People's Daily - May 23, 2026

Jilin Accelerates the Development of Modernized Agriculture (Starting Well and Making Solid Progress in the 15th Five-Year Plan)

By: 本报记者 汪志球 郑智文

How to turn saline-alkali land into high-yield farmland?

The answer is relying on science and technology.

It is summer, and planting rice seedlings is busy in Zhenlai County (镇赉县), Baicheng City (白城市), Jilin Province (吉林省). In the high-standard farmland, intelligent rice transplanters move forward steadily. Ma Wei (马巍), associate researcher at the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (吉林省农业科学院), stands on the edge of the field and explains the technical essentials to major grain growers, "This year, we are planting 32 salt-alkali-tolerant varieties in the demonstration fields." Through drainage, soil improvement, fertilization, environment creation, and ecological regulation, Zhenlai County (镇赉县) has closely cooperated with scientific research units such as the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (吉林省农业科学院) in recent years to explore a new model for the improvement and management of saline-alkali land. This year, it plans to plant 1.579 million mu of rice.

In February 2025, when listening to the work report of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee (吉林省委) and the Jilin Provincial Government (吉林省政府), General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Jilin should focus on developing modern large-scale agriculture, improve the support system for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching farmers, and coordinate the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture." The "15th Five-Year Plan" outlines: "Coordinate the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture, and build agriculture into a modern large-scale industry."

Thoroughly implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions, Jilin is accelerating the development of modern large-scale agriculture, adhering to the simultaneous focus on yield and capacity, production and ecology, and increased production and income. Grain output has remained stable at over 80 billion jin for five consecutive years, and the grain commercialization rate exceeds 90%.

Innovation-driven, deeply tapping the potential for increased production—

In western Jilin, between the ridges of the fields of Qingyuan Planting Farmers Professional Cooperative (青源种植农民专业合作社) in Changling County (长岭县), Songyuan City (松原市), tender corn seedlings have just emerged from the ground. "Good technology and good methods promote increased production. Now, Beidou navigation provides precise positioning, and large agricultural machinery completes sowing and pipe laying in one go." Chen Zhanchao (陈占超), the head of the cooperative, has tasted the sweetness of integrated water and fertilizer management. Last year, the cooperative's planting area reached 6,000 mu, and corn yield per mu increased by about 600 jin, an increase of over 30% compared to before the application of integrated water and fertilizer management.

Thanks to the development of scientific and technological agriculture, Chen Zhanchao (陈占超) is exploring a new model of spring-sown wheat, corn, and wheat stubble-sown soybeans. "In the past, we planted one crop a year, but now we can harvest three crops from one piece of land," said Chen Zhanchao (陈占超).

Adhering to storing grain in technology, Jilin is building a cold-region breeding center, focusing on tackling seed industry challenges; promoting the integrated pilot project of agricultural machinery research and development, manufacturing, promotion, and application, with a comprehensive mechanization rate of 95% for cultivation, planting, and harvesting; and extensively promoting high-yield and high-efficiency technologies, implementing "integrated water and fertilizer management + dense planting" on 11.38 million mu, increasing the planting density per mu by more than 1,000 plants, and increasing the yield per unit area by an average of about 20% compared to before the application.

Green quality improvement, painting an ecological picture—

In the experimental fields of Longyuan Agricultural Service Co., Ltd. (隆源农业服务有限公司) in Nongan County (农安县), Changchun City (长春市), Cai Hongguang (蔡红光), director of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment of the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (吉林省农业科学院农业资源与环境研究所), and his colleagues are taking samples for testing, "Returning all straw to the field through deep plowing, increasing the application of high-quality compost... the organic matter content of the experimental fields has significantly increased."

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the average cultivated layer thickness of cultivated land in Jilin Province (吉林省) increased by 3.5%, and the organic matter content increased by 6.1%. "Jilin strictly implements the cultivated land protection system, pays attention to the maintenance and utilization of black soil, and the problems of 'thinning, thinning, and hardening' of black soil in the province have been initially curbed," said Liu Wei (刘伟), Deputy Governor of Jilin Province (吉林省副省长).

Good land produces good crops. Along the Songhua River (松花江), layers of new green spread across the black soil. Shulan City (舒兰市) leverages its ecological advantages and actively promotes standardized planting. Among the city's 750,000 mu of rice, the standardized production base area for green food raw materials (rice) accounts for nearly 80%.

Jilin has established 22 national standardized production bases for green food raw materials, covering more than 4.3 million mu of cultivated land; and has obtained a total of 1,460 green, organic, high-quality, special, and new agricultural products with geographical indications. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Jilin will continue to strengthen the construction of green food raw material supply areas, explore a new model for promoting the development of the entire green food industry chain in an integrated manner, and focus on strengthening the innovation, integration, promotion, and application of key technologies for green production.

Brand enhancement, extending the industrial chain—

Crushing, grinding, purifying... At Jilin Yunling Wild Ginseng Technology Development Co., Ltd. (吉林云岭野山参科技开发有限公司), wild ginseng plants grown under the forest are processed into ginseng beverages. "We have created more than 60 products around ginseng, striving to move from rough processing to 'fine work'," said Zeng Xianqing (曾宪清), the head of the company.

Since the beginning of this year, Tonghua City (通化市) has sorted out and integrated 24 ginseng-related intangible cultural heritage projects, organized companies to participate in important exhibitions at home and abroad, and launched the application for a municipal-level agricultural regional public brand. More than 400 new applications have been received for the use of the "Tonghua Ginseng" (通化人参) geographical indication certification trademark.

Jilin continues to build a brand matrix, and has successfully cultivated seven major "Ji-character" (吉字号) agricultural product brands, including Changbai Mountain Ginseng (长白山人参), Jilin Rice (吉林大米), and Changbai Mountain Black Fungus (长白山黑木耳), covering more than 100 regional public brands, 11 of which are included in the agricultural brand boutique cultivation plan. In the future, Jilin will continue to leverage its unique resource advantages, strengthen the comprehensive development of food, health food, medicine, and other products, and continuously improve the popularity and influence of agricultural products.

"Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest entrustment, Jilin always focuses on developing modern large-scale agriculture, accelerates the implementation of the '100 billion jin of grain' production capacity construction project, resolutely shoulders the heavy responsibility of safeguarding national food security, strengthens scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture, safeguards the 'beautiful mountains and clear waters and large granary,' and strives to be a pioneer in modern agricultural construction," said Huang Qiang (黄强), Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee (吉林省委书记).

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Building a Beautiful Home of Harmony Between Humanity and Nature

By: 本报记者

Biodiversity is an important foundation for human survival and development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "We must stand at a height responsible for human civilization, respect nature, conform to nature, protect nature, explore the path of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, promote the coordinated unity of economic development and ecological protection, and jointly build a prosperous, clean, and beautiful world." "Protect in development, develop in protection, and jointly build a beautiful home where all things live in harmony."

As one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity, China attaches great importance to biodiversity conservation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平)'s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping (习近平)'s Thought on Ecological Civilization, all regions and departments have continuously implemented important measures such as the construction of the national park system and the delineation of ecological protection red lines, strengthened in-situ and ex-situ conservation, and synergistically promoted biodiversity conservation and green development, achieving remarkable results in biodiversity conservation.

The construction of the natural protected area system has entered a new stage of systematic integration and comprehensive advancement, protecting 74% of the national key protected wild animal and plant populations.

Confirmed as a leopard!

In May of this year, staff in the Mianyang (绵阳) area of the Giant Panda National Park (大熊猫国家公园) in Sichuan (四川) discovered images of suspected wild leopard activity when retrieving and sorting infrared camera data.

"The footage was taken late at night on May 4th in the Xuebao Ding (雪宝顶) area of Pingwu (平武), Mianyang (绵阳). The ecological environment here is excellent, with abundant food and water sources, suitable for large felines to inhabit and roam. We contacted experts for identification as soon as possible and finally confirmed that the species in the picture was a leopard," said Li Xia (李霞), Minister of Scientific Research and Education of the Mianyang (绵阳) Management Branch of the Giant Panda National Park (大熊猫国家公园). The captured image fills the gap in the area's wild leopard monitoring records and provides valuable data for regional biodiversity research.

The infrared camera also preserved images of wild Sichuan golden monkeys taken not long ago. Some of them were squatting on the hillside "daydreaming," some were walking in the forest in groups, and some were chewing on tender leaves, looking very cute. "Sichuan golden monkeys are an important link in the ecosystem and play an irreplaceable role in maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance," said Li Xia (李霞).

Giant pandas are adorable and widely loved, snow leopards stroll gracefully in the Sanjiangyuan (三江源), and the "songs" of gibbons echo in the Hainan (海南) tropical rainforest... The frequent appearance of rare species in natural protected areas strongly proves the remarkable achievements of China's biodiversity conservation. Today, the wild populations of rare species in China continue to rebound, more than 200 rare and endangered wild animals across the country have entered a stage of restorative growth, and more than 100 endangered wild plants have received rescue protection.

Seventy years ago, China's first nature reserve was established; five years ago, the first batch of five national parks was officially established. "As of now, China has initially built a natural protected area system with national parks as the main body, nature reserves as the foundation, and various natural parks as supplements, effectively protecting 74% of the national key protected wild animal and plant populations," said the relevant person in charge of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局). At the same time, 36 natural protected areas in China have joined the World Biosphere Reserve Network.

Fully connecting with the construction of the natural protected area system, China comprehensively delineated ecological protection red lines in 2022, with a total area of approximately 3.19 million square kilometers, covering key areas of biodiversity distribution across the country, protecting the vast majority of rare and endangered species and their habitats, further guarding the boundaries of natural ecological security, and consolidating the foundation of national ecological security.

Important ecosystems such as the habitats of flagship species such as giant pandas, Northeast tigers and leopards, and Hainan gibbons have been comprehensively protected; the National Park Law and the newly revised Regulations on Nature Reserves have been promulgated and implemented successively, and the legalization and standardization of natural protected areas have been continuously strengthened... The construction of China's natural protected area system has entered a new stage of systematic integration and comprehensive advancement, injecting strong impetus into biodiversity conservation.

The relevant person in charge of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局) stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the country will further establish and improve a unified, standardized, and efficient new type of natural protected area system, build national parks with high quality, and orderly establish new national parks.

The "Mountains and Rivers Project" has cumulatively completed ecological protection and restoration of over 120 million mu, and the stability of the ecosystem has steadily improved.

Among the karst peaks and forests, the calls of white-headed langurs rise and fall. Wu Shijun (吴世军), head of the Banli (板利) Management Station, held up his binoculars and stared at the monkey群穿梭ing on the rock wall: "The habitat has improved, and the monkey groups are freely active."

This is the Chongzuo (崇左) White-Headed Langur National Nature Reserve (广西崇左白头叶猴国家级自然保护区) in Guangxi (广西), which has once again become a stable home for white-headed langurs by restoring the stone mountain ecology.

In the early years, the local karst stone mountains could not retain water, the habitat of white-headed langurs was divided and fragmented by farmland, and the monkey groups were hindered from foraging and migrating, making survival difficult.

Nong Dengpan (农登攀), director of the reserve management center, introduced, "We launched the White-Headed Langur Habitat Restoration and Reserve Management Capacity Building Project in 2019 to protect the monkey群家园 and conserve the vitality of the mountains and forests."

Restore the habitat. Promote habitat restoration to connect "isolated islands" into "green networks." Close mountains for afforestation, plant native tree species that monkey groups like to eat, build 2 food source botanical gardens, and build "supply stations" for monkey groups; build artificial drinking pools to ensure "drinking water" during the dry season; build a bridge-type ecological corridor across the 322 National Highway in the Banli (板利) area to open up the "migration route" for monkey groups.

Implement management and protection. The reserve is divided into grids, with fixed positions and responsibilities, and forest rangers conduct routine patrols. Staff members find out the activity tracks of monkey groups, draw dynamic distribution maps, and establish exclusive "electronic ID cards" for white-headed langurs. "Infrared cameras and drones are used together, making management and protection efficient and accurate," Wu Shijun (吴世军) exclaimed.

Since the implementation of the project, 1,164 mu of habitat have been restored, effectively expanding the foraging range of monkey groups and solving the problem of habitat fragmentation. In the early 1980s, there were only more than 300 white-headed langurs, but now there are more than 1,400. "There are particularly many newborn cubs this year," said Wu Shijun (吴世军). Rare wild animals such as forest musk deer and yellow-throated martens have also frequently appeared in the reserve.

At the end of last year, the project was selected as the third batch of typical cases of the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands (namely, the "Mountains and Rivers Project"). Nong Dengpan (农登攀) said, "We will take this as an opportunity to deepen systematic governance, upgrade the patrol and monitoring system and scientific research and education facilities, and carefully protect this group of 'stone mountain elves.'"

"Adhere to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands." From Wuliangsuhai (乌梁素海) in Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) to Maqu (玛曲) grassland in Gansu (甘肃), from the hilly area治理 in Yudu (于都), Jiangxi (江西), to the farmland ecosystem restoration in Shishou (石首), Hubei (湖北), China has implemented 52 national-level "Mountains and Rivers Projects," cumulatively completing ecological protection and restoration of more than 120 million mu, and the stability and sustainability of the ecosystem have steadily improved.

While strengthening in-situ conservation, China continues to increase ex-situ conservation and systematically implement endangered species rescue projects.

At present, China has built a number of rescue and breeding institutions such as wildlife rescue centers and wildlife gene banks, rescuing more than 400 species of precious and endangered wild animals, and successfully releasing species such as giant pandas, crested ibis, forest musk deer, and black leaf monkeys. Przewalski's wild horses and Père David's deer, which once disappeared in the wild, have re-established wild populations.

Synergistically promote high-level biodiversity conservation and high-quality development.

In Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County (五峰土家族自治县), Hubei Province (湖北省), among the mountains, the trees are lush and the bees are flying. "Relying on 'forest medicine bees,' the cooperative sold more than 500,000 yuan of honey last year," said Zhou Jiahong (周家红), head of the Wufeng Nonglianhui Farmers Professional Cooperative (五峰农联惠农民专业合作社) and a villager in Sujiahe Village (苏家河村), Changleping Town (长乐坪镇), with a happy smile.

Wufeng County (五峰县) is located in the Wuling Mountains (武陵山区) and is a key area for biodiversity. Since 2016, Wufeng (五峰) has established a leading group for the development of the Chinese bee industry, a national-level livestock and poultry genetic resource protection species, relying on the advantages of high mountains, dense forests, and abundant flower sources to explore and promote the "forest medicine bee" ecological industry model.

Sang Ziyang (桑子阳), director of the Wufeng County (五峰县) Forestry Research Institute, introduced that the "forest medicine bee" model means cultivating native tree species and honey source plants such as cork and Chinese gall on the upper layer, intercropping Chinese herbal medicines such as Polygonatum on the middle layer, and raising bees under the forest, forming a benign interaction of "forest raising bees, bees promoting medicine, and medicine protecting forests," achieving a win-win situation for ecological and economic benefits with "long-term gain from forests, medium-term gain from medicine, and short-term gain from honey."

Under the guidance of relevant departments, Zhou Jiahong (周家红) has continued to deeply cultivate the "forest medicine bee" ecological industry. His Hubei Wushanghuang Health Industry Co., Ltd. (湖北五尚黄健康产业有限公司) was officially established, a standardized factory building was officially put into production, and more than 10 products such as Polygonatum tea, Polygonatum wine, Polygonatum fruit, and honey have been developed, with annual sales expected to exceed 3 million yuan.

"Only by protecting the ecological environment can the villagers in the mountains better develop industries and become rich." Zhou Jiahong (周家红) has a deep understanding of the benefits of protecting biodiversity.

At present, Wufeng County (五峰县) has built 14 demonstration bases for under-forest economy, radiating and driving nearly 40,000 mu of forest land to improve quality and efficiency, the planting area of under-forest Chinese herbal medicines has reached 20,000 mu, and the number of Chinese bee breeding has exceeded 100,000 colonies, driving more than 3,000 farmers to increase their income by nearly 200 million yuan last year.

Tan Zhijun (谭志军), Secretary of the Wufeng County (五峰县) Party Committee, said that in the future, they will adhere to protecting in development and developing in protection, actively explore the path of ecological value transformation, and achieve the goal of protecting one side of the mountains and rivers and enriching one side of the people.

Benefiting from biodiversity conservation and utilization further stimulates the enthusiasm for ecological protection. Saihanba Forest Farm (塞罕坝林场) in Hebei (河北) has developed ecological industries such as ecological tourism and seedling cultivation on the premise of protecting biodiversity. The lush forest sea has become a "green bank" for the forest farm to develop industries and drive the surrounding people to become rich. "There are more and more tourists, and life is getting better and better. Everyone's enthusiasm for protecting the ecology is also getting higher and higher, and protecting forests from fire and preventing pests and diseases has become a conscious action," said Xing Guolin (邢国林), a villager in Kouhuaying Village (扣花营村), Haliha Town (哈里哈镇), Chengde City (承德市), Hebei Province (河北省).

Since the new era, China has focused on natural carrying capacity as the foundation, accelerated the transformation of economic development methods, and synergistically promoted high-level biodiversity conservation and high-quality development. Among them, the output value of the under-forest economy, which increases green and income, exceeded 1.3 trillion yuan last year, driving 34 million employees and 950,000 operating entities.

People will not let down the green mountains, and the green mountains will surely not let down the people. Adhering to protecting in development and developing in protection, and synergistically promoting biodiversity conservation and green development, we will surely build the ecological foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation more and more firmly.

(Reporters Kou Jiangze (寇江泽), Dong Siyu (董丝雨), Zhang Yunhe (张云河), and Fan Haotian (范昊天) of this newspaper)

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State Council Issues "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Provision of Basic Public Services Based on Permanent Residence"

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), May 22nd - In order to promote the provision of basic public services in places of permanent residence, significantly improve the equalization of basic public services, and strongly support the in-depth implementation of a people-oriented new urbanization strategy, the State Council (国务院) recently issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Provision of Basic Public Services in Places of Permanent Residence" (《关于推行常住地提供基本公共服务的实施意见》, hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions").

The "Opinions" emphasize that providing basic public services in places of permanent residence and promoting equal access to basic public services for permanent residents without local household registration and those with household registration are conducive to meeting the people's growing needs for a better life and are of great significance for improving the quality of urbanization, releasing domestic demand potential, and building a new development pattern.

The "Opinions" propose strengthening educational guarantees for children of migrant workers, consolidating and improving the proportion of migrant children enrolled in public schools during the compulsory education stage, and promoting the inclusion of migrant children in the scope of public services for preschool education and senior high school education in their places of permanent residence. More cities should be encouraged to include families of permanent residents without local household registration who have stable employment and residence in the scope of public rental housing security, and the participation of flexibly employed personnel in the housing provident fund system should be steadily promoted. All household registration restrictions on participation in employee social insurance in the place of employment should be completely abolished, and all types of workers should be guided and supported to participate in employee social insurance in the place of employment. The social insurance system for migrant workers, flexibly employed personnel, and newly employed workers should be improved. Basic medical security in places of permanent residence should be strengthened, and efforts should be increased to implement the policy of participating in basic urban and rural resident medical insurance with residence permits, and the management and service of direct settlement of medical expenses in different places should be strengthened. Basic public employment services should be strengthened, employment assistance policies should be implemented in accordance with regulations, and entrepreneurial support should be provided for self-employed individuals without local household registration. Gradually, permanent residents without local household registration should be included in the scope of basic public services such as child care, elderly care, social assistance, and assistance for the disabled in their places of permanent residence.

The "Opinions" clarify that the spatial layout of public service facilities should be improved according to the permanent population and service radius, and the public service capacity of cities and counties with large population inflows should be strengthened. The tiered supply of basic public services should be standardized to promote the fair and orderly allocation of basic public service resources. Financial transfer payment guarantees should be strengthened, and the practice of considering permanent population factors in the allocation of relevant transfer payments should be improved. A coordination mechanism should be established between the allocation of new urban construction land indicators and the increase in the permanent population, and priority should be given to the construction needs of schools, medical and health institutions, and guaranteed housing. Experiences such as mutual recognition of residence permits and conversion of permanent residence years or permanent residence points should be promoted to ensure that the mobile population continuously enjoys basic public services and to promote cross-administrative region cooperation in running schools and hospitals in urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas. The handling of basic public service matters within provinces and across provinces should be promoted. The registration and statistics of the permanent population should be improved to better utilize the function of residence permit registration of the permanent population and as a certificate for the application, verification, ranking, and enjoyment of basic public service matters.

The "Opinions" require that the people's governments of all provinces (省级人民政府) should strengthen organizational leadership, promote the provision of basic public services in places of permanent residence in a scientific, orderly, and locally appropriate manner, and combine with the actual situation to implement and ensure that various measures are implemented and effective. The National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) should work with relevant departments to steadily advance the work, strengthen progress monitoring, and evaluate effectiveness. All relevant departments should improve policies to ensure that permanent residents without local household registration enjoy basic public services and adjust relevant regulations in a timely manner.

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Zhao Leji to Visit Kazakhstan, Russia and Attend the 11th Meeting of the China-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Russia

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 22nd (Xinhua) - At the invitation of Yerlan Koshanov (科沙诺夫), Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Valentina Matviyenko (马特维延科), Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and Vyacheslav Volodin (沃洛金), Chairman of the State Duma, Zhao Leji (赵乐际), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will pay official goodwill visits to Kazakhstan and Russia from May 25th to 30th, and attend the 11th meeting of the China-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Russia.

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"Sky Road" crisscrosses, smooth travel on the plateau

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet. On May 23, 75 years ago, the "Agreement between the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" was signed, announcing the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Today, the treacherous terrain of the snowy plateau has been transformed into accessible thoroughfares, and the crisscrossing and extending "sky roads" weave a dense transportation network. Tibet has built a comprehensive and three-dimensional transportation system centered on Lhasa (拉萨) and radiating to all regions and cities. The connection between urban and rural areas is becoming smoother, effectively benefiting people of all ethnic groups and powerfully enabling the high-quality development of the regional economy and society. By the end of 2025, the total mileage of roads open to traffic in Tibet reached 125,200 kilometers, including 110,000 kilometers of graded roads, and the proportion of ordinary national highways at or above Grade III reached 95%.

The picture shows the Damxung section of the Lhasa (拉萨) to Nagqu (那曲) high-grade highway (center), the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (青藏铁路) (left), and the China National Highway 109 (109国道) (right) in the same frame.

Photo by Losang Yundain (洛桑云旦) (Xinhua News Agency)

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Henan focuses on expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption

By: 本报记者 王乐文 方 敏

On the evening of May 21st at 8 PM, the Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) Life Square in Xuchang City (许昌市), Henan Province (河南省) was bustling with people. During the "May Day" holiday, Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) supermarkets in Xuchang (许昌) and Xinxiang (新乡) received over 3 million customers, 80% of whom were tourists from other places. The popularity of Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) is a microcosm of Henan's efforts to expand domestic demand, promote consumption, and actively integrate into the unified national market.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Building a unified national market is not only a requirement for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development, but also a requirement for winning the initiative in international competition." The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes to "vigorously boost consumption."

Following the direction pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), Henan (河南) regards expanding domestic demand, promoting consumption, and actively integrating into the unified national market as strategic measures to promote high-quality development. In 2025, Henan's (河南) total retail sales of consumer goods reached 2.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%, both ranking among the top in the country.

Activating the main engine of consumption, the development of urban service industries is upgraded.

At noon on May 21st, the basement floor of the Zhengdong New District (郑东新区) MixC (熙地港) shopping center in Zhengzhou City (郑州市) was full of customers, which is a typical scene at Zhengzhou Fresh Wind (郑州鲜风) Supermarket. The supermarket launched its own carefully selected brands, and vegetables picked on the same day were packaged into "early market packages" at affordable prices...

Focusing on catering, retail, cultural tourism, and other fields, Henan (河南) is vigorously cultivating a number of backbone enterprises. Relevant departments in Henan Province (河南省) promulgated nine documents, including the "Guidelines for Improving the Quality of Service for Business Entities and Ensuring Worry-Free Consumption" (经营主体  放心消费服务提质指南), and transformed the service standards and procurement models of enterprises such as Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) into local standards and promoted them.

"According to the standard guidelines, we have implemented measures such as traceability of the entire process from direct sourcing from the place of origin to shelf placement, and customers have a stronger willingness to consume," said Guo Yan (郭岩), store manager of the Zhengzhou Fresh Wind (郑州鲜风) Supermarket MixC (熙地港) store.

In Zhengzhou (郑州), the Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) Zhengzhou (郑州) store is scheduled to open within the year; in Luoyang (洛阳), Wangfujing (王府井) Shopping Center has opened a first-launch zone, introducing international and domestic trendy brands, driving a 20% increase in traffic to the business district; and in various parts of Henan (河南), a large number of local high-quality supermarket brands such as Fresh Wind Life (鲜风生活), Tao Xiaopang (淘小胖), and Huayu Baijia (华豫佰佳) are booming.

Tapping into domestic demand, the quality of consumption in counties and districts is accelerating and expanding.

With counties and districts accounting for nearly 90% of the province's area and more than 70% of the permanent population, Henan (河南) is focusing on promoting the downward shift of quality consumption, transforming huge potential demand into real purchasing power.

In Tanghe County (唐河县), Nanyang City (南阳市), brands such as Watsons, Starbucks, and Haidilao have all landed. "Now, Tongzhaipu Town (桐寨铺镇) has more consumption choices," said Wang Lu (王璐), deputy mayor of Tongzhaipu Town (桐寨铺镇), Tanghe County (唐河县).

