People's Daily - July 5, 2026

"Six Networks" Build Modern Infrastructure System

By: 本报记者 李心萍 韩 鑫 王云杉

Investment of 77.2 billion yuan! The Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel project officially commences construction, the "Golden Waterway" ushers in a new leap;
Maximum altitude reaches 5,300 meters! The Tibet-Guangdong DC project is in full swing, snowmelt water transforms into clean electric energy, capable of crossing 2,681 kilometers in just 9 milliseconds;
Capacity leaps 10 times! The first domestic Pre6G test network officially put into operation in Nanjing, Jiangsu, future communication enters a new stage of system capability verification...
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Optimize the layout, structure, function, and system integration of infrastructure, and build a modern infrastructure system."
The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on April 28 pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen the planning and construction of water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, new-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, logistics networks, etc.
Thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. All regions and departments are making efforts to promote the construction of a modern infrastructure system represented by the "six networks" — from vast misty waves to fog-covered mountain peaks, from underground utility tunnels to computing power hubs, a scene of busy and orderly activity.

Coordinate new and old, the "six networks" accelerate implementation

The "six networks" include water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, new-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, and logistics networks. At present, the construction of the "six networks" is constantly refreshing the "progress bar."

Address weaknesses, enhance capability levels, and upgrade traditional infrastructure.
On June 3, the Pinglu Canal (平陆运河), a backbone project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor (西部陆海新通道), achieved full water flow, and is expected to achieve navigation in September. As the first grand canal built since the founding of New China that connects rivers to the sea, the Pinglu Canal has a total length of 134.2 kilometers and can accommodate 5,000-ton ships for direct river-sea transport.
This is a vivid portrayal of China's logistics addressing weaknesses and connecting into a network. Currently, China has built the world's largest high-speed railway network and expressway network, but the water transport system has not yet formed a network, and the proportion of multimodal freight transport is low. Planning and constructing multiple canals, promoting the accelerated networking of national high-grade waterways, the logistics network is expected to achieve a transformation from "having" to "good", from "connecting" to "smooth."

Lay foundations, seek development, and improve new-type infrastructure.
In Yangjiang, Guangdong, a gigawatt-level computing power center is accelerating its "submersion" tens of meters beneath the sea. Sinking the computing power center into the sea is, first, to utilize the Yangjiang ten-million-kilowatt offshore wind power base to achieve direct green electricity supply; second, to rely on natural seawater cooling to reduce energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency by more than 30% compared to traditional data centers.
In the future, this place will become a globally leading marine computing power industry base, creating a new model of computing-power coordination.
New-type power grids, computing power networks, and new-generation communication networks are likened to "water, electricity, and coal" for the era of artificial intelligence. Currently, China is accelerating the construction of computing power networks, with the total scale of intelligent computing capable of supporting simultaneous training of dozens of large models with hundreds of billions of parameters. At the same time, China is promoting the transformation of power grids towards safety, reliability, green and low-carbon, strong resilience, and intelligent flexibility, accelerating the construction of a new-generation communication network covering 5G, 5G-A, future 6G mobile communication networks, as well as 10-gigabit optical networks, satellite internet, etc.

Strengthen weak links, benefit people's livelihoods, and improve the well-being of the people.
The "six networks", in the final analysis, are "people's livelihood networks", ultimately aimed at improving the well-being and living standards of the common people.
In the hinterland of the Qinba Mountains, the main tunnel of the entire line of the Yangtze-to-Han River Diversion Project (引江补汉), a landmark project of the national water network, has cumulatively excavated over 29 kilometers. In the future, a 194.7-kilometer pipeline will help increase the annual water transfer volume of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route from 9.5 billion cubic meters to 11.51 billion cubic meters.
Qingdao, Shandong uses trenchless technology to "renew" old pipelines in place; Chongqing deploys smart sensing terminals to transform underground pipeline networks from passive repair to active early warning... Underneath the cities, a safer, more resilient invisible network is reinforcing the city's lifeline.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will accelerate the construction of a modern water network, improve the water resource allocation and water supply guarantee system, and build or renovate approximately 770,000 kilometers of pipeline networks for gas, water supply and drainage, heating, etc.

Balance near and far, the "six networks" store energy and improve quality

In the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan", why have the "six networks" become a buzzword, and how to understand the development logic behind them? Let us look at it from both the long-term and short-term perspectives.
Looking at the present, the "six networks" focus on tapping "potential", expanding effective investment and domestic demand space.
In the Three Gorges Dam area, water flows surging, river wide and banks green. Not far away, the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel construction is in full swing, excavators arrayed, steel giant arms rising and falling, the outline of leveled land begins to appear.
As an important move in the integration of logistics network and water network, the multiplier effect of the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel project is significant —
During construction, tens of billions of yuan in investment involves a large amount of earth and stone excavation, concrete pouring. The massive physical workload will fully drive upstream and downstream industrial chains such as cement, steel, and construction machinery, and transform into tangible market orders.
After completion, 10,000-ton ships can directly reach the southwest hinterland, and bulk commodities from the Chengdu-Chongqing and other southwest regions will be able to reach the sea via rivers at lower cost and higher efficiency. According to preliminary estimates, the annual shipping benefits can reach 16.4 billion yuan.
Some institutions estimate that the multiplier effect brought by traditional infrastructure is about 1.5 times, while the multiplier effect of the "six networks" is about 2 times that of traditional infrastructure. As the "six networks" accelerate implementation, such multiplier effects will be seen in more scenarios —
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, investment in national water network construction will exceed 6 trillion yuan, adding more than 3 million jobs; investment in new-type power grids will exceed 5 trillion yuan, driving total upstream and downstream investment exceeding 10 trillion yuan; construction and renovation of underground pipeline networks will drive investment of about 5 trillion yuan...
"The 'six networks' have reliable demand, huge investment, and good benefits, and have positive significance for expanding domestic demand, stabilizing growth, and promoting employment," said Xing Wei (邢伟), a researcher at the Macroeconomic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委宏观经济研究院). Calculations show that this year alone, the investment scale in the "six networks" and related key areas exceeds 7 trillion yuan.

Looking to the long term, the "six networks" point to cultivating "new", accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces.
By the Guanting Lake (官厅湖) in Huailai (怀来), Hebei, at the Qinhuai Data (秦淮数据) headquarters base, more than a dozen modern data centers are neatly arranged. Not far away, a brand-new computing power center is breaking ground; inside the new computer room, "upgraded" high-density cabinets flash blue light, delivering about 10 times the computing power of traditional cabinets.
Green computing power surges, transforming into the data foundation for industrial transformation and upgrading: In Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, a manufacturing enterprise uses a computing power platform to complete industrial large model training, achieving full-process intelligent control on the production line; in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, relying on high-density computing power, new energy vehicle companies conduct autonomous driving scenario simulations, and model iteration cycles are continuously shortened...
Not only computing power networks, but also 5G-A networks are accelerating deployment, opening new entry points for the intelligent connection of everything; the immense electric energy transmitted by new-type power grids accelerates "computing-power coordination" in the intelligent era... Weaving the "six networks" tightly, allowing new quality productive forces to continuously emerge and aggregate, is the concrete manifestation of institutional advantages and great power advantages.

Grasp breaking and establishing, scientifically build the "six networks"

From blueprints to reality, how to build the "six networks" more scientifically in the next step? Behind this lie three sets of thought-provoking dialectics.

Coordinate government and market, source and flow help each other, solve the funding problem.
When talking about the construction of the "six networks", what people care most about is where the money comes from. If we look to the past, traditional infrastructure often relied more on government investment. However, for the vast modern infrastructure system of the "six networks", relying solely on a "one-man show" by fiscal resources is clearly insufficient.
The key to breaking the deadlock lies in diversified participation. On one hand, the government's "visible hand" exerts targeted force. This year, 755 billion yuan of central budget investment and 1 trillion yuan of ultra-long-term special government bonds will be basically allocated by the end of June, and 800 billion yuan of new policy-based financial instrument funds will also be deployed in an orderly manner.
On the other hand, the market's "invisible hand" is fully activated. Taking the "six networks" opportunity list released by the Nanjing Metropolitan Area as an example, among 152 projects, 31 have released over 20 billion yuan of investment demand to social capital, covering operational projects such as new-type power grids, logistics networks, and computing power networks.
Xiao Hongwei (肖宏伟), director of the Policy Simulation Laboratory of the Economic Forecasting Department of the State Information Center (国家信息中心经济预测部政策仿真实验室), said: "The combination of government investment and social capital not only avoids the government taking on everything, but also effectively stimulates market vitality, achieving value co-creation in investment."

Balance hard investment and soft construction, 形神兼备 (xíng shén jiān bèi - "form and spirit both present," having both substance and style), achieve investment with a way.
Building the "six networks", hard investment is the skeleton, soft construction is the soul.
Take the construction of computing power networks as an example. Building computing power hubs, computing power clusters, and laying "highways" for computing power are hard work. But what the computing power network dispatches and flows are data and computing power tasks. How to monitor? How to price? How to make buyers and sellers 一拍即合 (yī pāi jí hé - "to click immediately," to hit it off or agree readily)? These soft mechanisms are equally critical.
"Only by exploring and building a sustainable computing power dispatch and operation service mechanism, through mature market-based matching and price discovery mechanisms, to promote rapid matching and flexible trading between computing power supply and demand sides, can the national integrated computing power network truly operate efficiently," said Zhang Huawei (张华伟), product manager of the Computing Power Network Dispatch Platform of China Mobile.

Integrate single points with the overall situation, interweave point and surface, stimulate integration efficiency.
Stepping into the pilot-level smart factory — Haier Qingdao Central Air Conditioning Interconnection Factory (海尔青岛中央空调互联工厂), one can glimpse the charm of multi-network integration.
Here, the computing power network exerts force, artificial intelligence transforms into a "new colleague" for R&D, personalized customization "produces drawings in one hour"; the new-generation communication network connects, hundreds of processes seamlessly link, single-shift capacity increases by 24%; the logistics network shuttles, materials are delivered on demand, the workshop bids farewell to piles of materials; new-type power grids, water networks, and urban underground pipeline networks provide support, green energy and water circulation are continuous. With the help of the six networks, factories in traditional industries simultaneously achieve high-end, intelligent, and green transformation.
"If we view the economy and society as an organic whole, different infrastructure networks are like the respiratory, nervous, and blood circulation functional systems in the human body. They must not only have clear division of labor and 各司其职 (gè sī qí zhí - "each performs its own duty," each has its own role), but also intersect, integrate, and operate synergistically, so as to jointly support the efficient and stable operation of the economy and society," said Li Chao (李超), spokesperson of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Net upon net, interwoven crisscross, spanning mountains and rivers, illuminating lives. They connect the present and the future, coordinate development and security, straighten the meridians of a great power's development, uphold the daily lives of myriad households, and build a smarter, more resilient, and more dynamic China.

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Stay confident, keep striving, and keep delivering new achievements worthy of the times and the people.

By: 本报评论员

The expedition that harbors dreams fears neither wind nor rain, traveling by both day and night; the undertaking without precedent calls forth a new advance.

At the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the height of统筹中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局 (coordinating the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the once-in-a-century transformations in the world), looked ahead to the bright prospects of the development of the Party's and the people's cause, and emphasized: "Realizing the Party's missions and tasks for the new era and new journey requires all Chinese Communists to strengthen confidence, continue the struggle, and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people."

Along the way, the Communist Party of China has united and led the people, focusing on the theme of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, opening up a great path, establishing great achievements, forging a great spirit, accumulating valuable experience, and writing a magnificent chapter in the history of the development of the Chinese nation and the progress of human society.

On the new journey of the new era, the mission and task of the Communist Party of China is to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. It must be deeply recognized that the closer we get to national rejuvenation, the less smooth sailing it will be, and the more it will be filled with risks, challenges, and even raging waves. The various struggles we face are not short-term but long-term, and will accompany the entire process of realizing the second centenary goal.

How to realize the Party's missions and tasks for the new era and new journey?

"We must uphold the Party's basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy"; "We must firmly rely on the people to create historical achievements"; "We must actively respond to risks and challenges on the path ahead"; "We must continuously promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind"; "We must persistently and unswervingly advance full and strict Party governance."

General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly put forward the explicit requirements of the "five musts," scientifically grasped the opportunities and challenges facing China's development, deepened the understanding of the laws governing the advancement of the Party's and the people's cause, and provided action guidance for all Chinese Communists on the new journey to strengthen confidence and continue the struggle.

The people are the creators of history and the fundamental force that determines the destiny of the Party and the country.

Looking back at history, by deeply rooting itself among the people, our Party has always had a solid foundation. From the Agrarian Revolutionary War's "arouse the millions of workers and peasants to work with one heart," to the War of Resistance Against Japan's "sink the enemy into the boundless ocean of annihilation"; from hundreds of thousands of people carving the Red Flag Canal (红旗渠), the "artificial heavenly river," into cliffs, to the villagers of Xiaogang (小岗村) pressing their red handprints to pull back the curtain on rural reform... the great historical drama is performed by hundreds of millions of people as the leading actors; the great achievements were fought for, worked for, and won through struggle by the Party and the people together.

Since the new era, we have won the largest-scale battle against poverty in human history — secretaries at five levels grasping poverty alleviation, the entire Party mobilized to promote the fight against poverty; more than three million first secretaries and officers stationed in villages (驻村工作队) rushed to the front line. To overcome key core technologies that were "choking" us, the vast number of scientific and technological workers have carried forward the spirit of scientists, bravely scaling the world's scientific and technological peaks, displaying the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people in pursuing dreams of the stars and the oceans...

Why has our Party been able to grow and strengthen when it was so weak, to be reborn from fire time and again amidst countless hardships and dangers, and to overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties and obstacles and create one miracle after another that commands people's admiration?

The fundamental reason is that our Party has always kept its original aspiration and mission firmly in mind, faithfully practiced the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and thus won the people's heartfelt support and endorsement.

Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is the common cause of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country. On the new journey, standing firmly with the people, thinking with the people, and working with the people; further boosting the energy and drive of the entire Party to do business and start undertakings; fully stimulating the initiative, creativity, and enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of people — our Party possesses a solid foundation that no storm can shake, and the advancement of Chinese-style modernization has the most reliable, deepest, and most enduring source of strength.

"Focusing on strengthening the self, always full of vitality and vigor" — this is an excellent trait of our Party. "Always adhering to the principle and policy of the Party supervising itself and governing itself strictly" — this is an important magic weapon for establishing the Party and the country and strengthening the Party and the country.

From formulating and implementing the Central Eight-Point Regulation (中央八项规定) to continuously carrying out intra-Party centralized education; from setting up the "four beams and eight pillars" of the Party and state supervision system to waging an unprecedented anti-corruption struggle... guided by Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, we have unswervingly advanced full and strict governance of the Party, built a system for comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and opened up a new realm for a century-old Party to govern, rejuvenate, and strengthen itself.

The development tasks during the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) period are arduous and heavy, the situation is severe and complex, placing new and higher demands on full and strict governance of the Party. Thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, implementing the general requirements for Party building in the new era, and continuously enhancing the Party's political leadership, ideological leadership, mass organization, and social appeal will surely ensure that the Party remains a strong leading core throughout the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, guiding and ensuring that the great ship of the Chinese nation's rejuvenation (中华复兴号巨轮) braves the waves and sails steadily forward.

Having traversed a past of suffering and glory, and striding toward a bright and grand future, today we are closer to, have more confidence in, and have greater ability to realize the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history.

Maintaining the resolve that the path does not change and the will does not waver; upholding the Party's overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee; thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; strengthening confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture; carrying forward the cause and forging ahead into the future, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground — we will be able to not be obscured by floating clouds that block the view, and to ride the wind and waves without losing our bearings.

On the new journey, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country are united into "a single piece of hard steel," thinking with one mind and exerting force in one direction — then we will surely be able to create new historical brilliance with new great struggle, turning the grand vision into a beautiful reality.

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Spread Red Culture, Cultivate Patriotism (Remain True to the Original Aspiration and Mission, Forge Ahead on the Journey of Rejuvenation)

By: 本报记者 施 芳

The capital Beijing possesses a rich and weighty trove of revolutionary cultural relics, with a distinct red character: it was the center of the New Culture Movement, the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement, the main front for the early dissemination of Marxism in China, and one of the primary cradles of the Communist Party of China.

In September 2019, when inspecting the Beijing Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Site, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to “inherit and carry forward the fine style of the older generation of revolutionaries of being modest and prudent, not arrogant or impetuous, and hardworking and struggling, always maintaining a striving and promising enterprising spirit, forever preserving the Party’s advanced nature and purity, and answering the questions of the new era with the clarity and firmness of those ‘taking the examination.’” In June 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping led comrades of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee to the Peking University Red Building, to visit the exhibition “Glorious Great Undertaking    Red Prologue — The Peking University Red Building and the Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China Thematic Exhibition,” emphasizing that “the protection and utilization of red resources must be strengthened.”

Bearing in mind the entrustment of the General Secretary, Beijing has strengthened the centralized and contiguous protection and utilization of revolutionary cultural relics with first-rate standards, meticulously building three major red cultural themed areas: the early Beijing revolutionary activities of the Communist Party of China, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Through “big museums pulling small museums” to deepen coordination, it has made revolutionary imprints an important destination for people to pursue red memories and revisit revolutionary classics.

A century of history surges; cultural relics bear witness to glory. Beijing has successively verified and published two batches of lists of revolutionary cultural relics, including 188 immovable revolutionary cultural relics and 2,646 items (sets) of movable revolutionary cultural relics.

Numerous red landmarks have become important classrooms for passing on red genes and continuing the red bloodline. In the bustling Xidan commercial area, the former site of the Mongolian and Tibetan School was opened to the public after restoration; within the courtyard, Party history lectures are often held, and the exhibits inside reflect the relevant historical facts of how progressive young people from ethnic minorities, under the leadership of Li Dazhao and other founding pioneers of the Party, studied and disseminated Marxism, and established Party and Youth League organizations among ethnic minorities.

“On March 25, 1949, Comrade Mao Zedong led the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army from Xibaipo to Beiping…” At the former site of the Qinghuayuan Railway Station, the docent narrated in detail. In March 2024, with a Beijing-Hebei linkage, the “Road of Taking the Examination by Entering the Capital” revolutionary cultural relic themed travel route was fully connected, linking seven sites including the former site of the CPC Central Committee at Xibaipo, Shulü Village (淑闾村) in Tang County, Hebei, the Commemorative Site of Mao Zedong’s Former Residence before the Party Central Committee Entered the Capital, Zhuozhou Railway Station (涿州火车站), the former site of Qinghuayuan Railway Station, Yishoutang (益寿堂) at the Summer Palace, and Shuangqing Villa (双清别墅).

Penetrating objects to see history. On June 25, the “Road of Glory — Exhibition of Historical Materials on the Founding of the Communist Party of China” was inaugurated at the Peking University Red Building, slowly unfolding that epoch-making history through 105 pieces (sets) of precious historical relics and archival documents.

Innovating methods to vividly spread red culture. The Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, using 3D scene restoration, holographic projection and other technologies, recreates historical scenes such as the Crossing of the Yangtze River Campaign. The television series Awakening Age was widely watched, and the early revolutionary activity sites represented by the Peking University Red Building have cumulatively received over 13 million visitors.

“In 2025, on the basis of the renovation and expansion of the memorial hall, we launched the thematic exhibition ‘For National Liberation and World Peace — Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War,’ which has already received 2.3 million visitors, and simultaneously driven the integrated development of culture and tourism in the surrounding areas,” introduced Luo Cunkang, Director of the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

“Beijing’s abundant revolutionary cultural relics are vivid textbooks for spreading red culture and cultivating deep feelings for the country and family,” said Wang Chuanli, Deputy Director of the Institute of Party History and Party Building at Tsinghua University. Today, studying at revolutionary venues is a compulsory course for primary and secondary school students in Beijing. The “‘Jing’ Colorful Culture    Youth Blossoms” action plan includes eight types of activities such as “Faith Line” and “Red Line,” covering 540,000 college students from 47 universities. “For national liberation, many predecessors did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives; we must remember them forever and continuously draw strength to move forward,” said Song Caiyi, a student at the School of Marxism at Beijing Jiaotong University.

One after another, red coordinates bear witness to the Communist Party of China’s magnificent journey of over a hundred years, becoming vivid classrooms where people look back on the path they have traveled and temper their faith. “We will continue to protect and utilize revolutionary cultural relics well, so that the red genes are passed down from generation to generation,” said Wang Chen, Director of the Revolutionary Cultural Relics Division of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau.

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Know the Party, Love the Party, Follow the Party

By: 本报记者 丁雅诵

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to letters from Young Pioneer Red Scarf docents at the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中共一大纪念馆) and the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall (南湖革命纪念馆), earnestly sending his message: “I hope you will hold high the team flag, follow the Party, carry forward the red genes, increase your knowledge and skills, temper your will and character, be the red children of the Party and the people, and run the historical relay well on the new journey.”

Before July 1st, the “Knowing the Party, Loving the Party, Following the Party” Ideological and Political Education Mega-Class (思政大课), jointly hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee (中央宣传部), the Ministry of Education, People’s Daily, and China Media Group, was simultaneously delivered to primary and secondary school and university students across the country.

Relying on the exhibition resources of the Museum of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党历史展览馆), the course was divided into four chapters — primary school, junior high school, senior high school (including secondary vocational school), and university — with the content threads respectively being “Always share heart and soul with the people,” “Revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven,” “To forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” and “Always uphold the foundation of building the Party and the country, and of rejuvenating the Party and the country.”

Following the footsteps of the lead teachers, this ideological and political mega-class unfolded along the exhibition line of the Museum of the Communist Party of China.

This class was an interaction of love for the Party and the country. Students truly understood that from the very day the Communist Party of China was born, it has engraved in its heart the pursuit of happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In front of an exhibition case, Xiang Jie (向婕), an ideological and political course teacher at Jiaxing Experimental Primary School (嘉兴市实验小学) in Zhejiang Province, said to the students: “Everyone, look at this earthenware pot. It holds the salt that the Red Army seized from local tyrants and distributed to the villager Li Shangfa (李尚发).”

A curious student asked: “Teacher, why did the Red Army give salt to Li Shangfa?”

Xiang Jie explained unhurriedly: “At that time, salt and medicine were especially scarce in the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. If the Red Army did not eat salt, they would have no strength to carry guns and fight; wounded soldiers could only use salt water to disinfect wounds. But as soon as the Red Army seized salt, they immediately distributed it to the local people. Li Shangfa put the salt he received into the earthenware pot and hid it under a tree, wanting to keep it for the Red Army to eat.”

Listening to the teacher’s narration, the students understood how important salt was during the revolutionary war years, and also understood that this pot contained not only salt, but also the deep bond between the Party and the masses — “when there is salt, share the saltiness; when there is no salt, share the blandness.”

This class was a stimulation of spiritual strength. The students deeply felt that the great founding spirit of the Party is the spiritual source of the Communist Party of China, 熠熠生辉 (yì yì shēng huī - “shining brightly, sparkling”) throughout more than a hundred years of wind and rain.

In front of the Beidou model in the exhibition hall, Jin Yiwei (金懿慰), an ideological and political course teacher at Shanghai Shiguang School (上海市市光学校), called the students to gather around: “In the early years, the global satellite navigation system was long monopolized by foreign countries. Now our country has its own independently controllable Beidou navigation system. Behind this achievement stands a venerable scientist — Sun Jiandong (孙家栋).”

From the launch of “Dongfanghong-1” into space to the successful completion of the Beidou network, from youthful ardor to silver hair, Sun Jiandong spent his entire life writing his personal ideals into the motherland’s starry sky, practicing the eight big words “If the country needs it, I will do it.”

“After listening to the teacher’s account, I understood the selfless spirit of Party members willing to dedicate themselves, and was deeply moved,” said Yuan Kexin (袁可馨), a seventh-grade student at the Experimental School Affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven — it is not a distant slogan. I must study hard and contribute to the motherland.”

This class was an interweaving of history and reality. The students deeply realized that for 105 years, governing the Party with strict discipline has been 一以贯之 (yī yǐ guàn zhī - “consistent throughout, threading through the whole”), never ceasing.

In the senior high school (secondary vocational) class, Xue Hongguo (薛洪国), an ideological and political course teacher at Tianjin No. 1 Middle School (天津一中), led students to understand the Party’s history of self-construction, naturally arriving at the conclusion — Xi Jinping Thought on Party building is the fundamental guidance for strengthening Party building in the new era.

“It is precisely the 持之以恒 (chí zhī yǐ héng - “persevere unremittingly, keep on persistently”) self-construction that has forged a Marxist ruling party that walks at the forefront of the times and is always vibrant; and it is precisely with the fundamental guarantee of the ‘Two Establishments’ (两个确立) that we have achieved today’s thriving, hopeful youthful China,” said Dong Jiabao (董家宝), a sophomore at Tianjin No. 1 Middle School, who deeply understood this.

