Summary: President Xi Jinping issued instructions on basic education, emphasizing the need to fully implement the Party's education policy and cultivate socialist builders. His remarks were conveyed at a national conference where Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang also spoke, stressing the importance of educational equity and quality. The article did not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: President Xi Jinping recently issued instructions on basic education, emphasizing the need to fully implement the Party's education policy and foster high-quality development in the sector. A national conference on basic education was held in Beijing on July 22 to operationalize these directives. The article highlights that as of 2024, China's basic education has reached the average level of high-income countries worldwide, with progress in equity, ideological education, and holistic student development. It underscores China's confidence in its educational model, rooted in achievements like universal access, "double reduction" reforms, and integrated moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education. The article calls for continued efforts to align basic education with the demands of Chinese-style modernization and technological advancement.
Summary: President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of the "Yiwu development experience," a model of grassroots-led market transformation that turned a resource-poor inland city into a global trade hub. He visited Yiwu International Trade City in September 2023, recalling its evolution from "nothing" and praising the people's entrepreneurial spirit. Xi stressed that the Communist Party must learn from and promote grassroots innovations, and he called for further summarizing and applying the Yiwu experience to guide regions in pursuing high-quality development tailored to their own conditions. The article highlights how Yiwu's success stems from respecting market forces, fostering a proactive government role, and upholding continuous reform and innovation.
Summary: Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, conducted an inspection tour in Tibet from July 19 to 22, accompanied by Li Ganjie. He emphasized implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee and the Party's strategy for governing Tibet, focusing on stability, development, ecology, and border strengthening. He stressed that governing Tibet begins with stabilizing it, requiring rule-of-law governance and social foundation consolidation. Wang called for enhancing ethnic unity, promoting the sinicization of religion, and advancing border development to improve living conditions. He also inspected sites in Lhasa and Ngari Prefecture, engaging with local officials and residents.
Summary: At a national conference for party school presidents held in Beijing on July 22, Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), delivered a speech. He called for deepening the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and stressed the importance of upholding the "Two Establishments" and the "Two Upholds." Cai urged party schools to prioritize ideological and political education, improve teaching and research for talent development, and support the Party's self-governance and Chinese-style modernization. He also emphasized the need for strict management of party schools and for local party committees to fulfill their responsibilities in running these institutions. No U.S.-related topics were mentioned in the report.
Summary: China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that agricultural value-added grew 3.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, with summer grain output exceeding 300 billion jin for the first time. President Xi Jinping, during an inspection in Dezhou, Shandong, emphasized that China must rely on itself for grain production to feed its 1.4 billion people. The article highlights that technological innovations, such as smart irrigation and new breeding chips, are bolstering agricultural productivity. It also notes China's resilience amid global food supply chain instability, with 41 countries needing external food aid. While not explicitly naming the U.S., the piece underscores China’s self-reliance strategy in the face of complex international challenges.
Summary: The article highlights Aba Prefecture in Sichuan, where officials promote red tourism and ecological restoration inspired by the Long March. Vice Governor Zhu Bangwen stated that red tourism has become a new engine for local development, with 5.8 million visitors in 2025. Forestry engineer Tu Sheng noted that sandification has been curbed through systematic治理, restoring 257,200 mu of land and expanding wetland areas. Development Bureau Director Zhou Yuhua emphasized advancing clean energy, with installed capacity exceeding 1.08 million kilowatts. The report underscores Xi Jinping’s call to carry forward the Long March spirit in modern development.
Summary: The article reports on two separate policy and economic developments. It emphasizes a call to intensify fiscal and financial coordination to implement a package of policies aimed at boosting domestic demand. Separately, it highlights Xinjiang's Turpan region, which is leveraging its "Flaming Mountain" hot and dry climate to develop a high-temperature testing industry, generating a billion-yuan sector. No specific officials or their statements are mentioned, nor is there any discussion of U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports on a July 22 press conference where Customs Director Sun Meijun outlined the "15th Five-Year Plan" for customs modernization, emphasizing risk control, smart supervision, and trade facilitation to support China's status as the world's largest trading nation. Sun stated that customs will innovate oversight of AI and green products, tailor regulations for cross-border e-commerce, and expand imports of advanced technology, energy resources, and high-quality agricultural goods. She was accompanied by Deputy Directors Zhang Baofeng, Wang Jun, and Lü Daliang, who detailed measures to streamline customs clearance, boost multimodal transport, and strengthen intellectual property protection. The plan includes upgrading 57 port facilities and increasing the application of a unified cargo document system to over 50% within five years. No direct reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the report.
Summary: The article reports on Xi Jinping's praise for the "Yiwu development experience," highlighting the city's transformation from a resource-poor inland town into a global trade hub. During his September 2023 visit to Yiwu, Xi emphasized the importance of respecting grassroots innovation, allowing market forces to play a decisive role, and ensuring an effective government. The piece recounts Xi's previous 11 visits to Yiwu as Zhejiang party secretary, underscoring his long-standing support for the city's "market-oriented" and "government-enabled" model. It also notes that Xi instructed officials to further summarize and apply the Yiwu experience to guide high-quality development across China. No direct mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: China's first-half 2026 GDP grew 4.7% year-on-year to 69.6 trillion yuan, demonstrating resilience amid global turbulence. International experts, including Claudia Yanuzzi of Brazil and Félix Baldizísio of Spain, praised China's structural optimization and innovation-driven growth, noting its role as a stabilizing anchor for the world economy. The report highlights China's complete industrial system and rising exports of high-tech products, which help integrate developing countries into global value chains. It also emphasizes China's rapid trade expansion and tariff-free access for 53 African nations, showcasing its commitment to high-level opening-up. The "China Opportunity 2.0" narrative positions the nation as an engine of global growth and shared development.
Summary: Japanese Defense Minister Koiso Shinsuke recently stated that Japan should discuss nuclear weapons policy without taboos, a highly provocative break from postwar norms. The article, authored by a researcher at a Chinese state-affiliated think tank, warns that this reflects Japan's long-standing nuclear ambitions and "new militarism." It notes that Japan already possesses the technology and materials for potential nuclear breakout while violating international commitments like the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." The piece criticizes Japanese leaders, including Prime Minister Kishida's predecessor, for seeking "extended deterrence" and "nuclear sharing" with allies. The author concludes that such actions threaten postwar international order, nuclear non-proliferation, and regional stability.
Summary: Rafif Srour, a data science and AI expert from IE University, called for enhanced dialogue and cooperation to ensure AI benefits are widely shared, noting that AI governance is moving from broad ethical principles to concrete testing, transparency, and accountability mechanisms. She highlighted China as a key player in foundational AI models, with its integration into manufacturing, healthcare, and education, and credited its “Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services” for promoting responsible governance. Srour emphasized that China’s large-scale AI deployment provides practical experience essential for effective governance, and warned that concentrating advanced models, data, and talent in a few economies could widen global development gaps. She praised China’s focus on inclusive development and capacity-building, especially with developing countries, and stressed that cooperation on shared priorities does not require identical political systems. Srour noted complementary strengths between Europe and China—Europe in research and regulation, China in applications and deployment—and suggested joint research, student exchanges, and courses on responsible AI to create public value.
Summary: Wang Yi co-chaired the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad, with all ASEAN foreign ministers and the ASEAN Secretary-General present. He outlined four proposals including maintaining regional peace, enhancing resilience, promoting innovation, and people-centered cooperation, while stressing that China and ASEAN must handle the South China Sea issue themselves, rejecting external interference and opposing any country stirring up trouble. The meeting adopted a joint statement on the Middle East situation and regional energy cooperation. Parties agreed to accelerate the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and reaffirmed China as ASEAN's most important dialogue partner, with references to resisting exclusive "small circles" and camp confrontation—implicitly alluding to U.S. influence.
Summary: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in Manila on July 22, where he strongly protested the collision of Philippine personnel with Chinese law enforcement vessels at Ren'ai Jiao. Wang warned that allowing external forces (implicitly the United States) to interfere and stoke maritime disputes would reduce the Philippines to a tool, and that attempts to provoke using outside powers would backfire. He criticized factions in the Philippine military and police for deliberately disrupting dialogue, and stressed that China has never posed a security threat to the Philippines. Wang reiterated that China rejects the illegal arbitration ruling. Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines' one-China policy and expressed willingness to seek a proper settlement through dialogue.
Summary: Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, met with a European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee delegation led by Chair David McAllister in Beijing. The two sides exchanged views on implementing joint understandings between leaders, strengthening communication, and promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations.
Summary: At a UN cybersecurity meeting in New York, China submitted a position paper introducing the principle of "digital sovereignty," building on its earlier concept of cyber sovereignty. The document asserts that states have the right to independently choose their AI development paths and should not be coerced into taking sides. It calls for upholding the UN Charter in cyberspace, updating international rules to address AI risks, and reaffirming multilateralism. The Chinese delegation was led by the Foreign Ministry's network and digital affairs coordinator, who elaborated on the paper during the session. No direct reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations was made in the article.
Summary: The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences inaugurated the Global Civilization Research Institute in Beijing on July 22. The institute aims to advance the Global Civilization Initiative through interdisciplinary research, enhance the international influence of Chinese civilization, and build an autonomous knowledge system. Its key research areas include new forms of human civilization, foundational theories of civilization, and the impact of artificial intelligence. The institute will also work to create a global academic dialogue network to support mutual learning and consensus-building.
Summary: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on July 22, calling 2025 a pivotal year for bilateral relations. Wang emphasized the need to implement the leaders’ consensus on a constructive strategic stability relationship, turning it into whole-of-government action to promote global peace. He conveyed China’s serious concerns over recent U.S. negative actions, demanding respect for China’s core interests and adherence to the One-China principle. Both sides agreed the meeting was pragmatic and constructive, committing to prepare for future high-level exchanges. They also exchanged views on international and regional hotspots.
Summary: A China-Uzbekistan think tank forum was held in Beijing on July 22, themed "China and Uzbekistan: Strategic Alignment and High-Quality Development." The event was co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Uzbekistan's Center for Development Strategy, and the Uzbek embassy. Over 50 participants, including think tank experts, diplomats, and journalists from both countries, attended the forum. Discussions focused on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Uzbekistan's "Uzbekistan-2030" strategy and bilateral relations. The article does not mention any specific official statements or the United States.
Summary: The article reports on a July 22 press conference where five grassroots party representatives met with journalists. Ma Shanxiang, a retired official and "July 1 Medal" winner, described how residents attribute their improved lives to Party leadership. Zhao Naixiang, a community party secretary in a multi-ethnic area, highlighted activities like the "thousand families feast" to foster unity. Other representatives included special education teacher Liang Yan, village official Zhong Baijun, and courier party branch secretary Wang Kehao, each detailing their efforts in Party-led grassroots work. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: On July 22, the Central Spiritual Civilization Construction Office launched the 2026 "Civilized China" themed interview campaign in Kunming, Yunnan. The initiative aims to study and promote Xi Jinping’s cultural thought by following his "cultural footprint" and showcasing grassroots achievements in spiritual civilization. The event released typical cases from the "Yunnan Border Civilization Practice Belt," highlighting the integration of spiritual civilization with rural revitalization and ethnic unity in border areas. An upgraded "Civilized China" client app was also introduced to enhance the spread of civilization stories. The campaign will continue through November with interviews and multimedia coverage across various regions.
Summary: The article profiles the party committee of Pumajiangtang Township, the highest-altitude administrative township in China (5,373 meters), where Secretary Doji Wangjiu and fellow cadres implement Xi Jinping's directive to uphold the "old Tibet spirit" — being "indomitable despite thin oxygen, hardship, and high altitude." Doji Wangjiu, who succeeded former Secretary Yang Tongbo, ensures policy continuity on providing oxygen, heating, and "healthy rooms" to residents, with village leaders like Gongza of Shakong leading by example to overcome local resistance. The piece highlights party-building achievements, including 274 party members serving 1,093 residents across 1,511 square kilometers, and notes increased party membership applications. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The State Council approved China's first national "Sports Power" five-year plan, released by the General Administration of Sport. It sets 2030 targets including 4 sqm per capita sports space, 40% regular exercise participation, and a sports industry exceeding 7 trillion yuan. The plan outlines 38 tasks across fitness, competitive sports, youth sports, and foreign exchanges with Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. It emphasizes Party leadership and local government responsibility for implementation. The document includes eight specific projects covering facilities, talent, and technology.
Summary: The National Flood Control Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management held a multi-departmental meeting on July 22 to assess rainfall and flood risks. They warned that current rainfall is widespread and overlapping with previous precipitation, raising risks for rivers, lakes, and geological disasters. The meeting noted that Typhoon No. 12 is expected to form and impact southern China, complicating flood and typhoon prevention efforts. Officials emphasized reinforcing dam and levee patrols, preparing for a direct typhoon landfall in Guangdong and Guangxi, and implementing early warning and evacuation protocols for flash floods and geological hazards.
Summary: Workers from the 22nd Regiment of the Second Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps are replanting fallow wheat fields to produce winter silage for local livestock herders, as shown in a July 22 photo. The report highlights the Corps' role in agricultural production and local economic support. No U.S. or U.S.-China relations are mentioned.
Summary: President Xi Jinping recently issued instructions on basic education, emphasizing its foundational role in building a strong education country and the need to fully implement the Party's education policy. The National Basic Education Conference was held in Beijing on July 22 to outline specific work deployments. The article highlights China's achievements, noting that by the end of 2024, its basic education had reached the average level of high-income countries. It underscores efforts to improve educational equity, comprehensive student development, and the integration of ideological and political education. The piece also references the "15th Five-Year Plan" call to optimize resource allocation and expand high-quality basic education.
Summary: The article highlights how Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan leverages its revolutionary heritage, including the Dawei meeting bridge, to promote red tourism and education, citing Xi Jinping’s call to carry forward the Long March spirit. Vice Governor Zhu Bangwen stated that red tourism is becoming a new engine for local development, with 5.8 million visitors in 2025. The prefecture is also restoring the Ruoergai wetland, with official Tu Sheng noting that systematic efforts have curbed desertification and revived biodiversity. Additionally, Ruzhiga county official Zhou Yuhua emphasized the push for clean energy, with installed capacity exceeding 1.08 million kW. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article features a dialogue between People's Daily commentator Zhou Shanshan and Luo Qun, deputy director of the China Culture Daily Brand Innovation Center, discussing the national push for high-quality micro-dramas. Luo Qun emphasized that while technology enables mass production, true artistic value lies in original human emotion and cognition, which AI cannot replicate. He noted that micro-dramas have become a "lightweight self-service" for audiences, expanding access to serious cultural content like heritage and revolutionary themes. The discussion also highlighted the "new mass art" movement, where ordinary creators use digital platforms to express real-life experiences, reflecting a shift toward participatory culture. The article concludes by framing micro-dramas and new mass art as key elements in China's cultural strategy under the 15th Five-Year Plan, aimed at strengthening cultural confidence.
Summary: The article highlights how Chinese cities like Yibin achieve economic transformation by integrating into national regional strategies, such as the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It emphasizes that leveraging strategic overlaps, regional coordination, and comparative advantages enables differentiated development. Examples include Yibin’s shift from pollution to leading global lithium battery production, and cross-regional cooperation like the G60 Sci-Tech Corridor linking the Yangtze River Delta. The piece underscores that breaking down barriers and strengthening connectivity, such as via the Western New Land-Sea Corridor, unlocks new growth space. Ultimately, coordinated regional development and a unified national market are key to sustaining China’s high-quality economic growth.