"We have expanded the scope of support for the construction of the county commercial system to all counties, focusing on supporting the upgrading and transformation of township commercial centers, large and medium-sized supermarkets, and farmers' markets, and guiding brand supermarkets and emerging business formats to land in counties," introduced Zhang Daxing (张大幸), Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Henan Province (河南省商务厅). The coverage rate of township commercial centers and village convenience stores in Henan Province (河南省) exceeds 95%.

In the past, villagers in Lushi County (卢氏县) in western Henan (豫西) had to wait several days to buy large household appliances online, and they had to pick up the goods themselves in the town. "Affordable but undeliverable" became a pain point for consumption. Since 2025, the county has integrated six logistics companies to jointly build a three-level logistics system at the county, township, and village levels, unifying warehousing, sorting, and distribution, and increasing the accessibility of express delivery services to administrative villages to 100%. "It's very convenient to buy things in the village and have them delivered," said Qiao Zhongke (乔忠科), a villager in Gaohe Village (高河村), who bought a refrigerator a few days ago and had it delivered the next day.

Currently, urban and rural distribution in Henan Province (河南全省) has basically achieved "next-day delivery." In 2025, the volume of postal express services in Henan (河南) exceeded 12.5 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 23.7%.

Unblocking inter-provincial trunk lines and opening up the "capillaries" of domestic consumption circulation.

"The vegetables from Neihuang County (内黄县) and the braised chicken from Hua County (滑县) go directly to Beijing (北京) and Hebei (河北) via the expressway," sighed truck driver Wang Yingjie (王英杰). "**以前运货去河北保定** (yǐqián yùn huò qù héběi bǎodìng - "In the past, transporting goods to Baoding, Hebei," describes the past difficulties in transporting goods to Hebei province)," he said. "In the past, when transporting goods to Baoding (保定), Hebei (河北), the inter-provincial roads were not open, and we had to take detours and squeeze onto old roads, which was fuel-consuming and time-consuming."

Implementing intelligent management and control of congested sections of expressways such as Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau (京港澳) and Lianyungang-Khorgas (连霍), connecting 49 inter-provincial channels, and upgrading all inter-provincial highway channels with technical grades lower than those of neighboring provinces; improving the inter-provincial channel network of expressways in the directions of Henan-Hubei (豫鄂), Henan-Shandong (豫鲁), and Henan-Anhui (豫皖)... Henan (河南) is stimulating regional vitality with smooth road networks. In 2025, inter-provincial trade in Henan Province (河南省) accounted for 40.4% of the province's total sales, an increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2024.

In the first quarter of this year, Henan's (河南) total retail sales of consumer goods reached 764.74 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%, 0.9 percentage points higher than the national average. Bearing in mind the General Secretary's earnest entrustment, the main responsible comrades of the Henan Provincial Party Committee (河南省委) stated that Henan (河南) will bravely shoulder its mission, adhere to guiding new supply with new demand and creating new demand with new supply, continue to expand opening up to the inside and outside, accelerate the construction of a national unified market circulation hub, build a dual circulation support point for domestic and international markets, strive to achieve a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan," and strive to write a new chapter in promoting Chinese-style modernization in the Central Plains.

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Go all out to ensure the summer harvest and complete the summer planting and management tasks with high quality.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 22nd. Liu Guozhong (刘国中), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, convened a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) on the 22nd to analyze and assess the current grain production situation and arrange and deploy key tasks for the "Sanxia" (三夏) period (the period of summer grain harvest, summer planting, and summer field management). He emphasized the need to conscientiously study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions and directives, implement the deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, make every effort to do a good job in the summer harvest, complete the summer planting and summer management tasks with high quality, consolidate the foundation for a bumper grain harvest throughout the year, and provide an important guarantee for economic and social development.

Liu Guozhong (刘国中) emphasized that the "Sanxia" (三夏) period is the busiest time of the year for farming, and it is necessary to pay close attention to every link and every detail to ensure that the summer grain is fully harvested and that the summer planting is fully planted. It is necessary to continue to strengthen field management and weather forecasting and early warning, and prepare for the prevention and response to "rotten field rain" and other situations. It is necessary to organize cross-regional operations of agricultural machinery, strengthen service guarantees such as oil supply, and implement safety production measures. It is necessary to improve the emergency operation capacity of agricultural machinery, make up for the shortcomings in drying, and promote the reduction of grain harvest losses. It is necessary to coordinate the market-oriented purchase and policy-based storage of summer grain to protect farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain. It is necessary to implement the summer planting area task, improve the quality of sowing, and ensure full seedling emergence at the first sowing. Adhere to the integrated and efficient use of good fields, good seeds, good machines, and good methods, and implement the large-scale yield increase action in depth. It is necessary to do a good job in ensuring the supply and stabilizing the price of fertilizers and effectively guarantee the demand for agricultural fertilizers.

Liu Guozhong (刘国中) emphasized that "Sanxia" (三夏) production is related to the realization of the annual grain production target. All localities must conscientiously implement the requirements of the Party and government with the same responsibility for food security, organize and mobilize in advance, improve various emergency plans, and promote them efficiently and orderly. All relevant departments should strengthen coordination and linkage, do a good job in ensuring smooth transportation, purchasing and storage, and ensuring the supply of agricultural materials, so as to ensure the smooth development of "Sanxia" (三夏) production.

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The 4th China International Supply Chain Expo Focuses on Accelerating the Cultivation and Development of New Quality Productive Forces (Authoritative Release)

By: 本报记者 罗珊珊

The 4th China International Supply Chain Expo will be held from June 22nd to 26th at the Shunyi Pavilion of the China International Exhibition Center (北京中国国际展览中心顺义馆) in Beijing (北京). It is hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (中国贸促会) and organized by China International Exhibition Center Group Co., Ltd. (中国国际展览中心集团有限公司), with the theme of "Connecting the World for a Shared Future." A press conference was held by the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办) on May 22nd to introduce the relevant situation.

Li Xingqian (李兴乾), Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (中国贸促会), introduced that Australia will be the guest country of honor at the 4th China International Supply Chain Expo, marking its first official national-level participation in the Expo. This year's Expo will feature "6 chains and 1 exhibition area," namely the Digital Technology Chain, Advanced Manufacturing Chain, Green Agriculture Chain, Healthy Lifestyle Chain, Smart Vehicle Chain, Clean Energy Chain, and Supply Chain Service Exhibition Area. 676 Chinese and foreign leading enterprises, specialized and innovative enterprises, and industry organizations from 85 countries, regions, and international organizations have confirmed their participation. Foreign exhibitors account for 36.5% of the total, and Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders account for more than 65%. Together with the upstream and downstream partners of the industrial and supply chains brought by the exhibitors, the actual number of exhibitors is expected to exceed 1,200. More than 150 overseas delegations have confirmed their participation in the exhibition and negotiations, and the number and specifications of the delegations are expected to exceed those of the previous Expo.

More than 60 business exchange activities will be held during the exhibition period, and the latest research results such as the 2026 edition of the "Global Supply Chain Promotion Report" and the Global Supply Chain Resilience Index Matrix will be released.

Li Xingqian (李兴乾) introduced that this year's Expo has three innovative highlights:

New Trends - It will focus on accelerating the cultivation and development of new quality productive forces, showcasing China's achievements and development direction in the construction of a modern industrial system, the latest achievements and future trends in international cooperation in industrial and supply chains, and providing a two-way exchange and cooperation platform for Chinese enterprises to go global and foreign-funded enterprises to deepen their roots in China.

New Momentum - The "Digital Technology Chain" will be upgraded to the "Digital Intelligence Technology Chain," and an artificial intelligence zone will be set up for the first time. The innovation chain zone established last year has been optimized and improved. This year is the APEC "China Year," and the 2026 APEC Business Leaders China Forum will be held on the eve of the opening of this year's Expo. This year is also the first year of the Hainan Free Trade Port's (海南自贸港) independent customs operation. As the guest province of the Expo, Hainan Province (海南省) will highlight the modern service industry's supply chain extension and institutional innovation, showcasing the international cooperation opportunities of the Free Trade Port's supply chain. Hebei Xiong'an New Area (河北雄安新区) will participate in the exhibition independently for the first time, focusing on showcasing its independent innovation capabilities and high-end and high-tech industrial ecosystems such as artificial intelligence and aerospace technology. More than 160 first releases, first exhibitions, and first shows are expected to be released during the exhibition period. The "Chain Expo First Release Station" will hold more than 30 heavyweight first release activities.

New Friends - The number of participating countries and regions has further increased compared with the previous Expo. Enterprises from 13 countries such as Finland, Austria, and Kazakhstan, and representatives from institutions such as the United Nations Children's Fund (联合国儿童基金会), the United Nations Global Compact (联合国全球契约组织), and the Licensing Executives Society International (国际许可贸易工作者协会) are participating for the first time.

The application of artificial intelligence technology is profoundly changing the world. The artificial intelligence zone is systematically designed according to the industrial evolution path from data and perception to computing power and algorithms, and then to applications and solutions. The exhibition aims to showcase the complete ecosystem of artificial intelligence from data collection and intelligent computing to scenario implementation across the entire chain. The zone will bring together companies such as NVIDIA (英伟达), Intel (英特尔), Qualcomm (高通), and Alibaba (阿里巴巴).

At this year's Expo, digital and intelligent applications are ubiquitous, covering all aspects of exhibition and display, seminar exchanges, industrial cooperation, think tank achievements, and service guarantees. Anhui Province (安徽省), the guest province, will focus on "artificial intelligence + manufacturing" to showcase achievements in intelligent connected vehicles, a new generation of information technology, and other fields. Zhejiang (浙江) enterprises will showcase cutting-edge achievements, Hubei (湖北) will organize more than 20 high-tech enterprises to focus on displaying the embodied intelligence industry chain, and Jiangsu (江苏) and other places will hold promotion and matchmaking activities for the embodied intelligent robot industry.

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Tailored Policies Enhance the Overall Effectiveness of Ecological Protection Compensation (Policy Express)

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on May 22nd (Reporter Liu Zhiqiang (刘志强)) – To enhance the comprehensive benefits of ecological protection compensation, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) and the Ministry of Finance (财政部) recently jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Promoting Comprehensive Ecological Compensation." The plan consists of six parts and 20 policy measures, making a series of deployments for promoting comprehensive ecological compensation in key areas such as important water source areas, nature reserves, and key ecological function zones.

Promote the in-depth and practical implementation of horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanisms. Cross-regional, especially cross-provincial, river basin ecological protection compensation mechanisms involve interest game-playing, and involve compensation standard setting, fund-raising and distribution, and specific implementation of agreements. The coordination difficulty is still very high. The plan proposes to accelerate the establishment of a layered and categorized horizontal compensation mechanism. For the main streams of key river basins such as the Yangtze River (长江) and the Yellow River (黄河), the central government will establish a unified river basin horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanism. For existing cross-provincial river basin horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanisms such as the Xin'an River (新安江) and the Chaobai River (潮白河), promote the transformation of compensation agreements from short-term to long-term, forming a stable and predictable benefit-sharing and responsibility-sharing mechanism, and promote the continuous improvement of water ecological environment quality in cross-border monitoring sections. For important drinking water source areas such as the Danjiangkou Reservoir Area (丹江口库区) and the Miyun Reservoir (密云水库), give full play to the role of counterpart cooperation and other mechanisms to promote cooperation such as suitable industrial transfer and undertaking, and the transfer and transformation of green technology achievements, promote mutual benefit, win-win, and coordinated development between water source areas and water receiving areas, and effectively ensure water quality, quantity, and water security.

Promote the balance between protection and utilization of nature reserves. In the process of implementing nature reserve policies, some places have experienced a "**一刀切**" (yī dāo qiē - "one knife cut," applying a single standard to all situations regardless of individual differences) situation, banning all human actions in general control areas, failing to appropriately promote value realization in combination with reality. The plan proposes to improve the zoning and classification protection and utilization model, study and issue an access list for the realization of the value of nature reserves, clarify the types of industries and projects that can be accessed in the general control area of nature reserves, and establish access project management and control requirements. At the same time, rationally lay out the construction of a biodiversity protection space system, further establish and improve the biodiversity survey and assessment system, track and judge the breeding and development trends of wild animals, and strengthen the protection of wild animal habitats, migration corridors, and wild plant growth environments. Through the organic combination of effective protection and moderate utilization, on the basis of building a solid national ecological security barrier, build a high-quality and diversified ecological product system.

Accelerate the green development of key ecological function zones. Key ecological function zones highly overlap with underdeveloped areas in geographical space, and the regional self-development capacity is weak. The plan proposes to give full play to the role of differentiated compensation policies and increase support for areas with a high proportion of ecological protection red line coverage. At the same time, based on the region's characteristic advantageous resource endowments, support the northern agro-pastoral ecotone, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原) grassland meadow area, the northwest inland river basin, the southwest karst rocky desertification area, and key state-owned forest areas to develop ecological industries in accordance with local conditions, and coordinate the promotion of ecological environmental protection and high-quality development. Through the mutual driving of point-based development and area-based protection, transform the local production methods that over-exploit natural resources, and promote the transformation of external compensation into self-accumulation and self-development capabilities.

The plan also made deployments and requirements for cultivating and strengthening ecological industry business entities, increasing assistance to ecological protection entities, improving the market-oriented allocation system of resource and environmental factors, and exploring the establishment of ecological protection compensation funds.

According to reports, after years of efforts, the coverage, beneficiary population, and investment intensity of China's ecological protection compensation mechanism rank among the top in the world. At present, the average annual ecological protection compensation fund scale at the central level has reached more than 200 billion yuan, basically realizing full coverage of compensation in key areas and key regions; 33 cross-provincial river basin horizontal ecological protection compensation mechanisms have been established in a total of 24 provinces, and the ecological protection and governance model of "**成本共担、效益共享、合作共治**" (chéng běn gòng dān, xiào yì gòng xiǎng, hé zuò gòng zhì - "shared costs, shared benefits, cooperative governance," a model of shared responsibility and collaborative action) has been effectively promoted. At the same time, it should be noted that at the current stage, there are still problems such as the difficulty in promoting cross-regional horizontal compensation, insufficient compensation intensity in key areas, unsmooth ecological product value realization mechanisms, and excessive reliance on finance for compensation funds, which urgently need to be resolved.

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Guiding Students to Chart Their Own "Navigational Map" (Vigorously Promoting Employment and Entrepreneurship)

By: 本报记者 吴 丹

"Classmates, please prioritize your career options." "From the recruiter's perspective, your resume will be more 'hardcore' if you revise it this way." "Don't panic, everyone, we are a team, let's collaborate together"... The Career Experience Week kicked off as scheduled at Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学).

As an important platform for the school's career planning education, the Career Experience Week has been held for 9 years. This year, the event set up 12 locations in 5 major areas, including career vision, career exploration, and ability enhancement. Through consultation and Q&A, interactive games, and scenario simulations, students can see their own strengths and weaknesses and learn to scientifically plan their careers.

"During Career Experience Week, I discovered my interest in locomotive equipment. With a dream, I have a direction, and my professional learning goals are clearer." At a sharing session for younger students, Yang Chun (杨春), a 2022 undergraduate student majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the School of Mechanical and Electronic Control Engineering of Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学机械与电子控制工程学院), shared his growth story.

In Yang Chun's view, job hunting is a process of recognizing oneself and finding the right track in the rational matching of personal advantages and career direction. By accumulating professional knowledge in the classroom, honing innovative abilities in scientific research competitions, learning methods and skills in career planning courses, and accumulating experience in corporate internships, Yang Chun has found a desirable job and is about to embark on his beloved rail transit career.

From Career Experience Week to one-on-one career development consultations, from workplace sharing sessions to corporate visits, Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学) continues to innovate its employment guidance activity matrix, cultivating and incubating 17 college-level career development characteristic studios to help young students clarify their career directions and improve their job-seeking abilities.

"When I first entered school, I was also a little confused. I went to class and the library every day. I seemed busy, but I didn't have a clear direction in my heart." Tao Bo'an (陶柏安), a 2023 undergraduate student at the School of Traffic and Transportation of Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学交通运输学院), admitted that the change began when he attended a career planning lecture in his sophomore year. The lecturer told him: "Career planning is not writing an unchangeable 'script' for life, but drawing a 'navigation chart' that suits you. You must not only clarify your goals and routes, but also learn to predict storms and opportunities."

In order to draw his own "navigation chart," Tao Bo'an (陶柏安) signed up for the National College Student Career Planning Competition. With the help of his instructor, he sorted out his growth experience, analyzed his interests and strengths, and conducted in-depth interviews with industry seniors from more than 10 units, closely observing the working status of different positions and understanding industry development trends and talent demand standards. He revised a career plan of less than 2,000 words more than 10 times.

"My career direction is a vehicle-road cooperative system engineer." At the end of April, at the national finals of the 3rd National College Student Career Planning Competition, Tao Bo'an (陶柏安) held a gold medal and spoke firmly. His career "navigation chart" is also becoming clearer: in the short term, improve professional and practical abilities; in the medium term, enter an ideal company and start from the grassroots level; in the future, he hopes to become an expert in the field of vehicle-road cooperation. "Career planning has given my efforts a direction and given me the courage to face various uncertainties in the future," said Tao Bo'an (陶柏安).

"For a while, career planning was simply considered something that only needed to be considered when graduating." Zhang Bo (张博), Tao Bo'an's (陶柏安) employment guidance teacher and director of the Employment and Entrepreneurship Guidance Center of Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学就业与创业指导中心), said, "In fact, the essence of career planning is to help young students understand themselves and the industry, and turn passivity into initiative."

In recent years, Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学) has built a full-chain career education system of "one course, two platforms, three dimensions, and four stages." Schools and colleges jointly offer 22 employment guidance courses. Courses such as "Career Planning and Ability Enhancement" are popular among students, guiding students to establish correct employment views and achieve more accurate self-positioning and clearer career planning.

"The school will further integrate school and college resources, link industry and enterprises, enrich education content, innovate activity forms, promote the deep integration of career education and professional learning and practical training, and help students move forward steadily on the course of life with clear planning as the sail," said Zhang Bo (张博).

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Photo Report

In the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve (西双版纳国家级自然保护区) in Yunnan (云南), the local area continues to strengthen its ecological protection line of defense, carefully protecting various rare and endangered wild animals and plants.

The picture shows on May 19, at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescue and Breeding Center (西双版纳亚洲象救护与繁育中心), the "Elephant Dad" is playing with the baby elephant.

Xinhua News Agency (新华社) reporter Hu Chao (胡超) photographed.

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The wild populations of China's rare and endangered species continue to recover.

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on May 22nd (Reporters Gu Zhongyang (顾仲阳) and Dong Siyu (董丝雨)) - May 22nd is International Day for Biological Diversity. Reporters learned from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局) that the wild populations of rare species in China continue to rebound. More than 200 kinds of rare and endangered wild animals have entered a stage of restorative growth, and more than 100 kinds of endangered wild plants have received rescue protection.

In recent years, China has continued to strengthen the protection of wild animals and plants and their habitats, accelerate the construction of a natural reserve system with national parks as the main body and a national botanical garden system, and realize the holistic protection of biodiversity in important ecosystems. The country has adjusted and released the lists of national key protected wild animals, wild plants, and terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific, and social value. The protection rate of national key protected terrestrial wild animals and wild plant species has reached more than 80%.

At present, the overall wild populations of China's precious and endangered wild animals are showing a good trend of recovery and growth. Last year, three new Hainan gibbons were born, and the population increased to 7 groups of 44 individuals, becoming the only continuously growing gibbon population in the world. Two released snow leopards were monitored in Helan Mountain (贺兰山), successfully achieving natural pairing, giving birth in the wild, and successfully raising their young, marking a breakthrough in snow leopard protection. The population of Asian elephants in Yunnan (云南) has increased significantly, reaching nearly 400. The population of *Abies beshanzuensis* has increased from 3 to more than 4,000, and *Paphiopedilum emersonii* has increased from 10 to more than 200. More than 300 kinds of endangered species, such as cycads and orchids, have successfully returned to the wild.

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Building a Beautiful Home of Harmony Between Humanity and Nature

By: 本报记者

Biodiversity is an important foundation for human survival and development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "We must stand at a height responsible for human civilization, respect nature, conform to nature, protect nature, explore the path of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, promote the coordinated unity of economic development and ecological protection, and jointly build a prosperous, clean, and beautiful world." "Protect in development, develop in protection, and jointly build a beautiful home where all things live in harmony."

As one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity, China attaches great importance to biodiversity conservation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's (习近平) thought on ecological civilization, all regions and departments have continuously implemented important measures such as the construction of the national park system and the delineation of ecological protection red lines, strengthened in-situ and ex-situ conservation, and synergistically promoted biodiversity conservation and green development, achieving remarkable results in biodiversity conservation.

The construction of the natural protected area system has entered a new stage of system integration and comprehensive advancement, protecting 74% of the national key protected wild animal and plant populations.

Confirmed as a leopard!

In May of this year, staff in the Mianyang (绵阳) area of the Sichuan (四川) Giant Panda National Park (大熊猫国家公园) discovered images of suspected wild leopard activity when retrieving and sorting infrared camera data.

"The footage was taken late at night on May 4th in the Xuebao Ding (雪宝顶) area of Pingwu (平武), Mianyang (绵阳). The ecological environment here is excellent, with abundant food and water sources, suitable for large felines to inhabit and roam. We contacted experts for identification as soon as possible, and finally confirmed that the species in the picture was a leopard," said Li Xia (李霞), Minister of Scientific Research and Education of the Mianyang (绵阳) Management Branch of the Giant Panda National Park (大熊猫国家公园). The captured images fill the gap in the area's wild leopard monitoring records and provide valuable data for regional biodiversity research.

The infrared camera also preserved images of wild Sichuan golden monkeys taken not long ago. Some of them were squatting on the hillside "daydreaming," some were walking in the forest in groups, and some were chewing on tender leaves, looking very cute. "Sichuan golden monkeys are an important link in the ecosystem and play an irreplaceable role in maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance," said Li Xia (李霞).

Giant pandas are adorable and widely loved, snow leopards stroll gracefully in the Sanjiangyuan (三江源) area, and the "singing" of gibbons echoes in the Hainan (海南) tropical rainforest... The frequent appearance of rare species in natural protected areas strongly proves the remarkable achievements of China's biodiversity conservation. Today, the wild populations of rare species in China continue to rebound, more than 200 rare and endangered wild animal species across the country have entered a stage of restorative growth, and more than 100 endangered wild plant species have received rescue protection.

Seventy years ago, China's first nature reserve was established; five years ago, the first batch of five national parks was officially established. "As of now, China has initially built a natural protected area system with national parks as the main body, nature reserves as the foundation, and various natural parks as supplements, effectively protecting 74% of the national key protected wild animal and plant populations," said the relevant person in charge of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局). At the same time, 36 natural protected areas in China have joined the World Biosphere Reserve Network.

Fully connecting the construction of the natural protected area system, China comprehensively delineated ecological protection red lines in 2022, with a total area of approximately 3.19 million square kilometers, covering key areas of biodiversity distribution across the country, protecting the vast majority of rare and endangered species and their habitats, further guarding the boundaries of natural ecological security, and consolidating the foundation of national ecological security.

Important ecosystems such as the habitats of flagship species such as giant pandas, Northeast tigers and leopards, and Hainan gibbons have been comprehensively protected; the National Park Law and the newly revised Regulations on Nature Reserves have been promulgated and implemented successively, and the legalization and standardization of natural protected areas have been continuously strengthened... The construction of China's natural protected area system has entered a new stage of system integration and comprehensive advancement, injecting strong momentum into biodiversity conservation.

The relevant person in charge of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局) stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, a unified, standardized, and efficient new natural protected area system will be further established and improved, national parks will be built with high quality, and new national parks will be established in an orderly manner.

The "Mountains and Rivers Project" has cumulatively completed ecological protection and restoration of over 120 million mu, and the stability of the ecosystem has steadily improved.

Among the karst peaks, the calls of white-headed langurs rise and fall. Wu Shijun (吴世军), head of the Banli (板利) Management Station, held up his binoculars and stared at the monkey groups shuttling on the rock walls: "The habitat has improved, and the monkey groups are moving around freely."

This is the Chongzuo (崇左) White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve (广西崇左白头叶猴国家级自然保护区) in Guangxi (广西), which has once again become a stable home for white-headed langurs by restoring the karst mountain ecology.

In the early years, the local karst mountains could not retain water, and the habitat of white-headed langurs was fragmented by farmland, hindering the monkey groups from foraging and migrating, and their survival was once difficult.

Nong Dengpan (农登攀), director of the reserve management center, introduced, "We launched the White-headed Langur Habitat Restoration and Reserve Management Capacity Building Project in 2019 to protect the monkey groups' homes and conserve the vitality of the mountains and forests."

Restore the habitat. Promote habitat restoration to connect "isolated islands" into "green networks." Close mountains for afforestation, plant native tree species that monkey groups like to eat, build 2 food source botanical gardens, and build "supply stations" for monkey groups; build artificial drinking pools to ensure "drinking water" during the dry season; build a bridge-style ecological corridor across the 322 National Highway in the Banli (板利) area to open up the "migration route" for monkey groups.

Implement management and protection. The reserve is divided into grids, with fixed posts and responsibilities, and forest rangers conduct routine patrols. Staff members find out the activity tracks of monkey groups, draw dynamic distribution maps, and establish exclusive "electronic ID cards" for white-headed langurs. "Infrared cameras and drones are used together, making management and protection efficient and accurate," Wu Shijun (吴世军) exclaimed.

Since the implementation of the project, 1,164 mu of habitat have been restored, effectively expanding the foraging range of monkey groups and solving the problem of habitat fragmentation. In the early 1980s, there were only more than 300 white-headed langurs, but now there are more than 1,400. "There are especially many newborn cubs this year," said Wu Shijun (吴世军). Rare wild animals such as forest musk deer and yellow-throated martens have also frequently appeared in the reserve.

