial science and technology innovation," said Zheng Xiuyu (郑秀玉). "During the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, Shenzhen will comprehensively promote the reform of higher education's talent cultivation methods, school management models, management systems, evaluation systems, and guarantee mechanisms, so that universities and industries can 双向奔赴 (shuāng xiàng bēn fù - "two-way rush," to move towards each other; a mutual attraction or collaboration)."

Return to Top

Three Forces Twisted into One Rope (Educational Commentary)

By: 丁雅诵

From the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会) report, which dedicated a separate chapter to the strategic deployment of education, science and technology, and talent, to the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposals that put forward "promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent," and then to the 2025 Central Economic Work Conference (中央经济工作会议), which clearly defined "formulating a plan for the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent" as a key task for the 2026 economic work—a consensus has now been formed: education, science and technology, and talent are the fundamental and strategic support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and the three must be organically combined and promoted in a coordinated manner.

The signals are frequent, and the determination is firm. Behind this lies the calibration of the driving force for high-quality development, as well as the proactive solution to the traditional compartmentalized management model. On the one hand, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, and high-quality development requires education models and talent cultivation methods to better adapt to the new trend of accelerated iteration of cutting-edge technologies in emerging fields. On the other hand, the long-term separate management of education, science and technology, and talent fields in the past can easily form barriers in planning, investment, and evaluation, leading to problems such as resource misallocation and poor coordination. Promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent is precisely to clear these blockages and bottlenecks.

With a clear understanding of the background of integrated advancement, one can better understand its internal logic: the three are inherently consistent and mutually supportive, forming a multiplier effect in promoting high-quality development and achieving an overall leap of "1+1+1>3." Cutting-edge scientific research results feed back into teaching, cultivating talents with greater innovation capabilities; outstanding talents devote themselves to key fields, catalyzing major scientific and technological breakthroughs; high-level scientific and technological breakthroughs are translated into practical applications, supporting industrial innovation and development... When the "three forces" are twisted into "one rope," the snowball of innovation can grow bigger and bigger.

In promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, we have a solid foundation and significant advantages. At present, China (中国) has built the world's largest and highest-quality education system, with a gross enrollment rate in higher education reaching 60.8%, and universities and colleges playing a more prominent role as the main force in basic research; the total amount of talent resources has reached 220 million, with more than 72 million highly skilled talents; the number of high-level international journal papers and international patent applications has ranked first in the world for five consecutive years... A series of data outlines the strong momentum of the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and also demonstrates the scale advantages, structural potential, and growth resilience on which the deep integration of the three relies.

The pace of reform is always moving forward. In recent years, the system and mechanisms, platform carriers, and cultivation paradigms for promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent have been continuously improved in practice. The Beijing Municipal Party Committee (北京市委) took the lead in integrating and establishing the Leading Group for Education, Science and Technology, and Talent Work (教育科技人才工作领导小组), a deliberative and coordinating body, clarifying the responsibilities of each member unit and jointly studying major issues; the Shaanxi Xixian New Area (陕西西咸新区) is building an integrated development demonstration zone for education, science and technology, and talent in the Innovation Port (创新港), attracting approximately 30,000 scientific research talents to carry out teaching and research here; taking the cultivation of outstanding engineers as a breakthrough point, deepening the integration of industry and education, more than 60 universities and more than 100 enterprises jointly enrolled more than 20,000 engineering master's and doctoral students... From top-level design to specific implementation, a picture of deep linkage and systematic reform of education, science and technology, and talent is slowly unfolding.

Of course, some deep-seated challenges still need to be further explored and solved. For example, how to avoid simply determining salary and benefits and allocating academic resources based on academic titles and talent designations; how to deepen the integration of industry and education and cooperation between universities and enterprises into all aspects such as joint curriculum design, joint platform construction, and joint appointment of supervisors; how to promote cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborative research and establish a fair intellectual property and benefit distribution mechanism; and so on. The solution to the problem will not be achieved overnight, and it must rely on policy innovation, pilot exploration, and experience accumulation to gradually find a feasible path.

Promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, the direction has been clarified, and the pace is accelerating. When education deeply cultivates the fertile soil of innovation, science and technology illuminates the path of climbing, and talent gathers core momentum, the giant ship of Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化) will be injected with more magnificent and lasting power, sailing towards a more magnificent future.

Return to Top

Editor in Charge for This Section: Wu Yue

Layout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

Return to Top

New Year Address Inspires Unity and Progress (Viewing the Sea)

By: 禾 立

"Not long ago, I attended the opening ceremony of the National Games. The unity and joint efforts of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao are gratifying." In his New Year's message for 2026, President Xi Jinping's (习近平) heartfelt words touched people's hearts.

Expressing care and expectations for the future development of Hong Kong and Macao, the New Year's message pointed out: "We must unswervingly implement the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy, support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into the overall national development, and maintain long-term prosperity and stability." Consolidating the consensus of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together, the New Year's message emphasized: "Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, and the historical trend of national reunification is unstoppable!"

2025 was an extraordinary year. The New Year's message for 2026 resonated with people from all walks of life in Hong Kong and Macao and with Taiwanese compatriots, conveying warmth and firm strength.

The flame of the National Games shines on the Greater Bay Area, and the three regions are united in their concern for the country. On New Year's Eve, from the light and shadow performances on both sides of the Victoria Harbour (香江), to the dazzling fireworks on the coast of Macao (濠江), and the passionate echoes from the National Games venues... In 2025, Guangdong (粤), Hong Kong (港), and Macao (澳) jointly hosted the National Games and the National Para Games for the first time, presenting not only a spectacular sports event, but also taking new steps in infrastructure "hard connectivity," rules and mechanisms "soft connectivity," and residents' "heart connectivity," vividly interpreting the strong vitality of "One Country, Two Systems" and the development vitality of the Greater Bay Area. Every tacit cooperation on the field and every joint cheer in the stands are vivid footnotes to the unity and joint efforts of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, reflecting the solid steps of Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into and serving the overall national development.

In the past year, the "Pearl of the Orient" has become even more charming, and its development momentum has become stronger. Hong Kong has firmly safeguarded national sovereignty, security, and development interests, successfully held the eighth Legislative Council election, achieved steady economic growth, and taken new steps in moving from governance to prosperity. Data shows that Hong Kong's GDP grew by 3.8% in the third quarter, a growth rate higher than most developed economies; its IPO scale returned to the top of the world, and its status as an international financial center has become more solid; and its world competitiveness and world talent rankings have both improved... Hong Kong has leveraged its unique advantages of relying on the motherland and connecting with the world to achieve its own better development in integrating into and serving the overall national development.

In the past year, the lotus flower in full bloom has become more deeply rooted and its leaves have become more luxuriant, and the path of diversified development has become wider. Macao has firmly safeguarded national sovereignty, security, and development interests, successfully held the eighth Legislative Council election, promoted public administration reform, actively participated in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and made new progress in various undertakings. From the optimization of the "Macao Public Service One Account" service to the groundbreaking of the University of Macau (澳门大学) Hengqin (横琴) Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone campus... Macao has continuously increased its efforts in public administration reform and promoted the integration of Macao and Hengqin. Macao's traditional Chinese medicine and health industry, modern financial industry, high-tech industry, and convention and exhibition industry have continued to improve in quality and development, and the moderately diversified economic development has been steadily promoted, and the role of "one center, one platform, and one base" has become increasingly prominent.

The shallow strait cannot sever the kinship between flesh and blood; the provocations of seeking "independence" cannot stop the trend of reunification. The past year has been a year for all Chinese sons and daughters to remember history and share glory. We solemnly commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, established Taiwan Retrocession Day, and held a commemorative meeting for the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's Retrocession. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait jointly remembered history, mourned the martyrs, inherited the great spirit of the War of Resistance, and defended the achievements of the victory of the War of Resistance. This year, cross-strait exchanges and cooperation broke through obstacles, the power to safeguard the peace and tranquility of the homeland has become stronger, and more and more measures have been taken to enhance the interests and well-being of Taiwanese compatriots... Cross-strait relations have moved forward despite difficulties, and the reunification of the motherland is gathering momentum.

Those who start sharply must plan for the end, and those who succeed must first plan for the beginning. 2026 is the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan." The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) made strategic plans for the national economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, providing new historical opportunities for the development of Hong Kong and Macao and more development opportunities for the vast number of Taiwanese compatriots and Taiwanese enterprises. Let us gather the mighty force of all Chinese sons and daughters, work together in the same direction, and stride forward, and in the new year, let us work hard for our dreams and strive for happiness together!

Return to Top

Family Letters Across the Strait (Cross-Strait Pulse)

By: 本报记者 程 龙

The strait is shallow, but homesickness runs deep. Family letters are tender footnotes and resilient ties.

As the New Year approaches, let's read five family letters. Tracing back from 2026 to 1945, these letters span over eight decades, connecting the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, and patriotic sentiments of generations on both sides of the strait.

Short paper, long affection; seeing the words is like seeing the person. Family letters have witnessed the era's transformation from the flames of war and the separation of flesh and blood to the current exchanges and integration of compatriots on both sides of the strait. They tell the same truth: compatriots on both sides of the strait are one family with connected bloodlines. The roots have never been severed, and kinship cannot be cut off. Whether it was the "returning fallen leaves to their roots" of the past or the "taking root where one lands" of today, the shallow Taiwan Strait (台湾海峡) will ultimately not stop the road home.

Time is silent, but family letters are filled with affection. These yellowed or brand-new letters carry the deep affection written in blood by generations of Chinese sons and daughters. They travel through wind and rain, across the strait, bringing the hearts of compatriots on both sides of the strait closely together, jointly heading towards a tomorrow of ultimate reunion.

