People's Daily - July 17, 2026

Xi Jinping Meets with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Our newspaper Shanghai, July 16 (reporters Yang Qiaochu (杨翘楚), Huan Xiang (宦翔)). On the afternoon of July 16, President Xi Jinping met at the Shanghai Xijiao State Guesthouse with Kazakh President Tokayev, who was in China to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the world is undergoing profound and complex changes unseen in a century, and that China-Kazakhstan relations have 历久弥坚 (lì jiǔ mí jiān - "grows stronger over time") amid trials and tribulations. The two countries' permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of operation, demonstrating enormous cooperation potential and broad space for development. China has just celebrated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The fundamental reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to continuously achieve brilliance in its struggle, and why history and the people have chosen the Communist Party of China, lies in the Party's excellent qualities such as being determined to pursue truth, deeply rooted among the people, bravely undertaking historical missions, following the trend of development, daring and skilled in struggle, and paying attention to strengthening itself. This is the key code to why the Communist Party of China can succeed. Kazakhstan is vigorously promoting comprehensive reforms, which is a strategic plan aimed at the country's future. China and Kazakhstan should strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policies, continuously enhance the level of practical cooperation, assist common development, and promote China-Kazakhstan strategic coordination to continuously reach new heights and achieve new results.

Xi Jinping emphasized that firmly advancing comprehensive China-Kazakhstan cooperation serves the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples. The two sides should promote innovative development of trade, optimize trade structure, and cultivate new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce and service trade; expand energy and mineral cooperation, accelerate the implementation of key projects; advance connectivity construction, add more direct flights, and improve the facilitation level of international road transport; cultivate new quality productive forces, and China is willing to share technologies such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence to help Kazakhstan achieve digital transformation; properly run the "China-Kazakhstan Year of Cultural Exchange," strengthen cooperation in education, science and technology, medical care, health, sports, media, etc., and consolidate the foundation of generations of friendship. China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to jointly practice the four global initiatives, strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the China-Central Asia mechanism, and jointly defend international fairness and justice.

Tokayev stated that he is very pleased to come to Shanghai, a city full of innovation and vitality, to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. He warmly congratulated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and congratulated China on achieving 举世瞩目 (jǔ shì zhǔ mù - "attract worldwide attention," remarkable) development achievements under the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping. Kazakhstan regards its relations with China as the primary direction of its foreign policy and is committed to continuously strengthening its permanent comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The Kazakh side fully agrees with and will actively implement President Xi Jinping's important opinions on developing bilateral relations. It looks forward to close high-level exchanges with China, strengthening practical cooperation in trade, investment, transportation, energy, agriculture, digital economy, etc., promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and achieving more tangible results in the development of bilateral relations. Kazakhstan highly appreciates and supports the four global initiatives (四大全球倡议) and the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi Jinping, and is willing to continue high-level coordination with China on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the China-Central Asia mechanism, and CICA, actively carry out cooperation in global AI governance, and jointly promote global sustainable development as well as peace and stability.

After the meeting, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing and announcement of multiple cooperation documents in fields such as economy and trade, transportation, finance, and media.

Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi, Chen Jining, and others participated in the above activities.

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"The lives of ordinary people are family matters, and even more so, state affairs."

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 胡泽曦 新华社记者 张晓松 朱基钗

A bend of the Huangpu River runs through the city, and ten thousand hectares of the East China Sea serve as its lapel. On the afternoon of July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping, braving the intense heat, went deep into Shanghai’s Huangpu District to inspect a matter concerning people’s well-being — the renovation of old residential communities amid urban renewal.

For Shanghai, one of the difficulties in renovating old residential communities is solving the residents’ problem of having to “carry a chamber pot.”

When Comrade Xi Jinping came to work in Shanghai in 2007, he was already concerned with the work of renovating old housing, “and put it on the agenda as soon as he arrived.” At that time, on weekends he often walked through old residential communities, thinking about how to solve the “persistent and difficult” problems.

From the local level to the central level, the General Secretary has always carried the worries and hopes of the people in his heart. Fast forward to September 2025: after decades of relay efforts, this tough battle for people’s well-being, which benefited over one million Shanghai residents, was completed overall, historically resolving the “carry a chamber pot” problem.

On a summer afternoon, under the blazing sun amid the chirping of cicadas, at the Shimin New Village (市民新村) residential area on Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict (半淞园路街道) in Huangpu District, General Secretary Xi Jinping closely examined the new look of the old homes: “This is a thing the people hope for, and also a thing I have always been concerned about.”

Inspection: Community Comprehensive Service Point

The change between past and present and the trek of relay effort

At the community comprehensive service point, General Secretary Xi Jinping walked up to an exhibition board. The photographs were lined up, encapsulating the change between past and present in the community.

Before renovation: the kitchen was shared, the toilet was public, and every household kept a spittoon. Cluttered sinks, gas stoves, electrical wires, light bulbs, along with spatulas, peeling wall plaster, and even the mold stains of the rainy season… one could feel the embarrassment and helplessness even through the photos.

After renovation: independent kitchen and bathroom, windows bright and clean; elevators installed for convenient mobility; the community environment tidy and orderly; pocket gardens lush with greenery.

Huangpu District bore the heaviest task, the greatest difficulty, and also the biggest challenge among all central urban districts for old housing renovation. The difficulty lay not only in “doing things in a cramped space like a snail’s shell (螺蛳壳里做道场),” but also in balancing the people’s “hopes” with the “protection” of historic buildings, and in coordinating the differing needs of every household…

General Secretary Xi Jinping deeply understood the hardship. With keen insight, he pointed out: “Advancing urban renewal with high quality is an important lever for urban modernization. We must fully practice the people’s city concept, insist on asking the people for their needs, asking the people for their advice, and asking the people for results.”

The people’s city concept of “the people’s city is built by the people, the people’s city is for the people” was precisely put forward by the General Secretary during his inspection tour of Shanghai seven years ago.

Having now come to the renovated old residential community to see it in person, he felt more reassured. The General Secretary said with earnest sincerity: “The Party Central Committee attaches high importance to urban work, and clearly proposes to build modern people’s cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and intelligent; renovating old urban residential communities is an important part of this.”

At the service point, the General Secretary had a cordial conversation with the staff.

“You are an ‘elderly care consultant.’ What do you mainly do?” the General Secretary asked, noticing a list of elderly-appropriate renovation services on the table and picking it up to look at.

“Elderly people account for 40% of the community. Tasks like installing safety handrails and slip-proofing floors — the work of making things accessible for the elderly is quite heavy,” said a comrade from the community.

The old housing renovation in Shanghai that began in the 1990s has been a vast, systematic, long-term, and arduous project:

From 1992 to 2000, 3.65 million square meters of dilapidated and shanty housing were renovated;
From 2001 to 2018, large contiguous areas of second-level old lane housing below standard were relocated and expropriated;
From 2018 to 2022, the contiguous old district renovation was comprehensively completed;
From 2023 to 2025, the tough battle was fought to renovate 14,000 households regarding the “carry a chamber pot” problem.

Over 30 years, this project has neither halted with the passage of time nor retreated from the accumulation of difficulty. Tilling day after day, trekking year after year, resolving household by household, tackling inch by inch. Myriad fragmented livelihood problems were all broken through with perseverance and answered with solid work.

“Shanghai has pushed forward old housing renovation for decades, one term after another, 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - ‘long and persistent effort brings success,’ persevering over time). This is the correct view of political achievement. When the people evaluate us, they also look at whether we sincerely do good and practical things for the people, or whether we put up a showy front,” General Secretary Xi Jinping said earnestly. “For the people, big things are everything. Shanghai’s lane house renovation, Beijing’s hutong renovation, and so on — these all concern the people’s peaceful living and happy work, and are the matters we should care about most. We must continue to do them well!”

Inspection: Resident Zhu Guoli’s (朱国莉) Home

The people’s expectations and a thousand words of gratitude

Retired resident Zhu Guoli, a woman of 69, had lived most of her life in an old house without a private toilet. In the past two years, the Party and government helped with the renovation, and she moved back in April this year. She has kept her new home spotless, and her days are now full of brightness.

“General Secretary, welcome to my home,” said Zhu Guoli upon seeing General Secretary Xi Jinping, full of heartfelt words.

To the left of the entrance is the kitchen. The General Secretary looked it over as Zhu Guoli explained, “In the past, three households shared one kitchen. Now, we have a range hood and a gas stove, everything needed.”

To the right is the bathroom. General Secretary Xi Jinping took a special look: “This is the most crucial part.”

Zhu Guoli could hardly contain her excitement: “Now we finally have our own bathroom. We are grateful to the Communist Party. In the past, ten households shared one bathroom; to bathe, I had to heat water and make do in the bedroom. Those days were so hard!”

Further in is the bedroom, and there is a small balcony — small but complete. The General Secretary said with a smile: “Very compact, the layout is very reasonable.”

“Where did you live during the transition period?” “About how much transitional subsidy did you get?” “Do you have any more requirements for community services now?” General Secretary Xi Jinping asked in detail.

Zhu Guoli answered each one, and could not help expressing her feelings: “Now the park is right outside my door. Our life is very happy. This year, I moved into a new house, and I also became a Party member with 50 years of glorious service.”

The General Secretary then asked: “Have you received your commemorative medal? This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of our Party.”

“Yes, I received the commemorative medal! And my house number is also 105!” Zhu Guoli repeated, and the room filled with laughter.

“In the past, when my granddaughter came, there was no place for her to use the bathroom. Now, on holidays, my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter all come. We owe today’s good life to the Communist Party.”

The General Secretary was happy to hear that: “I hope you arrange your retirement life well and make your family building even better.”

Outside the building, the courtyard was tidy, flowers and trees lush; looking up, one saw a stretch of blue sky.

As he walked, the General Secretary asked community staff about residential area management: “Is the fire access route unobstructed?” “Are electric bikes now kept out of residential buildings?”

“‘A single leaf’s rustling stirs my heart (一枝一叶总关情).’ The people’s lives are family matters, but even more, they are state affairs. The Communist Party exists to serve the people. Only when the people live and work in peace and comfort, and have a happy life, can the Party and government feel at ease.”

Old housing renovation and urban renewal are widely recognized governance challenges. Our country has the institutional advantage of “concentrating resources to accomplish major undertakings,” the governance wisdom of “reaching the vast and vast and yet exhausting the finest and finest (致广大而尽精微),” and a steadfast commitment that “always feels an unremitting concern,” as expressed in “always being unable to rest easy (时时放心不下).” “As long as there is even one household or even one individual whose basic living problems have not been solved, we cannot 安之若素 (ān zhī ruò sù - ‘take it calmly,’ rest easy in indifference).”

Here is a set of figures: during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, more than 240,000 old urban residential communities were renovated nationwide, benefiting over 40 million households and 110 million people.

There is a plan: entering the “15th Five-Year Plan,” the “Urban Renewal ‘15th Five-Year Plan’,” as the first national-level special plan for urban renewal, has set a new timetable and roadmap.

Looking back along the long river of time. When working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping once went to Cangxia Community (苍霞社区) in Fuzhou City under the scorching heat, entering plank houses as hot as steamers. He said to the accompanying cadres: “Do you know why I chose this time to investigate the shantytowns? I want you to experience the people’s hardships firsthand, to accelerate the pace of shantytown renovation.” After moving to central work, on his inspection tours, he repeatedly went deep into old residential communities, leaving behind the admonition that “we cannot have high-rise buildings on one side and messy shantytowns on the other.” Through cold winters and hot summers, advancing 笃行不怠 (dǔ xíng bù dài - ‘sturdy practice without slacking,’ unremittingly).

“The people’s worries, I must keep in mind; the people’s hopes, I must follow through on (民之所忧，我必念之；民之所盼，我必行之).” This is the mission and sentiment of Chinese Communists.

Inspection: Community Party and Mass Service Station

Grassroots governance and the sharpening of the original aspiration and mission

Urban grassroots governance is embedded in the daily routines of daily necessities. At the community Party and mass service station, the convenience vegetable stall offered a rich variety of fruits and vegetables, green and fresh.

From the field to the table, the small “vegetable basket” concerns a great matter of people’s livelihood. General Secretary Xi Jinping asked about the sources, circulation, and prices of these fruits and vegetables.

He recalled an episode from his time working in Fuzhou. At that time, in order to satisfy the people’s wish to eat “vegetables with morning dew,” Fuzhou built a special market to ensure effective management and facilitate the entry of suburban vegetables into the city.

Changing the traditional mindset of “valuing construction over governance” is no achievement of a single day. At the Central Urban Work Conference held last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke on this topic: “Whether high-quality public services can be provided is an important indicator of a city’s livability.”

Inside the Party and mass service station, there was a “Citizens’ Living Room,” where resident representatives, street cadres, community workers, and others gathered. Everyone vied to tell the General Secretary new stories about the community.

Chen Weiping (陈玮萍), a young social worker here for six years, spoke unhurriedly: “From the very beginning, the old district renovation project paid attention to soliciting residents’ opinions. Many good ideas came from the residents. Initially, the housing design drawings did not include drying racks. After listening to the residents’ suggestions, retractable drying racks were installed for every household during the reconstruction.”

General Secretary Xi Jinping said with a smile: “In the past, people used to stick out a bamboo pole for drying clothes, right? The change now — I also saw it on the way here — is more convenient and more attractive.”

The General Secretary fully affirmed the practice of “joint contribution, joint governance, and shared benefit”: “Following the mass line means thinking what the masses are thinking and being anxious about what the masses are anxious about. It means looking at what the masses need, not what the cadres imagine on their own. Even if it seems like one is considering the masses, if it doesn’t match reality, it will be completely off the mark.”

The community is the basic unit of the urban governance system. “One who wishes to build a house must first fortify its foundation.”

During the inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping also considered innovations in grassroots governance: “We must further strengthen the leadership of Party building, actively explore new modes of coordinated operation among residents’ committees, homeowners’ committees, and property service enterprises under the leadership of community Party organizations, build complete communities and convenient living circles, and do good deeds, practical things, and solve difficult problems for the residents with heart and soul.”

Ordering and securing the state depend on the grassroots. The key to grassroots governance lies in taking root downward. Focusing on “grasping the grassroots, strengthening the foundation, and consolidating the fundamentals,” the General Secretary put forward clear requirements: “Push resources, services, and management down to the grassroots front line, persistently reduce burdens and empower the grassroots. When the grassroots are consolidated, you can reach directly to the common people.”

The “Citizens’ Living Room” was warm with goodwill. Applause, laughter, and the voices of the people — all entered the ear.

General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke with deep emotion: “The Communist Party exists to serve the people. Our Party has always had this original aspiration and persisted in moving forward. Whatever the people think, the Communist Party will do.”

His gaze took in everything, his thoughts far-reaching: “At all times, we must keep the people in our hearts. A major party with over 100 million members and more than 5 million primary-level Party organizations must each fulfill their duties and truly do a good job of serving the people.”

105 years ago, in this city that has experienced so many vicissitudes, a group of pioneers with the people in their hearts took the historic step of a long journey. Marching all the way, triumphing all the way, “deeply rooted in the people, always possessing a solid foundation” has become one of the fine traits of this century-old Party.

Leaving the community, the vehicle merged into the unceasing flow of the city’s streets and alleys. A new path for socialist urbanization with Chinese characteristics is being explored and practiced here, and here the chapters belonging to the people’s city are being written.

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Continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

By: 本报记者

On July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Shanghai and delivered an important speech. The General Secretary's important speech points the direction and gathers strength, eliciting warm responses among the broad cadres and masses. Everyone stated that they must deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, 勠力同心 (lù lì tóng xīn - "join forces and be of one mind," to work together with united effort), take responsibility and act, comprehensively practice the people's city concept (人民城市理念), carry out every aspect of urban renewal work in depth, detail, and solidity, further strengthen the leadership of party building, raise the level of community public services, and continuously enhance the residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security; they must solidly do well in flood prevention and flood fighting, emergency rescue and disaster relief, and effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people.

Comprehensively practice the people's city concept, advance urban renewal with high quality. The residential area of Shimin New Village (市民新村居民区), Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict (半淞园路街道), Huangpu District (黄浦区), Shanghai, which General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected, has weak infrastructure, with many households sharing kitchens and bathrooms year-round. At the end of 2023, construction for renovation in this area officially began. Earlier this year, over 300 households successively moved back into new homes.

"The General Secretary came to visit us, I will never forget it in my life. I sincerely thank the Party and the country for always thinking of us ordinary people. Now living in a new home with a private bathroom and kitchen, and the community facilities are complete, life becomes more and more promising." General Secretary Xi Jinping walked into the home and carefully inspected the living conditions, which deeply moved retired resident Zhu Guoli (朱国莉).

In recent years, Shanghai has insisted on putting the people's livable and secure housing first in urban construction, comprehensively launching overall renovation projects for urban villages, and intensifying efforts to promote the complete renovation of old houses. In September 2025, the renovation task for over 14,000 households that had to "carry a toilet" was completed ahead of schedule.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, 'Every twig and leaf touches the heart,' the lives of ordinary people are family matters and even more state affairs." Leng Yuying (冷玉英), Deputy Director of the Shanghai Housing Administration Bureau, deeply felt the heavy responsibility on her shoulders: "We must resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments on advancing urban renewal with high quality, accelerate the renovation of old houses with 'small beams and thin slabs' (小梁薄板), continue to do well in urban village renovation, and continuously enhance residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security through fine renewal and long-term governance."

All localities comprehensively practice the people's city concept, striving to build modern people's cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart. Strolling along Caochang Fourth Alley (草厂四条胡同), Qianmen Street (前门街道), Dongcheng District (东城区), Beijing, the ancient charm and modern atmosphere interweave. In recent years, Qianmen Street has promoted "overhead lines go underground" to brighten the sky, "hutong no parking" to quieten life, and "toilet revolution" to beautify the environment, continuously improving the quality of life for the masses.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, handle the matters that concern the common people one by one well, continuously improve people's wellbeing." Li Zheng (李峥), Party Secretary of Caochang Community (草厂社区), Qianmen Street, said, keep in mind the General Secretary's entrustment, insist on putting the people's urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for matters in heart and on shoulders, 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist for a long time to achieve success," to make unremitting efforts), and continuously raise the precision and delicacy level of community governance and services.

Inside the Party and Mass Service Center of Peony Community (牡丹社区), Santaizi Subdistrict (三台子街道), Huanggu District (皇姑区), Shenyang, Liaoning Province, over 40 children are practicing calligraphy under the guidance of a calligraphy teacher. "During winter and summer vacations, we provide free full-day care services." Wang Hui (王晖), Party Secretary of Peony Community, stated that they must take General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions as guidance, execute well the 'embroidery skills' (绣花功夫), improve the level of convenience services, and better care for the 'elderly and children.'

Further strengthen party building leadership, continuously raise the level of community public services. In the 'Fresh Direct Supply Point at the Doorstep' of Shimin New Village residential area, Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, a full range of seasonal vegetables and fruits are available. In response to the situation of many elderly residents in the area, the community introduced convenience services, allowing everyone to buy affordable fresh fruits and vegetables just by going downstairs.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the Communist Party serves the common people; only when the people live and work in peace and contentment and feel at ease, can the Party and government be at ease." Xia Lingxia (夏凌霞), Party Working Committee Secretary of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, said, "Next, we must continue to solve the residents' urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for problems, and continuously raise the level of community public services."

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech has further pointed out the direction for us." Huang Hong (黄红), Director of the Social Work Department of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee (上海市委社会工作部), stated that the city's social work system will conscientiously implement the General Secretary's important instructions, regularly survey residents' real needs, precisely resolve community governance difficulties, and promote negotiation and joint discussion among residents' committees, owners' committees, and property service companies under the leadership of community party organizations to solve problems at hand.

Walking into the Party and Mass Service Center of Zaolin West Community (枣林西社区), Anning District (安宁区), Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, the community senior university offers over ten courses such as dance and vocal music, and the Happiness Canteen adopts a "cook-on-demand plus centralized delivery" model serving an average of over 120 seniors per day... "General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must further strengthen party building leadership, actively explore a new mode of coordinated operation among residents' committees, owners' committees, and property service companies under the leadership of community party organizations." Huang Lijuan (黄丽娟), Party Secretary and Director of the Residents' Committee of Zaolin West Community, said, "We must insist on party building leadership, coordinate forces from all sides, turn small matters into solid deeds, turn practical matters into good deeds, and be close confidants of the residents."

Newly added parking spaces and charging piles effectively alleviate residents' parking difficulties; newly built community canteens effectively solve the elderly's dining difficulties... Minzhu Village Community (民主村社区), Jiulongpo District (九龙坡区), Chongqing, is one of the national pilot communities for complete community construction. Chen Chunlin (陈春林), member of the community party committee, said, "We must take residents' thoughts and wishes, urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for matters as the starting point and goal of our work, solve residents' demands with effort, heart, and emotion, and implement the principle of 'Chinese-style modernization, people's livelihood is the greatest' (中国式现代化，民生为大) in every concrete matter done well for the masses."

Solidly do well in flood prevention, flood fighting, emergency rescue and disaster relief work, effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people. Currently, it is the critical period for flood prevention.

On July 16, the Shanghai Embankment, Pump Gate Construction and Operation Center (上海市堤防泵闸建设运行中心) held a comprehensive emergency drill, with self-righting lifeboats, patrol unmanned boats, sand and gravel packing machines... intelligent equipment all appeared.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, closely monitor rain conditions, flood conditions, and typhoon situations, and conduct in-depth and detailed risk hazard investigations." Sha Zhiyin (沙治银), Supervision Commissioner of the Office of the Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters (上海市防汛指挥部办公室), stated that they must earnestly implement the General Secretary's important instructions, grasp and detail the dynamic and static contingency plan systems and various prevention and response measures, and firmly guard the bottom line of urban flood season safety.

"Thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, we must effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people." Beside the Jijia Reservoir (纪家水库) in Huinan County (辉南县), Jilin Province, Ye Jialin (叶佳林), Party Secretary of Tuanlin Town (团林镇), is leading party members and cadres to patrol the reservoir water level: "With flood conditions present, party members and cadres must bravely shoulder heavy burdens and charge ahead on the front line of flood prevention, rescue, and disaster relief."

Excavators roar in operation, loaders shuttle back and forth, party members and cadres and the masses wield shovels to clean up mud and garbage... On July 16, in Nankang Village (南康村), Yunbiao Town (云表镇), Hengzhou City (横州市), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, post-disaster mud clearing work is advancing in an orderly manner.

"We have dispatched over 1,000 person-times to participate in mud clearing rescue, all personnel are on standby 24 hours a day, wherever there is need, the team arrives at the first moment." Huang Hongjing (黄鸿靖), Minister of the Armed Forces Department of Liujing Town (六景镇), Hengzhou City, who came to assist, said, "We must conscientiously implement the General Secretary's important instructions, go all out to organize and lead the disaster-affected masses to restore production and rebuild their homes."

(Reporters from our newspaper: Wu Yan (吴焰), Tian Hong (田泓), Cao Lingjuan (曹玲娟), Cui Yin (崔寅), Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏), Hao Yingcan (郝迎灿), Pan Junqiang (潘俊强), Liu Xinwu (刘新吾), Li Weijun (李维俊), Song Chaojun (宋朝军), Liu Xinwu (刘新吾))

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Li Qiang Holds Talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 16 (Xinhua) -- On the morning of July 16, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hun Manet is in China to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and to conduct a working visit.

Li Qiang stated that China and Cambodia are good partners for common development, with an unbreakable ironclad friendship. President Xi Jinping recently held a meeting with Chairman Hun Sen, who was visiting China, and reached a series of important consensuses. This time, he will meet with Prime Minister Hun Manet to further strengthen strategic communication. The two countries maintain good and close high-level exchanges, demonstrating the high level of bilateral relations. China has always placed its relations with Cambodia in a priority position in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is willing to work with Cambodia to firmly support each other, closely unite and cooperate, and promote the building of a new-era all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future (新时代全天候中柬命运共同体) to achieve more results, adding more impetus to the modernization of both countries.

Li Qiang pointed out that China is willing to work with Cambodia to promote the "diamond hexagon" cooperation (钻石六边), the construction of the "industrial development corridor" (工业发展走廊) and the "fish and rice corridor" (鱼米走廊) to be deepened and substantiated, to grasp the construction of major infrastructure projects, and to continuously expand the scale of bilateral trade. China supports more capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia, deepen cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and advanced manufacturing, and jointly cultivate and strengthen new drivers of development. The two sides should strengthen cooperation in people-to-people and cultural fields such as education, culture, and media, enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples, and at the same time work together to eradicate the breeding ground for online gambling and telecom fraud crimes (网赌电诈), so as to better protect the safety of the people of both countries. Since the beginning of this year, the international situation has been turbulent and unstable, causing a relatively large impact on the world economy. China and Cambodia should strengthen coordination of positions on major issues, defend the common interests of the two countries, and jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and international fairness and justice.

Hun Manet stated that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China, China's economic and social development has achieved great accomplishments. The traditional friendship between Cambodia and China is profound, and China is Cambodia's most trusted comprehensive strategic partner and ironclad friend. No matter how the international situation changes, the Cambodian government will unswervingly pursue a policy of friendship toward China, unswervingly abide by the One-China principle, and consider that affairs related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong are all China's internal affairs. He thanked China for its long-term valuable support to Cambodia's economic and social development. Cambodia is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus of the two countries' high-level officials, maintain close high-level exchanges, promote exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure construction, new energy, connectivity, people-to-people and cultural fields, strengthen security and law enforcement cooperation in combating online gambling and telecom fraud, and promote the building of a new-era all-weather community with a shared future between the two countries to achieve more substantive results. Cambodia is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to promote peaceful and stable development in the world and the region.

Wu Zhenglong (吴政隆) attended the talks.

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Wang Huning Attends Reception Marking 65th Anniversary of China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance

Our newspaper Pyongyang, July 16 (Reported by reporter Liu Rong (刘融)) -- On July 16, Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who was leading a Chinese Party and government delegation on an official goodwill visit to the DPRK, together with Pak Thae-song, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice chairman of the State Affairs Commission, and premier of the Cabinet, attended and delivered remarks at the commemorative reception for the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Pyongyang.

Wang Huning said that 65 years ago, the older-generation leaders of China and the DPRK signed the Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, laying an important political and legal foundation for consolidating the combat friendship between the two peoples. Over the past 65 years, the two sides have upheld the spirit of the treaty, supporting each other, uniting and cooperating, and fighting side by side, with political mutual trust continuously consolidated, exchanges and cooperation advancing with the times, and strategic coordination deepening day by day, vividly interpreting the distinctive features of China-DPRK relations: friendship from generation to generation, a shared future, and mutual support. China is willing to work with the DPRK to resolutely implement the important consensus reached by General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong Un, take the opportunity of jointly solemnly commemorating the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, carry forward the fine tradition, firmly grasp the direction of China-DPRK relations, deepen exchanges and mutual learning, continuously enhance the well-being and friendship of the two peoples, and demonstrate the responsibility of the times by jointly promoting regional and world peace and stability.

Pak Thae-song said that over the past 65 years since the signing of the DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, it has made important contributions to vigorously promoting DPRK-China relations and the development of the socialist cause in both countries, as well as maintaining peace, stability and security in Northeast Asia. Today, we solemnly hold commemorative activities, fully demonstrating the treaty's major strategic significance and the strong vitality of DPRK-China friendship. The DPRK is willing to follow the important consensus reached by General Secretary Kim Jong Un and General Secretary Xi Jinping, continue to carry forward the spirit of the treaty, steadily strengthen DPRK-China relations with socialism as the core, and jointly write a new chapter in DPRK-China friendship.

During the event, the DPRK side performed classic songs praising DPRK-China friendship.

Wang Dongfeng (王东峰) attended the event. About 200 people from both China and the DPRK were present.

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"Artificial Intelligence Should Be an International Public Good Benefiting All Humanity"

By: 本报记者 王 迪 喻思南 刘诗瑶

Now, the global wave of intelligentization is surging forward powerfully (风起云涌, fēng qǐ yún yǒng - "winds rise, clouds surge," a situation developing vigorously and unstoppably). Artificial intelligence, a strategic technology leading a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, creates both unprecedented development opportunities and unprecedented risks and challenges. How to improve AI governance is a common issue facing all countries in the world.

Responding to the changes of the world and answering the questions of the era, President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "Artificial intelligence should be an international public good that benefits all of humanity. China is willing to extensively carry out international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence with countries around the world, strengthen alignment and coordination in development strategies, governance rules, technical standards, etc., promote the healthy and vigorous development of the intelligent industry, and enable better sharing of intelligent achievements among the people of all countries."

The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20. The world is eager to hear China's proposals and expects this conference to become a key milestone in global AI governance, gathering consensus and adding momentum for promoting the development of AI in a direction that is beneficial and inclusive.

Adhering to AI for Good

China's initiative is an important starting point for promoting global AI governance.

Currently, innovation in AI technology is showing a cluster breakthrough, and global AI governance has also reached a critical juncture.

AI technology iteration is accelerating, but the construction of a global governance system is clearly lagging behind and insufficient in supply; governance challenges such as cross-border data flow, algorithmic ethics, and technology abuse are becoming prominent; individual countries tend to generalize technology, data, rules, and standards as issues of security and politicization, causing fragmentation of global AI governance and impeding global technological cooperation; technological barriers raise the threshold for development, making it difficult for developing countries to participate fairly in the process of AI development and governance, and the global intelligence gap continues to widen, exacerbating development imbalances... These practical challenges profoundly demonstrate that promoting and improving global AI governance is extremely urgent (迫在眉睫, pò zài méi jié - "pressing upon the eyebrows and eyelashes," describing an extremely urgent matter).

On one side is the surging wave of technology, on the other is the reality of lagging global governance supply. How to act tests the responsibility of major countries.

President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "International governance and cooperation on artificial intelligence should be strengthened to ensure that AI is beneficial and brings well-being to all of humanity, avoiding it becoming a 'game for the rich and wealthy countries'." This is a profound insight into the general trend of global development and also the value pursuit of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In 2023, China took the lead in releasing the Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡议), clearly stating that the development of AI should adhere to the concept of "people-centered" (以人为本), the purpose of "AI for good" (智能向善), and the principles of "mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit" (相互尊重、平等互利), proposing that "all countries, regardless of size, strength, or social system, have the equal right to develop and use AI," providing a Chinese perspective for global AI governance. This initiative is widely regarded by international scholars as an important starting point for promoting global AI governance.

In 2025, the World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance issued the AI Global Governance Action Plan (人工智能全球治理行动计划), consolidating broad consensus in the international community and calling on all parties to take practical and effective actions, based on adhering to the goals and principles of being beneficial to the people, respecting sovereignty, development-oriented, safe and controllable, fair and inclusive, open and cooperative, and to work together to promote global AI development and governance. In September of the same year, during the United Nations General Assembly, China launched the "AI+" International Cooperation Initiative (“人工智能+”国际合作倡议), proposing that countries actively carry out "AI+" actions based on their national conditions, promoting AI to empower all walks of life... A series of Chinese proposals have provided systematic and practical action guidance for global AI governance, fully demonstrating China's responsibility as a responsible major country. Li Yiqing (李一清), Senior Research Coordination Officer of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, praised, "China attaches great importance to promoting a globally representative governance system, encouraging all countries to jointly participate in the discussion of AI governance rules, reflecting truly multilateral cooperation."

The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan clearly proposes promoting the establishment of an AI governance framework with broad participation from all countries, jointly building an open global AI ecosystem of equal rights, mutual trust, diversity, and win-win outcomes, and supporting the strengthening of AI capacity building in Global South countries. Upholding the concepts of multilateralism and openness and inclusiveness, China will actively promote international AI governance and cooperation, and continuously contribute Chinese wisdom, Chinese proposals, and Chinese strength to global development in the intelligent era.

Strengthening Innovation Cooperation

AI is not an arena for zero-sum games, but fertile ground for the common innovation of all humanity.

Scientific and technological progress is a worldwide and epochal issue; only openness and cooperation are the right path.

Recently, a quite inspiring metaphor has become popular in the global tech circle, reflecting two截然不同 (jié rán bù tóng - "sharply different") logics of AI development. Some in the West treat AI data as "new oil," focusing on possession and extraction; China, on the other hand, regards it more like water, whose value lies in flow. The "oil mindset" breeds barriers, blockades, and zero-sum games, while the "water flow mindset" nurtures connectivity, sharing, and mutually beneficial win-win outcomes.

The key to solving the current problems of fragmentation, deepening barriers, and uneven development in international AI cooperation lies in what concept is adopted to develop and govern AI. China has proven through practice that AI is not an arena for zero-sum games, but fertile ground for the common innovation of all humanity.

Adhering to open-source and sharing, China has become one of the most active and fastest-growing regions for providing open-source large models globally. Currently, the cumulative global downloads of Chinese AI open-source large models have exceeded 10 billion. Chinese large models such as DeepSeek (深度求索), with their advantages of low cost, high efficiency, and open source, have broken the monopoly of some countries' discourse power and promoted technological inclusivity and sharing. From model open-source to capability sharing, the "everyone adds fuel" (众人拾柴) model accelerates not only the iterative evolution of China's AI industry but also empowers the global innovation ecosystem.

"China's AI breakthroughs provide inspiration for Europe" / "China, through open-source models, provides everyone with a new path - the path of public goods"... Nowadays, more and more large models are joining the open-source ranks, and more and more international figures clearly recognize that only by adhering to openness, connectivity, and equality, and jointly carrying out technological breakthroughs and rule co-construction, can AI better benefit humanity and the world.

China adheres to open innovation and is accelerating the innovative application of AI to help solve many global problems.

Chinese and British medical experts jointly tackled cardiac MRI AI imaging algorithms, significantly improving the diagnostic accuracy of heart disease imaging; Tsinghua University and AstraZeneca of the UK jointly established a drug research and development joint research center to accelerate research results towards clinical application and use; Chinese and Russian universities jointly built an AI algorithm and its application joint laboratory to conduct basic research and consolidate the foundation of AI development... Cooperating hand in hand with various countries, Chinese AI technology brings new opportunities for global innovative development.

Promoting AI development requires not only technological progress but also a broad vision. Upholding openness and inclusiveness, an innovative China full of vitality and rapidly changing technology will continuously inject new momentum into global AI development through innovation cooperation.

Sharing Intelligent Dividends

China is committed to being a provider of international public goods.

In the intelligent era, the whole globe shares the same boat (同球共济, tóng qiú gòng jì - "the same globe, shared rescue," all countries on the same planet helping one another). Only by adhering to the "people-centered" and "AI for good" principles can AI truly become an international public good that benefits all of humanity. China actively promotes AI exchange and cooperation, always committed to being a provider of international public goods, promoting the beneficial and inclusive development of AI.

As a pioneer of initiatives, China actively shares technological products with various countries, continuously enhancing the inclusiveness and accessibility of AI.

A 60-megawatt large-scale AI liquid-cooled computing center located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been put into operation, providing stable and efficient computing power support for local smart factories and the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry with China's green computing solutions. The China-Pakistan AI Smart Agriculture Laboratory has taken root, using computer vision and AI technology to assist local agricultural production. A Chinese company provided a fully automatic drone wind turbine blade intelligent inspection scheme for a Brazilian wind power operator, significantly improving inspection efficiency and safety... As China's "AI+" action deepens, intelligent dividends are continuously radiating to more countries and groups.

To bridge the intelligence gap, China gives people fish, and also teaches them how to fish (授人以鱼，也授人以渔, shòu rén yǐ yú, yě shòu rén yǐ yú - "give a man a fish, and also teach him to fish," providing both immediate help and the means for self-sufficiency). Not long ago, Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University held a technology training class for developing countries. After 15 days of in-depth study, 21 trainees from 5 countries including the Philippines and Egypt returned with fruitful results.

Building a China-ASEAN AI Innovation Cooperation Center, jointly formulating and implementing the "China-Africa Digital Innovation Partnership Plan" with African countries, jointly holding AI capacity building seminars with the United Nations... China's practical cooperation is spanning mountains and seas, helping countries around the world, especially Global South countries, to strengthen capacity building, gaining widespread international support and recognition. Abdoun Atangana (阿卜顿·阿坦加纳), a member of the World Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Research and Innovation Committee of the African Mathematical Union, commented: "China actively supports African countries in conducting localized AI research, promoting the application of AI technology in Global South countries, and playing an important role in bridging the north-south intelligence gap."

As a mechanism builder, China builds diverse communication platforms and shares its domestic experience in good governance.

By holding the World AI Conference for eight consecutive years, establishing the Global AI Innovation and Governance Center, and proposing the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, China opens communication channels between government, enterprises, and academia through multi-level dialogue platforms, effectively managing differences, building consensus, and helping global AI governance move towards institutionalization.

Promote sharing through joint consultation, promote good intelligence through good governance. Implementing regulations such as the Internet Information Service Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions (互联网信息服务算法推荐管理规定) and the Provisions on the Governance of the Online Information Content Ecosystem (网络信息内容生态治理规定), and issuing the world's first specialized regulatory measures for generative AI... On many cutting-edge governance issues, China is at the forefront internationally, providing a reference governance model for other countries, especially developing countries.

As a promoter of governance, China firmly regards the United Nations as the main channel and promotes the improvement of global AI governance.

From promoting the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the resolution "Strengthening International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building" by consensus in 2024, to issuing the white paper Building a More Just and Equitable Global Governance System: China's Concepts, Initiatives and Actions (构建更加公正合理的全球治理体系：中国的理念、倡议与行动) in June this year, emphasizing support for the UN's role as the main channel and promoting the formation of a widely-consensus-based global AI governance system... China has always advocated that the United Nations play a central role in global AI governance, actively participates in global rule consultations, promotes the formation of institutional norms that balance the interests of all parties, and continuously provides international public goods.

Facing the challenges of AI, no country can be immune (独善其身, dú shàn qí shēn - "to maintain one's own integrity alone," to be able to stay out of trouble alone). "Intelligent Partners, Co-Creating the Future" — the theme of this conference embodies the consensus and expectations of the international community. As long as all parties adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, break down barriers with openness and inclusiveness, and bridge the gap with inclusive win-win results, we can jointly promote AI to become an international public good that benefits all of humanity.

Taking the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance as an opportunity, China is willing to work with all countries, upholding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, jointly promote the beneficial and inclusive development of AI, and promote the early formation of a global AI governance system with broad consensus, so that AI can benefit all of humanity.

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Introduction

Theory · Investigation and Reflection: Establish and Practice the Correct View of Political Achievement Promote High-quality Development of Finance
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"Provides a new option for developing countries to achieve modernization"

By: 本报记者 曲 颂 李 强

On July 15, the launch event for the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (《习近平谈治国理政》第五卷) was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The event was co-hosted by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China (国务院新闻办公室), the China International Communications Group (中国外文局), and the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan (中国驻哈萨克斯坦大使馆). Attending guests believed that the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China comprehensively and systematically reflects the latest achievements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想), providing an authoritative reading for the international community to understand Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化) and to interpret contemporary China. China and Kazakhstan are fellow travelers on the path of modernization; the in-depth exchange of governance experiences between the two countries centering on President Xi Jinping's important works is of great significance for promoting the construction of a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future.

“China's development experience is worthy of in-depth study and reference”

Under the strategic guidance and personal impetus of the two heads of state, China-Kazakhstan relations have demonstrated strong resilience and vigorous vitality. On the 16th, President Xi Jinping met in Shanghai with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who was attending the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Conference on AI Global Governance.

“The high degree of political mutual trust between the two heads of state is the foundation of cooperation. Relying on deep mutual trust, the cooperation between the two sides is extending from traditional trade and transportation fields to artificial intelligence, digital economy, high and new technology, etc.” Manarbek Kabaziyev (马纳尔别克·卡巴济耶夫), Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, stated that the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is far-reaching, and by collecting President Xi Jinping's important speeches, it not only exhibits the development philosophy of contemporary China but also emphatically elaborates on important directions such as high-quality development, scientific and technological innovation, digital transformation, and ecological sustainable development.

“China's development experience is worthy of in-depth study and reference.” Askar Umarov (阿斯卡尔·乌马罗夫), Director of the Central Communications Agency of the President of Kazakhstan, said in his speech that the release of the series of works Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is a major event that experts in international relations, political science, Chinese studies, and other fields pay close attention to, “This series of works provides more references for all parties to deeply understand China's development path, national governance, policy prospects, and considerations on global issues, etc.”

Gulnar Shaimergenova (古丽娜尔·沙伊梅尔格诺娃), Director of the China Research Center of Kazakhstan, stated that the holding of the launch event fully reflects the high degree of political mutual trust and mutual respect between the two countries, and also reflects the strong interest of Kazakh society in China's development experience. The fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China fully demonstrates how China views national development against the backdrop of increasing global uncertainties, and how it actively and responsibly participates in global governance while promoting domestic modernization. As one of the translators of the Kazakh-language edition, she particularly mentioned the “people-centered development philosophy” (以人民为中心的发展思想) in the book, believing that this thought has been fully embodied in the governance practice of the Communist Party of China, “For the China Research Center of Kazakhstan, studying this work is by no means a purely academic task, but a project of very important practical significance.”

“Looking forward to the continuous strengthening of the friendship between the two countries on the road of common development”

Kazakhstan is the place where the Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) was first proposed. China and Kazakhstan have announced the development of a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, and are striving towards the vision and goal of building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future featuring everlasting friendship, high mutual trust, and shared weal and woe.

Islam Sunkar (伊斯兰·孙卡尔), a representative of the People's Party of Kazakhstan, stated that the launch event is of great significance for promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Kazakhstan has smoothly implemented its new constitution and is striding forward on the path of building a “just Kazakhstan”. “We look forward to the continuous strengthening of the friendship between the two countries on the road of common development.”

Raikhan Abdurashitova (拉伊汉·阿卜杜拉西洛娃), Deputy General Manager of CNPC Kazakhstan (中国石油天然气集团有限公司哈萨克斯坦公司), stated that the global energy industry is undergoing a green transformation. Her company and KazMunayGas have jointly built a 100 MW wind power project. The cooperation between the two sides is moving from the traditional oil and gas industry towards future-oriented comprehensive energy cooperation. Chinese enterprises invest large amounts of funds in environmental protection, using cutting-edge technology to help protect lucid waters and lush mountains and jointly build a sustainable future. This is precisely a positive practice of the “harmony between humanity and nature” (人与自然和谐共生) elaborated in Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

Cheng Kefan (程可凡), Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, stated that by reading Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one can understand the key code for the vigorous development of China in the new era, understand that Chinese-style modernization is a new path of civilization different from the West, and understand the broad-mindedness of Chinese diplomacy that embraces the world. China is willing to take this launch event as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges on governance experience with Kazakhstan, effectively carry out development strategy alignment, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, promote the quality upgrading of cooperation in various fields, and jointly forge a new “Golden Thirty Years” of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Aliya Mussabekova (阿丽亚·穆萨别科娃), Director of the International Security Department of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, believes that in the face of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, countries should learn from each other's successful modernization experiences and jointly address global challenges. “The focus of cooperation between the two sides has gradually expanded from infrastructure construction and resource development to manufacturing, high-tech industries, production of high value-added products, and other fields. The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has long surpassed the traditional scope of trade and is becoming an important engine for promoting the modernization of both countries.”

“The deeper the understanding of China's decision-making logic, the more it helps to improve the quality and efficiency of bilateral cooperation between China and Kazakhstan”

In May of last year, the launch ceremony for the first to fourth volumes of the Kazakh-language edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was held in Astana. Yernur Beisenbayev (叶尔努尔·贝森巴耶夫), Director of the Internal Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan, stated that the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China meeting readers in Kazakhstan is a continuation of the fine tradition of cooperation between the two countries, marking that the people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Kazakhstan have reached a new level. Beisenbayev stated that both China and Kazakhstan insist on advancing reforms step by step, promoting modernization based on their own national conditions, and promoting sustainable development. The two countries can further strengthen exchanges in fields such as national governance, digital transformation, and improving the effectiveness of public services in the future.

“Xi Jinping: The Governance of China records the active explorations and practices of China's modernization in the new era, providing a new option for developing countries to move towards modernization.” Umarov believes that over the past few decades, China has actively implemented long-term national strategies in areas such as economic development, digital transformation, and technological modernization, achieving remarkable accomplishments. “The deeper the understanding of China's decision-making logic, the more it helps to improve the quality and efficiency of bilateral cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.”

The Eurasian National University of Kazakhstan has cooperated with Tianjin Vocational University to establish the second Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) in Kazakhstan. Gulmira Bekmanova (古莉米拉·别克玛诺娃), Vice Rector of the university, stated that this year is Kazakhstan's “Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence”. The Luban Workshop focuses on fields such as information technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital manufacturing, enabling students to receive training throughout the entire process from theory to practical application and then to solving practical problems, which is highly consistent with Kazakhstan's development strategy.

Mussabekova emphasized that China's Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五规划纲要) proposes to deeply advance the construction of Digital China (数字中国), grasp the general trend of digitalization, networking, and intelligent development. “This helps to provide quality and efficiency improvement for China-Kazakhstan cooperation.”

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Join Hands with Intelligent Partners to Create a Better Future (International Forum)

By: 文思远

At present, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, and artificial intelligence technological innovation is exhibiting a collective breakthrough. Artificial intelligence harbors enormous opportunities to empower thousands of industries and support global sustainable development, while also facing unprecedented challenges such as fragmented governance rules, algorithmic imbalance, ethical anomie, and the intelligence divide. The development and governance of artificial intelligence concern the destiny of all humanity and are a common课题 (kètí - issue, subject) facing all countries in the world. Against this backdrop, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, themed Intelligent Partners, Co-create the Future (智能伙伴 共创未来), opened in Shanghai on the 17th. General Secretary Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech, answering the epochal question of global AI development and governance. China's concepts and China's solutions will once again become the focus of world attention.

In 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡议), charting the direction for AI development and governance. China actively advances the AI+ (人工智能+) action, promoting the deep integration of AI technological innovation with industrial innovation, empowering high-quality economic and social development, and helping to improve the quality of life for the people. AI in traditional Chinese medicine replicates the clinical diagnostic and treatment thinking of veteran doctors; the knowledge graph + large model (知识图谱+大模型) integrated solution serves more than 60 provincial-level Grade-A tertiary TCM hospitals and thousands of primary-level medical institutions. Pastures in Inner Mongolia adopt cow face recognition (牛脸识别) technology to achieve round-the-clock roll call and precise feeding, increasing feed utilization efficiency by 25% and reducing herd morbidity by 20%. With the well-being of all humanity in mind, China promotes the use of AI to serve and benefit people of all countries. At the earthquake relief site in Myanmar, a multilingual AI translation system developed by a Chinese team in a seven-day extreme deadline bridged language barriers to safeguard cross-border rescue operations; the Yugong (愚公) parallel mine operating system developed by the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences has taken root in Thai mining areas, achieving zero safety incidents, efficient production, and simultaneous green emission reduction through fully automated intelligent operations across the entire process… China's AI practice is always grounded in human needs, ensuring that technological progress does not deviate from the coordinates of human values, making AI truly an amplifier (放大器) that expands the boundaries of human cognition and action, safeguarding the common well-being of all humanity and promoting the progress of human civilization.

China attaches great importance to the various risks triggered by AI, has formally incorporated AI into the national cybersecurity legal and regulatory system, and continuously improves relevant institutional norms, ethical standards, etc., to ensure that AI is safe, reliable, and controllable. As a responsible major country, China released the Shanghai Declaration on Global AI Governance (人工智能全球治理上海宣言), advocating the development of auditable, monitorable, traceable, and trustworthy AI technologies. China actively participates in AI governance rule consultations on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, conducts international exchanges on topics including ethical review and safety assessment, and promotes consensus on governance among all parties, working together to build a solid safety barrier.

The dividends of AI should not be enjoyed exclusively by a few countries. Only openness, connectivity, and joint progress can break the deadlock of unbalanced development and help the Global South in its digital transformation. In the field of AI, China has always been committed to being a provider of international public goods, actively advocating and promoting the global development of AI for good and inclusive benefit through concrete actions, helping countries of the Global South strengthen capacity building and bridge the digital-intelligence divide, earning high praise from the international community. China promoted the consensus adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution on international cooperation on AI capacity building, proposed the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, released the AI Capacity Building Inclusive Plan (人工智能能力建设普惠计划) and the International Cooperation Initiative on AI+ (人工智能+国际合作倡议), and held multiple seminars on AI capacity building, which were welcomed by many countries of the Global South. Relying on the Belt and Road (一带一路) platform, China has built digital cooperation platforms, providing low-cost intelligent infrastructure, native-language AI models, and digital talent training programs to countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. China actively practices true multilateralism, opening its door to cooperation and contributing to the formation of a broadly consensual global AI governance framework.

One who examines the situation is wise; one who seizes the momentum prevails. The future of AI concerns the common destiny of humanity. China will always stand on the correct side of history and the side of human civilization's progress, using Chinese concepts, Chinese experience, and Chinese practice to chart a new direction, build new consensus, and contribute new wisdom for global AI development and governance, joining hands with all countries to steer the ship of AI toward a brighter future for human society.

(The author is an international affairs observer)

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Deepening AI Cooperation for Shared Intelligent Dividends (Ambassador's Essay)

By: 韩春霖

The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20. Representatives from multiple countries, including Kazakhstan, will gather together to jointly seek technological innovation, jointly promote empowerment through achievements, jointly build an inclusive ecosystem, and jointly discuss governance strategies.

Since its inception in 2018, the conference has been successfully held for eight consecutive sessions. China's artificial intelligence industry has traveled an extraordinary path of development, realizing a transformation from "blueprint" to "real scene." At the same time, China's AI governance concepts and practices have become increasingly rich and perfect, putting into practice with concrete actions the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, and becoming an indispensable important force in global AI governance.

In terms of governance concepts, China upholds the concepts of multilateralism and openness and inclusiveness, continuously contributing Chinese solutions to global development in the intelligent era. It took the lead in releasing the Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡议), proposing the AI Global Governance Action Plan (人工智能全球治理行动计划), establishing the governance orientation of AI for good, secure and controllable, inclusive and fair, and the goals and principles of being good for the people, respecting sovereignty, development-oriented, secure and controllable, fair and inclusive, open and cooperative, providing systematic, pragmatic, and implementable action guidance for global AI governance. In governance practice, China supports the United Nations in playing the main channel role for global AI governance, proposes and implements the AI Capacity Building Inclusive Plan (人工智能能力建设普惠计划), normalizes international exchange and training, and helps Global South countries make up for shortcomings in technology, talent, and governance. Relying on multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, China vigorously carries out practical AI cooperation, proposes the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization (世界人工智能合作组织), promotes AI inclusiveness and goodness, and continuously assists global AI development.

The wave of artificial intelligence is sweeping the globe, and Central Asian countries are actively participating in it. Various countries have, through formulating digital economy development strategies, vigorously advanced computing power infrastructure, digital government, and smart city construction, striving to build a regional digital industry ecosystem. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development of AI, establishing it as a core national strategy, proposing to build the country into a fully digitalized nation, and declaring 2026 as the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence" (数字化和人工智能年). Kazakhstan has specially established the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development (人工智能和数字发展部), built the first batch of supercomputing clusters in Central Asia, successfully ranked among the top of the global supercomputer list, issued a series of important laws, regulations and policy documents, and is working hard to build a Central Asian regional digital hub connecting Eurasia.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has developed rapidly, and AI is becoming a new highlight and new growth point of bilateral cooperation. At the project cooperation level, the two countries jointly built the "China-Kazakhstan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Spatiotemporal Intelligence and Sustainable Development" (中国—哈萨克斯坦时空智能与可持续发展"一带一路"联合实验室), promoting the application of AI in geographic information, smart agriculture, and other fields. The Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) focuses on the field of AI, offering relevant courses to cultivate local AI talents for the Kazakh side. In governance coordination, the Kazakh side clearly supports the Global Governance Initiative proposed by the Chinese side and related international cooperation initiatives in the field of AI. China and Kazakhstan have launched the "Legal Technology Laboratory" (法律科技实验室) to jointly conduct research on the AI legislation system.

Striving forward in the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" (十五五) period, China is comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化). Kazakhstan has smoothly implemented its new constitution and is striding forward on the road of building a "Just Kazakhstan" (公正的哈萨克斯坦). As fellow travelers on the path of modernization, China is willing to work together with Kazakhstan to effectively align development strategies, continuously promote the iterative upgrading of new quality productive forces (新质生产力), further deepen exchanges and cooperation in the field of AI, jointly promote the inclusive development of AI, realize the sharing of AI dividends, and jointly create a brighter future for both countries.

(The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan.)

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Signing Ceremony of Agreement on Establishing World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization Held in Shanghai

Our newspaper Shanghai, July 16 (correspondent Wang Rong (王嵘)). On July 16, the signing ceremony of the agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was held in Shanghai. Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended and signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese government.

The agreement states that the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization is an independent intergovernmental international organization, abiding by the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, upholding the concept of joint consultation, joint construction, and joint sharing, adhering to the people-centered principle, and aiming to promote international cooperation and global governance of artificial intelligence, ensure that artificial intelligence develops healthily and orderly in the direction of beneficial, safe, and fair, and benefit all of humanity. The organization's headquarters is located in Shanghai, China.

Representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Madiyev, Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dar, Russia Deputy Director of the Presidential Executive Office Oreshkin, Indonesia Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga, signed the agreement and became founding member states. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and representatives of other countries and international organizations attended the ceremony.

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"Artificial intelligence should be an international public good that benefits all of humanity."

By: 本报记者 王 迪 喻思南 刘诗瑶

In today's world, the global wave of intelligent transformation is surging. Artificial intelligence, this strategic technology leading a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, creates unprecedented development opportunities and also brings unprecedented risks and challenges. How to improve AI governance is a common task facing all countries in the world.

Responding to the changes of the world, answering the questions of the times. President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "Artificial intelligence should be an international public good that benefits all humanity. China is willing to extensively carry out international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence with all countries in the world, strengthen alignment and coordination in development strategies, governance rules, technical standards, etc., promote the healthy and vigorous development of the intelligent industry, and let the fruits of intelligence better benefit the people of all countries."

The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20. The world is eager to hear China's proposals and expects this conference to become a key milestone in global AI governance, gathering consensus and adding momentum for promoting the development of AI in the direction of goodness and inclusiveness.

Upholding intelligence for good—China's initiative is an important starting point for promoting global AI governance.

Currently, AI technology innovation shows a group breakthrough, and global AI governance has also come to a critical juncture. AI technology iteration accelerates, but the construction of global governance systems clearly lags behind, with insufficient supply; governance difficulties such as cross-border data flow, algorithmic ethics, and technology abuse become prominent; individual countries frequently securitize and politicize technology, data, rules, and standards, causing fragmentation of global AI governance and obstructing global technology cooperation; technological barriers raise the development threshold, making it difficult for developing countries to participate fairly in AI development and governance processes, the global intelligence divide continues to widen, exacerbating development imbalances... These various real challenges deeply indicate that promoting the improvement of global AI governance is urgent. On one side is the surging wave of technology, on the other side is the reality of lagging global governance supply. How to act tests the responsibility of major countries.

President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "We must strengthen international governance and cooperation on AI, ensure that AI is for good and benefits all humanity, and avoid it becoming a 'game for rich countries and rich people'." This is a profound insight grasping the general trend of global development, and also the value pursuit of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In 2023, China took the lead in releasing the Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡议), clarifying that developing AI should adhere to the "people-centric" concept, the purpose of "intelligence for good", and the principles of "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit", and proposing that "all countries, regardless of size, strength, or social system, have the right to equally develop and use AI", providing a Chinese perspective for global AI governance. This initiative is widely regarded by international scholars as an important starting point for promoting global AI governance.

In 2025, the World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance issued the AI Global Governance Action Plan (人工智能全球治理行动计划), gathering broad consensus from the international community, calling on all parties to, on the basis of following the goals and principles of for-good and for-people, respect for sovereignty, development orientation, safety and controllability, fairness and inclusiveness, openness and cooperation, take effective actions and work together to promote global AI development and governance; in September of the same year, during the UN General Assembly, China launched the "AI+" International Cooperation Initiative (人工智能+国际合作倡议), calling on countries to actively carry out "AI+" actions based on their national conditions, to empower AI in thousands of industries... A series of Chinese proposals provide systematic and pragmatic action guidance for global AI governance, fully demonstrating China's sense of responsibility as a major country. Li Yiqing (李一清), Senior Research Coordination Officer of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, praised: "China attaches importance to promoting the formation of a broadly representative global governance system, encouraging all countries to participate in discussions on AI governance rules, reflecting true multilateral cooperation."

The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五规划纲要) clearly states: promote the establishment of an AI governance framework with broad participation of all countries, jointly build a global AI open ecosystem of equal rights, mutual trust, diversity, and win-win, and support Global South countries in strengthening AI capacity building. Adhering to the concepts of multilateralism and openness and inclusiveness, China will actively promote international governance and cooperation on AI, and continue to contribute China's wisdom, China's proposals, and China's strength to global development in the intelligent era.

Strengthening innovation cooperation—AI is not an arena for zero-sum games, but fertile ground for common innovation of all humanity. Technological progress is a worldwide and epochal issue; only openness and cooperation is the right path. Recently, a quite inspiring analogy has become popular in the global tech circle, reflecting two completely different logics of AI development: some people in the West view AI data as "new oil", focusing on possession and extraction; China, on the other hand, sees it more as water, whose value lies in flow. "Oil thinking" gives rise to barriers, blockades, and zero-sum games, while "water flow thinking" nurtures connectivity, sharing, and mutual benefit and win-win. To solve the problems of fragmentation, deepening barriers, and uneven development currently faced by international AI cooperation, the key lies in what concept to use for developing and governing AI. China has proven through practice that AI is not an arena for zero-sum games, but fertile ground for common innovation of all humanity.

Upholding open source and sharing, China has become one of the most active and fastest-growing regions in global open-source large model supply. Currently, the global cumulative downloads of Chinese AI open-source large models have exceeded 10 billion times. Chinese large models such as DeepSeek, with advantages such as low cost, high efficiency, and open source, have broken the discourse monopoly of some countries and promoted technological inclusive sharing. From model open-sourcing to capability sharing, the "many people adding fuel" model not only accelerates the iterative evolution of China's AI industry, but also empowers the global innovation ecosystem. "China's AI breakthroughs have provided inspiration for Europe," "China has provided everyone with a new path through open-source models — the path of public goods" ... Now, more and more large models are joining the open-source ranks, and more and more international figures clearly recognize that only by adhering to openness, connectivity, and equality, and jointly carrying out technological research and rule-building, can AI better benefit humanity and the world.

