People's Daily - January 25, 2026

"Taking steady steps forward"

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 孙 振

Time: January 20

Agenda: General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar for principal leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

"The new journey is a new Long March." General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) speech in the "first lesson of the year" opened up the depths of time.

The theme of the "first lesson" is to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, focusing on how to view and act on the "15th Five-Year Plan," which is aimed at consolidating the foundation and making comprehensive efforts.

How to run the "key baton" in the relay race well? At the opening ceremony, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) earnestly encouraged: "Take firm steps step by step, advance stage by stage, and constantly accumulate small victories into big victories, so as to ensure that the cause of the Party and the country moves forward steadily and far."

(I) Reading "Books with Words" and Reading "Books without Words"

"Whenever we are at a major historical juncture, our Party always calls on the entire Party to strengthen its study." The intensive study and education within the Party since the new era, with its great intensity and numerous achievements, is rare even in the century-long history of the Party.

At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary once again emphasized "further strengthening study."

Why study?

There is the accumulation of knowledge, but more importantly, the tempering of thought.

Look at the "Planning History," this great book. From the "First Five-Year Plan" to the "14th Five-Year Plan," from a poor and weak agricultural country to becoming the world's second largest economy and moving towards the goal of building a strong socialist modern country in all respects... the "China System" is effective, and the "China Governance" is effectively implemented.

The more we learn, the more determined we become, and the more we believe: "Practice has proved that formulating and implementing five-year plans is an important experience for our Party in governing the country and an important political advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics."

Learning involves bearing the burden of tasks, but it is also driven by a sense of mission. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly pointed out:

"At present, technological innovation is advancing by leaps and bounds, social changes are broad and profound, and new things are emerging one after another. The quality and ability of some cadres cannot keep up, and 'skill panic' has emerged, especially when they are at a loss and frightened when faced with complex situations. The solution to this problem still lies in learning."

What to learn?

"The primary task is to study the Party's innovative theories, thoroughly understand the Party Central Committee's major policies and decisions, and improve political ability and strategic thinking ability," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out.

The Party's innovative theories are embodied in planning and governance. The soul of Marxism and the root of China's outstanding traditional culture are integrated into a blueprint. Upholding integrity and innovation, adhering to and developing, using the "arrow" of Marxism to shoot the "target" of China in the new era, has achieved the magnificent scene of Chinese-style modernization.

Looking at the new era, the "13th Five-Year Plan" with 165 major projects and the "14th Five-Year Plan" with 102 major projects have been promoted and implemented, behind which there are actions of upholding integrity and innovation, and the power of continuous planning: the national development plan is refined by special plans in the "vertical" direction, deepened by regional plans in the "horizontal" direction, and guaranteed by territorial space plans in the "land" direction. The "power of planning" reflects the "effectiveness of the system."

Adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, adhere to starting from reality, adhere to the principle of the whole country acting as one, adhere to promoting democracy and pooling wisdom, and adhere to the principle of legal planning. At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary summarized the experience with "five adherences." Theoretical innovation is endless, and learning and practice are endless.

How to learn?

"Comprehensive," "profound," and "accurate" are the methodology given by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) for understanding and grasping the spirit of the Plenary Session.

These six short characters are easy to know but difficult to practice. He further pointed out the learning path: "We must adhere to learning what we do, and making up for what we lack, enrich professional knowledge, and improve professional qualities." "We must combine reading 'books with words' and reading 'books without words,' learn from successful explorations, and learn wisdom from the people."

Every word is precious. Combining reading "books with words" and reading "books without words" is a vivid portrayal of Party members and cadres grasping learning in the new era.

For example, when talking about "winning strategic initiative by accelerating the construction of a new development pattern," the General Secretary assigned a question: "How to enhance the autonomy of expanding high-level opening to the outside world by strengthening the domestic big cycle, and enhance the vitality of domestic reform and development by expanding the international cycle, and strive to achieve internal and external connectivity and mutual promotion, there are many issues that need to be studied in depth."

To answer the question well, we must have the "two overall situations" of the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes in the world unseen in a century, deeply understand the "strategic guiding role of the national development plan," and read the "book without words" well. From the bustling ports, from the density and frequency of routes, from the development vitality of enterprises... look at the coast and also look at the inland, look at the present and also look at the long term, look at China and also look at the world.

(II) "Calculate Input-Output Accounts and Improve Adaptability"

Just one day before the opening ceremony, China's economic report card for 2025 was released, and the annual domestic production value jumped to a new level of 140 trillion yuan.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from the breakthrough of 110 trillion yuan to 120 trillion yuan, 130 trillion yuan, and 140 trillion yuan, China's economy "quadrupled," with an average annual growth of 5.4%, ranking among the top major economies in the world.

The world's second largest economy has moved from high-speed development to high-quality development. In the arduous journey of moving forward against pressure, how many times has the Party Central Committee made prudent decisions, decisive decisions, and key moves!

The "adaptability" described at this opening ceremony is precisely a perspective in economic law to observe "why" the Chinese economy "can."

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Modern infrastructure is an organic part of the modern industrial system. The '15th Five-Year Plan' has just begun, and everyone is planning to promote it. We must pay attention to calculating input-output accounts and improving adaptability. We must not ignore shortcomings, nor can we be too advanced and cause waste."

There are many examples: some high-speed rail stations and urban rail transit lines have difficulties in operation after completion, some large venues, exhibition halls, and museums have low utilization rates, some industrial parks are idle, and the adaptability between some infrastructures is not high.

The great way is simple. There are inherent laws in everything we do. Arranging the rhythm and progress scientifically and orderly, without being impetuous and rash, and without blindly following the trend, ultimately requires seeking truth from facts and adapting to local conditions. The General Secretary once exhorted: "Our feet must be on the ground."

How to coordinate the first and the last?

The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal puts the construction of a modern industrial system at the top of all strategic tasks. "It is after careful consideration," the General Secretary gave the reason at the opening ceremony, "In recent years, my country's economy has been weathering storms and maintaining strong resilience and vitality. The strategic support is a complete industrial system." Building a modern industrial system and promoting high-quality development, how many storms and waves have we encountered along the way, and how many times has Mount Tai pressed down on us, "the path remains unchanged, and the ambition remains unchanged."

How to balance the new and the old?

When talking about developing new quality productive forces, "we must not rush into action and blindly follow the trend, let alone be fond of the new and tired of the old, and lose the advantages of traditional industries." What is "old"? General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) further clarified: "This old does not refer to backwardness. The backward should be discarded, but our traditional existing advantages cannot be discarded."

How to deal with increase and decrease?

The backbone of the modern industrial system is advanced manufacturing. Paying attention to changes in the proportion of manufacturing, the General Secretary grasped the overall situation and observed the details: "Since 2006, the proportion of manufacturing in my country has generally declined. This is a phased normal phenomenon of industrial structure adjustment, but it cannot be allowed to continue to decline, let alone move towards industrial hollowing out."

How to "play the piano with ten fingers"?

"Economic development and social development complement each other, and one leg cannot be long and the other short. The reason why the Five-Year Plan is called the National Economic and Social Development Plan is precisely because of this." At the opening ceremony, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) thought about the coordinated answer to the "economic volume" and the "people's livelihood volume," "Formulate economic development policies to simultaneously embed the requirements for improving people's livelihood, and formulate people's livelihood policies to simultaneously consider the effect of promoting economic development."

A thousand pounds will be lifted by a feather, and the key lies in balance. Coordinating domestic and international affairs, taking into account needs and possibilities, the present and the long term, coordinating development and security, and the connection between local plans and special plans with the national overall plan... The General Secretary talked about all aspects, containing respect and adherence to the laws, "Development must be scientific development that follows economic laws, must be sustainable development that follows natural laws, and must be inclusive development that follows social laws."

When he was working in the local area, he said, "Leaders must have a level of competence. Where does the level of competence come from? The level of competence comes from the understanding and mastery of objective laws."

(III) Looking at the "Correct View of Achievements" in the Opening Year

The issue of the view of achievements has been emphasized in several important occasions, including the Central Economic Work Conference at the end of last year, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the beginning of this year, and this opening ceremony.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) described the far-reaching considerations for establishing and practicing a correct view of achievements: "The issue of the view of achievements is a fundamental issue, which is related to the Party's commitment to serving the public and governing for the people." "The '15th Five-Year Plan' is the opening year. Whether it is formulating plans or deploying implementation, we need to have a correct view of achievements. The leading bodies of provinces, cities, counties, and townships will be replaced one after another, and emphasizing the view of achievements is also very targeted."

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and uncertain and unpredictable factors increase. The more complex the situation, the easier it is to breed ideas of "seeking quickness" and "seeking visibility." The "first lesson" in the opening year once again emphasizes curbing the impulse for achievements, which is more profound.

At the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee at the end of last year, the statement that "Communists are materialists, and pragmatism is an essential quality" left a deep impression on people.

Pragmatism and a correct view of achievements are mutually supportive and internally unified. Without the support of pragmatic qualities, a correct view of achievements is empty talk; without a correct view of achievements, pragmatism may become mechanical "事務主義" (shì wù zhǔ yì - "事務主義," bureaucratism), or even "精致主義" (jīng zhì zhǔ yì - "精致主義," exquisite egoism) and "利己主義" (lì jǐ zhǔ yì - "利己主義," egoism) that produce images and figures.

Parochialism, 好大喜功 (hào dà xǐ gōng - "love big like success," be fond of boasting and exaggerating), falsification, and shirking responsibility are several manifestations of the misalignment of the view of achievements, which General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) analyzed in detail. When talking about shirking responsibility, he pointed out sharply, "On the one hand, new officials ignore old accounts, and on the other hand, they ignore difficult problems in their work and shirk responsibility to their successors."

What is the correct view of achievements?

"It requires us to adhere to starting from reality, act according to the laws, and create achievements that can withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and be recognized by the masses through scientific decision-making and hard work."

What is the wrong view of achievements?

"Starting from the interests of individuals or small groups, being impetuous, eager for quick success and instant benefits, engaging in falsification, blindly and recklessly, engaging in 'image projects' and '政績工程' (zhèng jì gōng chéng - "政績工程," vanity projects), leaving burdens and hidden dangers, and causing strong dissatisfaction among the people."

Defining the two views of achievements is also a "thought calibration" for the majority of Party members and cadres. The General Secretary saw the subtle and knew the obvious: "In recent years, some places and departments have problems in the preparation of plans, such as being divorced from reality, blindly following the trend, adding layers of codes, being impetuous and rash, simply 'outsourcing,' and producing rough and shoddy products, which must be prevented and corrected."

The view of achievements includes working methods. The General Secretary was targeted: "We must improve the differentiated assessment and evaluation system" and "prevent the vicious cycle of '數字出官、官出數字' (shù zì chū guān, guān chū shù zì - "數字出官、官出數字," officials being promoted based on statistics, and officials producing statistics for promotion)."

The view of achievements includes work style. Anything that is beneficial to the Party and the people should be done boldly and resolutely, without avoiding difficulties or shirking responsibilities.

At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary emphasized "vigorously promoting the spirit of struggle," establishing a clear orientation for practical work: "Those cadres who detour when encountering contradictions, bow their heads when encountering difficulties, shrink back when seeing risks, and do not show their swords at critical moments, and those cadres who are ambiguous in the face of right and wrong and act as good old men must never be reused." "Focus on cultivating and selecting outstanding cadres who dare to fight tough battles and are good at winning battles."

Return to Top

Xi Jinping Congratulates Museveni on Re-election as Ugandan President

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 24th. On January 23rd, President Xi Jinping (习近平) sent a congratulatory message to Yoweri Museveni (约韦里·穆塞韦尼), congratulating him on his re-election as President of the Republic of Uganda.

Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that China and Uganda have a traditional friendship. In recent years, the two sides have firmly supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and achieved remarkable results in coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs. President Museveni (穆塞韦尼) is an old friend of the Chinese people and has long been committed to promoting the development of bilateral relations. The Chinese side deeply appreciates this. I attach great importance to the development of China-Uganda relations and am willing to work with President Museveni (穆塞韦尼) to deepen political mutual trust, continue the traditional friendship, implement the results of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and promote the in-depth development of the China-Uganda comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to better benefit the people of both countries.

Return to Top

Strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality

By: 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 20th CPC Central Committee. He gave an in-depth exposition on major issues such as comprehensively, deeply, and accurately understanding and grasping the strategic deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and put forward clear requirements.

In recent days, the vast number of party members and cadres have conscientiously studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, expressing their determination to firmly support the "Two Establishments" and resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards," maintain strategic focus, enhance confidence in victory, actively assume responsibility, and strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality.

Comprehensively, Deeply, and Accurately Understand and Grasp the Strategic Deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made strategic deployments for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, which must be comprehensively, deeply, and accurately understood and grasped.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly summarized the political advantages embodied in the formulation and implementation of the Five-Year Plan with 'four benefits.' We will take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech as a guide, implement it without compromise, coordinate the transformation of traditional industries, the cultivation of emerging industries, and the layout of future industries, create high-level industrial research and development platforms, promote the efficient aggregation of innovative elements, and consolidate the foundation for industrial carrying capacity," said Li Ganxing (李赣兴), Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Pingxiang Economic and Technological Development Zone (萍乡经济技术开发区), Jiangxi Province.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) made an in-depth exposition on 'comprehensiveness,' 'depth,' and 'accuracy,' providing scientific guidance for us to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee," said Han Yong (韩勇), professor of public administration at the Party School (Administrative College) of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区党委党校（行政学院）). "Only by comprehensively, deeply, and accurately understanding and grasping the various strategic deployments can party members and cadres better appreciate the overall concept, systematic thinking, and the economic and social development laws behind them, and better unify their thinking, pool their strength, and earnestly do all their work well."

"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.' As a resource-based city, shouldering the mission of transforming the resource-based economy, we will accurately grasp the policy boundaries and scales, coordinate development and security, and promote energy transformation, industrial upgrading, and moderately diversified development in accordance with local conditions," said Ren Guangyao (任光耀), Secretary of the Jiexiu Municipal Party Committee (介休市委), Shanxi Province.

Continuously Enhance the Certainty and Sustainability of China'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, pointing out that "we must 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 China's development."

Building a modern industrial system and realizing the overall leap in the industrial system are important strategic tasks during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. "General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech pointed out the direction for us to promote industrial transformation and upgrading," said Zhang Hong (张宏), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Yantai Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology (烟台市工业和信息化局), Shandong Province. Yantai City will continue to consolidate and enhance its advantageous industries such as green petrochemicals, non-ferrous and precious metals, cultivate and strengthen its characteristic industries such as new energy and new building materials, and proactively lay out emerging future industries such as artificial intelligence and deep-sea aerospace, striving to build a modern industrial system with prominent main businesses, concentrated advantages, and diversified integration.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech is inspiring. As a grassroots power worker, I will base myself on my position and devote myself to starting a business," said Li Feiwei (李飞伟), head of the Labor Model Innovation Studio of the State Grid Jiashan County Power Supply Company (国家电网浙江嘉善县供电公司), Zhejiang. "We will adhere to starting from the actual situation of the industry and the needs of the people, research and tackle technical bottlenecks, respond to the expectations of the masses with the practical results of achievement transformation, and contribute to promoting the high-quality development of the power industry with practical actions."

Economic development and social development complement each other and must be coordinated and advanced. "General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'We must take improving people's livelihood as the focus of promoting social development and steadily improve the quality of people's lives while developing the economy.' We will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, grasping industrial upgrading with one hand, strengthening leading industries such as green building and ceramics, and introducing high-tech projects such as intelligent manufacturing and new materials; grasping the improvement of people's livelihood with the other hand, promoting the sinking of high-quality medical resources, continuing to deepen the education-strengthening county plan, and creating more local jobs, so that the masses can have good medical care at their doorstep, children can have good education at their doorstep, and people can have good jobs at their doorstep," said Zhao Chunrong (赵春荣), Secretary of the Minqing County Party Committee (闽清县委), Fuzhou City (福州市), Fujian Province.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized the need to effectively improve the level of social governance. "We will further promote the 'New Era Six-Foot Lane Work Method' in depth and in a solid manner, and better leverage the political and organizational advantages of party organizations through party building leadership, mass participation, resource integration, and social coordination, and continuously improve the ability and level of grassroots governance," said Wang Zhonglong (王中龙), Deputy Minister of the Social Work Department of the Anqing Municipal Party Committee (安庆市委社会工作部), Anhui Province. Tongcheng City (桐城市) makes good use of the cultural resources of "Six-Foot Lane" (六尺巷), establishing carriers such as mediation rooms and migrant worker rights protection stations, and integrating the traditional virtues of emphasizing courtesy and valuing harmony into grassroots governance.

Focus on Improving the Party's Ability and Level to Lead Economic and Social Development

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that 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 to lead economic and social development.

"The Party's innovative theories are the golden key for us to solve problems," said Shi Wangqing (石旺青), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Bayannur Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment (巴彦淖尔市生态环境局), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. "The comprehensive management of the Uliangsuhai River Basin (乌梁素海流域) has achieved remarkable results, which is fundamentally due to the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's (习近平) thought on ecological civilization. We must implement the requirements of 'studying the Party's innovative theories, improving professional skills, and enhancing practical abilities,' continuously improve our ability and level to use the Party's innovative theories to study new situations and solve new problems, and promote the construction of beautiful villages, beautiful rivers and lakes, and beautiful cities in an integrated manner, and build a more scientific and effective ecological security barrier."

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that it is necessary to establish and practice a correct view of performance, adhere to proceeding from reality and acting in accordance with laws, and consciously achieve performance for the people and achieve performance through hard work.

"Only by establishing and practicing a correct view of performance can party members and cadres implement the Party's line, principles, and policies well," said Wu Tao (吴涛), Secretary of the Tongshan County Party Committee (通山县委), Hubei Province. He said that he will conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, promote project construction in combination with local realities, promote the clustering of industries such as electronic information, equipment manufacturing, and new energy into chains, and promote the high-quality development of the county economy; adhere to taking benefiting the people as the greatest performance, vigorously invest in people's livelihood undertakings, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

"Promoting the establishment and practice of a correct view of performance is an important responsibility for organizational departments," said Wang Leixiang (汪磊翔), Executive Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Party Committee (甘南藏族自治州委组织部), Gansu Province. "We must thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important exposition on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, adhere to the clear orientation of emphasizing practical work, emphasizing practical results, and emphasizing responsibility, incorporate the practice of a correct view of performance into cadre assessment, annual assessment, and evaluation of advanced and excellent content, strengthen the application of assessment results, and guide party members and cadres to strive for progress and achieve practical results."

(Reporters Shen Tongrui (沈童睿), Liu Xiaoyu (刘晓宇), Wu Jun (吴君), Zheng Yangyang (郑洋洋), Zhu Jiaqi (祝佳祺), Tian Xianjin (田先进), and Zhao Jingfeng (赵景锋) of this newspaper)

Return to Top

Focus on planning and advancing the work of the People's Congress, closely aligned with the central tasks of the Party and the state.

Xinhua News Agency, Wuhan, January 24th. Zhao Leji (赵乐际), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, conducted research in Hubei (湖北) from January 22nd to 24th. He emphasized the need to adhere to Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, closely align with the central tasks of the Party and the state to plan and advance the work of the People's Congress, and provide legal guarantees for achieving a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan."

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) visited Yichang (宜昌) and Wuhan (武汉), going deep into the liaison stations of People's Congress representatives, enterprises, villages, and farmers' homes to engage in face-to-face exchanges with representatives and the public. He conducted research at the Zigui County (秭归县) People's Congress and the Hubei Provincial (湖北省) People's Congress, visited People's Congress cadres, and presided over a symposium to listen to opinions and suggestions on the draft work report of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the high-quality development of the work of the People's Congress.

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) emphasized the need to consistently use Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to unify thought, will, and action, deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishes," consciously achieve the "Two Safeguards," adhere to the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people being masters of the country, and the rule of law, and firmly grasp the correct political direction of the work of the People's Congress. Enhance the overall perspective and execution, strictly implement the reporting system, and combine statutory responsibilities to concretely and realistically implement the adherence to the Party's leadership in all aspects and throughout the entire process of the work of the People's Congress.

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) pointed out that the People's Congress should closely focus on the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, perform its duties in accordance with the law, assume its responsibilities, and better play its role in serving and guaranteeing. The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress will be held in March. It is necessary to organize representatives to study and research draft laws and conduct inspection and research activities, and support and guarantee that representatives fulfill their statutory duties well. This year will begin a new round of elections for People's Congresses at the county and township levels, and relevant work should be done in accordance with the arrangements of the Party Central Committee.

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on the Rule of Law and the spirit of the Central Conference on Work Concerning Overall Law-Based Governance, and give full play to the functional role of the People's Congress in comprehensively advancing the rule of law. Adhere to scientific legislation, democratic legislation, and legislation in accordance with the law, practice whole-process people's democracy, fully listen to opinions and suggestions from all parties, and focus on improving the quality of legislation. Conscientiously perform statutory supervisory duties, seize important work, key and difficult issues concerning reform, development, and the concerns of the masses, continuously and vigorously strengthen supervision, and continuously enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of supervision. Implement and implement the Law on Publicity and Education on the Rule of Law, carry out publicity and education on the rule of law at the grassroots level, the key is to be down-to-earth and truly effective, combine the rule of law with moral governance and self-governance, use methods that are easily accepted and participated in by the masses, enhance citizens' awareness of the rule of law in a subtle way, and promote the effective implementation of laws.

Zhao Leji (赵乐际) pointed out that it is necessary to implement the requirements of the "Four Organs," comprehensively strengthen the Party's construction and self-construction of the People's Congress, and build a solid foundation for the high-quality development of the work of the People's Congress. Thoroughly study and implement the Party Central Committee's deployment requirements for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, implement the political responsibility for managing the Party and governing the Party, consolidate and expand the achievements of studying and educating on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, and create a good environment of integrity and entrepreneurship. Establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, adhere to being realistic and pragmatic, and do all work in a solid and in-depth manner. 实事求是 (shí shì qiú shì - "seek truth from facts," be practical and realistic).

Return to Top

Resolutely win the tough, protracted, and comprehensive battle against corruption in the military

By: 解放军报社论

The Party Central Committee has decided to investigate Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立) for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, once again demonstrating the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission's clear attitude of having no restricted areas, full coverage, and zero tolerance for punishing corruption, investigating as much as is involved, and digging as deeply as necessary; fully demonstrating our Party's unwavering will to carry the anti-corruption struggle through to the end; and solemnly declaring that no matter who it is, no matter how high the position, as long as they engage in corruption, they will never be tolerated. Resolutely investigating and dealing with Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立) is a major achievement in the Party and the military's anti-corruption struggle, an important manifestation of the Party and the military's determination and strength, and is of great significance for winning the tough battle, protracted war, and overall war against corruption in the military. All officers and soldiers of the military must resolutely support the decision of the Party Central Committee, consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core in thought, politics, and action, resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi (习主席), and ensure the high degree of centralization, unity, purity, and consolidation of the troops.

Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立), as senior cadres of the Party and the military, have seriously failed the trust and heavy responsibility of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, seriously trampled on and undermined the CMC chairman responsibility system, seriously fostered and influenced political and corruption problems that endanger the Party's absolute leadership over the military and harm the Party's foundation for governance, seriously affected the image and prestige of the CMC leadership team, and seriously impacted the political and ideological foundation for the unity and progress of all officers and soldiers, causing great damage to the military's political construction, political ecology, and combat effectiveness construction, and causing extremely bad influence on the Party, the country, and the military. Investigating and dealing with Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立) in accordance with discipline and law will further rectify the source from a political perspective, eliminate toxins and malpractices from an ideological perspective, remove corruption and generate new muscle from an organizational perspective, consolidate and deepen the results of political rectification, promote the rebirth of the people's army, and inject strong impetus into the development of the cause of strengthening the military.

Corruption is a stumbling block and obstacle in the development of the Party and the country's cause, and anti-corruption is a major struggle that cannot be lost and must not be lost. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi (习主席), the entire military has adhered to comprehensively strengthening Party discipline and comprehensively strengthening military governance, deeply promoted political rectification, rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption, adhered to in-depth investigation and thorough elimination, resolutely investigated and dealt with high-level corrupt elements in the military, and strived to eliminate political hidden dangers. The people's army led by the Party has firmly guarded its roots and soul in tempering, forging, reforming, and innovating. Practice has fully proven that the more the people's army fights corruption, the stronger, purer, and more combat-effective it becomes, and the more thorough the anti-corruption effort, the more confidence and determination it has to achieve the centenary goal of army building.