At the end of last year, the project was selected as the third batch of typical cases of the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands (namely, the "Mountains and Rivers Project"). Nong Dengpan (农登攀) said: "We will take this as an opportunity to deepen systematic governance, upgrade the patrol and monitoring system and scientific research and education facilities, and carefully protect this group of 'karst mountain elves'."

"Adhere to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands." From Ulansuhai (乌梁素海) in Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) to Maqu (玛曲) grassland in Gansu (甘肃), from the hilly area management in Yudu (于都), Jiangxi (江西), to the farmland ecosystem restoration in Shishou (石首), Hubei (湖北), China has implemented 52 national-level "Mountains and Rivers Projects," cumulatively completing ecological protection and restoration of over 120 million mu, and the stability and sustainability of the ecosystem have steadily improved.

While strengthening in-situ conservation, China continues to increase ex-situ conservation and systematically implement endangered species rescue projects.

At present, China has built a number of rescue and breeding institutions such as wildlife rescue centers and wildlife gene banks, rescuing more than 400 species of precious and endangered wild animals, and successfully releasing species such as giant pandas, crested ibises, forest musk deer, and black leaf monkeys. Przewalski's wild horses and Père David's deer, which once disappeared in the wild, have re-established wild populations.

Synergistically promote high-level biodiversity conservation and high-quality development.

In Wufeng (五峰) Tujia (土家族) Autonomous County (自治县), Hubei Province (湖北省), among the mountains, the trees are lush and the bees are flying. "Relying on 'forest-medicine-bees', the cooperative sold more than 500,000 yuan of honey last year," said Zhou Jiahong (周家红), head of the Wufeng (五峰) Nonglianhui (农联惠) Farmers Professional Cooperative (农民专业合作社) and a villager in Sujiahe (苏家河) Village, Changleping (长乐坪) Town, with a happy face.

Wufeng (五峰) County (县) is located in the Wuling (武陵) Mountains (山区) and is a key area for biodiversity. Since 2016, Wufeng (五峰) has established a leading group for the development of the Chinese honeybee industry, a national-level protected species of livestock and poultry genetic resources, relying on the advantages of high mountains, dense forests, and abundant flower sources to explore and promote the "forest-medicine-bee" ecological industry model.

Sang Ziyang (桑子阳), director of the Wufeng (五峰) County (县) Forestry Research Institute (林科所), introduced that the "forest-medicine-bee" model involves cultivating native tree species and nectar plants such as cork and Chinese gall on the upper layer, intercropping Chinese medicinal materials such as Polygonatum on the middle layer, and raising bees under the forest, forming a virtuous interaction of "forest raising bees, bees promoting medicine, and medicine protecting forests," achieving a win-win situation for ecological and economic benefits with "long-term gain from forests, medium-term gain from medicine, and short-term gain from honey."

Under the guidance of relevant departments, Zhou Jiahong (周家红) has continued to deeply cultivate the "forest-medicine-bee" ecological industry. His Hubei (湖北) Wushanghuang (五尚黄) Health Industry Co., Ltd. (健康产业有限公司) was officially established, a standardized factory was officially put into production, and more than 10 products such as Polygonatum tea, Polygonatum wine, Polygonatum fruit, and honey have been developed, with an estimated annual sales of more than 3 million yuan.

"Only by protecting the ecological environment can villagers in the mountains better develop industries and become rich." Zhou Jiahong (周家红) has a deep understanding of the benefits of protecting biodiversity.

At present, Wufeng (五峰) County (县) has built 14 demonstration bases for under-forest economy, radiating and driving nearly 40,000 mu of forest land to improve quality and efficiency, the planting area of under-forest Chinese medicinal materials has reached 20,000 mu, and the number of Chinese bee breeding has exceeded 100,000 colonies, driving more than 3,000 farmers to increase their income by nearly 200 million yuan last year.

Tan Zhijun (谭志军), Secretary of the Wufeng (五峰) County (县) Party Committee (县委), said that in the future, they will adhere to protecting in development and developing in protection, actively explore the path of ecological value transformation, and achieve the goal of protecting one side of the mountains and rivers and enriching one side of the people.

Benefiting from biodiversity conservation and utilization further stimulates the enthusiasm for ecological protection. Under the premise of protecting biodiversity, the Saihanba (塞罕坝) Forest Farm (林场) in Hebei (河北) has developed ecological industries such as ecological tourism and seedling cultivation. The lush forest has become a "green bank" for the forest farm to develop industries and drive the surrounding people to become rich. "There are more and more tourists, and life is getting better and better. Everyone's enthusiasm for protecting the ecology is also getting higher and higher, and protecting forests from fire and preventing and controlling diseases and insect pests have become conscious actions," said Xing Guolin (邢国林), a villager in Kouhuaying (扣花营) Village, Haliha (哈里哈) Town, Chengde (承德) City (市), Hebei Province (河北省).

Since the new era, China has focused on taking natural carrying capacity as the foundation, accelerating the transformation of economic development mode, and synergistically promoting high-level biodiversity conservation and high-quality development. Among them, the output value of the under-forest economy, which increases both green and income, exceeded 1.3 trillion yuan last year, driving 34 million employees and 950,000 business entities.

People will not let down the green mountains, and the green mountains will surely not let down the people. Adhering to protecting in development and developing in protection, and synergistically promoting biodiversity conservation and green development, we will surely build the ecological foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation more and more firmly.

(Reporters Kou Jiangze (寇江泽), Dong Siyu (董丝雨), Zhang Yunhe (张云河), and Fan Haotian (范昊天) of this newspaper)

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2026 International Day for Biological Diversity Campaign Held in Chongming, Shanghai

This newspaper reported from Shanghai on May 22nd (Reporter Tian Hong (田泓)) The 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity promotional event was held in Chongming (崇明), Shanghai (上海), calling on everyone to jointly promote a new process of global biodiversity conservation and governance.

At the event, the "Seventh National Report on China's Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity" was released. Chinese and foreign guests watched the theme promotional video for the 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity, the "Biodiversity in My Eyes" interactive event, the local feature display "Dongtan (东滩) · Feathers," and the presentation of biodiversity conservation cases. The 2025 Eco-Civilization Construction Person of the Year was also announced at the event, and a signing ceremony for donations to the Kunming (昆明) Biodiversity Fund was held.

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Opening a new chapter and injecting new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.

By: 本报记者 隋 鑫

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平), Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to China from May 19th to 20th. Russian figures and media generally believe that this summit opened a new chapter and injected new impetus into the development of bilateral relations. The two countries reached a series of fruitful results and consensus in developing bilateral relations, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and carrying out international collaboration, which will not only further serve the respective development and revitalization of the two countries, but also play an important role in maintaining international fairness and justice, responding to risks and challenges, and promoting world multipolarization.

The Close Strategic Coordination Between Russia and China Has Far-Reaching Significance

Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation (Russian parliament upper house), said that during the visit, the two heads of state jointly announced the extension of the "Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China," signed and issued a joint statement on further strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborly friendship and cooperation, a joint statement on advocating world multipolarization and a new type of international relations, and a number of important cooperation documents, which shows that Russia and China maintaining close strategic coordination has far-reaching significance. "Russia and China have built a good-neighborly and friendly relationship of important strategic significance, setting a model for a new type of major-country relations."

Alexey Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (Russian parliament lower house), said in an interview with the Russian "Parliamentary Newspaper" that Russia and China respect each other, are friendly to each other, and have carried out fruitful cooperation. President Putin's visit to China not only reflects the mutual respect of the leaders of Russia and China as politicians, but also "opens a new chapter and injects new impetus into the development of bilateral relations."

Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the Russian President, said at a press conference on May 21 that President Putin's visit to China was substantial, rich in content, and very fruitful. The joint statement signed by the two heads of state during the visit injected new impetus into the development of both sides in various fields.

Russian political scientist Pavel Danilin said in an interview with the Russian "Vzglyad" newspaper that the series of documents signed by the two countries is a very important achievement of this summit. The continued extension of the "Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China" has opened a new chapter in Russian-Chinese cooperation.

Sergey Gavrilov, Chairman of the Committee on Property, Land and Property Relations of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with the Russian Lenta.ru that the joint statement signed by the Russian and Chinese heads of state on further strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborly friendship and cooperation is a programmatic document that clarifies the important direction of the development of bilateral relations in the future. The signing of a series of cooperation documents continues the political consensus between Russia and China.

The Two Countries Are Committed to Bringing More Stability and Predictability

Dmitry Novikov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with the media that the two joint statements signed during this summit are of great strategic significance, reflecting both the inheritance and development of Russian-Chinese relations, and highlighting the many basic principles advocated by Russia and China in international affairs in recent years.

RT broadcast a commentary by Leonid Kovacic, a researcher at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, saying that President Putin's successful visit to China and the joint statement issued by Russia and China on advocating world multipolarization and a new type of international relations show the common position of the two countries on building a new type of international relations.

Pavel Danilin said that the meeting between the Russian and Chinese heads of state once again confirmed that in the face of the current turbulent geopolitical situation, Russia and China are committed to bringing more stability and predictability.

Alexei Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that this meeting between the two heads of state is of great strategic significance, indicating that Russian-Chinese relations are gradually moving forward and bilateral cooperation is deepening in the context of the intertwined changes in the international situation. The joint statement issued by Russia and China on advocating world multipolarization and a new type of international relations reflects the commitment of the two countries to the principles of building a just and reasonable international order.

Opening Up New Space for Cooperation Between the Two Countries in the Cultural Field

The heads of state of China and Russia jointly launched the "China-Russia Years of Educational Exchange," opening up new space for cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field. The Russian "Life" website reported that Russian-Chinese educational cooperation has expanded from the past exchange of international students to various fields such as joint education, joint scientific research, professional training, language teaching, and the mobility of academic staff. The "China-Russia Years of Educational Exchange" will bring about the launch of a series of new educational cooperation projects, the expansion of inter-school exchanges, and the deepening of scientific research cooperation, which will enhance the connection between the two countries.

Viktor Sadovnichy, Rector of Moscow State University, said in an interview with TASS that as the first national year with education as its theme held by the two countries, the "Russia-China Years of Educational Exchange" provides an opportunity for the higher education systems of the two countries to formulate an effective mechanism for mutually beneficial cooperation. Sadovnichy said that the list of outcome documents of the meeting between the two heads of state during President Putin's visit to China includes the "Roadmap for Joint Development of the Russia-China Basic Science Research Institute (2026-2030)," which opens up new space for scientific, technological and educational cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian-Chinese International School (俄罗斯中国国际学校) is the first full-time international school in Russia featuring Chinese language and culture education. The joint launch of the "China-Russia Years of Educational Exchange" by the two heads of state has made the teachers and students of the school feel very happy and full of expectations. Wu Hao (吴昊), the principal of the school, said: "The launch of the 'China-Russia Years of Educational Exchange' will help further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in Chinese, Russian, and youth exchanges."

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Head-of-State Diplomacy Leads to a More Mature, Solid, and Stable Russia-China Relationship

By: 本报记者 隋 鑫

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平), Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from May 19th to 20th. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state this year. Boris Titov, the Russian Chairman of the China-Russia Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development and Special Representative of the Russian President for Liaison with International Organizations on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, said in an interview with our reporter that under the strategic guidance of the heads of state, the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is becoming more mature, solid, and stable.

Titov said that in recent years, Russia-China relations have reached an unprecedented height and are at their best in history. On the basis of equal treatment, mutual respect, mutual trust and adherence to principles, and win-win cooperation, the two countries have promoted the all-round development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. "Russia and China are already close partners in various fields such as politics, economy, society, and culture."

Since 2023, the bilateral trade volume between China and Russia has exceeded the US$200 billion mark for three consecutive years. In Titov's view, Russia-China cooperation is becoming closer, Russia is a reliable and stable partner of China, and the two countries have great potential for cooperation in agriculture, food, mechanical engineering and other fields.

The two heads of state decided to hold the tenth national-level theme year between the two countries, the "China-Russia Year of Education," in the next two years. On May 20, the two heads of state jointly unveiled the emblem of the "China-Russia Year of Education," which means that educational cooperation and youth cultural exchanges between the two countries have embarked on a new journey. Promoting the development of educational cooperation between the two countries has always been an important part of the work of the China-Russia Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development. Titov said: "We will make full use of the opportunity of the 'Russia-China Year of Education' to further improve the youth exchange mechanism between the two countries."

At present, profound changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Titov highly praised the practical significance of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative proposed by China. He believes that the proposal of the four major global initiatives is a rational voice in a turbulent international environment and provides constructive strength for dealing with the increasingly intensified unstable situation.

Faced with the intertwined international situation of change and chaos, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has always maintained stability and resilience, and is moving towards a higher level and higher quality. Titov said that the international community needs to get rid of the cooperation model centered on a single pole and promote multipolarity forward. He firmly believes that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, Russia-China cooperation will further play an important role in maintaining global strategic stability and international fairness and justice.

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Wang Yi Holds Talks with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Popșoi

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 22nd (Reporter Cao Jiayue (曹嘉玥)) Politburo Member of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) held talks in Beijing on the 21st with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Popșoi.

Wang Yi (王毅) stated that China advocates that all countries, regardless of size, are equal. China appreciates Moldova's adherence to the correct position on issues involving China's core interests and welcomes Moldova's deeper participation in the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road." Both sides should work together to implement the four major global initiatives and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

Popșoi stated that Moldova appreciates China's leading role in international affairs. Moldova adheres to the One China principle and is willing to work with China to jointly safeguard multilateralism.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Wang Yi (王毅) reiterated China's position of promoting peace and facilitating talks.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Begin Official Visit to China Today

At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang (李强), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (夏巴兹·谢里夫) of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay an official visit to China from May 23 to 26.

Shehbaz Sharif (夏巴兹·谢里夫) was born in Lahore (拉合尔市), Punjab Province (旁遮普省) of Pakistan in 1951 and is the younger brother of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (纳瓦兹·谢里夫). He was elected as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly three times starting in 1988, and was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990. He has long governed Punjab Province (旁遮普省), serving as the Chief Minister of Punjab Province (旁遮普省) three times in 1997, 2008, and 2013, respectively. In March 2018, he was elected Chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (穆斯林联盟（谢里夫派）), and in August of the same year, he was elected Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistani Parliament. He took office as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan in April 2022 and stepped down in August 2023. On March 4, 2024, he took office as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan.

He is friendly to China and has visited China many times.

Married with 2 sons and 2 daughters.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing (北京), May 22)

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The international community must not be deceived by Japan's nuclear disguise (Zhong Sheng)

Japan is bent on walking on the edge of the nuclear policy red line, which is rooted in its never thoroughly reflecting on its history of aggression during World War II and its persistent unwillingness to face its identity as a defeated country.

The 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) closed on the 22nd at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. On this multilateral occasion, Japan, which is increasingly showing its nuclear ambitions, secretly accumulating nuclear capabilities, and stepping up military collusion with external forces, is touting its non-nuclear concept, and its hypocrisy is disgusting. The international community must remain highly vigilant against Japan's dangerous plots.

Japan's nuclear ambitions are not tolerated by international and domestic law. Documents with international legal effect, such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, clearly stipulate that Japan should completely disarm and not maintain any industry that might rearm it, which naturally includes prohibiting it from embarking on the road to nuclear armament. As a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, it is its basic obligation to adhere to the principle of not accepting, not manufacturing, not possessing, and not proliferating nuclear weapons. Japanese domestic law also draws a clear red line: Article 9 of the "Peace Constitution" permanently renounces the right to war and all war forces; the "Atomic Energy Basic Law" stipulates that the use of nuclear energy is limited to peaceful purposes; and the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" established by the Diet are a solemn commitment to the international community. Whether it can strictly abide by the law and keep its promises has always been an important yardstick for measuring whether Japan is sincerely following the path of peaceful development.

As the only country in the world that has suffered nuclear weapons attacks, Japan should have the deepest understanding of the catastrophic consequences of using nuclear weapons and the most steadfast defense of the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism. However, Japan's negative words and deeds on the issue of nuclear weapons have continued in recent years: in November 2025, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (高市早苗) made a vague statement in parliamentary inquiries about whether to adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles"; in December, senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office openly advocated nuclear weapons. Japan is also promoting the strengthening of "extended deterrence," seeking "nuclear sharing" arrangements, plotting to develop nuclear-powered submarines, and seeking the re-entry of extraterritorial nuclear forces into its homeland. These words and deeds have hollowed out the spiritual core of the "Peace Constitution," betrayed international legal obligations, and openly provoked the international nuclear non-proliferation system and the post-war international order.

What is even more alarming is that Japan's nuclear ambitions already have a complete material basis and realistic potential. Japan is an internationally recognized nuclear threshold country and the only non-nuclear-weapon state among the members of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that has mastered reprocessing technology, has the ability to extract weapons-grade plutonium, and has operational reprocessing facilities. During World War II, Japan secretly promoted nuclear weapons research and development. Now it has built a complete nuclear fuel cycle system and can theoretically produce weapons-grade nuclear materials in batches. The long-term stockpiling of sensitive plutonium materials far exceeds civilian needs. Japan also has the technical reserves for nuclear weapons delivery platforms and the development of nuclear-powered ships and large long-range vehicles. As an American expert vividly pointed out: "Japan only needs to turn a screwdriver to have nuclear weapons."

Japan is bent on walking on the edge of the nuclear policy red line, which is rooted in its never thoroughly reflecting on its history of aggression during World War II and its persistent unwillingness to face its identity as a defeated country. In recent years, Japan has accelerated the revision of the "Three Security Documents" and the "Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment," and its military spending has increased for 14 consecutive years. The defense budget will exceed 9 trillion yen in 2026, which will greatly facilitate the research and development and export of offensive weapons. Its relaxation of nuclear policy is in the same vein as the "re-militarization" process, and its real intention is to get rid of the constraints of the international order. The formation of "new militarism" is a cause for great concern, posing a serious hidden danger to peace and stability in East Asia and the world.

The international community must not be deceived by Japan's nuclear disguise. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation system and an important pillar of the post-war international security architecture. Faced with the rising nuclear ambitions of the Japanese right wing, the international community must not be paralyzed, relaxed, or condoned, but must remain highly vigilant and resolutely resist all kinds of nuclear-related provocative words and deeds. We should rely on multilateral mechanisms such as the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to build consensus and strengthen the normalized verification and supervision of Japan's nuclear facilities, nuclear materials, and nuclear technology activities, so as to restrain its nuclear ambitions with rigid international rules.

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Wang Yi to Chair UN Security Council High-Level Meeting and Visit Canada

Beijing, May 22nd (Reporter Han Xiaoming (韩晓明)) A Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on the 22nd: As the rotating President of the United Nations Security Council for this month, China will host a high-level Security Council meeting on May 26th, with the theme of "Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations Charter and Strengthening the International System with the United Nations as the Core." Wang Yi (王毅), Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, will travel to New York to preside over the meeting. During his stay in New York, Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) will also attend the "Group of Friends of Global Governance" meeting to be held on May 28th, and hold meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General and foreign ministers of relevant countries.

At the invitation of Canadian Foreign Minister Anand, Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) will visit Canada from May 28th to 30th.

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China-Pakistan diplomatic ties mark 75th anniversary with Chinese culture exhibition opening in Pakistan

Islamabad, May 22nd (People's Daily reporter Zhao Yipu (赵益普)) The "Silk Road Culture, Deep China-Pakistan Friendship - China-Pakistan Diplomatic Relations 75th Anniversary Chinese Culture Exhibition" hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Lahore (拉合尔) opened on the 21st at the Lahore (拉合尔) Museum in Punjab (旁遮普省), Pakistan. Representatives from the Punjab (旁遮普省) Provincial Government, cultural figures, and overseas Chinese representatives attended the opening ceremony.

The exhibition features several sections, including Lahore (拉合尔) Museum's collection of cultural relics, historical photos of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations, tea culture, Hanfu, calligraphy art, and Su embroidery art. Guests at the scene tasted Chinese tea, appreciated Chinese calligraphy, and viewed Chinese artworks. They expressed that the exhibition not only demonstrated the profound heritage of Chinese civilization but also conveyed the enduring friendship between China and Pakistan, providing a good platform for deepening bilateral cultural cooperation.

It is reported that the exhibition will last for one month.

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Li Hongzhong Leads NPC Delegation on Visit to Albania

Xinhua News Agency, Tirana, May 22nd. Li Hongzhong (李鸿忠), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, led a delegation of the National People's Congress to visit Albania from May 20th to 22nd. In Tirana (地拉那), Li Hongzhong (李鸿忠) met with Albanian Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla (佩莱西), Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku (科奇乌), held talks with Deputy Speaker Ermonela Felaj (斯巴秀), and held discussions with the Albania-China Friendship Association.

Li Hongzhong (李鸿忠) stated that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping (习近平) and Albanian leaders, China-Albania relations have developed steadily. China remembers the important support Albania provided for China's restoration of its legitimate seat in the United Nations, and is willing to work with Albania to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the cornerstone of political mutual trust, tap the potential for pragmatic cooperation, enhance the friendly feelings between the people, strengthen exchanges between legislative bodies, and promote the continuous renewal of vitality in China-Albania relations.

The Albanian side stated that it cherishes the traditional friendly relations between the two countries, firmly supports the One China principle, and is willing to work closely with China in exchanges at all levels and in all fields, deepen Albania-China pragmatic cooperation and exchanges between legislative bodies, and share China's development opportunities.

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Local Cooperation Becomes a "Dynamic Engine" for the Development of China-Ukraine Relations (International Forum)

By: 法尔霍德·阿尔济耶夫

The Uzbek side is willing to work with the Chinese side to give full play to the role of the local cooperation mechanism platform, promote the implementation and effectiveness of more practical cooperation results, continuously enrich the connotation of the Uzbekistan-China new era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, and promote the forward development of friendly cooperation between the two countries.

At present, the China-Uzbekistan new era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership maintains a high-quality development trend, and local cooperation has become an important area for promoting the development of bilateral relations and a "dynamic engine" for promoting the development of Uzbekistan-China relations. On May 21, the 3rd China-Uzbekistan Local Cooperation Forum opened in Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi (陕西) Province, injecting new impetus into deepening local exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and marking another important milestone in the development of Uzbekistan-China local cooperation.

Uzbekistan and China have a long history of friendly exchanges that 源远流长 (yuán yuǎn liú cháng - "source is distant, flow is long," of long standing and well-established). The ancient Silk Road closely linked the people of the two countries, and trade, cultural exchanges, scientific and technological dissemination, and people-to-people exchanges between the cities of the two countries have flourished for a long time, which has not only strongly promoted the economic development of both sides, but also promoted the exchange and mutual learning of ideas, technologies, knowledge, and culture.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, Uzbekistan-China relations have achieved leapfrog development, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has entered a "golden period of development." The heads of state of the two countries have always maintained close communication and exchanges, established a good working relationship, and forged a deep personal friendship, providing fundamental guidance and strong impetus for the continuous and healthy development of bilateral relations. Solid high-level exchanges, a high degree of political mutual trust, and similar positions on major international issues have created favorable conditions for the two countries to expand all-round pragmatic cooperation.

Local cooperation has become an important pillar of the development of bilateral relations. In January 2024, the first China-Uzbekistan Local Cooperation Forum was held in Urumqi (乌鲁木齐), Xinjiang (新疆), officially opening a new chapter in the normalized cooperation between the two countries. In June last year, the second China-Uzbekistan Local Cooperation Forum was successfully held in Samarkand (撒马尔罕), with a continuous expansion of the scope of cooperation. More than 2,800 representatives from government departments, enterprises, scientific research, and educational institutions of the two countries participated in various activities, fully demonstrating the vigorous vitality and abundant vitality of Uzbekistan-China local cooperation. This forum was held in Xi'an (西安), which has profound historical significance. The ancient trade route originating from Xi'an (西安) connected many cities in Uzbekistan and China, witnessing thousands of years of economic and trade exchanges, mutual learning of civilizations, and scientific, technological, and cultural exchanges between the two sides. This forum continues the fine tradition of friendly exchanges between the two countries, continues to promote the upgrading of Uzbekistan-China local cooperation, and opens up broad space for investment cooperation expansion, industrial docking, and people-to-people understanding and affinity between the two sides.

Local cooperation is an important driving force for promoting the growth of Uzbekistan-China bilateral trade and investment. Relying on the local cooperation platform between the two countries, a number of production lines, industrial parks, logistics hubs, and energy infrastructure projects have been successively put into production and operation in Uzbekistan, continuously empowering local economic and social development. In the past five years, the volume of bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and China has increased several times. At present, there are nearly 5,400 Chinese-funded enterprises operating in Uzbekistan.

The continuously improving level of connectivity has built a convenient foundation for in-depth local cooperation between the two countries. At present, there are more than 60 round-trip flights per week between Uzbekistan and China, and cities in Uzbekistan such as Tashkent (塔什干) and Samarkand (撒马尔罕) have opened direct flights to Chinese cities such as Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), Xi'an (西安), Guangzhou (广州), Hangzhou (杭州), Chengdu (成都), Urumqi (乌鲁木齐), and Sanya (三亚). In June last year, the Uzbekistan-China mutual visa exemption agreement officially came into effect, greatly facilitating personnel exchanges, business negotiations, and cultural tourism cooperation between the two countries. With the support of various facilitation policies, the scale of bilateral personnel exchanges has continued to expand. Last year, nearly 300,000 Chinese tourists visited Uzbekistan, a multiple increase compared with previous years.