China insists on opening the door to innovation, and is accelerating the application of AI innovation to help solve many global problems. Medical experts from China and the UK jointly tackled cardiac magnetic resonance AI imaging algorithms, greatly improving the accuracy of cardiac disease imaging diagnosis; Tsinghua University and AstraZeneca of the UK jointly established a joint research center for drug development, accelerating the transition of research results to clinical and application; Chinese and Russian universities jointly built a joint laboratory for AI algorithms and their applications, jointly carrying out basic research to consolidate the foundation of AI development... By cooperating with various countries, China's AI technology brings new opportunities for global innovation and development. Promoting AI development requires not only technological progress but also a broad vision. Adhering to openness and inclusiveness, a vibrant, innovative China with rapidly evolving technologies will continuously inject new momentum into global AI development through innovation cooperation.

Sharing intelligent dividends—China is committed to being a provider of international public goods. In the intelligent era, sharing the same globe, we must help each other. Only by adhering to "people-centric, intelligence for good" can AI truly become an international public good that benefits all humanity. China actively promotes AI exchange and cooperation, always committed to being a provider of international public goods and promoting the development of AI for good and inclusive benefit.

As a pioneer of initiatives, China actively shares technological products with various countries, continuously improving the inclusiveness and accessibility of AI. The 60 MW large-scale AI liquid-cooled computing power center located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has been put into operation. China's green computing power solution provides stable and efficient computing power support for local smart factories and manufacturing digital transformation; the China-Pakistan AI smart agriculture laboratory has taken root, using computer vision and AI technology to assist local agricultural production; Chinese enterprises provide a fully automatic drone blade intelligent inspection solution for a Brazilian wind power operator, significantly improving inspection efficiency and safety... As China's "AI+" action is deeply promoted, intelligent dividends continue to radiate to more countries and groups.

To bridge the intelligent divide, China gives people fish and also teaches them to fish. Not long ago, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University (复旦大学附属中山医院) held a technology training class for developing countries. Over 15 days of in-depth study, 21 trainees from five countries including the Philippines and Egypt gained a lot. Building the China-ASEAN AI Innovation Cooperation Center, jointly formulating and implementing the "China-Africa Digital Innovation Partnership Plan" with African countries, jointly holding AI capacity building seminars with the United Nations... China's pragmatic cooperation is crossing mountains and seas, helping countries around the world, especially Global South countries, strengthen capacity building, gaining wide support and recognition from the international community. Abdon Atangana, Academician of the World Academy of Sciences and Chair of the Research and Innovation Committee of the African Mathematical Union, commented: "China actively supports African countries in carrying out localized AI research, promoting the application and dissemination of AI technology in Global South countries, and playing an important role in bridging the North-South intelligent divide."

As a mechanism builder, China builds diverse exchange platforms and shares domestic good governance practical experience. Hosting the World AI Conference for eight consecutive years, establishing the Global AI Innovation Governance Center, and proposing the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, through multi-level dialogue platforms, it opens communication channels between governments, enterprises, and academia, effectively manages differences, gathers consensus, and helps global AI governance move towards institutionalization. Promote sharing through joint consultation, promote good intelligence through good governance. Implement regulations such as the Provisions on the Management of Algorithmic Recommendations in Internet Information Services (互联网信息服务算法推荐管理规定) and the Provisions on the Governance of the Network Information Content Ecology (网络信息内容生态治理规定), and issue the world's first specialized regulatory measures for generative artificial intelligence... On many frontier governance issues, China is at the international forefront, providing governance models that other countries, especially developing countries, can learn from.

As a governance promoter, China firmly takes the United Nations as the main channel to promote the improvement of global AI governance. From promoting the 78th UN General Assembly to adopt by consensus the resolution "Strengthening International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building" in 2024, to issuing the white paper Building a More Just and Equitable Global Governance System: China's Vision, Initiatives, and Actions (构建更加公正合理的全球治理体系：中国的理念、倡议与行动) in June this year, emphasizing support for the UN to play the main channel role and promote the formation of a global AI governance system with broad consensus... China has always advocated that the UN play a core role in global AI governance, actively participate in global rule consultations, promote the formation of institutional norms that balance the interests of all parties, and continuously provide international public goods.

Facing the challenges of AI, no country can stand alone. "Smart Partners, Creating the Future Together"—this theme of the current conference carries the consensus and expectations of the international community. As long as all parties uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, break down barriers with openness and inclusiveness, and bridge gaps with inclusive benefit and win-win, they can jointly promote AI to become an international public good that benefits all humanity.

Taking the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance as an opportunity, China is willing to work with all countries, uphold the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, jointly promote the development of AI for good and inclusive benefit, promote the early formation of a global AI governance system with broad consensus, and let AI benefit all humanity.

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Wang Yi Meets with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan

This newspaper, Shanghai, July 16 (Reporter Chen Shangwen (陈尚文)). On the evening of July 16, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met in Shanghai with Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, who was in China to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference.

Wang Yi welcomed Dar's signing, on behalf of the Pakistani government, of the agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. He stated that China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Pakistan, promote the development of AI for good and for universal benefit, assist the economic growth of developing countries, and also drive global technological innovation and progress. The two sides must jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future (中巴命运共同体).

Dar stated that Pakistan cherishes the iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, promoting the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

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Chen Wenqing meets with Le Minh Tri, member of the CPV Central Committee Political Bureau and head of its Central Internal Affairs Commission

Chen Wenqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, met in Beijing on July 15 with Le Minh Tri, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Minister of the Central Internal Affairs Department.

Chen Wenqing pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary To Lam have provided key strategic guidance for the continuous advancement of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future at a new historical anchor point. He expressed the hope that both sides will implement the latest important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, focus on the goal of "making security cooperation more solid," and continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as national security, public security, and judicial reform.

Le Minh Tri expressed his willingness to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning in building a socialist rule-of-law state, so as to provide legal safeguards for Vietnam and China to walk the socialist path together.

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Xi Jinping Holds Talks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif

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China's Economy: Stability, Innovation, Vitality, Integration

By: 仲 音

In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五), China's economy delivered a mid-term report card that is 向新向优 (xiàng xīn xiàng yōu - "toward the new and toward the excellent").

GDP grew 4.7% year-on-year, summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, and the total value of imports and exports exceeded 25 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period in history... China's economy withstood pressure, continued its overall stable, 向新向优 development trend, and demonstrated strong resilience and vitality.

Since the beginning of this year, world economic growth has generally slowed. Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.0%, but raised its forecast for China's full-year economic growth by 0.2 percentage points.

Why is the scenery uniquely fine? It is advisable to understand the certainty, growth potential, opportunity, and leading role of China's economy from the four characters: 稳 (wěn - stable), 新 (xīn - new), 活 (huó - dynamic), and 融 (róng - integrated).

(一)

From the character 稳 (wěn - "stable"), we see the trend: promoting effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity, China's economy injects certainty into the world.

Two sets of data show strength.

In the first five months of this year, China exported 187 high-value-added liquid cargo ships, with a total value exceeding 64.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 188.8%.

In the first half of the year, China's automobile exports historically broke through the 5 million vehicle mark, and electric vehicle exports increased by 68.7%.

The strong exports of Chinese ships and Chinese cars are a vivid microcosm of the Chinese ship sailing through wind and waves.

Looking at scale, in the first half of this year, China's economic increment was the largest for the same period in the past five years. Although the growth rate in the second quarter has declined somewhat, the fundamentals of China's economy have not changed, and it remains the ballast stone for global economic growth.

Speaking of quality, from the explosive growth of integrated circuit exports to the expansion of Yiwu small commodity digital trade's circle of friends... sudden demand can be met, high-end tracks can be attacked, emerging markets can be captured, "the strategic reliance is the complete industrial system."

Currently, some economic indicators have fluctuated, influenced by complex changes in the international environment and also by the pains of domestic structural adjustment. Problems in development and transformation can be completely resolved through effort.

The 两新 (liǎng xīn - "two new") policy has been strengthened and expanded, ultra-long-term special government bond funds have been issued in advance, and the fiscal discount on personal consumption loans has been extended... leveraging the integrated effect of policies to enhance the effectiveness of macroeconomic governance, stabilizing expectations and underpinning confidence.

Short-term fluctuations do not change the long-term positive trend. "Face difficulties squarely, strengthen confidence, and strive to transform positive factors from all sides into development achievements" — this is an important methodology for China's seeking progress while maintaining stability.

(二)

From the character 新 (xīn - "new"), we see the driving force: coordinating the optimization of increments and revitalizing stock, China's economy is full of growth potential.

Two "breakthroughs" show confidence.

"Zhangxue Motorcycle" won the championship, breaking the long-term monopoly of European and Japanese brands in the World Superbike Championship, witnessing the reshaping of the supporting radius of Chongqing's motorcycle industry, and further demonstrating the upgrade of China's traditional industries.

Huawei released Tao's Law (韬定律), proposing to replace "geometric miniaturization" with "time miniaturization". The 381 chip models already in mass production stir the resounding footsteps of China's emerging industries' growth, and further prove that "blocking our neck cannot block us"!

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must properly coordinate the relationship between cultivating new drivers and updating old drivers, and develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions."

In this first year, the domestically produced supercomputer Ling Sheng (灵晟) topped the global rankings, and the Long March 10B carrier rocket achieved the world's first maritime network recovery... Promoting industrial innovation through technological innovation, new quality productive forces are accelerating formation.

Preliminary calculations show that in the first half of this year, new drivers represented by high-end manufacturing, digital economy, and modern services contributed over 40% to economic growth, with distinct characteristics of 向新向优 (xiàng xīn xiàng yōu - "toward the new and toward the excellent").

Establish first before breaking, adapt to local conditions, promote the smooth succession and transformation of old and new development drivers, China's economy is surging with power and has a strong engine.

(三)

From the character 活 (huó - "dynamic"), we see space: closely integrating high-quality economic development with high-quality life of the people, China's economy provides opportunities to the world.

Two "bills" hold the code.

As of June 20, this year's trade-in of consumer goods drove sales exceeding 1 trillion yuan, benefiting 136 million person-times.

Currently, this year's 800 billion yuan 两重 (liǎng zhòng - "two major") investment and construction project list and 200 billion yuan equipment renewal funds have all been allocated, and the construction of the 六张网 (liù zhāng wǎng - "six networks") is being coordinated and advanced.

The 两重, 两新, and 六张网 ultimately point to the well-being of the people.

It is precisely the aspiration of over 1.4 billion people for a better life that ignites the vitality of the super-large market. Childcare subsidies are being implemented faster, the silver economy is booming... The stronger the people's sense of gain, the fuller the "reservoir" of domestic demand.

It is precisely the promotion of people's all-round development that ignites the endogenous driving force of the world's second-largest economy. Artificial intelligence empowers thousands of industries, "Village Super League" and "Village Gala" make poetic villages popular... Leading new supply with new demand, creating new demand with new supply, the virtuous interaction of supply and demand bursts with inexhaustible vitality.

Some international business figures describe China as "the world's hardest-core gym", where enterprises that withstand the test are fully confident to go global. Others describe China as "the most reliable friend". In May this year, China fully implemented zero-tariff measures for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations, and in May and June, imports of aquatic products and textile raw materials from Africa achieved double-digit year-on-year growth.

Adhering to win-win cooperation and promoting inclusive benefits, China proves with concrete actions that "walking with China is walking with opportunity, believing in China is believing in tomorrow, and investing in China is investing in the future."

(四)

From the character 融 (róng - "integrated"), we see potential: strengthening the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, China's economy demonstrates leadership.

Some have noticed that in the first half of the year, national fixed asset investment fell 5.7% year-on-year. Does this mean that China's investment vitality has decreased?

According to the latest statistics from the Asset Management Association of China, as of the end of April 2026, the total scale of domestic private equity fund management rose to 23.46 trillion yuan, achieving continuous growth.

This year, hard-tech enterprises such as Yushu Technology have intensively passed the listing review, and a batch of sci-tech innovation enterprises with core technologies are accelerating their embrace of the capital market.

It is not that investment activities have weakened, but that investment methods have diversified.

The ChiNext board added a fourth set of listing standards, the scope of application of the fifth set of standards on the STAR Market was expanded to the field of artificial intelligence, and support for basic research talents and young talents was increased... Not only investing in fixed assets, but also investing in the "sci-tech innovation brain", closely combining investment in things and investment in people, and accelerating the integration of innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain.

The Xiangshan (香山) open-source computing system and the Ruyi (如意) native operating system were released, with global developers jointly maintaining and iterating; since the trial operation of the High Energy Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, it has attracted over 1,700 experiment applications from domestic and international research teams... From catching up to leading, China is becoming a global source of innovation.

"Promote deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application led by enterprises," "promote integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions," "promote integrated urban-rural development," "actively integrate into the construction of a unified national market"... The character 融 (róng - "integrated") hands over the golden key to reform and innovation, and opens up new horizons for high-quality development.

"We must anchor our goals and tasks, strengthen confidence, seize the momentum, and solidly promote high-quality development."

China's economy has always developed and grown by overcoming difficulties and surpassed itself by meeting challenges. Anchoring goals and seizing the momentum, China's economy will proceed steadily and far, and the future is promising.

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"Handle every matter of concern to the people well, one by one" (People's Forum)

By: 桂从路

On July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited a community comprehensive service point located in Huangpu District, Shanghai, for inspection and research. On the display board, two groups of photos captured the “old appearance” and “new face” of the renovation of old residential communities.

The residential area of Shimin New Village on Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict was once a widely known “old, broken, small” neighborhood. After comprehensive renovation was launched in 2022, not only were the issues of residential safety and exclusive use of kitchens and bathrooms resolved, but facilities such as elevators were also added. Now, “upstairs there are elevators, downstairs there are gardens.” Citizens exclaim: This is truly a livable life in the city center.

“We cannot carry a toilet seat into modernization.” This livelihood campaign that has lasted more than 30 years interprets the true meaning of a modernized people’s city—making people’s lives more convenient, more comfortable, and better.

When working in Shanghai, Comrade Xi Jinping was very concerned about the renovation of kitchens and bathrooms in alleyway houses. During one inspection, he said, “Such small matters and practical things may not seem grand, and are not as spectacular as building a skyscraper, but they benefit the people. We must handle such things one by one properly.”

During this inspection in Shanghai, the General Secretary put forward clear requirements for advancing urban renewal with high quality: “Think what the masses think, be anxious about what the masses are anxious about, formulate and implement effective policy measures, persist over the long term, and handle the matters that the common people care about one by one properly.”

Serving the people—the original aspiration is as firm as a rock; consistently adhering to it, persisting over the long term (久久为功, jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - “long-lasting effort achieves success,” to keep at it persistently).

We Communists undertake undertakings and create political achievements always for the benefit of the people. “Thinking what the masses think, being anxious about what the masses are anxious about” interprets the “way a Communist should be.”

In those years, when Gu Wenchang was fighting his final battle with cancer in the hospital, Zhu Caimao, who had once served as a correspondent for the Dongshan County Party Committee in Fujian, came to visit him. Chatting, Gu Wenchang turned to the trees: “Not long ago I learned that the lifespan of casuarina trees is short. When you return to the county, report this; remember to replace them with new ones. Otherwise, if the wind and sand return, the people of Dongshan will suffer again!” Zhu Caimao spoke with a choked voice: “Alas, at a time like this, you can’t even care about your own life, and your mind is still full of the common people.”

“As long as something benefits the people, even if it means overcoming all difficulties, it must be done; anything that harms the Party’s prestige, no matter how small, must not be done.” The “two principles for being an official” that Gu Wenchang set down still ring with a deafening sound and provoke deep thought (振聋发聩, zhèn lóng fā kuì - “deafen the deaf and awaken the unhearing,” to rouse the benumbed and provoke deep thought) (发人深省, fā rén shēn xǐng - “stir people to deep reflection,” to set people thinking deeply).

On the battlefield of poverty alleviation, “as long as there is still one household, or even one person, whose basic living problems have not been solved, we cannot rest content (安之若素, ān zhī ruò sù - “be at ease with it as if usual,” to take something lying down); on the front line of flood relief, “I am a Party member, let me go first,” “as long as the flood does not recede, the Party members will not retreat”…

The reason why Communists in the new era have won the reputation among the masses and gained the people’s support is precisely because they always take the people’s heart as their own heart and are “always in a state of concern” for the people’s safety and warmth.

To serve the people, method is crucial. “Thinking what the masses think, being anxious about what the masses are anxious about” identifies the main direction for serving the people and solving difficulties, and it is meant to carry out good deeds and practical things that strike a chord in the people’s hearts.

Wu Yaqin, recipient of the “July 1 Medal” (七一勋章), how did she drive a “dragon’s beard ditch”—an old, scattered, dirty, messy, and poor area—to transform into a “national model community for harmonious community building”? With many elderly people in the community, she established the “Kang Le Home Elderly Service Center”; with many laid-off and unemployed people in the jurisdiction, she proactively contacted enterprises to organize skills training and regularly held job fairs; with residents having difficulty traveling, she coordinated the extension of bus routes… Over a hundred practical livelihood projects were implemented, all resolving the urgent, difficult, anxious, and desired issues of the masses.

The renovation of old residential communities has always been a challenge in urban governance. The city of Shanghai carried out precise investigations through “one file per household,” keeping a ledger of who had difficulties and who had concerns. Regarding whether to renovate and how to renovate, some communities held more than 380 coordination meetings, thoroughly discussing and solving every issue the masses cared about.

“What constitutes a good deed or a practical matter must be assessed from the people’s actual needs.” Only by insisting on asking the people about their needs, asking the people for advice, and asking the people for results can we avoid subjective assumptions and overcome simplification and one-sidedness, so that the people can have a tangible sense of gain and happiness.

Not long ago, “a deputy bureau chief in Beijing’s Miyun District consumed 10 billion tokens to hand-code a flood prevention mini-program” sparked heated discussion. In the past, during the flood prevention period, to ensure the transfer of personnel, one had to call each person individually to report and summarize information. Now, through this mini-program called “Call-Response,” it is possible to monitor in real time mountain early warnings, rain conditions, and the status of the transfer of masses.

From this perspective, “thinking what the masses think, being anxious about what the masses are anxious about” is also a capability. Making “what the Party and government want to do” resonate at the same frequency and seamlessly connect with “what the people hope for in their hearts” relies on institutional guarantees, technological empowerment, and continuous innovation in grassroots governance.

“The Communist Party exists to serve the common people. Only when the people live and work in peace and contentment and have a comfortable life can the Party and government feel at ease.” Using the “anxiety” of Party cadres to resolve the “worries” of the people and in exchange for the people’s comfort allows no hesitation or slackening; it requires decisive action.

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In its first year, China's economy shows resilience and strong momentum (Mid-year economic review)

By: 本报记者 刘志强 韩 鑫 罗珊珊

In the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五, shíwǔ wǔ - "fifteenth five-year" plan period), the Chinese economy is resiliently advancing and vigorously improving.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.7% year-on-year; major indicators such as industry, employment, and prices operated within a reasonable range; new growth drivers rapidly expanded… The semi-annual report of the Chinese economy released recently shows that in the first half of the year, the Chinese economy continued its development trend of overall stability and progress toward innovation and excellence, performing prominently among the world's major economies.

This achievement was hard-won (殊为不易, shū wéi bù yì - "extremely not easy," difficult to obtain). The century-old changes are accelerating, and the international situation is becoming more turbulent and intertwined. Amid shifting winds and clouds, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core steers the ship, bravely stands at the forefront, unites and leads the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups in striving on the new journey and making achievements in the new era, driving the Chinese economy's ship to brave the waves and press ahead under pressure, effectively responding to external shocks and challenges.

This 难能可贵 (nán néng kě guì - "difficult to achieve and commendable," meaning rare and praiseworthy) achievement has laid a solid foundation for completing the year's development goals and tasks, and injected stronger confidence into striving for a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Looking globally, the Chinese economy is performing steadily and is highly resilient.

To observe the Chinese economy, one must have an international perspective. Placing the Chinese economy's semi-annual report in a global context, this achievement is rare and commendable.

"The current international situation is undergoing the most profound changes since the end of World War II." Since the beginning of this year, due to geopolitical conflicts, international crude oil prices have fluctuated sharply, and some chemical raw materials are in tight supply, testing the comprehensive strength of each economy.

How has China responded? The front line of development has the answer——

The Sanjiang Plain (三江平原, Sānjiāng Píngyuán - "three-river plain") is greening the fertile fields.

"Wheat is heading, corn is jointing. By the golden autumn season, the 300 mu of farmland will usher in another harvest." Zhang Wenyu (张文有, Zhāng Wényǒu), a large grain grower in Baoxiang Village, Jixiang Township, Tangyuan County (汤原县、吉祥乡、保祥村, Tāngyuán Xiàn, Jíxiáng Xiāng, Bǎoxiáng Cūn), Heilongjiang, sighed with emotion: "This year, fertilizer supply is sufficient and prices are stable; one 100-jin bag of urea costs 110 yuan, the same as previous years, so a good harvest is guaranteed." In the first half of the year, facing fluctuations in the global fertilizer market, relevant departments played a "combined fist" of reserve regulation, export adjustment, and market dispatch, and industry enterprises "went full throttle," promoting orderly fertilizer supply and stable prices.

Pengcheng, Shenzhen, flows endlessly.

"Driving a new-energy cargo truck, I have no pressure from oil prices, saving on trucking costs." Gui Baolin (桂宝林, Guì Bǎolín), a Lalamove driver in Shenzhen, Guangdong, feels at ease: compared to oil-fueled trucks, driving 200 kilometers a day saves about 100 yuan. The penetration rate of new-energy cargo trucks is continuously increasing, coupled with the orderly transmission of the oil-price freight-rate linkage mechanism, effectively smoothing freight rate fluctuations caused by unstable oil prices. In the first half of the year, the national highway logistics freight rate index remained in the range of 105 to 107 points, with relatively mild fluctuation and generally stable freight rates.

Increasing oil and gas resource exploration and development efforts; domestic crude oil and natural gas production in the first half of the year both hit record highs for the same period; accelerating the layout of wind power, photovoltaics, and other clean energy sources; as of the end of May, cumulative installed power generation capacity exceeded 4 billion kilowatts, ranking first globally; promptly initiating and implementing the refined oil product price adjustment mechanism; multiple measures to ensure supply and stabilize prices… At a time of crisis testing, some countries face energy shortages and soaring prices. In contrast, China, relying on its deep foundation and effective response, ensures the smooth operation of thousands of industries and orderly energy use for hundreds of millions of households.

From agricultural material supply and energy security to the overall development picture, amid the changing international situation, the Chinese economy is performing steadily and is highly resilient, truly deserving of the title "main contributor and stabilizer of world economic growth."

Many macroeconomic indicators testify to this——

Vertically, compared with the first half of last year, the GDP increment in the first half of this year is 3.6 trillion yuan, the largest increment in the same period in the past five years. The economic growth rate of 4.7% in the first half of the year falls within the year's main expected target range of "4.5%–5%."

Horizontally, most countries face significantly increased inflationary pressure, while China has maintained moderate price increases, generally stable employment, and improved balance of payments, with major indicators operating within a reasonable range.

Such stable performance benefits from the solid foundation of the real economy. Transformers, gas turbines, and intelligent equipment see "explosive orders" globally; the shipbuilding industry's new orders account for more than 70% of the world's total… Industrial competitiveness grows day by day, and "Made in China" is increasingly welcomed by the global market. In the first half of the year, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size grew by 5.4% year-on-year, achieving relatively rapid growth; total goods trade imports and exports reached 25.47 trillion yuan, up 16.9% year-on-year, with exports maintaining growth for 11 consecutive quarters on a quarterly basis.

Such stable performance benefits from the escort of macroeconomic policies. A deficit rate of about 4% remains at a historical high; 1.3 trillion yuan in ultra-long-term special government bonds continue to support "two major" (两重, liǎng zhòng - "dual major") construction and "two new" (两新, liǎng xīn - "dual new") work; the relending quota for technological innovation and technological transformation has been expanded to 1.2 trillion yuan… Since the beginning of this year, more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies have been implemented and have taken effect, effectively offsetting external impacts. As of the end of June, China's broad money (M2) balance grew by 8.0% year-on-year, and aggregate social financing outstanding grew by 7.4% year-on-year, with growth rates both continuing to be higher than nominal GDP growth, showing clear results of monetary policy supporting the real economy.

Such stable performance benefits from the full play of institutional advantages. "You just plant wheat, the whole of China will harvest it for you!" At the time of wheat harvesting in Xiangyang, Hubei, more than 4,000 combine harvesters crossed provinces to provide assistance, completing the rush harvest of wheat. The central government arranged special funds to support rush harvesting and sowing, tightly pressed and solidified grain production responsibilities in all localities, strengthened policy support and coordination of prices, subsidies, insurance, etc… Working with one mind from top to bottom, the "Three Summers" achieved good results; China's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time. Responding to energy changes, ensuring grain production, resisting floods and disasters—amid multiple shocks, China stands as firm as a rock.

The myriad development practices provide evidence——

Demonstrated in the early stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan, commenced construction in the 15th Five-Year Plan. On June 8, the new waterway of the Three Gorges Project, integrating functions of water conservancy, shipping, and ecology, broke ground in Yichang, Hubei, becoming the first major national landmark project to start construction during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Crossing the Qinling Mountains, connecting Shaanxi and Hubei, the Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railway opened to traffic, building a new channel linking the northwest and central China regions; cutting through mountains and opening rivers, removing barriers, the Pinglu Canal fully opened to water, to begin navigation in September; chasing the wind and the sun, turning the desert into gold, the Kubuqi (库布其, Kùbùqí) ten-million-kilowatt-level desert-Gobi-wasteland (沙戈荒, shā gē huāng - "sand, Gobi, wasteland") energy base started construction recently… From the "two major" projects and the "six networks" (六张网, liù zhāng wǎng - "six networks") construction to the 109 major engineering projects in the 15th Five-Year Plan outline, projects are being implemented one after another, translating into concrete economic increments and also laying support for future development.

"Good planning and execution—these two must be combined." From the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress examining and approving the 15th Five-Year Plan outline, to 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) successively releasing their own 15th Five-Year Plan outlines, to the orderly introduction and implementation of a batch of national-level special plans in areas such as urban renewal, accelerating agricultural and rural modernization, new-type energy system construction, and expanding consumption… Converging the "power of planning," condensing the "effectiveness of institutions," the beautiful blueprint is being turned into reality step by step.

Steady performance and full resilience have won international recognition. Recently, the International Monetary Fund released a report, slightly lowering this year's world economic growth forecast while raising China's economic growth forecast to 4.6%. Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and other institutions also raised their forecasts for China's economic growth against the trend.

Fearless of wind and rain, as stable as a rock. Maintaining strategic resolve, unswervingly doing our own things well, the Chinese economy will continuously reach new heights amidst both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement, persistently injecting precious stability and certainty into the global economy.

Considering the overall situation, the Chinese economy is progressing toward innovation and excellence, with surging momentum.

To observe the Chinese economy, one must take a developmental perspective. Looking at the overall development of the opening year, the growth and expansion of new growth drivers and the acceleration of the transformation between old and new growth drivers have become prominent highlights.

The assembly line runs at high speed; a humanoid robot precisely picks up a tablet to be inspected, quickly places it into a quality inspection fixture, then classifies and returns the finished product to the production line… On June 28, the 15,000th embodied intelligent robot from Zhiyuan (智元, Zhìyuán) rolled off the line and was immediately deployed to the intelligent manufacturing front line in Nanchang, Jiangxi.

With only 6 prototypes in 2023, breaking through 1,000 units in January 2025, and crossing the 10,000-unit mark in March this year, the acceleration of mass production is accompanied by accelerated iteration. "After continuous iteration, Zhiyuan robots have achieved 'normal operation' in multiple fields such as 3C manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, and commercial services," said Yao Maoqing (姚卯青, Yáo Mǎoqīng), a partner at Zhiyuan.

Appearing as a group on the Spring Festival Gala stage, breaking the human half-marathon world record, working shifts in factory workshops—taking the lead in laying out the new track of artificial intelligence, China's humanoid robots are accelerating evolution. In the first half of the year, exports of intelligent bionic robots exceeded 10,000 units, reaching more than 90 countries and regions worldwide.

"Scientific and technological strength and innovation capability are increasingly becoming the country's core competitiveness" and "what grows now is hard power, pursuing the development of new quality productive forces." Fully implementing the "AI+" action, establishing the Central Enterprise Science and Technology Achievement Industrialization Consortium (中央企业科技成果产业化联合体, zhōngyāng qǐyè kējì chéngguǒ chǎnyèhuà liánhétǐ), releasing the preliminary list of the second batch of 111 key cultivated pilot testing platforms (中试平台, zhōngshì píngtái - "medium-test platforms")… In the opening year, various regions and departments actively promoted the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, leading the development of new quality productive forces with high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement.

Records are being set one after another, and innovation is achieving all-round breakthroughs.

Net recovery, global first. On July 10, the Long March 10B carrier rocket was launched from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, then the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was successfully recovered on an offshore recovery platform, marking a historic breakthrough in China's reusable rocket technology.

Huawei released Tao's Law (韬定律, tāo dìnglǜ) in the semiconductor field; the fully domestically produced supercomputer Lingsheng (灵晟, Língshèng) topped the global supercomputing list; a new generation of electronic-grade resin material achieved mass production; commercial space launches of multiple rockets succeeded… Overcoming "bottleneck" technologies, innovative China is full of vitality.

Various indicators are rising and leaping upward, and industry is undergoing all-round upgrades.

China's computing power leads the world. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the construction of a nationwide integrated computing power network is accelerating. As of the end of March, China had built an intelligent computing power scale of 1.882 million P, equivalent to 2.5 times the same period last year, and is expected to maintain a high growth rate.

In the first six months, production and sales of new energy vehicles both exceeded 7 million units; the average daily output of integrated circuits by industrial enterprises above the designated size exceeded 1.5 billion units; as of the end of May, the average daily call volume of tokens had reached hundreds of trillions… "Train internal skills, strengthen oneself," industrial upgrading is proceeding steadily. In the first half of the year, the added value of the equipment manufacturing industry grew by 9.3% year-on-year, and the added value of the high-tech manufacturing industry grew by 13.3%, 3.9 and 7.9 percentage points faster than the industrial added value of all enterprises above the designated size, respectively.

Scientific and technological innovation is "rising and taking shape," "Made in China" is undergoing "systemic upgrade," and development momentum is becoming increasingly strong. Preliminary calculations show that new growth drivers represented by high-end manufacturing, digital economy, and modern services contributed more than 40% to economic growth in the first half of the year.

Some international business figures describe China as the "world's most hardcore gym," and foreign-invested enterprises are voting with their feet and investing in China. Schneider Electric completed the expansion of its Beijing Yizhuang park; American power semiconductor manufacturer Onsemi announced the establishment of its Greater China headquarters in Shanghai… In the first five months, more than 25,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, up 5.3% year-on-year, and actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries increased by 19.4% year-on-year.

Progressing toward innovation and excellence, with surging momentum. All-round innovation breakthroughs continuously empower all-round industrial upgrading, and the momentum of the Chinese economy is becoming increasingly powerful.

Examining the texture closely, the Chinese economy experiences fluctuations in form but its trend remains improving.

To observe the Chinese economy, one must have dialectical thinking. In the first half of the year, although individual indicators such as consumption and investment fluctuated somewhat, the Chinese economy has strong resilience, great potential, and vast space; its fundamental long-term positive trend has not changed.

To view consumption dialectically, the consumption structure is in a stage of transformation and upgrading, and the potential remains huge.

This summer, many new consumption "landmarks" have emerged on the streets of Beijing.

The first direct-sale flagship store of Yushu Technology was put into use, making future technology within reach; at Taikoo Li Sanlitun, Laodingfeng launched a new brand, FENG FULL; at Shougang Park, the "Yongdinghe Fair" opened, with multiple new brands concentratedly settling in… Commercial spaces are "renewed," time-honored brands are "revitalized," old spaces are "updated"—the debut economy and service consumption resonate at the same frequency, unleashing new vitality in consumption. Since the beginning of this year, Beijing has added 483 physical first stores, held more than 520 debut events, first shows, first exhibitions, and first performances, supporting the city's service consumption expenditure in the first five months to grow by 4.5% year-on-year.

The favored status of new consumption "landmarks" reflects the change in residents' consumption structure—from survival and basic types to development and quality types, accelerating the upgrade, shifting from mainly goods consumption to equal emphasis on goods and service consumption, which is clearly reflected in the "semi-annual report."

Service consumption has shown good growth momentum. Visiting museums, watching concerts, attending on-site matches of "City Super League" and "Village Super League"… In the first half of the year, the cultural, tourism, and sports leisure markets continued to be active; retail sales of services increased by 5.3% year-on-year, 4.2 percentage points faster than retail sales of goods.

Goods consumption is expanding in quality and scale. Quality consumption, digital consumption, and green consumption are in the ascendant; in the first half of the year, the retail sales of cosmetics and communication equipment by units above the designated limit increased by 6.3% and 14.4% year-on-year respectively; the retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeded 60% for three consecutive months.

Demand is endlessly generated, business opportunities are continuously flowing, and an ultra-large-scale market is continually nurturing new consumption growth points. "China has a population of 1.4 billion, the middle-income group is growing and expanding, and per capita GDP is approaching the level of high-income countries. The in-depth implementation of the special action to boost consumption and the gradual implementation of the 'Expanding Consumption for the 15th Five-Year Plan' (《扩大消费"十五五"规划》) are expected to continuously drive consumption expansion and quality improvement, and the huge market potential will be further released," said Guo Yingfeng (郭迎锋, Guō Yíngfēng), associate researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

To view investment dialectically, the investment structure is continuously optimized, and there is still broad prospects for expanding effective investment.

Mechanical and electrical debugging, optical cable fusion splicing—in Shaoguan, Guangdong, the data center construction site is bustling. This key project of the Shaoguan data center cluster has a total investment of over 3.8 billion yuan for phases one and two, and after completion will form 180 MW of information load capacity. "The development of artificial intelligence is driving continued growth in demand for computing power, and related investments will also follow," said Mei Yi (梅义, Méi Yì), vice president of GDS Services.

In the first half of the year, investment in high-tech industries increased by 4.6% year-on-year; investment in intellectual property products increased by 9.4% year-on-year, 1.5 percentage points faster than in the first quarter… While fixed asset investment declined year-on-year, various regions continue to increase investment in emerging industries and lay out future industry tracks, driving obvious growth in investment areas such as new energy, artificial intelligence, and integrated circuits.

"To judge the investment situation, one must see both the aggregate pressure and the new supports that are taking shape," said Du Yue (杜月, Dù Yuè), researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research of the National Development and Reform Commission. "New growth driver investment, which represents the direction of investment structure transformation, determines the quality and sustainability of medium- to long-term growth. Going forward, the coordinated efforts of various policies will further stimulate investment vitality and unleash the growth potential of emerging industries, new-type infrastructure construction, and livelihood sectors."

To view the trend dialectically, the fundamentals of stable economic operation and progress toward innovation and excellence have not changed.

In the second quarter of this year, China's economic growth rate declined somewhat. "On the one hand, we must see that the decline is mainly due to some industries such as petrochemicals and coal being affected by some short-term factors and external impacts, which will gradually recover later. On the other hand, we must see that in the second quarter, indicators reflecting new growth drivers performed well, which will form strong support for economic development. Monthly indicators such as industry, services, imports and exports, and the manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index are gradually improving, also reflecting that the economic sentiment level is rising," said Mao Shengyong (毛盛勇, Máo Shèngyǒng), Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Statistics. "Taken together, achieving the year's main expected targets has solid conditions and support."

There are fluctuations in form, but the trend is still improving. The Chinese economy is fully transitioning into a track of high-quality development, and the internal supports for long-term improvement are becoming more solid.

The journey of development proceeds one leg after another.

"To fulfill the missions and tasks of the Party in the new era and new journey requires all Chinese Communists to strengthen confidence and continue striving, constantly creating new achievements worthy of the times and the people." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China is inspiring and motivating.

At present, there are many external unstable and uncertain factors, and the foundation for economic improvement still needs to be consolidated. Let us unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, solidly do a good job in the second half of the year's economic work, continuously consolidate the economy's stable and improving trend, and strive for a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan!

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Renewal of Shimin New Village

By: 本报记者 吴 焰 巨云鹏

On July 16, at the Citizens' New Village (市民新村) residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict (半淞园路街道), Huangpu District, Shanghai, many residents came to the community party-mass service station convenience vegetable stall to select vegetables and fruits. On the other side of a wall, there are four newly built buildings.

On July 15, when General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the Citizens' New Village to inspect, he emphasized the need to fully practice the people's city (人民城市) concept, insist on asking the people for their needs, asking the people for their plans, and asking the people for results, to do deep, detailed, and solid work in all aspects of urban renewal, and continuously enhance the residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Building a modern people's city that is innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and intelligent, the renovation of old urban residential communities is an important part. "Three years ago, these buildings were still 'old, dilapidated, and small' (老破小), with kitchens and bathrooms shared." Zhang Wei (张蔚), secretary of the general party branch of the Citizens' New Village residential area, said.

When meeting Zhang Wei in the neighborhood committee office, she was busy answering phone calls and arranging work: Uncle Chen has cockroaches at home, quickly send a pack of cockroach killer; Aunt Zhu has twisted her waist, and her husband is in poor health, will go to check on them later... Zhang Wei participated in the entire process of the community's renovation and renewal, and has also become "family" with the residents here.

Throwing away the "hand-carried toilet" (手拎马桶), now having their own private toilet.

"Living here is pretty good, but the houses are too old." 77-year-old Peng Gendi (彭根娣) has lived here for nearly 40 years. The previous houses were built in 1957, with a total of 351 households. Due to the age, residents either had to "carry a toilet" (拎马桶), with one floor sharing a waste disposal opening, or seven or eight households sharing a flush toilet, and the calls for renovation were very strong.

The lives of ordinary people are family affairs, but even more so national affairs. Shanghai launched multiple rounds of old housing renewal and renovation work. By July 2022, the central urban area had fully completed the renovation of contiguous areas of houses below the second-level old lane (二级旧里) standard. After that, Shanghai 马不停蹄 (mǎ bù tíng tí - "without stopping the horse's hooves," nonstop) carried out scattered old renovations, complete-set renovation of old housing, and village-in-city (城中村) renovation.

"How to promote renovation with high quality and high efficiency while taking into account the demands of all types of people is the main difficulty," Zhang Wei said.

The key to solving the problem was an organizational structure led by party building: one command group, one temporary party branch, three youth commando teams (青年突击队), and also seven working groups established for policy consultation, conflict mediation, legal aid, service guarantee, project promotion, scheme design, and comprehensive renovation. Under the strong promotion of the party organization, in December 2022, the first round of resident renovation willingness consultation for the old housing renovation project in the Citizens' New Village residential area, including Peng Gendi's home, was passed; in April 2023, 100% of residents signed contracts, and the agreement took effect; in December 2023, construction began; in March this year, the project was completed and keys handed over, and residents moved back in succession. Peng Gendi now has her own private toilet.

Bidding farewell to "water use conflicts," the new homes waft with the aroma of cooking.

Chen Weiping (陈玮萍), a Shanghai native, came to the Citizens' New Village residential area in 2020 to work as a social worker. "When I first visited, I didn't expect that Shanghai still had such dilapidated houses, and that residents had conflicts over water use."

"Six households shared one kitchen, jostling each other when cooking. Under the large water meter there were small water meters, calculating water bills for each household." Peng Gendi had been reading water meters for her neighbors for over 30 years, and the problem of apportioning the shared water meter had caused her no little worry.

"Some households argued endlessly over water bills." In 2022, as the renovation and renewal started, Chen Weiping thought, "We must seize the opportunity to improve everyone's living environment."

During the initial willingness consultation, the proportion of residents agreeing to renovation far exceeded the relevant requirements, and the project could be launched in accordance with laws and regulations, but Zhang Wei still wanted to make an effort to achieve 100% agreement.

For resident Aunt Hu's family, the two sisters had some conflicts. The house was to be renovated, involving interests, and the conflicts intensified. Aunt Hu found it troublesome and did not want to renovate.

"In her heart, Aunt Hu wants to improve her living conditions." Addressing the residents' knotty issues, party members and cadres did a lot of work, balancing the wishes of all sides, and Aunt Hu finally agreed to the renovation.

Using "embroidery efforts" (绣花功夫) to continuously improve the property management and convenience service level of the community, striving to make residents satisfied. By going door to door to do work, 100% of residents signed contracts, and the renovation then started.

Now, in each household's private kitchen, gas stoves, vegetable washing basins, and range hoods are all available. Approaching noon, the aroma of cooking wafts from the new homes. "Residents no longer have to worry about calculating water bills!" Chen Weiping said.

Adding elevators and benches, the community is more livable and heartwarming.

In the renovated Citizens' New Village residential area, facilities such as public benches are everywhere. What makes residents even more delighted are the elevators in the buildings.

The proportion of elderly people in the residential area exceeds 40%, and going up and down stairs is a problem. For this reason, each building was designed with an elevator to facilitate the entry and exit of elderly residents.

"We will carry party building leadership through the entire process of consultation, design, signing, moving out, construction, and moving back, and extensively listen to public opinion," said Xia Lingxia (夏凌霞), secretary of the party working committee of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict. In the signing stage, the "one household, one plan" (一户一方案) was implemented.

"A total of over 40 types of floor plans were designed, and the scheme was optimized more than 20 times," said Yang Xilin (杨喜林), general manager of Shanghai Nanfang Group Property Management Co., Ltd. (上海南房集团物业管理有限公司). During the renovation phase, Yang Xilin served as deputy secretary of the temporary party branch. According to him, before renovation, the usable floor area of the houses ranged from a minimum of 6.9 square meters to a maximum of 27 square meters, a huge difference. After renovation, it was necessary to ensure that the usable floor area of each household did not decrease, while also adding private bathrooms, kitchens, and balconies for each household.

想方设法 (xiǎng fāng shè fǎ - "think of ways and means," to try every possible way) to allow decades-old neighbors to still be adjacent after the housing renovation; respecting residents' habit of drying clothes outdoors, creating clothes-drying poles outside the balcony for each household; the difficulty of parking in the old city, building a new intensive underground garage, adding 65 parking spaces... The importance attached to the opinions of the people is reflected in every bit of the renovation.

"We will actively explore a new model of coordinated operation among the neighborhood committee, the homeowners' committee, and the property service enterprise under the leadership of the community party organization," said Xu Huili (徐惠丽), secretary of the Huangpu District party committee. She stated that it is necessary to precisely sink various resources and forces such as government services and convenience services to the side of the masses; coordinate all sides, innovate ideas and methods, to straighten out and properly handle the troubling matters that afflict the masses.

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"The lives of ordinary people are family matters, and even more so, state affairs."

By: 本报记者 杜尚泽 胡泽曦 新华社记者 张晓松 朱基钗

A bend of the Huangpu River threads through the city, and the vast East China Sea serves as its lapel. On the afternoon of July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping, braving the scorching heat, went deep into Shanghai’s Huangpu District to investigate a matter of public well-being — the renovation of old residential communities in the course of urban renewal.

For Shanghai, one of the difficulties in renovating old residential communities is solving the problem of residents “carrying chamber pots.”

Comrade Xi Jinping, when he came to work in Shanghai in 2007, already paid attention to the work of old housing renovation. “As soon as he arrived, he put it on the agenda.” At that time, he often walked through old residential communities on weekends, pondering how to solve the “big, old, difficult” problems.

From the local level to the central level, the General Secretary has always carried the worries and hopes of the people in his heart. Time came to September 2025; after decades of relay efforts, this people’s livelihood hard battle (民生攻坚战) benefiting over a million Shanghai residents was generally completed, historically solving the “carrying chamber pots” problem.

Summer afternoon, scorching sun, cicadas chirping. At the Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict Citizen New Village (半淞园路街道市民新村) residential area in Huangpu District, General Secretary Xi Jinping carefully examined the new look of the old dwellings: “This is a matter the people’s hearts yearn for, and it is also a matter I have always been concerned about.”

Investigation: Community Comprehensive Service Point — The change between past and present and the journey of continuous struggle

At the Community Comprehensive Service Point, General Secretary Xi Jinping walked to the display board. The photos were arranged in a row, encapsulating the community’s change between past and present.

Before renovation, kitchens were shared, toilets were communal, and every household kept a spittoon. Messy sinks, gas stoves, wires, light bulbs, as well as spatulas, wall plaster, and even the mold spots of the plum rain season… even through the photos one could feel that embarrassment and helplessness.

After renovation, independent kitchens and bathrooms, windows bright and clean; elevators installed, travel convenient; community environment, tidy and orderly; pocket gardens, lush with greenery.

Huangpu District is the central urban area with the heaviest task, the greatest difficulty, and also the biggest challenge in the city’s old housing renovation. The difficulty lies not only in “doing a temple ceremony in a snail shell” (螺蛳壳里做道场 — meaning to accomplish a complex task in a very limited space), but also in balancing the people’s “expectations” with the “protection” of historic buildings, and in coordinating the differing needs of each household…

General Secretary Xi Jinping deeply understood the hardships involved, and he pointed out with keen insight: “High-quality advancement of urban renewal is an important lever for urban modernization. We must fully implement the People’s City concept, and adhere to asking the people for their needs, asking the people for their plans, and asking the people for their results (问需于民、问计于民、问效于民).”

The People’s City concept of “People’s cities are built by the people, People’s cities are for the people” (人民城市人民建，人民城市为人民) was precisely put forward by the General Secretary during his inspection tour in Shanghai seven years ago.

This time, seeing the renovated old residential community in person has made him more reassured. The General Secretary said with deep feeling: “The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to urban work, and has clearly proposed to build modern People’s cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart. The renovation of old urban residential communities is an important part of this.”

At the service point, the General Secretary had a cordial exchange with the staff.

“You are a ‘pension consultant’ (养老顾问). What do you mainly do?” the General Secretary asked, seeing a list of age-friendly renovation services on the table, and picked it up to look.

“Elderly people make up 40% of the community. Installing safety handrails, anti-slip floor treatments, etc., the task of age-friendly renovation is quite heavy,” said a comrade from the community.

The old housing renovation in Shanghai that began in the 1990s is a vast, systematic, long-term, and arduous project:

From 1992 to 2000, the renovation of 3.65 million square meters of dilapidated sheds and simple houses was completed; from 2001 to 2018, relocation and expropriation of contiguous old neighborhoods below second-level old lanes; from 2018 to 2022, comprehensive completion of contiguous old district renovation; from 2023 to 2025, a hard battle to renovate 14,000 households with the “carrying chamber pots” problem.

More than 30 years have passed, and this project has not stagnated due to the passage of time, nor has it shrunk back due to the accumulation of difficulty. Day after day of cultivation, year after year of trekking, solving one household at a time, tackling one inch at a time. Thousands of tiny, broken people’s livelihood difficulties are all broken through with perseverance and answered with concrete action.

“Shanghai has promoted old housing renovation for decades, one term after another, 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng — “persevere for a long time,” to achieve lasting results through sustained effort). This is the correct view of political performance. The common people evaluate us by whether we sincerely do good deeds and real things for the people, or whether we put up a show.” General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke earnestly. “The people’s affairs are major affairs. The renovation of Shanghai’s alleyways, the renovation of Beijing’s hutong, and so on — these all concern the people’s living and working in peace and contentment, and are the things we should care about most. We must continue to do them well!”

Investigation: Resident Zhu Guoli’s Home — The people’s expectations and thousands of words of gratitude

Retired resident Zhu Guoli (朱国莉) — when a person is happy, their spirits are high.

At 69 years old, she had lived most of her life in an old house without a private toilet. In the past two years, the Party and the government helped with the renovation, and she moved back in April this year. She has kept her new home spotless, and every day is bright.

“General Secretary, welcome to my home,” said Zhu Guoli upon seeing General Secretary Xi Jinping, having a heart full of things to say.

To the left of the entrance is the kitchen. The General Secretary looked while listening to Zhu Guoli’s introduction: “In the past, three families shared one kitchen. Now, there is a complete range of range hoods and gas stoves.”

To the right is the bathroom. General Secretary Xi Jinping took a special look: “This is the most critical.”

Zhu Guoli could not hide her excitement: “Now we finally have our own bathroom. We are grateful to the Communist Party. In the past, ten households shared one bathroom; to take a bath we had to heat water and make do in the bedroom. Those days were so hard to endure!”

Further ahead is the bedroom, and there is also a small balcony — small but complete (麻雀虽小五脏俱全). The General Secretary smiled and said: “Very compact, the layout is very reasonable.”

“Where did you stay during the transition period?” “How much was the transition subsidy approximately?” “What requirements do you have for community services now?” General Secretary Xi Jinping asked in detail.

Zhu Guoli answered each question, and could not help but exclaim: “Now when I open the door, it’s a park. Our life is very happy. This year, I moved into a new house, and it is also my 50th year of honorably being in the Party.”

The General Secretary then asked: “Did you receive the commemorative medal? This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of our Party.”

“I received the commemorative medal! And my house number is also 105!” Zhu Guoli said over and over, and the room was filled with laughter.

“In the past, when my granddaughter came, there was no place for her to use the toilet. Now, on holidays, my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter all come. Today’s good life is all because of the Communist Party.”

The General Secretary was very happy to hear this: “I hope you will arrange your retirement life well and build your family even better.”

Outside the building, the courtyard was tidy, with lush flowers and trees; looking up, you could see a vast blue sky.

As he walked, the General Secretary asked community staff about the management of the residential area: “Is the fire access route clear?” “Are electric bikes now all kept out of the buildings?”

“Every twig and leaf stirs the heart” (一枝一叶总关情 — a line from a poem by Zheng Xie, meaning one cares about every detail of the people’s lives). The lives of the common people are family affairs, but even more so, they are affairs of the state. The Communist Party exists to serve the common people. Only when the people live and work in peace and contentment, and their lives are comfortable, can the Party and the government be at ease.

Old housing renovation and urban renewal are universally recognized governance challenges. Our country has the institutional advantage of “concentrating resources to accomplish major undertakings,” the governance wisdom of “reaching the vast and encompassing the minute” (致广大而尽精微), and the unwavering commitment of “always being uneasy” (时时放心不下): “As long as there is still one household or even one person whose basic living problems have not been solved, we cannot 安之若素 (ān zhī ruò sù — “take it calmly as usual,” meaning to remain undisturbed and indifferent).”

There is a set of data: during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the country renovated a total of over 240,000 old urban residential communities, benefiting over 40 million households and 110 million people.

There is a plan: entering the “15th Five-Year Plan,” as the first national-level special plan for urban renewal, the “Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan” has set a new timetable and roadmap.

Looking back across the long river of time. When working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping came to Cangxia Community (苍霞社区) in Fuzhou City in the scorching heat, stepping into the steamer-like wooden houses. He said to the accompanying cadres: “Do you know why I chose this time to investigate the shantytowns? It is to let everyone personally experience the people’s suffering and accelerate the pace of shantytown renovation.” After working at the central level, on his inspection trips, he repeatedly went deep into old residential communities, leaving behind the admonition that “there cannot be high-rise buildings on one side and dirty, messy, and poor shantytowns on the other.” 寒来暑往 (hán lái shǔ wǎng — “as winter comes and summer goes,” meaning over the years), 笃行不怠 (dǔ xíng bù dài — “diligently act without slackening,” meaning to persistently and earnestly carry out tasks without pause).

“What the people worry about, I must be mindful of; what the people hope for, I must do.” This is the mission and sentiment of the Chinese Communists.

Investigation: Community Party and Mass Service Station (社区党群服务站) — Governance at the grassroots level and the tempering of the original aspiration and mission

Urban grassroots governance lies in the daily routine of daily necessities. At the Community Party and Mass Service Station, the convenience vegetable stall had a rich variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh and green.

From the field to the table, the small “vegetable basket” concerns major people’s livelihood. General Secretary Xi Jinping asked about the source, circulation, and prices of these fruits and vegetables.

He recalled an episode from his time working in Fuzhou. At that time, to meet the people’s desire to eat “dew-covered vegetables” (freshly harvested vegetables), Fuzhou built a specialized market to ensure effective management and facilitate the entry of suburban vegetables into the city.

Changing the traditional mindset of “emphasizing construction, downplaying governance” is by no means an overnight task. At the Central Urban Work Conference held last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping addressed this topic: “Whether high-quality public services can be provided is an important indicator of a city’s livability.”

Inside the Party and Mass Service Station there is a “Citizen Living Room,” where resident representatives, subdistrict cadres, community workers, etc., gathered together. Everyone vied to tell the General Secretary the new stories of the community.

Young Chen Weiping (陈玮萍), who has been a social worker here for six years, spoke eloquently: “The old renovation project from the very beginning focused on listening to residents’ opinions. Many good ideas were proposed by the residents. Initially, the housing design drawings did not include clothes drying racks. After listening to the residents’ suggestions, retractable clothes drying racks were installed for every household during the renovation.”

General Secretary Xi Jinping smiled and said: “In the past, to dry clothes, you stuck a bamboo pole out, right? The changes now, I also saw on the road — more convenient and beautiful.”

The General Secretary highly affirmed the practice of “co-construction, co-governance, and co-sharing” (共建共治共享): “Following the mass line means thinking what the masses think and being anxious about what the masses are anxious about. Look at what the masses need, rather than the cadres imagining things on their own. It may seem to be considering the masses, but if it does not conform to reality, the result will be completely off track.”

The community is the basic unit of the urban governance system. “If you want to build a house, first solidify its foundation” (欲筑室者，先治其基).

During the investigation, General Secretary Xi Jinping was also thinking about innovation in grassroots governance: “We must further strengthen the leadership of Party building, actively explore new models for coordinated operation of residents’ committees, owners’ committees, and property service enterprises under the leadership of community Party organizations, build complete communities and convenient living circles, and do good deeds, practical things, and solve difficulties for residents with heart and feeling.”

Governing the country and securing the state lies in the grassroots. The key to grassroots governance is to take root downward. Focusing on “grasping the grassroots, strengthening the foundation, and consolidating the fundamentals” (抓基层、强基础、固根本), the General Secretary put forward clear requirements: “Push resources, services, and management down to the grassroots frontline, and continuously reduce burdens and empower the grassroots. If the grassroots are consolidated, it can directly reach the common people.”

The “Citizen Living Room” was warm and cozy. Applause, laughter, and the voices of the people — each sound entered the ear.

General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke with emotion: “The Communist Party exists to serve the common people. Our Party has always had this original aspiration and persists in moving forward. Whatever the common people think, the Communist Party will do.”

His gaze was far-reaching, his thoughts profound: “At all times we must keep the common people in our hearts. A big party of over 100 million members, with more than 5 million grassroots Party organizations, must each fulfill its responsibilities and truly do a good job of serving the common people.”

105 years ago, in this city that has weathered many vicissitudes, a group of pioneers with the people in their hearts took the historic step of a long journey. Along the way of trekking and triumph, “deeply rooted in the people, always possessing a solid foundation” has become one of the fine qualities of this century-old Party.

Leaving the community, the vehicle merged into the endless flow of urban streets and alleys. A new path of urban modernization with Chinese characteristics is being explored and practiced here, writing the era chapter that belongs to the People’s City.

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Stay vigilant and take concrete actions to prevent flood disasters, and ensure effective agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation.

Changchun, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Liu Guozhong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted research in Jilin from July 14 to 16. He emphasized that it is necessary to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions and directives on flood prevention and disaster relief and on “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” work, in accordance with the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, further raise ideological awareness, strengthen responsibility implementation and coordination, always put the protection of people’s lives first, closely monitor and firmly grasp flood and waterlogging disaster prevention work, effectively do a good job in agricultural disaster prevention and reduction, and resolutely hold the bottom line of flood control safety and food security.

Liu Guozhong successively visited Changchun City and Songyuan City, inspected river channels, reservoirs, dikes, and hydrological stations, and learned in detail about dam operation, river channel flood discharge, dike working conditions, water regime monitoring and forecasting, and the implementation of flood-season measures. He went deep into the fields to investigate autumn grain production, black soil protection, high-standard farmland and irrigation district construction, and presided over a meeting to study the safe flood-season passage and agricultural disaster prevention and reduction work in the four northeastern provinces and regions. He emphasized that the current period is a critical period for flood prevention, and it is necessary to strengthen meteorological and hydrological monitoring, do a good job in joint consultation and coordinated linkage, and improve the capability of short-term and imminent forecasting and early warning. It is necessary to strengthen the pre-disaster early warning “call-and-response” mechanism (叫应机制), and promptly organize personnel evacuation. It is necessary to strengthen the supervision of dangerous and weak reservoirs and small and medium-sized reservoirs, strictly implement the requirement of assigning responsibility to individuals, strengthen patrol and defense of reservoir dams and river dikes, rectify risks and hidden dangers on a per-reservoir and per-dike basis, stockpile sufficient rescue materials and equipment, and ensure safe flood-season passage. It is necessary to scientifically dispatch key flood control projects in the river basin, coordinate the flood defense of small and medium-sized rivers and urban flood control work. It is necessary to thoroughly investigate mountain torrent disaster risks, focus on key areas for rolling monitoring and early warning.

Liu Guozhong emphasized that the current period is about to enter the critical period for the formation of autumn grain yield, and it is necessary to adhere to the entire process and all links of disaster prevention and reduction to promote yield increase without relaxation. It is necessary to focus on autumn grain field management, implement measures such as integrated water and fertilizer application and “one spray, multiple promotions” (一喷多促), continuously provide technical guidance, and promote large-area balanced yield increase. It is necessary to highlight moving the threshold forward, do a good job in disaster monitoring and early warning by region, by crop, and by disaster type, strengthen the stockpiling of agricultural disaster relief materials, and do a good job in unified prevention and control of pests and diseases. It is necessary to continuously promote the remediation of farmland ditches and canals, deeply carry out concentrated remediation of prominent problems in high-standard farmland construction, consolidate supervision responsibilities, strictly enforce financial discipline, ensure construction quality, improve management and protection mechanisms, and ensure that each piece of land built is successful.