-- Editor

"This is the best proof that families on both sides of the strait are one family, and blood is thicker than water."
Writer: Chen Wencheng (陈文成) (from Changhua (彰化), Taiwan, teacher in the Department of Physical Education at Peking University (北京大学))

On New Year's Eve in 2026, the winter night in Beijing (北京) was chilling, but the lights in Chen Wencheng's (陈文成) home were particularly warm. Watching his sleeping children, Nini (妮妮) and Xiaobao (小宝), Chen Wencheng (陈文成), who had lived on the mainland for 14 years, picked up his pen and wrote to his parents in Changhua (彰化), Taiwan.

Original family letter:

Dad, Mom, not long ago, I finally fulfilled Grandpa's lifelong wish and took our Chen (陈) family to Anxi (安溪), Fujian (福建), our ancestral home, to seek our roots and pay homage to our ancestors. Before we left, our mainland relatives gave us three large volumes of the Chen (陈) clan genealogy and asked Uncle to take them back to Taiwan (台湾) to add information about future generations. I really feel that this is the best proof that families on both sides of the strait are one family, and blood is thicker than water.

I hope to bring you to Beijing (北京) for a while to see my work and life here, take you around, and try the delicious food!

In 2011, Chen Wencheng (陈文成), a 22-year-old Taiwanese young man, packed his bags and crossed the strait to Beijing (北京). It was the first time he had been so far from home. His parents in Changhua (彰化), Taiwan (台湾) were full of worries, and his grandmother often asked him, "Are you happy on the mainland? Are you doing well?"

At that time, Chen Wencheng (陈文成) may not have imagined that this departure would last 14 years. In those 14 years, he grew from an ignorant physical education student to a teacher at Peking University (北京大学), met his beloved girl, and built a happy cross-strait marriage and family.

The most touching part of the letter is undoubtedly the embrace that was hundreds of years late. Chen Wencheng (陈文成) always remembered his grandfather's deathbed instruction: "Don't forget to look for our ancestral home." In November 2025, he led his Taiwanese relatives to seek their roots and pay homage to their ancestors. In Renfeng Village (仁峰村), Anxi (安溪), Fujian (福建), hearing the familiar local accent, seeing the incense smoke curling in the ancestral hall, and receiving the heavy genealogy... At that moment, his grandfather's last wish, the family's bloodline, and the kinship between the two sides of the strait filled him with emotion. In the letter, he wrote emotionally: "I have found my pride and sense of belonging as a Chinese person."

"Dad's only hope is to see his daughter."
Writer: Yan Minggong (燕铭功) (from Guangrao (广饶), Shandong (山东), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾))

In 1986, Yan Minggong (燕铭功), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾), was seriously ill and knew he didn't have much time left. He wrote a final letter to his only daughter in his hometown of Shandong (山东), explaining his affairs after death.

Original family letter:

People cannot fight against fate. Since Dad left home and wandered in other lands, it has been almost forty years. Dad's only hope is to see his daughter... As long as the country is unified, we may be together and relive the laughter of the past...

Rong'er (荣儿), you are truly a child with a hard life. As long as Dad can go back alive... I will make up for the suffering you have endured, and Dad will feel at ease... Unfortunately, God has brought down a merciless disaster, and my ideal has been shattered...

Dad hopes that you can bring my bones home in the future and bury them with your mother... Rong'er (荣儿), remember, my grave is on Xiaogang Mountain (小冈山) in Gangshan Town (冈山镇)... Rong'er (荣儿), don't cry, Dad is leaving.

"Yan Minggong's (燕铭功) last words" were written on a yellowed and faded letter. In the late 1940s, when Yan Minggong (燕铭功) left home for Taiwan (台湾), his daughter Yan Zerong (燕泽荣) was still a child. After nearly 40 years of separation, the two sides of the strait were separated, and there was no news. In the 1980s, when they contacted each other again, Yan Minggong's (燕铭功) temples were already gray. He had imagined reuniting with his daughter countless times, but fate dealt him a heavy blow when he ignited hope.

Illness struck him down, and after the operation, he "became disabled and lost his ability to speak." If he couldn't speak, he would write. As life entered its countdown, Yan Minggong (燕铭功) wrote this family letter with trembling hands. On the ninth day of the first lunar month in 1986, he passed away in Taiwan (台湾) with the regret of not being able to call out to his daughter in person. And this family letter became a lifelong pain for his daughter. Even in her eighties, she still never forgot her father's wish to "be buried with your mother."

In 2023, with the efforts of his granddaughter, Taiwanese volunteers found Yan Minggong's (燕铭功) grave in the weeds, guided by the letter. On August 18, 2023, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (青岛胶东国际机场). When the Taiwanese volunteer carried Yan Minggong's (燕铭功) ashes out of the gate, Yan's (燕) descendants knelt down and kowtowed: "We have come to pick you up, you are home!"

Thirty-seven years after his death, the speechless father finally completed this long journey home with a family letter. This time, he was no longer alone, because he finally fulfilled his wish in the letter - to be buried with his wife and rest forever in the soil of his hometown.

"My heart is cold, I hope it won't be cold until we meet one day."
Writer: Tian Fachun (田发春) (from Beijing (北京), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾))

In 1983, Tian Fachun (田发春), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾) who had been away from home for 35 years, learned that his daughter-in-law on the mainland was about to give birth. He wrote a family letter across the sea, naming his unborn grandchildren. His emotions were sincere, and every word was filled with tears.

Original family letter:

It's been a long time since I wrote to you. I really miss you often in my heart. Knowing that Zhikun (志坤) is about to give birth, remember, whether it's a boy or a girl, it's all good. If this letter arrives in time, name the boy Nianchun (念春), and the girl can be named Siyu (思玉) or Yifang (忆芳). If you have already chosen a name, please tell me what it is.

…………

It has been raining here recently. The rainy days are very cold, but not as cold as in my hometown, but my heart is cold. I hope it won't be cold until we meet one day. Xiuzhen (秀贞), I owe you too much. May God bless you, and may Ke'er (科儿) and Zhikun (志坤) be filial to you...

In 1948, Tian Fachun (田发春), a 20-year-old air force clerk, received an order to go to Taiwan (台湾). Before leaving, his wife Ge Xiuzhen (葛秀贞) thought it was just an ordinary business trip, so she stayed in Beijing (北京) to take care of their 8-month-old son. Who knew that this separation would last 74 years.

In February 1983, a family letter was delivered to Ge Xiuzhen (葛秀贞) after several twists and turns. "Nianchun (念春)," this veteran who had been wandering alone in Taiwan (台湾) for most of his life, hid his thoughts in the names of his grandchildren. He could not see his grandchildren born with his own eyes, and hoped to use this method to let the family's bloodline remember his homesickness.

According to Tian Fachun's (田发春) wishes, the newborn boy was named "Tian Nianchun (田念春)." Tian Nianchun (田念春) was 4 years old when his grandfather passed away. At the age of 22, Tian Nianchun (田念春) accidentally discovered this family letter in a mahogany box at home. He decided to bring his grandfather back for his grandmother. Although the grandfather and grandson had never met, they were connected by blood, and the grandfather's "unwillingness" had always been an obsession in Tian Nianchun's (田念春) heart.

This search lasted 18 years. With the help of the Douyin (抖音) Missing Persons Public Welfare Project and Taiwanese volunteers, after months of searching in the chaotic graveyard, Tian Fachun's (田发春) tombstone was finally rediscovered in 2022. The name engraved on the corner of the tombstone - "Grandson Tian Nianchun (孙田念春)" - echoed the family letter from 1983, completing the reunion of relatives across time and space. In March 2023, Tian Nianchun (田念春) held an urn wrapped in red silk, bringing his grandfather home. This child named "Nianchun (念春)" finally fulfilled his grandfather's greatest wish.

"The family letter that I have been looking forward to every day is worth more than a thousand or ten thousand gold."
Writer: Chen Jinnan (陈金南) (from Wugang (武冈), Hunan (湖南), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾))

In 1984, Chen Jinnan (陈金南), a veteran from Taiwan (台湾) who had been away from home for 35 years, finally received the first letter from his "mother." He was overjoyed, but he didn't know that this letter hid a secret that the family had kept together.

Original family letter:

Received your letter on July 1st... like finding a treasure. The so-called family letter is worth a thousand gold, but in fact, the family letter that I have been looking forward to every day for more than thirty years is worth more than a thousand or ten thousand gold!

When I showed your letter to my wife and children, they were all very happy, especially since my mother is 96 years old, which is truly the virtue of our ancestors and the blessing of the Bodhisattva!

In 1949, Chen Jinnan (陈金南) left the mainland for Taiwan (台湾), and since then lost contact with his relatives in his hometown. In Taiwan (台湾), he looked forward to returning to the mainland to get married and start a family day and night. Unexpectedly, decades passed and he still could not return home. He did not marry until he was 42 years old. He opened a small shop, and his daughter Chen Xianghua (陈湘华) was born. On a blackboard in the small shop, Chen Xianghua (陈湘华), at a young age, saw the four characters "Hunan Wugang (湖南武冈)" for the first time. Her father held his daughter's tender hand and wrote "Chen Xianghua (陈湘华)" stroke by stroke: "The 'Xiang (湘)' of Hunan (湖南), the 'Hua (华)' of China (中华)." For Chen Xianghua (陈湘华), this was the initial appearance of her hometown, Hunan (湖南).