Local cooperation has become an important carrier for driving the synergistic growth of Uzbekistan-China economies, empowering the application of technology, deepening two-way investment cooperation, promoting industrial synergistic development, and promoting bilateral cultural exchanges, and continues to inject fresh vitality into the development of Uzbekistan-China relations. The Uzbek side is willing to work with the Chinese side to give full play to the role of the local cooperation mechanism platform, promote the implementation and effectiveness of more practical cooperation results, continuously enrich the connotation of the Uzbekistan-China new era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, and promote the forward development of friendly cooperation between the two countries.

(The author is the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China)

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China co-hosts side event on "One Health Together for Global Public Health" during the World Health Assembly

This newspaper reported from Berlin on May 22nd (Reporter Guo Ziyun (郭梓云)): Geneva News: During the 79th World Health Assembly, the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and the World Federation of Public Health Associations recently co-hosted a side event in Geneva, Switzerland, themed "One Health, Jointly Protecting Global Public Health." Shen Hongbing (沈洪兵), Deputy Director of the National Health Commission of China and Director of the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, led a delegation to attend and deliver a keynote speech.

Shen Hongbing (沈洪兵) stated in his speech that China actively practices the "One Health" concept by implementing a health-first development strategy, improving the public health system that combines prevention and treatment, operating a normalized joint prevention and control mechanism, and empowering disease control upgrades with intelligence, thereby building a solid public health security barrier. By actively dispatching foreign aid medical teams and sharing prevention and control experience and appropriate technologies, China helps improve global public health capabilities. China is willing to actively promote the joint construction of a global monitoring and early warning network for emerging infectious diseases, promote the exchange of appropriate technologies, and jointly promote the integration of health into all policies.

During the special report session, Jiao Zhenquan (焦振泉), Director of the Monitoring and Early Warning Department of the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, introduced China's infectious disease monitoring and early warning practices under the "One Health" guidelines. Raman Bedi, President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, introduced the "One Health" concept and global action initiatives with equity as the core, and proposed promoting "One Health" practices with cities as the main body and cross-sectoral collaboration. Zhou Xiaonong (周晓农), Chief Expert for Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, introduced the construction and application of the 2025 Global "One Health" Index.

Sylvie Briand, Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, pointed out that "One Health" provides us with new ideas for solving complex health problems. The WHO will continue to promote cooperation between global and regional organizations to continuously improve the ability to combat emerging infectious diseases, control antibiotic resistance, and respond to climate-sensitive diseases.

During the meeting, Chinese and foreign experts jointly released the "Geneva 'One Health' Implementation Principles."

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Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to Visit China

The People's Daily, Beijing, May 22nd (Reporter Han Xiaoming (韩晓明)) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson announced on the 22nd: At the invitation of Wang Yi (王毅), Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (维文) will pay a working visit to China from May 24th to 26th.

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The 13th World Urban Forum Concludes in Azerbaijan

According to Xinhua News Agency, Baku, May 22nd (Reporter Zhong Zhong), the 13th World Urban Forum concluded on the 22nd in Baku (巴库), the capital of Azerbaijan (阿塞拜疆). During the 6-day forum, China's urban practices became an important part of the summit, urban exhibition area, and many thematic activities of this forum, providing the world with China's experience in sustainable development.

At the Urban Expo held within the framework of the forum, the China Urban Pavilion composed of Shanghai (上海市), Fuzhou (福州市), and Shaoxing (绍兴市) attracted the attention of a large number of relevant professionals and the general public from the first day of its opening. At the exhibition, China's important progress in implementing the "New Urban Agenda" and its achievements in international cooperation in housing, urban and rural construction, and human settlements became the focus of attention. Visitors gave high praise and said that China's experience is universally applicable and highly operable, and it is very worthy of learning from.

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Solidifying the cultural foundation for building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

By: 本报记者

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the "15th Five-Year Plan" outline have made arrangements for stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation and promoting the prosperity and development of socialist culture, drawing a grand blueprint for building a strong socialist cultural country.

From May 21st to 22nd, the 2026 Cultural Power Construction Summit Forum was held in Shenzhen (深圳), Guangdong (广东). The theme of this forum was "The Inheritance of Cultural Heritage and the Innovation and Creation of Culture." Sub-forums were held on 11 aspects, including humanistic economics, artificial intelligence and media transformation, the flourishing of literary and artistic creation, the inheritance and innovation of unpopular disciplines, the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, the innovation and development of the cultural industry driven by artificial intelligence, the integrated development of publishing, the high-quality development of the film industry, the construction of civilized rural customs, the cultivation of high-level cultural talent teams, and the joint construction of a digital and intelligent humanistic bay area. Participating guests conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges, widely gathered consensus, and achieved fruitful results.

Inheriting Cultural Heritage and Promoting Cultural Subjectivity

Cultural fortune is linked to national fortune, and cultural heritage is connected to the national spirit. It is necessary to deeply study and practice Xi Jinping (习近平)'s cultural thought, promote the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation with the inheritance of cultural heritage, and consolidate the cultural foundation for building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation.

Wang Wei (王巍), member of the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and first-level researcher, said that Chinese civilization innovates in inheritance and adheres in integration. With its outstanding continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness, it has become the only great civilization in the world that has continued uninterrupted and developed to this day in the form of a country. It is necessary to strengthen cultural confidence, inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and promote the sustainable development of Chinese civilization in adhering to integrity and innovation.

"The cultural heritage on the land of China is an outstanding witness to the continuous and uninterrupted development of culture and civilization in East Asia." Wang Jun (王军), researcher at the Palace Museum (故宫博物院), said that it is necessary to build a complete cultural heritage protection system, innovate the concept of cultural heritage protection, increase the protection of settlement heritage and cultural landscapes, and promote systematic and comprehensive protection.

Protecting traditional blocks and ancient buildings means preserving the history and cultural heritage of the city. Zhang Jie (张杰), professor at the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University (清华大学), believes that it is necessary to fully understand the spatial and cultural connotation of Chinese cities and settlements, and promote overall protection, living inheritance, and revitalization and utilization with "**绣花功夫**" (xiù huā gōng fū - "embroidery skill," meticulous and detailed work).

Material cultural heritage provides inheritance space and carriers for intangible cultural heritage, and intangible cultural heritage endows material cultural heritage with profound cultural connotations and vivid vitality. The two complement each other. Yang Lihui (杨利慧), director and professor of the Institute of Folk Literature of the School of Literature of Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学), said that it is necessary to promote the coordinated protection of material and intangible cultural heritage.

Inheriting Chinese cultural heritage and building a strong cultural country cannot be separated from the adherence to integrity and innovation of unpopular disciplines. Zhao Rui (赵芮), vice president and member of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), said that unpopular disciplines are an important foundation for continuing the roots of civilization and strengthening cultural confidence. It is necessary to adhere to the correct direction, serve the overall national situation, and empower with science, technology, and talent, so that unpopular disciplines are not unpopular and unique knowledge is not unique, and help build an independent knowledge system.

Technology Empowerment to Stimulate Cultural Innovation and Creativity

Technology is the propeller of cultural innovation and creativity. Participating guests said that it is necessary to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, accelerate the integration of culture and technology, guide technology to be good, and stimulate cultural innovation and creativity.

"The rise of new mass literature and art shows that an important change in the field of literature and art is coming." Nan Fan (南帆), former vice chairman of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and researcher at the Fujian Academy of Social Sciences (福建社会科学院), said, "Under the conditions of the Internet, due to the wide participation of the public, the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation are being fully mobilized, and the colorful life of the times is being displayed at all levels."

"In the digital age, the construction of civilized rural customs should follow the trend, make good use of lightweight and down-to-earth communication methods, and integrate short videos, live broadcasts, local videos and other platforms to create a matrix for rural cultural communication." Xiang Yong (向勇), professor at the School of Arts of Peking University (北京大学) and dean of the Institute of Cultural Industries, said.

AI (artificial intelligence) is a strategic technology that leads a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, profoundly changing the way people produce and live. Si Xiao (司晓), vice president of Tencent Group (腾讯集团) and dean of Tencent Research Institute, said that in the era of artificial intelligence, people should become the "helmsman" of technology. The cultural industry is ushering in a moment of both storms and opportunities in the wave of technology. Facing the global artificial intelligence content risks, the industry calls for the realization of AI for good and culture for beauty.

Wang Jian (王坚), academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院), director of Zhejiang Lab (之江实验室), and founder of Alibaba Cloud (阿里云), said that artificial intelligence has a long history of development and has ushered in an explosion in recent years. Artificial intelligence technology has improved text processing capabilities to an unprecedented height. In the future, artificial intelligence and humanistic spirit will work together to innovate and help explore the endless world.

Deep Integration, Cultural Empowerment for Economic and Social Development

The power of culture is always integrated into economic, political, and social forces in a "**润物细无声**" (rùn wù xì wú shēng - "moistening things silently," to influence subtly) manner. Participating guests believe that China is writing a great article on humanistic economics by empowering economic and social development with culture and nourishing the spiritual home.

"The humanistic tradition of the Chinese nation determines the humanistic characteristics of the economic life of the Chinese people, that is, the production and life practice of the integration of culture and economy." Gao Debu (高德步), professor at the School of Economics of Renmin University of China (中国人民大学), said, "The integration of culture and economy, in the final analysis, is to highlight the word 'people', that is, the satisfaction of the people's needs for a better life."

Taking people as the center, using culture to educate people, using people to promote the economy, and using the economy to cultivate culture is the internal logic of the mutual transformation of people, culture, and economy. Hong Yinxing (洪银兴), former secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University (南京大学) and professor at the Business School, said that we have more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and have the conditions to develop a national, scientific, and mass socialist culture that is oriented to modernization, the world, and the future on the basis of promoting excellent traditional culture, and transform it into a powerful spiritual force to promote economic modernization.

To promote the construction of a strong cultural country, it is necessary to firmly invest in people and stimulate and release the potential of cultural talents. "The current changes in the relationship between audience and performance are profoundly affecting the path of cultural talent training." Jin Dong (靳东), head of the China Coal Mine Art Troupe (中国煤矿文工团), said, "We must follow the laws of growth of cultural and artistic talents, so that more talents can take root downward and grow upward, and realize the resonance of the values of the times and personal destiny in creation."

Zhou Jianxin (周建新), dean of the Institute of Cultural Industries of Shenzhen University (深圳大学), believes that humanistic economics has broadened the practical path for the development of the cultural industry and also improved the institutional vision. Doing a good job in this great article of humanistic economics is of great significance for promoting the high-quality development of the cultural industry.

"Anchoring the roots of culture, establishing the body of industry, and embarking on the road to rejuvenation are the era propositions of Chinese films." Fu Ruoqing (傅若清), chairman of the Art Committee of the Board of Directors of China Film Co., Ltd. (中国电影产业集团股份有限公司), said, "We must promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and promote Chinese films from 'isolated peaks' to 'a forest of peaks', and build a strong film country with high-quality leap."

Exchange and Mutual Learning to Enhance the International Influence of Chinese Culture

Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other because of exchange, and develop because of mutual learning. Participating guests said that it is necessary to strengthen international cultural exchanges and cooperation, innovate the Chinese discourse system and the Chinese narrative system, tell Chinese stories well, convey Chinese voices well, and further enhance the influence of Chinese culture.

At present, the overseas boom of cultural "new three items" represented by online literature, online film and television dramas, and online games is surging, and is becoming an important force for China's content industry to participate in global competition. Tong Zhilei (童之磊), chairman and president of ChineseAll Digital Publishing Group Co., Ltd. (中文在线集团股份有限公司), suggested that we should focus on the source of content, promote the development of online literature, online dramas, online games and other forms, and continuously improve the intelligent production capacity and global operation capacity.

Yang Jun (杨君), secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater (深圳歌剧舞剧院), introduced that rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, the dance drama "Wing Chun" continues to enhance its ideological and artistic qualities, and transforms Chinese Kung Fu, a world-renowned cultural resource, into a stage language highly recognized by contemporary overseas audiences. It is often performed and renewed overseas, and the seats are full, realizing the communication effect of art connecting hearts.

"The film 'Blades of the Guardians', a very traditional martial arts story, has won wide recognition from overseas audiences with its rich oriental aesthetic connotation. This inspires us that cultural going overseas should not only seek topics of common concern to all mankind, but also highlight individuality and express our most unique places." Director and screenwriter Yu Baimei (俞白眉) said.

Recently, the film "A Letter to Grandma" has been a hit. Director Lan Hongchun (蓝鸿春) believes that pure, authentic, and warm local stories always have the power to move people's hearts.

Chen Chunsheng (陈春声), professor of the Department of History of Sun Yat-sen University (中山大学) and dean of the Lingnan Culture Research Institute, believes that the dissemination of regional cultures, including Lingnan culture, fully reflects the overall image of the country. It is necessary to tell Lingnan stories well and help the cultural dissemination of the new era.

(Our reporters Geng Lei (耿磊), Hu Xiaoyuan (胡笑源), Cheng Yuanzhou (程远州), Wang Kan (王坎), Zhang Mingse (张明瑟), Cao Yiqing (曹怡晴), Li Linwei (李林蔚), Jiang Xiaodan (姜晓丹), Yin Shuanghong (尹双红))

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National peak electricity load this summer is expected to be around 1.6 billion kilowatts.

This newspaper reported from Beijing on May 22nd (Reporter Liu Zhiqiang (刘志强)) According to predictions, most parts of the country will experience higher temperatures than the same period in previous years this summer. "The nation's peak electricity load this summer is expected to be around 1.6 billion kilowatts, an increase of about 90 million kilowatts compared to last year, equivalent to the electricity load of an additional Henan (河南) province." Li Chao (李超), a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委), said that in response to the potential for increased demand and frequent extreme weather this summer, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) will fully leverage the inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for coal, electricity, oil, gas, and transportation security, and work with relevant parties to solidly prepare for energy and electricity supply security. "Comprehensive analysis indicates that the nation's energy and electricity supply capacity this summer will generally be able to meet peak demand."

The main measures include: vigorously promoting the construction and commissioning of power sources; from January to April, the nation added approximately 100 million kilowatts of power generation capacity; strengthening coal reserves and hydropower storage; as of the end of April, the nation's unified dispatch power plants had coal reserves of about 200 million tons, with available days exceeding 30 days, and hydropower storage exceeding 80 billion kilowatt-hours, at a historically good level; promoting high-percentage signing and effective fulfillment of medium- and long-term contracts for electricity and coal, consolidating the role of medium- and long-term energy contracts as a "ballast stone" for ensuring supply and stabilizing prices; doing a good job in inter-provincial and inter-regional electricity mutual assistance; when necessary, emergency dispatch will be carried out, and supply and demand will be regulated through the national unified electricity market to enhance the overall national supply capacity; and solidly preparing emergency plans, with "one policy per province" to develop emergency plans for some provinces with a tight balance between supply and demand.

(Xue Ziyi (薛子怡) participated in the writing)

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Farmland Waterlogging and Winter Wheat Lodging Risk Warning

This newspaper Beijing (北京) May 22nd (Reporter Jiang Xuehong (蒋雪鸿)) On the 22nd, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) and the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局) jointly issued an early warning for waterlogging in farmland and lodging risk of winter wheat: It is expected that from May 23 to 25, there will be moderate to heavy rain in the southeastern part of Northwest China, the western and southern parts of the Huanghuai area, the western part of the Jianghuai area, and the Jianghan area, with heavy rain or torrential rain in some areas, accompanied by severe convective weather such as thunderstorms, strong winds, and short-term heavy precipitation. The risk of waterlogging in farmland and lodging of winter wheat is relatively high in southeastern Shaanxi (陕西), central and southern Henan (河南), central and northern Anhui (安徽), and northern Hubei (湖北), among which the risk is high in Pingdingshan (平顶山), Xuchang (许昌), Luohe (漯河), southern Zhoukou (周口), and northeastern Nanyang (南阳) in Henan (河南), and Fuyang (阜阳) and southwestern Bozhou (亳州) in Anhui (安徽). Local areas may experience "rotting field rain." It is recommended that the above-mentioned areas promptly dredge ditches, drain water and dehumidify, and make arrangements for agricultural machinery to rush to harvest mature wheat, rapeseed, and other crops.

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Insurance payouts for rainstorm disasters in four provinces have reached 120 million yuan.

According to reports from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, recently, heavy rain and floods have occurred in Hunan (湖南), Hubei (湖北), Guangxi (广西), Guizhou (贵州), and other places. Insurance institutions have quickly opened rapid claims channels to promote quick and efficient claims settlement, ensuring all eligible claims are paid, and reasonable advance payments are made. As of 9:00 AM on May 22nd, relevant insurance institutions had received over 20,000 reported cases, with estimated losses of 510 million yuan, and have already paid out 120 million yuan.

It is understood that branches of PICC Property and Casualty (人保财险) in many places immediately organized forces to rush to the front line of disaster relief, and have set up more than 1,000 emergency material reserve points in 309 cities and 877 counties in advance; Ping An Property & Casualty (平安产险) has reserved 36 types of emergency materials such as flood barriers, water pumps, lifeboats, and expandable sandbags, implementing a "replenish as used, dynamic guarantee" mechanism to promote rapid response and rescue in major disasters.

The relevant person in charge of the department of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (金融监管总局) introduced that the "Notice on Effectively Doing a Good Job in Responding to Flood Season-Related Disasters and Insurance Claims Service Work" recently issued requires combining the actual situation of the affected areas, highlighting key tasks, refining work arrangements, and proactively providing front-line services. It is necessary to closely follow up on the progress of insurance claims and advance payments, respond to customer demands in a timely manner, and further improve the quality and efficiency of insurance claims.

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Inherit the Legacy of Culture and Literature, Stimulate Creativity and Innovation

On the shores of the South China Sea, talents gather; the light of culture illuminates the path forward.

From May 21st to 22nd, the 2026高峰论坛 (Gāofēng Lùntán - Summit Forum) for Building a Strong Cultural Country was held in Shenzhen (深圳). With the theme of "Inheritance of Cultural Heritage and Innovation and Creation of Culture," this forum, in addition to the main forum, set up 11 sub-forums. From the living heritage of cultural heritage to the ingenious polishing of literary and artistic masterpieces, from the digital and intelligent humanities practice in the Greater Bay Area to the consolidation and strengthening of the talent team, participating experts, scholars, and industry representatives exchanged ideas and built consensus around the contemporary proposition of building a strong cultural country. A magnificent picture of cultural inheritance and innovation in the new era is slowly unfolding in Pengcheng (鹏城, another name for Shenzhen).

At the "Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance" sub-forum, "building a large protection pattern of cultural heritage" became the core issue. Professor Zhang Jie (张杰) of Tsinghua University (清华大学), using cases such as the overall protection of Guangzhou (广州) and the refined restoration of Sanfang Qixiang (三坊七巷) in Fuzhou (福州), elaborated on the "harmony between man and nature" Taoyuan (桃源) model of traditional Chinese human settlements. Professor Li Shuicheng (李水城) of Sichuan University (四川大学) took "salt" as the entry point and proposed that "human history moves forward smelling the taste of salt," emphasizing that cultural heritage is a vital link connecting the future. Professor Yang Lihui (杨利慧) of Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学) called for guiding collaborative protection with a "grand cultural heritage view." Grassroots representatives from She County (歙县), Anhui (安徽) and Weishan (巍山), Yunnan (云南) shared the county-level practice of "adhering to minimal intervention and living heritage," providing replicable and fresh samples for the revitalization of cultural heritage.

Literary and artistic creation is the bugle call of the spirit of the times. At the "Prospering Literary and Artistic Creation" sub-forum, the discussion on "original ability" was heated and profound. Participating experts pointed out that the source of creation is deeply buried in the land under our feet and the bloodline of Chinese civilization. Facing the impact of AI technology, actor Ding Yongdai (丁勇岱) bluntly stated that "true feelings cannot be replaced"; screenwriter He Jiping (何冀平) emphasized that "a unique perspective is the author's most valuable asset"; writer Ma Boyong (马伯庸) proposed the creative principle of "big events are not fictitious, small events are not constrained" 大事不虚，小事不拘 (dà shì bù xū, xiǎo shì bù jū - "big events not false, small events not restrained," be accurate about important matters but not too concerned with minor details), "no matter how technology changes, rooting in life and adhering to long-termism will always be the cornerstone of excellence."

In addition, the "High-Quality Development of the Film Industry" sub-forum shared the creative experience of works such as "镖人" (Biāo Rén - "鏢人," title of a Chinese comic) and "给阿嬷的情书" (Gěi Āmā de Qíngshū - "Letter to Grandma," title of a film), reflecting the determination of filmmakers to create masterpieces. The "Publication Integration and Development" sub-forum focused on the reshaping of business formats and explored how to stimulate industrial vitality through integrated changes.

Technology is the wings of culture. At the "Jointly Building a Digital and Intelligent Humanities Greater Bay Area" sub-forum, representatives from Guangdong (粤), Hong Kong (港), and Macao (澳) depicted the digital future of the humanities Greater Bay Area. Academician Xu Yangsheng (徐扬生) of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院) believes that AI is changing the human mode of existence, and the Greater Bay Area needs to cultivate top-notch talents with both technological literacy and humanistic sentiments. Researcher Zhou Guoping (周国平) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院) pointed out that AI is promoting cultural innovation from "elite-led" to "mass participation."

At the same time, the "Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation" sub-forum discussed the boundaries of technology, emphasizing the prevention of "AI hallucinations," never allowing "key-to-key" to replace "face-to-face," and ensuring the "attitude" and "temperature" of mainstream media while enabling communication with technology. At the "Artificial Intelligence-Driven Cultural Industry Innovation and Development" sub-forum, industry representatives conducted in-depth discussions around the theme of "AI Reconstructing Cultural Productivity."

Culture empowers the economy, and the economy nurtures humanities. At the "Humanistic Economics" sub-forum, Professor Pang Jinju (逄锦聚) of Nankai University (南开大学) pointed out that accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system of humanistic economics is an urgent need for building a strong country. Professor Zhou Jianxin (周建新) of Shenzhen University (深圳大学) used a vivid analogy: the cultural industry must not only calculate economic accounts but also humanistic accounts. Only when the two accounts are combined can it truly promote high-quality development.

Cultural prosperity depends on talent. At the "Cultivating a High-Level Cultural Talent Team" sub-forum, the participating guests conducted in-depth discussions, closely focusing on the core issue of talent cultivation in the era of artificial intelligence. Professor Chen Pingyuan (陈平原) of Peking University (北京大学) proposed to "do scholarship that AI cannot replace," and safeguard the fundamentals of personal reading, thinking, and practice. In the round table exchange session, Jin Dong (靳东), head of the China Coal Mine Art Troupe (中国煤矿文工团), bluntly stated that there is a mentality of being eager for quick success in current literary and artistic creation, and truly good works cannot be separated from long-term accumulation and repeated polishing. Chang Hongji (常宏基), chief dancer of the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater (深圳歌剧舞剧院), combined his experience of the tour of the dance drama "Wing Chun" (咏春) and talked about how literary and artistic talents should not only concentrate on polishing their professional skills but also take the initiative to go abroad and tell Chinese stories with art. Wang Jibing (王计兵), a food delivery rider and poet, said that literary creation is rooted in the everyday lives of people, and ordinary people can also write chapters in the tide of the times.

The participating guests unanimously agreed that only by cultivating more cultural talents with faith, feelings, and a sense of responsibility can we continue the Chinese cultural heritage.

The foundation of a strong cultural country also lies in the nourishment of the countryside and the deep cultivation of academics. At the "Civilized Rural Customs Construction" sub-forum, "village-character" activities such as Village BA (村BA, village basketball association) and village songs became the focus, demonstrating the spirit of the new era countryside striving for progress and goodness. At the "Inheritance and Innovation of Obscure and Unique Studies" sub-forum, from paleography to Dunhuang (敦煌) murals, from the digitization of Manchu archives to the study of Western Xia (西夏) documents, experts discussed how to use technology to "heat up" "obscure" disciplines and safeguard the roots of culture.

From the continuation of thousands of years of cultural heritage to the construction of a digital future, from the deep integration of humanities and economy to the consolidation and strengthening of the talent team, the 2026高峰论坛 (Gāofēng Lùntán - Summit Forum) for Building a Strong Cultural Country has demonstrated the cultural vitality of the Chinese nation in upholding integrity and innovation with rich topics and profound insights. Standing at the new starting point of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the consensus gathered by this intellectual feast is being transformed into a powerful force for building a strong cultural country.

(Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhen, May 22 (Reporter Zhou Ke (周科)))

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Henan focuses on expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption

By: 本报记者 王乐文 方 敏

On the evening of May 21st at 8 PM, the Pang Dong Lai Life Square (胖东来生活广场) in Xuchang (许昌) City, Henan (河南) Province, was bustling with people. During the "May Day" holiday, Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) supermarkets in Xuchang (许昌) and Xinxiang (新乡) received over 3 million customers, 80% of whom were tourists from other places. The popularity of Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) is a microcosm of Henan's (河南) efforts to expand domestic demand, promote consumption, and actively integrate into the unified national market.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "Building a unified national market is not only a requirement for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development, but also a requirement for winning the initiative in international competition." The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes to "vigorously boost consumption."

Following the direction pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), Henan (河南) regards expanding domestic demand, promoting consumption, and actively integrating into the unified national market as strategic measures to promote high-quality development. In 2025, Henan's (河南) total retail sales of consumer goods reached 2.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%, both ranking among the top in the country.

Activating the main engine of consumption, the development of urban service industries has been upgraded.

At noon on May 21st, the underground floor of the Zhengdong New District (郑东新区) MixC (熙地港) shopping center in Zhengzhou (郑州) was packed with customers, which is a typical scene at Zhengzhou Fresh Wind Life Supermarket (郑州鲜风生活超市). The supermarket launched its own carefully selected brand, and vegetables picked on the same day were packaged into "early market packages" at affordable prices...

