Summary: Shandong province's 2025 economic performance shows a GDP exceeding 10 trillion yuan, becoming the third province in China to reach this milestone. The province is focused on strengthening its industrial economy, particularly in sectors like integrated circuits and aerospace, aiming to enhance the "newness," profitability, and environmental sustainability of its industries, following Xi Jinping's directives from May 2024. Shandong is concentrating on technological innovation, upgrading traditional industries, and fostering emerging industries, with a focus on overcoming bottlenecks in core technologies and supporting green and low-carbon transformation, exemplified by initiatives like carbon footprint tracking. According to Lin Wu, Party Secretary of Shangdong Province, Shandong is committed to building a modern industrial system centered on advanced manufacturing. The article does not mention the United States.
Summary: President Xi Jinping spoke with Brazilian President Lula on January 23, emphasizing the successful start to building a China-Brazil community of shared destiny for a more just world and sustainable planet, which was announced in 2024. Xi stated China's commitment to high-level opening-up to promote high-quality development, offering more opportunities for China-Brazil cooperation. He also highlighted China and Brazil's role as constructive forces in global governance, advocating for multilateralism and defending the interests of developing nations. Lula affirmed Brazil's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and collaborating within BRICS to maintain regional and global peace and stability. The leaders did not make direct mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations, but Lula stated the two countries commitment to free trade, a policy often contrasted with U.S. economic strategy.
Summary: Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory telegram to To Lam on his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Xi stated that the CPV, since its 13th National Congress, has achieved remarkable progress in socialist construction and innovation, enhancing Vietnam's international standing. Xi expressed his desire to work with To Lam to strengthen strategic communication and promote socialist causes. He framed China and Vietnam as socialist neighbors with a shared future, aiming to advance comprehensive strategic cooperation. This would contribute to regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity.
Summary: Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of thoroughly studying and implementing the spirit of the 20th Fourth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee at the opening of a study session for provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres. Several officials, including Yin Hejun (Minister of Science and Technology), Xu Qin (Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee), Liu Xiaoming (Deputy Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and Governor), Zhang Ke (Director of the National Healthcare Security Administration), Dai Houliang (Chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation), and Chen Zhongyue (Chairman of China Mobile Communications Group), expressed their commitment to the goals for the "15th Five-Year Plan." Liu Xiaoming stated that Hainan will proactively promote opening up in various fields and accelerate the construction of a special customs supervision zone with international competitiveness and influence. Chen Zhongyue mentioned strengthening key core technologies and promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.
Summary: Xi Jinping stressed the importance of Five-Year Plans as a political advantage, emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of the 20th Central Committee's Fourth Plenum strategic deployments and enhancing the Party's leadership in economic and social development. Local officials pledged to align their actions with Xi's directives to ensure a strong start to the "15th Five-Year Plan." Cadres emphasized innovation, strategic focus, and practical competence to achieve high-quality development. Officials highlighted the importance of technological self-sufficiency and upgrading industries. Officials also emphasized the importance of fighting corruption.
Summary: Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi addressed the closing ceremony of a study session for provincial and ministerial-level officials on implementing the spirit of the 20th Fourth Plenum, emphasizing the importance of understanding Xi Jinping's directives for the "15th Five-Year Plan." He stressed the need to resolutely uphold the "Two Establishments" and "Two Safeguards," urging officials to translate the grand blueprint into reality. Participants discussed deepening their understanding of the Plenum's spirit and enhancing their responsibility to implement its decisions. Shi Taifeng hosted the ceremony, attended by Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Chen Wenqing, Liu Jinguo, Wang Xiaohong, and Chen Xi.
Summary: The article highlights the resilience and innovation within China's textile industry in 2025, referencing Xi Jinping's call for traditional industries to embrace technological innovation. It describes advancements such as the use of high-strength polyethylene fibers in robotics and the rise of domestic brands favored by Chinese consumers. The piece also notes the increasing digitization of the industry, from AI-powered custom clothing design to flexible production lines. Finally, the article emphasizes the sector's expanding export markets, citing increased shipments to countries like Mexico, and the broader diversification of export structures.
Summary: According to the Dianchi Administration of Kunming, Yunnan Province, Dianchi Lake's water quality will be further improved in 2025, stabilizing at Grade IV. The lake's water quality has maintained Grade IV for eight consecutive years since 2018, with a continuing positive trend. A photograph showcasing the Dianchi scenery was taken on January 22nd.
Summary: Politburo member and Vice Premier Liu Guozhong conducted a research trip to Guizhou from January 21-23, emphasizing the importance of consolidating poverty alleviation achievements and preventing a return to widespread poverty. He stressed the need for consistent policy implementation, targeted assistance measures, and strengthened monitoring systems to support rural revitalization. Liu emphasized industry development, skills training, and employment assistance to increase farmers' income. He also called for improved infrastructure and public services in key assistance counties.
Summary: Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping emphasized the importance of stable employment and expanding social security coverage, especially for flexible and new employment formats. Wang outlined plans to support key groups like college graduates and migrant workers with employment policies, skill training, and increased access to unemployment and work-related injury insurance. The ministry will also focus on improving the quality of training programs to meet the demands of emerging industries. Wang mentioned that they will promote the expansion of enterprise annuities and steadily implement the personal pension system.
Summary: In a State Council Information Office press conference, officials including Ren Wenbiao and Guo Wen discussed China's 2025 intellectual property progress, highlighting 972,000 invention patents granted and a focus on high-value patents in strategic emerging industries. Ren emphasized addressing trademark squatting through revisions to trademark law. Guo noted efforts to help Chinese businesses navigate international intellectual property disputes, including providing guidance on overseas trademark issues and recouping substantial losses. The officials also mentioned a shift away from prioritizing the quantity of patents, with plans to eliminate subsidies for patent applications and authorizations.
Summary: Xi Jinping addressed a study session for provincial and ministerial-level officials on implementing the spirit of the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, emphasizing the need to unify thought and work towards a strong start to the "15th Five-Year Plan." Participants, including Yin Hejun (Minister of Science and Technology), Xu Qin (Secretary of Heilongjiang Province), Liu Xiaoming (Governor of Hainan Province), Chen Zhongyue (Chairman of China Mobile), Zhang Ke (Director of the National Healthcare Security Administration), and Dai Houliang (Chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation), expressed their commitment to Xi's directives. Liu Xiaoming highlighted Hainan's efforts to expand opening up, attract foreign investment, and improve trade and investment liberalization, indicating a focus on international economic engagement. Chen Zhongyue said China Mobile will strengthen key core technology research to better contribute to building a cyber superpower.
Summary: On January 23rd, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the USD/CNY central parity rate at 6.9929, strengthening 90 basis points from the previous day and reaching a high not seen since May 2023. Both onshore and offshore RMB exchange rates against the dollar appreciated, breaking below 7 before settling slightly above that level. PBOC Deputy Governor Zou Lan stated that China's economic fundamentals, including its large market and industrial chain, support the RMB's stability. Zou also acknowledged that external uncertainties, including interest rate adjustments in major economies and geopolitical shocks, would contribute to the RMB's continued two-way fluctuation. The statements do not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations directly but allude to the U.S. through discussion of interest rate adjustments in major economies.
Summary: The Chinese Navy's hospital ship "Peace Ark," also known as "Silk Road Ark", conducted a seven-day friendly visit and medical exchange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from January 8-15 as part of the "Mission Harmony-2025," after sailing from Quanzhou, Fujian Province in September 2024. The ship provides medical services to local populations and engages in medical exchanges with countries it visits. During its mission, the ship docked at multiple ports in Jamaica for an extended period to provide medical assistance, including performing surgeries, after the country was hit by Hurricane Melissa. Officials from Barbados and Jamaica have praised the ship's medical services and contributions to health cooperation. The "Peace Ark's" mission aims to strengthen cooperation, deliver humanitarian aid, and promote a shared future for global health.
Summary: China's automotive industry is experiencing rapid development, characterized by a shift towards intelligent and green manufacturing. In 2025, both production and sales volume exceeded 34 million units, with NEV output and sales exceeding 16 million, ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years. Multinational corporations are increasingly collaborating with Chinese firms in R&D, acknowledging the "China speed" necessary to compete in the electric and intelligent vehicle market. China is also driving global green transition by exporting over 2.6 million NEVs and establishing comprehensive charging networks. Chinese automakers are expanding overseas through localized strategies, fostering job creation and industrial upgrades in countries like Thailand, Algeria and Spain, which is viewed as an example of "openness defeating protectionism", and is also driving development in these markets.
Summary: World Economic Forum (WEF) Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer Stefan Mergenthaler stated that amid global geopolitical uncertainties, dialogue and cooperation are crucial, emphasizing China's role in supporting global economic stability through innovation and openness. Mergenthaler highlighted China's rapid development in technological innovation and application, noting its significance for both China's economic transformation and global innovation. He praised China's progress in swiftly translating innovation into productivity, benefiting sectors like manufacturing, energy, and medicine. Mergenthaler pointed to the numerous Chinese companies recognized in WEF's "Lighthouse Factories" and "AI Pioneers" projects, showcasing their advancements in manufacturing and AI applications. He also acknowledged the connection between AI and energy transition, referencing China's investments in low-carbon energy and technology application.
Summary: Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji convened a roundtable with British companies in Beijing, attended by British Trade Envoy Louise Nokes and representatives from 30 British firms and associations. Ling emphasized the resilience and vitality of Sino-British trade, urging deeper cooperation and a commitment to a fair international economic order. Nokes highlighted the importance of trade to UK-China relations, noting strategic alignment between the UK's modern industrial strategy and China's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan. Participating British companies expressed confidence in China's market potential and improving business environment, seeing the 15th Five-Year Plan as bolstering long-term investment.
Summary: Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa lauded the Chinese-aided High-Performance Supercomputing Center, built with a computing platform provided by Huawei, as an example of strong China-Zimbabwe cooperation, enhancing innovation in areas like AI and big data. According to the center's management, the supercomputing center's computing power ranks among the top five in Africa, impacting sectors from agriculture and healthcare to transportation and digital heritage preservation. The center is working with Zimbabwe's Ministry of Agriculture to use satellite data to build a drought early warning model that can provide farmers with planting and irrigation guidance 2-3 weeks in advance, boosting crop yields and water efficiency. Chinese Ambassador Zhou Ding stated that the project has helped Zimbabwe become one of the African countries with advanced high-performance computing capabilities. Huawei is preparing for the third phase of construction of the supercomputing center and is committed to achieving a leap-forward upgrade of computing power and further focusing on the integrated development of artificial intelligence technology.
Summary: A China poverty alleviation experience seminar, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Panama and the Panamanian Center for Asian Strategic Studies, was held in Panama City. Roberto Montañez, President of the Panamanian Center for Asian Strategic Studies, stated the event provided an opportunity to understand China's poverty alleviation experience, emphasizing a multilateral, peaceful, and mutually beneficial perspective. He said that this perspective helps promote common development and build a community with a shared future for mankind within the framework of the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Over 100 representatives from Panamanian society attended the event.
Summary: This article discusses recent efforts to improve rural living environments in China, specifically focusing on toilet renovations in Yunnan, waste management in Heilongjiang, and idle land revitalization in Jiangxi. In Yunnan's Jinggu County, customized toilet renovation plans and subsidies encouraged villagers to upgrade sanitation facilities. Heilongjiang's Xunke County implemented a successful waste sorting program driven by Party leadership, incentives, and community involvement. Jiangxi's Pingxiang City revitalized a polluted reservoir by integrating three villages and incentivizing residents to maintain the improved environment.
Summary: A platform called "Huishansong" (汇闪送) developed by Jiangsu Changjiang Hui Technology Co. is using drones to deliver goods to ships navigating the Yangtze River, addressing the difficulty of resupplying the large number of boat workers on the river. The system uses GPS and AI to predict ship locations and drop off orders via a rope-lowering system. Currently there are four bases along the Nanjing section of the Yangtze supporting this service, and two more are under construction. The bases, supported by 5G infrastructure and safety guidelines from transportation and maritime authorities, collectively fulfill around 200 orders daily.
Summary: The South-to-North Water Diversion East Route North Extension Project has supplied over 1 billion cubic meters of water to Hebei Province and Tianjin City as of January 20, marking a new milestone in water supply benefits. Since 2025, the project has increased water supply to Tianjin and Hebei, replacing deep groundwater extraction in Cangzhou and Hengshui, Hebei. The project also contributes to ecological replenishment of rivers and lakes and provides emergency water supply conditions for Tianjin and Hebei. The project has served as a major water source for the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Summary: Due to recent cold waves, strong winds, and snowfall, the Yellow River's Yongji section in Shanxi has entered its ice floe season. The article features a photograph depicting extensive ice floes passing through the Yongji section on January 22nd. No official statements or U.S.-related content are present.
Summary: According to the article, cadres across various regions are studying Xi Jinping's directives from a workshop on implementing the spirit of the 20th Fourth Plenary Session, focusing on the upcoming "15th Five-Year Plan". These cadres emphasized grasping the strategic deployments, maintaining strategic focus while adapting tactics, and enhancing capabilities to fulfill the plan's objectives. They highlighted initiatives such as strengthening innovation, developing industrial clusters, and improving urban infrastructure. The article made no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Sun Longchun, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health, passed away in Beijing on December 12, 2025, at the age of 88. Central leaders expressed condolences for Sun, who previously held various positions in geological bureaus and the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources before his tenure at the Ministry of Health. He served as a member of the 14th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and a member of the 9th and 10th National Committees of the CPPCC. The article focuses on Sun's career trajectory and the expressions of sympathy following his death. There is no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations in the article.
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Summary: Amidst dropping temperatures, China's winter consumption is booming, blending ice-snow tourism with warm-weather activities. In Jilin, tourists are flocking to see frost scenery and ski, while Jiangsu's resorts offer hot springs, wildlife encounters, and circus performances. Sichuan's Chengdu innovatively combines hot pot dining with blooming canola fields, creating a novel experience. These creative winter experiences across the country are converting "cold resources" into a "hot economy," igniting consumer enthusiasm. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article discusses the dynamism of China's winter consumer market, highlighting the integration of cultural tourism, sports, and digital technology to create new consumption models. It emphasizes the importance of innovative supply-side reforms that meet diverse consumer demands, including younger generations and the elderly. The author advocates for enhanced quality and sustainability in consumption, promoting domestic brands and integrating modern aesthetics with practical functions. It argues that these trends, driven by technological innovation and policy support, will unlock the potential of silver economy, smart consumption, and green economy, and inject sustained momentum into China's high-quality economic development. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization (中央精神文明建设办公室) held a ceremony in Yibin, Sichuan, to announce the latest "China Good Person List," recognizing 139 individuals for their exemplary behavior. The honorees included veterans of the Korean War (抗美援朝), delivery drivers, village doctors, traffic police officers, and internet bloggers. Representatives of "China Good People" shared their stories and interacted with national moral models at the event. The event was hosted by the Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization and co-organized by related propaganda departments, and the China Spiritual Civilization Website and the Movie Channel.
Summary: In 2023, China saw a 19.1% year-on-year increase in newly established foreign-invested enterprises, totaling 70,392. However, actual utilized foreign investment decreased by 9.5% to 747.69 billion RMB. Investment in high-tech industries grew, particularly in e-commerce, medical equipment, and aerospace manufacturing. Investment from Switzerland, the UAE and the UK increased substantially.
Summary: China's Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and seven other departments jointly issued the "Measures on the Classification of Online Information That May Affect the Physical and Mental Health of Minors," set to take effect March 1, 2026. The measures, implementing the "Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet," define four types of harmful online information and their specific manifestations. The measures also address emerging issues like the misuse of minors' images and potential content risks from algorithms and generative AI. The regulations aim to be scientifically rigorous and keep pace with technological developments. There is no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations in this article.
Summary: China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has announced a 2025 pilot program list for the commercialization of key high-tech R&D achievements, involving 67 pilot projects and 108 pilot units. The two-year program aims to strengthen the supportive and guiding role of high technology in industry. MIIT urged pilot units to implement their plans and provincial authorities to provide policy support. The ministry will conduct evaluations after the pilot period.
Summary: The China Air Transport Association (CATA), under the guidance of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), is drafting a group standard titled "Rules for Reserved Seats on Public Air Transport Enterprise Flights" to regulate airline seat reservation practices. The standard aims to standardize the types, scope, proportion, and passenger notification of reserved seats to better meet diverse passenger needs. The draft will soon be released for public comment. The article makes no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article highlights the resilience and innovation within China's textile industry in 2025, despite economic pressures. It emphasizes the sector's shift towards high-end manufacturing, technological upgrades like AI-driven customization, and brand building, with domestic brands gaining preference. The textile industry is also expanding into new markets and applications, such as using high-performance fibers in robotics. The article references Xi Jinping's call for traditional industries to embrace innovation and vitality. Sun Ruizhe, the Party Secretary and President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, stated they will build the textile industry into a modern system.
Summary: The Beijing municipal government held a ceremony to mark the return of the Liuli Pavilion courtyard to Beihai Park. The courtyard, a key component of the "Western Paradise" architectural complex, will be restored and opened to the public after serving as office and storage space for archaeological institutions since 1955. The move is the first significant result of the second batch of cultural relic relocation and protection projects in the core functional area of the capital. The return of the courtyard reflects ongoing efforts to restore historical integrity and expand accessible areas within Beijing's historical sites. The ceremony was hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Parks and Greenery, and the Beijing Municipal Park Management Center.
Summary: Ahead of the Lunar New Year, the Chinese Mountaineering Association has issued safety guidelines related to the popular social media trend of "walking horse drawings," where participants trace routes that form a horse shape on a map. The association cautioned against venturing into unpermitted areas and high-risk terrain, emphasizing the importance of assessing personal fitness and route conditions. The advisory also stressed the need to avoid "internet celebrity routes" and protected areas, and to prioritize environmental protection during these activities. The association also recommended the usage of trained guides and teams and advised against engaging in such activities when alone. The advisory was released due to safety concerns involving difficult terrain and potential hazards involved in some routes.
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Summary: Chinese Academy of Engineering Academician Xiang Zhonghuai discusses the silkworm's potential in biomedicine due to its biocompatible silk protein. This protein can be used in wound dressings, surgical sutures, and even artificial corneas. Researchers have mapped the silkworm genome, creating a "genetic dictionary" for breeding desired traits and exploring genes related to human longevity. The silkworm's metamorphosis may also offer insights into regenerative medicine. The article does not mention the United States.
Summary: The article discusses the potential of carbon nanotubes as a material for building a space elevator, a concept popularized in science fiction. Chinese scientists at Tsinghua University are making progress in developing carbon nanotubes with the necessary strength and durability, including creating longer tubes and testing their resistance to fatigue. However, significant challenges remain in scaling up production to the required length and ensuring the material can withstand the harsh conditions of space. Overcoming these challenges would require interdisciplinary collaboration. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: A Chinese research team at the University of Science and Technology of China has achieved a breakthrough in semiconductor materials, constructing programmable, atomically flat heterojunctions in a two-dimensional ionic soft-lattice material. This "mosaic" heterostructure was created using a novel "self-etching" method that guides stress within the crystal. This development paves the way for future high-performance light-emitting and integrated devices. The team precisely filled different types of semiconductor materials to construct a high-quality heterojunction with continuous lattice and atomically flat interfaces within a single wafer. The findings, published in *Nature*, address the challenge of achieving controlled epitaxial lateral heterojunctions in these materials.
Summary: A research team led by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Guangxi University and others, has experimentally confirmed the Migdal effect in neutral particle collisions, a significant step for light dark matter detection. Using a gas pixel detector developed by Guangxi University's CXPD collaboration, the team captured the "co-vertex" tracks of recoiling atomic nuclei and Migdal electrons produced by neutron bombardment. This achievement, published in *Nature*, provides crucial calibration data for international dark matter experiments. The experiment measured the ratio of the Migdal effect cross-section to the atomic nuclear recoil cross-section. The article makes no mention of the United States.
Summary: China's first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generation unit began operating at Shougang Shuicheng Iron and Steel Group in Guizhou at the end of 2025. The "Super Carbon One" demonstration project, jointly promoted by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Jinan Iron and Steel Group International Engineering Technology, and Shougang Shuicheng Iron and Steel Group, is expected to increase power generation efficiency by over 85% and net power generation by over 50% compared to existing sintering waste heat steam power generation technology. CNNC's chief expert, Huang Yanping, highlighted the advantages of using supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid. The project represents a "zero to one" breakthrough in supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology. The development of this technology has led to the establishment of a domestic industry chain, enabling full engineering applications.
Summary: A Monash University team discovered a protein complex that acts as a "molecular brake" regulating cell growth based on nutrient availability. Their research, published in *Cell*, details the mechanism by which the KICSTOR-GATOR1 complex coordinates cell growth in response to nutrient supply, using cryogenic electron microscopy. When nutrients are scarce, KICSTOR positions GATOR1 to halt cell growth, conserving resources. This discovery provides a new avenue for treating diseases associated with abnormal cell growth, such as cancer and epilepsy.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to provide a concise and accurate summary for professional analysts of Chinese politics.
Summary: Blackwater County in Sichuan Province is revitalizing its traditional Tibetan villages through preservation, renovation, and cultural tourism, with 18 villages, including eight on China's Traditional Villages List. The region emphasizes traditional building techniques like stone masonry and rammed earth, adapting methods to local resources and terrain, as highlighted by resident Chen Yongjun. Blackwater County has invested over 700 million yuan in the last three years to protect and renovate 18 traditional villages. Villages are adopting a "Party branch + farmers + enterprise" model to develop homestays and other tourist amenities, increasing local incomes, and the area is seeing a resurgence of traditional arts like the Kasda Wen dance.
Summary: This article discusses the significance of *niutui* (牛腿) and *quetì* (雀替), traditional Chinese architectural components, particularly in Ming and Qing dynasty buildings. It details their structural and decorative roles, noting regional variations in style, especially in southern China. The article highlights their presence in surviving historical settlements and their adaptations in modern architecture and cultural preservation efforts. There is no discussion of the United States or U.S.-China relations in the article.
Summary: This article clarifies the meaning of "栋梁之材" (pillar and beam material), a Chinese idiom used to praise individuals capable of shouldering significant responsibilities. It explains that "栋" (dòng, ridgepole) refers to the highest central point in traditional Chinese architecture, specifically the ridge purlin, while "梁" (liáng, beam) is a horizontal structural member laid across walls or pillars. The piece uses etymological definitions and historical texts to underscore the load-bearing functions of both "栋" and "梁," highlighting their vital roles as the "spine" of a building. The author is a vice professor at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology.
Summary: Please provide the article you would like me to summarize. I need the text of the article to create a summary for professional analysts of Chinese politics, focusing on key statements, accompanying officials, and mentions of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: A collection of 67 Yuan Dynasty textiles and documents, dating back to the late 1300s, discovered in a cave in Hebei Province, are now on display at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum after years of restoration. The artifacts, including a rare cotton robe and intricately embroidered silk items, reflect both Mongol and Han Chinese influences in clothing styles. The textiles showcase the exchange of techniques, including gold-thread weaving, between China and the West, and draw on traditional Chinese motifs. The restoration process involved a meticulous combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. The exhibition celebrates the artistry of the Yuan Dynasty and the enduring nature of Chinese civilization.
Summary: A study of the Fuijia site in Shandong province, dating back 4,500 years to the late Dawenkou culture, used ancient DNA to identify two distinct and long-lasting matrilineal lineages within the burial grounds. Researchers analyzed genetic data to reconstruct kinship networks, finding clear boundaries between the two groups based on mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down maternally. Despite this division, the groups shared similar burial traditions and cultural practices, suggesting they were part of a single community linked by marriage and kinship. The study highlights the potential of ancient DNA analysis to reveal social structures and kinship patterns in prehistoric societies, moving beyond speculation to verifiable evidence. This approach allows for a deeper understanding of how early communities were organized and maintained stability.
Summary: The Shanxi Museum recently opened the "North White - White Porcelain and Ethnic Integration Exhibition," showcasing over 200 white porcelain artifacts from 14 institutions to illustrate the development and significance of Northern white porcelain. The exhibition highlights how ethnic integration in Northern China facilitated the advancement of white porcelain production techniques, beginning in the Northern Dynasties and flourishing through the Song, Liao, Xia, and Jin dynasties. It details how Northern potters drew inspiration from Southern techniques while also incorporating local resources and cultural influences. The exhibition aims to promote cultural understanding and national unity through the appreciation of porcelain art. There is no discussion of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: During the fourth national cultural relics survey, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, discovered 353 new cultural relics, representing a 15.04% discovery rate. These discoveries include the Dongta Temple site, dating back to the Southern Dynasties, and the old South Lake Revolutionary Memorial Hall. The Dongta Temple site, featuring a well-preserved pagoda base, showcases advanced Song Dynasty architectural techniques. The inclusion of the South Lake Revolutionary Memorial Hall highlights the importance of modern revolutionary heritage. The discoveries aim to enrich Jiaxing's cultural heritage and clarify the city's historical axis. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: China has established its largest animal resource specimen bank, housing over 100,000 ancient and modern animal specimens from 121 archaeological sites across 26 provinces and regions, spanning from the Neolithic period to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The collection includes the oldest known domestic dog remains in China (10,000 years old) and other significant finds related to animal domestication, providing crucial evidence for understanding environmental changes and resource utilization. The specimen bank consists of ancient and modern animal specimen sections, with comprehensive data on each specimen's origin, age, and research findings. This resource aims to serve as a research center and promote scientific understanding of animal archaeology. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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By: 本报记者 李 波 侯琳良 肖家鑫
10.3 trillion yuan! On January 23, Shandong Province (山东省) announced its 2025 economic report card: its regional GDP crossed a new threshold, becoming another province in the country with over 10 trillion yuan, following Guangdong (广东) and Jiangsu (江苏). Among them, the added value of industries above designated size increased by 7.6% year-on-year, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.
In May 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized during his inspection in Shandong (山东): "Shandong has great potential in promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, developing new quality productive forces, and improving the modern industrial system."
As a province with all 41 industrial categories, Shandong (山东) always keeps in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest囑托, listing the industrial economy as the "number one project," striving to strengthen 19 provincial-level iconic industrial chains such as integrated circuits, deep-sea aerospace, and fine chemicals, focusing on improving the content of newness, gold content, and green content, and standing up the hard backbone of industry.
Breaking through towards "new," key variables become the largest increment.
The super-large diameter intelligent shield machine "Shanhe (山河) " connected the Yellow River (黄河) tunnel, the domestically produced deep-sea cable laying robot with an operating depth of 1,500 meters roams the deep blue sea, and the world's first carbon fiber subway train for commercial operation was put into use... One by one, "Shandong Intelligent Manufacturing" with key core technologies demonstrates the innovative strength of a major industrial province.
By investing in emerging industries and focusing on key core technologies, Shandong (山东) is accelerating the accumulation of new quality productive forces in the manufacturing sector.