Summary: The article highlights the power of the Party’s leadership during flood rescues in Guangxi, citing two viral phrases: “The People’s Liberation Army is here” in Guigang and a firefighter telling a trapped elderly person, “Hold on to me, it’s okay” in Hengzhou. It emphasizes the unwavering commitment of party members, military personnel, and rescue workers who prioritize people’s safety above all. The commentary underscores the unity between officials, rescue forces, and civilians, who together provided aid and support. The piece also notes the 105-year history of the Communist Party as a continuous bond with the people, exemplified by a child singing the national anthem on a rescue boat. It concludes that this shared spirit will help communities rebuild and overcome future challenges.
Summary: Multiple locations across China, including Lingbi County in Anhui and Xi'an in Shaanxi, are launching new public summer托管 (care) models featuring activities like clay crafts and extended weekday-plus-weekend hours. These programs aim to alleviate the burden on working parents who struggle to balance childcare with busy schedules. The initiative ensures children have a productive, enjoyable summer rather than idle time. No specific officials or accompanying figures were mentioned in the report. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Three cities in Jilin—Yanji, Hunchun, and Meihekou—have turned fleeting online fame into sustainable development by strengthening industrial foundations rather than relying solely on traffic. Yanji retained tourists by expanding full-chain services like travel photography, homestays, and cultural experiences, converting visibility into lasting appeal. Hunchun, though not a crab-producing area, leveraged its border location and a pioneering "bonded+transshipment" trade model to become China’s largest live king crab distribution hub. Meihekou’s "Northeast Night City" used lightweight, content-driven attractions on a 533-meter street to create jobs and drive local economic diversification. The article concludes that enduring success requires converting online attention into offline productivity and embedding internet buzz into lasting industrial brands.
Summary: The article highlights the importance of skilled craftsmanship, comparing it to having a "diamond drill" for delicate tasks, as 71 young Chinese competitors prepare for the 48th World Skills Competition. It emphasizes that personal value is realized when individual skills meet national needs, citing examples like Tian Feihong, Ma Hongda, and Song Biao as models of international-level expertise. The piece notes that while China's manufacturing sector has led globally for 16 consecutive years, there remains a shortage of high-skilled talent and a mismatch between training and industrial demands. It advocates for aligning education with industry needs, using examples like Lanzhou New Area where campuses integrate with factories to bridge the gap. The article calls for long-term commitment and precision in talent development to unlock potential and boost economic vitality.
Summary: The article is a call for submissions to several opinion columns in a Chinese newspaper, including “大家谈,” “暖闻热评,” “中国道路中国梦,” and “来论.” It requests original contributions and provides the email address rmrbpl@peopledaily.cn for submissions. No reports on officials’ statements or actions are included. There is no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article reports on the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office of the Gansu Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, led by Party branch member Xu Tao. It highlights a case where the office resolved a long-standing ID error for a Shanghai resident, Ms. Cao, after she submitted a complaint via their social supervision platform, which has processed over 12,000 complaints since 2023. The office, under Party branch secretary Li Tianlun, integrates party building with business to tackle issues like migrant worker wage arrears and grassroots corruption. Officials including Wang Jian and Xu Bin emphasize strengthening internal discipline and developing basic skill checklists for staff. The office has received over 320 thank-you letters and banners for its work in improving governance and serving the public.
Summary: Zhao Peixian, a retired senior forestry engineer, described his decades-long effort to restore vegetation in Yuanmou County's dry-hot Jinsha River valley, where forest cover rose from 5.2% to 31.1% through techniques like contour trenching and species selection. He worked alongside researchers from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, including Li Kun and Zhang Yanping, to trial drought-resistant species such as Indian rosewood. The article highlights local government mobilization and scientific cooperation as key to overcoming arid conditions, with Zhao receiving a national afforestation award in 2022. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that Ningxia is leveraging its natural resources to develop clean energy industries such as solar, wind, and energy storage in desert, Gobi, and barren areas. It features a photo of the Guoneng Ningdong 2-gigawatt composite photovoltaic base in Lingwu, taken on July 21. No statements or actions by officials are mentioned, nor is there any reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that China's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, with President Xi Jinping emphasizing during a June inspection in Dezhou, Shandong, that the country must rely on itself to feed its 1.4 billion people. It highlights advances in agricultural technology and smart farming as key to boosting productivity and resilience. The piece also notes that China’s stable food production serves as a critical buffer against global food supply chain risks, referencing that 41 countries currently require external food aid according to the UN FAO. No direct mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations is made.
Summary: Two exhibitions opened on July 22 at the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Memorial Museum, marking the 90th anniversaries of the Red Army's Long March and the founding of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (Kangda). The displays, featuring over 100 photos and 40 artifacts in the Long March section and 208 photos with 120 artifacts in the Kangda section, highlight the CCP's pre-war anti-Japanese stance and Kangda's role in training cadres. A museum official accompanying the opening stated that the exhibitions use technology to bring history to life and aim to help visitors draw wisdom and confidence from this legacy. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission, jointly with the Provincial Department of Water Resources, issued a notice outlining a rural water pricing mechanism. It specifies that public pipeline water prices are set by local governments, while other systems face market regulation. The notice caps household tap water connection fees at 300 yuan per household and requires municipalities or suppliers to cover pipe costs up to the meter. This policy aims to reduce the financial burden on rural residents for water access. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: Turpan, Xinjiang, leverages its extreme heat (over 100 days above 35°C annually) and arid climate to develop a high-temperature dry-heat testing industry valued at over 100 million yuan. Each year, thousands of new energy vehicles and products undergo rigorous testing, including outdoor exposure tests where temperatures inside cars can exceed 70°C. Testing covers battery safety, durability, comfort, and range for EVs, with test engineer Zeng Wenbo and deputy general manager Yu Shengli citing the site as the first third-party high-temperature test ground hosting over 50 automakers. Low-altitude aircraft, such as drones, are also tested for battery and motor performance under extreme conditions, with Yu noting that over 20 aircraft have completed trials since the test zone was approved. Additionally, products like air conditioners and photovoltaic panels are tested at the Xinjiang Turpan Natural Environment Test Research Center, which has evaluated over 42,000 items to support standards development.
Summary: The 2026 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum opened in Xi'an on July 22, with around 800 guests from over 50 countries and 7 international organizations. Participants cited President Xi Jinping’s recent keynote speech at the World AI Conference, emphasizing that his propositions on global AI governance are significant for Digital Silk Road construction. They called for advancing a shared future in cyberspace by expanding infrastructure, fostering innovation, strengthening cultural ties, and enhancing security. The forum, hosted by the World Internet Conference and organized by Shaanxi provincial government, included ministerial meetings and specialized sessions on e-commerce cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. A case study collection on cultural heritage digitalization and related training workshops were also released during the event.
Summary: The National Development and Reform Commission and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate jointly released ten typical cases to demonstrate implementation of the private economy promotion law. The cases showcase prosecutors using criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation functions to equally protect the lawful rights of all business entities. Examples include prosecuting financial crimes while distinguishing economic disputes from criminal offenses, as well as pursuing recovery of losses for private enterprises. The agencies emphasized treating both punishment and governance seriously while listening to business opinions to close systemic loopholes. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Chinese Navy's hospital ship "Jixiang Fangzhou" departed from Qingdao on July 22 for its first overseas mission, "Harmonious Mission—2026," visiting Africa and South Asia. The ship carries 18 clinical departments, eight operating rooms, and a helicopter for emergency care. This is the twelfth such mission since 2010, providing free medical services to local populations. The ship will spend over 200 days visiting countries including Djibouti. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security reported that since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China’s human resources service industry has annually served over 50 million enterprises, with roughly 40% being manufacturing firms. Last November, the ministry launched pilot programs integrating human resources services with manufacturing in 39 cities, achieving initial progress through targeted recruitment plans and service products. Next steps include deepening these pilots and implementing a “Human Resources Service + Advanced Manufacturing” initiative.
Summary: Mao Keren, deputy director of the Ancient Books Special Collection Department at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, described his meticulous work of restoring traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ancient texts as akin to a doctor's diagnosis requiring "inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation." He noted that the university, with government support, has digitized over 7,400 TCM ancient books and is experimenting with AI to build a knowledge graph. The article also highlights efforts to train young professionals through hands-on courses and design competitions. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the report.
Summary: In the first half of 2024, Beijing's total goods trade reached 1.78 trillion yuan, a 16.5% year-on-year increase, with exports hitting a record high of 313.3 billion yuan. Private enterprises saw a 42.4% surge in trade value, while state-owned firms grew 16.0%. Trade with "Belt and Road" partner countries accounted for over half of the total, and the dual-hub airports (Capital and Daxing) handled 410.98 billion yuan in trade, up 18.7%. Notably, integrated circuit exports soared 137.6% in value, contributing 124.3% of the export growth, while semiconductor equipment and grain imports also rose sharply. The article does not discuss U.S. relations or any official statements.
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Summary: Ahead of the 2026 launch of the “15th Five-Year Plan” and the 70th anniversary of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, local authorities are prioritizing high-quality development centered on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. The prefecture is advancing a “4+2” modern industrial system and leveraging its role as a “bridgehead” to integrate with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with reported growth in industrial output, tourism, and cross-provincial services. Notably, the article highlights the continuation of the “cun chao” and “cun BA” cultural tourism IPs, which drove significant increases in visitor spending during the May Day holiday. On ecological governance, the report claims stable air quality above 98.5% and 100% excellent water quality at monitored sections since the 14th Five-Year Plan. Emphasizing ethnic unity, authorities have invested 570 million yuan in ethnic development funds to support specialty industries and village tourism, aiming to translate development gains into tangible well-being for local communities.
Summary: The article, authored by China's Finance Minister, reports on the implementation of a 100 billion yuan fiscal-financial policy package to boost domestic demand, following directives from President Xi Jinping at the 2025 Central Economic Work Conference to "adhere to domestic demand-led" growth and build a strong domestic market. The State Council has made specific arrangements for fiscal and monetary policy coordination, with the aim of stimulating consumption and investment by guiding social capital. The policy targets areas such as consumer loans, equipment upgrades, and private investment, and early data shows it has already supported over 17 trillion yuan in related loans. The author emphasizes that the initiative is a strategic move to enhance economic stability and security, not a temporary measure.
Summary: The article emphasizes Xi Jinping's call for officials to adopt a correct view of political achievements, prioritizing national interests over local or temporary gains. Xi warns against parochialism and local protectionism, urging policy coordination and alignment with central decisions. It highlights his past practices in Hebei, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai as models of serving the broader national strategy. The piece criticizes local leaders who undermine unified market construction or environmental standards for narrow benefits. Ultimately, it argues that genuine achievements require integrating local work into the overall national framework and delivering tangible benefits to the people.
Summary: President Xi Jinping called for a concerted effort to create a favorable social environment for the healthy development of minors, as highlighted in the article. The "15th Five-Year Plan" specifically mandates strengthening online protection and building a child-friendly society. The piece advocates for integrating digital and real-world measures, including cross-departmental information sharing and tiered risk responses to address online risks like harmful content and addiction. It emphasizes mobilizing family, school, and community resources in a coordinated system to safeguard minors' growth. The author, affiliated with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League research center, underscores these points.
Summary: In December 2025, Xi Jinping emphasized at the Central Economic Work Conference the need to expand rehabilitation care and implement a long-term care insurance system, which was also included in the 15th Five-Year Plan. The article discusses the system's role in supporting disabled individuals and addressing China's aging population, while noting challenges like uneven financing across regions and groups. It outlines policy measures from a recent central government document aimed at establishing the system within three years, including innovative funding mechanisms and universal coverage. The piece stresses fiscal sustainability, strict budget management, and robust fund security to ensure long-term viability. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: On July 22, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security held a press conference where spokesperson Cui Pengcheng reported that the employment situation remained stable in the first half of the year, with 6.95 million new urban jobs created and an average surveyed unemployment rate of 5.2%. Cui outlined “five areas of intensified effort” to stabilize employment, including new policies for college graduates and expanded vocational training. Deputy Inspector Huang Junmei detailed support for 2026 graduates, while Unemployment Insurance Director Chen Feng explained new measures for unemployment insurance, including expanded subsidies for skill certifications. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Dr. Fu Wenhao, deputy chief physician at Hainan Provincial People's Hospital, stated that dyshidrotic eczema is a chronic, recurrent palmoplantar eczema that typically appears in late spring, worsens in summer, and resolves in winter. He explained that its exact cause is unclear, but triggers include metal allergies (e.g., nickel, chromium), stress, and sleep deprivation, while excessive hand washing can aggravate symptoms. Dr. Fu cautioned against confusing it with similar conditions like tinea manuum or herpetic whitlow and recommended professional diagnosis. Treatment varies by stage, from calamine lotion for early blisters to corticosteroid creams for peeling, with oral prednisone for severe cases, all under medical guidance. He advised prevention by avoiding hot water, reducing detergent use, removing metal jewelry before water contact, and maintaining sleep and emotional stability.
Summary: The article reports that Qianxi City in Guizhou Province relocated its "vegetable basket" market from residential areas to the front of the government service hall to address public nuisance complaints. Stalls selling seasonal vegetables and snacks are now arranged in an orderly manner, with management based on fixed times, locations, and scopes. The move aims to make shopping more convenient for residents while improving the living environment in residential neighborhoods. No officials or accompanying figures are mentioned, and there is no reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that Jiangxi Province has issued a comprehensive plan to advance its transportation smart system construction, aiming to achieve system integration and data-driven leadership. The plan outlines three phases: establishing a unified digital base by 2027, completing a digital transportation "one map" by 2029, and fully realizing intelligent transportation with full-scenario applications by 2030. Key components include building an "air-space-ground" integrated perception network, a provincial-level digital base, a collaborative visualization platform, and covering eight major business areas. No U.S.-China relations or references to the United States appear in the report.
Summary: Anhui province has added over 2 million urban parking spaces since 2022, including 330,000 public spots, through a multifaceted campaign to ease parking difficulties. In Hefei, a gas company repurposed 9.8 mu of闲置 land to create 303 spaces with EV charging facilities. Bengbu integrated parking and charging into its public welfare projects, completing smart upgrades for 12,000 on-street spots and building 144 public parking lots. Xuancheng introduced a "time-sharing, dual-use" model to alleviate school-zone congestion by repurposing parking areas for student activities outside peak hours. An official from the provincial housing and urban-rural development department stated the next steps will focus on strengthening management, optimizing services, and expanding smart parking solutions.
Summary: Xinjiang has built 105 gig worker markets and stations, serving 324.1 million person-times and providing 2.06 million job opportunities, according to the regional human resources department. The initiative prioritizes locations near worker hubs, industrial parks, and transportation centers, with 32 markets offering comprehensive services like instant hiring, accommodation, and skills training. The department is also developing a unified online platform under the "Silk Road Gig" brand, integrating digital tools to enhance matching efficiency. By 2027, Xinjiang plans to expand the network to 140 standardized gig worker markets and stations. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Tibet Autonomous Region government announced a long-term care insurance scheme, effective September 1, 2025, aiming for full coverage by 2028. Funding will come from individual, employer, and government contributions, with total premiums set at 0.3% of wages for employees, and a corresponding reduction in employer medical insurance rates to avoid additional burdens. Retirees will pay 0.15% of their pensions, while minors under 18 are exempt from premiums. The plan integrates with the existing basic medical insurance system. No mention is made of U.S.-China relations or any foreign commentary.