Focusing on catering, retail, cultural tourism and other fields, Henan (河南) is vigorously cultivating a number of backbone enterprises. Relevant departments in Henan Province (河南省) issued 9 documents, including the "Guidelines for Improving the Quality of Service for Business Entities and Ensuring Worry-Free Consumption (经营主体  放心消费服务提质指南)," which transformed the service standards and procurement models of enterprises such as Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) into local standards and promoted them.

"According to the standard guidelines, we have implemented measures such as traceability of the entire process from direct procurement from the place of origin to shelf placement, and customers have a stronger willingness to consume," said Guo Yan (郭岩), store manager of Xidigang (熙地港) store of Fresh Wind Life Supermarket (鲜风生活超市).

In Zhengzhou (郑州), the Pang Dong Lai (胖东来) Zhengzhou (郑州) store is scheduled to open within the year; in Luoyang (洛阳), Wangfujing Shopping Center (王府井购物中心) has opened a first-release zone, introducing international and domestic trendy brands, driving a 20% increase in customer traffic in the business district; in various parts of Henan (河南), a large number of local high-quality supermarket brands such as Fresh Wind Life (鲜风生活), Tao Xiaopang (淘小胖), and Huayu Baijia (华豫佰佳) are booming.

Tapping into domestic demand, the quality of consumption in counties and rural areas is accelerating and expanding.

With counties accounting for nearly 90% of the province's area and the permanent population accounting for more than 70% of the province, Henan (河南) is focusing on promoting the downward shift of quality consumption, transforming huge potential demand into real purchasing power.

In Tanghe County (唐河县), Nanyang (南阳) City, Watsons, Starbucks, Haidilao and other brands have settled down. "Now, Tongzhaipu Town (桐寨铺镇) has more consumption choices," said Wang Lu (王璐), deputy mayor of Tongzhaipu Town (桐寨铺镇), Tanghe County (唐河县).

"We have expanded the scope of support for the construction of the county commercial system to all counties, focusing on supporting the upgrading and transformation of township commercial centers, large and medium-sized supermarkets, and farmers markets, and guiding brand supermarkets and emerging business formats to settle in counties," introduced Zhang Daxing (张大幸), Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Henan Province (河南省商务厅). The coverage rate of township commercial centers and village convenience stores in Henan Province (河南省) exceeds 95%.

In the past, villagers in Lushi County (卢氏县) in western Henan (豫西) had to wait several days to buy large household appliances online, and they had to pick up the goods in town themselves. "Affordable but undeliverable" has become a pain point for consumption. Since 2025, the county has integrated 6 logistics companies to jointly build a three-level logistics system for the county, township and village, unifying warehousing, sorting and distribution, and the accessibility rate of express delivery services in administrative villages has increased to 100%. "It's very convenient to buy things in the village and have them delivered," said Qiao Zhongke (乔忠科), a villager in Gaohe Village (高河村), who bought a refrigerator a few days ago and had it delivered the next day.

At present, urban and rural distribution in Henan (河南) Province basically achieves "next-day delivery." In 2025, the volume of postal express business in Henan (河南) exceeded 12.5 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 23.7%.

Unblocking inter-provincial trunk channels and opening up the "capillaries" of domestic consumption circulation.

"The vegetables from Neihuang County (内黄县) and the roasted chicken from Hua County (滑县) go directly to Beijing (北京) and Hebei (河北) via the expressway." Truck driver Wang Yingjie (王英杰) exclaimed, "In the past, when transporting goods to Baoding (保定), Hebei (河北), the inter-provincial road was not open, so I had to take a detour and squeeze onto the old road, which was fuel-consuming and time-consuming."

Implement intelligent control over congested sections of expressways such as Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway (京港澳) and Lianyungang-Khorgas Expressway (连霍), connect 49 inter-provincial channels, and upgrade all inter-provincial highway channels with technical grades lower than those of neighboring provinces; improve the inter-provincial channel network of expressways in the directions of Henan-Hubei (豫鄂), Henan-Shandong (豫鲁), and Henan-Anhui (豫皖)... Henan (河南) stimulates regional vitality with smooth road networks. In 2025, the proportion of inter-provincial trade in Henan Province (河南省) accounted for 40.4% of the province's total sales, an increase of 4 percentage points compared with 2024.

In the first quarter of this year, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Henan (河南) reached 764.74 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%, which was 0.9 percentage points higher than the national average. Bearing in mind the General Secretary's earnest entrustment, the main responsible comrades of the Henan Provincial Party Committee (河南省委) stated that Henan (河南) will bravely shoulder its mission, adhere to leading new supply with new demand and creating new demand with new supply, continue to expand opening up to the inside and outside, accelerate the construction of a national unified market circulation hub, create a fulcrum for the domestic and international double cycle, and strive to achieve a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan" and strive to write a new chapter in promoting Chinese-style modernization in the Central Plains.

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Drawing on the Past to Nourish the Present, Ancient and Modern Shine Together (Exploring the Cultural Expo)

By: 本报记者 吴齐强 程远州 姜晓丹

On May 22nd, stepping into the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (文博会), one is greeted by a blend of ancient charm and modern trends.

The splendid traditional cultural products attract many tourists to stop and check in. The Qing Dynasty's Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs (广州十三行) gold-painted folding fans reproduce the elegance of the Maritime Silk Road, Chaozhou (潮州) old tea sets and Ming and Qing (明清) ancient furniture tell the story of tea art inheritance, and the Baoru Kiln (宝汝窑) sky-blue glaze replicates the beauty of Song Dynasty (宋) porcelain... The audience perceives the magnificent atmosphere of cultural China in every artifact and rhythm.

A large number of precious ancient books and historical materials made a stunning appearance. In the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (中国国家版本馆) exhibition area, from the propaganda leaflet "When you are a soldier, you must be a Red Army soldier," to the Shanghai Fuxing Society (上海复社) publication "Red China" (《红色中华》), the organ of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic (中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府), to Edgar Snow's "Red Star Over China" (《西行漫记》), as well as various types of precious versions such as film reels, posters, and scripts related to the Long March, tourists stand quietly, read attentively, and experience the indelible red memory in every word.

Turning our attention to another lively place, cultural relics, ancient books, and intangible cultural heritage are reflecting each other with AI (Artificial Intelligence), digital interaction, and smart hardware, each displaying its own beauty, and sharing beauty together.

Inside the Cultural Industry Comprehensive Hall, a long queue formed in front of a small booth with only 3 exhibits. The audience put on MR (Mixed Reality) headsets in turn, and couldn't help but exclaim when they closed their eyes and opened them again. The reporter put on the equipment, and a "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" (《千里江山图》) slowly unfolded before her eyes: green mountains rise and fall in layers, and rivers meander. As you move forward, the landscape moves with you; lift your hand and touch it lightly, and the porcelain rhyme of blue and white porcelain and paper-cut patterns are instantly enlarged, and the details of the millennium craftsmanship are clearly visible.

"In the past, when I visited exhibitions, I took a quick look 走马观花 (zǒu mǎ guān huā - "riding a horse watching flowers," to gain a superficial understanding through cursory observation) through the glass; now, a thousand miles of rivers and mountains have 'walked' in front of me!" After taking off the equipment, one audience member said with lingering interest.

In the Gansu (甘肃) Pavilion, the "Searching for Dunhuang" digital experience project made the audience linger. Wearing the equipment, even if you are thousands of miles away, you can "walk" into the Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟) and feel the shock brought by Dunhuang (敦煌) art up close.

Yu Tianxiu (俞天秀), Deputy Dean of the Dunhuang Research Academy (敦煌研究院), introduced that this project uses technologies such as 3D modeling, physical rendering, and VR (Virtual Reality) to restore the details of the Mogao Grottoes such as murals, sculptures, and caisson ceilings with high precision, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the murals, "Digital technology not only protects the cultural relics themselves, but also allows more people to understand Dunhuang."

In the Fashion & Art Museum, the fragrance of ink is rich.

Brushing ink, covering paper, rubbing, and revealing the page, a set of movements is smooth and flowing. Yan Chaojun (颜朝俊), a provincial representative inheritor of Zhangzhou (漳州) woodblock New Year paintings, demonstrated while explaining to the surrounding audience: "Woodblock New Year paintings pay attention to one color per block. If a painting has several colors, several blocks must be carved." As the papers were revealed, New Year paintings such as "Joyful Magpies on Plum Branches" (《喜上眉梢》) and "Successful in the Imperial Examination" (《金榜题名》) jumped onto the paper, with simple and delicate lines, which aroused continuous praise from the audience.

"How can old crafts retain young people?" Someone asked.

"We must not only do a good job in inheritance, but also avoid rigidity and 僵化守旧 (jiāng huà shǒu jiù - "ossified and conservative," sticking rigidly to old ways and refusing to adapt), and we must innovate to fit the aesthetics of young people." Yan Chaojun (颜朝俊) said that he turned the champion image in traditional New Year paintings into small bookmarks, which were very popular among students as soon as they were put on the shelves.

The old craftsmanship does not change its roots, and the new expression is down-to-earth, so that intangible cultural heritage "breaks the circle."

From millennial Danqing (丹青) to digital wonderland, from intangible cultural heritage rubbing to intelligent cultural creation, from the fragrance of ancient books to AI large models, strolling through the Cultural Fair exhibition hall, ancient culture and cutting-edge technology dialogue and collide, sparking unlimited possibilities for cultural innovation and inheritance.

Drawing on the past to nourish the present, ancient and modern shine together. The exploration of combining cultural relics with AI, MR and other technologies has been implemented in many museums and cultural tourism scenic spots, allowing the cultural relics hidden in warehouses and hanging on the walls to "live," "move," and be "touched."

Inside and outside the Cultural Fair, the interaction between people and things, the integration of culture and technology, and the encounter between the present and the past are writing a contemporary answer sheet for the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.

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Page 1 Editors: Hu Anqi, Luan Xinyi, Zhang Yujie; Page 2 Editors: Lü Li, Qi Jiarun, He Biao; Page 3 Editors: Wu Gang, Zhou Zhou, Wang Xuchen; Page 4 Editors: Yuan Zhenxi, Liu Jingwen, Zhang Xueyan

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Coastline Grows into a Line of Happiness: Exploring Bay Area Development

By: 本报记者 窦 皓

In the early morning, the rising sun frames the approximately 1,300-kilometer coastline of Wenzhou (温州), Zhejiang (浙江) with a golden edge. Since the national Beautiful Bay selection began in 2022, Wenzhou has had bays such as the Dongtou Islands (洞头诸湾), Nanji Islands (南麂列岛诸湾), Cangnan Yanpu Bay (苍南沿浦湾), and Beiji Islands (北麂列岛诸湾) selected, creating national-level beautiful bays for four consecutive years. How was this achievement created? The answer lies hidden in a forest, a fishing village, and a string of islands.

A forest—

Planting a "green savings book" on the tidal flats

In Cangnan County (苍南县), the southernmost part of Wenzhou, Yanpu Bay (沿浦湾) has clear water and clean shores, with egrets flying low. On the endless tidal flats, thousands of acres of mangroves are lush and green, forming a green embankment.

"Yanpu Bay has changed a lot in the past 10 years," said Chen Shikai (陈诗凯), director of the Agricultural and Rural Service Center of Yanpu Town (沿浦镇), Cangnan County, with emotion. In the past, the tidal flats and nearby sea areas of Yanpu Bay were severely barren coastal wetlands, red tides occurred frequently, and the alien invasive species Spartina alterniflora occupied the coastal space.

"Planting mangroves gives the bay a group of 'coastal guards'," said Shui Bainian (水柏年), a professor at Zhejiang Ocean University (浙江海洋大学). The dense and developed prop roots of mangroves are扎入淤泥中, not only can they consolidate dikes and dissipate waves, purify seawater, but also absorb heavy metal elements in the tidal flats, providing high-quality habitats for marine organisms such as fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish, and algae.

Since 2014, the local government and Shui Bainian's (水柏年) research team have cooperated to select and cultivate seedlings, overcome difficulties, and plant mangroves in Yanpu Bay (沿浦湾). When the tide recedes and the breeze blows, the mangroves of Yanpu Bay undulate with green waves. The large-scale ecological aquaculture area set up around it is divided into areas for mud crabs, razor clams, laver, kelp, and other species, and aquaculture farmers travel through them by boat.

"Since the mangroves were planted, red tides have rarely occurred, shellfish diseases have also decreased, and the output of sea centipedes and mud crabs has increased five or six times compared with previous years, increasing the income from catching the sea by 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a year," said Zhang Nengkai (张能凯), an aquaculture farmer.

This is a co-existence model of "mangrove planting - ecological aquaculture coupling" developed locally based on mangroves. Data shows that the biomass of mangrove intertidal zones in the area has increased from 37.14 grams per square meter in 2015 to 50.85 grams per square meter in 2025. Mudskippers, fiddler crabs, and other species have increased significantly, and there are 88 species of birds inhabiting the area.

Mangroves have also become a "green savings book" for the local area. According to calculations, the carbon storage of the mangrove ecosystem in Yanpu Bay (沿浦湾) is about 9,000 tons. In June 2023, Zhejiang Province's first mangrove carbon sink transaction landed in Cangnan County (苍南县), promoting the marketization of mangrove blue carbon resources.

In the past 5 years, Wenzhou (温州) has invested more than 450 million yuan to complete the construction of 553 hectares of mangroves, restore sandy coastlines, strictly control production coastlines, and increase the amount of space for people to get close to the sea. "We plan to add more than 1,100 acres of mangroves, and will also focus on building mangrove monitoring platforms, bird-watching towers, and other facilities to create a 'green necklace'," said Zheng Qun (郑群), the town mayor of Yanpu Town (沿浦镇).

A fishing village—

Holding up a "golden rice bowl" on the beach

Going north along the coastline, we come to Dongtou District (洞头区). As an island district, Dongtou District (洞头区) has 302 islands and 351 kilometers of coastline, including 68 bays.

Facial recognition for depositing, intelligent weighing... At a "Blue Sea Station", Gan Zeliang (甘泽良), the village party secretary of Dong'ao Village (东岙村) in Dongtou District (洞头区), puts plastic bottles found on the beach in the village into the recycling bin. Plastic waste floating from the sea is intelligently weighed, traced, and coded before being transported to the "Blue Factory" to be processed into industrial raw materials, turning waste into treasure.

"Fishing nets and foam boxes can be exchanged for money, which can not only do public welfare but also accumulate points to exchange for living materials, making the seaside cleaner," said Gan Zeliang (甘泽良). Dongtou District (洞头区) is also equipped with sea-floating garbage cleaning boats, built sea-floating garbage interception belts, and established a maritime sanitation team. In Wenzhou (温州), "Blue Sea Stations" have achieved full coverage in the 7 coastal counties (cities, districts).

"Beautiful bays are the result of great efforts in rectification," said Gan Zeliang (甘泽良). In 2016, Dongtou District (洞头区) became one of the first 8 "Blue Bay" remediation pilot units in the country, launching projects such as beach stone cleaning, rainwater and flood drainage outlet renovation, domestic sewage interception, and beach restoration in Dong'ao Village (东岙村), making the bay clean and beautiful.

Dongtou District (洞头区) launched the country's first marine EOD (Ecological Environment-Oriented Development) project, achieving scientific and orderly development through financial support. Villagers who used to make a living by fishing at sea have transformed the stone houses on the beach into guest rooms, developing tourism formats such as fishing-themed restaurants, island homestays, and beach photography. There are more than 100 homestays and various shops in the village, linking a 1-kilometer-long coastal pedestrian street, directly driving the employment of more than 700 villagers, turning "yellow sand into gold and stone houses into silver houses".

In the afternoon, not far from Dong'ao Beach (东岙沙滩), villagers hang eels, sea shrimp, cuttlefish, and other seafood to dry, preparing to sell them. "Thanks to the bay's remediation and restoration of the beach and the construction of the square, we can now make dried fish in winter and engage in tourism in summer, earning more than 100,000 yuan a year," said Chen Suli (陈素李), a homestay operator who returned to the island from his hometown, adding that they are holding up a "golden rice bowl" on the beach.

Transforming abandoned coastal dikes into popular check-in spots, and building seaside balconies with integrated artistic elements on the main coastal road... Changes are taking place in the bays of Dongtou District (洞头区). Dongtou District (洞头区) uses EOD project investment to transform 14 idle stone house villages into distinctive homestay clusters, with a total of about 500 homestays, and the average annual income of homestay households exceeds 150,000 yuan.

"Protection, restoration, and enhancement are the three keywords for Dongtou District (洞头区) in building beautiful bays," said Lin Qingbin (林庆斌), director of the Dongtou Branch of the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment (温州市生态环境局洞头分局). Achieving ecological balance and taking into account cultural and tourism empowerment, the blue sea and silver beaches attract more and more tourists.

A string of islands—

Creating a "paradise for animals and plants" in the blue sea

Beiji Township (北麂乡), 38 nautical miles from Ruian City (瑞安市), has 16 islands in its jurisdiction, like a string of pearls, which together with the surrounding sea area constitute the Beiji Islands (北麂列岛诸湾).

As a national-level marine ranch demonstration area, in the past few years, the 60,000 cubic meters of artificial fish reefs that have been投放的6万空方人工鱼礁 into the seabed have now become "undersea apartments" - algae reproduce, fish and shrimp migrate, crabs and shellfish inhabit, maintaining fishery resources while also restoring the marine ecology. The scale of large yellow croaker farming in Beiji (北麂) has expanded from more than 500,000 tails in 2016 to more than 1.5 million tails today, with annual sales exceeding 50 million yuan.

"We are promoting the transformation and upgrading of the fishery industry to the integration of 'capture, breeding, and processing' and 'fishery, industry, and trade', forming a fishery industry chain covering marine fishing, deep-sea aquaculture, aquatic product processing and trade, and logistics," said Zhu Chengyou (朱丞佑), deputy mayor of Beiji Township (北麂乡).

Under the blue sea and blue sky, wild daffodils sway in the wind, and rare birds fly and forage... The Nanji Islands (南麂列岛), located in the sea area east of Pingyang County (平阳县), are a "paradise for animals and plants".

As one of the first 5 marine-type nature reserves in China, it has 422 species of shellfish and 725 species of algae. With its beautiful natural scenery, the Nanji Islands (南麂列岛) have become a well-known destination for "island tourism", with nearly 350,000 tourists visiting the island in the past 5 years.

Protecting marine biodiversity is an important task in the construction of beautiful bays. In the face of the tourism boom, how can we achieve harmony between people and the sea?

"The answer lies in subtraction," said Xie Shangwei (谢尚微), deputy director of the Research Office of the Nanji Islands National Marine Nature Reserve Administration (南麂列岛国家海洋自然保护区管理局). The local area has invested a total of 174 million yuan to implement the overall relocation of residents in the core area of the reserve, and the permanent population on the island has decreased from more than 1,500 to more than 500. At the same time, by reasonably arranging the number of passenger ship flights, the number of tourists visiting the island is strictly controlled within 1,800 per day to reduce human interference.

"Non-disturbance is also reflected in non-sensing monitoring," said Xie Shangwei (谢尚微), pointing to the integrated sea, land, and air monitoring screen. In the past, trawl surveys and other methods used for swimming animals would disturb fish, but now high-definition cameras and sensors can be used to achieve zero-contact monitoring.

Since the establishment of the Nanji Islands National Marine Nature Reserve (南麂列岛国家级海洋自然保护区), 1,210 new species have been identified. The record of bird species has also increased from the original 23 to 255, including the black-faced spoonbill, the yellow-billed egret, and the Chinese crested tern, all of which are national first-class protected animals.

Li Hongjian (李红健), director of the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment (温州市生态环境局), said that Wenzhou (温州) is promoting the construction of beautiful bays in the whole region, solving the difficult problems of marine ecological governance with systematic thinking, and striving to make the coastline a happy line where people and nature coexist harmoniously.

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The 10th China Internet Copyright Protection and Development Conference Held in Shenzhen

This newspaper reported from Shenzhen on May 22nd (Reporter Cheng Yuanzhou (程远州)) The 10th China Network Copyright Protection and Development Conference was held in Shenzhen (深圳) on the 22nd. The conference was hosted by the Copyright Administration of the Central Propaganda Department (中央宣传部版权管理局), co-organized by the Guangdong Provincial Copyright Bureau (广东省版权局) and the Shenzhen Municipal Government (深圳市政府), and focused on the theme of "Improving the Copyright Protection System in Emerging Fields and Enhancing New Momentum for the Development of New Quality Productive Forces."

The meeting held that in recent years, network copyright work has thoroughly implemented Xi Jinping's (习近平) cultural thought and General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important exposition on building a cyber superpower, responded in a timely manner to industry and social concerns in the copyright field, vigorously explored new paths for copyright to empower innovation and development, effectively gathered development synergy, and solved development problems, resulting in good benefits.

The meeting emphasized that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, it is necessary to accelerate the improvement of copyright system design in emerging fields, scientifically formulate the "Copyright Work '15th Five-Year Plan'," accelerate the revision of supporting administrative regulations for the Copyright Law, and highlight the supply of copyright systems in emerging fields. It is necessary to fully stimulate the potential of network copyright to empower cultural innovation, accelerate the innovative application of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence in the copyright field, optimize copyright social services, strengthen copyright financial service innovation, and consolidate network copyright talent support. It is necessary to strengthen the systematic protection of network copyright, increase governance efforts, improve the governance system, strengthen copyright supervision in key areas, strengthen technology application, build a long-term mechanism for network copyright ecological governance, improve the network copyright credit evaluation system, and carry out in-depth copyright publicity and education. It is necessary to continuously expand international cooperation in network copyright, deeply participate in global copyright governance, strengthen multilateral and bilateral international exchanges, and establish a convenient and efficient international cooperation mechanism for network copyright protection.

The conference released the key tasks of the "Sword Net 2026" special action, the top ten national cases of combating infringement and piracy in 2025, typical cases of combating infringement and piracy in the book and film fields, and the "Model Text of Copyright License Contract (Book Publishing)."

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The Fourth Group of National Human Rights Education and Training Bases Established

This newspaper reported from Beijing on May 22nd (Reporter: Li Changyu (李昌禹)) Recently, the Central Propaganda Department (中宣部), the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）), the Ministry of Education (教育部), and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院) jointly issued a notice approving the Human Rights Research Center of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance) (中共中央党校（国家行政学院）人权研究中心), the Human Rights Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院人权研究中心), the Human Rights Research Center of Minzu University of China (中央民族大学人权研究中心), the Human Rights Research Center of Zhejiang University (浙江大学人权研究中心), the Human Rights Institute of East China University of Political Science and Law (华东政法大学人权研究院), and the Human Rights Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学人权研究院) as the fourth group of national human rights education and training bases; and approved the Human Rights and Economic Research Center of the Central University of Finance and Economics (中央财经大学人权与经济研究中心), the Institute for Global South Development and Human Rights of the University of International Business and Economics (对外经济贸易大学全球南方发展与人权研究院), the Human Rights Education and Research Center of Nanjing Normal University (南京师范大学人权教育与研究中心), and the Xinjiang Human Rights Research Center of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences (新疆社会科学院新疆人权研究中心) as cultivation bases. This is an important measure to implement the relevant requirements of the "National Human Rights Action Plan (2021-2025)".

It is understood that since 2011, China has established 14 national human rights education and training bases in relevant universities in three batches. The establishment of these bases aims to fully leverage the talent, education, research, and resource advantages of each unit, and to 守正创新 (shǒu zhèng chuàng xīn - "uphold the orthodox and innovate," adhere to fundamental principles while promoting innovation) and forge ahead in the areas of human rights theory research, discourse construction, exchange and cooperation, education and training, and consultative advice, vigorously promote the construction of a human rights discipline system, academic system, and discourse system, and make positive contributions to enhancing China's international human rights discourse influence and promoting the development of China's human rights cause in the new era.

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Shaanxi Hanzhong: Forty-Five Years of Guardianship, Composing a Magnificent Chapter in Crested Ibis Protection

On the banks of the Han River (汉江) in the early morning, a flock of crested ibises stretch their wings, skimming across the sparkling water, and perch on the trees. In the distance, the green mountains are layered upon layers, and farmers are busy working in the fields. The crested ibises forage in the fields, creating a beautiful picture of harmony between humans and birds.

The crested ibis is a "living fossil" among birds, with a history of 65 million years of survival, and is known as the "Oriental Gem." In the mid-20th century, due to the destruction of its habitat, the population declined sharply. On May 23, 1981, a team of experts from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院动物研究所) finally found seven wild crested ibises in the deep mountains of Yaojiagou (姚家沟), Yang County (洋县), Hanzhong City (汉中市), Shaanxi Province (陕西省) after three years of arduous searching covering more than 50,000 kilometers. Since then, a life-saving effort spanning generations has begun in Yang County (洋县), in the hinterland of the Qinling (秦岭) and Bashan (巴山) mountains, and a new page has been turned in Hanzhong's (汉中) systematic ecological protection.

Protecting the crested ibis not only revitalized an endangered species but also reshaped Hanzhong's (汉中) ecological foundation. In those days, in order to protect the seven wild crested ibises, Yang County (洋县) quickly launched systematic protection work, and immediately issued the "four prohibitions" announcement: no hunting in the crested ibis activity area, no felling of trees where crested ibises nest and roost, no use of pesticides and fertilizers in the crested ibis foraging area, and no reclamation or blasting in the crested ibis breeding area. A strict ecological protection system was implemented, polluting enterprises were shut down, a 42,000-mu crested ibis protection area was designated, 126 ecological monitoring points were established, and a scientific protection system was built, featuring "in-situ protection as the main focus, ex-situ protection as a supplement, wild release to expand the population, government and social collaboration, and harmonious coexistence of humans and birds."