The domestically produced deep-sea robot manufactured in Weihai (威海) can enter the water up to 6,000 meters deep for operations. "The company has developed a number of domestic first sets of products, breaking through technical barriers and forming a variety of operating capabilities such as offshore wind power, marine oil and gas, and deep-sea mining," said Tao Zewen (陶泽文), chairman of Shandong Future Robot Co., Ltd. (山东未来机器人股份有限公司).
In 2025, the added value of Shandong Province's (山东省) high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 7.1% year-on-year, and the output value of high-tech industries accounted for 55.3% of the total output value of industries above designated size.
Shandong (山东) implemented the "Industrial Technological Transformation Upgrade" action to support small and medium-sized enterprises to leap to "refined and strong." As of now, there are 274 national-level manufacturing single champion enterprises. Shandong (山东) also innovatively explored methods such as "revealing the list and taking command" to concentrate efforts on tackling the "bottleneck" problems in high-end equipment and other fields, striving to break through more than 200 basic frontier and key core technologies by 2028, achieve more than 80 original major achievements, and build more than 20 advantageous industrial clusters.
Seeking "gold" to improve quality, consolidating and strengthening the chain increases development effectiveness.
A honeycomb-shaped aluminum material has a density less than half that of water, but its compressive strength is 5 times that of carbon steel. The high-performance foamed aluminum products produced by Binzhou Weiqiao Venture Group's (滨州魏桥创业集团) Lightweight Intelligent Manufacturing Base are widely used in electronic communications, transportation and other fields. This is a microcosm of Weiqiao Venture Group's (魏桥创业集团) aluminum industry climbing towards "value and benefit."
Shandong (山东) takes Weiqiao Venture Group (魏桥创业集团) as the chain leader to systematically build a high-end, intelligent, green, and clustered modern aluminum industry chain, forming an integrated chain of "aluminum water - parts - complete vehicle application."
Not only the aluminum industry, Shandong (山东) is anchoring the consolidation and strengthening of the chain, with the chain leader coordinating, the chain owner driving, and the entire chain collaborating, deeply carrying out the iconic industrial chain breakthrough project, and promoting the upgrading of traditional industries and the expansion of emerging industries. In the first half of 2025, driven by the 19 provincial-level iconic industrial chains, the "thousand projects and billion yuan" enterprises and projects laid out by Shandong (山东) along the chain added a total output value of 257.6 billion yuan.
Moving forward "green," the background color of development becomes a competitive advantage.
In the Qingdao Haier Sino-German Industrial Park (青岛海尔中德工业园), the smart energy system precisely schedules energy consumption, realizing the "four flows in one" of energy flow, data flow, information flow, and carbon traceability flow, helping the park reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 32,000 tons per year. The green transformation has not only made the park rated as one of the first "zero-carbon parks" in China, but also spawned energy-saving washing machines and other products. "Green and low-carbon has become one of Haier's core competitiveness," said Zhou Yunjie (周云杰), Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Haier Group (海尔集团).
Behind the "greening" of the industrial park is Shandong's (山东) firm pace in deepening energy conservation and carbon reduction actions, implementing green manufacturing cultivation projects, and reshaping the industrial landscape.
Entering the "15th Five-Year Plan," Shandong (山东) will carry out carbon footprint pilots in typical regions, industries, and products, establish and improve the product carbon footprint management system, create a green and low-carbon supply chain, and lead the overall green and low-carbon transformation of the industrial chain.
"Standing on a new starting point, Shandong (山东) will always follow the direction guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), thoroughly implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and continue to strengthen the modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone with a more high-spirited attitude, and contribute to writing a magnificent chapter of Chinese-style modernization in Shandong (山东)," said Lin Wu (林武), Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee (山东省委书记).
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 23rd. On the morning of January 23rd, President Xi Jinping (习近平) spoke on the phone with Brazilian President Lula (卢拉).
Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that in 2024, President Lula (卢拉) and I jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Brazil community of destiny working together to build a more just world and a more sustainable planet. Over the past year, the construction of the two countries' community of destiny has gotten off to a smooth start, and the alignment of development strategies has continued to deepen and become more practical, setting an example for solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries. This year marks the beginning of China's "15th Five-Year Plan." China will promote high-quality development through high-level opening up to the outside world, providing more opportunities for China-Brazil cooperation. China is willing to work with Brazil to comprehensively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, promote greater development of China-Brazil relations, and usher in a better future.
Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that the current international situation is turbulent, and China and Brazil, as important members of the Global South, are constructive forces in maintaining world peace and stability and reforming and improving global governance. They should firmly stand on the right side of history, better safeguard the common interests of both countries and the Global South, and jointly safeguard the core position of the United Nations and international fairness and justice. China is willing to always be a good friend and good partner of Latin American and Caribbean countries, and promote the joint construction of a China-Latin America community of destiny.
Lula (卢拉) said that President Xi Jinping's (习近平) historic visit to Brazil in 2024 elevated Brazil-China relations to a new height of a community of destiny working together to build a more just world and a more sustainable planet, and cooperation between the two countries in various fields has made great progress. Brazil is willing to work with China to promote greater development of bilateral and China-Latin America relations. Brazil and China are important forces in defending multilateralism and adhering to free trade. The current international situation is worrying, and Brazil is willing to work closely with China to safeguard the authority of the United Nations, strengthen BRICS cooperation, and maintain regional and world peace and stability.
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 23rd. On January 23rd, Xi Jinping (习近平), General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共中央), sent a congratulatory message to To Lam (苏林), congratulating him on his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (越共中央总书记).
Xi Jinping (习近平) said in his congratulatory message that since the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (越共十三大), the Communist Party of Vietnam (越南共产党) has firmly followed the path of socialist modernization in line with Vietnam's national conditions, adhered to and strengthened the Party's comprehensive leadership, and united and led the Vietnamese people to achieve remarkable achievements in socialist construction and renovation, and Vietnam's international status and influence have continued to rise. The successful convening of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (越共十四大) has opened a new era of national development in Vietnam and will inspire and promote the development of the world socialist movement. I believe that under the leadership of the new Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (越共中央) headed by the General Secretary, the Communist Party of Vietnam (越南共产党) will be able to lead the Vietnamese people to unite as one, 砥砺奋进 (dǐ lì fèn jìn - "temper oneself and forge ahead," to encourage each other and strive forward), promote the cause of the Party and the country of Vietnam to achieve new and greater achievements, and successfully complete the goals and tasks set by the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (越共十四大).
China and Vietnam are socialist friendly neighbors and a community with a shared future of strategic significance. I cherish the relations between the two parties and two countries of China and Vietnam very much, and I am willing to work with the General Secretary to strengthen strategic communication, promote traditional friendship, firmly advance the socialist cause, lead the comprehensive strategic cooperation and the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Vietnam to continuously bear fruitful results, bring more benefits to the people of the two countries, and make positive contributions to regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 洋 李建广 邱超奕
A seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee opened at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) on the morning of January 20. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the need to continuously deepen the study and implementation of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, better unify thinking, and pool strength, so as to earnestly carry out various tasks under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and strive to achieve a good start for the "15th Five-Year Plan."
During the seminar, some participants were interviewed by reporters from this newspaper. They expressed that they would deeply study and comprehend the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, profoundly understand the major achievements made by the Party and the country during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, accurately grasp the guiding principles, main goals, and key tasks of economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, maintain strategic focus, enhance confidence in victory, and strive to create a new situation in the construction of Chinese-style modernization.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech deeply analyzed the profound and complex changes facing China's development environment, systematically expounded the great significance of formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan, made profound expositions on relevant major issues, and put forward clear requirements for improving the Party's ability and level of leading economic and social development. It has strong political, theoretical, targeted, and guiding significance, and is the fundamental guideline and action plan for us to strive to create a new situation in the construction of Chinese-style modernization," said Yin Hejun (阴和俊), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (科技部).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly expounded the political advantages embodied in the formulation and implementation of the Five-Year Plan with 'four benefits,' and clarified the rich experience created and accumulated in long-term practice with 'five insistences,' raising our Party's understanding of the laws of medium- and long-term development planning to a new height," said Xu Qin (许勤), Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee (黑龙江省委). "Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has personally planned, deployed, and promoted the national development planning work, leading the Party and the country to achieve historic achievements and undergo historic changes, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable."
Liu Xiaoming (刘小明), Deputy Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee (海南省委) and Governor of Hainan Province, said: "The major achievements made in China's development during the '14th Five-Year Plan' period are fundamentally due to General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) leadership and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Practice has fully proved that the 'Two Establishments' are our greatest certainty, greatest confidence, and greatest guarantee for overcoming all difficulties and risks and responding to all uncertainties."
"Formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan is conducive to concentrating efforts on major tasks. During the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, China has built the world's largest and technologically leading information and communication network, with 5G development leading the world and artificial intelligence development accelerating breakthroughs, which demonstrates the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics," said Chen Zhongyue (陈忠岳), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (中国移动通信集团有限公司).
"The key to studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee is to take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech as the fundamental guideline and focus on making efforts in being comprehensive, profound, and accurate," said Zhang Ke (章轲), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医疗保障局). "Healthcare security is a major institutional arrangement to reduce the burden of medical treatment on the masses, enhance people's well-being, and maintain social harmony and stability. To do a good job in healthcare security, we must look at the overall development situation and scientifically plan and promote work with systematic thinking. At the same time, in the face of changes in population structure and the rapid development of science and technology, we must understand and grasp the laws, follow and apply the laws, and resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee with tangible results."
"'During the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, China's development environment will face profound and complex changes, and China's development will be in a period where strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and there will be more uncertain and unpredictable factors. We must conscientiously study and comprehend the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately comprehend and grasp the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, adhere to the concept of systems, and comprehend and grasp it from an overall perspective, knowing not only what it is but also why it is, and strive to observe the general trend, plan the overall situation, do practical things, and grasp implementation," said Dai Houliang (戴厚良), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation (中国石油天然气集团有限公司).
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a crucial period for laying the foundation and fully exerting efforts to basically realize socialist modernization. The more critical the period, the more we must strive for progress. The participants expressed that they would consciously unify their thoughts and actions with the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, pool their strength, be pragmatic and responsible, and implement it without compromise.
"We must conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, implement the major missions and tasks entrusted to Heilongjiang (黑龙江) by the Party Central Committee, focus on strategic positioning, give full play to comparative advantages, take active initiatives, establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, serve and integrate into the domestic grand cycle, expand domestic demand, promote consumption, develop new quality productive forces and build a modern industrial system in accordance with local conditions, promote comprehensive and strict Party governance in depth, further optimize the political ecology, create a good business environment, and promote high-quality development to achieve new breakthroughs, adding glory to the overall situation with the development of one region and contributing to the country with local responsibility," said Xu Qin (许勤).
Development is the top priority, talent is the first resource, and innovation is the primary driving force. Yin Hejun (阴和俊) said: "We must anchor the goal of building a strong country in science and technology, coordinate the preparation of the '15th Five-Year Plan' for national science and technology innovation, strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research, strengthen original innovation and key core technology breakthroughs, accelerate the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces, promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, accelerate the construction of three major international science and technology innovation centers, and build an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness; strengthen the empowerment of science and technology, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, and strongly support the construction of a modern industrial system."
"Hainan (海南) will conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, take the high-standard construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) as the overall starting point, more actively promote opening up in various fields, and accelerate the construction of a special customs supervision area with international competitiveness and influence. Steadily expand institutional opening up, focus on promoting the interconnection and integration of rules, regulations, management, and standards, improve the negative list for trade in services, actively promote the development of offshore trade, relax market access and foreign investment access, and further improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation," said Liu Xiaoming (刘小明).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that we should consciously seek political achievements for the people and produce political achievements through hard work. This provides a scientific guide and action plan for us to do a good job in healthcare security," said Zhang Ke (章轲). The National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医疗保障局) will continue to manage and use the medical insurance fund well, while safeguarding the life and health of all people, and continuously inject strong impetus into the development of the medical cause and various related industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, to promote medical institutions and related industries to provide continuous and high-quality medical services to all people, and help build a healthy China at a higher level.
"The '15th Five-Year Plan' proposal proposes to accelerate the construction of a new energy system and build a strong energy country. China National Petroleum (中国石油) will conscientiously fulfill its strategic mission of 'building a strong energy country and empowering a better life,' resolutely act as the 'mainstay' of energy supply security, develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, comprehensively promote green and low-carbon transformation, and earnestly fulfill the responsibilities and responsibilities of state-owned assets and central enterprises with high-quality development achievements, and strive to provide safe and reliable energy security for Chinese-style modernization," said Dai Houliang (戴厚良).
"To implement the spirit of the Plenary Session, we must establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, and we must work hard and diligently," said Chen Zhongyue (陈忠岳). In the face of the new changes brought about by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, China Mobile (中国移动) will strengthen key core technology breakthroughs in 6G, computing power clusters, quantum technology, embodied intelligence, etc., promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, develop new quality productive forces, accelerate the construction of a world-class science and technology service enterprise, and contribute greater strength to the construction of Chinese-style modernization with new achievements in building a strong network country and a digital China.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. He profoundly expounded that formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan is our important political advantage, made in-depth expositions on comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately understanding and grasping the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and put forward clear requirements for focusing on improving the Party's ability and level in leading economic and social development.
In recent days, the vast number of Party members and cadres have conscientiously studied and comprehended the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech. Everyone expressed that they should deeply understand the rich connotation, essence, and practical requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards," consciously unify their thoughts and actions with the spirit of the General Secretary's important speech and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee, deeply study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and strive to achieve a good start for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan."
Comprehensively, Profoundly, and Accurately Understand and Grasp the Strategic Deployment of the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan"
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee made strategic deployments for economic and social development during the 'Fifteenth Five-Year Plan' period, and it is necessary to comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately understand and grasp them."
"Comprehensive, profound, and accurate are the three keywords emphasized by the General Secretary," said Cui Rongguo (崔荣国), Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Wuxi High-tech Zone (无锡高新区) and Secretary of the Xinwu District (新吴区) Committee in Jiangsu (江苏). He stated that Wuxi High-tech Zone (无锡高新区), as a national high-tech zone, will implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech. When laying out the key industrial directions for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan," it will further strengthen its characteristic and advantageous industries such as the Internet of Things and integrated circuits, accelerate the cultivation of future industries, deeply promote the "dual high synergy" work between the high-tech zone and universities, and comprehensively strengthen scientific and technological research in key areas to contribute to the overall leap in the industrial system.
The "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" proposal puts forward the need to comprehensively enhance independent innovation capabilities, seize the commanding heights of scientific and technological development, and continuously generate new quality productive forces. Liu Ying (刘颖), member of the Standing Committee of the Hangzhou (杭州) Municipal Party Committee in Zhejiang (浙江) and Secretary of the Yuhang District (余杭区) Committee, said that Yuhang District (余杭区) will deeply implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, grasp innovation and promote development with the determination of a long-termist, adhere to innovation-driven and talent-led approaches, actively explore the market-oriented operation and achievement transformation paths of major scientific research instruments, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, continuously optimize the innovation ecosystem of "I am responsible for sunshine and rain, and you are responsible for thriving," and accelerate the construction of a source of scientific and technological innovation and create a talent pool for innovation.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'Do what should be done, strive to do what can be done, and never do what should not be done.' This provides us with action guidelines," said Yang Min (杨敏), a member of the Party Group of the Xinjin District (新津区) People's Government in Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川), and Director of the Xinjin Economic Development Zone (新津经开区) Management Committee. "When implemented in specific work, we must adhere to industry as the main pillar, strive to create a national green food characteristic industrial cluster, vigorously cultivate and develop new quality productive forces, focus on artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, new materials, etc., build platforms, create scenarios, and expand markets, and never sacrifice the ecological environment or engage in fraud to obtain false prosperity, and resolutely adhere to the bottom line."
Maintain Strategic Focus and Carefully Plan Tactics
"It is necessary to have the overall situation in mind, aim high and see far, maintain strategic focus, carefully plan tactics, and continuously enhance the certainty and sustainability of our country's development." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly expounded on major theoretical and practical issues such as grasping changes in the domestic and international situation, building a modern industrial system, constructing a new development pattern, and promoting coordinated economic and social development.
In Putuo District (普陀区), Shanghai (上海), along the Shanghai-Nanjing Collaborative Innovation Center (沪宁协同创新中心), there is a group of technology managers. They are building a bridge between enterprises and universities and research institutions in the Yangtze River Delta (长三角) to help build a modern industrial system.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech further pointed out the direction for our work." Lu Hai (陆海), Executive Deputy Director of the Putuo District (普陀区) Shanghai-Nanjing Collaborative Innovation Office, said that they will transform Shanghai's (上海) high-end resources such as finance, scientific and technological innovation, and talent into advantages and driving forces for collaborative development by collaboratively sorting out the "three lists" of resources, needs, and cooperation, accurately connect the needs of scientific and technological research and industrial upgrading in cities along the Shanghai-Nanjing line, concentrate superior forces to jointly tackle "bottleneck" technologies, focus on making up for the shortcomings and weaknesses of the industrial system, enhance the resilience and security of the industrial chain and supply chain, and achieve complementary regional industrial advantages and collaborative leaps.
In Pengshui Miao Autonomous County (彭水苗族土家族自治县), Chongqing (重庆), sweet potatoes, which used to be "subsistence food," have now become a wealth-generating industry, with a comprehensive output value exceeding 2 billion yuan in 2025.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for accelerating the construction of a new development pattern. As a major agricultural county, Pengshui (彭水) must strengthen its advantages and coordinate the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture," said Liu Shuang (刘爽), Deputy County Chief of Pengshui Miao Autonomous County (彭水苗族土家族自治县). She said that they will further build a complete sweet potato industrial chain, establish brand awareness, and promote more high-quality products to efficiently connect from "fields" to "people's tables"; with the help of cross-border e-commerce platforms, more agricultural products will go from "village entrances" to "overseas exits."
Walking into Huayuan Street (花园街) in Nangang District (南岗区), Harbin (哈尔滨), Heilongjiang (黑龙江), shops and attractions are crowded with tourists, and the renovation of urban blocks has made it a new cultural and tourism landmark.
"To implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important requirement that 'economic development and social development complement each other and must advance in a coordinated manner,' we will continue to promote urban renewal projects," said Ren Hailong (任海龙), District Chief of Nangang District (南岗区). He said that they will accelerate the implementation of renovation of old residential buildings, quality improvement of historical and cultural blocks, renovation of urban villages, and reconstruction of dilapidated houses, so that people's lives will be happier and better.
Improve Ability and Level, Enhance Practical Skills
"To successfully complete the goals and tasks of the 'Fifteenth Five-Year Plan' period, we must focus on improving the Party's ability and level in leading economic and social development." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for cadres at all levels, especially leading cadres, emphasizing that they should "further strengthen learning," "establish and practice correct views on political achievements," "vigorously promote the spirit of struggle," and "maintain a high-pressure anti-corruption stance."
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for 'further strengthening learning, studying the Party's innovative theories, improving professional qualities, and enhancing practical skills.' We must grasp implementation in conjunction with our own work." Huang Tao (黄滔), Deputy Secretary of the Ningxiang (宁乡) Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Changsha (长沙), Hunan (湖南), said that they will continue to deepen learning, strengthen research, learn skills, see trends, and think of ways on the front lines of production and scientific research, and continuously improve their professional qualities and practical skills in grasping the economy and promoting development in accordance with local conditions, and advance Ningxiang's (宁乡) high-quality development step by step.
At 3 p.m., after a short work meeting, Tian Yu (田雨), a member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Starting Area Management Committee of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), Hebei (河北), rushed to China Sinochem Building (中国中化大厦) to investigate the demands of personnel from centrally-administered state-owned enterprises who have been relocated to work and live in Xiong'an (雄安).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'Consciously seek political achievements for the people and achieve political achievements through practical work.' This requires us to sink our work focus to the front line and put serving the people into practice," said Tian Yu (田雨). He said that they will continue to improve the service guarantee system for relocation, refine services, implement projects, and make the relocation personnel more stable in the new area, develop better, and live happier lives.
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "It is necessary to vigorously promote the spirit of struggle." Qiu Yi (邱毅), Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the Supervision Commission of Songming County (嵩明县), Kunming (昆明), Yunnan (云南), has gained a deeper understanding in grass-roots research such as entering households for heart-to-heart talks and asking for needs in squares.
Bearing in mind the General Secretary's instructions, Qiu Yi (邱毅) said that they will focus on the urgent needs and difficulties of the masses, closely monitor stubborn problems such as inaction and slow action, improve the closed-loop mechanism of "problem-responsibility-rectification," and promote rectification with a list-based and de-numbered system; at the same time, they will deepen both the symptoms and root causes, use individual case rectification to drive the governance of similar problems, and improve the long-term mechanism for work style construction.
(Reporters Zhao Cheng (赵成), Wang Mingfeng (王明峰), Zhu Dawei (祝大伟), Yang Wenming (杨文明), Yao Xueqing (姚雪青), Liu Junguo (刘军国), Sun Chao (孙超), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏), Liu Xinwu (刘新吾) of this newspaper)
Return to TopThis newspaper reported from Beijing on January 23rd (Reporter Zhang Yang (张洋)) A seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China concluded on the afternoon of the 23rd at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Cai Qi (蔡奇), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the closing ceremony and delivered a concluding speech. He pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar provided an in-depth exposition of major issues such as comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately understanding and grasping the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and put forward clear requirements, which is of great guiding significance for promoting the sustained and healthy economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. We must conscientiously study and implement it, more deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards," maintain strategic focus, enhance confidence in victory, actively assume responsibility, and strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality.
During the seminar, all the participants, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, conscientiously studied General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the opening ceremony and the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges in connection with reality, deepened their understanding and understanding of the spirit of the Plenary Session, and enhanced their sense of responsibility and mission to implement the various decisions and deployments of the Plenary Session with practical actions. At the closing ceremony, 10 student representatives from the seminar spoke and reported on their learning gains.
Cai Qi (蔡奇) said that through this study and discussion, everyone, on the basis of a comprehensive and profound understanding of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, further deepened their understanding of major issues such as the formulation and implementation of the Five-Year Plan being an important political advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, grasping new changes in the domestic and international situation, building a modern industrial system, winning strategic initiative by accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, promoting coordinated economic and social development, and improving the Party's ability and level to lead economic and social development, achieving the expected goals. We must make good use of the research results and transform learning gains into work results. We must continue to deepen the study and implementation of the spirit of the Plenary Session, and carry out education and training for Party members and cadres in a graded, classified, in-depth, and solid manner. We must deeply understand the strategic intentions of the Party Central Committee, accurately grasp the general trend of development, combine with reality to formulate local plans and special plans, scientifically plan goals and tasks, accurately formulate policies and measures, and pragmatically make specific deployments. We must resolutely implement various tasks, strengthen policy coordination and work synergy, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties. We must adhere to and strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, unswervingly promote comprehensive and strict Party governance, and establish and practice a correct view of political achievements. We must go all out to grasp the various tasks of economic and social development this year, and promote a good start and a solid first step for the "15th Five-Year Plan."
Shi Taifeng (石泰峰) presided over the closing ceremony. Li Ganjie (李干杰), Li Shulei (李书磊), Chen Wenqing (陈文清), Liu Jinguo (刘金国), Wang Xiaohong (王小洪), and Chen Xi (陈希) attended the closing ceremony.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 邱超奕
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out, "2025 was a very extraordinary year. We faced difficulties head-on and worked hard to successfully complete the main goals of economic and social development. China's economy moved forward against pressure, developing towards new and better directions, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality."
The modern industrial system is the material and technological foundation of Chinese-style modernization. In 2025, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's (习近平) Economic Thought, all regions and departments adhered to focusing on the real economy for economic development, adhered to the direction of intelligence, greening, and integration, accelerated the construction of a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, and promoted economic development towards new and better directions.
Starting today, this newspaper launches a series of commentaries titled "China's Industries Moving Towards New and Better Directions," recording vivid front-line practices, listening to cutting-edge innovation trends, showcasing the solid steps of deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and witnessing the new atmosphere of industries moving towards new and better directions.
——Editor
A single thread can be transformed into the "tendons and bones" of a humanoid robot.
In the production workshop of Nanshan Zhishang Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Company in Yantai City (烟台市), Shandong (山东) Province, rolls of white ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber are eye-catching.
"Don't underestimate its fineness like silkworm silk. The strength of this new material can reach 15 times that of steel wire with the same cross-section. It is not only used in special protective equipment, deep-sea cables, aerospace, and other fields, but can now also become the core transmission component of robot dexterous hands—tendon cords," said Han Hao (韩皞), Deputy General Manager of the company. The company has iterated multiple tendon cord products, covering various application scenarios such as robot dexterous hands, arms, and legs.
Chinese textiles have been passed down for thousands of years and are a typical traditional industry. In recent years, during inspections and research in various places, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly visited traditional industrial enterprises, emphasizing that "traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy. It is necessary to grasp market demand, strengthen technological innovation, and revitalize traditional industries."
Crossing over into the robot track is a vivid embodiment of the textile industry "releasing new vitality."
As an important pillar industry, livelihood industry, and advantageous industry in China, the textile industry plays a prominent role in stabilizing employment, promoting innovation, and expanding consumption. Looking globally, China has the most complete textile industrial system, with an annual output of over 70 billion garments. The export of textiles and garments accounts for over 30% of global textile and garment trade. Both production scale and trade scale rank first in the world.
In 2025, despite facing external shocks and insufficient domestic demand, Chinese textiles still bloomed with vigorous vitality: from Hanfu (汉服) attracting foreign consumers to Labubu (拉布布) dolls becoming popular, the new Chinese trend set off a "world trend"; from breakthroughs in the research and development of basalt non-woven fabrics to multiple textile-related parks being selected as national-level zero-carbon parks, the old industry burst forth with "new power."
With stronger strength, newer technology, and more diverse markets, today's Chinese textiles are moving towards the mid-to-high end of the industrial chain and value chain.
——Strengthening brand power.
In Pinghu City (平湖市), Jiaxing (嘉兴), Zhejiang (浙江) Province, in Pinghu China Garment City (平湖·中国服装城), down garments are dazzling, and business is booming in over 2,300 stalls. "This new type of down jacket has a design patent and is very popular among consumers," said Ding Wei (丁卫), General Manager of Zhejiang Yizhong Garment Co., Ltd. with pride. The company strengthened its own brand, and its operating income increased by 20% in 2025.
Pinghu City's (平湖市) down garment industry once relied on OEM production, with low added value. The local area created a regional brand and took the lead in establishing a quality grading system in the industry, significantly enhancing product competitiveness. "With the brand as the leader, the sales scale of down garments in Pinghu City (平湖市) exceeded 50 billion yuan in 2025," said Zhu Xiaowei (朱晓伟), Secretary-General of the Pinghu City (平湖市) Garment Industry Association.
Recently, the World Brand Lab released the "World's 500 Most Influential Brands" list, and the rankings of several textile-related enterprises such as Hengli (恒力), Shenghong (盛虹), and Weiqiao (魏桥) climbed. A report shows that in 2025, among Chinese consumers' brand preferences for clothing, shoes, and hats, 60% prioritize domestic brands.