This class was a deepening of theoretical reflection. The students profoundly comprehended the truth power and practical might of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.

“The ‘good Samaritan clause’ in the Civil Code embodies the orientation of ‘good laws and good governance’ in the comprehensive rule of law in the new era. It not only grounds Marxist ideas of fairness and justice in local soil, but also inherits the traditional virtue of ‘advocating virtue and pursuing goodness.’” On the class, Liu Changhao (柳长浩), an ideological and political course teacher at the School of Marxism of Shandong University, stated during the discussion.

“By studying the ‘Two Integrations’ (两个结合) through examples close to daily life, I discovered that the path under our feet has not only the logic of modernity but also the roots of five thousand years of civilization,” said Sun Yifang (孙一方), a student at Shandong University, who gained a lot.

This class was a vivid practice of effectively integrating the small ideological and political classroom with the big social classroom. Cultural and museum experts and gold-medal docents from multiple red venues participated in the “Ideological and Political Education Mega-Class,” bringing the Party’s history to life, penetrating it, and reaching the students’ hearts.

At the Chongqing Hongyan Revolutionary History Museum (重庆红岩革命历史博物馆), gold-medal docent Liu Shuai (刘帅) led junior high school students in reviewing history. “When I spoke about the heroic deeds of the Hongyan martyrs, I saw the reverence in the students’ eyes, and felt that the seeds of ideals and convictions had taken root in their hearts.”

A museum is a great school. Li Zongyuan (李宗远), Party Secretary and Director of the Museum of the Communist Party of China, stated that they should promote the deep integration of exhibition resources with ideological and political classrooms, vividly tell the stories of Party history, revolution, and heroes, and enable the venue to better play its educational role.

In the classroom, faith takes root; in reality, march toward the light.

More students have changed from listeners of red history to disseminators of red culture. “Before, the teacher told me; now, I tell others,” said Gao Qingxuan (高晴萱), a student at Jiaxing Experimental Primary School in Zhejiang, who went to the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall to tell visitors the story of the Red Boat.

More students, inspired by role models, set their direction for struggle. “Reviewing the deeds of Comrade Jiao Yulu, what moved me most was his blazing original aspiration of taking root in the land and keeping the people in his heart,” wrote Liu Yifeng (刘一锋), a student at Henan Provincial Experimental High School (河南省实验中学), straight from his heart in his notebook after watching this ideological and political mega-class.

More students integrate personal growth into national needs. “I want to closely combine classroom learning with rural practice, deeply cultivate a love for agriculture, and practice agricultural skills,” said Wan Yuanyuan (万媛媛), a student at the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology of Southwest University.

The Party’s cause requires the continuous struggle of generation after generation. 105 years ago, a group of young people lit a lamp; 105 years later, that lamp illuminates the faces of hundreds of millions of youths. Taking over the baton of history, today’s young people are running the relay with firm steps.

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Savoring the Fragrance of Books in the Library

As the summer vacation arrives, the reading atmosphere continues to heat up across various regions. People are going into libraries, bookstores, and other venues one after another, reading all kinds of books, broadening their horizons, nourishing their souls, and enriching their spiritual and cultural life amid the fragrance of books.

In the photo is a scene from July 2, where people are reading and studying at the Nanjing Library in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Photo by Zhang Mingwei (张明wei) / Image China (影像中国)

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China's express delivery volume exceeds 100 billion parcels this year

Beijing, July 4 (Reporter Han Xin (韩鑫) of this newspaper) — Data from the State Post Bureau (国家邮政局) show: As of June 30, the country's express delivery volume this year has exceeded 100 billion pieces, 9 days earlier than the time it reached 100 billion pieces in 2025. The development of the postal and express delivery industry reflects the steady-with-progress good momentum of China's economic development.

Since the beginning of this year, China's various policies to boost consumption have continued to take effect and show results, the consumer market has maintained steady growth, and the consumption structure has been continuously optimized, driving the expansion of the express delivery market size. A relevant official from the State Post Bureau stated that currently, the industry is shifting its development focus to effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity. In the future, as consumption-boosting policies continue to be implemented and new industry momentum gradually strengthens, the postal and express delivery industry will further play an important role in the logistics field, helping to smooth economic circulation and continuously inject momentum into high-quality economic development.

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Pioneer with innovation, strive with determination to achieve new successes

A century-long journey, surging and magnificent; a millennial great enterprise writes a new chapter.

In recent days, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the celebration conference of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China has sparked enthusiastic responses among the cadres, staff, and workers of centrally-administered enterprises (中管企业), centrally-administered financial institutions (中管金融企业), and centrally-administered universities (中管高校). Everyone expressed that they will take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech as their guide, use concrete action and responsibility to practice their original aspiration and mission, use continued struggle to open up a brand-new situation, move forward with courage on the new journey of advancing Chinese-style modernization, and continuously create new historical glories.

Cherish the Glorious Course
Draw Forth the Power to Advance

In the office of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (中国航天科技集团五院), Yang Hong (杨宏), chief designer of the China Manned Space Engineering Space Station System, is organizing the team to discuss plans and sort through technical difficulties item by item… Recalling the scene of watching the live broadcast a few days ago, he still felt 心潮澎湃 (xīn cháo péng pài - “heart tides surging,” emotionally stirred) and doubly inspired.

“Shenzhou” soars into the sky, “Chang’e” reaches for the moon, “Tianwen” explores Mars… Looking back on the magnificent course of aerospace people pursuing dreams among the stars, Yang Hong was deeply touched: “As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, 105 years of unremitting struggle have fundamentally changed the destiny of the Chinese people. The Communist Party of

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Advancing Governance and Prosperity to Build the Great Cause of National Rejuvenation

The important speech delivered by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China has sparked enthusiastic responses from various sectors in Hong Kong. All have expressed that the important speech is inspiring, not only profoundly elucidating the glorious course and historical lessons of the 105-year struggle of the Communist Party of China, but also pointing the direction for Hong Kong to fully and accurately implement "one country, two systems" on the new journey from governance to prosperity, and to better integrate into and serve the national development agenda.

Strengthen confidence in "one country, two systems" and consolidate the foundation of security and development.

Li Jiachao, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping deeply inspired and greatly encouraged the Hong Kong governance team. Over the past 105 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and through the joint struggle of the people of the whole country, the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap from standing up, to becoming prosperous, to becoming strong. History has eloquently proven that the Communist Party of China is the strong leadership core for national rejuvenation and national reunification, and the New China under its leadership has provided fundamental guarantees for Hong Kong's prosperity and development.

Li Jiachao stated that on the new journey, Hong Kong must strengthen its awareness of potential dangers, adhere to bottom-line thinking, coordinate development and security, fully and accurately and unswervingly implement the policies of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," and a high degree of autonomy, implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," grasp Hong Kong's unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world under "one country, two systems," and better integrate into and serve the national development agenda.

Lin Jianfeng, member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that in the 29 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the "one country, two systems" policy has transformed from a scientific concept into a vivid reality, fully proving that the central government's strategic decision is completely correct. He expressed full support for the Chief Executive and the SAR government to govern according to law, and to respond to the central government's expectations with concrete actions. All sectors of Hong Kong should unite and jointly contribute Hong Kong's strength to the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country.

A commentary in Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech is both a strategic guide for the stable and long-term implementation of "one country, two systems" under the Party's leadership and an earnest expectation for over 7 million Hong Kong compatriots to jointly create a new chapter of prosperity, inspiring all sectors of Hong Kong to join hands with the mainland on the new journey of the new era and continue to write a new legend under Lion Rock.

Implement "patriots administering Hong Kong" and gather joint forces for good governance and effective administration.

The century-old great Party is in its prime; the children of Hong Kong strive continuously. As the backbone of the patriotic and pro-Hong Kong forces, the Hong Kong SAR legislature and political groups have strong resonance with the grand blueprint described in General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech.

Li Huiqiong, President of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, listened carefully to General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, filled with excitement and pride. She said that the motherland has always been the biggest backing for Hong Kong's development. Only by adhering to the foundation of "one country" and making good use of the benefits of "two systems" can Hong Kong overcome storms and seize opportunities. In the future, she will lead the Legislative Council team to fully and accurately implement "one country, two systems" and "patriots administering Hong Kong," fully cooperate with the SAR government to promote good governance, and unite all Hong Kong citizens to strive to write a new chapter of Hong Kong's transition from governance to prosperity.

In his important speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau is an inherent requirement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is necessary to fully, accurately, and unswervingly implement the policies of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," "Macau people administering Macau," and a high degree of autonomy, promote the economic and social development of Hong Kong and Macau, and support Hong Kong and Macau in better integrating into and serving the national development agenda.

"This provides fundamental guidance for Hong Kong's practice of 'one country, two systems.'" Chen Keqin, Chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said that the national "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" has expanded tremendous space for Hong Kong's development. The DAB fully supports the SAR government in formulating its first five-year development plan, fully aligning with the national top-level design, and deeply integrating into and serving the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the national development agenda.

Huo Qigang, Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress and member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that the Communist Party of China has led the people to create two miracles: rapid economic development and long-term social stability. The successful practice of Chinese-style modernization has expanded the path for developing countries to achieve modernization. Today's peace and development have been won by countless revolutionary martyrs with their lives and blood; we must remember history and continue to strive.

A commentary in Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech provides clear guidance for Hong Kong to accelerate its march from governance to prosperity. For the practice of "one country, two systems" to proceed steadily and go far, and to open up new development prospects, Hong Kong must closely adhere to the core positioning of "serving national rejuvenation" and find its own development coordinates.

Exert unique advantages, deeply integrate into and serve the national development agenda.

Profoundly understanding the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and combining it with Hong Kong's unique advantages, people from all walks of life spoke freely about development and the future, responsibilities and commitments.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech made me more deeply realize that Hong Kong's confidence lies in the motherland, and Hong Kong's opportunities lie in the motherland." She Decong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from Hong Kong and Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Fujianese Associations Federation, said that in the national development agenda, Hong Kong is striving to become a more active "contributor." Facing the historic opportunities brought by the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan," Hong Kong must truly realize the "two-way empowerment" of what the country needs and what Hong Kong excels at.

Lu Jinrong, President of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, said that Hong Kong is connected to the motherland by lifelines, constantly reminding Hong Kong businessmen to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Only by relying on its unique advantages, always adhering to the foundation of "one country" and making good use of the benefits of "two systems," can Hong Kong continuously create new development prospects and continue to demonstrate strong resilience and vitality in global competition.

Li Minbin, Deputy Director of the Social and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Co-Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia, said that precisely because it has a strong motherland as its backing, Hong Kong can calmly respond to various risks and challenges and consolidate its status as an international financial center. Hong Kong is not only a beneficiary of national development but also must be a participant in national development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that youth are the fresh force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Huang Jinda, Chairman of the Hong Kong Elite Association, said that the excellent qualities of the Communist Party of China have forged a strong and powerful world's largest governing party. These qualities are not only the success code of the Communist Party of China but also provide guidance for Hong Kong youth groups to move forward.

Zhuang Jiabin, Chairman of the Hong Kong Youth Activities Committee for All Sectors, said that Hong Kong youth in the new era must cherish the "greatest concerns of the country," consciously integrate their personal ideals and pursuits into the journey of national rejuvenation, and courageously take on major roles and be protagonists at the forefront of national development, showcasing the vitality and responsibility of Hong Kong youth.

(Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, July 4th)

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Accelerate the building of modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature.

By: 本报记者 寇江泽

The State Council recently issued the “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for Beautiful China Construction” (美丽中国建设“十五五”规划) (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). What is the background for the issuance of the Plan? What considerations were there in setting the targets and indicators? How will implementation and enforcement be ensured? The responsible official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (生态环境部) provided an explanation.

Promoting an overall improvement in ecological and environmental quality

The responsible official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment stated that the “Fifteenth Five-Year” period is a crucial stage for Beautiful China Construction, 承前启后 (chéng qián qǐ hòu - “inherit the past and usher in the future,” to build on the past and set a direction for the future), 扩面提质 (kuò miàn tí zhì - “expand the scope and raise the quality”), and achieve a fundamental turnaround in the ecological and environment. Formulating the Plan is conducive to uniting the strength of the whole society and accelerating the building of a modernization in which humans and nature coexist harmoniously.

The Plan runs the deployments of the “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan” outline through its entire text, further refining and concretizing the phased goals, strategic tasks, major projects, and key measures for the “Fifteenth Five-Year” period to support high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. The main line of thinking is as follows——

First, deeply understand the connotation of Beautiful China Construction: “external beauty, internal loveliness, and distinguished temperament.” “External beauty” means the beauty of the ecological environment, which is the most important, most prominent, and most fundamental hallmark of Beautiful China; “internal loveliness” means high-quality development, which is the internal requirement of Beautiful China Construction; “distinguished temperament” means excellent institutional mechanisms, which are the key support for Beautiful China Construction.

Second, comprehensively improve the quality of the ecological environment. Promote the continuous improvement of air quality, accelerate the construction of beautiful rivers and lakes and beautiful bays, deeply advance the treatment of soil and groundwater, solid waste, and emerging pollutants, strengthen ecological protection and restoration, focus on solving the 急难愁盼 (jí nán chóu pàn - “urgent, difficult, anxious, and longed-for,” pressing and difficult problems that people worry about and desire to be solved) issues around the masses, and drive the improvement of ecological and environmental quality from breakthroughs at “points” to an overall elevation across the “surface” nationwide.

Third, advance source treatment through carbon peak and green, low-carbon transformation.

Fourth, seek momentum from deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system, and comprehensively elevate the modernization level of ecological environment governance.

Promoting multi-element, multi-domain coordinated governance and systematic improvement

The Plan is fully aligned with the “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan” outline and the deployments for Beautiful China Construction, and proposes that by 2030, the quality of the ecological environment will be comprehensively improved, and major new progress will be made in Beautiful China Construction.

“Following the overall objective requirements, the Plan sets 18 main indicators across four domains: improvement of ecological and environmental quality, synergistic reduction of pollution and carbon, ecosystem protection, and ecological environment risk prevention and control. Among them, 6 are binding indicators and 12 are projected indicators,” said the responsible official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The Plan focuses on coordinated efforts to strengthen advantages and shore up weaknesses, promote multi-element, multi-domain coordinated governance and systematic improvement, and deploys seven areas of key tasks.

Deeply fight the battles to defend blue skies, clear waters, and clean soil, including promoting continuous improvement of air quality, strengthening water ecological environment protection, deepening marine ecological environment protection, and enhancing soil, groundwater, and rural ecological environment protection.

Fully implement actions for solid waste and emerging pollutant treatment, including implementing comprehensive treatment of solid waste, strengthening heavy metal pollution prevention and control, and deepening emerging pollutant treatment.

Coordinate and advance ecosystem optimization, including consolidating the national ecological barrier, implementing ecological protection and restoration, strengthening biodiversity conservation, and reinforcing supervision of ecological protection and restoration.

In addition, the key tasks also include actively responding to climate change, accelerating the formation of green production and lifestyle, firmly guarding the safety bottom line of Beautiful China Construction, and improving the guarantee system for Beautiful China Construction.

Persisting in sustained efforts to ensure that all tasks and measures are implemented and produce results

The responsible official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment stated that the Plan proposes and plans 20 major projects with strong supporting and leading roles.

In the aspect of the battles to defend blue skies, clear waters, and clean soil, engineering projects are proposed for air pollution prevention and control upgrading, water ecological environment treatment and protection and restoration, marine ecological environment protection and restoration, and soil pollution source prevention and control and treatment.

In the aspect of solid waste and emerging pollutant treatment, engineering projects are proposed for investigation, rectification, and comprehensive utilization of environmental risk hazards from industrial solid waste, and for improving the quality and efficiency of hazardous waste utilization and disposal facilities.

In the aspect of ecosystem optimization, engineering projects are proposed for protection and restoration of important ecosystems, and for biodiversity conservation and supervision.

In the aspect of responding to climate change, engineering projects are proposed for energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries and sectors, non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emission reduction, and digital-intelligent management of greenhouse gas emissions.

“We must 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - “persist in sustained efforts for a long time,” to keep at it unremittingly to achieve results) to ensure that all tasks and measures of the Plan are implemented and produce results,” said the responsible official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Strengthen the implementation of responsibilities. Implement well the performance assessment of Beautiful China Construction results in accordance with regulations. Promote relevant departments to synergistically advance the implementation of the Plan according to their respective responsibilities.

Strengthen project implementation. Give play to the leading and leveraging role of government funds, explore social capital investment and financing models and financial support models for regional environmental protection construction projects according to local conditions, and strengthen guarantees for funds and production factors.

Carry out monitoring and evaluation. Conduct assessments of the progress of Beautiful China Construction, and promote the experiences, practices, and landmark achievements of Beautiful China Construction. At the same time, strengthen the whole-process management of dynamic monitoring and analysis, mid-term evaluation, and final evaluation of the Plan implementation progress, and track and supervise the implementation of the Plan's tasks.

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Tianjin Advances Deep Integration of Technological and Industrial Innovation (Vibrant China Research Tour)

By: 本报记者 葛孟超 靳 博 龚相娟

At Tianjin Port's second container terminal, wind turbine blades rotate; beneath colorful quay cranes, large container ships are undergoing loading and unloading operations, while intelligent horizontal transport robots shuttle in an orderly manner.

"As the world's first smart zero-carbon port, our independently developed intelligent horizontal transport system, integrated with a new-generation terminal operating system, deeply incorporates technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, achieving fully intelligent, unmanned operations for the entire container handling process. The integrated wind-solar-storage green energy system generates approximately 60 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, achieving self-sufficiency in green electricity and zero carbon emissions throughout the entire process," introduced Ren Wei (任伟), Executive Director of Tianjin Port Second Container Terminal Co., Ltd. From January to April this year, Tianjin Port completed a cargo throughput of 197 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%; it completed a container throughput of 8.4 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%.

In February 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during his inspection in Tianjin that it is necessary to persist in grasping both technological innovation and industrial innovation together, strengthen the construction of science and technology parks, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and drive the development of manufacturing toward high-end, intelligent, and green directions.

Based on its functional positioning, Tianjin promotes the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, building itself at a high level into a national advanced manufacturing R&D base. Strategic emerging industries account for over 30% of the output value of industries above designated size.

Focusing on key industrial chains, Tianjin shapes new advantages for innovative development. Entering the CNOOC Engineering Tianjin Intelligent Manufacturing Base, over 700 sets of intelligent production equipment precisely manipulate steel components weighing dozens of tons, achieving intelligent processes from material entry to marking, assembly, grinding, welding, and more.

"This is our independently developed flexible manufacturing intelligent welding robot for marine engineering, which applies more than 10 innovative technologies including visual recognition and multi-layer, multi-pass intelligent path planning welding. It can adapt to pipes of different specifications and complex welding angles, with a first-pass welding qualification rate exceeding 98%," said Wang Chao (王超), Deputy Manager of the Structural Pipe Manufacturing Department at the CNOOC Engineering Tianjin Intelligent Manufacturing Base.

A relevant official from the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology introduced that this year, Tianjin has adjusted and optimized 12 key industrial chains, transformed and upgraded advantageous industrial chains such as green petrochemicals, automobiles, and light industry; developed and strengthened pillar industrial chains including new-generation information technology, high-end equipment, new energy, new materials, biomedicine, and modern traditional Chinese medicine; and vigorously cultivated industrial chains such as aerospace and intelligent robotics. Among these, the intelligent robotics industrial chain has formed a complete chain covering key components, complete machines, control systems, and application services. From January to April, the output value of enterprises above designated size in this industrial chain increased by 12.8% year-on-year, and their added value grew by 17.5%.

Focusing on future industries, Tianjin accelerates the cultivation of new quality productive forces. In the exhibition hall of Sugon Information Industry Co., Ltd. (曙光信息产业股份有限公司), located in the Binhai High-Tech Zone, a computer is "taking a bath" in a glass tank. "This is the immersion liquid cooling technology we developed, which can efficiently dissipate heat for computing equipment and reduce energy consumption by approximately 40%," said Ren Jingyang (任京暘), Senior Vice President of the company.

Combining its innovation resources and industrial foundation, Tianjin focuses on laying out six major fields: future manufacturing, life sciences, future information, new energy sources, future materials, and aerospace and deep-sea exploration. In directions such as synthetic biology and brain-computer interaction, Tianjin has established the first batch of four municipal-level future industry pilot zones.

Focusing on platform construction, Tianjin accelerates the industrialization of innovation achievements. At the State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology of Nankai University, Professor Gong Hongri's (贡红日) team uses artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of new drug R&D, with multiple new drugs having advanced to the clinical translation stage.

Relying on a full-chain industry-university-research integration innovation system of "basic research—technology development—business incubation—industrial translation," the laboratory has achieved multiple breakthroughs "from 0 to 1." The basic research results of the laboratory can be directly connected to enterprises, while simultaneously opening up two-way talent flow channels, supporting university researchers to leave their posts and start businesses, and allowing enterprise technical experts to join the laboratory for joint research.

Tianjin has gathered 81 national-level enterprise technology centers, 15 national industrial technology basic public service platforms, and other high-level industrial innovation carriers.

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Three departments issue document to regulate establishment and registration of international science and technology organizations

Beijing, July 4 (Reporter Wu Chuqi (吴储岐)) — The reporter learned from the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部): To support the establishment and active role of international science and technology organizations in China and to further regulate their registration, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology (科技部), and the China Association for Science and Technology (中国科协) have formulated the Guidelines for the Registration of International Science and Technology Organizations (国际科技组织成立登记指引), which clarify the conditions for establishment, application procedures, etc.

According to the introduction, the registration guidelines apply to international science and technology organizations that apply for registration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, that is, international (or regional), non-profit, non-governmental social group legal persons initiated jointly by Chinese and foreign institutions of higher education, scientific research institutes, science and technology organizations, enterprises, or individuals, established and registered within China, and aimed at promoting international cooperation, international exchange, and international governance in the fields of natural science and engineering technology. The initiation and establishment of international social organizations in the fields of economy, education, culture, health, sports, environmental protection, etc., may refer to and apply these guidelines.

The registration guidelines require that to establish an international science and technology organization, there must be appropriate Chinese and foreign initiators, who shall be the initial members; there must be a standardized name, which shall be approved in accordance with the relevant state regulations and shall bear words such as "International," "World," "Global," "Asia," etc., reflecting the international or regional nature of the organization; there must be legal assets and sources of funding, with the activity funds at the time of establishment being donated funds of no less than 2 million yuan, etc.

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May China-Africa Friendship Roll Forward Like This Train (2026 China-Africa Cultural and People-to-People Exchange Year)

By: 本报记者 关皓宇

Looking out the window of train Y840 from Lhasa, Tibet to Xining, Qinghai, the mountains recede into the distance, and among the blue waters and green grass, herds of yaks can be seen from time to time. Benjamin Mbimbi, Assistant Director of the Railway Transport Services Department of the Tanzanian Ministry of Transport, looked into the distance: "To be able to travel by train across the snow-covered plateau at an altitude of 4,000 meters, I want to pay tribute to the Chinese engineers."

Recently, the "African Railway Talents Qinghai-Tibet Tour" activity, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, was held in Tibet and Qinghai. Nineteen railway authority officials, railway operation backbone personnel from African countries such as Ethiopia and Zambia, and several African diplomatic envoys to China, through forms such as train ride experiences, on-site visits, and exchange seminars, gained in-depth understanding of the development concepts embodied in the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, promoted exchanges in the China-Africa railway field, and continuously tightened the bonds of China-Africa friendly cooperation.

"China's experience in railway engineering, technological innovation, safety management, and operations is worth learning from."

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. This "steel dragon," with a total length of 1,956 kilometers and traversing 550 kilometers of permafrost region, is currently the world's highest-altitude and longest plateau railway on average.

In the dispatch hall of the Lhasa Infrastructure Section of China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group Co., Ltd. located in Lhasa city, the large screen displays real-time data on train and railway line maintenance conditions; in the comprehensive monitoring and analysis room, staff quickly issue instructions based on risk conditions, and operation and maintenance work proceeds in an orderly manner.

"In Kenya, railway maintenance is a big problem. A maintenance worker needs to walk 5 kilometers a day for manual inspections," said Edgar Lugonzo, senior engineer of the Kenya Railways Corporation. Unified management of monitoring, dispatching, maintenance, and other work enables real-time problem detection and rapid resolution. China's management experience provides valuable inspiration. "I hope such a system can also be established in Kenya."

At the Lhasa Locomotive and Rolling Stock Preparation Center, robots monitoring the running gear and air pipes at both ends are waving their arms, "busy" under the locomotives. "The large scale of the workshop and advanced equipment provide a reference for the future development of the TAZARA Railway," said Hemed Msangi, head of the Marketing Department of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority. In November 2025, the TAZARA Railway revitalization project officially started, with China, Tanzania, and Zambia joining hands to modernize the infrastructure of the TAZARA Railway. "We look forward to seeing a more efficient and more prosperous TAZARA Railway."