冰冻三尺非一日之寒 (bīng dòng sān chǐ fēi yī rì zhī hán - "three feet of ice is not formed in a single day," problems accumulate over time; Rome wasn't built in a day). The current concentrated investigation and handling of corruption problems does not mean that the more corruption is fought, the more corrupt it becomes, but rather that the deeper it is dug, the deeper it goes. The historical trend is mighty and unstoppable, and the process of building a strong country and a strong military is unstoppable. No storm or test can shake the people's army's unwavering belief in following the Party wholeheartedly, and no difficulty or obstacle can stop the people's army's firm pace towards strengthening itself. We firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, the people's army will eliminate all negative and corrupt phenomena and always become a heroic force that the Party and the people can fully trust.

This year is the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan" and the year of decisive battle to achieve the centenary goal of army building. The tasks of political rectification, rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption in the military are still arduous and heavy. The entire military must promote comprehensively strengthening Party discipline and comprehensively strengthening military governance with higher standards and more practical measures, unswervingly promote political army building, continuously deepen political rectification, grasp the rectification of thought, the rectification of personnel, the rectification of organization, the rectification of work style, and the rectification of discipline in a connected manner, vigorously restore and carry forward the glorious traditions and fine work style of our Party and our army, and continuously purify thought, purify the ranks, and purify the ecology. We must unswervingly rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption, consolidate and expand the results of studying and educating on the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction, promote the integrated advancement of "dare not to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt," effectively govern various corruption problems, further confine power to the cage of the system, and strive to eradicate the soil and conditions for the breeding of corruption. Party member cadres in the military, especially senior cadres, must take the investigated and dealt with corrupt elements as negative examples, adhere to the Party's original aspiration as their fundamental aspiration and the Party's mission as their life, take the lead in strengthening ideological transformation, political forging, and work style shaping, consciously guard the ideological defense line, the bottom line of power use, the red line of laws and disciplines, and the boundary line of family style, and always maintain the political character of integrity and honesty. We must establish and practice a correct view of performance, grasp work, do business, and lead the team with practical actions of conviction, pragmatism, responsibility, and self-discipline, and resolutely implement the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi (习主席).

The new journey of building a strong country and a strong military is inspiring. Let us unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply implement Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military, deeply implement the military strategic guideline for the new era, deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," strengthen the "Four Confidences," achieve the "Two Safeguards," implement the CMC chairman responsibility system, keep in mind the entrustment, take responsibility, strive to overcome difficulties, faithfully fulfill the mission and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people, and accelerate the building of the people's army into a world-class army, so as to provide a strong strategic support for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), January 24)

Return to Top

Photo Report

The world's longest cross-sea high-speed railway bridge—Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge (杭州湾跨海铁路大桥)—is being constructed at an accelerated pace. The bridge has a total length of 29.2 kilometers and a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It is a key control project of the Nantong (南通), Jiangsu (江苏) to Ningbo (宁波), Zhejiang (浙江) high-speed railway. Once completed, it will further improve the regional road network layout and facilitate travel for people along the route.

The picture shows the construction site of the North Navigation Channel Bridge of the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge (杭州湾跨海铁路大桥) on January 22.

Dou Hanyang (窦瀚洋), Zhang Shun (张顺) photographed and reported.

Return to Top

"Soaking as many buns as there is soup": Quantifying assessment (Policy Interpretation)

By: 本报记者 王 浩

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "Determine the city by water, determine the land by water, determine the population by water, determine production by water," and "**有多少汤泡多少馍**" (yǒu duō shǎo tāng pào duō shǎo mó - "how much soup, how much steamed bread," live within your means, tailor your plans to the available resources).

Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Assessment Measures for Implementing the Rigid Water Resource Constraint System" (hereinafter referred to as the "Assessment Measures"), which came into effect on the date of issuance. This is an important institutional document for assessing the implementation of the rigid water resource constraint system by the people's governments of all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government).

With the introduction of the Assessment Measures, the assessment of the strictest water resource management system, which began in 2013, will be replaced. Why were the Assessment Measures introduced? What are the changes in the new Assessment Measures? What are the considerations behind them?

More Emphasis on Determining the City by Water, Determining the Land by Water, Determining the Population by Water, and Determining Production by Water

How did the policy evolve? Ma Chao, Director of the Comprehensive Division of the Water Resources Management Department of the Ministry of Water Resources, participated in the specific drafting of the Assessment Measures. He introduced that in 2012, the State Council issued opinions on implementing the strictest water resource management system. In 2013, the General Office of the State Council issued a document clarifying that the State Council would assess the implementation of the strictest water resource management system by various provinces.

The assessment of the strictest water resource management system has effectively promoted the comprehensive completion of control targets such as total water consumption and water use efficiency nationwide, continuously improved the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, and continuously improved the level of water resource conservation and intensive utilization. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with China's economic aggregate leaping to new levels and grain output achieving consecutive bumper harvests, the total water consumption of the entire society remained generally stable within 610 billion cubic meters.

Summer floods and winter droughts, with the north lacking water and the south abundant, the extremely uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources is China's basic water situation. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, life, production, and ecology all have significant demands for water resources. Some places over-exploit and utilize water resources, exacerbating the contradiction between supply and demand, leading to problems such as river cutoffs, lake shrinkage, and groundwater level decline, affecting the sustainable economic and social development.

According to the new situation, new changes, and new circumstances of water resources, the "14th Five-Year Plan" outline proposes to establish a rigid water resource constraint system. The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly requires the implementation of a rigid water resource constraint system. In order to effectively exert the "baton" role of assessment and promote the system from "establishment" to "implementation," the assessment of the strictest water resource management system is gradually adjusted to the assessment of the implementation of the rigid water resource constraint system.

"Compared with the original, the rigid water resource constraint system, in addition to further strengthening the control of total water consumption and water use efficiency, places more emphasis on 'determining the four things by water' (determining the city by water, determining the land by water, determining the population by water, and determining production by water), especially emphasizing promoting economic and social development in accordance with water availability, improving the mechanism for water resource conservation and intensive utilization, improving the mechanism for water resource overload management, and strengthening supervision and management," Ma Chao introduced.

In order to prepare the Assessment Measures, the Ministry of Water Resources led a written survey of more than 10 departments, various river basin management agencies, and provincial water administrative departments to solicit opinions and suggestions; and conducted in-depth field research in areas such as Jiangsu (江苏) and Ningxia (宁夏). "Some regions proposed to further highlight determining things by water and acting according to water availability, and to more fully reflect the rigid water resource constraint requirements in relevant planning decisions and construction project layouts. Some suggested paying more attention to the daily supervision of water resources, using information technology to improve the effectiveness of assessment, and reducing the burden on the grassroots. These opinions have been incorporated into the Assessment Measures," Ma Chao introduced.

It is reported that the main content of the Assessment Measures consists of 18 articles and indicator attachments, and there have been certain changes in the assessment content compared with the original.

Regarding the completion of targets, the Assessment Measures retain the control targets for total water consumption and water use efficiency, add targets for water resource protection and overload management, and delete the control target for the water quality compliance rate of water function zones. Regarding the implementation of measures, the Assessment Measures have been modified from the original four items of total water consumption control, water use efficiency control, restriction of pollution discharge in water function zones, and water resource management responsibilities and assessments to five items: economic and social development in accordance with water availability, water resource conservation and intensive utilization, water resource protection and overload management, water resource supervision, and responsibility implementation and reform and innovation.

Taking Available Water as the Boundary for Economic and Social Development Water Use, Promoting Determining Demand by Water

The assessment content clarified in the Assessment Measures is mainly reflected in 21 primary assessment indicators.

"Determining the four things by water," the key premise is "determining water," taking the available water in each region as the boundary for economic and social development water use. The Assessment Measures include "completion of the total water resource development and utilization control target" in the assessment content, which is an important manifestation of "determining water."

After "determining water," it is necessary to promote the coordination of cities, land, people, and production with water resource conditions. The Assessment Measures, focusing on "promoting economic and social development in accordance with water availability," set up four primary assessment indicators: "determining industrial layout based on water availability," "carrying out agricultural production in accordance with water conditions," "industrial development coordinated with water resource conditions," and "promoting urban development and land greening based on water availability." The purpose is to promote determining demand by water and promote the coordination of economic and social development with water resource carrying capacity.

"Putting these considerations together, it is actually '**有多少汤泡多少馍**' (yǒu duō shǎo tāng pào duō shǎo mó - "how much soup, how much steamed bread," live within your means, tailor your plans to the available resources)," Ma Chao said.

Ningxia (宁夏) is located in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. The Yellow River water is to the development of Ningxia precisely the relationship between "soup" and "steamed bread."

How to "determine water"? Ningxia, in accordance with the total target clarified by the state, refines and clarifies the available water for each city and county (district) as the boundary condition for water resource development and utilization. The relevant person in charge of the Department of Water Resources of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (宁夏回族自治区水利厅) introduced that, according to the available water and in accordance with the principle of "determining the four things by water," it is clarified that the agricultural irrigation area should be generally stabilized within a scale of 12 million mu, and the urban development boundary should be controlled within 1486.39 square kilometers. On this basis, the industrial structure is optimized and adjusted. For example, while ensuring grain output, the planting area of water-intensive crops such as rice is reduced, and water-saving and efficient crops such as corn are planted instead, and the layout of high water-consuming industrial projects is strictly restricted.

"Determining the four things by water," the key depends on "water conservation." The Assessment Measures include "completion of the water use efficiency control target" as the main target reflecting water conservation in the assessment content, and focusing on "water resource conservation and intensive utilization," set up the implementation of "agricultural water-saving and efficiency-enhancing system and policy system," "industrial water-saving and emission-reduction system and policy system," "urban water-saving and loss-reducing system and policy system," and "water-saving policy support and mechanism guarantee" four primary assessment indicators, striving to reduce water resource consumption and improve water use efficiency, so as to expand the development space through water conservation.

Dezhou (德州), Shandong (山东) was once listed as a Yellow River water resource overload area due to excessive water consumption. "We have successively implemented 17 national and provincial pilot projects to tighten the 'water tap'," said Li Shouxue, Director of the Dezhou Water Resources Bureau (德州市水利局). From using 1.5 billion cubic meters of Yellow River water every year in the past to now reducing it to 977 million cubic meters, Dezhou has removed the "overload area" label by relying on water conservation.

"After the introduction of the Assessment Measures, the 'golden hoop' is tighter, requiring us to adhere to water conservation first, and 'determine things by water and act according to water availability'," said Li Shouxue.

To implement the rigid water resource constraint system, it is also necessary to strengthen water resource protection and focus on solving the problem of excessive development and utilization of water resources. The Assessment Measures, focusing on "water resource protection and overload management," set up four primary assessment indicators: "surface water resource protection," "groundwater management and protection," "implementation of the river and lake chief system," and "drinking water source protection." All localities should adhere to taking the basin as a unit, closely focus on problems such as river cutoffs, lake shrinkage, and groundwater over-extraction, trace the roots and sources, focus on governance, return water to the river, return water to the underground, and restore life to rivers and revitalize basins.

The Yongding River (永定河) has had water throughout the entire line for three consecutive years, the Zhang River (漳河) has had continuous water flow throughout the entire line for five consecutive years, and more than 80 spring eyes in Beijing (北京) have been restored... The situation of "all rivers in the Hai River Basin (海河流域) are dry and all water is polluted" has been fundamentally reversed. "We will combine the assessment work with daily supervision, continue to improve the level of information-based supervision, strengthen the supervision of water intake, river and lake water conditions, ecological flow guarantee, and the implementation of groundwater 'dual control' indicators, and at the same time achieve 'no disturbance'," introduced Mei Chuanshu, Director of the Water Resource Conservation and Protection Division of the Hai River Water Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部海河水利委员会).

Assessment Results are Divided into 4 Levels and will be Used as an Important Reference for the Comprehensive Assessment and Evaluation of Leadership Teams

How to connect the new and old Assessment Measures?

On the one hand, adhere to the principle of gradual progress. When organizing the formulation of the 2024 and 2025 assessment plans for the strictest water resource management system, the Ministry of Water Resources, together with relevant departments, has gradually incorporated the relevant tasks of implementing the rigid water resource constraint system into the assessment, such as the compliance rate of river and lake ecological flow, the compliance rate of groundwater level, the determination of available water, and the implementation of water resource demonstration in planning.

On the other hand, considering that all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government) have implemented relevant work in accordance with the original Assessment Measures in 2025, and the 2025 assessment plan for the strictest water resource management system has been issued and implemented, after the new Assessment Measures are issued, the Ministry of Water Resources will still work with relevant departments to organize and do a good job in the 2025 assessment of the strictest water resource management system in accordance with the original Assessment Measures, and strive to submit the assessment results to the State Council before the end of June 2026.

"In 2026, all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government) will implement relevant work in accordance with the Assessment Measures, and the Ministry of Water Resources will work with relevant departments to formulate the 2026 assessment plan for implementing the rigid water resource constraint system and organize and do a good job in the 2026 assessment," Ma Chao introduced.

The assessment evaluation adopts a scoring method, with a full score of 100 points, and the results are divided into four levels: excellent, good, qualified, and unqualified. Provinces where the water resource situation has deteriorated due to the ineffective implementation of the rigid water resource constraint system shall not be rated as good or above in the annual assessment results. The annual assessment results shall be submitted to the cadre management department as an important reference for the comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the main responsible persons and leadership teams of the people's governments of all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government).

The person in charge of the Water Resource Management Department of the Ministry of Water Resources introduced that the introduction and implementation of the Assessment Measures will further promote the implementation of the rigid water resource constraint system, strengthen the conservation, intensive, and safe utilization of water resources, and enable limited water resources to effectively support and guarantee high-quality development.

Return to Top

How to "Catch Up" on Winter Wheat Seedling Conditions

By: 本报记者 郁静娴

Currently, winter wheat is in its overwintering period. The Huanghuaihai region, as China's main wheat-producing area, accounts for about 90% of the country's wheat production. Continuous rainfall in the autumn of 2025 led to a large-scale delay in wheat sowing, and the proportion of late and weak seedlings of winter wheat is higher than in normal years. Affected by the recent cold wave, rain, snow, and freezing weather, the risk of freezing damage to winter wheat in the above-mentioned areas has increased.

In order to reduce the impact of late sowing and freezing damage, various regions are taking multiple measures to "catch up" with the seedling situation, ensuring that they are fully planted and well managed.

Challenge

Small Seedling Age and Complex Seedling Situation

Small seedling age and complex seedling situation are the main challenges facing winter wheat. According to a recent inspection by the Wheat Expert Guidance Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部), the green coverage of farmland in the northern part of the Huanghuaihai region is relatively high, while the southern part is relatively low. There are few farmland seedlings with more than 4 leaves, and some wheat fields have not emerged or have just emerged with 1 leaf.

Although the overwintering seedling situation is complex, there are also favorable factors. Wang Zhimin (王志敏), a member of the Wheat Expert Guidance Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and a professor at China Agricultural University (中国农业大学), introduced that the temperature was relatively high and the sunshine was good for a period of time, and the overall time of entering winter was delayed, and the growth of wheat was compensated to a certain extent; due to watering and precipitation, most of the farmland has good soil moisture, which is conducive to the safe overwintering of wheat; farmers "compensate for the lateness with density," and the sowing amount has generally increased, and the quality of emergence is mostly good; late sowing inhibits the growth of weeds before winter and also reduces the base number of diseases and insect pests.

In Luancheng District (栾城区), Shijiazhuang City (石家庄市), Hebei Province (河北省), wheat entered the overwintering period on December 6, 2025, which was 7 days later than usual. Zhang Hua (张华), a senior agronomist at the District Agricultural Technology Extension Center, introduced that the temperature after sowing was higher than usual, and the main stem leaves of wheat grew 1 more leaf than expected; with the increase in sowing amount, the average number of basic seedlings per mu in the district was 316,000, an increase of 61,000 compared with the previous year, which laid the foundation for the spring wheat returning to green growth and transformation and upgrading.

Effort

Do a Good Job in Preventing Freezing and Preserving Soil Moisture for Late-Sown Wheat

"Wheat has a long growth period and a large margin for maneuver. If it is fully sown and well managed, the subsequent seedling situation can still be transformed and upgraded," said Wang Zhimin (王志敏). Grain farmers in various regions seize favorable factors, carefully manage late-sown wheat, and ensure safe overwintering.

In Zongan Village (宗庵村), Yuji Township (于集乡), Lingcheng District (陵城区), Dezhou City (德州市), Shandong Province (山东省), wheat was sown more than 20 days late. Wang Jiancheng (王建成), a "veteran" who has been planting grain in the village for many years, said, "Although the above-ground part of winter wheat is dormant, the root system is still growing slowly, and it has grown about 5 centimeters in the past month."

"The management of late-sown wheat should be more refined. During this period, we will do a good job in preventing freezing and preserving soil moisture. Nourish the root system and 攒劲 (zǎn jìn - "gather strength," to accumulate energy or momentum for future effort) for the growth of wheat after returning to green," said Wang Jiancheng (王建成). In the early stage of rushing to plant, due to the large soil viscosity, some plots were not sown deep enough, and there were still clods in the ground. Using agricultural machinery to compact the land can effectively avoid "running off soil moisture and leaking air," and the wheat field will grow more vigorously.

Recently, the first cold wave of the year brought rain, snow, and freezing weather, and the temperature dropped sharply in some areas. Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) and the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局) had jointly issued a risk warning for freezing damage to winter wheat and rapeseed, suggesting that winter wheat areas in the north should carry out micro-sprinkler irrigation and adjust the temperature with water before the arrival of cold air, depending on the local conditions, seedlings, and soil moisture, to reduce the risk of freezing damage.

On January 19, Hou Shuibo Village (后水波村), Chudian Town (楚店镇), Guoyang County (涡阳县), Bozhou City (亳州市), Anhui Province (安徽省) experienced snowfall. "Freezing prevention measures were taken in the field in the early stage. The snowfall these two days not only increases soil moisture and replenishes water, but also forms an insulation layer, which helps to keep warm and prevent freezing, and protect the root system and tillering nodes of wheat from freezing damage." Zhang Linsen's (张林森) family farm, a large grain grower, has more than 1,100 mu of wheat. After the autumn harvest in 2025, in order to sow wheat as soon as possible, he increased the intensity of deep loosening and deep plowing to accelerate soil moisture evaporation, and most of the plots completed sowing in early November.

Zhang Linsen (张林森) said that although this season's wheat was sown later than in previous years, farmers promptly replenished soil moisture to the plots with poor soil moisture after sowing to ensure the emergence rate of wheat; two foliar fertilizers were also sprayed and sufficient water was watered some time ago, and most of the wheat grew well before winter.

In Guoyang (涡阳), the county's wheat sowing area is 1.86 million mu. "Through intensive cultivation, late-sown seedlings can also be promoted from weak to strong." The person in charge of the Guoyang County Agricultural Technology Extension Center introduced that the county provides classified guidance on moisture replenishment, compaction, and topdressing according to different sowing periods, different soil moisture conditions, and different growth trends. At present, the county's first and second-class seedling area of wheat is 1.62 million mu, accounting for more than 85%.

Strong Seedlings

Strengthen Agricultural Technology Guidance and Promotion

Since the autumn and winter sowing of wheat in late October 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) has implemented a 60-day campaign to fight autumn floods, rush to sow wheat, and promote strong seedlings. Twelve technical guidance groups went to the front line of production in key provinces; at the same time, the "Promote Strong Seedling Agricultural Technology Hundred-Day Action" was implemented, and agricultural technology extension systems at all levels were organized to ensure the implementation of area protection, sowing quality, and safe overwintering. Various regions have strengthened technical training on field management before winter, implemented key field management measures according to local conditions and seedlings, strengthened the prevention and control of diseases, insect pests, and weeds, and promoted the cultivation of strong seedlings before winter to the end.

"For those sown after October 25, increase the seed sowing amount by 250 grams per mu for every 1 day of late sowing; if sown in early November, the sowing amount per mu is about 17.5-20 kg." Yuanyang County (原阳县), Xinxiang City (新乡市), Henan Province (河南省) formulated a wheat "anti-humidity late sowing" work plan, and hundreds of scientific and technological personnel went to the countryside to contract villages and households to carry out roving explanations and technical guidance to ensure that "each household has a clear paper and each household has a clear person."

Zhang Baoguang (张宝光), a senior agronomist at the Yuanyang County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, introduced that according to the characteristics of large, medium, and small ears of wheat, scientifically increasing the seed sowing amount and appropriately increasing the application of organic fertilizer can promote a moderate population and turn weak seedlings into strong ones. The first and second-class seedlings in the county's 1 million mu of wheat have reached more than 60%.

In February of this year, wheat will enter the spring management stage. The relevant person in charge of the Crop Production Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) said that spring management of wheat should be done "early management, mainly promotion, resistance to adversity and prevention of harm, and ensuring ear weight increase," refine the plan by region and category, and implement precise policies according to local conditions and seedlings, including rationally doing a good job in early spring and skillfully applying fertilizer and water, so as to consolidate the foundation for summer grain production.

In Yuanyang County (原阳县), in response to the classified management of wheat after returning to green in spring, Zhang Baoguang (张宝光) introduced that for first-class seedlings, the management of controlling excessive growth and promoting strong growth will be highlighted, and prevention and control will be carried out in a timely manner depending on the occurrence density of wheat diseases and insect pests; second-class seedlings will highlight the implementation of forward management measures to make them more tillering and more ears; third-class seedlings will highlight the stimulation of growth measures to promote early development of wheat seedlings.

Return to Top

"Steadily Moving Forward Step by Step"

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 孙 振

Time: January 20

Agenda: General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar for principal leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

"The new journey is a new Long March." General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) speech in the "first lesson of the year" opened up the depths of time.

The theme of the "first lesson" is to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, anchoring how to view and do the "15th Five-Year Plan," which is aimed at consolidating the foundation and comprehensively exerting efforts.

How to run the "key baton" in the relay race well? At the opening ceremony, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) earnestly encouraged: "Take firm steps step by step, and advance stage by stage, so as to continuously accumulate small victories into big victories, and ensure that the cause of the Party and the country moves steadily and far."

(I) Reading "Books with Words" and Reading "Books without Words"

"Whenever there is a major historical juncture, our Party always calls on the entire Party to strengthen learning." The intensive study and education within the Party since the new era, with its great intensity and numerous achievements, is rare even in the century-long history of the Party.

At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary once again emphasized "further strengthening learning."

Why learn?

There is the accumulation of knowledge, but more importantly, the tempering of thought.

Look at the "planning history" as a great book. From the "First Five-Year Plan" to the "14th Five-Year Plan," from a poor and weak agricultural country to becoming the world's second largest economy and moving towards the goal of building a strong socialist modern country in all respects... the "China System" is effective, and the "China Governance" is effectively implemented.

The more we learn, the more determined we become, and the more we believe: "Practice has proved that formulating and implementing five-year plans is an important experience for our Party in governing the country, and an important political advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics."

Learning involves bearing the burden of tasks, but it is also driven by a sense of mission. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly pointed out:

"At present, technological innovation is advancing by leaps and bounds, social changes are broad and profound, and new things are emerging one after another. The quality and ability of some cadres cannot keep up, and there is a 'competency panic,' especially when they are at a loss and feel apprehensive when faced with complex situations. The solution to this problem still lies in learning."

What to learn?

"The primary task is to study the Party's innovative theories, thoroughly understand the Party Central Committee's major policies and decisions, and improve political ability and strategic thinking ability," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out.

The Party's innovative theories are embodied in planning and governance. The soul of Marxism and the root of China's outstanding traditional culture are integrated into a blueprint. Upholding righteousness and innovation, adhering to and developing, using the "arrow" of Marxism to shoot the "target" of China in the new era, has achieved the magnificent landscape of Chinese-style modernization.

Looking to the new era, the promotion and implementation of 165 major projects in the "13th Five-Year Plan" and 102 major projects in the "14th Five-Year Plan" are backed by upholding righteousness and innovation, and the power of continuous planning: the national development plan is refined in the "vertical" direction by special plans, deepened in the "horizontal" direction by regional plans, and guaranteed in the "spatial" direction by territorial space plans. The "power of planning" reflects the "effectiveness of the system."

Adhering to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, adhering to starting from reality, adhering to the principle of the whole country acting as one, adhering to promoting democracy and pooling wisdom, and adhering to the principle of legal planning. At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary summarized the experience with "five adherences." Theoretical innovation is endless, and learning and practice are endless.

How to learn?

"Comprehensively," "profoundly," and "accurately," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) gave this methodology for understanding and grasping the spirit of the Plenary Session.