——Seeking innovation first.
Can you complete clothing customization by taking a few photos? In Duoshao Custom Network Technology Co., Ltd. in Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), Hebei (河北) Province, by opening the "AI Remote Body Measurement" mini-program and taking photos of your body, clothing sizes are automatically generated in just 10 seconds, and suitable versions can also be recommended.
"High-end clothing customization steps are cumbersome. We use artificial intelligence technology to transform manual measurement into digital modeling, increasing production efficiency by more than 70%," introduced Cao Peng (曹鹏), the company's person in charge.
On the design side, "digital tailors" give rise to good ideas; on the manufacturing side, flexible production lines simultaneously produce multiple products; on the transaction side, "smart brains" build a bridge between production and sales... As of September 2025, the popularization rate of digital R&D and design tools in China's textile enterprises has reached 84.9%, achieving rapid growth.
——Forging strong resilience.
A cargo ship carrying tens of thousands of meters of silk departed from Shanghai (上海) and sailed to Mexico (墨西哥). "This is the third batch of silk shipped to Mexico (墨西哥) in 2025, and the shipment volume has increased significantly," said Yu Jinjian (俞金键), Chairman of Jiangsu Huajia Silk Co., Ltd. In the past year, the company actively explored new markets such as Australia (澳大利亚), Vietnam (越南), and Turkey (土耳其), and gained many new customers. "The company's total export volume in 2025 increased by more than 20% year-on-year."
Huajia Silk (华佳丝绸) is headquartered in Shengze Town (盛泽镇), Suzhou (苏州), Jiangsu (江苏) Province. As an important fabric export base in China, Shengze Town's (盛泽镇) export volume increased by 5.1% year-on-year in 2025, and the export structure became more diversified.
"Through a globalized supply chain network, the Chinese textile industry can achieve high-frequency, broad-coverage reach," said Sun Ruizhe (孙瑞哲), Party Secretary and President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council. Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest entrustment, during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we must anchor higher-quality development goals and strive to build a modern textile industrial system that is scientific, fashionable, green, and healthy.
(Reporters Wang Weijian (王伟健), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), Dou Hanyang (窦瀚洋), and Wang Pei (王沛) participated in the writing)
Return to TopAccording to the Dianchi Administration Bureau of Kunming (昆明), Yunnan Province (云南省), in 2025, the water quality of Dianchi Lake (滇池) has further improved, with the water quality of the entire lake stabilizing at Grade IV. Since 2018, the water quality of the entire Dianchi Lake (滇池) has remained at Grade IV for eight consecutive years and continues to improve. The picture shows the scenery of Dianchi Lake (滇池) taken on January 22.
Xinhua News Agency (新华社) reporter Hu Chao (胡超) photographed.
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Guiyang, January 23rd. Liu Guozhong (刘国中), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted research in Guizhou (贵州) from January 21st to 23rd. He emphasized the need to conscientiously study and implement the important expositions and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) on "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" work, fully implement the deployments of the Central Economic Work Conference and the Central Rural Work Conference, incorporate regular assistance into the overall implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, implement responsibilities at all levels, improve policies and measures, earnestly carry out various assistance tasks, and continuously consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation.
Liu Guozhong (刘国中) listened to reports on the prevention of returning to poverty and poverty monitoring and assistance at the Qiannan Prefecture (黔南州) Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau. He went deep into the poverty-stricken villages, industrial bases, relocation and resettlement areas, vocational middle schools, and township health centers in Sandu County (三都县), Libo County (荔波县), and Dushan County (独山县), visited monitoring households and poverty-stricken households, and learned in detail about the production and living conditions of the local people. He also investigated the "three guarantees" (三保障) and drinking water safety guarantees, industrial employment, health assistance, and other work. He emphasized that this year is the first year of carrying out regular assistance, and it is necessary to do a good job in policy and work coordination to ensure a smooth transition and 守牢 (shǒu láo - "firmly guard," to steadfastly maintain or defend) the bottom line of preventing large-scale return to poverty. It is necessary to scientifically and accurately determine assistance targets, implement assistance measures according to categories, and improve the effectiveness of monitoring and assistance. It is necessary to develop assistance industries based on local resource characteristics and market demand, improve the supervision system for assistance project assets, strengthen skills training and employment assistance, and do everything possible to promote farmers' income. It is necessary to strengthen follow-up support for relocation, and implement detailed assistance measures in industrial development, grassroots governance, and public services. It is necessary to take key assistance counties for rural revitalization as assistance units in underdeveloped areas, continuously improve infrastructure conditions, steadily improve the level of public services, and support the development and growth of the county economy.
Liu Guozhong (刘国中) emphasized that consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation is a long-term task, and it is necessary to adhere to the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability and establishing before abolishing, maintain the overall stability of various policies, and resolutely prevent relaxation and懈怠. It is necessary to adhere to the five-level Party secretaries grasping regular assistance, improve the east-west cooperation and the fixed-point assistance mechanism of central units, increase social assistance efforts, strengthen policy training and publicity, and effectively implement various assistance measures.
Liu Guozhong (刘国中) emphasized that as the Spring Festival approaches, personnel flow and gatherings are increasing, and it is necessary to give full play to the role of the joint prevention and control mechanism and coordinate the monitoring and prevention of major infectious diseases. It is necessary to solidly promote the strengthening of primary-level medical and health projects, actively promote hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and further protect the people's health.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 邱超奕
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, create better employment and labor conditions, and promote high-quality employment." The Central Economic Work Conference proposed: "Focus on stabilizing employment, stabilizing enterprises, stabilizing the market, and stabilizing expectations" and "Implement actions to stabilize jobs, expand capacity, and improve quality, stabilize employment for key groups such as college graduates and migrant workers, and encourage and support flexible employment personnel and new employment form personnel to participate in employee insurance."
How will the key tasks of stabilizing employment be implemented this year? How to promote the expansion of social security coverage? The reporter interviewed Wang Xiaoping (王晓萍), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部).
Focus on Investing in People, Strengthening the Development and Utilization of Human Resources
Reporter: The Central Economic Work Conference proposed "adhering to people's livelihood as the top priority" and emphasized "we must adhere to the close combination of investing in things and investing in people." How will these requirements be implemented?
Wang Xiaoping (王晓萍): The Central Economic Work Conference was an important meeting held after the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The meeting emphasized "adhering to people's livelihood as the top priority" and "adhering to achieving political achievements for the people and achieving political achievements through hard work," and deployed a series of major measures. This fully reflects the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, adhering to placing the protection and improvement of people's livelihood in a priority position, taking it as the starting point and foothold of high-quality development, allowing the people to share the fruits of reform and development, and fully demonstrates a firm people's stance and sincere feelings for the people.
At the Central Economic Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "We must adhere to the close combination of investing in things and investing in people." This is a new understanding of doing economic work well under the new situation, containing far-reaching strategic considerations. Adhering to investing in people, allowing the investment and accumulation of things to serve the development of people, will continuously consolidate our country's rich human resource advantages and enhance the resilience and vitality of a major country's economy. Adhering to investing in people, in meeting the people's high-quality life needs, will continuously generate new economic growth points and achieve a close combination of benefiting people's livelihood and promoting consumption.
We will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, implement the requirements of the Central Economic Work Conference, focus on investing in people, take strengthening the development and utilization of human resources as the main line, focus on promoting high-quality and full employment, improve the lifelong vocational skills training system, deepen the reform of the social security system, improve the wage income distribution system, improve the labor relations governance system, and continuously strengthen the high-quality supply of policies and services, inject new impetus into high-quality development, provide new support for high-quality life, and continuously promote the comprehensive development of people and the common prosperity of all people.
Taking the Construction of an Employment-Friendly Development Mode as the Traction, Fully Ensuring the Overall Stability of Employment
Reporter: The Central Economic Work Conference placed stabilizing employment at the top of the "four stabilities" and proposed a series of key tasks. How will the human resources and social security departments implement them?
Wang Xiaoping (王晓萍): High-quality and full employment is not only an inherent requirement and important driving force for high-quality development, but also the top priority of people's livelihood. The Central Economic Work Conference continues to place stabilizing employment at the top of the "four stabilities," fully reflecting the Party Central Committee's high attention to employment work. In 2025, the number of newly employed people in urban areas nationwide was 12.67 million, and the average urban surveyed unemployment rate was 5.2%, maintaining overall stability in the employment situation.
2026 is the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," and doing a good job in stabilizing employment is of great significance. Facing the complex and volatile international environment and the arduous and heavy domestic reform, development, and stability tasks, we will earnestly take stabilizing employment as an important political responsibility, take the construction of an employment-friendly development mode as the traction, promote the efficient linkage of policies, services, and monitoring, and fully ensure the overall stability of employment.
First, accelerate the construction of an employment-friendly development mode. Strengthen the employment priority orientation and promote the coordinated efforts of fiscal, monetary, employment, industrial, and price policies. Improve the employment impact assessment mechanism and support the development of industries and enterprises with strong employment absorption capacity. Accelerate the establishment of an artificial intelligence employment impact monitoring, early warning, and response system, and construct an employment-friendly technology development path. Improve the employment and unemployment monitoring and early warning system, track and analyze changes in the employment situation, and strengthen policy reserves.
Second, implement actions to stabilize jobs, expand capacity, and improve quality. Make good use of policies such as stabilizing job returns and tax and fee reductions, continue to implement phased reductions in unemployment and work-related injury insurance rates, and support labor-intensive industries and enterprises to stabilize jobs. Accelerate the cultivation of employment potential in emerging industries and future industries such as the digital economy and green economy, fully tap the employment absorption capacity of service industries such as "the elderly and the young," and expand employment space in areas such as the county economy and rural revitalization. Increase the development of new occupations and open up new employment space with new occupational development. Encourage entrepreneurship to drive employment and vigorously promote the four entrepreneurship models of "scientific and technological achievements + entrepreneurship," "industrial development + entrepreneurship," "vocational skills + entrepreneurship," and "people's livelihood needs + entrepreneurship."
Third, strengthen employment policy support. For college graduates and other young people, study and formulate a new round of employment promotion policies and measures, increase the frequency of recruitment activities such as "Job Guidance for the Future," implement the fifth round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" plan, deeply implement the service tackling action and the million employment internship position development plan, strengthen the guidance of career choice and employment concepts, and open up new employment horizons with new career choice concepts; for migrant workers, promote the two-way efforts of going out for employment and employment nearby, cultivate more labor brands with strong employment driving capabilities, broaden employment channels for migrant workers, improve the normalized employment assistance mechanism to prevent returning to poverty due to unemployment, and promote stable employment and increased income; and continue to do a good job in employment assistance for people in difficulty. Solidly do a good job in the employment of groups such as veterans.
Fourth, improve the quality and efficiency of employment services. Deeply promote large-scale vocational skills improvement training, take demand as the guidance, launch more targeted and effective training projects. Improve the equal and inclusive, fully functional, precise assistance, solid foundation, and digitally empowered employment public service system, strengthen the construction of the national employment information resource database, create an employment public service platform, promote the construction of "doorstep" employment service stations, and strengthen "big data + iron feet," so that employment services sink to the grassroots level. Continue to carry out uninterrupted employment service activities and implement human resource service industry employment promotion actions. Standardize the order of the human resource market and create a good and orderly employment environment.
Deeply Implement the "Skills Illuminate the Future" Training Action and Accelerate the Cultivation of Skilled Talents
Reporter: The human resources and social security departments organize and carry out the "Skills Illuminate the Future" training action to drive workers, especially young people, to learn skills and improve skills. How will you increase training efforts this year?
Wang Xiaoping (王晓萍): At present, new quality productive forces are booming, the modernization of the industrial system is accelerating, and population changes and technological changes are intertwined and superimposed, which puts higher demands on the skills level of workers, and the structural contradiction of mismatch between people and jobs is becoming more prominent. In order to solve this contradiction, since last year, we have organized and carried out the "Skills Illuminate the Future" training action, opening up the entire chain from demand to training, evaluation, and employment, carrying out large-scale vocational skills training, with more than 11 million subsidized training sessions, and the pertinence and effectiveness of training have been further improved.
This year, we will deeply implement the "Skills Illuminate the Future" training action and accelerate the cultivation of more skilled talents that meet the needs of economic and social development.
First, adapt training objects and let training follow demand. In response to the different skill needs of college graduates and other young people, migrant workers, and other groups, implement special training such as youth skills improvement and migrant worker health and elderly care service skills improvement, launch some targeted training courses, and solve the problem of "some people have no work to do."
Second, optimize training supply and let training revolve around the industry. Focusing on new quality productive forces fields such as artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, and the low-altitude economy, focusing on the urgent needs of social people's livelihood such as elderly care and domestic services, support localities to determine training priorities according to local conditions, and promote training models such as "production, education, and evaluation," "order-based," and "project-based," so that training can better serve industrial development and solve the problem of "some work has no one to do."
Third, improve the service system and make participating in training more convenient. Encourage localities to improve the skills training service network, build training navigation maps, create a 30-minute training service circle, skills gas stations, etc., update the training project catalog in a timely manner, and accurately push it to workers and enterprises on a regular basis, solving the problem of "where to find training."
Fourth, highlight value leadership and make training more valuable. Accelerate the development of new occupations and related standards, improve the vocational skills evaluation system, and enhance the authority, circulation, and recognition of skills evaluation. Deeply implement the "New Eight-Level Worker" system, promote the linkage between salary distribution and workers' skill levels, create a "golden business card" for skills employment and a "golden rice bowl" for skills income increase, making training dividends more perceptible and accessible.
In September this year, the 48th WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai (上海), which is the "Skills Olympics" of the East. I believe that this global skills event will drive more workers to learn skills and improve skills, and encourage more young people to embark on the road of skills to become talents and skills to serve the country.
Better Play the Role of Social Security and Support Flexible Employment Personnel and New Employment Form Personnel to Participate in Employee Pension Insurance
Reporter: How do human resources and social security departments encourage and support flexible employment personnel and new employment form personnel to participate in employee insurance? What are the key considerations for social security work this year?
Wang Xiaoping (王晓萍): Flexible employment and new employment forms have become important channels for absorbing employment. The Central Economic Work Conference clearly stated, "Encourage and support flexible employment personnel and new employment form personnel to participate in employee insurance," which puts forward new requirements for our work. We will focus on this, systematically plan reforms, promote a more optimized and sustainable system, and better play the role of social security in protecting people's livelihood, promoting economic development, and social stability.
First, further expand the coverage of social insurance. According to the characteristics of flexible employment personnel and other groups, study and improve relevant support policies, support flexible employment personnel and new employment form personnel to participate in employee pension insurance, and enjoy higher-quality social security. Promote the expansion of the occupational injury protection pilot to the whole country and include more new employment form personnel in the scope of protection. At the same time, expand the coverage of unemployment and work-related injury insurance.
Second, continue to deepen key social security reforms. Improve and implement the national unified planning system to ensure that pensions are paid on time and in full. Improve the benefit determination and adjustment mechanism and tilt more towards low-income groups. Expand the coverage of enterprise annuities and steadily implement the personal pension system. Improve the fund supervision system rules and supervision system, strengthen investment operation supervision, promote the establishment of a long-term performance evaluation mechanism, and improve the social insurance actuarial system.
Third, create more convenient handling and management services. Optimize the nationally unified human resources and social security government service platform and social security public service platform, deeply promote "efficiently handling one thing" such as flexible employment participation in insurance, social security card resident services, and retirement, deeply carry out "social security services into thousands of households," implement and improve the pension insurance relationship transfer and continuation policy, strengthen policy publicity and interpretation and consulting services, and make social security more fair and benefit the broad masses of the people.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 谷业凯
On January 23rd, the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办) held a press conference to introduce the progress of intellectual property work in 2025. In 2025, China authorized a total of 972,000 invention patents, accepted 78,000 PCT international patent applications, and registered 4,206,000 trademarks. By the end of 2025, the number of valid domestic invention patents in China reached 5.32 million, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 16.
The fastest growth in valid invention patents is in the fields of information technology management methods, computer technology, and medical technology.
Innovation quality continues to improve, and key regions are actively innovating. According to Rui Wenbiao (芮文彪), Deputy Director of the National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局), among the valid domestic invention patents, the fastest growth in valid invention patents is in the fields of information technology management methods, computer technology, and medical technology, and the number of artificial intelligence patents ranks among the top in the world. By the end of 2025, the number of valid invention patents in the Yangtze River Delta region, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Guangdong Province (广东省) were 1.734 million, 916,000, and 899,000, respectively, accounting for about 2/3 of the total domestic amount.
By the end of 2025, the number of high-value domestic invention patents in China reached 2.292 million, accounting for 43.1% of the total number of valid domestic invention patents, an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared with the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period.
"The number of valid domestic invention patents in strategic emerging industries reached 1.534 million, and 280,000 enterprises owned 1.764 million high-value invention patents, becoming the 'main force' in creating high-value invention patents." Liang Xinxin (梁心新), Director of the Strategic Planning Department of the National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局战略规划司), believes that China's patent structure is transforming towards excellence, and the proportion of invention patents with higher technical content, higher market value, and more stable rights status is constantly increasing.
Greater efforts to regulate malicious trademark squatting and hoarding behavior.
In 2025, intellectual property departments handled 57,000 administrative cases of patent infringement disputes, and social satisfaction with intellectual property protection increased to 82.81 points. Guo Wen (郭雯), Director of the Intellectual Property Protection Department of the National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局知识产权保护司), said that in terms of strengthening intellectual property protection for private enterprises, in 2025, national-level intellectual property protection centers and rapid rights protection centers cumulatively accepted more than 200,000 patent pre-examination cases from private enterprises, with an average authorization cycle of within 3 months, while also severely cracking down on illegal acts such as infringement of trademarks and patents of private enterprises in accordance with the law.
In response to prominent issues in the trademark field, Rui Wenbiao (芮文彪) stated that it is necessary to take the new round of revisions to the Trademark Law as an opportunity to strive to solve them from the institutional level. "For trademark applications that are not for the purpose of use and obviously exceed the needs of normal production and operation, it is clear that they will not be registered, and greater efforts will be made to regulate malicious trademark squatting and hoarding behavior." Rui Wenbiao (芮文彪) cited an example, stating that for registered trademarks used in a way that misleads the public, efforts should be increased to rectify them, and trademarks should be revoked in serious cases.
As Chinese enterprises accelerate their participation in global trade, foreign-related intellectual property disputes have become a prominent issue facing enterprises. Guo Wen (郭雯) introduced that by the end of 2025, a total of 99 overseas intellectual property dispute response guidance work platforms had been established nationwide, 6 industry work platforms had been established for key areas such as automobiles and photovoltaics, and overseas work platforms had been deployed in 11 countries. "In 2025, a total of more than 4,800 guidance and consulting services were provided to enterprises for cross-border e-commerce intellectual property disputes, overseas trademark squatting, etc., recovering losses of 2.75 billion yuan." Guo Wen (郭雯) said.
Correcting the "quantity-only" tendency, and will promote the comprehensive cancellation of financial subsidies for patent application and authorization stages.
The benefits of intellectual property are accelerating. In 2025, China completed 697,000 patent transfer and licensing filings, an increase of 13.7% year-on-year. Among them, the number of patent transfer and licensing filings by universities and research institutions was close to 90,000, an increase of 16.6% year-on-year. The industrialization rate of enterprise invention patents reached 54%, a steady increase for many years. From January to November 2025, the total import and export volume of national intellectual property royalties reached 382.87 billion yuan, an increase of 7.4% year-on-year, of which the export volume increased by 23.1% year-on-year, helping China's service trade exports to reach new highs.
The transformation and implementation of innovative achievements cannot be separated from the escort of high-quality intellectual property public services. At present, China has built 1,057 intellectual property public service outlets in various science and technology parks. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, various public service institutions have cumulatively served more than 5 million innovation entities. Yang Fan (杨帆), Director of the Public Service Department of the National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局公共服务司), introduced: "We have also built 28 special patent retrieval databases for key industries, providing patent information retrieval services for key areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, and integrated circuits. In 2025, the number of various business transactions exceeded 100 million, providing more than 2 billion information inquiry services and approximately 96 million retrieval and analysis services."
Patent quality is an important indicator of innovation level. Rui Wenbiao (芮文彪) introduced that in order to resolutely correct the "quantity-only" tendency, it will promote the comprehensive cancellation of financial subsidies for patent application and authorization stages by various departments and regions, and at the same time guide universities and research institutions to establish a pre-application evaluation system for patents, so as to achieve "pre-evaluation, post-application" and pre-emptively intercept low-quality patent applications.
Reporter's Notes
Intellectual Property Should Focus on Quality Rather Than Quantity
Looking at the development of China's intellectual property cause in 2025, "quality" is the key word. Among the 5.32 million valid domestic invention patents, high-value invention patents reached 2.292 million, accounting for 43.1%, and the year-on-year growth rate of high-value invention patents was 2.2 percentage points higher than the overall level, making innovation and development more promising.
China has long been a major intellectual property country, but the problem of patents being "**多而不优、大而不强**" (duō ér bù yōu, dà ér bù qiáng - "many but not excellent, large but not strong," describes a situation where quantity is high but quality is lacking) has long existed. Guiding patents to shift from pursuing quantity to improving quality requires the introduction of measures to give play to the role of the "baton." All regions and departments have comprehensively canceled financial subsidies for patent application and authorization stages, resolutely correcting the "quantity-only" tendency; the National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局) and other nine departments jointly issued a document clarifying that the number of patent applications and authorizations should not be directly used as the main conditions for talent evaluation, project review, enterprise identification, professional title evaluation, and university evaluation; many universities and research institutions have also established a pre-application evaluation system for patents, so as to achieve "pre-evaluation, post-application" and pre-emptively intercept low-quality patent applications.
The improvement of patent quality promotes the transformation of achievements and provides support for high-quality development. In 2025, the number of patent transfer and licensing filings in China increased by 13.7% year-on-year, and the industrialization rate of enterprise invention patents rose to 54%. A large number of high-value patents have been tested in application, helping the majority of innovation entities to gain a firm foothold and win the market.
Intellectual property has become an important focus of innovation and development. With the emergence of more high-value invention patents, industries will be more innovative, markets will be more dynamic, and the momentum and potential for high-quality development will be greater.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 洋 李建广 邱超奕
A seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee opened at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) on the morning of January 20. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the need to continuously deepen the study and implementation of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, better unify thinking, and pool strength to earnestly carry out various tasks under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, and strive to achieve a good start for the "15th Five-Year Plan."
During the seminar, some participants were interviewed by reporters from this newspaper. They expressed that they would thoroughly study and comprehend the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, deeply understand the major achievements made by the Party and the country during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, accurately grasp the guiding principles, main goals, and key tasks for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, maintain strategic focus, enhance confidence in victory, and strive to create a new landscape for the construction of Chinese-style modernization.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech deeply analyzed the profound and complex changes facing China's development environment, systematically elaborated on the great significance of formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan, made profound expositions on relevant major issues, and put forward clear requirements for improving the Party's ability and level in leading economic and social development. It has strong political, theoretical, targeted, and guiding significance, and is the fundamental guideline and action plan for us to strive to create a new landscape for the construction of Chinese-style modernization," said Yin Hejun (阴和俊), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (科技部).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly expounded the political advantages embodied in the formulation and implementation of the Five-Year Plan with 'four benefits,' and clarified the rich experience created and accumulated in long-term practice with 'five insistences,' elevating our Party's understanding of the laws of medium and long-term development planning to a new height," said Xu Qin (许勤), Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee (黑龙江省委). "Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has personally planned, deployed, and promoted the work of national development planning, leading the Party and the country to achieve historic achievements and undergo historic changes, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable."
Liu Xiaoming (刘小明), Deputy Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee (海南省委) and Governor of Hainan Province, said: "The fundamental reason for the major achievements made in China's development during the '14th Five-Year Plan' period lies in General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) leadership and guidance, and in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Practice has fully proved that the 'Two Establishes' are our greatest certainty, greatest confidence, and greatest guarantee for overcoming all difficulties and obstacles and responding to all uncertainties."
"Formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan is conducive to concentrating efforts on major tasks. During the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, China has built the world's largest and technologically leading information and communication network, with 5G development leading the world and artificial intelligence development accelerating breakthroughs, which demonstrates the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics," said Chen Zhongyue (陈忠岳), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (中国移动通信集团有限公司).
"The key to studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee is to take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech as the fundamental guideline and focus on making efforts in being comprehensive, profound, and accurate," said Zhang Ke (章轲), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医疗保障局). "Healthcare security is a major institutional arrangement to reduce the burden of medical treatment on the people, enhance people's well-being, and maintain social harmony and stability. To do a good job in healthcare security, we must look at the overall development situation and scientifically plan and promote work with systematic thinking. At the same time, in the face of changes in population structure and the rapid development of science and technology, we must understand and grasp the laws, follow and apply the laws, and resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee with tangible results."
"'During the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, China's development environment will face profound and complex changes, and China's development is in a period where strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and there are increasing uncertain and unpredictable factors. We must conscientiously study and comprehend the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately comprehend and grasp the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, adhere to the concept of systems, comprehend and grasp with a global perspective, know what it is and also know why it is, and strive to observe the general trend, plan the overall situation, do practical things, and grasp implementation," said Dai Houliang (戴厚良), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation (中国石油天然气集团有限公司).
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a crucial period for laying the foundation and fully exerting efforts to basically realize socialist modernization. The more crucial the period, the more we must strive for progress. The participants expressed that they would consciously unify their thoughts and actions with the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, pool their strength, be pragmatic and responsible, and implement policies without compromise.
"We must conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, implement the major missions and tasks entrusted to Heilongjiang (黑龙江) by the Party Central Committee, focus on strategic positioning, give play to comparative advantages, take active initiatives, establish and practice the correct view of political achievements, serve and integrate into the domestic grand cycle, expand domestic demand, promote consumption, develop new quality productive forces and build a modern industrial system in accordance with local conditions, comprehensively and deeply promote strict Party governance, further optimize the political ecology, create a good business environment, and promote high-quality development to achieve new breakthroughs, adding glory to the overall situation with the development of one region and contributing to the country with local responsibility," said Xu Qin (许勤).
Development is the top priority, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force. Yin Hejun (阴和俊) said: "We must anchor the goal of building a strong country in science and technology, coordinate and compile the '15th Five-Year Plan' for national science and technology innovation, strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research, strengthen original innovation and tackling key core technologies, accelerate the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces, promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, accelerate the construction of three major international science and technology innovation centers, and build an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness; strengthen scientific and technological empowerment, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, and strongly support the construction of a modern industrial system."