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Dedicate heart and soul to serving people with disabilities, and steadily advance the comprehensive and high-quality development of the cause for the disabled.

Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Li Changyu (李昌禹)) — The 7th National Conference on Work for Persons with Disabilities was held in Beijing on the 16th. State Councilor and Director of the State Council Working Committee on Disability (国务院残疾人工作委员会) Chen Yiqin (谌贻琴) attended the conference and delivered a speech. She emphasized that it is necessary to deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and important instructions and directives on the cause of persons with disabilities, earnestly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, work with heart and soul for persons with disabilities, and jointly create a happier and better life for persons with disabilities in the process of Chinese-style modernization.

Chen Yiqin pointed out that under the special care and special attention of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and with the joint efforts of all sides, the cause of persons with disabilities in China achieved remarkable accomplishments during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, work for persons with disabilities should take promoting the comprehensive development and high-quality development of the cause of persons with disabilities as the theme, improving the social security system and care service system for persons with disabilities as the main line, reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force, and meeting the increasingly growing needs of persons with disabilities for a better life as the fundamental purpose, effectively safeguard the equal rights and interests of persons with disabilities, and continuously improve the well-being of persons with disabilities.

Chen Yiqin stressed that all localities and relevant departments should place work for persons with disabilities in a more prominent position, strengthen Party leadership, vigorously implement tasks, strengthen factor guarantees, guard the bottom line of safety, and continuously create new prospects for the development of the cause of persons with disabilities in China.

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2026 China Rural Civilization Conference Held in Linyi, Shandong

Our newspaper, Jinan, July 16 (Reporters Zheng Haiou (郑海鸥) and Wang Zhe (王者)) — The 2026 China Civilized Rural Customs Conference, with the theme "Civilization Makes the Countryside Better," was held on the 16th in Linyi, Shandong. Participating representatives held that cultivating civilized rural customs is an important task bearing on comprehensive rural revitalization, comprehensive social progress, and comprehensive human development, and is an important objective and task of rural spiritual civilization construction on the new journey of the new era. It is necessary to deeply implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and important instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (三农) and on spiritual civilization construction, vigorously advance the civilized rural customs construction project, and cultivate civilized rural customs, good family traditions, and honest folk customs.

Participating representatives stated that the construction of civilized rural customs does the work of casting the soul for rural revitalization, and has a distinct political direction and value orientation. It is necessary to grasp education, strengthen ideological and political leadership of the peasant masses; grasp the transformation of customs and traditions (移风易俗, yí fēng yì sú - "change customs and alter traditions," to transform social practices), cultivate good social practices in the countryside; grasp cultural construction, promote the prosperous development of rural culture. Coordinate the advancement of urban and rural spiritual civilization construction, further consolidate the joint force of urban and rural areas in building civilized rural customs.

At the conference venue, participating representatives conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges around such aspects as promoting the entry of the Party's innovative theories into villages and households, protecting and developing traditional villages, making good use of local cultural resources, strengthening family, family education, and family tradition construction, empowering civilized rural customs with the internet, and telling the stories of civilized rural customs well.

This conference was jointly hosted by the Central Spiritual Civilization Construction Office (中央精神文明建设办公室), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部), the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee (中共山东省委), and the Shandong Provincial People's Government (山东省人民政府). Responsible comrades from relevant central and local units, as well as representatives of peasant masses, experts and scholars, cultural professionals, and grassroots cadres, participated.

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Unfolding the Scroll of Livable, Workable, and Beautiful Countryside

By: 本报记者 郑海鸥 王 者

More than 640,000 New Era Civilization Practice Centers, Stations, and Sites (新时代文明实践中心、所、站) have taken root at the grassroots level; 25 items of agricultural heritage have been inscribed on the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems list, ranking first in the world; high-quality farmer training has been conducted for over 9 million person-times…

At the 2026 China Civilized Rural Customs Conference held in Linyi, Shandong on July 16, the National Report on Civilized Rural Customs Construction 2026 (hereinafter referred to as the Report) was released, with sets of data unfolding a picture of livable, workable, and beautiful villages.

Theoretical propaganda enters the mind and heart. “Small stool” lectures, loudspeakers transmitting “new voices”, mountain songs singing theory… All localities use down-to-earth, warm, and resonant methods to transmit “Party voices” through “rural accents”, allowing the Party’s innovative theories to continuously fly into ordinary homes. At the same time, they combine policy propaganda with practical work for the people, promoting the implementation and effectiveness of various pro-agriculture policies.

The level of rural governance continues to improve. The Report shows that currently, the proportion of village Party organization secretaries with college degrees or above exceeds 50%, more than 80% of villages have public legal service offices, and the number of democratic and rule-of-law demonstration villages at the county level and above exceeds 110,000… The “Fengqiao Experience” (枫桥经验) of the new era writes vivid stories of grassroots governance, and the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the peasant masses is stronger.

Rural culture is flourishing. The Report shows that the protection of agricultural heritage has achieved remarkable results. A total of 7 batches of 188 items of China’s Important Agricultural Heritage (中国重要农业文化遗产) have been announced, and 8,155 villages have been included in the list of Traditional Chinese Villages (中国传统村落保护名录) and have implemented plaque protection. Rural public cultural supply has become richer. Beneficial activities such as opera entering villages and rural reading have been widely carried out. “Village BA” (村BA), village galas (村晚), village runs (村跑) and other “village-brand” mass cultural and sports activities have become hugely popular, enhancing farmers’ pioneering spirit, local identity, and cultural confidence.

移风易俗 (yí fēng yì sú - “transform customs and change habits,” to change established customs) conveys new trends. High bride prices, extravagant ceremonies, and social comparison are gradually fading away; the trends of excessive gift-giving, comparison, and luxury have been severely curbed; new-style weddings and simplified funerals have become new customs. All localities coordinate efforts to improve farmers’ ideological and moral, scientific and cultural, health, and legal literacy. The health literacy level of rural residents increased from 7.13% in 2012 to 30.58% in 2025.

The material foundation for civilized rural customs construction has become more solid. The Report shows that in 2025, the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 24,456 yuan, a net increase of about 1.9 times compared to 2012. Rural infrastructure is more complete, the living environment is more comfortable, public services are more convenient, the peasant masses have employment at their doorstep, increased income in their hands, and happiness in their hearts. The dividends of civilization benefit thousands of households, and the countryside is becoming a desirable “poetry and distance”.

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China enters critical flood prevention period from late July to early August (Solid efforts in disaster prevention and relief)

Beijing, July 16 (People's Daily) — Reporters learned from the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部): Starting July 16, China enters the critical flood prevention period of “the latter part of July and the first part of August” (七下八上) for 2026. According to forecasts from meteorological and hydrological departments, during this year’s critical flood prevention period, both northern and southern China will have rainy areas, with flooding heavier than drought, frequent and repeated local torrential rain and floods, and relatively strong typhoons moving northward to affect inland areas, so flood prevention work faces a severe and complex situation.

On the 16th, the National Meteorological Center (中央气象台) continued to issue a yellow rainstorm warning and a blue severe convective weather warning; the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部) and the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局) jointly issued a yellow geological disaster meteorological risk warning; the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued an orange mountain torrent disaster meteorological warning. The Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (国家防办) and the Ministry of Emergency Management (应急管理部) organized a multi-department joint consultation to assess the development trend of heavy rainfall and deploy flood prevention work in key areas. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (国家防总) activated a Level IV flood prevention emergency response for Shanxi, Henan, and Shaanxi, and maintained a Level III flood prevention emergency response for Liaoning and Jilin and a Level IV flood prevention emergency response for Heilongjiang and Shandong.

Since the 11th, the main stream of the upper and middle reaches of the Mudan River (牡丹江) and its tributaries — the Huangni River (黄泥河), Sha River (沙河), Weihu River (威虎河), Zhu’erduo River (珠尔多河), Emusuo River (额穆索河), Hailang River (海浪河), Hengdaohezi (横道河子), and Wuhulin River (五虎林河) — nine rivers in total, have experienced floods exceeding warning levels. The Ministry of Water Resources closely monitored the flood evolution situation on the Mudan River, activated a Level III flood defense emergency response for Jilin and a Level IV flood defense emergency response for Heilongjiang in advance, and dispatched three work teams to the front line of flood defense to assist and guide.

On the 16th, at the request of the Liaoning Provincial Flood Prevention and Drought Relief Headquarters, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (国家粮食和物资储备局), allocated an additional 1 million woven bags, 500,000 square meters of laminated woven fabric, and more than 7,000 metal mesh box nets to support Liaoning in carrying out flood prevention and emergency rescue work.

(Reporters Wang Hao (王浩), Jiang Xuehong (蒋雪鸿), Deng Jianyang (邓剑洋), Liu Wenxin (刘温馨))

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All-out efforts to protect the safety of people's lives and property

By: 本报记者 李龙伊 任彤彤

In recent days, many areas have experienced successive disasters such as reservoir dam breaches and landslides due to rainfall and strong winds, causing heavy casualties and economic losses. The disaster is a command! Soldiers and officers of the People’s Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force in many places acted upon hearing the order and plunged into flood control, flood fighting, and disaster relief work.

Wherever there is need, the people’s soldiers fight there.

Typhoon Maysak swept in with violent winds and torrential rain. At Guigang Senior High School in Guangxi, water and electricity were cut off; teachers and students were trapped on campus, and food and drinking water were in urgent shortage. In the anxious wait, soldiers and officers of a certain brigade of the Army of the Southern Theater Command drove assault boats, cutting through the murky floodwaters and arriving. On the teaching building balconies, the students waved their hands, and their shouts pierced the rain curtain.

Wherever there is disaster, wherever there is need, the people’s soldiers fight there.

In the Huifa River basin in Hailong Town (海龙镇), Meihekou City (梅河口市), Jilin Province, the water level rose rapidly, posing the risk of overtopping and breach of the embankment. A certain brigade of the Army of the Northern Theater Command acted upon hearing the order, and more than 300 soldiers and officers rushed to the scene, completing tasks such as reinforcing the embankment and sealing piping before the flood peak arrived.

Heavy rainfall occurred in Xiahe County (夏河县), Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, and some townships suffered damage to varying degrees. More than 200 soldiers and officers of the Armed Police Force Gansu Corps Gannan Detachment (武警甘肃总队甘南支队) carried emergency rescue equipment and rushed to the affected areas to clear mud, drain floods, and unclog pipelines.

In Pingxin Village (平新村), Jiulong Town (久隆镇), Qinzhou City, Guangxi, the floodwater reached chest height. Tian Peng (田朋), a probationary Party member of the Armed Police Force Guangxi Corps Qinzhou Detachment (武警广西总队钦州支队), tied a safety rope around his waist, step by step probing the way in the flood current, dragging a rubber boat behind him slowly forward; on the boat were the disaster-stricken people they had just rescued. At the start of the mission, Tian Peng immediately volunteered to the temporary Party branch: “I have good physical strength and swimming ability, please let me go to the most dangerous place!”

Party organizations at all levels of the PLA and the Armed Police Force fully played their role as battle fortresses, and the vast number of Party member backbone cadres took the lead in charging forward, causing the Party flag to fly high on the front line of flood relief.

Spare no effort in rescue, build a safety line for the people.

Every life-and-death rush to the rescue is to bring hope to the people.

Affected by the typhoon, Hengzhou City (横州市), Guangxi, suffered severe flood disasters. The Guilin Joint Logistics Support Center (桂林联勤保障中心) activated its emergency response mechanism, formed a medical team and an epidemic prevention team, and rushed to Hengzhou carrying first-aid equipment, water quality pathogen detection devices, disaster relief medicines and other supplies.

This team is composed of backbone personnel from No. 923 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force (联勤保障部队第九二三医院) and the Southern Theater Command Center for Disease Control and Prevention (南部战区疾病预防控制中心), covering departments such as internal medicine, surgery, and dermatology, with rich practical experience. It is a medical service vanguard that can be pulled out, can withstand, and can win.

After arriving in the disaster area, the medical team immediately went into battle, carrying out mobile diagnosis and treatment, emergency treatment of the wounded, epidemic prevention guidance, pathogen monitoring, and other work, ensuring the basic medical needs of the people.

For the soldiers who hold the interests of the people above their heads, disaster relief is a battle that cannot be lost and cannot be retreated from.

In the waters near Bohe New Port (博贺新港), Maoming, Guangdong, a man encountered danger after going to sea. Clinging to the ship’s side in the wind and waves, he drifted for more than 3 hours. A law enforcement boat of the Maoming Coast Guard Bureau (茂名海警局) set out against the wind, tossed and searched in swells several meters high, and finally rescued the victim on the vast sea.

The flood gradually recedes, but the guard does not recede. As the danger gradually eases, various areas enter the post-disaster recovery phase, and the soldiers turn around to throw themselves into clearing mud and obstacles and environmental remediation work.

风雨同舟 (fēng yǔ tóng zhōu - “wind and rain, same boat,” sharing hardships together), soldiers and civilians join hands in flood fighting and rescue.

On the morning of July 12, more than 400 officers and soldiers of the Mobile Detachment of the China Armed Police Force Guangxi Corps (武警广西总队机动支队) were fighting on the mud-clearing front line in Gantang Town (甘棠镇), Binyang County (宾阳县), Nanning, Guangxi. “Dudu dudu…” The soldiers, who were shoveling mud with heads down, looked up and saw an old man with an upright waist. He clenched his right fist against his mouth, imitating the manner of blowing the charge bugle, to encourage the young soldiers around him.

The old man’s name is Qin Zengke (覃增科), a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. “When I see you come, I feel relieved.” These simple words expressed the original aspiration of soldiers to guard the people.

In the flood control and flood fighting battle, the vast number of militiamen and retired soldiers charged forward, becoming an important force in emergency rescue and post-disaster reconstruction.

Liping County (黎平县), Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, suffered heavy rainfall disasters. The county People’s Armed Forces Department (县人武部) and the county Veterans Affairs Bureau (县退役军人事务局) urgently activated the flood control emergency response plan, quickly assembled more than 300 soldiers, militiamen, and retired veterans, and rapidly rushed to the affected townships.

The soldiers guard peace, and the common people keep it in their hearts.

In Guigang City, when the flood-fighting soldiers who had completed their tasks were preparing to withdraw, thousands of people spontaneously flooded the streets to see off the heroes in their hearts. On the red banners hung along the street, words such as “Thousands of words condensed into one sentence — thank you, take care” were particularly eye-catching. As the vehicles carrying the soldiers slowly started, people waved, shouted, and thanked, and the sound of reluctance penetrated the streets and alleys.

The joint efforts of the military and local areas, 风雨同舟 and 鱼水情深 (yú shuǐ qíng shēn - “fish and water deep affection,” inseparable bond), demonstrate the unity of the military and civilians and write the deep affection of fish and water. Currently, it is a critical period for flood control. The people’s soldiers will always join hands with the people to defend their homes and resolutely win this battle of flood control, flood fighting, and disaster relief!

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Jilin Huinan: Resettlement Sites Operating 24 Hours a Day (Flood Control and Disaster Relief Frontline Stories)

By: 本报记者 汪志球 门杰伟

At 11:00 on July 15, six buses stopped at the centralized resettlement site of the Huinan County Vocational Education Center (辉南县职业教育中心), and 108 villagers from Xijiao Village (西郊村), Xifeng Subdistrict (西ifeng Street? Actually "西凤街道" is Xifeng Subdistrict) stepped off one after another.

That day, the crest of the Huifa River (辉发河) passed through Huinan County (辉南县), and the county-wide "five suspensions" (五停) emergency control measures — suspending classes, suspending work, suspending transport, suspending business, and suspending production — were implemented.

The villagers of Xijiao Village, located in a low-lying area along the river, were gathered at the centralized resettlement site of the Vocational Education Center. More than 750 relocated and transferred residents were temporarily staying here.

At 12:00, the fragrance of food wafted from the cafeteria, and the long dining tables were fully occupied. Zhang Mingwei (张明伟), a villager from Xijiao Village, sat together with his family at one table. The anxiety that had troubled them because of the flood settled down along with the warmth of the meal.

"Auntie, your blood pressure is normal today, don't worry!" At 16:00, Ban Yaoqiu (班耀秋), a doctor from the Huinan County Hospital, finished seeing off a patient at the clinic in the resettlement site and turned to clean the wound and change the sterile gauze for Yu Jinkui (于金奎), a villager from Xijiao Village. "Uncle Yu cut his finger before coming to the resettlement site and needs a dressing change every two days. We have it all registered in the ledger."

At 22:00, Hei Chao (黑超), deputy chief of the Zhaohui Police Station (朝辉派出所) of the Huinan County Public Security Bureau, led police officers to begin night patrols. At 1:00 on the 16th, the light came on in the room of Huan Yu (郇宇), deputy county head of Huinan County and head of the centralized resettlement site. "Just got back from a meeting," Huan Yu said. Every night, each resettlement site holds a brief meeting to review the day's work and plan for the next day.

"The supplies have arrived!" At 9:00, Tao Yukun (陶玉坤), a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Huinan County Education Bureau, led teachers from the Vocational Education Center downstairs to begin moving supplies. "The county coordinates, and a batch is delivered every day," Tao Yukun said. "If there is an urgent need, as soon as we make a request, the supplies can be delivered within an hour. Our material reserves are more than sufficient."

At 11:00, it was exactly the twenty-fourth hour since the Xijiao Village villagers had arrived at the centralized resettlement site. Several young villagers came forward to the kitchen: "We'd like to lend a hand too."

As of the 15th, Huinan County had established a total of 44 township and subdistrict centralized resettlement sites, 98 temporary resettlement sites, 2 county-level centralized resettlement sites, and 4 temporary resettlement sites. The county was carrying out the transfer and resettlement of the population in an orderly manner, safely relocating 20,747 people from 9,308 households.

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Let the People Feel Safe in Body and Mind (Editor's Note)

By: 韩春瑶

Flood prevention and disaster relief — the relocation and resettlement of the people is the key. To make the people feel physically at ease and mentally at peace in the resettlement sites requires both solid material guarantees and meticulous, considerate services.

To make the people physically at ease, the emphasis is on speed and substance. Emergency response must be fast, material guarantees must be solid — ensuring hot meals and sound sleep gives the people in the resettlement sites a sense of security in their daily lives.

To make the people mentally at peace, the value lies in attentiveness and warmth. Cadres provide heartfelt services, the people help one another voluntarily, and genuine affection flows in both directions — the resettlement site can also become a warm home.

When Party members and cadres join hands with the people, heart to heart, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, no difficulty that cannot be conquered.

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Fourth Session of the Policy Briefing Series on "Ensuring and Improving People's Livelihoods Through High-Quality Development" Held in Beijing

Beijing, July 16 (People's Daily) — The fourth session of the series of policy briefings on "Ensuring and improving people's livelihood through high-quality development," co-organized by the Central Propaganda Department, the Work Committee of the Central Committee for the Organs Directly Under the CPC Central Committee and State Organs (中央和国家机关工委), the Ministry of Education, the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission (中央军委政治工作部), and the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, was held in Beijing on July 16. Minister of Ecology and Environment (生态环境部) Huang Runqiu (黄润秋) delivered a special report titled "Synergistically advancing high-quality development and high-level protection, accelerating the construction of a Beautiful China (美丽中国) where humanity and nature coexist in harmony."

In his report, Huang Runqiu pointed out that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the perspective of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, has vigorously promoted theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation in ecological civilization, put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies, and formed Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization (习近平生态文明思想), which provides a fundamental guiding principle for ecological civilization construction in the new era. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has intensified ecological civilization construction with unprecedented force, achieving a major transformation from key-point remediation to systematic governance, a major transformation from passive response to proactive action, a major transformation from a participant in global environmental governance to a leader, and a major transformation from practical exploration to scientific theoretical guidance. Beautiful China construction has taken major steps.

Huang Runqiu stated that the 15th Five-Year Plan period (十五五) is a critical period for consolidating the foundation and fully exerting efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization, and Beautiful China construction faces important opportunities and new challenges. It is necessary to comprehensively implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, earnestly implement the deployments of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee (四中全会), closely focus on the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets (绿水青山就是金山银山), coordinate industrial structure adjustment, pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response, synergistically promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening, and growth, and lay a solid foundation for realizing modernization where humanity and nature coexist in harmony.

Huang Runqiu stated that it is necessary to firmly grasp the goals and requirements of Beautiful China construction, take comprehensively improving the quality of the ecological environment as the main line, properly handle the relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection, the relationship between key breakthroughs and coordinated governance, the relationship between natural restoration and artificial restoration, the relationship between external constraints and internal motivation, and the relationship between the "dual carbon" (双碳) commitments and independent actions, and plan and promote ecological and environmental protection work with a higher stance, a broader vision, and greater efforts. It is necessary to integrate Party leadership into all aspects and the entire process of Beautiful China construction, establish and practice a correct view of performance, adhere to environmental protection for the people, continuously deepen the fight against pollution and ecosystem optimization, accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, deepen the reform of the ecological civilization system, firmly guard the safety bottom line of Beautiful China construction, and promote new major progress in Beautiful China construction.

The briefing was presided over by a responsible comrade from the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. About 730 people attended the briefing, including cadres from Party, government, and military organs in Beijing, employees of central state-owned enterprises, teachers and students of universities in the capital, and representatives from all walks of life in the capital.

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State Council appoints and removes state officials

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 16 (Xinhua) — The State Council has announced the appointment and removal of state personnel. Appointed Zha Xianyou (查显友) as Deputy Director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission (国家民族事务委员会); appointed Zhang Yuzhuo (张玉卓) as President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院), and Zhang Jun (张军), Chen Jie (陈杰), Li Zhongping (李仲平), Chen Jianfeng (陈建峰), and Chen Wei (female) (陈薇(女)) as Vice Presidents of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Removed Tan Quan (谭权) from the post of Assistant Minister of Public Security; removed Li Xiaohong (李晓红) from the post of President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; removed Li Zhenguo (李震国) from the post of Deputy Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (新疆生产建设兵团).

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Continuously enhance residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security

By: 本报记者

On July 15, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Shanghai and delivered an important speech. The General Secretary's important speech points the direction and gathers strength, sparking enthusiastic responses among the broad masses of cadres and the people. Everyone expressed that they must deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, 勠力同心 (lù lì tóng xīn - "to unite in concerted effort"), take responsibility and act, comprehensively practice the people's city concept (人民城市理念), do deep, detailed, and solid work in all aspects of urban renewal, further strengthen the leadership of Party building, improve the level of community public services, and continuously enhance the residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security; they must solidly carry out flood prevention and flood fighting, emergency rescue and disaster relief, and other work, and effectively safeguard the safety of people's lives and property.

Comprehensively practice the people's city concept, and promote urban renewal with high quality. The residential area of Shimin New Village (市民新村), Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict (半淞园路街道), Huangpu District, Shanghai, which General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected, has weak infrastructure, with many households sharing kitchens and bathrooms year-round. At the end of 2023, the area officially began renovation construction. At the beginning of this year, over 300 households moved back into new homes one after another.

"The General Secretary came to visit us, something I will never forget for the rest of my life. I sincerely thank the Party and the country for always caring about us ordinary people. Now we live in a new home with a private bathroom and kitchen, the community facilities are complete, and life is increasingly promising." General Secretary Xi Jinping entered her home and carefully inspected the living conditions, deeply moving retired resident Zhu Guoli (朱国莉).

In recent years, Shanghai has insisted on putting the people's livability and 安居乐业 (ān jū lè yè - "to live and work in peace and contentment") first in urban construction, fully launching the overall renovation project of urban villages (城中村), and intensifying efforts to promote the comprehensive renovation of old houses. In September 2025, the renovation task for over 14,000 households with "carry-the-chamber-pot" (拎马桶) conditions was completed ahead of schedule.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, 'Every twig and leaf is always a matter of concern' (一枝一叶总关情). The lives of ordinary people are family affairs, but even more so, national affairs." Leng Yuying (冷玉英), Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Housing Administration Bureau (上海市房屋管理局), deeply felt the heavy responsibility on her shoulders: "We must resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments on promoting urban renewal with high quality, accelerate the renovation of old houses with 'small beams and thin slabs' (小梁薄板), continue to do a good job in urban village renovation, and continuously enhance the residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security through fine-grained renewal and long-term governance."

All localities comprehensively practice the people's city concept, striving to build modern people's cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart. Strolling through Caochang Sitiao Hutong (草厂四条胡同), Qianmen Subdistrict, Dongcheng District, Beijing, one sees the interweaving of ancient charm and modern atmosphere. In recent years, Qianmen Subdistrict has promoted "overhead lines going underground" (架空线入地) to brighten the sky, "no parking in hutongs" (胡同不停车) to quiet life, and the "toilet revolution" (厕所革命) to beautify the environment, continuously improving the quality of life for the people.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, 'Handle the matters that concern the people one by one, and continuously improve people's livelihood and well-being.'" Li Zheng (李峥), Party Secretary of the Caochang Community (草厂社区) of Qianmen Subdistrict, said, keeping in mind the General Secretary's entrustment, we insist on keeping the people's urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for issues (急难愁盼) in our hearts and on our shoulders, 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "to persist for a long time to achieve success"), and continuously improve the precision and refinement of community governance and services.

In the Party and Mass Service Center of Mudan Community (牡丹社区), Santaizi Subdistrict (三台子街道), Huanggu District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, over 40 children are practicing calligraphy under the guidance of a calligraphy teacher. "During winter and summer vacations, we provide free full-day care services." Wang Hui (王晖), Party Secretary of Mudan Community, stated that we must take the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions as guidance, do a good job of "embroidery-like effort" (绣花功夫), improve the level of convenience services, and better care for the "elderly and children" (一老一小).

Further strengthen the leadership of Party building, and continuously improve the level of community public services. In the "Fresh Direct Supply Point at the Doorstep" (家门口生鲜直供点) of the Shimin New Village residential area in Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, a full range of seasonal vegetables and fruits are 一应俱全 (yī yīng jù quán - "everything needed is available"). In response to the situation of many elderly residents in the area, the community introduced convenience services so that everyone can buy affordable fresh fruits and vegetables just by going downstairs.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, 'The Communist Party exists to serve the people. Only when the people live and work in peace and contentment and feel at ease can the Party and government be at ease.'" Xia Lingxia (夏凌霞), Party Working Committee Secretary of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, said, "Next, we must continue to solve the residents' urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for issues, and continuously improve the level of community public services."

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech has further pointed out the direction forward for us." Huang Hong (黄红), Director of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Social Work Department (上海市委社会工作部), stated that the city's social work system will conscientiously implement the spirit of the General Secretary's important instructions, regularly survey residents' real needs, precisely resolve community governance difficulties, and promote the consultation and joint discussion of neighborhood committees, homeowners' committees, and property service companies under the leadership of community Party organizations to solve problems at hand.

Entering the Party and Mass Service Center of Zaolinxi Community (枣林西社区), Anning District, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, the community senior university offers over 10 courses such as dance and vocal music, and the Happiness Canteen (幸福食堂) adopts a "cook-to-order plus centralized distribution" model, serving an average of over 120 elderly people per day... "General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must further strengthen the leadership of Party building, and actively explore a new model of coordinated operation of neighborhood committees, homeowners' committees, and property service companies under the leadership of community Party organizations." Huang Lijuan (黄丽娟), Party Secretary and Neighborhood Committee Director of Zaolinxi Community, said, "We must adhere to Party building leadership, coordinate all forces, make small matters solid and good deeds well done, and be the close confidants of the residents."

New parking spaces and charging piles effectively alleviate residents' parking difficulties; newly built community canteens effectively solve the problem of elderly people having difficulty dining... Minzhucun Community (民主村社区), Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, is one of the national pilot communities for complete community construction (完整社区建设试点). Chen Chunlin (陈春林), a member of the community Party committee, stated, "We must take the residents' thoughts, wishes, urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for issues as the starting point and goal of our work, use effort, heart, and emotion to resolve residents' demands, and implement 'Chinese-style modernization, with people's livelihood as the priority' (中国式现代化，民生为大) in every concrete matter done well for the people."

Solidly carry out flood prevention and flood fighting, emergency rescue and disaster relief, and other work, and effectively safeguard the safety of people's lives and property. Currently, it is the critical period for flood prevention.

On July 16, the Shanghai Embankment, Pump and Sluice Construction and Operation Center (上海市堤防泵闸建设运行中心) held a comprehensive emergency drill, with self-righting lifeboats, cruising unmanned boats, sand and gravel packing machines... intelligent equipment all appearing.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking (底线思维、极限思维), closely monitor rainfall, flood conditions, and typhoon situations, and conduct thorough and meticulous risk hazard investigations." Sha Zhiyin (沙治银), Supervision Commissioner of the Shanghai Flood Prevention Headquarters Office (上海市防汛指挥部办公室), stated that we must conscientiously implement the spirit of the General Secretary's important instructions, grasp and implement the dynamic and static plan system and various prevention and response measures in detail, and firmly hold the bottom line of urban flood season safety.

"Thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, we must effectively safeguard the safety of people's lives and property." Beside the Jijia Reservoir (纪家水库) in Huinan County (辉南县), Jilin Province, Ye Jialin (叶佳林), Party Secretary of Tuanlin Town (团林镇), is leading Party members and cadres to patrol and inspect the reservoir water level. "With the flood situation at hand, Party members and cadres must bravely shoulder heavy burdens and charge ahead on the front line of flood prevention, rescue, and disaster relief."

Excavators roar as they work, loaders shuttle back and forth, and Party members, cadres, and the people wield shovels to clear mud and garbage... On July 16, in Nankang Village (南康村), Yunbiao Town (云表镇), Hengzhou City (横州市), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, post-disaster mud removal work is proceeding in an orderly manner.

"We have dispatched a total of over 1,000 person-times to participate in mud removal and rescue, with all personnel on 24-hour standby. Wherever there is need, the team arrives at the first moment." Huang Hongjing (黄鸿靖), Minister of the Armed Forces Department of Liujing Town (六景镇), Hengzhou City, who came to assist, said, "We must conscientiously implement the spirit of the General Secretary's important instructions, 全力以赴 (quán lì yǐ fù - "to go all out") to organize and lead the affected people to resume production and rebuild their homes."

(Reporters from this newspaper: Wu Yan (吴焰), Tian Hong (田泓), Cao Lingjuan (曹玲娟), Cui Yin (崔寅), Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏), Hao Yingcan (郝迎灿), Pan Junqiang (潘俊强), Liu Xinwu (刘新吾), Li Weijun (李维俊), Song Chaojun (宋朝军), Men Jiewei (门杰伟))

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Li Qiang Holds Talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 16 — On the morning of July 16, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who was in China to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and conduct a working visit.

Li Qiang stated that China and Cambodia are good partners in common development, bound by an unbreakable ironclad friendship. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Chairman Hun Sen, who was visiting China, and reached a series of important consensuses. He will also meet with Prime Minister Hun Manet later, further strengthening strategic communication. The two countries maintain close and frequent high-level exchanges, demonstrating the high level of bilateral relations. China has always placed its relations with Cambodia as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is willing to work with Cambodia to firmly support each other, closely unite and cooperate, and promote the building of an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future (全天候中柬命运共同体) for the new era to achieve more results, adding more impetus to the modernization of both countries.

Li Qiang pointed out that China is willing to work with Cambodia to promote the "diamond hexagon" (钻石六边) cooperation, the construction of the "industrial development corridor" (工业发展走廊) and the "fish and rice corridor" (鱼米走廊) to be deepened and substantiated, to grasp the construction of major infrastructure projects, and to continuously expand the scale of bilateral trade. China supports more capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia, deepen cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and advanced manufacturing, and jointly cultivate and strengthen new drivers of development. The two sides should strengthen people-to-people and cultural cooperation in education, culture, media and other fields, enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples, and at the same time work together to eradicate the breeding ground for online gambling and telecom fraud (网赌电诈) crimes, so as to better ensure the safety of the people of both countries. Since the beginning of this year, the international situation has been turbulent and unstable, causing a relatively large impact on the world economy. China and Cambodia should strengthen coordination of positions on major issues, defend the common interests of the two countries, and jointly uphold the multilateral trading system and international fairness and justice.

Hun Manet said that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China, China has achieved great accomplishments in economic and social development. Cambodia and China have a profound traditional friendship, and China is Cambodia's most trusted comprehensive strategic partner and ironclad friend. No matter how the international situation changes, the Cambodian government will unswervingly pursue a policy of friendship with China, unswervingly abide by the One-China principle, and consider that Taiwan, Xinjiang-related, Tibet-related, and Hong Kong-related affairs are all China's internal affairs. He thanked China for its long-standing valuable support to Cambodia's economic and social development. Cambodia is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus of the two countries' high-level leaders, maintain close high-level exchanges, promote exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure construction, new energy, connectivity, and people-to-people and cultural fields, strengthen security and law enforcement cooperation in combating online gambling and telecom fraud, and promote the building of the new-era all-weather community with a shared future between the two countries to achieve more substantial results. Cambodia is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to promote peaceful and stable development in the world and the region.

Wu Zhenglong (吴政隆) attended the talks.

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Talent evaluation must be based on substance (Commentator's Observation)

By: 邹 翔

This graduation season, many universities' degree defense sessions have taken on a new atmosphere.

Liu Chuhao (刘楚豪), a master's graduate of China Agricultural University, stepped onto the defense platform with an achievement: the corn fertilizer he developed, in a thousand-mu demonstration application, achieved a 22% increase in crop yield and a 30% increase in fertilizer efficiency.

More than 30 graduates of the Creative Writing major in the Chinese Department of East China Normal University, relying on original literary works of tens of thousands of characters, passed the achievement defense and obtained master's degrees.

The exploration of writing "theses" in the fields, transforming learned knowledge and theory into concrete creations, and applying for degrees with practical achievements, is breaking down the barrier of "thesis-only."

At the National Science and Technology Awards Conference, the Conference of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology (中国科协), General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized "vigorously cultivating outstanding young scientific and technological talents" and demanded "to make the construction of a team of young scientific and technological talents a strategic project, comprehensively doing a good job in cultivation, introduction, and utilization."

Success in matters depends solely on obtaining the right people. 古往今来 (gǔ wǎng jīn lái – "ancient to present," throughout the ages), talent has always been a key variable in the success or failure of endeavors. And whether one can "obtain the right people" depends to a large extent on what kind of ruler is used to "recognize talent."

The Degree Law, which officially came into effect on January 1 last year, explicitly states that practical achievements can also serve as content for applying for degree defenses, preventing talented people from being trapped in "paperwork." The ruler for talent evaluation is becoming increasingly diverse, and a talent evaluation system oriented by innovation value, ability, and contribution is accelerating its formation.

Based on "practicality," using multiple rulers to recognize talent, allowing talents with different professional specialties, different job positions, and different ability levels to 各得其所 (gè dé qí suǒ – "each obtains its place," to be properly positioned) and each display their strengths, only then can the talent "reservoir" become deeper and deeper, and the foundation of career development become more stable.

Talent evaluation values "practicality," and this practicality lies in conforming to reality.

For those tackling key problems, heroes are judged by basic research achievements and breakthroughs in key technologies; for explorers, merits are measured by original discoveries and scientific value; for transformers, rankings are determined by market benefits and industrial contributions… In Shandong's promotion of scientific and technological talent evaluation reform, an important measure is to break the inertia of "using one ruler to measure all the way," accurately classify scientific and technological talents, and determine a unique value ruler for each type of research activity.

"If you want to know a talent for managing finance, then look at the abundance in his warehouses and production"; "If you want to know a talent for commanding troops, then look at his victories in battle and captures of territory." In different tracks, different fields, and different industries, the ways in which talent value is manifested are inherently 千差万别 (qiān chā wàn bié – "a thousand differences, ten thousand distinctions," vastly different). This also determines that the "measuring stick" for evaluation must vary according to reality and be tailored to the "person."

Continuously improving the "resolution" and "granularity" of talent identification and evaluation can effectively stimulate the innovation and creation vitality of all types of talents.

Talent evaluation values "practicality," and this practicality lies in emphasizing actual performance.

For example, the Linping District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, promoted breakthroughs in dozens of "bottleneck" technologies, inseparable from the talent cultivation concept of "ability as the ruler, actual performance as the scale, enterprises as the mainstay" and the support of the "Five-Diamond" engineer training system.

The value of innovation is not only hidden between the lines of words, but also reflected in the vast realm of technology implementation, industrial efficiency enhancement, and social services. Whether one can solve real problems and create real value is an important aspect of measuring whether one has genuine ability. Judging heroes by actual performance, allowing every doer to shine through their skills and stand firm by their achievements, only then will there be the 万马奔腾 (wàn mǎ bēn téng – "ten thousand horses galloping," a scene of vigorous activity) of talent and the 千帆竞渡 (qiān fān jìng dù – "a thousand sails racing across," a scene of fierce competition) of development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must coordinate and promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and solidify the basic and strategic support for the development of new quality productive forces (新质生产力)."

Nationwide, over 600 undergraduate universities have opened AI (artificial intelligence) related majors, and a vast AI talent reserve pool constructs the advantage of the artificial intelligence industry; during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) graduates increase by millions each year, consolidating the talent base for building a strong nation in science and technology… The increasingly smooth virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talent, and the continuously improved work mechanism for talent cultivation, introduction, utilization, and reasonable flow, will all help us seize the strategic initiative in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.

In 2025, the number of returned overseas students in China reached 535,600, with a steady increase in total volume, and the pace of return of high-level talents continues to accelerate. This era that both calls for and creates talent, this fertile land that both needs and nurtures talent, is wielding the "baton" of talent evaluation, playing a moving movement of gathering talents from all over the world and advancing the great historical cause.

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Computing power should also enhance efficiency (People's Commentary)

By: 孟繁哲

Precise matching is what allows resources to achieve maximum effectiveness. Turning idle resources into incremental gains, pooling dispersed forces into a combined strength—a precise allocation mechanism helps raise productivity.

Tides surge on the Huangpu River, drawing global attention. The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance has captured the world’s interest. From supernode clusters and optical interconnect technology to a cross-chip unified computing power base, this year’s conference presents a complete, independent technological map of China in the field of computing power infrastructure.

As of the end of March this year, China’s intelligent computing power reached 1882 EFLOPS (equivalent to 1882 exafloating-point operations per second), 2.5 times that of the same period last year, and the total scale of computing power remains firmly among the top in the world. A computing power network covering the east and west, connecting north and south, is accelerating its formation. From rapid growth in total volume to continuous structural optimization, how can computing power infrastructure construction 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "proceed steadily and reach far," to achieve long-term success through stable progress)? China’s practice and exploration offer many insights.

Forward-looking deployment is the key to gaining the initiative. For many years, moderately ahead-of-schedule construction of the electricity supply system has laid a solid foundation for computing power supply. Photovoltaic panels stretch endlessly across the western Gobi Desert, ultra-high-voltage transmission lines soar across mountains and valleys, and wind turbines stand tall against the wind along the vast coastline… In 2025, China’s total social electricity consumption exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, more than twice the annual electricity consumption of the United States. A steady stream of clean electricity pours into data centers; "watts" are being transformed into "bits." Today’s moderate redundancy often provides the depth of space for tomorrow’s development.

Being ahead without being reckless—the key lies in scientific coordination. The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) held on April 28 this year pointed out that planning and construction of water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, next-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, and logistics networks should be strengthened. The computing power network has been incorporated into the national strategic infrastructure array. Eight national computing power hub nodes, ten national data center clusters, and over a hundred new trunk optical fiber lines "connect computing into a network"; the "East Data West Computing" (东数西算) mega-project has been deployed and is taking shape. More than 60 percent of the country’s cities can access a computing power cluster within 5 milliseconds… Not rushing into action en masse, not fighting each on its own—the nationwide coordinated chessboard deployment allows computing power to be taken and used like water and electricity, on demand. Laying foundations, increasing staying power, and benefiting the long term—this relies precisely on the strategic resolve of 谋定后动 (móu dìng hòu dòng - "plan before acting," to act only after careful planning).

A large scale does not necessarily mean good; precise matching is what allows resources to achieve maximum effectiveness. A post-2000s Tsinghua PhD student and his classmates created a "computing power Didi," connecting idle computer graphics cards in the city to a shared platform. Tasks are accepted in seconds, and users leave after use. Resource utilization has increased by over 60 percent, and costs have been reduced by more than half compared with traditional cloud services. Turning idle resources into incremental gains, pooling dispersed forces into a combined strength—a precise allocation mechanism helps raise productivity.

Today, computing power interconnection and intercommunication are accelerating, cross-regional and cross-entity coordinated scheduling is deepening, and dispersed computing power resources are being revitalized and precisely directed to where they are most needed. This shows that in developing 新质生产力 (xīn zhì shēngchǎn lì - "new quality productive forces," a form of productivity driven by innovation and high quality), we must both prevent a rush into action en masse and avoid being large but inappropriate. Adapting measures to local conditions, making precise allocations, and pursuing tangible effectiveness—these are the true skills for seeking development.

Construction is for application, and application is also redefining construction. The more active technological innovation is, the greater the value created per unit of computing power, and the smaller the industry’s dependence on resources. DeepSeek (深度求索) developed a high-level open-source large model using less than one-tenth the training cost of its peers. This shows that the development of the AI industry is not only about who has thicker resources and a larger scale, but also about whose technology is more ingenious and whose path is more correct. In March this year, China’s daily token call volume exceeded 140 trillion, and AI is accelerating its entry from laboratories into factory workshops, fields, and school classrooms. With every step forward in innovation, the threshold for universal access is lowered.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: Scientific and technological innovation and its achievements must never merely fall on funding, be filled into forms, or be published in journals; rather, they must face the main battlefield of economic and social development, be transformed into the primary driving force for economic and social development, and be transformed into the well-being of the people. Promoting construction through application, determining supply by demand—Shanghai, Guizhou, Shenzhen in Guangdong, and other places have successively issued computing power vouchers to guide computing power toward the real economy and assist small and medium-sized enterprises in their intelligent transformation. The power of scientific and technological innovation must ultimately be tested in the actual performance of thousands of industries and sectors.

"The characteristic is innovation; the key lies in high quality." In developing new quality productive forces, we must not engage in a gust-of-wind, big-hullabaloo approach, nor a "money-burning competition" of piling up scale. Instead, we must plan layout with a forward-looking vision, enhance effectiveness through innovation, set direction through application, and move forward steadily step by step. By walking this path well, we will surely gain greater strategic initiative for high-quality development.

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"Chuang" Opens New Horizons, "Mo" Hones True Skills (On-Site Commentary)

By: 武卫政

As the saying goes, “Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer.” The crisp, sweet, and refreshing Tianjin Shawo radish (沙窝萝卜) is the exclusive delicacy of the autumn and winter seasons. Can it be possible to grow fresh radishes that can also be steadily supplied in summer, satisfying people’s expectation of “craving this taste”?

In Tianjin’s Xiqing District (西青区), Xinkou Town (辛口镇), the core production area of Shawo radish, researchers have tackled spring-sowing technology for two consecutive years. Not long ago, they inspected this year’s spring-sowing results. Seven varieties performed well, and the “off-season radish” (反季萝卜) has moved from conception to reality.

The cultivation of the “off-season radish” is a window through which can be seen the survival strategies in the face of consumption upgrades and market competition: only by daring to innovate and being good at innovating can one secure the foundation; only by carefully refining and persistently refining can one proceed steadily and reach far.

Daring to innovate is the courage to break the situation; being good at innovating is the wisdom to respect laws. The combination of the two points to a new path of development.

The advantage of “off-season” fundamentally lies in maintaining quality. The research team meticulously trial-planted, smartly cultivated, and matched with preservation measures… precise innovation in every link maximally preserved the original crisp-sweet and residue-free taste. Upholding fundamentals upholds the essence of things and the logic of development; innovation creates efficiency improvement and value expansion. Only when one has both the courage to break the situation and the practical, deep cultivation that respects laws can the old roots be planted deeper and new buds grow vigorously.

Good ideas must be implemented as good products; new concepts must precipitate into solid reputation. One must also work hard on the character “grind” (磨).

Meticulous polishing is a contest of contending over every millimeter. In Shawo radish breeding, more than 200 hybrid combinations are matched each year; 95% are eliminated. The remaining varieties need 3 to 5 years of multi-site trial planting, and can only be promoted after traits stabilize. In the Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration (脑机交互与人机共融海河实验室), the development of the “Brain Speaker” (脑语者) chip must capture microvolt-level weak EEG signals; anti-interference and low-power parameters need to be debugged thousands of times. In clinical applications, EEG signals must be calibrated per person; 差之毫厘 (chà zhī háo lí - “off by a hair’s breadth”) will affect decoding accuracy.

So-called meticulousness is the ultimate reverence for quality standards. The trait expression of agricultural products, the signal precision of industrial goods, the formula ratios of food — none can tolerate even half a bit of “good enough” luck. Brand reputation is never shouted out; repeatedly check every parameter, let no technical detail slip, turn “good enough” into “cannot be off” — only then can the foundation of a good product be solid.

Patience in refining manifests the determination to make persistent efforts over time. The trial planting of Shawo radish has shown initial results, but the head of the cooperative said: “Promotion cannot be rushed. Wait until we have blazed the trail and formed a standardized plan, then lead everyone together.”

“Cannot be rushed” — the restoration of the Bronze Sacred Tree (青铜神树), the treasure of the Sanxingdui museum, took several years; Jiangxi’s Xunwu County (寻乌县) took 10 years to patch weaknesses one by one and cultivate a 10-billion-level air compressor industrial cluster; through 10 years of joint protection, the Yangtze River’s water quality improved, its ecology became better… Development is never a 100-meter sprint but a marathon-style long run. Abandon the mentality of 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì - “eager for quick success and instant gain”), reject the short-term temptation of “making quick money,” and with historical patience “deliberate and polish” — only then can one create achievements that withstand the tests of practice, history, and the people.

“创” (chuàng - “innovation”) and “磨” (mó - “refinement”) cannot stop at a single product. A single product is a point; the chain is a line. The longer the line is drawn, the stronger the risk resistance, the greater the development potential. This requires both the 自强不息 (zì qiáng bù xī - “self-reliance and continuous effort”) of enterprises and the nourishment and support of the ecosystem. Tianjin promotes technologies such as breeding and preservation to be opened up for radishes, garlic, sweet potatoes, and other “Tianjin Agricultural Premium Products” (津农精品), allowing good technologies to benefit more agricultural products; it establishes a brain-computer interface industry fund group (脑机接口产业基金群) and forms a brain-computer interface industry group (脑机接口产业集团) to provide support for various innovation entities. The ecosystem is the soil. The thicker the soil, the more sufficient the nutrients. With a good industrial ecosystem, we help products plant their roots firmly, help industries unblock bottlenecks and stuck points, form synergy, and the scattered development momentum will coalesce into sustainable overall competitiveness.

The story of the radish’s development is simple and profound: “Innovation” is breaking the situation, daring to contend with old traditions, daring to march into new frontiers; “refinement” is sedimentation, willing to scrutinize every millimeter in details, willing to wait for flowers to bloom in time. Innovation without 昙花一现 (tán huā yī xiàn - “epiphyllum blooms once,” a flash in the pan) easily becomes a fleeting phenomenon; refinement without 故步自封 (gù bù zì fēng - “resting on one’s old ways,” to be complacent and stagnant) ultimately remains trapped in self-confinement. When the courage to innovate meets the determination to refine, when the improvement of a single product meets the support of the entire industry chain, the vitality and momentum of product and industry development will be greater and stronger.

(The author is a reporter from this newspaper’s Tianjin branch.)

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Photo Report

According to statistics, in 2026 the national summer grain output broke through 300 billion jin for the first time, achieving another bumper harvest. All regions and departments made large-area per-unit yield improvement a powerful lever, driving per-unit yield to reach a new historical high. The summer grain bumper harvest has laid a solid foundation for stabilizing the year’s grain production, and provides strong support for advancing the economy toward stability and improvement and achieving a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五).

This is exactly:

Warm breezes brush the wheat waves,

The fields shine golden far and wide.

Watering fills every grain full,

Bumper harvest joy spreads high.

Xu Leipeng (徐雷鹏)

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"Proof-Free" Zones Deliver Real Results (In-Depth)

By: 王瑞琳

Zhejiang's Yiwu — how did it become a hotbed for the private economy? The "certificate-free city" (无证明城市) offers one lens. Several years ago, Yiwu implemented six "abolish-in-all-cases" measures, cutting away a large number of unnecessary certification materials and procedures. One less minute of idle consumption means one more minute of tangible results.

"No certificates" (无证明) reduces redundant bureaucratic processes, adds to a comfortable service experience, and unleashes vibrant market vitality. In this arithmetic problem, the answering subject is the service-oriented government, the scope of examination covers concepts, capabilities, and work style, and the scoring points are the data foundation, rule system, application scenarios, legal safeguards, and so on. Specifically, on the one hand, certification items are reduced, lightening the burden of proof for both the public and enterprises at the source; on the other hand, systems such as the electronic certification system and inter-departmental collaborative verification mechanisms are improved, replacing "people running" and "enterprises running" with "systems running" and "data running," thereby effectively enhancing the quality and efficiency of government services.

When digital systems "use their brains" more, the public has fewer worries. Resolving pain points in people's livelihoods, reducing service bottlenecks, and unblocking efficiency blockages are precisely the key points for improving the level of modern governance. Seen from this perspective, "no certificates" is precisely a good testament to promoting high-quality development through concrete and solid action.

(Excerpted from Chongqing Daily, originally titled "Doing the Addition and Subtraction of 'No Certificates'")

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How Barren Mountains Turned Green (Jintai Essay)

By: 王云娜

In the height of summer, entering the Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve (鼎湖山自然保护区), located in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, and hailed as the “green gem” on the Tropic of Cancer, one strolls among the mountains and waters, with lush greenery filling the eyes, feeling utterly carefree.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Dinghu Mountain had only over 3,000 mu of natural forest, with barren hilltops stretching one after another. Today’s Dinghu Mountain sees its primary forests effectively protected, the area of planted forests continuously expanding, and more than 140 species of nationally key protected wild animals and plants.

Over 70 years, the desolate landscape that met the eye has transformed into a place saturated with green. The “magic” of this change stems from the perseverance and exploration of generations.

This is not only the fruit of relay efforts in protecting greenery, but also a portrayal of the deepening understanding of the relationship between humanity and nature. In 1988, it pioneered the exploration of zonal management and protection, achieving that key protected areas are left untouched, enclosed mountain areas have limited human activity, and peripheral areas have limited utilization; in 2004, a city-level nature reserve was established on the periphery of Dinghu Mountain, forming a natural buffer zone; in 2024, seizing the opportunity of integrated optimization of protected natural areas, it promoted a further expansion of the total reserve area… The upgrade of Dinghu Mountain’s management and protection has strengthened the confidence for today’s practice of “adhering to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts (山水林田湖草沙一体化保护和系统治理).”

Harmony between humanity and nature is not achieved by shouting slogans, but by working hard and creating along the correct path. The wisdom of Dinghu Mountain lies in not turning “protection” into “blockade”, but forging an effective path that follows science and adheres to the rule of law. Through deep cooperation with research institutes, it uses infrared cameras and acoustic equipment to build a three-dimensional intelligent network, deeply integrating scientific research with management and protection, helping to consolidate the bottom line of ecological security. Today, the multi-department joint law enforcement mechanism is continuously improved, and the “ground + airspace + video” patrol network makes protection more efficient.

From the transformation of Saihanba in Hebei, where a single tree turned into a forest sea, to the persistence of the “green relay” in Youyu (右玉), Shanxi, and to the stubbornly growing oasis in the Kubuqi Desert (库布其沙漠) of Inner Mongolia, all confirm the same truth: the relationship between humanity and nature can move from confrontation to harmony, from extraction to symbiosis. We engrave the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets (绿水青山就是金山银山)” onto the land, neither shrinking from growing pains nor wavering for short-term gains, fundamentally reversing the problem of prioritizing development over protection, and striving to support high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment.

Ecological protection is not an optional question, but a required question facing the future. Abandoning the detour of “pollute first, treat later”, China has chosen the path of modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Look at Zhejiang’s “Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement” project (千万工程); after more than 20 years of 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng – “long-lasting effort achieves merit,” persistent effort yields results), it has created thousands of beautiful villages. Look at Fujian; the construction of the “Protection and Development Belt around Wuyi Mountain National Park (环武夷山国家公园保护发展带)” resolves the contradiction between protection and development. Adhering to the policy of prioritizing conservation, protection, and natural restoration, enhancing the diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems, it has opened broad prospects for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.

“All things receive their harmony to live, each receives its nourishment to complete (万物各得其和以生，各得其养以成).” The ultimate goal of green development is the well-being of the people. In Dinghu Mountain, the continuous improvement of the ecological compensation mechanism and the establishment of public welfare forest ranger posts allow surrounding residents to gain benefits and profits from developing nature study tours and forest health and wellness. When the people share in the ecological dividends amid beautiful mountains and waters, the construction of a Beautiful China will gain more solid support.

The governance of one area reflects the overall situation. From the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, painting a beautiful picture of finless porpoises frolicking in the waves, to the “Six Old Men” of Babusha (八步沙) in Gansu inspiring three generations to engage in desert control, bringing lush greenery to the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, profound ecological transformations are unfolding across the divine land. The Chinese-style modernization of harmony between humanity and nature powerfully proves to the world that we are fully capable of protecting in development and developing in protection, creating more vitality for our planet home.

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Don't Turn Guidance into Meddling

By: 云南省昭通市 王 兵

During a visit to the countryside, I once heard a grassroots official remark: “We welcome higher-level cadres coming to guide our work. What we fear is when they try to handle everything and interfere everywhere, which instead hampers the work.”

Guidance: the key is to clarify powers and responsibilities, achieving “be in place but not overstep.” Higher-level cadres stand at a higher vantage point, have a broader vision, and can coordinate. When guiding work at the grassroots, they should focus on issues of overall importance and coordination. In specific matters, they should respect the grassroots’ principal role, encourage creative implementation, and not interfere with normal procedures. By both setting the right direction and maintaining proper boundaries, they can ensure grassroots work has both guidelines and room to maneuver.

Guidance also requires adopting the right posture: lead the way and offer advice, assist but not take over. Higher-level cadres should persist in assisting and empowering, building platforms and enabling. They should both provide pointers on work thinking and show concrete measures on specific policies, striving to provide matched resources for the grassroots, so that grassroots comrades have “provisions and ammunition” when carrying out their work.

Clarify the boundaries of powers and responsibilities, forming a sound situation where higher levels do not overstep and grassroots levels are not absent, with top and bottom coordinating and each fulfilling its duties. All work will surely reach a higher level.

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Chen Ling, Sheng Yulei, Chang Jin

This edition's email: rmrbpl@peopledaily.cn
(Please indicate the column name when submitting manuscripts)

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Safeguarding Equal Rights and Enhancing the Well-Being of Persons with Disabilities

By: 本报记者 易舒冉

Disabled children who have received rehabilitation assistance exceed 2.25 million person-times; 1.47 million households with severely disabled persons living in difficulty have undergone accessibility renovation; severely disabled persons who have received custodial care services reach 3.145 million person-times… During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China’s disabled brothers and sisters have felt true gain, abundant happiness, and solid security.

The systems of rehabilitation assistance for disabled children and subsidies for the fitting of assistive devices for disabled persons have been improved, subsidy standards have been steadily raised, and coverage has been broadened; anchoring the target of adding 1 million new jobs for disabled persons, the diversified promotion mechanisms of employment in proportion, centralized employment, self-employment, and flexible employment have been perfected… During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the social security system and the care service system for disabled persons will become more complete and sustainable.

On July 16, the Seventh National Conference on Work for Disabled Persons was held in Beijing. The conference introduced the development of work for disabled persons during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period and the main work arrangements for the protection and development of disabled persons during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period.

The living standards and quality of life of disabled persons continuously improve; their comprehensive development capacity clearly strengthens

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (中国残联), together with the member units of the State Council Working Committee on Disability (国务院残疾人工作委员会) and relevant departments, conscientiously implemented the “14th Five-Year Plan” for the Protection and Development of Disabled Persons. Among the 11 indicators specified in the plan, 6 were binding indicators and 5 were anticipated indicators, all of which were achieved as scheduled.

The living standards and quality of life of disabled persons continuously improve. All provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) have established a dynamic adjustment mechanism for the two subsidy standards for disabled persons. A total of 11.98 million disabled persons in difficulty receive living subsidies, and 16.613 million severely disabled persons receive nursing subsidies, with the average subsidy standards having increased by 31.9% and 22.5% respectively compared with the end of the “13th Five-Year Plan” period. Severely disabled persons who have received custodial care services reached 3.145 million person-times.

The comprehensive development capacity of disabled persons has clearly strengthened. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the number of newly employed disabled persons in urban and rural areas each year remained stable at over 400,000, reaching a cumulative total of 2.503 million persons, and the employment rate of disabled persons increased by nearly 5 percentage points. The coverage rate of basic rehabilitation services for disabled persons and the rate of assistive device fitting have risen to above 85%, and disabled children who have received rehabilitation assistance exceed 2.25 million person-times. The enrollment rate of school-age disabled children in compulsory education reached 97%, and over 30,000 disabled students enter institutions of higher learning each year.

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, science and technology assistance for disabled persons was accelerated, and a number of domestically originated new technologies and new products for assisting disabled persons were launched successively. Barrier-free construction in facilities, information, and services advanced 齐头并进 (qí tóu bìng jìn - “advance shoulder to shoulder,” to progress simultaneously on multiple fronts). 1.47 million households with severely disabled persons living in difficulty underwent accessibility renovation. The whole society’s awareness of supporting and assisting disabled persons has significantly improved, and the atmosphere of understanding, respecting, caring for, and helping disabled persons is increasingly strong.

Work for disabled persons shifts from focusing on basic security to equally emphasizing basic security and comprehensive development

On July 1, the State Council Working Committee on Disability issued the “15th Five-Year Plan” for the Protection and Development of Disabled Persons. The plan puts forward 32 key tasks in 7 areas: raising the level of social security for disabled persons, promoting employment and entrepreneurship of disabled persons, perfecting the care service system for disabled persons, enriching the spiritual and cultural life of disabled persons, deepening the innovation and application of science and technology for assisting disabled persons, safeguarding the equal rights and interests of disabled persons, and optimizing the supporting guarantee conditions for the development of work for disabled persons.