These six short characters are easy to know but difficult to do. He further pointed out the learning path: "We must adhere to learning what we do, and supplementing what we lack, enrich professional knowledge, and improve professional qualities." "We must combine reading 'books with words' and reading 'books without words,' learn from successful explorations, and learn wisdom from the people."

Every word is precious. Combining reading "books with words" and reading "books without words" is a vivid portrayal of Party members and cadres in the new era grasping learning.

For example, when talking about "winning strategic initiative by accelerating the construction of a new development pattern," the General Secretary assigned a question: "How to enhance the autonomy of expanding high-level opening to the outside world by strengthening the domestic circulation, and enhance the vitality of domestic reform and development by expanding international circulation, and strive to achieve internal and external connectivity, mutual promotion, and common progress, there are many issues that need in-depth research."

To answer the question well, we must have the "two overall situations" of the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes unseen in a century in the world, deeply understand "giving play to the strategic guiding role of the national development plan," and read "books without words" well. From the bustling ports, from the density and frequency of routes, from the development vitality of enterprises... look at the coast and also look at the inland, look at the present and also look at the long term, look at China and also look at the world.

(II) "Calculate the Input-Output Account, Improve Adaptability"

Just one day before the opening of the class, China's 2025 economic report card was released, and the annual domestic product value jumped to a new level of 140 trillion yuan.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from the breakthrough of 110 trillion yuan to 120 trillion yuan, 130 trillion yuan, and 140 trillion yuan, China's economy "jumped four times in a row," with an average annual growth of 5.4%, ranking among the top major economies in the world.

As the world's second largest economy moves from high-speed development to high-quality development, how many prudent decisions, decisive decisions, and key moves has the Party Central Committee made in the arduous journey of moving forward against pressure!

The "adaptability" described in this opening ceremony is precisely a perspective in economic law to observe "why" the Chinese economy "can."

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Modern infrastructure is an organic part of the modern industrial system. The '15th Five-Year Plan' has just begun, and everyone is planning to promote it. We must pay attention to calculating the input-output account and improving adaptability. We must neither ignore the shortcomings nor be too advanced and cause waste."

There are many examples: some high-speed rail stations and urban rail transit lines have difficulty operating after completion, some large venues, exhibition halls, and museums have low utilization rates, some industrial parks are idle, and the adaptability between some infrastructures is not high.

The great way is simple. There are inherent laws in everything we do. Arranging the rhythm and progress scientifically and orderly, not being impatient and rash, not blindly following the trend, ultimately, we must seek truth from facts and adapt to local conditions. The General Secretary once exhorted: "Our feet must be on the ground."

How to coordinate the first and the last?

The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal puts the construction of a modern industrial system at the top of all strategic tasks. "It is after careful consideration," the General Secretary gave the reason at the opening ceremony, "In recent years, China's economy has been weathering storms and maintaining strong resilience and vitality. The strategic support is a complete industrial system." Building a modern industrial system and promoting high-quality development, how many storms and waves have been encountered along the way, and how many times has Mount Tai been pressing down, "the path remains unchanged, and the ambition remains unchanged."

How to balance the new and the old?

When talking about developing new quality productive forces, "we must not rush into action and follow the trend, let alone be fond of the new and tired of the old, and lose the advantages of traditional industries." What is "old"? General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) further clarified: "This old does not refer to backwardness. The backward must be discarded, but our traditional existing advantages cannot be discarded."

How to deal with increase and decrease?

The backbone of the modern industrial system is advanced manufacturing. Paying attention to changes in the proportion of manufacturing, the General Secretary observed the situation with a keen eye: "Since 2006, the proportion of manufacturing in my country has generally declined. This is a normal phased phenomenon of industrial structure adjustment, but it cannot be allowed to continue to decline, let alone move towards industrial hollowing out."

How to "play the piano with ten fingers"?

"Economic development and social development complement each other, and one leg cannot be long and the other short. The reason why the five-year plan is called the National Economic and Social Development Plan is precisely because of this." At the opening ceremony, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pondered the coordinated answer to the "economic volume" and the "people's livelihood volume," "Formulate economic development policies to simultaneously embed the requirements for improving people's livelihood, and formulate people's livelihood policies to simultaneously consider the effect of promoting economic development."

A thousand pounds will be lifted by a feather, and the key lies in balance. Coordinating domestic and international affairs, taking into account needs and possibilities, the present and the long term, coordinating development and security, and the connection between local plans and special plans and the overall national plan... the General Secretary talked about all aspects, containing respect and adherence to the laws, "Development must be scientific development that follows economic laws, must be sustainable development that follows natural laws, and must be inclusive development that follows social laws."

When he was working in the local area, he said, "Leaders must have a level of competence. Where does the level of competence come from? The level of competence comes from the understanding and mastery of objective laws."

(III) Looking at the "Correct View of Achievements" in the Opening Year

The issue of the view of achievements has been emphasized in several important occasions, including the Central Economic Work Conference at the end of last year, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the beginning of this year, and this opening ceremony.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) described the far-reaching considerations for establishing and practicing a correct view of achievements: "The issue of the view of achievements is a fundamental issue, which concerns the Party's commitment to serving the public and governing for the people." "The '15th Five-Year Plan' is the opening year. Whether it is formulating plans or deploying implementation, we need to have a correct view of achievements. The leading bodies of provinces, cities, counties, and townships will be replaced one after another, and emphasizing the view of achievements is also very targeted."

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and uncertain and unpredictable factors increase. The more complex the situation, the easier it is to breed ideas of "seeking quick results" and "seeking obvious results." The "first lesson" in the opening year emphasizes stopping the impulse for achievements again, which is more meaningful.

At the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee at the end of last year, the statement that "Communists are materialists, and pragmatism is an essential quality" left a deep impression on people.

Pragmatism and a correct view of achievements are mutually supportive and internally unified. Without the support of pragmatic qualities, a correct view of achievements is empty talk; without a correct view of achievements, pragmatism may become mechanical "事務主義" (shì wù zhǔ yì - "事務主義,"事務主義)., even "精致主義" (jīng zhì zhǔ yì - "精致主義,"精致主義) and "利己主義" (lì jǐ zhǔ yì - "利己主義,"利己主義) that produce images and figures.

本位主義 (běn wèi zhǔ yì - "departmentalism," putting one's own unit's interests above all else), 好大喜功 (hào dà xǐ gōng - "love the big, be fond of success," be over ambitious and fond of grandiose projects), 弄虚作假 (nòng xū zuò jiǎ - "practice fraud," to practice fraud), 推脱责任 (tuī tuō zé rèn - "shirk responsibility," to evade responsibility), General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) analyzed the manifestations of several misplaced views of achievements. Speaking of shirking responsibility, he pointed out sharply, "On the one hand, new officials do not care about old accounts, and on the other hand, they do not care about the difficult problems in their work and throw the blame on their successors."

What is the correct view of achievements?

"It requires us to adhere to starting from reality, act according to the laws, and create achievements that can withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and be recognized by the masses through scientific decision-making and hard work."

What is the wrong view of achievements?

"Starting from the interests of individuals or small groups, being impetuous, eager for quick success and instant benefits, practicing fraud, acting blindly, engaging in 'image projects' and 'achievement projects,' leaving burdens and hidden dangers, and causing strong dissatisfaction among the people."

Defining the two views of achievements is also a "thought calibration" for the majority of Party members and cadres. The General Secretary saw the subtle and knew the significant: "In recent years, some places and departments have problems in the preparation of plans, such as being divorced from reality, blindly following the trend, adding layers of code, being impatient and rash, and simply 'outsourcing' and producing shoddy products. We must prevent and correct them."

The view of achievements includes working methods. The General Secretary was targeted: "We must improve the differentiated assessment and evaluation system" and "prevent the vicious cycle of 'officials being produced by numbers and numbers being produced by officials'."

The view of achievements includes work style. Anything that is beneficial to the Party and the people must be done boldly and resolutely, without avoiding difficulties or evading responsibilities.

At the opening ceremony, the General Secretary emphasized "vigorously promoting the spirit of struggle," establishing a clear orientation for practical work: "Those cadres who detour when encountering contradictions, bow their heads when encountering difficult problems, shrink back when seeing risks, and do not show their swords at critical moments, and those cadres who are ambiguous in the face of right and wrong and act as good old men must never be reused." "We must focus on cultivating and selecting outstanding cadres who dare to fight tough battles and are good at winning battles."

Return to Top

Mobile phone market exceeds one trillion yuan.

This report Beijing (北京) January 24 (Reporter Wang Ke (王珂)) reported: The reporter learned from the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) that in 2025, China's wholesale and retail industry developed well, providing strong support for expanding domestic demand in all directions and building a strong domestic market. In 2025, the added value of China's wholesale and retail industry was 14.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%, accounting for 10.4% of GDP, a record high.
　　Trade-in programs have achieved remarkable results, and domestic "trendy products" are widely favored. Since the implementation of the consumer goods trade-in policy, more than 192 million home appliances have been traded in, and more than 91 million mobile phones and other digital products have been purchased. Driven by the policy, the market size of home appliances and mobile phones both exceeded one trillion yuan in 2025, a record high. Time-honored brands are very popular. In 2025, a total of 271 "Time-honored Brand Carnival" special events were held across the country, driving online and offline sales of 22.66 billion yuan. Platform enterprise data shows that in 2025, the dine-in transaction volume of Chinese time-honored catering enterprises increased by 21.6% year-on-year.
　　The market is operating steadily, and the growth of business formats is good. From the perspective of the wholesale industry, in 2025, the transaction volume of commodity markets in key contact with the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) increased by 3.6% year-on-year, and the profit increased by 9.7% year-on-year. Among them, the transaction volume of the industrial consumer goods market increased by 9.1% year-on-year. From the perspective of the retail industry, in 2025, China's commodity retail sales reached 44.3 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, and the growth rate expanded by 0.6 percentage points compared with 2024. Among retail units above the designated size, the retail sales of convenience stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, and department stores increased by 5.5%, 4.3%, 2.6%, and 0.1% year-on-year, respectively, and the retail sales of warehouse membership stores, collection stores, and unattended stores maintained double-digit growth.
　　Urban and rural markets are vibrant, and consumption potential continues to be released. Urban commercial development is progressing steadily. In 2025, the passenger flow and turnover of 78 key pedestrian streets and business districts monitored by the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) nationwide increased by 5.2% and 4.3% year-on-year, respectively. The county commercial system is constantly improving. The Ministry of Commerce (商务部) has cumulatively built and renovated 189,000 commercial outlets of various types in counties and villages.

Return to Top

Photo Report

On January 24th, the 17th Tianjin Children's Temple Fair opened with great fanfare at the Tianjin Municipal Children's Activity Center (天津市少年儿童活动中心). This year's temple fair features activities such as intangible cultural heritage handicraft production, Tianjin-style (津味) intangible cultural heritage food tasting, and interactive games, attracting many parents and children to experience the festive atmosphere and the charm of traditional folk culture. The picture shows children performing shadow puppetry at the Children's Temple Fair.

Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Zishuo (赵子硕) Photo

Return to Top

Delivering Confidence and Strength to the World in Davos

By: 本报记者 尚凯元 颜 欢 郭梓云 许海林

Local time, January 23, the World Economic Forum 2026 Annual Meeting concluded in Davos, Switzerland. The annual forum included approximately 200 meetings and seminars, many of which were related to China. Participants generally agreed that a rapidly changing world requires more dialogue and cooperation to address global challenges. China, with its steady pace of high-quality development and its firm commitment to free trade and multilateralism, is responding to the uncertainties of the times and conveying confidence and strength to the world.

"I am optimistic about China's economic prospects"

A roundtable forum on the Chinese economy was packed. Stan Zurkiewicz, CEO of DEKRA Group (德凯集团), told this reporter that Europe is very concerned about China's economic prospects. He hoped to take this opportunity to understand experts' analysis of China's economy in 2026 and its medium- and long-term trends.

China's latest impressive economic performance has attracted much attention. According to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China (中国国家统计局), China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 exceeded 140 trillion yuan for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. The International Monetary Fund (国际货币基金组织) recently also raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2025 to 5% and simultaneously raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2026.

"When China first appeared on the Davos stage in the late 1970s, its economy accounted for only 2% of global GDP; today, that proportion is close to 20%." At the annual forum, Børge Brende (博尔格·布伦德), President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, used this comparison to vividly outline the growth trajectory of the Chinese economy over the past 40 years.

"The speed and scale of China's development were unimaginable to me 20 years ago." Peter Howitt (彼得·豪伊特), winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics, told this reporter that China has undergone tremendous changes. This year, he will also visit China to attend the China Development Forum (中国发展高层论坛), and he looks forward to gaining a more intuitive understanding of China's development changes through his visit.

China UnionPay (中国银联) processes more than 1 billion transactions per day, and JD.com (京东) has more than 700 million annual active users... In another discussion, data vividly depicted the Chinese economy. Zurkiewicz said that China is promoting high-quality economic development and is increasingly focusing on expanding the domestic demand market. "I am optimistic about China's economic prospects." He said, "DEKRA has formed an important business layout in China, and we are willing to continue to increase investment and deeply participate in the technological transformation and globalization process of China's automotive industry."

"China's experience in driving economic development through technological innovation is worth learning from"

In Davos, robots from Chinese companies such as Yushu Technology (宇树科技), Zhiyuan Robot (智元机器人), Agile Dynamics (逐际动力), and Accelerated Evolution (加速进化) have become a "technological landscape," not only bringing surprises to the participants but also vividly interpreting the trend of artificial intelligence and robotics technology moving from laboratories to application scenarios. Recently, the World Economic Forum announced a new batch of global "Lighthouse Factories," of which 16 companies are from China, accounting for about 70%. In China, cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence are accelerating their integration with manufacturing, becoming an important path for developing new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system.

Nobel laureate in Economics Christopher Pissarides (克里斯托弗·皮萨里德斯) told this reporter that artificial intelligence technology has huge development potential in the industrial and consumer fields, and the key to its development prospects lies in whether it can establish an infrastructure system to support its widespread application, promote more companies to use related technologies in a relatively open manner, thereby improving overall production efficiency. "China has the most complete and largest industrial system in the world, which gives artificial intelligence technology broad application space."

Jonathan Krane (乔纳森·克莱恩), CEO of KraneShares (金瑞基金), told this reporter that China not only has advanced technology, but many new technologies have been deeply integrated into daily life and are widely used, realizing continuous technological iteration. "China's experience in driving economic development through technological innovation is worth learning from."

In the special discussion on "China AI+," Gong Ke (龚克), Executive Dean of the China Institute for Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies (中国新一代人工智能发展战略研究院), introduced China's basic education training system for technical talents. He said that China is one of the first countries in the world to release white papers on artificial intelligence education and has issued special documents such as the *China Smart Education White Paper* (《中国智慧教育白皮书》) to promote the construction of a full-chain artificial intelligence talent training system covering primary to higher education. "As China's 'demographic dividend' transforms into a 'talent dividend,' China is moving from a manufacturing powerhouse to a manufacturing giant, providing important human capital for sustainable development."

Zeblon Vilakazi (泽布隆·维拉卡齐), Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand (金山大学) in South Africa, said that in recent years, Chinese companies' investment in South Africa has continued to grow, and the "visibility" of Chinese brands has significantly increased. He looks forward to more Chinese companies investing locally and expanding non-Chinese scientific research and industrial cooperation. Currently, the University of the Witwatersrand maintains close exchanges with Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University (清华大学) and Fudan University (复旦大学) through the BRICS Universities League (金砖国家大学联盟), and expands joint research and talent training cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence and medicine.

The first Davos Technology Summit will be held in early July this year, focusing on scientific research activities in the fields of robotics, physical artificial intelligence, and intelligent systems. Tilman Eberle (蒂尔曼·埃伯勒), President of the Davos Technology Summit, is very concerned about China's manufacturing upgrade. He said that China has outstanding advantages in large-scale manufacturing and industrial transformation capabilities. "We look forward to countries leveraging their respective strengths and jointly promoting the development of future technologies through collaboration."

"The Chinese solution is crucial for promoting global common development and prosperity"

On the streets of Davos, BYD (比亚迪) electric vehicles shuttle back and forth, becoming a visual carrier of China's green transformation commitment; at the "Dalian Night" Summer Davos promotion event, food and music intertwined, and China extended a warm invitation to the world... During the annual meeting, China firmly issued a strong voice supporting free trade and maintaining multilateralism, which resonated strongly with all parties. The "predictable" and "trustworthy" China won widespread praise.

Javier Lozano (哈维尔·洛萨诺), an entrepreneur in the Mexican medical field, said that no country can cope with global challenges alone, and China and Latin American countries have broad prospects for cooperation in manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and other fields. "China's investment and cooperation in Latin America are welcomed locally."

As of the end of 2025, China has established more than 50,000 overseas enterprises in 190 countries and regions around the world, and its outward investment stock has remained in the top three in the world for nine consecutive years; China's contribution to global economic growth has remained stable at around 30% for many years. Juan Carlos Mora (胡安·卡洛斯·莫拉), President of Bancolombia (哥伦比亚银行), believes that Latin American countries have benefited greatly from their exchanges with China, and Latin America's prosperity and development are inseparable from cooperation with China.

Marwan Kheireddine (马尔万·凯鲁兹), Executive Director of the World Economic Forum, said: "China is an indispensable participant in the world economy. The Chinese solution is crucial for promoting global common development and prosperity, and it helps the international community to build consensus and explore the path of global sustainable development."

(Reported from Davos, Switzerland, January 24, by this newspaper)

Return to Top

Sino-Egyptian Cooperation: A Microcosm of China's Empowerment of Global Development (International Forum: Understanding China, Understanding Chinese-style Modernization)

By: 迪亚·赫尔米

As an important member of the Global South, China is further deepening its solidarity and cooperation with Global South countries through continuous expansion of opening up, providing new ideas for solving the current inequalities in the international trade and financial system.

I have been following China's economy and modernization development for over 25 years. At present, China adheres to high-level opening up to the outside world and has built an excellent innovation system, achieving sustainable and high-quality development in many industries. China's development not only sets an example for the vast number of developing countries, but also injects strong impetus into global prosperity.

China's opening-up measures have not only developed itself, but also brought opportunities to the world. At present, Egyptian-Chinese (埃中) cooperation is in a stage of rapid development, especially economic and trade cooperation, which continues to heat up, with significant improvements in scale and quality, and broad prospects. In recent years, Egypt's investment attractiveness has increased significantly, and China has become one of the most active and fastest-growing countries investing in Egypt. As one of the first countries to support the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, Egypt continues to promote cooperation with China under the framework of the initiative. Key projects such as the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (中埃·泰达苏伊士经贸合作区) and the Central Business District of Egypt's New Administrative Capital (埃及新行政首都中央商务区) have powerfully promoted Egypt's industrialization process, and have also driven local employment and industrial upgrading, becoming a vivid practice of mutual benefit and win-win results between the two countries.

China is moving towards the grand goal of building a strong country in science and technology, and is actively expanding international cooperation in fields such as new energy, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence. Egypt is also accelerating its development in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Cooperation between the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence applications, digital transformation in the industrial sector, business process optimization, and modernization of ports and trade routes holds enormous opportunities. In the future, the two sides can further deepen production capacity synergy, promote the connection between Chinese technology and Egypt's location advantages, and jointly serve the African and even the global market.

China is unswervingly promoting high-level opening up to the outside world, creating favorable conditions for global enterprises to enter the Chinese market and building an important bridge for deepening cooperation by holding international economic and trade exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo (进博会) and the China International Consumer Products Expo (消博会). Through platforms such as the CIIE, Egypt's specialty products such as fresh fruits and vegetables, chemical products, leather, marble, and textiles have been able to enter the Chinese market, and relevant Egyptian companies have gained important development opportunities. In addition, China's exhibition's professional and precise operation mode, well-organized management, high-quality exhibits, abundant passenger flow, and efficient business docking are all exemplary. These are vivid portrayals of China's high-level opening up to the outside world.

In Egypt, Chinese products have won wide recognition for their excellent quality, and more and more science, technology, and cultural products from China are entering the Egyptian market. Chinese cars are particularly prominent in the Egyptian market, not only for their excellent quality and exquisite craftsmanship, but also for their significant price competitiveness. Chinese technology brands such as Huawei (华为) and Xiaomi (小米) occupy a leading position in the Egyptian market. It is foreseeable that the influence of Chinese products in Egypt and other Arab countries will continue to increase.

China is also continuously deepening the opening up of the financial industry, and the orderly promotion of RMB internationalization is an important manifestation of this. Considering China's foreign trade scale and the fact that China is the main trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions in the world, the RMB can play a more important role in the international financial system.

As an important member of the Global South, China is further deepening its solidarity and cooperation with Global South countries through continuous expansion of opening up, providing new ideas for solving the current inequalities in the international trade and financial system. This model of cooperation helps to break the traditional pattern of "rich North and poor South" and is crucial to promoting more equitable global development, which will further promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and achieve common development and prosperity for all countries.

(The author is the Secretary-General of the Egyptian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (埃及埃中商会) and a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (埃及外交事务委员会).)

Return to Top

China's development philosophy is worthy of long-term study.

By: 本报记者 张志文

"Xinjiang: A Road to Beauty, Happiness, and Prosperity" written by Walid Khoumayha, Director of the Lebanese Silk Road Institute, will be published in February this year. In an interview with this reporter, Khoumayha introduced that he narrates his experience of visiting Xinjiang (新疆) in China in the book, presenting a diverse and colorful Xinjiang to Lebanese readers from a unique perspective. The book also showcases a large number of stamps collected by Khoumayha, using "pictures as evidence" to introduce China's customs, the history of Sino-Arab exchanges, and friendly stories of jointly building the "Belt and Road" initiative.

In the past 10 years, Khoumayha has visited more than 40 cities in China. "I have different gains in different cities. For example, in Shenzhen (深圳), I felt how innovation drives the development of a city. In Sanya (三亚), I truly realized the new achievements of China's ecological civilization construction," Khoumayha said. His biggest feeling from visiting China is experiencing the breadth, depth, richness, diversity, and organic integration of modernity and tradition in Chinese culture.

The experience of visiting Fuzhou (福州) was particularly impressive for Khoumayha. "I visited the achievement exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the '3820' Strategic Project. I learned that during his work in Fuzhou, President Xi Jinping (习近平) personally presided over the compilation of the 'Strategic Concept for Economic and Social Development of Fuzhou in 20 Years,' which is the '3820' Strategic Project. Today, Fuzhou has become a city with economic development and ecological beauty, precisely because of the guidance of such a long-term strategic development plan." Khoumayha said that China has many development experiences worth learning from Lebanon, such as promoting international cooperation, building infrastructure, and attaching importance to innovation investment, especially the ideological concepts contained in the "3820" Strategic Project. "For a region or a country to develop, it must have correct long-term planning and persistently move forward. This has significant reference value for Lebanon's economic and livelihood development."

Khoumayha has loved collecting stamps since he was a child, and his connection with China is precisely due to stamps. From many Chinese-themed stamps, he learned about China's diverse culture and long history. As the number of visits to China increased, his understanding of China became more comprehensive and profound. After the "Belt and Road" initiative was proposed in 2013, Khoumayha was very excited and initiated the establishment of the Lebanese Silk Road Institute in the same year. In 2017, he initiated the establishment of the Lebanese "Lebanon-China Dialogue Road" Association, aiming to further promote cooperation between Lebanon and China in various fields and strengthen communication and exchanges among countries jointly building the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Khoumayha himself is engaged in the accounting industry. He said that this profession makes him think more rationally and also allows him to observe China more deeply. "I believe that China's development concept is worth long-term research, which is why I started writing and introducing Chinese culture, history, and development achievements." Khoumayha has published two books about China - "Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious" and "China: A Pearl in the Eye," in which he tells the stories of his visits to China and his interactions with Chinese friends. "I hope that through these books, more Arab people can understand a real and three-dimensional China, understand a China with a long history and traditional culture, full of vitality, and playing an important role on the world stage." Khoumayha said, "China has explored a path to modernization through its own practice, providing a reference for all parties."

Khoumayha said that Lebanon and China have a traditional friendship. In recent years, the Lebanese people's interest in Chinese culture has been increasing, and there is still great potential for cooperation between the two sides in various fields. The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, aided by China, is Lebanon's first complete conservatory of music and large concert hall. It is a landmark building for the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative between Lebanon and China and will play an important role in cultural exchanges between the two sides.

Khoumayha is writing his fourth book about China - "From Beijing (北京) to Shanghai (上海), the Road of China's Big Cities." "I will introduce through this book how China inherits excellent traditional culture, while learning from and absorbing advanced technologies and concepts, and constantly achieving new achievements in modernization development."