"Hainan (海南) will conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, take the high-standard construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) as the overall starting point, more actively promote opening up in various fields, and accelerate the construction of a special customs supervision area with international competitiveness and influence. Steadily expand institutional opening up, focus on promoting the interconnection and integration of rules, regulations, management, and standards, improve the negative list for trade in services, actively promote the development of offshore trade, relax market access and foreign investment access, and further improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation," said Liu Xiaoming (刘小明).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that we should consciously seek political achievements for the people and produce political achievements through hard work. This provides a scientific guide and action plan for us to do a good job in healthcare security," said Zhang Ke (章轲). The National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医疗保障局) will continue to manage and use the medical insurance fund well, and while safeguarding the life and health of all people, it will continue to inject strong impetus into the development of the medical cause and the development of various related industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, and promote medical institutions and related industries to provide continuous and high-quality medical services to all people, and help build a healthy China at a higher level.
"The '15th Five-Year Plan' proposal proposes to accelerate the construction of a new energy system and build a strong energy country. China National Petroleum (中国石油) will conscientiously fulfill its strategic mission of 'building a strong energy country and empowering a better life,' resolutely act as the 'mainstay' of energy supply security, develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, comprehensively promote green and low-carbon transformation, and earnestly fulfill the responsibilities and responsibilities of state-owned central enterprises with high-quality development achievements, and strive to provide safe and reliable energy security for Chinese-style modernization," said Dai Houliang (戴厚良).
"To implement the spirit of the Plenary Session, we must establish and practice the correct view of political achievements, and we must work hard and diligently," said Chen Zhongyue (陈忠岳). In the face of the new changes brought about by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, China Mobile (中国移动) will strengthen the tackling of key core technologies such as 6G, computing power clusters, quantum technology, and embodied intelligence, promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, develop new quality productive forces, accelerate the construction of a world-class science and technology service enterprise, and contribute more to the construction of a strong network country and a digital China with new achievements in the construction of Chinese-style modernization.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 葛孟超
On January 23rd, the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行) authorized the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (中国外汇交易中心) to announce that the central parity rate of the RMB exchange rate in the interbank foreign exchange market that day was 6.9929 RMB per US dollar. Compared to the previous trading day's central parity rate of 7.0019, it was raised by 90 basis points, reaching a new high since May 2023.
On the same day, both offshore and onshore RMB exchange rates against the US dollar appreciated. At the end of 2025, both offshore and onshore RMB exchange rates against the US dollar successively broke the "7" mark and are currently maintained above "7".
Lou Feipeng (娄飞鹏), a researcher at the Postal Savings Bank of China (中国邮政储蓄银行), said that this reflects the phased strengthening trend of the RMB exchange rate under the resonance of internal and external factors. This change is the result of the combined effect of market supply and demand, policy guidance, and the external environment. "In 2026, factors affecting the rise and fall of the RMB exchange rate will coexist," said Guan Tao (管涛), global chief economist at Bank of China Securities (中银证券).
Previously, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办), Zou Lan (邹澜), Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行), stated that looking ahead, China (中国) has a super-large market and a complete industrial chain. Technological innovation and industrial innovation are accelerating their integration, new momentum is booming, the potential of domestic demand is continuously being released, and the domestic and international dual circulations are becoming smoother. The fundamentals of the macro economy are good in the long term, which supports the basic stability of the RMB exchange rate.
The external situation remains complex and severe. The magnitude and pace of interest rate adjustments by major economies are still uncertain, and geopolitical shocks may continue to exist, which will have some disturbance to the exchange rate trend. Zou Lan (邹澜) said that the RMB exchange rate is expected to continue to fluctuate in both directions and maintain its elasticity.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 宋亦然
The azure waves of the Atlantic Ocean shimmered with golden light in the morning sun. A white giant ship cut through the waves and steadily docked at the Mauá Pier in Rio de Janeiro (里约热内卢) , Brazil (巴西). The red cross symbol on the bow was particularly eye-catching. From January 8th to 15th, the Chinese Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) arrived in Brazil (巴西) for a 7-day friendly visit and medical exchange activities.
In early September last year, the Chinese Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) set sail from Quanzhou (泉州), Fujian (福建), to conduct medical services in relevant countries in the South Pacific and Latin America, carrying out the "Mission Harmony—2025" mission. This is the first overseas mission for the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship, aimed at enhancing friendly cooperation between China (中国) and relevant countries and providing more public security products to the international community.
Mutual Understanding——
Cultural Exchange Weaves a Bond of Friendship
As the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship slowly approached the shore, gongs and drums sounded at the Mauá Pier, and four colorful lions danced vigorously to the exciting drumbeats. The lion dancers were a group of Brazilian (巴西) teenagers, whose movements were slightly immature but full of enthusiasm.
The "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship is the second ten-thousand-ton-class standardized ocean-going hospital ship independently designed and built by China (中国). It has 14 clinical departments and 7 auxiliary diagnostic departments, and can carry out more than 60 kinds of examinations, treatments, and surgeries, such as general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, and ophthalmology. Its main tasks include medical rescue and evacuation of wounded and sick personnel at sea, and providing medical services to residents and officers and soldiers stationed on islands and reefs. It also carries out international humanitarian medical services, emergency rescue for major disasters, and foreign military medical exchanges and cooperation.
During the visit, the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship was open to local people and overseas Chinese. Representatives from the Brazilian (巴西) Navy's health department boarded the ship for visits and exchanges. The hospital ship sent medical expert teams to the Marcílio Dias Naval Hospital (马尔西奥利·迪亚斯巴海军医院) and the Brazilian (巴西) Navy's Operational Medicine Center (巴西海军作战医学中心) to conduct professional seminars, share clinical diagnosis and treatment and emergency rescue experience, and conduct practical demonstrations of combat wound rescue for Brazilian (巴西) Navy officers and soldiers. "These exchange activities have benefited us a lot. I hope that the cooperation between the Brazilian (巴西) and Chinese (中国) navies in the medical field will continue to deepen and achieve more results in the future," said Brazilian (巴西) Navy Colonel Emersen (埃梅森).
"Visiting the Chinese (中国) hospital ship was an unforgettable experience. Modern medical equipment and traditional Chinese (中国) medicine culture made me truly feel China's (中国) development achievements and cultural heritage," said Chloe (克洛伊), a Brazilian (巴西) citizen who visited the ship.
Henrique Dameno (恩里克·达诺布雷加), president of the Brazil-China (巴西—中国) Friendship Association, told this reporter: "The 'Peace Ark' ("丝路方舟"号) is not only a 'sea hospital' equipped with advanced technology and capable of carrying out multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment, but also a mobile bridge of friendship. It conveys care through humanitarian medical services and promotes understanding through cultural exchanges, bringing the hearts of the Latin American people and the Chinese (中国) people closer together."
Helping the Needy——
Benevolence and Love Protect the Light of Life
In December 2025, when the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship arrived in Jamaica (牙买加), it had just been hit by Hurricane Melissa (梅丽莎). After the wind and rain, local medical facilities were severely damaged, and the operating room could only prioritize the most urgent cases.
At a critical moment, the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship launched an emergency rescue mechanism, docking at three ports in Jamaica (牙买加): Montego Bay (蒙特哥贝港), Kingston (金斯敦港), and Falmouth (法尔茅斯港), to provide medical services to local people for 12 days. This is the first time since the launch of the "Mission Harmony" series of missions that the hospital ship has continuously docked at multiple ports in the same country to provide medical services, and it is also the longest time it has provided medical services in the same country.
Anthony (安东尼), a 38-year-old resident of Montego Bay (蒙特哥贝), had been suffering from a hernia for three years. The lumps in his groin and navel made him restless, let alone work. He finally managed to get the surgery scheduled, but after the hurricane, the surgery plan was put on hold. After learning that the Chinese (中国) hospital ship had arrived, he came to seek medical advice with anticipation.
From registering information, blood routine tests, B-ultrasound examinations to completing the surgery, the entire process took only one day, and Anthony's (安东尼) stubborn disease was cured. After recovering, Anthony (安东尼) held the hands of the medical staff tightly, his eyes reddened, and said: "The professionalism and efficiency of the Chinese (中国) doctors are beyond imagination. It was you who helped me find my normal life!"
The "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship performed 715 such surgeries during its stay in Jamaica (牙买加). During the 12 days and nights, the hospital ship's 8 operating rooms were always operating efficiently, and the medical staff raced against time to fight against diseases. "The more we do, the less patients have to wait," said Wu Yanru (吴燕茹), head nurse of the operating room. "When we see patients smile after surgery and hear local doctors sincerely say 'You have helped a lot,' all the fatigue turns into a heavy sense of fulfillment in our hearts."
In Jamaica (牙买加), Chinese (中国) military doctors also stood side by side with local doctors on the operating table, from pre-operative medical record study and plan discussion to close cooperation during the operation, and then to post-operative review and exchange... The cooperation between the two sides was smooth and efficient. In every place, the hospital ship's medical staff would use the gaps between diagnosis and treatment and open day activities to introduce Chinese (中国) traditional medicine knowledge to the local people, and demonstrate traditional Chinese (中国) medicine therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and cupping on the spot, while the local people expressed their gratitude with enthusiastic music and dance.
"I saw in the news that Chinese (中国) doctors cured many people in Jamaica (牙买加), and they provided great help to the people of the Caribbean," said Corbin (科尔宾), a 26-year-old youth from Barbados (巴巴多斯), who had been suffering from a right inguinal hernia for nearly two years. The recurring condition made him suffer a lot, and the high cost of surgery made him reluctant to receive treatment. After learning that the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship had arrived at the port, Corbin (科尔宾) made an appointment for treatment as soon as possible and successfully underwent minimally invasive hernia repair surgery. Corbin (科尔宾), who recovered after the surgery, had a long-lost smile on his face, and said frankly that "this is the best New Year's gift."
"We have always maintained close cooperation with China (中国) in the field of medical and health. The Chinese (中国) hospital ship not only provides us with high-quality medical services, but also enhances the friendship between our people," said Tufton (塔夫顿), Minister of Health and Wellness of Jamaica (牙买加), sincerely.
Cooperation and Win-Win——
Promoting the Building of a Community of Human Health
The "Mission Harmony" series of missions is an international humanitarian medical service mission led by the Chinese (中国) Navy. Since 2010, the connotation of the "Mission Harmony" series of missions has been continuously enriched. Up to now, it has visited 57 countries and regions, served more than 390,000 people, and the total voyage has exceeded 350,000 nautical miles. As of the end of 2025, the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship has provided a total of more than 21,000 medical services, performed more than 2,200 surgeries, and carried out various auxiliary examinations and tests for more than 14,000 people.
The "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship has added new vitality to China's (中国) health cooperation with various countries: Barbados (巴巴多斯) President Bostic (博斯蒂克) made a special trip to visit the ship and highly praised the hospital ship's professional medical services and the achievements of Latin American-Chinese (拉中) health cooperation; Jamaican (牙买加) medical and health department official Frey (弗雷) said: "The arrival of the hospital ship has brought encouragement to Jamaican (牙买加) patients and medical staff. China's (中国) assistance has alleviated our medical pressure. This is a remarkable thing." In Nauru (瑙鲁), 74-year-old Milo (米洛) boarded the ship to receive eye surgery. After regaining his sight, he said excitedly: "Chinese (中国) doctors let me see the color of the waves again."
After the end of the visit to Brazil (巴西), the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship has recently arrived in Uruguay (乌拉圭), bringing high-quality medical services and the deep friendship of the Chinese (中国) people to more local people.
With the ebb and flow of the tide, the ship travels thousands of miles. With professional medical services and deep humanistic care, the "Peace Ark" ("丝路方舟"号) hospital ship not only further deepens the exchanges and cooperation between China (中国) and Latin American and Caribbean (加勒比) countries, helps to promote the "five major projects" of unity, development, civilization, peace, and people's hearts, but also becomes a messenger of peace practicing the concept of a community of human health, and makes new contributions to building a China-Latin America (中拉) community with a shared future.
(Reported from Rio de Janeiro (里约热内卢) on January 23 by Chen Yiming (陈一鸣), reporter of this newspaper, and Hou Tianze (侯天泽), intern. Tang Lei (唐磊) also contributed to this article.)
Layout design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)
China's leapfrog development of the automobile industry is a vivid portrayal of the upgrading of China's manufacturing industry. Entering the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, as China's industrial system further moves towards intelligence, greening, and integration, the pie of China's open cooperation with various countries will inevitably become larger and larger, continuously injecting new impetus and creating new opportunities for global economic development.
Recently, China's automobile industry has once again set off a wave of attention internationally. From Chinese car companies attracting attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, to Canada announcing adjustments to its import policies for Chinese electric vehicles, the international market's enthusiasm for Chinese cars has further increased. Looking at the 2025 report card of China's automobile industry, both production and sales exceeded 34 million vehicles, with new energy vehicle production and sales exceeding 16 million vehicles, ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years. The outstanding achievements demonstrate the innovative power and green leadership of China's automobile industry.
The efficient intelligent manufacturing system, strong local supply chain capabilities, rapid technological iteration, and intensive launch of highly competitive new products highlight the powerful momentum generated by the combination of China's innovation capabilities and its ultra-large-scale market. From a shaky start decades ago through "technology introduction" to multinational giants now implementing "co-creation and co-research" in China, the cooperation between Chinese and foreign car companies is moving towards the "joint venture 2.0 era," reflecting the new changes in China's opportunities. "The innovation and implementation of new technologies are taking place in China first," a multinational executive exclaimed, "We must keep up with 'China speed' to win the future in the wave of electrification and intelligence." Renault's "China Advanced Technology R&D Center" in France took only 21 months to develop its first electric vehicle; Volkswagen (大众) in Germany established its largest R&D center outside of Germany in Hefei (合肥), shortening the R&D cycle by about 30%... Many established international car companies are drawing power from China to drive the technological transformation and efficiency improvement of the entire group. This "two-way empowerment" brings more dimensions of mutual benefit and win-win results, promoting the formation of a more open, inclusive, and vibrant industrial ecosystem.
China's automobile industry is moving towards green development, injecting key momentum into the global automobile industry's green transformation. In 2025, new energy vehicles accounted for more than 50% of new car sales in China, and more than half of the world's new energy vehicles are running in China. At the same time, China's new energy vehicle exports for the year were 2.615 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of one-fold. China's entire automobile industry chain is accelerating technological cost reduction and scale cost reduction, making green transportation a more accessible development option in various countries, especially developing countries. The development of the global new energy vehicle industry requires not only high-quality products and technology supply but also feasible systematic solutions. From China's practice, the prevalence of green travel is inseparable from the gradual solution of "range anxiety." During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has built the world's largest electric vehicle charging network, which can support the charging needs of more than 40 million new energy vehicles. The increasingly mature solutions provide a reference for the transformation of various countries.
The robust Chinese automobile industry is accelerating its "going global" strategy, directly empowering the development of various countries. From "product export" to "ecological going overseas," Chinese car companies adhere to open cooperation and are regarded as a "vivid example of openness defeating protectionism." In recent years, Chinese car companies have accelerated the implementation of localization strategies overseas, establishing overseas factories and improving local supply chains, allowing more local people to benefit from industrial upgrading. BYD (比亚迪), Great Wall (长城) and other Chinese automobile brands have built factories in the Eastern Economic Corridor of Thailand, promoting the transformation and upgrading of the Thai automobile industry; JAC Motors (江淮汽车) has established assembly plants in Algeria and provides professional skills training for local employees; Chery (奇瑞) and the Spanish Ebro company have jointly built a factory in Barcelona, which has strongly promoted the surrounding economic development... "What Chinese companies bring to us is not just a factory, but a new path to development," said Rodrigues (罗德里格斯), Governor of Bahia (巴伊亚州), Brazil. A report by Bloomberg (彭博社) in the United States believes that Chinese companies' investment "sows the seeds of employment, productivity improvement and innovative development in overseas markets."
China's leapfrog development of the automobile industry is a vivid portrayal of the upgrading of China's manufacturing industry. Entering the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, as China's industrial system further moves towards intelligence, greening, and integration, the pie of China's open cooperation with various countries will inevitably become larger and larger, continuously injecting new impetus and creating new opportunities for global economic development.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 颜 欢 许海林
During the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, Stefan Mergenthaler, Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer of the World Economic Forum, said in an exclusive interview with this reporter that with the current complex and volatile global situation and rising geopolitical uncertainties, strengthening dialogue and cooperation has become a consensus among all parties. As the world's second-largest economy, China provides important support for global economic stability and long-term growth through continuous innovation and open cooperation.
Mergenthaler said that the World Economic Forum is committed to building a dialogue platform for all parties, promoting cooperation and experience sharing, and jointly addressing global challenges. During this year's annual meeting, governments, businesses, and all sectors of society actively participated, reflecting the common desire of the international community to enhance understanding through exchanges and find space for cooperation. All parties are very much looking forward to hearing the voice of China, "China is crucial to promoting constructive global dialogue."
"China's development in technological innovation, especially in the field of technology application, is very rapid." Mergenthaler said that he has traveled to China almost every year for the past 20 years, witnessing the changes in China's economic and industrial development. China has made significant progress in promoting the rapid implementation of innovative achievements and transforming them into productivity, "which is not only of great significance to China's economic transformation but also provides useful reference for the development of the global innovation industry."
Mergenthaler emphasized that a consensus is becoming increasingly clear: technology cannot remain at the conceptual level; it can only generate value when it is truly applied to society. He said that China has strong strength and rich experience in related fields—on the one hand, the promotion of new technology applications is progressing rapidly; on the other hand, the scope of new technology applications is constantly expanding, covering manufacturing, energy, medicine, and other fields. "Chinese companies have accumulated a wealth of practical experience in using new technologies to reshape business processes and explore new business models," said Mergenthaler.
Mergenthaler said that this application-oriented innovation path is also reflected in the World Economic Forum's related projects. In the list of "Global Lighthouse Factories" and "AI Pioneers" recognized by the forum, a considerable proportion are Chinese companies, reflecting the activity and maturity of Chinese companies in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence applications. He believes that the common feature of successful cases of Chinese companies is that the companies do not simply introduce new technologies but systematically adjust the organizational structure, production processes, and decision-making methods around the technology.
"Technologies such as artificial intelligence place higher demands on energy supply and energy structure. China's continuous investment in power system construction and energy transition creates favorable conditions for the application and expansion of related technologies." Mergenthaler said that the World Economic Forum pays close attention to the relationship between artificial intelligence and energy transition in related research, and China's practice in combining low-carbon energy supply and technology application has important reference value.
"Expanding technological influence requires deeper collaboration." Mergenthaler said that against the background of the rapid evolution of technologies such as artificial intelligence, it is difficult for a single entity to independently complete the entire process from innovation to large-scale application. China is promoting the wider implementation of technological achievements through cooperation between enterprises, between enterprises and research institutions, and between the public and private sectors.
(Reported on January 23 from Davos (达沃斯), Switzerland by this newspaper)
Return to TopThis newspaper reported from Beijing on January 23rd (Reporter Luo Shanshan (罗珊珊)) Recently, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy International Trade Representative Ling Ji (凌激) presided over a roundtable meeting for British-funded enterprises. British Trade Envoy to China Louise Nokes (倪乐思), as well as representatives from 30 British-funded enterprises and associations such as the China-Britain Business Council, Swire Group (太古集团), HSBC Bank (汇丰银行), and InterContinental Hotels (洲际酒店) attended the meeting. Relevant departments from the Ministry of Commerce (商务部), the General Administration of Customs (海关总署), and the National Financial Regulatory Administration (金融监管总局) attended the meeting and responded to the questions and demands raised by the enterprises on the spot.
Ling Ji (凌激) stated that in recent years, Sino-British economic and trade cooperation has steadily grown, demonstrating both resilience and vitality. The industrial advantages of both sides are complementary, and we should continue to deepen trade and investment cooperation, adhere to cooperation and mutual benefit, give play to the role of economy and trade as a ballast stone and propeller for Sino-British relations, and jointly safeguard a fair and reasonable international economic and trade order.
Louise Nokes (倪乐思) stated that economic and trade relations are very important to UK-China relations, and the UK's modern industrial strategy is very consistent with China's "15th Five-Year Plan" proposals, which is conducive to the two countries expanding cooperation areas. The British-funded enterprises attending the meeting stated that the Chinese market has huge potential, the business environment is constantly optimizing, and the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposals have further enhanced their confidence in long-term investment and operation in China, and made positive contributions to the development of UK-China economic and trade relations.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郑 翔 黄炜鑫
The University of Zimbabwe is lush with greenery, and the fiery red phoenix trees are eye-catching. In the northeast corner of the campus sits the second phase building of the Zimbabwe High-Performance Supercomputing Center (hereinafter referred to as the "Supercomputing Center") aided by China. The Supercomputing Center is provided with a computing power platform by China's Huawei, and will be officially delivered to Zimbabwe for use in August 2025.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (姆南加古瓦) said that the Supercomputing Center is a great example of friendly cooperation between Zimbabwe and China. Since its launch, the Supercomputing Center has played a key role in scientific research in Zimbabwe, enhancing the innovation capabilities of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in areas such as artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and cloud computing. "Thank you to China for its support of this high-tech project, which enables our young innovators to realize their dreams," said Mnangagwa (姆南加古瓦).
When the reporter entered the Supercomputing Center's main computer room, operations and maintenance engineer Linnet Swotwa was inspecting the infrastructure according to the procedure. "After completing the infrastructure inspection, we usually conduct system and network checks." Swotwa (斯沃特瓦) called up the firewall logs and browsed them carefully. "This work is to ensure that the connection between the server and the network remains stable and secure at all times, and to prepare for sudden failures."
"Currently, the computing power scale of the Supercomputing Center ranks among the top five in Africa, which places high demands on operation and maintenance support. The Supercomputing Center currently has 8 operations and maintenance engineers, all of whom graduated from local universities, and most of them have received one month of Huawei professional technical training," said Nelson Lowa (尼尔森·卢瓦), Director of Management at the Supercomputing Center. "The application results of the Supercomputing Center have benefited many fields such as agriculture, medical care, smart transportation, academic research, and digital protection of cultural heritage, and also provide computing power guarantee for electronic health records, secure digital payment and other system platforms."
Lowa (卢瓦) said: "Zimbabwe has large fluctuations in precipitation and frequent droughts. Farmers are scattered, and manual field inspections are difficult. The Supercomputing Center, in conjunction with the Zimbabwean Ministry of Agriculture, has built a drought early warning model based on satellite data, which can provide farmers with planting and irrigation guidance 2 to 3 weeks in advance." It is reported that the model has been applied in areas such as Matobo Province (马托博省) and Matabeleland South Province (南马塔贝莱兰省), helping approximately 20,000 farmers implement precision irrigation and fertilization, increasing corn and wheat yields by 20% and 18% respectively, and improving water resource utilization efficiency by 15%.
"The Supercomputing Center has injected strong momentum into Zimbabwe's digital transformation. 15 universities have been connected to high-performance computing resources, and the overall research computing speed has increased by 40%, meeting the needs of university students to use modern digital learning tools to carry out scientific research," said Yang Shengwan (杨胜万), Director of Huawei's Zimbabwe Office. The company is actively preparing for the third phase of the Supercomputing Center, committed to achieving a leapfrog upgrade in computing power, and further focusing on the integrated development of artificial intelligence technology.
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding (周鼎) said that the launch of the project has made Zimbabwe one of the African countries with advanced high-performance computing capabilities. Over the years, China has played an important role in helping Zimbabwe strengthen its information and communication infrastructure and innovation capabilities.
(Reported from Harare (哈拉雷) by this newspaper)
Return to TopAccording to Xinhua News Agency, Panama City, January 22nd (Reporter Xu Yongzheng (许咏政)) – The Seminar on China's Poverty Alleviation Experience, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Panama and the Panama Center for Asian Strategic Studies, was held on January 22nd in Panama City (巴拿马城), the capital of Panama (巴拿马). More than 100 representatives from all sectors of Panamanian society attended the event.
Roberto Montañez (罗伯托·蒙塔涅斯), Chairman of the Panama Center for Asian Strategic Studies, said in his speech that "eradicating poverty in all its forms everywhere" is the primary goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This event provided an opportunity for all sectors of Panama to gain an in-depth understanding of China's poverty alleviation experience. The Chinese side's speech reflected an inclusive perspective based on multilateralism and guided by peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation, which is conducive to promoting common development and building a community of human destiny under the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 叶传增 郭晓龙 杨颜菲
The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal suggests continuing to improve the rural living environment and addressing issues such as toilet renovation and garbage surrounding villages with a 钉钉子精神 (dīng dīng zi jīng shén - "nailing spirit," a spirit of perseverance and meticulousness). A clean and orderly village appearance and a comfortable and pleasant living environment are not only the villagers' eager expectations but also the inherent meaning of comprehensive rural revitalization. Recently, reporters visited Yunnan (云南), Heilongjiang (黑龙江), Jiangxi (江西), and other places to explore the achievements in improving the rural living environment.
——Editor
The comfort of the living environment is an important measure of the quality of rural development. From the toilet revolution to garbage treatment and the renovation of idle spaces, rural areas in various places are targeting villagers' concerns, improving the living environment in accordance with local conditions, and enhancing villagers' sense of happiness.
Jinggu County (景谷县), Yunnan (云南):
Turning "Convenience" Matters into Villagers' Comfort
Cha Shizhong (查世忠), a villager in Pingzhai Village (平寨村), Fengshan Town (凤山镇), Jinggu Dai and Yi Autonomous County (景谷傣族彝族自治县), Pu'er City (普洱市), Yunnan Province (云南省), said that going to the toilet in the early years was a real headache. Outside the yard, there was a public dry toilet made of wooden boards. In winter, the wind drilled in through the cracks in the boards; in summer, mosquitoes chased people and bit them, leaving bites all over their legs.
"Dry toilets have a strong smell and poor conditions, and they are really dangerous for the elderly and children to use," said Wang Deqiang (王德强), Party Branch Secretary of Pingzhai Village (平寨村).
The change began in 2018. Jinggu County (景谷县) launched a rural "toilet revolution" and planned to renovate rural household toilets in 154 administrative villages (communities) in 10 towns and townships throughout the county. When the news came, Cha Shizhong (查世忠) hesitated: "What if it's not easy to use after the renovation? What if there's no manure to fertilize the land?"
"If the masses have concerns, we have to find countermeasures," said Huang Hua (黄华), a technician at the Jinggu County (景谷县) Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Science and Technology Bureau. Jinggu (景谷) has complex terrain, and a fixed plan will not work. Jinggu County (景谷县) formed 10 technical teams and traveled to various villages, eventually coming up with a "one policy for each place" plan: the dam area has sufficient water sources, so promote "three-compartment" flush toilets, and the purified sewage can also be used to irrigate the land; the mountainous area lacks water, so build water-saving toilets, and the harmless treatment of feces and sewage can still be used as fertilizer.
The technical solution was solved, and the economic account was in front of them: materials and labor cost money. The villagers still had concerns.
In Pingzhai Village (平寨村), the working group came up with a way: renovate 3 households first to set an example. The new toilets were tiled, equipped with flush toilets, and connected to independent septic tanks. After the renovation was completed, the villagers came to visit, and Cha Shizhong (查世忠) looked at it inside and out several times, "Clean, no smell, convenient."
What made Cha Shizhong (查世忠) determined was also the "build first, subsidize later, reward instead of subsidize" policy, "Subsidies will be given after acceptance, which can offset a lot of material costs."