In 1984, a letter with mainland stamps broke the peace of the Chen (陈) family. The letter was written by his "mother," calling him by his nickname "Xi Bao (细宝)." Chen Jinnan (陈金南) was extremely excited. This was the first family letter he had received in the 35 years since he left home.

Four years later, carrying this treasured family letter, Chen Jinnan (陈金南) embarked on the road home. However, what greeted him was not his mother, but a cold tomb. It turned out that his mother had already passed away. This family letter was written by relatives in his hometown with tears in their eyes to comfort his homesickness. This well-intentioned lie was the light that supported Chen Jinnan (陈金南) to live in a foreign land. After learning the truth, Chen Jinnan (陈金南) did not blame anyone. He silently ate the peanuts from his hometown with tears in his eyes, as if every peanut had the taste of his mother.

In 2001, Chen Jinnan (陈金南) passed away with longing for his hometown. Guided by the family letter, in 2018, Chen Xianghua (陈湘华) found her cousin Chen Mansheng (陈满生), whom she had never met - the relative who wrote in the letter, "How much longing has been sent to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭)" back then. The homesickness of two generations merged at this moment.

"The recovery of Taiwan (台湾) can be regarded as fulfilling my father's lifelong wish."
Writer: Lin Zhengheng (林正亨) (the eighth-generation descendant of the Lin (林) family of Wufeng (雾峰), Taiwan (台湾), an anti-Japanese patriot)

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, Lin Zhengheng (林正亨), who was seriously injured, wrote a long letter to his mother in Taiwan (台湾) from Yunnan (云南).

Original family letter:

Dear Mother:

I am writing this letter to you with half excitement and half sadness. I remember it has been nine years since we parted in Nanjing (南京)... We are always thinking of you, and we have shed many tears of missing our relatives. We imagine that you, old man, must also be anxious for your children in the flames of war day and night, and your dark temples have also turned into frost with time. Now the war is won, and our hometown has been recovered. You should be proud of your children who have fought for nine years...

In this sacred war, I can be considered to have fulfilled my responsibility. The recovery of Taiwan (台湾) can be regarded as fulfilling my father's lifelong wish. If he knew, he would definitely laugh loudly in the afterlife. My disability is nothing. It is worth it for me to be shattered to pieces if the country can achieve victory and strength, and the compatriots in my hometown can gain light and freedom. Please don't be sad for my disability, Mother, you should laugh for the glory of the family...

On October 30, 1945, on a hospital bed in Yunnan (云南), Lin Zhengheng (林正亨), the eighth-generation descendant of the Lin (林) family of Wufeng (雾峰), Taiwan (台湾), and an anti-Japanese patriot, wrote a letter with trembling hands to his mother, whom he had not seen for nine years.

At the beginning of the letter, he expressed the vicissitudes and tenderness he had experienced after going through the rain of bullets. Excited, because the Anti-Japanese War was finally won, Taiwan (台湾) was liberated and returned to the embrace of the motherland; sad, because the years of war had turned him from a spirited young man into a wounded soldier with scars all over his body. After the Lugouqiao Incident (卢沟桥事变) broke out in 1937, Lin Zhengheng (林正亨) resolutely abandoned his pen and joined the army, applying for the Nanjing Central Military Academy (南京中央陆军军官学校). From the bloody battles at Kunlun Pass (昆仑关) in Guangxi (广西) to the fierce jungle battles in Myanmar (缅甸), he never flinched.

In March 1945, in a pursuit battle in the counter-offensive in northern Myanmar (缅甸), Lin Zhengheng (林正亨), as the company commander, engaged in a desperate hand-to-hand combat with 8 Japanese soldiers. He suffered 16 serious injuries, his tendons were broken, and a long scar was left on his face. He fainted several times... Lin Zhengheng (林正亨) almost died in a foreign land. For a mother, nothing is more heartbreaking than learning that her son is disabled. But Lin Zhengheng (林正亨) comforted his mother in the letter: "My disability is nothing. It is worth it for me to be shattered to pieces if the country can achieve victory and strength, and the compatriots in my hometown can gain light and freedom."

This family letter connects the longing from Yunnan (云南) to Taiwan (台湾), and even more connects the personal destiny with the rise and fall of the country. Lin Zhengheng (林正亨) practiced his father Lin Zumi's (林祖密) oath to "drive out the Japanese invaders and restore Taiwan (台湾)" with his sacrifice and dedication.

Return to Top

Parks "Shake Hands," Innovation Gushes Forth (Micro Commentary)

By: 江 琳

Overlooking the Shenzhen River (深圳河), the blue waves meander, and the scenery on both banks is boundless. On one side is Shenzhen (深圳), Guangdong (广东), and on the other is Hong Kong (香港). At the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (河套深港科技创新合作区), located at the junction of the two places, technological innovation cooperation between the two places "shakes hands." Recently, following the Shenzhen Park (深圳园区), the Hong Kong Park (香港园区) has also opened. This is another important achievement in the implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区) development plan and a vivid practice of the advantages of the "one country, two systems" principle.

The Hong Kong Park focuses on creating a world-class industry-academia-research platform, building an internationally competitive industrial pilot-scale transformation base, creating a global hub for innovation resources, and pioneering a pilot field for institutional and policy innovation. It adopts a "research + pilot test" model, focusing on cutting-edge tracks such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, new energy, and high-end intelligent manufacturing. More than 60 companies have signed contracts and are gradually settling in.

Across the river, the two sides complement each other's advantages. Hong Kong gathers global talent, has extensive international connections, and has a strong foundation in basic research. Shenzhen has a strong atmosphere for innovation and entrepreneurship, a sound industrial system, and a complete industrial chain. According to the "Global Innovation Index 2025" released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the "Shenzhen—Hong Kong—Guangzhou (广州)" innovation cluster ranks first in the world, confirming the enormous potential of cross-border collaboration. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park leverage their comparative advantages to establish a "basic research + technology tackling + achievement industrialization + technology finance + talent support" full-process innovation ecosystem, expanding a broader space for development.

The key to collaboration lies in the connection of systems and mechanisms. The launch of the western cross-river connection bridge project connecting the Hong Kong and Shenzhen parks will facilitate the transportation of scientific researchers. Institutional innovations such as "classified management" of scientific research goods and cross-border flow supervision models for scientific research funds are transforming institutional barriers into innovative living water.

Integrating the two sides, thousands of sails are racing. The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone is not only a geographical meeting point, but also an important platform for enriching the connotation of the "one country, two systems" practice and supporting Hong Kong to better integrate into and serve the overall national development, which will promote the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and create a world-class innovation platform and growth pole. It is believed that Hong Kong and Shenzhen parks will work together, innovate collaboratively, and will surely surge with strong momentum and create more possibilities.

Return to Top

Editor in Charge for This Section: Cheng Long

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

Return to Top

"Acupuncture-style" Renovation Revitalizes Old Neighborhoods (Cultural China Tour: Humanistic Observation)

By: 本报记者 杨颜菲

As dusk falls, the contours of the Luoxiao Mountains (罗霄山脉) become softer in the afterglow, and the He River (禾水河) shimmers with golden light. In the old street of the South Gate (南门老街) in Yongxin (永新), a small city, the laughter of children playing leaps in the pocket parks. Hu Jide (胡积德), just back from traveling, parks his car and looks up to see thousands of lights gradually illuminating, one of which is waiting for him. "No matter how new the cities outside are, they can't compare to the taste of our old street," he says to his wife, his voice filled with comforting warmth.

If a city is likened to a person, the old street of the South Gate (南门老街) is the beating heart of Yongxin County (永新县), Jiangxi (江西) Province. Since the establishment of the county in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the settling of the county seat here in the second year of the Tang Dynasty's Xianqing era, the city site has been rooted like a rock. Over the years, the old street has experienced the prosperity of merchants gathering and the baptism of revolutionary flames – it was once an important part of the Jinggang Mountain (井冈山) revolutionary base and the hub of the Xianggan (湘赣) revolutionary base... With the development of the times, ancient houses and residences have become increasingly damaged, and the street environment was once dirty and chaotic. Nevertheless, many residents still remain in the old street.

In order to improve the lives of residents and to make Yongxin's (永新) "heart" beat more powerfully, Yongxin County (永新县) launched the "Rediscovering Yongxin (重见永新)" project. Expert teams consulted county chronicles and traveled through the streets and alleys; community cadres visited households one by one to conduct research; community residents expressed their opinions and offered suggestions... Finally, a "small-scale, gradual, micro-transformation" "acupuncture-style" transformation model emerged: one needle to dredge the meridians, allowing the bluestone road to once again flow with the warmth of life; one needle to awaken vitality, allowing nostalgia to awaken and grow in the everyday life of the people; one needle to activate genes, allowing the millennium-old cultural heritage to freely breathe in the streets and alleys.

A skillful doctor revives the dying, first seeking the right diagnosis.

Long Jiaomei (龙叫妹), 88 years old, wearing a blue cloth shirt, sits at the entrance of Xingfu Street (幸福街) basking in the winter sun, smiling with satisfaction: "My grandson, Xiao Zuo (小左), is singing in the tavern a hundred meters away. He has seen the prosperity of big cities, but he is more willing to return home to start a business – because home is different now!"

"Narrow, dilapidated, and dim, there was no one on the street after 9 pm, only the sound of old people coughing from the old houses along the street." This is the scene that Li Meng (李梦), a planner from the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, saw during her first visit to Yongxin (永新).

"It must be changed" – this was the consensus, but "how to change it" brought about disagreements.