“Compared with previous five-year plans, the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ for the Protection and Development of Disabled Persons places greater emphasis on basic institutional arrangements for promoting common prosperity such as labor employment, social security, and public services, and places greater emphasis on rights protection, spiritual culture, social integration, and science-education-empowered development, reflecting the elevation of work for disabled persons from focusing on the basic security of disabled persons to equally emphasizing basic security and comprehensive development,” said Cheng Kai (程凯), Chairman of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.

Education is the foundation for disabled persons to achieve comprehensive development. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, support counties (cities, districts, banners) with a population of over 200,000 to run one special education school that meets standards; counties (cities, districts, banners) with a population under 200,000 shall set up special education classes according to local conditions. Promote special education schools and eligible child welfare institutions and disabled children’s rehabilitation institutions to run preschool departments or attached kindergartens, so as to provide preschool care, education, and rehabilitation services for children with special needs. Expand special education resources at the upper secondary level, and advance upper secondary education for disabled adolescents by category.

Equal participation in social life is a basic right of disabled persons and also an important yardstick for measuring the progress of social civilization. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, it is necessary to promote the revision of the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, and to study and improve legal systems such as those on education for disabled persons and adult guardianship. Advance the construction and renovation of barrier-free facilities in urban and rural areas, and deeply implement the Law on Barrier-Free Environment Construction. Strengthen the barrier-free construction and renovation of public transportation facilities, and accelerate the promotion and application of low-floor and low-entry buses and trolleybuses. Establish a system for publicizing information on barrier-free environment construction, and explore incorporating barrier-free environment construction into the social credit system.

Strengthen organizational leadership; all departments coordinate to promote high-quality development of work for disabled persons

Promoting high-quality development of work for disabled persons requires close coordination and performance of duties by all relevant departments, and showing new responsibility and new action in solving the urgent, difficult, anxious, and longing problems of disabled persons. At the meeting, responsible comrades from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Education, and other departments introduced next-step measures.

Shu Huihao (舒惠好), Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, introduced that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, it is necessary to perfect and complete the dynamic adjustment mechanism for the two subsidy standards for disabled persons, so that the subsidy standards are compatible with the local economic and social development level and financial affordability, and can also take into account the needs of disabled persons.

Regarding special education, Chen Qiuyan (陈秋燕), Deputy Director General of the Department of Basic Education of the Ministry of Education, said: “Develop high-quality digital educational resources targeting children with autism spectrum disorder, their teachers, and parents; advance scientifically appropriate teaching and evaluation for children with autism; accelerate the improvement of the education level for children with autism.”

“Implement a new round of vocational skills improvement plan for disabled persons; strengthen the construction of a professional talent team such as employment counselors for disabled persons; enhance the precision and effectiveness of vocational training,” said Yan Qinghui (颜清辉), Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security.

Science and technology is an important support for the modernization of work for disabled persons. How to accelerate the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements for assisting disabled persons? Xu Xin (徐欣), Deputy Director General of the Department of Social Development of the National Development and Reform Commission, indicated that in the next step, efforts will be actively made to incorporate science and technology assistance for disabled persons into the overall layout of national scientific and technological innovation, continue to rely on key special projects to intensify scientific and technological breakthroughs, and do a good job in organizing and implementing already-approved scientific research projects. “Let innovative achievements better serve the actual needs of the vast number of disabled persons,” said Xu Xin.

“Through the construction of disability-friendly medical institutions, further promote the concept of disability-friendly medical services, optimize the medical treatment process for disabled persons, and implement measures to facilitate medical treatment for disabled persons,” said Zheng Zhe (郑哲), Vice Minister of the National Health Commission.

At the meeting, Cheng Kai also introduced the situation of carrying out the third national sample survey of disabled persons. This national sample survey of disabled persons is an important national census conducted for disabled persons following those in 1987 and 2006. It will be launched in June 2026 and conclude in December 2028. “Through the new round of survey, we can comprehensively grasp the basic situation of disabled persons, provide accurate statistical information support for laws, regulations, and policy formulation for work for disabled persons during the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ period and even longer periods, and for promoting high-quality population development. It is also conducive to scientifically forecasting the trend of changes in the disabled population against the backdrop of aging, and providing data support for the Healthy China strategy and actively responding to population aging,” said Cheng Kai.

(People’s Daily Online reporter Wang Zifeng (王子锋) participated in the writing.)

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Mud on the Feet, Confidence in the Heart (Exemplary Deeds of National "Two Excellences and One Advanced" Awardees)

By: 本报记者 李祉瑶

“Secretary Wang, you’re here again!” In Bayinsai Subdistrict (巴音赛街道), Wuda District (乌达区), Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Party Working Committee Secretary Wang Gaimei (王改梅) was walking along the streets with grid workers, and residents greeted her as if seeing a family member.

In Jingtai Xiaoqu (景泰小区), a resident reported to her: “There are many elderly in the community; on ordinary days we want to play chess and chat but have nowhere to go. The activity space is really insufficient.” Wang Gaimei took out her notebook and wrote it down. Which household’s sewer was blocked, which elderly person living alone needed to buy medicine, which community’s parking spaces were insufficient… In the notebook, she densely recorded the major and minor matters within the jurisdiction.

“Things that can be done are done immediately; once done, draw a checkmark; things that cannot be done for the time being are marked with the reasons and follow up on the progress of handling,” Wang Gaimei said. According to the workflow she had sorted out — “one row, two research, three discussion, four supervision, two follow-up” (一排、二研、三议、四督、两跟进) — problems were resolved one by one.

“Mud on the feet, confidence in the heart. Only by sitting on the kang of the masses’ homes can one truly hear their voices.” This is what Wang Gaimei often says. For 17 years, she has never left the grassroots front line.

Jingtai Xiaoqu has a large number of elderly residents. How to better serve the silver-haired group and let them have enjoyment in old age? After understanding the residents’ demands, Wang Gaimei led a team to visit households at the first opportunity, relying on the “mobile office desk” (流动办公桌) to comprehensively survey the actual needs of the elderly and finalize the renovation plan.

After planning and construction, the community simultaneously created indoor and outdoor activity spaces. Indoors, an activity room was built, available for the elderly for opera rehearsals, chess and card leisure, reading and chatting; outdoors, the original small square was micro-renovated, with a leisure corridor built, various types of fitness and exercise equipment fully installed, and a children’s sand pit specially added.

Now, from the activity room come the melodious sounds of opera singing, the soothing sounds of the erhu, and the crisp sounds of clappers. “With an activity venue, more than a dozen of us Henan opera enthusiasts gather here every week to rehearse and sing, adding a lot of fun to our later years,” said Wang Aiping (王爱萍), over 60 years old, happily.

A “mobile office desk” is a “bridge connecting hearts” between cadres and the masses. Every week, Wang Gaimei and her colleagues go to the community to “set up a stall,” moving the office desk to the doorsteps of the masses, publicizing the latest benefit-oriented policies to the masses, and recording and resolving the masses’ urgent, difficult, worried, and longing issues (急难愁盼).

“On pensions, medical care, employment – whenever we have confusions we consult at the ‘mobile office desk,’ and if we have problems we also report them there,” said Li Dunqiong (李敦琼), a resident of Bihai Huayuan Phase II Community (碧海花苑二期小区). The problems they reported – difficulty in charging electric bicycles and difficulty in parking in the community – were determined as one of 20 pending practical livelihood matters for Bayinsai Subdistrict in 2024. Not long after the problems were reported, a brand-new bicycle shed was built on the south side of the community’s main gate, facilitating the residents’ life.

Wang Gaimei is always in a hurry. From morning till night, she is either coordinating to solve difficult problems or on the road visiting everywhere. While working at Binhai Subdistrict (滨海街道), she walked through every street and alley in the jurisdiction, visited more than 2,000 households cumulatively, and even hand-drew a map of the jurisdiction, making all kinds of situations clear at a glance.

Wang Gaimei deeply knows that the community work team is the backbone force for serving the masses. To improve the quality and efficiency of grassroots governance, relying on one person’s effort alone is far from enough. Relying on platforms such as the “Secretary Workshop” (书记工作坊) and the Social Worker Academy (社工学院), she innovatively launched a cultivation action of “head geese leading, strong geese reserve, young geese growing” (头雁领航、强雁储备、雏雁成长), organized new and old cadres to form mentor-mentee pairs, generously imparted mass work experience, and guided young social workers in resolving grassroots conflicts and handling livelihood difficulties.

Over the years, under Wang Gaimei’s leadership, the subdistrict handled more than 1,600 practical livelihood matters in the jurisdiction; planned more than 10 policy-propaganda situational short plays, carried out various types of presentations totaling over 700 sessions, covering over 100,000 person-times of people from all walks of life… Some residents said: “If something comes up, go to Gaimei – it’s very reassuring.”

In the face of everyone’s recognition, Wang Gaimei said: “From now on, I will work even harder, turning the masses’ trust into motivation for work and entrepreneurship.”

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2026 Cross-Strait Marine Cultural Exchange Platform Event Opens in Hainan

This newspaper Haikou, July 16 (Reporters Yi Shuran (易舒冉), Dong Zeyang (董泽扬)) The 2026 Cross-Strait Marine Cultural Exchange Platform Hainan Province event, themed “Plowing the Seas, Cultivating the Waves; Tides Converge in One Vein” (经海耕澜、潮汇一脉), commenced in Haikou on the 16th. Approximately 500 experts and scholars, youth representatives, and individuals from all walks of life from both sides of the strait gathered together, focusing on promoting the integrated development of cross-strait leisure agriculture and marine cultural tourism, jointly drawing a new picture of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

Su Hui (苏辉), Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairperson of the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (台盟中央), delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, stating that in recent years, Hainan has fully unleashed the powerful momentum of open development of its free trade port, continuously leveraged the natural advantages of the close kinship and proximity between Hainan and Taiwan, and promoted cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in modern agriculture and marine industries, which have repeatedly borne fruitful results. We must take our stand on the contemporary orientation of the high-quality development of the mainland of the motherland, firmly grasp the precious opportunities of the “15th Five-Year Plan” (十五五) period for building a strong agricultural country, building a strong maritime country, and the comprehensive implementation of closed customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, support our compatriots in Taiwan in deep participation, and continuously strengthen the economy of the Chinese nation.

Since 2024, the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League has continuously held the Cross-Strait Marine Cultural Exchange Platform events, attracting a cumulative total of over 800 Taiwanese compatriots to participate. This event will continue until July 20.

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Beijing Issues 12 Measures for Management and Operation of Major Science and Technology Infrastructure

Beijing, July 16 (Dispatch) - (Reporter Wang Haonan (王昊男)) Recently, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission (北京市发展改革委), the Zhongguancun Management Committee of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (市科委中关村管委会), and the Huairou Science City Management Committee (怀柔科学城管委会) jointly issued the “Relevant Measures on Promoting the Efficient Management and Operation of Major Science and Technology Infrastructure in Huairou Science City” (关于推动怀柔科学城重大科技基础设施高效管理运行的有关措施). From four aspects, namely optimizing the organizational construction model of large-scale facilities, supporting large-scale facilities in carrying out major scientific research tasks, improving the open operation mechanism of large-scale facilities, and supporting the transformation and implementation of scientific and technological achievements, 12 measures are proposed to release the operational efficiency of the large-scale facility cluster and further activate the momentum of original innovation. Lin Jianhua (林剑华), deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, introduced that relying on the experimental conditions of large-scale facilities, Huairou Science City has cumulatively produced 439 major scientific and technological achievements.

The measures propose to support carrying out institutionalized scientific research (建制化科研, jiànzhì huà kēyán, “institutionalized scientific research”) relying on large-scale facilities, organize and implement special scientific research plans for large-scale facilities, carry out organized and systematic scientific research tackling; establish a key core technology project database relying on large-scale facilities; support initiating international big science plans and big science projects relying on large-scale facilities.

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Shanghai's Largest Urban Renewal Project of the Year Begins Centralized Relocation

By: 王 初摄影报道

On July 16, the relocation ceremony for the concentrated relocation of the old-city改建 (redevelopment) project on the site of the 128 Block area in Jing'an District, Shanghai, was held.

The 128 Block area is located on Gonghexinlu Subdistrict in Jing'an District. The project involves over 160 buildings, totaling 3,481 certificates, making it the largest old-city renewal project in Jing'an District in recent years, and also the largest key urban renewal project in Shanghai in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

This residential area, built in the 1960s and 1970s, carries the youthful memories of several generations, and has also accumulated decades of unspeakable living hardship. "A house of about twenty square meters, with the whole family crowded together, barely enough room to turn around," residents recalled. Sharing kitchens and bathrooms was the most troublesome issue for several households, and everyone urgently needed an improvement in their living environment.

The residents' expectations are the direction of the work. From the willingness survey passing smoothly with a 99.65% high support rate on February 28, to achieving a signing rate of 99.97% on the first day of formal contract signing, this urban renewal project, lasting nearly five months, has played a "symphony" of the warmth of people's livelihoods and the speed of renewal.

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Youth Shines on the Frontline of Flood Control (Stories from the Flood Control and Disaster Relief Frontline)

By: 本报记者 叶 琦 刘军国

On the afternoon of July 16, Zhao Beilei (赵蓓蕾), a member of the Party Committee of Xiaguan Town (霞关镇), Cangnan County (苍南县), Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, together with village cadres, once again conducted home return visits, focusing on elderly people living alone and people in difficulty. The return visits to the masses made her think again of the scene a few days earlier when everyone worked together to rescue at the flood control front line.

On July 10, the typhoon was closing in step by step, and Xiaguan Town, Cangnan County, initiated emergency shelter measures and implemented personnel evacuation. "There is no retreat in the face of a typhoon; we young people must charge to the front." Zhao Beilei, born in 1988, received the task at 10 p.m. the night before; after the meeting it was already late at night, and she only slept two hours before throwing herself into the work. During the evacuation process, Zhao Beilei coordinated with village cadres and Party member volunteers to form six special household-by-household assault teams, and in Xincun Village (新林村) they went door to door to check and register personnel information and hazards of old and dilapidated houses, cumulatively inspecting 689 risk houses, safely evacuating more than 700 people, achieving "not missing one household, not leaving one person behind."

The Dinglin area (顶林片区) of Xincun Village was the high-risk key area for this evacuation. 91-year-old Guo Jinlian (郭金莲) resolutely refused to leave home to take shelter, and Zhao Beilei went to her home three times to patiently persuade her, moving the elderly woman with sincerity and persistence. "Thank these young people for building a safe haven for us," said Guo Jinlian's daughter-in-law.

"Happy birthday to you..." Amidst strong winds and torrential rain, in the disaster shelter of Shuangxin Ethnic Village (双新民族村), Zhoushan She Ethnic Township (周山畲族乡), Wencheng County (文成县), Wenzhou City, several elderly people in their seventies sat together, and Party member volunteers sang the birthday song—this was a surprise quietly prepared by Ye Qijian (叶其建), the village Party branch secretary born in the 1990s, when he checked the list and found that several elderly people happened to have birthdays in July.

"I am so moved," said Granny Tang, her eyes reddening. Granny Lei beside her held the volunteer's hand and would not let go. Shuangxin Ethnic Village is a typical "hollow village" — most of the young and middle-aged people work outside, leaving mainly elderly people living alone and scattered, making it a key weak area for this typhoon defense. Facing the danger, Ye Qijian led the village's two committee cadres and the young Party member assault team to conduct a net-style check of geological disaster spots and old and dilapidated houses, knocking on doors door by door to persuade, escorting the masses to safety. The whole village cumulatively inspected and rectified more than 20 hazard points, safely evacuating over 30 people.

"The evacuated masses get hot meals and sound sleep at the shelter; all the hard work is worth it," Ye Qijian said.

At 3 a.m. on July 12, floodwaters rapidly rose at the Peony Garden (牡丹园) of Xiamei Village (霞美村), Yantou Town (岩头镇), Yongjia County (永嘉县), Wenzhou City. Five people were trapped, the accumulated water had exceeded 1 meter, and the water level was still rising.

Danger is the order. The patrol special police brigade of Yongjia County Public Security Bureau, together with Yantou Town government cadres and Xiamei Village Party members and cadres, quickly rushed to the incident site. Dai Baiqing (戴柏清), a patrol special police officer and Party member born in 1994, also set out with them.

The kayak simply could not go straight. "No time to wait for debris removal; push it over!" Dai Baiqing jumped into the waist-deep flood, grabbed the rear end of the kayak with both hands, and pushed forward with all his strength. "I couldn't care about that; at that time I only thought about saving people quickly!" Dai Baiqing said.

After 2 hours of hard struggle and 3 round trips, all 5 trapped people were successfully rescued, with no casualties.

When the last person stepped onto the shore, he tightly grasped Dai Baiqing's hand, which had been scratched with several bloody marks, and said, "Thanks to you young people!"

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Flying Over Baima River for the Villagers (Flood Control and Disaster Relief Frontline Story)

By: 本报记者 刘晓宇

On the morning of July 16, in Liuyu Village (六屿村), Xiabaishi Town (下白石镇), Fu'an City (福安市), Ningde City, Fujian Province, 82-year-old villager Zheng Wen'an (郑文安) sat at his doorstep, sunlight spilling onto his deeply wrinkled face. Typhoon Bavi had passed, and the Baima River (白马河) had regained its usual calm; the ferry boat was shuttling back and forth across the banks 按部就班 (àn bù jiù bān - "follow the prescribed order," proceeding step by step). The old man raised his hand, pointing at the pile of sand by the dock, and said: "Right there, that big thing hung right over our heads, clanged down and dropped the relief supplies. I really saw that kind of scene for the first time!"

Time rewound to a few days earlier; the same location presented a completely different scene. At 14:20 on July 11, on the banks of the Baima River in Xiabaishi Town, lead-gray cloud masses pressed low, the wind had reached Force 6, and turbid waves slammed against the embankment again and again.

Affected by the abnormal ebb tide ahead of the typhoon, the water level of the Baima River suddenly dropped by 6 meters, the navigation channel was completely cut off, and Liuyu Village, composed of six alluvial sandbanks in the middle of the river, became completely an isolated island. Among the 83 permanent residents in the village, there were more than 30 elderly people over 60 years old, and emergency supplies were 捉襟见肘 (zhuō jīn jiàn zhǒu - "pull at the lapel to reveal the elbow," stretched thin and insufficient).

"Town mayor! Our life jackets, flashlights, and so on are not enough; request support!" Over the phone of Xiabaishi Town Mayor Zheng Yue'e (郑月娥) came the anxious voice of Liuyu Village Party Branch Secretary Zheng Xianbin (郑暹滨).

At 14:30, a red truck broke through the rain and mist, and members of the Fu'an Fire Rescue Mobile Brigade (福安消防救援机动大队) arrived at the riverbank. As early as the night of the 9th, this 20-person team had been stationed in Xiabaishi Town. After receiving the town's request for assistance, Brigade Commander Zhu Mingfeng (朱明峰) did not hesitate for a moment: "Launch the drone, deliver across the river!"

21-year-old deputy squad leader Wang Xuekang (王学康) and his teammates lifted a four-axis, eight-rotor drone. The numbers on the anemometer made his heart tighten: Force 6 gusts, far exceeding the drone's rated operating standard. Even more deadly was the wind direction — a northwest wind was blowing directly toward Liuyu Village, meaning the aircraft body could easily lose control.

"Those are our folks over there; no hesitation, fly across the Baima River!" Zhu Mingfeng's voice cut through the wind, 斩钉截铁 (zhǎn dīng jié tiě - "cut nails and chop iron," resolute and decisive).

At 14:40, as the roar of the propellers suddenly intensified, the drone struggled to adjust its attitude in the strong wind. Every disturbance from the airflow made the drone's altitude line jump violently; Wang Xuekang's fingers made fine adjustments in response, as if wrestling with an invisible opponent.

First trip, 30 kilograms; second trip, 30 kilograms... At 16:35, the tenth trip, the drone landed steadily. 300 kilograms of supplies — raincoats, flashlights, life jackets, instant food — all delivered safely to Liuyu Village, and Zheng Xianbin finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Earlier, 5 duty cadres from the town, 4 power supply support personnel, and 1 medical personnel had already entered the village's resettlement point ahead of time. It is understood that during the fight against Typhoon Bavi, Fujian Province cumulatively dispatched 123,800 person-trips of sink-down cadres (下沉干部) and relocated 203,000 people from dangerous areas.

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Zhang Yanchun, Song Yu, Zhang Zhiqi

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National Unified Electricity Market Construction Accelerates (Big Data Observation)

By: 本报记者 王云杉 李 蕊

The wind and solar energy of the northwest turn into cool breezes, bringing cooling to the scorching summer heat of the Greater Bay Area; the hydropower of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau heads to the Yangtze River Delta, driving production lines at high speed... Right in the peak summer period, cross-regional electricity trading operating efficiently has played an important role in ensuring power supply.

The Fifteenth Five-Year Plan outline proposes basically completing a unified national electricity market system. During the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan period, China’s market-traded electricity volume grew at an average annual rate of 16.0%, and the full-year market-traded electricity volume in 2025 increased by 109.7% compared to the end of the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period. The proportion of market-traded electricity in total全社会 (whole society) electricity consumption has exceeded 60% for four consecutive years, and the mode of allocating electricity resources has undergone a fundamental change. By the end of 2025, provincial-level electricity spot markets will have basically achieved full coverage, a unified national electricity market system will have been initially established, “planned electricity” will have gradually shifted to “market electricity,” and the “blood vessels” of electricity will be more unimpeded.

Cross-grid operating area normalized trading
Multi-level, multi-category, multi-functional electricity market architecture continues to improve

High temperatures persist, and electricity loads steadily climb. On July 14, the national electricity load set a new record, reaching 1.551 billion kilowatts. On that day, the total maximum transmission capacity across provinces, regions, and grids reached 278 million kilowatts, firmly supporting national electricity security. In the hall of the Guangzhou Power Exchange Center (广州电力交易中心), on the large screen, the dynamics of electricity supply and demand in the five southern provinces and regions, as well as the progress of cross-grid operating area trading and transmission, are clear at a glance.

The spatial and temporal differences in regional electricity consumption allow the interconnection channels across grid operating areas to tap surplus transmission potential. Chen Wei (陈玮), deputy general manager of the Guangzhou Power Exchange Center, stated that the Jiangcheng DC Project (江城直流工程) and the Fujian-Guangdong Interconnection Project (闽粤联网工程), which connect the State Grid (国家电网) and China Southern Power Grid (南方电网) operating areas, transmit electricity to Guangdong at full power around the clock. Currently, cross-regional trades such as Central China to Guangdong and Fujian to Guangdong have totaled 10.8 billion kilowatt-hours, providing solid support for electricity security and supply during the peak summer period.

Normalized electricity trading across grid operating areas makes the “blood vessels” of the national electricity market more unimpeded. In July 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委) and the National Energy Administration (国家能源局) approved a plan for a normalized cross-operating-area trading mechanism between State Grid and China Southern Power Grid. Under the framework of this plan, the full-year cross-grid operating area trading volume in 2025 reached 3.4 billion kilowatt-hours.

“If the electricity market is compared to an expressway network, then cross-grid operating area trading is equivalent to different road network systems achieving interconnection and intercommunication; improving cross-provincial and cross-regional trading is like connecting the expressways between provinces, and building the provincial market is like improving the expressways within the province,” said Liu Guobin (刘国斌), vice president of the Electric Power Planning and Design Institute (电力规划设计总院). In 2025, China’s multi-level, multi-category, multi-functional electricity market architecture continued to improve. With several landmark results such as the basic full coverage of provincial electricity spot markets, normalized trading across grid operating areas, and the continuous operation of the southern regional electricity market, a unified national electricity market system was initially established.

In 2025, China’s market-traded electricity volume reached a new high, exceeding 6.6 trillion kilowatt-hours, with the proportion of全社会 (whole society) electricity consumption rising from less than 15% in 2015 to 64%; cross-provincial and cross-regional trading volume reached 1.6 trillion kilowatt-hours, an increase of more than ten times compared to ten years ago. A relevant official from the National Energy Administration stated that in the future, efforts will continue to improve the normalized cross-grid operating area trading mechanism, enhancing the ability for peak staggering, mutual surplus-and-deficit support, and emergency assistance between regions.

Market-based electricity pricing mechanism initially established
Reflects electricity market supply-demand pattern, guides efficient allocation of electricity resources

The market-based electricity pricing mechanism is a key point for the efficient operation of the electricity market. Currently, China has initially established a market-based electricity price system that “can rise and fall, and follows the market,” completely breaking the traditional fixed electricity price model. The on-grid prices of coal-fired electricity and the electricity prices for industrial and commercial use are dynamically adjusted based on market supply and demand, and the resource allocation role of the price signal lamp is fully demonstrated.

In Jinan, Shandong, on the large screen of the Shandong Electricity Spot Market (山东电力现货市场) operation hall, data jumps in real time, and the electricity price curve rises and falls in steps—the market clearing price curve updates every 15 minutes, producing 96 different electricity prices within a single day, accurately reflecting changes in electricity supply and demand in real time.

“Price is the market’s signal lamp, and it has a regulating effect on both the supply and demand sides,” said Ma Qiang (马强), head of the Spot Market Division of the Power Dispatching and Control Center of State Grid Shandong Electric Power Company. Provincial-level electricity spot markets have high trading frequency, like an “electricity stock market,” and the real-time prices formed can effectively reflect the supply-demand pattern of the electricity market, guiding efficient allocation of electricity resources. As of the end of June, Shandong Electricity Spot Market had been operating stably for 55 consecutive months, with cumulative market-based settlement electricity volume of nearly 1.9 trillion kilowatt-hours.

From the supply side, market-based electricity prices effectively incentivize the power generation side to optimize generation behavior and increase profit opportunities. During periods of ample new energy power supply, electricity prices decline; coal-fired units actively lower output and operate at reduced capacity. During the evening peak period, when new energy output declines and electricity loads surge, electricity prices rise simultaneously; coal-fired units ramp up to peak, and flexible resources such as energy storage fully discharge to ensure supply. A person in charge of a coal-fired power enterprise in Liaocheng said: “Coal-fired units no longer pursue electricity volume and simply generate at full capacity; instead, they actively look at prices to generate and self-regulate.”

From the demand side, it reasonably guides the user side to improve production plans and reduce electricity costs. Some large industrial electricity consumers, especially enterprises whose production processes can be interrupted or adjusted, have learned to actively “avoid peaks and go to valleys,” moving high-energy-consumption production links from the high-price evening peak period to the low-price or even deep-valley period when solar photovoltaic generation is abundant at noon. This allows them to enjoy the dividends of low prices, help alleviate peak-shaving pressure, and also facilitate the consumption of new energy electricity.

Pei Shanpeng (裴善鹏), director of the Strategy and Intelligence Institute of the SPIC Economic and Technological Research Institute (国家电投集团经济技术研究院), introduced that with the establishment of a unified national electricity market, the transformation from “planned electricity” to “market electricity” has been gradually realized. Electricity prices are mainly determined by supply and demand, and market vitality drives the full release of the adjustment capacity on both the supply and demand sides.

New types of market entities flexibly participate in the electricity market
Enrich trading entities and trading categories, promote the formation of a “multiple buyers, multiple sellers” market pattern

Recently, a special electricity spot transaction was completed and settled in Guangdong—

Three large data center clusters—China Unicom Shaoguan Data Center, China Mobile Guangzhou Data Center, and Zhanjiang Data Center—formally participated in the electricity energy trading and settlement of the Guangdong Electricity Spot Market through the “Yue Neng Tou Virtual Power Plant Operation Platform” (粤能投虚拟电厂运营平台) operated by Guangdong Power Grid Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (广东电网能源投资有限公司).

What is a virtual power plant? A virtual power plant is not a physical power station, but a platform or network that manages and dispatches distributed energy resources. It aggregates scattered power loads such as charging piles, energy storage stations, and distributed new energy within the grid to participate in the operation of the power system and electricity market trading. In February of this year, the State Council General Office (国务院办公厅) issued the “Implementation Opinions on Improving the Unified National Electricity Market System,” proposing to “promote flexible participation of new types of market entities such as virtual power plants, smart microgrids, and adjustable loads in the electricity market.”

“This transaction in Guangdong was the first time in China that large data centers were connected to the electricity spot market as virtual power plants,” introduced Zhu Zhenhai (朱振海), general manager of the Market Trading Division of Southern Power Grid Guangdong Power Grid Energy Investment Co., Ltd. According to spot market price signals, the virtual power plant commands data centers to adjust their electricity consumption curves to maximize market returns: aggregating the electricity loads of data centers, when spot electricity prices rise, non-urgent tasks are reduced and loads are reasonably curtailed; when prices are in a low range, computing tasks are increased and electricity loads are raised.

Currently, the participation of new types of market entities in the electricity market across various regions is still at an exploratory stage. As of the end of 2025, the registered number of new types of market entities such as virtual power plants and independent energy storage exceeded 400.

Fan Pengfei (凡鹏飞), director of the Energy Policy and Market Research Institute of the Electric Power Planning and Design Institute (电力规划设计总院能源政策与市场研究院), believes that the active participation of new types of market entities with electricity regulation capabilities, such as virtual power plants, in the electricity market helps enrich the trading entities and trading categories of the electricity market and promotes the formation of a “multiple buyers, multiple sellers” market pattern. “This not only makes the price signals in the electricity market more precise and resource allocation more efficient, but also enables a unified national electricity market to better adapt to a new type of power system. At the same time, new types of market entities can voluntarily participate in market transactions at various time periods and product categories based on their own different characteristics, playing their functional roles in the electricity market,” Fan Pengfei said.

(Xue Ziyi (薛子怡) contributed to the reporting.)

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Fill Gaps in Skilled Talent Supply for Key Sectors

By: 本报记者 丁雅诵

Recently, the Ministry of Education organized the completion of the work to add new majors to the 2026 edition of the Vocational Education Majors Catalog (职业教育专业目录), adding a total of 27 vocational education majors at the junior college and undergraduate levels, including 9 higher vocational junior college majors and 18 vocational undergraduate majors, spanning 14 major categories and 20 major classes.

Majors are the basic units of talent cultivation. It is understood that this addition to the majors catalog closely revolves around building a modern industrial system and promoting high-quality and efficient development of the service industry, precisely aligning with new industries, new business forms, new scenarios, and new models, anchoring the cultivation of high-skilled talent, and focusing on adding a batch of majors in fields such as the digital economy, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, urban renewal, and areas with shortages in people's livelihoods.

Another characteristic of this major adjustment is that it fully leverages the advantageous resources of industry-education integration communities and city-region industry-education consortia platforms to precisely transform the real needs of the industrial front line and the core demands of enterprises into new majors. For example, relying on the urban renewal industry-education integration community, it precisely identified talent gaps in the civil engineering field such as building inspection, structural reinforcement, and intelligent renovation, and added the vocational undergraduate major of urban renewal design technology.

Since the release of the new edition of the Vocational Education Majors Catalog in 2021, the Ministry of Education has cumulatively added 169 majors, with the increment accounting for 11% of the total majors in the catalog. The head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education (教育部职业教育与成人教育司) stated, "The purpose of adjusting and optimizing the setup of vocational education majors is to guide and support vocational education to better serve the economy and society and support national strategies."

In recent years, a trend in the addition of majors has been hierarchical integration, shifting from a single post to full-chain coordination. "According to estimates, in 2025, the gap for high-skilled talent in the national digital economy and intelligent manufacturing related fields has exceeded ten million. At the same time, the single-discipline training model of traditional computer and communication majors is difficult to cover the multi-post composite capability requirements that integrate hardware, algorithms, and scenario coordination," introduced the head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education. In response, this time six new digital field majors were designed as a whole and precisely added, including four vocational undergraduate majors such as computing-network convergence engineering technology (算网融合工程技术) and two higher vocational junior college majors such as intelligent agent communication technology (智能体通信技术). A hierarchical collaborative education chain is being constructed to continuously adapt to the increasingly composite high-skilled talent needs of the digital industry.

"Next, we will organize all localities and schools to orderly carry out the opening of new majors," said the head of the Department of Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education. It is necessary to consolidate the supervision and guidance responsibilities of local education administrative departments, make good use of the "three lists" (三张清单) — majors in shortage, majors to be upgraded and reformed, and majors to be restricted or revoked — guide local vocational schools to base themselves on the development needs of regional characteristic industries, improve school-running conditions, scientifically coordinate and orderly set up new majors, and strictly prevent phenomena such as rushing headlong into mass action and blindly following trends.

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Last year's medical insurance pooling fund had a current surplus of over 520 billion yuan.

Beijing, July 16 (People's Daily) -- (Reporter Sun Xiuyan (孙秀艳)) The National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医保局) released the "2025 National Medical Insurance Development Statistics Bulletin" on the 16th. The bulletin shows that China's basic medical insurance operations are safe and stable. As of the end of 2025, the number of people enrolled in basic medical insurance nationwide was 1.33 billion, with the enrollment rate consolidated at 95%. In 2025, the total revenue of the national basic medical insurance fund (including maternity insurance) was 3.59 trillion yuan, and the total expenditure of the fund was 3.01 trillion yuan. The current-period balance of the pooling fund was approximately 525.8 billion yuan.

The bulletin shows that the enrollment structure of basic medical insurance continues to optimize. As of the end of 2025, the number of people enrolled in employee medical insurance was 389 million, an increase of 9.08 million year-on-year. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (十四五) period, the number of people enrolled in employee medical insurance increased by an average of 8.8 million per year. In the same period, the number of people enrolled in basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents was 942 million.

The safeguard function of the maternity insurance system continues to be exerted. In 2025, nearly 260 million people nationwide participated in maternity insurance, a year-on-year increase of more than 6.58 million; over 35.74 million person-times enjoyed various maternity insurance benefits, and the expenditure of the maternity insurance fund was 139.4 billion yuan.

Medical insurance services continue to optimize. In 2025, the number of visits for cross-regional medical treatment (异地就医) for ordinary outpatient and emergency services, outpatient chronic and special diseases (门诊慢特病), and hospitalization nationwide was 473 million person-times, with cross-regional medical treatment expenses amounting to 816.2 billion yuan. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the cumulative number of cross-regional medical treatment visits was 1.33 billion person-times, with cumulative expenses of nearly 3.3 trillion yuan.

Medical insurance fund supervision has become more robust. In 2025, the national medical insurance system recovered a total of 34.2 billion yuan of medical insurance funds. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the national medical insurance system recovered a total of 118.2 billion yuan of medical insurance funds.

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In its first year, China's economy shows resilience and strong upward momentum

By: 本报记者 刘志强 韩 鑫 罗珊珊

In the first year of the “15th Five-Year Plan” (十五五), China’s economy has forged ahead with resilience and is thriving and improving.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.7% year-on-year; major indicators such as industry, employment, and prices operated within a reasonable range; new drivers of growth expanded rapidly… The China economic semi-annual report released a few days ago shows that in the first half of the year, China’s economy continued its development trend of overall stability, moving toward the new and toward excellence, standing out among the world’s major economies.

This achievement was 难能可贵 (nán néng kě guì – “difficult to achieve, worthy of praise,” commendable and rare). The once-in-a-century changes are accelerating, and the international situation is becoming more chaotic and intertwined. Amid the shifting winds and clouds, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core steers the ship, bravely stands at the forefront, unites and leads the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups in forging ahead on a new journey and making achievements in a new era, driving China’s economic vessel to break through the waves, press forward under pressure, and effectively respond to external shocks and challenges.

These commendable and rare results have laid a solid foundation for achieving the year’s development goals and tasks, and have injected stronger confidence into striving for a good start to the “15th Five-Year Plan.”

Looking at the world, China’s economy is stable and resilient

To observe China’s economy, one must have an international perspective. Placing the China economic semi-annual report in a global context, this result is commendable and rare.

“The current international situation is undergoing the most profound transformation since the end of World War II.” Since the beginning of this year, due to geopolitical conflicts, international crude oil prices have fluctuated violently, and some chemical raw material supplies have been tight, testing the comprehensive strength of each economy.

How has China responded? The development front line has the answer—

In the Sanjiang Plain, greenery spreads over the fertile fields.

“The wheat is heading, the corn is jointing. When golden autumn comes, the 300 mu of farmland will again bring a harvest.” Zhang Wenyu (张文有), a large grain grower in Baoxiang Village, Jixiang Township, Tangyuan County (汤原县), Heilongjiang, said with relief, “Fertilizer supply has been sufficient and prices stable this year. One 100-jin bag of urea costs 110 yuan, the same as in previous years, so a good harvest is guaranteed.” In the first half of the year, facing fluctuations in the global fertilizer market, relevant departments rolled out a combined set of reserve regulation, export adjustment, and market dispatch, while industry enterprises ran at full capacity, promoting orderly fertilizer supply and stable prices.

In the city of Shenzhen, Pengcheng, traffic flows endlessly.

“Driving a new energy truck, there’s no pressure from oil prices, saving operating costs.” Gui Baolin (桂宝林), a driver for Huolala in Shenzhen, Guangdong, is reassured: compared to an oil-fueled vehicle, running 200 kilometers a day can save about 100 yuan. The penetration rate of new energy trucks keeps increasing, and with the orderly transmission of the fuel price and freight rate linkage mechanism, freight rate fluctuations caused by unstable oil prices are effectively smoothed. In the first half of the year, the national highway logistics freight rate index remained in the range of 105 to 107 points, with relatively moderate fluctuation amplitude and overall stable freight rates.

Increasing oil and gas resource exploration and development – in the first half of the year, domestic crude oil and natural gas production both hit historical highs for the same period; accelerating the layout of wind, solar, and other clean energy – by the end of May, cumulative installed power generation capacity exceeded 4 billion kilowatts, ranking first in the world; promptly initiating and implementing the refined oil price adjustment mechanism, and taking multiple measures to ensure supply and stabilize prices… Under the test of crises, some countries face energy shortages and high prices; by contrast, China, relying on its deep foundation and effective response, has ensured the smooth operation of all industries and orderly energy use for millions of households.

From agricultural material supply and energy security to the overall development situation, amid the shifting international situation, China’s economy is stable and resilient, truly living up to being “the main contributor to world economic growth and a stabilizing anchor.”

Many macro-economic indicators bear witness—

Vertically, compared with the first half of last year, GDP in the first half of this year increased by 3.6 trillion yuan, the largest increment for the same period in the past five years. The economic growth rate of 4.7% in the first half falls within the major expected target range for the year’s development of “4.5%–5%.”

Horizontally, inflationary pressure has risen markedly in most countries, while China has maintained moderate price increases, generally stable employment, and improved balance of payments, with major indicators operating in a reasonable range.

Such stable performance benefits from the solid foundation of the real economy. Transformers, gas turbines, and intelligent equipment are seeing global “overloaded orders”; the shipbuilding industry’s new orders account for more than 70% of the world total… Industrial competitiveness is growing day by day, and “Made in China” is increasingly welcomed by the global market. In the first half of the year, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 5.4% year-on-year, achieving relatively fast growth; total goods trade imports and exports reached 25.47 trillion yuan, up 16.9% year-on-year, with exports maintaining growth for 11 consecutive quarters on a quarterly basis.

Such stable performance benefits from the escort of macro policies. A deficit ratio of around 4% remains at a historically high level; 1.3 trillion yuan of ultra-long-term special government bonds continue to support “two major” construction (两重) and “two new” work (两新); the re-lending quota for technological innovation and technological transformation was expanded to 1.2 trillion yuan… Since the beginning of the year, more proactive and effective macro policies have been implemented and taken effect, effectively hedging against external impacts. As of the end of June, China’s broad money (M2) balance grew 8.0% year-on-year, and the stock of aggregate social financing grew 7.4% year-on-year, with growth rates both still higher than nominal GDP growth, showing clear results of monetary policy supporting the real economy.

Such stable performance benefits from the full utilization of institutional advantages. “You only need to plant the wheat; the whole of China will harvest it for you!” During the wheat harvest in Xiangyang, Hubei, over 4,000 combine harvesters crossed provincial boundaries to assist, completing the rush wheat harvest. The central government arranged special funds to support rush harvesting and planting, tightened and consolidated grain production responsibilities in all localities, and strengthened policy support and coordination on prices, subsidies, and insurance… With the whole country united, they achieved good results in the “three summers,” and China’s summer grain output broke the 300 billion jin mark for the first time. Responding to energy changes, ensuring grain production, and fighting flood disasters – under multiple impacts, China stands firm as a rock.

The 气象万千 (qì xiàng wàn qiān – “myriad scenes,” magnificent and varied) development practice is evidence—

Demonstrated in the early part of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” construction began in the “15th Five-Year Plan.” On June 8, the new Three Gorges waterway project, integrating functions such as water conservancy, shipping, and ecology, started construction in Yichang, Hubei, becoming the first major national landmark project initiated during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period.

Crossing the Qinling Mountains, connecting Shaanxi and Hubei, the Xi’an-Shiyan high-speed railway opened for operation, building a new corridor linking the northwest and central China; splitting mountains and opening rivers, breaking through barriers, the Pinglu Canal opened to full water flow, and will open to navigation in September; chasing the wind and pursuing the sun, the desert yields gold – the Kubuqi (库布其) ten-million-kilowatt-level “sandy, Gobi, and desert” (沙戈荒) energy base started construction recently… Projects are sequentially implemented, from “two major” projects and the “six networks” (六张网) construction to the 109 major engineering projects in the outline of the “15th Five-Year Plan,” transforming into tangible economic increments and also building support for future development.

“Good planning and execution must be combined.” From the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress reviewing and approving the outline of the “15th Five-Year Plan,” to 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) successively releasing their own “15th Five-Year Plan” outlines, and then to a batch of national-level special plans in areas such as urban renewal, accelerating agricultural and rural modernization, building a new energy system, and expanding consumption being orderly introduced and implemented… By gathering “the power of planning” and consolidating “the effect of institutions,” the beautiful blueprint is being turned into reality step by step.

Stable performance and full resilience have won international recognition. A few days ago, the International Monetary Fund released a report that, while slightly lowering its world economic growth forecast for this year, raised its China economic growth forecast to 4.6%. Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and other institutions have also bucked the trend and raised their forecasts for China’s economic growth.

Fearless of wind and rain, stable as a rock. Maintaining strategic focus and unswervingly doing our own things well, China’s economy will continuously ascend to new levels amid quantitative increase and qualitative improvement, and will continue to inject commendable and rare stability and certainty into the global economy.

Looking at the overall situation, China’s economy is moving toward the new and toward excellence, with surging momentum

To observe China’s economy, one must have a developmental perspective. Looking at the overall development in the first year, the growth and expansion of new drivers and the acceleration of the transition between old and new growth drivers have become a prominent highlight.

High-speed assembly lines are operating; humanoid robots precisely pick up tablets to be inspected, quickly place them into quality inspection fixtures, and then classify the finished products back onto the production line… On June 28, as soon as Zhiyuan’s (智元) 15,000th embodied intelligent robot came off the line, it was put into intelligent manufacturing frontline in Nanchang, Jiangxi.

With only 6 prototypes in 2023, exceeding 1,000 units in January 2025, and crossing the 10,000-unit mark in March this year, the acceleration in mass production is behind rapid iteration. “After continuous iteration, Zhiyuan’s robots have achieved ‘normalized operation’ in multiple fields such as 3C manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, and commercial services,” said Yao Maoqing (姚卯青), a partner at Zhiyuan.

Making a group appearance on the Spring Festival Gala stage, breaking the human half-marathon world record, working in shifts in factory workshops – seizing the lead in laying out the new track of artificial intelligence, China’s humanoid robots are accelerating their evolution. In the first half of the year, exports of intelligent bionic robots exceeded 10,000 units, reaching more than 90 countries and regions worldwide.

“Scientific and technological strength and innovation capability are increasingly becoming the country’s core competitiveness,” “What is growing now is hard power, and what is being pursued is developing new quality productive forces.” Fully implementing the “Artificial Intelligence+” action, establishing the Central Enterprise S&T Achievements Industrialization Consortium, releasing the preliminary list of the second batch of 111 key nurtured pilot platforms… In the first year, various regions and departments actively promoted the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, leading the development of new quality productive forces with high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.

Records are being set one after another, and innovation is achieving all-round breakthroughs.

Net recovery, world first. On July 10, the Long March 10B carrier rocket was launched from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. Subsequently, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was successfully recovered on a sea recovery platform. China achieved a historic breakthrough in reusable rocket technology.

Huawei released the “Tao’s Law” (韬定律) in the semiconductor field; the all-domestic supercomputer “Lingsheng” (灵晟) topped the global supercomputing list; a new generation of electronic-grade resin material achieved mass production; multiple types of commercial space rockets were successfully launched… Overcoming “bottleneck” technologies, innovative China is thriving.

Various indicators are jumping and rising, and industry is undergoing all-round upgrading.

China’s computing power leads the world. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the construction of a national integrated computing power network is accelerating. As of the end of March, China had built an intelligent computing scale of 188.2 million P, equivalent to 2.5 times that of the same period last year, and it is expected to maintain rapid growth.

In the first six months, production and sales of new energy vehicles both exceeded 7 million units; the average daily output of integrated circuits by industrial enterprises above designated size exceeded 1.5 billion units; as of the end of May, the average daily call volume of word tokens reached hundreds of trillions… “Train internal skills, strengthen oneself,” industrial upgrading is advancing steadily and quickly. In the first half of the year, the added value of the equipment manufacturing industry increased by 9.3% year-on-year, and the added value of the high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 13.3%, respectively 3.9 and 7.9 percentage points faster than the added value of all industrial enterprises above designated size.

Technological innovation is “emerging and gaining momentum,” “Made in China” is undergoing “systemic upgrading,” and development momentum is becoming increasingly strong. Preliminary calculations show that new drivers represented by high-end manufacturing, digital economy, and modern services contributed more than 40% to the economic growth in the first half of the year.

Some members of the international business community describe China as “the world’s hardest-core gym.” Foreign-funded enterprises are voting with their feet and investing in China. Schneider Electric completed the expansion of its Beijing Yizhuang Park; US power semiconductor manufacturer ON Semiconductor announced the establishment of its Greater China headquarters in Shanghai… In the first five months, more than 25,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 5.3%; the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries grew 19.4% year-on-year.

Moving toward the new and toward excellence, momentum is surging. All-round innovation breakthroughs continue to empower all-round industrial upgrading, and the momentum of China’s economy is becoming ever stronger.

Examining the micro-structure, China’s economy has ups and downs in form but remains improving in trend

To observe China’s economy, one must have dialectical thinking. In the first half of the year, although individual indicators such as consumption and investment fluctuated somewhat, China’s economy has strong resilience, great potential, and broad space, and the fundamentals of long-term improvement have not changed.

Dialectically look at consumption: the consumption structure is in a stage of transformation and upgrading, with still huge potential.

This summer, many new consumption “landmarks” have emerged on the streets of Beijing.

Yushu Technology’s (宇树科技) first directly-operated flagship store was put into use, making future technology within reach; in Taikoo Li Sanlitun, Laodingfeng (老鼎丰) launched a new brand, FENG FULL; in Shougang Park, the “Yongding River Market” opened, with several new brands moving in together… Commercial spaces are “renewed,” time-honored brands are “refreshing,” old spaces are “updated.” The first-store economy resonates with service consumption, blooming with new consumption vitality. Since the beginning of this year, Beijing has added 483 first physical stores in the city, held more than 520 first-release, first-show, first-exhibition, and first-performance events, supporting the city’s service consumption value to grow 4.5% year-on-year in the first five months.

The favor enjoyed by new consumption “landmarks” reflects the change in residents’ consumption structure – accelerating from survival-oriented and basic-oriented to development-oriented and quality-oriented upgrading, shifting from mainly commodity consumption to equal emphasis on commodity and service consumption – clearly reflected in the “semi-annual report.”

Service consumption is growing well. Visiting museums, attending concerts, watching games at “city super leagues” (城超) and “village super leagues” (村超)… In the first half of the year, the cultural, tourism, and sports leisure markets continued to be active, with retail sales of services increasing by 5.3% year-on-year, 4.2 percentage points faster than retail sales of goods.

Commodity consumption is improving in quality and expanding in scale. Quality consumption, digital consumption, and green consumption are 方兴未艾 (fāng xīng wèi ài – “just rising and not yet ended,” in the ascendant). In the first half of the year, retail sales of cosmetics and communication equipment by units above the designated size increased by 6.3% and 14.4% year-on-year respectively, and the penetration rate of new energy vehicle retail exceeded 60% for three consecutive months.

Demand 生生不息 (shēng shēng bù xī – “endless generation,” continuous and unending), business opportunities are endless, and a super-large market is continuously nurturing new consumption growth points. “China has a population of 1.4 billion, the middle-income group is growing and expanding, and per capita GDP is close to the level of high-income countries. The in-depth implementation of the action to boost consumption and the gradual implementation of the ‘Expand Consumption’ 15th Five-Year Plan are expected to continue to drive consumption expansion and quality improvement, and the huge market potential will be further released,” said Guo Yingfeng (郭迎锋), associate researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Dialectically look at investment: the investment structure is continuously optimizing, and there is still broad room for expanding effective investment.

Mechanical and electrical debugging, optical cable fusion splicing – in Shaoguan, Guangdong, the data center construction site is bustling. This key project of the Shaoguan data center cluster, with a total investment of over 3.8 billion yuan in the first and second phases, will form an information load capacity of 180 megawatts upon completion. “The development of artificial intelligence is driving continuous growth in computing power demand, and related investment will be implemented sequentially,” said Mei Yi (梅义), vice president of GDS (万国数据).

In the first half of the year, investment in high-tech industries increased by 4.6% year-on-year; investment in intellectual property products increased by 9.4% year-on-year, accelerating by 1.5 percentage points from the first quarter… While fixed asset investment declined year-on-year, all localities continued to increase investment in emerging industries and lay out future industry tracks, driving significant growth in investment in areas such as new energy, artificial intelligence, and integrated circuits.

“To judge the investment situation, one must see both the overall pressure and the new support being formed,” said Du Yue (杜月), researcher at the Macroeconomic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission. “The new driver investment representing the direction of investment structure transformation determines the quality and sustainability of medium- and long-term growth. Subsequently, the coordinated efforts of various policies will further stimulate investment vitality and unleash the investment growth potential of emerging industries, new-type infrastructure construction, and people’s livelihood fields.”

Dialectically look at the trend: the fundamentals of stable economic operation, moving toward the new and toward excellence, have not changed.

In the second quarter of this year, China’s economic growth rate declined somewhat. “On the one hand, we must see that the decline is mainly due to some short-term factors and external impacts on industries such as petrochemicals and coal, which will gradually recover later. On the other hand, we must see that indicators reflecting new drivers performed well in the second quarter, which will form strong support for economic development. Monthly indicators such as industry, services, imports and exports, and the manufacturing PMI are gradually improving, also reflecting that the economic sentiment level is rising,” said Mao Shengyong (毛盛勇), deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics. “Taking a comprehensive view, achieving the main expected targets for the year has solid conditions and support.”

There are ups and downs in form, but the trend remains improving. China’s economy is fully transitioning into high-quality development, and the internal support for long-term improvement is more solid.

The journey of development continues stage by stage.

“Realizing the Party’s mission and tasks in the new era requires all Chinese Communists to strengthen their confidence, continue to strive, and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people.” The important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the ceremony celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China inspires people and spurs them forward.

Currently, there are more external unstable and uncertain factors, and the foundation for economic improvement still needs to be consolidated. Let us unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, do a solid job in economic work for the second half of the year, continue to consolidate the trend of stable and improving economy, and strive to achieve a good start to the “15th Five-Year Plan”!

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Carrying Forward Fine Farming Culture to Paint a Splendid Rural Picture (New Era Picture Scroll: Rural Civility)

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Preserving Rural Charm, Radiating Contemporary Vitality

By: 杨笑雨

Summer harvest and summer planting, the fertile fields flow with gold, scrolls of 生机盎然 (shēng jī àng rán - “life force abundant,” vibrant) farming scenes slowly unfold.

Inheriting excellent farming culture is not simple nostalgia, but rather it is necessary to activate the contemporary value through creative transformation and innovative development, allowing rural culture to radiate the luster of the times.

Taking agriculture as the foundation, retain rural customs and rural charm. Various localities, through agricultural festivals, traditional farming experiences, farming culture exhibitions, etc., allow ancient farming wisdom to find new development paths in modern life.

Taking agriculture as utility, empower industrial revitalization. Bamboo weaving, porcelain making, textile... these old crafts are leveraging live-streaming e-commerce, cultural and creative co-branding, study tour experiences, and other methods, so that “the fragrance of wine is not afraid of a deep alley,” local products emerge from deep mountains and go to market, achieving a win-win of cultural value and economic benefit.

Taking agriculture as rhythm, build harmonious and beautiful villages. Various localities integrate farming aesthetics into rural development, preserve pastoral landscapes and village dwellings, build a beautiful China where one can see the mountains, see the water, and remember the nostalgia. Tourists experience transplanting rice seedlings by the paddy fields, students harvest wheat in the wheat fields, cultural inheritance and ecological livability promote each other.

Our country’s farming civilization is 源远流长 (yuán yuǎn liú cháng - “source distant, flow long,” long-standing and well-established) and 博大精深 (bó dà jīng shēn - “broad, great, profound, deep,” extensive and profound). The inheritance and innovation of excellent farming culture bursts forth with vigorous vitality on the vast land.

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Zhang Ye, Yang Xiaoyu, Dong Wenxin

Layout design: Zhang Danfeng

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Establish and Practice a Correct View of Political Performance to Promote High-Quality Financial Development (Investigation and Reflection)

By: 国家发展改革委财金司

The view on political achievement (政绩观) is a fundamental issue. Cultivating and practicing a correct view on political achievement is nurtured in the spiritual fertile soil of the Marxist view of the people and fine traditional Chinese culture, inherited through the century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China, and sublimated through Comrade Xi Jinping’s long-term practice of serving the people from the local level to the central level. During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping always firmly established and steadfastly practiced a correct view on political achievement, resolutely and forcefully implemented the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, adhered to the principle that “seeking truth from facts is the greatest Party spirit,” and, in the face of finance — a task that affects the overall economic and social situation and involves numerous and complex variables — explored and blazed a path for financial development that serves the real economy, benefits the people universally, balances short-term and long-term considerations, and ensures safety and stability. The correct view on political achievement displayed by Comrade Xi Jinping in leading financial work in Zhejiang is rooted in strong Party spirit, a pragmatic work style, and deep feelings for the people, setting a shining example for the entire Party. Reviewing the past and comprehending Comrade Xi Jinping’s words and deeds is of great and far-reaching significance for educating and guiding Party organizations at all levels and Party members and cadres to consciously cultivate and practice a correct view on political achievement, to strive to create political achievements for the people, and to create political achievements through solid work.

Comrade Xi Jinping’s thinking and practice in leading financial work in Zhejiang demonstrate the firm pursuit of the Chinese Communists in establishing and practicing a correct view on political achievement.

Finance concerns the efficiency of economic development and the well-being of the masses. Comrade Xi Jinping’s work in Zhejiang coincided with an important stage of deepening reform and opening up after China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. Zhejiang, as a major economic province and a pioneer in financial reform, faced numerous unprecedented tough tasks and complex tests. Comrade Xi Jinping resolutely upheld the authority of the Party Central Committee, based himself on Zhejiang’s realities, planned and advanced financial work around the implementation of the Eight-Eight Strategy (八八战略), consistently practiced the people-centered development thought, embodied the strategic foresight of统筹发展和安全 (coordinating development and security), demonstrated the historical responsibility of laying foundations and benefiting the long term, and physically demonstrated the firm pursuit of the Chinese Communists in establishing and practicing a correct view on political achievement.

Adhere to and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over financial work, and resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always made adhering to and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership an important task, implemented the requirements of managing the Party and governing it with the times, and persistently strengthened Party construction. He clearly pointed out: “The Party commands the overall situation and coordinates all parties. Economic work is the central work. The Party’s leadership must of course be fully reflected in the central work. By grasping the ox nose (牛鼻子, key point) of the central work, other work can be better carried out.”

Soon after arriving in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping deployed the establishment and improvement of corresponding systems. After in-depth research, Zhejiang, referring to the setup of the central relevant deliberation and coordination bodies and combining its own actual situation, formally established the Provincial Party Committee’s Financial and Economic Leading Group in 2003. In April of that year, Comrade Xi Jinping presided over the group’s first meeting, and thereafter a regular operational mechanism was established, with special meetings basically held every two months. Matters such as major economic policies, development decisions, fiscal and financial work, and key projects across Zhejiang Province were collectively studied and approved by the leading group. This institutional design consolidated the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee’s overall leadership over economic work from the institutional level, and also provided a strong organizational guarantee for Zhejiang to advance strategic adjustment of its economic structure and accelerate the transformation of its development mode.

During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping always maintained a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee, regardless of the time or conditions. He always took the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee as the fundamental guide, planned financial work in light of Zhejiang’s actual conditions, integrated a series of principles and policies determined by the Party Central Committee with Zhejiang’s realities, combined the enthusiasm of the financial system with that of local Party committees and governments, and organically unified the advancement of financial reform and development with Zhejiang’s economic and social development. In 2004, signs of problems such as overinvestment and excessively rapid loan growth emerged in some industries and sectors, which, if allowed to develop, would affect the healthy operation of the economy. The central authorities promptly made decisions and deployments to strengthen macro-control, mainly including tightening the two gates of land approval and credit approval. Zhejiang has a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises and active investment. If policies were tightened, various economic indicators might be significantly affected, and some grassroots cadres and enterprises had certain feelings of difficulty and ideas of “making do.” In response, Comrade Xi Jinping repeatedly demanded that all localities deeply understand and resolutely implement the central macro-control policies. In September 2004, Comrade Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the autumn semester opening ceremony of the Zhejiang Provincial Party School, demanding resolute implementation of a series of important measures for central macro-control and effectively integrating immediate interests with long-term interests.

Under Comrade Xi Jinping’s leadership, Zhejiang Province resolutely implemented the central macro-control spirit, reversed the overheated and excess investment in some industries through implementing structural credit policies, while adhering to the principle of keeping some and suppressing others (有保有压), actively supporting advantageous enterprises and key industries requiring support, and increasing efforts to guarantee credit supply to small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2004, although the growth rate of fixed asset investment in Zhejiang Province fell from 38.9% in the previous year to 20.2%, development became more balanced, of higher quality, and more efficient. This fully reflects Comrade Xi Jinping’s courage not to covet short-term growth rates, his courage for proactive transformation, his sobriety in scientific decision-making, and his long-term perspective. It is a vivid practice of the correct view on political achievement under a complex economic situation.