Summary: Guangxi is advancing industrial workforce development through expanded "Guangxi Skills, Industrial Revitalization" labor contests, with nearly 30,000 frontline workers upgrading their skill certifications. The provincial human resources department has also implemented the "Skills Guangxi Action," combining job demand analysis with targeted training, evaluation, and employment services. A new "eight-level worker" system supports enterprises in recruiting senior technicians, creating a clear career ladder from apprentices to chief technicians. Vocational education reforms prioritize aligning majors with industrial layouts, and one-third of new specializations planned for 2026 will focus on emerging sectors. The article does not discuss U.S.-China relations or feature specific official statements or accompanying personnel.
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Summary: The General Administration of Sport of China released the "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Sports Power," the first national-level专项规划 on this theme, with a spokesperson from its Policy and Regulation Department providing interpretation. The plan sets five key targets for 2030, including per capita sports场地 area reaching about 4 square meters and total sports industry output exceeding 7 trillion yuan. It outlines 38 tasks across全民健身, competitive sports, youth sports, and the sports industry, emphasizing integration with health and consumption. The spokesperson noted that the plan elevates sports to an unprecedented strategic position within national planning. Ensuring implementation involves strengthening Party leadership, inter-agency coordination, and dynamic monitoring.
Summary: Chinese shooters Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou on July 22, setting a new final world record, while Shen Yiyao and Bu Shuaihang took silver. The Chinese pairs dominated the qualifying rounds, breaking the previous world record. Du Li, the Chinese shooting team's pistol event leader, said the team is still adapting to new rules and has room for improvement. In the men's 10m air rifle final, Olympic champion Sheng Lihao won gold, with fellow Olympic champion Zhang Changhong taking silver. The World Cup will award 15 gold medals over ten days, with China fielding a strong squad including multiple Olympic champions to prepare for the Asian Games.
Summary: The 2026 Chinese Table Tennis Super League regular season begins July 23 in Dalian, Liaoning, with men's and women's team counts increased to 10 and 8 respectively. A new rule requires each team to register at least one U19 player, and a new 15-game, 8-win match format replaces the previous system, with U19 athletes required in the first three games. The regular season’s second stage will be held in Xiong’an, Hebei, and the finals take place December 25–27 in Guangzhou, Guangdong. No officials or U.S.-China relations are mentioned.
Summary: China's U17 women's basketball team finished sixth at the FIBA World Cup in Brno, Czech Republic, its best result in a decade. Head coach Liu Yang accompanied the 12-player roster and stated the team conducted high-altitude training in Yunnan over the Spring Festival to build stamina for facing physically strong opponents. The squad advanced from a group including Spain, defeated Latvia, then lost 69-68 to Canada in the quarterfinals. Liu praised the players' energy and determination after achieving the pre-tournament goal of a top-eight finish. Player Li Yuanshan led all scorers with 20.3 points per game and was named to the tournament's second team.
Summary: A 57-year-old woman named Wang Shuping in Huai’an, Jiangsu, exemplifies the growing popularity of cycling for fitness and low-carbon living. She rides 40 kilometers daily and has twice won the women’s group championship in a 421.95 km international cycling marathon from Jixi to Shanghai. The article highlights how more citizens are embracing cycling as part of a nationwide push for public fitness. No U.S. officials or U.S.-China relations are mentioned. The photo shows Wang (front row, in red) accompanied by fellow cycling enthusiasts on a riverside path.
Summary: At the International School Sport Federation (ISF) congress in Belgrade on July 21, Serbian Zeljko Tanaskovic was re-elected president, and Chinese official Teng Lianshuai, deputy secretary-general of the Education Ministry’s student sports association, was elected vice president. The meeting also discussed preparations for the 2026 ISF Football World Cup, to be held in Suzhou, China this October. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The 2026 Hunan Province "Village BA" rural basketball tournament and national qualifier opened in Miluo City, featuring 16 teams from across the province. The competition runs from July 21 to 28, with the top two teams advancing to the national southern regional tournament. The event is hosted by the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Yueyang city government. Beyond basketball, the venue offers local agricultural products, food, and a dragon boat culture exhibition. The article does not mention any U.S. or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article reports on the export success of three Chinese consumer goods—handheld fans from Chenghai, cooling arm sleeves from Yiwu, and sun hats from Jiaozhou—driven by product innovation and robust local supply chains. No Chinese officials or their statements are cited, and no mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article discusses the recurring challenge of childcare during school holidays, highlighting a recent job posting in Guangdong that sparked public debate. It argues that solving this issue requires shifting responsibility from individual families to a collective societal effort. The piece calls on government agencies to establish clear service standards, employers to integrate holiday care into employee benefits, and communities to utilize local resources like retired teachers and volunteers. It also stresses the need to regulate commercial childcare and study-tour providers to prevent exploitation. The article emphasizes that addressing holiday childcare is a public obligation reflecting the quality of social services and collective support.
Summary: Qitaihe, a Chinese city known for producing short-track speed skating Olympic champions, has developed a year-round ice sports economy by hosting training camps for teams from Mongolia, Hungary, Australia, and other countries, with its ice rink fully booked until September. The city leverages its athlete selection and training system to attract international visitors, as highlighted by the Queensland Ice Skating Association of Australia, which is running its sixth training camp there this summer. Last year, Qitaihe hosted over 130 skating events, driving a 28.8% increase in tourist numbers and a 32.8% rise in tourism spending. The article does not mention any specific official statements or the United States.
Summary: Yang Xin, a journalist with the Shaanxi Commercial Daily, launched a charity project called "Remembering the Elderly" in 2017 after discovering that many elderly villagers in remote mountain areas lacked formal portrait photographs. The project provides free photography services to seniors, with Yang personally preparing settings and helping them groom before each session. Her volunteer team has since grown to over 150 members. No officials were reported as accompanying her, and the article makes no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports multiple regional developments in China, including the establishment of a Jiangsu 6G industry alliance to integrate resources and advance key technologies. Notably, the 51st Wuhan River Crossing event featured participants from the United States, among other countries, highlighting international involvement. Additional items cover a logistics tech competition in Xiong’an, an IP protection platform in Hainan, new cashmere standards in Inner Mongolia, and a cultural festival in Yunnan. No specific official statements or accompanying figures are mentioned in the provided excerpts.
Summary: At a technology company in Xianghe County, Hebei, a pancake-making robot was showcased, capable of producing a jianbing in three minutes. Company general manager Hu Wentao stated that standardizing food through robotics is both a new market and a mission, noting the rapid iteration of smart hardware. The robot, developed after over 300,000 tests and 50 patents, originated from R&D in Beijing, taste from Tianjin, and manufacturing in Xianghe. In April 2025, the project secured nearly 200 million yuan in investment at a regional robotics competition hosted in Xianghe. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports on Tibetan students in Cuomei County, Shannan, writing letters to children in Anhui as part of a "hand-in-hand" activity. It highlights improvements in school heating, with a student remarking that the classroom felt as warm as playing in the sun. Anhui's aid teams facilitated teacher training at Anhui Normal University and Huainan Normal University, and a local enterprise donated 100,000 yuan to education. A student’s letter concluded by echoing the teacher’s message that "the 56 ethnic groups are one family." No U.S. topics are mentioned.
Summary: On July 15, Fuding City, Fujian, completed its first tea garden ecosystem carbon sink transaction, selling 200 tons of carbon credits for 17,400 yuan to offset emissions from the 2026 Fujian Province City Football League (Min Super League) in Ningde. The transaction was coordinated by the Fuding Carbon Sink Practice Task Force and executed through the Strait Resources and Environment Trading Center. Fuding's 362,000 mu of tea gardens have developed a stable carbon sequestration system, and in August 2025, the task force was established to develop a standardized carbon accounting method. The first batch of 3,018 tons of tea garden carbon sinks was listed on the trading platform in April 2026. No officials or U.S.-China relations were mentioned in the report.
Summary: The article features a travel medicine physician from Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, who explains that travel medicine clinics do more than provide pre-travel vaccinations. They offer comprehensive risk assessments based on destinations, activities, and personal health. The author notes that while such clinics are common abroad, they have emerged in China only in the past decade and remain underutilized. She describes travel medicine as requiring broad knowledge across geography and history to address risks like infectious diseases, altitude sickness, and trauma. She urges greater public awareness, emphasizing that prevention should become a lifestyle. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article reports on falling watermelon prices in Henan province, particularly in Kaifeng, where experts like chief scientist Xu Yong and provincial expert Xu Zhihong attribute the decline to weather, concentrated harvests, and structural issues such as outdated varieties and poor grading systems. Officials including Kaifeng agricultural bureau’s Lou Wei noted increased planting area and overlapping harvests, while village party secretary Wang Lingyun highlighted farmers' reliance on the "Meidu" variety despite its low resilience. The article also quotes Ning Yabing of Henan Wanbang Market, who stated that local watermelons lack competitiveness against produce from other provinces due to weak supply chains and inconsistent quality. Recommendations include developing specialized seeds, standardizing production, and improving market organization to mitigate periodic sales difficulties. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the article.
Summary: The article reports that China's Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments jointly issued 19 policy measures to promote high-quality development of the domestic service industry. These measures focus on increasing support for enterprises, encouraging local institutional innovation, strengthening vocational training, establishing a credit information platform, and consolidating the industry's foundation. Specific provisions include supporting innovation in service models, expanding home-based elderly and childcare services, and improving social insurance for flexible employment. The policy also encourages Sino-foreign cooperation in vocational education and introduces protections for domestic workers' rest time and privacy. No U.S.-related content or official statements are mentioned.
Summary: The National Energy Administration issued a notice on advancing rural energy revolution by piloting village micro-energy networks, aiming to establish a clean energy supply system in pilot areas by 2028 and replicate successful models by 2030. The notice emphasizes building green electricity-focused micro-networks in villages with renewable resources and moderate energy demand, while supporting grid companies in aggregating and managing new energy and storage for rural green production and living. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations was made in the article.
Summary: The article describes a scenic view of thousands of acres of rapeseed flowers in Qinghai’s Menyuan County, comparing them to a golden carpet at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. No official statements or actions are reported, and there is no mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: China's consumer goods trade-in policy has accelerated green and smart consumption, with sales of high-efficiency home appliances growing over 30% in the first half of the year. The article explains the mandatory China Energy Efficiency Label and China Water Efficiency Label, which rate products from 1 (best) to 5. Experts Bai Xue and Shi Cheng from Chinese research institutes were quoted: Bai noted that lower efficiency numbers mean lower energy or water consumption, while Shi advised that although top-tier (Level 1) appliances cost more upfront, they offer long-term savings on utility bills. Chen Jingzhi from the China Electric Appliance Research Institute added that choosing the right water-efficiency label is a "money-saving key." No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports the launch of China's first cross-border "sea-rail-road" multimodal freight train, which departed from Yantai Port, Shandong, on July 21. The train uses a single bill of lading system, carrying auto parts from South Korea to Kyrgyzstan in just 12 days, cutting transit time by five days. The service integrates rail, sea, and truck transport, with documents unified under the national 95306 platform to simplify logistics processes. No mention is made of U.S.-China relations or any official statements.
Summary: The article reports that data centers in southern China, particularly Guangdong, are increasingly participating in electricity markets to optimize green energy use, with 94 of 309 centers trading 24.8 billion kWh of electricity from January to May. On May 7, the first cross-provincial green electricity point-to-point transaction was completed, linking wind and solar from Guangxi and Yunnan to Guangdong data centers, as noted by Zeng Zhiyong of Southern Grid Guangdong Power Grid. Shu Kang'an of the Guangdong Power Exchange explained that green power settlement ensures renewable output matches purchased volume, while virtual power plant platforms, described by Zhu Zhenhai of Guangdong Power Grid Energy Investment, enable data centers to adjust load based on price signals. Yang Jie of China Mobile Guangdong emphasized that "calculating with electricity" turns power into profit. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Beijing Daxing International Airport reported that its annual passenger throughput surpassed 30 million on July 21, five days earlier than last year, marking the fourth consecutive year of accelerated growth toward this milestone. During the summer travel peak (July 1–21), the airport operated over 1,000 flights daily and handled 3.492 million passengers, a 9.93% year-on-year increase, with ten days exceeding 300,000 single-day passenger volume. No official statements, accompanying personnel, or references to the United States or U.S.-China relations were mentioned in the article.
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Summary: Chen Shanju, a provincial party cadre dispatched to Yancha Village in 2004 as first secretary, led agricultural experts to promote chestnut cultivation despite initial villager skepticism. Town Party Secretary Miao Binbin later coordinated funding and certification for a processing workshop, while village worker Yu Jingwei expanded market access through e-commerce and industry chain extension. County Organization Head Lan Zhuhua emphasized that officials should prioritize long-term development and maintain policy continuity across leadership changes.
Summary: The article emphasizes the importance of policy continuity, using Fujian’s Yanwo Village as an example of local officials' "nail-spirit" in developing industries. It argues that leaders should not change previous plans for personal credit, but instead persist with sound, scientifically-based blueprints that meet people's needs. The piece stresses that successive officials must maintain both endurance and flexibility, treating development as a relay race. It also calls for updating cadre selection mechanisms to value both visible and long-term achievements, ensuring that those who stick to a consistent plan are rewarded.
Summary: A Shanghai court ruled that a stepmother, Pan, may retain custody of her stepdaughter, Xiao Ning, despite the biological father's claim, after the father's gambling and abuse led to separation. Judge Li Xiaofei stated that Pan had formed a legal "fictive blood relationship" with the girl through years of care, while the father neglected her. The court noted that Xiao Ning, now 13, expressed a strong wish to live with Pan. The ruling prioritized the principle of the child's best interests over biological ties alone. The judge emphasized that custody determinations should hinge on actual抚养教育 obligations, not merely blood relations.
Summary: The article reports that Heilongjiang Province has launched a pilot program for occupational injury protection for workers in new employment forms, focusing on the transportation, instant delivery, and intra-city freight sectors. All insurance costs are borne by platform companies on a per-order basis, with workers required to pay nothing. The province uses a unified model of "government-led, commercial insurance agency operation," integrating injury confirmation, disability assessment, and benefit distribution into a single process. Workers can report injuries through a "one-click report" feature on their platform apps. The article does not mention any specific officials or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Supreme People's Procuratorate reported that Chinese prosecutors handled 3,186 cases of false litigation in the first half of 2026, a 18.6% year-on-year decline, indicating some containment of the issue. New forms of false litigation are emerging, extending harm from individual rights to state and public interests, including the embezzlement of public property and financial sector fraud. The report highlighted that such litigation is increasingly used to circumvent public policies and target state funds such as pension and work injury insurance. The Procuratorate stated it will enhance supervision through coordinated "four major prosecutorial functions," use big data models to identify leads, and collaborate with other agencies to achieve comprehensive and source-level governance. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations in the article.
Summary: In late July, "Little Red Sprout" student volunteers and their parents in Luqiao District, Taizhou, Zhejiang, delivered watermelons and drinks to workers enduring high temperatures. The activity took place at the local Mingtai community. No Chinese officials were reported as accompanying them. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration, the Guangxi Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the Guangxi branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the Greater Bay Area Arbitration Center signed a cooperation agreement to establish a “multimedia mediation + arbitration + labor rights protection” mechanism. The four parties will create a “waterborne one-stop dispute resolution center” specifically for the Pinglu Canal and other major projects, aiming to provide legal support for the construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. The center integrates functions such as mediation, commercial arbitration, labor dispute arbitration, labor inspection, and legal consultation to handle increasing waterway disputes like ship collisions and crew wage disputes. Under the new mechanism, the maritime authority manages administrative mediation, the human resources department oversees labor contracts, the trade promotion council facilitates commercial mediation, and the arbitration center provides maritime arbitration support. The parties will explore online case processing and cross-departmental coordination so that enterprises and crews can resolve disputes at a single point.