Over the past 45 years, Hanzhong City (汉中市) has systematically carried out ecological protection, relying on its unique ecological endowment to continuously promote major ecological projects such as natural forest protection, returning farmland to forests, and wetland restoration. At present, the city's forest coverage rate has increased to 63%, and the water quality of the Hanzhong (汉中) section of the Han River (汉江) has consistently maintained a standard of Grade II or above. At the same time, the global crested ibis population has exceeded 11,000, and the habitat has expanded to 16,000 square kilometers, with the domestic population expanding to 14 provinces. As the only artificial breeding source of crested ibises, Yang County (洋县) has cumulatively exported 300 crested ibis breeding sources to domestic and foreign countries, laying a solid foundation for the establishment of stable populations in Henan (河南), Zhejiang (浙江) and other places, as well as countries such as Japan and South Korea.

Taking crested ibis protection as a demonstration, Hanzhong (汉中) has coordinated the protection of various animal and plant resources such as birds and plants, continuously improved the ecological monitoring system, the wildlife rescue system, and the patrol and control system, and improved the long-term protection mechanism, using the protection of a single species to drive the improvement of biodiversity protection in the whole region, so that all things in the Qinling (秦岭) ecological home can coexist in harmony. At present, the number of terrestrial wild vertebrates in the city has increased from 618 at the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" to 684.

The ecological advantages born from protection have also opened the door to the development of the organic industry. In recent years, Hanzhong (汉中) has accelerated the creation of organic characteristic industrial clusters, increased policy support, strengthened brand cultivation, accelerated the extension and supplementation of the chain, and improved comprehensive benefits. The city's organic certification has basically achieved full coverage of industrial categories such as grain and oil, tea, Chinese medicinal materials, edible fungi, vegetables, fruits, animal husbandry, and fisheries, and has cultivated characteristic products such as organic black rice, organic kiwifruit, organic Houpu magnolia, and organic fish. Among them, Yang County (洋县) has built the largest organic Houpu magnolia base in the country, and Nanhai organic fish has greatly filled the gap in the Shaanxi (陕西) organic fish market. At present, the city has cumulatively certified 236 organic agricultural products, 308,000 mu of organic agricultural area, 168 organic agricultural product production enterprises, and 277 organic agricultural product production bases, with an annual output value of 3.198 billion yuan, all of which rank among the top in the province.

From seven lonely birds to thousands of birds flying together, Hanzhong's (汉中) 45 years of vivid practice profoundly interprets the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." This achievement is not only a successful model of biodiversity protection in China but also provides a "Chinese solution" that can be used for the protection of endangered species worldwide. Standing at a new starting point, Hanzhong (汉中) is guarding this green land and clear water with a more determined determination, and striving to let the "Oriental Gem" crested ibis fly from the Qinba (秦巴) Mountains to a wider world.

Data source: Publicity Department of the CPC Hanzhong Municipal Committee (中共汉中市委宣传部)

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This edition's editors: Guan Xuanyue, Zhang Weihao, Zhai Qinqi

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Strengthening Basic Research with Greater Efforts and More Concrete Measures (Academicians Popularize Science)

On April 30th, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized at the symposium on strengthening basic research: "Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the general mechanism for all technical problems. We must strengthen basic research with greater efforts and more practical measures, enhance our country's original innovation capabilities, and further consolidate the foundation for building a strong country in science and technology."

Currently, the world has entered the era of big science, and scientific research is expanding to the extremely macro, delving into the extremely micro, advancing towards extreme conditions, and exerting efforts towards extremely comprehensive interdisciplinary fields. To cope with international scientific and technological competition, achieve high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, promote the construction of a new development pattern, and achieve high-quality development, it is urgently necessary for us to strengthen basic research and solve key technical problems from the source and at the bottom.

This edition launches a special report, inviting Guo Guangcan (郭光灿), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) and Professor of the University of Science and Technology of China (中国科学技术大学), Xue Qikun (薛其坤), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) and President of Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学), and young scientist Li Xiao (李晓), to talk about their understanding of basic research in light of their own scientific research experiences, and what is most needed to strengthen basic research at present.

——Editor

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Basic research is a must and must be done well (Academicians popularize science)

By: 郭光灿

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized at the symposium on strengthening basic research: "We must strengthen basic research with greater efforts and more practical measures, enhance our country's original innovation capabilities, and further consolidate the foundation for building a strong country in science and technology." As a scientific researcher who has been working in the field of quantum science for more than 40 years, I have personally witnessed the entire process of China's quantum science from being "unnoticed" to "attracting worldwide attention." Looking back on this journey, I deeply realize that basic research is the foundation of a country's scientific and technological strength and a "compulsory course" for building a strong country in science and technology.

The breakthrough path of China's quantum science is a true reflection of the accumulation of basic research.

In these 40 years, I have done two things: introducing the quantum optics theory system to China and taking the lead in carrying out quantum information science research in China. What has supported me along the way is a simple but firm belief: basic research is the foundation of a major country's science and technology, and key core technologies cannot be obtained, bought, or begged for. We must rely on independent cultivation and sustained efforts.

The germination of quantum science in China began with the ice-breaking exploration in the early days of reform and opening up. In the early 1980s, quantum optics had been developed internationally for more than 20 years, but in China, it was an academic "wasteland" that no one cared about. In 1981, as one of the first publicly funded scholars after the reform and opening up, I went to Canada for a visiting scholarship. I was deeply shocked by its subversive theoretical system and huge application potential when I first came into contact with the frontier of quantum optics. At that moment, I secretly made up my mind: I must do quantum optics research and not let China be absent from this frontier field.

After returning to China in 1983, I started research on quantum optics. At that time, the domestic academic community generally doubted quantum optics, believing it to be a "niche and useless subject." Funding was scarce, talents were lacking, consensus was insufficient, and research was difficult. In order to build a theoretical foundation, I stayed up all night sorting out foreign frontier materials and compiling quantum optics professional lecture notes to fill the gaps in domestic textbooks. In order to gather domestic scientific research forces and build an academic exchange platform, in 1984, I took the lead in holding the National Quantum Optics Symposium in Chuzhou (滁州), Anhui (安徽). Although only dozens of people attended at the time, this small academic conference sowed the seeds of quantum science research in China and accumulated the initial scientific research strength for the development of the discipline.

From a "niche discipline" that was questioned to a "frontier hotspot" that has attracted much attention, the breakthrough path of China's quantum science is a true reflection of the accumulation of basic research. In the early 1990s, I realized that quantum information would be a major direction in the future and began to conduct quantum information science research. However, because it exceeded the general understanding of the academic community at that time, this frontier exploration was once misunderstood and questioned. During the tackling stage, I wrote to Mr. Qian Xuesen (钱学森) to ask for directions and received a clear affirmation from him, which added confidence and strength to my adherence to frontier research. At the Xiangshan Science Conference (香山科学会议) in 1998, "Quantum Communication and Quantum Computing" was listed as one of the themes, and Academician Wang Daheng (王大珩) clearly stated: "Quantum science is too important, and there must be a Chinese voice."

Every breakthrough and leap is the inevitable result of continuous accumulation of original innovation.

In the field of basic research, generations of scientific researchers are willing to sit on the "cold bench" and dare to sit on the "cold bench." This courage and confidence stems from the steady protection of national strategy and historical opportunities. As the academic consensus gradually deepened, the state's support for quantum frontier basic research continued to increase, and quantum science ushered in a spring of development. In 2001, China's first national-level key basic research project in the field of quantum information was launched, and quantum information research was incorporated into the national strategic layout.

In more than 40 years, China's quantum science has achieved a historic leap from "having nothing" to "being at the forefront of the world." Today, China's quantum technology development level has steadily ranked among the world's first echelon, forming a strategic pattern of "partial leading and overall running in parallel." In the field of quantum communication, our team successfully built the "Xinghan No. 2 (星汉二号)" multi-mode quantum relay network in Hefei (合肥), realizing 14.5 kilometers of material entanglement. In the field of quantum computing, the fourth-generation independent superconducting quantum computer "Benyuan Wukong—180 (本源悟空—180)" was launched, marking that China's superconducting quantum computer manufacturing chain has the engineering capabilities for continuous iteration.

From theoretical blank to complete system, from fighting alone to emerging talents, from following and imitating to original leadership, every breakthrough and leap in China's quantum technology is the inevitable result of continuous accumulation of original innovation.

From point breakthroughs to system capability improvement, basic research is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities.

More than 40 years of exploration and practice in quantum science have profoundly revealed the importance of basic research to a country—basic research must be done and must be done well. This is a strategic choice that concerns the future and destiny of the country. The deeper the roots of basic research are, the taller the trunk of scientific and technological innovation can grow and the wider the branches and leaves can extend.

Basic research is the prerequisite for solving "bottleneck" problems. If it is not done, it will be controlled by others. The root of key core technologies lies in basic research. Without breakthroughs in basic theory, applied technology is like water without a source and a tree without roots. The development history of quantum science fully proves that the competition in frontier fields is essentially a competition of basic research capabilities. If we had given up basic research in the field of quantum science due to doubts and difficulties, China would not be able to occupy international discourse power in fields such as quantum communication and quantum computing today, and it would be even more difficult to get rid of external dependence in key areas such as information security and computing power competition. At present, global scientific and technological competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Only by continuously strengthening basic research and overcoming frontier basic theories can we fundamentally solve the "bottleneck" dilemma and master the initiative of development.

Basic research is the "source of living water" for original innovation. As the foundation of modern physics, quantum mechanics has spawned disruptive technologies such as semiconductors, lasers, and nuclear energy in its century of development, profoundly changing the world's development pattern. The breakthrough of China's quantum science stems from the continuous and deep cultivation of the basic theory of quantum mechanics, from the introduction of quantum optics theory to the innovation of quantum information principles, and then to the technological breakthrough of quantum devices. Every step of original innovation is rooted in the deep soil of basic research. China's basic research is in a critical stage of transitioning from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap and from point breakthroughs to system capability improvement. Only by persistently strengthening basic research and encouraging "sitting on the cold bench and being willing to do potential work" can we continuously generate original and disruptive results and enhance the country's original innovation capabilities.

Strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, and it is the only way to build a world-class power in science and technology. We must take the development of quantum science as a reference, firmly establish the strategic determination of "**非做不可**" (fēi zuò bù kě - "must do," absolutely imperative), cultivate the scientific research character of "**十年磨一剑**" (shí nián mó yī jiàn - "ten years to forge a sword," great effort over a long period), improve the basic research system and mechanism with greater efforts, cultivate a basic research talent team with more practical measures, encourage scientists to bravely enter the "no man's land," continuously strengthen basic research, enhance original innovation capabilities, and build a solid foundation for accelerating the construction of a strong country in science and technology.

(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) and a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China (中国科学技术大学). This article was compiled and edited by Xu Jing (徐靖), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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Embracing the "Cold Bench" of Basic Research (An Academician Popularizes Science)

By: 薛其坤

This year marks the beginning of the "15th Five-Year Plan." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized at the symposium on strengthening basic research: "Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the general engine of all technical problems."

General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech has greatly inspired me, who has been engaged in basic research for decades, and also made me feel a great responsibility. Basic research is often likened to sitting on a "cold bench," with a long cycle and full of uncertainty. Its researchers are pioneers of groundbreaking research, and even "lonely losers."

But looking back over the past 100 years, which technological revolution has not originated from seemingly "useless" breakthroughs in basic research? As a scientific researcher who has been engaged in condensed matter physics research for a long time, I would like to share my understanding, practice, and thinking on basic research based on my own experience.

Why is "From 0 to 1" so important?

Looking at the path of scientific and technological development, scientific research can be roughly divided into three levels: discovery/invention, expansion, and application. Discovery/invention brings new theories, perspectives, and tools to the scientific community; the expansion stage transforms these discoveries/inventions into research fields; and the application stage transforms the research results of a certain field into industrialized technologies, promoting economic and social development.

In other words, discovery/invention solves "from 0 to 1," expansion solves "from 1 to 10," and application solves "from 10 to 100." Each level has a unique and important meaning, but without a breakthrough "from 0 to 1," there is no way to talk about the extension of research fields and industries.

Discovery/invention belongs to the category of basic research. Basic research is the key to leapfrog development. Taking quantum mechanics as an example, it was initially just a pure exploration of the microscopic world by scientists, with no direct application purpose, but it gave birth to a series of new technologies such as semiconductors, lasers, nuclear energy, and global satellite positioning systems, promoting the arrival of the entire information age.

From the perspective of international competition, whoever can master the commanding heights of basic research can grasp the development trend of science and lead the next round of technological revolution. The competition among countries in cutting-edge fields is superficially a competition of technology and products, but in essence, it is a competition of basic scientific reserves and original innovation capabilities. Lagging behind in basic research often leads to being controlled by others in core technologies. Therefore, how to strengthen basic research and consolidate the foundation of science is a must-answer question of the times.

From a broader spatial and temporal dimension, basic research not only brings new knowledge, new tools, and new products, but more importantly, it changes the way we understand the world and expands the boundaries of human cognition. This cognitive-level progress transcends technology itself and becomes the internal driving force for the continuous evolution of human civilization.

How is the leap "From 0 to 1" achieved?

Qian Xuesen (钱学森) once said: "Often the last key opens the door." In my opinion, this contains at least two meanings: one is to persist in continuous trial and error before finding the key to unlock the lock; and the other is to firmly believe that there will always be a key to open the lock.

Basic research is also the same. With a long cycle and high uncertainty, engaging in basic research can easily lead to frustration and self-doubt. Unwavering belief and persistent action are indispensable. I often share with team members the meaning of the old saying 失败是成功之母 (shī bài shì chéng gōng zhī mǔ - "failure is the mother of success," failure is a necessary step to achieving success) for basic research: "Proving 'this road is not feasible' through effort is also a contribution to science, and it is a stepping stone on the road to exploring the correct path."

Over the years, I have had an experience: important scientific discoveries do not fall from the sky and are untraceable, but are the result of the superposition and interaction of three key elements: instruments, materials, and discoveries.

Starting in 2008, I led a joint team from the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University (清华大学) and the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院物理研究所), using 5 specialized precision experimental instruments to prepare and test more than 1,000 samples. After more than 4 years, the quantum anomalous Hall effect experiment was finally completed at the end of 2012. In the process, whenever we used experimental results to rule out certain material components and experimental conditions, the team members were extremely excited, representing that we had solved some important problems and the road ahead was clearer. This is like overturning an "old theory," giving people an indescribable sense of happiness and accomplishment, which is also the driving force for the "cold bench" to be warmed up.

Unraveling the mystery of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity is a major scientific problem in the field of condensed matter physics for 40 years, and it is also another direction that I and my team have been focusing on in recent years. Last year, I led a joint research team from Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学), the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Quantum Science Center (粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心), and Tsinghua University (清华大学) to achieve high-temperature superconductivity of nickel oxide materials under normal pressure, making nickel-based materials the third type of high-temperature superconducting material system that breaks through the "McMillan limit" under normal pressure. This year, the team has made successive breakthroughs in this direction, and the results have been published in domestic and foreign academic journals. Behind the breakthrough is that we have improved the thin film growth technology with strong oxidation ability and successfully obtained thin film materials with higher crystal quality.

Looking back at these breakthroughs, they can be understood from the three dimensions of instruments, materials, and discoveries: instruments are research tools, materials are research objects, and discoveries are research goals. It is precisely because we have the expansion of instrument capabilities, the preparation of new materials, and the discovery of new effects at the same time that we can continue to make breakthroughs. This also shows that scientific research is essentially a complex process of interlocking and mutual promotion.

How to forge the "power of the future"?

Talent is the "primary resource" for the development of basic research. To achieve breakthroughs in basic research, researchers need to become "all-rounders": not only must they have a superb theoretical foundation and proficient professional experimental skills, but also have good scientific intuition, strong dialectical thinking ability and scientific interest, and even more the courage and perseverance of 虽千万人吾往矣 (suī qiān wàn rén wú wǎng yǐ - "though thousands oppose, I will go," to stand firm against all odds).

The process of basic research facing scientific problems is often a classroom for forging these abilities and cultivating talents, and the two complement each other. Throughout the history of scientific development, a large number of outstanding scientists have emerged from the cause of basic research.

In the growth of basic research talents, high-level research universities should bravely assume important responsibilities, support young scientific and technological personnel to take the lead and be the protagonists, and forge the "power of the future." Taking Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学), where I am located, as an example, on the one hand, we are accelerating the construction of a number of large scientific devices and platforms such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Quantum Science Center (粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心), free electron lasers, and material genomes to create "diamond drills" for young scientific and technological personnel to carry out scientific research; on the other hand, we are actively promoting long-cycle support mechanisms that conform to the laws of basic research and the growth laws of young talents, which not only encourages free exploration under the "project leader system," but also carries out organized scientific research around national needs, encouraging young talents to dig deep and dive deep in basic research and pursue original innovation "from 0 to 1."

Basic research has never been an ivory tower, it needs the support of deep interdisciplinary practice and industrial vision. When deploying "strengthening the scientific and technological layout in strategic frontier areas," the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes to "implement scientific and technological strategic deployments in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, new energy, etc., accelerate breakthroughs in basic theories and underlying technologies, and promote transformation and application." These fields are not only the exam questions listed by the country for scientific researchers, but also the main battlefield for technological breakthroughs in the next 10 years. This research organization model, which is driven by national strategic needs and guided by major scientific and technological issues, has become an important feature of basic research in the new era.

This also inspires us that we still need to further break boundaries, concentrate our efforts, and collaborate to tackle key problems, and truly cultivate basic research talents who can fight tough battles and lead the future in the process of solving major application-oriented problems.

(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院院士) and the president of Southern University of Science and Technology (南方科技大学).)

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Growing Up with Big Science Facilities (Academicians Popularizing Science)

By: 李 晓

From the time I started graduate school, my entire academic, research, and work experience has been accompanied by the pre-research, construction, and operation of the China Spallation Neutron Source (散裂中子源). The longer I work, the deeper my understanding of the important role of this large scientific facility. The Spallation Neutron Source is like a "super microscope," using neutrons as "probes" to clearly "see through" the microscopic structure and dynamic processes of materials, providing an important platform for basic frontier research and high-tech research and development in materials science, life science, materials, and new energy in China, and breaking through many "bottleneck" technologies.

Accompanying this, our team started with basic materials and basic processes, and after more than 10 years of continuous research, we independently developed a domestic high-power, high-gradient magnetic alloy loading cavity, and the key technical indicator acceleration gradient was greatly improved compared with the international highest level. If the China Spallation Neutron Source (中国散裂中子源) is compared to the "F1 Formula Racing Track" of the scientific research community, then the magnetic alloy loading cavity is the engine of the racing car. This breakthrough cleared the key obstacle for the second phase of the Spallation Neutron Source to increase its power to 500 kilowatts, and also opened up new paths for civilian fields such as particle therapy devices.

Engaging in basic research requires being able to endure loneliness. Scientific and technological development has reached today, like digging potatoes, the mature and superficial ones have been dug up, and further digging requires a spirit of 板凳甘坐十年冷 (bǎn dèng gān zuò shí nián lěng - "willing to sit on a bench for ten years in the cold," to be willing to dedicate oneself to research for a long time). Comprehensive large scientific facilities, as advanced large experimental platforms, are increasingly showing an unparalleled key role.

As of now, the China Spallation Neutron Source (中国散裂中子源) has completed 15 rounds of open operation tasks, with more than 10,000 registered users worldwide, and a total of more than 2,500 research projects have been completed. Related topics cover many cutting-edge interdisciplinary and high-tech research and development fields such as lithium-ion batteries, solar cell structures, rare earth magnetism, new high-temperature superconductivity, functional thin films, high-strength alloys, and chip single-particle effects.

The process of collaborative research is also a process of talent gathering and training. In many experiments, the Spallation Neutron Source (散裂中子源) platform can play an important role. Therefore, it has become a natural talent "magnetic field," attracting scientific researchers from various fields at home and abroad; it is also a talent "reservoir." The Spallation Neutron Source Science Center (散裂中子源科学中心) focuses on cultivating people driven by important tasks and projects, and dares to give young people "heavy burdens." The proportion of people under 40 in charge of the system exceeds 70%. As for me personally, in research practice, my overall planning ability, coordination ability, and management ability have been exercised.

Large scientific facilities have a lot to offer in promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. Now, our research particularly emphasizes the combination with AI (Artificial Intelligence), and using AI to drive scientific research and improve the efficiency of experimental devices is a very large topic. For example, a large amount of data from the Spallation Neutron Source (散裂中子源) originally had to be processed by scientific researchers, but in the future, AI technology can greatly improve data processing efficiency; for another example, in the future, many experiments can obtain accurate prediction results through the simulation and reasoning of intelligent agents, greatly improving experimental efficiency.

We also look forward to continuing to improve the talent evaluation and assessment system that conforms to the contemporary organizational and institutionalized scientific research organization form, and continuously making breakthroughs in removing the institutional and mechanism obstacles that restrict the development of new quality productive forces.

(The author is a young scientist at the Spallation Neutron Source Science Center (散裂中子源科学中心). Reporter He Linping (贺林平) of this newspaper compiled the interview.)

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Photo Report: Academician Explains Popular Science

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Zhi Chunli, Dong Yingxue, Zhao Shuaijie

Layout Design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)

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Editor's Note

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) recently issued important instructions on promoting the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences, emphasizing: "On the new journey, we must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, adhere to and strengthen the Party's overall leadership, deepen the systematic and logical research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theoretical system, accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, better answer the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times, and strive to create a new situation in the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences, contributing more wisdom and strength to the construction of Chinese-style modernization."

Constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is related to the Party's theoretical innovation, cultural subjectivity, and the construction of a strong country and the rejuvenation of the nation. Understanding the long history of Chinese civilization and perceiving the breadth and depth of Chinese civilization are inseparable from archaeology. This edition invites three archaeological and cultural relics workers to talk about their insights and reflections, practices and gains.

--Editor

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Continuously Strengthening the Theoretical Foundation of "What Makes China China" (Archaeological China)

By: 孙庆伟

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out, "We must attach great importance to archaeological work, strive to build archaeology with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner, and better understand the long-standing and profound Chinese civilization." Archaeological researchers actively respond to the call, focusing on the interpretation and research of civilization, vigorously promoting the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese archaeology, and contributing to the prosperity and development of philosophy and social sciences in the new era.

To trace the origin of the nation and seek the roots of civilization is the mission of Chinese archaeology. The two giants of archaeology in New China—Xia Nai (夏鼐) and Su Bingqi (苏秉琦)—condensed their lifelong learning and thinking into two great works, *The Origin of Chinese Civilization* and *New Exploration of the Origin of Chinese Civilization*, clearly demonstrating that Chinese archaeology takes civilization as its perspective and interpretation as its purpose. Since the new era, relying on major scientific research projects such as the "Exploration of the Origin of Chinese Civilization Project," "Archaeological China," and "Research on Xia and Shang Civilizations," archaeological workers have continuously made new breakthroughs. While proving the "million-year history of humanity, ten-thousand-year history of culture, and more than five-thousand-year history of civilization," they have strengthened the subjectivity and originality of the independent knowledge system of Chinese archaeology.

The new discovery of the "Yunxian Man (郧县人)" No. 3 skull, dating back one million years, at the Xue Tang Liangzi (学堂梁子) site in Shiyan (十堰), Hubei (湖北) Province, provides key evidence for the million-year history of human evolution. Through systematic ancient DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and ancient protein research on ancient human bone materials, it has been confirmed that the "continuous evolution with hybridization" theory proposed by Chinese scholars is scientific and reasonable, establishing Chinese discourse in the field of human origin research. The study of rice remains from the Shangshan Culture (上山文化) in Zhejiang (浙江) and charred millet from the Donghulin Site (东胡林遗址) in Beijing (北京) shows that the agricultural pattern of "southern rice and northern millet" had formed around 10,000 years ago, revealing the economic foundation of the ten-thousand-year history of culture. The large-scale Liangzhu Ancient City (良渚古城) in Zhejiang is a sacred place for "proving the more than five-thousand-year history of Chinese civilization." Through in-depth research on Liangzhu (良渚) and other sites, Chinese scholars have proposed a "Chinese plan" for the definition of civilization and the identification of entry into civilized society, making original contributions to the study of the origin of world civilizations and becoming a major landmark achievement in the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese archaeology.

In recent years, archaeological scholars have conducted interpretive research on the prominent continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness of Chinese civilization, continuously consolidating the academic support for "Why China." The "Exploration of the Origin of Chinese Civilization Project" has accelerated its implementation, leading to a clearer understanding of the formation and development process of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization, and profoundly answering the prominent continuity of Chinese civilization from an archaeological perspective. The rapid development of scientific and technological archaeology, the continuous enrichment of archaeological information extraction and artifact component analysis methods, has deepened the understanding of the technological innovation of the ancient Chinese people. The continuous strengthening of prehistoric settlements, capitals of past dynasties, and ritual archaeology has demonstrated the continuous institutional innovation of Chinese civilization. Around the topics of "Why China" and "Pluralistic Integration," the prehistoric cultural pedigree and the formation process of the Central Plains center have become clearer. Frontier archaeology provides archaeological evidence for the effective governance of frontier areas by the central governments of past dynasties, fully demonstrating the unity of Chinese civilization. The continuous new achievements in the excavation of capital sites such as Taosi (陶寺), Erlitou (二里头), and Yin Xu (殷墟) demonstrate the inclusive nature of the harmonious coexistence of various cultural elements in the capitals of past dynasties. Focusing on key concepts with Chinese characteristics such as "Mandate of Heaven," "Virtuous Governance," and "China," archaeological materials are used to interpret the spiritual core of Chinese culture, which values "centrality," emphasizes "virtue," and respects "rites," making the peaceful characteristics of Chinese civilization more concrete and historically rich.