Adapt to the needs of the real economy to promote financial openness, achieving coordinated unity and synergistic development between the local and the overall. In December 2002, when Comrade Xi Jinping was investigating the Delixi Group in Yueqing, Wenzhou, in response to the enterprise leader’s reflection that “when we develop to a certain extent, we want to go out, but we are very worried about whether the local government will have certain ideas and views,” he immediately stated: “The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government support you to ‘go global,’ not only to seize the national market but also to seize the international market.” In August 2004, Comrade Xi Jinping creatively proposed the theory of developing the sweet potato economy (地瓜经济), vividly explaining its dialectical logic: “The vines of the sweet potato extend in all directions in order to absorb more sunlight, rain, and nutrients, but its tubers are always at the base; the extension and expansion of the vines ultimately aim to make the tubers grow thicker and stronger. Similarly, our enterprises going global, actively connecting with Shanghai, actively participating in the Western Development Strategy and the transformation of old industrial bases such as the Northeast, actively participating in international market competition, and building our food bases, energy and raw material bases, and production and processing bases outside the province and abroad are not capital outflow or enterprise relocation. They are the need to allocate resources on a larger scale and achieve greater development in a larger space. They are the need to ‘develop Zhejiang by leaping out of Zhejiang, develop Zhejiang by standing on the whole country.’ Regarding this, we must correctly understand, actively promote, and gladly see it accomplished.”

In the financial field, Comrade Xi Jinping personally promoted Zhejiang Province’s connection with Shanghai and participation in Yangtze River Delta cooperation. At his initiative, in December 2005, the first forum of principal leaders of the two provinces and one city in the Yangtze River Delta was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, clearly listing financial integration as one of the key cooperation areas. Various types of financial institutions in Zhejiang Province established strategic cooperation with Shanghai’s banking industry, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Shanghai Futures Exchange, introducing services such as joint credit, syndicated loans, listing guidance, and foreign exchange settlement. Some banking financial institutions innovatively implemented a financing model of headquarters credit, cross-region credit utilization, unified risk control, closed-loop settlement (总部授信、跨区用信、统一风控、闭环结算), relying on the credit qualifications of large enterprise groups to provide integrated financial services such as batch credit, order financing, accounts receivable factoring, and bill discounting to their upstream and downstream supporting enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta, providing solid financial support for the outward extension of Zhejiang enterprises’ “vines” and the expansion of their industrial scale. Based in one region while planning for the overall situation, what is gained is local quality improvement and overall progress. The number of A-share listed company headquarters and privately owned listed companies in Zhejiang Province has long been at the forefront nationally. Only Xinchang County alone has 15 listed company headquarters. This is largely because the government is happy to see enterprises go global and expand markets like “vines,” and the open and inclusive thinking has firmly retained the “hearts” of a large number of listed companies. These measures not only solidified the foundation of Zhejiang’s real economy but also promoted positive interaction between Zhejiang enterprises and enterprises in a wider area. The 15 listed companies in Xinchang County have formed important nodes for the Yangtze River Delta industrial supporting network and the main force for domestic substitution in national segmented tracks, serving as a classic model of high-quality development at the county level and feeding back to the whole country.

While actively promoting “going global,” Comrade Xi Jinping also attached great importance to “bringing in.” With his promotion, after 2004, some internationally renowned financial institutions successively settled in Zhejiang, becoming landmark achievements of Zhejiang’s adherence to high-level “bringing in.” The entry of these foreign financial institutions not only directly provided financial services such as cross-border settlement, trade financing, and global asset management but also built a financial bridge to the global market for Zhejiang’s local enterprises to “go global,” effectively reducing the financial friction cost of participating in international competition. The positive interaction between domestic and foreign financial institutions has cultivated fertile financial soil for exchanges between Zhejiang and the whole country and the world, allowing the “sweet potato tuber” to take root more deeply and steadily in an open environment.

Based on the long term, make up for the shortcomings of inclusive finance, and create a warm financial ecology. The overall construction period of inclusive finance is long and results are slow, but it warms people’s hearts and benefits the long term. Comrade Xi Jinping wrote in the article “Based on the Present, Focus on the Long Term” in Zhejiang New Journal (之江新语): “Things that are effective now and sustainable in the long term should be boldly done; things that are not effective now but lay the foundation for the long term must also be strived to do.” In the article “潜绩”与“显绩” (Latent Achievement and Evident Achievement), he wrote: “‘Latent’ is the foundation of ‘evident,’ and ‘evident’ is the result of ‘latent.’ The work of later generations is always built on the basis of previous generations. If everyone does not willingly act as paving stones and devote themselves quietly and selflessly, then ‘evident achievements’ will be impossible, becoming trees without roots or water without a source. Even if there are ‘evident achievements,’ at best they are merely image projects (形象工程) that seek quick success and instant benefits.”

Rural finance serves millions of small farmers and small and micro entities. Individual loan amounts are small, risks are high, and returns are slow. Compared to building large projects, constructing tall buildings, attracting large capital, and other short-term GDP and fiscal indicators that look good immediately (“evident achievements”), rural financial system construction requires long-term deep cultivation, making it difficult to achieve eye-catching data within one or two years. It belongs to the category of “latent achievements” (潜绩) — “the predecessors plant trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade.” Around 2002, state-owned banks generally closed county and township outlets, and financial services at the grassroots rural level, for small and micro enterprises, and for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers were weak. After Comrade Xi Jinping arrived in Zhejiang, he unswervingly made up for shortcomings in county-level grassroots finance and was willing to do the work of laying foundations. In 2003, Comrade Xi Jinping personally planned and deployed the pilot reform of deepening rural credit cooperatives in Zhejiang Province. In April 2004, 81 county-level financial institution legal persons in Zhejiang Province invested to form the Zhejiang Provincial Rural Credit Cooperative Union (浙江省农村信用社联合社) (hereinafter referred to as the “Zhejiang Provincial Rural Credit Union”). Comrade Xi Jinping was very concerned about and attached great importance to the reform and development of the Zhejiang Provincial Rural Credit Union. During 2005–2006, he made important instructions four times, promoting the solution to the problem of farmers and agriculture having difficulty obtaining loans. As of the end of 2025, Zhejiang Rural Commercial United Bank (浙江农商联合银行) (restructured from the Zhejiang Provincial Rural Credit Union) undertook nearly one-quarter of the province’s agriculture-related loans, nearly half of the farmers’ loans, and three-quarters of the farmers’ cooperative loans. Its deposit and loan scale has maintained the first place among national rural credit-type financial institutions for many consecutive years. Comxi Xinping also highly valued solving the problem of weak financial services for small and micro enterprises, and in the process of actively promoting financial reform, further solved the difficulty of obtaining loans for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2004, Typhoon Rananim (云娜) directly hit Zhejiang, causing heavy losses to agricultural production. Facing the impact of natural disasters on the people, Comrade Xi Jinping not only demanded good disaster relief work but also, from the perspective of institutional construction, promoted further expansion of insurance coverage, strived to improve risk management techniques, and actively leveraged the role of the insurance industry in economic and social development. Zhejiang Province immediately established a coordination group for policy-oriented agricultural insurance work and initiated the exploration of agricultural insurance reform. Over more than 20 years, this work has borne fruit, entered thousands of rural households, and become a stabilizer and booster for Zhejiang’s modern agriculture. Comrade Xi Jinping also personally promoted the work of policy-oriented rural housing insurance, making important instructions and directives multiple times, guiding Zhejiang to take the lead in launching policy-oriented rural housing insurance work and gradually achieving full coverage of rural households in the province. These two measures of financial services for people’s livelihood were selected by the public in a joint evaluation conducted by multiple provincial-level media in 2007 as among the “twenty most satisfying practical things done by the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government for the people.”

Adhere to a problem-oriented approach to advance financial supply-side structural reform, empowering high-quality development with systemic changes. In April 2005, Comrade Xi Jinping emphasized at a special study session of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee: “We must fully recognize that pioneer regions will inevitably encounter pioneer problems. Being at the forefront in certain aspects does not mean that all problems can be easily solved. We must have the courage of pathfinders facing thorns, confront contradictions and problems, prevent ‘minor worries’ from becoming ‘major troubles,’ avoid letting local issues affect the overall development situation, and not let stumbling blocks impede the pace of progress.”

During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping conducted many investigations in Yiwu and had a deep understanding of the mismatch between Yiwu’s rapid development and its administrative management system. For example, in the financial field, due to administrative level restrictions, banking financial institutions found it difficult to set up branches in Yiwu; the upper limit of credit approval for banking financial institutions in Yiwu was only 2 million yuan, and large loans required layer-by-layer reporting and approval; the authority for foreign exchange management was small, and businesses such as cross-border settlement and foreign investment were cumbersome to handle, with low facilitation levels; and so on. In response, Comrade Xi Jinping emphasized the need to “put a big coat on a fast-growing child” and decisively promoted reforms to delegate powers. In November 2006, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee Office and the Provincial Government Office issued the “Several Opinions on Carrying Out Pilot Reforms for Expanding the Economic and Social Management Authority of Yiwu City,” initially delegating 472 items of management authority, covering economic development, foreign trade and foreign-related affairs, urban and rural construction and resources, social affairs, etc., with finance being a major breakthrough. For example, the preliminary approval authority for setting up financial institutions was delegated, allowing Yiwu to directly report to provincial financial regulatory authorities for approval of setting up financial branches; banks’ sub-branches in Yiwu were allowed to obtain branch-level credit approval authority; many prefecture-level authorities such as enterprise cross-border investment and foreign exchange settlement for foreigners were delegated, achieving “foreign exchange business handled in Yiwu”; and so on. By breaking through institutional and mechanism obstacles, the development of Yiwu, characterized by 莫名其妙 (mò míng qí miào – “cannot understand the wonder,” inexplicable), 无中生有 (wú zhōng shēng yǒu – “to create something from nothing”), and 点石成金 (diǎn shí chéng jīn – “touch a stone and turn it into gold,” to turn the ordinary into the valuable), was further activated. The industrial transformation and upgrading of 腾笼换鸟 (téng lóng huàn niǎo – “clear the cage to change the bird,” phasing out outdated industries) and 凤凰涅槃 (fèng huáng niè pán – “phoenix nirvana,” rebirth through fire) were steadily advanced. After the tempering of reform, the “Yiwu development experience” has continuously accumulated and sublimated, becoming a demonstration benchmark for county-level reform breakthroughs, financial empowerment, and commercial prosperity and city building nationwide.

Wenzhou is a microcosm of Comrade Xi Jinping’s promotion of financial reform. Wenzhou’s advantage lies in its developed private economy, with small and medium-sized enterprises being the source of local vitality. The financial service system cannot simply copy the set of mechanisms serving large enterprises in large cities; it must fit the actual conditions of private small and micro enterprises, which have light assets, small scale, and flexible operations. Comrade Xi Jinping required Wenzhou to continue researching and formulating policies to promote the development of the private economy, accelerate the establishment of a service system for small and medium-sized enterprises, and effectively help small and medium-sized enterprises solve problems such as lack of technical support for scientific and technological innovation and difficulty in obtaining financing for enterprise development. Comrade Xi Jinping’s important discussions on financial reform have established the fundamental direction and practical paradigm for the subsequent construction of the national-level Wenzhou Comprehensive Financial Reform Pilot Zone, and also fully activated the endogenous driving force for financial reform across Zhejiang Province. Following Wenzhou’s approval as a national comprehensive financial reform pilot zone, Yiwu was approved to carry out comprehensive pilot reforms for international trade, Taizhou was approved as a national innovation pilot zone for small and micro enterprise financial services, Huzhou and Quzhou were approved as the first batch of national green financial reform and innovation pilot zones, Ningbo was approved as a national inclusive financial reform pilot zone, Lishui was approved as a national rural revitalization reform pilot zone for inclusive financial services, and Hangzhou and Jiaxing were approved as national science and technology innovation financial reform pilot zones. Zhejiang has become one of the provinces with the most and richest content of national-level regional financial reform projects, exploring and forming multiple replicable and scalable experiences.

A good social credit environment is the basic premise for establishing a socialist market economy, an important condition for effectively preventing and defusing financial risks, and the foundation for the normal operation of the economy and finance. The construction of “Credit Zhejiang” (信用浙江), promoted by Comrade Xi Jinping himself, is a typical case of enriching institutional supply. As the country’s first provincial-level comprehensive credit development strategy, “Credit Zhejiang” targeted problems such as information asymmetry in financing for private small and micro enterprises, low cost of market dishonesty, and imperfect basic systems of the market economy. It required 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng – “persevere over time,” sustained effort) and continuous consolidation. Under Comxi Xinping’s leadership, Zhejiang hammered one blow after another, spending several years breaking down departmental barriers, aggregating government data scattered across dozens of departments, unifying credit standards, building a provincial-level public credit platform, and establishing mechanisms for rewarding trustworthiness and punishing dishonesty, laying a solid institutional foundation for Zhejiang’s leading private economy, leading inclusive finance, and overall controllable financial risks over the following more than 20 years.

Coordinate financial development and security to safeguard the steady and long-term advancement of modernization. Finance is a comprehensive reflection of the economy. In July 2003, during an investigation of Zhejiang Province’s financial system, Comrade Xi Jinping explicitly demanded that potential financial risks be taken seriously and precautions taken before they occur. Zhejiang incorporated “financial security” into the provincial security system, clearly defining key tasks such as preventing financial risks, enterprise debt risks, and credit risks, preventing regional financial risks, and maintaining financial stability and market economic order, and established a supporting assessment mechanism. Since then, leading cadres at all levels in Zhejiang Province have managed risks with the same intensity as promoting economic development, with monthly monitoring, top leaders taking charge, and hard assessment linkages, forming a mechanism of “two reports” (两张报表) (economic report + peace report) regularly submitted to main Party and government leaders at all levels, institutionally holding the bottom line of preventing regional financial risks. At the end of 2004, the non-performing loan ratio of major banking financial institutions in Zhejiang Province fell to 2.69%, down 1.92 percentage points from the beginning of the year, significantly lower than the 13.2% non-performing loan ratio of major national commercial banks. In 2008, affected by the international financial crisis, the financial systems of various regions were affected to varying degrees. The increase in Zhejiang’s non-performing loan ratio was small, there were no large-scale enterprise capital chain breaks or mass financial risk incidents, and basic stability of financial order was maintained.

The restructuring of Hangzhou Iron and Steel Group (hereinafter referred to as “Hanggang”) is a vivid example of Comrade Xi Jinping actively promoting risk resolution in the course of development. At the beginning of this century, Hanggang encountered temporary operational difficulties and faced the risk of bad debts on credit funds. Due to the considerable size of the enterprise, there were certain hidden regional financial risks. During the transformation and restructuring of Hanggang, Comrade Xi Jinping encouraged Hanggang to take the path of diversified investment. Under his guidance, Hanggang abandoned the Daxie Steel Plant project and took the path of jointly restructuring with the private enterprise Ningbo Jianlong. To facilitate the smooth restructuring of Hanggang, Comrade Xi Jinping reported to the then central leaders three times, explaining the situation and clarifying the strategic significance of the restructuring. The restructuring of Hanggang effectively cut off the path of enterprise debt risks spreading to the financial system, serving as a classic case of revitalizing existing assets and defusing risks in the course of development.

Comrade Xi Jinping’s thinking and practice in leading financial work in Zhejiang profoundly interpret the scientific connotation of the correct view on political achievement in financial work.

In the course of Comrade Xi Jinping’s leadership of financial work in Zhejiang, he insisted on always maintaining a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee, was constantly concerned about the urgent needs and difficulties of thousands of households, always kept in mind the development difficulties of the vast number of business entities, and carried in his heart the urgent need for the province’s modernization construction. Throughout, he adhered to a problem-oriented, truth-seeking materialist stance, fully demonstrating the theoretical consciousness of combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities, especially Zhejiang’s actual conditions, and vividly displaying the inherent requirements of standing and acting on Party spirit and calibrating the view on political achievement with the overall situation, providing timeless valuable experience and inspiration for establishing and practicing the correct view on political achievement in the new era and taking the path of financial development with Chinese characteristics.

Calibrate direction with strong Party spirit, and implement the principle of building the Party for the public into specific financial actions. Establishing and practicing a correct view on political achievement is decisively influenced by Party spirit. A series of practices in Comrade Xi Jinping’s leadership of financial work during his tenure in Zhejiang all shine with the brilliance of strong Party spirit. He resolutely implemented the central macro-control policies, corrected development positioning with public-mindedness, and abandoned local departmentalism; in the face of difficult reform bones to gnaw and legacy high-risk institutions, he neither flinched nor shirked, and cracked institutional constraints for the public interest, solidifying the foundation of rural finance; with the safety of people’s lives and property in mind, he prioritized the protection of people’s livelihood regardless of short-term business returns. This profoundly enlightens us that only by continuously tempering the political character of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, and improving political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, can we transcend local interests and personal gains and losses. We must always cultivate a correct view on political achievement with strong Party spirit, always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee, and down-to-earth create solid political achievements that meet the requirements of the Party Central Committee, respond to the expectations of the people, and stand the test of the times.

Set the standard with the yardstick of the people’s interests, and embody serving the people in the actual effects of financial services. A correct view on political achievement must place the people’s interests in the highest position. Financial political achievements are not bookkeeping figures or scale rankings, but must truly serve the people, serve the real economy, and serve common prosperity. During his local work, Comrade Xi Jinping always insisted on “sitting firmly on the side of the common people,” consistently concerned about how finance can better help the poor and the weak, without competing for scale and rankings or blindly copying Western financial models. He promoted rural credit cooperatives to take root in counties, providing long-term and stable financial support for Zhejiang’s private economy and county development. These tasks appeared “slow” in the short term, but in reality, they used long-termism to stabilize the foundation, used financial responsibility to seek common prosperity, and reflected his deep-rooted people’s feelings. This profoundly enlightens us that the financial cause under the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the cause of the people, and its political nature and people’s nature are highly unified. We must resolutely abandon utilitarian tendencies and theories of financial exceptionalism and exceptional cases, eliminate the stubborn illnesses of departing from the real economy to the virtual economy, loving the rich and hating the poor, and pursuing profit while forgetting righteousness, and take people’s satisfaction, real economy’s sense of gain, and people’s livelihood security as core evaluation criteria.

Make investigation and research the foundation for planning and undertaking undertakings, and apply scientific decision-making to financial policy implementation and problem-solving. A correct view on political achievement cannot do without scientific methodology. The financial situation changes rapidly; decisions made by “patting the head” and plans based on “taking for granted” will inevitably be divorced from reality and from the masses. During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping adhered to starting with investigation and using investigation to find the way. He spent a lot of time going to grassroots units and field sites. Within 118 days of taking up his post in Zhejiang, he visited all 11 cities and 25 counties (cities, districts). 2003 was designated by the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee as the “Year of Improving Work Style” and the “Year of Investigation and Research.” Comrade Xi Jinping led by example, personally visiting rural credit cooperatives, city commercial banks, small and micro enterprises, and fields to gather real information, accurately grasping the complex situation facing Zhejiang’s financial work, and identifying prominent contradictions such as inadequate rural credit system and difficulty in financing for small and micro enterprises. For example, facing the institutional constraint of a “small city, large economy” in Yiwu, he pragmatically delegated financial authorities such as credit, foreign exchange, and institutional establishment, solving the “growing pains”; facing the historical burden in the rural credit field, he did not copy the restructuring path of other provinces but took a distinctive path based on the characteristics of Zhejiang’s county economy. This profoundly enlightens us that a correct view on political achievement is rooted in a profound grasp of objective laws. Only by proceeding from reality can we break away from subjective assumptions, book worship, and the inertial thinking of copying and applying. We must always make the booming trend of investigation and research the prerequisite and foundation for carrying out all work, so that all political achievements truly withstand the threefold test of practice, the people, and history.

Grasp implementation firmly with a pragmatic work style, and run real work throughout the entire process of financial reform and development. A correct view on political achievement runs through the work philosophy of 知行合一 (zhī xíng hé yī – “unity of knowledge and action”). Financial work has long chains, many service targets, and lagging risk hazards. Many tasks are by no means accomplished overnight. They must be advanced with a truth-seeking and pragmatic work style and implemented with the spirit of driving nails (钉钉子精神). We must not treat saying as doing, or doing as accomplishing. Comxi Xinping always adhered to “one part deployment, nine parts implementation,” following up on the entire process of reforms in various financial fields with lasting effort. Regarding the reform in the rural credit field, he did not stop at meeting deployments and institutional documents, but made four instructions within two years for regular tracking and follow-up. In the process of preventing and defusing risks, responsibilities such as risk investigation and coordinated handling were implemented through institutional construction, and the safety bottom line was held with concrete and precise practical actions. This profoundly enlightens us that real work and solid implementation are the core essence of practicing a correct view on political achievement. The true political achievement of any work is never the dazzling figures on reports or the perfect plans in account books, but the tangible benefits of the real economy, the warmth of people’s livelihood protection, and the confidence in risk prevention and control. We must carry forward the excellent work style of grasping things through to the end and making unremitting efforts, resolutely abandon problems such as emphasizing deployment over implementation and emphasizing form over quality and effectiveness, and make all work take root with a solid, hard-nosed attitude.

Plan the overall layout with systematic thinking, and integrate overall consideration into the genes of financial work. A correct view on political achievement embeds systematic concepts and contains materialist dialectics. When planning financial reform and development in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping insisted on looking at finance beyond finance and grasping finance based on the overall situation, resolving structural contradictions in development with a holistic perspective. He adhered to the thinking of economy and finance as a single chessboard, consciously benchmarked against the policy direction of the Party Central Committee, and anchored to the fundamental direction of financial services for the real economy; he adhered to coordinating reform, innovation, and security bottom lines, respecting local development realities, granting grassroots financial reform exploration space, optimizing the financial service mechanism for export-oriented economies such as Yiwu, while not neglecting various types of financial risks, constructing a multi-level risk prevention and disposal system, achieving the integration of liberalizing development and holding the safety bottom line; he started from institutional construction to solve practical problems, did not engage in single-item advancement, used building “Credit Zhejiang” to solve the information asymmetry problem from the bottom, leveraged the insurance industry’s role as an economic shock absorber and social stabilizer, and fundamentally solved the people’s long-term worries. This profoundly enlightens us that practicing the correct view on political achievement cannot cling to one extreme or make one-sided choices. It requires comprehensive, interconnected, and developmental perspectives to coordinate the overall governance situation, seek dynamic balance among multiple goals, and make systematic concepts and dialectical thinking the internal guidelines for planning, advancing, and testing financial work, promoting high-quality financial development to proceed steadily and far.

Carry forward the excellent work style of Comrade Xi Jinping’s practice in Zhejiang, and guide high-quality financial development with the correct view on political achievement.

Comrade Xi Jinping’s practice of planning and promoting financial work during his tenure in Zhejiang has set an example and demonstrated a model for us to practice the correct view on political achievement. We must systematically study deeply, achieve integration and comprehension, and effectively transform the learning results into a guide for action in doing financial work well.

Strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over financial work, and lead high-quality financial development with political nature. The centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over financial work is the fundamental guarantee for practicing the correct view on political achievement and doing a good job in financial work in the new era. We must continuously improve the institutional mechanisms for Party committees at all levels to coordinate financial work, ensuring that the financial decisions of the Party Central Committee take effect and produce results. Continue to strengthen cross-departmental and cross-regional regulatory coordination, deepen the central-local regulatory coordination mechanism, and consolidate the overall synergy of financial governance. Make efforts to forge a high-quality, professional financial cadre and talent team that is loyal, clean, and responsible, promote Chinese financial culture with Chinese characteristics, take the effectiveness of serving the people, serving the real economy, reform and innovation, and risk prevention and control as the core yardstick for evaluating financial work, do more practical things that lay the foundation, benefit the long term, and improve people’s livelihood, and escort high-quality economic and social development with high-quality financial development.

Abide by the original aspiration of finance serving the people, making financial services warmer and more beneficial to people’s livelihood. Serving the people and creating benefits is the greatest political achievement of financial work. All financial policy designs and resource allocations must firmly take the people’s stance. Flexibly use various monetary policy tools, continuously reduce the overall social financing cost, use structural tools to precisely support the development of small and micro enterprises, the “three rural” areas, new citizens, and flexible employment groups. Smooth the transmission mechanism of the entire monetary policy chain, and through institutional arrangements such as standardizing liability management, transparent loan pricing, and perfecting cost disclosure, effectively enhance the sense of gain of business entities. Continuously expand the supply of inclusive finance, innovate financial products adapted to people’s livelihood needs such as elderly care and medical care, improve the long-term mechanism for consumer rights protection, and let the dividends of financial development fairly benefit thousands of households.

Anchor the fundamental duty of finance serving the real economy, making financial empowerment for high-quality development more effective. We must coordinate the relationship between manifest and latent achievements, and between short-term benefits and long-term development. Solidly do a good job in the “five major articles” (五篇大文章) of finance, build equity-debt linked financing channels around the full life cycle of science and technology enterprises, and implement a “green channel” for listing financing and mergers and acquisitions on a regular basis for technology enterprises in key core technology areas. Balance the development of direct financing and indirect financing, severely rectify illegal and disorderly phenomena in the capital market, cultivate a long-term value investment ecology, and nurture patient capital. Improve the construction of public credit platforms, strengthen the collection and sharing of enterprise-related credit information, and improve the credit enhancement system for small, medium, and micro enterprises. Make good use of the regular project recommendation mechanism for key industries, leverage the synergy of government, banks, and enterprises, and effectively channel financial resources to business entities that have needs and prospects.

Adhere to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, deepen reforms, making financial development proceed steadily and more resilient. Normatively promote financial reform and innovation on the track of marketization and rule of law, and abandon profit-seeking and speculative tendencies. Accelerate the construction of the rule of law in the financial field, and use institutional rigidity to constrain various types of “pseudo-innovation” and “chaotic innovation.” Continue to deepen financial supply-side structural reform, precisely match the diversified needs of real economic development in terms of structure, quality, and efficiency. Steadily promote high-level financial opening up, adhere to the matching of the pace of opening up with regulatory capacity, match the degree of opening up with the level of risk prevention and control, and improve the facilitation level of trade and investment financing. Improve the regulatory system for new financial product management and innovation error correction, and integrate risk prevention and control throughout the entire process of financial institutional policy design. Adhere to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, adapting measures to local conditions, closely follow the orientation of the times and regional characteristics to steadily advance financial innovation, and strictly prevent behaviors that circumvent regulation in the name of innovation.

Firmly establish a safety bottom-line thinking, making financial risk prevention and control guarantees more powerful. We must break the one-sided development thinking that emphasizes development while neglecting risk prevention and control, fully implement institutional regulation, behavioral regulation, functional regulation, look-through regulation, and continuous regulation, and promote risk governance from post-event handling to source prevention and control. Continue to leverage the role of the inter-ministerial joint conference on preventing and combating illegal financial activities, resolutely investigate and punish a number of typical cases, expose illegal entities, form a strong deterrent, and resolutely guard the people’s “money bags.” Nurture a financial culture of soundness, prudence, and legal compliance, and seriously pursue accountability for illegal and irregular behaviors that induce risks. Keep a close eye on external variables such as international macro situations, geopolitical situations, and financial market fluctuations, improve normalized monitoring, dynamic judgment, and trend early warning mechanisms, continuously strengthen the barrier against external input financial risks, and firmly hold the bottom line of preventing systemic financial risks.

(Joint investigation by the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission)

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Deeply Rectify "Involution-Style" Competition to Foster a Sound Market Environment

By: 罗 文

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Thoroughly rectify ‘involution-style competition’ (内卷式竞争) and foster a sound market ecosystem.” This year’s Government Work Report proposes, “Strengthen antitrust and anti-unfair competition, reinforce the rigid constraints of fair competition review (公平竞争审查), comprehensively employ means such as production capacity regulation, standard guidance, price enforcement, and quality supervision, and thoroughly rectify ‘involution-style competition.’” Market regulation departments must resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, adhere to a systemic perspective and rule-of-law thinking, continuously explore effective measures to rectify involution-style competition in practice, and strive to form a market order of high quality at high prices and healthy competition, so as to contribute greater market regulatory strength to promoting industrial quality upgrading and high-quality development.

Deeply understand the great significance of thoroughly rectifying ‘involution-style’ competition

Thoroughly rectifying involution-style competition is an inevitable requirement for implementing the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee to accelerate the construction of a unified national market (全国统一大市场) and promote high-quality development. It has important and far-reaching significance for guiding market competition onto a healthy track from “competing on price” to “competing on quality and innovation,” and for clearing the key bottlenecks that restrict the enhancement of quality and efficiency in the real economy and the unimpeded flow of domestic circulation.

An inherent requirement for fully stimulating the vitality of all types of business entities. Currently, involution-style competition has trapped some enterprises in a dilemma of low-price competition and meager profits, with innovation investment compressed, transformation space squeezed, and market vitality easily diminished in disorderly internal friction. In response to the vicious cycle of “the more involution, the weaker,” it must be rectified according to law, resolutely curbing low-price disorderly competition, effectively stimulating enterprises’ endogenous motivation to dare to invest, dare to innovate, and dare to expand markets, allowing those who keep faith, those with high quality, and those who innovate to stand out, so that various types of business entities can “百舸争流” (bǎi gě zhēng liú - “a hundred boats competing in the current,” fierce and competitive development) on a fair and orderly stage.

An urgent need to promote industrial quality upgrading and transformation. Building a modern industrial system and achieving an overall leap in the industrial system are important strategic tasks during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Involution-style competition has mired some industries in the quagmire of extensive competition of “scrambling for scale and market share,” where overcapacity coexists with a lack of innovation, and a large amount of resources is locked into low-end links. In response to the low-end lock-in predicament, market-oriented and law-based means must be used to guide resources to concentrate in high-efficiency, high-quality, and high-value-added fields, creating development space for new technologies, new models, and new business forms, promoting the industrial system to leap toward high-end, intelligent, and green development, and providing solid industrial support for accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces (新质生产力).

An important measure to consolidate the foundation of a strong domestic market. Forming a strong domestic market is an important support for constructing a new development pattern. Currently, involution-style competition in some industries appears on the surface as low-price and low-quality internal friction, but the deep-seated crux is closely intertwined with local protection and market fragmentation. Some localities illegally create various overt and covert barriers, distorting market signals and also discounting the scale effect and competitive vitality of the domestic market. In response to improper administrative interference in market operations, forceful measures must be taken to regulate it, resolutely breaking through the sticking points and bottlenecks hindering the construction of a unified national market, and transforming the advantage of a super-large market into a powerful development impetus.

A strategic choice to shape new advantages in international competition and cooperation. Currently, Chinese enterprises going abroad are ushering in an unprecedented period of strategic opportunity, but a tendency of “externalizing involution” has also emerged in some industries. Some enterprises extend their homogeneous, price-competitive low-end competition strategies to the international market, which not only compresses their own profit margins but also easily triggers trade frictions and impacts the overall image of “Made in China.” In response to the problem of “externalizing involution,” it is necessary to cut off the transmission chain of low quality and low price from the source, prevent disorderly going abroad and malicious price bidding, and guide enterprises to build new international competitive advantages through technology, quality, and brand.

Accurately grasp the risks and challenges faced in thoroughly rectifying ‘involution-style’ competition

Currently, through the joint efforts of all parties, the effectiveness of rectifying involution-style competition is continuously emerging, and the competitive ecology in key industries is steadily improving. However, the problem of involution-style competition in some industries remains prominent, with new variants and covert operations appearing in certain fields, which can easily trigger a new round of risks.

The forms and means of ‘involution’ are becoming more covert and complex. Some enterprises have shifted to more covert disguised price reduction methods, shifting cost pressures up and down the industrial chain by extending payment periods, compressing supplier profits, adding rebate assessments, and strengthening channel control. Some enterprises, in order to maintain profits, adopt measures such as reducing quality and stripping features to “covertly reduce costs,” transmitting related risks to product quality, contract performance quality, and after-sales service quality; some platforms have seen a decrease in explicit commission ratios, but methods of “covert commission” are being updated, using bundled promotions, traffic tilting, algorithm sorting, and other means to shift their own operating costs and risks outward, disrupting the order of market competition.

There is a deviation in the role played by industry associations and chambers of commerce. The key for industry organizations to guide enterprises toward healthy competition lies in drawing a clear boundary between lawful self-discipline and illegal monopolization. “Anti-involution” does not mean “anti-competition”; it means correcting, according to law, vicious competition that violates legal provisions, disrupts the order of the market economy, and harms high-quality development. Some industry associations misinterpret the original intent of “anti-involution” governance, using the guise of resolving overcapacity, industry solidarity for mutual warmth, and enterprise compliance self-discipline to implement price cartels, market segmentation, and production capacity coordination. “Anti-involution” must be conducted on the track of the rule of law; no industry association or business entity may use the name of “anti-involution” to engage in monopolistic practices and cross the bottom line of fair competition law.

In addition, driven by the development inertia of “comparing policies, comparing subsidies, comparing resources,” some local governments have “deformed” their implementation of national industrial policies, alienating government investment funds into tools for disguised subsidies and falling into the new misconception of “replacing subsidies with investment.” Some “zombie enterprises” that should have withdrawn from the market remain alive but stagnant with the support of local financial institutions; some local industrial parks are “a thousand parks with one face,” clustering in layouts on hot-track sectors; some localities still maintain orientations toward investment scale, project quantity, and tax source increments, causing enterprises to blindly expand production, scramble for projects, and compete in subsidies.

Solidly promote greater results in thoroughly rectifying ‘involution-style’ competition

Thoroughly rectifying involution-style competition is both a tough battle and a protracted war. Market regulation departments must conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, adhere to law-based governance, make good use of the legal “toolbox,” and deliver a regulatory “combination punch,” effectively purifying the market competition ecology, and accelerating the formation of a market order of high quality at high prices and healthy competition.

Improve the institutional system for regulating ‘involution.’ Accelerate the revision of the Price Law, improve supporting rules such as industry cost investigations and halting low-price dumping; promote the amendment of the E-Commerce Law, clearly define the main responsibilities of various platform enterprises according to law, and accelerate the improvement of governance rules for emerging fields and new types of monopolistic practices, so as to better protect the lawful rights and interests of all parties. Improve systems such as quality safety risk management, supervision and random inspection, and defect recall; revise the implementation rules for compulsory certification of key products such as automobiles and power banks; continuously enrich policy measures in areas such as quality brand building and product quality grading, and promote the improvement of product and service quality in key industries.

Legally punish illegal acts of ‘involution.’ Carry out special actions such as cracking down on inferior low-price products and antitrust law enforcement to protect enterprises; strengthen the investigation and handling of monopoly cases in key areas; intensify efforts to rectify behaviors that create illusions of low prices and mislead consumers through means such as “fixed prices” and “flash sale prices.” Conduct cost investigations and price inspections according to law, and strictly handle enterprises that take the lead in ultra-low-price bidding or illegally engage in dumping. Increase the intensity of random product quality supervision and inspection, raise the proportion of inspections in key areas, and resolutely correct problems of low quality and counterfeit goods. Strengthen the validity random inspection of compulsory certification and the supervision and inspection of certification institutions; carry out joint law enforcement actions to “crack down on counterfeits and clean up the source” in the traditional craft market, as well as comprehensive governance of “small, scattered, and weak” inspection and testing institutions, and vigorously rectify industry chaos.

Carry out comprehensive governance of platform ‘involution.’ Investigate and punish, according to law, platform enterprises that use means such as search rankings, user reviews, algorithm control, and traffic restrictions to force or covertly force merchants on the platform to sell goods at prices below cost; vigorously rectify problems such as false rankings, false reviews in online evaluations, and illegal advertisements; continuously regulate promotional subsidy behaviors on food delivery platforms. Supervise and urge the implementation of the Rules on Price Behavior of Internet Platforms; investigate and punish price fraud behaviors such as first raising prices then offering discounts and false price comparisons according to law. Investigate and handle monopoly cases in the platform economy according to law, and strengthen the review of concentrations of business operators. Carry out special actions to implement the obligation of verifying and registering merchants settled on online trading platforms; rectify prominent issues such as platforms failing to fulfill legal obligations.

Regulate local governments’ economic promotion behaviors. Revise the Implementing Rules for the Regulations on Fair Competition Review; further improve review rules and mechanisms; strengthen supervision and constraints such as reporting, random inspection, and supervision. Organize special actions to break through sticking points and bottlenecks hindering the unified market and fair competition; focus on correcting typical problems such as hindering fair access and independent operation of enterprises, restricting the free flow of commodity factors, different treatment in qualification recognition based on internal/external distinctions, and improperly implementing credit evaluation to set up implicit barriers in bidding; comprehensively use means such as law enforcement interviews, administrative recommendations, and disciplinary inspection convergence (行纪衔接) to strengthen hard constraints; investigate and handle a number of major cases according to law; promote the abolition and revision of a number of policies and measures that hinder the unified market and fair competition; publicly expose a number of typical cases; and accelerate the introduction of a number of institutional mechanisms.

Support enterprises in improving the level of healthy competition. Strengthen competition compliance services to assist enterprises; promote industry associations to strengthen self-discipline according to law; guide enterprises to respond to major overseas antitrust risks. Improve the regular communication mechanism between government and enterprises; hold a fair competition policy publicity week and a national fair competition conference. Fully leverage the supporting role of quality and the guiding role of standards; deeply implement quality chain-strengthening actions (质量强链行动) for key industrial chains such as brain-computer interfaces; establish mechanisms for internal notification and external disclosure of quality information; accelerate the release of national standards in key areas; deeply implement the Standard Internationalization Leap Project (标准国际化跃升工程); and use multiple measures to promote the upgrading of product and service quality.

(The author is the Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation (国家市场监督管理总局).)

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Vacant Land at Doorstep Yields Fruits of Prosperity

By: 本报记者 王明峰

In July, the early-maturing cuiguan pears in Yunshan Town, Cangxi County, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province entered the full harvest period. "The weather is good this year, management and protection have kept up, the pears are uniform in size and high in sweetness." At 6 a.m., Wen Dugang (文笃刚), a villager of Shuangpai Village (双牌村) in Yunshan Town, moved through his own pear orchard with a bamboo basket on his back, gently twisting the fruit stems, and one by one the plump, round cuiguan pears were picked and steadily placed into the basket.

Entering Wen Dugang's home, a neat and elegant ecological courtyard came into view. In front of and behind the house, pear trees were laden with fruit; grapevines and kiwifruit vines climbed over trellises and fences; at the base of the walls, cucumbers and cowpeas scrambled upward along bamboo poles; chickens and ducks paced under the fruit trees foraging; and along the edges of the courtyard, bougainvillea and hydrangea were in full bloom.

Turning on the integrated water-and-fertilizer spray irrigation system, a fine mist of water fell evenly. This recycling system uses biogas digesters, septic tanks, and the like to treat livestock and poultry manure and domestic wastewater; the treated slurry can be used not only to irrigate the plants in the courtyard but also to irrigate the surrounding orchards, realizing the reuse of livestock manure and water resources.

The transformation of the courtyard is a vivid microcosm of the vigorous development of the courtyard economy (庭院经济) in Cangxi County (苍溪县) and its contribution to the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. In the 1980s, local villagers revitalized the spaces in front of and behind their houses, idle slopes, and marginal vacant lands, adapting to local conditions to develop planting and breeding. Small orchards, small mulberry gardens, small tea gardens, small fish ponds, small medicinal herb gardens, and the like emerged, helping to develop local industries.

The idle land at the doorstep bears fruit that brings wealth. Today, over 2,000 farming households in Yunshan Town have achieved ecological courtyard planting and breeding and diversified income increases. The scattered farmhouse courtyards are linked point to line, connected in patches to form a landscape, and clustered together to form a scaled industrial cluster.

Based on the mature experience of Yunshan Town, Cangxi County has replicated and promoted the model across the entire county, with innovations and breakthroughs at multiple points. The scattered courtyard resources of Cangxi County have been linked point to chain, integrated and upgraded in quality, steadily iterating and upgrading toward standardization and branding.

"Use large parks to set benchmarks, small courtyards to expand increments; rely on large growers and breeders to transmit technology and lead farming households; deeply tap the potential of the courtyard economy so that characteristic industries can stabilize and their benefits can be raised," introduced Zhang Kaibo (张开波), Party branch secretary of Foshan Community (佛山社区), Tingzi Town (亭子镇), Cangxi County.

Tingzi Town, where Foshan Community is located, relies on the 8,000-mu Tingzi Lake Modern Agricultural Park to build a distinctive development pattern of "large parks pulling, small courtyards supporting." The park grows red-fleshed kiwifruit (红心猕猴桃) and Cangxi snow pear (苍溪雪梨) in contiguous scaled planting, and is equipped with smart planting, cold-chain storage, and e-commerce marketing supporting facilities.

Agricultural production is smarter and more efficient. Inside the park, Luo Jie (罗杰), a young returnee entrepreneur, has built a 180-mu standardized kiwifruit orchard, promoting integrated water and fertilizer and green organic planting models, setting up a professional e-commerce operations team, and opening up sales channels.

Developing the courtyard economy has diversified the rural business forms. In Sanhui Village (三会村), Wulong Town (五龙镇), Cangxi County, the micro-renovation of sewage, the improvement of sanitary toilets, courtyard renovation, and industrial upgrading are deeply integrated, achieving a win-win situation for ecological livability and industrial income growth. In Sunzigou Village (笋子沟村), Lingjiang Town (陵江镇), Cangxi County, courtyard planting and breeding are combined with rural leisure and cultural tourism formats, attracting young people to return to their hometowns and start businesses.

With the industrial foundation solid, sales channels must also be opened. In Yunshan Town, the sorting and storage center and village-level e-commerce stations operate efficiently, and local livestreamers use the "Yunshanba" (运山坝) regional public brand to sell goods via the cloud. Fresh fruits such as cuiguan pears and kiwifruit go directly from the farmhouse courtyard to the consumer's table.

Taking Yunshan Town as a model, the various townships of Cangxi County, adapting to local conditions and pursuing differentiated development, break the single model of the courtyard and transform toward models such as agricultural-tourism integration and e-commerce direct sales, making the courtyard economy a new engine for stable income increases for the masses.

As of now, Cangxi County has actively laid out the e-commerce livestreaming industry chain, implemented the "one village one livestreamer" (一村一主播) project, built incubation bases and a rural thousand-livestreamer alliance (乡村千播联盟), and cultivated a total of 473 local livestreamers. All 31 townships have set up courtyard livestreaming rooms (院坝直播间), linked with leading platforms to carry out cross-regional livestreaming, bringing local specialty products to the whole country.

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2026 Central Fiscal Support for Inclusive Finance Development Demonstration Zones List Released

This newspaper, Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Qu Zhehan (曲哲涵)) The Ministry of Finance (财政部) recently published the 2026 list of central-government-financed demonstration zones for the development of inclusive finance, requiring all localities to effectively strengthen high-quality financial services for major strategies, key fields, and weak links, to focus on financial services for small and micro enterprises and private enterprises, to do a good job supporting first loans, credit loans, and medium-to-long-term loans, to promote the realization of stable placement, optimized structure, enhanced quality, and sustainability, to solidly do a good job on the great article of inclusive finance, and to effectively enhance the sense of access to financial services for the people and for business entities.

The Ministry of Finance requires that provincial-level finance departments strengthen coordination and linkage with branches of the People’s Bank of China, dispatched offices of the National Financial Regulatory Administration (金融监管总局), local financial regulatory bodies, and relevant financial institutions; guide the inclusive finance development demonstration zones to make coordinated and good use of central government reward and subsidy funds; improve the quality and effectiveness of work in areas such as loan interest subsidies, financing guarantees, risk compensation, and capital replenishment; ensure compatibility with the package of policies for fiscal and financial coordination to boost domestic demand; and strengthen the stacking of synergies. Finance departments in the inclusive finance development demonstration zones should focus on key areas such as private investment, technological innovation, and household consumption; increase efforts to support the financing of small and micro enterprises; help expand investment, promote consumption, and stabilize employment; and guide more financial resources and social capital into the construction of inclusive finance development demonstration zones. The list of inclusive finance development demonstration zones is available on the Ministry of Finance website.

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Photo Report

On July 16, in a robot 6S store in Baohe District (包河区), Hefei City, Anhui Province, staff were performing maintenance and inspection on a humanoid robot. This store focuses on robot sales, rental, after-sales service, repair, data collection, and information services, building a multi-scenario service platform. The continuously updated robot 6S stores not only accelerate the implementation of scenario applications but also further support the development of related regional industrial chains. Photo by Cheng Zhao (程兆) (Image China (影像中国)).

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Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Jointly Release Carbon Inclusion Standard for Switching Small Passenger Cars from Gasoline to Electric

Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Pan Junqiang (潘俊强)) — Recently, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region simultaneously released the regional coordinated local standard "Technical Specification for Emission Reduction Accounting of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Carbon Inclusion (碳普惠) Projects — Oil-to-Electric Passenger Vehicles" (京津冀碳普惠项目减排量核算技术规范 油改电小客车). This standard unifies the accounting rules for carbon emission reductions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, transforming green travel into carbon assets that can be accounted, traded, and incentivized, guiding the entire public to participate in low-carbon transformation.

The standard adheres to scientific norms and convenience for the people, focusing on two common scenarios — purchasing a pure electric vehicle with a gasoline vehicle quota and replacing a gasoline vehicle with a pure electric vehicle — improving the whole-process management of carbon inclusion, conducting accounting through real-time vehicle monitoring data, and setting correction coefficients based on differences in traffic policies to ensure fair and rigorous accounting. According to estimates, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 kilometers, a passenger vehicle switching from oil to electricity can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.2 tons per year on average, with the rights and interests of the carbon emission reductions belonging to the vehicle owner, thereby making low-carbon choices have tangible incentives.

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Further Facilitating Tax Refund Services for Outbound Travelers

Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Wang Guan (王观)) — The State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局) recently issued a notice clarifying multiple measures to further facilitate departure tax refund services for overseas travelers and standardize business processing.

The notice specifies that the State Taxation Administration will actively promote the intelligent upgrade of departure tax refund services, realizing the online electronic information transfer of departure tax refund application forms and tax refund item sales invoices, and supporting paperless processing of the entire departure tax refund process. To promote cross-regional processing of the "buy now, refund now" (即买即退) scheme, on the premise of controllable risk, compliant business, and consensus reached among cross-regional agencies, the State Taxation Administration will optimize the "buy now, refund now" business process through information system configuration, supporting agencies to conduct online review of tax refunds after stores issue application forms.

Effective from September 1, 2026, when tax refund stores issue "buy now, refund now" application forms, they may upload valid identity documents of overseas travelers, and the agency at the issuance location shall complete the online review of departure tax refund materials; the agency at the departure location shall verify the identity information of the overseas traveler and complete the tax refund according to current regulations.

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Photo Report

Recently, workers on the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project (引江补汉工程) have been maintaining and repairing a hard rock tunnel boring machine. The Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project has a total length of approximately 194.7 kilometers, with an average annual water transfer volume of 3.9 billion cubic meters. Once the project is completed, it can substantially enhance the water supply capacity and reliability of the first phase of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, as well as the water resource allocation capacity of the Hanjiang River basin and the region, and create conditions for the Han-to-Wei River Water Diversion Project to achieve its long-term water transfer scale. Photo by Li Xianming (李先明).

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New Opportunities in the Crayfish Industry Behind Price Drops (Caifu Youyan)

By: 人民网记者 方经纶

Recently, on food delivery platforms, crayfish set meals such as "99 yuan for 30" and "83 yuan for 3 jin" have frequently appeared. As an important category in the summer late-night snack market, why have crayfish prices dropped? A reporter recently conducted field research and found that weather and production volume are the two main reasons.

Weather is an important short-term trigger. "This year, the weather has been relatively warm, crayfish grow quickly, and the concentrated market season has arrived nearly a month earlier than in previous years." At the Beijing Jingshen Seafood Market, Zeng Wei, a merchant with 16 years of experience, told reporters that this year, the crayfish market season arrived early; however, market demand did not expand correspondingly, and prices once hit lows not seen in recent years.

Data from the Beijing Xinfadi official website shows that on April 1 this year, the highest wholesale prices for small and large crayfish were 18 yuan per jin and 23 yuan per jin, respectively, while during the same period last year, they were 28 yuan per jin and 48 yuan per jin.

Zeng Wei explained that entering July, the wholesale unit price of crayfish is gradually recovering, but overall, it remains lower than prices for the same period in previous years. However, with the large production volume of crayfish now, coupled with the popularization of off-season crayfish, consumers can eat fresh crayfish all year round, and his own business model has also shifted from single-season sales to year-round operations.

The continuous expansion of crayfish production over the years is one of the deeper reasons for the price drop. In 2025, the national crayfish farming output has achieved significant growth compared to 2015, with a farming area of approximately 30 million mu. But at the same time, the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (中国水产流通与加工协会) analyzed that since 2023, the industry has entered an adjustment period, facing issues such as a slowdown in the growth rate of farming area, unstable returns, and an imbalance between supply and demand.

In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) issued the "Notice on Steadily Promoting the High-Quality Development of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming" (关于稳步推进稻渔综合种养产业高质量发展的通知), proposing that "rice-crayfish production areas should increase the promotion of the separation model of crayfish breeding and rearing, and the selection and breeding of improved varieties." Facing the new situation, various regions are exploring pathways to break through the deadlock from three aspects.

Play the "four-season card" well. Data shows that in 2025, the increase in crayfish farming area is mainly concentrated in non-major production areas such as Sichuan, Hainan, and Heilongjiang. These regions, relying on their resource endowments, are developing farming techniques suited to local characteristics to achieve staggered market entry.

Take the "technology route" well. China's independently bred new crayfish variety, "Xuyi No. 1" (盱眙1号), under the same farming conditions, has a harvest weight after 50 days of farming that is more than 18% higher than that of conventional seedlings. Local areas have also innovated farming methods, transporting "Xuyi No. 1" seedlings to Hainan for winter cultivation and overwintering, and then shipping the mature crayfish back to Xuyi, Jiangsu for market sale. At the same time, new technologies are also entering the ponds. Chuzhou, Anhui, is promoting "Internet of Things + Artificial Intelligence" smart farming technology, using underwater sensors to monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen, etc., in real time. While achieving precise management, this reduces the average cost per mu by over 200 yuan.

Broaden the industrial chain. Qianjiang, Hubei, is targeting the deep processing track of crayfish chitin, innovatively developing high-value-added products such as health products and cosmetics. As of May 2025, the area has gathered 48 crayfish processing enterprises above the designated size, with an annual processing output value of 27 billion yuan, opening up new growth space for the industry.

Crayfish, a big industry. As farming technology, deep processing, and policy support work in tandem, this summer "internet-famous" delicacy is swimming a path toward 长红 (cháng hóng - "long-lasting popularity," sustained success).

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Nationwide pre-litigation mediation cases up over 80% year-on-year

Our newspaper Beijing, July 16 (electric) (Reporter Wei Zhezhe (魏哲哲)) The Supreme People’s Court on the 16th announced the main data on judicial adjudication work for the first half of 2026. The data show that in the first half of this year, people’s courts accepted a total of 21.3165 million cases of various types, a year-on-year increase of 1.15%. Among them, 730,000 criminal cases were accepted, a year-on-year decrease of 5.82%; 13.6269 million civil and commercial cases, a year-on-year decrease of 1.32%; 405,500 administrative cases, a year-on-year increase of 6.41%; and 6.1767 million enforcement cases, a year-on-year increase of 10.12%.

According to the introduction, all the trial quality management indicators that reflect trial quality, efficiency, and effect and have reasonable interval reference values reached the reasonable interval, and the overall trial quality and efficiency continued to improve. Among them, the second-instance trial rate increased by 2.09 percentage points year-on-year, and the civil mediation and withdrawal rate increased by 3.87 percentage points year-on-year. As of the end of June, the number of cases pending trial for more than three years in courts nationwide decreased by 23.99% year-on-year, and the work of clearing long-pending cases achieved notable results.

People’s courts fully integrated into the standardized construction of comprehensive governance centers (综治中心), helping to resolve a large number of disputes and conflicts in a “one-stop” manner at comprehensive governance centers. As of the end of June, grassroots people’s courts nationwide had connected with 25,700 township (subdistrict) comprehensive governance centers, effectively leveraging the professional advantages of courts to substantively resolve disputes and conflicts locally. The quality and efficiency of advance mediation work continued to improve; courts nationwide successfully mediated 2.7081 million cases of various types through advance mediation, 1.81 times the number in the same period last year.

In the area of criminal case adjudication, people’s courts accepted 471,000 first-instance criminal cases, a year-on-year decrease of 11.18%, and sentenced 634,400 effective defendants, a year-on-year decrease of 10.11%. People’s courts actively promoted the improvement of social governance by publishing typical cases and issuing judicial recommendations. For example, a court in a certain location in Heilongjiang, during the trial of a child trafficking case, issued a judicial recommendation to the hospital involved regarding the regulation of the issuance and management of birth medical certificates, effectively promoting crime prevention and source governance. In the first half of the year, 135 first-instance cases of the crime of trafficking women and children were accepted, a year-on-year decrease of 39.46%. Adhering to the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the criminal policy of combining leniency with severity (宽严相济刑事政策), the courts strictly and severely punished the crime of trafficking women and children in accordance with the law, and resolutely imposed heavy sentences in accordance with the law on the ringleaders of trafficking criminal groups and on criminals who had serious circumstances such as forcibly taking children, raping trafficked women, etc. The heavy sentencing rate (proportion of persons sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of five years or more) for crimes of trafficking women and children was 34.55 percentage points higher than the overall heavy sentencing rate for criminal cases.

In the first half of the year, people’s courts accepted 12.1795 million first-instance civil and commercial cases, a year-on-year decrease of 1.57%. They accepted 111,100 first-instance cases of disputes related to companies, a year-on-year increase of 14.78%. They accepted 250,600 first-instance intellectual property civil cases, a year-on-year decrease of 18.41%. They accepted 7,484 first-instance cases of unfair competition disputes, a year-on-year increase of 9.59%. By curbing monopolistic behavior, maintaining competition order, and protecting innovation vitality, they systematically safeguarded fair competition, optimized the business environment, and served the construction of a unified national market.

In the area of administrative case adjudication, people’s courts accepted 181,200 first-instance administrative cases, a year-on-year increase of 3.73%; accepted 109,300 cases of applying for enforcement review of non-litigation administrative acts, a year-on-year increase of 3.40%; and accepted 25,500 first-instance administrative cases on labor and social security management, a year-on-year increase of 11.19%. People’s courts strengthened the adjudication of administrative cases involving work-related injury determination, precisely responded to public concerns, lawfully and properly tried cases concerning advance payment by basic medical insurance funds, and timely and efficiently protected the legitimate rights and interests of the people.

In addition, people’s courts continued to deepen the reform of the enforcement system and mechanism, improved the modern enforcement system, standardized the operation of each enforcement link, and laid a solid foundation for enforcement work through standardization. They accepted 5.8379 million first-instance enforcement cases, a year-on-year increase of 9.90%. They accepted 2.9724 million preservation enforcement cases, a year-on-year increase of 8.68%. “Using preservation to promote enforcement” (以保促执) and “using preservation to promote mediation” (以保促调) became powerful means for resolving disputes and safeguarding rights. The enforcement completion rate was 40.86%, and the enforcement realization rate was 51.14%, both continuing to operate at a high level, so that the winning parties’ rights and interests were more solidly, better, and more promptly realized from “rights on paper” into 真金白银 (zhēn jīn bái yín - “real gold and white silver,” tangible money or real benefits).

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Cadre Performance Judged by Results

By: 本报记者 杨颜菲

"Wang Liping, final annual assessment score 104.77 points; Liu Tianlei, 97.07 points..." At the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Zhanggong District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, a distinctive annual work述职评议会 (work report and evaluation meeting) was underway.

On the stage, cadres delivered work reports without notes, laying bare their "family assets" and showcasing their actual achievements; below the stage, colleagues scored them on the spot. The host announced the scores immediately, making the rankings clear at a glance.

In the past, cadre performance assessments were often "scored based on impressions." Now, in Zhanggong District, "letting the facts speak" has become the norm.

Quantifying assessment standards transforms routine assessment from "scoring based on impressions" to "letting the facts speak"

"Now, please come to the stage in the order of the draw to deliver your work report without notes." As the host's voice fell, Wang Liping, Deputy Director of the General Office of the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, had already stepped onto the podium. Without a script, without clichés, she got straight to the point: "I am Wang Liping from the Bureau's General Office, tending to the three 'fields of responsibility' of financial accounting, personnel management, and daily affairs..."

Below the stage, the bureau's leadership team and all cadres listened attentively; some nodded frequently, others lowered their heads to assign scores. Twelve cadres took turns on stage, presenting their achievements and discussing their plans. Each person was limited to six minutes, and the content of the reports contained no empty talk or clichés—only solid, substantial "dry goods."

In the past, cadre assessments were imprecise. Some cadres would "ask the bureau chief for an 'excellent' rating"—refusing them would be embarrassing; granting it would make others dissatisfied. The end result was that working more or working less made no difference, and some simply chose to "lie flat" (tǎng píng - "lie flat," to give up and disengage).

How to solve this problem? Since 2024, the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has built the "Sunshine Human Resources and Social Security" (阳光人社) party-building brand, innovatively formulated a cadre performance assessment implementation method and a cadre recommendation system, promoted routine assessment for all personnel, simplified assessment procedures, and quantified assessment standards, transforming routine assessment from "scoring based on impressions" to "letting the facts speak." "It's different now. Whether it's members of the bureau's leadership team or ordinary cadres and staff, ultimately, excellence is determined by the scores," said Peng Hongyang, Director of the General Office of the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

How are the work report scores calculated? The cadre recommendation system uses a hundred-point scale. For section-level cadres, the routine assessment score accounts for 40%, and the annual work report score accounts for 60%; for ordinary cadres, the routine assessment score accounts for 50%, and the annual work report score accounts for 50%. Routine assessment sets a baseline score, with additions and deductions made according to the "Rectifying Work Style and Discipline in Human Resources and Social Security" (正风肃纪在人社) bulletin: those receiving commendations from higher authorities receive additions of 3, 2, 1.5, or 0.5 points depending on the level of the commending unit; those subjected to criticism through circulars have corresponding points deducted.