Summary: The article reports on Liaoning Province's rural revitalization efforts through the deployment of "first secretaries" (驻村第一书记) to villages. Since 2021, over 15,000 cadres have been sent to 1,790 poverty-alleviated villages and 5,360 others, with targeted selection matching officials' expertise to local needs, as explained by Liaoning Provincial Party Committee Organization Department official Ge Hui. Examples include Wan Yi, a 36-year-old from Liaohe Oilfield serving in Daming Village, and Ma Gang from the Provincial Party School in Baoxing Village, who led a "party member contact household" system boosting silkworm output to 10 million yuan. The program has supported 3,558 industrial projects, 40.1 billion yuan in investment, and resolved 187,000 urgent issues, with 1,359 cadres receiving promotions or awards. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that Yinchuan Customs in Ningxia has introduced three reforms to improve customs clearance efficiency, including expanding remote video inspections, batch inspections for exported agricultural and food products, and a "1+N" local inspection model. These measures allow enterprises to connect with customs via a mobile app, exempt subsequent batches from on-site inspection after the first batch is cleared, and conduct multiple inspections simultaneously. The reforms aim to reduce inspection waiting times, overall clearance cycles, and hidden costs for businesses. No mention is made of any specific official or their accompanying personnel, nor of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article reports on President Xi Jinping's call for systematic protection and unified supervision of cultural heritage, emphasizing principles of minimal intervention and rational use. It highlights the restoration of Nanjing's Pukou Railway Station, the setting of Zhu Ziqing's classic essay "The Back View," as a successful example of "micro-renewal" preserving historical integrity while integrating modern commerce. The station's reopening in October 2024 transformed it into a cultural space blending bookstores, cafes, and heritage education. The piece also frames this as part of China's broader efforts under Xi's cultural thought to make heritage accessible and livable. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article emphasizes the cultural significance of Nanjing’s Pukou Railway Station as a symbol of China’s modern transformation, arguing that cultural heritage supports scientific research, urban development, and economic growth through new cultural industries. It states that heritage fosters cultural confidence and is integral to Chinese-style modernization, with the author—a Nanjing University professor—noting its role in sustaining spiritual civilization and innovation. The piece does not mention any specific official or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: On July 22, China successfully launched nine satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center using a Gravity-1 Y4 rocket, deployed from waters east of Shanghai. The mission was the third flight of the Gravity-1 launch vehicle. No officials or U.S.-related topics were mentioned.
Summary: A new Yueju opera titled *Female Class* (*女班*), created by the Shengzhou Yueju Troupe of Zhejiang, premiered in Hangzhou on July 21 to mark the 120th anniversary of Yueju. The play will embark on a national tour starting in August, visiting cities including Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. At a symposium on July 22, experts praised the production for innovations in script, stage design, and vocal style, which they said resonate strongly with contemporary young audiences. The article does not mention any political officials or U.S.-related topics.
Summary: The 13th National Acrobatics Exhibition, co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, opened on July 21 in Beihai, Guangxi. The event features 8 full-length acrobatic shows and 45 individual acts from 23 provincial-level regions, totaling 24 performances. Participating troupes include state-owned companies, arts academies, and new cultural groups, showcasing the diversity of contemporary Chinese acrobatics. The exhibition runs through August 15 in both Nanning and Beihai, and will include industry seminars and free public performances in neighborhoods and scenic spots.
Summary: The article reports on Hengnan County, Hunan, where arts education programs like "班班有歌声" (songs in every class) have boosted rural students' confidence, as seen in 9-year-old Li Wenxi's transformation. School principal Zeng Yan noted that over 80% of students are from rural areas, and the school integrates music into mental health education. The county has built 130 "知心屋" (heart-to-heart rooms) and 163 parent schools, with psychological counselors covering all schools. County Education Bureau Director Qiu Qingyi stated that the goal is not only academic progress but also ensuring children's physical and mental health and strong character. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that students from a summer public childcare program in Zhangshu City, Jiangxi Province, visited the local museum on July 22 to explore historical and cultural exhibits. The museum has launched a series of exhibitions and educational activities to attract visitors during the summer break. No officials or their remarks were cited. The report does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article details efforts to protect the Niumi Biosphere Reserve in Gambia, highlighting its role as the country’s first UNESCO-recognized site for preserving pristine mangrove forests. Reserve manager Adil emphasized the ecosystem’s importance for coastal protection and biodiversity, while local residents like fisherman Lamin and guide Amina described how sustainable tourism and community involvement have reduced reliance on destructive practices. Gambia has partnered with Senegal to establish a cross-border ecological corridor, conducting joint patrols and species monitoring. Adil noted that coordinated conservation between the two countries is essential for protecting migratory wildlife. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the report.
Summary: The United States initiated bilateral consultations with Mexico under the USMCA, excluding Canada, after imposing a 50% tariff on hundreds of Canadian goods. The agreement's first joint review failed to secure a 16-year extension, triggering annual reviews that inject uncertainty into North American trade. The U.S. is pushing to tighten rules, particularly on auto regional value content and domestic procurement, further eroding the free-trade foundations of the pact. Rising compliance and production costs are ultimately expected to be passed on to North American consumers.
Summary: The article reports a 31% drop in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and 34% through Bab el-Mandeb due to heightened regional security tensions, with some vessels diverting. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei denied any nuclear activity at Mount Koh, responding to U.S. President Trump’s threat to strike the site, calling it a pretext for aggression. Japan recorded a trade deficit of over 1 trillion yen in the first half of 2026, its tenth consecutive half-year deficit.
Summary: France's parliament passed a law on July 21 banning social media for children under 15, with President Emmanuel Macron stating it marks a major step forward. The law will be implemented in phases starting September, blocking new accounts for under-15s and closing existing ones by January. Similar efforts are underway across Europe, including the UK's planned ban for under-16s and Spain's proposed under-16 prohibition, reflecting a regional shift toward stricter age verification, platform accountability, and protective measures against online risks such as cyberbullying and addiction. No U.S. or U.S.-China relations were discussed.
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Summary: President Xi Jinping emphasized that renovating old residential communities is a key part of building modern, livable cities, and that societal happiness depends significantly on the well-being of the elderly. The article reports on the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee's Social and Legal Affairs Committee, which conducted a five-year special democratic supervision on accelerating aging-friendly renovations, focusing on installing elevators in old neighborhoods. National Committee members Zhang Jinying and Liu Zheng, along with local community officials like Ma Yi, were highlighted for their roles in facilitating community consultations and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles. The supervision process involved over 30 meetings per elevator installation, helping to resolve conflicts among residents and streamline approval mechanisms. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article, authored by a CPPCC member, reports on the central government's plan to strengthen agricultural heritage protection as part of building a strong agricultural nation by 2035. It notes that China leads globally with 25 important agricultural heritage systems, but highlights challenges such as low farmer awareness, youth disinterest, and insufficient funding. The author recommends tailored local policies, deeper integration of agriculture with tourism and culture, and digital preservation using technologies like big data and IoT. Talent development and incentives are also urged to sustain heritage transmission. The piece does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Central Committee of the China Democratic League (民进中央) submitted a proposal on Yellow River basin wetland protection, noting achievements under recent laws but citing unresolved issues like water overuse and funding gaps. It recommends improving top-level planning, integrating water resource management with national water networks, and gradually restoring wetland areas. It calls for enhanced ecological compensation funds, targeted investment in key zones, and regulated development of eco-tourism and cultural IP to monetize wetland values. The proposal also urges better inter-ministerial and provincial coordination, clearer boundaries for wetland tiers, and more detailed regulations under existing laws.
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Summary: During an inspection in Shanghai, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to use meticulous "embroidery-like" efforts to continuously improve community property management and convenience services to satisfy residents. The article then presents four local case studies of grassroots governance: tech-enabled elderly care in Beijing’s Haidian district, democratic negotiation to resolve parking disputes in Shanghai’s Pudong, legal mediation to address accessibility issues for a blind resident in Changsha, and integrated convenience services in Kunming. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Ministry of Public Security's Cyber Security Bureau publicly released 25 typical cases of disaster-related online rumors, with perpetrators using tactics such as splicing old videos, AI-generated fake content, and fabricating casualty data to gain traffic. Four individuals were criminally detained and 23 received administrative penalties, while all involved accounts were banned. The article emphasizes that such rumors waste valuable disaster relief resources, amplify public panic, and can even delay rescue efforts by obscuring genuine求助 information. It calls for coordinated action from public security, cyberspace administration, platform companies, and local authorities to combat the spread of false information. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: A Chinese court ruled that an insurance company defrauded an electric bike owner by marketing coverage for “riding injuries” while the policy only paid when the rider was at fault. The court found the insurer’s promotional language, including “accidental injury while riding,” misled the consumer into believing his own injury was covered. The presiding judge stated that the insurer violated the principle of good faith by failing to clearly explain the policy’s limitations. The Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court ordered the company to refund the premium and pay interest. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations in the case.
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Summary: According to data from China's National Radio and Television Administration, micro-documentaries (under 10 minutes) saw a 71.4% year-on-year increase in viewership in the first half of 2026, reaching 2.73 billion views across 159 titles on satellite TV. The five major online platforms—iQIYI, Youku, Tencent Video, Mango TV, and Bilibili—collectively released 1,235 new documentaries, a 20% increase from the previous year. This growth reflects a dual trend: audiences seek both lightweight content for fragmented attention spans and deep, high-quality storytelling for meaningful engagement. The article highlights that documentaries are increasingly used by platforms to build content壁垒 and attract niche audiences, moving beyond traditional nature and food themes. It concludes that this shift represents a "slow resilience" in China's media landscape, where creators and platforms prioritize substantive content over algorithmic-driven quick hits.
Summary: The article, written by the screenwriter of the TV drama *Nine Bullet Holes*, commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Long March by focusing on the protagonist Li Zhixin’s transformation from a vengeful individual to a disciplined Red Army soldier, symbolized by nine bullet wounds. The narrative uses these “bullet holes” as psychological coordinates to explore his internal growth, rejecting flat depictions of heroism by showing fear, doubt, and personal sacrifice. The writer emphasizes that the drama’s core message is about “holding on” in darkness, aiming to inspire contemporary youth to find meaning beyond self-interest. No Chinese officials or U.S.-China relations are mentioned.
Summary: The article presents a director’s reflection on his film "八仙！" (Eight Immortals), which reimagines the classic Chinese myth of mortal individuals ascending to immortality. He emphasizes that the Eight Immortals, as ordinary people with flaws and diverse backgrounds, embody universal human experiences and the power of collective effort. The film’s visual aesthetic, a "glassy gradient color" inspired by folk culture and traditional artifacts, aims to make the immortal realm feel vibrant yet contemporary. The director expresses hope that the film encourages audiences to pursue kindness and goodness, even without immediate reward. No mention is made of any political official, the United States, or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article is a first-person reflection by a Chinese songwriter on his creative process, emphasizing the power of art rooted in ordinary people's lives and emotions. He describes composing a song for Shenzhen's 45th anniversary, celebrating the city's development through the stories of individual migrant workers who built it. He also wrote a piece for the Spring Festival travel rush, highlighting themes of homecoming and family reunion as core to national sentiment. The author stresses that the best art grows from everyday life, not from lofty ideals. There is no mention of U.S. officials or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article describes the Chinese film *Shining Stars*, which depicts 1970s scientists using abacuses to calculate a rescue path for a spacecraft in 2035, emphasizing the crucial role of scientific advisors. Director and screenwriter Chang Wei (the author) recounts working with experts such as Wang Shu, Li Ran from the National Astronomical Observatory, and university scholars Zhu Tianqi and Chen Xian, who ensured scientific plausibility. The advisors helped design realistic calculations, including a scene where red silk and salt grains illustrate satellite signal mechanics. The director credits China’s technological advancement as the foundation for such sci-fi storytelling. No U.S. relations or officials are mentioned.
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■ Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has treated basic education as a foundational and pioneering work, adopting multiple measures to promote significant development of basic education, providing strong support for building a strong educational country.
■ On the new journey, we must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, fully implement the Party's education policy, carry out the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education (立德树人), persistently use the Party's innovative theories to forge souls and educate people, and cultivate socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise. We must follow the laws of education, implement the education concept of health first, improve the quality of education and teaching, and promote the physical and mental health of students, enabling them to grow and become successful. We must meet the new expectations of the people, promote the expansion and quality improvement of basic education, and firmly hold the bottom line of educational equity. We must carry forward the spirit of educators (教育家精神), strengthen the construction of teacher ethics and conduct (师德师风), and cultivate and build a high-quality professional teacher team. Party committees and governments at all levels must earnestly shoulder political responsibilities, optimize the allocation of school-running resources, deepen comprehensive education reforms, and promote the joint efforts of schools, families, and society in the same direction, continuously opening up new prospects for high-quality development of basic education.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 22 (Xinhua) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping recently made important instructions on basic education, pointing out that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has treated basic education as a foundational and pioneering work, adopting multiple measures to promote significant development of basic education, providing strong support for building a strong educational country.
Xi Jinping emphasized that on the new journey, we must take Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, fully implement the Party's education policy, carry out the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, persistently use the Party's innovative theories to forge souls and educate people, and cultivate socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise. We must follow the laws of education, implement the education concept of health first, improve the quality of education and teaching, and promote the physical and mental health of students, enabling them to grow and become successful. We must meet the new expectations of the people, promote the expansion and quality improvement of basic education, and firmly hold the bottom line of educational equity. We must carry forward the spirit of educators, strengthen the construction of teacher ethics and conduct, and cultivate and build a high-quality professional teacher team. Party committees and governments at all levels must earnestly shoulder political responsibilities, optimize the allocation of school-running resources, deepen comprehensive education reforms, and promote the joint efforts of schools, families, and society in the same direction, continuously opening up new prospects for high-quality development of basic education.
The National Basic Education Work Conference was held in Beijing on July 22. At the meeting, Xi Jinping's important instructions were conveyed. Ding Xuexiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
In his speech, Ding Xuexiang pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions are highly political, ideological, and guiding, pointing the direction for doing a good job in basic education on the new journey of the new era. We must deeply study and understand, and grasp implementation.
Ding Xuexiang emphasized that in the new era, the basic education cause has achieved historic accomplishments and undergone structural changes. We must deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments (两个确立), enhance the Four Consciousnesses (四个意识), firm the Four Confidences (四个自信), and achieve the Two Upholds (两个维护). We must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, deeply grasp the political, people-oriented, and strategic attributes of education, adapt to the new situation of economic and social development and the new expectations of the people, and further promote the high-quality development of basic education.
Ding Xuexiang pointed out that we must fully implement the Party's education policy, persistently use the Party's innovative theories to forge souls and educate people, adhere to the five educations simultaneously (五育并举) and the five educations integrated (五育融合), and promote the healthy growth and comprehensive development of students. We must strictly manage enrollment and admission, strengthen care and concern for left-behind children in rural areas and children of migrant workers in cities, firmly hold the bottom line of educational equity, and promote the balanced development of basic education. We must optimize the allocation of educational resources in response to demographic changes, coordinate work on funding guarantees, school layout, degree supply, teacher allocation, etc. We must deepen education and teaching reforms with student growth at the center, uphold fundamentals and innovate (守正创新) to shape new advantages in basic education. We must further strengthen collaborative co-education (协同共育), consolidate the responsibilities of all parties, fully leverage the roles of schools, families, and society, and form a joint force for education. We must carry forward the spirit of educators, improve teachers' professional competence, strengthen the guarantee of teachers’ benefits and treatment, and attract more outstanding talents to devote themselves to teaching with peace of mind. All regions, relevant departments, and schools must strengthen organizational guarantees, and with the spirit of driving nails (钉钉子精神), promote the implementation of relevant decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council to achieve tangible results.