Witnessing the effect with their own eyes, coupled with policy benefits, the villagers' attitude changed from "want me to change" to "I want to change." During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Jinggu County (景谷县) has built and renovated a total of 11,500 rural household toilets.
Mangmao Village (芒冒村) in Weiyuan Town (威远镇) combines the renovation of Dai ethnic residences with toilet upgrades, and while retaining ethnic elements such as bamboo buildings and brocade weaving, it also supports the construction of standardized sanitary toilets and sewage treatment systems.
Today, the coverage rate of sanitary household toilets in the village has reached 98%, and there are also 11 public toilets distributed in the village. During the 2025 Water Splashing Festival, Mangmao Village (芒冒村) received more than 20,000 tourists. "The toilets that once made tourists 'daunted' have now become a 'plus' for the development of agriculture, culture, and tourism," said Dao Yuyang (刀宇阳), Party Branch Secretary of Mangmao Village (芒冒村).
From "two bricks in a latrine" to "bright tiles," from "just use it" to "pay attention to use," Jinggu (景谷) has turned "convenience" matters into villagers' comfort.
Xunke County (逊克县), Heilongjiang (黑龙江):
Garbage Sorting Makes the Border Village Beautiful and Warm
At 8 a.m. in Dongshuanghe Village (东双河村), Cheluxiang Township (车陆乡), Xunke County (逊克县), Heihe City (黑河市), Heilongjiang Province (黑龙江省), Qi Xingjiang (齐兴江), a 52-year-old party member, put on a thick cotton coat as usual and carried two sorted garbage bags to the collection point at the entrance of the village.
"In the past, in winter, the garbage was simply covered with snow, and it smelled bad in the spring. Now, it is sorted every day, and I can't smell the stench anymore!" Qi Xingjiang (齐兴江) recalled.
"Garbage sorting is not a trivial matter, someone has to take the lead," said Sun Mingquan (孙明权), Secretary of the Village Party Branch. As a provincial-level civilized village, Dongshuanghe Village (东双河村) relies on party building leadership, mechanism guarantees, and points incentives to make garbage sorting change from "want me to do" to "I want to do" in the hearts of villagers. The village has also built a three-level responsibility network of "Village Party Branch + Party Group + Party Member Central Household," and 5 grid "Party Member Responsibility Areas" cover the entire village.
Qi Xingjiang (齐兴江) is the party member central household in the third grid. In addition to doing his own sorting every day, he also checks door-to-door to see if his neighbors' garbage is sorted correctly.
There are 15 classified garbage collection points in the village, with blue recyclable bins, green kitchen waste bins, and gray other garbage bins neatly arranged. Every morning at 7 o'clock, Sun Anquan (孙安全), a full-time cleaner, rides an electric tricycle to carry out the cleaning work. She first concentrates the sorted garbage from each village group to the transfer station, and then waits for the township's twice-weekly transfer truck to haul it away for processing.
In order to help villagers distinguish the categories, Sun Anquan (孙安全) also created a "Winter Garbage Sorting Rhyme": "Leftover food goes into the green bucket, paper shells and plastic are collected in the blue bucket, don't throw away old clothes, points can be exchanged for firewood, rice, oil." Now, everyone in the village, young and old, can remember it, and the sorting accuracy rate has increased from the initial 60% to 95%.
What motivates villagers to actively participate is also the "Love Supermarket" points system. The village implements "Detailed Rules for Cleanliness Points Exchange," and 12,000 points have been issued in 2025, with an exchange value of 36,000 yuan. Zhang Yanping (张艳萍), Director of the Village Women's Federation, said that on the "Village Cleaning Day" on November 10, 2025, all 221 households in the village participated and actively cleaned up snow and debris on the main roads.
"With a better environment, we can live comfortably, and the picking garden can attract more tourists, which are all real benefits," said Sun Mingquan (孙明权).
After the snow clears, children are playing in the clean snow on the Party Building Culture Square in Dongshuanghe Village (东双河村), and several elderly people are sitting in the pavilion basking in the sun. "Next, the village will also unite with neighboring border villages to create a 'Border Clean Demonstration Belt' and build the 'most beautiful village cluster next to the border line,' so that garbage sorting will become a beautiful landscape and bring real happiness to the villagers," said Sun Mingquan (孙明权).
Pingxiang City (萍乡市), Jiangxi (江西):
Revitalizing Idle Plots and Jointly Maintaining the Achievements of Environmental Remediation
By the lake of the "Spring Source" rural complex in Shangli Town (上栗镇), Shangli County (上栗县), Pingxiang City (萍乡市), Jiangxi Province (江西省), Chen Degui (陈德桂), a tourist from Liling City (醴陵市), Hunan Province (湖南省), and his family are enjoying a leisurely weekend.
"Dad, there's a white cloud floating in the water!" the child said, pointing to the lake. You Sixiang (游思祥), a villager next to him, heard this and said with a smile, "In the past few years, this water couldn't hold clouds - you could smell it from a long distance."
"In the past, everyone detoured around this pond," recalled Wen Jiagen (文家根), the former Party Branch Secretary of Quantang Village (泉塘村). "It was originally named Datang Reservoir (达塘水库), located at the junction of Quantang (泉塘), Datang (达塘), and Shuiyuan (水源) villages. Due to the direct discharge of domestic sewage and the random dumping of garbage, the reservoir gradually silted up and turned black, becoming a stinky pond."
"Initially, each village wanted to rectify it, but the forces were scattered and it was difficult to form a joint force," said Wen Jiagen (文家根). "Town and village cadres took the lead, and the county sent party member cadres to go deep into the village groups and gathered villagers from the three villages to sit around and hold dozens of 'courtyard intimate meetings'." Finally, the 3 villages determined the idea of unified planning, joint village governance, joint village construction, and clustered development, and jointly built a rural complex according to the model of "Party Branch + Operating Company + Cooperative."
Dredging and expansion, ecological restoration... The reservoir water surface has expanded from less than 100 mu to more than 200 mu, and cultural squares, lakeside trails, etc. have been built on the idle plots along the coast, with lush greenery and a new look. The three villages simultaneously promoted the improvement of the living environment: demolishing dilapidated buildings, beautifying courtyards, paving asphalt roads, installing street lights... The overall appearance of the countryside has been improved.
It is more important to manage it for a long time after it becomes beautiful. In "Spring Source," garbage bins are neatly placed in front of every household, and the ditches and water bodies are crystal clear. Shangli Town (上栗镇) simultaneously promotes sewage treatment and establishes mechanisms such as courtyard star rating and reward-based garbage recycling to mobilize villagers to participate in management and protection. "Only by making villagers the maintainers and beneficiaries of the environment can the achievements of remediation be sustained," said Wen Jiagen (文家根).
With a better environment, the village began to think about how to revitalize other idle resources. "We found a way, called 'three assets into shares, three kinds of money for dividends'," Wen Jiagen (文家根) introduced, "Guiding villagers to invest land, idle assets, and idle funds into the village collective to obtain triple benefits of rent, salary, and dividends, so that every household can benefit and share the dividends!"
Once the mechanism is activated, resources are revitalized. Nearly 4,000 mu of idle land and 16 factory buildings of fireworks and firecrackers enterprises that have withdrawn have been re-planned and utilized.
"The current Quantang (泉塘) has a village with something to see, villagers with something to look forward to, and a life with hope!" said Wu Ruiwen (吴瑞文), Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Pingxiang City (萍乡市) Natural Resources and Planning Bureau. As one of the first pilot cities for the redevelopment of inefficient land in the country, Pingxiang (萍乡) explores and innovates the policy system and institutional mechanism for the redevelopment of inefficient land, focuses on the shortcomings of public services, and promotes the reuse of idle and scattered land. In the past 5 years, 13,000 new parking spaces have been added using scattered land, and about 100,000 square meters of cultural and leisure, sports and fitness venues, and public green spaces have been built.
This issue is coordinated by: Yu Xuan (余璇)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姚雪青
It's now possible to order takeout on ships sailing on the Yangtze River!
"I ordered burgers, desserts, and drinks, just as conveniently as ordering takeout on land." On January 16, Lu Jingyu (陆景雨), the owner of the ship "Xinmao 8868 (鑫锚8868)" traveling from Tongling (铜陵), Anhui (安徽) to Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏), enjoyed the meal delivered by drone with satisfaction.
There are millions of registered crew members on the Yangtze River. In the Nanjing (南京) section of the river alone, more than 2,000 ships travel every day. Many people work and live on ships for extended periods, making it difficult to replenish supplies on the river. Lu Jingyu (陆景雨) explained that according to regulations, due to the complex waterways and currents, Yangtze River freighters cannot dock at will and can only stop at port terminals, service areas, and anchorages. Even when they do dock, it is inconvenient for crew members to go ashore for supplies, making their lives difficult.
In Nanjing (南京), one of the first national civil unmanned aviation experimental zones, the transportation department has built a low-altitude service system with full-area coordination and full-chain support. To open up the "last mile" of logistics distribution on the Yangtze River and facilitate the lives of crew members, in 2024, the "Hui Flash Delivery (汇闪送)" platform developed by Jiangsu Changjianghui Technology Co., Ltd. (江苏长江汇科技有限公司) began using drones to routinely deliver goods to ships anchored in anchorages. Since August 2025, the platform has upgraded its services to provide "flash delivery" of supplies to ships sailing on the Yangtze River.
Lu Jingyu (陆景雨) is already a regular user of the platform. At 11:30 a.m. this day, Lu Jingyu (陆景雨) opened the WeChat "Changjianghui (长江汇)" mini-program to order takeout for the crew. "When registering, I filled in my name, mobile phone number, ship name, and the ship's 9-digit code. When placing an order, I first select the direction of travel, service outlets (low-altitude flight base), and other information before placing the order." He chose the Jiangyida Low-Altitude Flight Base (江翼达低空飞行基地) as the outlet, selected 11 items from 3 stores to the shopping cart, and used a coupon for a total of 77 yuan.
At the same time, the staff at the Jiangyida Low-Altitude Flight Base (江翼达低空飞行基地) saw the new order on the "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Intelligent Logistics Application Platform" and pushed the order details to the takeout platform. Soon, a delivery person accepted the order and delivered the goods to the base's "takeout storage area" in about 30 minutes. Zhang Kai (张凯), a pilot at the base, retrieved and sorted the takeout, and the order entered the waiting area.
From the base platform, the sailing track and real-time location of "Xinmao 8868 (鑫锚8868)" can be clearly seen. Just after 2 p.m., when the ship sailed within 3 kilometers of the base, Zhang Kai (张凯) tied the takeout to the drone's lowering system and called Lu Jingyu (陆景雨) while watching the remote control screen.
"This is Changjianghui (长江汇) drone, I'm arriving at the 142 red buoy, can you see it?"
"I see it, the plane is right in front of me."
"Now descending, please do not stand under the drone, pay attention to safety, and pick up the goods after the plane leaves."
"Okay, the goods have been delivered."
In just two minutes, the drone accurately located the sailing ship and completed the delivery.
How is it possible to find it, track it, and deliver it accurately?
"The secret lies in the edge computing box carried by the drone." Zhai Haifeng (翟海锋), general manager of Jiangsu Changjianghui Technology Co., Ltd. (江苏长江汇科技有限公司), introduced that this is the "black technology" developed by Changjianghui (长江汇) - according to the GPS positioning of the mobile phone sending the order, the accurate position is predicted through "AI big data calculation + visual recognition", and the drone is controlled to hover in the same direction and at the same speed relative to the ship, and the descending area is automatically locked.
On the remote control screen, it can be seen that after the drone hovers, Zhang Kai (张凯) slowly lowers the lowering rope, and gently places the takeout on the deck. At the moment the takeout lands, the lowering rope is immediately unhooked and retracted, and the drone begins to return. "The drone's propellers rotate at high speed, and it is very dangerous for crew members to untie the rope themselves." Zhai Haifeng (翟海锋) revealed that after design, when the lowering rope loses gravity, the drone defaults that the takeout has landed, and it will automatically unhook and automatically retract.
Convenience is important, but safety is even more important. Behind the convenience of ships traveling on the Yangtze River and ordering easily, there is the escort of multiple departments. The reporter saw at the Jiangyida Low-Altitude Flight Base (江翼达低空飞行基地) that a China Unicom (中国联通) 5G base station was erected next to the hangar, a miniature weather station was set up, and water traffic regulations and navigation safety guidelines issued by the transportation and maritime departments were hung in the office area.
At present, 4 such bases have been set up in the Nanjing (南京) section of the Yangtze River, and another 2 are under construction, which will realize full service coverage from the junction of Jiangsu (江苏) and Anhui (安徽) to the main urban area of Nanjing (南京) and to the main river islands. The 4 bases are located in different locations, and their "main businesses" have their own characteristics. Some focus on fruits and vegetables, some focus on meals, and some facilitate the purchase of rice, flour, and oil. The average daily order volume of the 4 bases is maintained at about 200 orders, and the time from placing an order to receiving the goods is 1 to 2 hours. "It's much more convenient for us to buy food while sailing. Some crew members even buy flowers to decorate their lives, and life on the ship is becoming more and more enjoyable!" said Lu Jingyu (陆景雨).
Return to TopAccording to the China South-to-North Water Diversion Group Co., Ltd., as of January 20, the emergency water supply project for the Northward Extension of the Eastern Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has supplied over 1 billion cubic meters of water to Hebei Province (河北省) and Tianjin (天津), marking a new stage in water supply benefits.
As an important measure to increase external water sources for the Tianjin (天津) and Hebei (河北) areas through multiple channels and implement comprehensive management of groundwater over-extraction in North China, the Northward Extension Project of the Eastern Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is mainly used to replace agricultural water in the deep groundwater over-extraction areas of Hebei (河北) and Tianjin (天津), while opportunistically replenishing water to rivers and lakes for ecological purposes, and creating conditions for emergency water supply in Tianjin (天津) and Hebei (河北).
Since 2025, the Northward Extension Project of the Eastern Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has increased its water supply efforts, having supplied over 300 million cubic meters of water to the Tianjin (天津) and Hebei (河北) areas, replacing deep groundwater in 12 counties and districts in Cangzhou (沧州) and Hengshui (衡水), Hebei (河北). For many consecutive years, it has served as a major water source to help the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal achieve water flow throughout its entire length. The Grand Canal (Cangzhou (沧州) section) was awarded the "National Happy Rivers and Lakes" excellent case in 2025.
Return to TopAffected by the recent cold wave, strong winds, and snowfall, the Yongji (永济) section of the Yellow River (黄河) in Shanxi (山西) Province has entered the ice floe period.
The picture shows a large area of ice floes passing through the Yongji (永济) section of the Yellow River (黄河) on January 22.
Photo by Cheng Yongren (程永仁) (Image China)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar for leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. He profoundly expounded that formulating and implementing the Five-Year Plan is our important political advantage, made in-depth expositions on fully, deeply, and accurately understanding and grasping the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and put forward clear requirements for focusing on improving the Party's ability and level in leading economic and social development.
In recent days, the vast number of Party members and cadres have conscientiously studied and understood the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech. Everyone expressed that they should deeply understand the rich connotation, essence, and practical requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards," consciously unify their thoughts and actions with the spirit of the General Secretary's important speech and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee, deeply study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and strive to achieve a good start for the "15th Five-Year Plan."
Comprehensively, Deeply, and Accurately Understand and Grasp the "15th Five-Year Plan" Strategic Deployment
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee made strategic deployments for economic and social development during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, and it is necessary to comprehensively, deeply, and accurately understand and grasp them."
"Comprehensive, deep, and accurate are the three keywords emphasized by the General Secretary." Cui Rongguo (崔荣国), Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Wuxi High-tech Zone (无锡高新区) and Secretary of the Xinwu District (新吴区) Committee in Jiangsu (江苏), said that as a national high-tech zone, Wuxi High-tech Zone (无锡高新区) will implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech. When laying out the key industrial directions of the "15th Five-Year Plan," it will further strengthen its characteristic and advantageous industries such as the Internet of Things and integrated circuits, accelerate the cultivation of future industries, and deeply promote the "Double High Synergy" work between the high-tech zone and universities, comprehensively strengthen scientific and technological research in key areas, and contribute to the overall leap in the industrial system.
The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal proposes to comprehensively enhance independent innovation capabilities, seize the commanding heights of scientific and technological development, and continuously generate new quality productive forces. Liu Ying (刘颖), member of the Standing Committee of the Hangzhou (杭州) Municipal Party Committee in Zhejiang (浙江) and Secretary of the Yuhang (余杭) District Committee, said that Yuhang (余杭) District will thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, grasp innovation and promote development with the determination of a long-termist, adhere to innovation-driven and talent-led approaches, actively explore the market-oriented operation and achievement transformation paths of major scientific research instruments, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, continuously optimize the innovation ecosystem of "I am responsible for sunshine and rain, you are responsible for thriving," and accelerate the construction of a source of scientific and technological innovation and create a reservoir of innovative talents.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'Do what should be done, strive to do what can be done, and never do what should not be done.' This provides us with action guidelines." Yang Min (杨敏), member of the Party Group of the Xinjin (新津) District People's Government of Chengdu (成都) in Sichuan (四川) and Director of the Xinjin Economic Development Zone Management Committee, said, "When implemented in specific work, we must adhere to industry as the main pillar, strive to create a national green food characteristic industrial cluster, vigorously cultivate and develop new quality productive forces, focus on artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, new materials, etc., build platforms, create scenarios, and expand markets, and never sacrifice the ecological environment or engage in fraud to exchange for false prosperity, and resolutely adhere to the bottom line."
Maintain Strategic Focus and Carefully Plan Tactics
"It is necessary to have the overall situation in mind, take a broad and long-term view, maintain strategic focus, carefully plan tactics, and continuously enhance the certainty and sustainability of our country's development." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly expounded on major theoretical and practical issues such as grasping changes in the domestic and international situation, building a modern industrial system, constructing a new development pattern, and promoting coordinated economic and social development.
In Putuo (普陀) District, Shanghai (上海), along the Shanghai-Nanjing Collaborative Innovation Center, there is a group of technology managers. They are building a bridge between enterprises and universities and research institutions in the Yangtze River Delta (长三角) to help build a modern industrial system.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech further pointed out the direction for our work." Lu Hai (陆海), Executive Deputy Director of the Putuo (普陀) District Shanghai-Nanjing Collaborative Innovation Office, said that by collaboratively sorting out the "three lists" of resources, needs, and cooperation, they will transform Shanghai's (上海) high-end resources such as finance, scientific and technological innovation, and talent into advantages and momentum for collaborative development, accurately connect the needs of scientific and technological research and industrial upgrading in cities along the Shanghai-Nanjing line, concentrate superior forces to jointly tackle "bottleneck" technologies, focus on making up for the shortcomings and weaknesses of the industrial system, enhance the resilience and security of the industrial chain and supply chain, and achieve regional industrial complementarity and collaborative leap.
In Pengshui (彭水) Miao Autonomous County (彭水苗族土家族自治县) in Chongqing (重庆), sweet potatoes, which used to be "food for survival," have now become an industry that enriches the people, with a comprehensive output value exceeding 2 billion yuan in 2025.
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for accelerating the construction of a new development pattern. As a major agricultural county, Pengshui (彭水) must strengthen its advantages and coordinate the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture." Liu Shuang (刘爽), Deputy County Head of Pengshui (彭水) Miao Autonomous County (彭水苗族土家族自治县), said that they will further build a complete sweet potato industrial chain, establish brand awareness, and promote more high-quality products from "fields" to "people's tables" efficiently; with the help of cross-border e-commerce platforms, they will allow more agricultural products to go from "village entrances" to "overseas ports."
Walking into Huayuan Street (花园街) in Nangang (南岗) District, Harbin (哈尔滨) City, Heilongjiang (黑龙江), shops, scenic spots, and tourists are bustling, and the renovation of urban blocks has made it a new cultural and tourism landmark.
"To put General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important requirement that 'economic development and social development complement each other and must advance in coordination' into practice, we will continue to promote urban renewal projects." Ren Hailong (任海龙), District Head of Nangang (南岗) District, said that they will accelerate the implementation of the renovation of old residential buildings, the quality improvement of historical and cultural blocks, the renovation of urban villages, and the reconstruction of dilapidated houses, so that people can live a happier and better life.
Improve Ability and Level, Enhance Practical Skills
"To successfully complete the goals and tasks of the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, we must focus on improving the Party's ability and level in leading economic and social development." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for cadres at all levels, especially leading cadres, emphasizing that they should "further strengthen learning," "establish and practice correct views on political achievements," "vigorously promote the spirit of struggle," and "maintain a high-pressure anti-corruption stance."
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) put forward clear requirements for 'further strengthening learning, delving into the Party's innovative theories, improving professional qualities, and enhancing practical skills.' We must grasp the implementation in conjunction with our own work." Huang Tao (黄滔), Deputy Secretary of the Ningxiang (宁乡) Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Changsha (长沙), Hunan (湖南), said that they will continue to deepen learning, strengthen research, learn skills, see trends, and think of ways on the front lines of production and scientific research, and constantly improve their professional qualities and practical skills in grasping the economy and promoting development in accordance with local conditions, and advance Ningxiang's (宁乡) high-quality development step by step.
At 3 p.m., after a brief work meeting, Tian Yu (田雨), member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Starting Area Management Committee of Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区) in Hebei (河北), rushed to the China Sinochem Building (中国中化大厦) to investigate the demands of relocated central enterprise personnel after working and living in Xiong'an (雄安).
"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'Consciously seek political achievements for the people and achieve political achievements through practical work.' This requires us to sink our work focus to the front line and put serving the people into practice." Tian Yu (田雨) said that they will continue to improve the relocation service guarantee system, refine the services, implement the projects, and allow the relocated personnel to take root more firmly, develop better, and live a happier life in the new area.
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "It is necessary to vigorously promote the spirit of struggle." Qiu Yi (邱毅), Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the Supervision Commission of Songming (嵩明) County, Kunming (昆明) City, Yunnan (云南), has a deeper understanding in grassroots research such as door-to-door talks and square demand surveys.
Bearing in mind the General Secretary's instructions, Qiu Yi (邱毅) said that they will focus on the urgent needs and difficulties of the masses, closely monitor chronic problems such as inaction and slow action, improve the closed-loop mechanism of "problem-responsibility-rectification," and promote rectification with a list-based and de-numbered system; at the same time, they will deepen comprehensive management, use case rectification to drive the governance of similar problems, and improve the long-term mechanism for work style construction.
(Reporters Zhao Cheng (赵成), Wang Mingfeng (王明峰), Zhu Dawei (祝大伟), Yang Wenming (杨文明), Yao Xueqing (姚雪青), Liu Junguo (刘军国), Sun Chao (孙超), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏), and Liu Xinwu (刘新吾) of this newspaper)
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 21st. Comrade Sun Longchun (孙隆椿), former Vice Minister and Deputy Party Secretary of the Ministry of Health, passed away in Beijing (北京) on December 12, 2025, due to illness, at the age of 88.
During Comrade Sun Longchun's (孙隆椿) serious illness and after his death, relevant central leaders expressed condolences and sympathy in various ways.
Sun Longchun (孙隆椿) was born in July 1937 in Yixian County (黟县), Anhui Province (安徽省). He started working in July 1954 and joined the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) in December 1972. From 1960, he served successively as an assistant teacher in the Petrology Teaching and Research Section of the Department of Geological Exploration of Changchun Geological Institute (长春地质学院), and a technician in the Geological and Mineral Resources Department of the Hubei Provincial Bureau of Geology (湖北省地质局). From 1975, he served successively as the captain and deputy party secretary of the First Geological Brigade of the Hubei Provincial Bureau of Geology, deputy director and party member of the Geological Bureau, and director and party secretary of the Geological and Mineral Resources Bureau. From 1984, he served as the Director of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources. From 1986, he served successively as the leader of the Party Discipline Inspection Group, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Organ, and a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources. From 1990 to 1998, he served as Vice Minister and Deputy Party Secretary of the Ministry of Health.
Sun Longchun (孙隆椿) was a member of the 14th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第十四届中央纪律检查委员会), and a member and Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports Committee of the 9th and 10th National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (政协第九届、十届全国委员会委员、教科文卫体委员会副主任).
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郑智文 姚雪青 李凯旋
Core Reading
In the winter, when temperatures continue to drop, ice and snow consumption is deeply integrated with the demand for a warm winter—some people rush to the world of ice and snow, while others pursue a warm "hibernation." New scenes and new business formats continue to emerge, giving rise to a considerable consumption boom.
In the rime wonderland of Jilin (吉林), there are many kinds of ice and snow tourism and ice and snow sports, attracting in-depth cross-city tours; in a resort in Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏) Province, you can not only soak in hot springs, but also get close to wild animals and watch circus performances, making it a popular destination for family trips; in Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川) Province, the flower field hot pot combines the fresh fragrance of rapeseed flowers with the hot and spicy aroma of hot pot, bringing a novel experience to consumers.
Traveling all over the country, "cold resources" are being transformed into "hot economy." One creative winter experience after another ignites people's enthusiasm for consumption.
Photographing Rime and Learning to Ski
Ice and Snow Tourism is Popular
In Jilin City (吉林市), Jilin Province (吉林省), the river water is clear and the banks are covered with jade flowers. In the early morning, Guangxi (广西) tourist Qin Jingda (覃景达) immediately took his photography equipment to the banks of the Songhua River (松花江) to record the beauty of the silver-clad and jade-like scenery after seeing the "four-star" rime forecast on his mobile phone.
"It's the first time I've seen rime, and it feels like I've come to a fairy tale world." Walking along the Songhua River (松花江), Qin Jingda (覃景达) found too many fun things: ice sculptures are lifelike during the day and glow with colorful lights at night, and there are even moving ice sculptures; there are ski resorts such as Songhua Lake (松花湖) and Beida Lake (北大湖) in the suburbs, where you can enjoy skiing.
"It's hard to see snow in my hometown, so I have to experience it well." Qin Jingda (覃景达), who originally planned to stay in Jilin City (吉林市) for only one day, extended his trip to 3 days. "I also experienced my first 'skiing', and it felt great to ski in the mountains." He said.
Still not satisfied, Qin Jingda (覃景达) then went to Changchun (长春), Jilin (吉林), to experience more different fun: go to Xinmin Street (新民大街), stroll among the historical buildings, and take pictures of themed ice sculptures; visit Yongxing Early Market (永兴早市), taste local delicacies, and see the city's atmosphere; visit Changchun Zoo and Botanical Garden (长春市动植物公园) and participate in Journey to the West-themed interactive performances...
"We continue to broaden the categories of ice and snow tourism products, launch diversified products, and optimize the ice and snow tourism experience, so that tourists can go from 'seeing snow' to 'playing with snow'." The relevant person in charge of the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (吉林省文旅厅) said that taking skiing as an example, Jilin (吉林) has created a complete system of skiing products, forming a stepped coverage from entry-level to top-level, to meet the needs of consumers of different levels.