Cuthbert Malindi, General Manager of Zambia Railways Limited, said that Zambia's railways are currently facing difficulties such as aging equipment and backward technology, and plans to refurbish rolling stock and upgrade signaling and communications in the next three years. "I hope that the new technologies and equipment seen during this activity can be introduced to Zambia."

"How to overcome the permafrost environment," "What challenges are faced in operations," "Is railway technical training possible"... At the Railway Construction and Development Symposium held in Lhasa, the visiting delegation learned about the Qinghai-Tibet Railway construction experience and asked questions and exchanged views on a series of technical and operational maintenance difficulties.

"This railway can be called a great miracle," said Nkumbu Siame, Director of the Transport Department of Zambia. "China's experience in railway engineering, technological innovation, safety management, and operations is worth learning from. We look forward to China's experience continuing to help modernize Africa's railway systems. We hope that Zambia and China can advance more cooperation projects under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and build platforms for connectivity and people-to-people exchanges."

"When innovation, strategic vision, and cooperation go hand in hand, even the greatest challenges can be overcome."

The visiting delegation took the train over Tanggula Station, the highest-altitude station on the entire Qinghai-Tibet Railway line, passed through the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, and experienced this "sky road" on the roof of the world.

Outside the window, Lake Cuona (错那湖) shimmered with silver light, merging with the distant mountains, rivers, and sky. Malindi sighed with emotion: "The scenery where water and sky merge into one color fascinates me. Here, ecological protection and technological development are integrated."

Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway are three national nature reserves: Hoh Xil, Three-River Source, and Seling Co (色林错). To protect the local ecology, trains strictly implement the "zero pollution, zero emissions" operation standard, while orderly advancing railway electrification transformation, innovatively using vegetation transplanting and regeneration technology to protect the plateau meadow, and 33 dedicated wildlife migration passages have been set up along the line.

"Wild yaks and Tibetan wild asses pass beneath our feet," said Lugonzo. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has also built dedicated migration passages for wildlife and installed soundproofing devices to prevent disturbing wildlife. "China's ecological protection experience in railway construction is also reflected in Kenya."

"The vehicle runs very smoothly, a cup of water placed on the table won't spill, and the noise is not loud," said Mbimbi. "In Tanzania, the main challenge for railway operations is the construction of mountain sections. The experience of Chinese engineers in digging tunnels and building bridges is worth learning from."

"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a model of global railway engineering, built under extreme conditions such as high altitude and permafrost, fully demonstrating China's ability to build modern infrastructure while protecting the ecology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," said Ahmed Ismail, Technical Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti. "For Djibouti, the experience of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is extremely precious. It shows us: when innovation, strategic vision, and cooperation go hand in hand, even the greatest challenges can be overcome."

"Although the journey from Africa to China is long, we return with a full load (mǎn zài ér guī - "return with a full load," i.e., to return with great gains)."

At the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Spirit Exhibition Hall in Xining city, Sadiki Minja, Deputy Director of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, lingered for a long time in front of a hand-cranked telephone. This telephone had been used in the construction of the Lanzhou-Qinghai Railway—this railway was the first main railway line on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, accumulating valuable experience for the subsequent construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

"When the TAZARA Railway was fully opened to traffic in 1976, we used the same model of telephone. Seeing this familiar 'old buddy' here today reminds me of the stories from back then," said Minja. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the full opening of the TAZARA Railway. Fifty years ago, Africa and China joined hands to overcome difficulties and built the railway. "This telephone bears witness to the traditional friendship between Africa and China."

Zambian Ambassador to China Chiulu stated that the China-aided TAZARA Railway promoted trade prosperity in Zambia, and Africa-China infrastructure cooperation continuously empowers Africa-China relations. "The fundamental character of Africa-China cooperation is pragmatism and win-win outcomes."

"From the roof of Africa to the roof of the world, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway echo each other across the distance," said Tafila Debe Imam, Ethiopian Ambassador to China. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, built by Chinese enterprises, has brought enormous development dividends to Ethiopia.

Feichum Hailu, Regional Manager of the Ethiopian Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway Operation Company, said: "In Ethiopia, Chinese railway personnel are active in multiple fields such as construction, operation, and maintenance. Chinese railway personnel are experienced and willing to share." He said that he has gained a lot from his work, and has close ties with Chinese colleagues outside of work. "We are very good friends."

"Although the journey from Africa to China is long, we return with a full load." Dereje Moges, Director of Railway Service Supervision of the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics, said: "We learn from the experience of Chinese railway personnel and always take them as our role models."

On the train, members of the visiting delegation engaged in enthusiastic exchanges with crew members and technical experts. The African friends took the initiative to learn Chinese from passengers and crew on the train. "A cup of black tea, thank you," Mubarek Megersa, Regional Manager of the Ethiopian Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway Operation Company, said in his newly learned Chinese to a passing crew member.

Siame said: "We firmly believe that the friendships established, experiences shared, and knowledge gained during this journey will further tighten the bonds of Africa-China friendship and help both sides move toward a future of common prosperity."

"Activities like this allow us to better understand each other and further consolidate Africa-China relations. May Africa-China friendship rumble forward like this train," said Lugonzo.

(Yang Qihong contributed to the reporting.)

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The CPC Always Strives for the People's Interests

By: 本报记者 陈一鸣

“China’s development achievements are not only reflected in economic growth data, but also in the continuous improvement of people’s quality of life and the confidence and vitality demonstrated by the whole society.” Leonardo Attuch, editor-in-chief of Brazil 247 News Network, recently said in an exclusive interview with our reporter that the Communist Party of China has always adhered to putting the people first, adhered to advancing modernization based on China’s actual conditions, continuously enabling the fruits of development to benefit the people more and more fairly, while also contributing important strength to promoting world peace and development.

As a well-known Brazilian media figure and international affairs observer, Attuch has visited China many times in recent years. Since last year, he has visited China five times, setting foot in places including Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei, and Macao. This June, he just concluded his most recent trip to China. Each in-depth interview and on-site visit has given him a deeper understanding of the concepts of the Communist Party of China adhering to putting people first, advancing Chinese-style modernization, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

“China has become one of the countries I pay most attention to,” Attuch said. Every visit to China brings new gains. What impressed him most is the great achievements of China’s high-quality development: from modern infrastructure construction to the widespread application of digital technology, from the convenient and efficient transportation system to the thriving innovation ecosystem, the fruits of China’s high-quality development have been deeply integrated into the daily lives of the people.

Attuch pays close attention to the inspiration that Chinese-style modernization brings to developing countries. He stated that the key reason why the Communist Party of China has been in power for a long time and won people’s support lies in its consistent adherence to the people-centered development philosophy. “The Communist Party of China has always strived unremittingly for the interests of the people,” he said. Another important advantage in governance displayed by the Communist Party of China, he noted, is the organic combination of long-term planning with sustained execution, continuously advancing major project construction and reform and development tasks around established development goals. “In infrastructure construction, China often makes advance layouts and systematic planning.” Attuch believes that this long-term-oriented development concept reflects the CPC’s outstanding strategic leadership capability and also fully embodies the excellent quality of the CPC bravely undertaking its historical mission and always maintaining strategic initiative. “Public support, institutional continuity, and a long-term development vision together constitute an important foundation for China’s success,” Attuch said.

Attuch stated that China’s sustained economic development, continuous breakthroughs in technological innovation, and maintained social stability have brought the people stronger confidence in development and a sense of gain. “Only a political party that always takes root among the people and continually adapts to the development of the times can continuously win the trust of the people and persistently stimulate the development vitality of the whole society.”

China has become an important partner for Global South countries, including Latin American countries. “Through investment cooperation, technology transfer, industrial collaboration, and infrastructure construction, it promotes common development,” Attuch said. This cooperation model has helped developing countries raise their level of industrialization and capacity for independent development.

In Attuch’s view, the world today has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, and countries need more than ever to strengthen cooperation and jointly address global challenges. He highly endorses China’s continuous promotion of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and believes that the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative proposed by China have provided important public goods for improving global governance and promoting common development, demonstrating China’s sense of responsibility as a major country.

Attuch said that China’s development achievements are worthy of in-depth study by the world. “I believe that the Communist Party of China will continue to lead China in advancing modernization, firmly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and make new and greater contributions to promoting world peace, development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes,” Attuch said.

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From "Made in China" to "Created in China": How Chinese Brands Win Global Fans

By: 戴维·黑格

From the scale advantages of "Made in China" to the value leap of "Created in China," Chinese brands are continuously demonstrating stronger competitiveness in the global market.

When people mention China, they often first think of large-scale production bases, stable and efficient supply chain systems, and products that are good in quality and low in price. Over the past decades, relying on its outstanding manufacturing capabilities, complete industrial system, and stable export capacity, China has deeply integrated into the global industrial division of labor, driven rapid economic development, and "Made in China" has become renowned worldwide. Now, as "Made in China" accelerates its transition toward "Created in China," the outside world's impression of China is quietly changing: China is no longer just a global manufacturing powerhouse, but is increasingly becoming fertile ground for nurturing technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and brand growth.

Brands are an important window for observing "Created in China." In 2014, China proposed "promoting the transformation from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China,' from Chinese speed to Chinese quality, and from Chinese products to Chinese brands," charting the direction for brand building. Since then, Chinese brands have gradually moved away from the traditional path of relying solely on price advantages and scale expansion, insist on taking technological innovation as the core, and continuously enhance brand value by relying on exquisite product design, green development concepts, and high-quality consumer experiences. The "2026 China Brand Value Top 500" report released by Brand Finance shows that in 2026, the total value of China's top 500 brands exceeded $2.1 trillion, an increase of 7.6% over the previous year; brands such as Douyin, BYD, Huawei, and Alibaba performed impressively, demonstrating the strong strength of Chinese enterprises in frontier fields such as the digital economy, green transformation, and artificial intelligence.

Currently, global consumer demand is undergoing profound changes. Consumers not only focus on product functions but also increasingly value the aesthetic taste and cultural value carried by products. With their unique cultural connotations and consumption experiences, Chinese brands are gaining recognition from more and more global consumers. In 2025, Labubu became a global sensation, serving as a vivid microcosm of Chinese trendy culture and original intellectual property going global. In 2026, Pop Mart entered the Brand Finance "China Brand Value Top 500" list for the first time, ranking 106th with a brand value of $3 billion, becoming an important marker of the growth of local Chinese cultural brands. The widespread popularity of Labubu fully demonstrates that China can not only manufacture high-quality products, but also create cultural content, build consumption experiences, and evoke emotional resonance.

The enhancement of Chinese brands' global influence is rooted in the continuous strengthening of China's overall soft power. The "2026 Global Soft Power Index" report released by Brand Finance shows that China is the only country among the top ten in global soft power rankings whose score increased, ranking first globally in multiple indicators, reflecting that the international community's perception of China is undergoing positive changes. A more favorable international perception environment helps Chinese brands expand overseas markets and win consumer trust; the continuous growth of Chinese brands in the global market further enhances the outside world's understanding and recognition of China, forming a virtuous cycle of mutual reinforcement. In addition, as China's visa-free "circle of friends" continues to expand, more and more overseas tourists are able to experience Chinese brands and Chinese culture up close, continuously improving overseas audiences' awareness of and trust in China, and laying a solid audience foundation for Chinese brands to go global.

The growth of Chinese brands reflects the profound transformation of China's economic structure and development momentum, and also demonstrates China's development direction of adhering to open cooperation and innovation-driven growth. From the scale advantages of "Made in China" to the value leap of "Created in China," Chinese brands are continuously demonstrating stronger competitiveness in the global market. As more Chinese enterprises improve quality through innovation, forge value through culture, and expand markets through openness, Chinese brands will inevitably play a more important role in global economic development and continuously contribute Chinese strength to world economic development.

(The author is the Chairman of Brand Finance, an international brand valuation institution, and Chairman of the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee on Brand Evaluation.)

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Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson meets with Wang Yi

Stockholm, July 4 (Xinhua) -- (Reporter Zhu Haochen (朱昊晨)) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson met with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Stockholm on the 4th.

Kristersson asked Wang Yi to convey his best wishes to the Chinese leader, stated that Sweden and China have a long history of friendly exchanges between the two countries and their peoples, that the Swedish side admires Chinese culture and innovative spirit, and appreciates the remarkable development achievements China has attained. The Swedish government adheres to the One-China policy and is willing to strengthen dialogue with the Chinese side, expand consensus, and advance mutually beneficial, promising cooperation across various fields. The Swedish side supports stronger dialogue between Europe and China and proper handling of their differences.

Wang Yi conveyed the Chinese leader's greetings to Prime Minister Kristersson, stated that the history of China-Sweden exchanges can be traced back to the period of the ancient Silk Road. Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with New China, which demonstrates the Swedish side's independence and strategic foresight, and also played a model role in the world. China-Sweden relations have encountered some difficulties in recent years; strengthening dialogue, enhancing understanding, and rebuilding mutual trust are especially important for both sides, and upholding correct mutual perceptions is even more crucial.

Wang Yi said that the Communist Party of China, in its long-term governance, has always received the heartfelt support of the Chinese people, maintaining the continuity and stability of its domestic and foreign policies, injecting valuable certainty into the world. When China is doing well, the world will be even better, and this will also provide new opportunities for countries including Sweden. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with the Swedish side, leverage complementary advantages, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and steer China-Sweden relations onto a path of healthy, stable, and sustainable development. It is hoped that the Swedish side can also play a constructive role in promoting China-Europe relations.

During the visit, Wang Yi also held talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and met with Jacob Wallenberg, Chairman of Investor AB (银瑞达集团).

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President Ndeitunga of the Republic of Namibia to Pay State Visit to China Starting Today

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the Republic of Namibia will pay a state visit to China from July 5 to 11.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, female, 74 years old. She has served as President of the Republic of Namibia since 2025. This visit is President Nandi-Ndaitwah's first visit to China since taking office.
(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 4)

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China Continues Aid to Africa for Ebola Prevention and Control

By: 本报记者 邹 松

Currently, the Ebola prevention and control situation in Africa is severe and complex, and the WHO has designated 11 African countries as high-risk areas. On July 3 local time, China’s second batch of anti-epidemic medical expert team arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to take over the work of the first expert team and carry on the relay of international cooperation in Ebola prevention and control. This is another action by China to assist the Ebola-affected areas in the DRC and Uganda.

As one of the first international professional forces to arrive in the DRC to carry out epidemic prevention and control, the first batch of Chinese anti-epidemic medical expert team, which departed on June 2, quickly opened up the work situation after arrival. The five experts held multiple meetings with DRC government departments, visited medical and health research institutions, held discussions with diplomatic missions of various countries in the DRC, the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and relevant non-governmental organizations, established extensive working contacts, and shared epidemic information and prevention and control experience; promptly assessed the Ebola epidemic, guided the Chinese medical aid team stationed in the DRC to complete whole-process emergency plans for designated hospitals, including pre-examination triage, screening, treatment, hospital infection control, etc., and urged their implementation; adopted various forms such as offline interviews and online lectures to impart knowledge on the prevention and control of infectious diseases such as Ebola and malaria to Chinese institutions and overseas Chinese in the DRC, enhancing epidemic prevention and control capabilities.

Based on the on-site assessment by the first expert team, the five experts of the second batch come from professional fields including public health, clinical treatment, infection prevention and control, laboratory testing, and epidemiological quarantine. The expert team will focus on deepening institutional ties with relevant agencies in the DRC and international organizations such as the WHO, promoting cooperation between relevant domestic institutions and relevant institutions in the DRC and Uganda, and also advancing the implementation and effectiveness of the prevention plans formulated by the first expert team. This round of the Ebola epidemic is protracted and complex; China will focus on cooperating with local disease control departments and providing technical support to the locality.

It is reported that the expert team will support the prevention and control efforts of the African Union and the WHO, and will deeply coordinate with Chinese medical teams aiding the DRC and Uganda, forming a joint operational pattern of frontline expert teams assault + foreign aid medical teams hold the baseline (前线专家组攻坚+援外医疗队守底).

China has stationed 44 foreign aid medical teams in 43 African countries. After the outbreak of this epidemic, all Chinese foreign aid medical teams activated emergency plans at the first opportunity, carried out epidemic prevention science popularization, and continuously cooperated with local medical personnel to consolidate grassroots diagnosis and treatment capabilities.

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"Six Networks" Build Modern Infrastructure System

By: 本报记者 李心萍 韩 鑫 王云杉

Investment of 77.2 billion yuan! The Three Gorges New Water Transport Channel Project (三峡水运新通道工程) officially commences construction, the "golden waterway" ushers in a new leap;
Maximum altitude reaches 5,300 meters! The Tibet-Guangdong HVDC Project (藏粤直流工程) is in full swing, snowmelt transforms into clean electrical energy, taking only 9 milliseconds to span 2,681 kilometers;
Capacity leaps tenfold! The first pre-6G test network in China is officially put into operation in Nanjing, Jiangsu, future communications enter a new stage of system capability verification.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Optimize the layout, structure, function, and system integration of infrastructure, and build a modern infrastructure system."
The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on April 28 pointed out: strengthen the planning and construction of water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, new-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, logistics networks, and others.
Thoroughly implementing the important directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, various regions and departments strive to advance the construction of a modern infrastructure system represented by the "six networks" (六张网), from vast misty waves to mist-shrouded mountain peaks, from underground utility corridors to computing power hubs—a scene of bustle and order prevails.

Coordinating the new and the old, the "six networks" accelerate implementation
The "six networks" include water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, new-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, and logistics networks. At present, the construction of the "six networks" is constantly refreshing the "progress bar."

Shoring up weaknesses, upgrading capacity levels, upgrading traditional infrastructure.
On June 3, the backbone project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the Pinglu Canal (平陆运河), achieved full-waterway connectivity and is expected to open to navigation in September. As the first canal built since the founding of New China that connects rivers to the sea, the Pinglu Canal has a total length of 134.2 kilometers and can accommodate 5,000-ton-class vessels for direct river-sea transport.
This is a vivid portrayal of China's logistics sector shoring up weaknesses and linking into networks. Currently, China has built the world's largest high-speed railway network and expressway network, but the water transport system has not yet formed a network, and the proportion of multimodal freight transport is relatively low. Planning and constructing multiple canals, promoting the accelerated networking of national high-grade waterways, the logistics network is expected to achieve a transformation from "having" to "good," from "connected" to "smooth."

Laying foundations, seeking development, improving new-type infrastructure.
In Yangjiang, Guangdong, a gigawatt-level computing power center is rapidly "submerging" tens of meters below the sea. Sinking the computing power center to the seabed serves two purposes: first, to utilize the Yangjiang ten-million-kilowatt offshore wind power base to achieve direct supply of green electricity; second, to rely on natural seawater cooling to reduce energy consumption, improving energy efficiency by more than 30% compared to traditional data centers.
In the future, this will become a globally leading marine computing power industry base, creating a new model of computing-power-grid coordination.
New-type power grids, computing power networks, and new-generation communication networks are likened to the "water, electricity, and coal" of the artificial intelligence era. Currently, China is accelerating the construction of computing power networks; the total scale of intelligent computing can support the simultaneous training of dozens of billion-parameter large models. At the same time, China is promoting the transformation of power grids toward safe and reliable, green and low-carbon, strong and resilient, intelligent and flexible directions, accelerating the construction of new-generation communication networks covering 5G, 5G-A, future 6G mobile communication networks, as well as 10-gigabit optical networks, satellite internet, and others.

Strengthening weak links, benefiting people's livelihoods, improving public wellbeing.
The "six networks," ultimately, are "livelihood networks," ultimately aiming to improve the wellbeing and living standards of the common people.
Deep in the Qinba Mountains (秦巴山脉), the landmark project of the national water network, the Yangtze-to-Han River Water Diversion Project (引江补汉工程), has seen total main tunnel excavation exceeding 29 kilometers. In the future, 194.7 kilometers of pipelines will help increase the annual water diversion volume of the South-to-North Water Diversion Central Route from 9.5 billion cubic meters to 11.51 billion cubic meters.
In Qingdao, Shandong, trenchless technology is used to "renew" old pipelines in place; in Chongqing, smart sensing terminals are deployed to transform underground pipeline networks from passive emergency repair to active early warning... Underground, a more secure and resilient invisible network is solidifying the city's lifeline.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will accelerate the construction of a modern water network, improve water resource allocation and water supply guarantee systems, and construct and renovate approximately 770,000 kilometers of gas, water supply and drainage, and heating pipeline networks.

Balancing the near and the far, the "six networks" store energy and improve quality
In the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," why have the "six networks" become a hot topic and how should the development logic behind them be understood? It is worth observing from both the far and near perspectives.
Looking at the present, the "six networks" focus on tapping "potential," expanding effective investment and domestic demand space.
At the Three Gorges dam area, water surges, the river is wide, and the banks are green. Not far away, the Three Gorges New Water Transport Channel Project is in full swing; excavators are arrayed, steel giant arms rise and fall, and the outline of leveled land is taking shape.
As an important deployment integrating the logistics network and the water network, the multiplier effect of the Three Gorges New Water Transport Channel Project is significant—
During construction, tens of billions of yuan in investment involve a large amount of earth and rock excavation and concrete pouring. The massive physical workload will comprehensively drive upstream and downstream industrial chains such as cement, steel, and construction machinery, and translate into tangible market orders.
After completion, 10,000-ton vessels can directly reach the southwestern hinterland, and bulk commodities from the Chengdu-Chongqing and other southwestern regions will be able to reach the sea via rivers with lower costs and higher efficiency. According to preliminary estimates, the annual shipping benefits could reach 16.4 billion yuan.
Some institutions estimate that the multiplier effect brought by traditional infrastructure is about 1.5 times, while the multiplier effect of the "six networks" is about twice that of traditional infrastructure. As the "six networks" accelerate implementation, such multiplier effects will be seen in more scenarios—
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, investment in national water network construction will exceed 6 trillion yuan, adding more than 3 million new jobs; investment in new-type power grids will exceed 5 trillion yuan, driving total upstream and downstream investment to exceed 10 trillion yuan; construction and renovation of underground pipeline networks will drive investment of about 5 trillion yuan...
"The 'six networks' have reliable demand, huge investment, and good benefits, and are of positive significance for expanding domestic demand, stabilizing growth, and promoting employment," said Xing Wei (邢伟), a researcher at the National Development and Reform Commission's Macroeconomic Research Institute (国家发展改革委宏观经济研究院). Estimates show that this year alone, the investment scale of the 'six networks' and related key areas of construction will exceed 7 trillion yuan.
Looking to the long term, the "six networks" point to cultivating "new," accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces (新质生产力).
On the shore of Guanting Lake (官厅湖) in Huailai (怀来), Hebei, at the Qinhu Data headquarters base, more than ten modern data centers are neatly arranged; not far away, a brand-new computing power center is breaking ground; in the newly built computer room, "upgraded" high-density cabinets flash blue light, delivering computing power about ten times that of traditional cabinets.
Green computing power surges, transforming into a data foundation for industrial transformation and upgrading: in Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, a manufacturing enterprise uses a computing power platform to complete industrial large-model training, achieving full-process intelligent control on the production line; in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, relying on high-density computing power, new energy vehicle companies conduct autonomous driving scenario simulations, continuously shortening the model iteration cycle...
It is not just the computing power network; the accelerated deployment of 5G-A networks opens a new entry point for the Internet of Everything; the vast electrical energy transmitted by new-type power grids accelerates "computing-power-grid coordination" in the intelligent era... Weaving the "six networks" dense, allowing new quality productive forces to continuously emerge and aggregate, is precisely the concrete manifestation of institutional advantages and the advantages of a major country.

Grasping breaking and establishing, scientifically building the "six networks"
From blueprint to reality, how to build the "six networks" more scientifically in the next step? This hides three sets of thought-provoking dialectics.

Coordinating government and market, combining sources and flows, solving the funding problem.
When it comes to the construction of the "six networks," the most concerning issue for people is where the money comes from. Looking to the past, traditional infrastructure often relied more on government investment. However, the huge modern infrastructure system of the "six networks" cannot rely solely on the "one-man show" of fiscal funds.
The key to breaking the deadlock lies in diversified participation. On one hand, the "visible hand" of the government exerts precise force. This year, 755 billion yuan of central budget investment and 1 trillion yuan of ultra-long-term special treasury bonds will be basically fully allocated by the end of June, and 800 billion yuan of new-type policy financial instrument funds will also be placed in an orderly manner.
On the other hand, the "invisible hand" of the market is fully activated. Taking the "six networks" opportunity list released by the Nanjing Metropolitan Area as an example, among 152 projects, 31 have released investment demands exceeding 20 billion yuan to social capital, covering operational projects such as new-type power grids, logistics networks, and computing power networks.
Xiao Hongwei (肖宏伟), Director of the Policy Simulation Laboratory of the Economic Forecasting Department of the State Information Center (国家信息中心经济预测部政策仿真实验室), said: "The combination of government investment and social capital not only avoids the government taking on everything itself but also effectively stimulates market vitality, achieving value co-creation in investment."