Responsible comrades from the Ministry of Education (教育部), the Office of the Central Commission for Public Sector Reform (中央编办), the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展改革委), the Ministry of Finance (财政部), Beijing Municipality, Hubei Province, Gansu Province, and Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学) delivered exchange speeches.
Shi Taifeng, Li Shulei, Wang Xiaohong, and Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.
Responsible comrades from provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and cities specifically designated in the state plan (计划单列市), the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (新疆生产建设兵团), relevant departments of the Central Committee and state organs, relevant people's organizations, relevant departments of the Central Military Commission, normal universities directly under the Ministry of Education, and institutions implementing the National Excellent Teacher Training Plan (国优计划) attended the meeting.
Return to TopBy: 本报评论员
Building a leading country in education is grounded in basic education.
"Fully implement the Party's educational policies, fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing talent," and "continuously open up new prospects for the high-quality development of basic education" — General Secretary Xi Jinping recently issued important directives on basic education work, charting the course for basic education efforts on the new journey of the new era.
On July 22, the National Conference on Basic Education Work was convened in Beijing, making concrete work arrangements for China's basic education.
Basic education occupies a foundational and pioneering position within the national education system. The more solidly basic education is built, the steadier the pace and the stronger the momentum for building a leading country in education.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to basic education and put forward clear requirements, emphasizing "striving to make China's basic education better and better," providing scientific guidance for the development of basic education.
He has emphasized laying a solid foundation for students' ideals and a tower of faith, pointing out that "basic education is a cause of fostering virtue and nurturing talent, and must clearly and unequivocally strengthen ideological and political education and moral education."
He has cared about the healthy growth and comprehensive development of children, stressing that "the educational concept of health first must be established, and physical education classes must be fully scheduled and fully delivered."
He has driven the resolution of prominent issues in the education field, clearly stating that "we must do a good job of adding to science education within the 'double reduction' of education."
These ideas have taken root, transforming into a vivid practice where policies are rolled out in succession and all parties work together to manage, employing multiple measures simultaneously to promote substantial development of basic education, providing strong support for building a leading country in education.
From "having a place to study" to "studying well," from "having access to education" to "having access to excellent education," today, the level of basic education popularization and the quality of talent cultivation in China are continuously improving. By the end of 2024, China's basic education had reached the average level of high-income countries worldwide.
"China's basic education has advantages in the world; we must strengthen cultural confidence."
This confidence is embodied in the continuously upgraded educational equity.
All 2,895 county-level administrative regions for compulsory education have achieved basic equilibrium; the policy of waiving childcare and education fees for the year before primary school has benefited 14 million children; measures such as teacher exchange and rotation, and group-based school operation, are continuously narrowing educational gaps between urban and rural areas, regions, and schools... "Striving to enable every child to enjoy fair and quality education" is becoming a reality.
This confidence is rooted in the deep integration of soul-shaping and heart-cultivating.
The country has established more than 550 national-level practical teaching bases for "Big Ideological and Political Courses," forming a large number of brands such as "Walking Ideological and Political Courses" and "Ideological and Political Courses in Venues"... The Party's innovative theories are continuously entering the mind and heart (入脑入心, rù nǎo rù xīn - "enter the brain and enter the heart," to be deeply understood and internalized), and batches of new talents of the era are growing vigorously.
This confidence comes from the educational practice of comprehensive development.
"The comprehensive daily physical activity of 2 hours and 15-minute break time for primary and secondary school students" has been rolled out across all provinces; labor courses in schools across various regions are basically fully scheduled and delivered; school aesthetic education immersion actions are being carried out; mental health education is being popularized; and a science-oriented educational evaluation orientation is being established... Reversing the "score-only theory," students have "sweat on their bodies and light in their eyes," developing comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor.
Today, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, and Chinese-style modernization has entered a "critical period."
"On the new journey of the new era, we must deeply grasp the demand of Chinese-style modernization for education, science and technology, and talent, and strengthen the supporting role of education for science and technology and talent."
As the "foundational project for improving the quality of the nation," basic education has great potential and can achieve great success in serving the construction of a modern and powerful country and serving the comprehensive development of individuals.
The 15th Five-Year Plan outline proposes to "improve the mechanism for allocating educational resources that adapts to demographic changes" and "promote the expansion, quality improvement, and excellence enhancement of basic education."
Deeply grasping the political attribute, the people's attribute, and the strategic attribute of education; unswervingly using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era to shape souls and cultivate people; adhering to the simultaneous development and integration of five types of education; following the laws of education; adapting to the new realities of economic and social development and the new expectations of the people; implementing the deployments of the National Conference on Basic Education Work; and deeply promoting the high-quality development of basic education — we will surely jointly support the future of hundreds of millions of children and effectively make China's basic education better and better.
Education is a major plan for the nation and a major plan for the Party. Basic education touches every household and is an undertaking of the entire society. On the new journey, by making basic education high-quality, and based on this "foundation" to leverage the overall leap of education in a major country, we will surely better use the power of education to thicken the foundation of the people's happiness, and use the strength of education to consolidate the foundation of national prosperity and strength.
Return to TopAn inland small city, historically poor in resources, scarce in arable land, and isolated in transportation, how could it create an "inexplicable" trade legend, write a development answer of "creating something out of nothing," and achieve the leapfrog catch-up of "turning stone into gold"?
Zhejiang Yiwu, from a roadside market to a "world supermarket," from "exchanging chicken feathers for candy" to "buying and selling globally," has made a brilliant answer through more than 40 years of exploration and practice, accumulating valuable inspiration and reference.
During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping visited Yiwu for research 11 times, cared for and promoted Yiwu's development, and guided the summarization and promotion of the "Yiwu development experience" with the connotation of "persisting in prospering the city through commerce, promoting industrial linkage, focusing on urban-rural coordination, advancing harmonious development, enriching cultural heritage, and striving for active Party and government governance."
In the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important instruction emphasizing that, in conjunction with the study and education on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, the "Yiwu development experience" should be further summarized and applied well, guiding all regions to base themselves on their own resource endowments, respect the pioneering spirit of the grassroots and the masses, reform and innovate, work hard and pragmatically, persevere for long-term success, explore and walk out of a high-quality development path that suits their own realities, and better serve and integrate into the national development overall situation.
Respecting the people's pioneering spirit:
"Communists must, based on the creations of the grassroots masses, discover good experiences and practices, then summarize and promote them"
Walking into the Yiwu International Trade City, one can truly feel the charm of the "world supermarket"—
This global largest single-entity small commodity professional market has a business area of 8 million square meters, with more than 80,000 shops. People of all skin colors walk through, lively negotiations can be seen everywhere, from a button, a hair accessory, to precision instruments and mechanical parts, over 2.1 million kinds of commodities are continuously sold to all parts of the world.
Who could imagine that the miracle was written on almost a blank sheet of paper.
"At that time, this place was still a construction site," On September 20, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the second district of Yiwu International Trade City for investigation and research, recalling the scene of those years, he was deeply moved.
During this trip, General Secretary Xi Jinping walked and talked cordially with merchants and representatives of small business owners, asked in detail about the market conditions, and said to everyone: "This place is neither near the sea nor the border, how did it become a world trade center? It is because the people of Yiwu achieved 'creating something out of nothing' and 'inexplicable.'"
People are the greatest variable in development, and the masses contain immeasurable wisdom and strength.
Feng Aiqian (冯爱倩), now nearly 90 years old, is a first-generation operator of Yiwu small commodities and witnessed the beginning of large-scale market trading in Yiwu.
At the beginning of reform and opening up, many Yiwu farmers put down their hoes, shouldered carrying poles, and shook rattles while walking through streets and alleys. But mobile operations had high commuting costs and unstable customer sources. A group of peddlers first gathered on the streets of Yiwu county town to set up stalls, gradually forming a continuous open-air roadside market.
In 1980, Feng Aiqian, who had five children and an elderly mother, joined the stall-keeping team to make a living. However, setting up stalls on the street was often regarded as speculation and profiteering, and her goods were confiscated many times by management personnel.
One day in May 1982, Feng Aiqian gathered her courage and stood in front of the gate of the Yiwu County Party Committee compound, stopping the newly arrived county party secretary Xie Gaohua (谢高华), and asked bluntly: "I do small business to support my family, why doesn't the government allow it?"
Xie Gaohua invited Feng Aiqian into his office, listened carefully to her story, and said to her: "If you want to set up a stall, go ahead and set it up first."
After Feng Aiqian left, Xie Gaohua immediately sent a working group to investigate the living conditions of Yiwu residents and the situation of stallholders. A few months later, the Yiwu County Party Committee and County Government announced the "Four Permits"—permitting farmers to engage in commerce, permitting long-distance transportation and sales, permitting the opening of urban and rural markets, and permitting multi-channel competition.
In September of that year, Yiwu Huqingmen Market (湖清门市场) opened, and Yiwu's small commodity business moved from roadside stalls to a formal market. Feng Aiqian received business license number 001 for individual industrial and commercial households.
The history of Yiwu's development is a history of entrepreneurship marked by the people's pioneering, empowerment in response to trends, and iterative upgrading. Daring to venture, daring to try, and daring to be the first are the spiritual genes engraved in the bones of Yiwu people. Rooted in the grassroots, originating from the masses, is the distinct background of the "Yiwu development experience."
Today, reviewing the words written by Comrade Xi Jinping in Zhijiang New Language (之江新语) in July 2006, the inspiration is deeper: "To learn from the Yiwu development experience is to learn from the Yiwu people's experience of proceeding from reality and engaging in creative practice."
He Haimei (何海美), also a first-generation merchant in Yiwu, after entering the market, traveled year-round to coastal cities, purchasing bulk quantities of goods such as buttons, knitwear, and hardware to bring back to Yiwu for sale.
At that time, domestic commodity circulation channels were blocked, and factories in various places lacked a unified wholesale platform. Yiwu's stable and continuous demand for goods sources led them to voluntarily rent stalls and set up sales outlets in Yiwu. Thus, there was a shift from "Yiwu people going out to find sources of goods" to "national commodities actively gathering in Yiwu."
In 1992, He Haimei, whose business was growing larger, acquired 10 mu of land in the industrial zone and founded a garment company. From repeatedly going to factories in other places to purchase goods to owning her own factory, and then to selling products nationwide, He Haimei, along with many Yiwu merchants, moved to a new stage of development.
"Buying from the whole country, selling to the whole country." The masses opened up markets and innovated models; the government built platforms and regulated order, creating a new chapter in the commerce of this inland small city connecting with all regions, confirming that the masses are the deepest source of vitality for reform and development.
Innovation and exploration, ceaselessly.
In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, which meant a significant reduction in barriers for Chinese goods to enter the global market and for foreign buyers to come to China. Yiwu proactively chose a development strategy that balanced domestic and foreign trade.
On October 22, 2002, the fifth-generation market of Yiwu opened, with its name changed from "Yiwu China Small Commodity City" to "China Yiwu International Trade City."
More than two months after the opening of the International Trade City, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, came here for research. "Secretary Xi asked us, 'How is the Trade City positioned?' and 'What is the next step in planning?' We reported to him that the Yiwu market was shifting from domestic trade to foreign trade, naming the fifth-generation market 'International Trade City,' and the second phase was already being planned," recalled He Peisong (何培松), former Party Committee member of Zhejiang China Small Commodity City Group.
During this research, Comrade Xi Jinping learned that some merchants were beginning to build brands and that many goods were already being sold to Japan, South Korea, Central Asia, and Europe. He encouraged everyone, saying that this direction was correct and should continue. Regarding Yiwu's construction of an international commercial city, he clearly stated: "The goal orientation is accurate, it fits Yiwu's reality, the thinking is clear, and the work is solid and forceful." Soon, the second phase of the International Trade City project was launched.
"Buying globally, selling globally." Yiwu's international transformation was not a pre-designed blueprint but a new path forged by thousands of merchants.
Zong Guyin (宗谷音), a Yiwu merchant, is of the last generation of shoulder-pole peddlers. He set up a stall selling socks at age 16 and later founded Zhejiang Mengna Socks Co., Ltd. When Comrade Xi Jinping visited this enterprise, Zong Guyin talked about his dream: within three years, to achieve a production value of 1 billion yuan and exports of 80 million US dollars for "a pair of socks."
"Mengna was not very large at that time. Unexpectedly, Secretary Xi said, 'When you do well, I will come to see you again.' He also told me, 'Doing real business well, the future is limitless.'" That sentence put Zong Guyin's mind at ease.
More than two years later, Comrade Xi Jinping visited this enterprise again as promised. From seeing the factory to seeing the market, he felt the new look of Yiwu and praised: "Yiwu has developed very fast in recent years, with great changes, full of vitality and energy."
The masses are at the forefront of practice, most sensitive and deeply perceptive of the changes and developments in things.
After the domestic market became saturated, Yiwu merchants actively captured global business opportunities, spontaneously traveling to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas to participate in exhibitions, visit local wholesalers, and bring samples to promote door-to-door; from offline cross-border wholesale to cross-border e-commerce, live streaming going overseas, overseas warehouse distribution, and global customized OEM, Yiwu merchants have never stopped innovating; facing a series of external changes such as international trade frictions, overseas consumption upgrades, and digital trade waves, Yiwu merchants were the first to adjust their business strategies...
During the Zhejiang trip in September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping recalled the past and pointed out the profound truth: "'Rule of Law Zhejiang' (法治浙江), 'Safe Zhejiang' (平安浙江), 'Ecological Zhejiang' (生态浙江)... many experiences and practices are now promoted nationwide, and among them is the contribution of the people of Zhejiang. Communists must, based on the creations of the grassroots masses, discover good experiences and practices, then summarize and promote them. Therefore, the masses are the true heroes."
Over more than 40 extraordinary years, the "Yiwu development experience" has been rejuvenated. A clear consensus is deeply rooted in people's hearts: respecting the people's pioneering spirit is the fundamental reason for Yiwu's development being "inexplicable, creating something out of nothing, and turning stone into gold."
Respecting the laws of the market economy:
"Give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation"
On one side, European merchants are competing to buy summer heat-relief small appliances, and Latin American wholesalers favor World Cup peripheral products; on the other side, large numbers of Yiwu enterprises are organizing groups to go abroad to explore markets... In the first five months of this year, Yiwu's foreign trade export value reached 315.4 billion yuan, hitting another record high for the same period.
"Yiwu small commodities broke into a big market, created a big industry, and formed the 'Yiwu development experience.' This is a successful practice of developing the county economy according to local conditions." In General Secretary Xi Jinping's incisive exposition, "market" is an extremely important keyword.
In 1993, more than 10 years after the opening of the Yiwu small commodity market, the number of stalls reached more than 14,000, with over 30,000 practitioners, and market turnover ranked first among national professional markets, but it also faced new challenges—
Nearly 70% of the market's goods sources relied on factories outside the area, with frequent shortages, price increases, and supply interruptions during peak seasons, and merchant profits were continuously squeezed by upstream suppliers. Yiwu people keenly realized that while engaging in commerce required little capital and made money quickly, if they stuck to the market without local manufacturing, it would lead to market hollowing and loss of competitive advantage.
That year, Yiwu City made a decision: on the basis of continuing the "prosper the city through commerce" strategy, implement the "promote industry through commerce, link trade and industry" strategy, with the market providing orders, merchants providing capital, the government providing industrial parks and policies, and the countryside providing labor, to promote the on-site conversion of commercial resources. Yiwu did not copy the traditional industrialization path of "build factories first, then expand sales channels," but explored a new industrialization path of "market orders first, then production on the ground."