(Haitham Mouzahem from the Middle East Center Branch of this newspaper participated in the writing)

Return to Top

Chinese-built green energy desalination project produces qualified water

This newspaper reported from Dubai on January 24th (Reporter Zhang Zhiwen (张志文)) On January 23rd, China and the UAE jointly held a ceremony to celebrate the formal production of qualified water from the Hassyan Sea Water Desalination EPC Project in the UAE, a green energy seawater desalination project undertaken by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation III (山东电建三公司), a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (中国电建). Representatives from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (迪拜水电局) of the United Arab Emirates, the project owner, and related units attended the event.

The project is located in Dubai (迪拜), United Arab Emirates (阿联酋), and uses seawater reverse osmosis technology to produce 818,000 cubic meters of water per day. The electricity source is 100% dependent on photovoltaic energy. After being put into operation, it can meet the daily freshwater demand of nearly 1.8 million local people.

Layout design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)

Return to Top

Finnish Prime Minister Orpo to pay an official visit to China starting today

At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang (李强), Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will pay an official visit to China from January 25th to 28th.

Orpo was born on November 3, 1969, and graduated from the University of Turku in Finland. He has served as Finland's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister. He took office as Prime Minister in June 2023.

Married, with one son and one daughter.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), January 24)

Return to Top

Life Trajectory Changed by Joint Construction of the "Belt and Road" Initiative

By: 本报记者 邵世均

From representing Trinidad and Tobago in the "Miss World" competition to becoming the Administrative Manager of China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co., Ltd. (中国铁建（加勒比）有限公司), Sarah-Jane Walcott's life trajectory has been transformed by the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative. Today, she witnesses the increasingly close connections between countries and people in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" projects, and has a deeper understanding of the true meaning of cross-cultural exchange and cooperation.

"The experience of participating in 'Miss World' taught me how to express myself, while the practice in Chinese enterprises taught me how to create value," Sarah said. "The new Demerara River Bridge in Guyana (圭亚那), the Scarborough General Hospital Central Block in Trinidad and Tobago (特立尼达和多巴哥), the Tobago International Airport (多巴哥国际机场)... These projects have changed the way local people travel, work and live. The convenience brought by infrastructure has expanded the coverage of education and medical resources, and people's lifestyles have been reshaped through reliable public services."

Representing the company in external exchanges at exhibitions, sharing authentic Chinese food with Chinese employees, and conducting on-site surveys of projects with Chinese engineers... "I need to listen carefully, understand the differences between different cultures, find common ground, and ensure smooth communication," Sarah said. After working with Chinese partners for many years, she realized that China's way of looking at the world is rooted in its long history, and the concept of "**以人为本**" (yǐ rén wéi běn - "people-oriented," putting people first) in traditional Chinese culture is precisely the key to achieving efficient collaboration.

There is a saying in Trinidad and Tobago: "A bad beginning makes a bad ending." Sarah believes that standardized handover, continuous follow-up, and respect for the local area are the correct starting points and the way to build trust. China and Latin American countries complement each other's advantages, and China is a patient partner willing to impart professional knowledge. "Every bridge and every hospital is a fusion of the rigor of Chinese craftsmen and the passion of Caribbean people. Behind these projects is the improvement of infrastructure and the connection of human emotions," Sarah said.

Sarah is particularly concerned about the improvement of infrastructure construction on women's lives. Hospitals where they can receive proper care, libraries where they can study with peace of mind, transportation facilities that can reduce commuting time and increase time spent with their children... Sarah believes that the infrastructure improvements brought about by high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" not only create a safer environment for women, but also bring direct and measurable benefits to women—everyone has more opportunities for education and employment, and the road to women's independence is wider. "China's way of supporting women's causes is extremely pragmatic: giving people the tools, space and confidence to create a better life with their own hands." In her view, this down-to-earth and forward-looking cooperation model is the key to the popularity of the "Belt and Road" initiative in the Caribbean region.

Return to Top

Chinese and ASEAN Experts Discuss AI Development and Governance

According to Xinhua News Agency, Kuala Lumpur, January 24th (Reporters Wang Jiawei (王嘉伟) and Cheng Yiheng (程一恒)) -- The "2026 China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building Training Program and High-Level Seminar on Frontier Artificial Intelligence Technology and Governance" was held in Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡), Malaysia (马来西亚) on the 23rd. More than 100 representatives from government departments, academia, and industry from China (中国), Malaysia (马来西亚), and the ASEAN region attended the meeting to discuss frontier artificial intelligence technologies, security challenges, and other topics.

The event was jointly organized by the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (亚太工程组织联合会), the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (马来西亚工程师学会), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (马来西亚拉曼大学), Xiamen University Malaysia (厦门大学马来西亚分校), and the Chinese Association of Automation (中国自动化学会). During the event, round-table dialogues were also held on the themes of "Artificial Intelligence Education and Capacity Building" and "Prospects for China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Cooperation and Technology Transfer."

Hou Zengguang (侯增广), Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association of Automation (中国自动化学会) and researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院自动化研究所), said in his speech that China (中国) has accumulated rich experience in scientific research, technology, and industrial applications in the field of automation, which can contribute to global scientific and technological development.

Ewe Hong Tat (尤芳达), President of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (东盟工程与科技院) and President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (马来西亚拉曼大学), said that in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence, challenges related to governance, ethics, cybersecurity, standard setting, and public trust urgently require close collaboration and in-depth cooperation between governments, academia, industry, and international partners.

Return to Top

Green Transformation, Resource Sharing (In-depth Reading)

By: 本报记者 沈靖然 李凯旋

A pot of bubbling Chongqing (重庆) red oil hotpot, after diners enjoy it, where does the oil go?

The answer lies hidden in the catering waste oil disposal workshop. Every morning, special transport vehicles of the Chongqing Sanitation Group (重庆市环卫集团) marked with "Kitchen Waste" drive into the Luoji "Vein Industrial Park" (洛碛“静脉产业园”) in Liangjiang New Area (两江新区), transporting kitchen waste to the workshop. After processing, the separated waste oil will be converted into clean biodiesel, supplied to downstream industrial enterprises.

The transformation of red oil from waste to treasure is a microcosm of Chongqing's (重庆市) construction of a "Zero-Waste City."

"Zero-Waste City" does not mean that the city does not produce any waste at all, but rather a development model that focuses on the safe and efficient disposal of waste, the recycling of resources, and the reduction of waste generation. Since being selected as one of the first national "Zero-Waste City" construction pilot cities in 2019, Chongqing (重庆) has been deeply promoting the construction of "Zero-Waste City" and effectively promoting the recycling of resources. Recently, reporters went deep into industrial parks, factories, streets, and communities to understand Chongqing's (重庆市) exploration achievements.

"Vein Industrial Park" Helps Recycle Waste
Walking into the Chongqing Yongchuan Gangqiao "Vein Industrial Park" (重庆永川港桥“静脉产业园”), inside the factory building of the Chongqing Electric Power Renewable Resources Recycling Center (重庆电力再生资源循环利用中心), staff are concentrating on performing core lifting operations on a 35 kV oil-immersed transformer. After the iron core and oil tank are completely separated, the iron core, weighing several tons, is moved to the dismantling platform.

"The separated liquid is called transformer oil, which is a hazardous waste. If it is disposed of arbitrarily or improperly, it will not only pollute the soil but also cause irreversible damage to groundwater," said Wang Kaicai (王开才), the on-site person in charge of the center.

Since its establishment, the Chongqing Electric Power Renewable Resources Recycling Center (重庆电力再生资源循环利用中心) has strived to solve the pollution problem of waste power equipment disposal. Nowadays, industrial waste such as discarded cables, transformers, and steel-cored aluminum stranded wires are finely dismantled on the center's professional dismantling line and converted into various renewable resources.

"'Vein industry' refers to the industry of waste recycling and resource utilization, similar to the function of human veins in recycling blood. Its main goal is to solve the problem of 'excess garbage' and resource shortage, which is what we are doing," said Wang Kaicai (王开才).

"Taking transformer oil disposal as an example, we have formulated a full-process standardized operation standard," Wang Kaicai (王开才) introduced. Before dismantling, the transformer is fully allowed to stand and release oil, and then the oil is drained a second time through a turning machine. The entire lifting path passes over a special oil storage pool to ensure that all oil is collected and there is zero leakage. Finally, it is handed over to a professional manufacturer for recycling, realizing the circular utilization of "turning waste into oil."

"Furthermore, the insulating gas sulfur hexafluoride in electrical equipment has a global warming potential more than 20,000 times that of carbon dioxide and is a potential threat to exacerbating the greenhouse effect," Wang Kaicai (王开才) introduced. The center has successfully recovered 35 tons of sulfur hexafluoride waste gas and has cumulatively achieved carbon emission reductions of more than 930,000 tons through various measures.

Green transformation has achieved remarkable results. As of now, the center has cumulatively dismantled and disposed of more than 7,000 transformers and more than 6,000 tons of cables, producing more than 25,000 tons of high-quality renewable resources.

The treatment of industrial solid waste is an important indicator for measuring the effectiveness of "Zero-Waste City" construction. In recent years, Chongqing (重庆) has systematically promoted the treatment of industrial solid waste, focusing on building 24 "Vein Industrial Parks" and 12 scientific and technological innovation platforms for the utilization of bulk solid waste, and has built 170 national-level green factories and 16 green parks. The comprehensive utilization rate of general industrial solid waste in the city has stabilized at over 74%.

"Zero-Waste Cell" Construction is More Convenient and Beneficial to the People
The construction of "Zero-Waste City" is connected to pollution reduction and carbon reduction on one end and to the lives of the masses on the other. Various "Zero-Waste Cells" such as "Zero-Waste Community," "Zero-Waste Factory," and "Zero-Waste Park" are closely related to daily life, covering all aspects of people's clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

In Yongjiangyuan Community (雍江苑小区) in Yuzhong District (渝中区), people often come to put recyclable materials such as waste cardboard and plastic bottles next to the "Zhiduo Fen" (智多分) intelligent recycling equipment downstairs in the residential buildings. Scanning the QR code on the screen to log in to her account, Wang Guifang (王桂芳), a resident of the community, puts the sorted recyclables from her home into the box. The equipment automatically identifies the items and weighs them, and then automatically transfers the money to her account according to the recycling price.

"The promotion of intelligent recycling equipment has made garbage sorting simpler and more convenient. Garbage sorting is changing from 'I have to sort' in the past to 'I am willing to sort' for more and more residents," said Zhou Lilu (周里路), chief of the Pollution Prevention and Control Section of the Yuzhong District Ecology and Environment Bureau (渝中区生态环境局污染防治科).

Yongjiangyuan Community (雍江苑小区) is not an isolated case, but a vivid microcosm of the construction of "Zero-Waste Cells." Many places in Chongqing (重庆市) have also put into use multi-network integrated service points for garbage sorting. The stations automatically break bags with mechanical arms and use AI to identify and find barrels for disposal, which can achieve precise diversion of kitchen waste and other garbage, forming an integrated, safe, environmentally friendly storage, collection, and transportation operation chain for all types of garbage.

In recent years, Chongqing (重庆) has established and improved a "classified collection, classified transportation, and classified treatment" urban domestic waste treatment system, allowing the two things of "throwing garbage" and "selling waste products" to change from "each doing its own thing" to "collaborative cooperation."

When domestic waste is transported to the "Vein Industrial Park," after processes such as impurity removal, fermentation, and decomposition, the organic matter in the garbage produces biogas rich in methane. After purification, the biogas is converted into clean green electricity. In addition to meeting the park's own use, the surplus electricity can also be connected to the urban power grid. The park's recycling chain does not stop there. Waste such as waste plastic is also converted into recycled raw materials here and continues to serve urban construction...

As of now, Chongqing (重庆) has built and put into operation 78 domestic waste treatment facilities, with a total daily treatment capacity of 36,400 tons, ensuring that all domestic waste in the city is "produced and cleared daily," and the living environment of residents is safer and greener.

Hazardous Waste Achieves Cross-Provincial Collaborative Disposal
In the die-casting workshop of Zinguang Automotive Parts Manufacturing (Linshui) Co., Ltd. (锌光汽车零部件制造（邻水）有限责任公司) in Guang'an High-tech Zone (广安高新区), Sichuan Province (四川省), an aluminum melting furnace about two stories high is operating at full load.

The dross produced by aluminum alloy smelting forms aluminum ash after cooling, a hazardous waste that once troubled the company. "We have to bear the environmental protection responsibility, but there is a lack of companies that can dispose of aluminum ash locally," said Ruan Qinquan (阮钦泉), general manager of Zinguang Company (锌光公司).

In April 2020, Sichuan (四川) and Chongqing (重庆) jointly signed the "Hazardous Waste Cross-Provincial and Municipal Transfer 'Whitelist' Cooperation Mechanism" (《危险废物跨省市转移“白名单”合作机制》). For hazardous waste generated by enterprises in the production process that is difficult to effectively treat locally, the ecological and environmental departments of Sichuan (四川) and Chongqing (重庆) directly approve enterprises included in the "whitelist," and the average approval time limit for hazardous waste cross-provincial transfer permits included in the "whitelist" is also shortened to 8 working days. As of now, the types of hazardous waste involved in the cooperation mechanism have increased to 9 major categories and 31 minor categories. Zinguang Company (锌光公司) has also entered the "whitelist" through approval.

"In the past, foreign hazardous waste treatment companies would directly come to the company to purchase aluminum ash, but because the hazardous waste transfer approval was very troublesome, there were not always companies coming to purchase, and we also had to bear the cost of storing aluminum ash and preventing pollution. Now that the company has entered the 'whitelist,' it is equivalent to being recognized by the ecological departments of the two places. We can hand over the aluminum ash to Chongqing (重庆) enterprises for regular transfer and disposal, and the efficiency of hazardous waste disposal has been greatly improved," said Ruan Qinquan (阮钦泉).

Chongqing Qianyong Renewable Resources Comprehensive Utilization Co., Ltd. (重庆乾涌再生资源综合利用有限公司) is a partner of Zinguang Company (锌光公司). Here, aluminum ash is resourcefully treated and turned into recyclable aluminum raw materials. "Local resources are limited, and we used to always 'not have enough to eat.' Now that hazardous waste from Sichuan Province (四川省) can also be transported here, our business space has been greatly expanded," said Chen Junwei (陈军伟), general manager of Qianyong Company (乾涌公司).

"Starting from the 'whitelist,' we have also explored and carried out reform measures such as 'point-to-point' exemption and utilization of hazardous waste in Sichuan (四川) and Chongqing (重庆)," said Ma Qiang (马强), a member of the Party Leadership Group and a second-level inspector of the Chongqing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (重庆市生态环境局党组成员、二级巡视员). In the future, Chongqing (重庆) will continue to focus on the reduction, harmlessness, and resource-based treatment of industrial solid waste and domestic waste, as well as the risk prevention and control of hazardous waste, and deeply promote the joint construction of a cross-provincial "Zero-Waste City."

This issue is coordinated by: Chen Zhen (陈震)

Return to Top

Moving Towards a Higher Level (Expert Commentary)

By: 刘 磊

Currently, China is accelerating the construction of "Zero-Waste Cities," and it is necessary to focus on key areas to promote the construction of "Zero-Waste Cities" to a higher level. We should build a comprehensive waste management system with full-chain harmless management, and strengthen the construction of infrastructure such as harmless storage, transfer, and disposal. We should explore incorporating resource conservation and carbon emission reduction-related indicators into the government performance evaluation system, and further promote the combination of environmental law enforcement and public supervision. We should innovate institutional designs such as recycling system construction, technological innovation, and financial support, and explore regional collaborative construction models such as "Zero-Waste City Clusters."
(The author is a professor at the School of Public Administration, Sichuan University (四川大学), and this article was compiled by Chen Zhen (陈震), a reporter from this newspaper.)

Return to Top

Earnest efforts to provide assistance and support, ensuring that people in need have a warm winter and a peaceful and festive holiday season.

Xinhua News Agency, Lanzhou, January 24th. State Councilor Chen Yiqin (谌贻琴) recently conducted research in Gansu (甘肃) on civil affairs and work related to people with disabilities, and visited and expressed sympathy to people in need. She emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions, follow the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, conscientiously carry out assistance and support work, and ensure that people in need have a warm winter and a peaceful and festive holiday.

From January 21st to 23rd, Chen Yiqin (谌贻琴) visited Yuzhong County (榆中县) in Lanzhou City (兰州市), Wuwei City (武威市), and Lanzhou New Area (兰州新区). She went deep into township nursing homes and comprehensive elderly care service centers, social welfare homes, children's welfare homes, and disability care centers. She visited the homes of people in need, expressing sympathy to people in extreme poverty, recipients of minimum living allowances, orphans, people with disabilities, and other people in need. She conducted research on social assistance, elderly care services, children's welfare, and service guarantees for people with disabilities.

Chen Yiqin (谌贻琴) pointed out that with the Spring Festival approaching, it is necessary to strengthen care and concern for people in need, convey General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) cordial concern and the warmth of the Party and the government to people in need, and wholeheartedly help them solve urgent and pressing problems. It is necessary to increase dynamic monitoring and classified assistance and support, develop service-oriented social assistance in accordance with local conditions, and better meet the diverse needs of people in need. It is necessary to accelerate the improvement of a three-level elderly care service network covering urban and rural areas, and continue to provide meal assistance services for the elderly. It is necessary to improve the quality of care services provided by "caring mothers" and promote the healthy growth of children in difficult circumstances. It is necessary to effectively carry out rehabilitation, employment, and care services for people with disabilities, and continuously improve the quality of public services for people with disabilities.

Chen Yiqin (谌贻琴) emphasized the need to further tighten and implement responsibilities for safe production, comprehensively carry out safety management work in various civil affairs and disability service institutions, and resolutely 守住安全底线 (shǒu zhù ān quán dǐ xiàn - "guard the bottom line of safety," to firmly maintain the minimum acceptable level of safety).

Return to Top

Full chain control, precise conservation (Practice thrift, oppose waste)

By: 本报记者 王 丹

At lunchtime, in the canteen of Longhu Experimental School (龙湖实验学校) in Wanzai County (万载县), Yichun City (宜春市), Jiangxi Province (江西省), students are selecting dishes according to the portion suggestions.

"Originally, there was often a lot of leftover food in the food waste bins. Now, through the implementation of a series of measures, the waste phenomenon has improved a lot," said Huang Ping (黄平), head of logistics at Longhu Experimental School (龙湖实验学校).

In the past, food waste in primary and secondary schools in Wanzai County (万载县) was relatively obvious. "In the past, procurement relied on experience to estimate, resulting in hoarding in peak seasons and waste in off-seasons. Sometimes, changes in the number of students and differences in taste preferences also caused food waste," introduced Xin Jun (辛均), canteen administrator of Wanzai County No. 5 Primary School (万载县第五小学).

To solve the pain points, a campus anti-waste reform covering the entire chain of "procurement - cooking - dining - supervision" was fully launched in Wanzai County (万载县). Wanzai County (万载县) formulated an implementation plan for the school students' "safe dining" project, formulating 22 measures from 6 aspects including anti-food waste, food safety, and supervision and evaluation, covering links such as food procurement, processing and production, and daily supervision, and establishing a closed-loop mechanism of "precise allocation + scientific supply + intelligent supervision."

At the source of procurement, Wanzai County (万载县) entrusted a state-owned enterprise to build a fresh food distribution intelligent system. Relying on big data analysis and intelligent supply and demand matching technology, the system accurately controls the category, quantity and timeliness of procurement, solving the problem of "blind procurement." Wanzai County (万载县) also formulated management specifications for the safe dining central warehouse, and uniformly manages fresh food suppliers, operating procedures, and food incoming inspection, ensuring food safety from the source.

Chen Feng (陈峰), the canteen administrator of Longhu Experimental School (龙湖实验学校), took out his mobile phone and opened the fresh food distribution mini-program, "The system supports ordering the day before and delivering to the school at 6 am the next day, which can not only ensure the freshness of the dishes, but also avoid waste from the source."

Relying on the fresh food distribution intelligent system, Wanzai County (万载县) significantly compressed the supply chain response time of campus catering, reduced warehousing losses, and significantly improved the accuracy of procurement. At the same time, Wanzai County (万载县) leveraged the scale advantages of centralized procurement, and the procurement cost price was significantly lower than the market price.

On the supply side of dishes, the school innovated the "standardization + personalization" model to solve the waste caused by "**众口难调**" (zhòng kǒu nán tiáo - "it's difficult to please all tastes," it is hard to satisfy everyone). For students of different grades, schools implement staggered cooking in stages and multi-pot diversion during peak hours.

"Questionnaire surveys show that stir-fried king oyster mushrooms with meat is not very popular, so we immediately made adjustments to the procurement and matching of dishes, which effectively reduced waste," Chen Feng (陈峰) introduced. The canteen regularly distributes questionnaire survey forms and makes dishes based on student feedback. At present, the school designs more than 30 kinds of dish combinations every week, which not only meets diverse needs such as meat and vegetables, salty and light, and spiciness, but also takes into account nutrition. At the same time, the canteen publishes menus in advance, marks allergens and calories, prompts appropriate intake, and dynamically monitors dish consumption data; it weighs and counts the amount of leftover food every day, and immediately adjusts dishes with a continuous residual rate of more than 15%.

The intermediate link relies on "Internet + Bright Kitchen Stove" to implement 24-hour intelligent inspection and early warning of key links such as food procurement, processing, disinfection, and meal residue disposal, realizing transparent management of the entire process and reducing man-made waste. "In the past, we relied on manual on-site inspections. Now, intelligent supervision realizes real-time capture of problems and immediate promotion of rectification, accurately monitoring every link from preparation to dining, avoiding waste caused by human negligence," said a relevant person in charge of the Wanzai County Education and Sports Bureau (万载县教体局).

The linkage between home and school allows the concept of conservation to be further rooted in the hearts of the people. Primary and secondary schools in Wanzai County (万载县) carry out conservation-themed class meetings every month, publicizing the importance of conservation through popular science videos, kitchen waste weighing practices, etc.; launch a "conservation red and black list" to incorporate CD-ROM (clean plate) status into moral education assessment; at the same time, establish a parent committee for home-school food supervision to invite parents to participate in dish design and supervision.

Wanzai County's (万载县) campus anti-food waste has achieved remarkable results. The comprehensive utilization rate of campus canteen ingredients in the county has reached more than 95%, and food waste has been reduced by more than 20%. "We will continue to optimize the entire chain control system, make resource allocation more precise, and make technology empowerment more efficient, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of campus anti-food waste work," said Xin Hualiang (辛华梁), director of the Wanzai County (万载县)机关事务管理中心.

Return to Top

China's Electronic Certificates for Seafarers Officially Recognized by the International Maritime Organization

According to a report from our newspaper in Beijing (北京) on January 24th (reporter Han Xin (韩鑫)), the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部海事局) recently issued a notice stating that China's seafarer electronic certificates have been officially recognized by the International Maritime Organization. Since its domestic implementation in August 2025, the certificate has achieved an important leap from "domestic access" to "global access," marking a new stage of international recognition for China's seafarer certificate digitization.

The relevant person in charge of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport (交通运输部海事局) introduced that China's seafarer electronic certificates cover a very comprehensive range, including not only the six core certificates stipulated by the International Maritime Organization, such as seafarer competency certificates, training certificates, and health certificates, but also the training certificates for ship cooks and the training certificates for shipboard catering service support personnel. After obtaining international recognition, ocean-going seafarers no longer need to carry a large number of paper certificates when handling on-board procedures and other aspects. At present, China has established a complete industry standard and data management system for seafarer electronic certificates, and uses advanced technologies such as digital signatures to ensure the data security and reliability of the entire life cycle of the certificate, and the entire process is traceable. At the same time, the format specifications and verification mechanisms of the certificate are deeply integrated with international rules, which doubly guarantees the convenience and effectiveness of overseas applications from both technical and regulatory levels.

Return to Top

Strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality

By: 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 20th CPC Central Committee. He elaborated in depth on 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.

In recent days, the vast number of party members and cadres have conscientiously studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, expressing their determination to firmly support the "Two Establishments" and resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards," maintain strategic focus, enhance confidence in victory, actively assume responsibility, and strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality.

Comprehensively, Profoundly, and Accurately Understand and Grasp the Strategic Deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made strategic deployments for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, and it is necessary to comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately understand and grasp them.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly summarized the political advantages embodied in the formulation and implementation of the Five-Year Plan with 'four benefits.' We will take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech as a guide, implement it without compromise, coordinate the transformation of traditional industries, the cultivation of emerging industries, and the layout of future industries, build high-level industrial research and development platforms, promote the efficient aggregation of innovative elements, and consolidate the foundation for industrial carrying capacity," said Li Ganxing (李赣兴), Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Pingxiang Economic and Technological Development Zone (萍乡经济技术开发区) in Jiangxi Province (江西省).