Balancing hard investment and soft construction, achieving both form and spirit, ensuring investment has a way.
Building the "six networks," hard investment is the skeleton, soft construction is the soul.
Take the construction of the computing power network as an example. Building computing power hubs and computing power clusters, laying "highways" for computing power, is hard work. But what the computing power network dispatches and flows are data and computing tasks. How to monitor? How to price? How to make buyers and sellers 一拍即合 (yī pāi jí hé - "strike together at once," come to an agreement instantly)? These soft mechanisms are equally critical.
"Only by exploring and building a sustainable computing power dispatching and operation service mechanism, through mature market-based matchmaking and price discovery mechanisms, promoting rapid matching and flexible trading between computing power supply and demand, can the national integrated computing power network truly operate efficiently," said Zhang Huawei (张华伟), Product Manager of China Mobile's computing power network dispatching platform.

Integrating single points and the overall situation, interweaving points and surfaces, stimulating integration benefits.
Stepping into the leading-level smart factory—Haier Qingdao Central Air Conditioning Interconnection Factory—one can glimpse the charm of multi-network integration.
Here, the computing power network exerts force; AI becomes a "new colleague" in R&D, enabling personalized customization with "one-hour design output"; the new-generation communication network connects, seamlessly linking hundreds of processes, boosting single-shift capacity by 24%; the logistics network shuttles, delivering materials on demand, eliminating piled-up materials in the workshop; the new-type power grid, water network, and urban underground pipeline network provide foundation, with green energy and water circulation in constant supply. With the support of the six networks, the factory of a traditional industry has simultaneously achieved high-end, intelligent, and green transformation.
"If we view the economy and society as an organic whole, different infrastructure networks are like the respiratory, nervous, circulatory and other functional systems in the human body. They must not only have a clear division of labor and perform their respective duties but also intersect, integrate, and operate in coordination, in order to jointly support the efficient and stable operation of the economy and society," said Li Chao (李超), spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission.
Network upon network, crisscrossing, spanning mountains and rivers, lighting up lives. They connect the present and the future, coordinate development and security, smooth the meridians of a major country's development, support the daily lives of ten thousand households, and build a China that is wiser, more resilient, and more vibrant.

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Asia Media Roundtable Held in Beijing

Beijing, July 4 (Our newspaper reporter Sun Guangyong) The Asian Media Roundtable was held on the 3rd at the All-China Journalists Association (中国记协). Representatives from 26 media organizations from 20 Asian countries engaged in in-depth exchanges around the theme of "jointly build a community with a shared future for neighboring countries (共建周边国家命运共同体)". A relevant official of the All-China Journalists Association introduced at the meeting the development of China's journalism, the construction of the "International Journalists' Home (国际记者之家)", and the "Belt and Road" journalist organization cooperation platform, among other related situations.

Participants unanimously believed that the media is a bond of national friendship, a bridge for people-to-people connection, and an important force in jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind. Media of Asian countries should join hands and strengthen cooperation in areas such as mutual visits and exchanges, joint interviews, and artificial intelligence.

Before participating in the roundtable, representatives of media organizations conducted interviews, fact-finding, and discussion exchanges in Beijing, Jiangsu and other places, experiencing firsthand the vivid practice of Chinese-style modernization.

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Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects (A Great Journey)

By: 本报记者 孟祥夫

In 2021, the great Communist Party of China ushered in its centenary.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed on July 1, 2021, at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: “Over the past century, the Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people, with the fearless spirit of ‘we have the ambition to sacrifice more, daring to call the sun and the moon to a new sky,’ writing the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of the Chinese nation’s history.”

The important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping, based on the significant moment of the Communist Party of China’s centenary and the critical juncture of the “two centenary” historical intersection, systematically reviewed the great path forged, the great cause created, and the great achievements gained by the Communist Party of China over the past century in uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups across the country.

“One hundred years ago, what the Chinese nation presented to the world was a scene of decay and decline. Today, what the Chinese nation shows to the world is a thriving and prosperous scene, marching toward great rejuvenation with an unstoppable pace.” General Secretary Xi Jinping incisively summarized the great founding spirit of the Party consisting of “upholding truth and ideals, staying true to the original aspiration and founding mission, shouldering responsibility, defying sacrifice and fighting valiantly, remaining loyal to the Party and faithful to the people,” profoundly expounded the fundamental requirements of taking history as a mirror and creating the future, and issued a great call to all Party members to strive for greater glory for the Party and the people.

Passing through a past of suffering and glory, walking in a present of constant renewal, and moving toward a bright and grand future, the Communist Party of China is committed to the millennia-long cause of the Chinese nation; at one hundred years, it is exactly in its prime.

At the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly declared, “Through the sustained struggle of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, we have achieved the first centenary goal, and have completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the land of China.”

A century of hard struggle, how many vicissitudes. A millennium dream, realized in one morning.

“The extraordinary achievements of China have brought hope and provided inspiration to the entire international community.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres commented thus.

One cannot fully understand the difficulty without going through it. To win the battle against poverty, General Secretary Xi Jinping went to the grassroots more than 50 times to research poverty alleviation work, traveled to all 14 contiguous destitute areas across the country, and based on investigation and research, put forward the concept of targeted poverty alleviation, using it to guide practice, leading by example and setting a shining model for the whole Party of the organic unity of the power of truth and the power of personality.

Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the whole country coordinated like a chessboard, fully mobilizing resources from all sides, cumulatively dispatched 255,000 village-based work teams, over 3 million first secretaries and village-based cadres, who fought together on the poverty alleviation front line with nearly 2 million township cadres and millions of village cadres. Among them, over 1,800 comrades gave their lives on the journey of eliminating poverty, vividly interpreting the original aspiration and mission of Communists.

Huang Wenxiu (黄文秀), Zhang Xiaojuan (张小娟), Jiang Shikun (姜仕坤), Huang Shiyan (黄诗燕)… They measured the people’s feelings with their footsteps, watered hope with their sweat, and charged to the mission with their lives, interpreting the solemn oath of “never withdraw until complete victory.” Each shining name remains forever in the hearts of the people, illuminating the sky of history.

After winning the battle against poverty, the Party Central Committee set up a five-year transition period for consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively linking them with rural revitalization. Our country has firmly held the bottom line of preventing large-scale regression into poverty, and the development vitality of formerly impoverished areas has continued to increase.

In Luotuowan Village (骆驼湾村), Fuping County (阜平县), Hebei Province, relying on the three major industries of tourism, edible fungi, and alpine fruit trees, in 2025 the village’s average per-household income increase exceeded 7,000 yuan, and the village collective income reached 1.14 million yuan; on the land of Longyuan (Gansu), from the Hexi Corridor Silk Road cultural tour to the rural scenery of Zhagana (扎尕那) in Gannan, numerous tourists have been attracted to visit… The formerly impoverished areas are now moving toward the goal of comprehensive rural revitalization.

At the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The 105-year glorious history of the Communist Party of China makes us proud, but we must never become arrogant and complacent, nor stop advancing. By the middle of this century, we will fully build a modern socialist country that is strong, and achieve the second centenary goal.”

On the new journey, if we always consider issues from the people’s standpoint, always take benefiting the people as the greatest achievement, 踔厉奋发 (chuō lì fèn fā - “leap vigorously and rouse to action,” to strive vigorously) and 和衷共济 (hé zhōng gòng jì - “harmonious hearts, cross the river together,” to work together in unity), then there is no cause that cannot be accomplished, no miracle that cannot be created.

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Continuously Strengthening Endogenous Drivers to Promote New, High-Quality, and Favorable Economic Development

XINHUA Changsha, July 4 (Xinhua) — State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong (吴政隆) conducted research in Hubei and Hunan from July 2 to 4. He emphasized that it is necessary to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on July 1, firmly establish and practice the correct view of political performance, firmly grasp high-quality development as the primary task, and with greater intensity and more concrete measures, grasp the implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, strive to achieve the annual economic and social development goals and tasks, and ensure that the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan gets off to a good start and a solid beginning.

Wu Zhenglong successively went to Wuhan in Hubei, and Yueyang and Changsha in Hunan and other places to conduct on-site research on enterprises such as new energy vehicles, industrial mother machines, new materials, chips, and petrochemicals, and held discussions and exchanges with relevant local governments and enterprise principals. He pointed out that since the beginning of this year, China’s economic operation has started steadily, with progress amid stability, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. It is necessary to anchor the annual goals and tasks, strengthen development confidence, make good use of macro policies, closely focus on the key points and difficulties in economic operation and high-quality development to take targeted measures, consolidate and expand the momentum of economic stability and improvement. It is necessary to strive to expand domestic demand, optimize supply, strengthen the planning and construction of the “six networks” (六张网), promote the expansion of capacity and improvement of quality in the service industry, deepen the construction of a unified national market, and further unleash the potential of the super-large market. It is necessary to strengthen the integration of innovation chain and industrial chain, develop new quality productive forces (新质生产力) according to local conditions, promote high-end, intelligent, and green development of manufacturing, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries and future industries, promote artificial intelligence to empower thousands of industries, and fully stimulate the endogenous driving force and vitality of the economy.

Wu Zhenglong emphasized that it is necessary to better coordinate development and security, firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, solidly do a good job in all work such as stabilizing growth, benefiting people’s livelihoods, and preventing risks, continuously improve the execution of implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, transform the sense of responsibility of “always feeling concerned” into the action force of “having confidence in everything,” and effectively enhance the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security.

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Promote the development of both elderly care services and the elderly care industry, and continue to strengthen and expand the cultural tourism industry.

Xinhua News Agency, Xi'an, July 4 – State Councilor Shen Yiqin conducted research on civil affairs, culture and tourism, and other work in Shaanxi from the 2nd to the 4th. She emphasized that it is necessary to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, vigorously promote the development of the elderly care cause and the elderly care industry, and continuously strengthen and expand the culture and tourism industry.

Shen Yiqin successively visited Xianyang and Xi’an, going deep into enterprises, industrial parks, folk culture villages, and other places, to understand in detail the stabilization and expansion of employment, the silver economy, rural tourism, and other situations, and held discussions with local governments, entrepreneurs, and experts. She pointed out that the silver economy involves a wide range of areas, has a long industrial chain, diverse formats, and huge potential. It is necessary to focus on the diversified needs of the elderly, expand product supply, improve quality levels, strengthen business entities, and enhance the quality of life of the people. It is necessary to accelerate the improvement of a hierarchical and classified, inclusive and accessible, covering urban and rural areas, and sustainable development elderly care service system, fully leverage the guiding role of policies such as consumption subsidies, strive to create a number of new silver consumption scenarios and new formats, and continuously transform the challenge of population aging into new opportunities and new driving forces for economic development.

Shen Yiqin emphasized that it is necessary to make good use of local cultural and tourism resources, deeply explore the characteristics of traditional festivals and folk customs, intensify efforts to launch more high-quality cultural products and premium tourism routes, and promote the balanced development of cultural and tourism consumption. It is necessary to actively advance “culture and tourism + all industries” and “all industries + culture and tourism”, increase support for the integrated development of culture-tourism-sports, agriculture-culture-tourism, culture-commerce-tourism, etc., 因势利导 (yīn shì lì dǎo - “follow the trend and guide it,” to guide the situation accordingly) to create new economic growth points, and assist in high-quality economic and social development.

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"Being a Party cadre requires the willingness to bear losses" (July 1 Medal recipient)

By: 本报记者 方 敏

“Loss-taking secretary” (吃亏书记) is the people’s affectionate name for Li Liancheng (李连成). As the Party branch secretary of Xizhuang Village (西辛庄村), Qingzu Town (庆祖镇), Puyang County (濮阳县), Henan Province, he was named a national outstanding Communist Party member in 2001, is a delegate from the 16th to the 20th National Congresses of the Party, and also a deputy to the 10th through 14th National People’s Congresses.

How did Li Liancheng come this far? What is the 75-year-old busy with now?

“Take the lead in suffering losses, cannot take the lead in gaining advantages”

Riding an electric bicycle, the thin and lean Li Liancheng arrives at the Xizhuang Village village committee and gets busy.

“The Party organization gives me honor, I must be worthy of the Party and worthy of the common people,” Li Liancheng said with emotion. “To be a Party cadre, one must have the awareness of willingly suffering losses. Take the lead in suffering losses, cannot take the lead in gaining advantages.”

Xizhuang Village is located in the semi-beach area of the Yellow River, where soil salinization leads to low grain output.

Li Liancheng joined the Party in 1986 and became village Party branch secretary in 1991. He remembers the fellow villagers and wants to promote his successful experience with vegetable greenhouses. “My ability is limited, but I spare no effort; I will help as much as I can,” Li Liancheng told the villagers. “The Communist Party is the Party that leads everyone to a good life. I am a Party member and also the village Party branch secretary, so I must 以身作则 (yǐ shēn zuò zé - “set an example by one’s own conduct”) and fulfill my duties.”

How to make the villagers trust the Party organization and have confidence in the village’s development? Li Liancheng is clear-headed: if cadres are not honest, the cadres and masses will not be united, the village will not develop well, and the villagers will not become rich. He set a rule for himself: do not accept a single cent from the masses.

When the whole village allocated homestead land, Li Liancheng chose the lowest-lying wasteland next to a stinking cesspool. His family objected, but he firmly stated: “I am a Party member and a cadre; I cannot take advantage of the villagers. I have to take this loss.”

“When you are a cadre, you must get things done”

“When you are a cadre, you must get things done.” Li Liancheng is set on hard work and bitter toil. “Leading everyone to seek development, I have this ‘addiction.’”

In 1994, as village Party branch secretary, Li Liancheng took the lead in promoting a shareholding cooperative system and prepared to build a village-run factory. Over more than 30 years, the village has successively built a batch of enterprises with considerable benefits. As the economy and society have changed, labor-intensive factories have gradually receded. Li Liancheng, while learning new ideas and new concepts, leads the village collective on a path of transformation.

Today’s village-run factories include some engaged in modern agriculture, using greenhouse soilless cultivation of tomatoes, and constant temperature and humidity environments to cultivate enoki mushrooms, with uninterrupted production all year round; others do air-conditioning processing, attract outside investment, and are entrusted to professional teams for operation, with the village collective receiving stable dividends and rent. Currently, the annual collective income of Xizhuang Village exceeds 10 million yuan, and the per capita annual income exceeds 40,000 yuan. Under Li Liancheng’s promotion, Xizhuang Village has also united with four surrounding villages to establish a comprehensive demonstration zone, jointly advancing comprehensive rural revitalization.

Once the village collective has money, where should it be used? “Used on the common people.” Li Liancheng’s thinking is firm.

The village hospital is a 16-story building; villagers can get medical treatment and hospitalization reimbursed through the New Cooperative Medical Scheme, with the village also providing a safety net; kindergartens, primary schools, and middle schools are 一应俱全 (yī yīng jù quán - “everything needed is available”) — children have no worries about schooling; water, electricity, gas, internet, and cable TV are all connected, and villagers can use a certain amount of water, electricity, and gas free each month.

In addition to improving people’s livelihood, ecological construction is also advancing simultaneously. The village has created a “Peony Culture Festival” and “Rapeseed Flower Festival,” and Xizhuang Village has become an ecological demonstration village “with trees and birds, with water and fish.” In 2023, the village also launched a comprehensive village renovation, with the village collective subsidizing funds for villagers to build houses. “These are all the results of seeking development and doing things,” Li Liancheng said.

“Honor is also responsibility”

Today, Li Liancheng still cannot sit idle. How is the village sanitation? Are factory wages paid on time? What is the progress of the comprehensive village renovation? Daily visits in the village, he must have a clear idea of every big and small matter — 心中有数 (xīn zhōng yǒu shù - “have a clear idea in mind,” to know the situation well).

Watching news reports and studying theoretical knowledge are also Li Liancheng’s daily lessons. “Honor is also responsibility. Strengthening study is the only way to better fulfill duties and responsibilities.”

As a delegate from the 16th to the 20th National Congresses of the Party, and a deputy to the 10th through 14th National People’s Congresses, Li Liancheng has put forward many proposals targeting rural areas, providing references for the formulation of major policies.

Li Liancheng is also often invited to give lectures and exchange ideas in various places. He still sets rules for himself: do not use their cars, do not eat their meals, and do not accept remuneration or gifts.

Li Liancheng, who willingly suffers losses and dedicates himself, uses the sincerity and warmth of a Party member to moisten the masses.

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E-commerce Law Amendment Draft Open for Public Comment

July 4 (Xinhua) -- (Reporters Dai Xiaohe (戴小河) and Zhao Yining (赵怡宁)) On the 4th, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce began soliciting public comments on the "E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft Amendment for Comment)" that they have studied and drafted.

The draft amendment for comment consists of twenty articles, with main contents covering five aspects: First, expanding the scope of legal adjustment. On the basis of the current platforms and operators within platforms, further clarify the rights and obligations of other participants in the platform economy. Second, improving the platform responsibility system. On the basis of the current fixed-amount penalties and orders to suspend operations for rectification, enrich the means of regulation to support routine supervision. Third, clarifying a working mechanism for joint regulatory forces. In response to the cross-sector mixed operations of the platform economy, add the principle of consistent centralized management of offline and online businesses by relevant authorities, and strengthen integrated supervision that links departments and coordinates central and local authorities. Fourth, regulating prominent illegal acts in e-commerce. Focus on issues that have drawn strong reactions from the public in practice, modify and improve corresponding provisions, and effectively respond to public concerns. Fifth, deepening openness and cooperation in e-commerce. Promote the alignment and compatibility of rules, regulations, management, and standards in the e-commerce field with international counterparts, strengthen industry self-discipline, guide orderly overseas expansion, add foreign countermeasures, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

As the next step, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce will refine the draft amendment based on feedback from the public comment period and promote the revision and enactment of the E-commerce Law as soon as possible, so as to support the innovation and healthy development of the platform economy.

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Heads of Two Departments Answer Press Questions on Draft Amendments to the E-Commerce Law

On July 4, the State Administration for Market Regulation (国家市场监督管理总局) and the Ministry of Commerce (商务部) began soliciting public opinions on the drafted E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft Amendment for Public Comment) (中华人民共和国电子商务法（修正草案征求意见稿）). The responsible official of the Network Transaction Supervision Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation (市场监管总局网监司) and the responsible official of the E-commerce Department of the Ministry of Commerce (商务部电子商务司) answered reporters’ questions on the issues related to promoting the amendment of the E-commerce Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the E-commerce Law).

Q: Please tell us the main considerations for amending the E-commerce Law?

A: The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the healthy development of the platform economy. As an important foundational law in the field of platform economy, in order to meet the needs of economic and social development, it is necessary to revise and improve the relevant provisions of the E-commerce Law.

First, it is necessary to promote the win-win development of platform enterprises, operators on the platform, and workers. The e-commerce platform, as the “key entity” of the platform economy, has strong social attributes. It is necessary to amend the E-commerce Law to strengthen the social responsibility of platforms from a legislative perspective, better balance the interests of all parties, and provide legal guarantee for the healthy development of the platform economy.

Second, it is necessary to maintain a fair competition market environment. E-commerce platform operators are important participants in online market governance, possessing dual attributes of operator and manager. It is necessary to amend the E-commerce Law to improve the platform legal responsibility system, consolidate the primary responsibility of platforms, promote platforms to strengthen compliance willingness, and drive relevant business entities to jointly create a healthy and orderly online market environment.

Third, it is necessary to promote high-quality economic development. A standardized and orderly market order is an important guarantee for promoting the healthy development of various business entities in the platform economy. It is necessary to amend the E-commerce Law to improve the regulatory mechanism, perfect regulatory means, strengthen regulatory effectiveness from the legislative level, guide various business entities in the platform economy to transform from “traffic supremacy” (流量至上) to “innovation-driven”, from “price competition” (卷价格) to “quality competition”, better promote the development of new quality productive forces (新质生产力), and serve the overall situation of high-quality development.

Fourth, it is necessary to expand high-level opening-up. E-commerce is one of the key areas for steadily expanding institutional opening-up (制度型开放) and holds an important position in global digital economy competition. It is necessary to amend the E-commerce Law to improve and add provisions on opening-up and cooperation, industry self-discipline, countermeasures against foreign entities, consultation and dispute resolution, further expand the opening-up of the e-commerce field, and create a favorable legal environment for the orderly overseas expansion of China’s e-commerce.

Q: What are the main principles followed in the amendment of the E-commerce Law?

A: This amendment mainly follows the following principles:

First, adhere to the people-first principle. Focus on prominent issues in practice, strengthen the protection of legitimate rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment (新就业形态劳动者), small and medium-sized operators on e-commerce platforms, and consumers, promote mutually beneficial cooperation among all parties to achieve win-win development.

Second, adhere to the principle of proportionality of punishment. Establish a multi-level legal responsibility system, form a gradient of penalties, achieve a match between the severity of punishment and the degree of violation, making the legal responsibility setting more fair and reasonable.

Third, adhere to the principle of systematic governance. Build a coordinated, multi-party collaborative platform economy governance system, strengthen industry self-discipline, strengthen integrated online-offline supervision (线上线下一体化监管), and improve a tiered and graded supervision model.

Fourth, adhere to the principle of internal and external connectivity. Align with high-standard international trade rules, expand opening-up and cooperation, deepen rule alignment, authorize countermeasures against foreign entities, help enterprises expand overseas smoothly, and enhance the international competitiveness of China’s e-commerce.

Q: What are the main contents of the amendment of the E-commerce Law?

A: The main contents of the draft amendment for public comment include five aspects:

First, expand the scope of legal adjustment. On the basis of current platforms and operators on platforms, further clarify the rights and obligations of other participants in the platform economy. Second, improve the platform responsibility system. On the basis of current fixed-sum fines and orders to suspend business for rectification, enrich regulatory measures to support routine supervision. Third, clarify the mechanism for joint regulatory efforts. Aiming at cross-sector and cross-industry operations of the platform economy, add the principle of consistent centralized management for online and offline businesses, strengthen integrated supervision with departmental linkage and central-local coordination. Fourth, regulate prominent illegal behaviors in e-commerce. Focus on issues strongly reflected by the public in practice, revise and improve corresponding provisions to effectively respond to social concerns. Fifth, deepen e-commerce opening-up and cooperation. Promote the alignment of e-commerce rules, regulations, management, and standards with international counterparts, strengthen industry self-discipline, guide orderly overseas expansion, increase countermeasures against foreign entities, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

Q: Regarding the amendment of the E-commerce Law, what are the next steps?

A: Next, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce will improve the draft amendment based on feedback from the public solicitation, and promote the early amendment and issuance of the E-commerce Law, laying a solid legal foundation for the innovation and healthy development of the platform economy.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 4 — Xinhua reporter)

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Know the Party, Love the Party, Follow the Party

By: 本报记者 丁雅诵

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to a letter from the Young Pioneers Red Scarf docents at the Museum of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Nanhu Revolution Memorial Hall, earnestly sending this message: "I hope you will hold high the team flag and follow the Party, pass on the red genes, increase your knowledge and skills, temper your will and character, be good children of the Party and the people, and run the historical relay race well on the new journey."

Before July 1, the ideological and political course "Know the Party, Love the Party, Follow the Party" (知党爱党跟党走), jointly organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee (中央宣传部), the Ministry of Education (教育部), People's Daily (人民日报社), and China Media Group (中央广播电视总台), began broadcasting simultaneously to primary, secondary, and university students across the country.

Relying on the exhibition resources of the Museum of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党历史展览馆), the course is divided into four chapters — primary school, junior high school, senior high school (including secondary vocational school), and university — with the main content lines being "Always be of one heart with the people," "Revolutionary ideals higher than the sky," "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself," and "Always adhere to the foundation of building the Party and the state, and rejuvenating the Party and the state."

Following the steps of the lead instructors, this grand ideological and political course unfolds along the exhibition line of the Museum of the Communist Party of China.

This course is an interaction of love for the Party and patriotism. Students truly understand that from the day it was born, the Chinese Communist Party has inscribed in its heart the mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.

In front of a display case, Xiang Jie (向婕), an ideological and political course teacher from Jiaxing Experimental Primary School in Zhejiang, said to the students: "Everyone, look at this clay pot. It contains the salt that the Red Army seized from local tyrants and distributed to the villager Li Shangfa (李尚发)."

A student asked curiously: "Teacher, why did the Red Army distribute salt to Li Shangfa?"