"At that time, the most popular way to change it was to demolish everything and rebuild it, making 'new ancient buildings'," said Shi Jianhua (史建华), deputy general manager of Yongxin County (永新县) Urban Control Group. Initially, everyone felt that something was missing from the drawings for a complete rebuild.

"A skillful doctor revives the dying, first seeking the right diagnosis." Peng Lixiao (彭礼孝), the project's chief planner, said that they went to investigate three times just to figure out where the "lesions" of the old street were.

The investigation found that the old street covers an area of 162,000 square meters, and the composition of building property rights is complex, covering various types such as public housing, private housing, and unit housing. There is the South Pagoda (南塔) built in the Song Dynasty, enclosed in the walls of the No. 2 campus of Chengxiang Primary School (城厢小学二部) in the old street; there is also the modern National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, the site of the Joint Meeting of the CPC Xianggan Border Special Committee, the Red Fourth Army Military Committee, and the Yongxin County Committee (中共湘赣边界特委、红四军军委、永新县委联席会议会址), surrounded by a protected area...

"Demolish everything? Impractical." Peng Lixiao (彭礼孝) admitted frankly that Yongxin (永新) is a small mountainous county, and was once a national-level poverty-stricken county. The finances are not abundant, and the old street of the South Gate (南门老街) is not a famous ancient alley. It needs a good prescription tailored to local conditions.

"We 'use acupuncture to heal the sick city'. Each building is like an acupoint on the old street. Through the acupoints, the entire area is activated," said Shi Jianhua (史建华). While completely preserving the original style, personalized design and transformation are implemented for each building, and corresponding commercial formats are implanted. In the process of activating each ancient building, the overall activation of the old street is realized.

Wang Jun (王军), deputy director of the Historical and Cultural City Protection and Development Research Branch of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, introduced that they improved the facades and reinforced the structures of 650 buildings from different periods, adapting to local conditions. Taking the renovation of No. 38 Minzhu Street (民主街38号) as an example, steel structures quietly replaced the decaying wooden beams, old roof beams and doors and windows were transformed into decorative patterns, and the texture of the blue brick exterior walls was gently preserved. The embedding of water supply, drainage, electricity, networks, and toilets allows the old house to embrace modern life with ease.

"We abandoned the thinking of large-scale demolition and construction. In the protection and renewal, we did not demolish a single building, ensuring that the building property rights remained basically unchanged, the spatial texture remained basically unchanged, the original residents were basically not relocated, and the social network remained basically unchanged," said He Jiang (贺江), deputy director of the Yongxin County (永新县) Urban Development Service Center. The first phase of the old street renewal and renovation project involves more than 700 buildings, tens of thousands of people, and a total investment of only 157 million yuan.

"When we first visited Yongxin (永新), the old woman coughing in the old house was Grandma Long Jiaomei (龙叫妹). She liked to bask in the sun at the entrance of the alley and greet the passing neighbors. During our research, she said that she hoped to have a flushing toilet, so she wouldn't have to run far to dump garbage every day, and she also hoped that the county town could be as lively as she remembered," said Li Meng (李梦). Later, during construction, the residents did not complain because they believed that the old street would definitely be better.

Find the right acupoint, and everything will be smooth.

At mealtime, at No. 26 Xingfu Street (幸福街26号) in the old street of the South Gate (南门老街), 85-year-old Huang Wuyuan (黄五媛) and her daughter-in-law are busy in the newly renovated small kitchen, adding green scallions and red peppers to the pot, filling the air with fragrance.

The mobile phone store in the front hall is for livelihood, and the kitchen in the back is for everyday life. "Look at my old house, it's over 70 years old, and now it's so energetic!" Huang Wuyuan (黄五媛) gave a thumbs up, "Before the renovation, tiles would fall off whenever there was a strong wind or heavy rain. Now, all the tiles have been renovated, and the room has become brighter!"

In 2024, No. 26 Xingfu Street (幸福街26号) was included in the second phase of the old street renovation project. "After the renovation, I couldn't even recognize it as my house the first time I walked in. The walls were painted snow-white, and the wooden stairs and the floor on the second floor were nailed, and the creaking sound was gone."

"One vertical and two horizontal lines are the planning of our entire old street of the South Gate (南门老街). But the situation here is very complicated. Hehe North Road (禾河北路), which has not been opened for 30 years, has become the key 'acupoint' of our entire old street. Once it is opened, everything will be smooth," said Dong Xueqiang (董学强), chairman of the Hechuan Town (禾川镇) People's Congress, who is responsible for land acquisition and relocation. "In the process of unified planning and renovation, communication and coordination with a large number of private property owners has become the primary problem. How to balance the renovation vision with the vision in the minds of the people is really painstaking."

A model of old city renovation jointly participated in by the government, professionals, and community residents is sprouting in Yongxin (永新): the project is initiated by the Yongxin County (永新县) Party Committee and County Government, responsible for forming a project leading group, raising project funds, and organizing project implementation; establishing a "Master Workshop" and gathering well-known domestic designers to design together; forming "Friends of Yongxin Ancient City (永新古城之友)", inviting community residents, well-known people from society, etc. to participate and provide suggestions for the project.

Visiting households one by one, negotiating round after round, revising draft after draft... A plan that accommodates diverse demands was born in countless listenings and collisions. "Happy life, created together," said He Jiang (贺江).

Hu Jide (胡积德), 63 years old, has lived in the old street for a lifetime. Before the renovation, there was nowhere to go on sunny days, and he was covered in mud on rainy days. His children originally planned to move away with them after they retired, "**一砖一瓦** (yī zhuān yī wǎ - "every brick and tile," every single thing) I can't bear to leave, since I was born and raised here."

Fortunately, the old street of the South Gate (南门老街) ushered in a renovation. "How should it be renovated? What color should the door frame be changed to?" Many residents on the old street have expressed their opinions on these issues, and were also invited by the special team to discuss them together.

In the Meiyuan (梅园) pocket park opposite Hu Jide's (胡积德) house, the old people lean against the flower wall and chat idly, and a chess game on the stone table takes a long time to make a move, and several children chase and play. Grandma He Yinxiu (贺银秀) shakes the quilt and points to the surroundings with a smile: "Our small block has several small gardens, and you can rest wherever you go."

"The once disordered construction and the gathering of various functions have gradually caused the old street to lose its traditional characteristic functions. The proportion of cultural and leisure space is only about 1%, the quality of the living environment is poor, and there is a lack of vitality," said Wang Jun (王军). They transformed 7 abandoned corners of the old street into pocket parks – some have stone benches around century-old trees, some have flower beds at the corners, and some have grape trellises built against old walls. Residents can find a place to sit down and bask in the sun within a hundred steps of leaving their homes. Zhenyuan (珍园), Yiyuan (忆园), Meiyuan (梅园)... each garden has a nice name.

These pocket parks make the old street like a large garden without walls, adding poetry to the life of the city. The awakened block has once again become the spiritual coordinate of Yongxin (永新).

Wang Wenjun (王雯俊), born in the 1980s, used to work in Shenzhen. When he returned home for the Spring Festival in 2025, he saw the changes in his hometown and opened a family bakery workshop at No. 7 Xingfu Street (幸福街7号). "It costs more to rent a store like this in Shenzhen. Now it's close to home and the rent is cheaper, which is quite cost-effective."

Dredge the meridians and inherit the living state.

"I bought this store in 1985, and after I was laid off, I opened a small shop here. The store is named because the neighbors used to call my wife 'Xiaomei'," said Wang Jixian (王继先), 75 years old, whose store is at the intersection of Shengjiaping Road (盛家坪路) and Xingfu Street (幸福街), with the signboard of "Xiaomei Store (小妹商店)". In this 7-square-meter store, Wang Jixian (王继先) introduced while sorting goods, "After the renovation, the old street has changed, but it seems like it hasn't changed!"

The South Pagoda (南塔) remains the same, only to see the school wall give way to it; the old houses are as before, only adding the shadow of flowers to the facade; the utility poles have been transformed into the old scenery of the old street, and the messy cables have quietly gone underground...

The most powerful needle in the "acupuncture-style" transformation is in dredging the cultural context and activating the inheritance, changing the dilapidated environment, and keeping the old street culture and the warmth of the city unchanged. A special space "Old Street Memory Hall (老街记忆馆)" has appeared on the old street, displaying various old objects donated by residents: old-fashioned radios, black and white photos, sewing machines, kerosene lamps... Behind each item is a story of the old street.

On Saturday afternoon, in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Theater (非遗剧场) transformed from the old bamboo weaving factory, Chen Jingfa (陈荆发), a retired music teacher from Beijing, is giving a folk song training class to the county's choir. Chen Yantao (陈彦涛), the head of the choir, introduced that the community has more than 50 people, including office workers in their 20s and old people in their 70s, rehearsing at least 3 times a week, just to sing the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative project "Yongxin Zihe Tune (永新子和调)".

Every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday evening, the crisp drumbeats of Yongxin Small Drum (永新小鼓) and the melodious singing of the Triangular Class (三角班) resound on time in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Theater (非遗剧场). "This stage gives the actors a dedicated venue, and the art has a soil for inheritance," said Du Xiaolin (杜晓林), a 50-year-old municipal-level intangible cultural heritage representative inheritor of Yongxin Small Drum (永新小鼓). Compared with the embarrassment of "no one asking for tickets even when they were given away for free" a few years ago, tickets are now hard to come by.

"The small drum beats dong dong li xiang lei, everyone listen carefully lei. Today I won't talk about anything else..." The drum sounds crisp, and the bamboo clappers sound lightly. In the adjacent Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall (非遗馆), Xie Ningyuan (谢宁远), a third-grade student, is concentrating on practicing Yongxin Small Drum (永新小鼓), his childish face full of concentration. "The child takes the initiative to come after school, saying that drumming is more interesting than playing games," said Xie Ningyuan's (谢宁远) mother with satisfaction.