"General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) made an in-depth exposition of 'comprehensiveness,' 'profundity,' and 'accuracy,' providing scientific guidance for us to study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee," said Han Yong (韩勇), a professor of public administration at the Party School (Administrative College) of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区党委党校（行政学院）). "Only by comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately understanding and grasping the various strategic deployments can party members and cadres better appreciate the overall concept, systematic thinking, and the economic and social development laws behind them, better unify their thinking, pool their strength, and earnestly do a good job in various tasks."

"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.' As a resource-based city, shouldering the mission of transforming the resource-based economy, we will accurately grasp the policy boundaries and scales, coordinate development and security, and promote energy transformation, industrial upgrading, and moderately diversified development in accordance with local conditions," said Ren Guangyao (任光耀), Secretary of the Jiexiu Municipal Party Committee (介休市委) in Shanxi Province (山西省).

Continuously Enhance the Certainty and Sustainability of China'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, pointing out that "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 China's development."

Building a modern industrial system and realizing the overall leap of the industrial system are important strategic tasks during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. "General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech pointed out the direction for us to promote industrial transformation and upgrading," said Zhang Hong (张宏), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Yantai Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology (烟台市工业和信息化局) in Shandong Province (山东省). Yantai City (烟台市) will continue to consolidate and enhance advantageous industries such as green petrochemicals, non-ferrous and precious metals, cultivate and strengthen characteristic industries such as new energy and new building materials, and proactively lay out emerging future industries such as artificial intelligence and deep-sea aerospace, striving to build a modern industrial system with prominent main businesses, concentrated advantages, and diversified integration.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech is inspiring. As a grassroots power worker, I will base myself on my position and devote myself to starting a business," said Li Feiwei (李飞伟), head of the Labor Model Innovation Studio of the State Grid Zhejiang Jiashan County Power Supply Company (国家电网浙江嘉善县供电公司). "We will adhere to starting from the actual situation of the industry and the needs of the people, research and tackle technical bottlenecks, respond to the expectations of the masses with the practical results of achievement transformation, and contribute to promoting the high-quality development of the power industry with practical actions."

Economic development and social development complement each other and must be coordinated and advanced. "General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, 'We must take improving people's livelihood as the focus of promoting social development and steadily improve the quality of people's lives while developing the economy.' We will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, grasping industrial upgrading with one hand, strengthening leading industries such as green building and ceramics, and introducing high-tech projects such as intelligent manufacturing and new materials; grasping the improvement of people's livelihood with the other hand, promoting the sinking of high-quality medical resources, continuously deepening the education-strengthening county plan, and creating more local jobs, so that the masses can have good medical care at their doorstep, children can have good education at their doorstep, and people can have good jobs at their doorstep," said Zhao Chunrong (赵春荣), Secretary of the Minqing County Party Committee (闽清县委) in Fuzhou City (福州市), Fujian Province (福建省).

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized the need to effectively improve the level of social governance. "We will further promote and implement the 'New Era Six-Foot Lane Work Method,' and better leverage the political and organizational advantages of party organizations through party building leadership, mass participation, resource integration, and social coordination, and continuously improve the ability and level of grassroots governance," said Wang Zhonglong (王中龙), Deputy Minister of the Social Work Department of the Anqing Municipal Party Committee (安庆市委社会工作部) in Anhui Province (安徽省). Tongcheng City (桐城市) makes good use of the cultural resources of "Six-Foot Lane" (六尺巷), establishing carriers such as mediation rooms and migrant worker rights protection stations, and integrating the traditional virtues of courtesy and harmony into grassroots governance.

Focus on Improving the Party's Ability and Level to Lead Economic and Social Development

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that 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 to lead economic and social development.

"The Party's innovative theory is the golden key for us to solve problems," said Shi Wangqing (石旺青), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Bayannur Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment (巴彦淖尔市生态环境局) in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区). "The comprehensive management of the Uliangsuhai River Basin (乌梁素海流域) has achieved remarkable results, which is fundamentally due to the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's (习近平) ecological civilization thought. We must implement the requirements of 'studying the Party's innovative theory, improving professional skills, and enhancing practical abilities,' continuously improve the ability and level to use the Party's innovative theory to study new situations and solve new problems, and promote the construction of beautiful villages, beautiful rivers and lakes, and beautiful cities in an integrated manner, and build a more scientific and effective ecological security barrier."

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that it is necessary to establish and practice a correct view of performance, adhere to proceeding from reality and acting according to laws, and consciously seek performance for the people and seek performance through hard work.

"Only by establishing and practicing a correct view of performance can party members and cadres implement the Party's line, principles, and policies well," said Wu Tao (吴涛), Secretary of the Tongshan County Party Committee (通山县委) in Hubei Province (湖北省). He said that he will conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, promote project construction in combination with local realities, promote the clustering of electronic information, equipment manufacturing, new energy and other industries, and promote the high-quality development of the county economy; adhere to taking benefiting the people as the greatest performance, vigorously invest in people's livelihood undertakings, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

"Promoting the establishment and practice of a correct view of performance, the organization department shoulders an important responsibility," said Wang Leixiang (汪磊翔), Executive Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Party Committee (甘南藏族自治州委组织部) in Gansu Province (甘肃省). "We must thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important exposition on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, adhere to the clear orientation of valuing practical work, valuing practical results, and valuing responsibility, incorporate the practice of a correct view of performance into cadre assessment, annual assessment, and evaluation of advanced and excellent content, strengthen the application of assessment results, and guide party members and cadres to strive for progress and achieve practical results."

(Reporters Shen Tongrui (沈童睿), Liu Xiaoyu (刘晓宇), Wu Jun (吴君), Zheng Yangyang (郑洋洋), Zhu Jiaqi (祝佳祺), Tian Xianjin (田先进), and Zhao Jingfeng (赵景锋) of this newspaper)

Return to Top

Photo Report

On January 22nd, as the lingering snow melted, the East Fei River (东淝河) in Shouxian County (寿县), Anhui Province (安徽省), saw a constant flow of cargo ships carrying coal, building materials, and other goods, presenting a busy shipping scene.

Photo by Miao Di (苗地) (People's Vision (人民视觉))

Return to Top

Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Releases Information and Answers Reporters' Questions on Recent Military-Related Issues

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 24th (Reporter Wang Chuntao (王春涛)) - Defense Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Bin (蒋斌) released information and answered reporters' questions on recent military-related issues on the 24th.

Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立) Placed Under Investigation for Suspected Serious Violations of Discipline and Law

Zhang Youxia (张又侠), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli (刘振立), member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. After research by the Party Central Committee, it was decided to file a case for investigation against Zhang Youxia (张又侠) and Liu Zhenli (刘振立).

Chinese Air Force August 1st Aerobatic Team to Participate in the 10th Singapore Airshow

From the end of January to early February, the Chinese Air Force August 1st Aerobatic Team will be invited to participate in the 10th Singapore Airshow, with J-10 series aircraft performing aerobatics.

Registering for Military Service According to Law is a Unique and Glorious "Coming-of-Age Ceremony"

In response to questions about military service registration, Jiang Bin (蒋斌) stated that the Military Service Law stipulates that all male citizens who have reached the age of 18 should undergo initial military service registration, but military service registration does not necessarily mean that they must serve in the military.

Jiang Bin (蒋斌) introduced that, firstly, organizing military service registration is to understand the ability of eligible citizens to serve in the military, and to lay the foundation for the army to recruit high-quality soldiers. The military service organs will comprehensively consider various factors to strictly screen and select the best candidates. Secondly, military service registration is mainly completed independently by citizens through the "National Conscription Website" (https://www.gfbzb.gov.cn/). If you want to sign up for military service, select "Continue to sign up for military service this year" during military service registration; if you do not have the intention to join the army temporarily, select "Military service registration only". Thirdly, relevant laws and regulations stipulate the legal responsibilities for failing to register for military service as required. Military service organs of people's governments at all levels will, together with education, public security and other departments, inspect citizens' military service registration certificates every year, urge the implementation of registration work, and strengthen the confidentiality management of citizens' military service registration information.

"A country cannot stand without defense, and the people cannot be safe without soldiers." Jiang Bin (蒋斌) said that registering for military service according to law is the legal obligation of every eligible male citizen, and it is also a unique and glorious "coming-of-age ceremony". He hopes that the majority of young people will actively respond to the call, fulfill their military service registration obligations, and contribute their youthful strength to building a solid national defense and a strong army.

Chinese Navy "Peace Ark" Hospital Ship Docks in Uruguay for the First Time

The "Peace Ark" hospital ship recently docked at the port of Montevideo (蒙得维的亚港), Uruguay. In this regard, Jiang Bin (蒋斌) introduced that this is the first time that a Chinese naval vessel has docked in Uruguay. During the 4-day technical stop, this "Ark of Life" full of friendship carried out a series of interactive exchange activities with Uruguay.

Jiang Bin (蒋斌) said that the Chinese military is willing to continuously deepen military exchanges and cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries, help promote the "five major projects" of unity, development, civilization, peace, and people's hearts, and make new contributions to building a China-Latin America community with a shared future.

Return to Top

Page 1 Editors: Hu Anqi, Zhang Shuaizhen, Zhao Zheng; Page 2 Editors: Yin Xinyu, Zhang Anyu, Cui Bin; Page 3 Editors: Han Xiaoming, Jiang Bo, Li Anqi; Page 4 Editors: Yuan Zhenxi, Liu Jingwen, Yu Xuan

Return to Top

N Ways to Open the "Grand Ideological and Political Course" (In-Depth Focus)

By: 本报记者 丁雅诵 吴 月 闫伊乔

Organizing students to visit the "Courtyard Deliberation Hall" and the 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Center to experience whole-process people's democracy; launching the "Love Beijing, Love Science and Innovation" special campaign to move the education classroom to the research and development sites of major national instruments; building an exchange platform for Chinese and foreign students to learn from each other, making the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind more tangible and amiable in the smiles and dialogues of young people... In Beijing (北京), ideological and political education is being carried out in a more vivid and three-dimensional way.

Behind this is Beijing's systematic exploration of building an educational ecosystem with the concept of "Great Ideological and Political Class," based on the functional positioning of the capital as the political, cultural, international exchange, and technological innovation center—connecting academic stages, integrating disciplines, and stepping out of the campus. It transforms the vivid scenes of high-quality development in the capital into a lively classroom that guides values in a way that students enjoy, deeply planting the seeds of ideals, struggle, and responsibility in the hearts of young people.

More Three-Dimensional

Seamless Integration of Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education

Walking into the Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center, in front of the exhibition areas for new materials, commercial aerospace, high-end medical equipment, and other areas, a series of hard-core technological achievements attract many students to stop and watch and communicate in low voices.

Not long ago, an ideological and political class with the theme of "High-Level Self-Reliance and Self-Strengthening in Science and Technology" was launched here. Teachers from different academic stages in Haidian District (海淀区) taught on the same stage, leading students to explore the important driving force of national development in the cutting-edge achievements of "Beijing (北京) Intelligence Manufacturing."

"What key factors are needed for innovation?" "What challenges might companies encounter in research and development?" Qi Wen (齐雯), a teacher at Beijing (北京) Yuying School (育英学校), asked after presenting an innovation case.

"We must firmly grasp core technologies in our own hands." "We must not be afraid of failure; a 'glass heart' is not acceptable on the road to innovation"... The students spoke enthusiastically, and the classroom atmosphere became lively. The concept of "new quality productive forces" has become an innovative picture in the eyes of students, composed of countless specific people and specific achievements.

Next, the class entered the second part. Hao Jingzhi (郝婧智), a teacher at the School of Marxism at Beijing (北京) University of Science and Technology (北京科技大学), focused on the integration of education, technology, and talent, and interpreted the path to achieving high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology for students.

"Education is the foundation, technology is the key, and talent is the fundamental." Hao Jingzhi (郝婧智) started from the development practice of Zhongguancun (中关村), "Here, the nation's top universities, research institutions, and innovative talents are gathered, forming a virtuous innovation ecosystem. It is the collaborative efforts of these three that have spawned and promoted the development of new quality productive forces."

The truth became clearer and deeper, and also stirred up ripples in the hearts of the students. Meng Lanxin (孟兰欣), a first-year high school student at Yuying School (育英学校), shared after class: "I have always been very interested in biopharmaceuticals, and I look forward to having the opportunity to truly enter this challenging field in the future."

Promoting the integrated construction of ideological and political classes in primary, secondary, and universities is an important project for the connotative development of ideological and political education in Beijing (北京). At present, Beijing (北京) has built integrated reform and innovation pilot zones for ideological and political education in Xicheng (西城), Chaoyang (朝阳), Haidian (海淀), Tongzhou (通州), and Huairou (怀柔) districts. On this basis, 95 integrated innovation consortia for ideological and political classes in primary, secondary, and universities and 200 practical teaching bases for ideological and political classes have been established, and the nation's first "Golden Class" alliance for the integration of primary, secondary, and universities has been established.

Xicheng District (西城区) focuses on "cultivating new people of the era by the red wall," and builds red courses jointly with museums and schools; Chaoyang District (朝阳区) focuses on "building a community with a shared future for mankind" and "building the function of an international exchange center," and creates "ideological and political education bases at the doorstep"; Huairou District (怀柔区) relies on Huairou Science City (怀柔科学城) to deeply explain the inherent connection between the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" spirit and a strong country in science and technology... The distinctive ideological and political practices of various districts in Beijing (北京) outline a vivid picture of integrated construction.

"Focusing on specific themes, jointly discussing, discovering problems, and collaboratively promoting the reform of ideological and political teaching, such integrated design is now the norm." Li Junfeng (李军锋), Deputy Secretary of the Beijing (北京) Municipal Education Working Committee (北京市委教育工委) in charge of daily work, introduced that Beijing (北京) is creating a digital map of integrated practical teaching for primary, secondary, and universities and a teaching case library for ideological and political classes on "Great Changes and Achievements in the Capital," creating a "central kitchen" for integrated construction throughout the city and even the country, and striving to make students' growth traceable and spiritual strength take root.

More Broad

Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Promotion

"What are the difficulties in teaching ideological and political classes well?"

In a conference room at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences University (中国社会科学院大学), teachers from the "Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Promotion of Connotative Development of Ideological and Political Class Construction" team sat around discussing. Wang Weiguo (王维国), Executive Dean of the School of Marxism (马克思主义学院), said: "The content of ideological and political classes is broad and the fields are wide. Relying solely on the 'single-soldier operation' of Marxist theoretical disciplines is not enough. We must stimulate the 'collaborative operation' potential of multiple disciplines."

Relying on the academic resources of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), the team gradually explored a path—members of the academic department and famous teachers serve as the main lecturers, young and middle-aged teachers from the School of Marxism (马克思主义学院) participate in teaching, and the team prepares lessons together across disciplines.

"Common prosperity has more expectations for spiritual wealth." At a collective lesson preparation meeting on the theme of "Common Prosperity," Wang Xinghui (王兴辉), a teacher at the school's New Era Spiritual Civilization Research Institute, displayed the digital map of civilized China developed by the college while discussing with the lesson preparation team how to make the content of classroom teaching richer.

Shi Lin (石林), a teacher from the School of Journalism and Communication (新闻传播学院) next to him, added: "Our interdisciplinary team of teachers and students can add AIGC (artificial intelligence-generated content) technology to the map and use big data and natural language processing technology to capture the public's spiritual civilization needs."

From on-site lectures to group discussions, multi-disciplinary perspectives reflect the rich dimensions of exploring propositions.

Zhang Yu (张瑜), Deputy Dean of the School of Marxism (马克思主义学院) at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences University (中国社会科学院大学), introduced that the team has created characteristic courses such as "Academic Department Members Lecturing on Ideological and Political Classes" and "Marxist Academic Masters' Lecture Hall," and opened ideological and political elective courses such as "Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on the Rule of Law Special Topic," realizing the virtuous interaction between famous experts, excellent courses, and first-class teams.

Breaking down the barriers between disciplines can make ideological and political classes both theoretically profound and practically relevant.

Recently, Beijing (北京) issued "Ten Measures" to support the high-quality development of Marxist colleges in universities, empower the iterative upgrade of ideological and political education in multiple dimensions, and draw a good "concentric circle" for education. The Beijing (北京) School Ideological and Political Class Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Innovation Center released the "Six Actions" for reform and tackling key problems in 2026, comprehensively implementing the "Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Intensive Study Action" and the "'China Governance' Series of Public Ideological and Political Class Actions," and striving to provide resource supply and platform support for the construction of Marxist colleges and ideological and political classes in universities throughout the city.

In future ideological and political classrooms, students will encounter lecturers from different schools and fields. Li Junfeng (李军锋) introduced that Beijing (北京) will deeply implement the special work of the year for the construction of the ideological and political class teacher team, promote teachers from key Marxist colleges to take temporary posts in the front line of high-quality development in the capital, and exchange and rotate posts across schools. While standardizing the selection and management of part-time teachers, a normalized ideological and political teaching mechanism will be established for leading cadres, academicians and experts, industrial front-line science and technology personnel, master craftsmen, and Olympic champions.

More Vivid

Making Good Use of the Great Social Classroom

How many "opening methods" are there for the "Great Ideological and Political Class"?

"Hello, students, welcome to our class, welcome to the university classroom. Now, let's start the class!" As the lights gradually brightened, the performance began—

In the public teaching building auditorium of the Beijing (北京) University of Posts and Telecommunications (北京邮电大学) Shahe Campus (沙河校区), students from multiple universities attended the same "Strengthening the Country and Rejuvenating the Nation with Me" capital university freshman education theme "Great Ideological and Political Class." Different from the classroom in the classroom, this activity unfolded in the form of "literature and art + ideological and political," and programs such as situational dramas, dances, and operas won bursts of applause.

"In addition to studying, we will feel the charm of the cultural center in the huge Beijing (北京): various museums and countless exhibitions..." The musical short play "Let Dreams Have Direction" was performed by students from the Central Academy of Drama (中央戏剧学院), and the lyrics sang the students' hearts.

This "Great Ideological and Political Class" on the stage is a microcosm of the educational achievements of the "'Beijing (京) 'Colorful Culture, Youth Blooming" action plan carried out in Beijing (北京).

It is understood that since 2023, the action plan has carried out more than 4,000 activities in seven major categories, including faith trips, red trips, ancient capital trips, literary and artistic trips, volunteer trips, park trips, and book trips, covering 400,000 college students from 33 universities. In a more open classroom, students have benefited a lot.

The ideological and political classroom can be an exhibition. In the first floor central hall of the School of Fine Arts of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学), in the "Mobile Patriotic Education Classroom" activity, the exhibition of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (中国人民抗日战争纪念馆) was "moved" to the students' side. "With the vivid explanation, pictures and texts instantly brought me back to the years of war, guiding me to draw wisdom from history and move towards the future," said Lu Zewei (卢泽玮), a master's student at the school's School of Marxism (马克思主义学院).

The ideological and political classroom can be a park. Walking into Shougang Park (首钢园), learning about the history of the steel industry in the No. 3 Blast Furnace Digital Museum, and understanding the spiritual connotation of the Beijing (北京) Winter Olympics at the Big Air, Zhao Chenlin (赵晨琳), an undergraduate student at the School of Economics and Management of North China University of Technology (北方工业大学), broadened her horizons and clarified her learning direction: "During the visit, I had a more intuitive understanding of urban renewal and sustainable development, and I hope to devote myself to industrial innovation practice in the future."

In recent years, Beijing (北京) has continuously innovated the practical carriers of the "Great Ideological and Political Class" and promoted the deep integration of the small ideological and political classroom and the great social classroom: at the meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, more than 4,000 college volunteers in the capital participated in service guarantee; the Beijing (北京) Municipal Education Science and Technology Talent Work Leading Group hosted a series of lectures by science and technology talents from the capital's industrial front line to universities, guiding students to strengthen their ambition to serve the country through science and technology; the network education space has been continuously expanded, and short video collection activities such as "I Tell the Story of the War of Resistance in My Hometown" and "I See the Past Ten Years in My Hometown" have been widely carried out...

Li Junfeng (李军锋) said that it is necessary to anchor the central task of accelerating the formation of a strong ideological and political leadership, coordinate and promote institutional and mechanism innovation, linkage of high-quality resources, and integration of educational forces, create a "Great Ideological and Political Class" brand with capital characteristics, and write a new chapter in the high-quality development of ideological and political education.

Return to Top

How would children score their parents? (Educational Commentary)

By: 黄 超

Not long ago, a parent-teacher conference at an elementary school in Shandong (山东) sparked heated online discussions. In the classroom, there was no usual academic performance analysis or critical lecturing. Instead, the projector displayed scoring sheets filled out by the children, with their parents as the subjects of the scoring.

On one sheet, a child initially wrote 97 points, then gently erased it, solemnly rewriting it as 100 points. Behind the traces of correction lies the child's occasional disappointment with their parents, ultimately overshadowed by complete love. The collected scoring sheets included both unwavering 100s and deductions with "requests": hoping parents would spend more time, criticize less, and be more self-disciplined... Seeing the children's unadorned scores and messages, many parents' eyes welled up with tears.

Usually, it is the parents themselves who give their children low scores. Some parents are accustomed to judging children from a condescending perspective, guessing their thoughts from their own point of view, but rarely truly squat down and listen to their children's voices. However, this tolerance from the children makes the parents feel guilty, realizing the inappropriateness of their family education methods. This may be the reason why the parents were moved.

The "reverse scoring" parent-teacher conference allows us to re-examine how to correctly understand and handle parent-child relationships.

A healthy parent-child relationship is not just about teaching, but also about equality, respect, and mutual nourishment. The scores and messages given by the children are essentially a desire to be "seen, valued, and loved." Their scoring of their parents, seemingly simple evaluations, is actually a true expression of inner emotions. Many children, even when criticized by their parents, still give high scores without hesitation. This pure recognition stems from the children's unconditional love for their parents.

This reminds us that in parent-child relationships, love needs to be expressed and, more importantly, acted upon: listen more, spend more time, criticize less, and lecture less. When parents put down their airs and have equal dialogues with their children, genuine emotional connections will gradually be established.

The reason why this special parent-teacher conference was successful is that it broke the traditional "performance report meeting" format. At this school, a homeroom teacher proposed the educational concept of "flower-raising partners," hoping that the design of having children score their parents could guide everyone to think together: Are parents and teachers necessarily perfect? Changing perspectives can make communication more sincere.

This exploration has transformed the parent-teacher conference from a "complaint meeting" into a "reflection meeting" and a "communication meeting." It reflects the shift in the concept of collaborative education between home and school: from home-school communication to home-school co-education, from one-way output to two-way engagement. When families and schools work together to jointly focus on children's physical and mental health and overall development, they can effectively safeguard children's growth.

More importantly, we should further reflect: Can the evaluation of children be more diverse?

At this parent-teacher conference, what was most touching was the children's evaluation criteria for their parents. The basis for scoring was not "how much money their parents earned outside" or "how much social status they had," but rather "spending time," "speaking nicely," and "playing fewer games"—more multi-dimensional perspectives that focus on emotions and habits. On the other hand, from the perspective of adults, a single academic performance evaluation system ignores the diverse values of children, forming a fixed pattern of education that "discusses the merits of children based on academic performance" for some time.

The evaluation of children should be more diverse and comprehensive. Every child is unique. They may excel academically, or they may have unique talents in art, sports, or interpersonal skills. As parents and teachers, we should use a more open and inclusive mindset to discover and appreciate children's strengths, rather than just measuring their value with scores. This diverse evaluation system can allow every child to find their own path to growth and live a wonderful life.

Return to Top

Cultivating the Educational Soil for "Science High Schools" (Teacher's Perspective)

By: 朱 焱

In the diversified development pattern of ordinary senior high schools, what is the definition of a science high school? In the context of the integrated promotion of education, science and technology, and talent, how should its talent cultivation standards be established? These questions often spark discussion.

For front-line educators, a more pressing proposition than defining concepts is: how to truly run a science high school well in practice, that is, through innovative educational practices, stimulate students' scientific interest, cultivate the motivation to learn, and develop scientific thinking, so that science high schools become educational venues that respond to the mission of the times.

Our school has a tradition of science education. Every summer vacation, we prepare "science boxes" for incoming first-year high school students. The boxes contain online supporting courses and inquiry-based learning tools based on specific topics. These topics are specifically designed to stimulate students' scientific interest and conduct scientific inquiry, and are comprehensive, cutting-edge, and challenging.