Jilin City (吉林市) relies on its resource endowment to focus on top-level experiences, with hardware benchmarked against international standards, and many domestic and international events are held here; Changchun City (长春市) proposes a differentiated positioning of "learn to ski, go to Changchun (长春)," targeting the beginner market; Changbai Mountain (长白山) area mainly focuses on both vacation and skiing, with mature supporting products.
This snow season, Jilin Province (吉林省) held more than 800 kinds of ice and snow activities, created more than 400 kinds of tourism products such as family tours, parent-child tours, and cultural tours, and improved service quality across the entire chain through innovative product supply, precise connection with customer groups, and the introduction of people-friendly policies and characteristic activities, promoting the continued warming of the ice and snow tourism market. During the New Year's Day holiday, Jilin Province (吉林省) received 8.11 million domestic tourists, with a total expenditure of 9.1 billion yuan; the tourism revenue of 97 5A and 4A-level scenic spots monitored by Jilin Province (吉林省) increased by 45.1% year-on-year.
Soaking in Hot Springs and Watching Circus
Diverse Experiences are Popular
"It's so cold, let's go to a hot spring this weekend!" In Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏) Province, where temperatures have been dropping for days, Dong Jie's (董杰) suggestion was echoed by the whole family.
The family of three drove to the Tangshan Hot Spring Resort (汤山温泉度假区) in the Ziqing Lake Tourist Area (紫清湖旅游区). As soon as they entered the restaurant, Dong Jie's (董杰) 6-year-old daughter Lele (乐乐) was attracted—outside the glass wall, 3 red pandas were gnawing on bamboo, sharing the fun of food "in the air."
After dinner, the whole family experienced the outdoor forest hot spring. At this time, the temperature dropped below 5 degrees Celsius, and everyone took turns experiencing the petal pool, Chinese medicine pool, and small fish pool on the hillside, with warm currents wrapping around their bodies, which was very pleasant.
In the rest area, Yang Xin (杨歆) and her best friend, who came all the way from Zhenjiang (镇江), Jiangsu (江苏), were chatting while drinking tea: "The hot spring experience here is rich, you can both play and rest."
Many children and young people love to come here because there is also a "surprise egg" hidden here—next to it is a wild animal park. In the walking area, sika deer, squirrel monkeys, and giant pandas bring constant laughter; taking a small train into the driving area, you can observe lions and tigers up close; in the circus, aerial acrobatics, contortion, equestrian and other performances are wonderful.
Shu Jingzhao (疏京照), vice president of Ziqing Lake Tourist Area (紫清湖旅游区), said that in recent years, the scenic spot has been continuously enriching consumption scenarios around young people and parent-child customer groups: the hot spring was built in 2013, the giant panda hall was added in 2019, and the wild animal park opened in 2021... Diverse experiences attract more than one million tourists every year, with a peak daily passenger flow of nearly 20,000 in winter and annual revenue of 150 million yuan.
Jiangsu Province (江苏省) will hold more than 6,800 consumer promotion activities of various types in 2025, and various new consumer scenes and new business formats are emerging. Yangzhou City (扬州市) continues to promote consumer promotion brands such as "A Good Place, A Good Life" and "Happy Shopping in Yangzhou (悦购扬州)," and issues various people-friendly coupons; the 12th National Public Ice and Snow Season (Jiangsu Branch Venue) Ice and Snow Project Series Competition was recently held at Dajingshan Ski Resort (大景山滑雪场) in Xuzhou City (徐州市), attracting many ski enthusiasts.
Enjoying Flower Seas and Tasting Hot Pot
Winter Catering is Full of Heat
In the cold winter, in the rapeseed flower sea of Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park (天府农博园) in Xinjin District (新津区), Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川), the spicy aroma of hot pot wafts.
"It's so atmospheric to eat hot pot in a flower field!" Li Hang (李航), a citizen of Chengdu (成都市), saw a recommendation from a netizen and brought his family here specifically. Next to the sightseeing boardwalk deep in the flower field, wooden tables are scattered, and tripe and meat slices are brought to the table one after another, and the steaming pot base is bubbling. Tourists sit around the flower sea, eating hot pot and enjoying the flowers, as if they have entered spring in advance.
Yuan Zhouping (袁周平), Minister of the Agricultural Industry Department of the Agricultural Expo Park (农博园), introduced that the rapeseed flower sea is planted with the "Changhua 100" early-flowering variety, and the flowering period is advanced from the usual February to March to December of the previous year, making "flower field hot pot" possible in winter. Chen Juan (陈娟), the person in charge of the Agricultural Expo Rice Field Restaurant (农博稻田餐厅), introduced that the restaurant has upgraded the traditional stove-side tea to "stove-side hot pot," realizing both tea brewing and hot pot, and expanded its business area by 30% last year, but there are still often queues on holidays.
In Chengdu (成都), the way to open hot pot is also constantly innovating. Hot pot meal shows have recently become quite popular. Some restaurants use the architecture of the Shu King's Palace as a blueprint, integrating music, Sichuan opera, and acrobatics performances to create an immersive ancient Shu banquet experience; they also pioneered the lychee red soup and green plum sour soup double-flavored pot base, breaking the stereotype of "spicy is Sichuan flavor" and catering to the needs of foreign diners, becoming a must-try project for many tourists.
In 2025, Chengdu's (成都) catering revenue reached 142.58 billion yuan, an increase of 5.2% year-on-year; Sichuan Province's (四川省) catering revenue reached 402.67 billion yuan, an increase of 3.7% year-on-year. The relevant person in charge of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce (成都市商务局) said that Chengdu (成都) is continuously stimulating consumption vitality through integrated models such as "park + food," "tourism + food," and "performing arts + food."
Return to TopBy: 张连起
The consumer market is surging this winter, not only due to the prosperity of seasonal cultural tourism, but also a vivid microcosm of the continuous upgrading of China's (中国) consumer market and the accelerated release of domestic demand potential.
Currently, experiential and immersive consumption has become mainstream. Ice and snow sports are shifting from professional competition to mass leisure, deeply integrated with urban sightseeing and folk culture. The innovative combination of Guochao IP (国潮IP) and intangible cultural heritage elements with consumption scenarios not only satisfies the pursuit of quality but also enhances cultural identity. The increasingly prominent all-age and inclusive demands are accelerating the penetration of consumption vitality into a wider range of people and regions. Innovation supply, guided by demand, driven by integration, and centered on quality, is becoming an important driving force for activating consumption and driving the economy.
Continuously create new supply through integrated innovation. Break down the boundaries between industries and consumption scenarios, systematically promote "culture and tourism +," "sports +," and "digital +," encourage deep integration of ice and snow, health and wellness with rural ecology, cultural heritage, and technology experience, and develop integrated products for all seasons, all ages, and all regions.
Fully meet the stratified needs with precise adaptation. Build more inclusive and convenient consumer infrastructure and leisure projects that are close to the community. Pay attention to the needs of young people for social interaction, individuality, and self-pleasing, and cultivate trendy consumption and interest consumption.
Enhance the core value of consumption by empowering quality. Promote domestic brands and time-honored brands to connect with modern aesthetics and practical functions, create high value-added products, and advocate sustainable consumption models.
The warm current of winter consumption reflects the profound heritage and innovative vitality of the Chinese (中国) market. In the future, with technology empowering scenario innovation, policies guaranteeing people's livelihood needs, and industrial integration and ecological reconstruction as the main lines, new growth poles such as the silver economy, smart consumption, and green economy will release their potential. The dual efforts of "quality improvement on the supply side" and "potential tapping on the demand side" will inject lasting impetus into high-quality economic development.
(The author is Yang Hao (杨昊), a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (全国政协常委) and president of the China Enterprise Financial Management Association (中国企业财务管理协会). This article was compiled from an interview by a reporter from this newspaper.)
Return to TopThis newspaper reported from Beijing on January 23rd (Reporter He Siqi (何思琦)) The Central Office of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Commission held the "China Good People List" release ceremony in Yibin City (宜宾市), Sichuan Province (四川省) on January 23rd, announcing the fourth batch of the "China Good People List" for 2025. After various stages, including local recommendations, online evaluations, and expert reviews, a total of 139 good people from around the country who exemplified helping others, acting courageously, being honest and trustworthy, dedicating themselves to their work, and honoring elders and loving children were honorably included on the list.
Among the good people on the list, there is Zhou Quand弟 (周全弟), a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, who wrote loyalty with a disabled arm and used nearly a thousand lectures to pass on the red gene; there is Liu Yingqiang (刘应强), a deliveryman who struggled to hold up and rescue people in the cold river, completing the "last order" of his life with his life; there is Ye Yonghong (叶永红), a village doctor who has kept his promise for thirty-eight years, escorting the health of the villagers; there is Zheng Liang (郑亮), a traffic policeman who used his body to block a speeding car and heroically sacrificed himself to protect the safety of the masses; and there is Wang Jiao (王皎), a self-media blogger who takes care of four generations of three families and uses her weak shoulders to carry the burden of life. They are the warm glimmers that can be seen everywhere in everyday life, silently transmitting the power of upward and virtuous behavior in ordinary life, and demonstrating the spirit and temperament of Chinese sons and daughters striving for progress. At the event site, representatives of "China's Good People," Jiang Zhaopeng (姜昭鹏), Li Yumei (李遇梅), Bupataim Abudukadir (布帕太姆·阿布杜喀迪尔), Sun Yihui (孙益辉), Fang Youze (方友泽), and others took the stage to share their touching stories and interact with national moral models. Many netizens left messages saying, "Ordinary people have made extraordinary feats, using actions to gather the greatest power in the world, learning from them and paying tribute to them!"
This release event was sponsored by the Central Office of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Commission, and organized by the China Spiritual Civilization Network (中国精神文明网), the Movie Channel Program Center (电影频道节目中心), the Propaganda Department of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共四川省委宣传部) (Sichuan Provincial Office of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Commission (四川省精神文明建设办公室)), and co-organized by the Propaganda Department of the Yibin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共宜宾市委宣传部) (Yibin Municipal Office of the Spiritual Civilization Construction Commission (宜宾市精神文明建设办公室)).
Return to TopBeijing, January 23 (Reporter Luo Shanshan (罗珊珊)) On the 23rd, the reporter learned from the Ministry of Commerce (商务部): In 2025, 70,392 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, an increase of 19.1% year-on-year; the actual use of foreign capital amounted to 747.69 billion yuan, a decrease of 9.5% year-on-year.
From the perspective of industries, the actual use of foreign investment in manufacturing was 185.51 billion yuan, and the actual use of foreign investment in the service industry was 545.12 billion yuan. The actual use of foreign investment in high-tech industries was 241.77 billion yuan, among which the actual use of foreign investment in e-commerce services, medical equipment and instrument manufacturing, and aerospace vehicle and equipment manufacturing increased by 75%, 42.1%, and 22.9% respectively.
From the perspective of source countries, actual investment in China from Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom increased by 66.8%, 27.3%, and 15.9% year-on-year, respectively (including investment data through free ports).
Return to TopAccording to a report from Beijing (北京) on January 23rd (reporter Jin Xin (金歆)) – This reporter learned on the 23rd from the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室): Recently, the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室), the National Press and Publication Administration (国家新闻出版署), the National Film Administration (国家电影局), the Ministry of Education (教育部), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部), the Ministry of Public Security (公安部), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化和旅游部), and the National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) jointly released the "Categorization Methods for Online Information That May Affect the Physical and Mental Health of Minors," which will take effect on March 1, 2026.
The methods implement the requirements of the "Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet," clarify the four types of online information that may affect the physical and mental health of minors and their specific manifestations, include prominent issues such as the improper use of images of minors into the scope of governance in recent years, and propose prevention requirements for the content risks that may be brought about by new technologies, new applications, and new business forms such as algorithm recommendations and generative artificial intelligence, to ensure scientific rigor and keep pace with the times 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn - "advance with the times," to keep up with the times; to be progressive).
Return to TopThis newspaper Beijing (北京) January 23rd (Reporter Liu Wenxin (刘温馨)) In order to strengthen the supporting and leading role of high technology in industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) recently announced the 2025 National Key R&D Program High-tech Achievement Industrialization Pilot List, including 67 pilot achievements and 108 pilot units. The implementation period for this batch of pilots is two years from the date of the list's announcement, after which the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) will organize an assessment and evaluation.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) stated that all pilot units should promptly improve their pilot implementation plans, solidly advance the pilot work according to the plans, and ensure the timely achievement of pilot goals. Local provincial-level competent departments should increase policy support for pilot units and promptly summarize work progress and experiences.
Return to TopThis newspaper Beijing (北京) January 23rd dispatch (Reporter Qiu Chaoyi (邱超奕)) The reporter learned recently from the China Air Transport Association (中国航空运输协会): In order to further guide airlines to standardize the behavior of reserving seats on flights and better meet the diverse and differentiated seat selection needs of passengers, under the guidance of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (民航局), the China Air Transport Association (中国航空运输协会) is organizing various airlines to study and formulate the group standard "Rules for Reserved Seats on Flights of Public Air Transport Enterprises" 《公共航空运输企业航班预留座位规则》.
According to reports, the standard plans to regulate key content such as the types, scope, and proportion of reserved seats, as well as passenger information notification, and will solicit public opinions in the near future.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 邱超奕
General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out, "2025 was a very extraordinary year. We faced difficulties head-on and worked hard to successfully complete the main goals of economic and social development. China's economy moved forward against pressure, developing towards new and better directions, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality."
The modern industrial system is the material and technological foundation of Chinese-style modernization. In 2025, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's (习近平) economic thought, all regions and departments adhered to focusing on the real economy for economic development, adhered to the direction of intelligence, greening, and integration, accelerated the construction of a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, and promoted economic development towards new and better directions.
Starting today, this newspaper launches a series of commentaries titled "China's Industries Moving Towards New and Better Directions," recording vivid front-line practices, listening to cutting-edge innovation pulses, showcasing the solid steps of deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and witnessing the new atmosphere of industries moving towards new and better directions.
——Editor
A single silk thread can transform into the "sinews and bones" of a humanoid robot.
In the production workshop of Nanshan Zhishang Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Company in Yantai (烟台市), Shandong (山东) Province, rolls of white ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber are eye-catching.
"Don't underestimate its fineness like silkworm silk. The strength of this new material can reach 15 times that of steel wire of the same cross-section. It is not only used in special protective equipment, deep-sea cables, aerospace, and other fields, but can now also become the core transmission component of robot dexterous hands—tendon ropes," said Han Hao (韩皞), Deputy General Manager of the company. The company has iterated multiple tendon rope products, covering various application scenarios such as robot dexterous hands, arms, and legs.
Chinese textiles have been passed down for thousands of years and are a typical traditional industry. In recent years, during inspections and research in various places, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly visited traditional industrial enterprises, emphasizing that "traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy. It is necessary to grasp market demand, strengthen technological innovation, and revitalize traditional industries."
Crossing over into the robot track is a vivid embodiment of the textile industry "releasing new vitality."
As an important pillar industry, livelihood industry, and advantageous industry in China, the textile industry plays a prominent role in stabilizing employment, promoting innovation, and expanding consumption. Looking globally, China has the most complete textile industrial system, with an annual output of over 70 billion garments. The export of textiles and garments accounts for over 30% of the global textile and garment trade, with both production and trade scale ranking first in the world.
In 2025, despite facing external shocks and insufficient domestic demand, Chinese textiles still bloomed with vigorous vitality: from Hanfu (汉服) attracting foreign consumers to Labubu (拉布布) dolls becoming popular, the new Chinese trend set off a "world trend"; from breakthroughs in the research and development of basalt non-woven fabrics to multiple textile-related parks being selected as national-level zero-carbon parks, the old industry burst forth with "new power."
With stronger strength, newer technology, and more diverse markets, today's Chinese textiles are moving towards the mid-to-high end of the industrial chain and value chain.
——Strengthening brand power.
In Pinghu (平湖市), Jiaxing (嘉兴), Zhejiang (浙江) Province, in Pinghu China Garment City (平湖·中国服装城), down garments are dazzling, and business is booming in over 2,300 stalls. "This new type of down jacket has a design patent and is very popular among consumers," said Ding Wei (丁卫), General Manager of Zhejiang Yizhong Garment Co., Ltd. (浙江义众服饰有限公司), proudly. The company strengthened its independent brand, and its operating income increased by 20% in 2025.
The down garment industry in Pinghu (平湖市) once relied on OEM production, with low added value. The local area created a regional brand and took the lead in establishing a quality grading system in the industry, significantly enhancing product competitiveness. "With the brand as the leader, the sales scale of down garments in Pinghu (平湖市) exceeded 50 billion yuan in 2025," said Zhu Xiaowei (朱晓伟), Secretary-General of the Pinghu Garment Industry Association (平湖市服装行业协会).
Recently, the World Brand Lab released the "World's 500 Most Influential Brands" ranking, and the rankings of several textile-related enterprises such as Hengli (恒力), Shenghong (盛虹), and Weiqiao (魏桥) climbed. A report shows that in 2025, among Chinese consumers' brand preferences for clothing, shoes, and hats, 60% prioritize domestic brands.
——Seeking innovation first.
Can clothing customization be completed by taking a few photos? In Duoshao Custom Network Technology Co., Ltd. (多少定制网络科技有限公司) in Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), Hebei (河北) Province, by opening the "AI Remote Body Measurement" mini-program, taking photos of the body, and in just 10 seconds, clothing sizes are automatically generated, and suitable styles can also be recommended.
"High-end clothing customization steps are cumbersome. We use artificial intelligence technology to transform manual measurement into digital modeling, increasing production efficiency by more than 70%," introduced Cao Peng (曹鹏), the company's head.
On the design end, "digital tailors" give rise to good ideas; on the manufacturing end, flexible production lines simultaneously produce multiple products; on the transaction end, the "smart brain" builds a bridge between production and sales... As of September 2025, the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in China's textile enterprises has reached 84.9%, achieving rapid growth.
——Forging strong resilience.
A cargo ship carrying tens of thousands of meters of silk set sail from Shanghai (上海) to Mexico (墨西哥). "This is the third batch of silk shipped to Mexico (墨西哥) in 2025, and the shipment volume has increased significantly," said Yu Jinjian (俞金键), Chairman of Jiangsu Huajia Silk Co., Ltd. (江苏华佳丝绸股份有限公司). In the past year, the company actively explored new markets such as Australia (澳大利亚), Vietnam (越南), and Turkey (土耳其), and gained many new customers. "The company's total export volume in 2025 increased by more than 20% year-on-year."
Huajia Silk (华佳丝绸) is headquartered in Shengze Town (盛泽镇), Suzhou (苏州), Jiangsu (江苏) Province. As an important fabric export base in China, Shengze Town's (盛泽镇) export volume increased by 5.1% year-on-year in 2025, and the export structure became more diversified.
"Through a globalized supply chain network, the Chinese textile industry can achieve high-frequency and broad-coverage reach," said Sun Ruizhe (孙瑞哲), Party Secretary and President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (中国纺织工业联合会). Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest entrustment, during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, it is necessary to anchor higher-quality development goals and strive to build a modern textile industrial system that is technological, fashionable, green, and healthy.
(Reporters Wang Weijian (王伟健), Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿), Dou Hanyang (窦瀚洋), and Wang Pei (王沛) participated in the writing)
Return to TopThis newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on January 23rd (Reporter Shi Fang (施芳)): On the morning of the 22nd, the handover ceremony for the evacuation of the Liuli Pavilion courtyard in Beihai Park (北海公园) was held in Beijing (北京). The "Western Paradise" (西天梵境) architectural complex in Beihai (北海), with a history of more than 400 years, will be restored to its historical pattern and opened to the public after protective repairs.
Since 1955, the Liuli Pavilion courtyard has been used as an office and cultural relic storage place for Beijing (北京市) cultural relic archaeological institutions. This evacuation and handover of the Liuli Pavilion courtyard to Beihai Park (北海公园) is the first landmark achievement of the second batch of cultural relic evacuation, protection, and utilization projects in the core area of the capital's function.
The Liuli Pavilion courtyard is an important part of the "Western Paradise" (西天梵境) architectural complex in Beihai Park (北海公园), located in its third courtyard. Among them, the Liuli Pavilion and the Seven Buddha Pagoda Pavilion are models of royal garden architecture built in the mid-Qing Dynasty. The facade of the Liuli Pavilion is inlaid with 1,424 glazed statues of Amitayus, which is a rare official Qing Dynasty glazed building in the country. The octagonal stone pagoda in the Seven Buddha Pagoda Pavilion is engraved with the Seven Buddhas and the "Seven Buddha Pagoda Stele Inscription" written by Emperor Qianlong (乾隆). This is the only example in the country, demonstrating the superb skills and engineering wisdom of ancient Chinese architecture.
The evacuation and handover ceremony was hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage (北京市文物局), the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Parks and Greenery (北京市园林绿化局), and the Beijing Municipal Parks Management Center (北京市公园管理中心). In recent years, Beijing (北京) has completed the evacuation of many ancient building courtyards in the central axis heritage sites, old city protection areas, and the "Three Hills and Five Gardens" (三山五园) historical and cultural areas, adding a total of more than 90,000 square meters of tourist open area. The integrity and authenticity of historical famous gardens have been significantly restored.
Return to TopThis newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on January 23rd (Reporter: Zeng Huafeng (曾华锋)) As the Lunar Year of the Horse approaches, a "walking horse drawing" craze has emerged on social media platforms. Participants use the positioning function of software to walk along a specific trajectory, eventually forming a horse pattern on the map to express their New Year's wishes. However, some of these routes involve unopened areas with complex terrain, insufficient support, and the presence of snakes and insects, posing safety hazards. Recently, the Chinese Mountaineering Association (中国登山协会) issued a safety advisory.
The advisory suggests strengthening risk awareness. Hiking enthusiasts should fully recognize the complexity and variability of the outdoor environment. During special periods such as winter, rainy seasons, and flood seasons, they should avoid hiking in high-altitude, high-risk mountainous areas and should not take risks with a 侥幸心理 (jiǎo xìng xīn lǐ - "lucky mentality," a mindset that relies on chance or luck rather than careful planning or preparation) when traveling. Prepare well before the trip by fully assessing the hiking route, personal health, physical ability, etc., and equip yourself with complete hiking equipment and emergency supplies. Eliminate illegal crossings, strictly prohibit entering ecological protection red line areas such as nature reserves and national parks without permission, do not blindly challenge "internet celebrity wild routes" or "high-risk routes," do not climb over safety fences, and do not publish hiking tracks without filing or risk warnings. Choose to travel with mountain outdoor instructors or outdoor club teams holding professional qualifications, and avoid dangerous behaviors such as traveling alone at night or entering the mountains after drinking. Pay attention to environmental protection, and do not damage vegetation or leave garbage during the hiking process.
Return to TopBy: 向仲怀
Netizen: Recently, I saw news reports that silkworm silk can not only be used to make clothes, but also to repair wounds and even manufacture "artificial corneas." A small silkworm has so many amazing applications. What is the scientific principle behind this?
Editor: When repairing trauma, using mild dressings made of silk fibroin can accelerate healing and are non-allergenic; when the cornea is severely damaged, a silk fibroin-based "artificial cornea" can be quickly transplanted to help patients regain their sight... These application scenarios are not far away. In this issue of "Academicians Talk Science," we invited Xiang Zhonghuai (向仲怀), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院) and a renowned sericulture expert, to introduce everyone to the silkworm from the perspective of modern science.
Silk Fibroin: A Highly Imaginative "Smart Material"
Silkworm silk, with its light, soft, and smooth texture, has good breathability and warmth retention, and is widely used in textiles, beauty, and other fields, with extremely high economic value.
What is little known is that due to its unique biocompatibility and biodegradability, silkworm silk also shows broad application prospects in the biomedical field.
Why can silkworm silk be used in medicine? This has to start with silk fibroin.
Silk fibroin has very good biocompatibility with human skin and tissues. Simply put, when silkworm silk is applied to the body or implanted, the body is less likely to treat it as a "foreign object" and reject it, and it is not prone to allergies. This is unmatched by many synthetic materials. As early as centuries ago, silkworm silk surgical sutures have been widely used clinically.
Imagine such a scenario: when repairing trauma, a mild dressing made of silk fibroin can accelerate healing and is non-allergenic; surgical sutures degrade naturally in the body without the need for removal; even when the cornea is severely damaged, a silk fibroin-based "artificial cornea" can be quickly transplanted to help patients regain their sight... This is not a distant fantasy, but an expectable future.
As a natural material, silk fibroin can be safely degraded and absorbed by the human body. Therefore, it shows great application potential in the field of regenerative medicine and has been used in the research of repairing damaged tissues such as cartilage, skin, and cornea.
Based on the same principle, research teams are also expanding its application in future biomaterials through genetic modification technology. For example, silk fibroin can be made into implantable medical devices such as nerve conduits and vascular stents, which gradually degrade and absorb in the body, avoiding secondary surgery; as a carrier in drug delivery systems, it can achieve precise release and improve efficacy; and even with its flexibility and biocompatibility, it can be used in wearable devices and human implantable sensors.
Silkworms reproduce quickly and have low costs. Combined with gene editing technology, silk fibroin can be produced at low cost and high efficiency. Perhaps, we will soon usher in a silkworm "factory" to realize the commercialization of silk fibroin production with special functions.
Silkworm Genome: A Comprehensive "Genetic Dictionary"
Why does silk fibroin have so many special features? How can these features continue to be "developed"? This topic involves silkworm gene research.
The silkworm is a very special insect. It is the only insect that has been completely domesticated by humans to date. There are ancient legends of Fuxi (伏羲) "transforming into a silkworm" and Leizu (嫘祖) "teaching the people to raise silkworms." "Silkworm" is an important symbol of Chinese civilization, and the application of silkworms has long been closely linked to human production and life.
In the early 20th century, with the promotion of hybrid silkworm varieties, many local silkworm varieties faced elimination due to low yields and poor economic benefits. From an economic point of view, hybrid silkworm varieties are undoubtedly the most advantageous; but from the perspective of biological genes, excellent genes are scattered in various local silkworm varieties. Once the local silkworm varieties disappear, these genes will no longer be found.
In order to protect and study this valuable biological resource, the National Key Laboratory of Efficient Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects at Southwest University (西南大学) has established a "Silkworm Gene Bank" after decades of efforts. This gene bank has preserved more than 1,200 kinds of silkworm genetic resources in vivo, containing over 19,000 silkworm genes, covering more than 90% of the world's known silkworm genetic variations, including precious resources such as natural colored cocoons, highly disease-resistant varieties, and special mutant lines. It is the silkworm gene bank with the longest history, the most innovative discoveries, the largest storage volume, and the most comprehensive types in China.
This is just the first step.
In 2004, our team completed the world's first silkworm genome framework map, which is also the third largest genomic achievement contributed by Chinese scientists to mankind after completing the Human Genome 1% Project and the Rice Genome Project. In 2022, we took another big step forward and completed the "Thousand Silkworm Genome" project, drawing a silkworm super-pangenome map.