Xiang Jie explained in detail: "At that time, salt and medicine were especially scarce in the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. If the Red Army did not eat salt, they would not have the strength to carry rifles and fight. When soldiers were wounded, they could only use salt water to disinfect. But whenever the Red Army seized salt, they immediately distributed it to the local people. Li Shangfa put the salt he received into a clay pot and hid it under a tree, wanting to keep it for the Red Army to eat."

As they listened to the teacher's account, the students understood how important salt was during the revolutionary war years, and they also understood that this pot contained not only salt but also the deep bond between the Party and the masses — "share salt when there is salt, share blandness when there is none" (有盐同咸、无盐同淡).

This course is a stimulation of spiritual strength. The students deeply experienced that the great founding spirit of the Party is the spiritual source of the Chinese Communist Party, shining brightly through more than a hundred years of trials.

In front of the Beidou model in the exhibition hall, Jin Yiwei (金懿慰), an ideological and political course teacher from Shanghai Shiguang School (上海市市光学校), called the students to gather around: "In the early years, global satellite navigation systems were monopolized by foreign countries for a long time. Now our country has the autonomous and controllable Beidou navigation system. Behind this achievement stands a respectable scientist — Sun Jiadong (孙家栋)."

From the launch of "Dongfanghong-1" to the successful networking of Beidou, from youthful passion to white hair, Sun Jiadong spent his entire life writing his personal ideals into the starry sky of the motherland, practicing the eight-word motto: "If the nation needs it, I will do it."

"After listening to the teacher's account, I understood the selfless spirit of Party members willing to dedicate, and I was deeply moved," said Yuan Kexin (袁可馨), a seventh-grade student from the Experimental School Affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "Revolutionary ideals higher than the sky is not a distant slogan. I must study hard and contribute strength to the motherland."

This course is an interweaving of history and reality. The students deeply recognized that for 105 years, governing the Party and enforcing strict discipline have been carried through consistently, never ceasing.

In the senior high school (and secondary vocational) course, Xue Hongguo (薛洪国), an ideological and political course teacher from Tianjin No. 1 High School, led students to understand the Party's history of self-construction, naturally arriving at the conclusion — Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is the fundamental guidance for strengthening Party building in the new era.

"It is precisely the persistent self-construction that has forged a Marxist governing party that walks at the forefront of the times and is always full of vitality. And it is precisely the fundamental guarantee of the 'Two Establishments' (两个确立) that has made today's thriving, energetic, and hopeful youth China," said Dong Jiabao (董家宝), a sophomore at Tianjin No. 1 High School, who deeply appreciated this.

This course is a deepening of theoretical reflection. The students deeply comprehended the truth power and practical might of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.

"During the lesson, Liu Changhao (柳长浩), an ideological and political course teacher from the School of Marxism at Shandong University, said during the discussion: "'The 'good Samaritan clause' in the Civil Code reflects the orientation of 'good laws and good governance' (良法善治) in comprehensively governing the country by law in the new era. It not only localizes Marxist concepts of fairness and justice but also inherits the traditional virtue of 'respecting virtue and doing good' (崇德向善).'"

"Through case studies close to daily life to learn about the 'Two Integrations' (两个结合), I found that the path under our feet not only carries modern logic but also has the roots of five thousand years of civilization," said Sun Yifang (孙一方), a student from Shandong University, who gained a lot.

This course is a vivid practice of effectively integrating the small classroom of ideological and political education with the big classroom of society. Many cultural and museum experts and gold-medal docents from red-themed venues participated in this "grand ideological and political course," bringing Party history to life, explaining it thoroughly, and reaching the students' hearts.

At the Chongqing Hongyan Revolutionary History Museum (重庆红岩革命历史博物馆), gold-medal docent Liu Shuai (刘帅) led junior high school students in reviewing history. "When I talked about the heroic deeds of the Hongyan martyrs, I saw the reverence in the students' eyes and felt that the seeds of ideals and convictions had taken root in their hearts."

A museum is a great school. Li Zongyuan (李宗远), Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Museum of the Communist Party of China, said that it is necessary to promote the deep integration of exhibition resources with ideological and political classrooms, vividly tell the stories of Party history, revolutionary stories, and hero stories, and let venues better play their role in educating people.

In the classroom, faith takes root; in reality, walk towards the light.

More students have transformed from listeners of red history to disseminators of red culture. "Before, the teacher told me; now, I tell others," said Gao Qingxuan (高晴萱), a student from Jiaxing Experimental Primary School in Zhejiang, who went to the Nanhu Revolution Memorial Hall to tell visitors the story of the Red Boat.

More students, inspired by role models, have set their direction of striving. "Reviewing the deeds of Comrade Jiao Yulu (焦裕禄), what moved me most was his burning original intention — taking root in the land and having the people in his heart," wrote Liu Yifeng (刘一锋), a student from Henan Experimental High School, straight from his heart in his notebook after watching this ideological and political course.

More students integrate personal growth into the needs of the nation. "I must closely combine classroom learning with rural practice, deeply cultivate a love for agriculture, and hone the skills to revitalize agriculture," said Wan Yuanyuan (万媛媛), a student from the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Southwest University.

The Party's cause requires one generation after another to continue the struggle. 105 years ago, a group of young people lit a lamp; 105 years later, this lamp illuminates the faces of hundreds of millions of young people. Taking up the baton of history, today's youth are running their own leg with firm steps.

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Comrade Chen Ziying Passes Away

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 3 - Comrade Chen Ziying (陈滋英), former deputy director and member of the Party Group of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (国务院港澳事务办公室), died of illness in Beijing on June 20, 2026, at the age of 94.

After Comrade Chen Ziying passed away, relevant leading comrades of the Central Committee expressed condolences in various ways and extended sympathies to his family.

Chen Ziying, born in May 1932, a native of Tianjin. He began working in July 1953 and joined the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) in May 1977. From 1953 to 1986, he successively served as a staff member of the Chinese People's Committee for the Defense of World Peace (中国人民保卫世界和平委员会), a staff member of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (中国人民对外友好协会), Second Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, and First Secretary and Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom. From 1986, he served as Chinese Ambassador to Portugal. From 1989, he successively served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部港澳事务办公室). From 1991 to 2000, he served as Deputy Director and member of the Party Group of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

Chen Ziying was a member of the Eighth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (中国人民政治协商会议) and a deputy to the Ninth National People's Congress. He formerly served as a member of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (香港特别行政区基本法委员会) of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (全国人民代表大会常务委员会) and a member of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region (澳门特别行政区基本法委员会) of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

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23rd Taiwan Youth Summer Camp Opens in Wuhan

Wuhan, July 4 (Reporter Wu Jun). On the evening of the 4th, the opening ceremony of the 23rd Thousand-Taiwanese-Youth Summer Camp sponsored by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (中华全国台湾同胞联谊会) was held in Wuhan, Hubei. More than 300 Taiwanese university students participated in the event.

Ji Bin (纪斌), Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, declared the camp open and presented the main camp flag of the Thousand-Person Summer Camp. In his speech, he expressed the hope that the students would take this opportunity to personally experience the 日新月异 (rì xīn yuè yì - "daily renewal, monthly difference," changing rapidly) development of the mainland of the motherland and deeply feel the sincere emotions of compatriots on both sides of the strait being 血脉相连 (xuè mài xiāng lián - "blood vessels connect each other," linked by blood ties) and 守望相助 (shǒu wàng xiāng zhù - "guard, watch, assist each other," to look out for and help one another).

Wu Qingkuan (吴庆宽), a camper from National Chengchi University in Taiwan, spoke as the camper representative. He invited friends from the mainland to visit the lively night markets on the treasured island, tour Ali Mountain and Sun Moon Lake, and continue the youth friendship. At the opening ceremony that evening, young people from both sides of the strait performed together.

This summer camp's main camp in Hubei will continue until the 6th. In addition to visiting historical sites such as the Yellow Crane Tower, the campers will also go to the Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center and Xiaomi Smart Home Appliance Factory to experience cutting-edge technological development, and participate in special activities such as AI (artificial intelligence) video production. Thereafter, more than 1,300 Taiwanese youth from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and 18 overseas countries will go to 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government to carry out sub-camp activities.

Since 2004, the Thousand-Taiwanese-Youth Summer Camp of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots has been successfully held for 22 editions, attracting nearly 30,000 Taiwanese youth participants in total.

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China, Japan, ROK to Hold 11th Trilateral Summit

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A Group of 'New Youth' at the Red Building of Peking University (Dream Chasers)

By: 本报记者 刘博通

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The Peking University Red Building is closely linked to the founding of the Party. Peking University was the center of the New Culture Movement and the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement, the first place in China to disseminate Marxist thought, and it is also the historical witness of our Party’s early revolutionary activities in Beijing, holding an important position in the process of Party building.

Today, a volunteer service team named “New Youth” (新青年) is rooted here, awakening red memories with vivid narrations, continuing the spiritual lineage with sincere guardianship, allowing the youthful ideals that span over a hundred years to radiate new brilliance in the new era. The reporter conducted an in-depth visit and recorded the perseverance and growth of this group of young volunteers, telling the youthful story of red culture being passed down from generation to generation. — Editor

At No. 29 Wusi Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, a modern building built with red bricks and roofed with red tiles stands quietly. This is the Peking University Red Building, the site of the Museum of Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党早期北京革命活动纪念馆). Over a hundred years ago, here the climax of the New Culture Movement surged, and it was the birthplace of the early Communist organization in Beijing.

Spanning over a hundred years, a volunteer service team named “New Youth” has assembled here. Since 2021, this group of enthusiastic young volunteers has steadfastly served at the Red Building, conducting over 16,000 public-interest guided tours, accumulating nearly 50,000 service hours, and serving approximately 400,000 visitors. They wholeheartedly narrate the stirring events from over a century ago, transforming into disseminators of red culture, allowing the stories of the “Awakening Age” (觉醒年代) to be passed down from generation to generation.

Tailor explanations to the audience, letting red stories evoke emotional resonance.

“Welcome to the Museum of Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China. The building before you is the Peking University Red Building…” At 9:30 a.m., Yao Yupeng (姚钰鹏), a volunteer born in 1996, straightened his culture shirt printed with the “New Youth” logo, put on his “little bee” (小蜜蜂) lecture microphone, and began his talk punctually at the entrance hall of the Peking University Red Building.

Starting in 2021, the Museum of Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China launched the “Glorious Great Undertaking, Red Prelude — Peking University Red Building and the Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China Theme Exhibition” (光辉伟业 红色序章——北大红楼与中国共产党早期北京革命活动主题展). The exhibition hall features nearly a thousand pictures and over 1,300 cultural relics and historical materials, panoramically unfolding that magnificent and glorious era.

Following the deep and quiet corridor, he led the audience one by one into the exhibition halls, recounting in detail the past events of the revolutionary predecessors as they explored tirelessly and dedicated themselves to serving the country.

In front of a yellowed salary book for Peking University faculty and staff, Yao Yupeng stopped, smiled, and posed a question: “Everyone guess, how much was Mr. Li Dazhao’s monthly salary back when he was the director of the Peking University library?”

Seeing the curious expressions of the visitors, Yao Yupeng revealed the answer: “120 silver dollars, which was certainly a high salary at the time. But Mr. Li Dazhao’s family often ran out of food—where did the money go?” A primary school student on site answered: “It was all used for revolutionary activities!” Yao Yupeng nodded: “Correct, Mr. Li Dazhao’s salary was almost entirely used for revolutionary activities and supporting impoverished students.”

The vivid and lively narration gave warmth to the silent historical materials, and the audience listened with rapt attention, occasionally nodding in approval. But this composure was not achieved overnight. More than a year ago, faced with a commentary script of over 16,000 characters, Yao Yupeng also found it extremely challenging.

“Artifact numbers, exhibition locations, birth and death years of figures—any deviation would be a serious flaw.” During that period, whenever he had free time, he would repeatedly “study” the lecture script, soaking in the Red Building exhibition halls and practicing in front of the exhibits. Hard work paid off; after more than a month, Yao Yupeng finally “gobbled down” the thick stack of lecture notes.

Being able to fluently recite the commentary is only crossing the entry threshold of being a docent. To make the explanation have spirit and substance, one must delve deep into the historical materials and sort out the underlying historical logic.

Once during a tour, a visitor asked what the “C faction” mentioned in Li Dazhao’s articles referred to. Yao Yupeng could not answer immediately and his face turned red. Another time, a visitor asked about the main content of Li Dazhao’s “Autobiography in Prison” (狱中自述), and he again got stuck. “It was precisely these unexpected on-the-spot quizzes that forced me to calm down and consult historical documents, ask Party history experts for advice, and thoroughly chew and digest every piece of knowledge,” Yao Yupeng said.

Having a solid knowledge base is not enough. To truly enter the hearts of the audience and win recognition, another kind of effort must be honed.

Among the visiting audience, there are primary school students wearing red scarves and elderly Party members with silver hair; there are Party members and cadres from government agencies and enterprises, as well as young people who come after hearing the reputation. Facing different audience groups, Liu Yile (刘怡乐), a master’s graduate from the School of Marxism at Beijing Normal University, believes that good explanations should be tailored to the audience, using language that the audience can understand and is willing to hear, so that red stories enter the mind and heart.

When explaining to children, Liu Yile specifically polishes the language to be more popular and vivid. When explaining to alumni of Beijing Normal University, she specially talks about the connection between the Red Building and the university’s history. “Li Dazhao once taught students at Normal University, and Miao Boying (缪伯英) is an alumna of our school. This kind of identity connection can make the red stories leave a deeper impression on the students,” she said.

Through the efforts of the team members, red stories not only linger in the Red Building exhibition halls, but also go out of the museum and enter more people’s hearts. In recent years, the volunteer service team has established the New Youth Lecture Group (新青年宣讲团), entering surrounding primary and secondary schools to conduct themed lectures.

“Chen Yannian (陈延年) and Chen Qiaonian (陈乔年) would rather die than surrender and were executed heroically; Miao Boying and her husband He Mengxiong (何孟雄) threw themselves into the revolution, and their flesh and blood were separated in the flames of war… What kind of power supported them to make such choices?” Over three years, Liu Yile successively entered Beijing No. 65 Middle School, No. 25 Middle School, No. 27 Middle School, and other schools, bringing the themed lecture “That Year They Were Young” (那年他们正青春).

During the lectures, these stories spanning over a hundred years transformed into a power that reaches directly into the heart. The students listened attentively, and some had reddened eyes. After the lecture, some students wrote in their reflections: “I hold these revolutionaries in deep respect”; other students earnestly pondered the predecessors’ choices between the small self and the greater self, self-interest and altruism, the small family and the larger community. “The seeds of ideals and beliefs have been planted in the students’ hearts,” Liu Yile said.

Two-way engagement, drawing spiritual strength from guardianship.

In the workroom, yellowed old newspapers and handwritten archives are being photographed, registered, and numbered one by one. At the beginning of 2025, Liu Lu (刘露), a master’s student in the Cultural Relics and Museum program at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, joined the Red Building volunteer service team, responsible for archive arrangement and digital entry.

In Liu Lu’s view, cultural relic protection is the foundation of exhibition, education, and research work. “Without standardized archive arrangement and scientific protection and restoration, even the most moving historical stories lack solid support.”

Dealing year-round with yellowed and brittle old newspapers, Liu Lu often feels that she is conducting a conversation across time and space. It was through these thin sheets of paper that the passionate youth of over a century ago ignited the spark of national awakening. “At that moment, I truly felt that cultural relics can speak,” Liu Lu said.

Passing on red culture is not just a one-way transmission of knowledge; it is also a dialogue between history and the present, a two-way engagement between volunteers and visitors, illuminating each other.

In early spring last year, a young man in his early twenties came to the Peking University Red Building alone in a wheelchair. That day, Yao Yupeng happened to be on duty for the tour. Throughout the hour-long tour, the young man remained fully attentive. Yao Yupeng deliberately slowed down his pace, pausing briefly after each exhibition hall. After the tour ended, he crouched down and asked the young man the reason for his special visit.

The young man was silent for a moment and then slowly spoke his heart. Since childhood, the numerous difficulties in his physical condition and studies had often tormented him. He had read in books the stories of revolutionary predecessors striving for their ideals, and he specially wanted to see the places where the predecessors fought. “I came here to find a beam of light for myself, to find a reason to persevere,” he said.

This special encounter deeply touched Yao Yupeng. This young man came to the Red Building seeking spiritual strength, but the resilience in him was itself a beam of light. “The experience of being a volunteer docent at the Red Building has been nourishing me and fulfilling me,” Yao Yupeng said.

In recent years, the museum has continuously expanded its volunteer recruitment scope. Students, employees of enterprises and institutions, and young people from all walks of life actively participate, injecting continuous vitality into the dissemination of red culture. Among them, the figures of a mother-daughter volunteer pair always attract the attention of visitors.

Zhang Huan (张欢) is a volunteer in the activity organization post. She frankly said, “At first I signed up because I wanted to set an example for my daughter.” In daily life, she often takes her daughter to visit red sites across the country. The site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai and the former site of the headquarters of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army in Linyi, Shandong have all left the footprints of the mother and daughter.

In 2023, Zhang Huan and her daughter visited the Red Building for the first time. Her daughter, who was then in fourth grade, did not just glance over things but stopped to look carefully at each exhibit. After seeing the volunteer recruitment notice, the child proactively proposed to sign up as a docent. Zhang Huan then also signed up, responsible for guiding visitor flow and maintaining order in the exhibition halls.

The thick stack of commentary was quite challenging for a primary school student. The mother and daughter used fragmented time to organize the content. When encountering unfamiliar historical figures, Zhang Huan would look up historical materials one by one, sort out their biographies, and help her daughter thoroughly understand the stories behind them. Eventually, the child passed the assessment on the first attempt and became the youngest docent volunteer at the Red Building at that time.

“Now, the New Youth Volunteer Service Team has more than 400 members. We fully consider the differences in age and background among volunteers, actively explore and build a diversified evaluation, training, and reward system,” introduced Zhu Jin (朱瑾), the person in charge of volunteer work at the Museum of Early Beijing Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China. “For young volunteers, we focus on popularizing basic Party history knowledge and volunteer service concepts; for upper-grade students or volunteers with relevant professional backgrounds, we focus on honing professional skills and deepening theoretical literacy, so that everyone can achieve personal growth while serving.”

Youth relay, sowing the seeds of faith far afield.

For many volunteers, the Peking University Red Building is not just a place to do volunteer service, but also an important station on their youthful journey.

On the eve of graduation, Liu Yile put on her academic gown, walked to the exhibition of the New Youth magazine, and captured a memorable moment with her camera.

“I completed my last ideological and political course (思政课) before graduation at the Peking University Red Building,” Liu Yile often affectionately calls the Red Building her “second school.” In her view, professional study and Red Building volunteer service complement each other: using professional theory to polish the explanation content makes the narration deeper; using the vivid historical materials of the Red Building to enrich academic research makes theory warmer.

“At the Red Building, my teachers are those revolutionary pioneers who burned themselves to light the way ahead. They left their youthful footprints here and taught me what ideals and faith are, what the fulfillment of struggle and the happiness of dedication are.” Over three years, she conversed with the predecessors from over a century ago in each lecture, and also heard many visitors share red stories from the past here.

Now, she is about to return to her hometown Shanxi to work. “I want to return to my hometown with a firmer belief, build my hometown, and let my youth shine in practical work,” Liu Yile said.

Gatherings and partings always have their time, but love and responsibility are relayed within the team. Duan Chengjin (段成金), who just graduated with a master’s degree from China Agricultural University, came to the Red Building on a friend’s recommendation, stating bluntly that “this is an extremely precious memory in life.”

During his first few tours, whenever Duan Chengjin saw the supervising staff nearby, he would get so nervous that his heart pounded, and he spoke haltingly.

Zhu Jin noticed his nervousness and deliberately adjusted her guidance method. When Duan Chengjin practiced his explanation, she would listen quietly in the hallway or outside the exhibition halls, then point out each issue after he finished: where the speech speed was too fast, where he blocked the exhibits… Later, Duan Chengjin was not only able to independently complete the tour but also supplemented historical details in his own words, making the explanation more vivid and lively.

Now, under his influence, many junior students have also joined the volunteer team. In Duan Chengjin’s eyes, the Red Building has a special appeal. “Everyone has a certain spirit, sincere and enthusiastic.” He often repeats a saying: “Good deeds are not distinguished by size; with a bit of warmth, emit a bit of light; tiny glimmers can eventually gather into a galaxy.”

“Everyone comes together because of a common belief,” Zhu Jin said. “Here they ‘gather as a fire’ to draw strength of faith; when they leave the Red Building, they ‘scatter as stars’ and go to Party and government organs, fields and villages, research institutes, and other fields, shining and radiating heat in their respective positions, sowing the seeds of ideals and beliefs to farther places.”

In every moment of focused bending over to consult historical materials, in every passionate explanation facing the audience, in every steadfast act of silent service… the young volunteers of the Peking University Red Building accompany their youth, relay the telling, allowing red stories to traverse over a century of time and bloom with increasingly brilliant light of the era.

(Wang Lele (王乐乐) participated in the writing and reporting.)

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Discovering Possibilities on the Path of Development (Youth Perspective)

By: 吴储岐

In Puding County (普定县), Guizhou Province, 5G networks have been laid into chive fields, and returning youth teach fellow villagers hand in hand to read soil and pest data, allowing the dividends of smart farming to land in the fields and farmsteads; in Qingjian County (清涧县), Shaanxi Province, returning youth become AI (artificial intelligence) training engineers, tagging various images every day to provide basic training data for large AI models...

Their faces are young, their tools are trendy. Many of them once deeply cultivated and honed their skills in digital technology enterprises in big cities, and now choose to place their “workstations” in their hometowns. What they bring back are technology, vision, and market-tested methodologies. A question is being seriously considered by more young people: Going far away is a way out; could returning to one’s hometown also be one?

These young people who return to their hometowns are adept at using new technology to empower traditional production, and using digitalization to drive industrial transformation and upgrading. Between the streets and alleys of their hometown and code, above algorithms and hometown sentiments, they build a digital bridge connecting the external world with the development of their hometown, becoming practitioners of technology sinking and a new force in hometown construction.

Of course, when returning to one’s hometown to open up new tracks, it is inevitable to encounter challenges: compared with big cities, the digital infrastructure of one’s hometown may not be sufficiently complete, high-quality talent and supporting resources may be relatively scarce, and there may be considerable gaps in market atmosphere and development platforms — these are all realities. But the other side of the challenge is also an unprecedented development opportunity. These returning young people understand frontier technological demands and are also familiar with the actual conditions of their hometowns, making them suitable candidates for breaking through the “last mile” of technology implementation. Solving the difficulties along the development path is precisely where the advantage of returning youth lies.

In fact, various localities are also following the trend, intensively introducing supporting policies to build a stage for youth to return to their hometowns to start businesses and work. In Minqing County (闽清县), Fujian Province, the local government has introduced ten measures to support the cluster development of the data annotation industry: enterprises that settle in are rent-free for the first three years, college graduates can receive housing subsidies for up to 24 months, and employees who obtain vocational skill certificates receive supporting rewards. A set of policy combination punches to reduce costs, attract talent, and cultivate skills is accumulating precious talent living water for the digital industry.

This enlightens us: the key to retaining young people is not only the call of nostalgia, but also predictable development prospects and a reliable industrial ecosystem. When all localities strive to build good platforms and provide good soil for the growth of youth, returning to one’s hometown is no longer a helpless retreat, but a new track that resonates with the same frequency as the times.

The digital economy has broken the constraints of geographical space and also provided more possibilities for youth development. In the past, many young people, in order to pursue better career opportunities, had no choice but to leave their hometowns and go far away. Today, as digital technology gradually becomes widespread, hometowns can also carry the dreams and pursuits of young people. The most frontier technologies — artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing — are finding new application scenarios in the land of hometowns, and also providing a broad space for returning youth to display their talents.

A returning young person said: “The sense of achievement from bringing technology back to build our hometown makes me feel that this path is the right one.” How are these young people not anchoring a direction for their lives? They prove with action that cutting-edge technology and deep hometown sentiments can not only be compatible, but can also collide to spark the warmth of this era.

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The Yellow Earth Is the Best Examination Hall (Youth Diary)

By: 马 田

In August 2024, I came to Zhongyang County, Lüliang City, Shanxi Province, to begin a temporary posting. Stepping out of the laboratory of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (北京航空航天大学, Beihang), setting aside thesis data, and sitting together with local villagers in conversation—this place is the starting line where I run toward my dream. I said to myself: This yellow earth is the best examination hall.

How can we concretely translate Beihang's scientific and technological advantages into the industries of Zhongyang? Zhongyang is one of the country's top ten major production base counties for wood ear fungus. I contacted the "Yuegong-1" (月宫一号, Lunar Palace-1) team from Beihang and pushed for the black wood ear fungus strain to complete its space-breeding experiment. When word spread back to the county, one grower said excitedly: "Our wood ear fungus has turned into space wood ear fungus!" Steel is Zhongyang's pillar industry. I connected an expert team from the School of Aeronautics and Engineering and applied aeronautical engine combustion control technology to the modification of the steel-rolling heating furnace. On the day the modification succeeded, the company's head of science and technology called me and said happily: "Nitrogen oxide emissions have met ultra-low emission requirements, and annual revenue has increased by more than ten million yuan."