Today, there are still more than 40 kinds of traditional handicrafts in the old street that maintain a living inheritance, more than 800 original residents and more than 3,200 people live in peace as before, and the traditional production and living network continues in an orderly manner, maintaining the old street's vibrant vitality.

In the process of old street renewal, special attention is paid to the protection and revitalization of old revolutionary sites. These sites have not been simply sealed off for protection, but continue to be used after renovation.

Haitianchun Tea House (海天春茶馆) was once a place where revolutionary patriots secretly contacted each other. Today, it is still filled with the fragrance of tea, and there are more graphic displays on the walls. Tourists can learn about that glorious period while tasting tea; Yongxin County Chamber of Commerce (永新县商会) is where the Joint Meeting of the CPC Xianggan Border Special Committee, the Red Fourth Army Military Committee, and the Yongxin County Committee (中共湘赣边界特委、红四军军委、永新县委联席会议) was held in 1928. During the renovation of the old street, 16 new red slogans were discovered, which are a valuable red resource.

"We are particularly interested in revolutionary history, and we made a special trip to visit the Yongxin County Chamber of Commerce (永新县商会). The slogans here are very clearly preserved," said Huang Liwen (黄里文), a tourist from Ruijin (瑞金), Jiangxi (江西), with deep feelings.

The bluestone road of the old street strings together a flowing local chronicle. More than 90% of those once idle old sites, historical buildings, and industrial heritage have been carefully revitalized – the old bamboo weaving factory has been transformed into an Intangible Cultural Heritage Theater (非遗剧场), and the old factory buildings have become cultural and creative spaces. Each renovation inherits the memory of history.

Here, red culture, intangible cultural heritage skills, and the everyday life of the city are perfectly integrated.

The "acupuncture" of the renovation is precisely aligned with the people's expectations and the city's cultural context. The ancient block resonates with the pulse of the times, and in the depths of the everyday life of the people, there flows a rhythm of endless life.

Return to Top

Protect the Right of People with Disabilities to Enjoy Reading by Law (Cultural Tea House)

By: 程 凯

China has 85 million people with disabilities, and ensuring the reading rights of this special group is a key and challenging aspect of national reading promotion. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has attached great importance to the cause of people with disabilities, showing them special care and attention. The revision, formulation, and implementation of the Law on Guaranteeing Public Cultural Services, the Public Library Law, the Law on Barrier-Free Environment Construction, the Regulations on the Education of Persons with Disabilities, and the promotion of the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty have provided strong legal guarantees for people with disabilities to share cultural achievements, and substantial progress and historical breakthroughs have been made in protecting the reading rights of people with disabilities.

The recently issued "Regulations on Promoting National Reading" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") promote national reading through legislation, which is a practical action to implement the requirement of "promoting the construction of a reading society" in the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal. It is of great significance for further improving the social security system and care service system for people with disabilities, protecting their equal reading rights, and enhancing their development capabilities.

First, it will further promote the equal enjoyment of reading rights for people with disabilities. The equal reading rights of people with disabilities require special care and protection, so that every person with a disability has the opportunity to draw wisdom and strength from books, receive a good education, improve their cultural literacy, and achieve social integration. This is not only an inherent requirement for building an advanced socialist culture, but also an inevitable requirement for enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the people. Cultural equity is an extension of the spirit of fairness and justice. We must vigorously promote the implementation of the "Regulations," widely publicize them, and allow the concepts of understanding, respecting, caring for, and helping people with disabilities to take root in people's hearts, and promote the equal participation of people with disabilities in reading. The active participation of people with disabilities in reading also injects special spiritual strength and impetus into the promotion of national reading, truly practicing the value orientation of "equality, integration, and sharing," and jointly building and sharing a reading society and modern civilization.

Second, it will further promote the improvement of special education quality. At present, there is still a large gap between the average years of education of people with disabilities in China and that of ordinary people. The proportion of people with disabilities who have received education at or above the high school level is not high, and the level and quality of special education itself urgently need to be improved. The "Regulations" make clear reading promotion requirements from kindergartens to universities, especially emphasizing differentiation and pertinence. Special education is an important part of differentiated reading. We must align with the strategic tasks of building a strong education country and modernizing education, accelerate the efforts to make up for the shortcomings of special education, enhance the supply of special education resources, and improve the quality of special education, so as to fundamentally improve the reading ability of people with disabilities, and promote the improvement of the education level of people with disabilities through the improvement of reading ability.

Third, it will further promote the construction of barrier-free reading. Barrier-free reading is the basic project to protect the reading rights of people with disabilities. Technological innovation and digital applications have improved the means, content, and service resources of barrier-free reading. The "Regulations" specifically propose that "the state encourages the provision of audio, large-print, Braille, electronic and other barrier-free format versions of publications for people with reading disabilities, and supports the construction of barrier-free facilities for national reading" and "the state supports the combination of digital reading and traditional reading," and makes clear provisions on national reading promotion, services, guarantees, and legal responsibilities, providing a legal basis for more fully and effectively promoting barrier-free reading. We must build a working mechanism for more publishers and copyright holders to jointly promote the rapid increase and sustainable supply of barrier-free publications, and study and explore key products, supporting technologies, and effective services for barrier-free reading. Vigorously expand digital reading, strengthen the construction and supply of digital resources, meet the hierarchical and diversified reading needs of people with disabilities of different degrees of disability, different ages, and different occupations, and help them eliminate reading barriers. Fully consider the convenience and accessibility of reading, and create conditions for barrier-free reading for people with disabilities. Disability service organizations such as "Homes for People with Disabilities" should take the initiative to play a demonstrative and exemplary role in carrying out barrier-free reading.

Fourth, it will further promote the cultivation of volunteer services to assist reading for people with disabilities. The barrier-free assistance, accompaniment, and joint reading of enthusiastic people with people with disabilities is the warmest reading in national reading promotion. The "Regulations" clearly stipulate that building a reading city and a reading town is an important part of spiritual civilization construction, continuously cultivating a social reading atmosphere, and promoting urban civilization construction and civilized rural customs construction. We must implement the opinions on improving the volunteer service system in the new era, carry out in-depth civilization practice activities to help people with disabilities, cultivate volunteer teams to assist reading for people with disabilities, and promote cultural service institutions, especially libraries and reading rooms, to carry out various forms of volunteer services to assist reading, and send good books and read good books to people with disabilities, especially children with disabilities who have special needs. Let volunteers who assist people with disabilities, especially young students, make friends with people with disabilities and convey truth, goodness, and beauty in volunteer services such as accompanying reading and joint reading.

National reading promotion is a basic project to continue the Chinese cultural heritage, forge the national spirit, and build a strong socialist cultural country, and it is the foundation for enhancing the country's cultural soft power. Let us join hands and read with our friends with disabilities around us, jointly feel the joy of reading, and strive to achieve the goal of "no one should be left behind in national reading" as soon as possible, and build a reading society and a strong cultural country.

(The author is the Chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (中国残疾人联合会))

Return to Top

Military Reclamation Culture Nourishes Hearts in the Gobi Desert (Rural Scene)

By: 本报记者 尚嵘峥

"Ding--" The bell rang, and the No. 126 Regiment Middle School of the Seventh Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (新疆生产建设兵团第七师) in Huyanghe City (胡杨河市) entered a 30-minute break between classes. Students came to the Gobi Mother Juvenile Art Palace (戈壁母亲少年艺术宫) on campus in twos and threes.

"Military reclamation clay sculptures, military reclamation paper-cuts, military reclamation enamel..." "Participating in community activities here allows children to choose freely according to their interests," said Li Yan (李燕), director of the No. 126 Regiment Middle School Office.

No. 126 Regiment Middle School is where writer Han Tianhang (韩天航) worked. He was inspired by the production and life practices of the No. 126 Regiment and wrote the well-known "Gobi Mother" (戈壁母亲). The local area takes the "Gobi Mother" military reclamation culture as its core and has created red education bases such as the former residence of the Gobi Mother, the Gobi Mother Comprehensive Cultural Center, and the Gobi Mother Art Museum. Students' intuitive understanding of the older generation of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (兵团) people mostly comes from here.

In a semi-basement of more than ten square meters, the walls and ground are all plastered with sand and soil, and simple kerosene lamps hang on the main beam made of poplar wood. The former residence of the Gobi Mother retains the "underground dwellings" where the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (兵团) people first lived. The No. 126 Regiment Middle School organizes students to visit every year.

Relying on the "Gobi Mother" red tourism resources, this regiment, which is the farthest from Huyanghe (胡杨河) city, is no longer a desolate area on the boundless Gobi. The red education base with the "Gobi Mother" as its core receives nearly 100,000 tourists every year, and its popularity is growing day by day.

"This used to be a cotton processing factory, which was transformed into a creative park after being abandoned." In the Gobi Mother Cultural and Creative Park, the docent is leading tourists on a tour. The production equipment is preserved in its original flavor, and the past of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (兵团) industry is clearly visible; 8 groups of military reclamation culture metal sculptures made of scrap metal stand in the factory area, showing a history of hard work and entrepreneurship of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (兵团) people.

The former pioneering hot land is also a fertile literary land. In addition to Han Tianhang (韩天航), writers such as Lu Tianming (陆天明), Lu Chuan (陆川), Li Juan (李娟), and Dong Libo (董立勃) have also lived in the Seventh Division (第七师). Relying on well-known writer resources, the local area has built a number of literary master studios in regiments, communities, and cultural venues to allow military reclamation literature to nourish people's lives.