In 1994, Yiwu's total industrial output value jumped from 6.1 billion yuan the previous year to nearly 12 billion yuan.
Looking back on the development path, Yiwu has always adhered to giving full play to the advantage of "Yiwu merchants" having a strong market economy awareness, making the market a "Yiwu people's market" rather than a "Yiwu government market."
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out, "Developing a market economy under socialist conditions is a great innovation of our Party" and "Give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation and better play the role of the government."
From "basic role" to "decisive role," our Party's understanding of the role of the market in resource allocation has been continuously deepened. In this era and development process, Yiwu has also been braving winds and waves and forging ahead in the market tide.
Yiwu West Station, the sound of train whistles lingering, trains of the China-Europe Railway Express loaded with goods arrive and depart in an orderly manner, like steel caravans, outlining crisscrossing trade networks on the Eurasian continent.
In the past, Yiwu small commodities mainly relied on two methods to "go out": one was to truck them to Ningbo or Shanghai for loading onto ships, but missing a sailing date would delay for half a month, and seasonal goods could not wait; the other was to truck them directly from the Xinjiang port for export, with high freight costs and limited load capacity.
Responding to market needs, in 2014, the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" China-Europe Railway Express (义新欧中欧班列) was launched, traveling over 13,000 kilometers to Madrid, the largest small commodity distribution center in Europe. Today, the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" has operated a total of 16,000 trains, developed into 27 routes, and radiates to more than 160 cities in over 50 countries and regions.
Not bordering the border, so build thoroughfares. Not by the sea, so use ports through cooperation.
East of Yiwu West Station, the Yiwu (Suxi) International Hub Port has broadened Yiwu's maritime channel. The world's largest small commodity market and the world's largest port by cargo throughput are seamlessly connected through sea-rail intermodal transport.
On land, build a China-Europe Railway Express assembly center; by sea, create the "Sixth Port Area" of Ningbo Zhoushan Port; in the air, the Yiwu Airport renovation and expansion project is fully launched; online, promote the integrated development of "live streaming + platform + cross-border e-commerce + overseas warehouses"... Yiwu has seized global market opportunities, constructing an open pattern of land-sea linkage and east-west mutual assistance.
In September 2023, when General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected the Yiwu International Trade City, he emphasized that the Trade City must create new brilliance and make greater contributions to expanding domestic and international markets and smoothing the domestic and international dual circulation.
Keeping the instructions in mind and adapting to market changes, a series of new measures have been accelerated.
In October 2025, the sixth-generation market of Yiwu, the Global Digital Trade Center, will open for operation. Without leaving the building, the entire process of design, sampling, production, and marketing can be completed; digital human live streaming with goods, AI predicting hot products, global payment and receipt with one click... Among the flashing lights and data, the trade elements of "people, goods, venues, and chains" are fully upgraded.
"Shops are live streaming rooms, upstairs and downstairs are upstream and downstream, business circles are ecosystems, big markets are big models. The sixth-generation market transcends traditional physical space, becoming an ecological field integrating exhibition, trading, logistics, and R&D, marking that Yiwu has truly entered the era of digital-intelligence-driven trade," said Chen Dezhan (陈德占), Chairman of Zhejiang China Small Commodity City Group.
Following market laws and adhering to market thinking, Yiwu has more new explorations:
The world's first vertical small commodity trade large model, "World Yiwu" commercial large model, has been put into use; the Chinagoods digital market, the ZhiJieYuanGang digital logistics, and the "Yiwu Pay" digital finance "three digital platforms" have been iterated; a never-ending "Digital Trade Fair" has been created;
Develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, promote the manufacturing industry from "front shop, back factory" to a dual-wheel drive of "digital trade + digital intelligent manufacturing," and projects in emerging industries and future industries such as new energy storage, humanoid robots, and low-altitude economy have been successively landed...
Work revolves around the market, the city is built around the market, and industries are cultivated around the market.
Along the way, despite the ever-changing market conditions, Yiwu has never wavered in establishing and implementing the "prosper the city through commerce" development strategy, has never changed the concept of grasping the market as grasping the economy, and has never stopped the pace of promoting hardware upgrades, transaction innovation, and functional expansion.
Many Yiwu cadres and masses say: By basing on resource endowments, industrial foundation, and development stage, accurately grasping and actively responding to changes in market supply and demand, industrial iteration and other needs, and giving full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, the market operation model of "national production, Yiwu distribution, global sales" has been formed.
Practice deepens, understanding deepens. The "Yiwu development experience" shows that we must always clarify the boundary between the government and the market, let the market do what the market should do, and let the government do what the government should do, adhering to "the market explores the path first, the government escorts later."
Giving full play to the role of an effective government:
"The key is to handle the relationship between the government and the market"
Opening Zhijiang New Language, a passage written by Comrade Xi Jinping during his work in Zhejiang is thought-provoking: "Deepening market-oriented reform, the key is to handle the relationship between the government and the market, that is, the relationship between the 'visible hand' and the 'invisible hand'."
At the Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized the regular understanding of economic work, emphasizing that "we must balance the relationship between an effective market and an effective government, forming an economic order that is both 'liberated and lively' and 'well-managed.'"
Practice yields true knowledge. The "Yiwu development experience" shows that only when the government is effective and the market is efficient can enterprises benefit and the people gain.
Being effective means daring to face problems and actively solve them—
In the 1980s, after the opening of Yiwu Huqingmen Market, a high-rate and complex eight-level progressive tax system was implemented. This meant that for batch transactions with a single transaction amount of 30 yuan or more, taxes and market management fees had to be paid.
Facing the strongly reacting merchants, relevant Yiwu departments discussed and decided to switch to a "fixed quota contract" tax collection method, determining the taxable turnover based on the stall location and commodity category, and no longer taxing income beyond the target quota.
After the trial of the "releasing water to raise fish" fixed quota tax method, it was greatly welcomed by merchants. Not only did tax revenue not decrease, but it increased significantly.
Proactively reforming with the "visible hand" to loosen and reduce burdens on the "invisible hand" directly released the enthusiasm of the people for private business, creating Yiwu's transformation.
In response to situations where merchants in the small commodity market encountered similar goods scattered in different places while purchasing, large price differences for the same model, price gouging, and frequent disputes, Yiwu pioneered the "classification and market zoning" system, uniformly classifying and zoning tens of thousands of goods. Similar goods such as accessories, hardware, toys, and knitwear were concentrated for operation, divided into eight major trading zones and sixteen major category zones, with unified stall layout planning, enabling one-stop price comparison and procurement, making prices more transparent and stable, effectively resolving disorderly operation chaos.
In response to the scattered procedures for licensing, annual inspection, and changes for hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized merchants, and high non-operating costs, Yiwu actively promoted the "run at most once" integrated reform, integrating windows such as market supervision and taxation to set up a one-stop government service hall, simplifying individual industrial and commercial household registration and annual inspection procedures, implementing "sense-free smart handling" and "conditional acceptance," allowing merchants to focus on the market.
In response to the insufficient digital transformation capabilities of small and medium-sized merchants, Yiwu built a public digital trade platform for the market. The government invested in building public live streaming bases and cross-border digital exhibition halls, providing free operation training for merchants; built an online-offline integrated mall platform, opening online wholesale and cross-border distribution channels, lowering the threshold for digital transformation of small and micro merchants.
In recent years, when new business forms such as small lot LCL foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce, and online live streaming going overseas first appeared, there were no mature regulatory policies. Yiwu followed the logic of "let the market run first," did not rush to impose rigid restrictions, allowed merchants to practice on a small scale, let the market fully expose pain points, and after a mature operation model was formed, then studied and introduced supporting governance plans.
Being effective means daring to break through oneself and innovate development—
Comrade Xi Jinping wrote in Zhijiang New Language: "Some say that the Zhejiang economy is the people's economy, but the people's economy does not mean that the Party committee and government are inactive. On the contrary, it is precisely the Party committee and government that respect the people's pioneering spirit, steadily promote market-oriented reforms, and make Zhejiang's degree of marketization rank among the top in the country."
In 1984, Yiwu established the "prosper the county through commerce" development strategy; after upgrading from a county to a city in 1988, it was upgraded to "prosper the city through commerce." Over more than 40 years, the small commodity market has undergone six relocations and 13 expansions, and this core has become increasingly distinct.
"Prospering the city through commerce" is not "sticking to the old stall," but constantly breaking through bottlenecks and expanding space through innovation and exploration.
One day in early 2006, at 4:45 p.m., Iranian businessman Ali hurried into a bank. Approaching closing time, there were still many foreigners inside, all wanting to cash their payments before the International Trade City's Spring Festival closure.
Yiwu is a county-level city. According to the foreign exchange management system at that time, non-residents had to use foreign exchange through bank transfers. Foreign buyers had to run to the bank once for each purchase, which was troublesome; missing the payment time would delay shipment. At the same time, many local enterprises complained: major banks could only set up county-level branches in Yiwu, with only a few million yuan in credit authorization, sometimes forced to use private lending for emergencies. Grassroots cadres also had difficulties: "Institutions are staffed for a population of 600,000, but how can we serve a permanent population of over 1.5 million?"
In just a few years at that time, Yiwu's GDP doubled. But the "size" grew taller, and constraints became more apparent. Rapidly developing Yiwu faced various institutional and mechanism bottlenecks.
To this, Comrade Xi Jinping made a vivid analogy: "It's like we say a child has grown up, but now an 18-year-old young man is still wearing a 6-year-old's clothes. As development advances, we should give them some power expansion policies."
Under Comrade Xi Jinping's push, in November 2006, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee General Office and the Provincial Government General Office issued the "Several Opinions on Carrying out Pilot Reform of Expanding Yiwu City's Economic and Social Management Authority," implementing an unprecedented expansion of power for Yiwu, expanding 472 items of economic and social management authority for Yiwu City. The Yiwu City Government was once called by the outside world "China's most powerful county-level government."
Being effective means being good at regulation and control, and precise steering—
The "effectiveness" of the Yiwu government is not "doing everything," nor "intervening in the market," but making good use of the "strengths" of government behavior to compensate for the "shortcomings" of spontaneous market behavior, achieving delegation without laissez-faire, and stepping in when necessary.
Do what the market cannot do or does poorly. The government must be a good rule maker, order maintainer, and development escort.
During the development of the Yiwu small commodity market, the government proactively took over the practical achievements of the masses, upgraded the comprehensive market to a standardized professional market, built large logistics parks according to merchants' cross-regional freight needs, improved supporting facilities such as warehousing and transportation around the procurement needs of national buyers, and based on the market's agglomeration effect, introduced commerce support policies...
"Being effective without overstepping, being in place without being absent." Successive Yiwu Party committees and governments have insisted on one term after another continuing the work, drawing a blueprint to the end. No matter how the leadership team is adjusted, the determination to protect the interests of business entities and cultivate a good business environment has always been firm and the intensity continuously increasing.
From the early "classification and market zoning" and order regulation, the establishment of Zhejiang Yiwu China Small Commodity City Co., Ltd. to promote market-oriented operation, to the subsequent construction of a national logistics hub and improvement of warehousing and customs clearance systems, to the layout of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones and docking with the "Belt and Road"; from lowering access thresholds, simplifying approvals, and providing precise services, to improving rule of law guarantees, strengthening market supervision, and advancing urban配套设施... Yiwu continuously strengthens institutional supply, enhances policy guidance, matches infrastructure and services around the expansion of commodities and industries, and creates a good environment for economic development.
Today, Yiwu has accumulated a total of 1,361 items of expanded power and empowerment, and the business environment continues to improve. In 2025, Yiwu's market business entities exceeded 1.26 million, ranking first among county-level regions nationwide.
Persisting in reform, innovation, and hard work:
"Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts, keep pace with the times, and work creatively"
The "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" China-Europe Railway Express rumbles by, the Yiwu Comprehensive Bonded Zone (义乌综合保税区) is bustling with activity, the International Land Port E-commerce City is crowded with people... The past was a closed village, now it is an open frontier. The former Hengtang Village (横塘村) in Chengxi Subdistrict (城西街道), Yiwu City, has deeply participated in global trade.
20 years ago, Comrade Xi Jinping first comprehensively elaborated on the "Yiwu development experience" in Hengtang Village, pointing out that "the Yiwu development experience is the experience of correctly handling the relationship between inheritance and innovation, the experience of taking over the 'relay baton' and running the 'relay race.'"
Inheriting the innovative spirit of "creating something out of nothing," practicing the hard-working responsibility of "turning stone into gold," and revitalizing the "inexplicable" development vitality, Yiwu has weathered storms and hardships, survived market iterations and leaps without decline. Behind this is a history of struggle with reform to break the situation and innovation to empower.
It took the lead in the country to implement the "commitment equals entry" reform for business-related operating permits, took the lead in the province to launch the reform of the commercial registration system, took the lead in the country to build a "certificate-free city," and the "run at most once" reform evaluation has been ranked first in the province for consecutive years, becoming a "place with remarkable results in deepening commercial system reform"... Up to now, 29 reform achievements have been replicated and promoted province-wide or nationwide, making it an important experimental field for China's reform.
Comrade Xi Jinping wrote in Zhijiang New Language that it is good at combining the central government's requirements with local realities, emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with the times, and working creatively.
For decades, Yiwu has firmly shouldered the major mission of "testing systems for the country and exploring new paths for opening up." As of 2025, Yiwu has successively undertaken 111 national-level innovation pilot tasks and 216 provincial-level pilot tasks, including comprehensive international trade reform, domestic trade circulation system reform, and free trade pilot zone construction. This three-layer risk-sharing mechanism of central empowerment, provincial support, and local exploration is the deep guarantee for Yiwu's daring to boldly reform and try.
Keeping in mind the "great affairs of the nation," always promoting comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development is also inherent in the meaning of the "Yiwu development experience."
In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Yiwu for inspection, and the first stop was Lizu Village (李祖村).
From the Party and mass service center to the "common prosperity market," near the road at the village entrance, two small high-rise buildings caught General Secretary Xi Jinping's attention. "Villages generally don't build high-rise buildings. I immediately reported to the General Secretary that this is an apartment building arranged by the village for poor households and households relocated from dilapidated and dangerous houses. The General Secretary was very happy and said, 'This is good!'" recalled Fang Haolong (方豪龙), Party branch secretary of Lizu Village.
Standing under the big camphor tree at the village entrance, the General Secretary had a cordial exchange with the villagers.
The General Secretary said, "Common prosperity, rural revitalization, the most important thing is that no one is left behind. The small high-rise building I just saw at the edge allows villagers with relatively poorer economic conditions to also live better. This thing is done well and should be promoted."
"No one is left behind," a single instruction brought back a precious memory.
In 2002, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, first visited Yiwu for research, and the first stop was Dachen Er Village (大陈二村). "When leaving the courtyard of a villager's house, Secretary Xi asked us a question: the elderly without families and poor households in the village have no money, can they move into new houses, and how to arrange their lives?" Zhu Jingyi (朱京义), then Party secretary of Dachen Town (大陈镇), had a deep impression.
On this question, village cadres explained that the village had uniformly built "apartment-style" apartments, and the elderly without families and poor households could exchange old houses, and if insufficient, the village would provide subsidies, ensuring that low-income farmers could move into new houses without spending a cent.
"Secretary Xi instructed us not to leave anyone behind on the path to comprehensive well-off society. He has always been concerned about common prosperity," Zhu Jingyi said.