Last year, the National College Simulation Flight Championship was held in Zhongyang, bringing together more than 200 students from 17 universities. During that time, a mountain village child grasped the control yoke for the first time and "flew" into the blue sky. A little boy ran over and asked me: "In the future, can I take the exam and get into Beihang?" I patted him on the shoulder: "As long as you work hard, you definitely can! Beihang is waiting for you, and the blue sky is waiting for you." He nodded firmly. That gaze full of longing—I will never forget it for the rest of my life.

In April this year, Beihang's "One Network Unified Flight" platform completed an on-site demonstration in Yangpo Village (阳坡村). The villagers crowded around, asking whether drones could deliver parcels or patrol the mountains and prevent fires. Seeing their eager expressions, I was overjoyed. Since 2015, Beihang's temporarily posted cadres have left deep imprints on Zhongyang. The successive efforts of more than 4,900 Beihang faculty, students, and alumni have taught me that what I have taken over is not just a position, but also a mission and a responsibility.

Some people ask me: What is the greatest gain from your temporary posting? I think it is not only the scale of industrial implementation, but also the hopes in the hearts of the villagers, the light in the children's eyes, and those smiling faces that have relaxed because life has something to look forward to.

Beihang taught me to look up at the stars; Zhongyang taught me to stand firm on the ground. If youth is an answer sheet, then Zhongyang is the place where I have written down my most sincere answer.

(The author is a cadet temporarily posted to Zhongyang County from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics for designated pairing assistance.)

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Layout Editor: Wu Chuqi

Layout design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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Diving Deeper into the Deep Sea (On the Path to a Strong Military)

By: 本报记者 任彤彤

What kind of world lies beneath the sea surface?

There, the roar of wind and waves cannot be heard, nor the warmth of sunlight felt. In utter silence, pitch-black darkness spreads in every direction.

Deep in the ocean, officers and men of a certain submarine crew of a certain submarine detachment of the Eastern Theater Navy (东部战区海军某潜艇支队某艇员队) are maneuvering their submarine on a covert patrol. This "steel giant shark" sometimes pauses in silent hover, sometimes weaves and shifts tactically. At the sonar station, Grade 2 Senior Sergeant (二级上士) Wang Long (王陇) grips his earphones tightly; a familiar low-frequency noise is gradually growing clearer in his ears.

"Report to commander: enemy vessel detected!" Type classification, target lock, simulated attack… The submarine is like a deep-sea predator that has caught the scent of blood, delivering a fatal blow to its prey in utter silence.

Forging sharp swords in the deep ocean, guarding the maritime frontier on the blue waves. A crisp underwater offensive-defensive exercise fully displays the courage, agility, loyalty, and responsibility of the submarine officers and men.

Since its establishment, this crew has successfully completed more than 20 major training and exercise missions, been awarded a collective second-class merit, and been cited as an advanced unit in military training of the whole armed forces. Recently, our reporter approached these "mysterious" underwater warriors, listened to their aspirations of rooting themselves in the deep blue and forging their swords for battle, and experienced their dedication and glory in the silent depths of the ocean.

"One boat, one family, one heart"

In the deep sea, with no sun, moon, or stars to be seen, time seems frozen—only the hands on the clock rotate round and round.

Entering the compartments, one discovers that, unlike the common 12-hour dial, the clocks on the submarine are engraved with 24 numbers. "These clocks are specially made to tell day from night in the deep sea. For example, at three in the afternoon, the hour hand points to 15," explains Grade 1 Senior Sergeant (一级上士) Fu Lijia (付力加).

Recalling his first time boarding a submarine, Fu says with deep feeling: "The interior space of a submarine is extremely limited, and the arrangement of equipment and layout are very different from what you have on land." Stepping into the berthing compartment, upper, middle, and lower three-tier bunks maximize space; each bunk is used in rotation by two or three officers and men. As soon as the previous person gets up, the next one lies down, so the bunk always retains body warmth—the men call this a "hot bunk." The small meeting room serves as a place for discussions, a makeshift dining area, and, in emergencies, a simple operating theater… In these cramped quarters, the submarine officers and men stand fast at their posts, turning the limited space into a solid bastion for defending the maritime frontier.

"Once the submarine puts to sea, it is as if the whole world is reduced to just us," the crew's Political Commissar Liu (柳政委) told our reporter. When a submarine is on patrol, it is cut off from the outside world and completely sealed. Strong ideological leadership is both the key to building cohesion and a source of strength for the men to face dangers. The submarine's Party branch moves theoretical study into the compartments, publishes theoretical knowledge on study bulletins, uses Q&A sessions to spark the fire of thought, and selects "Red Flag Positions" and "Underwater Warriors" to motivate the men's drive to win.

A solemn coming-of-age ceremony for sailors, a sweat-drenched "Dragon Palace sports meet," a lively collective birthday party, a weighty oath-taking and signature drive… In the gloom of the deep sea, these ceremonies imbued with warmth are like invisible bonds that tightly connect a host of passionate hearts. They are not only comrades-in-arms sharing life and death, but also the warmest family members to one another. Political Commissar Liu said with emotion: "One boat, one family, one heart. These seemingly trivial little activities affect the great unity of the whole boat."

The centripetal force of the organization and the fellowship among comrades-in-arms are an unquenchable flame in the deep sea. They are transformed into the confidence to forge swords for battle and forged into an invincible combat effectiveness.

Entering the submarine's command compartment, on the electronic display screens sets of data flash in succession, reconstructing in real time the complex and changing underwater environment. Today, information-based command has quietly entered the deep-sea "Dragon Palace."

Patrolling the vast ocean depths, communication conditions are limited, and orders from higher echelons are hard to transmit in real time. Faced with rapidly shifting underwater situations and supported by data, the officers and men on board must quickly decide on a plan within a short time and respond on the spot to all kinds of challenges.

During one long-distance mission in complex sea conditions, the submarine suddenly encountered a three-dimensional anti-submarine blockade. At the critical moment, the submarine's Party branch held an underwater "Zhuge Liang meeting" (诸葛亮会, a brainstorming session named after the legendary strategist), gathering the wisdom of the whole boat to break the deadlock. "We could devise a cover plan based on the characteristics of the surrounding sea area," "Try using oceanographic fronts to stealthily 'disappear'"… Officers and men at various stations offered their opinions based on their professional experience.

After assessment, the submarine's Party branch settled on a penetration plan. All stations coordinated and linked up, dynamically adjusting the strategy, and finally succeeded in breaking through the blockaded area.

"At your post, not the slightest negligence is permitted"

Steady the breath, adjust the posture, and move slowly along the torpedo tube…

A torpedo tube escape training exercise is under way. This is a notoriously difficult training subject for submariners, simulating emergency escape after a submarine accident: the participating officers and men, wearing diving suits weighing more than ten kilograms and carrying breathing apparatus, enter a torpedo tube less than one meter in diameter.

"This is a dual test of psychology and skill," says the crew's Deputy Commander Wang Junkai (王君锴). After the tube is flooded and pressurized, the interior is pitch black. The participating men must crawl through one by one, "needing to overcome the fear of a confined environment while also completing decompression procedures, emergency procedures, and other tasks under high pressure."

"Submariners require extreme professionalism; they must be tempered through 千锤百炼 (qiān chuí bǎi liàn - 'a thousand hammers, a hundred refinements,' to be rigorously honed through repeated practice). Now that the military's missions are increasingly heavy, we have to run at full speed," says Grade 1 Master Sergeant (一级军士长) Ge Ziqiang (葛自强).

To perfect the skill of "defeating the enemy in one move," the crew has implemented a "blind operation" training method at certain stations. On the boat, our reporter saw a soldier, blindfolded, following commands to manipulate multiple valves with a 100% accuracy rate. Grade 3 Master Sergeant (三级军士长) Liu Daohai (刘蹈海) explains: "In the deep sea, if an emergency occurs, the whole boat might lose electrical power. Although this situation is rare, we impose strict requirements—we must be able to operate even with our eyes closed."

Wang Junkai explains that, given the highly integrated nature of modern submarine combat systems, they have also adopted a "1+N" composite talent training model, guiding officers and men to master their own specialties while quickly mastering related specialties, achieving multi-specialty proficiency and full competence.

Effort is invested in peacetime, so that confidence shows in wartime.

During one mission, the crew encountered severe sea conditions. The hull pitched violently with the waves, waves of dizziness kept hitting them, yet the men gritted their teeth and held fast at their posts.

Suddenly, a pipe on the boat malfunctioned, leaking high-pressure gas. If not dealt with promptly, it would affect the submarine's ability to dive.

The location of the fault was extremely cramped. Grade 3 Master Sergeant Tang Jin (汤晋) grabbed a vomit bag in one hand and a tool in the other, sidled in, and squeezed into the space.

The hull continued to sway; in the narrow space, keeping balance was even harder. Tang Jin felt his stomach churn. Without a moment's pause, he turned his face aside, slowly unscrewed the connectors, and inspected each sealing copper gasket one by one. Relying on his familiarity with the equipment and the "muscle memory" built up over years, he tightened and tested repeatedly, eventually successfully eliminating the fault.

When he crawled out of the gap, Tang Jin's work suit was stained with oil, sweat, and condensation.

Such stories are numerous in this crew. Political Commissar Liu said: "Every moment of danger is a touchstone that tests the results of training."

Reefs, turbulent currents, "underwater cliffs" formed by abrupt changes in seawater density… The deep-sea world is fraught with lurking dangers. Young officer Li Wen (李闻) recalled an experience during a long-distance mission. While navigating, he failed to report a change in the hydrological environment in time. The boat's leadership immediately spotted the problem and pointed out his shortcoming seriously. Afterwards, he recorded this lesson in his work notebook, constantly reminding himself: "At your post, not the slightest negligence is permitted."

In the submarine force, keeping notes is an unwritten tradition; nearly every officer and man has his own "underwater diary." Li Wen says some veterans have accumulated more than ten notebooks, clearly categorized and detailed in content, regarded as "treasure manuals" for their stations. Notebook after notebook has become dog-eared and worn at the corners, but they are filled with the officers and men's day-after-day dedication and perseverance.

They have also built a comprehensive case library, compiling decades of tactical methods and fault cases from brother units and foreign militaries into training materials, and regularly organize simulated confrontations and troubleshooting.

From "faults never left overnight" to "skills never become obsolete," from "individual mastery" to "full boat coordination," the accumulation of effort day after day makes the confidence to win ever stronger.

"Don't ask where I am; if you ask, I cannot tell you either"

"Don't ask where I am; if you ask, I cannot tell you either. We are submariners of the Chinese Navy, sailing in the deep ocean…"

This is a song that belongs to submariners. Every word and every sentence is a true depiction of submariners going far into the deep sea and silently defending the nation.

Every time he goes on a mission, Grade 1 Master Sergeant Li Rongsheng (李戎生) carries a family photo with him. "When I rest, I take out the photo and look at it." In 29 years of military service, Li Rongsheng has missed many important moments in his family's life, and his heart is full of guilt. He said with emotion: "My family's unconditional companionship and support allow me to keep my mind on my post without distraction and make a contribution to the national defense cause."

Looking back on that 惊心动魄 (jīng xīn dòng pò - 'heart-startling, soul-shaking,' hair-raising and thrilling) experience more than twenty years ago, Li Rongsheng remembers it vividly. At that time, just a few days after he and his wife received their marriage certificate, he suddenly received an order and immediately went to sea with the submarine for live combat training.

During the voyage, a piece of equipment in the compartment spontaneously caught fire, and toxic and harmful gases spread. A storm arose at sea, sharply increasing the difficulty of controlling the submarine. With dangers piling up, an atmosphere of tension and oppression enveloped the entire boat. At the critical moment, the commander remained calm and composed, decisively giving the order to surface urgently. Officers and men at each station responded to the order and acted in coordination. Relying on skillful and professional operations, they finally successfully handled this underwater emergency.

After the submarine returned safely, Li Rongsheng could not wait to call home to report his safety to his worried wife. That brief call is the deepest longing in the heart of every seagoing crewman.

That summer, Grade 1 Master Sergeant Cui Shian (崔世岸) had made a promise to his daughter early on that when the college entrance exam results came out, he would stay by her side to help fill out the preference forms. Unexpectedly, he received an order and had to rush off, leaving his family to go on a long voyage. He was gone for dozens of days. By the time Cui Shian completed his mission and returned, all colleges and universities had already started the semester. After coming ashore, he urgently turned on his phone, and a text message from his daughter came into view: "Dad, I've already reported to school smoothly. Everything is fine."

Without asking about destination or knowing the date of return, the family members of submariners hide their longing in their hearts. A few simple words of concern carry the most basic sense of family and national duty, and also become a powerful spiritual support for the men patrolling the deep sea.

Passing by a compartment's cultural display board, our reporter noticed a photograph—letters written collectively by the older generation of crew members before setting out on a mission, essentially last wills.

"Do you still write them now?" Faced with the reporter's question, Li Rongsheng looked relaxed: "No! Now long-distance missions are as routine as 家常便饭 (jiā cháng biàn fàn - 'common home meals,' an everyday occurrence). Our only thought is how to bring into play the skills we have honed in peacetime and use 'hardcore strength' to guard the maritime frontier."

The system is improving, equipment is upgrading, and talent is growing. Today, those arduous missions that once required risking life and death have become routine deployments in the deep sea.

The peaceful and tranquil days of peacetime have never been a matter of course. In the sunless deep-sea positions, generation after generation of submariners still choose to rivet their loyalty to their posts, silently building an indestructible underwater Great Wall with responsibility and perseverance.

(Sun Chao (孙超) contributed to the reporting)

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Opening Soldiers' Hearts with Sincerity (Jintai Spotlight)

By: 李龙伊

When having heart-to-heart talks with soldiers, how should one shorten the distance to them? This is an art of leading troops, and even more so a test of work style.

Just after daybreak, the political commissar of a certain support unit of the Shenyang Joint Logistics Support Center rode an electric bicycle, traversing country roads, and headed straight for the detachment barracks. In the intervals of office work, he often seized every spare moment to ride down to the units, look around the barracks, and chat about everyday matters.

As he came more frequently, the soldiers discovered that this political commissar was somewhat different — he always appeared beside the training ground or in front of the dormitories. Whenever he encountered soldiers running, he would fall in step with them, chatting as they ran. From injuries and illnesses to family matters, from physical fitness to training, one after another the troops opened up. Through this approach, he got a feel for the concrete realities at the grassroots level — difficulties taking showers, large temperature differences inside the cave depots, and monotonous education.

Approaching officers and soldiers lies in shortening the distance of the heart and warming the "bench."

In the barracks, how should the mass line be walked? This political commissar set a good example: mounting an electric bicycle, changing into running shoes, and walking into the dormitories — what the soldiers felt was "a comrade-in-arms has come," and they were willing to pour out their hearts to him, thereby pushing forward the resolution of problems. Over time, the officers and soldiers' drive to do their work grew stronger and stronger. This teaches us that leading troops means leading hearts. The first step in a heart-to-heart talk is to move one's body from the platform to the soldiers' side, melting the barriers in the heart. Willingly becoming the comrades' "confidant" can all the more earn the soldiers' genuine recognition and let one hear more words from the heart.

Listening to the voices of officers and soldiers lies in recording their difficulties well and following through on their demands.

Approaching is only the first step; listening is the real skill. A political instructor of a grassroots company has a habit maintained for many years: whatever "small matters" the soldiers casually mention, he writes down in a notebook. If soldiers cannot sleep from the heat in the latter half of the night, he arranges for air conditioning maintenance that very day; if a new recruit is quiet and withdrawn with a complicated upbringing, he often talks with him and keeps him company, and later encourages him to participate in the "everyone takes the podium" activity... At the end of each page, he annotates in red and blue pen: "Resolved," "Being Followed Up," "Requires Party Branch Study."

"When a soldier is willing to speak his heart to you, that is trust. Write down his words, resolve the issue, and this trust becomes solid." This instructor's words are plain, but their truth is profound. If soldiers report difficulties, the cadre nods and records them, then they vanish into the sea with no further response, then over time heart-to-heart talks become mere formalities. Genuine listening means not only receiving emotions with one's ears, but also responding to expectations with one's actions, forming a closed loop from "confiding" to "resolving."

Trusting officers and soldiers lies in building the stage for them and gathering their wisdom together.

From "hearing" to "taking to heart" requires trust — trust that the soldiers have wisdom, trust that the frontline has the answers. Every time a certain submarine crew of the Navy receives a mission, the officers and soldiers, regardless of rank or length of service, gather around the blueprints and speak their minds without reservation. Once, when encountering complex sea conditions, the usual method of marking shipping routes failed; the navigation chief immediately convened a "Zhuge Liang meeting" (诸葛会), synthesizing the soldiers' suggestions to optimize the plan. The wisdom of frontline training resides in the soldiers' minds at ordinary times; if leading cadres do not bend down to ask, it can only remain "sleeping treasure."

"Entering the mountains, ask the woodcutter; entering the waters, ask the fisherman." When it comes to matters of leading troops and fighting wars, seeking counsel from the ranks is an attitude of respecting the dominant position of officers and soldiers. The "last mile" of heart-to-heart talks is to let soldiers change from bystanders to main speakers, turning the one-way "I ask, you answer" into two-way "brainstorming."

Say this a thousand times and that ten thousand times — "sincerity" alone is worth more than gold. The "password" for knocking open the soldiers' "door of the heart," drawing the heart close to the soldiers, and pouring feeling into the grassroots, and for talking heart-to-heart with soldiers, contains the truth of unity between officers and men and of one heart from top to bottom.

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I serve as a "ladder" for the war eagles (Voice of the Soldiers)

By: 赵永刚

Under the aircraft shelter, the war eagles are lined up in formation, and support operations are proceeding with intense and orderly focus. Walking up to a new domestically produced fighter jet, I crouched near the engine tailpipe together with my crew members, holding a flashlight to carefully inspect every blade.

On our maintenance front, there is an unfading banner—Xia Beihao (夏北浩). The spirit he practiced of “being responsible for combat victory, being responsible for comrades’ lives, being responsible for national property” has always inspired us, and the “Xia Beihao Inspection Method (夏北浩检查法)” named after him is an even more precious treasure. It is as if he has never left, standing shoulder to shoulder with us guarding the war eagles as they soar.

Seventeen years ago, cherishing boundless longing for the Air Force, I fulfilled my wish and became a maintenance trainee in the same unit Xia Beihao had once served in. Yet, when I actually faced the thick stacks of specialized textbooks, the dense arrays of technical parameters, and the various intricate diagrams, I was “shaken.” I could not help repeatedly asking myself deep down: Can I really gnaw through this “hard bone”?

Just as I was sinking into confusion, the company commander told us the story of Xia Beihao: In 1957, when Xia Beihao first entered the aviation school, he faced multiple difficulties such as low educational background and poor Mandarin foundation, but he never lost heart; he studied assiduously, worked overtime to catch up and learn, and by graduation he had received full marks in every subject. Listening to this past, the fear of difficulty in my heart lessened, and I resolved to model myself on Xia Beihao!

Xia Beihao once said: “Roaming around gets you no skills; taking it easy gains you no competence.” When I entered the field for practical training, I followed the squad leader to learn safety wiring and wrapping, cherishing every opportunity to disassemble a part. Whenever I encountered a part that was hard to remove, I would rush to tell the squad leader: Let me try! Maintenance work allows no sloppiness. Even though I always wore gloves, the high-intensity hands-on work left my hands covered in wounds and scars, with band-aids on them all year round.

Later, I was selected by the battalion to be among the first batch of trainees for mechanical technician, and I stepped onto a new stage. From mechanic to mechanical technician, the position changed, and the responsibility grew heavier. Whenever I had free time, I delved into regulations, read technical articles on fault analysis for the same aircraft type, and whenever I encountered a doubt I humbly sought advice from senior technicians. My obsessive persistence in mastering the craft quickly shed my greenness, and I became one of the first core members capable of independently leading a crew in support tasks.

I remember one time after a cross-day-and-night flight mission, an oil stain appeared in a certain component bay of the aircraft. Years of experience told me there might be a safety hazard. After further inspection, we found a relatively long crack on a conduit. The officers and soldiers present all drew in a cold breath—if this hidden danger had been overlooked, it would have seriously affected flight safety.

My wife once asked me with concern: “Hot in the summer steam, cold in the winter wind—is it hard?” I thought for a moment and said firmly: “It is hard, but there is sweetness within the hardship.” Over these years, I have successively serviced five different aircraft types. Watching the pilots fly high and land safely, then give us a thumbs-up—that is the happiest moment.

I deeply understand that Xia Beihao’s “three responsibilities (三负责)” spirit needs to be promoted, and maintenance work needs to be passed on. In recent years, I have taken the initiative to request from my organization to train new soldiers, imparting to them hands-on the experience and insights I have accumulated over more than a decade. Now, three of them have grown into mechanical technicians, capable of 独当一面 (dú dāng yī miàn - “to stand alone facing one direction,” to be capable of handling tasks independently). Seeing their vigorous and energetic figures, I seem to see myself from years ago. Maintenance is the “sky ladder” that lifts the war eagles into flight, and I am willing to give all my strength to make this ladder stable and reliable!

(The author is a second-class sergeant major of a certain unit of the Northern Theater Command Air Force; compiled by Ren Tongtong (任彤彤) and Yu Boyang (于博洋).)

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Technology Empowers Border Defense (Defense Perspective)

By: 本报记者 李龙伊

In the northern borderland of the motherland, deep in the grasslands, heat waves rolled with gunpowder smoke. On the comprehensive training ground of a certain brigade of the Army of the Northern Theater Command, a mass military training competition was vigorously underway. More than 200 officers and soldiers gathered, and over four days, they conducted a contest closely adhering to border combat reality.

Unlike previous years, in this year's competition, drones and穿越机 (穿越机: FPV drones or "through-the-air" racing drones) took turns appearing, and intelligent equipment became the true "protagonists."

Hu Jiajun (虎佳俊), a non-commissioned officer (中士: sergeant) of the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company (三角山边防连), sat before the console, both eyes fixed on the display screen, fingertips pushing the joystick. A quadcopter drone wove and dodged through gaps in the dense forest; layers of scattered tall and short shrubs, standing iron towers, and other obstacles obscured the line of sight, while multiple groups of camouflage targets were scattered on the ground. He had to identify and read out the coordinates, altitude, and distance of all targets within the stipulated time.

The mountain forest blocked the signal, and the light and shadows flickered. The countdown on the screen kept jumping. With only the last 30 seconds left, a faint reflection from a lens on a distant slope was sharply caught by Hu Jiajun — the fourth concealed target, hidden behind withered grass and scattered rocks. Hu Jiajun quickly locked on, entered all the data, and passed the challenge by a hair's breadth.

Before he could even take a breath, the simulated drone bombing assessment suddenly encountered a "special situation."

A fierce gale abruptly arose on the competition ground. The strong air current tugged at the fuselage, the drone trembled violently in the air, fault alerts kept popping up on the operating terminal, and the bomb-dropping trajectory could deviate at any moment. Shen Qingzhao (沈庆钊), the platoon leader watching from the side, shouted loudly: "Steady the rhythm, don't fight the wind!"

Hu Jiajun took a deep breath, adjusted the joystick gently and at a steady pace, little by little counteracted the deviation caused by the gale, and corrected the flight path. After several fine adjustments, the drone smoothly returned to the preset bomb-dropping point and precisely completed the simulated strike.

No sooner had the drone landed here than the穿越机 (穿越机: FPV drone) assessment started with a gunshot.

One small FPV drone after another soared into the air. Narrow S-shaped obstacle channels, low simulated low-strung net barriers, and small windows were arranged in sequence; they could not touch any obstacle during the entire run. Hu Jiajun maneuvered the FPV drone flexibly, broke through all obstacles within 5 minutes, then dove precisely toward a simulated moving target and struck cleanly, finishing neatly, drawing rounds of cheers from the officers and soldiers on the sidelines.

During a break in the competition, company political instructor Li Jiangwei (李江伟) stood at the edge of the training ground, watching the young officers and soldiers skillfully operate all kinds of smart equipment, recalling the border defense years of the past.

"In the early years, border patrols relied entirely on measuring with our own two feet," Li Jiangwei said, pointing to the distant ridgeline. "Along the long border, there were deep mountains and dangerous gullies everywhere. Many steep cliffs and dead angles deep in the forests were completely inaccessible to people. We could only rely on fixed-point observation, so there were many blind spots in control."