Under the inspiration of "doing scholarship for the people," more and more archaeological scholars are taking the initiative to step out of their studies and into the public, transforming research results into cultural resources that are perceptible and easily accepted by the public through various forms such as archaeological documentaries, popular science books, cultural activities, and academic lectures, educating people through history and nourishing their hearts through culture. At the same time, archaeological scholars are actively seeking a common language for dialogue with the world, translating the essence of Chinese civilization with Chinese characteristics and global significance into a discourse system that the international community can understand, accept, and resonate with in key academic fields such as the origin of humanity, the origin of agriculture, the origin of civilization, and the evolution of the state, so as to realize the effective dissemination of the achievements of Chinese civilization and the spirit of Chinese culture.

Since the new era, archaeological scholars have actively built and participated in civilization dialogue platforms such as the World Archaeological Forum and the Liangzhu Forum, discussing and learning from international counterparts, effectively enhancing the voice and influence of Chinese scholars in the field of civilization research, and deepening the understanding and acceptance of the brilliant achievements of Chinese civilization by scholars from other countries. With the strong support of the state, joint overseas archaeology in the new era has flourished and achieved historic breakthroughs. The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院考古研究所) organized a joint archaeological team to delve into the tropical rainforests of Honduras, exploring the mysteries of the Mayan civilization at the Copán site. The Sino-Egyptian joint archaeological team composed of the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University (北京大学考古文博学院), the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology (山东省文物考古研究院), and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered the remains of temple buildings in the ancient city of Memphis (孟菲斯), a legendary ancient capital of Egypt, contributing Chinese strength to Egyptian archaeology. The Central Asia Archaeological Team of Northwest University (西北大学) has deeply cultivated Central Asian archaeology and achieved a double harvest of archaeological excavation and heritage protection, which is a successful example of archaeology promoting people-to-people connectivity. According to statistics, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period alone, Chinese archaeological scholars carried out 49 Sino-foreign joint archaeological projects in 28 countries and regions. These latest achievements from the front line of field archaeology have played an irreplaceable role in showcasing the diverse styles of civilization and enhancing civilization exchanges.

The new era endows new missions, and the new era brings new opportunities. Archaeological researchers should take Xi Jinping's (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as a guide, actively expound theories for the Party and the people, and strive to build a discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of civilization research with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner, so as to provide strong theoretical support for the practice of new forms of human civilization and contribute archaeological strength.

(The author is the President of Northwest University (西北大学))

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Contributions of the Western Zhou Dynasty to Chinese Civilization as Seen in Bronze Inscriptions (Archaeological China)

By: 刘 源

The Western Zhou Dynasty was the "Golden Age" of bronze inscription (金文) development. Guo Moruo (郭沫若) once said that a lengthy bronze inscription like the Mao Gong Ding (毛公鼎) is comparable to a chapter of the *Shangshu* (《尚书》). The prominent continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness of Chinese civilization are clearly reflected in the Western Zhou bronze inscriptions. Confucius (孔子) praised the Western Zhou civilization, saying, "How rich and elegant is its culture! I follow Zhou." To deeply explore the unique path of the formation and development of Chinese civilization, we must systematically examine, study, and interpret the bronze inscription historical materials of the Yin-Shang (殷商) and Western Zhou (西周) dynasties.

The Western Zhou bronze inscriptions can be summarized as the "Two Systems Theory of Bronze Inscriptions," namely the Yin System and the Zhou System.

From the time of King Wu (武王) to King Mu (穆王) of the Western Zhou Dynasty, many bronze inscriptions inherited the content and format of the Yin bronze inscriptions, which can be called the "Yin System." It should be noted that in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, before King Gong (共王), the emperor, feudal lords, and important officials also accepted Yin-style wine vessels and Yin-system bronze inscriptions, reflecting the Western Zhou's inheritance of the cultural system of the Great City Shang (大邑商).

After the establishment of the Western Zhou Dynasty, it actively promoted its cultural rituals and customs such as surname marriage, patriarchal ranking, childhood names and courtesy names, as well as systems such as admonitions and imperial orders. The aforementioned Zhou cultural elements quickly appeared in the early Zhou bronze inscriptions. Taking the naming of women by surname as an example, before the Zhou people conquered Shang, they united friendly countries and expanded their strength through intermarriage with different surnames. The *Classic of Poetry* (《诗经》), in the poem *Si Qi* (《思齐》), sings, "Admirable was Da Ren (大任), mother of King Wen (文王). Admirable was Zhou Jiang (周姜), wife of the prince of Jing. Da Si (大姒) inherited her virtuous fame, and from her came a hundred sons." Zhou Jiang was the wife of Gong Danfu (公亶父), Da Ren was the wife of Ji Li (季历), and Da Si was the wife of King Wen. These are all depictions of the Ji (姬) surname Zhou people intermarrying and forming alliances with the Jiang (姜), Ren (妊), and Si (姒) surnames. Early Western Zhou bronze inscriptions record Wang Ren (王妊) making vessels and repeatedly mention Wang Si (王姒) and Wang Jiang bestowing rewards and issuing orders. Among them, Wang Ren, Wang Si, and Wang Jiang were queens from the Ren, Si, and Jiang surnames, which can be fully corroborated with *Si Qi*.

Zhou men were referred to by their clan names, such as the Zhou (周) of Duke of Zhou (周公), the Zhao (召) of Duke of Shao (召公), and the Bi (毕) of Duke of Bi (毕公), all of which highlighted their family's clan name, forming a sharp contrast with the use of clan emblems by the Yin remnants. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, from the time of King Wu to King Mu, the clan names of Ji surname and other surname families, as well as the clan names of feudal lords from various places, appeared in large numbers in bronze inscriptions. This is a significant feature seen in Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, while no clear examples of feudal lords making vessels and casting inscriptions have been found in Yin-Shang bronze inscriptions to date.

The Zhou calendar's lunar phases refer to periods such as the first auspicious day, the full moon, the first quarter moon, and the last quarter moon of each month. Like the honorific title "He" (和), it also appeared more widely in bronze inscriptions at the latest during the time of King Mu. This reflects both the unified implementation of the Zhou calendar throughout the dynasty's territory at that time, and also illustrates that the Yin scribal group who mastered writing had a gradual process of adapting and innovating as they learned Zhou people's names, lunar phases, and other cultural elements and then applied them to document writing. After the establishment of the Western Zhou, its cultural elements such as surnames and rankings were combined with the Yin-system bronze inscriptions, while at the same time eliminating the abolished Yin systems such as Zhou sacrifices, sleeping officials, and garrison officials, which is a stage-specific characteristic of the early development of Chinese civilization.

After King Wu conquered Shang, the bronze ritual vessel inscriptions showed the characteristics of lengthened characters and rich content, forming the "Zhou System" of bronze inscriptions. Unlike the simple Yin-system bronze inscriptions that simply recorded the king's inspection and bestowal of cowrie shells and the making of precious ritual vessels for ancestors, when Zhou important officials and large clans made bronze vessels and cast bronze inscriptions, they attached great importance to the Zhou king's and monarch's edicts and the details of bestowing land and people, and would transcribe them into the ritual vessel inscriptions, which increased the number of characters in the Zhou-system bronze inscriptions at once. The He Zun (何尊) of King Cheng (成王) has an inscription of 12 lines and 122 characters, of which the phrase "the king's edict to the young son of the clan" occupies more than 7 lines and more than 70 characters. The content of the king's edict is to enumerate King Wen's receiving the mandate of heaven, and King Wu's telling heaven after conquering Shang to "reside in this central kingdom" and govern the people. The ancestors of the clan nobles assisted Wen and Wu and made contributions to heaven. All the nobles should also assist the king in obeying the will of heaven and implementing virtuous governance. If this edict were removed, the He Zun inscription would become a simple "the king bestowed cowrie shells on He, making a precious ritual vessel," a simple Yin-system bronze inscription. The Da Yu Ding (大盂鼎) inscription of King Kang (康王) has more than 290 characters, of which more than 260 characters are King Kang's edict, which is comparable to a chapter of the *Shangshu*. The *Kang Gao* (《康诰》), *Jiu Gao* (《酒诰》), *Shao Gao* (《召诰》), and *Luo Gao* (《洛诰》) in the Zhou Shu (周书) section of the *Shangshu* are actually mutually complementary to these Zhou-system bronze inscriptions, with different tunes playing the same melody.

The Zhou-system bronze inscriptions gradually developed into mature imperial order bronze inscriptions during the time of King Gong of Zhou. Although the imperial order bronze inscriptions were also made by scribes of Yin origin, their content format and the political concepts they reflected were very different from the Yin-system bronze inscriptions. The Zhou-system bronze inscriptions emphasized the mandate of heaven, that is, the right of the Zhou Son of Heaven, feudal lords, and ministers to rule the world and all nations was granted by the mandate of heaven, and their duties can be summarized as "virtue," which needs to be treated with awe, with each performing their duties. At the specific implementation level of governing the people, the Zhou king appointed members of the same surname family and different surname relatives to serve as important ministers of the dynasty such as the Dukes (公) and the Three Ministers (三有司), and feudal lords of the outer service, and united the border states and lords through intermarriage, thereby realizing a unified political pattern of "pacifying those far away and cherishing those nearby" and "family, state, and world." This is also the internal reason why the content of Western Zhou ritual vessel inscriptions found in various places tends to be the same. The Zhou-system bronze inscriptions also have a special format for narrating and summarizing the merits of past Zhou kings and the deeds of family ancestors, as seen in the 284-character Shi Qiang Pan (史墙盘) inscription and the 372-character Lai Pan (逨盘) inscription, involving major stages of Western Zhou history such as King Kang's governance of "billions of territories," King Zhao's (昭王) southern expedition, and King Mu's punitive expeditions to the four directions.

From the perspective of bronze inscription historical materials, Western Zhou society attached importance to the patriarchal hierarchical order, emphasizing that the positions and responsibilities of the monarch and ministers were granted by the Supreme God of August Heaven, and those in power should be in awe of the mandate of heaven, be diligent in government affairs, work tirelessly day and night, and attach importance to the merits of their ancestors. An effective administrative system had also been established, and Yin scribes continued to be employed to further develop documents, historical records, and ritual systems, providing fertile cultural soil for the development of later Chinese civilization and the formation of various schools of thought such as Confucianism.

(The author is a professor at the School of History, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院大学).)

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Understanding the Ancient Xia and Shang Civilizations (Archaeological China)

By: 常怀颖

Recognizing the ancient and mysterious Xia and Shang civilizations, archaeology has played a decisive role. The research results based on the archaeology of the Xia and Shang dynasties have also contributed to archaeology's efforts to "build a disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system with its own characteristics."

In the past 10 years, there have been two prominent trends in the archaeological research of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. First, large-scale scientific research projects organized and led by the state, such as the "Project of Exploring the Origins of Chinese Civilization (中华文明探源工程)," "Archaeological China: Research on Xia Culture (考古中国·夏文化研究)," and "Research on Shang Civilization (商文明研究)," have driven proactive fieldwork and clarified the focus of work. Second, the research model of multidisciplinary joint research has been gradually practiced in the Xia and Shang sites. After arduous and lengthy fieldwork and meticulous multidisciplinary comprehensive research, we see that the archaeological cultural sequence outside the Central Plains has been improved; the concept of settlement archaeology of capitals and city sites has been put into practice; focusing on the birth and early development of the dynasty, research on major issues such as the development and utilization of valuable resources, the flow and integration of people, and the dissemination of technology has been carried out, answering the academic question of how the early nationalization of China unfolded.

On the Jin-Shaan Plateau, a series of excavations of stone city sites such as Shimao (石峁) in Shenmu, Lushanmao (芦山峁) in Yan'an, and Bicun (碧村) in Xingxian have revealed that the social population size, the degree of resource development, and the amount of social wealth accumulation in the area from the Hetao area to the northern Great Wall during the late Longshan period clearly far exceeded the previous thousands of years in the area. The number of settlements has surged, capital-like settlements have appeared, the multi-levelization of social structure has continued to intensify, and high-level remains and relics representing the degree of civilization development have been unearthed. The social form is increasingly close to a civilized society and the emergence of early states, indicating a new path of social development different from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

During the Xia and Shang periods, the excavation of sites represented by the Shimao Huangchengtai (石峁皇城台), Xinzhuang (辛庄), Zhaigou (寨沟) site groups, Lishi Houshicun (离石后石村), and Xiyang Zhongcun (昔阳钟村) tombs on both sides of the Yellow River in the south clarified the nature of the local archaeological culture and the face of social development, which is surprising. The successive excavations of the Sanzuodian (三座店) stone city in Chifeng, Erbuchinan (二布尺南) in Kazuo, Xingong (新宫) in Beijing (北京), and Fuwei (富位) in Laishui have provided valuable materials for understanding the chronological sequence, settlement morphology, and economic life in the north and south of the Yanshan Mountains. The discoveries of the Xinzhuang, Zhaigou, and Fuwei sites and related cemeteries provide a series of important materials for studying the development of early dynastic states and local management models.

In Bashu, the Baodun (宝墩) settlement archaeological work discovered double city walls and cemeteries, and the Gaoshan (高山) city site discovered the earliest Baodun culture cemetery, filling the gap in the local cultural relics of the Xia Dynasty. The refined excavation of the Sanxingdui (三星堆) site city and the newly added "artifact pits" unearthed tens of thousands of relics such as bronzes, goldware, jade, and ivory, revealing a previously unknown bronze civilization.

The fundamental difficulty of Xia and Shang settlement archaeology lies in its unprecedented scale. In the past 10 years, archaeologists from all over the country have consciously and actively focused on settlements, city walls or moats, roads, and other remains, and explored the settlement space planning units formed by the enclosure of linear remains. The newly discovered grid blocks in Erlitou (二里头), combined with the moats and walls of the Guchengcun (古城村) north of the Luo River, indicate that the early dynasty cities must have had complex city walls (moats) for protection. More than 10 Xia and Shang city sites, such as Wangchenggang (王城岗) in Dengfeng, Wadian (瓦店) in Yuzhou, Guchengzhai (古城寨) in Xinmi, and Baligiao (八里桥) in Fangcheng, have successively discovered large-scale buildings, and all have ring trenches, city walls, and grid-like street layouts separated by roads, moats, or walls of different structures, demonstrating that the capitals of the Xia and Shang dynasties already had clear spatial utilization and design planning. The continuous archaeological excavation of the Yin Ruins (殷墟) revealed the different levels of structural road networks of "main road-street-lane" in the north and south of the Huan River, showing the complexity and systematicness of the urban layout and functional zoning of the great city of Shang. The discovery of the earliest walled granaries in Shizhuang (时庄) in Zhoukou, Zhuqiusi (朱丘寺) in Huaiyang, and Dongzhao (东赵) in Xingyang shows the state's ability to absorb, coordinate, and distribute materials, which is a very big breakthrough.

The multidisciplinary analysis practice of Erlitou, Yin Ruins, and Panlongcheng (盘龙城) represents that Xia and Shang archaeology has entered the stage of multidisciplinary comprehensive analysis to describe social development. Using environmental archaeological methods to analyze the water conservancy system and site selection of the capitals; using metallurgical archaeological methods to obtain the source of metal ore, metal resource production, and the inheritance of technical traditions; animal archaeology not only analyzes meat resources, animal fur resources, and sacrificial animals, but also discusses resource flow and breeding; plant archaeology explores the level of agricultural economic development during the Xia and Shang periods; archaeologists also use molecular biology methods to analyze the family forms of the Xia and Shang dynasties... In the Xia and Shang stages, which have formed dynasties, different geographical units will have different groups of people living there for generations, and cross-regional flows and interactions will always occur, and exploring different livelihood economies formed in different geographical environments has become conscious.

Returning to the materials themselves, paying attention to the cultural relics and traces themselves, and the macroscopic diachronic combing and synchronic comparison of similar phenomena between different sites are still the most basic and valuable work of Xia and Shang archaeology. Looking forward to the next 10 years, Xia and Shang archaeology can produce more results, more vividly show the formation and development of early China, and reveal the rich connotation of Chinese civilization.

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院))

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Cao Duan Ancestral Hall at the Foot of Shaoshan Mountain (Cultural Relics at My Doorstep)

By: 刘娜娜

"Fairness breeds clarity, integrity breeds authority" is a familiar saying, originating from the 36-character *Guan Zhen* (《官箴》), written by Nian Fu (年富), the Ming Dynasty Shandong (山东) Provincial Governor. According to research, *Guan Zhen* first came from the mouth of Cao Duan (曹端), a Ming Dynasty scholar of Neo-Confucianism and educator. During the Yongle (永乐) reign of the Ming Dynasty, Cao Duan's disciple, Guo Sheng (郭晟), was appointed as the Associate Administrator of Xi'an Prefecture (西安府). At the beginning of his term, Guo Sheng asked his teacher, Cao Duan, for advice on governance. Cao Duan said, "Be fair and honest! The ancients said: Officials do not fear my severity, but fear my integrity. The people are not convinced by my ability, but are convinced by my fairness. With integrity, officials dare not deceive; with fairness, the people dare not be disrespectful."

My hometown, Mianchi (渑池) in Henan (河南), is precisely where the Cao Duan Temple (曹端祠) is located. Cao Hutuo Village (曹滹沱村) in Mianchi County (渑池县), quietly nestles at the foot of Shaoshan Mountain (韶山), where there is a small courtyard full of historical significance, which is the Cao Duan Temple. In 2016, Cao Duan's tomb was announced as the seventh batch of cultural relics protection units in Henan Province.

It is a childhood memory for a group of us children. We passed through the creaking wooden door and chased each other in the mossy courtyard. The most impressive thing was the ancient well in the corner of the courtyard. We leaned on the cold bluestone well railing and shouted down, listening to the echo of our voices. The well water was very clear, and we could see the dark green moss marks at the bottom. At that time, I only thought it was an ordinary ancient well, and I didn't understand the profound meaning of "fairness and integrity." The name Cao Duan, to me, was like a blurred stone at the bottom of the well—knowing its existence, but never seeing its deep texture clearly.

Many years later, when I put on the prosecutor's uniform and stood in front of the Cao Duan Temple again, everything was different. The well water became a mirror, reflecting for me a motto of a Ming Dynasty sage: "A heart as clear as water, a government as bright as a mirror," constantly reminding me to be a person who is wholeheartedly for the public, full of integrity, and untainted by corruption.

In my career, the ancient teachings that seemed distant in my childhood gradually became connected to me. When I face complex case files and need to cut through the fog to find the truth, the three words "fairness breeds clarity" have become my working method that I adhere to: only by acting with a public heart and abandoning prejudices can the original face of the facts be presented clearly, like the moon reflected in the well water. When handling a complicated case of duty-related crimes, I spent weeks buried in the maze of evidence. Whenever I was exhausted, I would always think of that well—the reason it is so clear and transparent is because it is deep enough and clean enough.

An even more profound transformation is my understanding of "integrity." When I was a child, I thought "integrity" was just not being greedy or occupying, a static virtue. It wasn't until I traveled thousands of miles to help an old man who had been swindled out of his pension money recover the money, and finally handed the money back to his trembling hands, watching the old man's tearful face, that I realized that "integrity" is not only the purity of one's own character, but also a positive, warm dynamic energy. True "integrity" should be like the water in that well, not only clear itself, but also able to flow out and nourish the hearts of others. Cao Duan devoted his life to education, and every assistance and every legal publicity we carry out is an attempt to wipe the dust off the "mirror of the heart" and awaken their due conscience and morality.

Now, I often come to the Cao Duan Temple. In the ancestral hall, the couplet "Cultivating oneself and governing others to greatly promote the culture and education of Huo and Pu, rejecting evil and respecting righteousness to inherit the true teachings of Yi and Luo," has vigorous handwriting. It speaks of historical achievements, but even more so, it is a responsibility that runs through ancient and modern times. The ancient proverb "Fairness breeds clarity, integrity breeds authority" travels through the long river of time and continues to be inherited in contemporary culture of integrity, writing a new chapter.

(The author is a first-level prosecutor of the Mianchi County People's Procuratorate (渑池县人民检察院) in Henan Province (河南省).)

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Hearing "Sounds from the Wilderness" (There are Cultural Relics at My Doorstep)

By: 潘晨嫣

In 2023, I returned to my hometown and began working in cultural relic preservation. Before that, cultural relics, to me, were exhibits displayed in museum showcases or landmarks standing in the city center, used to showcase the city's cultural heritage, far removed from daily life. It wasn't until the fourth national cultural relic census began that I followed several cultural relic workers around the city searching for relics, and I gained a real understanding of the work involved.

One day, they suddenly stopped by a pile of weeds on the side of the road. I was a little puzzled: What could they find here? I had been to this place several times when I was young, even playing and hiding here. Could it be that the cultural relics had always been right in front of my eyes?

The census team circled the mound for a while, then took me to the nearby home of Old Chen (老陈). When Old Chen heard that we were there to inquire about the mound, he seemed to have finally found a kindred spirit and enthusiastically shared his collection with us. He took out a brick from the backyard with the words "Chen Fu (陈福), Supervising Official of Liling County (醴陵县), Changsha Prefecture (长沙府); Leng Gong (冷恭), Clerk; Wang Cui (王萃), Construction Craftsman; Deng Jun (邓均), Resident" and "Seventh Year of Hongwu" clearly engraved on it. It was from Old Chen that I learned that this mound was a brick kiln from more than 600 years ago, specially used to fire bricks for the Ming Dynasty Nanjing city wall. I looked at the exposed kiln chamber, like a dark eye, silently gazing at the sky for more than 600 years. Only then was this long-sealed history revealed.

Consulting the literature, it is known that Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) established Nanjing (南京) as the capital at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. From the second to the nineteenth year of Hongwu (1369-1386), he employed 200,000 artisans and farmers to build the Nanjing city wall, which was more than 30 kilometers in circumference. The city bricks used were the responsibility of households in 125 counties in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (长江), and were fired to a uniform specification. The Yaoxiawan kiln site (窑下湾窑址) in Xinyang Village (新阳村), Zuoquan Town (左权镇), Liling (醴陵), was one of them. Ancient craftsmen were strictly managed, and ordinary craftsmen had to mold (engrave) the place of origin and the information of the responsible person on each brick. Who would have thought that more than 600 years later, these inscriptions would become a kind of connection—tightly linking this brick kiln, buried in the weeds, with the magnificent Nanjing Ming City Wall. The same inscriptions can also be seen on the city bricks of the Nanjing Ming City Wall.

Like me, there are actually many people who are "**不识货**" (**bù shí huò** - "not recognize goods," unable to recognize the value of something). Our arrival made Old Chen particularly happy—before we came, he had silently accompanied this brick kiln for a long time.

The kiln opening is not as famous as the city wall, and it had not received the protection it deserved before. After completing its mission, it was thus "silently" located in the village. The scattered broken bricks are the faint sounds emanating from the weeds. If it weren't for the cultural relic census, perhaps after a few more years, this brick kiln would have been completely annihilated in history. Fortunately, before it completely disappeared, we heard the "sound in the weeds," and the surrounding masses also heard it. In the years to come, we must protect these cultural relics and historical sites that carry historical culture, so that more people can see this historical culture buried in the weeds.

(The author is an assistant curator at the Zhuzhou Museum (株洲博物馆) in Hunan Province (湖南省).)

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This edition's editor: Wang Jin

This edition's email: ysbjs@peopledaily.cn
Layout design: Zhao Siru (赵偲汝)

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Flowering of the Elaeagnus angustifolia

By: 徐元锋

After the Beginning of Summer, the fragrance of Russian olive flowers spreads.

Along the Tanglai Canal (唐徕渠) in Yinchuan (银川), Russian olive trees are scattered. Throughout the year, Russian olive trees are not very conspicuous, not as tall and graceful as the Lombardy poplars in spring, nor as artistically gnarled as the old locust trees in winter. Usually, they have silvery-gray leaves, mixed in with the colorful flowers and willows of the park, like a "country relative" from the countryside. However, when the flowering season of the Russian olive trees arrives, their fragrance immediately overwhelms all other flowers, being the most intoxicating. The fragrance comes in waves, like smoke and mist, with a bright freshness in its steadiness. Taking a deep breath with your eyes closed, it feels as if honey is flowing through your body, and your mood becomes cheerful. When dusk falls, the remaining warmth of the day still lingers, and the rich, mellow honey fragrance of the Russian olive trees bathes and permeates people, like a curtain or veil, as if setting up a "bewitching maze." Standing on the shore for a while, the lights in the distance begin to light up, the rolling Yellow River water flows away, and from time to time, a few sounds come from the ear, and the breath stirs the cloying sweetness of the Russian olive flowers. At this moment, one does not want to think about anything, which is called "sitting in oblivion".

I have become a "captive" of the Russian olive flowers, waiting for them to bloom every year. During the half-month flowering period, I can't help but stroll to them, indulging and reluctant to leave. I also can't help but want to break off a few small branches and send them to friends in the distance, telling them "the fragrance of the Great Northwest is like this."

From the southwest to the northwest, I came to this lakeside city in the border region two and a half years ago and experienced three Russian olive flower blooms. Sometimes I can't help but ask myself: Do I like Russian olive flowers so much just because they smell so special?