From designing experiments to writing papers, to defending theses, when students go through an entire scientific research training process, they will gain tangible growth and truly practice the educational philosophy of "doing research with scientists and like scientists."

In addition to project-based learning like the "science box," at another school where I used to work, we also tried to optimize the educational ecology by innovatively planning the time and space of teaching.

Let the elements "come alive." Develop "+ Science" courses and construct a three-level progressive system of "Looking at the Stars—Exploring the Stars—Picking the Stars"; driven by talent cultivation programs in mathematics and physics, provide students with personalized growth paths; cooperate with universities to solve bottlenecks in teachers and courses... When elements such as curriculum, teachers, and facilities are synergistically linked, scattered resources can be integrated, releasing greater educational energy.

Let the students "stop." Campus space should be transformed from a one-way display of "landscape" into a "medium" for scientific dialogue. We have created a series of informal learning spaces, transforming the sunken plaza into a science corridor, and setting up more than 20 scenes such as science easter eggs and maker spaces, promoting these spaces to become "learning places."

Let the qualities "grow out." The main goal of building a science high school is to guide students to learn actively and create continuously, so that the spirit of science is integrated into daily life. Schools should be open to all students, so that every student has the opportunity to be close to science, love science, and develop scientific literacy that matches the development of the times.

Build more platforms and design more projects, and look forward to a deeper educational soil for science high schools, allowing more top-notch talents to emerge.

(The author is the principal of the High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University (南京师范大学附属中学). This article was compiled by Ding Yasong (丁雅诵), a reporter from this newspaper.)

Return to Top

A word connects people from a thousand years ago (on the front line)

By: 本报记者 吴 月

High-speed trains sped along, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from bustling cities to white walls and black tiles, making Yu Chengyi (俞程一), a master's student in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University (复旦大学), increasingly excited. On January 18, he and more than 10 classmates arrived in Tunxi District (屯溪区), Huangshan City (黄山市), Anhui Province (安徽省), to conduct dialect research under the guidance of teachers Tao Huan (陶寰) and Shi Menghui (史濛辉).

"Duo, Tuo, Ta..." Opening the "Dialect Survey Word List," asking the speaker about each pronunciation, and then recording it in international phonetic symbols, Yu Chengyi (俞程一) said: "The phonetic appearance of the Tunxi (屯溪) dialect is slowly revealed in the survey, like a jigsaw puzzle."

The dialect survey research team of the Chinese Department of Fudan University (复旦大学) has been on such journeys for many years.

Tao Huan (陶寰), the team leader and professor in the Chinese Department of Fudan University (复旦大学), introduced that the school's dialect survey tradition began in the 1980s. Since 2004, seeing the students' enthusiasm in the "Chinese Dialectology" class, he began to regularly organize dialect surveys. Zhejiang (浙江), Fujian (福建), Jiangxi (江西), Hunan (湖南)... For more than 20 years, using summer and winter vacations, teachers and students have conducted nearly 30 collective surveys.

"Field research is 'addictive.' The process of immersing oneself in the field and constantly uncovering the mysteries of dialects through investigation makes it impossible to stop," said Sheng Yimin (盛益民), a professor in the Chinese Department of Fudan University (复旦大学) born after 1985, who became involved in dialect research in the summer of 2008, when he was still a senior student.

That year, following Tao Huan (陶寰) in a survey in Qingyuan County (庆元县), Lishui City (丽水市), Zhejiang (浙江), one moment left a deep impression on Sheng Yimin (盛益民): In the local dialect, a scoop for fetching water is called "Xi (桸)." Tao Huan (陶寰) told him that Guo Pu (郭璞) of the Jin Dynasty (晋代) had related records when annotating the "Fangyan (方言)."

"That feeling was so wonderful!" Sheng Yimin (盛益民) recalled, "We suddenly established a connection with the ancients thousands of years ago through a word. Is it possible that what we are hearing is the local accent in the ears of the Jin Dynasty (晋代) people?" Later, he co-authored a paper with Tao Huan (陶寰) to specifically investigate "Xi (桸)" in Wu (吴语) and Min (闽语) dialects.

In Sheng Yimin's (盛益民) view, the significance of field research also lies in the fact that students learn from teachers and consolidate basic skills such as language material collection through exposure. "For example, I observed that when encountering the word 'Bu (布),' Teacher Tao (陶老师) would not only ask how to pronounce 'Bu (布),' but also ask how many kinds of 'Bu (布)' there are locally, and then ask how to say the various parts of the loom, the production process of 'Bu (布),' and so on. Seemingly one word, it can generate dozens of expressions. Relying on a 'Dialect Survey Word List,' you can not only understand the pronunciation of more than 3,000 words, but also possibly get tens of thousands of entries." The methods learned in class become clearer in practice.

Time passes, and former students have become instructors, and younger students are also writing their own stories in the field. Kuang Yilong (匡一龙), a male born after 2000, is one of them. During his undergraduate studies, he used his spare time to run to Huzhou (湖州), Zhejiang (浙江), more than a dozen times. Kuang Yilong (匡一龙), who grew up in the city, learned about silkworm breeding, farming, and other knowledge in the dialect survey, and gained new experiences.

"I remember very well the simple joy of recognizing a new kind of plant or animal, or collecting a new word," said Kuang Yilong (匡一龙). There are also moments of loneliness and fatigue in unfamiliar villages, "However, when the language facts I collected finally form a substantial table, I feel very happy."

For many years, what has supported teachers and students in persisting in dialect research is not only this joy and freshness, but also a sense of mission of "racing against time."

Tao Huan (陶寰) recalled that in the early years of the survey, he lived in a communal bunk; Sheng Yimin (盛益民) also remembers the difficulty of waiting for a bus that came once an hour at the entrance of the village. Today, the convenience of transportation and the development of urbanization have made people's lives more comfortable, but some dialect expressions are also disappearing rapidly. "If we don't record and preserve them now, it may be difficult to trace back the regional culture and local knowledge in traditional society in the future," said Sheng Yimin (盛益民). Dialect is not only a communication tool, but also contains rich historical information and cultural value, and dialect research helps to inherit cultural traditions, maintain rural emotional ties, and is also an important means of protecting, preserving, and revitalizing language resources.

It is gratifying that field research is gradually bearing fruit: Relying on dialect surveys over the years, more than 40 field survey reports have been accumulated, dozens of papers have been published in authoritative journals, and a number of national-level projects are underway.

"Teachers often encourage us not to 'shirk responsibility' (卸肩胛) (Wu dialect: push responsibility) just because we are young. I believe I can take on the responsibility of dialect research," said Kuang Yilong (匡一龙), who was still a senior student, shared his research results at the 23rd Annual Conference of the National Chinese Dialect Society some time ago. After graduating from undergraduate this year, he will continue to pursue graduate studies.

Young students are growing up in field research.

(Xie Yun (谢蕴) participated in the writing)

Return to Top

This edition's editor: Yan Yiqiao

Layout Design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

Return to Top

Macau Tourism Transitions from Recovery-Driven Growth to High-Quality Development (Macau Online)

By: 本报记者 富子梅

The past year of 2025 saw Macao's tourism industry deliver a bright report card: In 2025, the total number of inbound and outbound passengers at Macao's ports reached 235 million, an increase of 9.8% year-on-year, setting a new historical record. Among them, the number of tourists entering Macao reached 40.06 million, an increase of 14.7% year-on-year, also breaking the historical record.

"This is a comprehensive effect of policy support, integration empowerment, and diversified quality improvement, thanks to a series of central government policies benefiting Macao and the Macao Special Administrative Region (澳门特别行政区) government's strong administration. The Macao tourism industry has also united and cooperated, taking the initiative to promote the transformation of the tourism industry from recovery growth to high-quality development," said Zhang Jianzhong (张健中), President of the Macao Hotel Association, Chairman of the Macao Travel Agency Association, and President of the Macao Tourism Development Think Tank.

The 2025 Policy Address of the Macao Special Administrative Region proposed the goal of enhancing the advantages of the integrated tourism and leisure industry. Today, Macao's "tourism+" cross-border integrated development has been further deepened, continuously strengthening global promotion. Macao's tourism industry presents a good development trend of unique charm, vibrant vitality, and full of momentum, and the world tourism and leisure center is highly sought after.

"Tourism+" is wonderful and presents a good trend.

Walking on the streets of Macao, whether it is a tourist attraction or an old street with stories, you can always see tourists from all over the world. Many young tourists favor City Walk, choosing independent travel and leisure travel.

"I made a special trip to Macao to satisfy my cravings, the gastronomic capital cannot be missed." Not long ago, Mr. Zhang, who was on vacation from the United States, chose Macao as his first stop and invited several classmates from different cities such as Wenzhou (温州), Zhejiang (浙江) and Shenzhen (深圳), Guangdong (广东) to gather in Macao and spend the New Year together.

On New Year's Day 2026, Macao's single-day inbound and outbound volume data was refreshed again, reaching 866,000 passengers, adding a popular footnote to Macao's distinct image as a city of mega-events. "Macao is shedding its existing stereotypes and presenting a diverse tourism charm," said Zhang Jianzhong. Based on the positioning of the world tourism and leisure center, Macao takes the innovative concept of "tourism+" as the lead, and strives to optimize, refine and strengthen the integrated tourism and leisure industry:

"Tourism + Food" has become a "trump card". The 2025 Macao International Gastronomy City Carnival attracted 35 "Creative City Gastronomy Cities" from around the world, the largest number in history; "Tourism + MICE" is becoming mature. The 13th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo had exhibitors from 70 countries and regions, with 1,502 booths, more than 16,000 business matching sessions, and 59 signed contracts, a record high in scale; "Tourism + Mega-events" has been revitalized. The "Happy Chinese New Year" Golden Dragon Community Parade, the Lunar New Year Float Parade, the "East Asian Cultural Capital" event year, the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, World Tourism Day and other activities attracted a large number of tourists to Macao; "Tourism + Sports" is full of passion. The 15th National Games, the Macau Grand Prix (澳门格兰披治大赛车), the WTT Table Tennis Competition, the NBA Preseason Games and other events are wonderful, attracting tourists of all ages, and the construction of the "City of Sports" is booming.

Macao's tourism presents a good trend of stable traditional source markets and a rebound in international source markets. Data shows that among visitors to Macao in 2025, mainland tourists were 29.005 million, accounting for 72.4%, an increase of 18.5% year-on-year; Hong Kong tourists were 7.312 million, accounting for 18.2%, an increase of 1.7% year-on-year; Taiwan (台湾) tourists were 996,000, accounting for 2.5%, an increase of 19.4% year-on-year; foreign tourists were 2.755 million, accounting for 6.9%, an increase of 13.7% year-on-year.

Tourism consumption is transforming towards experiential, scenario-based, and themed experiences.

Macao Museum of History, Fire Services Museum, Former Residence of General Ye Ting (叶挺将军故居)... "In Macao, 25 museums are located throughout the city, and many museums are in the middle of the community." Tourist Mr. Tian (田先生) came to Macao from Tianjin (天津) with his two children for vacation and participated in an immersive experience exploring Macao's museums, gaining a lot.

Last April, the 13th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo was held. In the Macao theme pavilion, the Guia Fortress (东望洋炮台), lighthouse and other cultural heritage buildings were integrated into the design concept, highlighting Macao's historical significance as an important node of the Maritime Silk Road. A series of pictures show the unique style and cultural context of the Historic Centre of Macao, as well as the wonderful moments of mega-events and festivals. A person in charge of a travel agency from Ningxia (宁夏) told reporters that in recent years, Macao's tourism image has been renewed, and its cultural heritage has been increasingly explored, "which is refreshing and eye-opening."

"While the tourism image and tourism population are changing, consumption trends are also undergoing profound changes, and non-gaming consumption is steadily increasing," Zhang Jianzhong analyzed. Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, total non-gaming consumption by visitors to Macao reached 58.25 billion patacas, an increase of 3.6% year-on-year. Among them, the third quarter increased by 10.7% year-on-year, highlighting the potential of tourism consumption.

Macao's tourism consumption is transforming towards experiential, scenario-based, and themed experiences, with themed consumption centered on MICE, performing arts, and sports performing brightly. Statistics show that in the first three quarters of 2025, the average per capita consumption of tourists participating in MICE was about 4,398 patacas, and the average per capita consumption of tourists watching performances and sports events was about 3,811 patacas, highlighting the economic benefits of high value-added tourism products. The demand for "tourism + culture" and "tourism + study tours" continues to rise, and new consumption scenarios characterized by cultural experience and health and wellness are constantly emerging. "I bought several Pop Marts, as well as Macao-style blue and white porcelain refrigerator magnets. Of course, I also have to buy almond cakes to take back to my family to taste," tourist Mr. Cen (岑先生) told reporters, "As long as I think it is meaningful and interesting, I will pay for it."

In order to drive tourism consumption from attractions to communities, the Macao Government Tourism Office has taken many measures to implement the Community Tourism Subsidy Program, encouraging community organizations to hold diversified activities to attract visitors to the area. As of October 2025, it has attracted more than 650,000 participants and linked more than 1,500 merchants, effectively introducing some of the passenger flow into the old city of Macao and comprehensively promoting consumption. At the same time, the occupancy rate of Macao's hotel industry has steadily increased, and the business structure has continued to optimize, becoming one of the important cornerstones of the tourism industry's recovery. In the first 11 months of 2025, the average occupancy rate of hotel establishments reached 89.3%, an increase of 3.2% year-on-year.

The upgrading of the tourism industry drives the moderate diversification of the economy.

Concerts, fireworks shows, light sculpture festivals, New Year's Eve countdowns, fun runs... Brilliant fireworks light up the night sky, and famous attractions are crowded with people. Spring Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Macao's Return to the Motherland Anniversary... From the beginning to the end of the year, mega-events are staged in Macao in turn.

"From the incense of the A-Ma Temple (妈阁庙) to the vicissitudes of the stone steps of the Ruins of St. Paul's (大三巴牌坊), from the melodious Cantonese opera to the fragrant Macanese cuisine everywhere, Macao's cultural genes have both Chinese roots and the sparks of East-West collision. This pattern of Chinese culture as the mainstream and the coexistence of diverse cultures highlights the unique charm of Macao tourism," said Xing Rongfa (邢荣发), a member of the Cultural Development Advisory Committee of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government.

In 2025, Macao was once again named "Best Asian Conference City" and "Best Conference Business City", and won the first place in the "Top Ten Destinations for Chinese Tourists' Outbound Satisfaction in 2024", the "Most Popular International Destination" and "Best Government Tourism Organization Booth" awards at the Malaysia International Tourism Exhibition, highlighting international recognition.

How can Macao's tourism industry reach new heights in 2026?

Zhang Jianzhong suggested that for the mainland market, we should focus on precision and quality. For example, launch "parent-child study tours + health and leisure" products for family tourists, and create "performing arts events + trendy consumption" experiences for young tourists. We can make full use of social media, live broadcast platforms, etc. to carry out scenario-based marketing to enhance the youthful appeal of Macao tourism. For overseas markets, we can adopt regional strengthening and brand linkage strategies, develop "international air tickets + Macao-Hengqin joint tour + Greater Bay Area experience" packages, and use the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to attract tourists; we can also deepen cooperation with Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries to create regular high-quality tourism route products to attract tourists from Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, and at the same time organize tourists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to travel to Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries to promote mutual delivery of tourists.

"Macao should build a 'cultural golden card' for cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the West based on its rich and profound historical and cultural heritage, so as to provide impetus for the moderate diversification of Macao's economy," said Pan Wei (潘维), Director of the Institute of Global and Public Affairs, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau.

"In 2026, we will combine Macao's strengths and the advantages of the Greater Bay Area, strive to create a green, healthy and sustainable tourism ecology, expand the supply of higher-quality tourism products and services, and further enhance the quality and connotation of Macao's cultural tourism and its comprehensive competitiveness," said Zhang Jianzhong.

Return to Top

"25 Years of 'Mini Three Links': Popular Sentiment Points to the General Trend (Viewing the Canghai Sea)"

By: 江 琳

The Jinmen (金门) Shuitou Pier (水头码头) in the afternoon is bustling with people. The pier's parking lot is full of vehicles; in the departure hall, travelers going between Jinmen (金门) and Xiamen (厦门) and Quanzhou (泉州) are constantly coming and going. A ferry ticket, a 30-minute voyage, crosses not only a bay of blue waves, but also a historical river from isolation, detour to direct access.

Since its first voyage on January 2, 2001, the "Three Mini Links" passenger route has been in operation for more than 25 years, carrying a cumulative total of more than 26 million passengers, becoming an important "golden waterway," livelihood route, and kinship road for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Nostalgia is the most common and profound emotion of the Chinese people. Xiamen (厦门) and Jinmen (金门), Fuzhou (福州) and Matsu (马祖) are separated by a strip of water, so close that the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard between them, but they were once worlds apart and did not interact with each other. The opening of the "Three Mini Links" route finally resolved more than half a century of homesickness. On January 2, 2001, Matsu (马祖) villagers took the "Tai Ma Wheel" (台马轮) on its maiden voyage to Mawei (马尾), Fuzhou (福州), and Jinmen (金门) villagers took the "Tai Wu" (太武号) and "Wu Jiang" (浯江号) on their maiden voyage to Heping Pier (和平码头), Xiamen (厦门). The waterway, which had been silent for more than half a century, finally ushered in a moment of direct navigation. The scene of relatives embracing and weeping at the pier was frozen as a touching picture of compatriots on both sides of the strait being thicker than water. This route has never only carried ships, but also the desire to return home tens of millions of times.

Over the past 25 years, the "Three Mini Links" passenger route has gone from one-way to two-way, from passenger transport to both passenger and cargo transport, from temporary operation to regular sailing, and then to increasing routes... Today, there are 4 passenger routes with 252 sailings per week, becoming a pioneer channel for building the "first home for Taiwan compatriots and enterprises to land" and a "golden artery" for deepening economic and trade cooperation between Fujian (福建) and Taiwan (台湾), and even across the Taiwan Strait.

The "Three Mini Links" uses the shortest voyage and the most convenient way to truly narrow the distance between the hearts of compatriots on both sides of the strait. Jinmen (金门) villagers take a boat to Xiamen (厦门) on weekends to drink coffee and see exhibitions; Taiwanese students travel back and forth across the strait like commuting across cities, "being able to eat a bowl of hot noodles when they go home"; Taiwanese businessmen use the "Three Mini Links" to make their business and career paths wider and wider. A Taiwanese youth who started a business in Fuzhou (福州) frankly said that "the opening of navigation not only connects family circles, expands friend circles, but also expands business circles." When convenient exchanges become the norm, the hearts of compatriots on both sides of the strait are brought closer in each boarding and landing, visiting relatives and friends, and working together - the waves crossing the Xiamen (厦门) and Jinmen (金门) sea area, the celebration of the "Two Ma (Mawei (马尾), Matsu (马祖)) celebrating the Lantern Festival together," and the laughter of family reunions are all witnesses of the emotional bonds being woven tighter and tighter in small ways.

25 years of accumulated trust has solidified the pursuit of peace. As Wang Shuizhang (王水彰), honorary president of the Jinmen (金门) Red Cross Society and a witness to the first "Three Mini Links" direct flight, said, "Growing up in the artillery fire of Jinmen (金门), I deeply know the cruelty of war and the pricelessness of peace." Countless individual memories have converged into a consensus that "getting closer and visiting relatives is what the people want." The general trend is irresistible; the emotional ties are indestructible.

With the advancement of the construction of a demonstration zone for integrated development across the Taiwan Strait, the "co-city living circle" of Xiamen (厦门) and Jinmen (金门), Fuzhou (福州) and Matsu (马祖) has become a reality. Fuzhou (福州) has launched the "Fu Ma Co-City Pass" card for Matsu (马祖) villagers and issued two batches of 20 pilot policies; Xiamen (厦门) has deepened the equalization, universal benefit, and convenience of basic public services in Xiamen (厦门) and Jinmen (金门), and implemented the "Xia Jin Co-City Card" policy; Jinmen (金门) villagers are eagerly looking forward to the early completion and opening of the Xiamen (厦门)-Jinmen (金门) Bridge; more and more Taiwanese compatriots are choosing to work and settle in Xiamen (厦门) and Fuzhou (福州)... Integration is moving from "connectivity" to "togetherness."

25 years, 26 million trips, is a vote of confidence cast by compatriots on both sides of the strait with their footsteps. History has repeatedly proven that no matter how wide the strait is, it will eventually become a thoroughfare; no matter how far the road ahead is, it will eventually lead to reunion. We are one family on both sides of the strait, continuing the 25-year friendship of the "Three Mini Links," and the road of integrated development across the strait will surely become wider and wider.

Return to Top

Getting to the Root of the Matter, Building Consensus (Cross-Strait Pulse)

By: 本报记者 施 芳

Recently, the "Encyclopedia of Taiwan - History," compiled by more than 20 experts and scholars over a period of more than 10 years, was published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, using detailed historical materials to clarify the historical facts that Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times, that compatriots on both sides of the strait are connected by blood, and that the cultures on both sides of the strait share the same origin.

This reference book, which systematically introduces the history of Taiwan, contains 1,369 entries and approximately 960,000 words, summarizing major events, important phenomena, representative figures, and related works in the history of Taiwan. "The publication of this book is a major achievement in the field of philosophy and social sciences and the publishing industry in China. It is of great significance for deepening the clarification of the source, building consensus across the strait, and carrying out academic research," said Huang Zhijian (黄志坚), Chairman and Party Secretary of China Publishing Group Corporation (中国出版集团有限公司).

It is reported that the "Encyclopedia of Taiwan - History" is compiled according to prehistoric culture, early history, the Dutch occupation period, the Ming-Zheng period, the early Qing Dynasty, the late Qing Dynasty (modern times), the Japanese occupation period, and the restoration period. Within each period, entries are divided into different types such as events, institutions, systems, society, figures, works, and historical geography, systematically presenting the history of Chinese ancestors developing Taiwan, successive central governments governing Taiwan, and compatriots on both sides of the strait jointly building and defending Taiwan.

Opening the book, from the Changbin Culture (长滨文化) of the Paleolithic Age to the Dapenkeng Culture (大坌坑文化) and Yuanshan Culture (圆山文化) of the Neolithic Age, the types of artifacts and production techniques are significantly similar to the cultures of the southeastern coast of mainland China. A large number of historical books and documents record the early development of Taiwan by the Chinese people. As early as the Three Kingdoms period, Wu (吴) dynasty scholar Shen Ying's (沈莹) "Description of the Water and Soil of Lin Hai" (《临海水土志》) left the earliest records about Taiwan. The Sui Dynasty (隋朝) government sent troops to Taiwan, then known as "Liuqiu" (流求), three times. After the Song (宋) and Yuan (元) dynasties, the central government established administrations in Penghu (澎湖) and Taiwan, implementing administrative jurisdiction. In addition, Taiwan's language, folk beliefs, customs and festivals, clan concepts, as well as temples, ancestral halls, and cities, all witness the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.

The historical context of Taiwan belonging to China since ancient times is clear, and the legal facts are clear. A large number of historical facts prove that "Taiwan has been Chinese territory since ancient times." "The biggest feature of Taiwan's history is that Taiwan has never been an independent 'country' or 'nation,' nor has it ever been an independent society. It is only a part of Chinese history or Chinese society. This is the most basic historical fact of Taiwan's history," said Zhang Haipeng (张海鹏), editor-in-chief of the "Encyclopedia of Taiwan - History" and director of the Taiwan History Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院台湾史研究中心).

The "Encyclopedia of Taiwan" is divided into five volumes. In addition to the history volume, the geography volume, the literature and language volume, the art volume, and the tourism volume will be published successively. "The various volumes of the 'Encyclopedia of Taiwan' reveal comprehensively and profoundly, with irrefutable facts, that the development and changes of the Taiwan region are inherited from and closely related to the mainland of the motherland," said Yu Keli (余克礼), editor-in-chief of the "Encyclopedia of Taiwan" and former director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院台湾研究所).

Return to Top

Youthful adaptation of "The Peony Pavilion" premieres in Taiwan

Recently, the campus youth version of "The Peony Pavilion," performed by mainland Chinese (大陆) young students, premiered at the Taipei City Stage (台北城市舞台) in Taiwan (台湾), meeting Taiwanese (台湾) audiences for the first time.

Return to Top

Seize New Opportunities and Contribute the Strength of Overseas Chinese (Brevity)

By: 禾 立

"Provides the world with a list of opportunities," "Brings clearer and more stable expectations," "Offers a broader stage"... Looking forward to the "15th Five-Year Plan," the genuine feelings of the vast number of overseas Chinese reflect the deep resonance and full expectations of overseas Chinese for the country's development blueprint. The year 2026 marks the beginning of the "15th Five-Year Plan." Embarking on the new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the vast number of overseas Chinese are ushering in new opportunities of the times.