Now, the company has been issued with drones, infrared surveillance, and thermal imaging equipment. For remote points that were previously difficult to cover, one drone in the air can achieve all-round reconnaissance. Li Jiangwei sighed with emotion: "In the past, it was 'patrolling by walking'; now it is 'defending by flying.' The equipment has changed, and the way of border defense has changed, but the responsibility of guarding the territory — not one ounce lighter."

As the competition concluded, the gunpowder smoke dispersed slowly among the mountains. Hu Jiajun and the participating officers and soldiers sat together, exchanging accounts of the sudden situations on the field and discussing techniques for optimizing equipment operation. Someone mentioned the fierce wind just now, and Hu Jiajun said with feeling: "The wind is strong — just the right time to practice technique!"

On the northern border borderland, batch after batch of border defense officers and soldiers, now holding intelligent equipment in their hands, guard the motherland's border day and night. From "measuring with two feet" to drone reconnaissance, generations of border troops, with their youth and steadfastness, are forging the iron Great Wall that guards the border and defends the country.

(Ren Haipeng (任海鹏) and Long Xitao (龙喜涛) contributed to the reporting.)

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Editor of this page: Ren Tongtong

Layout design: Zhang Danfeng

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Following the Real Scene to Grasp the 'Masterstroke' (Cultural China Tour · Humanities Observation)

By: 本报记者 陈隽逸

On June 26, the major revolutionary historical film Four Crossings (四渡) was released in theaters nationwide.

Closely tied to the important time nodes of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March, the film Four Crossings, which took several years to meticulously plan and produce, revolves around the classic battle example after the Zunyi Conference in 1935, when Comrade Mao Zedong commanded over 30,000 Red Army soldiers to break through the encirclement and blockade of about 400,000 enemy troops and leap out of the encirclement, vividly presenting the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, the "masterstroke" (得意之笔) of Mao Zedong's military command career.

All 32 filming locations and 107 shooting scenes of the entire film were set in Guizhou, following the marching route of the Central Red Army's Four Crossings of the Chishui River in 1935 to complete on-location shooting. The film, empowered by a new-era perspective, new narrative expression, and new technology, not only recreates the magnificent red history before and after the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, but also makes the great Long March spirit and Zunyi Conference spirit radiate the brilliance of the times.

On-site shooting, maximizing historical restoration

In summer, the Chishui River surges forward. Tucheng Ancient Town (土城古镇) is built along the river; strolling through it, the wooden houses on both sides are simple and elegant, a few residents sit in teahouses leisurely sipping tea, and a cat lies comfortably on the cobblestone street, indifferent to the passing tourists. Not far away, in the Four Crossings of the Chishui River Memorial Hall (四渡赤水纪念馆), three old fir wood door panels lie quietly on display. This set of national first-class cultural relics are precisely the items that the people of Tucheng donated to the Red Army to build pontoon bridges at that time.

Tucheng Town in Xishui County (习水县), northern Guizhou, is the site of the Qinggangpo Battle (青杠坡战斗) that occurred before the Red Army's Four Crossings of the Chishui River that year. It preserves the ferry crossing for the first crossing of the Chishui River and is also one of the important filming locations of the film. "The Four Crossings of the Chishui River was called by Chairman Mao his 'lifelong masterstroke.' The miracle of over 30,000 Red Army soldiers maneuvering among about 400,000 enemy troops occurred in Guizhou. Shooting on the soil of Guizhou can better restore that period of history," said a relevant responsible comrade from the Propaganda Department of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, 开门见山 (kāi mén jiàn shān - "open the door and see the mountain," to speak frankly and directly), explaining the original intention of the entire film being shot on location in Guizhou.

During the shooting process, the Guizhou propaganda department strictly adhered to the principle of "guide but not dominate, check but not take over, serve but not intervene," and formed a team of experts in party history, military history, and cultural relics that stayed with the crew throughout, checking everything against historical materials item by item, from the patterns on Red Army cap badges and the use of Sichuan-Guizhou dialect words, to the troop deployment in the Qinggangpo Battle.

In one scene of the film, the troops split into two routes, and a young Red Army soldier is puzzled. An old soldier tells him: "Sometimes go east, sometimes go west..." This line of dialogue comes from the original text of the Notice to All Red Commanders and Fighters (告全体红色指战员书): "Sometimes go east, sometimes go west, sometimes take the main road, sometimes take the small path, sometimes take the old road, sometimes take the new road." "The film strictly follows the history of the Long March, including restoring the relatively complex historical situation during the Four Crossings of the Chishui River," said Zhan Qingsheng (詹庆生), former professor of the Military Culture College of the National Defense University. "The directors and screenwriters studied a great deal of historical materials and put in a lot of effort."

In January 2025, the film began shooting in Zunyi. The shooting period closely coincided with the historical period of the Red Army's Four Crossings of the Chishui River that year. The naturally cold and wet river valley climate and the continuous overcast and chilly rain became natural on-location sets that needed no artificial construction. Actor Liu Ye (刘烨) played Mao Zedong. He recalled a night scene on a mountaintop: "We shot for a full five hours. We were wearing all kinds of modern thermal underwear, but we were still unbearably cold." Cao Bingkun (曹炳琨), who played Liu Bocheng, exclaimed on the spot: "We only shot for four or five hours. Back then, the Red Army endured this every single day. How did they persevere? At that moment, I suddenly understood. The meaning of on-location shooting lies precisely here. It is not asceticism, but a kind of closeness." The bitter cold of shooting on the deep mountains on winter nights became the most vivid history lesson for the actors involved.

To ensure the smooth implementation of on-location scenes, the Guizhou Film and Television Shooting Service Center innovated a service mechanism of "on-site office + cross-regional dispatch + 24-hour response," coordinating with the local governments of Zunyi, Chishui (赤水), Xishui, Renhuai (仁怀), and other filming locations to open up shooting support channels. Local grassroots cadres and villagers voluntarily participated in the shooting support. When roads were blocked due to bad weather, the masses actively helped carry filming equipment and transport supplies. Young students from multiple universities in the province volunteered to join the crew as extras, personally experiencing the hardships of the Red Army. Through multi-party coordination, the film wrapped successfully 11 days ahead of the original shooting schedule.

Innovative narrative, seeking spiritual resonance

"We reject empty preaching and hope to make young people understand that this is not just a battle, but the steadfast faith of a group of people," said director Xu Zhanxiong (徐展雄). The film breaks free from the creative shackles of stereotyping and preaching, establishing a creative logic of "three narrative integrations": the combination of top-level narrative and bottom-level narrative, the combination of lens narrative and literary narrative, and the combination of strategic narrative and emotional narrative.

At the macro level, the film fully lays out the strategic wisdom of the Red Army's flexible maneuvering and four surprise crossings while surrounded by a massive enemy force. It does not deliberately deify the Red Army or belittle the opponent, but objectively restores the complex situation of the split factions and conflicting interests between Chiang Kai-shek's central army and the regional warlords. The absolute superiority of the enemy's troops and equipment is used to contrast the Red Army's exceptional wisdom in winning through strategy. From a micro perspective, the lens focuses on the countless ordinary Red Army soldiers. In the film, a local youth from the mountains and wilderness of northern Guizhou, rebellious by nature, transforms from ignorant, mischievous, and undisciplined, to, under the baptism of war, witnessing the sacrifice of comrades and feeling the Red Army's true nature of loving the people, gradually growing into a revolutionary soldier who steadfastly holds his faith.

To make the characters' growth vivid and lifelike (有血有肉, yǒu xuè yǒu ròu - "have blood and flesh," vivid and substantial), the film restores two real stories passed down in Tucheng and Erlangba (二郎坝), using details to interpret the Red Army's discipline and the fish-and-water bond between the army and the people, and also witnessing the ideological transformation of the soldiers:

After the Qinggangpo Battle, the Red Army urgently needed to cross the Chishui River westward to break out, but materials for building bridges were extremely scarce. At the critical moment, the people of Tucheng took down the door panels of their homes and carried them to the riverbank to support. In the film, Zhou Enlai, who was supervising the bridge-building on site, repeatedly urged that records must be made of how many door panels were borrowed from each household, promising to return them in the future.

However, the enemy's pursuit was swift. The Red Army blew up the pontoon bridge and made an emergency evacuation, ultimately unable to return the door panels. Even in dire straits, the troops strictly adhered to discipline, issuing silver dollars, straw rain capes, and other supplies worth far more than market prices to the masses who donated door panels as compensation. Today, the three surviving door panels have become the treasured centerpieces of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River Memorial Hall, continuously telling this fine story to later generations.

In another segment, the local youth Ajin accidentally breaks a villager's earthenware jar while carrying a door panel, and the Red Army soldier immediately gives the villager two copper coins as compensation. In real history, when the Red Army entered Erlangba in Xishui, a soldier accidentally broke a farmer's earthenware jar while fetching water. The farmer, understanding the Red Army's hardships, said compensation was unnecessary. The Red Army soldier took out two copper coins he kept close to his person and insisted on paying. Today, the broken earthenware jar and the two copper coins are displayed together in the memorial hall, serving as physical evidence of the Red Army's strict discipline.

At the same time, the film also innovates in cinematography. "It's hard to avoid depicting strategy and tactics when filming the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. In the past, it was mostly presented by inserting small flags on a map," Xu Zhanxiong explained. The film uses red and blue split screens to design a classic scene where Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek play chess at the same table, a cross-time and space game, using warm and cool color tones to distinguish the two camps. "Through this method, it shows that although the two sides are thousands of miles apart, both are making decisions based on their own judgments of the other, making it easier for the audience to understand."

More than 40 years have passed since the last film on the theme of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. How to make it appealing to a new generation of audiences?

"Every person's life is a Long March, and everyone makes critical choices on their life's path," said the film's main creative team. They hope that through the film, young people can see how our predecessors walked their path and what kind of spiritual strength they relied on, thereby understanding that the Long March spirit is our precious spiritual wealth.

Empowered by light and shadow, building a red culture dissemination system

A film is not just a theatrical release; it is also a new starting point for revitalizing the province's red resources.

Leveraging the advantages of the film's on-location shooting, Guizhou officially launched the Follow Four Crossings to Tour Guizhou (跟着《四渡》游贵州) activity, implementing multiple benefit policies: Starting from the month of the film's public release, out-of-province tourists who hold ticket stubs for Four Crossings between June 26 and July 26 can, after logging into the One Code Travel Guizhou (一码游贵州) platform for verification before December 31, enjoy one free admission to one state-owned A-level scenic spot in Guizhou Province (excluding franchised projects). At the same time, cultural tourism consumption vouchers will be issued, covering the entire industry chain of accommodation, dining, local specialties, and other consumption scenarios.

The Red Army's Long March had its longest duration and widest scope of activity in Guizhou, with footprints covering more than 60 counties (cities, districts) in 9 cities (prefectures) of Guizhou. In recent years, Guizhou has deeply cultivated the construction of the Long March National Cultural Park. Starting in 2023, it began to upgrade and update the exhibition content of red venues. "Previously, all venues had to talk about the Zunyi Conference and the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. Now, each venue has its own focus, connecting points into a line to tell the red stories of Guizhou," introduced Ren Qinxian (任钦贤), deputy director of the Coordination and Guidance Office for the Long March National Cultural Park of the Propaganda Department of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee.

"The memorial hall completed its digital exhibition upgrade in 2025, with a focus on implementing a projection system renovation, presenting key scenes of the Long March in a panoramic view through a combination of virtual and real," said Wang Yudi (王玉笛), a docent at the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall (遵义会议纪念馆). Last year, the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall received 8.5349 million visitor-trips, using high-coverage, multi-form red education to promote the Long March spirit and red culture deeply into people's hearts.

Through technological empowerment, Guizhou has also created the "twin stars" of red culture performances:

The Red Ribbon (红飘带) Long March Cultural Digital Art Museum in Guiyang, relying on holographic projection and VR (virtual reality) interactive technology, allows visitors to immersively experience important historical scenes such as the bloody battle at the Xiangjiang River, the Zunyi Conference, and the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. As of May this year, the Red Ribbon has cumulatively performed over 20,000 shows, receiving over 2 million visitors from inside and outside the province.

In the Great Turn (伟大转折) Theater in Zunyi, the immersive live performance Great Turn takes the Zunyi Conference and the Four Crossings of the Chishui River as its narrative main line, relying on a 360-degree rotating stage, thousands of tons of real water effects, and a giant curved screen to create an immersive viewing experience. In the two years since its launch, it has performed over 2,000 times, receiving over 650,000 audience members, and has become a must-visit project for red tourism in Zunyi.

"Red venues and live performances must be seen on site. The release of the film Four Crossings fills a key gap in theatrical films and enriches the dissemination channels of red culture," introduced a relevant responsible comrade from the Propaganda Department of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee. "We plan to launch a public welfare film screening activity called '90 Years, 90 Screenings,' inviting students, new employment groups, etc., to watch for free, so that more people can appreciate the Long March spirit in the film and take the Long March of the new era well."

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Activating the Power of Literary and Artistic Creation with the Soul of Cultural Heritage

By: 张 贺

The film Love Letter to Grandma (给阿嬷的情书) has made qiaopi (侨批) culture a hot topic, the TV series The Leading Role (主角) has made Qinqiang (秦腔) opera popular across the entire country, and the TV series Family Enterprise (家业) has brought the craftsmanship of Huimo (徽墨) ink sticks to public awareness… Recently, a batch of film and television works with distinct regional cultural characteristics have successively “broken out of their circles.” The splendid stories, vivid personalities, and exquisite production are certainly indispensable, but what cannot be overlooked is that cultural heritage constitutes an important component of these works. It not only advances the plot and shapes the characters’ personalities, but also conveys cultural connotations and spiritual values, becoming a vivid carrier of historical change and the features of the times.

At the same time, film and television works have greatly raised the social visibility of the related cultural heritage, sparking strong interest among the general public, especially young people. According to reports, after Love Letter to Grandma was released, the number of visitors to the Shantou Qiaopi Cultural Relics Museum during the May Day holiday surged threefold; with the hot broadcast of the TV series The Leading Role, ticket sales at multiple Xi’an Qinqiang theaters increased substantially, and sales of Qinqiang-related cultural and creative products surged by 150%; and Family Enterprise also brought a wave of “cultural dividends” to Anhui cultural tourism, with a marked increase in tourists participating in experiences of Huimo ink stick making and fish-lantern parades…

This is a two-way journey of mutual achievement between film/television works and cultural heritage.

Practice has proven that cultural heritage is a valuable resource for literary and artistic creation. Preserving, inheriting, and disseminating cultural heritage well is of great significance for flourishing literary and artistic creation and building a culturally strong nation. Cultural heritage carries the genes and bloodline of the Chinese nation, and contains the great creativity, outstanding wisdom, and shared memories of the Chinese people. As the pace of modernization accelerates, many forms of cultural heritage born in agricultural civilization face, to varying degrees, challenges of inheritance. Thus, the fate of cultural heritage becomes closely linked with national development and the changes of the times, and tightly bound with the personal fortunes of the inheritors, jointly unfolding stirring and praiseworthy stories. China possesses a vast quantity and rich variety of cultural heritage; each item carries a piece of history and may contain unknown stories. Excavating these histories and telling these stories will surely provide inexhaustible inspiration for literary and artistic creation.

Deeply excavating the spiritual pursuits and value concepts contained in cultural heritage will further endow literary and artistic works with depth of thought and warmth of emotion. Audiences are certainly attracted by the plot and characters, but they are even more moved by the spirit conveyed in the works. Qiaopi are not just letters and remittance slips; they also carry the nostalgia of thousands of miles and the feelings of family and country. They are the familial affection and gratitude engraved in the bones of the Chinese people, the yearning and concern that cannot be severed even when one goes to the ends of the earth. Qinqiang opera, like the Loess Plateau, is plain, desolate, and rough, singing out the tenacity and perseverance of the people of Shaanxi. Huimo ink sticks, with their exquisite craftsmanship, demonstrate the artisan spirit of constantly striving for perfection and inheriting while innovating, conveying the Confucian merchant spirit of taking integrity as the foundation and valuing righteousness over profit…

Chinese culture has since ancient times emphasized that “literature carries the Way, literature transforms people.” Culture deeply affects the human soul. Excellent literary and artistic works bring solace to the heart and a baptism of the spirit, and greatly strengthen people’s spiritual strength. Those moved by faith and righteousness become honest; those inspired by striving become tenacious; those convinced by dedication become noble. Excavating the cultural connotations behind cultural heritage and promoting their spirit will make literary and artistic works a powerful driving force for strengthening cultural confidence and enhancing the people’s spiritual strength.

With the help of film and television dramas, cultural heritage such as Qinqiang opera has “broken out of the circle,” crossing differences of region, dialect, and cultural background to become public topics, thereby creating favorable conditions for the inheritance and development of cultural heritage. This also enlightens us: promoting cross-border integration is an effective path for the preservation, utilization, inheritance, and development of cultural heritage. The digital game Black Myth: Wukong popularized ancient building tours across the country and northern Shaanxi storytelling; the animated film series Ne Zha made Sanxingdui artifacts famous far and wide; the dance drama Only This Green (只此青绿) attracted a large following for the aesthetics of traditional Chinese culture… Many forms of cultural heritage have, through cross-border integration, expanded their visibility, increased their attention, and created a reputation for excellence, allowing audiences who previously knew little about them to see the splendor and depth of fine traditional Chinese culture and to feel the responsibility and dedication of the inheritors, thereby enhancing their consciousness and initiative in protecting cultural heritage.

China’s cultural heritage possesses unique charm and is captivating. As long as we adhere to the principles of protection first, rational utilization, and minimal intervention, consolidate the foundation of protection, excavate cultural connotations, and promote cross-border integration, we will certainly be able to continue creating a new situation in the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage and the flourishing and prosperity of literary and artistic creation, injecting strong cultural momentum into comprehensively advancing the building of a strong nation and the great cause of national rejuvenation.

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A Dying Opera Genre Ignites a City (Inheritance)

By: 本报记者 范昊天

"Beyond the bamboo grove, beside the creek, Wuling's long street is a night without end. The opera is graceful, the dance is light; amid powder and rouge, the mortal world is but a dream." As the lanterns first light up and the music begins, Yuan Yuling, clad in a red dress, steps onto the stage of the Wuling Never-Night City (武陵不夜城) in Zhuxi County (竹溪县), Hubei, following the drumbeats. As soon as her singing voice rings out, the audience below falls silent.

Among the crowd, Huang Caiping (黄彩平), a 69-year-old national-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage Handiao Erhuang (汉调二簧), watched her beloved apprentice from the post-00s generation and said with relief, "I never imagined that this intangible opera genre, once on the verge of extinction, would now set an entire street and an entire city ablaze with its songs."

Handiao Erhuang, also known as Shan'erhuang (山二黄), is a Han Chinese opera genre primarily prevalent in the Shiyan (十堰) area of northwestern Hubei and the Ankang (安康) area of southern Shaanxi. It has been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage. Handiao Erhuang took shape during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty; its vocal system evolved from a fusion of various dialect pronunciations and folk tunes. Because its early form was based on Chu tunes, it earned the reputation of being the "mother of Han opera."

The Zhuxi County Shan'erhuang Opera Protection, Inheritance, Performance and Exhibition Center (竹溪县山二黄剧种保护传承展演中心) (formerly the Zhuxi County Shan'erhuang Opera Troupe) is the only professional artistic troupe in the country that performs the Shan'erhuang opera genre. Huang Caiping entered the troupe at the age of 14; the rehearsal ground was a muddy plot beside a vegetable garden. Practicing The Female County Magistrate wearing 10-centimeter-high court boots, she twisted her ankle but gritted her teeth and kept on. Yet when they performed in the countryside, the audience below the stage was entirely made up of white-haired veteran opera fans, with hardly any young people.

In recent years, Zhuxi County has made the protection and inheritance of Shan'erhuang a focus of cultural construction, adopting multiple measures to solve problems such as a 青黄不接 (qīng huáng bù jiē - "green and yellow do not meet," a gap in succession between the old and the new) in talent and the lack of a market for performances. In 2015, Zhuxi sent 31 local students at one go to Hubei Vocational College of Art (湖北艺术职业学院) for targeted training, with a five-year academic program. After graduation, they would directly enter the Shan'erhuang Troupe and be given public institution staffing (事业编制).

Yuan Yuling (袁玉玲), then 15 years old, was one of them. In the first three months at school, she got up at 5 a.m. every day to practice her skills; she cried from the pain of leg presses and went hoarse from practicing singing. "The teacher was very strict. If a single note was wrong, we had to repeat it ten times."

In 2020, Yuan Yuling graduated and returned to Zhuxi, becoming a "new-generation pillar" of the Shan'erhuang Troupe. When there were no performances, she would spend all day in the rehearsal room, following Huang Caiping to practice her singing and body movements. "Keep your waist steady, your eyes lively. Shan'erhuang belongs to the pihuang tune system; its soul is in the 'tune.' You can't just shout with your throat; you have to sing with emotion. Every syllable's pronunciation and every breath transition has its nuances." Yuan Yuling kept Huang Caiping's words in her heart.

At the same time, the Wuling Never-Night City, the country's first immersive opera-and-cuisine block, which Zhuxi County focused on building, became a "training camp" for Shan'erhuang inheritance. On December 30, 2023, Wuling Never-Night City opened to the public, directly moving the Shan'erhuang stage into the block. The large-scale opera scenario drama Wuling Pear Garden Romance (武陵梨园情) was performed across the block's seven stages and fifteen cultural performance nodes, allowing audiences to watch as they walked.

Yuan Yuling played the role of "Jiu Ling" (九伶) in the drama, with a handsome stage appearance and solid singing skills. Some tourists filmed videos and posted them online; barrage comments floated across: "This young lady is really talented," "Shan'erhuang actually sounds this good"…

"As you stroll along the street, turn your head and Yuan Yuling starts singing right beside you; look up, and Huang Caiping is on the bridge, flicking her water sleeves." Yu Quanyuan (喻泉源), director of the Zhuxi County Culture and Tourism Bureau (竹溪县文化和旅游局), explained that this kind of "walk-and-watch performance" transforms intangible heritage into a national trend (国潮). What's even rarer is that the block's regular performances average more than 270 shows per year; the actors perform on stage every day. For them, practice is performance, and performance is practice. Intangible heritage is no longer a museum artifact kept 束之高阁 (shù zhī gāo gé - "tied up on a high shelf," shelved and unused), but an urban IP (intellectual property) that comes with its own traffic. Since its opening, Wuling Never-Night City has received a total of over 30 million visits, driving the county's overall tourism revenue to grow by an average of more than 30% annually.

Even more profound changes have taken place backstage. Huang Caiping has trained over a hundred students in total, and half of them have become core members of the troupe. The newly created and staged plays Camellia (山茶花) and Youth, How Could It Be Fearful (青春何恐) have won consecutive provincial awards. In 2025, she became Zhuxi's first national-level representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage and was named a "Jingchu Model" (荆楚楷模).

"Eighty percent of the current cast and crew in the troupe are post-00s. The innovatively choreographed Wuling Pear Garden Romance has already been upgraded from version 1.0 to version 4.0 and has become a 'top-tier attraction' drawing young tourists," said Yuan Yuling. The ancient Shan'erhuang will continue to be passed down and 发扬光大 (fā yáng guāng dà - "develop and expand," to carry forward and enhance) in the hands of their generation.

(Guo Jun contributed to the writing.)

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本版责编：何思琦

Format Designer: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Sublime Reverence, Most Beautiful Picture (Reading a Painting)

By: 杨 可

On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has decided to award the July 1 Medal (七一勋章) to eight comrades, including Ma Shanxiang (马善祥). This is another lofty tribute to meritorious models after the highest honor within the Party was conferred on 29 ordinary heroes in 2021.

The medal shines brightly, reflecting the original aspiration. To promote the moving deeds and noble character of the recipients of the July 1 Medal, the creative team of the "Daily Painting Reading" (每日读画) column — a converged media brand of the literary and art propaganda section of People's Daily — used the Chinese painting scroll "Gathering of Heroes" (群英谱) as a blueprint, trained an AI (artificial intelligence) large model, artistically restored the images of 37 recipients of the July 1 Medal, and condensed the lofty spirit of Communists into a dynamic visual epic. As one of the principal creators of "Gathering of Heroes", seeing this long scroll endowed with a new "way of opening," I deeply feel that static brush-and-ink has gained another kind of breathing in dynamic narrative — the gaze of the viewer, guided by the camera, completes a spiritual journey across the scroll. When discussing painting, the Eastern Jin dynasty painter Gu Kaizhi once spoke of 迁想妙得 (qiān xiǎng miào dé - "transfer thoughts and obtain marvels," the principle of evoking the image through the viewer's imagination). This phrase itself inherently contains the way of seeing in which the viewer awakens the image with imagination. When a painting steps down from the exhibition wall and becomes a video that can be opened and shared at any time, the images on the paper become ever more vivid, and the original voices of the figures make the heroes and their thoughts all the more three-dimensional and palpable. Every playback is a rekindling of the starlight of the spirit; every sharing is a quiet spreading of the heroes' stories far and wide. The brush-and-ink has not changed, but the carrier has changed, and the boundary of "transmitting the spirit" (传神) has thus been extended.