Work report scores are also weighted according to different positions. "For the work report scoring of section-level leaders, the main leader accounts for 30%, the heads of departments account for 40%, and other cadres account for 30%," Peng Hongyang said. For the work report scoring of ordinary cadres, members of the leadership team account for 60%, and other cadres account for 40%.

Establishing positive and negative lists, emphasizing the application of results, truly achieving "doing well and doing poorly are not the same"

Everyone is a "judge," and everyone is subject to evaluation. More critically, the work report is not a "going through the motions" (zǒu guò chǎng - "walk through the scene," to do something perfunctorily). Before the meeting, the unit mobilized and organized all leading cadres to sign up for the work report; those who did not sign up to participate in the work report could not participate in the annual selection of advanced individuals and models, nor could they passively receive an "excellent" rating. "For ordinary cadres, the one with the highest total score in the routine performance assessment is directly shortlisted as 'excellent'; everyone else must go on stage to deliver a work report and 'compete' (bǐ wǔ - "compare martial arts," to compete in skills). This forces everyone to show and display their 'family assets,'" Peng Hongyang said.

Assessment does not rely solely on a "single final decision" at the end of the year. "We have established positive and negative lists. By focusing on early, small, and daily matters, we objectively and fairly record each person's actual performance in work attitude, professional ability, fulfillment of duties, integrity and self-discipline, and work achievements," said Chi Linqing, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. The bureau holds a monthly meeting to report on rectifying work style and discipline. The leadership team members, the dispatched disciplinary inspection group, and the cadres involved meet face-to-face. The report cards are revealed, problems are laid out, and representatives are selected from both positive and negative sides to speak.

Chi Linqing himself has deep personal experience of this. As a member of the bureau's leadership team, he once had points deducted because a certain task was not promoted properly. "The 'rectifying work style and discipline' bulletin puts pressure not only on ordinary cadres but also on leadership team members. It makes me feel that supervision is right beside me, that I cannot slack off, and that I dare not slack off," Chi Linqing said.

Assessment scores are fed back quarterly, allowing all personnel to "know the gap, blush, and sweat" (zhī chājù, hóng hóng liǎn, chū chū hàn - "know the gap, redden the face, break out in a sweat," to feel shame and urgency). "Before, working more or less was the same; now, assessment must be determined by scores, linked to performance," Wang Liping frankly admitted. Her initiative and drive have gradually been ignited. Now, assessment results are not only linked to the selection of advanced individuals and models but also directly linked to year-end performance bonuses. Those rated as "unqualified" receive no performance bonus, and the results serve as an important basis for cadre appointment and job rotation. Since last year, the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has promoted 12 cadres in rank, newly appointed 13 cadres to department-head positions, and adjusted 6 people out of department-head roles, truly achieving "doing well and doing poorly are not the same."

Stimulating the enthusiasm for work, giving those who want to work a stage and those who can work a future

After the innovation of the cadre assessment mechanism, the cadres' spirit and energy have changed, and their enthusiasm for starting undertakings and working has increased significantly.

"Workers' rights protection channels are too singular, and information is not transparent." During a "Human Resources and Social Security Youth Talk" (人社青年说) activity in the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, young cadre Deng Wei, addressing the difficult problem of wage arrears handling, boldly put forward his own idea: "Could we launch a mini-program that allows workers to scan a QR code with their phones to register their rights protection information?" This suggestion was quickly adopted by the bureau after collective "consultation" (huì zhěn - "joint consultation," collective discussion and diagnosis) and was transformed into the working concept of the "Zhanggong Wage Security Code" (章贡安薪码). In September 2025, the "Wage Security Code" was officially promoted locally.

The design is extremely simple, and the operation is convenient—workers only need to select their work field, fill in the wage arrears situation, and upload evidence, then submit it with one click. The backend intelligently distributes and transfers cases; simple cases are resolved within 72 hours, progress can be checked in real-time, and the entire process is transparent. Now, the "Wage Security Code" covers all construction project sites in the area, 10 town-street convenience service centers, and 118 key enterprises. Deng Wei, who identified this issue and proposed the suggestion, also received bonus points in his assessment for this suggestion.

From "fearing the stage" to "vying for the stage," from "it's good enough" to "I want to do something outstanding," the team's appearance has been completely renewed. "We set different weights for evaluation, which both realistically assesses cadres' daily performance and prevents a few people from having the final say on who is good or bad," said Zeng Xiansheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Zhanggong District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. Through party-building leadership, sunshine assessment, and precise incentives, those who want to work are given a stage, and those who can work are given a future, stimulating cadres' enthusiasm and pioneering spirit for starting undertakings and working.

"This mechanism has installed 'piercing eyes' (huǒ yǎn jīn jīng - "fiery eyes and golden pupils," discerning and sharp-sighted) on cadre assessment, creating 'precise portraits' of leading cadres, transforming qualitative evaluations into quantitative competition, letting facts speak and making scores convincing," said Mu Weishu, Deputy Minister in charge of daily work of the Organization Department of the Zhanggong District Committee. He stated that using institutional rigidity to constrain human interference has explored an effective method for "how to evaluate excellence and how to assess cadres," providing a replicable and promotable practical model for all units in the district to solve assessment difficulties. Currently, this experience and practice have been promoted and applied in over ten units in Zhanggong District, including Zhangjiang Subdistrict and Shashi Town.

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Solidify systems, make assessments genuine (Editor's Notes)

By: 徐雷鹏

Cadre assessment is the baton for selecting and appointing personnel, and also the touchstone for testing responsibility and performance. But in a few localities, cadre assessment “scores based on impressions,” “evaluates excellence based on personal connections,” with vague assessment standards, opaque processes, and weak application of results, leading to “the same reward whether one does more or less,” and also causing some cadres to develop a “lying flat (躺平)” mentality.

The root of this predicament lies in excessive institutional flexibility and excessive interference from personal connections, causing the assessment to lose its due credibility and guiding force. Zhanggong District’s (章贡区) exploration has quantified and refined assessment indicators, making work reports public on the platform and scores visible in the open. It shifts cadre assessment from “scoring based on people” to “evaluating based on tasks,” from subjective judgment to objective measurement.

When “excellent” is no longer obtained through “running and begging,” and when public ranking becomes the norm, “going to leaders to ask for advanced status” loses its soil for survival. More importantly, assessment results are linked to evaluation for excellence, performance rewards and punishments, and cadre appointments, truly letting the system have the final say and letting actual performance speak, thereby effectively establishing a clear orientation of “the capable ascend, the excellent are rewarded, the mediocre step down, the inferior are eliminated (能者上、优者奖、庸者下、劣者汰).”

The change in assessment is essentially a change in work style. By making the system solid, making the assessment genuine, and judging heroes by actual performance, can the endogenous driving force of the cadre team be truly activated.

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Photo Report

On July 16, in the rural library of Dongmenhe Village (东门河村), Qingquan Town (清泉镇), Xishui County (浠水县), Huanggang City, Hubei Province, elderly people played chess, children watched, and old and young enjoyed together. In recent years, Dongmenhe Village has continuously revitalized the library's resources, focusing on the two major needs of leisure and health care for the elderly and after-school care for minors, allowing the fragrance of books to permeate the countryside, and letting the new trend of civilization continue to flow in the library. Photo by Wang Jiang (王江) (Image China (影像中国)).

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Xinjiang's Luntai County leverages historical and cultural resources to empower cultural tourism development

Urumqi, July 16 (this newspaper) — (Reporter Li Yanan (李亚楠)) “I visited the Xiyu Duhufu Museum (西域都护府博物馆) with my classmates, experienced AI (artificial intelligence) photo-taking and so on, and also participated in trendy quiz games. This let us both learn historical knowledge and feel the charm of history,” said Sun Zhaotian (孙照添), a study tour student from Urumqi, Xinjiang.

During the summer vacation, relying on historical and cultural resources and well-developed cultural tourism supporting facilities, the cultural and museum venues in Luntai County (轮台县), Xinjiang, have ushered in a summer visit and study tour craze. The Xiyu Duhufu Museum, constructed by China State Construction Xinjiang Construction Engineering (中建新疆建工), with its unique architectural style, wonderful exhibition displays, and smart cultural museum experience, has been favored by tourists and parent-child families, becoming a popular check-in spot.

“The 463 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics displayed in the venue have considerable historical value. Relying on modern technological means such as digital exhibitions, light and shadow restoration, and scene replication, they vividly recreate the profound history in an all-round and three-dimensional manner,” introduced Chen Lei (陈磊), the chief designer of the Xiyu Duhufu Museum venue.

This summer, the Xiyu Duhufu Museum has fully utilized its function as a primary and secondary school study tour practice education base, crafted historical and cultural study tour courses for the youth demographic, and launched activities such as intangible cultural heritage special small classes, allowing children to touch history during visits. At the same time, it regularly carries out people-benefiting activities such as free guided tours and public cultural experiences, and introduces exclusive consumption discounts for students and the elderly, assisting the high-quality development of local cultural tourism.

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Heilongjiang ports record 32.3% year-on-year increase in inbound and outbound travelers.

Harbin, July 16 (Reporters Liu Mengdan (刘梦丹)) — As policies such as the mutual visa exemption for ordinary passports between China and Russia (中俄普通护照双向互免签证) and the 240-hour transit visa exemption (240小时过境免签) have taken effect and delivered results, the vitality of opening up at border ports along Heilongjiang Province has been fully activated, and the intensity of cross-border exchanges has risen steadily. The reporter learned from the Heilongjiang General Station of Exit and Entry Border Inspection (黑龙江出入境边防检查总站) that in the first half of this year, the ports in Heilongjiang Province cumulatively inspected more than 1.52 million person-times of inbound and outbound personnel and more than 247,000 vehicle (aircraft, train, vessel) trips, up 32.3% and 36.2% year-on-year respectively, with both cross-border personnel movements and customs clearance traffic achieving double growth.

From the perspective of the composition of inbound and outbound personnel, in the first half of the year, mainland residents in the province had 767,000 person-times of entry and exit, up 9.34% year-on-year; foreigners had 753,000 person-times of entry and exit, up 68.35% year-on-year. Among them, visa-free foreign entries accounted for 82.2% of total foreign entries, becoming the core incremental growth engine driving overall port passenger flow. Large numbers of foreign tourists and business visitors have traveled deep into the hinterland of Heilongjiang Province, embarking on long-term itineraries such as health and wellness stays, cultural tourism and study tours, and business negotiations.

To further amplify the advantages of opening up, the Heilongjiang General Station of Exit and Entry Border Inspection has optimized and implemented seven measures to serve high-level port opening, introducing an integrated service of “rapid customs clearance + license issuance”; at the same time, jointly with multiple departments such as culture and tourism, commerce, and foreign affairs, it is coordinating efforts to refine and implement the supporting guarantee plan for the mutual visa exemption for ordinary passports between China and Russia, comprehensively empowering personnel exchanges, cultural and tourism connectivity, and economic and trade complementarity between China and Russia to reach a higher level.

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Frontline forces deployed to solve problems through coordination

HANGZHOU, July 16 (Reporter Dou Hao) — In the Jiubao Subdistrict of Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, delivery rider Ye Yu, while making deliveries in the Jiuhemei Happy Block, noticed that a section of non-motor vehicle lane fencing had been blown over by the wind, obstructing traffic. He immediately sent a message about the situation to the "Governance Companions" (治理同行人) WeChat group. Within less than ten minutes, the block's comprehensive management team members, along with community workers and nearby shop owners, arrived at the scene. They worked together to move the barrier aside, and the road returned to normal traffic flow.

The Jiuhemei Happy Block brings together three communities, ten residential compounds, four industrial parks, and 459 shops. In the past, each area was managed separately, leading to complex conflicts. In response to common pain points in block governance, such as difficulties in coordinating cross-district issues and low efficiency in handling them, Shangcheng District made comprehensive plans to improve the path of grassroots governance. It guided the Jiubao Subdistrict to establish the Jiuhemei Happy Block Party branch, integrating forces including Party member grid workers, shop operators, resident leaders, law enforcement personnel, and new employment groups, thereby constructing a new grassroots governance model of "block affairs discussed by the block, and merchants and residents co-existing in harmony."

With the mechanism established, governance became dynamic. Shangcheng District set up the "Block Affairs Assembly" (街事荟) platform for consultation and deliberation, and built a graded response mechanism for emergency rapid handling. Simple problems are resolved on the spot; neighborhood disputes are followed up by the block's Party organization; complex matters are coordinated by the subdistrict; and for specialized issues, the mechanism of "the block and alley whistle, the departments report for duty" (街巷吹哨、部门报到) is activated, driving law enforcement, market supervision, fire safety, and other forces to sink to the front line, working in tandem to solve difficult problems.

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"Iron Footboards" Walk the Streets and Enter Homes; "Cloud Brain" Improves Quality and Efficiency

By: 本报记者 尹晓宇

At 9 a.m., a message popped up on the digital big screen of the Comprehensive Governance Center (综合治理中心) of Xucheng Subdistrict (盱城街道), Xuyi County (盱眙县), Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province: "A streetlight at the entrance of Dongcheng International Community on Wenhua Road in Xinwan Community (新湾社区) is tilted, posing a safety hazard."

Shortly after, the streetlight was straightened, and nine process records appeared on the big screen — who took the order, how long it took to arrive, how it was repaired, whether the masses were satisfied, etc. "Even small matters concerning people's livelihood cannot be taken lightly; now, under the supervision and assistance of the system, they are being promoted and implemented 有条不紊 (yǒu tiáo bù wěn - "having order and not chaotic," methodically)," said Gao Yong (高勇), Director of the Political and Legal Affairs and Social Governance Office (政法和社会治理办) of Xucheng Subdistrict. In Xuyi, "problem discovery — report acceptance — classification and circulation — completion within a time limit — return visit and evaluation" has become a daily work routine.

What streets and towns can solve, they handle immediately; what they cannot solve, there is also the mechanism of "towns and streets blow the whistle, departments answer the whistle" (镇街吹哨、部门接哨).

In Yanhe Village (沿河村), Huaihe Town (淮河镇), Xuyi County, 8,000 mu of vegetable fields produce 40,000 tons of vegetables annually, yet they always experience "bumper harvest but not bumper income" (丰产不丰收). "This industry has long been plagued by low organizational level and poor sales channels, and has become a development bottleneck for Yanhe Village." During the large-scale visit to understand people's and village conditions in Yanhe Village, cadres from the Huaihe Town Comprehensive Governance Center received reports from villagers.

The Town Comprehensive Governance Center immediately "blew the whistle." The County Party Committee Party Building Office (县委党建办) and the County Comprehensive Governance Center (县综治中心) accepted the "dispatch order" at the first opportunity. Cadres from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau (农业农村局) promptly conducted research and made connections, ultimately facilitating the integration of Yanhe Village's vegetable industry into the County Lobster Industry Group's (县龙虾产业集团) "direct supply for campus meals" (校园餐直供) system. Over half a year, Yanhe Village sold 120 tons of vegetables, and the villagers' furrowed brows finally relaxed. Yin Ziyue (殷子越), Director of the Horticulture Station (园艺站) of the County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, introduced that after "answering the whistle," matters that could be resolved on the spot were resolved immediately; those that could not be resolved on the spot were resolved within seven working days; special difficult problems were submitted for special study.

"Digital technology not only helps with supervision and assessment, but also provides a 'global perspective' in the process of substantively solving difficult problems, while reducing multiple points of contact at the grassroots level, effectively reducing the burden on the grassroots," said Zheng Shaoyan (郑少彦), member of the Huaihe Town Party Committee and Organization Committee member.

"Huaihe Town is located in a flood storage and detention area. The sales channels for Yanhe Village's vegetables have been opened, but the fundamental problem of 'looking to the sky for the harvest' (望天收) has not yet been solved," introduced Zhao Muqing (赵穆清), Chairman of the Huaihe Town People's Congress. The County Water Affairs Bureau (县水务局) provided historical flood data, and the Town Agriculture and Industry Office (镇农工办) used this to guide farmers in optimizing planting seasons and areas.

No matter how clever the technology, it cannot replace "iron soles" (铁脚板). "Last week, Aunt Zhang reported that people were singing in the park next to the community at night, the noise was too loud and affected rest; the urban management department (城管部门) has been contacted to resolve it. Grid member Wang Xue discovered that the community greenery lacked effective maintenance and was a pity to see wasted; this week, community cadres have moved in, and the property management is pushing for implementation..." In the evening, Hou Xiaohua (侯小华), member of the Party Working Committee of Taihe Subdistrict (太和街道), Xuyi County, was conducting daily patrols and checking ledgers at a "community red sentry box" (小区红色岗亭) in her jurisdiction. She said: "Digital empowerment has improved response speed, while 'face-to-face' interaction supplements the warmth of service."

"Benefiting the people is the greatest political achievement. 'Iron soles' walk the streets and enter households; 'cloud brain' (云大脑) improves quality and efficiency," said Zhao Hui (赵慧), member of the Standing Committee of the Xuyi County Party Committee and Director of the Organization Department. This year, Xuyi will integrate data resources such as petitions and people's livelihood, comprehensively promote the model of "village and community report, towns and streets blow the whistle, departments report for duty" (村居报告、镇街吹哨、部门报到), regularly carry out the three-level (county, town, village) party members' "every village visited, every household entered, every person interviewed" (村村到、户户进、人人访), implement the quarterly joint meeting and resource sharing list system for units stationed in the area to participate in grassroots governance, and efficiently solve the people's urgent, difficult, worried, and desired problems (急难愁盼).

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Tianjin establishes 170 employment service stations

This newspaper, Tianjin, July 16 (Reporter Li Jiading (李家鼎)) — The reporter learned from the Tianjin Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (天津市人力资源和社会保障局) that as of July this year, Tianjin has built a total of 170 employment service stations (就业驿站), and the service effectiveness of grassroots public employment service positions has continued to become prominent.

In the construction of stations, Tianjin focuses on creating distinctive stations to achieve differentiated services. The city has built four types of stations adapted to local conditions: street and town stations, industrial park stations, station and commercial district stations, and university stations. Street and town stations focus on providing a safety net to assist employment-difficult groups; industrial park stations connect with industrial labor demand; station and commercial district stations serve migrant workers; university stations carry out targeted services exclusive to graduates, forming a precise, staggered service pattern. In terms of service models, each station continuously optimizes service processes and innovates service scenarios. In terms of brand cultivation, Tianjin deepens the "one station, one brand" (一站一品) construction, cultivating and forming a number of distinctive service brands such as "employment afternoon tea" (就业下午茶) and "one-stop gig work" (零工一站式), relying on characteristic industries to carry out precise employment assistance, and the brand demonstration effect continues to expand.

Tianjin's employment service stations have cumulatively served 225,700 person-times of the public and 22,300 enterprises, released 60,700 job positions, and organized 968 various types of recruitment events.

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Su Xianlong, Zhao Xiaoxi, Xu Leipeng

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3.64 Million College Graduates Selected Annually for Grassroots and Western Service

By: 本报记者 李林蔚

Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部), together with the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee (中央组织部), the Ministry of Education (教育部), the Ministry of Finance (财政部), the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部), the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委), the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林草局), the Communist Youth League Central Committee (共青团中央) and other departments, issued the Notice on Implementing the Fifth Round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" Plan for College Graduates (hereinafter referred to as the Notice), deciding to implement the fifth round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" (三支一扶) plan during 2026–2030. Centering on promoting youth growth and talent development, strengthening grassroots social governance, and assisting comprehensive rural revitalization, it will select and dispatch 36,400 college graduates each year to serve at the grassroots level and in the western regions, providing talent and intellectual support for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization, accelerating agricultural and rural modernization, enhancing grassroots social governance capacity, and assisting the development of border and ethnic minority areas.

A few days ago, the responsible comrade of the relevant department and bureau of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security answered reporters’ questions on issues related to the Notice.

Question: What is the background and consideration behind the issuance of the Notice?

Answer: The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to guiding and encouraging college graduates to work at the grassroots level. The "Three Supports and One Assistance" plan was launched in 2006, with each cycle lasting five years. Four rounds have been implemented, and a total of 640,000 college graduates have been recruited to serve at the grassroots level, playing a positive role in improving the structure of grassroots talent teams, promoting economic development, and enhancing social governance capacity.

The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical period for laying a solid foundation and making comprehensive efforts to basically realize socialist modernization. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan has made arrangements for accelerating agricultural and rural modernization and promoting high-quality full employment. Guiding and encouraging college graduates to work at the grassroots level is an important measure for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization, which is conducive to further expanding employment channels and better supporting young people to temper their will, grow, and become talented through grassroots practice. To implement the deployment of the 15th Five-Year Plan outline, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, in conjunction with relevant departments, implements the fifth round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" plan to better leverage the demonstration and leading role of grassroots service projects and guide more college graduates to 建功立业 (jiàn gōng lì yè - "build merits and establish careers," to achieve success and make contributions) at the grassroots level.

Question: Please introduce the overall considerations of the fifth round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" plan.

Answer: The fifth round of the "Three Supports and One Assistance" plan focuses on the main line of human resources development and utilization, centering on promoting youth growth and talent development, strengthening grassroots social governance, and assisting comprehensive rural revitalization. Taking improving service quality and efficiency as the key, innovating policy measures as the lever, and implementing treatment guarantees as the foundation, it strives to guide and encourage college graduates to flow to the frontline of the grassroots level, to display their talents and 建功立业 at the grassroots level, in the western regions, and in the places where the motherland needs them most.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, 36,400 college graduates will be recruited annually, and a cumulative total of approximately 182,000 college graduates will be sent to serve at the grassroots level. Localities will be encouraged to tap potential and expand posts based on actual conditions and appropriately increase the recruitment scale. Focus on key areas. Greater prominence will be given to fields such as agricultural and rural modernization, comprehensive rural revitalization, grassroots social governance, and livelihood guarantees. Support will be increased for nature reserves, state-owned forest farms, water conservancy construction, etc. At the same time, it will actively adapt to new grassroots situations, optimize the structure of educational support and medical support, and accurately provide talent support for grassroots development. Focus on key regions. To promote coordinated regional development and continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, separate planning and full guarantee will be implemented for key counties for national rural revitalization assistance; support will be tilted toward the western and northeastern regions, old revolutionary base areas, and border and ethnic minority areas; counterpart assistance mechanisms will be improved; the policy system of "attracting, cultivating, retaining, and utilizing" will be perfected; and more graduates will be attracted to develop in border areas and ethnic minority areas. Focus on grassroots needs. Localities will be encouraged to, based on actual conditions, expand and develop urgently needed posts such as rural planning and construction, smart agriculture, science and technology extension, cultural tourism and health care, and guide college graduates to devote themselves to building livable, workable, and beautiful villages.

Question: What measures will the fifth round plan take to improve the ability of "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel to better adapt to and serve the grassroots level?

Answer: The fifth round plan is based on precisely matching grassroots needs and proposes targeted measures:

On the one hand, improve the quality of recruitment. The recruitment coordination mechanism will be improved, recruitment conditions will be scientifically set, and for remote and difficult areas where recruitment and retention are difficult, age and education requirements and the examination opening ratio may be appropriately relaxed. Recruitment selection procedures will be strict, and the precision of personnel recruitment will be improved.

On the other hand, strengthen capacity building. A special capacity improvement plan will be implemented, a training system covering all personnel and the entire cycle will be improved, talent cultivation in relevant industry fields will be carried out through multiple channels, and classified training, grassroots practice training, and professional capacity knowledge updating will be strengthened to enhance the grassroots service capacity of "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel. At the same time, strengthen practical exercise. The main responsibility of grassroots units will be enforced; they will be managed and cultivated together with unit staff; the mentor assistance system will be improved; platforms for cultivation and use will be built from multiple sides; excellent personnel will be selected and included in the reserve talent cultivation of relevant industry fields; they will be selected to participate in key grassroots projects and key work; and "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel will be promoted to undergo training and grow through grassroots practice.

Question: In terms of policy guarantees, how will the "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel be supported to settle down and work at the grassroots level with peace of mind?

Answer: On the basis of systematically integrating existing policy measures, the fifth round plan puts forward clear requirements in aspects such as strengthening treatment guarantees, optimizing management services, broadening mobility channels, and strengthening follow-up cultivation.

In strengthening treatment guarantees, policies on issuing work and living allowances, one-time settling-in fees, and participation in social insurance will be implemented. "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel serving in remote and difficult areas will enjoy remote and difficult area allowances. Localities with conditions will be encouraged to handle supplementary medical, critical illness, personal accident and other insurance, and may give certain rewards by referring to local performance appraisal practices.

In optimizing management services, the service period for "Three Supports and One Assistance" personnel is 2 years, and the years of service at the grassroots level are counted as length of service. On-the-job spot checks will be strengthened, and the management of service assessment, Party and Youth League relations, personnel files, and certificates will be standardized. Regular visits and expressions of sympathy will be carried out, difficulties in work and life will be helped to resolve, and the enthusiasm for working and starting businesses at the grassroots level with peace of mind will be stimulated.

In broadening the mobility channels after the service term expires, policies such as定向考录定向考录 (targeted recruitment) for civil servants,专项招聘专项招聘 (special recruitment) for public institutions, and continuing education for further study will be implemented. Remote and difficult areas will be supported to appropriately increase special recruitment posts in public institutions. Industry fields, state-owned enterprises, and community grassroots units will be encouraged to absorb and employ these personnel. Entrepreneurship support such as cultivating agricultural entrepreneurs will be strengthened, and their development at the grassroots level will be actively promoted.

In strengthening follow-up cultivation, connection with the planning for grassroots youth talent team building will be promoted; they will be included as a whole in the "head goose" cultivation of leaders for rural industry revitalization and in the cultivation of reserve talents for village two-committee teams; policies such as the "dual orientation" (双定向) for professional titles below the county level and the participation of medical support personnel in standardized residency training will be implemented; career growth space will be actively broadened; and their settling down and growing at the grassroots level will be promoted.

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Seventy-Year-Old Man Leaps into River to Rescue Drowning Person

By: 本报记者 罗阳奇

"Someone has fallen into the water!" Around 18:00 on July 13, a cry for help suddenly came from beside the Tuohe Road bridge in Suixi County (濉溪县), Anhui Province.

Liu Defang (刘德芳), a 71-year-old elderly person who was chatting with friends under the bridge, upon hearing the shouts, did not hesitate and went straight to the point of the fall, preparing to enter the water to rescue. Bystanders on the bank had already taken out a lifebuoy and were about to throw it; seeing that Liu Defang was about to take off her shoes and enter the water, they handed the lifebuoy into her hands and then called the police. Liu Defang leapt into the river and swam toward the person in the water.

According to the recollection of witness Liu Qunying (刘群英), the man in the water was in the middle of the river, more than ten meters from the bank, and Liu Defang swam strenuously toward him.

After swimming to the man's side, Liu Defang grabbed his arm and swam toward the bank. Because the rescue had consumed a great deal of physical strength, Liu Defang used the lifebuoy and mustered all her strength, finally pushing the drowning person into the shallow water area. In the end, with the help of citizens on the bank, Liu Defang and the drowning person were pulled ashore; both were without serious injury.

When police officers from the Xincheng Police Station of Suixi County Public Security Bureau (濉溪县公安局新城派出所) arrived at the scene, Liu Defang had already quietly left. "I didn't tell my family after returning home either; I was afraid they would worry," Liu Defang said.

Because Liu Defang did not reveal her identity information when she left, the police investigated clues through methods such as interviewing people at the scene, and at the same time posted the rescue video footage on their official short-video account to solicit clues from the public. "Heroes know no age." "Give this old lady a like!" In the video's comment section, everyone paid tribute and joined the search for the person.

The next day, Liu Defang's elder brother recognized his sister in the video and immediately contacted the police, and this elderly person who performed the rescue without leaving her name was finally found.

Liu Defang is a retired employee who usually exercises regularly; after retiring, she also learned to swim. Liu Defang's daughter Xu Shihui (许诗卉) said that her mother is a "warm-hearted person"; whenever her neighbors have any difficulties, she will extend a helping hand without hesitation.

In response to the concern and praise from the outside, Liu Defang said that she had only done what everyone would do: "A human life is of paramount importance; in that situation, anyone would step forward without hesitation."

"Elderly Liu Defang extended a helping hand without hesitation when others were in danger; this spirit is worth learning from," said Ge Xiaojun (葛小军), deputy secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Suixi County Party Committee (濉溪县委政法委). He indicated that the local authorities have initiated the 见义勇为 (jiàn yǒng yì wéi - "see justice and act bravely," acting bravely in a just cause) confirmation procedure for Liu Defang.

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Ningxia builds new integrated urban-rural employment channel

Yinchuan, July 16 (Reporter Jiao Siyu (焦思雨)) — The Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (宁夏回族自治区人力资源和社会保障厅), the Development and Reform Commission (发展改革委), and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村厅) recently jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Coordinating the Urban-Rural Employment Policy System" (关于统筹城乡就业政策体系的实施意见), implementing measures from five aspects to promote orderly two-way flow of labor between urban and rural areas, and to promote high-quality and full employment for urban and rural workers.

In terms of urban-rural employment opportunity development, it clarifies that each county (city, district) will create at least 2 to 3 characteristic industrial clusters with strong employment absorption capacity. In terms of employment public services, it builds a five-level employment public service system at the region, city, county, township, and village levels, cancels urban-rural household registration and regional restrictions, and workers can directly handle various employment service matters at their place of permanent residence. In terms of skills training, it breaks down departmental and industry barriers, builds a whole-chain skills training coordinated management system, and comprehensively implements the "job demand + skills training + skills evaluation + employment service" four-in-one (四位一体) project-based training. In terms of rights protection, it fully implements the basic public service supply system for the place of permanent residence, ensuring that children accompanying migrant workers receive compulsory education in nearby schools. In terms of assistance for disadvantaged groups, it improves the full-process mechanism of "screening, identification, assistance, and exit," and implements precise assistance with "one person, one file; one person, one policy" (一人一档、一人一策).

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Social organizations must not conduct evaluation and commendation activities targeting Party committees, governments, or Party and government organs at any level.

Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Wu Chuqi (吴储岐)) — On the 16th, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部) and the Central Social Work Department (中央社会工作部) jointly issued the Measures for the Administration of Evaluation and Commendation Activities of Social Organizations (《社会组织评比表彰活动管理办法》).

The Measures consist of 25 articles and will come into effect on August 1, 2026. The Measures specify nine prohibited circumstances, including: activities shall not be directed at Party committees, governments, or Party and government organs at any level, and generally shall not take leading cadres of Party and government organs or leading personnel of public institutions as the objects of selection; shall not be carried out in cooperation with or entrusted to for-profit organizations; shall not charge or indirectly charge any fees; shall not distribute bonuses in violation of regulations under the pretext of carrying out evaluation and commendation activities, and shall put an end to extravagance and waste, and to exhausting the people and draining the treasury.

The Measures enumerate a negative list, clarifying that seven types of activities shall not be carried out without approval, including: activities that confer titles such as “city,” “hometown,” or “base” on cities, counties, townships (subdistricts), villages (communities), etc.; evaluation and commendation activities that include the words “national,” “China,” “Chinese,” “nationwide,” “Asia,” “global,” “world,” “people,” “meritorious service,” “honorary title,” and similar meanings, as well as those that do not bear the above words but are substantively of the same meaning; evaluation and commendation activities centered on important conferences, major events, or important time nodes.

The Measures were revised and formed by summarizing the practical experience of managing evaluation and commendation activities in recent years, combined with work requirements such as reducing burdens at the grassroots level and rectifying chaos. They aim to further improve the access conditions and approval procedures for social organization evaluation and commendation, strengthen the rule constraints and standardized management of such activities, strictly control the “quantity gate” and “quality gate,” promote the better demonstration and leading role of social organization evaluation and commendation activities, and foster a 风清气正 (fēng qīng qì zhèng - “wind clear, air upright,” a clean and upright) development environment for social organizations.

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ZTE AI End-to-End Integrated Solutions

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Editor: Tang Tianyi, Bai Zhenzhi, Liu Zihe

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The Growth Story of New Occupations (People's Focus · Promoting High-Quality and Full Employment)

By: 本报记者 白光迪

引 子 (Prologue)

Riding a paraglider for high-altitude overhead shots, diving into the "Coral Sea" for underwater photography, galloping across the prairie to freeze memories in time... The cultural tourism "trend of producing stunning photos" (出片热) has enabled Tan Tan (谈檀), chairwoman of Jingmei An'an (Beijing) Technology Service Co., Ltd., to keenly capture new opportunities in the industry. The new occupation of "travel photography customizer" (旅拍定制师) which she initiated and submitted for recognition, was included in the seventh batch of new occupational information released in July of last year.

In May 2024, at the 14th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "promoting high-quality and full employment is the new positioning and new mission of employment work on the new journey of the new era" and that we should "vigorously develop new business forms and new models, actively explore and cultivate new occupational sequences, and develop new growth points for employment." During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China, keeping pace with economic and social development and technological progress, released 72 new occupations and nearly 100 new types of work (新工种), covering multiple fields such as the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, and modern services. In July this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued a notice, proposing to add 12 new occupations, including applicator technician for embodied intelligent robots.

New occupations are the "wind vane" of economic restructuring and the "new engine" for employment expansion, continuously promoting the enlargement of volume and improvement of quality in China's employment. How do new occupations get "entered into the official roster" (入编), and how do they develop? Our reporters conducted field investigations in Beijing, Jiangsu and other places.

Why apply for a new occupation?
Driven by new technology, catalyzed by new business forms, and nurtured by new consumption.

Strolling through the alleys and hutongs of Beijing, Wang Huan (王欢), a travel photography customizer from Jingmei An'an Company, chatted and laughed with customers as she seemingly casually raised her camera. Accompanied by a crisp shutter sound, the lens froze a frame: a lively girl adorned with hairpins and flowers perfectly complemented by the elegant old hutong alleyway.

"Customers from out of town are unfamiliar with the place. I act as both a photographer and a tour guide," Wang Huan said. No longer satisfied with the "been there, done that" style of checking in at scenic spots, more and more tourists are favoring immersive experiences.

"I want to take a set of photos with a unique Beijing flavor," a tourist from outside Beijing expressed her request. Wang Huan had a brainwave, scanned the QR codes of two shared bicycles, and led the tourist into the old city's alleys, cycling and shooting pictures along the way. There was no fixed shooting route; instead, it was flexibly arranged based on the customer's needs, capturing many interesting moments.

Wang Huan is not only intimately familiar with popular photo spots in Beijing but also readily knowledgeable about the historical allusions and celebrity anecdotes related to those shooting locations.

In front of the Red Building of Peking University, built of red brick and topped with red tiles, young people often pose for photos wearing Zhongshan suits. Every time she shoots here, Wang Huan takes the tourists on a review of the history of the May Fourth Movement. When visiting a long-established restaurant deep in the hutongs, an 八仙桌 (bāxiān zhuō - "Eight Immortals table," square table for eight) becomes Wang Huan's set piece. As each dish arrives, she takes photos, and also tells tourists interesting stories about Beijing-style delicacies like 卤煮 (lǔ zhǔ) and 炒肝 (chǎo gān)...

A travel photography customizer is like a city's cultural "interpreter," allowing consumers to gain both "beautiful photos" and a "wonderful experience" during their journey. The service extends from "taking a set of photos" to "customizing a journey," activating new cultural tourism consumption. In 2024, the number of travel photography consumers in China exceeded 25 million, with the market size approaching 40 billion yuan.

The rise of the "travel photography craze" is influenced by multiple factors.

Walking into the office of Tan Tan, chairwoman of Jingmei An'an Company, there is an old photo on the wall from about 20 years ago. At that time, she was still a thin young girl, but her shoulders were burdened with a bulky video camera.

"Now, travel photography customizers don't need to carry video cameras anymore. They generally use mirrorless cameras or gimbal cameras, which can take both photos and videos," Tan Tan casually handed two new cameras to the reporter. They were palm-sized, weighing only a few hundred grams, but their resolution was not inferior to that of previous video cameras. In Jingmei An'an Company, nearly 3/4 of travel photography orders require accompanying short video services.

From the era of "long guns and short cannons" (长枪短炮 - referring to large, professional camera gear) to "one device covers it all," an increasing number of lightweight, intelligent domestic photography and videography equipment are emerging, winning market share with their excellent product quality and highly competitive prices. As equipment acquisition costs decreased, Jingmei An'an Company's travel photography order quotes also dropped from often tens of thousands of yuan in 2009 to a range spanning from several hundred yuan to no more than 5,000 yuan today.

The emergence of new occupations brings both opportunities and challenges. Tan Tan observed that travel photography enterprises have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. In the early stages of development, it is inevitable that there is 泥沙俱下 (ní shā jù xià - "mud and sand wash down together," the good and the bad mixed together), with a mixture of good and bad. Some small travel photography studios cluster near scenic spots. Although they offer clothing rental and photography services, prices vary widely, and there are no makeup and styling standards, nor photography planning. The quality of the photos and after-sales service are difficult to guarantee.

"The travel photography industry is burgeoning, and professionalization is crucial," said Yu Kun (于坤), a professor from the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China. He believes that a catalogue of new occupations can clearly define the key job positions and skill requirements needed for industrial development, which is conducive to guiding governments, schools, social institutions, etc., to adjust their direction in a timely manner, promoting the connection between curriculum content settings and occupational demands, and effectively improving the matching efficiency of labor supply and demand.

"New occupations and new types of work reflect the new tracks for employment created by new quality productive forces (新质生产力), and bear witness to the new employment spaces created by high-quality living," said a relevant official from the Department of Vocational Capacity Building of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security at the ministry's press conference for the second quarter of 2025. The official introduced that their main characteristics are manifested as being driven by new technology, catalyzed by new business forms, and nurtured by new consumption.

To improve the modern occupational classification system that suits China's national conditions, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has established and improved the publishing system for new occupational information, promptly carrying out the collection and release of new occupational information, and making dynamic adjustments to occupational classification.

In August 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, entrusting the China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center (CETTIC), issued the "Notice on Carrying out the 2024 Annual New Occupation Collection Work," aiming to collect and compile suggestions for new occupations from society. After repeatedly reading the notice, Tan Tan decided to apply for the new occupation of travel photography customizer.

With the introduction of the local human resources and social security department, Tan Tan contacted Xiao Lunsheng (肖伦胜), a teacher from the Tourism Management and Service College of Kashgar Technician College (喀什技师学院), who also had the intention to apply. They jointly carried out occupational surveys and occupational analysis, and drafted a new occupation proposal.

How is a new occupation recognized?
Collected from society, reviewed and demonstrated by experts, and jointly released by departments.

Having worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, Tan Tan examined her profession so carefully for the first time.

"Is this a service, or an occupation?" "What is the significant difference between a travel photography customizer and a photographer?" ... Repeatedly refining the drafted new occupation proposal, Tan Tan focused on providing practical cases and operational procedures, while Xiao Lunsheng, from the perspective of vocational education and standardization, summarized and corrected the classification of specific business scenarios.

Take the snorkel photography that has become popular in recent years, for example. When to dive, when to turn back, how to encounter the fish – the travel photography customizer has to coordinate all these considerations and, based on the water conditions, promptly give corresponding action guidance to ensure the safety of the tourists. These practical experiences were compiled by Tan Tan into standardized procedures.

"From the initial communication to the execution of the shoot, and then to post-processing and delivery of the product, every process needs to be clearly explained," Xiao Lunsheng said. Every specific expression in the application materials is dedicated to answering the question "what does this occupation do?"

The recognition of a new occupation includes four main steps: social collection, review and demonstration, solicitation of opinions, and approval and release.

In September 2024, Jingmei An'an Company, as the applying entity, completed the sealing process for the new occupation proposal for travel photography customizer. The night before the materials were sent out, Tan Tan was still checking the occupational definition word by word. A few days later, Tan Tan received a call from the competent authority, informing her to prepare for the next stage's centralized presentation.

Tan Tan later learned that since the establishment of the new occupation information publishing system, the number of new occupations reported by relevant institutions and units received by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has rapidly increased. By the time of the seventh batch of new occupation collection in 2024, nearly 400 new occupation proposals had been received, more than double the number from two years earlier.

"Many applying entities submit occupational standards along with their new occupation proposals," said Fan Wei (范巍), a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science. This indicates that the professional abilities, skill requirements, and related knowledge of these new occupations have been systematically and normatively sorted out.

Although photography services have a long history, and tour guide services also have mature systems, travel photography customization services are not limited to the single element of shooting. Instead, they run through the entire process of pre-communication, itinerary arrangement, on-site interaction, and image recording. This kind of process-oriented service differs from standardized photography in fixed scenarios, presenting obvious composite characteristics – it requires photography ability, an understanding of the travel scene, and communication skills.

"The service items of a travel photography customizer show a clear distinction from existing photography-related occupations and types of work, and have formed a relatively stable market demand, meeting the basic conditions for inclusion as a new occupation or a new type of work," made a preliminary judgment by Professor Zhang Yuan (张元), a council member of the China Association for Employment Promotion.

"Without you, what changes would there be in the tourist experience?" An evaluation expert posed a question to Tan Tan during the review meeting. Based on the specific scenario, Tan Tan explained: "From communication before departure, to adjustments during the journey, to interaction during the shoot, many clients don't know what photography style suits them; it needs to be guided through ongoing conversation. Because of us, they will get a better experience."

Another expert followed up: "If you combine these elements, does that constitute a new occupation?"

Tan Tan's answer was direct – the key was not the "combination," but whether a stable service model could be formed that could be replicated and continued by different practitioners. She provided examples to support her point: For the same beach itinerary, one photographer might just take pictures, while another would adjust the pace based on the weather, light, and the client's state; the difference lies in the organizational method of the shooting process.

Combining industry dynamics and occupational surveys, the evaluation experts concluded: A growing number of consumers are willing to pay for high-quality travel photography experiences. Originally scattered service items such as clothing and styling, route planning, and tour narration are being superimposed and reorganized with photography and videography services, expanding new occupational boundaries.

After the experts passed the review, the information on the new occupation was submitted in writing to solicit opinions from the competent industry department, and was also publicly announced to society. Finally, in July 2025, three departments – the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Bureau of Statistics – jointly released the seventh batch of new occupations, and the travel photography customizer was officially included as one of the 42 new types of work.

How to develop new occupations?
Promote professionalization, standardization, and branding.

Leading tourists through streets and alleys during the day, and returning to the company for training and "recharging" in the evening, Wang Huan said, "After the travel photography customizer was included as a new type of work, the company has arranged targeted training courses. I find every day very fulfilling."

Opening Wang Huan's training manual for travel photography customizers, the content covers 8 courses, including camera and equipment use, lighting and illumination. This is a training program jointly created by Jingmei An'an Company with Beijing Supply and Marketing School (北京市供销学校), Kashgar Technician College, Guangxi Commerce and Technician College (广西商贸技师学院), etc. To date, it has been held for over 10 sessions, training more than 500 trainees.

The training not only teaches photography techniques, but also integrates color aesthetics, marketing management, legal regulations, and other content, aiming to cultivate "all-round" travel photography customizers who understand technology, aesthetics, and the market.

In the makeup and styling training class, the teacher provides hands-on instruction, covering everything from facial makeup to clothing coordination. During the real-scene shooting sessions, trainees are organized to go to multiple scenes such as scenic spots and ancient cities for shooting practice.

"The travel photography customizer becoming a new type of work is just the starting point. We must also promote professionalization, standardization, and branding," said Jiang Hongwei (蒋洪卫), Deputy Director of the Vocational Skills Appraisal Center of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security (江苏省人力资源社会保障厅职业技能鉴定中心). He explained that the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security applied to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security for the development task of the national occupational standard for travel photography customizer. The specific work is guided by the Wuxi Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau (无锡市人力资源社会保障局) and completed by units including Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology (无锡城市职业技术学院).

Wuxi boasts multiple categories of travel photography scenes, such as gardens and ancient towns. It has previously undertaken the development tasks of two other national occupational standards, thus possessing certain experience in organizing the development of occupational standards.

National occupational standards are regulations, based on occupational classification and according to the content of occupational activities, on the knowledge and skill requirements that a person should possess to engage in that occupation. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, together with relevant departments, has promulgated a total of 384 national occupational standards.

"The introduction of national occupational standards will provide a basic basis for enterprises, colleges, training institutions, etc., to carry out vocational education and training, as well as talent evaluation," Jiang Hongwei said. In his view, this is a key step for new occupations moving from "being discovered" to standardized development.

Centering on the development task for the national occupational standard for travel photography customizer, a development team was formed, composed of theoretical experts, front-line practical experts, and experts in standard development methodology.

"Our task is to transform practical experience into competency standards," recalled Xu Tianhua (徐天骅), a lecturer from the Film and Television School of Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology who participated in the standard development. Discussions first focused on a seemingly simple question: what exactly constitutes "photography" (拍)?

"The 'photography' in travel photography is not a fixed action, but is embedded within the entire process," argued Qu Lixin (瞿立新), a professor from Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology. He believes that a travel photography customizer must follow the client's state and adapt to changes in the itinerary, rather than simply relying on fixed positions and angles to produce pictures. "It all looks like taking photos on the surface, but there is a significant difference in the underlying capabilities."

Similar debates also occurred concerning the "travel" (旅) component. Chen Lei (谌蕾), an associate professor from the Tourism School of Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology, recalls that initially, everyone's understanding was inconsistent. "Some thought we shouldn't write too much about it, since [the customizer] is not a tour guide; others thought it should be a key focus." After repeated discussions, a consensus gradually emerged: a travel photography customizer is not a tour guide, but the service takes place within a travel scenario.

"Many tourists do not explicitly state their service needs. The travel photography customizer needs to confirm them bit by bit through communication. This process itself is a service," Chen Lei said. The national occupational standard development team did not simply list work content, but instead tried to break it down according to the real service process, ultimately forming modules such as "Communication and Planning," "Preparation and Execution," "Post-Production," and "Delivery and Service."

Feedback from the front line of the industry is also constantly calibrating the direction of standard-setting. You Xiuyuan (尤秀渊), chairman of Wuxi Kunde Culture Media Co., Ltd. (无锡坤德文化传媒有限公司), who has been in the travel photography industry for over 10 years and participated in the standard review, suggested that more attention should be paid to the ability to supply video products.

In the past, taking a set of portrait photos and providing dozens of photos was sufficient. Now, many young people ask: "Can you shoot a short video?" "Can you use a drone?"

The provision of emotional value has also become a key point of discussion in the development of the occupational standard. You Xiuyuan remembers that some clients get nervous in front of the camera, their smiles becoming stiff. Other clients suddenly lose their composure halfway through the shoot and need constant adjustment. In her view, helping people relax and feel valued is also part of the service.

Currently, the national occupational standard for travel photography customizer has produced interim results and has been submitted according to procedure to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, entering the review and public announcement stage.

Although the standard has not yet been released, practice has already taken the lead. "Branding leads travel photography services towards high-quality development," said Fu Qi (符琦), founder of the travel photography brand "Yujian · Yinxiang" (屿见·印象) in Shengsi County (嵊泗县), Zhejiang Province, who started his own business just over a year ago. He previously ran a cultural media company in Shanghai. During the "May Day" holiday last year, he traveled to Shengsi County and discovered that the local area was dedicated to building itself as a destination for new couples' travel photography, leveraging the "Love Island" (爱情岛) brand to attract wedding and travel photography enterprises. This brand-led business model resonated deeply with Fu Qi, and he immediately decided to start his business in Shengsi.

Build a brand with quality, promote development through the brand. Shengsi County has meticulously laid out low-altitude photography routes, connecting landmarks like the lighthouse and cliffside hotels. Focusing on the safety needs for cosmetics use in scenarios such as wedding and travel photography, the county's market supervision department regularly conducts specialized cosmetics safety training and on-site guidance services.

With the mutual commitment between tourist destinations and travel photography enterprises, local travel photography brands are gradually gaining recognition. "I saw promotional information about Shengsi travel photography online, and after experiencing it on-site, I found it truly lived up to its reputation," said Guo Jun (郭君), a tourist from Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, who recently brought his family on a trip to Shengsi. Before the trip, they booked a travel photography customizer through "Yujian · Yinxiang." The travel photography customizer not only had professional photography and videography skills but also adjusted the travel photography route based on meteorological conditions such as sea island wind and light, leaving Guo Jun with a wonderful memory.

New consumption and new occupations open up new employment spaces. Currently, the number of domestic enterprises related to travel photography has exceeded 6,000.

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Let More New Professions Develop Steadily (Reflections)

By: 白光迪

Industrial transformation gives rise to new job positions, and consumption upgrades bring new demands. New occupations and new types of jobs such as drone swarm flight planners and sleep health managers keep emerging. On the one hand, they reflect economic structural adjustment and industrial iterative upgrading, mirroring the vitality of China's economic development; on the other hand, they reflect changes in social demands and lifestyles, embodying the growing need of the people for a better life.

New occupations keep growing as they adapt to real-world demands. For example, a travel photography customizer provides not just photography services but also a high-quality experience for pleasant travel; a sleep health manager does not merely solve the problem of falling asleep but is dedicated to ensuring people get enough sleep and sleep soundly. In the past, many occupations emerged around production needs; today, people have raised more expectations for a high-quality life and personalized services, and many new occupations have accordingly found room for growth.

Human creativity is the source and driving force behind the rise of new occupations. In recent years, as artificial intelligence accelerates its empowerment of various industries, some repetitive and standardized work positions have been affected. The novelty of new occupations essentially lies in converting creativity, interactivity, and emotional value—things that technology finds difficult to replace—into new supply. The more rapidly technology develops, the more it is necessary to bring out the unique value of human beings.

The official release of a new occupation is only a new starting point, meaning that the first step has been taken toward standardized industry development. However, there is still a long way to go from a new occupation to a mature one. In practice, some new occupations develop at a fast pace with a high frequency of updates, while service standards, skill evaluation systems, and pricing mechanisms are still being explored and refined, posing challenges to traditional management models and also bringing opportunities for transformation and development.

Promoting the healthy and orderly development of the industry is the significance of establishing new occupations. When an occupation is officially recognized, what matters is not just "having a formal title," but more importantly, gradually establishing occupational standards, skill evaluation systems, and rights protection mechanisms. Only when standards are set can the training system keep up; only when rules are improved can the rights and interests of consumers and practitioners be better protected; only when institutions are perfected can industry development move from "unrestrained growth" to mature and standardized.

There are three hundred and sixty trades, and each has its master. Today, the boundaries of "trades" are constantly expanding. Only by enabling more new occupations to develop steadily and far can workers and the times better move toward each other and resonate at the same frequency.

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Yang Yan, Sun Zhen, Dai Linfeng, Liu Yurui

Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Is More Steps Always Better? How to Walk More Scientifically (Fitness Service Station)

By: 健康时报记者 王 宁

Walking is the standard health choice for many people. Research shows that walking has a significant life-extending effect among various forms of exercise, and regular walking can reduce all-cause mortality.
Comparing step counts, walking immediately after meals, and striding quickly — are these walking habits good? On how to walk more scientifically, a reporter invited relevant experts to offer advice.

How many steps to walk
Find the step count that suits you
Walking requires finding a step count that suits you, determined according to individual constitution and health condition, rather than the more the better. Gou Bo (苟波), professor at the Sports Medicine Teaching and Research Office (运动医学教研室) of Xi'an Institute of Physical Education (西安体育学院), stated that for most adults, walking 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day can satisfy the body's minimum activity level. Beyond 8,000 steps, the marginal health benefit diminishes, and exercise risks such as joint wear increase significantly.
Gou Bo stated that the optimal step count varies from person to person. For elderly people over 60, patients with chronic diseases, and those in post-surgery recovery, 4,000 to 6,000 steps can produce significant health benefits, with the emphasis on a gentle start and long-term persistence. For ordinary adults, 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day is the universal golden zone, achieving the "best cost-performance ratio" for health benefits; this is also the safe zone that is knee-joint friendly. People who are overweight or sedentary can raise their target to 8,000 to 10,000 steps.

How to walk
Heel touches ground first; avoid toeing inward or outward
"Scientific walking requires attention not only to step count but also to details such as time, intensity, posture, and cadence," Li Baojun (李宝军), director of the Department of Bone and Joint Sports Medicine (骨关节运动医学科) at Hunan Provincial Second People's Hospital (湖南省第二人民医院), reminded.
Regarding duration, the total daily step count can be completed in one session or divided into multiple sessions. Elderly people and chronic disease patients should divide their walking into 3 sessions of 20 minutes each, to protect joints and aid digestion. Young people who want to reduce fat and strengthen their heart and lungs can do a single session of moderate-to-high-intensity brisk walking to the point of slight breathlessness; each session lasting more than 30 minutes can effectively train the heart and lungs and reduce fat. If time is limited, using fragmented time to walk, accumulating small amounts to make a great whole, can also achieve the goal of promoting health.
As for walking posture, Gou Bo suggested keeping the torso straight, drawing in the abdomen, puffing out the chest, and lifting the head, so that the earlobe, acromion, and hip joint are on the same vertical line; the elbow joints naturally bent, swinging naturally forward and backward with the shoulder joint as the axis. When stepping out, the heel touches the ground first (note that when landing, the knee joint is slightly bent, and the foot lands lightly), naturally transitioning to the forefoot and then pushing off the ground, avoiding toeing inward or outward, coordinating with even breathing.
As for stride length, Li Baojun explained that the stride length for daily walking is about 35% of height (approximately 60 cm), so the knees do not tire easily; when brisk walking, the stride length is 65 to 70 cm, which raises the heart and lungs, accelerates fat burning, and balances the force on the limbs; deliberately taking oversized steps (exceeding 45% of height) can harm the knees and pelvis.
Regarding timing, healthy people can exercise in the morning or evening; they should rest 30 to 60 minutes after a meal before starting walking, to avoid increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract; patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are advised to walk in the evening, when blood pressure is relatively stable and the probability of exercise-related risk is lower.

Precautions
Combining with other exercises yields better results
If, on the basis of persisting in walking, one also does 1 to 2 other exercises each day, the fitness effect is even better. Exercise diversification can bring additional health benefits. Gou Bo explained that walking mainly exercises the lower limbs, which easily leads to an imbalance in muscle strength development between the upper and lower limbs. He suggests supplementing with upper-limb and core training (such as push-ups) 2 to 3 times per week, to balance muscle development and enhance metabolic capacity. Elderly people can add Tai Chi or stretching exercises to enhance balance and prevent falls.
"In any exercise, safety is the top priority," Li Baojun emphasized. If joint pain occurs during walking or within 2 hours after finishing and cannot be relieved on its own, the amount of exercise should be reduced immediately, and exercise should only be gradually resumed after the pain has completely disappeared.
Gou Bo suggests that chronic disease patients and elderly people should take "walking comfortably" as their principle, and if necessary, develop a personalized plan under a doctor's guidance; regarding equipment, athletic shoes should be comfortable, well-fitting, soft and elastic, and cotton athletic socks should be worn, to avoid ankle injuries and blisters on the soles during prolonged brisk walking.

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Deep in the Qinling Mountains, experiencing the charm of volleyball

By: 本报记者 陶相安

Recently, the 2026 World Middle School Volleyball Championship concluded in Shangluo City (商洛市), Shaanxi Province, where 62 youth teams from 29 countries and regions engaged in splendid competition, also allowing more people to learn about Shangluo, this "Volleyball City."

Shangluo is located deep in the Qinling Mountains, with high forest coverage and a livable climate. In the past, its sports infrastructure was weak and it lacked event brands. Quan Fei (全斐), Director of the Shangluo Municipal Sports Bureau, recalled, "Previously, if people wanted to hold sports events, they could only do so on simple temporary venues, and youth events were 寥寥无几 (liáo liáo wú jǐ - "very few and far between," extremely scarce)."

The change began five years ago.

In 2021, Shangluo became the host of the women's volleyball U19 (under 19) group competition of the 14th National Games. To successfully host the first national-level volleyball event in the locality, Shangluo City made great efforts—renovating professional venues, standardizing event procedures, improving event services... In the end, the event was held smoothly, allowing local residents to 大饱眼福 (dà bǎo yǎn fú - "greatly feast the eyes," to enjoy a splendid visual experience) while also igniting everyone's enthusiasm for volleyball.

More and more people began to take up volleyball, and a wave of playing volleyball surged on campuses and in communities. Leveraging this momentum, Shangluo City successively hosted high-standard events such as the 2023 National Beach Volleyball Championship and the 2024 FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championship.

In October 2025, a delegation led by Uroš Savić, Chair of the Volleyball Technical Committee of the International School Sport Federation (国际中学生体育联合会), came to Shangluo for an inspection. He stated, "Shangluo has a profound cultural heritage, comprehensive sports infrastructure, and a strong volleyball atmosphere, giving it a solid foundation for hosting events." Shangluo secured the rights to host the World Middle School Volleyball Championship for four consecutive years from 2025 to 2028.

A well-run event elevates a city. Driven by a series of volleyball events, Shangluo's sports industry has developed rapidly. The Shangluo National Volleyball Training Base is under accelerated construction; 212 schools have youth volleyball training teams; over 200 volleyball courts of various types have been renovated locally; and the city has cumulatively built over 120 high-quality sports parks and pocket parks, as well as newly built or renovated over 180 kilometers of fitness trails... Sports are becoming a new fashion in the lives of local residents.

The changes do not stop here.

In June of this year, the Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railway was officially opened to traffic. This high-speed rail line crossing the Qinling Mountains has made transportation in Shangluo more convenient. During the current World Middle School Volleyball Championship, Shangluo launched nine major high-speed rail benefits and event-specific discounts, turning physical and electronic tickets into consumption "anchors" and converting event traffic into new growth for local culture and tourism. "Shangluo will further enrich its event brands, allowing more people to appreciate the charm of volleyball," said Quan Fei.

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Dreams grow clearer with every swing of the bat.

By: 本报记者 李 硕

Entering the CBSA (China Billiards and Snooker Association) World Snooker Academy located in Beijing, 20 tables specially used for international competitions are neatly arranged, and the crisp sound of cue balls striking rises and falls one after another. Coaches give low-voiced guidance at the sidelines; the students bend over, aim, and strike, focused and composed.

Since the academy was established in 2013, professional players such as Zhao Xintong, Si Jiahui, Fan Zhengyi, Yuan Sijun, and Xu Si have all honed their skills here. At the academy’s entrance, silk banners sent by players and parents are hung everywhere. In 2025, after Zhao Xintong won the Snooker World Championship, he specifically thanked the academy for its training during the award ceremony. As Chinese players continue to make breakthroughs, more young people come to the academy, hoping that one day they too can stand on the world stage.