This achievement is like compiling a comprehensive "genetic dictionary" for silkworms. In the past, breeding relied more on experience and luck. Now, with the help of this "dictionary," we can accurately find key genes that control traits such as silkworm silk yield, strength, toughness, and even degradation characteristics, and we can achieve "design on demand." This also marks a shift from traditional breeding to gene design breeding.
At present, through gene editing technology, we have cultivated silkworms that can spin natural colored silk, as well as new varieties that use black and white egg color to mark gender. In the past, it often took several years to cultivate varieties with stable inheritance of specific traits, but now it can be quickly achieved based on the "genetic dictionary."
Metamorphosis Mechanism: A Cycle of "Life Inspiration"
When our ancestors gazed at silkworms, they saw more than just silk threads.
The life of a silkworm goes through four stages: egg, larva (silkworm baby), pupa, and adult (silkworm moth). The dramatic process from 作茧自缚 (zuò jiǎn zì fù - "spin a cocoon around oneself," to be trapped by one's own actions) to "breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a moth" gives the ancients endless philosophical thoughts about life.
The ancients learned the philosophy of life from the life cycle of silkworms, and today we explore the secrets of longevity from silkworm genes.
You may not think that there are about 5,500 genes in the silkworm genome that are homologous to human genes, accounting for more than 30% of the total number of human genes. This means that many research findings we make on silkworms are likely to have direct implications for humans.
In 2024, Professor Dai Fangyin (代方银) of our team made an important discovery: a key gene related to lifespan, OSER1, was found in silkworms. The longevity gene FOXO is responsible for the production of forkhead box protein O, and OSER1 is the target gene of FOXO. Forkhead box protein O can affect lifespan by regulating genes related to aging.
Through experiments, increasing the activity of this gene can significantly extend the lifespan of silkworms. What is even more exciting is that this mechanism has also been verified in other organisms such as fruit flies and nematodes.
Research has found that compared with the young control group, 49 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the OSER1 gene in long-lived elderly people over 90 years old, of which 7 were significantly related to longevity. In the future, silkworms may become one of the "candidate models" for studying human diseases and aging. This provides us with a new target and idea for studying anti-aging and developing related drugs. At the same time, the "metamorphosis and rebirth" mechanism of silkworms may bring inspiration to regenerative medicine.
From larva to pupa to moth, the cells in the silkworm's body undergo programmed remodeling and regeneration throughout its life. In the future, we may be able to obtain the code to unlock organ regeneration from silkworms, providing ideas and solutions for treating degenerative diseases or repairing injuries.
(The author is Xiang Zhonghuai (向仲怀), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院) and Professor of Southwest University (西南大学). This article was compiled and edited by Wang Xinyue (王欣悦), reporter of this newspaper.)
Return to TopBy: 魏 飞
In science fiction works, the figure of a space elevator has appeared—no rockets needed, just take the elevator, and people can go directly to space.
The principle of a space elevator is this: a very long cable is fixed at one end to the ground at the equator and the other end is connected to a space station in geostationary orbit, with a counterweight set further away. As the Earth rotates, the cable is tensioned by the combined action of upward centrifugal force and downward gravity, and the elevator car can travel back and forth between Earth and space along the cable.
As early as 1895, scientists proposed building a "sky ladder" directly to space. This idea has been around for over a century, but it seems to remain in the imagination stage. Why? The key problem lies in finding a cable material that is strong enough.
The space elevator cable must withstand both enormous gravity and centrifugal force, requiring extremely high tensile strength of the material. Is there a "super material" that is both light and strong? In 1991, scientists discovered carbon nanotubes, which brought a glimmer of hope to space elevator research.
A carbon nanotube is a hollow tubular material made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb structure, with a diameter of only a few nanometers to tens of nanometers. Despite its slender shape, it is one of the best materials in terms of mechanical properties discovered by humans: theoretically, the tensile strength of a single-walled carbon nanotube can exceed 100 GPa, hundreds of times that of the best steel; its Young's modulus (a measure of material stiffness) is as high as 1 TPa, making it extremely difficult to stretch and deform. Even more valuable is that its density is only about 1/4 that of steel, and its strength per unit mass is very high.
To bring carbon nanotubes from the laboratory to space as soon as possible, Chinese scientists have been exploring. The Reaction Engineering Team of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University (清华大学) has long been engaged in the controllable preparation and application research of carbon nanotube materials, striving to overcome material problems.
The first is to break through the length limit. In actual preparation, carbon nanotubes are usually only tens of micrometers long, and there are a large number of structural defects inside, so the actual strength is much lower than the theoretical value. In 2013, the research team successfully prepared single carbon nanotubes with a length of more than half a meter by increasing the probability of catalyst activity, laying the foundation for the large-scale preparation of ultra-long carbon nanotubes.
The research team also explored assembling "super strong" fibers. No matter how strong a single carbon nanotube is, it cannot be directly used as a cable. It is necessary to "twist" thousands of carbon nanotubes into a macroscopic fiber. In 2018, the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics of Tsinghua University (清华大学化工系与航院) published a paper in *Nature Nanotechnology* stating that centimeter-long ultra-long carbon nanotube bundles were prepared using the gas flow focusing method, and the tensile strength reached more than 80 GPa.
The space elevator cable needs to withstand repeated stretching and needs to be "unbreakable after hundreds of folds." In 2020, the research team published a paper in the journal *Science*, which for the first time experimentally tested the fatigue resistance of single carbon nanotubes and found that carbon nanotubes can be continuously stretched hundreds of millions of times without breaking, and can still maintain their initial ultra-high strength after removing the load.
Although carbon nanotube research has made considerable progress, there is still a considerable distance from actually building a space elevator.
Large-scale preparation is a challenge. The ultra-long carbon nanotubes that can be prepared in the laboratory are currently half a meter to meter-level in length, while the space elevator cable needs to reach tens of thousands of kilometers; the space environment is a test. The cable needs to pass through the Earth's atmosphere, withstand wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and also resist high-energy cosmic rays and atomic oxygen corrosion in space.
In addition to the cable, the space elevator also involves complex engineering problems such as base construction and elevator car power systems. These require interdisciplinary collaboration to solve.
The space elevator is still only in science fiction movies, but the discovery and research progress of carbon nanotubes have provided a solid material basis for this idea. The road from the laboratory to application is long and arduous, but the charm of scientific exploration lies in this—every breakthrough is a question to the unknown, and every step forward is expanding the boundaries of human capabilities. Perhaps in the near future, the space elevator will become a real ladder for mankind to move towards the stars and the sea.
(The author is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University (清华大学化学工程系), and this article was compiled by Wu Yue (吴月), a reporter from this newspaper.)
Return to TopThis is a Hefei (合肥) Electric News from our newspaper (Reporter Li Junjie (李俊杰)). The reporter learned from the University of Science and Technology of China (中国科学技术大学) that the team of Professor Zhang Shuchen (张树辰) has made important progress in the field of new semiconductor materials, together with scholars from China and abroad. The team has for the first time realized the controllable construction of in-plane programmable, atomically flat "mosaic" heterojunctions in two-dimensional ionic soft-lattice materials, opening up a new path for the research and development of future high-performance light-emitting and integrated devices. The relevant results were recently published online in the international academic journal *Nature*.
In the field of semiconductors, the ability to precisely construct heterostructures laterally within the plane of a material is key to exploring novel physical properties, developing new devices, and promoting device miniaturization. However, ionic soft-lattice semiconductors, represented by two-dimensional halide perovskites, have crystal structures that are soft and unstable. Traditional photolithography and other techniques often destroy the material structure due to excessive reactions, making it difficult to achieve high-quality lateral heterogeneous integration. How to achieve high-quality, controllable epitaxial lateral heterojunction precision processing in such materials is a challenge facing the field.
Faced with this challenge, the research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (中国科大) innovatively proposed and developed a guided intra-crystal stress "self-etching" method, which precisely backfills different types of semiconductor materials, and finally constructs a high-quality "mosaic" heterojunction with continuous lattice and atomically flat interface inside a single wafer.
Return to TopThis newspaper reports from Nanning (南宁) (reporter Zhang Yunhe (张云河)) The international academic journal *Nature* recently published a major scientific research achievement led by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大学), in conjunction with Guangxi University (广西大学), Central China Normal University (华中师范大学), and other units, announcing the first direct experimental confirmation of the Migdal effect in neutral particle collision scenarios, marking a solid step forward in the detection of light dark matter.
The Migdal effect was first proposed in 1939 by Soviet physicist Arkady Migdal (阿尔卡季·米格达尔): When the nucleus of an atom suddenly gains energy and accelerates, the change in the internal electric field of the nucleus during the recoil process transfers part of the energy to the electrons outside the nucleus, giving the electrons a probability of gaining enough energy to escape the atomic binding, forming two charged tracks with a "common vertex." Through this effect, the originally "undetectable" low-energy nuclear recoil signal can be converted into an "observable" electron signal. For more than 80 years, due to the difficulty of detection equipment in accurately capturing the extremely weak electron signals and unique trajectories in this process, the Migdal effect in neutral particle collision scenarios has not been directly confirmed by experiments.
This scientific research achievement benefits from breakthroughs in detector performance. The detector was developed over more than 10 years by the CXPD collaboration group led by Guangxi University (广西大学) and completed in 2023.
Liu Qian (刘倩), a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大学), introduced that the experimental team used the gas pixel detector independently developed by Guangxi University (广西大学) as the core component to build a set of ultra-sensitive detection devices, equivalent to a "camera" that can photograph the "process of releasing electrons in the movement of a single atom." In the experiment, a neutron source was used to bombard gas molecules in the "camera," simultaneously generating nuclear recoil and Migdal electrons. The detection device successfully "captured" the unique "common vertex" trajectory formed by the two, verifying the Migdal effect, and also measured the ratio of the effect's cross-section to the nuclear recoil cross-section for the first time, providing a key calibration basis for international dark matter experiments.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 谷业凯
By the end of 2025, the world's first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generation unit was successfully put into commercial operation at the Shougang Shuigang Group (首钢水钢集团) in Liupanshui (六盘水), Guizhou (贵州). This project is also the "Super Carbon No. 1" demonstration project of supercritical carbon dioxide waste heat power generation technology. It is jointly promoted by the China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute (中国核动力研究设计院) of China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团), Jigang Group International Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. (济钢集团国际工程技术有限公司), and Shougang Shuicheng Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. (首钢水城钢铁（集团）有限责任公司). After successful power generation, compared with the existing sintering waste heat steam power generation technology, the power generation efficiency will be increased by more than 85%, and the net power generation will be increased by more than 50%.
Traditional steam power generation technology converts water into steam through heating, and then drives steam turbines to drive generators to generate electricity. However, in practice, water as a medium has shortcomings in terms of system complexity, efficiency, compactness, and response speed.
Can a new alternative medium be found? Huang Yanping (黄彦平), chief expert of China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团) and chief designer of "Super Carbon No. 1," has been thinking: "When carbon dioxide is pressurized to 7.38 MPa and heated to 31 degrees Celsius, it will enter a 'supercritical state' that transcends the characteristics of gaseous and liquid substances, with the dual advantages of high density and low viscosity, making it very suitable for doing work."
However, finding supercritical carbon dioxide, this "super medium," is only the first step. The key is how to use it to generate electricity. In 2009, Huang Yanping (黄彦平) led the team to start the research and development of supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology. "We envisioned at the time that efficient power generation could be achieved by constructing a closed Brayton cycle (a thermodynamic cycle using gas as a medium) through 'two machines and three devices'," Huang Yanping (黄彦平) introduced. The "two machines" refer to turbine machines and compressors, and the "three devices" are heat source heat exchangers, regenerators, and coolers.
Developing supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology is a "from 0 to 1" process. Liu Ruilong (刘睿龙), a team member and a key member of heat exchange equipment research and development, recalled that in 2017, the team worked continuously for more than 100 days and nights, overcoming dozens of technical problems, and finally found inspiration from the printed circuit board manufacturing process, etching high-precision millimeter-level microchannels on stainless steel plates, and independently developed a 2.4-meter (length) vacuum diffusion welding machine to weld 6,000 thin plates into ultra-compact microchannel heat exchangers. When the world's largest single-core heat exchanger prototype passed performance testing, the entire laboratory was in an uproar.
After more than 10 years of research, China's supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology industry-university-research system has been basically established, and a fully localized industrial chain has basically taken shape, with comprehensive engineering application conditions. In 2023, China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团) China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute (中国核动力研究设计院) jointly built two 15 MW supercritical carbon dioxide waste heat power generation units with Jigang International (济钢国际) to efficiently generate electricity using the high-temperature sintering flue gas waste heat at the tail of the ring cooler. Compared with traditional technology, the site demand is reduced by 50%, the power generation efficiency is increased by more than 85%, and the net power generation is increased by more than 50%. In 2024, China National Nuclear Corporation (中核集团) launched a molten salt energy storage supercritical carbon dioxide power generation demonstration project, which is expected to start construction in 2026.
Return to TopAccording to Xinhua News Agency, Melbourne (Reporter Xiong Wenyuan (熊文苑)) A recent study by a team at Monash University in Australia has found that a complex protein acts like a "molecular brake," regulating cell growth based on the availability of nutrients. This provides new ideas for treating diseases related to abnormal cell growth, such as cancer and epilepsy.
The relevant research paper was recently published in the American journal "Cell." The research team used cryo-electron microscopy technology to analyze the mechanism by which a protein complex called KICSTOR-GATOR1 coordinately regulates cell growth based on nutrient supply, with near-atomic-level detail. This complex is a key regulator in the cell's nutrient sensing pathway.
The study showed that when nutrients are insufficient, KICSTOR can locate GATOR1 to a key position, "stopping" cell growth, thereby helping cells save resources. This mechanism is equivalent to the cell's internal "molecular brake," which can prevent cells from growing disorderly or falling into functional failure.
Return to TopLayout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 王永战
Backing onto mountains and facing water, relying on the mountains' contours, concentrated and contiguous, the Tibetan villages stand amidst the forests, the scenery resembling an oil painting. Heishui County (黑水县) is located in the central part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (阿坝藏族羌族自治州) in Sichuan Province (四川省), with a profound Tibetan and Qiang cultural heritage. The local government adheres to planning first, establishes a diversified investment mechanism, implements protective repairs, develops cultural tourism integration, and promotes the protection and utilization of traditional villages. As of now, Heishui County (黑水县) has a total of 18 traditional villages, of which 8 are included in the list of Chinese traditional villages. In 2024, Heishui County (黑水县) was selected as a demonstration county for the concentrated and contiguous protection and utilization of traditional villages.
-- Editor
Relying on the mountains' contours, the Tibetan villages built of stone are located next to the main traffic roads. A 6-hour drive from Chengdu (成都), the Tibetan villages of Se'ergu Village (色尔古村) come into view.
"This place has been a confluence of diverse cultures since ancient times," said Chen Yongjun (陈勇军), a Tibetan resident. Se'ergu Village (色尔古村) is a settlement of the Jiarong Tibetan people, and the Tibetan villages in the village are well-preserved, with the oldest dating back more than 1,300 years. In Heishui County (黑水县), such Tibetan villages are distributed in the mountain valleys, forming a unique regional landscape.
Exploring Folk Residences
Built on Mountains, Each with Its Own Characteristics
Stone slab roads, clear water flowing, the stories of the villages are like gurgling streams, endless. "The Jiarong Tibetans are mainly engaged in farming, and this area has a lot of stone, and there were frequent wars in ancient times, so there are many blockhouse-style buildings," Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said as he led the reporter into a Tibetan village.
"Tibetan villages generally have 3 floors. The first floor is for raising livestock, the second floor is for living, and the third floor is for storing grain," Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said. The stone walls of the Tibetan villages are wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, straight on the inside and sloping on the outside, five or sixty centimeters thick, which are both warm and sun-proof, and also have defensive functions.
Walking into the Tibetan village, the windows of the rooms are also large on the inside and small on the outside. "This is a bucket window of a blockhouse-style building, which can exhaust smoke and is also a shooting hole," Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said.
Heishui (黑水) has many mountains, and the valley space is limited. The village layout is compact, and the Tibetan villages also rely on the mountains' contours, not far apart from each other.
In Heishui County (黑水县), the Tibetan villages in different regions have different styles.
In Yangrong Village (羊茸村), Shashi Township (沙石多镇), the Tibetan villages are lined up. The doors of the houses are decorated with various patterns, and red, yellow, green and other colored lines form the patterns, symbolizing auspiciousness. He Zhigang (何志刚), Deputy Director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of Heishui County (黑水县住房和城乡建设局), introduced that Yangrong Village (羊茸村) is distributed along the river valley, with lush vegetation. Therefore, unlike the blockhouse-style stone buildings of Se'ergu Village (色尔古村), local villagers use more wood for the doors, pillars and interior decoration of the houses.
In Caigai Village (才盖村), Kalong Township (卡龙镇), red-tiled roofs, slate walls, carved doors and windows, and small courtyards, each Tibetan village is pleasing to the eye under the backdrop of the forests. Clouds, deer, magpies... Tibetan carving techniques are widely used on the windows and doors of the houses. "Carving skills are a major feature of our Caigai Village (才盖村)," said Wu Fengqun (邬凤群), the first secretary of Caigai Village (才盖村).
Asking about Construction
Adapting to Local Conditions, Solid and Firm
How did the Tibetan villages take shape? Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said that this is due to a set of blockhouse construction techniques widely spread among the people.
Walking in Se'ergu Village (色尔古村), look carefully, the Tibetan villages are all flat-topped and the walls are thick. "When building a house, the blocks used to build the wall are thin and wide," Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said. In order to make the wall firm, if the first layer is laid vertically, the second layer is laid horizontally, so that the stones can form a grip. Both sides of the stone wall should be neat, and the middle should be filled with large stones.
The close adhesion of the stones cannot be separated from the local loess. In the process of building the blockhouse, the craftsmen have to stir the clay with clean water and fill it into the gaps between the stones to make the wall integrated.
In order to increase the tensile force inside the blockhouse, wooden beams are erected every few meters on the wall, and wooden boards are laid on top. In order to make the Tibetan village more solid, pressure-sharing columns are widely used in the construction of blockhouses. Chen Yongjun (陈勇军) said that the pressure-sharing column is like the spine of the human body, wider than the wall, and can effectively support the Tibetan village.
Different from the Se'ergu Tibetan Village (色尔古藏寨), rammed earth technology is a major feature of the Caigai Village Tibetan Village (才盖村藏寨).
"Our terrain here is relatively flat, and we can use rammed earth to lay a solid foundation for the walls." More than 10 years ago, when the villager Chu Yata (楚牙他) built this three-story house, it took nearly half a year to ram the foundation of the wall alone.
Clay mixed with clean water, fixed with wooden frames, and under people's repeated beating, the rammed earth became more and more solid. On the rammed earth are pieces of stone that have been repeatedly polished. In order to build the house, Chu Yata (楚牙他) and his wife and craftsmen spent more than a year collecting stones and polishing the stone pieces, and finally built the wall.
Seeking Inheritance
Protecting and Repairing, Developing Cultural Tourism
Recently, Caigai Village (才盖村) has welcomed many construction workers, using hand-polished stone strips and natural stone slabs to pave roads, and using Tibetan carving techniques to repair doors and windows, and the village has undergone great changes again.
Previously, some houses in the village were in disrepair for a long time, which affected the overall appearance of the village. In June 2025, Heishui County (黑水县) launched a protection and repair project, following the principle of **修旧如旧** (xiū jiù rú jiù - "repair old as old," to restore something to its original condition), to protect the appearance of the Tibetan villages and improve the infrastructure.
He Zhigang (何志刚) introduced that Heishui County (黑水县) has invested more than 700 million yuan in the past three years to protect and repair all 18 traditional villages in the county.
On one side is protection and upgrading, and on the other side is the prosperity of cultural tourism.
Coming to the home of Mu'erjia (木尔甲), the secretary of the village party branch, the homestay rooms are clean and bright, and the wooden decoration is full of texture. In previous years, Yangrong Village (羊茸村) made unified plans under the principle of adhering to protection first, and villagers raised funds to decorate more than 40 Tibetan villages into homestays. At the same time, the village also built a food street and introduced cafes. In summer, tourists who come to escape the heat are in an endless stream; in autumn, the crowds who come to admire the colorful forests make the village full of vitality.
Traditional villages have been revitalized, and villagers have benefited from it. "The village implements the 'branch + farmers + enterprise' model, attracting villagers to invest in houses and funds, and establishing a village collective enterprise to operate homestays, and villagers receive dividends every year," Mu'erjia (木尔甲) said. In 2024, the average dividend per household reached more than 100,000 yuan, and many people also earned extra income by selling specialty products and working in village collective enterprises.
As more and more people enter Heishui (黑水), the Kastawen Dance (卡斯达温舞), Almai Polyphonic Folk Song (阿尔麦多声部民歌) and other intangible cultural heritages have also been revitalized. Every festival, the local government organizes villagers to relive traditional skills.
Wearing Tibetan shoes, putting on armor, holding Tibetan knives, the dancers form a formation and dance vigorously to the rhythm of the drums. Here, the villagers dance the Kastawen Dance (卡斯达温舞) again and again to welcome guests from afar.
Return to TopBy: 陈 炜
In traditional Chinese dwellings, wooden structural components represented by ox-knee braces (牛腿) occupy an important position. They not only support the building structure but are also dazzling pearls in the decorative art of traditional dwellings. Their exquisite carvings and diverse forms, integrating craftsmanship and aesthetics, vividly demonstrate the cultural heritage and unique charm of traditional Chinese architecture.
In Fotang Town (佛堂镇), Yiwu (义乌), Zhejiang (浙江), a large number of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties are preserved. Lion shapes, figure shapes, swimming fish shapes... Stepping into a residence, a wooden component resembling an "arched back" extends diagonally from the top of the pillar—an ox-knee brace. One end rests against the pillar, and the other end supports the eaves above, transferring the weight of the eaves to the eave column.
In ancient Ming and Qing buildings, another similar wooden structural component can be seen—the que-ti (雀替).
What is the difference between que-ti and ox-knee braces?
Although both are important supporting components, they are used in different positions: que-ti are wooden carved components under the beams, while ox-knee braces are wooden carved components under the eaves.
Despite the above differences, both embody the traditional aesthetic concept of "structure as decoration" in Chinese architecture and are representatives of the unity of strength and beauty.
From the pre-Qin to Han dynasties, Chinese architecture mainly used dougong (斗拱) as the main load-bearing structure. At this time, que-ti and ox-knee braces had not yet become typical components. By the Tang and Song dynasties, with the maturity of wood structure technology, que-ti gradually developed from structural parts into independent components with decorative functions, and their forms also tended to stabilize; ox-knee braces also began to be widely used in eave support. The Ming and Qing dynasties were the peak period of artistic development for que-ti and ox-knee braces. Not only were the carvings exquisite and the themes rich, but also various styles such as the vigorous northern style and the delicate southern style were formed due to regional differences. Especially in Jiangnan (江南) folk houses, Hui-style (徽派) architecture, and Lingnan (岭南) ancestral halls, que-ti and ox-knee braces became carriers for expressing local craftsmanship and regional culture.
Today, we can still see a large number of que-ti and ox-knee braces in traditional settlements such as Jiangnan water towns, ancient Huizhou (徽州) villages, and Shanxi (山西) courtyards. They are not only part of the architecture but also witnesses of history and art.
In modern architectural design, que-ti and ox-knee braces exist in three forms: one is restored wood carvings or stone carvings in antique buildings; the second is traditional shapes imitated with modern materials such as concrete and fiberglass; and the third is the extraction and transformation of que-ti and ox-knee brace pattern elements for architectural details and cultural identity design.
In addition, que-ti and ox-knee braces are also gaining new vitality through various channels such as skill inheritance, architectural education, and cultural tourism. In recent years, with the increasing emphasis on the protection of ancient buildings, more and more representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage are focusing on reviving traditional mortise and tenon craftsmanship, allowing the "broken" ox-knee braces to be reborn. Some traditional villages have also opened cultural tourism experience projects for ox-knee brace carving.
Having experienced wind and rain, the ox-knee braces and que-ti on ancient dwellings still maintain their unique charm. They are not only the architectural vocabulary of China but also the material carriers of Oriental aesthetics, influencing contemporary architecture and cultural practices. We must protect cultural heritage, deeply explore its contemporary value, and give it new vitality.
(The author is Dou Hao (窦皓), an associate professor at the School of Design and Architecture of Zhejiang University of Technology (浙江工业大学), and a reporter for this newspaper.)
Return to TopBy: 崔 凯
The article "Beams Shaped Like Moons, Curves Like Rainbows" mentioned that "beams" are one of the most important structural components in traditional Chinese wooden architecture. Recently, a reader asked: What kind of material does the common phrase "栋梁之材" (dòng liáng zhī cái - "pillar and beam material," people who can bear important responsibilities) refer to?
The original meaning of "栋 (dòng)" is the highest point. The *Shuowen Jiezi* explains: "栋 (dòng) means the extreme." In traditional Chinese architecture, "栋 (dòng)" refers to the highest and most central point of a house. Guo Pu (郭璞), a scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, annotated "栋 (dòng)" as "桴 (fú)," meaning the roof ridge (especially the main ridge). However, in the subsequent professional terminology system of traditional Chinese wooden architecture, "栋 (dòng)" more often refers to the long, strip-shaped ridge purlin that supports the main ridge on the roof frame.
The long, strip-shaped wooden components on the roof frame or gable that support the rafters or roof panels are called "檩 (lǐn)". The one placed at the top of the building is called the "脊檩 (jǐ lǐn)" (ridge purlin). Because it is located in the highest central position, it is specifically referred to as "栋 (dòng)". From the name of the ridge purlin, it can be seen that the "栋 (dòng)" can be called the "spine" of a building, and its criticality is evident.
The original meaning of "梁 (liáng)" is a wooden bridge built over water. The *Shuowen Jiezi* explains: "梁 (liáng) means a water bridge." In ancient language, bridges were also called "津梁 (jīn liáng)". As the name of a component in building construction, "梁 (liáng)" refers to a horizontal, long, strip-shaped wooden component that is erected on a wall or pillar. *Liezi: Tang Wen* from the Warring States period records: "Selling songs for food, after leaving, the lingering sound still 绕梁三日 (rào liáng sān rì - "surrounds the beam for three days," describes a lingering, beautiful sound)." The *Kangxi Dictionary* explains the character "梁 (liáng)" as "负栋曰梁 (fù dòng yuē liáng)," which precisely illustrates the load-bearing function of the "梁 (liáng)" and its close relationship with the "栋 (dòng)" at the top.
The "栋 (dòng)" is located at the high point of the roof and laid out along the longitudinal long axis direction. The "梁 (liáng)" is located below the "栋 (dòng)" and erected along the transverse bay direction.
Precisely because the "栋 (dòng)" and "梁 (liáng)" are such important components in traditional architecture, extending to real life, we often use "栋梁之材" (dòng liáng zhī cái - "pillar and beam material," people who can bear important responsibilities) to praise those outstanding talents who can shoulder important responsibilities.
(The author is an associate professor at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (西安建筑科技大学). This article was compiled and edited by Gong Shijian (龚仕建), a reporter from this newspaper.)