Turning from the highway leading to Huyanghe (胡杨河) city onto a farm road, an inconspicuous farmhouse appears in front of you. This is Dong Libo's (董立勃) studio.

"At first glance, it is very desolate, but the regiment is like this. There is often only one family within a few miles," said Zhao Huifang (赵会芳), director of the Cultural, Sports, Radio, Film and Tourism Center of the No. 130 Regiment. Dong Libo (董立勃) grew up in the Sixth Company of the No. 130 Regiment. This is not only his residence but also a public cultural place, equipped with a farmer's bookstore, with military reclamation novels, essays, poems and other books available. Every year, during the "Saobana Flower Fragrance" Cultural and Art Week named after Dong Libo's (董立勃) military reclamation-themed novel "Saobana Flower Fragrance" (沙枣花香), the book bar and painting and calligraphy room in the courtyard are always crowded with visitors.

Lu Tianming's (陆天明) studio is built in the Huyang Heyun Cultural Center (胡杨荷韵文化馆). "I hope to use Lu Tianming's (陆天明) military reclamation literature to encourage more citizens and employees to fall in love with reading," said Zhao Huifang (赵会芳). Next to the studio is a farmer's bookstore, where reading sharing sessions are held regularly. There are 177 such farmer's bookstores in Huyanghe City (胡杨河市), with a collection of more than 300,000 books.

In recent years, Huyanghe City (胡杨河市) has actively explored military reclamation cultural resources, and overall created the "Gobi Mother" brand. Combining the characteristics of each regiment, it has formed military reclamation cultural brands such as the "Military Reclamation Chinese Hawthorn Culture Township" of the No. 124 Regiment, the "Military Reclamation Red Willow Culture Township" of the No. 125 Regiment, and the "Military Reclamation Gobi Mother Culture Township" of the No. 126 Regiment. In June 2025, Huyanghe City (胡杨河市) became the first Chinese "Literary Township" in Xinjiang (新疆) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (兵团).

The Kuitun River (奎屯河) flows quietly, with a gentle breeze, and the poplars face the sun. This Gobi in northern Xinjiang (北疆) was born because of reclamation, and now, it is becoming more profound and vivid because of the immersion of military reclamation culture.

Return to Top

Editor in Charge for This Section: He Siqi

Layout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

Return to Top

Constructing Subjectivity and Contemporaneity in the Dialogue Between Chinese and Foreign Art

By: 朱虹子

In today's globalized art landscape, which is undergoing profound evolution, art biennials have transcended mere exhibitions of artworks, becoming important venues for dialogue and exchange between different civilizations. The 10th China Beijing International Art Biennale (hereinafter referred to as the "Beijing Biennale") currently being held at the Beijing Exhibition Center (北京展览馆), and the inaugural International Art Conference that was just convened, are important platforms for constructing cultural subjectivity.

Since its inception in 2003, the Beijing Biennale has cultivated connections with over 150 countries across five continents over more than 20 years. In the practice of Sino-foreign art dialogue, it has continuously explored paths for constructing subjectivity. From early responses to the dominant Western culture to the current construction of a diverse dialogue network through the International Art Conference platform, especially the in-depth discussion and interpretation of the academic proposition of "cultural subjectivity construction," it has played a positive role in establishing a self-identity for Chinese art in the global contemporary art discourse system.

The inaugural International Art Conference represents a paradigm upgrade from "exhibition" to "dialogue" for the Beijing Biennale. Through the format of "keynote speeches + round table meetings," approximately 50 art theorists, curators, artists, and heads of art institutions such as art galleries and museums from home and abroad gathered together, closely focusing on the theme of "Civilization Exchange and Artistic Innovation," to deeply explore how art can promote civilization exchange in the global context, and how to achieve creative transformation and innovative development on the basis of adhering to local cultural traditions, and other series of contemporary propositions. The three cutting-edge topics set by the conference, "Art Expansion under Local Tradition and International Vision," "Fluid Contemporaneity and Cultural Subject Construction," and "Art Ecology and Future Development in the Intelligent Era," profoundly respond to the theme of this year's Biennale, "Symbiosis," promoting global art to be beautiful in its own way and to share beauty together in exchange and mutual learning.

Civilization exchange is not about convergence, but about strengthening self-awareness in in-depth dialogue. Based on this consensus, participants are paying more attention to how art can unfold international dialogue and contemporary expansion. The healthy development of art must rely on a profound local cultural context, while maintaining an open international perspective, drawing nourishment from tradition, and responding to contemporary aesthetics and international topics, so that creation becomes an innovation and creation with identity recognition. Through the sharing of participants, it can be seen that building systematic cooperation platforms and academic exhibition brands, promoting the integration of local art practices into international dialogue; conducting cross-cultural translation through independent curation to deepen people's understanding of other cultures; innovating exhibition forms to transform art into a "common space" connecting audiences, and strengthening their experience and thinking, are becoming practical paths for many art institutions at home and abroad.

In the era of globalization with high-speed information flow, how to view the contemporaneity of art, and how artists establish and express cultural subjectivity, have become issues of great concern. Participants reached a consensus on "contemporaneity" in multi-dimensional and cross-field academic collisions—its essence is a critical vision based on global dialogue, which must be rooted in specific historical and regional experiences, and can break various boundaries and maintain spiritual independence and sobriety. In the field of contemporary art, the construction of cultural subjectivity is by no means an exclusive essentialism, nor is it a retreat to closure, but an active participation in global dialogue with an innovative attitude rooted in the local, so as to establish its own irreplaceable value in a complex symbiotic network. Just like the contemporary ink paintings of artists from many countries in this year's Biennale, ink painting art jumps out of the traditional brush and ink form, integrates contemporary social issues and cross-media expression, and becomes a contemporary art language that carries the spirit of Eastern culture and responds to global topics.

Digital intelligence technology, represented by artificial intelligence-generated content, not only reshapes the entire chain of art creation, dissemination, and acceptance, but also raises new questions about the relationship between people, technology, and art. From the current practice of digital art creation, it can be seen that the empowerment of digital intelligence technology has shifted art from "work-centered" to "system-centered," that is, the object of creation is no longer just an image, but may also be an evolving field. Based on this new paradigm of creation, participants emphasized that artificial intelligence should be regarded as a human collaboration partner rather than a simple tool, and it should not be simply understood as oil paint becoming pixels and brushes becoming mice, but should be innovated in terms of form, media, concept, etc., to achieve high-quality content production. Some experts believe that artworks can be imitated by artificial intelligence, but art cannot. The thoughts, originality, and life perception contained in art are always the core that cannot be imitated. Therefore, the future art ecology needs to seek a dynamic creative balance between actively embracing technological innovation and striving to uphold humanistic values, between empowering cultural productivity and critical reflection, and between building global dialogue and deeply rooting in local roots.

The in-depth dialogue of the inaugural International Art Conference provides a dual path for the construction of cultural subjectivity: one is to consolidate the foundation of cultural subjectivity in the contemporary transformation of local art traditions, and the other is to clarify the boundaries of cultural subjectivity in the collision of cross-cultural dialogue. Chinese and foreign scholars and artists reached a consensus: deeply exploring local cultural traditions and carrying out creative transformation and innovative development is a common direction for promoting civilization dialogue. The "coexistence of differences" in cross-cultural dialogue provides an important reference dimension for the construction of subjectivity. Through such dialogue, the Beijing Biennale allows Chinese art to see the uniqueness of its own culture, and also to clarify the commonality of different cultures, thereby establishing a cultural identity with a global perspective.

It needs to be emphasized that the construction of subjectivity is not a static identity confirmation, but a dynamic process that needs to be constantly adjusted in the balance between openness and adherence. In the complex context of globalization and localization intertwined, how to avoid the construction of subjectivity from falling into the dual pitfalls of "Westernization" or "narrow localization" is a problem that the Beijing Biennale and even most international art exchange platforms need to continue to respond to. For a long time, in the process of going international, some non-Western art has had the drawbacks of blindly catering to Western fashion and losing its own innovative consciousness, leading to the dissolution of subjectivity; while another closed localization posture makes art fall into talking to itself, losing the possibility of dialogue, which is worthy of vigilance.

The Beijing Biennale and the inaugural International Art Conference adhere to the dialogue strategy of "**以我为主、为我所用**" (yǐ wǒ wéi zhǔ, wèi wǒ suǒ yòng - "taking me as the main, using it for my purpose," to maintain independence and initiative while learning from others), telling people that a truly mature cultural subjectivity not only needs a clear self-awareness, but also needs the ability to participate in global issues and contribute cultural wisdom. The integration of the Beijing Biennale and the International Art Conference has built a bridge for regular exchanges in the global art world, leaving a deep Chinese imprint on the international art scene, and also gathering a broad consensus on adhering to cultural roots, embracing technological innovation, and promoting the symbiosis of civilizations, injecting surging power into the development of world art.

(The author is a member of the Party Group and Deputy Secretary-General of the China Artists Association (中国美术家协会)).

Return to Top

Carefully Painting the Landscape of the Nation

By: 张公者

"Green mountains layered with emerald peaks, green waters ripple for thousands of miles," recently, the "Ode to Green Waters and Lush Mountains – Exhibition of Calligraphy and Painting on the Theme of Ecological Civilization," hosted by the Research Center of the State Council Counselor's Office and the Central Research Institute of Culture and History and held at the National Art Museum of China, its artistic pursuit, aesthetic interest, and emotional sustenance, are fully confirmed and expressed in this couplet written by Sun Xiaoyun (孙晓云), Chairman of the China Calligraphers Association and librarian of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History.