Under Comrade Xi Jinping's guidance, Yiwu took the lead in the country in 2003 to issue an urban-rural integration action outline, comprehensively promoting new rural construction. Over more than 20 years, led by the "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project (千万工程), one village after another has improved the environment, developed industries, achieved a magnificent transformation, and benefited millions of farmers.
Today, the per capita annual income of Dachen Er Village has reached 65,000 yuan, with thriving industries and affluent lives complementing each other. In 2025, Yiwu's urbanization rate reached 83.7%, and the urban-rural income ratio narrowed to 1.76.
Working hard and pragmatically with the spirit of reform and innovation, a batch of distinctive development achievements in Yiwu are remarkable:
While achieving remarkable economic development, it attaches great importance to developing education, science and technology, culture, health, sports, and other social undertakings; while the market is rapidly developing and urbanization is accelerating, it promotes urban-rural integration in response to trends; when environmental problems gradually become prominent, it seizes the opportunity to advance the construction of eco-city, eco-towns, and eco-villages; as the people gradually become affluent, it strives to improve residents' civic literacy and social civility...
Today, Yiwu's per capita disposable income of urban residents has ranked first among counties (cities) nationwide for 19 consecutive years. It has become a national county for high-quality and balanced compulsory education development and a national county for universal preschool education. It has achieved full coverage of health towns and community hospitals. The proportion of livelihood expenditure in general public budget expenditure has remained above 70% for a long time.
Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: "I said Yiwu's development is 'inexplicable,' but in fact, the secret lies in the rich cultural heritage."
In the process of promoting economic and social development, Yiwu pays more attention to forging the soul with culture and prospering industries with culture, polishing the brand of "the first place where the complete Chinese translation of the Communist Manifesto was produced," promoting the Yiwu spirit of "diligent farming and studiousness, uprightness and courage, integrity and inclusiveness," creating a national civilized city, and launching the logo of "taste world cuisine, buy world commodities, make world friends."
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Once a good blueprint is scientific, practical, and in line with the people's wishes, it must be carried forward like a relay race, one baton after another."
Perseverance, and eventually success.
Facing changes in the development environment, Yiwu Party members and cadres have always maintained clarity and determination, striving to work in the right place and walk in the forefront. From 2005 to 2025, Yiwu's GDP increased from 30.48 billion yuan to 269.33 billion yuan, export volume from 8.99 billion yuan to 730.69 billion yuan, and per capita disposable income of urban residents from 19,010 yuan to 101,816 yuan, continuously reaching new development levels.
Govern a county, revitalize a province, manage a country. From multiple reform measures being national firsts to a series of innovative models being replicated and promoted nationwide, the "Yiwu development experience" has been innovative in inheritance, sublimated in practice, and has yielded fruitful results.
Each place has its own endowment, each region has its own responsibility.
Further summarizing and applying the "Yiwu development experience" well, with the whole country working together and united in struggle, with all regions and departments adhering to seeking truth from facts and adapting measures to local conditions, each showcasing its own beauty and the beauty of all together, will surely gather stronger confidence and momentum, and play the national chess game of high-quality development.
(Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, July 22 electric - Xinhua correspondents Wu Huanqing (邬焕庆), Zhao Chao (赵超), Zhejiang Daily reporters Shen Jingjing (沈晶晶), Chen Jiaying (陈佳莹))
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, Lhasa, July 22 (Xinhua) — (Reporter Ding Xiaoxi) 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, conducted research in Tibet from July 19 to 22. He stated that it is necessary to deeply study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, implement the important exposition of General Secretary Xi Jinping on work related to Tibet and the Party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era (新时代党的治藏方略), continuously grasp the four major tasks of stability, development, ecology, and strengthening border areas, and strive to advance the construction of a new socialist modern Tibet during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period (十五五时期).
Wang Huning went to Lhasa City and Ngari Prefecture (阿里地区) for research, visiting Unity Park (团结公园) and Sera Monastery in Lhasa, Sexiong Square (色雄广场) in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tholing Monastery, Xiaokang Village (小康村), police station, and health center in Zanda County, and Dianjiao Village (典角村) in Gar County, among others, to understand social stability, ethnic unity, temple management, revitalizing border areas and enriching the people (兴边富民), and historical and cultural protection, and conducted discussions and exchanges with cadres and masses of various ethnic groups.
Wang Huning stated that governing Tibet first of all requires stabilizing Tibet, and it is necessary to implement the requirements of governing Tibet according to law, consolidate the foundation of social governance, and consolidate a united and stable political and social situation. Ethnic unity is the lifeline of all ethnic groups in our country. It is necessary to combine the great achievements of the Party uniting and leading the people in the 105th year since the founding of the Party, combine the 翻天覆地 (fān tiān fù dì — “overturning heaven and earth,” signifying tremendous change) changes that have taken place on the snow-covered plateau in the 75th year since the peaceful liberation of Tibet, and carry out tangible, perceptible, and effective (有形有感有效) publicity and education to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation (铸牢中华民族共同体意识) and promote the construction of the Chinese nation community (推进中华民族共同体建设), and deepen the creation of national demonstration zones for ethnic unity and progress (全国民族团结进步模范区创建). It is necessary to do a good job in implementing the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress (民族团结进步促进法), improve the ability and level of governing ethnic affairs in accordance with the law, and ensure that all development endows the significance of ethnic unity and progress. It is necessary to follow the requirements of systematically advancing the sinicization of religion in our country (系统推进我国宗教中国化) and strengthening the legalization of religious affairs governance (加强宗教事务治理法治化), and continuously guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to the socialist society. It is necessary to strengthen the protection and utilization of Tibet’s historical documents, archaeological artifacts, cultural relics, etc., to display the historical process of exchange, interaction, and integration among various ethnic groups (各民族交往交流交融历史进程), and to display the breadth and brilliance of Chinese civilization. It is necessary to advance the action to revitalize border areas and enrich the people (兴边富民行动) in the new era, consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation (脱贫攻坚成果), strengthen infrastructure construction in border areas, improve the production and living conditions of border residents, and let people of all ethnic groups enjoy a happier and better life.
During the research, Wang Huning also went to the Ngari Prefecture Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to visit the members of the National Committee of the CPPCC in Ngari Prefecture, members of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee of the CPPCC, members of the Ngari Prefecture Committee of the CPPCC, and cadres of the CPPCC organ.
Li Ganjie participated in the research together.
Return to TopThis newspaper, Beijing, July 22 (Reporter Kuang Xixi) — The National Conference of Presidents (Deans) of Party Schools (Schools of Administration) was held in Beijing on the 22nd. Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and President (Dean) of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He emphasized that it is necessary to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the work of Party schools, to further deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the two establishments (两个确立), to resolutely achieve the two upholds (两个维护), to strengthen the Party school’s nature of being for the Party (党校姓党), to keep in mind the original aspiration of the Party school, to forge ahead with determination and blaze new trails, to continuously open up new prospects for Party school work in the new era, and to contribute wisdom and strength to persisting in promoting comprehensive and rigorous Party governance, to building a high-quality cadre contingent that is loyal, clean, and responsible, and to ensuring the steady and enduring progress of Chinese-style modernization.
Cai Qi pointed out that since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the undertaking of Party schools. General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued a series of important directives, which have pointed the direction and provided important guidance for doing a good job of Party school work in the new era. Party schools, as the Party’s school, the main front for cadre education and training, and an important force on the Party’s ideological and theoretical front, must thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on July 1, study and implement Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, and take the lead and walk at the forefront in thoroughly studying and deeply comprehending, in researching, propagating, and elucidating, and in applying what has been learned to practice.
Cai Qi emphasized that it is necessary to closely focus on cultivating talents for the Party and offering counsel for the Party to raise the level of teaching and scientific research. Highlight efforts in the education of the Party’s innovative theory, adhere to integrating theory with practice, adhere to classified teaching, achieve comprehensive coverage by training all who should be trained. Do a good job of Party spirit education, strengthen training in Party spirit knowledge and rigorous training in inner-Party political life, form a work mechanism that embodies the characteristics of Party schools and is rich in actual effect, help the trainees strengthen their Party spirit concept and enhance their Party spirit cultivation. Focus on tasks such as promoting high-quality development, strengthening social governance, and coordinating development and security to set up special topics, and do a good job of training in performance capabilities. Focus on theoretical research and decision-making consultation, with emphasis on deepening the systematic and theoretical research and elucidation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, responding to urgent practical needs to carry out countermeasure research, following closely the Party’s theoretical innovation process and practical development to optimize disciplinary construction, and promoting the construction of an independent Chinese knowledge system.
Cai Qi pointed out that it is necessary to uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over Party school work. Party committees at all levels must earnestly fulfill their main responsibility for running, managing, and building Party schools, fulfill their duties in grasping the direction, coordinating overall efforts, strengthening the leadership teams, and advancing work, and effectively implement the Party’s leadership throughout the entire process and all aspects of running the school and administering the school. It is necessary to always adhere to strict governance of the school, strengthen the building of leadership teams and the contingent of cadres and talents, strictly implement the responsibility system for ideological work, strictly strengthen the construction of work style and discipline, vigorously foster the style of learning, the style of frugality, and the style of clarity and uprightness, and promote comprehensive progress of Party schools at all levels and of all types.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郁静娴
Food is the people's primary concern. The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (国家统计局) shows that in the first half of this year, the added value of agriculture (planting industry) increased by 3.6% year-on-year, and the total output of summer grain reached 301.49 billion jin, an increase of 0.7% over the previous year, surpassing 300 billion jin for the first time.
In June this year, during an inspection in Dezhou, Shandong, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "No matter how much our country modernizes, for food, we must still rely on ourselves. We cannot rely on anyone else to feed 1.4 billion people; we must grasp grain production well."
The bumper summer grain harvest has laid a solid foundation for stabilizing grain production throughout the year, provided powerful support for responding to the complex and severe international situation, promoting the economy toward stable growth, and achieving a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan."
Looking at the foundation: Sufficient quantity, high quality, and stable prices of grain provide strong support for dietary consumption demand
"The yield per mu is 879.21 kilograms, ranking among the top in the province," said Xu Xudong, chairman of the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County, Anhui. He noted that although there was heavy rain in the early stages, fortunately, the varieties had good resistance, and combined with follow-up management, the wheat ears did not suffer large-scale lodging, and the yield remained stable.
Xu Xudong said that in recent years, they have mainly planted "An Nong 98." This variety not only has strong resistance to adverse conditions but also produces flour with high whiteness and elasticity, meeting the standards for high-quality steamed bun and high-quality noodle specialty wheat. In April this year, the Grain Growers Association of Taihe County, where the cooperative is located, reached a cooperation agreement with a rice noodle food enterprise in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, to create a high-quality raw material supply base.
"It is impossible for us to rely on the international market to solve the problem of eating; we must firmly hold the bottom line of national food security to provide solid support for the construction of Chinese-style modernization," said Zhong Yu, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Regarding the basic grain foundation, "stability" is the keyword. Among the 25 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with summer grain production this year, 19 saw an increase in sown area, with the summer grain sown area reaching 398 million mu. Combined with the fact that high-quality grain crop varieties have basically achieved full coverage, the bottom line of food security has been firmly held. Currently, it is the peak season for summer grain procurement, and various places are coordinating policy-based storage and market-based procurement to promote grain and other important agricultural product prices to remain at reasonable levels.
By grasping both yield and quality together, the entire grain production chain has shown a trend of simultaneous increases in both quantity and quality. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's grain output has continuously increased, reaching the levels of 1.3 trillion jin and 1.4 trillion jin in 2015 and 2024, respectively. Currently, China's per capita grain holdings exceed 500 kilograms, far exceeding the international safety line; the total annual output value of the national grain industry is stable at over 4 trillion yuan, and the annual output value of the grain industry in 13 provinces exceeds 100 billion yuan.
Looking at the confidence: Technological innovation assists the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture, consolidating and strengthening the foundation of grain production capacity
In Xing'an Village, Xianglan Town, Tangyuan County, Heilongjiang, smart agriculture has "unlocked" a new paradigm for summer management. This year, a smart drip irrigation water-fertilizer integration project was implemented in the village's corn fields. Inside the control room, the operation backend system precisely regulates the water-fertilizer ratio to deliver it to the crop roots. "The crops can also 'drink water and eat fertilizer' according to their needs; spring plowing and summer management are both much easier than in previous years," said Sha Yufu, the secretary of the village Party branch.
Currently, the fertilizer utilization rate of China's three major grain crops has entered the international upper-middle level range of 40% to 50%. Sha Yufu calculated the increase in income: "In the past, the fertilizer usage for one yi (一垧 - a traditional unit of land area) was large, but now we only use more than 1,200 jin of fertilizer for the whole year, applying top dressing four times according to need; agricultural input and labor costs have decreased; corn seedling emergence is stable at 90,000 plants per yi, and the seedlings are even and strong, with drought and lodging resistance significantly improved." In Tangyuan County, smart planting technology has been demonstrated on a cumulative total of 5,300 mu.
The recently released "Plan to Accelerate Agricultural and Rural Modernization for the '15th Five-Year Plan'" places the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture, tailored to local conditions, in an even more prominent strategic position. In Jilin, the province's first corn design breeding 45K liquid-phase chip is expected to change the traditional breeding model of cold regions in Northeast China; Hunan has introduced local regulations focusing on the shortcomings of local agricultural machinery and equipment, taking hard measures from innovative research and development and manufacturing to promotion and application... Empowered by science and technology, the foundation of food security is being continuously reinforced.
Aiming at the new round of the action to increase grain production capacity by 100 billion jin, even deeper confidence is reflected in strategic determination and long-term layout. In April this year, a draft amendment to the Agriculture Law was submitted for deliberation. The draft amendment clarifies the national food security strategy, improves the interest compensation mechanism for major grain-producing areas and the income guarantee mechanism for grain producers, and adds content such as establishing a food security monitoring and early warning system.
Looking at the resilience: Responding to risks and challenges such as climate and markets, China has become a ballast stone for maintaining the stability of the global food supply chain
Meteorological departments predict that China's climatic conditions this year during the main flood season will generally be unfavorable, with an excess of extreme weather and climate events.
Since June, Xingan County, Jiangxi, has experienced continuous overcast and rainy weather with low sunshine. With the superposition of high temperature and high humidity, 340,000 mu of early rice in the heading stage faces a high risk of pests and diseases such as the striped stem borer, rice leaf roller, and rice blast. With the help of Liu Jun, an agricultural technician at the County Agricultural and Rural Bureau, the more than 300 mu of paddy fields belonging to grain grower Pei Dongru in Zhengjia Village, Jiebu Town, were equipped with traps in advance. "This year's agricultural technical guidance came too timely; green prevention and control not only effectively responded to waterlogging but also saved on plant protection costs," said Pei Dongru.
The early rice in Pei Dongru's fields has already begun harvesting, with five harvesters and three agricultural vehicles operating simultaneously, rushing to load the paddy, "Before August, we also need to plant the late rice." The entire county has deployed 55,000 units of agricultural machinery and formed more than 10 mobile agricultural machinery repair teams to ensure that the "double rush" (dual harvesting and planting) proceeds in an orderly manner and that the planting of late rice is not delayed by the season.
Looking globally, 41 countries and regions currently require external food assistance. The latest issue of the "Crop Prospects and Food Security" report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out that conflict and insecurity remain the primary drivers leading to serious sudden acute food insecurity. In addition, weather conditions triggered by El Niño and high input prices are constraining the agricultural production prospects of some countries. In a complex external environment, the composure and resilience demonstrated by China in the food supply chain appear even more precious.