A large number of overseas Chinese is an important advantage of our country. Looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," from technological self-reliance and self-improvement to green and low-carbon transformation, and then to the vigorous development of the cultural industry... the vast number of overseas Chinese have always been concerned about their ancestral (native) country, promoting exchanges and cooperation, and leaving solid footprints in various fields.

Seize new opportunities and contribute the strength of overseas Chinese. The grand blueprint outlined in the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal is being transformed into a broad stage for the vast number of overseas Chinese businessmen and enterprises to display their ambitions. In the wave of green transformation, some overseas Chinese are using advanced technology to help their host countries build photovoltaic power stations, injecting green momentum into local development; in mutually beneficial trade exchanges, some overseas Chinese businessmen are acting as matchmakers, allowing African avocados and other special products to enter the Chinese market; in the journey of Chinese brands going overseas, some overseas Chinese are deeply involved, helping "Made in China" cross cultural barriers and driving local industrial development... The vast number of overseas Chinese have taken action, seizing historical opportunities, and leveraging their advantages in capital, technology, and connections, becoming an important link in promoting the smooth flow of domestic and international dual circulation in a two-way effort.

Thousands of rivers and mountains do not separate the will of the same heart. By deeply cultivating the fertile ground of innovation and building a bridge of mutual trust, the vast number of overseas Chinese will surely keep up with the pace of development of their ancestral (native) country, sow hope and achieve dreams on the new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan," transform their full of deep feelings for their hometown into practical actions to participate in the construction of Chinese-style modernization, and contribute new strength from the overseas Chinese community to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Return to Top

"Tibetan-branded" products favored by Hong Kong market

By: 本报记者 鲜 敢

One after another, perfectly packaged bottles of mineral water rolled off the production line at 5100 Tibet Glacier Mineral Water Co., Ltd. (5100西藏冰川矿泉水有限公司) production workshop, completing remote jurisdictional inspection via the Lhasa Customs (拉萨海关) "batch inspection (quarantine)" model, and embarking on their journey to Hong Kong. This sweetness from the snowy plateau writes a vivid footnote to the economic and trade interaction between Tibet and Hong Kong during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.

According to Lhasa Customs (拉萨海关) statistics, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the total import and export value of goods trade between the Tibet Autonomous Region (西藏自治区) and Hong Kong reached 622 million yuan. Cordyceps sinensis, mineral water, and other "Tibetan-branded" characteristic products took the lead, becoming the main export products; spices, pre-packaged foods, and re-exported branded cosmetics produced in Hong Kong also entered the plateau via highways and air routes.

"Hong Kong's re-export trade network, cross-border financial services, and international marketing experience can make up for Tibet's late start in foreign trade and narrow channels. Tibet, on the other hand, has irreplaceable characteristic resources, and tea, red wine, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Thangka, etc., have the quality foundation to meet the needs of the consumer market and re-export trade," said Wang Honghan (王宏翰), Director of Lhasa Customs (拉萨海关).

In recent years, with the help of diverse channels such as the Hong Kong Food Expo and Tibetan tourism promotion activities, "Tibetan-branded" products have continued to win the favor of the Hong Kong market. Recently, Lhasa organic highland barley, Shannan red wine, and Nyingchi honey and other products have for the first time knocked on the door of the Hong Kong market. "Although the export volume is not large, it has achieved a new breakthrough in export products and is an important attempt to develop the market," said Qu Tianwen (屈天文), Chairman of Sangri County Pazhu Rongshun (Pure Land) Manor Co., Ltd. (桑日县帕竹荣顺（净土）庄园有限公司).

It is reported that Lhasa Customs (拉萨海关) has deepened the application of facilitation measures such as "cloud issuance" of inspection and quarantine certificates, optimized all links of product transportation, transshipment, and exit, realized "one box to the end" and joint supervision of export products; and innovatively carried out the country's first pilot project of "batch inspection (quarantine)" for mineral water exports, reducing the previous "6-hour journey + 1-week delivery for inspection" time to about 6 minutes, and the logistics efficiency of enterprises has increased by about 70%.

The hot economic and trade also promotes smoother personnel exchanges. On February 19, 2025, the "Lhasa-Chengdu Tianfu-Hong Kong" regional route was opened, becoming a new link for interconnection between the two places. "As passenger demand rises, our services must keep up!" said Li Shisen (李世森), Director of Lhasa Gonggar Airport Customs (拉萨贡嘎机场海关) affiliated to Lhasa Customs (拉萨海关). The Customs fully utilizes the "one-time inspection" mechanism and intelligent supervision equipment such as infrared body temperature monitoring to continuously improve the passenger clearance experience.

Today, more and more high-quality plateau products are heading to Hong Kong and accelerating their journey overseas through convenient channels. In the future, the two sides are expected to deepen cooperation in cross-border air logistics, characteristic product trade, and other fields, injecting a continuous stream of vitality into Tibet's opening up and development.

Return to Top

Editor in Charge for This Section: Cheng Long

Return to Top

Cities "grow up," but memories linger (Cultural China Tour: Humanistic Observations - Continuing the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the City)

By: 本报记者 王 珏 韩俊杰

In winter, in Hefei, Anhui, tourists stroll in Xiaoyaojin Park (逍遥津公园) next to the statue of Zhang Liao (张辽), reminiscing about the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms; on Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street (淮河路步行街), time-honored brands and new shops stand side by side, traditional skills and modern creativity coexist; in the industrial heritage site, old factories and new business forms are intertwined. A city's cultural landscape, rich in historical depth and full of contemporary vitality, is slowly unfolding here.

"A 5-kilometer-long main road, 50,000 permanent residents, 5 blacksmith shops..." This was once the most vivid sketch of "Jianghuai Small Town" in the mouths of the older generation of Hefei people. Today, opening Hefei's new business card: a city area of 11,400 square kilometers, a permanent population of over 10 million, an economic scale exceeding one trillion yuan, and a gathering of science and technology enterprises... The huge changes in numbers outline the city's astonishing development trajectory and growth rate over the past few decades.

In the process of "growing up," Hefei uses the "delicate needlework" of protective renewal to intertwine the heaviness of history and the exploratory nature of the future in the city's texture.

Revitalizing Pedestrian Streets, Activating a Century of Glory

"A century of Huaihe Road (淮河路), half the history of Hefei." This widely circulated saying reveals the weight of Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street (淮河路步行街) in the hearts of Hefei people in the Luyang District (庐阳区).

Hefei has been a county since the Qin Dynasty and was the seat of Luzhou Prefecture (庐州府) in ancient times. Its core area is located in today's Luyang Old Town (庐阳老城区). This street, about one kilometer long and about 200 meters wide, is not only a place of commercial prosperity but also a flowing historical corridor.

The legacy of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the events of modern times, and contemporary trends are superimposed here: the Jiaonutai (教弩台), where Cao Cao (曹操) reviewed his troops, is ancient and solemn; the former residence of Li Hongzhang (李鸿章), an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, quietly tells the story of the late Qing Dynasty; various modern and contemporary buildings stand in rows; and fashionable and beautiful brand stores shimmer with light and shadow. They are not isolated existences but are integrated into a whole in careful planning and design, becoming the first choice for citizens to stroll, reminisce, and shop, and also a window for foreign tourists to perceive the temperament of Hefei.

Li Ningdong (李宁东), who has lived in Jiushijie Community (九狮街居) in Xiaoyaojin Street (逍遥津街道), Luyang District (庐阳区) for most of his life, is one of the most direct witnesses of the changes in Huaihe Road (淮河路). "Before the renovation, the pedestrian street was just a bare main road. It was lively, but it always felt like it lacked charm. Especially those alleys in the back streets, like Lifu Alley (李府巷) and Cuozaoshan Alley (撮造山巷), were old, with potholes in the road, mottled walls, and poor drainage. When it rained or snowed, it was difficult to walk, and sewage sometimes overflowed, with an unpleasant smell, which was really inconvenient to live in." Recalling the past, Li Ningdong's brows furrowed slightly.

The turning point began in 2019. With the increasing emphasis on the protection and renewal of the old city in Hefei, Luyang District (庐阳区) specially established the Old City Protection and Renewal Management Service Center (老城保护更新管理服务中心), and the large-scale organic renewal of the Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street (淮河路步行街) area officially started.

The project is not a simple and crude demolition and construction but a systematic operation of "internal and external cultivation": underground, the old pipe network has been fully dredged and updated, solving the chronic diseases that have plagued residents for many years; above ground, the exterior facades of buildings have been carefully repaired and leveled on the basis of maintaining the historical style, washing away the dust of time and glowing with new brilliance.

At the same time, more than 10 streets and alleys, like capillaries, scattered on both sides of the main road, were simultaneously included in the renovation blueprint.

"The renovation is not only an upgrade of infrastructure but also an in-depth excavation and reproduction of the soul of the block," said Hua Shu (华舒), deputy director of the Old City Protection and Renewal Management Service Center (老城保护更新管理服务中心) in Luyang District (庐阳区). Each alley has its own unique historical allusions and cultural genes, and the renewal work uses this as a clue to create differentiated features.

Taking Cuozaoshan Alley (撮造山巷) as an example, its name originates from a story from the Three Kingdoms period, when Cao Cao (曹操) is said to have "piled up soil to create a mountain" here to ascend and resist Wu. In the renovation, the designers cleverly transformed this historical and cultural element into modern language: a cute "Lu Xiaopang" (庐小胖) soldier cartoon image, with a bit of heroic spirit, was erected at the entrance of the alley, instantly shortening the distance between young people and history; the bluestone road in the alley is clean and winding, and the walls are dotted with interesting colorful paintings and reliefs incorporating elements of the Three Kingdoms; the originally messy shop fronts have gradually been upgraded, introducing diverse business formats such as tea drinks, cultural creations, handicrafts, and snacks, which are both simple and elegant, and full of vitality.

The once dilapidated and dim back streets and alleys have become a "网红" (wǎng hóng - "internet celebrity," popular online) landmark attracting countless tourists to take photos and check in, and history has become vivid in creativity.

In Qinlao Alley (勤劳巷), which features catering, the renovation focuses on reproducing the sense of order and the atmosphere of traditional street markets. The design team strictly implements "one store, one sign," guiding the signs of each store to conform to the architectural style in terms of size, material, and hanging method, but encouraging them to show their individuality in terms of font, color, and design. Walking in the alley, you can see various signs arranged in a staggered manner, with the ancient clerical script, the handsome running script, and the lively cartoon characters complementing each other.

"These alleys have been reborn after the renovation!" said Cao Zhengqin (曹正勤), an old resident whose hometown is Yangzhou, Jiangsu.

Cao Zhengqin (曹正勤) has lived on the edge of Huaihe Road (淮河路) for more than 30 years. The exquisite and graceful style of Yangzhou is her homesickness, while the inclusiveness and progress of Hefei are the bloodline she has integrated into. She has personally watched the streets and alleys at her doorstep go from dilapidated to new, from monotonous to rich. "Now there is both a good-looking 'face' and a comfortable 'inside'. The business is lively but not lacking in elegance, the cultural flavor is stronger, and life is more convenient. Every weekend, I always like to walk around the streets and alleys, touch those walls with stories, and look at the interesting new shops, and I feel like I am getting younger too."

Revitalizing City Parks, Continuing Historical Narrative

"In the past, when I came to Xiaoyaojin (逍遥津), I just took a walk along the lake and looked at the scenery. It was a habit of the old Hefei people," said Wang Lijuan (王丽娟), who lives near Funan Road (阜南路) and is a regular visitor to the park, "but now it's different. Every time I come, there are always new surprises."

As Hefei's first people's park, Xiaoyaojin Park (逍遥津公园) carries the warm memories of generations of Hefei people. The three-bay archway of the South Gate of the park is full of ancient charm, with the "Ancient Xiaoyaojin" (古逍遥津) plaque with the Taige style inscription hanging under the eaves. Looking up, you can see the heaviness of the years.

Xiaoyaojin (逍遥津) was once the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Xiaoyaojin (逍遥津之战) between Wei and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. In 215 AD, Zhang Liao (张辽) led 800 soldiers to defeat Sun Quan's (孙权) army of 100,000, and the famous battle took place here. The allusion of "Zhang Liao's prestige shook Xiaoyaojin" (张辽威震逍遥津) also came from this. This is a landmark carrier of Hefei's Three Kingdoms culture.

In 2020, Xiaoyaojin Park (逍遥津公园) started to close the park for upgrading.

How can an old park carrying the collective memory of the city continue its unique historical narrative and spiritual temperament in contemporary life?

The answer is hidden in every brick, tile, scene, and object in the park.

Following the concept of "micro-transformation, refined transformation" and "repairing the old as old," the park renovation retains and protects the scenic spots and facilities representing the city's memory while inheriting and continuing the theme of the Three Kingdoms culture. The newly built "Memory Corridor" (记忆长廊) reproduces the story of the Three Kingdoms "Zhang Liao's prestige shook Xiaoyaojin" (张辽威震逍遥津) with lifelike reliefs; the "Eight Views of Xiaoyao" (逍遥八景), such as Xiaoyao Ancient Ferry (逍遥古津), Prestige Shakes Jiangdong (威震江东), and Great Elephant Has Little Sound (大象希声), not only show the park's landscape but also reflect cultural inheritance.

The Three Kingdoms Hefei Historical and Cultural Museum (三国合肥历史文化馆), a digital Three Kingdoms cultural immersive experience hall in the park, dynamically reproduces the "Battle of Xiaoyaojin" (逍遥津之战), leading the audience to immerse themselves in the historical turmoil.

Today, in Xiaoyaojin Park (逍遥津公园), in the Quzhuang Flower Opera Building (蘧庄花戏楼), Huangmei Opera's (黄梅戏) melodious, Huiju Opera's (徽剧) sonorous, and Beijing Opera's (京剧) melodious are performed in turn; the upgraded leisure trails, amusement areas, and venues cater to the play needs of citizens of different ages.

On January 1, this year, the 2026 Luzhou Lantern Festival (庐州灯会) was lit up in Xiaoyaojin Park (逍遥津公园). More than 50 large-scale lantern scenes were lined up, and tens of thousands of lanterns were lit up in turn. An immersive situational drama with "Crossing Zhang Liao" (穿越了张辽) as the core was staged, accompanied by special performances such as "Sky Horse in the Sky" (天马行空) model aircraft flying and intangible cultural heritage iron flower, presenting the integration of traditional folk customs and cutting-edge technology.

Meng Haitao (孟海涛), a staff member of the Xiaoyaojin Park Management Office (逍遥津公园管理处), said that he hopes to meet the diverse expectations of citizens for culture, aesthetics, and leisure while adjusting the functional layout and deeply exploring the historical connotation.

Revitalizing the "Industrial Rust Belt," Integrating Diverse Business Forms

On Hewa Road (合瓦路) in Luyang District (庐阳区), Luzhou Yiku (庐州意库), a new landmark transformed from an old warehouse, is becoming a new landmark for citizens to experience trendy life. Here, the business layout is diverse and three-dimensional, covering cultural and creative experience, characteristic commerce, leisure and entertainment, and other fields... The rich cultural business forms not only retain the city's memory but also improve the cultural quality.

"We hope to systematically solve the shortcomings of the old city, such as the single function of infrastructure and the lack of diverse cultural spaces, effectively drive the improvement of the area's environment and people's livelihood facilities, and provide new support for the area's urban renewal," said Liu Bin (刘斌), director of the Housing and Construction Bureau of Luyang District (庐阳区住建局局长).

The practice of Luzhou Yiku (庐州意库) is an epitome of Hefei's systematic promotion of industrial heritage renewal in recent years. As a city with a strong industrial foundation, Hefei has a large number of old factories and warehouses carrying the memory of the times. Today, new scenes, new business forms, and new services based on industrial heritage are gathering here—

In the "Hefei 1972" (合柴1972) cultural and creative park, which was transformed from the old site of the Hefei Diesel Engine Factory (合肥柴油机厂), the former dome workshop has been transformed into the Hefei Contemporary Art Museum (合肥当代美术馆), the fuel warehouse has become a cultural and creative collection store, and the old sentry box has become a viewing platform... The heaviness of industry and the avant-garde of art resonate here in a wonderful way. Han Guanghui (韩光辉), member of the Standing Committee of the Baohe District Committee (包河区委常委) and deputy district chief, introduced: "Combining industrial heritage protection with cultural creativity, transforming abandoned factories, and not doing 'large-scale demolition and construction' can maximize the preservation of the original texture of the Hefei Diesel Engine Factory (合肥柴油机厂), which not only protects the historical style but also opens up new creative spaces, achieving multiple goals with one move."

In the Xinliangcang (新粮仓) Cultural and Commercial Collection, the iconic silos and railway tracks are preserved and transformed into art exhibition halls and landscape clues, telling the story of grain storage in the past. The 10,000-ton silo has been transformed into an art center, with galleries, foreign language bookstores, and design brands settling in. While improving the infrastructure, the park vigorously introduces cultural and creative industries, realizing the transformation from a "material granary" to a "spiritual granary." "We also provide the audience with new experiences through VR technology," said Zhang Chi (张弛), head of the digital content project. Since its opening in May 2024 to the end of 2025, the Xinliangcang (新粮仓) Commercial Collection has received more than 15 million visitors and its revenue has exceeded 700 million yuan, showing strong market vitality.

In Hefei, stories of guarding and innovation are being continued every day.

"Urban renewal is not a simple demolition of the old and construction of the new but an excavation and activation of the city's cultural genes and historical heritage," said Zhang Gang (张刚), director of the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (合肥市城乡建设局局长). "The tremendous changes in Hefei have been witnessed and participated in by every citizen living here. We can look back on the past together, find our common collective memory, and enhance our identity, cohesion, and the power to continue our struggle from these memories."

Return to Top

Passing on a Play, Nurturing a Generation (Humanities Tea House)

By: 王从辅

Recently, classic revival plays such as "The White Haired Girl," "Early Spring in February," "The Physicists," "A Family Returns on a Snowy Night," and "Rickshaw Boy" (《骆驼祥子》) have been staged successively. On stage, classic characters such as Xiangzi, Huniu, and Xier are mostly played by young actors born in the 1990s and 2000s. Offstage, directors, stage designers, and other key creators are also young people. This bold move is not only a relay of artistic inheritance but also an in-depth practice connecting classics with the present and actors with the audience.

Judging from market feedback, many classic revival plays have seen full houses, attracting audiences, especially young audiences, to the theater. Audiences have left messages such as "Young actors are a pleasant surprise" and "Thank you for the classic revival, allowing us to relive the classics." Such positive interaction vividly illustrates a simple truth: the vitality of classic art depends not only on the passing of the torch from generation to generation of actors but also on the emotional resonance and aesthetic recognition of generation after generation of audiences.

Classic revivals can "bring people along with the play," cultivating a group of young actors. Challenging a classic work is tantamount to climbing an artistic peak. This is not only a test of the acting skills of young actors but also a comprehensive tempering of their historical perception, cultural understanding, and artistic concentration. Through rehearsing classic plays, young actors strengthen their basic skills, adopt a more rigorous artistic attitude, and further enhance their understanding of the characters, laying a solid foundation for their future artistic paths. On the other hand, young actors also feel and inherit the artistic traditions and spirit of the older generation in the play. The idea that "**戏比天大**" (xì bǐ tiān dà - "acting is bigger than the sky," the performance is the most important thing) encourages actors to focus everything on the performance and have a dedicated spirit. The "one vegetable" spirit inspires actors to help each other regardless of the size of the role. Revival is a classroom for inheritance, a relay of skills, and, more importantly, a continuation of spirit and blood. Classic revival is not a simple replication but a "relay" ceremony, where young actors are tempered and grow in the process of "passing on, helping, and leading."

The value of classics needs to be realized in dialogue with contemporary audiences. Without the "unchanging" aspects of literature, aesthetics, and performance, the power of classics will be impossible to discuss; without the "changing" aspects based on the dimensions of the times, actors, and audiences, classics may be sealed in dust, unable to radiate new vitality in the current context, and even less able to touch the hearts of contemporary people. The younger generation, with its unique advantages, has become the most effective "root" connecting to the "soil" of the times. The classic revival version of "The Physicists" reflects on war and raises questions about scientific ethics and the fate of humanity. It is precisely by constantly finding new connections with the times and the audience, and by reinterpreting and activating them in the context of the times, that classics can maintain their eternal charm.

It can be said that the significance of classic revival lies not only in "inheriting" a play but also in "cultivating" a generation—cultivating responsible young actors and cultivating tasteful young audiences. Only when the flame of inheritance of actors does not go out and the heart of resonance of the audience remains, can the artistic light of classics travel through time and space and illuminate our nation's spiritual home.

This, perhaps, is the eternal value of classics transcending time and space.

Return to Top

Learning Intaglio Painting at My Doorstep: Farmhouse Courtyard Transforms into Workshop (Rural Glimpses)

By: 本报记者 史自强

Driving through the vast wheat fields of Guocun Village in Raoyang County, Hengshui City, Hebei Province, we quickly arrived at a farmhouse in the central part of Guocun Village. This is a local rural workshop promoting the art of inside painting. Pushing open the door, a quiet and focused scene came into view: Li Yangyang (李洋洋) and more than 20 villagers were creating inside painting products. Along the long tables, each person had a workstation, facing the light, holding a transparent bottle blank, applying colors little by little. With a slight turn of the wrist, delicate lines slowly unfolded within the small space, giving the glass vessels a lively life.

Li Yangyang (李洋洋), 39 years old, is from Guocun Village. During the busy farming season, she helps her family harvest corn and dig peanuts. At other times, she transforms into a rural artisan of Hengshui inside painting. Inside painting is a handicraft that uses a special curved hook brush to reach into transparent or translucent containers and paint on their inner walls. Hengshui inside painting has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Wang Ziyong (王自勇), a provincial representative inheritor of Hengshui inside painting and curator of the Hengshui Inside Painting Art Museum, said: "We are promoting the establishment of multiple inside painting workshops throughout the city, combining public skills training with the 'old leading the new' approach, so that villagers gradually master the core skills of inside painting art."

"If you give people to me, I can definitely teach them!" Li Cuiyan (李翠烟), the person in charge of the Guocun inside painting workshop, showed the "tutorial": "It doesn't matter if you don't have artistic talent. When you come, you first learn to draw 'dots', then learn to draw 'lines', and then simple patterns, gradually practicing your hands."

This inconspicuous rural workshop exports more than 100,000 pieces of inside painting gifts annually.

In Hengshui (衡水), inside painting workshops are like scattered pearls, strung together by the industrial chain.

Moving to the inside painting workshop in Beisuzha Village in Taocheng District, Hengshui, the shelves in the farmhouse courtyard are full of glass and crystal containers in various shapes.

This is the "upstream link" of the inside painting industrial chain. An Zhiguo (安志国), the person in charge of the workshop, and three villagers are working hard, with the sound of cutting and grinding echoing in the air. In their hands, the originally simple glass and crystal raw materials gradually reveal a crystal-clear arc after being punched, carved, and polished.

These plain blanks will flow to the "midstream" painters, who will add the finishing touches, and then, after the "downstream" packaging and accessories, a complete inside painting product with rural warmth and artisan soul will officially begin its market journey.

"Walking into Hengshui (衡水), you will find an interesting phenomenon - there are more than 50 small shops selling inside paintings, and this is just the urban area, and there are more in the counties. They are like cultural stations scattered throughout the city." Xu Shibo (徐世博), secretary-general of the Hengshui Jipai Inside Painting Association, pointed to the colorful inside painting works in the exhibition cabinet and said, "These exquisite works of art are entering scenic spots, star-rated hotels, and businesses all over the country through platforms built by the Hengshui Inside Painting Art Museum, the Hengshui Jipai Inside Painting Association, and art companies."

He picked up a delicate inside painting tea caddy, his eyes shining: "Do you believe it? This little object alone used to be taken away 600 pieces in a day. Every time we participate in an exhibition, our booth is always full of customers, and that enthusiasm is touching."

Among many arts and crafts, why can Hengshui inside painting break out of the sky? The key to breaking the situation lies in a decisive "turnaround."

"Inside painting products should not just be ornaments. The way out for the development of inside painting art is 'practicalizing art products and artisticizing practical products'." Wang Ziyong (王自勇) said that it was precisely by adhering to this idea that he led the team to cleverly "internalize" fashion genes and practical functions into the small space, giving birth to inside painting wine sets, water cups, tea caddies, etc.