The four characters "Green Waters and Lush Mountains" ("绿水青山"), possess both the beauty of nature and the charm of humanity, carrying the Chinese nation's thousands of years of life wisdom and cultural genes, constructing the spiritual home for Chinese people to settle their bodies and minds for generations, and have always been a cultural proposition consciously practiced by successive librarians of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History and an aesthetic realm to which they are determined to aspire.

Since its establishment in 1951, the Central Research Institute of Culture and History has always adhered to the tenet of "Respecting the Elderly and Venerating Culture" (敬老崇文) and taking courtesy and service to celebrities from all walks of life as the foundation of the institute, making many contributions in inheriting Chinese culture and promoting national spirit. What is particularly commendable is that many of the librarians have been skilled in painting, and the older generation of librarians, such as Qi Baishi (齐白石), Chen Banding (陈半丁), Qi Gong (启功), and Qin Lingyun (秦岭云), created a large number of widely circulated artistic works with the new society as the object of depiction, many of which depict the great rivers and mountains of the motherland.

In the 1950s, Qi Baishi's (齐白石) artistic creation radiated new brilliance and vitality, enriching and expanding the new style and illustration of "Red Landscape" with works such as "Ode to the Motherland," endowing green waters and lush mountains with the profound background of national feelings. Qin Lingyun (秦岭云), one of the promoters of the "New Landscape Painting" movement in the 20th century, devoted himself to creation with full enthusiasm, studying vermilion ink and creating spring mountains, "waiting to carefully paint the landscape." Entering the new century, the Central Research Institute of Culture and History organized more than 60 painters and spent a year creating "New Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains," which depicts natural scenery and cultural landscapes, presenting the new scenery of the Fuchun River (富春江), and also showing the new atmosphere and new landscape of the green waters and lush mountains of the motherland since the reform and opening up.

Feeling the tremendous achievements made in the construction of ecological civilization in the new era, in recent years, the librarians, calligraphers, and painters of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History and local research institutes of culture and history have picked up their brushes and painting easels, walked towards the magnificent mountains and rivers, and into the front lines of ecological restoration, expressing green waters and lush mountains from different dimensions and in different ways, and depicting the grand practice of ecological civilization construction in the new era. For example, Feng Yuan's (冯远) Chinese painting "Holy Source" (圣源) exhibited in this exhibition (see picture), with a grand perspective, overlooking composition, and vigorous tone, captures the magnificent spectacle of the source of the Three Rivers (三江源) in Qinghai (青海), with thousands of peaks towering and hundreds of rivers converging, highlighting the important position of the "Water Tower of China" in the construction of ecological civilization; Nima Zeren's (尼玛泽仁) Chinese painting "Ying Tian" (应天) expresses the solemnity and mystery of green waters and lush mountains with a grand artistic conception, full of awe for nature.

Under the guidance of the concept that "Green Waters and Lush Mountains are Golden Mountains and Silver Mountains" ("绿水青山就是金山银山"), the librarians and artists, on the one hand, inherit the artistic tradition of Chinese landscape painting since the Song and Yuan dynasties, which focuses on the interest of brush and ink and the construction of artistic conception, and at the same time, fully draw on the creative experience of "Red Landscape" since the founding of New China, promoting the expansion and sublimation of ecological theme painting in content, form, and realm, and also enriching the aesthetic expression of various painting types. For example, Fan Dian'an's (范迪安) oil painting "Zhaosu Summer" (昭苏夏日), on the screen, red and white houses are scattered and naturally integrated with the surrounding environment, a harmonious and bright scene, while focusing on interpreting the theme of green waters and lush mountains, it is also exploring the integration of the freehand spirit of Chinese painting and the material language of oil painting. Another example is He Jiaying's (何家英) Chinese painting "Spring Comes to Aba" (春到阿坝), in the bright spring, a Tibetan girl in full dress leans on the railing and gazes, immersed in the vision of the beautiful home mountain, reflecting the harmonious beauty of national unity, and also expressing the poetic and picturesque of green waters and lush mountains from another perspective.

Brush and ink should follow the times. The ecological beauty and natural beauty of beautiful China with its majestic momentum and cultural depth give artists more creative inspiration and innovative possibilities. Let us feel the deep dialogue between nature and humanity through the artist's brush and ink chapters that express green waters and lush mountains, understand how to transform the beauty of reality into an artistic power that directly reaches the hearts of people, strengthen everyone's awe and love for nature, and jointly protect the homeland on which human beings depend for survival.

(The author is the Deputy Director of the Research Center of the State Council Counselor's Office and the Central Research Institute of Culture and History)

Return to Top

Auspicious New Year, Entering a Painted Realm (Reading Paintings)

By: 韦昊昱

At the beginning of a new year, everything takes on a new look. Standing at the new starting point of 2026, people use modern social media and communication methods to exchange greetings and share expectations, sending blessings across screens and gathering auspiciousness in the cloud. In the world of calligraphy and painting by ancient people, there is also an image space that condenses auspiciousness and good fortune, telling the author's ingenuity and wishes, full of deep affection, warm blessings, and beautiful aspirations, which are worth savoring by future generations.

Influenced by the Confucian concept of "the gentleman compares himself to virtue," Chinese painting creators have, since ancient times, incorporated all things in nature into the field of moral examination, endowing them with a personalized spiritual connotation. Heaven, earth, vegetation, birds, beasts, insects, and fish are all regarded as symbols of different qualities. During the time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, natural scenery is transformed into an image portrayal that reflects the mind and aspirations, fully demonstrating the unique aesthetic taste and spiritual ideals of the Chinese people.

The magpie is an auspicious and spiritual creature in Chinese culture. The legend of "the magpie brings good news" can be traced back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, making it a vivid symbol of auspiciousness for thousands of years. "Double Happiness" by Wang Weilie (王维烈), a painter of the Wu School (吴门画派) in the Ming Dynasty (局部见图), is a vivid depiction of this image. At the turn of the year, plum blossoms and camellias bloom proudly, revealing a subtle vitality in the cold. A pair of magpies fly among them, one perched on a high branch, its black feathers leaning against the plum branch, its beak slightly lowered; the other sweeping towards the lower left, its wings gently spread, as if to announce good news. The painting expresses the omen of 双喜临门 (shuāng xǐ lín mén - "double happiness arrives at the door," a double blessing) and "happiness reaching the eyebrows," secretly matching the expectation of good things coming in pairs in the world; the vigor and simplicity of the old plum and its cold-resistant character directly express the noble character of a gentleman; the red camellia is adorned with the meaning of wealth and auspiciousness, making the elegant literati temperament and the secular auspicious expectations complement each other in the painting.

The Chinese New Year's wishes also include longevity and health, which are deeply condensed in the auspicious symbol of the flat peach. Xiang Shengmo (项圣谟), a literati painter from Jiaxing (嘉兴) in the same era as Wang Weilie (王维烈), used light ink and light color to depict the fairy fruit in his "Flat Peach" (蟠桃图轴), and with his brushstrokes, he transformed the unattainable thousand-year fairy life into a tangible appreciation on paper. On the left side of the vertical axis, Xiang Shengmo (项圣谟) inscribed a quatrain in running script: "The flat peach bears fruit for three thousand years, and the brush can bloom in an instant. I have eaten it in the sky, and I am still drunk with a sky of rosy clouds," further integrating the romantic fantasy of long life and happiness into the elegant feelings of the literati, allowing the viewer to think of longevity when seeing the peach fruit, and to be drunk with the misty clouds when tasting the poem.

The flat peach embodies the abundance of life with its thousand-year fruit, while the red persimmon carries auspiciousness and perfection with its red appearance. Many literati painters in the Ming and Qing Dynasties painted persimmons, often placing double persimmons and Ruyi (如意) in the same frame to add the joy of "everything goes well" and "good things come in pairs." "Everything Goes Well" by Wu Zhang (吴璋), a painter in the Qing Dynasty, is painted in ancient and light colors, depicting a peaceful realm in a small space. In the middle of the picture, a celadon vase has a warm glaze and is placed on a shallow-footed frame. The broken branches in the vase are scattered, and the sparse branches of white plum are decorated with snow, the stamens are lightly dyed with light yellow, and the petals are lightly and evenly like silk. The plain petals of the camellia contain buds, and the soft leaves are set off by the old and moist. Under the vase, double red persimmons hang down, plump and full, just at the most mature state. Beside it, the Ruyi (如意) is curled and well-proportioned, with soft lines, facing the red persimmons. This work fully captures the meticulousness of the Gongbi (工笔) style of the court, and the beauty of the red persimmons, the elegance of the flower branches, and the softness of the Ruyi (如意) are integrated into the picture, making people hope that everything goes smoothly when they see the red persimmons, and feel that Qingji (清吉) is accompanied when they appreciate the beauty of the flowers.

In addition to the vegetation, fruits, and vegetables rooted in the pastoral interest, the beautiful goldfish and the spiritual deer are also classic themes of New Year's auspicious paintings. "Fish and Algae Fan" and "Five Blessings and Hundred Lu Scrolls" in the Qing Dynasty both use homophones to inject different vitality and auspicious atmosphere into the picture. Goldfish swimming in the blue waves carry the rich expectations of "gold and jade fill the hall" and "wealth and abundance"; spiritual deer neighing in the forest springs, and bats flying in the sky, imply the five blessings of "officialdom is prosperous" and "happiness and prosperity fill the hall."