“The Beijing Main Academy currently has 27 students,” head coach Zhang Dongtao (张东涛) introduced. Among the students, the youngest is 9 years old and the oldest is 20. The academy implements tiered teaching; coaches formulate personalized plans based on each child’s characteristics, and arrange the most difficult technical segments in the morning, tackling key and difficult points when they are in their best condition.

Now, the CBSA World Snooker Academy has cultivated 13 professional players and has 6 branch academies across the country.

Yao Dongyu (姚东昱), who just turned 10, lies on the table, practicing long-pot attacks over and over. “After training at the academy for over a year, my positional play level has improved greatly, and my thinking on the table has also broadened a lot,” Yao Dongyu said. His favorite players are Trump and Zhao Xintong. In early May, at the China Youth Snooker Tournament Tengzhou (滕州) Station competition held at the World Snooker Academy Shandong Branch, Yao Dongyu won three consecutive matches and broke into the top 32. “The road is still long; I hope in the future I can also become a world champion!” Yao Dongyu’s eyes are full of expectation.

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Hunan mobile supply and marketing network expands to better serve farmers

Hunan Province is crisscrossed by mountains and hills, with many areas facing inconvenient transportation. For a long time, it has grappled with the challenges of high supply and marketing service costs and low coverage efficiency. The fervent hopes of the local people are for "high-quality and affordable agricultural materials, doorstep agricultural socialized services, increased income from the sale of agricultural products, and green recycling of renewable resources." Since June 2025, the Hunan Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative General Federation has taken the mobile supply and marketing approach as its starting point, using standardized mobile supply and marketing service vehicles as the carrier and the "Xiang Gong You +" (湘供优+) service matrix as the fulcrum. This has allowed the service network to take root downward and resource strength to sink into villages, driving mobile supply and marketing from scattered points to a connected whole, blazing a new trail for serving agriculture.

High-level planning anchors the brand's development direction. By making overall plans at the provincial level, the Hunan Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative General Federation has issued relevant work plans and "Ten Work Measures for Connecting Mobile Supply and Marketing Points into a Whole." It has also jointly issued relevant implementation opinions with departments such as the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, drawing a roadmap and a construction blueprint for the province's mobile supply and marketing. All 14 cities and prefectures in Hunan have incorporated mobile supply and marketing into their central work, issuing special plans and providing policy and financial support. Currently, content related to mobile supply and marketing work has been included in Hunan Province's "15th Five-Year Plan" outline and the province's top ten key livelihood projects for 2026, becoming a livelihood project jointly promoted by the entire province.

The whole province operates as "one chessboard" under a unified brand, doing a good job on the six aspects of "Xiang Gong You +": doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Supply" (湘供优供) to achieve the "delivery to the doorstep" of daily necessities; doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Production" (湘供优产) to achieve the "arrival at the field" of production materials; doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Sales" (湘供优销) to achieve agricultural and sideline products "leaving the mountain village"; doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Recycling" (湘供优环) to achieve the "green collection" of renewable resources; doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Service" (湘供优服) to achieve "pooling efforts" for comprehensive services; doing a good job on "Xiang Gong You Governance" (湘供优治) to achieve "joint governance" of grassroots management. At the same time, the province implements the "Five Unifications" standard for logo image, service process, public disclosure content, personnel training, and safety facilities.

Multi-path implementation solidifies the foundation of brand operations. By simultaneously strengthening the network, innovating models, and empowering with digital technology, the Hunan Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative General Federation has installed a "power engine" for the sustainable operation of mobile supply and marketing.

A three-dimensional service network is rapidly being laid out. Constructing a three-tier physical node system of "county-level collection and distribution centers—township-level transfer stations—village-level service points," combined with mobile service vehicles and digital platforms, forms a three-dimensional service landscape. Currently, 1,100 standard-compliant network points have been established.

A set of differentiated operation models is rapidly being promoted. Various localities adapt to local conditions to explore multiple paths: areas with a good foundation implement "publicly established and publicly operated" models, with wholly-owned enterprises of the cooperative leading to ensure service standards; areas with average conditions implement "publicly established and privately operated" models, with the supply and marketing cooperative taking the lead to link high-quality enterprises and integrate social resources; areas with weak foundations adopt "multi-party joint operation" models, uniting operating entities to guarantee basic services and secure the bottom line. Additionally, while striving for financial rewards and subsidies, operations are subsidized by undertaking market-oriented businesses such as express delivery agency, financial agency, and advertising promotion.

Digitalization improves service efficiency and reduces costs. The Hunan Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative General Federation promotes the iterative upgrade of the "Qiao Gong Wang" (巧供网) digital platform, launching the "Supply and Marketing You +" mini-program, enabling farmers to place orders at home, vehicles to be dispatched en route, and data to be analyzed in the cloud. After the digital transformation, the timeliness of agricultural product distribution in some areas has increased by 50%, and costs have decreased by 15% to 20%.

Comprehensive communication polishes the golden signboard of supply and marketing. Today, Hunan's mobile supply and marketing has formed a comprehensive communication landscape. The golden signboard of supply and marketing serving agriculture is being polished brighter and brighter, and the brand's influence continues to expand.

Grassroots stories vividly interpret the brand's connotation. The "mobile live-streaming room" in Longhui County, Shaoyang City, sold 5,500 jin of unsold small yellow ginger in a single day; the mobile supply and marketing service vehicle in Leiyang City, Hengyang City, travels 30 kilometers of mountain roads daily to deliver express packages for left-behind elderly people; the service model in Pingjiang County, Yueyang City, has driven over 800 farming households to increase their income by over a thousand yuan per household... These stories, widely disseminated through media at all levels, bring the warmth of mobile supply and marketing directly to people's hearts.

Exhibition and sales activities linking online and offline continuously broaden the brand's boundaries. Online, relying on the "832 platform" and Douyin live-streaming, supply and marketing livestreamers are cultivated. Offline, regular exhibition and sales activities such as "Supply and Marketing Grand Fair" and "Tea Expo" are held, helping farmers expand sales channels while making the supply and marketing brand deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Various localities are also constantly innovating promotion formats. The Xinjiang Dong Autonomous County in Huaihua City launched a "College Student Supply and Marketing Recommender" plan, recruiting students studying outside to form a promotion team, creating a new model for agricultural product upward mobility characterized by "college student recommendation + supply and marketing chain guarantee," forming a virtuous cycle of "youth bringing goods, supply and marketing escorting, products leaving the mountains."

In Hunan, mobile supply and marketing is skillfully solving the problem of supply and marketing services in mountainous areas. By connecting points into a whole, it is reshaping the agricultural service system, polishing the "golden business card" of supply and marketing cooperatives serving agriculture across the lands of Hunan.

Data source: Hunan Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative General Federation

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Gong Yuhua, Shi Zhe, Cao Jiwei

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Malawi Promotes High-Quality Cotton for International Markets

By: 本报记者 黄培昭

Every year from May to July, when the rainy season on the East African Plateau gradually recedes, the cotton fields in the core producing area of Malawi's Lower Shire Valley usher in a moving moment: cotton bolls split open in succession, and the snow-white cotton fluff glows with a pearl-like luster under the scorching sun, as if draping a layer of white gauze over this parched red soil. The cotton farmers bend at the waist, their fingers darting swiftly among the cotton plants; one blossom of cotton after another is picked and falls into the cloth bags tied around their waists. These are the busiest and most anticipated days of the year for the farming households.

Foreign exchange crop: directly sustains over 100,000 smallholder farmers

Driving south from Malawi's largest city, Blantyre, along the M1 road, the view outside the window gradually shifts from the bustle of the city to the tranquility of the countryside. As the altitude drops and the temperature rises, the Lower Shire Valley arrives. This area, located in the lower reaches of the Shire River and the plains along its banks, with an altitude of less than 50 meters, is the hottest, driest, and most fertile zone in Malawi.

In a cotton field on the outskirts of Chikwawa District in the Lower Shire Valley, the reporter met a 41-year-old cotton farmer, Isaac. He was squatting between the ridges, his rough fingers parting the soil at the base of the cotton plants. "This soil is so dry it has cracked open, but the cotton roots dig deep and can absorb moisture from underground." In this river valley area, cotton, with its drought-tolerant characteristics, has become a source of income security for many local farming households.

Malawi's cotton planting pattern is shaped jointly by geography and climate. The Lower Shire Valley's Chikwawa and Nsanje are the main production areas; the areas along Lake Malawi in Salima and Mangochi account for about 20% of the total planted area; mid-altitude hilly areas such as Balaka and Zomba account for about 30%. About 30,000 cotton farming households are scattered across these three major regions, the vast majority of whom are smallholder farmers with less than two hectares of land. According to reports, the unique climate and deep alluvial soils of the Lower Shire Valley have given local cotton the characteristics of long fibers, high strength, and bright white color, making it especially suitable for spinning high-count yarn and high-end knitted fabrics, favored in the international market.

Cosmas, the Executive Director of the Malawi Cotton Council, told the reporter that in the 2024/25 planting season, the national cotton planting area exceeded 27,000 hectares, and the seed cotton output is expected to be about 20,000 tons, more than double the 8,000 tons of the previous season. Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture's second round of crop assessment report shows that cotton output increased by 177.2% year-on-year, from 6,147 tons in the 2023/24 planting season to an estimated 17,037 tons in the 2024/25 planting season. Cotton is one of Malawi's four major foreign exchange-earning cash crops. According to the latest data released by Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture, the cotton industry directly sustains over 100,000 smallholder farmers nationwide.

In the village where Isaac lives, almost every household is connected to cotton. The men go to the fields to plant and pick cotton, the women grade and bag the cotton, and the children also help during the harvest season. "All three of my children are in school, entirely supported by cotton." A touch of pride appeared on Isaac's face.

多管齐下 (duō guǎn qí xià - "take multiple measures simultaneously," to adopt various approaches at the same time): promote the standardized development of the cotton industry

In recent years, the cotton industry has been incorporated into Malawi's "Vision 2063" and "National Export Strategy," and the government has introduced a series of policy measures to accelerate cotton cultivation, textile processing, and exports of finished products. The enactment of the "Cotton Act" has further regulated the entire chain of activities including cotton planting, processing, sales, and import-export.

In terms of price guarantees, the government has unified the minimum purchase price for seed cotton through the Cotton Council. For the 2024/25 marketing season it was 1,400 kwacha per kilogram (1 RMB is approximately 256 Malawian kwacha), and for the 2025/26 marketing season it was raised to 1,500 kwacha, effectively increasing farmer income and planting enthusiasm. In the 2025 marketing season, Malawi earned 7.4 billion kwacha from cotton sales. On May 25, 2026, the 2025/26 cotton marketing season officially began, lasting 90 days, and it is expected to generate approximately 27 billion kwacha in revenue from about 22,894 tons of output. The Cotton Council estimates that cotton exports in 2026 will rise to 26.2 million US dollars, a year-on-year surge of 523.8%. This growth is attributable to the substantial increase in cotton planting area and harvest yield.

In terms of agricultural input investment, in the 2024/25 marketing season, industry stakeholders jointly invested 2.85 billion kwacha to support the "Zero-Deposit Input Distribution Plan," providing agricultural inputs—seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides—to over 29,000 registered farming households in advance, with the cost deducted from cotton sales revenue after harvest. The private sector additionally injected 3.9 billion kwacha for cotton production investment. The Cotton Council launched the "Cotton Information Management System" digital platform, enabling digital registration of farmers, electronic seed distribution, and receipt of cotton sales payments via bank accounts and mobile platforms. Fifty collection centers were established nationwide. In the 2026 marketing season, a zoning system for buyers was also introduced, requiring buyers to purchase directly from the farmers they had supported, in order to reduce intermediate links.

"In the past, using traditional seeds, on two acres of land we could only harvest 50 bales of cotton; now with Bt cotton, we can harvest 100 to 150 bales." At a village near Lake Malawi in Salima, 36-year-old Kafal stood by his Bt cotton field, his face beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest. It is understood that Bt cotton seeds have significant pest-resistant effects, reducing pesticide use by 60%, and were developed and promoted by the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources starting in 2021, achieving notable benefits.

"Bt cotton resists bollworms, and the number of pesticide sprayings has been reduced from 12 times per season to 3 times. With the income from growing cotton, I bought land, built a house, and bought a car." Kafal told the reporter that cotton seeds and fertilizers have not yet been included in the national universal agricultural input subsidy system, and the price of Bt cotton seeds remains relatively high. "China is a major cotton country. We look forward to Chinese experts coming to Malawi to help breed cotton varieties with higher yields, stronger disease resistance, and lower costs."

Strengthen cooperation: explore diversified channels to expand markets

Currently, the global textile industry is accelerating its sustainable development transformation, and international brands' demand for "traceable," "low-carbon," and "fair trade" cotton is growing. Malawian agricultural experts believe that the local smallholder farming model possesses sustainable standards such as rain-fed agriculture, hand-picking, and low chemical input. If they can pass certification by Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) or the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) in bulk, lint cotton could obtain an additional premium of 150 to 300 US dollars per ton, potentially increasing cotton farmers' income by 10% to 15%. The Malawi Cotton Council has already begun liaising with multiple international certification bodies and plans to promote at least 5,000 hectares of cotton fields to obtain sustainable certification within two years.

At present, Malawian cotton is classified as Grade A in the international market, and some internationally renowned brands have already used it as high-quality blending cotton material. To further expand export markets, Malawi is stepping out of the traditional buyer circle and exploring diverse new paths. In 2025, the Malawi Agricultural Development and Marketing Company exported lint cotton to Switzerland for the first time, marking the entry of Malawian cotton into the European high-end market. After the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, tariffs on textile products within the region have been significantly reduced. With its geographical advantage, Malawi is expected to export cotton and cotton yarn to nearby textile centers such as South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya, forming a regional supply chain. At the same time, Malawian cotton is also connecting directly with international small and medium-sized textile mills through online B2B platforms, bypassing intermediaries, so that cotton farmers and ginneries can obtain higher profits.

Chinese enterprises are also actively participating in the development of Malawi's cotton industry chain. Several years ago, China-Africa Cotton Development Co., Ltd. (中非棉业发展有限公司) initiated a "company + farmer" model in Malawi for cotton planting, purchasing, and processing. It has set up multiple ginneries and oil extraction plants in Malawi and elsewhere, purchasing over 100,000 tons of seed cotton annually, benefiting a large number of cotton farmers. The China-FAO-Malawi (Phase II) South-South Cooperation Project (中国—联合国粮农组织—马拉维（二期）南南合作项目) was launched in June 2024. Chinese agricultural experts have gone deep into the fields, conducting technical training on topics including the selection and breeding of fine varieties of cotton and other crops, high-yield cultivation, and pest and disease control, promoting the application of advanced agricultural technologies.

"Chinese enterprises bring capital, as well as technology and market channels." A relevant official from the Malawi Cotton Council told the reporter that China's cooperation with Malawi is not only about helping to increase cotton production, but also focuses on the long-term future of industrial development. From promoting advanced planting techniques and cultivating agricultural talent, to sharing industrial development experience and expanding market cooperation space, China is using a cooperation approach that emphasizes capacity building, creating favorable conditions for Malawi's cotton industry to upgrade its value chain. "We look forward to Chinese enterprises helping Malawi establish cotton quality testing laboratories and traceability systems. Malawian cotton is expected to move from 'selling raw materials' to a new stage of 'selling standards and reputation,' promoting the building of a sustainable cotton industry chain," the official said.

At sunset, the cotton fields are dyed a golden yellow, and not far away, Lake Malawi glistens with rippling light. This third-largest freshwater lake in Africa preserves the rare moisture of the dry season, and also preserves the simple hopes for the future of cotton farmers like Isaac and Kafal.

(This newspaper's Blantyre, Malawi dispatch)

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Kazakhstan Vigorously Promotes Upgrading of Agricultural Industry Chain

By: 本报记者 李 强

Data recently released by the National Statistics Bureau of Kazakhstan show that in 2025, Kazakhstan's total ice cream output reached 63,200 metric tons, a year-on-year increase of 22%, setting a new historical high; over the same period, ice cream exports amounted to 14,200 metric tons, an increase of 36.8%, and Kazakhstan achieved a net export of ice cream for the first time. This breakthrough in a niche industry is a vivid microcosm of Kazakhstan's efforts to promote industrial structure optimization and diversified economic development.

For a long time, in Kazakhstan's economic structure, the development of agriculture and light industry has lagged relatively. In the dairy sector, the country once faced problems such as scattered distribution of milk sources, a low degree of standardization in breeding, and insufficient cold-chain supporting facilities, making it difficult for raw milk quality to meet the demands of large-scale, high-end industrial processing. Previously, only about one-third of Kazakhstan's raw milk could meet the production standards for high-end dairy products, with the rest mostly exported as primary raw materials, resulting in generally low added value of agricultural products.

To shore up industrial weaknesses and promote agricultural transformation and upgrading, in recent years Kazakhstan has incorporated the dairy industry into key development areas for deep processing of agricultural products and non-resource exports, continuously improving the industrial system through systematic planning and policy support. In 2023, the country proposed a development plan to build 81 modern dairy farms and 17 dairy processing plants, accompanied by relevant preferential policies to help the industry develop on a large scale and with standardization. Since 2025, a batch of key dairy projects have been put into operation one after another, and industrial production capacity has been continuously released. Among them, the Eurasia Dairy Company (欧亚乳品公司) has a condensed milk production capacity of 13,000 metric tons, and the Cenqinke Yuk Company (岑琴科与克公司) has added 18,700 metric tons of dairy product capacity. At the same time, 12 projects with a total investment of approximately 41 billion tenge (1 yuan renminbi is approximately 69.5 tenge) are under construction locally, and upon completion they will add 165,000 metric tons of dairy processing capacity. The implementation of a series of projects has effectively optimized the dairy product supply structure, promoted Kazakhstan's transition from primary raw milk exports to deep processing of dairy products, and effectively enhanced the economic benefits of the agricultural industry.

In response to the high requirements of the ice cream industry for low-temperature storage and transportation, Kazakhstan has continuously improved its cold-chain logistics supporting system. In recent years, the country has steadily advanced the modernization of cold-chain warehousing, refrigerated transport, border logistics centers, and agricultural product distribution systems. At the same time, by holding specialized cold-chain and agricultural exhibitions, it has attracted international cold-chain equipment and logistics enterprises to set up operations, providing infrastructure guarantees for large-scale ice cream exports.

Shin-Line Group, a local enterprise located in Baiserk (拜塞尔克), Kazakhstan, is one of the largest ice cream producers in Central Asia. In recent years, the enterprise has continuously introduced automated production lines and modern cold-chain warehousing systems, promoting brand-oriented and quality-oriented product development, and steadily enhancing product competitiveness and export added value. In 2025, the enterprise's ice cream exports accounted for 95% of the country's total export volume, with an average export price of $3.47 per kilogram. Omar Bek Zhurdyz, Vice President of the group, stated that in 2005, Kazakhstan's ice cream exports were only 12 metric tons, while imports exceeded 12,000 metric tons, indicating a high degree of external dependence for the industry. Today, the country's ice cream products are exported to 10 countries and regions, the industrial chain supporting facilities are increasingly complete, and market competitiveness is steadily improving.

The development and changes in the ice cream industry are one microcosm of Kazakhstan's economic transformation. In recent years, the country has continuously adjusted its industrial structure, vigorously cultivated non-resource industries such as deep processing of agricultural products, and reduced the economy's dependence on energy and minerals. At the same time, the government has helped local enterprises explore international markets through supporting policies such as export insurance, financing guarantees, and overseas market promotion. Currently, multiple industries represented by Kazakhstan's ice cream industry are gradually shifting from price competition to comprehensive competition centered on quality and brand in the international market. The development vitality of local manufacturing and modern agriculture continues to be released, providing strong support for the country's diversified economic development.

(This newspaper's Astana, July 16 report, with intern Han Jiaxu (韩佳序) contributing to the reporting.)

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Report Stresses So-Called South China Sea Arbitration Ruling Contradicts International Judicial Practice

Beijing, July 16 (Reporter Bao Han (包晗)) — The Legal Refutation of the South China Sea Arbitration Case Ruling — “The South China Sea Arbitration Case Ruling Is Not International Law” was released on July 16. The report conducts its analysis along three main lines—arbitral jurisdiction, application of substantive rules, and effect of the ruling—and demonstrates that this so-called “ruling” runs 背道而驰 (bèi dào ér chí - “run counter to the way,” to go in the opposite direction) with international judicial practice.

This report, compiled by the China South China Sea Research Institute (中国南海研究院), Jinan University, Ocean University of China, and Shanghai Maritime University, points out that the “South China Sea Arbitration case” (南海仲裁案) was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines and suffers from fundamental defects from procedure to substance; the so-called “ruling” made by the so-called “Arbitral Tribunal” (仲裁庭) runs 背道而驰 with the spirit of international law, is in essence a political manipulation carried out under the guise of law, and the “Arbitral Tribunal” itself has been reduced to a geopolitical tool of extraterritorial forces such as the United States and Japan. It is a one-sided statement manipulated by politics and money, replete with errors in fact-finding and improper application of law.

The question of jurisdiction is the greatest legal obstacle in this case. China and the Philippines have confirmed through bilateral treaties and multiple other documents that they will handle the South China Sea disputes through bilateral consultation and negotiation, thereby excluding the application of third-party arbitration procedures. The Philippines deliberately packaged this as a matter of interpretation and application of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, misleading international public opinion. As early as 2006, China issued a declaration pursuant to the Convention, excluding disputes concerning maritime delimitation and other categories from the Convention’s compulsory dispute settlement procedures. The “Arbitral Tribunal” 置若罔闻 (zhì ruò wǎng wén - “set as if not heard,” to turn a deaf ear) to this, forcibly brought disputes that were not within the scope of admissibility under its jurisdiction, and thus from the very beginning lacked a basis for judicial jurisdiction.

The report points out that the “Arbitral Tribunal” also committed systematic errors in the application of law during the substantive hearing phase. The “Arbitral Tribunal” ignored the basic fact that the Nansha Islands constitute an integrated whole in geography, history, and law, wantonly dismembered China’s territorial sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, artificially fragmented the Nansha Islands into isolated features unrelated to one another, mechanically applied and distorted the provisions of the Convention, and seriously infringed upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity over the Nansha Islands. The “Arbitral Tribunal” admitted multiple items of evidence that had not been cross-verified and came from single sources, violated the rules of evidence, and lost its stance of neutral adjudication. The text of the ruling is internally contradictory, its conclusions are arbitrary, its professional quality bears major defects, and it runs 背道而驰 with international judicial practice.

The report emphasizes that the “South China Sea Arbitration case ruling” was rendered by an “Arbitral Tribunal” that possesses no judicial jurisdiction, suffers from fundamental defects in the application of law, seriously violates fairness and justice, and from the very beginning has no force under international law. Certain arbitrators of the “Arbitral Tribunal” abandoned independent judgment 从始至终 (cóng shǐ zhì zhōng - “from beginning to end,” throughout), conformed to the instructions and demands of the political forces behind them, and completely lost their credibility. The “ruling” on substantive issues is riddled with 漏洞百出 (lòu dòng bǎi chū - “hundreds of loopholes,” full of flaws) and errors in the application of law, violates international law, and is illegal and invalid.

The report, by reviewing the situation in the South China Sea, reveals that ten years later, this so-called “ruling” has not only failed to resolve disputes or promote peace, but has instead hindered the process of building the international rule of law in the South China Sea region, becoming a countercurrent in the history of international law development.

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Eighty-two Japanese local assemblies have demanded that their governments uphold the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, July 15 (Xinhua) -- (Reporters Chen Ze'an (陈泽安) and Liang Chen (梁晨)) According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News on the 14th, since the establishment of the Takaichi Sanae government in October last year, 82 local assemblies in Japan have submitted opinion documents to the central government or the Diet, demanding that the Takaichi government adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" (无核三原则) or legislate the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

The report states that since Takaichi came to power in October last year, 5 prefectural assemblies, 48 city assemblies, and 29 town and ward assemblies have submitted opinion documents concerning the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," and none of these opinion documents advocates revising the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

The report points out that previous Japanese governments received zero or only a few such opinion documents, but during the Takaichi government period the number has surged, reflecting Japanese society's high level of concern over the Takaichi government's move to revise the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

The "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" refer to "not possessing, not manufacturing, and not allowing the entry of nuclear weapons." This principle has been the basic policy of the Japanese government regarding nuclear weapons since it was passed at a plenary session of the House of Representatives of Japan in 1971.

According to previous disclosures by Japanese media, the Takaichi government is attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the entry of nuclear weapons within the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." This move has sparked strong concern from various sectors in Japan.

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Number of Corporate Bankruptcies in Japan Surges in First Half of Year

By: 本报记者 刘文璋

A report recently released by Tokyo Shoko Research shows that in the first half of 2026, the number of corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of 10 million yen or more (1 yuan renminbi is approximately 24 yen) nationwide in Japan reached 5,346, a year-on-year increase of 7.1%, rising for the fifth consecutive year and once again exceeding 5,000 after a 12-year interval. The total liabilities of bankrupt enterprises in the first half amounted to approximately 734 billion yen, a year-on-year increase of 6.3%. The bankrupt entities are concentrated among small and medium-sized enterprises with weaker risk resistance, among which micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees account for as high as 90.6%, suffering the most severe impact.

From the perspective of industry distribution, the number of bankrupt enterprises increased year-on-year in 8 of Japan's 10 major industries. The service industry saw 1,819 bankruptcies, a year-on-year increase of 7.1%, hitting the highest level for the same period in nearly 30 years; the construction industry saw 1,026 bankruptcies, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%, breaking the 1,000 mark for the first time in 12 years. The number of bankruptcies in the transportation industry, information and communications industry, retail industry, and other industries also rose markedly, with operating pressure continuing to spread across multiple fields.

High prices are an important factor driving up the number of corporate bankruptcies. In the first half, the number of enterprises that went bankrupt due to rising costs of raw materials and other factors reached 439, a year-on-year increase of 27.6%, the highest value for the same period since the current yen depreciation cycle began in 2022. Preliminary statistics released by the Bank of Japan show that in June, Japan's corporate goods price index rose 7.1% year-on-year to 135.4, with the increase further expanding from May, refreshing the highest level since March 2023; rising prices of non-ferrous metals, petroleum and coal products, and chemical products were the main driving factors. The rise in energy prices is transmitted along the industrial chain to downstream sectors, directly impacting terminal industries such as catering and construction, with costs for food ingredients, water, electricity, and gas continuing to rise, constantly compressing corporate profit margins.

Labor shortages further exacerbate the operational difficulties of enterprises. In the first half, the number of enterprises that went bankrupt due to labor shortages reached 237, a year-on-year increase of 37.7%; among them, bankruptcies directly triggered by a sharp rise in labor costs reached 120, a year-on-year surge of 140%. The structural labor gap caused by Japan's aging population has long existed; small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to keep pace with the wage increases of large enterprises, forming a vicious cycle of recruitment difficulties and talent drain. The rigid rise in labor costs directly impacts the stability of enterprise capital chains.

The continued depreciation of the yen further amplifies the above cost pressures. At the end of June this year, the dollar-yen exchange rate once touched the 162 mark, hitting a nearly 40-year low. Special statistics from Tokyo Shoko Research show that in the first half, the number of enterprises that went bankrupt directly due to yen depreciation reached 45, a year-on-year increase of 32.3%, the highest value for the same period since this statistic was initiated in 2022. Domestic-demand-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises in the wholesale and retail, manufacturing, and other fields are most directly affected. Because the cost of imported raw materials and goods has risen sharply, while small and medium-sized enterprises have relatively weak bargaining power, profit margins are continuously compressed, and many enterprises have fallen into difficulties with capital turnover.

Faced with the operational difficulties of enterprises, the Sanae Takaichi administration's "responsible and active fiscal" policy has failed to effectively alleviate the pressure on small and medium-sized and micro enterprises, and has instead triggered widespread market concerns. A Reuters survey of Japanese enterprises shows that 66% of the respondent enterprises are worried about this policy, of which 64% are concerned that the policy will further exacerbate yen depreciation and push up the cost of imported raw materials, and 55% are concerned that rising interest rates will increase corporate financing costs. Institutions such as the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and some opposition party figures have criticized that the government is focusing on promoting a 370 trillion yen scale government and private investment concept, emphasizing macro-strategic layout, but lacks precise relief measures targeting small and medium-sized enterprises' exchange rate risk response, cost subsidies, and employment support, making it difficult to effectively improve the operating situation of small and medium-sized and micro enterprises, and the trend of increasing corporate bankruptcies is hard to curb quickly.

Tokyo Shoko Research predicts that the high-price situation driven by yen depreciation will continue, the risk of bankruptcy for small and medium-sized enterprises is unlikely to ease significantly in the short term, and the momentum of growth may further strengthen after entering autumn. How to effectively relieve the operational pressure on small and medium-sized and micro enterprises and stabilize market exchange rate expectations while advancing economic strategic objectives is becoming a severe test for the Sanae Takaichi administration.
(Our Tokyo correspondent, July 16)

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Russian Foreign Ministry: Russia Does Not Recognize Legitimacy of South China Sea Arbitration Ruling

Xinhua Vladivostok, July 16 (Reporter Sun Ping (孙萍)) — Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on the 15th that Russia does not recognize the procedural legality of the “South China Sea arbitration ruling” (南海仲裁案裁决), and the relevant disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved through political and diplomatic channels.

According to a statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Zakharova said at a regular press conference that, as is well known, China did not participate in the so-called “arbitration” and firmly believes that the so-called “arbitral tribunal” lacked jurisdiction. Given that China does not agree to resolve the relevant disputes in the South China Sea through the so-called “ruling,” Russia therefore does not recognize the legality of its procedures.

Zakharova pointed out that Russia advocates resolving the relevant disputes on the basis of international law of the sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea through political and diplomatic channels, and opposes the interference of outside forces in the South China Sea issue. Russia’s position is not out of political considerations, but a purely legal stance, based on the “consent of states” principle.

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Zou Zhipeng, Zhang Huizhong, Chu Jun

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An Archaeological Interpretation of Early Sino-Roman Cultural Exchanges (Global View)

By: 水 涛

At the start of the new year 2026, the book Cucuteni Culture Painted Pottery Collection from Romania (罗马尼亚库库特尼文化彩陶集萃), co-edited by the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院考古研究所) and the Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy, has officially met its readers. During my visit to the Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy in August 2025, I toured several archaeological sites and museums of the Cucuteni culture and had the honor of participating in the book’s related launch events on the Romanian side. I deeply feel that the publication of this book embodies the joint efforts of Chinese and Romanian archaeologists, fulfills the long-cherished wishes of several generations of scholars, and also answers an important century-old question in Chinese academic history.

A Long-Distance Gaze: The Mystery of Its Connection with the Yangshao Culture

The Cucuteni culture is a painted-pottery culture of the Chalcolithic period that emerged 6600–5000 years ago, mainly distributed in the Moldavian Plateau northeast of the Carpathian Mountains within Romania and in the Republic of Moldova. Remains with similar cultural features have also been found in Ukraine’s northwestern Black Sea region and the middle and upper reaches of the Dniester River, where they are called the Trypillia culture. The Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex is a typical representative of the Chalcolithic culture from the East European Plain to the northern coast of the Black Sea.

Why would such a prehistoric cultural remnant, so distant in time and separated from China by 千山万水 (qiān shān wàn shuǐ – “a thousand hills and ten thousand waters,” a long and arduous journey), become a long-term focus of research for Chinese archaeologists and even the Chinese historical academia?

In 1921, the Yangshao culture was discovered at Yangshao Village (仰韶村) in Mianchi County (渑池县), Henan Province. This is the most representative prehistoric cultural remnant discovered in the Yellow River basin. In the early stages of the discovery of the Yangshao culture, no archaeological work had yet been carried out in other parts of China, so no reliable comparative material was available for the study of this cultural remnant characterized by painted pottery. Therefore, the discoverer of the Yangshao culture, the Swedish archaeologist J. G. Andersson, compared the Yangshao culture with the Anau culture discovered in Central Asia and the more distant Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, and put forward the theory of the western origin of the Yangshao culture. Once the theory of the western origin of early Chinese culture was proposed, it caused great shock in Chinese historical circles and had a lasting influence. To this day, through the continuous efforts of several generations of Chinese archaeologists, we have now discovered several cultures predating the Yangshao culture in the Yellow River basin, and have clarified that the Yangshao culture originated in the Central Plains region of the middle reaches of the Yellow River and gradually developed and spread westward. In his later years, based on some new discoveries in China, Andersson revised the theory of the western origin of the Yangshao culture. This once 盛极一时 (shèng jí yī shí – “flourish for a time,” to be extremely popular for a period) claim has been thoroughly refuted by academia.

However, from another perspective, we have only resolved the question of the Yangshao culture’s own origin and development trajectory; we have not yet clarified whether the Anau culture and the Trypillia culture actually had any exchange or contact with the early Chinese culture represented by the Yangshao culture. Because for a long time, Chinese archaeologists had no opportunity to go abroad to observe and study up close the early cultural remains found in those distant lands, this question was once a problem that Chinese academia could not answer.

Field Excavation: The Dobrovăț Site (多布若瓦茨遗址)

From 2019 onward, the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted four consecutive years of archaeological excavations at the Dobrovăț site in Romania, specializing in the study of the painted pottery and settlements of the Cucuteni culture. During this period, Chinese and Romanian scholars 通力合作 (tōng lì hé zuò – “join forces with concerted efforts,” to cooperate closely), sorting through the painted pottery discovered over the years in the core distribution area of the Cucuteni culture, the Moldavian Plateau, selected 200 specimens, and compiled them into a book presented to readers.

This pictorial catalogue includes three articles by Chinese scholars Chen Xingcan (陈星灿), Li Xinwei (李新伟), and Romanian scholar Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici, introducing the intellectual journey of Chinese scholars in studying the Cucuteni culture and the basic understanding of this culture by Romanian scholars. In more than 300 pages, the catalogue is divided into three phases – early, middle, and late – and presents in detail the different vessel types and the artistic styles and characteristics of different decorative motifs of Cucuteni painted pottery. At the end of the catalogue, an appendix provides detailed information for the 200 specimens, including their excavation locations, museum inventory numbers, descriptions of the artifacts, and references, facilitating researchers to verify materials and conduct further comparative studies. The entire book’s captions use bilingual Chinese and English annotations, reflecting a rigorous sense of international academic standards. This is the first academic monograph on the study of the Cucuteni culture published in China, representing our current level of understanding in Cucuteni culture research, and can be regarded as a classic masterpiece in the study of early cultural exchange between China and Romania.

So, what new academic insights does this archaeological research work bring to readers?

According to the research of Romanian scholars, the remains of the early phase of the Cucuteni culture existed 6600–5900 years ago, mainly distributed in the piedmont zone of the Eastern Carpathians, the intermontane valleys of the Moldavian Plateau, and the interfluvial zone of the Prut and Dniester rivers. In later phases, the population gradually spread eastward and northeastward. Early settlements can be divided into central settlements, secondary settlements, and seasonal settlements, with the largest settlement area reaching up to 4 million square meters. The layout of settlements is generally elliptical or circular, with defensive ring ditches on the periphery. The dwelling sites in the settlements are mostly arranged in groups in round or semi-round forms, with individual house areas varying from large to medium to small, between 25 and 100 square meters; some have auxiliary buildings used for storing odds and ends or for handicraft production. At the center of the settlements are large buildings, which should be public facilities. The economic life of the Cucuteni culture people was mainly based on agriculture; the crops grown include wheat, barley, millet, and peas, and the main domestic animals were cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, with hunting and fishing economies occupying a relatively small proportion.

Pottery-making was the most important handicraft production activity of this culture. The primary method was coiling, and slow-wheel finishing techniques also appeared. The majority of pottery consists of painted wares, accounting for as much as 50%–80% of the total, and sometimes even higher. These painted pots are generally decorated with reddish-brown or dark brown patterns on a white or red slip. Some vessel types, such as cups, bowls, lids, stemmed bowls (dou), and pedestals, are fully painted on both interior and exterior surfaces; other types, such as jars and urns, are usually painted only on the exterior. The motifs of the painted pottery patterns are quite diverse. In the early phase, geometric patterns predominate, including continuous spirals, continuous diamond grids, continuous wave patterns, triangle patterns, and S-curve patterns; the overall picture is complex and varied, without left-right symmetry or central symmetry. After the middle phase, the motifs include continuous spiral patterns composed of multiple concentric circles, and the layout is mostly divided into four or six symmetrical sections. Realistic motifs also appear, such as conifer leaf patterns, bird patterns, snake patterns, running carnivore patterns, and human figure patterns. The painting style often features bichrome patterns in black and red. The vessel type combinations also change correspondingly, showing that over the more than 1,000 years of the Cucuteni culture’s development, its cultural features underwent complex periodic changes from early to late phases.

Civilization Manifestation: Painted Pottery Patterns Embody the Harmonious Coexistence of Man and Nature

If we compare the painted pottery of the various phases of the Cucuteni culture with that of the Yangshao culture, we find that there is nothing in common between them in terms of painting style, compositional motifs, and main vessel types. The Yangshao culture was not produced under the influence of the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture – this is an indisputable conclusion.

If we compare Cucuteni painted pottery with the painted pottery discovered in the Gansu-Qinghai region of northwest China, we find many similar elements. These similarities appear in several aspects, such as vessel forms, painting styles, and compositional motifs. For example, continuous diamond grid patterns, concentric circle patterns with four large circles, and bichrome animal patterns frequently appear in the painted pottery of the Banshan type (半山类型) and Machang type (马厂类型) of the Majiayao culture (马家窑文化) in Lintao County (临洮县), Gansu Province.

At present, academia generally believes that in the early phase of the Majiayao culture, i.e., the Majiayao type period, the painted pottery style was mainly influenced by the remains of the late-phase types of the Yangshao culture. However, by the middle and late phases of the Majiayao culture, i.e., the Banshan and Machang periods, the overall style of the painted pottery underwent a marked change, and this change often cannot be reasonably explained from the developmental process of the Majiayao culture itself. Whether, during 4600–4000 years ago, the painted-pottery culture of the northwest had direct contact or some kind of exchange of artistic concepts with even more distant Western painted-pottery cultures is an academic topic that deserves more attention in future comparative studies of archaeological cultures.

Changes in painted-pottery patterns not only reflect the developmental and evolutionary relationships of the archaeological culture itself but also embody the aesthetic concepts and social organizational structural characteristics of the people who created the painted-pottery art. The results of research on painted pottery at home and abroad repeatedly show that the people who created brilliant painted-pottery cultures generally engaged in settled agricultural production. The intricate changes in the motif patterns of painted pottery symbolize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, presenting a life scene of 江河安澜 (jiāng hé ān lán – “rivers calm and waves still,” peace and prosperity) and 五谷丰登 (wǔ gǔ fēng dēng – “five grains abundant harvest,” bumper harvest).

From the 一望无际 (yī wàng wú jì – “stretching as far as the eye can see”) river valley plains of eastern Romania to the Central Plains of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in China, against the background of the warm climate and environment of the Megathermal period around 6,000 years ago, each independently gave rise to agricultural cultural settlements. Their stable mode of food production ensured the long-term effective growth of the population and also produced the aesthetic needs and social conditions for creating and owning painted pottery artifacts. I believe that this is precisely the common spiritual wealth shared in the early cultural development of China and Romania, and it is also the main focus for our understanding of painted-pottery culture today and for deepening research on mutual learning among civilizations.

(The author is a professor at the Department of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, School of History, Nanjing University (南京大学历史学院考古文物系))

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Caprice in San Gimignano (Traveler's Notes)

By: 尚嵘峥

Driving from Florence, Italy, to Siena, the eyes are filled with greenery. The hills roll on and on; wheat and pasture grasses sway in the wind, dotted with patches of wildflowers. Passing by farmhouses, the slender cypress trees in front of the doors rise into the clouds. In the painterly Tuscany, countless tourists seek precisely such a poetic pastoral scene.

The bright sun grows stronger; suddenly, a small town dotted with towers appears atop the hills, exceptionally tall and straight — it is San Gimignano, the destination of my trip.

San Gimignano was born as a transport post. From the 5th century BC to the 3rd century BC, the Etruscans settled on the hilltops near San Gimignano and developed small villages. By the Middle Ages, the Francigena pilgrimage road, which ran from the English religious city of Canterbury through France to Rome, passed through the village. Countless travelers rested and stopped here; the village became a post station and gradually expanded in scale.

At that time, the sales of saffron spice and Vernaccia wine produced in San Gimignano increased greatly, causing the town’s economy to develop rapidly. In the first half of the 14th century, the town’s population reached its peak of 13,000. During this period, nobles and wealthy merchants built towers one after another symbolizing power and wealth, with lower floors used for living and higher floors for lookout. At its peak, San Gimignano had over 70 towers; the town was a forest of tall towers, with merchants coming and going on the flagstone streets — the small town could be called the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages.” Today, what people see of San Gimignano is largely the appearance left from the 14th century.

The car drove through narrow country roads and arrived at the top of a hill more than 300 meters high. The first to greet me was the tall and imposing city wall, its bricks and stones covered with scars, built tightly without gaps; weeds fiercely squeezed out from the stone crevices; everything within sight bore the mottled vicissitudes touched by history.

Prosperity, bustle, and clamor came to an abrupt halt in the mid-14th century. The Black Death struck, and San Gimignano’s population dwindled and its economy declined. For centuries, it seemed to have fallen into a vortex of time, unknown to the world. It was not until the 20th century that more and more tourists came here to see the unique groups of towers, bringing life to this city that had been silent for hundreds of years.

The building complex of San Gimignano was influenced by the architectural styles of Florence, Siena, and Pisa from the 12th to the 14th centuries; it prizes architectural homogeneity and can be considered a model of medieval architecture. In 1990, the Historic Centre of San Gimignano was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, just from the color scheme, the city’s buildings are mostly in color systems such as black, brown, and gray; even the shutters that Italians love are coffee-colored. The local people’s adherence to architectural homogeneity has lasted for centuries.

Walking into the city, the historic center covering nearly 14 hectares seems to have been frozen in time on some medieval afternoon. The streets and alleys are narrow, with thick and tall brick and stone buildings standing in rows, their hues dim and dull. Just when I was thoroughly convinced that I had returned to the Middle Ages, the clothes drying outside the windows swayed in the wind, the balconies filled with flowers were lush and green, and a plump orange cat walked gracefully — one after another, these tangible scenes of life pulled me back to reality. Lifting my eyes to look around, the gray stone buildings before me were like picture frames, freezing the distant blue sky, snow-white clouds, and emerald fields.

Following the crowd, I moved to the city center and arrived at the triangular Piazza della Cisterna and the square-like Piazza del Duomo. I looked up at the surrounding towers, and the towers also gazed at me. Although it has experienced a long decline, 14 towers remain to this day, standing firmly and silently in the city, the tallest of which is the 54-meter Torre Grossa. It is square, angular, and sharply defined; its tower body rising into the clouds has very few windows, and its entire structure is dense, solid, and stern.

To enter the Torre Grossa, one must first pass through a small museum before reaching the interior space of the tower. The space here is extremely empty; standing at the bottom and looking up, there is only a black, square-spiral staircase clinging to the wall, circling around and around up to the top. Natural light pours in through the tower’s windows, illuminating the interior brightly. I quickly climbed to the top of the tower and looked into the distance; the town and countryside were clearly layered, and the pastoral landscape unfolded like a painting.

Cultural heritage such as the Torre Grossa is now carefully guarded by the local government and the people. The Italian Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of San Gimignano have both established protective measures for the buildings and landscapes of the historic center. Renovating historic buildings must be approved, and traditional materials and techniques must be used to ensure that “repairing the old to be as old.”

After sunset, the tourists dispersed, the shops closed, and San Gimignano returned to tranquility. I drove away, passing again the rolling hills; the wheat ears and pasture grasses on the roadside swayed in the wind, reminding me of San Gimignano’s ups and downs in fate. Time flies; many once-glittering cities have sunk into the dust of history, and we can only imagine their past glory through broken walls and ruins. Thus, San Gimignano is fortunate: its ancient buildings have forever frozen the appearance of its heyday. When the footsteps of pilgrims faded away, tourists came in succession; in the ancient city, residents have changed the flowers they plant and the cats they keep, and the aroma of freshly ground coffee wafts through the squares. The city of towers has never been asleep; it lives in the worldly bustle in another way.

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Strolling at Cabo da Roca (Overseas Sights)

By: 杨晓杰

Cabo da Roca is a cape. It is situated at the westernmost tip of Portugal, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, and is famed for the verse of the country's renowned poet Camões: "Here the land ends, and here the sea begins."

Tourists come to Cabo da Roca in an 络绎不绝 (luò yì bù jué - "continuous stream," coming and going in an endless stream), and I was among them. By the sea, I felt the Atlantic Ocean wind rushing against my face, carrying with it a faint floral fragrance. At my feet not far away were sea figs, their goose-yellow and pale-pink flower clusters stretching freely in the wind, and beside them were patches of coastal daisies. In the hazy mist of early morning, this place was a gentle sea of flowers.

On the high ground of Cabo da Roca stands a light beige stone stele, silently enduring the erosion of wind and rain. Carved into the stele are the verses of Camões, as well as the geographical coordinates of this place — 38 degrees 47 minutes north latitude, 9 degrees 30 minutes west longitude. I walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing out at the azure sea and the cerulean sky, which seemed to merge into one in the distant vastness, and looked down at the waves 140 meters below, the breakers crashing against the rock face, against the reefs, their roar reverberating endlessly.

Here there is no clamor of the city; only the wind and the roar of the waves interweave, with the occasional cry of seagulls coming from not far away. Gust after gust of sea wind stirs the hems of tourists' clothing. Countless seaside wildflowers take root in the soft, red soil, and the wind occasionally blows petals into the sea, where they rise and fall.

Cabo da Roca is suited for a leisurely stroll, and it is also suited for quiet contemplation. Tourists from all over the world arrive here and, as if by unspoken agreement, slow their pace. Some bend down to examine the flowers that cover the mountains and fields, some lean against the railing to gaze into the boundless Atlantic, and others gently trace the deep and shallow carvings on the stele. The salty, astringent sea wind soaks into the tourists' breath inch by inch, while the faint floral fragrance drifts in and out at the tips of their noses.

The mist gradually dispersed. Look, the red-and-white lighthouse not far away is now clearly visible. The lighthouse was built on the high ground of Cabo da Roca, first constructed in the 18th century. Over more than two hundred years, it has guided the way for countless ships on long voyages.

According to historical records, starting in the 15th century, fleet after fleet of European navigators set sail from the port of Lisbon, passed by Cabo da Roca, and sailed into the depths of the Atlantic. Among them, the fleet of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama headed south from here, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and reached India, opening a new sea route connecting East and West. At that time, Cabo da Roca was the window through which Europeans gazed upon the world, witnessing breakthrough after breakthrough in humanity's understanding of the boundaries of continents.

Standing at the land's end, I thought of a phrase — "海角天涯" (hǎi jiǎo tiān yá - "the corner of the sea and the edge of the sky," the farthest ends of the earth). Looking back behind me was the Eurasian continent stretching for ten thousand miles. Gazing ahead was the unobstructed, boundless, vast ocean. The great sea surged with 波涛汹涌 (bō tāo xiōng yǒng - "waves surging violently," turbulent and raging billows), rushing onward toward the Americas and Africa.

A shaft of sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled onto the sea surface, and the deep blue Atlantic rippled with shimmering light. I read again the verse on the stele — "Here the land ends, and here the sea begins" — and a different insight arose in my heart. A geographical terminus is not a shackle upon moving forward; the boundary here can also be the prelude to a new journey.

The wind of Cabo da Roca has blown through centuries of vicissitude, swept over the wildflowers blooming in profusion across the mountains, and caressed the stele at the cliff's edge time and again. This cape, standing at the edge of the European continent, is engraved with geographical coordinates and literary poetics, and retains humanity's unceasing passion for exploration.

Taking leave of this vast landscape of sea and mountain, I too will set off for the next distant horizon.

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Paper by the Nile (Worldwide Chatter)

By: 沈小晓

Amid the dense wetlands of the Nile Delta, beside the clear waters, one can always see clumps of upright papyrus. Their stems are slender, and at the top are fluffy, light umbrella-shaped inflorescences, gently swaying in the breeze.

Papyrus paper, born from the tough fibers of the papyrus plant. This paper, transformed from plant stems, has over the long years carried and continued the dialogue between humanity and time and civilization. Now, the sound of the Nile's waters remains the same. Papyrus, having emerged from the "pile of old papers," radiates new vitality in the pulse of Egyptian cultural heritage and modern economic development.

In ancient Egyptian creation myths, the world began from the primordial waters. Because the papyrus grows from the water, the ancient Egyptians vividly likened it to the original life emerging from the chaotic waters. The capitals of stone columns in ancient Egyptian temples were often carved in the shape of papyrus inflorescences, symbolizing life and rebirth.

Around 3000 BCE, the ancient Egyptians invented papyrus paper, achieving a key leap in converting the papyrus plant into a writing medium. According to the records of the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder and modern reconstruction practices, craftsmen cut the central part of the papyrus stem into thin slices, on a hard flat surface laid them 纵横交错 (zòng héng jiāo cuò - "vertical and horizontal interwoven," crisscross) in alternating layers, then through pounding and heavy pressing, relying on the natural mucilage exuded from the plant itself to bind them, and after drying and polishing, finally formed a paper roll suitable for writing.

For a considerable period, papyrus paper, being expensive, was mainly used by the government, temples, and elite classes to record religious scriptures, government archives, legal documents, and literary works. For example, "The Story of Sinuhe," written on a papyrus scroll, is a well-preserved classic narrative work from the Middle Kingdom period (approximately 20th century BCE). The famous Library of Alexandria in history once collected over 400,000 papyrus scrolls at its peak, attracting scholars from all over to copy, translate, and exchange. Papyrus paper made indelible contributions to the continuation of Egyptian civilization for millennia; it was light, thin, and could be rolled up, promoting the circulation of documents and the accumulation of knowledge.

However, this medium also had limitations. Because papyrus paper has a brittle texture, it easily breaks when folded repeatedly, and the raw materials were concentrated in one region, which limited its large-scale popularization among the common people. After the 8th century CE, papermaking technology originating from China was introduced to the Arab region, and papyrus paper was gradually replaced, and its production techniques thus lay dormant for centuries. In the 1960s, Egyptian scholar Hassan Ragab consulted classical texts and successfully "revived" the ancient technique of making papyrus paper.

Since the 1970s, many villages in Egypt's Eastern Province have gradually developed handmade papyrus paper production into a main family livelihood. Finished papyrus paper is sold to cities across Egypt. Artists use mineral pigments to paint mythological stories on papyrus paper; pyramids, the Sphinx, and Nile scenery are common themes. Thus, the Egyptian characteristic art piece—papyrus painting—was born. In the famous Khan el-Khalili market in Cairo, shops selling papyrus paintings are always full of customers. Paintings depicting thousands of years of ancient Egyptian culture and history are widely loved by foreign tourists.

For nearly half a century, Abdullah's family has been engaged in papyrus paper making. Following Abdullah into the family workshop, the writer saw that the workers were meticulously executing every step. First, they select suitable papyrus stems, peel off the green outer skin to reveal the white inner stem, cut them into uniform thin slices about 1 mm thick, and soak them in clear water until the slices become flexible; then take out the soaked slices, arrange them in a crisscross pattern—one layer horizontally, one layer vertically—forming a warp and weft structure; then separate the laid slices with cloth, stack them layer by layer, press them with heavy objects to squeeze out the water; finally, dry them naturally in the sun, and polish the surface with a smooth object to make the papyrus paper surface flat.

Abdullah frankly admitted that over the past five years, affected by changes in the economic environment and market demand, fewer and fewer people in the village are engaged in papyrus paper making. But influenced by his father, he has long regarded passing on the craft as his mission: "I learned to make papyrus paper from my father since childhood. This skill has become part of my life. We will persevere, and we also hope that more people will continue to pass on this ancient craft."

Today, papyrus paper has become a cultural name card of Egypt. The Egyptian tourism department is actively exploring the inclusion of villages that make papyrus paper into tourism cultural experience routes; the antiquities department strictly supervises the restoration and research of ancient papyrus documents; the education department is trying to introduce papyrus paper making as a traditional craft course into schools. At the same time, papyrus paper is entering modern life and the global market in new forms. Many Egyptian enterprises, through platforms such as cultural expos, display to the world cultural and creative products made from papyrus paper, such as artworks, lamps, notebooks, etc. In the past, papyrus paper served as an export commodity and a vehicle of knowledge, connecting Egypt and the Mediterranean world in civilizational exchange; today, through international exhibitions, conferences, and cultural exchange activities, it continues to play the role of an envoy of civilization.

The story of papyrus paper carries the changes in writing media, showing how humanity draws inspiration from nature, preserves memory in the river of time, and integrates ancient wisdom into contemporary life. Witnessed by sheets of papyrus paper dried in the sun, Egyptian civilization continues to grow in new environments and soil, writing the future.

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Wang Jiake, Zhuang Xueya, Li Xinyi (Page Editors)

Email: rmrbgjfk@peopledaily.cn
Layout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

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Writing the Shanhai Answer Sheet of Common Prosperity

Shi Zhixiong (施志雄), head of the Shicheng Ninghao E-commerce Wholesale (Western) Operations Base in Yanchi County, Ningxia — Building an e-commerce bridge, turning "local products" into "hot sellers"

At the Shicheng Ninghao E-commerce Wholesale (Western) Operations Base in Yanchi County, Ningxia, workers efficiently package and label parcels; boxes of Tan sheep meat gift boxes are ready to be shipped to Fujian, Guangdong and other places. "Yesterday, in just one livestream, we sold over 800 orders of Tan sheep meat gift boxes alone," said Shi Zhixiong, head of the base.

This e-commerce base, which now has a stable daily shipment volume of over 5,000 orders, was still a "desert" four years ago.

In September 2021, Shi Zhixiong, who ran a clothing business in Shishi City, Fujian, was invited to inspect the site by the Fujian-Ningxia Yanchi work team. He keenly realized that agricultural specialty products such as Yanchi Tan sheep meat and daylily buds had enormous market potential; once the e-commerce pipeline was opened, they could leverage a vast market.

He decisively invested. In just 100 days, by December of that year, a modern base integrating e-commerce operations and logistics sorting had been built.

For industrial complementarity, the first step was to fill the短板 (duǎn bǎn - "short plank," weakness/bottleneck). Through research, Shi Zhixiong found that the biggest bottleneck was in logistics. Shi Zhixiong negotiated with express delivery companies, trading volume for price, achieving a significant reduction in per-kilogram shipping costs. "On this one item alone, all e-commerce enterprises in the county save about 6 million yuan a year," Shi Zhixiong said.

After the logistics pipeline was opened, Shi Zhixiong set a sales strategy of "Eastern supply chain + Western quality products," integrating agricultural specialties such as Yanchi Tan sheep meat, daylily buds, and wolfberries, with unified quality control and repackaging.

Shi Zhixiong explained that the base adopts a "front shop, back factory" model, using livestream sales to drive production and processing. Over the past few years, the e-commerce base has guided入驻 (rùzhù - "settled-in") enterprises to finely segment Tan sheep meat, classifying and packaging it by parts such as shoulder, ribs, and leg, developing small-pack products like lamb rolls and French-style lamb chops, and also launching deeply processed products such as quick-cooking minced lamb sauce.

Ningxia Jinjiuyang Animal Husbandry, which settled into the base, saw its online sales revenue exceed 10 million yuan last year. Base livestream host Yuan Fanghua (袁芳华) recalled a livestream last year where three hosts took turns on camera, over 70,000 people poured into the livestream room, and the lamb meat sold out.

For industrial complementarity, the key lies in people. The base regularly holds e-commerce training courses, teaching local youth hands-on. To date, the base has cumulatively trained over 7,000 trainees, driven employment for over 6,800 people, and 78 enterprises have entered the livestream rooms, boosting Yanchi County's annual online transaction volume to exceed 8 billion yuan. A large number of returning youth and stay-at-home women have transformed into livestream hosts.

"The Shishi market is active, its network is dense; Yanchi has vast space and abundant resources. The Land Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road are integrating with each other; it's exactly the time to ride the wind and waves," Shi Zhixiong said.

Li Jiawei (李嘉炜), employee of Ningxia Water Affairs Group — Not a "bystander," but a "doer"

At the Ningxia Ningdong Energy and Chemical Base, Li Jiawei, an employee of Ningxia Water Affairs Group, is bent over his desk revising an industrial water conservation technology transformation plan. On the computer screen, dense data and charts record the results of his and his team's research visits to various enterprises at the base over the past month.

"This circulating water utilization rate needs further optimization. Referencing the experience from Fuzhou, we could introduce a networked control system," Li Jiawei muttered to himself as he annotated revision comments beside the plan.

In March 2024, Li Jiawei went to Fuzhou, Fujian, for a temporary assignment at a local state-owned environmental protection enterprise. In March of this year, he concluded his temporary assignment and returned to Ningxia with rich gains.

The environmental protection industry in Fuzhou started early, has innovative concepts, and a mature market. In comparison, Ningxia, located in the northwestern interior, has always faced water resource scarcity as a development bottleneck, and its environmental protection industry is still in a catching-up phase.

Upon first arriving in Fuzhou, Li Jiawei felt the gap. At the first week's work meeting, local colleagues used a complete environmental protection industry big data platform to dispatch and monitor the progress of dozens of environmental projects across the city in real time. The jumping numbers on the screen, the visualized charts, and the collaborative work style of advancing various projects simultaneously deeply moved Li Jiawei. He made up his mind: Not a "bystander," but a "doer."

Just half a month after arriving at his post, he voluntarily requested to participate in the ongoing comprehensive water environment management project for a key river basin in Fuzhou City. From project feasibility studies, plan design, to bidding management and construction dispatching, every link contained rich practical experience. During the project's advancement, he followed local colleagues to visit sites, hold seminars, and conduct research, spending his days on the front lines recording problems and his nights burning the midnight oil organizing notes.