Return to TopLayout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)
Return to TopBy: 贾 汀
In the spring of 1999, in Longhua County (隆化县), Hebei (河北) Province, a batch of precious cultural relics sealed for more than 600 years was accidentally discovered in a cliff cave called "Pigeon Cave" (鸽子洞). A total of 67 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, including Yuan Dynasty (元代) textiles and documents, were unearthed from the cave, attracting widespread attention from academic circles and society. According to the relevant documents unearthed at the same time, the age of this batch of cultural relics should be from the late Yuan Dynasty to the Zhizheng (至正) period (1341-1368). Archaeologists speculate that its owner hurriedly hid the items in the cave to avoid the ravages of war, and later failed to return to retrieve them for some reason, thus allowing this batch of Yuan Dynasty relics to sleep until today. Recently, the "Weaving Rivers and Mountains: Yuan Dynasty Silk Textiles from the Pigeon Cave in Longhua, Hebei Exhibition" opened at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum (北京大运河博物馆). This batch of embroidered treasures that have experienced vicissitudes of life has finally met the public with a complete appearance after years of careful restoration and research by restorers.
They are not only representative works of Yuan Dynasty costume art, but also a three-dimensional history book woven with warp and weft. The "White Cotton Waist-tied Narrow-sleeved Pleated Robe" in this batch of cultural relics is a relatively rare cotton garment among ancient unearthed costumes. The robe is 121 cm long and presents a distinct "tight top and wide bottom" shape with the waist as the boundary: the upper body is a cross-collar right lapel, and the cuffs and waist are tightly tied, making it neat and upright; the lower body achieves a transition from "tight to loose" through pleating techniques, forming a skirt-like shape. The reason for this is mostly to adapt to the nomadic people's lifestyle of being good at riding and shooting. Even in the Ming Dynasty (明代), this type of robe was still a classic outfit for riding, which shows the practicality and lasting vitality of its design.
This pleated robe is made of cotton fabric and is quite exquisite in workmanship. Especially the collar part of this robe, the shape is a Ruyi (如意) cloud pattern, which is sewn on the back collar with appliqué technology and connected to the bottom of the collar. Although it is a plain robe for inner wear, it appropriately interprets the aesthetic pursuit of "simplicity without losing elegance," reflecting the ancient people's wisdom in clothing making of 简于形而精于工 (jiǎn yú xíng ér jīng yú gōng - "simple in form but refined in workmanship," emphasizing the importance of exquisite craftsmanship over elaborate design).
What complements the heroic spirit of the riding and shooting robes is the gentle and exquisite aesthetic of life contained in the unearthed cultural relics. There are many embroidered ornaments in this batch of silk fabrics, among which the "Green Dark Patterned Silk Twill Colored Embroidered Flower and Butterfly Knee Pads" and the "White Dark Patterned Silk Twill Colored Embroidered Flower, Bird, and Baby Play Knee Pads" are the most representative. They are the only Yuan Dynasty knee pad objects found in China. These two knee pads are made of superior materials, and the embroidery is exquisite and vivid, reflecting the integration of natural imagery and life interest in Yuan Dynasty textile and embroidery decoration. Sewing the beauty of ordinary days into clothes stitch by stitch is a warm testimony to how people decorated their daily lives at that time.
In addition to gorgeous clothing, the textiles unearthed this time also include many "Bai Na" (百衲) semi-finished products, remnant silk fragments, and cutting scraps. These often-overlooked fragmented fabrics, along with complete clothing, are carefully preserved, providing a historical sample that is completely different from burial objects. Burial objects often present a ritualized "completeness" and ending, while this cave was a temporary hiding place during the war, sealing the traces of real life brought into the cave in a hurry. These fragments are not ritual items, but a testimony to life "in progress," vividly reflecting the ancient people's philosophy of life of 爱物惜福 (ài wù xī fú - "cherish things and value blessings," to be frugal and appreciate what one has), restoring a real historical scene full of everyday life.
In the silk fabrics of Pigeon Cave, the textile and decoration techniques directly reflect the grand occasion of material and cultural exchange in the Yuan Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty both "adhered to Mongolian customs" and inherited the "Tang and Song systems" in terms of etiquette. In the archaeological discoveries of Pigeon Cave, not only were waist-tied narrow-sleeved robes with Mongolian characteristics unearthed, but also two Han Chinese traditional straight-collar waist-length short jackets were found, reflecting the era characteristics of multi-ethnic integration in Yuan Dynasty clothing.
We can also see the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and foreign crafts. The Yuan Dynasty had an aesthetic interest in gold, and it became fashionable to make gold threads and weave them into brocade. "Nashishi" (纳石失) (recorded in the "History of Yuan" (《元史》) as "gold brocade"), which was introduced from the Western Regions, and the locally produced gold-woven damask and gold-woven silk fabrics in the Central Plains complemented each other in the Yuan Dynasty. The "Green Cloud Pattern Four-warp Twisted Gold-woven Gauze" is light and transparent, with a faint shimmer of gold, and the craftsmanship is complex, and it is speculated to be a custom-woven fabric with a border. The gold leaf used in this gold-woven gauze is very unique. It has been tested to be a process of applying gold foil on both sides of sheepskin back, which is the earliest physical object of gold-woven gauze found in archaeological discoveries.
There are also interesting combinations of pattern themes. The patterns of this batch of textile clothing are mainly based on Central Plains Han-style themes, such as "Man Chi Jiao" (满池娇), "Infant Playing with Lotus" (婴戏莲), "Four Seasons Flowers" (四季花卉), and "Mao Die Tong Chun" (耄耋同春). Among them, the exquisite pattern of the "Brown Ground Luan and Phoenix String Branch Peony Lotus Pattern Woven Brocade Quilt Cover" is particularly eye-catching: a luan and a phoenix with stretched cloud-shaped tails are woven on the head of the quilt, flying among the lotus flowers; the body of the quilt is a string branch peony lotus pattern, supplemented by small lotus flowers, peonies, etc. The overall color of the quilt cover is bright, elegant and generous. It is also worth mentioning that in terms of craftsmanship, this quilt cover uses a four-end satin as the ground organization for the first time, marking the transition from the three-end satin of the Song Dynasty (宋代) to the five-end satin of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (明清), and has an important value of carrying on the past and opening up the future in the history of craftsmanship.
Allowing these fragile silk fabrics, buried underground for six hundred years, to regain their brilliance is undoubtedly a very challenging scientific task. In 2006, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (国家文物局) included the protection and restoration of cultural relics unearthed from Pigeon Cave into a key plan, which was coordinated by the Longhua National Museum (隆化民族博物馆) and the restoration team of Wang Yarong (王亚蓉) from the Capital Museum (首都博物馆) was responsible for carrying out research on restoration, protection, and cultural interpretation.
The restoration team faced huge challenges. The fabrics had been buried in the sheltered environment of the cliff cave for a long time, and generally suffered from problems such as decay, caking, pollution, fading, and severe damage. The restoration process follows a rigorous scientific path: first, a comprehensive disease investigation and mapping record of the cultural relics is carried out; scientific equipment is used to conduct non-destructive or micro-destructive analysis of the fiber properties of the fabrics, providing a basis for subsequent disinfection, sterilization, mildew removal, cleaning, and reinforcement.
Taking the repair and reinforcement process of a pair of embroidered women's shoes as an example, in the face of broken silk threads or missing fabrics, restorers need to use "microsurgical" techniques to combine traditional needlework with microscopic equipment. Targeting the subtle features of 0.2 mm stitches and 1 mm stitch spacing in the original sewing marks, restorers must accurately operate the needle under a magnifying glass or even a microscope, and perform backstitching according to the original needle holes and stitch spacing. The newly matched silk thread must be consistent with the original cultural relic in "shape," and in "quality," it must be weakened through aging treatment to make it weaker than the original thread. All of this relies on superb skills, as well as patience and concentration, to achieve rigorous restoration in the slightest detail. It is precisely with this "craftsmanship" that integrates traditional craftsmanship with modern technology and is filled with patience and reverence that this batch of precious Yuan Dynasty silk fabrics can get rid of the erosion of time and display the superb skills of Yuan Dynasty craftsmen in the closest appearance to the original.
The embroidered treasures of Longhua Pigeon Cave outline a Yuan Dynasty social picture that is much more vivid and richer than documented in literature. This exhibition is not only a deep tribute to the spirit of craftsmanship, but also a vivid interpretation of the breadth, depth, and lasting vitality of Chinese civilization.
(Author's unit: Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (北京服装学院))
The pictures in this article are all provided by Jia Ting (贾汀).
Return to TopBy: 宁 超
The term "matriarchal society" is familiar to the public. It is often mentioned in textbooks, documentaries, and popular science books, suggesting that prehistoric human society was once linked by matrilineal bloodlines. In the public's impression, it is almost a confirmed fact. But if you ask: Is there any empirical evidence for a matriarchal society? How is it identified in archaeological materials? The answer is not clear.
Traditional archaeology can infer social organization from clues such as tomb shapes, burial objects, and settlement layouts, but it is often difficult to answer a most basic question: What is the relationship between the people in the cemetery? Without kinship as support, discussions about clans, marriage, and group structure are prone to remain at the level of inference. For this reason, although the "matriarchal society" has been repeatedly mentioned, there is not much evidence that can directly verify the matrilineal clan structure within prehistoric sites.
The Fujia Site (傅家遗址) in Guangrao (广饶), Shandong (山东) provides us with a rare opportunity. The Fujia Site (傅家遗址) belongs to the late Dawenkou Culture (大汶口文化), dating back about 4,500 years. Archaeological excavations show that there are two cemeteries here, with clear tomb arrangements and well-preserved human bones. Such conditions are not common for ancient DNA research. Even if skeletons are unearthed at many sites, DNA is often destroyed by the soil environment and difficult to extract. The material preservation status of the Fujia Site (傅家遗址) allows us to use ancient DNA as a "new key" to enter the interior of prehistoric society and observe kinship networks that were previously difficult to access.
The starting point of the research is very simple: if kinship between individuals can be inferred through genetic information, just like modern paternity testing, then discussions about clans and social structures can move from "possible" to "verifiable."
The ancient DNA research process is very difficult. The first step is strict contamination-free sampling, and samples mostly come from teeth or temporal bones and other parts that are easier to preserve DNA; then grinding, extraction, and library construction are carried out in a clean laboratory. Ancient DNA is highly degraded over time, with short and fragmented fragments, extremely low content, and mixed with a large amount of microbial DNA. After obtaining sequencing data, it is also necessary to assess modern contamination, identify typical ancient DNA damage characteristics, and perform genetic sex identification. The most critical step is to calculate kinship through whole-genome shared fragments and genetic similarity, to determine whether individuals are parents and children, siblings, or more distant cousins, so as to re-"weave" prehistoric people into a testable relationship network.
When this relationship network gradually became clear, the most important discovery appeared: there are two clearly bounded and long-lasting matrilineal lineage groups in the Fujia Site (傅家遗址). Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child and is an important genetic marker for tracking matrilineal lineages. If a society truly has a clan structure centered on the matrilineal line, then there will often be stable aggregation on the matrilineal genetic marker, forming a boundary with other groups. The genetic results of the Fujia Site (傅家遗址) are consistent with this characteristic. The two groups of matrilineal lineages have clear differences and continue stably in the cemetery.
More noteworthy is that this boundary does not mean isolation. On the contrary, we see that they share similar funeral traditions and cultural practices, and at the same time maintain a whole community through marriage and kinship ties. In other words, this is a prehistoric community with a clear internal structure and long-term stable operation, rather than simply "two groups buried together by chance."
The difficulty of this research does not lie entirely in technology. Ancient DNA sequencing does require advanced platforms and strict procedures, but the real difficulty lies in interpretation: DNA provides biological kinship, while social structure also includes institutions, culture, and identity. How to closely correspond genetic results with archaeological evidence such as tomb layout, burial combinations, and spatial zoning, avoid over-inference, and propose verifiable explanations is the most cautious part of the research.
The significance of the Fujia Site (傅家遗址) research is not only to prove the existence of matrilineal clans at a certain site. More importantly, it demonstrates a new research path: ancient DNA can not only answer where people come from, but also deeply answer how people organize themselves into families, clans, and communities. In the past, when facing prehistoric cemeteries, we saw more silent arrangements; today, we have the opportunity to see the kinship networks and group structures within them, so as to understand how prehistoric societies maintained stability and formed communities.
From a broader perspective, this is also a key to understanding social evolution. Society is not an abstract concept, it is composed of specific people and their relationships. Being able to identify the boundaries and connections of matrilineal clans in a 4,500-year-old cemetery means that we are approaching a more real prehistoric world: the people there have families, marriages, and communities, their order really existed, and it was preserved in the form of bones and genetic information, waiting to be re-read today.
(Author's affiliation: School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University (北京大学))
By: 赵凡奇
The "North White - White Porcelain and Ethnic Integration Special Exhibition" hosted by the Shanxi Museum (山西博物院) recently opened. The exhibition selects more than 200 white porcelain treasures collected by 14 units, taking historical dynasties as the main line, and connects the kilns to present the development process and rich connotation of northern white porcelain.
Northern China is the cradle of Chinese white porcelain. White porcelain was born in the north, went from the north to the whole country, and from China to the world, carrying the brilliant Chinese civilization. The north is a hotbed of ethnic integration, from the hegemony of the Jin State (晋国) to the Hu服骑射, from the Shanyu (单于) marriage alliance to the Song of Chile (敕勒长歌), from the Tang-Tibet Alliance (唐蕃会盟) to the Chanyuan Treaty (澶渊之盟), it has composed a long and melodious song of the years.
The "North White - White Porcelain and Ethnic Integration Special Exhibition" presents the life cycle of northern white porcelain for the first time. The exhibition is divided into 4 units: North-South Integration, Harmony in All Directions, Harmonious Coexistence, and Universal Huo Vessels. These 4 units correspond to different development stages of northern white porcelain, showing the complete life cycle of northern white porcelain sprouting in the late Northern Dynasties, developing in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, prospering in the Song, Liao, Xia and Jin Dynasties, and declining in the Yuan Dynasty.
During the production of celadon, the craftsmen of the Northern Dynasties continuously innovated porcelain-making technology, which promoted the germination of white porcelain. Zhaizili Kiln (寨里窑) in Zibo, Shandong (山东淄博) adopted the method of applying glaze twice to make the glaze surface brighter; Jiabi Kiln (贾壁窑) in Cixian County, Hebei (河北磁县) and Linshui Kiln (临水窑) in Handan (邯郸) improved the formula of body and glaze and reduced the iron content in the glaze; Neiqiu Xing Kiln (内丘邢窑) in Hebei (河北内丘) and Xiangzhou Kiln (相州窑) in Anyang, Henan (河南安阳) used white slip to make up for the defects of the darker body color.
White porcelain in the Sui Dynasty was completely mature, with pure white body color, firm and fine body, smooth glaze, and diverse shapes. The white porcelain production areas include Xiangzhou Kiln (相州窑), Gongyi Kiln (巩义窑), and Xing Kiln (邢窑). White porcelain in the Tang Dynasty developed rapidly, and Xing Kiln (邢窑) and Gongyi Kiln (巩义窑) were the leaders of white porcelain kilns at that time.
In the Song, Liao, Xia, and Jin Dynasties, northern white porcelain ushered in the most prosperous stage. The kilns inside and outside the Great Wall were never extinguished. Ding Kiln (定窑), Longquanwu Kiln (龙泉务窑), Suyukou Porcelain Kiln (苏峪口瓷窑), and Hejin Kiln (河津窑) reflected each other. The exchanges of ceramic craftsmen, the exchange of porcelain-making techniques, and the integration of modeling and decoration were very obvious.
Northern white porcelain generally declined in the Yuan Dynasty, but Huozhou Kiln (霍州窑) rose against the trend, creating the last peak of northern white porcelain. Huozhou Kiln (霍州窑) in the Yuan Dynasty mainly produced fine white porcelain products, with extremely regular shapes, fine trimming, and extremely small support firing marks. The printed decoration changed from fine convex lines to shallow relief, and common patterns include fish patterns, twin lotus flowers, and lotus flowers. There appeared cup with handle, high-stemmed cup, high-stemmed bowl, Yuhuchun vase, and folded-rim plate and other shapes.
Ethnic integration has promoted the development of northern white porcelain. Northern white porcelain is an important carrier of ethnic integration. During the Northern Dynasties, northern kiln workers learned from the porcelain-making techniques of the south, used local clay resources, and after long-term practice, controlled the iron content in the body and glaze, and white porcelain sprouted from this. The Sui Dynasty inherited the white porcelain technology of the Northern Dynasties and promoted white porcelain to maturity. White porcelain in the Tang Dynasty achieved great development, the circulation range was further expanded, and the user base was further expanded. Huozhou Kiln (霍州窑) in the Yuan Dynasty inherited the Central Plains porcelain-making tradition and absorbed grassland cultural factors, becoming the last peak of ancient northern white porcelain.
We look forward to the public entering this exhibition to understand northern white porcelain, feel the porcelain culture, understand Chinese civilization, cultivate patriotic feelings, and 铸牢中华民族共同体意识 (zhù láo zhōng huá mín zú gòng tóng tǐ yì shí - "forge a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation," strengthen the sense of belonging and unity among all ethnic groups in China).
Return to TopBy: 马鑫宇
Bearing the great spirit of the founding of the Party, Jiaxing (嘉兴), Zhejiang (浙江), has discovered 353 new cultural relics in the fourth national cultural relics census (hereinafter referred to as the "Fourth Census"), with a new discovery rate of 15.04%, ranking among the top in Zhejiang Province. From the millennial echoes of the Northern Song Dynasty pagoda base to the contemporary memories of the red-themed venues, these new discoveries are like pearls scattered on the earth, becoming even more dazzling after being effectively "strung together."
"Protecting while surveying" allows for an "early warning" for cultural relic safety. Taking the "Fourth Census" as an opportunity, Jiaxing completed the drafting of safety inspection standards for immovable cultural relics, initiated the compilation of protection and utilization guidelines, and tailored protection plans for cultural relics. Among the 353 new discoveries, the "debut" of the Dongta Temple Site (东塔寺遗址) and the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆老馆) demonstrates Jiaxing's urban characteristics of "long history and distinct red color."
The Dongta Temple Site is located 2.1 kilometers east of the old city of Jiaxing, covering an area of approximately 40,000 square meters, with its history tracing back to the Southern Dynasties. According to the Qing Dynasty's "Jiaxing Prefecture Chronicle" (《嘉兴府志》), the original name of the temple is no longer traceable. It underwent changes such as "Baoguo Chan Temple" (报国禅院) and "Dongta Guangfu Teaching Institute" (东塔广福教院), and was named after the East Pagoda within the temple became a scenic spot. Dongta Temple is the oldest of Jiaxing's "seven pagodas and eight temples," and the Qing Dynasty's "East Pagoda Dawn" (东塔朝暾) was one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Jiahe" (嘉禾八景).
The discovery process was full of twists and turns, both accidental and inevitable. In the summer of 2023, the demolition and renovation of the area where the site is located began. During the pre-archaeological investigation, the census team noticed that the bricks and tiles under the foundation were different from ordinary construction waste. "At that time, the construction site was covered with thick slag. If we hadn't had an impression of the literature records of the 'Eight Scenic Spots of Jiahe,' we might have missed it," recalled a staff member of the Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Institute who participated in the excavation. The team members braved the scorching heat to consult more than 10 documents such as the "Jiaxing City Chronicle" (《嘉兴市志》), and locked the approximate location of the Dongta Temple Site from descriptions such as "East Pagoda is two li southeast of the city" and "East Pagoda is several zhang high, and the morning light penetrates the pagoda shadow." Combined with on-site surveys and repeated deliberations, they finally discovered the well-preserved pagoda base 3.5 meters underground.
The Dongta Temple Site was selected as one of the top ten major archaeological discoveries in Zhejiang Province in 2024. The exposed pagoda base site is well-preserved and clearly dated. It is the first fully exposed pagoda base site in China with the most complex structural treatment, representing the highest level of foundation construction techniques in the Jiangnan (江南) region during the Northern Song Dynasty. Its unique moisture-proof design demonstrates the ancients' remarkable ability to adapt to the humid and soft soil environment of the water town, providing valuable physical data for the study of Song Dynasty architectural technology. The conceptual plan for the synchronously planned Dongta Temple Archaeological Site Park has been completed. In the future, it will become a new cultural landmark integrating cultural relic display and Song Dynasty experience, allowing citizens to touch the cultural pulse of a thousand-year history.
The inclusion of the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall reflects the cultural relics census's emphasis on modern and contemporary heritage. This building, located on the east bank of Nanhu (南湖) Lake, was built to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and officially opened to the public in 1991. With the deepening of the concept of "surveying while publicizing" and "surveying while protecting," more and more citizens recommended the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall to the census office through hotlines, emails, and other means. Relevant departments proposed including it in the list of new discoveries at the "Fourth Census" work conference. Everyone reached a consensus—it witnessed the great spirit of the founding of the Party and carries the red memory of the people of Jiaxing, and should be cherished.
After in-depth research, the census team found that the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall carries unique red memories and social value. In 1990, the Jiaxing Municipal Government launched the "I Add Glory to Nanhu" campaign, and the children of Jiahe enthusiastically donated funds to jointly build this memorial hall. Ultimately, the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall was selected into the list of new discoveries as a "modern and contemporary important historical site and representative building."
The excavation of the Dongta Temple Site allows people to see the wisdom of Song Dynasty architecture in the Jiangnan water town; the inclusion of the old Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall allows the red gene to be revitalized in the new era. These new discoveries not only enrich Jiaxing's cultural relics heritage, but also make the city's historical axis clearer and its cultural context more coherent.
(Author's unit: Jiaxing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, Zhejiang Province)
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A section of animal bone, holding the spring and autumn of heaven and earth. Stepping into the Chinese Animal Resource Specimen Bank (中国动物资源标本库) is like opening a door to the depths of history. The sleeping bones are no longer silent; they carry the codes of natural evolution and human civilization, telling the long epic of the interaction between humans and the environment. The collection, preservation, and research of each specimen embody the hardships and dedication of disciplinary development.
The construction of the Chinese Animal Resource Specimen Bank (中国动物资源标本库) is a history of academic relay passed down through generations. As early as the 1930s, Academician Liu Dongsheng (刘东生) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), in order to study the animal remains of the Yin Ruins (殷墟), went to butcher shops to find bones for comparison, pioneering the real-object reference of animal archeology in China. In the early 1960s, Zhou Benxiong (周本雄), the first generation of animal archeologists, had already consciously begun to collect ancient animal specimens, but its scale was still small. In the 1990s, the second generation of scholars, represented by Yuan Jing (袁靖), truly started the systematic construction of the specimen bank in the Xibahe (西坝河) working area.
In 2011, the launch of the Innovation Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院) brought a turning point for the construction of the specimen bank. Special funding support made it possible to purchase extant animal specimens in a planned and batch-wise manner. Based on the rich remains, data, and research results accumulated over a long period, in 2019, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (国家文物局) officially entrusted the Institute of Archeology (考古研究所) as a pilot unit to prepare for the construction of the Chinese Animal Remains Specimen Database (中国动物遗存标本数据库). In 2024, the Key Laboratory of Scientific Archeology and Cultural Heritage Protection of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院科技考古与文化遗产保护重点实验室) was officially established. As an important cornerstone of the national key laboratory, the Chinese Animal Resource Specimen Bank (中国动物资源标本库) fully launched standardized construction in February 2025 and was officially completed and put into operation in July of the same year.
The specimen bank system consists of two major parts: the Chinese Ancient Animal Specimen Bank (中国古代动物标本库) and the Chinese Extant Animal Specimen Bank (中国现生动物标本库). The Chinese Ancient Animal Specimen Bank (中国古代动物标本库) systematically collects ancient animal bone specimens from 121 archeological sites in 26 provinces and cities, spanning from the Neolithic Age to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The specimens are arranged according to seven major archeological geographical and cultural regions: Northeast and Eastern Inner Mongolia, Upper Yellow River and Northwest, Middle Yellow River, Lower Yellow River and Huai River, Upper Yangtze River and Tibet, Middle and Lower Yangtze River, Lingnan and surrounding areas. Each specimen has a detailed "identity file" containing site information, age, excavation unit, and research results index.
The Chinese Ancient Animal Specimen Bank (中国古代动物标本库) brings together many of the most precious specimens in China and even the world, and can be called a "living archive" of animal domestication history. Among them, the remains of domestic dogs dating back 10,000 years unearthed at the Nanzhuangtou (南庄头) site in Hebei Province, as the earliest evidence of domestic animals in China, together with the bones of domestic pigs dating back 9,000 years unearthed at the Jiahu (贾湖) site in Henan Province, jointly confirm the original world contribution made by ancient Chinese ancestors in the field of animal domestication. The domestic sheep specimens dating back 5,000 years unearthed at the Lajia (喇家) site in Qinghai Province reveal the origin and development of the pastoral economy. The remains of domestic cattle dating back 4,500 years unearthed at the Shantaishi (山台寺) site in Henan Province and the bones of domestic horses dating back 3,300 years unearthed at the Yin Ruins (殷墟) site in Henan Province confirm the historical process of domesticating herbivorous animals in the Central Plains... These discoveries jointly demonstrate the ancient ancestors' inclusive, pioneering, and innovative development trajectory. Of particular note is the remains of the sacred water buffalo dating back 8,000 years unearthed at the Kuahuqiao (跨湖桥) site in Zhejiang Province—the discovery of this extinct species has triggered our historical reflection on ecological civilization construction.
The Chinese Extant Animal Specimen Bank (中国现生动物标本库) widely collects extant animal bone specimens such as shellfish, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals, covering multiple ecological regions across the country, and has both scientific research, teaching, and collection value. Each extant specimen also has a standardized file, recording its species, sex, age, collection location, source background, and production method. From the large and strong steed to the petite house mouse, from the snake with the most bones to the turtle with both endoskeleton and exoskeleton, from the sika deer inhabiting the land to the bluefish swimming in the water, from the birds and clams in the idiom 鹬蚌相争 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng - "snipe and clam fight," when two parties fight, a third party benefits) to the fish and sheep in the food culture of "fish and sheep make freshness" (鱼羊为鲜), the collection of the Chinese Extant Specimen Bank (中国现生标本库) can be described as rich and colorful.
From the sporadic collection 60 years ago to today's collection of more than 100,000 animal specimens, the Chinese Animal Resource Specimen Bank (中国动物资源标本库) has been built into the largest, most spatially and temporally comprehensive, most complete pedigree, and most representative animal archeological resource preservation and research center in China. The specimen bank provides key physical evidence for revealing ancient environmental changes, resource utilization, technological development, and livelihood models, and also plays a bridging role in science popularization and cultural communication. In the future, we will continue to work hard and 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "achieve success through persistent effort," persistent effort will lead to success).
(Author's affiliation: Key Laboratory of Scientific Archeology and Cultural Heritage Protection of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院科技考古与文化遗产保护重点实验室))
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