As one of the three major categories of Chinese painting, figure painting matured the earliest, possesses a rich cultural heritage and unique artistic language, and continues to perform the social function of "accomplishing education, assisting human relations" (成教化，助人伦). Using ink-and-wash language to depict meritorious models can both embody the beauty of Chinese art and easily arouse cultural resonance in the viewers' hearts. Therefore, the creative team of "Daily Painting Reading" chose to let AI take the Chinese painting style of "Gathering of Heroes" as a reference to represent the images of eight newly awarded July 1 Medal recipients, including Ma Shanxiang. This is 一脉相承 (yī mài xiāng chéng - "one continuous line of inheritance," to be of the same lineage) with the images created by the creative team of "Gathering of Heroes" for the other 29 July 1 Medal recipients, allowing the new-era red narrative to take root and grow in the soil of national art.

As an important foundation for the creation of the AI dynamic scroll, "Gathering of Heroes" is more than 30 meters long. On the basis of accurately presenting the figures' clothing and postures, the creative team sought to express their spiritual world. On the light ochre background of bark-hemp paper, the lines rise and fall rhythmically, with density and spacing well arranged. The meticulous heavy-color painting expresses respect for the heroes; the agile ink-and-wash freehand adds a sense of breathing to the picture. The painters firmly grasp the distinctive spiritual features of each meritorious model — Lu Yuanjiu (陆元九) in his concentrated, contemplative manner shows the rigor of a scientist; Zhuoga (卓嘎) in her sincere, simple smile carries the tenacity of guarding the border for the country; Lan Tianye (蓝天野) in his calm and relaxed posture reveals the sentiments of an artist... The Northern Song dynasty poet Su Shi advocated that portrait painting should "capture the person's innate nature" (得其人之天), that is, to grasp the genuine state naturally revealed by the person. This is precisely the key to "Gathering of Heroes" surpassing mere "likeness" and reaching "truth."

What truly enables the long scroll to move from "painting a likeness" to "writing the heart" are also those meticulously gathered details. Zhang Guimei's (张桂梅) hands covered in medicated plasters are the testament to her lifting up the lives and dreams of countless girls from mountainous areas; the mud on Huang Dafa's (黄大发) shoes is the mark of his carving out a "channel of life" on a sheer cliff; Wei Deyou's (魏德友) old military coat that he has worn for decades is the "companion" of his more than 200,000 kilometers of border patrol. These detailed depictions restore the meritorious models to warm individuals, and restore the lofty honor to day-after-day silent dedication. Relying on AI, these details are presented even more vividly and naturally in the dynamic scroll, making the simple original aspiration accessible and attainable in the integration of art and science.

This AI dynamic scroll that spans time and space is not a roster, not an illustrated handbook, but a spiritual symphony about faith and perseverance written with brush-and-ink and AI. Although the honor is named "medal," the scroll reminds us that the true medal is not only on the chest, but also on the road underfoot, the calluses on the hands, and the breeze behind one. When the scroll is unrolled, every figure has weight, has warmth, and can withstand the gaze of time. What Gu Kaizhi called "transmitting the spirit" transmits precisely this kind of truth that can withstand the gaze.

A truly moving painting is not merely viewed; it will also quietly reshape the viewer's inner world. The starlight of the heroes, shining across the river of time, is now illuminating every upward-gazing person's heart — through brush-and-ink, and through AI.

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Editor's Note

At the grand gathering celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly revealed the outstanding traits that have enabled the Communist Party of China to continuously forge brilliance, and emphasized: “We must, in light of new realities, constantly carry forward and expand the Party’s outstanding traits, ensure that the Party never degenerates, never changes its color, never changes its flavor, and always possesses strong creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness.”

One hundred and five years of journey have been vast and magnificent; the Party’s practice of struggle has always inspired generation after generation of art workers. In recent years, the upsurge of red sketching has been continuously surging. The vast number of art workers have rushed to revolutionary holy sites, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, merging the eventful years, the heroic spirit, and the emotions of the times, using brushes to record history, comprehend the original aspiration, inherit the genes, and achieve a deep transformation from depicting scenery to portraying spirit, from artistic creation to Party spirit tempering, creating one after another sketching masterpiece that manifests the beauty of faith.

Red sketching is not only an artistic practice but also a vivid Party history lesson and ideological-political lesson. In order to sort out the experience of red sketching, this publication specially invites experts and scholars, combining sketching practice with theoretical research, to share genuine insights, to build ideological consensus for the creation of red-themed fine art in the new era, and to join readers in feeling the power of faith amidst painting and thought, and to continue the red bloodline.

— Editor

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Measuring History with Steps, Feeling Warmth with Heart (Journey Like a Painting)

By: 孙立新

I am a military painter, and I have been engaged in thematic fine art creation for over 40 years. My artistic path has always been accompanied by the two characters “travel” — military service carries my mission, while travel is the way I fulfill my mission. Sketching from life is the source of living water for my creation, and it has never ceased for over 50 years since I first began learning painting. In recent years, I have repeatedly set foot on red soil, using my brush to 抚今追昔 (fǔ jīn zhuī xī - “touch the present, pursue the past,” to reflect on the past in light of the present). I deeply understand that only by returning to the historical scene and facing the real landscape can real emotion be born.

When painting historical subjects, the hardest thing is “truth.” Sitting in the studio flipping through materials and standing at the site where history occurred gives a feeling 天差地别 (tiān chā dì bié - “as different as heaven and earth,” poles apart). The resonance produced by real scenes and genuine emotions is incomparable to books and photographs.

To create Crossing the Minshan Mountains (《走过岷山》), I followed the Red Army’s Long March route for three months. When I set out, I was wearing an undershirt; when I returned, I had already changed into a sweater. Before setting out, I was perplexed, not knowing what artistic language to use to express the theme. As I traveled all the way, the images in my mind gradually became clear. Especially in Qinghai, the blue sky, white clouds, and the strong contrast of light and shadow formed by large cloud shadows casting down excited me — I found the artistic language suitable for this work: using large blocks of black-and-white contrast to mold the Red Army soldiers’ 坚韧不拔 (jiān rèn bù bá - “tough and unyielding,” unyielding) backbone, using sculptural forms and affirmative contour lines to express their courage and perseverance in overcoming all difficulties. I also borrowed from Mr. Zhan Jianjun’s modeling approach in Five Heroes of Langya Mountain (《狼牙山五壮士》), pursuing a 大刀阔斧 (dà dāo kuò fǔ - “broadsword and great axe,” bold and resolute) sense of power.

At the border between Gansu and Qinghai, the off-road vehicle I was riding in got stuck in the grassland. The driver and the young soldier said anxiously: “We don’t even know where we’ll stay tonight, and you still have the mind to paint?” But I thought it was too rare an opportunity — standing on the grassland where the Red Army had marched, with the wind blowing and the clouds low, I truly realized: without ideals and faith, the Red Army could not have crossed it. I painted that grassland, and later it appeared in Crossing the Minshan Mountains.

When creating We Will Surely Return (《我们一定会回来》), I went to Ruijin, Jiangxi, and stood on the banks of the Yudu River. After the rain, the sky had low-hanging dark clouds. I instantly felt the solemn grandeur of the Red Army crossing the Yudu River at night back then. A local told us that the scene of farewell was extremely moving — wives sending off husbands, fathers sending off sons, crossing for three days and three nights. I played the tune Seeing Off the Red Army Ten Times (《十送红军》), painting from 5 in the morning to 9 at night, just to keep the feelings I gained from sketching uninterrupted and from going off-key. The tone of this painting was laid out based on the sketching feeling of the low-hanging dark clouds by the Yudu River.

Without walking and sketching from life, I could not find the soul of these images. Sketching from life is not simple material collection; it is a process of measuring history with one’s footsteps and feeling the temperature with one’s heart.

The core of thematic fine art creation lies in emotional investment. Only when the creator is first moved by history can the work move others. Because painting must not only have the undertone of life and the undertone of nature, but also the undertone of spirit.

When painting Yang Jingyu, I went several times to the places where he fought to sketch from life. What moved me most about his deeds was his saying: “If all us Chinese surrender, will there still be a China?” I strove to express in my painting this 惊天动地 (jīng tiān dòng dì - “startle heaven and move earth,” earth-shattering) national spirit — the north wind howling, heavy snow falling, Yang Jingyu leaning against a big tree, shedding the last drop of blood for the Chinese nation.

When creating Fierce Battle at Songgu Peak (《激战松骨峰》), I read Wei Wei’s Who Are the Most Beloved People (《谁是最可爱的人》). When I read the detail that after sacrificing themselves, the Volunteer Army soldiers still had their hands tightly holding the enemy, their fingers impossible to pry open, I was deeply shocked. Later, when this painting was exhibited, seven veteran soldiers who had survived the Battle of Songgu Peak came specially to see it. They held my hand and said: “Thank you for not forgetting us.” At that moment, I felt how heavy the responsibility on the shoulders of fine art workers is.

When sketching from life in Zunyi, Guizhou, I always pursued traces of red with a reverent heart. Standing on the banks of the Chishui River, the sound of flowing water seemed to carry the majestic songs of heavy gunfire from back then. In the creation of Sunshine in Tucheng (《土城的阳光》), I wanted to fully express today’s sunlight, to commemorate the sacrifices the forebears made for today’s beautiful life. When the brush connects with history, when sketching is infused with reverence for the forebears, the image gains spiritual weight.

Currently, thematic fine art creation is flourishing vigorously, and young painters are throwing themselves into it, which is a gratifying phenomenon. But some tendencies toward 急于求成 (jí yú qiú chéng - “eager to achieve quick success,” rushing for success) still exist — finding a few photos and splicing them together on a computer becomes a draft for a painting. Such works are often simplifed, superficial, and formulaic. Respecting the laws of artistic creation is likewise a prerequisite for red sketching.

I always remember the teachings of senior artists of the Military Museum such as Gao Hong and He Kongde: creation cannot leave life. Back then, when they went to Jinggangshan to experience life, they stayed for half a year. When I worked at the August First Film Studio, I heard teachers say that actor Wang Xingang, in order to film Sea Hawk (《海鹰》), first lived on a torpedo boat for several months. Fine art creation is the same — from experiencing life and feeling the era, to collecting material, sketching drafts, polishing, and completing, it is a systematic engineering.

Nowadays everyone often says “deep diving (深扎),” and I feel it is very good — “dive deep into life, take root in the people (深入生活，扎根人民)” must truly root in. For many years I have persisted in small-scale oil painting sketching from life. Influenced by my mentor Mr. Zhu Naizheng, every time I arrive at a place I quickly paint one, and 日积月累 (rì jī yuè lěi - “daily accumulate, monthly amass,” to accumulate over time) I have painted several hundred. They are the visual diary of my life. It is precisely the accumulation of these seemingly ordinary sketches that gives large-scale creation its foundation.

Facing the Chishui River in Zunyi, the snowy scenery of Minshan, facing stretch after stretch of red soil, I hope to transmit the red spirit to contemporary youth through my brush — at the most difficult times, rely on faith, fortitude, and conviction to get through. Though the smoke of war has long receded, this spirit still needs to be passed on. If artistic works want to have strength, depth, and be able to withstand historical scrutiny, they cannot be too hasty. Sink the heart down, truly dive into life and the people, let the work first move oneself, and only then is it possible to move the era.

Sketching from life is a long road in my spiritual journey of exploring truth and exploring the world. I will continue to walk it.

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From "Being Present" to "Being Attentive" (Journey Like a Painting)

By: 吴端涛

For a long time, red plein-air sketching (红色写生) has often been simplistically regarded as the preliminary groundwork for fine art creation, an auxiliary means of collecting source material. This understanding, to a certain extent, narrows the concept of red plein-air sketching. In fact, red plein-air sketching has become an independent form of artistic creation that integrates into one the contemplation of reality, the realization of history, and the inheritance of spirit. Standing on the historical thread and the contemporary context, re-examining its intrinsic value helps to promote the creation of red-theme fine art and the inheritance and development of red culture.

The hundred-year history of development of red fine art is also a history of creation that unfolds spiritual retrospection and artistic innovation on the basis of on-site sketching. As early as during the Long March, Huang Zhen (黄镇) used soot from pots to make ink, truthfully recording on the march the features and bearing of Red Army officers and soldiers and battle scenes; these impromptu creations gathered into the Long March Sketch Collection (《长征画集》), providing valuable visual materials for later generations to understand the Long March spirit. In 1975, Shen Yaoyi (沈尧伊) shouldered his pack and sketched along the route of the Red Army's Long March, and later retraced the Long March road several times. The monumental comic-strip series The Red Ribbon of the Earth (《地球的红飘带》), created on the basis of a vast quantity of sketching manuscripts, had a far-reaching influence. In 2016, twelve 鸿篇巨制 (hóng piān jù zhì - "great piece, grand work," monumental works) representing the key nodes of the Red Army's Long March, collectively created by the Propaganda Bureau of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission (中央军委政治工作部宣传局) and seven national fine art academies, along with more than two hundred sketching manuscripts and drafts, were exhibited at the National Museum of China, powerfully reflecting the self-awareness of fine art workers in the new era in using red plein-air sketching to promote innovation in artistic language. Through the relay creation of successive generations of fine art workers, the connotation of red plein-air sketching has been continuously enriched.

Red plein-air sketching is by no means a simple matter of setting up the easel on location and depicting scenery; rather, it is to build an artistic channel of dialogue between time and space amid natural features and red memories, achieving a deep integration of historical spirit and contemporary aesthetics. In red plein-air sketching, the creator must, through the real landscape before his eyes, revisit the revolutionary history and its spiritual core behind it, realizing the triple contemplation of "viewing the actual scene, seeing the history, and grasping the spirit" (观实景、见历史、悟精神). In recent years, this artistic concept has received significant attention from major fine art creation institutions. In 2025, the Chinese National Academy of Arts (中国艺术研究院) organized the "National Cultural Park Theme Chinese Painting Creation Talent Training" (国家文化公园主题中国画创作人才培训); the opening ceremony was held at the Red Army Long March Monument Park in Songpan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan (四川阿坝藏族羌族自治州松潘县红军长征纪念碑碑园), embodying the principle that red plein-air sketching begins with the warm earth underfoot and returns to faith in the heart. In the same year, the China National Academy of Painting (中国国家画院) held a symposium on sketching creation topics to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March victory, and in 2026 organized the "Great Long March" national academy sketching and creative field activity, clearly stating that the focus of red plein-air sketching is not on faithfully reproducing the actual scene, but on realizing the contemporary expression of red faith.

Red plein-air sketching practice in the new era continuously confirms the irreplaceability of on-site experience. In December 2025, the China Artists Association led fine art workers into Hengkantou Village, Yuyao, Zhejiang (浙江余姚横坎头村); the transformative path of this village from a red stronghold to a "red + green" revitalized well-off village gave the creators a profound experience of the deep integration of history and the present. Not long ago, the Sichuan Artists Association organized fine art workers to sketch along the ancient route of the Red Army's northward march. When the creators stood amid the cold snow-covered mountains and glaciers and the boundless highland meadows, they could more deeply appreciate the arduous struggle spirit of Red Army officers and soldiers defying the bitter cold and crossing natural barriers. The immersive experience allows creators to "see" through the scenery before their eyes the historical depth behind it, achieving a deep dialogue with the revolutionary spirit in a "dual gaze." It is precisely this unique on-site spiritual dialogue that endows red plein-air sketching with an artistic vitality different from studio creation.

The spiritual presence of red plein-air sketching not only enriches the thematic capacity of "sketching," but also elevates the spiritual content of "red." From the pioneering efforts of predecessors such as Huang Zhen and Shen Yaoyi to the deep cultivation of fine art workers in the new era, creators undergo a spiritual baptism in the act of sketching, transforming their reverence for revolutionary forebears into the inner driving force of creation. Paintings bearing the thickness of history and the warmth of emotion also allow viewers to empathize with the fervor and faith of those years, completing a spiritual transmission that spans generations. We look forward to more fine art workers joining this artistic Long March from "being present" to "engaging the heart" (从"在场"到"用心"), letting the red spirit illuminate an even grander journey of the era through the painter's brush.

(The author is a contributor to Fine Arts (《美术》) magazine.)

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Capturing Form and Spirit (A Journey Like a Painting)

By: 王 珂

Red figure sketching carries the artistic mission of remembering revolutionary history, inheriting red genes, and promoting the national spirit. To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, I joined the sketching delegation of the Painting and Calligraphy Studio of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (全国政协书画室) to go deep into the Dabie Mountains old revolutionary base area for investigation and sketching, successively visiting the former site of the Military and Political Headquarters of the Red 28th Army (红二十八军军政旧址), the Memorial Hall of the Fourth Detachment of the New Fourth Army (新四军第四支队纪念馆), and other places.

In the exhibition hall, yellowed old photos strike the soul. The youths in the lens, who should have been peacefully settled in their native land and grown up steadily, instead bid farewell to their loved ones for the ideals of family and country and embarked on the revolutionary journey. They climbed snowy mountains, crossed grasslands, and went through all kinds of hardships yet still did not change their original aspirations. This sincerity and fearless faith gave me the impulse to create.

To complete the work well, I visited many descendants of revolutionary martyrs and conducted several groups of red figure sketches. After returning, I began to concentrate on creating the Chinese painting The Soul of the Youth in Military Uniform (《戎装少年魂》) (see picture). To show the youth’s character traits of tenacity, sincerity, and resoluteness, I chose to outline the figure’s form with freehand brushwork, simplified the carving of the external shape, and focused on depicting his childish yet firm and determined bearing and expression. I also paid attention to preserving the unique immaturity of the youth, using a peaceful and gentle artistic language to restore the real life state of the young revolutionary during the war period, and express the righteousness of family and country in his heart, making the work possess both historical depth and humanistic warmth.

Through creation, I deeply realized that red figure sketching is a spiritual dialogue across time and space, a dual tempering of brushwork technique and ideological realm. In the past, when painting behind closed doors based on historical photos of revolutionary martyrs, creators could only imitate their form but found it difficult to touch their soul. The sincere persistence in those war-torn years, the burning original aspirations amidst life-and-death choices, were all hard to present vividly in the painting. But when creators step into the red land, listen to the descendants of martyrs orally narrate revolutionary past events, witness the 沧桑巨变 (cāngsāng jùbiàn – “vast changes of sea to mulberry fields,” great transformations) of the old red base areas, and immersively feel the martyrs’ mission and responsibility, their understanding of the heroic spirit becomes deeper. At the same time, sketching on location and figure sketching further hone the creator’s ability to control brushwork, adjust atmosphere, and shape artistic conception, promoting the deep integration of their personal artistic style with the red narrative, and the brush naturally carries emotional tension when it lands.

In recent years, red figure sketching has continued to heat up, powerfully driving the development of artistic creation on revolutionary historical themes and realistic themes. Artistic expression is constantly being renewed, presenting many gratifying changes.

In terms of creative perspective, there is more emphasis on reflecting humanistic care, breaking out of the mold of stereotyped image creation. Many art workers no longer cling to depicting grand scenes or creating 完美无缺 (wánměi wúquē – “perfect and flawless,” flawless) heroic images, but instead push aside the curtain of grand historical narrative, deeply excavate the true human nature of revolutionary predecessors, restore vivid and flesh-and-blood character images, making heroes approachable and empathetic.

In terms of artistic concept, adhering to “writing the soul is more important than writing the form,” the creative focus has shifted from depicting the external form to manifesting the spirit. Today’s red-themed art creation is no longer confined to the precise presentation of the character’s body, but emphasizes deeply excavating the noble qualities and lofty spirit of the Chinese Communists—firm belief, practicing the purpose, striving and dedicating, 廉洁奉公 (liánjié fènggōng – “honest and upright in official duties,” honest and devoted to public service). At the same time, the artistic technique of dialogue between ancient and modern has opened up new creative space. Art workers juxtapose images of contemporary inheritors and revolutionary predecessors in the painting, building an artistic bridge across time and space, allowing the red spirit to move from history to the contemporary era.

In terms of artistic language, it has shifted from formalistic realism to diverse integration, balancing historical rigor and artistic appeal. With the help of red figure sketching, creators deeply root themselves in the red hot land, observe human customs, and lay the foundation for restoring historical truth and establishing a correct view of history in red-themed art creation. To get closer to contemporary public aesthetics, some art workers break through traditional realistic techniques, incorporating freehand brushwork, flat composition, etc., into their creation, relying on the spirit of brushwork to shape the character’s backbone, achieving a deep integration of traditional brushwork language and contemporary aesthetic expression.

These new changes witness that red figure sketching is entering a new stage with people as the foundation and emotion as the core. Continuing to adhere to the creative method of “going deep into life, taking root among the people,” experiencing the beauty of faith in seeking out revolutionary heroes, and strengthening the foundation of creation in honing painting skills, is the duty of art workers in the new era.

(The author is a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Capital Normal University.)

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How Art Criticism Distills Itself Amid the AI Wave (Brush Notes on the Art Scene)

By: 蒋文博

At present, AI (artificial intelligence) can not only imitate humans in creating art, but also imitate humans in evaluating art. According to relevant research, the usage rate of AI tools among young domestic fine art creators and fine arts academy students is approaching saturation; at the same time, fine art critics are also using AI extensively. Faced with this unprecedented situation, we cannot help but ask: AI creates fine art works, AI conducts fine art criticism — are humans being reduced to mere spectators? How should we正视 (zhèngshì - “face squarely”) this phenomenon?

The first thing that must be confronted is the problem of aphasia and loss of credibility within fine art criticism itself — this did not emerge only with the rise of AI. As early as 20 years ago, some scholars criticized fine art criticism as “writing without readers.” 14 years ago, fine art critic Xue Yongnian (薛永年) called for fine art criticism to address issue awareness while also speaking to artistic quality; to speak of Chinese elements while also speaking of Chinese spirit. Today, fine art criticism must still adhere to this principle. At the same time, we must also recognize that the objects of fine art criticism are increasingly complex, and cannot be properly handled by AI tools that rely on corpus-based data and statistical probability algorithms. Because for humans, the eruption of artistic inspiration requires patient waiting — it is difficult to predict where, when, or in what form it will appear. To demand that AI, based on data simulation, conduct criticism of an artistic process that even humans cannot grasp with precision is highly likely to produce even greater hallucination.

Taken as a whole, fine art criticism is the distillation of theoretical thinking, aesthetic imagination, and embodied insight — it requires the critic to grasp and express both the ambiguity and certainty of art. Good fine art criticism has three major characteristics: bold judgment, reflection on the judgment itself, and criticism that integrates the work with history. The path for efficient human-AI collaboration should also proceed in this direction.

The co-creation of art between humans and AI offers new possibilities for fine art criticism. This year, two young people spent three days producing the AI short film Paper Phone (纸手机), which swept across social media. It tells the story of a young boy who uses a paper phone as a vessel for his longing for his grandmother. One netizen commented: “The most unhuman AI produced the most human short film.” The film’s director believes that skillful use of AI can actually amplify the creator’s past experience and strengths. The same is true for fine art critics. How to uphold the aesthetic subject, understand the co-creative relationship between humans and AI, make objective and truthful judgments and reflections, and construct convincing critical discourse — these are new issues fine art critics must continue to explore.

Under the wave of AI, fine art critics must, on the basis of elevating the height of theoretical thinking and expanding a perspective that bridges past and present, learn to use AI tools. From the Pre-Qin period through the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, as Chinese painting and calligraphy art developed, Chinese fine art criticism began to unfold, giving rise to specialized critical terms such as 象 (xiàng - “image”), 意 (yì - “idea/intention”), 形 (xíng - “form”), and 神 (shén - “spirit”), which laid the basic categories of Chinese fine art criticism and became artistic standards for evaluating the spiritual core and formal aspects of works. This shows that Chinese fine art criticism possesses a tradition of “beauty” (美) — that is, using the categories of the beautiful, toward the objects of the beautiful, to conduct criticism of the beautiful, and to construct a spiritual world of beauty that transcends the mundane, stirring and resonating with people from the depths of their hearts. This is also an important prerequisite for human-machine co-creation.

The efficient collaboration between fine art critics and AI should uphold a cultural stance of openness, interaction, integration, and inclusiveness, using beautiful methods, beautiful language, and beautiful textual structure to create a beautiful spiritual world for the new era — a field for aesthetic resonance.

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Photo Report

Oil painting Lotus in the Breeze at Curved Courtyard (曲院风荷), by Zhuang Zhong (庄重).

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Xu Hongmei, Ma Suwei

This edition’s email: msfk@peopledaily.cn

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