The opening of sales channels has brought "steady happiness" to the villagers. In the Guocun inside painting workshop, Li Yangyang (李洋洋) outlined the landscape in her pen while calculating her satisfaction: "We get paid by the piece, work at the doorstep, and can earn three or four thousand a month. The key is that it doesn't delay picking up the children and taking care of the elderly, and it's comfortable to do."

Return to Top

This edition's editor: Wang Jue

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

Return to Top

Editor's Note

At the beginning of the new year, an art event gathering fine art works from nearly 120 countries and regions—the 10th China Beijing International Art Biennale (北京国际美术双年展) (hereinafter referred to as the "Beijing Biennale (北京双年展)")—kicked off in Beijing (北京), quickly becoming a cultural hotspot in the city. The exhibition sparked widespread discussions about art connecting the world. Its novel artistic presentations and rich interactive experiences have made the Beijing Exhibition Center (北京展览馆) an artistic gathering place for families celebrating the New Year and students engaging in aesthetic education.

Today, this edition features special contributions from the curators of this year's Beijing Biennale (北京双年展) and others, delving into the academic core of the exhibition to explore how fine arts, under the grand theme of "Symbiosis," can take root in the soil of the times and artistic traditions, and how they can expand new possibilities in a broad global perspective. We observe how Chinese ink wash painting, rich in cultural openness and inclusiveness, can inspire new vitality in global dialogues. We also question the cutting-edge digital art, asking where its exploration of "human-AI symbiosis" will lead human creativity. These issues are not only about art but also about how we can understand each other through art and jointly face the future.

—Editor

Return to Top

Photo Report

Woodcut Print "He Guang Tong Rui" ("和光同瑞"), by Liu Shuning (刘淑宁) and Zhai Yongqing (翟永庆).

Return to Top

"Human-AI Collaboration Reshaping Art Forms"

By: 费 俊

From decision-making assistance to content generation, from perceptual extension to emotional computing, intelligent technologies are quietly changing the way humans understand the world and themselves. Rethinking the relationship between humans and technology has become an unavoidable issue of our time in the cultural field.

The 10th China Beijing International Art Biennale has, for the first time, established a "Human-Intelligence Symbiosis: Digital Art Special Exhibition," which is an artistic response to this issue of our time. The exhibition does not simply regard digital art as a display of new media forms, but places it in a broader civilizational context, attempting to question in an artistic way: When machines begin to "see," "judge," and "generate," do human perception, experience, and values still have irreplaceable significance?

For a long time, technology has either been regarded as a means of improving efficiency or been viewed with caution as a force that threatens humanity. This binary opposition in understanding appears increasingly pale in today's highly complex intelligent technology landscape. Algorithm systems deeply participate in the generation of real-world experiences through data training, model deduction, and self-optimization, and the relationship between humans and technology has also shifted to a more complex interactive state. The "Human-Intelligence Symbiosis: Digital Art Special Exhibition" is based on this shift in relationship—not focusing on the technology itself, but on how technology intervenes in human perception, cultural memory, future imagination, and ethical judgment. Through four aspects: "Perception Reshaping," "Cultural Rebirth," "Future Scenarios," and "Algorithmic Ethics," it constructs a multi-dimensional artistic field, allowing the audience to experience the profound changes taking place between humans and intelligent systems in a embodied way.

The key to understanding "human-intelligence symbiosis" lies not in emphasizing the efficiency of human-machine collaboration, but in redefining the respective roles of human sensibility and machine intelligence. Human sensibility is a comprehensive system rooted in bodily experience, cultural accumulation, and aesthetic judgment; machine intelligence is based on algorithmic generation logic, generating forms and structures in high-dimensional space that exceed human intuition through calculation and model deduction. When these two heterogeneous intelligences enter the same creative system, their relationship is not a simple superposition, nor is it mutual substitution, but rather a mutual shaping in continuous interaction. Human sensibility provides direction, thresholds, and value boundaries for algorithm operation, while algorithmic generation conversely affects human perceptual structures and judgment methods, prompting new experiences and meanings to emerge continuously, forming a more complex hybrid state.

It is in this sense that "hybrid intelligence" can be understood as a new cognitive intelligence: not attributing intelligence to a single subject, but emphasizing the generation of judgment and meaning in relationships and processes. This cognitive approach provides a third path for understanding the human-machine relationship in the age of intelligence, different from technological utopianism or technological pessimism.

In the digital art special exhibition, several representative works concretely present how "hybrid intelligence" is generated in artistic practice from different experiential levels. Italian artist Quayola's "Summer Garden" demonstrates the operation of this mechanism at the perceptual level. The work analyzes natural landscapes through ultra-high-definition image acquisition and customized algorithms, allowing the scenery to first enter the machine's "viewing" system, and then be screened and reconstructed by the artist's sensibility. The algorithm captures texture density, color gradients, and spatial details that are difficult for the human eye to detect, generating a visual result that exceeds daily experience, prompting the audience to re-recognize the historicity and limitations of their own perception. My collaboration with psychologist Liu Zhengkui (刘正奎), "Emotional Theater: Landscape Mood," introduces this mechanism into a more delicate level of emotional and psychological experience. The work perceives the audience's emotional state through an emotional computing system and generates image and sound feedback with Chinese aesthetic imagery, transforming the algorithmic response into an aesthetic field that can be lingered in and immersed in. In this process, machine intelligence participates in the transformation and soothing of emotions within the framework of artistic embodiment. As a result, technology is no longer understood as a naturally cold system, but is re-endowed with emotional and ethical significance in a cultural context, demonstrating the realistic potential of "human-intelligence symbiosis" at the level of social care.

In the historical process of digitalization and intelligence, using art as a method to continuously reaffirm the value of human sensibility, so that technological development is always within the vision of humanistic rationality and social negotiation, is an active and sober cultural choice presented by this digital art special exhibition. This exploration provides a realistic artistic sample for understanding the human-machine relationship in the age of intelligence, and also provides a path of thinking with depth and warmth for the expression of Chinese culture in the global intelligent wave.

(The author is the Secretary-General of the Digital Art Committee of the China Artists Association (中国美术家协会))

Return to Top

History and Future of Art Development

By: 尚 辉

The 10th China Beijing International Art Biennale, themed "Symbiosis," has brought together approximately 600 pieces (sets) of artworks from nearly 120 countries and regions. At the exhibition site, what dazzles the eye is not only the artists from various countries presenting their reflections on contemporary topics such as peaceful development, ecological civilization, and technological ethics through their distinctive artistic languages, but also the diverse cross-border explorations carried out by different types of easel art and new media art.

The expression of the theme of peaceful development responds to global common concerns. Zhang Minjie's print "Melody of Peace" juxtaposes the ancient Greek goddess of victory with a Chinese peace girl sculpture. Algerian painter Lareme Benfissa's oil painting "Peace Across Time" depicts hands of different skin colors jointly caring for a green olive branch, both fully utilizing symbolic techniques to interpret humanity's common pursuit of a peaceful vision. Facing global challenges such as ecological crises and civilizational divides, German painter Georg Koen's oil painting "The Erased Mona Lisa" re-presents the classic artistic image with black and white printed dot patterns, symbolizing the conflict between the disappearance and eternity of the machine age; some works also evoke reflection with aesthetic experiences full of fragility.

The creators' interpretation of the connotation of "symbiosis" undoubtedly possesses a certain synesthetic quality. Artists from different countries strive to use traditional painting categories, such as Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking, watercolor, and sculpture, to innovate visual perception, and also attempt to experiment with new art types through photography, digital media, and installations. The internationalization of the Beijing Biennale is not only reflected in the consistently high number of participating countries, but more importantly, in order to adapt to the postmodern social and cultural context, its unfolding of artistic cross-border exploration with deconstructive characteristics is becoming an international art trend.

Indeed, there are many noteworthy works in this Biennale. For example, New Zealand artist Kama M. Barnes' installation art "Synchronous Passage" suspends more than 10 pieces of pottery made by 3D printing in the air, and the colored sand inside spills out with the passage of time, accumulating into dreamlike miniature hills on the ground. Korean artist Cho Sukyoun's installation art "Floating Birds" takes discarded wood from Jeju Island and carves and paints it into hundreds of small birds of various shapes. Above, hard fabric suspends translucent mountains, adding a sense of free growth to these thousands of soaring birds. It should be said that what attracts people to these works is the innovative use of readily available ordinary objects that are conceptually reconfigured by artists, reflecting the concept of using ready-made objects to convey the concept of ecological protection.

Through this Biennale, one can glimpse the forward-looking nature of this international art platform, which was established more than 20 years ago and enjoys a global reputation. Different from those established international biennials that highlight the contemporary experimentation of art, the Beijing Biennale has adhered to the respect for the traditional culture and art of various countries and regions since its inception. In promoting the concept of art internationalization, it pays close attention to classic art types, especially the contemporary transformation and innovative development of easel art, rather than completely leaning towards conceptual and experimental art, and simply taking emerging art types as the sole standard of internationalization. Therefore, it is not difficult to see from this Biennale that easel art still occupies the main control space of the theme exhibition.

The expression of traditional painting categories and digital art-related connotations often has a similarity in approach but difference in expression, just like the human-machine dialogue scene in Zhang Wang's Chinese painting "Facing Each Other" (对望). Similarly, Bulgarian painter Vasil Kolev-Vassilo's print "The Eavesdropper - Portrait of a Close Friend" is also a portrait generated through audio noise lines, metaphorically exposing the individual's private space to information civilization. While these easel arts embody the historical aesthetic accumulation of painting language, they also strive to add new contemporary visual qualities through new realistic perceptions. Or rather, in the main venues of those established international biennials, these works that embody historical aesthetic accumulation have gradually become scarce, while in the Beijing Biennale, they can continue to bloom and show their talents.

At the international academic seminars held at the Beijing Biennale in the past, the most sincere words from international friends were that the Beijing Biennale is the true home for all easel art creators in the world, and only here can they find the history and future of art development. The most outstanding contribution of these 10 Beijing Biennales is the gradual establishment of the innovative concept of symbiosis between easel art and new media experimental art.

(The author is the Director of the Theory and Curatorial Committee of the China Artists Association (中国美术家协会))

Return to Top

Cross-cultural Dialogue Opens New Frontiers for Contemporary Ink Painting

By: 丘 挺

In the 10th China Beijing International Art Biennale, ink wash painting has become an important clue for examining how cross-cultural dialogue unfolds.

As an important component of this year's Beijing Biennale, the "International Contemporary Ink Art Special Exhibition" uses the evolution of contemporary ink art as a narrative framework. From the perspective of "symbiosis," it responds to past discussions that defined ink wash painting as a continuation of materials, techniques, or classical interests. Adhering to the principle of "responding with the spirit" (以精神相应), the exhibition brings together works by artists from various countries and regions. Through three sections—"Formal Concepts," "Media Breakthroughs," and "Cross-domain Construction"—it not only presents the inclusiveness of ink art but also questions the core and extension of civilization. The juxtaposition and convergence of multiple experiences and languages make the differences and connections expressed by ink wash painting in a cross-cultural context clearer.

The significance of ink wash painting's involvement in contemporary art creation mainly lies in the ideological resources it contains, which can respond to the philosophical reflections behind technological worship. As an aesthetic carrier of Chinese philosophical thought, ink wash painting provides the possibility for the settlement of individual inner hearts with its plasticity—this is precisely the cultural proposition of this special ink art exhibition. Therefore, we no longer confine ink art to the material experience of paper and ink, but base ourselves on the contemporary expression of the ink spirit, exploring the extension of ink art in a "ink + " manner, openly accepting diverse media such as installations, images, and artificial intelligence, allowing ink wash painting to move from traditional brush and ink grammar to a broader conceptual space.

Ink wash painting is no longer only understood as materials and techniques, but is regarded as a visual language system that can be continuously activated and grow across contexts. This "symbiotic" ability comes from the vitality of ink wash painting itself, condensed in the unique "halation" (洇晕) characteristic of ink wash painting: the previous stroke of ink naturally connects with the next stroke in the water, and this color gradation gradually transforms into another color gradation in the flow. This is not only the integration of brush and ink language with life experience, but also implicitly coincides with the continuation of culture and the convergence of civilizations. This exhibition guides us to find opportunities for dialogue and the vitality of innovation between ancient and modern times, and between civilizations.

The vitality of innovation is first reflected in the innovative transformation of traditional brush and ink by modern visual language and concepts, which is an internal renewal of art. Brush and ink should keep pace with the times. How can we use ink wash painting to interpret the connection between contemporary people and the world? How can we allow ink wash painting to carry more diverse visual experiences and resonate with people? How can contemporary people use ink wash media to establish a sustainable dialogue with their own civilization traditions, so that contemporary creation can be integrated into the cultural context? The "Formal Concepts" section attempts to provide answers. Creators seek breakthroughs in the adherence to rational methods and artistic charm, constantly verifying the vitality of ink wash painting that 不泥古而能通古 (bù ní gǔ ér néng tōng gǔ - "not rigid to the past but able to understand the past," not bound by tradition but able to understand its essence).

The vitality of innovation also lies in leading "symbiosis" to the reorganization of materials and technical levels. When ink wash painting is no longer just ink wash painting, the boundaries are opened, and ink wash painting and non-ink wash painting media are deeply integrated here. For example, in the "Media Breakthrough" section, some artists reconstruct the visual nature of text, thinking about cultural characteristics in the collision of ink wash painting and civilization symbols; some artists use industrial materials and digital images to echo traditional imagery, exploring the spiritual background of the industrial era. The sense of strangeness brought by material media allows ink wash painting and its associated cultural imagination to enter a new aesthetic space, further stimulating cultural reflection and imagination behind aesthetic experience.

The vitality of innovation is also manifested in more open cross-border symbiosis. In the "Cross-domain Construction" section, we can see artists from different cultural backgrounds carrying out new artistic reconstructions of ink wash painting. For example, international artists integrate Eastern ink wash painting with Western abstract aesthetics to expand the visual space of ink wash painting and show its unique charm in expressing the texture of life. When ink wash media, traditional visual experience, and artificial intelligence meet, the production mechanism of the digital intelligence era also provides more new possibilities for artistic creation.

This year's Beijing Biennale places ink wash painting in the time dimension of the past, present, and future, allowing it to open up a new realm of contemporary ink wash painting in openness and growth. This new realm is not a style declaration, but a methodology—ink wash painting, as a constantly updated language and a civilization wisdom, not only responds to the world, but also responds to how we re-establish relationships with nature, history, and technology. This exhibition is not only a tribute to the poetic spirit of ink wash painting, but also a questioning of the core of civilization: in today's world where technology is reshaping the world, how can we nourish the future with tradition? How can we settle people's hearts with art? May this grand event of ink art open up a broad space for imagination for future art forms and cultural visions.

(The author is the Dean of the School of Chinese Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美术学院))

Return to Top

Following the proper path of mentorship, storing knowledge for practical application.

By: 王海滨

How can universities transform their collection resources into high-quality learning resources and public aesthetic education resources? The "Cultivating the New from the Root - Exhibition of Fine Paintings from the Collection of the School of Fine Arts, Capital Normal University" recently held at the Art Museum of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学) can be described as a vivid practice of "cultivating people with beauty and culture."

As the opening exhibition of the Art Museum of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术馆) and one of the series of activities of the School of Fine Arts "Inheritance of Cultural Context and Modern Research," the "Cultivating the New from the Root" exhibition explores topics such as "the continuation and contemporary transformation of traditional cultural context," "the practice of integrating Chinese and Western cultures in the field of Chinese painting over the past century," and "the Sinicization of oil painting and cross-media exploration in the 20th century" through 60 fine collections. It also showcases the academic accumulation, teaching and research, and talent cultivation achievements of the School of Fine Arts over the years.

The fine arts discipline of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学) can be traced back to the Department of Fine Arts of Fu Jen Catholic University (辅仁大学) in the 1930s. After going through stages such as Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学), Beijing Art Normal College (北京艺术师范学院), and Beijing Art Academy (北京艺术学院), it has developed into the current scale of the School of Fine Arts. Thanks to years of academic accumulation and profound cultural heritage, the School of Fine Arts of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学院) now has a collection of more than 800 works from the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times. They are either collected by the school, donated by teachers, or teaching demonstrations in the classroom, including Chinese paintings, oil paintings, and prints, with themes such as figures, landscapes, and flowers and birds. Among them, there are works by teachers who once taught at the school, such as Wei Tianlin (卫天霖), Wu Guanzhong (吴冠中), and Yu Zhizhen (俞致贞), as well as classroom sketches by famous artists invited from outside, such as Ye Qianyu (叶浅予), Huang Zhou (黄胄), Guo Weiqu (郭味蕖), Lu Chen (卢沉), Yao Youduo (姚有多), and Zhou Sicong (周思聪). These collections are not only a vivid display of the profound and continuous academic, cultural, and artistic heritage of the fine arts discipline of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学), but also outline the general appearance of "nationalization of oil painting" and "modernization of Chinese painting," which helps to deeply interpret the history of modern Chinese oil painting, the history of meticulous brushwork painting, the history of fine arts education, and the history of fine arts historiography, and has important significance in art history, academic history, and social history.

In particular, nearly 200 works by Wei Tianlin (卫天霖), one of the pioneers of modern Chinese oil painting and one of the important founders and pioneers of the fine arts discipline of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学科), have formed a complete and clear thematic collection, making the school an authoritative academic platform for studying, displaying, and disseminating Wei Tianlin's (卫天霖) art. Among them, his representative work "White Peony" has inscriptions on the back such as "Collection of Wu Guanzhong (吴冠中), Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (中央工艺美术学院)." This work was originally given by Wei Tianlin (卫天霖) to Wu Guanzhong (吴冠中) personally. After the adjustment of departments in 1964, Wu Guanzhong (吴冠中) was transferred from Beijing Art Academy (北京艺术学院), and later donated this work to the school, making it an important resource for teaching research and public aesthetic education in the school, transforming it from a private collection. It can be said that the circulation of "White Peony" not only witnesses the deep friendship and mutual benefit in learning and art between the two gentlemen, but also continues their noble character and sincere heart of dedication.

The long artistic vein fully demonstrates the elegant charm of the teacher's heart. The School of Fine Arts of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学院) adheres to the principle of using collections for practical purposes. Through on-site teaching, creative restoration, and other methods, it establishes a rational connection between the works and the school's "open, inclusive, diverse and innovative" school-running philosophy and the school's "learning for the sake of learning, being a teacher for the sake of being a teacher, seeking truth and seeking innovation" education philosophy. At the same time, facing the disciplinary development trend of art-science integration, the School of Fine Arts will make full use of the existing space of the art museum, and innovate exhibition models through technologies such as virtual reconstruction, interactive experience, situational perception, and personalized guides, transforming the collection and exhibition from traditional static display to multi-modal visual exhibition, realizing dialogue between ancient and modern times, virtual and real linkage, and classic activation, improving the efficiency, scope and effect of communication, and applying it to teaching and research, social services, forming an open, shared, and mutually learning cultural communication platform, expanding aesthetic education from inside the school to outside the school, condensing an aesthetic education brand with more distinctive characteristics of university teaching and research and Beijing regional characteristics, and better cultivating the spirit of the city.

**守正创新** (shǒu zhèng chuàng xīn - "uphold the orthodox and innovate," adhere to principles while innovating) and adapt to the times. This exhibition is a new step taken by the School of Fine Arts of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学院) to improve the quality of education in the face of the needs of the times. In the future, the school will continue to carry forward and inherit the academic philosophy of its predecessors, closely focus on the development goals of the discipline, and conduct research on famous artists, famous teachers, and famous works in the 96-year history of running the school. Through systematic collection, thematic research, digital construction, and multi-modal exhibition, it will launch a series of exhibitions, series of books, interviews, public education and aesthetic education activities, and effectively establish a "five-in-one" education system of collection, teaching, research, curation, and communication, strengthen the path of art-science integration, and build a public cultural field that is perceptible, participatory, and discussable, and make unremitting efforts to build a first-class fine arts discipline with the characteristics of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学) disciplines, Beijing regional style, and China's independent knowledge system.

(The author is the Dean of the School of Fine Arts of Capital Normal University (首都师范大学美术学院))

Return to Top

Photo Report

Oil painting "The Scenery is at the Dangerous Peak," by the author Wang Hui (王辉).

Return to Top

Major Cold Flowers Herald Spring's Message (Reading Paintings)

By: 黄红涛

"The Beginning of Winter meets the tenth month, Light Snow seals the ground, Heavy Snow covers the river surface, Winter Solstice stops the boats, Minor Cold approaches the twelfth month, Major Cold completes the year." This is a nursery rhyme I hummed in Northeast China as a child. Time passes steadily, and Major Cold arrives again quietly. At the end of the solar terms, the extreme of cold, the promise of spring is hidden among the frosted branches and snowy buds. The three winter-blooming flowers in "Twenty-Four Flower Messengers - Major Cold" by Dong Gao (董诰), a painter of the Qing Dynasty, depict the vitality and warmth contained in the Major Cold solar term with the artistic conception of "fragrant blooms in the cold, quietly awaiting the arrival of spring."

Dong Gao (董诰) was a scholar-official of the Qing Dynasty, skilled in calligraphy and painting. His painting style was regular, magnificent, and subtle. "Twenty-Four Flower Messengers" is not simply a collection of flower paintings, but a set of works made for the inner court to appreciate, used for seasonal, phenological, and time-related education. Dong Gao (董诰) transformed the plants corresponding to the flowering period of the twenty-four solar terms from Minor Cold to Grain Rain into a set of orderly and institutionalized spring images in a trinity of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. Among them, the Major Cold flower messenger is at the key node of the entire album, moving from the "beginning of the year" to the "new spring."

Light ink and light color are the first color feelings we see in the Major Cold flower messenger. For the first messenger, Daphne odora, Dong Gao (董诰) used the contrasting colors of carmine and white powder to paint the flowers, lightly dotted the stamens with gamboge, and outlined the veins of the leaves with fine and strong brushstrokes, making the color of Daphne odora vividly appear on the paper, with light color reflecting the bone, cold beauty condensing fragrance. The second messenger, orchid, is as pure and quiet as Han Yu (韩愈) wrote, "The orchids are graceful, spreading their fragrance." The flowers are dotted with purple stamens, echoing the blue-green color of the leaves, making them detached from the world. The third messenger is Symplocos paniculata, whose tiny clustered petals are dyed rice-white in Dong Gao's (董诰) brush, with a color like solidified fat, embellished with green leaves as a foil. I have never seen Symplocos paniculata. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" briefly records its appearance: "Abundant white like snow, six yellow stamens, very fragrant..." Looking back at the Symplocos paniculata under Dong Gao's (董诰) brush, appreciating its clear and pure temperament, makes "green clouds under the leaves, snow flowers abundant" concrete. The color of "Major Cold" under Dong Gao's (董诰) brush avoids "gaudiness" and tends towards "purity," fully displaying the meaning of coldness, elegance, and serenity.

Overall, the Major Cold flower messenger painted by Dong Gao (董诰) uses both boneless and outlining techniques, adopts "broken branch method" and "small scene" composition, with neat lines, clear and moist colors, and stable structure. The branches and trunks avoid excessive twisting and bending, and although the flowers bloom in the cold wind, they do not show a lonely and fierce state. This contrasts with the common "using cold to symbolize ambition" and "using loneliness to write about integrity" in literati paintings. It seems to deliberately conceal the edge, not using odd points, not creating new ideas, without aloofness, and without sighs. The calm expression makes the picture present an extraordinary sense of stability.

The poems inscribed in the paintings are not lyrical poems, and they do not sigh about the cold or praise perseverance. Instead, they use plain language to point out the relationship between the flowers and the solar terms. It tells the viewer: what season is this, and why does this flower appear at this time. As for the feelings, it is left more to the people who look at the paintings to experience.

For literary and artistic works such as music, literature, painting, and dance, the author may just be inspired by the current feelings and complete it in one stroke. The meaning conveyed after the work is generated, and the meaning interpreted by the viewer, may not be the original intention of the creator, but this is also the most charming part of artistic works - it can open up infinite imagination space. Let us "measure the painting with ourselves" and guess the imagery of Dong Gao's (董诰) "Twenty-Four Flower Messengers - Major Cold." Even if we don't fully understand the meaning, it can be regarded as one feeling of watching it.

The three Major Cold flower messengers have a unified temperament, clear, cold, elegant, and full of vitality. Major Cold arrives, spring is not far away, let us appreciate the graceful cold flowers and savor the clear fragrance of the years.

(The author is the Director of the Landscape Painting Teaching and Research Office of the School of Chinese Painting, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (天津美术学院))

Return to Top

This edition's editors: Xu Hongmei, Wu Yanli

This edition's email: msfk@peopledaily.cn
Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

Return to Top