The Russian olive tree is full of treasures, and the fragrance of its flowers floats in the hearts of many wanderers from the Northwest. I also slowly understood this after being here for a long time. People born in the 1970s and 1980s would pick two pockets of Russian olives on their way to school as snacks for the day, the red ones sour and the black ones sweet. Girls put Russian olive flowers in pencil cases, and the fragrance lingered in the classroom, but its source was unknown. Some families wash and string Russian olive pits to make door curtains, which are said to keep mosquitoes and flies away. In the years of material scarcity, the Russian olives were pitted, ground into powder, and mixed into wheat flour and corn flour to make pancakes and steamed buns, which could replace half of the grain. I have never eaten Russian olive flour buns, but I once picked a few Russian olives to taste. The pit is large and there is not much flesh, slightly sweet, floury, and sandy.

There are records that during the Qianlong (乾隆) period, sesame, peas, hemp seeds, and Russian olive flour were mixed together to make fried noodles, which people in Gansu (甘肃) and Xinjiang (新疆) "all liked to eat." The old things are vague and cannot be verified, but now, a few Russian olives are always indispensable in the Sanpaotai (三炮台) and Babao tea (八宝茶) of the Northwest people, saying that they can calm the nerves and also treat diarrhea. With the progress of the times, people have discovered many benefits of Russian olive trees. For example, Russian olive flowers are a high-quality honey source and can be used for beekeeping; cattle and sheep love to eat Russian olive leaves, which are livestock feed. Russian olive fruit is also a biomass energy source, and fruit powder can be converted into fuel ethanol, and fruit pits can be made into activated carbon. Unexpectedly, the poetic fragrance of Russian olive flowers also contains such a large industry.

However, the most praised thing about Russian olive trees is their ability to resist wind and sand. The Russian olive trees by the Tanglai Canal (唐徕渠) are indeed not representative. The ideal Russian olive tree should stand on the edge of the desert, be more than ten meters tall, wear a shiny armor, and proudly laugh at the sand and dust of the west wind. The root system of the Russian olive tree is developed, it is resistant to saline-alkali and does not pick places, and its branches and leaves are dense with a little water and fertilizer. Rows of Russian olive trees are arranged in a line, which is a "green Great Wall." Sometimes the strong wind is angry, carrying sand to whip it, and grabbing its hair, pressing it to the sandy ground. Looking at the Russian olive tree again, it cannot be blown down by the wind, and it cannot be buried by the sand. Sometimes it is "blown down on the battlefield" and half of it is buried in the soil, but it can still draw branches from the yellow sand, stick to its position, and stop the wind. As the saying goes, the yellow sand has fought a hundred battles through golden armor, the best destination and courtesy for the Russian olive tree is to be like a border guard general, 马革裹尸 (mǎ gé guǒ shī - "wrapped in horse hide," to die on the battlefield).

Because of its resistance to wind and sand, the Russian olive tree has become a close friend of mankind. It is difficult to appreciate the power of wind and sand if you have not stayed in the Northwest. I came late, and the border region south of the Yangtze River has become worthy of its name, and I have not even seen a large sandstorm, but I have heard many stories about sand control. Ningxia (宁夏) is surrounded by the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠), the Ulan Buh Desert (乌兰布和沙漠), and the Maowusu Sandy Land (毛乌素沙地) on three sides. Yanchi (盐池), Zhongwei (中卫) and other places in the territory have always been famous "sand nests", and land desertification reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s. When sandstorms came, they harmed the seedlings in the fields, dug the seeds out of the soil, scattered the sheep, some children were blown into ditches, and the yellow sand blocked the doors of farmers' homes and flooded the roofs.

Now when you go to Yanchi (盐池), the vast sandy land has been transformed into a lush prairie, and the photovoltaic panels in Gaoshawo Township (高沙窝乡), where wind and sand are rampant, are connected into a sea, and windmills turn on the mountain beams. What about Zhongwei (中卫)? It is a proper "desert water city." The internationally renowned wheat straw checkerboards undulate, forcing the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠) back more than 20 kilometers. The local government also deliberately left 180,000 mu of desert unmanaged in order to develop desert tourism. During holidays, tourists from all over the country play in the sand during the day and watch the stars at night in Zhongwei (中卫), enjoying themselves so much that they don't want to go home. Wang Youde (王有德), the sand control hero of Lingwu (灵武), Yinchuan (银川), is still sticking to Baijitan (白芨滩) at the age of 70, and is determined to let his children understand and inherit the spirit of sand control, and deserves to be a "People's Role Model".

Times have changed, and the world has undergone tremendous changes. Now walking on the land of Ningxia (宁夏), seeing young Russian olive trees, I can't help but sigh, "Guys, we didn't catch up with the passionate years," which is not a kind of regret. And when you encounter old trees with twisted branches, you will feel respect and wish them good fortune in their old age and health and longevity.

Not only Ningxia (宁夏), but the vast Northwest is home to Russian olive trees. And not only Russian olive trees, but also Scotch pine, drought-resistant willow, Haloxylon ammodendron, Lespedeza davurica, and even Leymus chinensis, Achnatherum splendens, etc., are all desert treasures and "sand control heroes"! Hardworking and intelligent people use a combination of trees, shrubs, and herbs to let sand barriers, wheat straw, and vegetation join hands to weave a "green scarf" for the desert and bind the once invincible "Yellow Dragon".

My friend Fan Qianfeng (樊前锋) has more say in telling Chinese stories on the edge of the desert. In recent years, in order to interview China's sand prevention and control and desertification control, he walked along the Three-North Shelter Forest for thousands of miles of wind and sand line, traveled to the edge of eight major deserts and four major sandy lands, visited more than 500 green planters, and spent more than 3 years to produce a work of more than 400,000 words, "Reshaping Mountains and Rivers" (《重整山河》). From the villages that were about to be swallowed by wind and sand a hundred years ago, to the afforestation and greening during the Yan'an (延安) period, to the Chinese sand control experience going to the world, the book contains little-known human geography and the unyielding green planters, which is exciting and interesting to read, like hearing the intoxicating Russian olive flowers. After reading it, I clipped a small string of Russian olive flowers into the book to pay tribute to the sand control people and the author.

The fragrance of Russian olive flowers is rich, but the yellow flowers are small, and the branches are dotted with stars. It does not have a beautiful appearance, and it cannot be said to have a graceful demeanor, which is very similar to the ordinary sand control people in the Northwest. I also know Tang Ximing (唐希明), who Fan Qianfeng (樊前锋) wrote about, and he is quite famous in Zhongwei (中卫). Old Tang (老唐) has dark red skin, a tall figure, and his eyes are full of simplicity and enthusiasm after being tempered by wind and sand, like a Russian olive tree. He grew up on the edge of the desert since he was a child, and he has been laying wheat straw checkerboards, planting grass and trees all his life, and has a life-threatening friendship with the yellow sand. Old Tang (老唐) told me that he hated sand and was afraid of sand when he was a child, and he also used sand to control sand after work. Now he loves sand and cannot live without sand - after being entangled with wind and sand for most of his life, Tang Ximing (唐希明) has found a way to coexist with nature.

This is not the road of Tang Ximing (唐希明) alone, but the road that the Chinese people have taken on the edge of the desert. Mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass, sand, and people are originally a community of life. Don't believe you listen -

"Riding a horse through the village at the foot of the Kunlun (昆仑) Mountains / The Russian olive flowers are fragrant / Cool canal water flows through the rose garden / People in the garden are singing / An old woman waved to me / Called me to sit beside her", this warm and beautiful song "The Fragrance of Russian Olive Flowers" (《沙枣花儿香》) sings the long-cherished wish of harmony and happiness, and also sings the sweet life now.

The reverie by the Tanglai Canal (唐徕渠) has an answer. The Russian olive tree brews the bitterness of the desert into flower honey, and also brings me the stories of this land. The beauty of local customs and culture is the source of the fragrance and charm of Russian olive flowers.

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Under the eaves of Manchuan Pass

By: 陈发春

Lao Zhou (老周), whose full name is Zhou Zongqi (周宗奇), is a native of Manchuanguan (漫川关). Before retiring, he was an agricultural technician in the town, and in his spare time, he was obsessed with the local history of his hometown. After retiring, Lao Zhou (老周) was finally able to spend his days examining cultural relics and collecting legends in the ancient town's landscape. He also voluntarily gives lectures on Manchuanguan (漫川关) and has started a video account. As a traveler who has been away from his hometown for many years, I often come across his video account and occasionally send him private messages to ask about the changes in his hometown.

That day, after coming out of the "Huang Juxing (黄聚兴)" pawnshop in the ancient town, I saw a crowd of people gathered in front of the Double Opera Stage. Lao Zhou (老周) was standing in the middle, speaking animatedly.

Having watched Lao Zhou's (老周) videos for several years, it was the first time I had seen him in person. When he started speaking, it was as if his whole body was talking: his arms waving, turning his body to wherever he was talking about, and pointing his fingers along with it. He switched freely between the Qinqiang (秦腔) dialect of Guanzhong (关中), the local "Xiahu (下湖) dialect," and the Shaanxi (陕) version of Mandarin.

I squeezed to the edge of the crowd. The topic was starting from "Chao Qin Mu Chu (朝秦暮楚)." "This place is located at the junction of Shaanxi (陕) and Hubei (鄂), and in ancient times, it was sandwiched between Qin (秦) and Chu (楚). When the Qin (秦) army came in the morning, the people wore Qin (秦) clothes, spoke the Qin (秦) language, and followed Qin (秦) etiquette; when the Chu (楚) army arrived in the evening, they changed into Chu (楚) clothes and spoke with a Chu (楚) accent..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a child blurted out, "A weathercock, not loyal." Everyone laughed. Lao Zhou (老周) shook his head and said, "Child, this is a way of living forced out of life and death, it's about survival!"

Lao Zhou (老周) raised his hand and pointed to the Double Opera Stage, saying, "This opera stage was built more than 100 years ago, with drawings provided by northern merchants and built by southern craftsmen. When the two crafts came together, it resulted in the only existing combined-style double opera stage in the country." Following the direction of his finger, I saw two opera stages standing side by side, connected by a corridor in the middle. The afternoon sun shone diagonally from the double-eaved hip roof, painting streaks of light and shadow on the stage.

"You see, the Hanyang (汉阳) Pavilion in the south has an exquisite structure and is used to perform Huangmei Opera (黄梅戏) and Han Opera (汉剧) for merchants from the south; the Qinqiang (秦腔) Pavilion in the north is bold and unrestrained, and is used to perform Qinqiang (秦腔) and Jin Opera (晋剧) for merchants from the north. Both the south and the north are taken care of, this is 'Southern Tunes and Northern Accents (南腔北调).'"

Lao Zhou (老周) put his hands together in front of him and continued, "This is our Chinese 'harmony' culture. First of all, it's 'tolerance'. No matter whether it's from the south or the north, they can all perform on this stage together, which is called 'to contain is to be great.' Secondly, it's 'courtesy'. First the southern tunes, then the northern accents, putting the guests first, this is the courtesy of the people of Manchuanguan (漫川关)..."

The onlookers applauded. Lao Zhou (老周) smiled and led everyone towards the Muleteers' Guild Hall.

On the way, he talked about the local custom of "eating shared eggs." In his hometown, children must eat this on their birthdays. At the first birthday celebration, the whole family shares one egg, symbolizing maternal love and filial piety; at two years old, they share two eggs; after three years old, they share one egg with each friend. If a child is reluctant to share, everyone laughs at him for "never having eaten shared eggs."

"Not only do they have to eat it, but they also have to teach the children to sing folk songs: Round and round, fragrant and delicious. Eat shared eggs, learn to be a good person. A single thread cannot make a line, a single tree cannot make a forest. If everyone contributes a little effort, nothing can be accomplished. If everyone works together, even a stone can be turned into gold." As he spoke, Lao Zhou (老周) tapped his hand in the air to the beat.

Following behind the crowd, I remembered my parents' constant reminders in my ears since I was a child: "No matter where you go, don't eat alone." Over the years, these words have been like an invisible thread, one end tied to the eaves of Manchuanguan (漫川关), and the other end tied to my heart.

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From "Unmanned" to "Manned" (Wen Si)

By: 张 淳

I like painting gardens, which is related to my mother. She lived in the Shi Hu Garden (十笏园) in Weifang (潍坊), Shandong (山东) when she was young, and later took me there many times when I was a child. Every time I listened to my mother talk about the stories of my ancestors, the words entered my heart, and over time, they became a deep imprint.

At first, I mostly painted "gardens without people." Pavilions were quiet, old trees were lush, and lake stones were transparent, but there was no sign of people. Communicating with ancient literati and scholars in this way on the canvas allowed me to paint quietly and meticulously, as if I had also entered that clear realm of unity between man and nature.

One day, I was sitting quietly in a garden, closing my eyes to rest, when I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar, laughter sometimes high and sometimes low, mixed with children's playfulness, old people's coughs, the rustling of clothes brushing against bamboo leaves, and the "click" of mobile phone photos. Various sounds flowed past me like a small river.

When I opened my eyes, what I saw was no longer a "garden without people," but ordinary people of today: some wearing windbreakers, some holding selfie sticks, some leading young children, and some supporting the elderly, walking and stopping, talking and looking around among the pavilions and towers. They didn't ask whose property the garden used to be, but only cared whether the sun was bright today and whether the child's smile had been captured in the lens. It was these tourists who activated a cold garden.

So I filled this scene into a short poem: "Ten thousand shoes knock on the corridor, startling the crane's dream of resting," and also moved it onto the canvas. The former gardens have long been deserted, leaving only terraces and pavilions. Today's tourists are scattered among the lake stones, piecing together a long scroll of contemporary life, and the tourists have also become part of the scenery. Bian Zhilin (卞之琳) has a poem: "You stand on the bridge to see the scenery, and the scenery-viewer looks at you from the building." Painting has dragged me from the hermit's cave of literati back to the hot and bustling world. The garden is no longer a sacred object enshrined in a high place; it is walked through, talked about, photographed, and shared. It lives in the eyes and footsteps of all kinds of people.

This is the journey of my heart from "gardens without people" to "realms with people." I have a deep affection for this time and this world, and for ordinary people. My garden works are no longer a solitary practice of self-cultivation, but a public and lively expression of visual experience.

It was this wisp of worldly atmosphere that led me from the garden into the courtyard, and then I had the creation of the "Entering the Play" series.

The initial inspiration came from the rural opera during the Spring Festival in a farmhouse courtyard in southwestern Shandong (鲁西南). Those actors are usually farmers working in the fields, village accountants, skillful daughters-in-law, and children running wild on the threshing floor... Once the twelfth lunar month arrives, they apply greasepaint, put on costumes, and step on stilts, and they become emperors, generals, talented scholars, beautiful women, and heavenly soldiers.

I suddenly felt that it was not "acting," but another kind of "reality." A sentence echoed in my mind: "Paint on your colors, see my outline clearly." A person puts on a costume in a play, but does not become someone else. Instead, they use the face of the character in the play to see their own true heart. Ordinary people perform in these plays their most simple understanding of good and evil, loyalty and treachery. Here, art is not the elegant interest of the elite, nor the patent of famous actors, but a spiritual ritual in which the people collectively participate, a beautiful bridge for ordinary people to confirm themselves and express their emotions.

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Who Stole Our Talking Points?

By: 赵仕华

An arched gate was erected at the entrance of the residential compound, with photos of the bride and groom placed beside the gate. Upon entering, two sheds were set up in the courtyard, with two rows of tables arranged. This was the wedding of a friend's child.

I immediately spotted Yongliang (永亮) squatting in a corner, unwrapping wedding candies. The ground was covered with red firecracker paper, soft to step on.

The arriving guests sat around the tables. I went over to greet Yongliang (永亮), then sat down at a table to chat. We first talked about recent work, then about the weather and family. The table quickly filled up with people, and everyone chatted casually. At the next table, several middle-aged men in suits exchanged cigarettes, and business platitudes drifted over to our side from time to time.

Before long, everyone stopped talking almost simultaneously, staring at their phone screens, thumbs sliding incessantly. Yongliang (永亮) and I also felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to talk about next.

That year, Yongliang (永亮) and I went to the county town for a meeting, staying in a small hotel. After washing up at night, we started chatting, from life ideals to the international situation, talking until dawn without feeling sleepy. But now, after only chatting for less than half an hour, it seemed that everyone had run out of topics. So we both pulled out our phones...

The dishes started to be served, and the stewed chicken in the middle of the table was still steaming, the vapor rising and blurring the faces of the people across from us. The only sounds left on the entire table were the clinking of chopsticks against plates and the occasional phone notification.

Where have our topics gone? This question, like a fishbone, was silently stuck in the midst of the noisy banquet.

At the dinner table, I suddenly remembered going to my cousin's house when I was a child. At that time, I was always chattering and following behind my cousin. After watching TV, we discussed Guo Jing (郭靖) and Huang Rong (黄蓉); after reading comic books, we longed to encounter the foxes in *Liaozhai* (聊斋). Walking on the ridge of the field, I asked my cousin if the Houttuynia cordata on the ridge could be dug up; walking to the stream, I pointed to the stream and asked my cousin if the fish inside were easy to catch. One topic could always be discussed for a long time. My cousin walked and laughed, "Why do you talk so much? A talking bun!"

Later, my cousin struggled for a living, working away from home, and I became a teacher. Occasionally, we could still chat over a plate of peanuts until midnight, talking about how hard it was to earn money, about which road in our hometown was being repaired again, about whose family had bought a new car... At that time, I felt that as long as people were still there, the conversation would never end.

But in the past two years, there have been fewer and fewer conversations with my cousin. Sometimes we sit face to face, our glasses clinking together, the sound crisp, but we can't come up with many words, and the air is so quiet that it seems to be frozen.

A few years ago, my mother came to my house. As soon as she entered the door, the words from her mouth were like water from a sluice gate, from the cats and dogs raised in her hometown to the rising price of pork in the market, from taking the bus to go to the street to someone in her hometown buying a house in the city. I did my work while listening to her talk for a long time, my hands not stopping, and my ears not idle either. Now, my mother sits on the sofa peeling oranges, and after peeling them, she rubs the orange peels into a ball in her palm. She looks at me, her lips move, and finally she only says, "These oranges are okay." Or, she sits on the sofa watching videos, laughing non-stop at the phone screen.

Yongliang (永亮) put his chopsticks on the edge of the bowl: "I'm full, you eat slowly." The chopsticks made a slight clinking sound against the edge of the bowl. Yongliang (永亮) took out his phone again. I lowered my head and took a bite of rice, wondering what to talk to him about after the meal.

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Fried Dumplings and Potstickers (Duoweizhai)

By: 马毅杰

Strictly speaking, "fried dumplings" and "pot stickers" should be two different snacks, but I haven't been able to figure out the difference between the two for a long time.

When I was a child, it was a very happy thing if my family could make a meal of white-flour dumplings. My grandmother, who was always very thrifty, would use the money she saved on weekdays to buy vegetables and meat, and make the dumplings rich enough that we would often eat until we were full.

What to do with the few remaining dumplings? Generally speaking, they could be heated up and eaten for the next meal, but my grandmother would always carefully process them to "upgrade" the remaining dumplings.

She would pour a small spoonful of oil on the iron griddle, and when the oil reached the right temperature, my grandmother would put the remaining dumplings on it and fry them until the bottoms were crispy and golden. Our six siblings would often only get one or two dumplings each. My teenage sister would give her share to my grandparents, and we would follow her example and give the fried dumplings to our parents. The adults would often symbolically bite a little bit of the edge of the fried dumplings, just to taste them.

The first time I went on a business trip after starting work, I smelled a fragrance from afar while walking down the street in the evening—it was the smell of fried dumplings! The smell came from an alley, and I followed the smell. I saw a fried dumpling stall in front of a small shop, and the stall owner was a middle-aged man, holding a small spatula, busy in front of the iron griddle. How are these fried dumplings sold? I asked. Unexpectedly, the stall owner glanced at me and said, "These are not called 'fried dumplings', they are 'pot stickers'." I blushed immediately and felt a little embarrassed.

I bought a few beef and scallion pot stickers, eating, watching, and savoring them. In terms of shape, they were slightly larger than the fried dumplings I ate as a child; in terms of taste, they were also crispy on the bottom and soft on the skin, with a full filling, and upon further tasting, the taste seemed more chewy. No matter what they are called, eating them awakens childhood memories. I went to that stall every day for those few days. As we became more familiar, the stall owner talked more. In the conversation, I seemed to finally understand the difference between fried dumplings and pot stickers. Fried dumplings are generally fried with already cooked dumplings, while pot stickers are mostly wrapped and fried on the spot; fried dumplings are fried with oil and steamed with water, while pot stickers are slowly fried with less oil, and sprinkled with water but not steamed. I really learned something.

Later, as I went to more places, I found that the names fried dumplings and pot stickers were used interchangeably in many places. It seems that the South mostly calls them "fried dumplings" and the North mostly calls them "pot stickers." The methods are roughly the same, only the shapes are slightly different. Fried dumplings are mostly crescent-shaped or ingot-shaped, and completely sealed. Pot stickers are similar in shape, but have small openings at both ends and are not sealed. The fillings are mostly shepherd's purse and pork filling, shrimp filling, etc. in the South, while the North is accustomed to using pork and scallion filling, pork and chive filling, etc.

A few days ago, I went on a business trip to Tianjin (天津), and saw a restaurant with a sign indicating that it mainly served: dumplings and pot stickers. I happily went inside, chose a portion of pork and cabbage dumplings, which I loved to eat since I was a child, and also ordered a portion of mantis shrimp and seafood pot stickers, and asked the waiter to serve the dumplings first and then the "fried dumplings." The waiter was a little confused, and I quickly smiled and explained, "Pot stickers, pot stickers!"

The dumplings were brought to the table, I picked one up, took a bite, and my mouth was full of fragrance. It is truly "the taste of dumplings is the most comforting to the human heart." Then, a plate of golden and crispy "fried dumplings" was brought to the table, and I couldn't help but think of the saying, "Fried dumplings are arranged neatly, good luck will come smoothly."

Hey! How did they call pot stickers "fried dumplings" again!

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Photo Report

Chinese painting "Xing Ge Dai Yue," by Zhang He (张禾).

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Horizontal sleeper bus

By: 陈诗悠

I taught in Hengpu (横铺) for 7 years, taking the bus for 7 years. The bus traveled on winding mountain roads, sometimes speeding like the wind, sometimes moving like a snail. The plants, insects, sunlight, and wind in the mountains passed by one by one.

I still remember the first time I took the Hengpu (横铺) bus. The bus started from the foot of the mountain and climbed all the way into the depths of the jungle. I followed the bus through mountains, and the large white clouds in the sky seemed within reach. The lush forests in the mountains from time to time emitted a pleasant pine cone fragrance. The sunlight playfully sprinkled between the leaves, reflecting mottled and beautiful light and shadows, the light and shadows emitting rising mist.

The people on the bus were dressed simply, with honest faces, and bulging woven bags beside them. They all seemed to know each other, chatting about everything under the sun, and their laughter spread to every corner of the bus. When the cool mountain breeze blew in, it seemed to carry this joy to the depths of the mountains, meeting every tree and every flower.

The Hengpu (横铺) bus had to be full before it would depart. The earliest bus was originally scheduled to depart at 6 am, but it didn't actually leave until half an hour later. The people in the mountains lived scattered, a few families at the foot of the mountain, a few households on the hillside, and some people lived behind the mountain. When everyone rushed to catch the bus, they were always late.

Sometimes, after waiting for a long time, the bus was not full. The driver would go to the remote and deep mountains to pick up passengers. The bus rushed into the morning mist, bypassing mountains and rivers, and the people sitting in the car felt like they were on a roller coaster. After the ruggedness, there was an open space, houses scattered, and fertile fields spread out. Some mountain people carrying woven bags were standing by the roadside waiting for the bus. Sometimes, the bus would drive to the door of the mountain people's homes. A family was standing under the eaves, eating breakfast with bowls in their hands. When the bus arrived, they immediately put down the bowls in their hands and jumped on the bus. There were even a few grains of rice left on the corners of their mouths, shining brightly.

The Hengpu (横铺) bus also carries the joy of the mountain people. In the summer mountains and forests, wild raspberries grow everywhere. They hang full of clusters on the thorn bushes, spreading out piece by piece in the mountains and forests. Passengers looked out through the windows, their mouths watering with desire. At the urging of the female ticket seller, the bus driver simply stopped the bus by the roadside and let the passengers go down to pick raspberries.

At this time, everyone rushed into the mountains and forests. Some used the corners of their clothes to hold a large bundle, and some used their straw hats to hold a hatful. Only the female ticket seller was the smartest, having prepared long ago. She leisurely took out a large porcelain bowl from the carriage, so that when picking raspberries, she could not only pick a lot, but also not crush the raspberries.

There is only one school bus at Hengpu (横铺) Elementary School, and there are many students who need a ride in the afternoon, so the bus helps with the pick-up and drop-off. Therefore, every afternoon, the Hengpu (横铺) bus also fulfills the duties of a school bus. The bus drivers know the situation of each student better than the school bus drivers. They were born and raised here, and are either relatives or classmates of these parents.

The bus driver drops the students off at the intersection, and if the parents are not seen for a long time, they make a phone call, and the parents immediately drop the farm tools in their hands and rush to the intersection. For students who live by the roadside, as soon as the bus stops, without honking the horn, the child's grandmother is already standing by the bus. One child lives far away, and when he gets off the bus, the sunset has faded and dusk is approaching, and his parents have to shine a flashlight to pick him up by the roadside. Whenever this child is the only one left in the car, his little hands tightly clutch the corners of his clothes. The bus driver jokingly says, "Don't worry, no matter how late it is, uncle will definitely take you home. Don't tear your clothes." This immediately made the child laugh.

At this moment, in the dark deep mountains, the bus is like a warrior holding a torch, rushing forward. That wisdom, agility, and dustiness dispel the loneliness and unease in the mountains.

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