The ancients used pen and ink as paper, melting the New Year's victory into the images of a flower, a bird, a fruit, and a beast, allowing the Confucian philosophy of comparing virtue, the literati's elegant sentiments, and the folk's peaceful wishes to be intertwined in the square inch of Danqing (丹青). Today, we can still taste the completeness and joy of year after year from the fusion of this painting realm and life.

(Author's unit: Institute of Art and Aesthetic Education, Capital Normal University (首都师范大学))

Return to Top

New Shanghai Style, New Connections

By: 马 琳

In the city of Shanghai (上海), art has never been a historical relic, but a cultural form that resonates with life and the times. The concept of "Neo-Hai School" points to an in-depth questioning of history, reality, and the future. The "What is Neo-Hai School" exhibition, hosted by Shanghai University (上海大学) and the Shanghai Artists Association (上海市美术家协会), systematically presents the growth of the Hai School spirit in the contemporary era with a clear academic structure and an open cultural vision.

Since its emergence in the late 19th century, Hai School art has been closely linked to Shanghai's modern progress. As an art school with considerable openness and inclusiveness in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese art, Hai School does not refer to a single art style, but an art ecology that is constantly generated in the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, the renewal of urban life, and the modern education system. From the civic culture of the "Shanghai School of Painting" (海上画派) to the artistic creativity inspired by Shanghai as an international metropolis in the first half of the 20th century, and then to the gradual construction of the art education system after the founding of New China, the Hai School has gradually formed a unique cultural temperament that integrates Chinese and Western elements, faces reality, and responds to the times, becoming an important artistic expression of the Shanghai urban spirit.

Entering the 21st century, digital technology, media innovation, and global exchanges have profoundly changed the production methods and communication structure of art. Against this background, how to promote the continuation and transformation of the Hai School spirit in contemporary art creation has become an unavoidable issue. "Neo-Hai School" is being re-proposed in such a context. It is not a repetition of existing art styles, but a continuously generated cultural mechanism: taking openness as a method, innovation as a value, and urban experience as the foundation of reality, constantly reshaping itself in change.

Based on this thinking, the "What is Neo-Hai School" exhibition does not follow the narrative method of linear art history. It constructs an exhibition logic that runs through history, connects reality, and points to the future through three chapters: "Cultural Heritage," "Contemporary Translation," and "Global Dialogue." The first chapter is based on the Hai School paintings and calligraphy collected by Shanghai University (上海大学), returning to the source of Hai School art and presenting the aesthetic structure and value system established by Hai School art. The second chapter focuses on contemporary multi-media art practices, showcasing how artists reinterpret and translate the Hai School spirit in urban experience, material language, and conceptual renewal. The third chapter focuses on the international context, expanding "Neo-Hai School" from a regional concept to a cross-cultural open mechanism. Therefore, this exhibition is not a simple art review, but an academic exploration using the exhibition as a method. Through the historical texture and contemporary scene of the works, the audience can see how the Hai School spirit is reactivated in the development of the times, so that "Neo-Hai School" becomes an academic proposition that can be studied, discussed, and continuously practiced.

The reason why the "What is Neo-Hai School" exhibition attracts attention is also that it takes place in a comprehensive university. Universities are not only places for knowledge transfer, but also important forces for value guidance and cultural innovation. Shanghai University (上海大学) uses high-level academic exhibitions as a traction to promote the cross-integration of art and fields such as artificial intelligence, information science, social research, and urban governance, becoming a knowledge hub connecting teaching, scientific research, and social services. This interdisciplinary practice with art as a medium also provides a realistic sample for universities to explore new talent training models and innovation paths.

As Zeng Chenggang (曾成钢), the chief planner of the exhibition and Dean of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University (上海大学上海美术学院), said, "Neo-Hai School" connects the world with an open vision, responds to the times with the urban spirit, and faces the future with artistic innovation. It can be seen that "What is Neo-Hai School" is a new starting point. It reminds people that the Hai School spirit has never been outdated, but continues to be generated with the changes of the times. In today's era when digital technology is profoundly reshaping cultural forms, how art can maintain its humanistic scale in technological logic, urban experience, and the global context remains to be continuously explored. In this process, art, universities, and society can form new connections.

(The author is a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University (上海大学上海美术学院).)

Return to Top

Photo Report

Oil painting "Pine Forest After Snow," by Shen Xinggong (沈行工).

Return to Top

AI Can Create Art, Why Still Learn to Paint? (Artistic Notes)

By: 朱兴国

As AIGC (AI-Generated Content) sweeps through the field of visual creation, people are beginning to discuss: In the AI era, is there still a need to learn to paint? After all, humans need to go through a long learning process to master painting skills, while AI-generated images are readily available. The answer is by no means a simple "yes" or "no."

From the perspective of promoting the all-round development of people, the main value of learning to paint lies in cultivating the process rather than simply pursuing the result. In the long learning process of honing skills and tempering thinking, people can improve their minds and enhance their aesthetic literacy, and ultimately temper their unique artistic creativity—this process is full of challenges, but it is precisely the key to shaping abilities. As artist Xu Bing (徐冰) said: Sketch training is not about teaching people to draw a picture of something, but about making people go from rough to refined—growing into well-trained people who know how to observe details in the relationship between the whole and the part. Not only sketching, but the focus of all painting learning is to cultivate people's keenness of observation, the ability to construct from scratch, creative thinking that breaks through conventions, and the practical ability to put inspiration into practice.

The improvement of aesthetic literacy and judgment through painting learning also helps people to better control AI. In the AIGC era, images are not scarce; what is truly scarce is the ability to screen, evaluate, and assign value to images. Based on such needs, "prompt engineering" has emerged, aiming to better realize human-machine collaborative creation. Although AI can generate massive amounts of images, the quality of the images ultimately depends on human aesthetic taste; if one abandons independent aesthetics and blindly follows AI, one will fall into a two-way collapse of the digital dilemma. This dilemma is mainly reflected in two aspects: First, the low-quality and homogeneous content generated by AI will be reduced to training data, which will inversely erode human aesthetics and form an algorithmic closed loop. Some studies have pointed out that even the most advanced AI in the world today cannot escape the vicious circle of "artificial swarm intelligence"—becoming increasingly homogeneous and lacking novelty. Second, long-term reliance on AI will weaken human thinking, leading to the degradation of critical thinking and creativity, while the mediocre content produced by humans will cause "inbreeding" of AI training data, triggering model collapse.

The realistic three-dimensional visual effects pursued by AIGC are one of the ways of viewing and aesthetic standards that humans possess. The art of "realistic reproduction," which originated in ancient Greece and ancient Rome and matured in the Italian Renaissance, was impacted by photography in the 19th century. Aesthetic standards from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and other regions that are different from European art have injected new vitality into painting, giving rise to new developments in Western modern art represented by Cubism. In the history of Chinese art, Xie He (谢赫) of the Southern Dynasty Qi and Liang period regarded "Qi Yun Sheng Dong (气韵生动)" (qì yùn shēng dòng - "spiritual consonance and lifelike," refers to the overall vitality and expressiveness of a work of art) as the highest aesthetic criterion in his "Six Principles." In his view, it is far from enough to simply achieve "Ying Wu Xiang Xing (应物象形)" (yìng wù xiàng xíng - "correspond to the object and resemble its form," accurately depicting the appearance of objects). If one does not understand these artistic development contexts, it is easy to fall into a single standard of aesthetics. It can be seen that, whether it is the evolution of art history or the creative practice of the AI era, aesthetic judgment and independent artistic thinking are always the fundamental determinants of the quality of art creation, and also the talent training direction that art education needs to anchor.

Although the development of artificial intelligence technology is fast, it will still be difficult to completely replace the core experience of artistic practices such as painting for a considerable period of time. Art forms such as painting, sculpture, and collage can concretize human spatial perception, visual-tactile perception, and other intuitions. The spiritual satisfaction and emotional comfort that creators obtain in the process of rendering ink, carving wood panels, kneading clay, and collaging fabrics cannot be compared with the instantaneous generation function of AI images.

From a deeper perspective, the essence of humans learning fine arts is to study a "visualized philosophy"—transforming unique life experiences such as love and loss into perceptible visual forms, and this transformation process itself is the generation of meaning. AI can serve as a powerful collaborative partner, providing inspiration, expanding forms, and breaking through technical barriers, but the soul of the work—the depth of thought, the warmth of emotion, and the height of art—is mainly given by humans.

In the AI era, human creativity is still scarce and precious, and the importance of aesthetic judgment and cultural cultivation is becoming increasingly prominent. Learning art categories such as painting can not only help people efficiently control AI, but also give people the ability to transform emotions, thoughts, and cultural contexts into clear "visual instructions," so that they can release their imagination in "atmosphere programming," maintain independent aesthetic judgment in the face of massive AI-generated content, get rid of the passive situation of algorithmic feeding, and become active questioners with both aesthetic literacy and critical thinking.

Enhancing rather than replacing human abilities—amplifying judgment, aesthetics, creativity, and empathy, and ultimately benefiting humanity—is the original intention of developing artificial intelligence. Let us optimistically look forward to the future: Once we enter the era of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and even ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence), artificial intelligence will liberate humans from all kinds of labor, and the focus of life will shift from material production to spiritual pursuit. At that time, how should people enrich their lives? The answer may lie in art activities such as fine arts, music, dance, and drama—enriching the spiritual world and realizing the value of life through creative aesthetic practice.

(The author is an associate professor at the School of Arts, Renmin University of China (中国人民大学))

Return to Top

This edition's editors: Xu Hongmei, Wu Yanli

This edition's email: msfk@peopledaily.cn
Title image design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)

Return to Top