"Cadre exchanges are like capillaries; they seem minute, but they get the blood circulating between the two places," Li Jiawei said. After returning from his temporary assignment, Li Jiawei applied the knowledge he gained to the business practices of his original unit. When participating in compiling the "Assessment Report on Water Conservation Potential of Key Enterprises in the Ningdong Base," he proposed drawing on the assessment methods used in the Fuzhou river basin management project to accurately identify priority areas for water conservation transformation. After the report was completed, it received unanimous recognition from enterprises at the base.

Currently, he is participating in preliminary research on an intelligent control system for industrial circulating water. This idea sprouted from what he saw and felt while participating in the project in Fuzhou. Li Jiawei commented emotionally: "During my temporary assignment, I witnessed the spirit of the cadres and employees in the coastal region — daring to break new ground, daring to try, good at achieving success. This spirit is a precious asset that will benefit me for a lifetime."

Lin Zhanxi (林占熺), Professor at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University — The deep sentiment behind a "happy grass"

In Yuan Village, Minning Town, Yongning County, Ningxia, under the scorching sun, the Juncao (菌草 - "fungus grass," a type of grass used as substrate for mushroom cultivation) demonstration base is lush with greenery. Professor Lin Zhanxi from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University is carefully inspecting the growth of giant Juncao.

"Juncao is my comrade-in-arms," he said with a smile. "I take it with me wherever I go. When I'm not around, Juncao serves the local people in my place."

Old mushroom farmers surrounded him, speaking all at once: "Professor Lin, can this grass make money?" "Can it be used as fodder?" ...

Lin Zhanxi patiently answered: Giant Juncao has high crude protein content, livestock love eating it, and on the Gobi beach of Yuan Village, its fresh grass yield per mu reaches up to 20 tons; the more cold-tolerant "'Oasis No.1' reed" can naturally overwinter in Ningxia.

This scene took place a full 29 years after he first set foot on Ningxia's soil.

In April 1997, at the second joint conference on Fujian-Ningxia paired-up poverty alleviation cooperation held in Yinchuan, Juncao technology was listed as one of the first batch of Fujian-Ningxia paired-up poverty alleviation cooperation projects. Lin Zhanxi, with his students, set off carrying 6 boxes of Juncao grass seeds.

On the road from Yinchuan to Pengyang County, outside the car window, the mountains were bare and the land was barren. Local people told him that farming households worked hard all year only to harvest one or two hundred kilograms of potatoes, with no other income besides that. Lin Zhanxi clenched his fists: "We must help them change their lives."

Change was easier said than done. Fujian's experience was completely unworkable here. Pengyang has a large day-night temperature difference; mushroom seedlings could freeze to death overnight. Lin Zhanxi learned that there were many abandoned cave dwellings locally, which had small temperature differences and good moisture retention. When he arrived in Pengyang County that day, it was already past 10 p.m. Not bothering to eat, he grabbed a flashlight and rushed straight to a local farmer's home.

After verification, growing mushrooms in cave dwellings was feasible. But a bigger challenge lay ahead: the local common people did not even know what a mushroom was. "A handful of grass can also make a family rich?" The villagers were full of doubt.

Lin Zhanxi came up with a solution: He selected 27 households in Xiaochagou Village, Gutown, Pengyang County, as the first batch of demonstration households, teaching them hands-on, using corn stalks as a culture medium, and using abandoned cave dwellings and earthen mushroom houses for cultivation.

To check the temperature changes in the mushroom sheds in time at night, he and the work team sometimes simply stayed overnight in the sheds. In Pengyang, where the frost-free period is less than 6 months a year, winter nights were bitingly cold. But they never gave up. "Since we came, we have to get things done!"

Lin Zhanxi's tough work style of "not shying away from difficulties, bending down and doing solid work" was also seen and remembered by the people of Ningxia. Local cadres and the masses followed him, living in cave dwellings and watching over mushroom sheds. Ordinary folks also rolled up their sleeves and started to try.

Half a year later, using straw to cultivate shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, white button mushrooms, and other edible fungi was successful. The first 27 demonstration households achieved an average income increase of over 2,000 yuan, with the highest exceeding 10,000 yuan. Zhang Wenjun (张文俊), a villager from Xiaochagou Village, Gutown, cultivated oyster mushrooms in a mushroom shed of less than 50 square meters, achieving a net income of 10,000 yuan.

Nowadays, Juncao has taken root in Ningxia, and the Fujian-Ningxia Cooperation Juncao Technology Workstation was inaugurated in Minning Town. But Lin Zhanxi has not stopped. "As long as I can still walk, I must do more things for the farmers. These feet must tread in the soil," Lin Zhanxi said.

Li Huiqin (李辉钦), head of the publicity group of the 14th batch of Fujian aid-Ningxia work team — Rooted in Minning Town, telling good stories

"If you're willing to fight, you will win. It's meal-crashing time..." In Minning Town, Yongning County, Ningxia, this opening line, spoken with a southern Fujian accent, is known in almost every household.

The young man from Fujian in the picture, carrying his own bowl and chopsticks and visiting house after house, is not coming to freeload meals, but to "crash" stories. His name is Li Huiqin, head of the publicity group of the 14th batch of Fujian aid-Ningxia work team, a "familiar face" who has been rooted in Minning Town for many years.

In October 2019, Li Huiqin first arrived in Minning Town as a member of the 11th batch of Fujian aid-Ningxia cadres, serving as deputy town mayor. Upon arriving in Minning Town, what troubled him was how to enter the hearts of the Ningxia locals. Li Huiqin has a stubborn streak. If he couldn't understand the dialect, he listened more; if he couldn't speak it, he practiced more. After work, he would go visiting at locals' homes, sitting on the edge of the heated brick bed (kang) and chatting about daily life. Within 3 months, he had visited all 6 villages and 1 community in Minning Town.

In 2020, Li Huiqin opened a personal account "Li Huiqin Zan Minning" (Li Huiqin Praises Minning) and tested the waters with livestreaming to help farmers sell products. At that time in Minning Town, livestreaming sales were still a novelty. What Li Huiqin saw was that Minning Town's wolfberries, red dates, and daylily buds were of excellent quality but "hidden in a deep boudoir, unknown to people"; the common people had good products but suffered from a lack of good sales channels.

He insisted on giving it a try. The livestream not only popularized the agricultural products, but also "activated" mindsets. Driven by his example, e-commerce livestreaming gradually became a trend in Minning Town, with more and more villagers picking up their phones to promote Ningxia specialties to the whole country. From "Can this really sell?" to "Let me also give it a try," a shift in mindset quietly took place.

In August 2024, Li Huiqin was sent by the organization to Minning Town for the second time, his role changing from deputy town mayor to head of the Xiamen City Expert Technical Talents Team aiding Minning Town. This time, he set himself a new role — "meal-crashing blogger." Starting from June 2025, he carried his own bowl and chopsticks into the homes of locals one by one, filming a "meal-crashing" series of short videos.

The idea originated from something that moved him online. He saw a local cadre accompanying lonely elderly people using a "meal-crashing" style, and thought, beyond "accompanying," could he use his perspective to "witness"? "I want to tell the story of Minning to everyone, to narrate the material, spiritual, and ideological changes of the people after migrating to this land," Li Huiqin said.

But the "meal-crashing" process was not smooth initially. Some people politely declined, some made excuses saying "the head of the household isn't in." It wasn't until the third household that he successfully "crashed" his first meal. "I must have been the first outsider ever to enter their home for a meal." Gradually, the locals accepted this young Fujian man who went everywhere "visiting homes" with his phone. Now in Minning Town, people often leave messages for Li Huiqin via short videos or tell him about their difficulties, and he always finds a way to help.

From not understanding the dialect to being called "Xiao Li" (Little Li), from "outsider" to "one of the family," amidst the "collision of ideas," Li Huiqin and the local people have achieved a two-way connection. "Minning Town is now my 'second hometown.' Here, the folks of Minning Town have long become my family. Their tenacity also influences me, making me continue on this path persistently," Li Huiqin said.

Ma Yaling (马雅铃), Science and Technology Commissioner of Yuan Village, Minning Town, Yongning County, Ningxia — Jointly nurturing "sweet fruits"

In a greenhouse in Yuan Village, Minning Town, Yongning County, Ningxia, the purplish-red Fuhong plums have just entered their peak fruiting season. Ma Yaling picked one and gently broke it apart; the flesh was firm and the juice abundant. "Sugar content 22.7, sweeter than watermelon. This variety was introduced from Fujian. This harvest season, 2,000 jin of fruit were sold out, half of it sold back to Fujian," she said.

Ma Yaling, 44 years old this year, is the Science and Technology Commissioner for Yuan Village. In 2020, with Fujian's assistance, Minning Town built its first batch of modern greenhouses. Although Ma Yaling, who studied business administration, knew nothing about agriculture, she was deeply moved seeing Fujian experts immersing themselves in the fields. In 2022, she voluntarily contracted 6 greenhouses and plunged headfirst into the exploration of "southern fruits grown in the north."

"At that time, I was a blank sheet of paper; I just thought about going to learn quickly." She chased after Fujian's agricultural technology experts every day, asking how to fertilize and how to protect seedlings.

In 2023, she introduced Fuhong plums from Fujian. Ningxia has abundant sunlight and a large day-night temperature difference; the plums grew vigorously. But soon, the leaves were spotted and damaged by insect pests. Anxious, she called the Fujian experts several times a day: "Do we need to spray pesticides? Can the pest infestation be treated without spraying?" The experts quickly came up with a plan: release predatory mites to fight pests with pests.

Ma Yaling was half-convinced and half-doubtful, sprinkling the sesame-sized predatory mites onto the seedlings. On the third day, the pests were significantly reduced; a week later, the pests were gone and new shoots had emerged. "Seeing the pests being eliminated by another type of pest, I felt sincere admiration for the experts," Ma Yaling said.

Now, in the 6 greenhouses Ma Yaling has contracted, more than 30 southern varieties including Fujian muskmelon, long mulberry, shooting star melon, black peanut, and white tomato are being trial-planted and acclimatized here.

Ma Yaling did not keep the techniques she learned to herself. She joined the team of Science and Technology Commissioners, established a cooperative, and taught good planting techniques to the farming households.

The farming households were not initially convinced: "I've been farming for decades, and you think I need you to teach me?" She wasn't offended. She invited Fujian experts to the greenhouses for on-site lectures, repeating the explanations. Ma Yaling also led farming households from Minning Town to Fujian to study planting techniques.

The key to mutual technical learning lies in reciprocity. Fujian's technology has taken root in Ningxia, while Ningxia's unique light and heat conditions have made the southern fruits and vegetables of superior quality. The Fuhong plums, which were originally "sour and woody" in Fujian, produced fruit with a sugar content of 22.7 in Minning Town, selling for 100 yuan per kilogram and becoming very popular when sold back to Fujian.

Currently, more than 60 households in Minning Town are cultivating 198 greenhouses. Wang Caixia (王彩霞), a farmer contracting two greenhouses, told Ma Yaling: "I can make money, I have flexible hours, I'm economically independent, and I can stand up straighter."

From one person to a group of people, Ma Yaling's notebook is filled with stories of mutual technical learning between the two places. Ma Yaling said: "After so many years of Fujian-Ningxia cooperation, I am a witness and also a beneficiary. What we learn is technique, what becomes prosperous are the farmers, and what is strengthened is the bond."

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Mountains and Seas Share Affection, Together Toward the Future (Observations on Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers)

By: 晓 林

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must summarize and apply the beneficial experiences of the Fujian-Ningxia Collaboration (闽宁协作) and others, further improve the collaboration mechanisms, optimize the collaboration methods, expand the collaboration areas, and promote mutual complementarity of industries, interaction of personnel, mutual learning of technology, mutual exchange of ideas, and mutual reference of work styles between the eastern and western regions, so as to achieve mutual benefit and win-win, and common development.”

30 years, mountain and sea co-exist. The Fujian-Ningxia Collaboration has painted a 波澜壮阔 (bō lán zhuàng kuò - “billows surging, vast and magnificent,” magnificent and sweeping) picture of the era. The great transformation of mountain villages, how was it achieved?

The answer lies in the silhouette of development. In Ningxia’s Yanchi County (盐池县), Shi Zhixiong (施志雄), who is engaged in the e-commerce industry, uses live-streaming sales to turn agricultural specialty products into a major industry. Li Jiawei (李嘉炜), an employee of Ningxia Water Affairs Group (宁夏水务集团), puts to good use the experience of secondment in Fujian to improve work quality and efficiency. Ma Yaling (马雅铃), the science and technology special commissioner (科技特派员) of Yuanyi Village (园艺村), Minning Town (闽宁镇), Yongning County (永宁县), has promoted “southern fruits planted in the north” (南果北种) to bear rich fruit. Li Huiqin (李辉钦), an aid-Ningxia cadre, by going into the village to “scrounge a meal” (蹭饭), has become one of the “own folks” in the eyes of the villagers. Lin Zhanxi (林占熺), the “father of Juncao” (菌草之父), with his hard work style of “not avoiding difficulties, bending down and doing solid work” (事不避难、躬身实干), has driven the common people to increase income and become wealthy...

From “mountains and seas compose a glorious chapter” (山海奏华章) to look at high-quality development, the methodology of “mutual complementarity of industries, interaction of personnel, mutual learning of technology, mutual exchange of ideas, and mutual reference of work styles” is 一以贯之 (yī yǐ guàn zhī - “one thread running through it all,” consistent throughout). The Fujian-Ningxia Collaboration of “mutual benefit and win-win, common development” is 气象万千 (qì xiàng wàn qiān - “scenes change in thousands of ways,” magnificent and varied) and 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - “steady walking reaches far,” progressing steadily and far).

Over the past 30 years, Fujian has cumulatively invested 7.68 billion yuan in aid funds, implemented over 4,100 assistance projects, benefiting 2.44 million people in Ningxia. The characteristic industries such as wine, wolfberry, milk, beef cattle, and Tan sheep, jointly built by the two provinces and regions of Fujian and Ningxia, account for over 88% of Ningxia’s total agricultural output value, and more than 40% of Ningxia’s farmers’ operational income comes from these characteristic industries. Industries create blood-making capability; the endogenous driving force of the economy becomes increasingly solid.

To continue writing a new chapter of “Mountain-Sea Sentiment” (山海情), the key lies in industrial synergy, and the essential lies in innovation-driven development. Adhering to the combination of “what the west needs” and “what the east can provide,” the industrial synergy between Fujian and Ningxia has achieved two-way empowerment, moving toward the new and the excellent. From the current “sea fish farmed on land” (海鱼陆养) with an annual seafood output of over 2,000 tons, to the implementation and blossoming of new models such as “Fujian data, Ningxia computing” (闽数宁算) and “Fujian data, Ningxia storage” (闽数宁备), the industrial cooperation between the two provinces and regions has continuously been upgraded and optimized. Facing the future, it is necessary to tap into Ningxia’s resource advantages, adhere to innovation-driven development, promote characteristic industries to gather into chains and clusters, deepen cooperation in areas such as photovoltaics, green electricity, and energy storage, so that the driving force for high-quality development becomes even more surging.

Based on the “special” character, precise policies are implemented in a way of “one key opens one lock” (一把钥匙开一把锁). Based on the comparative advantages of the two provinces and regions, 12 Minning Industrial Parks (闽宁产业园) have now been built on the former Gobi Desert, with over 300 enterprises cumulatively settled in, helping more than 10,000 farmers and the masses to find employment at their doorsteps. Fujian’s advantages in capital, technology, and talent are deeply integrated with Ningxia’s advantages in energy, labor, space, etc., promoting industrial upgrading through precise policy implementation, and the surging power of mountains and seas joining hands fully flows. Starting from reality, promoting the cross-regional free flow, precise docking, and efficient matching of various factors is the way to make the win-win path of Fujian-Ningxia Collaboration wider and wider.

The effectiveness of development must ultimately be reflected in the people’s sense of gain. Fujian has promoted 122 schools and 41 hospitals to establish paired assistance relationships with 84 schools and 29 hospitals in Ningxia respectively; Fujian has assisted in building 410 assistance workshops (帮扶车间), enabling over 200,000 Ningxia people to find employment at their doorsteps... Focusing on filling the shortcomings in people’s livelihoods, the two provinces and regions have broadened cooperation areas, promoted industrial development and livelihood improvement to 同频共振 (tóng pín gòng zhèn - “same frequency, resonant,” work in tandem), and continuously enhanced people’s well-being. This enlightens us: we must adhere to putting people’s livelihoods first, turn the development dividends of industrial collaboration into tangible benefits visible to the people, steadily improve the level of livelihood security in the course of development, and steadily advance toward the direction of common prosperity.

Mountains and seas are far, but the sentiment is long. Aiming at the direction of high-quality development, continuously deepening the Fujian-Ningxia Collaboration, and 一张蓝图绘到底 (yī zhāng lán tú huì dào dǐ - “draw the blueprint to the end,” carry through the plan) will surely compose an even more magnificent new chapter of mountains and seas.

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Deng Jianyang

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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Forty years on the grassland, guarding the lives of herders

By: 本报记者 蒋云龙

“When heavy snow seals the mountains, it would be easy and comfortable for me to go home. But if a herdsman falls ill, what should be done?” Many years ago, in Yumin County (裕民县), 20-year-old Wu Hasu Sulaiman (吾哈斯·苏来曼), a doctor at the Yumin County Animal Husbandry Hospital (裕民县牧业医院), asked himself this question.

Thus, in the winters of the following 40 years, Wu Hasu Sulaiman almost every year voluntarily stayed behind in the deep mountain pastures. There, he treated and saved over 100,000 patients, rescued several thousand critically ill patients, delivered more than 3,200 children, and saved over 180 infants in difficult labor.

On July 1 this year, 71-year-old Wu Hasu Sulaiman received the Party’s highest honor, the July 1 Medal (七一勋章). When he returned to his hometown, former patients, children he had delivered, and people who had come out of admiration all rushed to welcome him and congratulate him. Recalling the past, the most common thing everyone said was, “Without your dedication back then, how could I have my life today?”

“I decided my life’s path: to be a herdsman’s doctor.”

Dark, rough skin — the mark left on him by the grassland sun and wind; in his calm, deep eyes, there is a gentle and steady gaze. His hair already gray, his forehead covered with wrinkles, Wu Hasu Sulaiman tells his story in a low, simple voice.

“That year I was 12, visiting relatives in the pastoral area. The adults were chatting, all talking about whose wife had a difficult labor, whose husband had fallen ill again,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. Story after story of herdsmen falling ill made his heart ache.

At that time, the pastoral area had rugged, distant mountain roads and scarce medical resources. Herdsmen endured minor illnesses by toughing it out; when faced with problems like difficult childbirth, newborn asphyxia, or rheumatic bone diseases, they could only 听天由命 (tīng tiān yóu mìng - “submit to heaven and fate,” resign to fate). “That day, I decided my life’s path: to be a herdsman’s doctor,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said.

After that, Wu Hasu Sulaiman began learning medicine from the village’s barefoot doctors. In 1973, he went to study nursing at the Tacheng Prefecture Health School (塔城地区卫校). After graduation, he was assigned to the Yumin County Animal Husbandry Hospital.

“The medical conditions at that time were very crude. Our medical point was just three plank houses — one pharmacy, one operating room, one rest room. The equipment was only a stethoscope, a thermometer, and an old-style blood pressure monitor. There were no emergency rescue devices, and not many medicines,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said.

The first patient he treated was a herdsman, just over 40, who had developed severe rheumatic arthritis from years of hard labor, suffering unbearable pain and limited movement. “When he came, he already had great difficulty walking. He covered his knees with both hands, moving forward inch by inch, slowly.” Wu Hasu Sulaiman treated this patient carefully with intravenous therapy combined with acupuncture and massage.

“You are a good doctor trained by the Communist Party.” After ten days, the herdsman could walk normally. When he was discharged, he gave this young doctor the highest praise.

At that time, the medical point where Wu Hasu Sulaiman worked was located in the Barluk Mountains (巴尔鲁克山), more than 260 kilometers from the county seat, a five-day ride on horseback. The doctors at this medical point were relied upon by over 10,000 herdsmen scattered across an area of more than 60 square kilometers.

In the deep night of the grassland, 万籁俱寂 (wàn lài jù jì - “all sounds are still,” dead silence). When the urgent sound of horse hooves came from far to near, it was often the most urgent “signal to seek medical help.” “Especially in winter, before the horse hooves had even stopped and the herdsman had knocked on the door, I had already put on my clothes and picked up my medical kit,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. Being awakened by urgent calls for help was a common occurrence; he had to quickly climb onto his horse and ride with the herdsman seeking treatment into the vast snowy plains.

Especially in the winter pastoral area, thick snow covered the mountain roads. At that time, there were no paved roads; the surfaces were slippery and steep, the mountain paths rugged, with cliffs right beside them. With the slightest misstep, both man and horse would tumble into the valley. “No matter how many times I went, I was still afraid. I didn’t dare look down,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said.

When no patients came to him, he would take the initiative to go out on rounds, walking to nearby places and riding to distant ones. Carrying a medical kit, he traveled to every herdsman’s yurt. In the Barluk Mountains, there was no herdsman who did not know him.

“He treats patients like family, always keeping them in his heart.”

Inside a yurt, the herdsman’s child Ayiguli (阿依古丽) was writhing in pain on the bed.

“The appendix had already suppurated and perforated; surgery was needed immediately, otherwise there could be a risk to life. But a blizzard had sealed the mountains, making it impossible to transfer her to a hospital more than 160 kilometers away,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. After obtaining the parents’ consent, he took the risk and performed surgery on the child in the yurt. Two hours later, the surgery was successful. A week later, the child recovered.

“This also made me realize the inadequacy of my medical skills. In 1982, I took the initiative to go to the prefectural hospital for further training, specializing in surgical operations and anesthesia techniques,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. After returning from his studies, he was the first to perform surgical procedures in the pastoral area that had previously been impossible, such as appendectomies, intestinal nodule surgeries, and small tumor excisions, greatly reducing the cost of medical treatment for herdsmen.

Not long after returning to the pastoral area, Wu Hasu Sulaiman faced his first independent delivery. “There were no female doctors in the pastoral area, so I had to take up this burden,” he recalled. In November 1982, at 8 p.m. one evening, he received a call for a house call and immediately rushed to the herdsman’s home, monitoring the pregnant woman’s blood pressure and vital signs, carefully controlling every detail, and completed the delivery successfully after two hours.

A male doctor delivering babies — initially, a few herdsmen did not understand. But Wu Hasu Sulaiman, with one successful diagnosis and treatment case after another, completely broke the prejudice and won the trust of the herdsmen.

In March 1986, heavy snow fell on the Kulusitai Grassland (库鲁斯台草原). Pregnant woman Xialapati Tunhazi (夏拉帕提·屯哈孜) had had her water broken for three days, but the baby had not yet been delivered. At that moment, Wu Hasu Sulaiman, who had walked for six hours through the blizzard, entered the yurt carrying his medical kit and immediately performed emergency delivery assistance for the woman.

Traveling through blizzards to treat and save people — this was a common occurrence in Wu Hasu Sulaiman’s career. Over 40 years, on more than 7 million mu of grassland, he treated over 100,000 patients and saved countless lives. The harsh environment of the pastoral area caused Wu Hasu Sulaiman to develop severe arthritis in both legs.

“What’s not worthwhile about that? I can walk slowly. The real thing is being able to treat and save people.” Wu Hasu Sulaiman walks slowly, but very steadily.

“He treats patients like family, always keeping them in his heart,” said Kanat Wu Hasu (卡那特·吾哈斯), Wu Hasu Sulaiman’s son. Once, a herdsman suffering from epilepsy came to Wu Hasu Sulaiman for treatment. Over a year and a half, Wu Hasu Sulaiman followed up with him many times, giving instructions each time, and conducting irregular check-ups for the patient.

“If you take your medicine on time, the illness will get better. But it was hard for the herdsman to take medicine on time, so I had to go and keep an eye on him often,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. Only when the patient finally got his condition under control and it stopped recurring did he finally let the matter go.

In 1993, Wu Hasu Sulaiman submitted his application for Party membership. He said: “I hope to become a Communist Party member. I will wholeheartedly use my medical skills to serve the people, no matter how hard or tiring it is, I am not afraid.”

“Herdsmen need a doctor, so I came.”

Time flies, and life in the pastoral area has undergone 翻天覆地 (fān tiān fù dì - “overturn heaven and earth,” earth-shaking changes).

Paved roads were laid, and the conditions at the medical point got better and better. In terms of personnel, it expanded from the initial 4 people to about 30, covering multiple specialized fields. In terms of equipment, it was fully equipped with standardized diagnostic and treatment devices such as ECG, ultrasound, and laboratory testing, fully reaching the standardization level of a township health center, capable of independently providing comprehensive services including examination, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and public health.

He could do more and more, and Wu Hasu Sulaiman also kept 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn - “advance with the times”). In 1994, he went to study at the Xinjiang Medical University School of Medicine (新疆医科大学医学院), systematically learning knowledge of epidemic prevention and public health management. After returning, he vigorously promoted the construction of the pastoral area’s public health system, popularized disease prevention knowledge, established pastoral area epidemic prevention mechanisms, and improved public health management procedures, transforming pastoral area medical care from “treating illness alone” to “prevention first, combining prevention and treatment.”

“Take air-dried meat, for example — it is a delicacy of Tacheng and a favorite of herdsmen. But in the past, they put a lot of salt in it, causing herdsmen to easily develop high blood pressure and fatty liver,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. Through rounds of visits and rounds of science popularization, with 苦口婆心 (kǔ kǒu pó xīn - “bitter mouth, motherly heart,” earnestly and patiently), the herdsmen’s living habits changed 潜移默化 (qián yí mò huà - “silent influence, subtle transformation,” imperceptibly).

In 2015, Wu Hasu Sulaiman retired. Everyone thought he should take a rest. For 40 years, he had been rooted in the pastoral area and rarely went home. “The herdsmen can’t do without me, and going home is really too far,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said. Every year, he would go home once during the spring and autumn livestock transhumance seasons, each time for about a week. His children missed their father and could only go up the mountain to visit him during winter and summer vacations.

But after retirement, Wu Hasu Sulaiman found that some people still needed him. So he picked up his medical kit again and went through the streets and alleys, measuring blood pressure and listening to heart and lungs for the elderly in the county town…

In the Jia Yilema Street Community (加依勒玛街社区) of Halabula Town (哈拉布拉镇), Yumin County, he set up a “Wu Hasu Health Service Room” (吾哈斯健康服务室), holding free clinics every Wednesday and Saturday, with more than 20 patients coming to see him each time out of admiration. In 2023, the “Wu Hasu Health Benefiting the People Campaign” (吾哈斯健康惠民行) volunteer service project was launched. At first, only a few medical staff participated; now the volunteers number over 350, regularly carrying out activities such as health science popularization, policy宣讲, and delivering medicine and medical services.

Wu Hasu Sulaiman’s home is a small courtyard in Yumin County. Entering the yard, the room on the left side has been cleared out and converted into an exhibition room. There are horsewhips given to him by herdsmen, his tools for making rounds, and pictures from his house calls in the pastoral area. This is a true record of the changes in grassroots medical and health services in Xinjiang, and also the story of a pastoral area doctor written over a lifetime.

“Herdsmen need a doctor, so I came. What I did is just such a simple thing. I really didn’t do much, but the Party and the people have given me too many honors,” Wu Hasu Sulaiman said.

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Being a doctor for herders for a lifetime is a blessing

By: 吾哈斯·苏来曼

It has been more than 50 years since I first picked up my medical kit and began practicing medicine. I have turned from a young lad into an old man. The best years of my life, I have given them all to the pastoral area. Moving among various pastures and the yurts of herders, through summers and winters, I have been treating illnesses and saving lives.

Some have asked me, decades of going through wind and snow, hard traveling, isn't it bitter? Isn't it tiring? Is it worth it? I feel that being able to be a doctor, especially being a doctor for the herders for a lifetime, is a very happy thing.

My hometown is in Yumin County (裕民县), Tacheng Prefecture (塔城地区), Xinjiang. I am a farmer's son, and many of my relatives are herders in the mountains. They herd following water and grass all year round, and transportation is very inconvenient. In the past, medical conditions on the grasslands were poor; seeing a doctor was difficult and far away. Herders would endure minor illnesses, delay major ones, and have no way out for acute diseases. When relatives talked about the lack of doctors and medicine and the torment of illness, in the end it could only be a heavy sigh.

As a young boy, I wanted to change this situation and prevent the tragedy from recurring. This was my original aspiration in becoming a doctor, and also the greatest motivation on my path of practicing medicine. Therefore, after graduation, I actively chose to take root in the pastoral area. I had opportunities for transfer to the city, but I rejected them all. My beautiful hometown raised me, and the simple herders watched me grow up. I want to use my medical skills to repay my hometown and help the villagers.

I put treating illness and saving lives first, not caring about personal gain or loss. I have always felt that people's health is the most important. Since I came to the pastoral area, I must not let herders delay their treatment. Therefore, when others take compensatory leave to go home, I prefer to stay at the medical post in the pastoral area. Even if I can treat just one more patient, that is far more important than going home for a vacation. It is precisely because of this that whether it is a sudden illness in the middle of the night or an accident in rainy or snowy weather, as long as I receive a call for help, I will rush there at the first moment.

Over so many years, I have consulted many herders, rescued many patients, and delivered many babies. Every time I cure a patient, seeing him relax his brow and reveal a smile, hearing a simple word of thanks from a villager, I feel that all the hardship is worthwhile. Through years of living and working together day and night, the herders of various ethnicities and I are like one family. They trust me and think of me. This simple friendship is a wealth that money cannot buy.

Now, the living environment in the pastoral area has undergone earth-shaking changes, and medical conditions have also caught up with other places. Returning to the places where I once worked, seeing young doctors with high education and high level, seeing high-tech medical equipment, I am sincerely happy. Under the care of the Party and the government, the health level of herders has made an unprecedented leap.

I have felt happiness. Happiness does not come from fame, fortune, rank, or emolument, but from rescuing patients from illness and pain time and again, from the trust and recognition of the grassland people towards me, and from watching the herders on this grassland become healthier and their lives become more stable.

I remember the first patient I treated. He praised me as "a good doctor trained by the Communist Party." When I heard these words, I was 20 years old. This year I am 71. I clearly remember these words, and I am very proud. In this life, I have not let these words down.

(The author is a recipient of the July 1 Medal (七一勋章), former deputy chief physician of internal medicine at Yumin County Animal Husbandry Hospital (裕民县牧业医院), Xinjiang. Compiled by our reporter Jiang Yunlong (蒋云龙).)

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Passing Love to More Rare Disease Patients (Leaves and Branches Touch the Heart)

By: 主讲人：天津市武清区太阳语罕见病心理关怀中心主任 魏瑞红

I am Wei Ruihong (魏瑞红), the initiator of the Sunyu Rare Disease Psychological Care Center (太阳语罕见病心理关怀中心) in Wuqing District (武清区), Tianjin, and a "porcelain doll" (瓷娃娃) who has lived with osteogenesis imperfecta for over 40 years.

When I was four years old, I was sitting in a stroller and wanted to break off a piece of flatbread. The flatbread did not budge at all, but my left arm gave a crisp "crack" — that was the sound of a bone breaking. Scenes like this had been repeating since I was born: a sneeze could cause a fracture, turning over in bed could cause a fracture, even getting dressed or having a nightmare could injure my bones. A doctor once said I would not live past 12 and suggested my parents give up treatment. But my mother used bamboo splints and bandages to immobilize my fractured limbs, used her calloused hands to wipe away my tears, and used her thin shoulders to carry my life.

When I graduated from junior high school, I was admitted to a key high school with a score in the top ten of the entire county, but I could not enroll because of my physical condition. At that moment, I curled up at home, staring out the window, and asked myself for the first time: "Is my life destined to be only like this?"

After dropping out of school, I wrote my story into words and submitted it to newspapers countless times. After my first article was published, I received letters from all over. Someone wrote: "Ruihong, your words have made me stand up again."

In 1999, I set up the "Ruihong Heart-to-Heart Hotline" (瑞红知心热线) using the home telephone. The late-night phone calls often woke my parents, but they always silently draped a coat over me. To help others more professionally, I self-studied and completed the psychology curriculum of Peking University, passing 16 course exams in a year and a half, and subsequently obtained the national三级 and二级 qualifications for psychological counselors. Those nights spent poring over books, those dawns spent fighting against illness — ultimately turned me from a person seeking help into someone who could give strength to others.

In 2009, when I attended a patient convention in Beijing and saw the very young "porcelain dolls" with helpless eyes in the venue, I made a secret resolve: "I must make their future path better!" With this determination, I resigned from my job in my hometown in Hebei and became a full-time public welfare worker.

In 2012, fate struck again with a heavy hammer — I was diagnosed with basilar invagination, and my life was 危在旦夕 (wēi zài dàn xī - "danger at dawn or dusk," imminent danger). Surgery was impossible domestically, and the cost of treatment abroad was as high as 400,000 yuan. In despair, the People's Daily New Media Center, together with caring netizens, launched a fundraising campaign for me online. I promised to prepay the surgery costs with 4,000 hours of psychological counseling service. Unexpectedly, in just 25 days, more than 1,600 kind-hearted people took turns helping, raising over 400,000 yuan. After the surgery succeeded, I wanted to fulfill my promise of psychological counseling, but the people on the other end of the phone said: "Ruihong, your survival is the best reward." These words made me make a decision: to pass on these 4,000 shares of love to more rare disease patients!

At the end of 2013, my spouse and I came to Wuqing District, Tianjin, and founded the Sunyu Rare Disease Psychological Care Center to serve "porcelain dolls" like me. "Sunyu" means using sunshine-like words to warm every life frozen by disease. Starting from a difficult beginning with no office and sleeping on a bare plank bed, we gradually developed step by step into a comprehensive support system.

I still remember the 9-year-old girl Xiaomin. During surgery, her leg bones were cut into three sections for correction. The intense pain made her tremble, but she was strong and did not cry out loud. She quietly told me: "When my legs are straight, I want to put on a pink skirt and walk among my classmates." When the new skirt was delivered to her bedside, the light in her eyes illuminated the entire ward. Moments like these made us understand that what we protect is not only the children's bodies, but even more so the children's most precious dreams and dignity.

Over more than ten years, with support from all sectors of society, we have brought hope to more than 3,000 rare disease families: we created the "Colorful Happy Ward" (彩乐病房), decorating the ward with books and toys to turn the cold medical environment into warm companionship; we raised over 2.6 million yuan to help more than 220 patients undergo surgery; we provided over 6,000 instances of psychological care. Facing the problem of patients dropping out of school, we founded the Sunyu Dream Academy (太阳语梦想学院), which grew from small classroom sessions in the ward to online courses, now covering more than 500 patients.

To promote the social integration of "porcelain doll" companions, we raised over 500,000 yuan to donate adapted wheelchairs and walking aids to more than 600 patients, allowing them to "go out" of their homes for the first time. We conducted self-media training for patients, helping more than 200 "porcelain dolls," hemophilia patients, and others gain income. Rare disease patients are not a burden on society; we too can create value with our own hands.

Over the years, we have united various departments to launch the "40,000 Shares of Love Life Education Project" (4万份爱生命教育工程), entering schools and communities, using the life stories of rare disease patients to guide young people to love life and cherish it. I hope to use our stories to tell children: the beauty of life does not lie in the perfection of the limbs, but in the sunshine of the soul. What life has given me is not a complete skeleton, but an unbreakable faith.

(Interviewed and compiled by our reporter Jin Bo (靳博))

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Editor in charge: Shen Shaotie, Jiang Xuehong

Layout design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)

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Reading with the World for All Ages

By: 刘国胜

Zhou Yongnian (周永年) and the Jieshuyuan (藉书园, also known as the Book-Borrowing Library) he founded are hidden in a dry line of the Draft History of Qing (清史稿): "He then opened the Jieshuyuan, assembled one hundred thousand volumes of ancient and modern books, and allowed people to read and copy them, so as to broaden their circulation." It reads like a brief biography of a book collector, but only after delving into my research did I realize it contains the spiritual core of his desire "to read together with the world and all generations."

Zhou Yongnian was a native of Jinan, Shandong. A jinshi during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, he served as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and took the lead in compiling or co-compiling four Shandong local gazetteers, including the Licheng County Gazetteer (历城县志). He was an initiator and important compiler of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries (四库全书), but his greatest lifelong contribution was writing China's earliest treatise on public libraries, the Treatise on the Confucian Canon (儒藏说), and personally putting it into practice, establishing China's earliest public libraries — the Jieshuyuan — in Jinan and Beijing.

In the Treatise on the Confucian Canon, Zhou Yongnian directly pointed out the drawbacks of traditional private book collections: "Among all things under Heaven, there are none that can be permanently possessed through private hoarding, nor any that can endure for long when made public." Most private collections were meant only for descendants to read, strictly forbidding external borrowing, and often fell victim to fires or warfare, turning book repositories into "book tombs," thereby restricting the circulation of books. Zhou Yongnian clearly proposed that books and knowledge should break through the constraints of individuals and families and circulate in public spaces. This idea provided an ideological foundation for exchange-oriented reading, elevating book borrowing and shared reading from an individual good deed to a necessary path for cultural transmission. The Jieshuyuan he founded — the character "藉" being a phonetic loan for "借" (to borrow) — made the attribute of openness and sharing clear from the very naming:

First, open access to borrowing. After the Jinan Jieshuyuan was built, "it housed ten thousand volumes, and any poor scholar fond of learning could borrow them." The Beijing Jieshuyuan held one hundred thousand volumes and served as an important borrowing site for literati in the capital. Scholars such as Kong Jihan (孔继涵), Ding Jie (丁杰), Zhou Guangye (周广业), and Yudong (玉栋) all borrowed books there. When Zhou Yongnian left the capital, "he returned with a cart full of borrowed books" — the books returned from external loans filled an entire cart. He also compiled the Jieshuyuan Book Catalogue (藉书园书目) to facilitate mutual exchange, carved numerous printing blocks to allow classics to circulate widely, and called on prominent families to donate books and the court to establish public fields, setting up a "Confucian Canon" to support impoverished students in borrowing and reading.

Second, public exchange. The Jieshuyuan was not just a book repository but also a gathering place for scholars to discuss. The Jinan Jieshuyuan was jointly founded by Zhou Yongnian and his close friend Gui Fu (桂馥), who "brought out books from both their collections" and built it by the side of Five-Dragon Pool (五龙潭). After Zhou Yongnian went to the capital to compile the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, Gui Fu continued to open the "Tanxi Jingshe" (潭西精舍, Fine Lodge West of the Pool) on the site, organizing summer gatherings with peers. Local luminaries and literati residing in Jinan gathered and talked there; meanwhile, Zhou Yongnian continued to hang the Jieshuyuan sign at his Beijing residence, where scholars often came to collate texts and discuss learning. Eminent scholars such as Shao Jinhan (邵晋涵), Weng Fanggang (翁方纲), and Zhang Xuecheng (章学诚) frequently exchanged academic views there, forming a stable arena for scholarly social interaction.

In addition, Zhou Yongnian selected 327 reading methods from 56 bibliographies of past worthies, compiled them into the Precepts for Reading by Former Sages (先正读书诀), and shared and disseminated reading experience. What he sought to build was a knowledge-sharing network that transcended class and region. Unfortunately, after his death, the Jinan Jieshuyuan operated intermittently, and its one hundred thousand volumes gradually scattered and were lost. But the seed of "reading together with the world and all generations" was deeply buried in the soil of Jinan.

Five years ago, when I decided to open a bookstore called "Jieshuyuan" in Jinan, I felt rather uneasy. In this era when short videos slice up people's attention, opening a bookstore is often seen as a heroic but tragic act — or at least an untimely one. In the first two years, we also took detours, fixating on book sales and worrying about inventory. Although we persisted in hosting over 120 sessions of expert lectures and reading clubs, this kind of one-way "force-feeding" lecture often met with awkward silences and was hard to sustain.

Until one day, I saw several young readers in the store arguing heatedly over a certain edition of the Tao Te Ching. It turned out they were not reading the book but using the ideas in it to dissect real-life problems. At that moment, I suddenly understood: what Zhou Yongnian wanted back then was not for books to be enshrined, but for books to be used. Today, books are no longer a scarce resource; what is scarce is the kind of scene where knowledge can undergo a "chemical reaction."

So I split the Jieshuyuan in two. By day, it is a "tech day cafe." Starting in March 2024, we hold one to three artificial intelligence salons each week. Not only programmers, product managers, and entrepreneurs come, but also many ordinary people concerned about the future. They drink coffee and talk about how to use new technologies to change the work at hand. By night, it turns into an "academic bar." This may sound like a gimmick, but when you see a professor finish lecturing on a cultural-historical perspective, and lawyers, doctors, and media professionals under the stage stand up one after another to ask questions or add insights, discussing a single issue from culture to law, ethics, philosophy, sociology, communication studies, and even quantum physics, you realize this has become a site of knowledge production where ideas resonate.

After hosting more than 300 events, in April this year, the Jinan Reading Friends' Association of Duku (读库) was also established here. On the first night, more than 20 people came — medical backbone personnel, university faculty, state-owned enterprise employees, tech geeks, and new-media people. No PowerPoint, no podium; everyone sat in a circle and talked about everything from immunology and medical history to family emotions and social ethics. At that moment, with dim lighting and lively conversation, I seemed to see the shadows of Zhou Yongnian and his friends at the Jieshuyuan more than 200 years ago. We no longer read to possess books; we read to communicate with each other, to innovate and grow.

Now, if someone asks me again, "Why open a bookstore?" I will tell them, just as Zhou Yongnian firmly believed back then: a book truly exists only when it is read by more people and sparks discussion among them. The Jieshuyuan bookstore does not make money by selling books; it earns by providing a space for acquiring shared knowledge. In this space, whether you are a university professor or a restaurant waiter, whether you read ancient classics or the latest scientific papers, as long as you are willing to speak up, you can find someone to talk with.

Zhou Yongnian could not preserve his one hundred thousand volumes; the Jieshuyuan has long since vanished into history. But the thought he left behind — "read together with the world and all generations" — still circulates among these unfamiliar readers, carried by a cup of coffee or a pot of clear tea. Every night when I close up, looking at the empty bookshelves and scattered cups, I do not feel desolate. Because I know that the conversations that just took place have turned the words on paper into shared knowledge belonging to this era. This is probably the best tribute to that pioneer of China's public libraries: books may scatter, but as long as people still gather, the soul of that Jieshuyuan cannot be lost.

(The author is the proprietor of the Jinan Jieshuyuan Bookstore in Shandong.)

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Bai Juyi's Soulmate Across Centuries

By: 童 岭

In the tenth year of the Yuanhe era (815 AD), Bai Juyi, who held the post of Left Admonisher to the Crown Prince, was framed on trumped-up charges by the eunuchs and powerful ministers who had long resented him, and was demoted to Sub-prefect of Jiangzhou. The following autumn, Bai Juyi wrote the timeless masterpiece "The Song of the Pipa."

沧海桑田 (cāng hǎi sāng tián - "blue sea becomes mulberry fields," great changes in the world). This year, on the National College Entrance Examination Chinese language Paper II, the famous line from "The Song of the Pipa" — "The gallants of the five tombs vied to reward her, after one song a roll of red silk unknown in number" — appeared in a dictation exercise, and the topic "They really did test 'The Song of the Pipa'" trended on social media — a classical-style song adapted from the original lyrics of "The Song of the Pipa" had been the exclusive stress-relief song for many test-takers during their exam preparation. The popularity and influence of Bai Juyi's poetry are evident from this.

Mo Lifeng, a senior distinguished professor of humanities and social sciences at Nanjing University, in his Ten Lectures on Bai Juyi, offers an intimate and in-depth interpretation of Bai Juyi the person and his works for traditional culture enthusiasts. The book is divided into ten lectures plus a "Brief Chronology of Bai Juyi." The ten lectures are basically arranged in the order of Bai Juyi's life, but for "Everlasting Regret" — of which it is said "children can recite the song of Everlasting Regret, barbarian lads can sing the Pipa piece" — and "The Song of the Pipa," two entire lectures are devoted to each, providing meticulous analysis. The entire book is built on the author's decades of research accumulated in the study of Tang dynasty literature, with ingenious conception and rich content, revealing deep mastery through plain and unadorned prose.

The book presents the image of Bai Juyi from multiple dimensions, among which the impressions of "loyal and upright scholar" and "passionate genius" are most striking. During the mid-Tang era in which Bai Juyi lived, one obvious malady was the autocracy of the eunuchs. The book specifically points out that Bai Juyi dared to attack Ju Wenzhen and Tutu Chengcui, the eunuchs whom Emperor Xianzong feared. It must be noted that "at that time Bai Juyi was not a leisurely literatus dwelling in Hangzhou, but a local official in charge of the administration of an entire prefecture." When serving as Prefect of Hangzhou and Prefect of Suzhou, he achieved notable results in water conservancy projects, the management of West Lake, and the digging of the Shantang Canal, and was deeply beloved by the local people.

Bai Juyi frankly stated, "I aspire to benefit all, but in practice I keep myself virtuous." The author offers sympathetic understanding of this sentiment, focusing in the book on the vehement and outspoken political conduct of Bai Juyi in his prime. Over his many years of official career, the upright and sensitive Bai Juyi pushed China's originally underdeveloped narrative poetry to a new peak, of which "The Old Man with the Broken Arm at Xinfeng," "The Old Charcoal Seller," "Drawing the Silver Vase from the Well," and "Meeting an Old Musician of the Tianbao Era South of the Yangtze" are famous pieces.

The Jin-dynasty literary theorist Wang Ruoxu said that Bai Juyi's poetry "exhausts emotion and feeling to their fullest, entering people's livers and spleens" — this is a symbol of Bai Juyi's vigorous artistic vitality, and the main source of this vitality is Bai Juyi's "passion." Bai Juyi's rich life, official experiences, and unique delicate psychology allowed him to realize the preciousness of "emotion" and to give it form in writing, turning it into one immortal legendary work after another.

This passionate genius wrote "Everlasting Regret" in the winter of the first year of the Yuanhe era (806 AD), using "talent beyond the world" to write of "an event rare in the age." As soon as it appeared, it enjoyed the grand scene of "a myriad mouths competing to transmit it." The emperor suffering disgrace, the beauty turned to dust — this long poem narrating the love of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei is copious and flowing, yet does not pile up allusions. Wang Guowei believed that in "Everlasting Regret," over 800 characters long, the allusions used amount to no more than the four words "Xiaoyu and Shuangcheng." In describing emotion and scene with the technique of plain sketching, Bai Juyi can be called a master unmatched across the ages. As for "The Song of the Pipa," it "ingeniously links the misfortune of the pipa player with his own misfortune." Mo Lifeng says that while the artistic level of this poem is extremely high, what moves readers past and present, Chinese and foreign, is still the word "emotion"; "heterogeneous but isomorphic" fate made them meet by chance at the head of the Xunyang River, and "sympathy is a nature that all kind-hearted people possess."

Although this book focuses on the exposition of Tang dynasty literature, it is replete with insightful views wherever it touches on Tang institutions. For example, the Sub-prefect of Jiangzhou held the fifth rank and could wear "light crimson" robes — so why does Bai Juyi write "my blue robe is wet"? The author introduces textual research on the "borrowing of crimson" system in his analysis. It may seem unhurried, but it embodies the scholarly tradition of "collation of literature and history."

Indeed, Bai Juyi once said of himself: "In this world, wealth and honor should not be my lot; after my death, my writings shall surely have a name." But without a work as incisive and detailed as Ten Lectures on Bai Juyi, it would be difficult for us to understand or restore a "panoramic" Bai Letian. From this perspective, Teacher Mo can truly be called Bai Juyi's soulmate across a hundred generations.

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Classics are meant to be read for a lifetime.

By: 汪家明

Here collected are the foreign literary classics I read from age 13 to 18. All the important writers are present: from Boccaccio, born in 1313, to Pushkin and Balzac, born in 1799, and then to Sholokhov, born in 1905, spanning several centuries. The influence of classic reading on me seems immeasurably vast, yet it cannot be explained in a single phrase — they have long since merged into my blood and heart, becoming the qi and zhi that make me who I am. In other words: to live in the world, one must have roots; what classic reading gives me is precisely the part of a tree that is invisible beneath the soil.

Back then, reading conditions were poor. I grabbed whatever book I could find. Not only did I read, I also took notes, recorded famous lines, and made comments. After all, it was for my own eyes — I pointed at the landscape and made grand pronouncements, though in truth I half-understood and half-misunderstood. At age 15, I read The Lady of the Camellias and was heartbroken to the point of not eating well for a week. Reflecting on it, all I saw was a woman’s pitiable love tragedy; it never occurred to me that it exposed the hypocritical morality of Western “high society.” After all, works from centuries ago written by foreign authors are hard to understand even for adults, let alone children. Fortunately, the translators did the work of popularization, using modern vernacular Chinese. And good novels, no matter how ancient, speak through their stories. How amusing and humorous are the tales in The Decameron; how gratifying is the Count of Monte Cristo’s revenge.

Also boosting the pleasure of reading were the illustrations. The illustrations in Pride and Prejudice were copperplate engravings, simple and elegant; the chapter-head vignettes in Heine’s Book of Songs were also copperplate engravings, with fine, dense lines and various colors overlaid, especially charming. Those who did illustrations in the style of sketches were mostly Russian and Soviet artists, such as Kukryniksy (in Selected Stories of Chekhov), Vereisky (in And Quiet Flows the Don), and Reznikchenko (in How the Steel Was Tempered)… My obsession with and collection of woodcuts, copperplate engravings, and sketches began with these literary illustrations. Many illustrators were contemporaries of the novelists, and some were even friends (such as Phiz and Dickens). The images they left behind intuitively preserve the physical details of that era: people’s appearances, expressions, clothing, as well as houses, furniture, and living environments, thus giving the reader a close-to-real feel for the novel. Later film and television adaptations also took the illustrations as references for character looks — for example, Natasha and Pierre in War and Peace, and Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Beyond their functional role, literary illustrations also serve an emotional anchoring function for me. Sometimes the reason I have not forgotten a work for decades is due to a few illustrations in it. I even cut out illustrations from several old books, glued them onto cardboard, and kept them separately. Decades have passed; the illustrations remain, but the books, borrowed back and forth, have disappeared without a trace. Illustrations are in fact a second layer of reading for a work.

Reading interest and reading habits are cultivated from childhood. I am fortunate that as a child I did not understand this, yet by a lucky accident I read a pile of books. When I entered university in 1978, I spent four years reading them all over again — it was truly like meeting old childhood friends again! After graduation, I became a Chinese language teacher and often shared with my students. Not long ago, a former student of mine, now already a grandmother, sent me a WeChat message, still remembering what I had read aloud to them back then! I always say: reading classics should begin in childhood; one can also read them in old age. What a child sees and what an old person sees are different. Classics are something one can read for a lifetime.

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Opening the Four Seasons and Dawns of Hongshan (Preface and Postscript)

By: 沈志军

Morning light spills over the branches of Hongshan, the wind wraps the freshness of vegetation, mingling with the soft sounds of living creatures. Watching the morning mist lightly shroud the treetops, watching the evening shadows encircle the returning birds, one gradually comes to understand that Hongshan Forest Zoo (红山森林动物园) is a place where heart and life deeply embrace. This poetry collection is the fine-grained poetry that, after countless encounters and shared moments, has settled in the passage of time.

When we first launched this call for contributions, we did not dare hope for much response. We never expected that words from all directions would come following the breath of Hongshan: from the tip of a child’s brush, painting the Insect Hotel as a secret realm full of surprises; from a poet’s lines, reading the melancholy of endangerment in the hornbill’s casque; from a volunteer’s murmurs, recording the fleeting moments spent with a small mongoose; from a visitor’s heartfelt voice, finding spiritual rest among the plants and creatures… These more than fifty poems capture the true essence of every being in Hongshan, and also capture the unspeakable “bond” between humans and living creatures.

People often ask why young people always love to go to the zoo. The answer lies hidden in every blade of grass, every tree, every bird, every animal of Hongshan. Today’s young people are swept along by a flood of information, chased by the pace of life, and often feel a restlessness that has nowhere to settle. What makes Hongshan precious is that here there is the purest reality. This “nature within the city” has become a spiritual corner for young people; the simplicity and calm of being with living beings is the key reason Hongshan attracts them.

I also often hear young friends say that they are “socially anxious” “I people,” which is why they prefer to come to the zoo to observe animals. This is the wisdom of young people in dealing with themselves and with the world. Bending down to watch ants carry food, stopping to watch an Amur tiger lie quietly by the pond, staring intently to watch an otter play in the pool — in reality, this is a conversation with the most authentic nature, and in this conversation they learn to reconcile with their inner hearts. The beauty of nature, the power of life — these are the nutrients that make the heart resilient. There is no need to feel uneasy because one prefers solitude, no need to feel lonely because of temporary disengagement. When we learn from animals about focus, perseverance, and composure, and feel from nature diversity, vitality, and inclusiveness, our inner world will gradually become rich, and when facing the storms of life, we will have an extra measure of toughness that comes from deep within.

Writing poems for animals is a spiritual act of bending down and listening. When we pick up the pen for the golden pheasant in the forest, we are setting aside the human inherent perspective, trying to see the world through the eyes of living creatures, to perceive all things with the heartbeat of nature. The lingering tenderness at the moment of writing will transform into reverence in the heart. Hongshan’s holding of such a poetry gathering is an attempt to build a bridge with words as its foundation, so that poetry — and more people — can truly enter the world of living creatures, and so that this reverence and empathy can quietly grow and take root between the lines.

We firmly believe that the zoo bears the cultural mission of connecting humans and nature. It allows people to see the diversity and splendor of life, to understand that every species is an indispensable link in the ecological chain; it allows people, in their interactions with living creatures, to realize clearly that humans and nature are originally an interdependent whole, 唇齿相依 (chún chǐ xiāng yī - “lips and teeth depend on each other,” closely interdependent). As an oasis in the heart of the city, Hongshan has always held as its original aspiration the protection of living beings and the transmission of love. This poetry collection gives voice to words, telling the world of our conviction to protect.

Open this poetry collection, and you open the four seasons and the dawns and dusks of Hongshan, open the moving moments of encounter between humans and nature. May this poetry collection, carrying the breath of grass and trees, the vitality of all things, reach the hearts of readers. May young friends find from here their own spiritual fulcrum, building a rich and resilient spiritual world. May we all, with poetry as our bond, learn to get along with nature, and walk side by side with living creatures.

(The author is the director of Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo. This text is the preface to the book After Finishing a Week of Work, I Go to the Zoo to Dream: Poetry Collection of Hongshan Zoo. This edition has been abridged, and the title was added by the editor.)

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New Book Shelf

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Seeing the Happy Face of China's Countryside

By: 徐汉晖

In recent years, amid the flourishing picture of comprehensive rural revitalization, Guizhou's "village-brand" (村字号) cultural tourism activities have been very active, providing authentic and vivid material for the new great transformation of mountain villages. The newly published long-form documentary literature work Village Super League by writer Yao Yao (姚瑶) truthfully records the birth process and current development status of Guizhou's Village Super League (村超). Through the upsurge stirred up by the rural football league both on and off the field, and online and offline, it provokes people's reflection on the vitality of rural culture and the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.

The Village Super League is a shining business card of Rongjiang County (榕江县) in Guizhou. This event was spontaneously organized by ordinary villagers, with the entire county's populace actively participating. The economic growth driven by the event benefits the local people, vividly embodying the people-centered development philosophy. The author steps into the fervent scene of Rongjiang, recording the myriad ordinary people beneath the Village Super League's fervor. From the "Rolled Rice Noodle King" who grew into the "ball king" and became the Village Super League's Golden Boot, to the father-and-son duo competing with enthusiasm on the same pitch; from the warm and generous "Watermelon Sister" who radiates her own light, to the warm-hearted urban management officers who maintain order and witness the great love in a small county; from the elementary school principal who uses football to lift the future of rural children, to the county's first "Village Super League Recommender" with over a million followers... Under the author's pen, the people of Rongjiang are no longer passive recipients of assistance, nor bystanders of rural affairs. They actively participate in their hometown's construction and integrate into rural development. The initiative and creativity they embody are precious spiritual resources for rural revitalization in the new era.

Through the stories of these ordinary people, we can decipher the secret of the Village Super League's explosive popularity and understand the continuous driving force behind the Village Super League, thereby intuitively perceiving how cultural and sports activities empower rural governance, how local excellent traditional culture serves economic and social development, and how the internal dynamism of rural culture and national policy support work together on this land. "Passion collides here, speed unfolds here, and a beautiful life scene is presented here. Rongjiang has let the world see the happy visage of China's countryside." One Village Super League renders this happy visage concrete.

In recent years, besides driving county-level economic development through the tournament and radiating to surrounding areas, the Village Super League has also held events such as the Belt and Road Initiative and Guizhou-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Village Super League Football Friendship Match. The number of teams from both domestic and international sources actively applying to participate in the Village Super League has increased year by year. The long-term plans repeatedly mentioned in Village Super League, such as the "National Hundred-Village League" and the "Village Super League World Cup," demonstrate the great ambitions of the people of Rongjiang. Using the stadium as a stage and football as a medium to achieve urban-rural integration and cross-regional exchanges, the fervent story of the Village Super League continues.

The writing of Village Super League blends multiple literary forms such as oral history, character profiles, prose, and poetry into one, forming a flexible and expressive cross-genre writing. Dozens of vivid individual stories converge through multi-linear narration. As creators, participants, and witnesses of the Village Super League, they bring the authentic and vigorous warmth of the grassroots. Amidst the densely packed oral historical materials, the author balances the narrative rhythm through the free brushwork of the prose style, making the text both rigorous and weighty, yet not lacking in poetic agility.

Village Super League regards a rural football league in a southwestern county town as a window for observing and understanding the grand historical process of Chinese-style modernization. The happy smiling faces, running figures, and moving tears depicted in the book together paint a microcosmic picture of Chinese-style modernization. From the football field to the front of rural revitalization, the torch lit by the Village Super League illuminates a path of development — true modernization is the well-rounded development of people and the prosperity and strength of the nation; true revitalization is to make every ordinary working person a participant in and beneficiary of the times. I believe that the Village Super League and the cultural phenomenon it represents will inspire more writing and research about the new great transformation of mountain villages.

(The author is from the School of Humanities, Kaili University (凯里学院人文学院))

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Zhang Mingse

Email for this edition: dushu@peopledaily.cn
Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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