In March this year, multiple departments issued the "Action Plan to Accelerate Making Up for the Shortcomings in Grain and Oil Production Drying Capacity"; on the basis of the 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland already built nationwide, various places continue to improve post-construction management mechanisms to ensure that every piece built is successfully completed; in response to the volatility of the international fertilizer market, multiple departments are working together to stabilize the fertilizer supply; during the "Three Summer" period, from the timely response of cross-regional agricultural machinery socialized services to the division of responsibility by multi-level agricultural technical teams, strong institutional advantages have become the 定盘星 (dìng pán xīng - "the stabilizer on the compass," a stabilizing factor or cornerstone) for stabilizing production and ensuring supply.
At present, various places are advancing autumn grain production in staggered stages, going all out to lay a solid foundation for a bumper grain harvest for the entire year, ensuring that food security is as 稳如磐石 (wěn rú pán shí - "stable as a rock," extremely stable and firm).
(Reporters Li Xiaoqing, Fang Yuan, and Zhou Huan participated in the writing)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李凯旋
The snow-capped mountains rise majestically. In Xiaojin County (小金县), Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (阿坝藏族羌族自治州), Sichuan Province, in front of the Dawai Meeting Bridge, a guide is explaining to students on a study trip: “In June 1935, the Central Red Army crossed Jiajin Mountain and triumphantly joined forces here with a unit of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army...” After listening to story after story, Zhang Yuyang (张语阳), a student at Jiajin Mountain Red Army Primary School, voluntarily signed up to become a “little guide.”
Aba is a land of red. From April 1935 to August 1936, the three main forces of the First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army fought and stayed in Aba for 16 months, crossing dozens of perpetually snow-covered high-cold mountains such as Jiajin Mountain, and crossing the grasslands three times. The red stories left behind, such as “Seven Matches” (七根火柴) and “Golden Fishhook” (金色鱼钩), are engraved with those eventful years.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The Long March is always on the road. A nation that does not remember its path has no future. No matter to what stage our cause develops, no matter how great our achievements, we must vigorously promote the great Long March spirit and continue to advance courageously on the new Long March.”
To walk the new Long March well, Aba Prefecture deeply cultivates red resources and tells red stories well: the prefecture has built 5 revolutionary theme museums (memorial halls) and 78 Long March memorial facilities; it has compiled over 50 local textbooks on Party history such as The Long March of the Red Army in Aba (红军长征在阿坝), and produced over 160 oral history documentaries such as Youth on the Snowy Plateau (雪域青春) and The Mountains of Qiang Turn Red (羌山红遍), continuously enhancing the dissemination power of red culture.
On the Red Army trail at Wudaoguai (Five Curves) of Jiajin Mountain, retracing the march route; at the site of the Lianghekou (Two Rivers Meeting) Conference, simulating the scene of the meeting... In recent years, Aba Prefecture has built 19 red A-level scenic spots and launched 5 classic red tourism routes such as “Snowy Mountains and Grasslands · Long March Monument” (雪山草地·长征丰碑). In 2025, the prefecture’s red tourism received 5.8 million visitors. “Red tourism is becoming a new engine for the development of Aba’s tourism industry,” said Zhu Bangwen (祝邦文), Vice Governor of Aba Prefecture.
Today, walking on the vast Zoige Wetland, the green grass is like a carpet, lakes and marshes are scattered like chess pieces; the vast grasslands where the Red Army trudged with difficulty in those years have become a beautiful home for all living creatures.
As an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Zoige Wetland once fell into an ecological crisis of lake drying up and grassland desertification and degradation. Anchoring the target of “one year to block wind and fix sand, two years for vegetation restoration, three years for sapling survival, four years for continuous management and protection, and five years for the combination of shrubs and grass,” Aba Prefecture deployed over 5,000 ecological restoration sites and initiated systematic governance.
Frequent wind, sand, rain, and snow, relatively thin oxygen, successive failures in transplanting grass species... On the plateau, restoring wetlands is no easy task.
“Every generation must walk its own Long March. When we feel it’s hard and tired, we think about how the Red Army climbed snowy mountains and crossed grasslands back then, to motivate ourselves,” introduced Tu Sheng (涂胜), a forestry engineer from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Zoige County (若尔盖县). Now, the wind and sand have been “locked down.” Since 2021, Zoige has systematically treated a total of 257,200 mu of desertified land, with comprehensive grassland vegetation coverage reaching over 85%; the wetlands have become “moist and warm,” the water area of Huahu Wetland has expanded to 650 hectares, and the number of black-necked cranes has increased to nearly 3,000.
The scorching sun blazes, mountain winds blow. Among the high mountains and valleys of Rangtang County (壤塘县), photovoltaic panels spread in continuous sheets, and wind turbines rotate steadily.
“We base ourselves on resource endowments and walk the path of enriching the county through energy,” said Zhou Yuhua (周玉华), Director of the Development and Reform Bureau of Rangtang County. Since 2023, Rangtang County has comprehensively surveyed its clean energy assets and sent Party members and cadres to study at multiple photovoltaic and wind power project construction sites. Now, Rangtang County’s installed clean energy capacity has exceeded 1.08 million kilowatts.
Continuing the red bloodline, deeply cultivating ecological advantages, and building up green industries, Aba Prefecture is striving to write a new answer sheet of high-quality development.
Return to TopTheory
Implement with greater intensity the fiscal and financial coordination package to boost domestic demand
Page 9
Xinjiang's Turpan vigorously develops the high-temperature dry-heat testing industry
Beneath the Flaming Mountains, "roasts" out a hundred-million-yuan industry
Page 7
By: 本报记者 欧阳洁
“Our country’s trade volume is the largest in the world, and the Customs has the largest number of supervision and service targets globally. On average, every day 400,000 containers, 15 million tons of goods, 22 million express parcels, and 2 million people enter and exit various ports.” On July 22, the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办公室) held the “Getting Off to a Good Start in the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’” series press conference. Sun Meijun (孙梅君), Director of the General Administration of Customs (海关总署), introduced the situation regarding accelerating customs modernization and serving the construction of a trade powerhouse. She stated, “During the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ period, the Customs will strive to achieve systematized risk prevention and control, intelligent supervision models, facilitation of cross-border trade, and institutionalized collaborative governance, systematically raising the level of customs modernization and creating a new work situation of better supervision, higher security, greater convenience, and stricter crackdowns on smuggling.”
Innovate supervision methods for artificial intelligence products, green and low-carbon products, etc.
During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China’s construction of a trade powerhouse achieved significant progress. In particular, over the past year, China’s foreign trade has moved forward under pressure, remained stable with improvement, and demonstrated strong resilience and robust vitality. The scale of goods trade has remained the largest in the world, trade partners are spread across the globe, customs clearance efficiency is internationally leading, and the national gate security barrier is more solid.
In the next five years, how will the Customs safeguard high-quality development and high-level opening up?
Use better supervision to serve high-quality development of foreign trade. In the next five years, the Customs will adhere to the dual-wheel drive of “institutional innovation + technological empowerment,” achieving both rapid clearance and effective management, striving to build the most competitive customs supervision system internationally, implementing embedded and in-line supervision, improving supervision efficiency, accelerating the iterative upgrade of Smart Customs, and by 2030, equipping over 90% of ports with intelligent inspection equipment.
Use a higher level of security to guard the national gate and protect the people. Enhance situational awareness of security risks, guide enterprises to strengthen compliance and self-discipline awareness, maintain the customs declaration compliance rate above 95%, improve the ability to conduct penetrating supervision over production and supply chains, and further raise the level of national gate security assurance.
Use greater convenience to promote open cooperation and mutual benefit. In the next five years, will continue to carry out special actions for cross-border trade facilitation (跨境贸易便利化专项行动), improve overall port clearance efficiency, elevate the capability of open platforms, and enhance the quality of trade cooperation. Strengthen international cooperation in areas such as import and export product standards, customs procedures, inspection and quarantine, and enterprise mutual recognition.
Use stricter crackdowns on smuggling to maintain a sound rule-of-law environment. Strengthen the linkage and integration of source prevention and control, port supervision, and anti-smuggling investigation. Deepen comprehensive anti-smuggling governance. Continue to carry out the “National Gate Sword” (国门利剑) series of special actions. At the same time, improve the effectiveness of cross-border joint law enforcement.
Sun Meijun stated that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will innovate supervision methods for products such as artificial intelligence and green and low-carbon products, promote the development of producer services such as bonded logistics, bonded R&D, bonded repair, and bonded testing, and facilitate the further growth of new drivers of foreign trade.
Tailor-made supervision plans for new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce
In recent years, the General Administration of Customs has annually organized special actions for cross-border trade facilitation to help enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, what other measures will be taken?
Zhang Baofeng (张宝峰), Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the General Administration of Customs took the lead, using special actions for cross-border trade facilitation as a lever, and successively launched 108 innovative measures to help foreign trade achieve both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will promote information sharing, mutual recognition of documents, and unification of standards across different departments involved in the entire cross-border trade chain. Raise the internationalization level of the international trade “single window” (国际贸易单一窗口) and achieve interconnection with more countries. Vigorously promote the “in-line supervision” and “seamless customs clearance” models embedded in production and logistics chains, achieving connectivity of relevant information for maritime, inland waterway, and railway transport, thereby improving customs clearance efficiency.
Cross-border e-commerce is a major driver of foreign trade growth. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, how will the Customs support the development of such new business forms and models?
Wang Jun (王军), Spokesperson and Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that in response to the characteristics of new business forms — “small orders, mixed goods, high frequency” — during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will tailor-made supervision plans to expedite customs clearance. Support cross-border road transport e-commerce exports with “one declaration, one document valid throughout, one truck direct to destination,” expand the multimodal transport “single document system” (一单制) customs clearance reform to market procurement models, and build a cross-border logistics network suited to the characteristics of small commodities. Explore direct data linkage between customs and e-commerce platforms, and strengthen cooperation in areas such as risk warning, pre-interception, and information sharing.
The “Port Modernization ‘15th Five-Year Plan’” (口岸现代化“十五五”规划), issued recently, proposes that by 2030 major progress will be made in port modernization. Zhang Baofeng stated that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will implement renovation projects for 57 port facilities, promoting an increase in China’s cross-border passage capacity southward, westward, and northward. For aviation ports, the Customs will promote the separate opening of passenger and cargo functions, helping specialized cargo aviation ports to grow bigger and stronger. Promote the construction of smart ports, make the radiation-driven role of ports more powerful, intensify efforts to encourage various regions to better leverage the advantages of ports in connecting domestic and international markets, and at the same time coordinate and synergize with open platforms such as comprehensive bonded zones, driving innovation and development in processing and manufacturing industries and port service industries, and accelerating the development of commerce, culture, tourism, and logistics in border areas.
In terms of building a diversified and resilient international transport corridor system, Lü Daliang (吕大良), Spokesperson and Director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that the Customs will accelerate the construction of key hub ports and regional node ports, promote infrastructure interconnection and integration of logistics models, and in the next five years raise the application rate of the multimodal transport “single document system” customs clearance model to over 50%, while also promoting cross-border regulatory cooperation and communication.
Expand imports of advanced technology equipment, high-quality agricultural products, etc.
Sun Meijun stated that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will better serve the high-standard construction and high-quality development of Hainan Free Trade Port, striving to create an “open and convenient environment, a special area that is well-managed.” Enhance the innovation-leading development function of open platforms, promote the comprehensive transformation and upgrading of the industrial forms, functions, development models, and supervision methods of comprehensive bonded zones in various regions. Ensure that policies for autonomous opening and unilateral opening are implemented and yield results, implement high-level economic and trade agreements well, strengthen alignment and docking of rules, and help expand the network of high-standard free trade areas. Advance the “Smart Customs” partner plan, achieving information exchange, mutual recognition of regulation, and mutual assistance in law enforcement.
China has become a major trading partner for more than 160 countries and regions, with imported goods coming from a wider range of sources, more categories, and a better structure. Sun Meijun stated that the Customs will promote greater coordination between imports and exports, expand imports of advanced technology equipment, key components, energy resources, and high-quality agricultural products, and at the same time build a regulatory system compatible with high-level opening up, creating a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment.
Since the beginning of this year, China has added 264 types of agricultural and food product access from 79 countries, and the sources of imported agricultural and food products now cover more than 150 countries and regions. From “cherry freedom” to “durian freedom,” global goodies are entering Chinese people’s “shopping carts.”
Wang Jun introduced that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will continuously optimize the quarantine access procedures for agricultural and food products under the premise of ensuring safety, and diversify the import market. Continuously optimize customs clearance procedures, reduce cross-border logistics costs, and ensure that fresh agricultural and food products reach the dining tables of the people with fresh quality and economical prices. Vigorously support the premier economy, promote the exhibition economy, and serve inbound consumption.
How to further strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights in the field of entry-exit? Lü Daliang introduced that nearly 60,000 intellectual property rights holders are registered with the Customs, involving 134,000 items of various types of intellectual property. During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the Customs will optimize the review model for intellectual property rights registration, promote an increase in the number of registrations by more than 20%, benefit more innovation entities, and advance the application of new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in the field of intellectual property protection. Through stricter, more impartial, and more efficient intellectual property protection, ensure that infringers in the foreign trade field are driven out and innovators are rewarded.
Return to TopAn inland small city, historically resource-poor, with scarce arable land and poor transportation, how did it create an "莫名其妙 (wú míng qí miào - "unfathomable, inexplicable")" trade legend, write a "无中生有 (wú zhōng shēng yǒu - "create something from nothing," to make something out of nothing)" development answer sheet, and achieve a "点石成金 (diǎn shí chéng jīn - "touch stone to turn it into gold," to turn a crude material into something valuable)" leapfrogging catch-up?
Yiwu, Zhejiang, from a roadside market to a "world supermarket," from "鸡毛换糖 (jī máo huàn táng - "exchange chicken feathers for candy," a barter practice)" to "buying and selling globally," has made a brilliant answer with more than 40 years of exploration and practice, accumulating valuable inspiration and reference.
During his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping visited Yiwu eleven times for research, cared about and promoted Yiwu's development, and guided the summary and promotion of the "Yiwu Development Experience" (义乌发展经验) with the connotation of "persisting in building the city through commerce, promoting industrial linkage, focusing on urban-rural coordination, advancing harmonious development, enriching cultural heritage, and striving for the Party and government to be effective."
In the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important instruction emphasizing that, in conjunction with the learning and education on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, the "Yiwu Development Experience" should be further summarized and applied well, guiding all regions to base themselves on their own resource endowments, respect the pioneering spirit of the grassroots and the masses, reform and innovate, work hard and pragmatically, and persevere over time, to explore and find a path of high-quality development that suits their own realities, and better serve and integrate into the overall national development.
Respecting the pioneering spirit of the masses:
"The Communist Party is precisely to discover good experiences and practices based on the creations of the grassroots masses, then summarize and promote them."
Walking into the Yiwu International Trade Mart, one can truly feel the charm of the "world supermarket" —
This globally largest single-building specialized small commodity market has a business area of 8 million square meters, with over 80,000 shops. Faces of all skin colors move through it, lively negotiations are everywhere, from a button, a hair accessory, to precision instruments and mechanical parts, more than 2.1 million kinds of commodities are continuously sold to all parts of the world.
Who could have imagined that the miracle was written on almost a blank sheet of paper?
"At that time, this was still a construction site," on September 20, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the second phase of the Yiwu International Trade Mart for investigation and research, recalling the scene of that year, he was deeply moved.
During this trip, General Secretary Xi Jinping walked and talked cordially with merchants and representatives of small business owners, inquired in detail about the market situation, and said to everyone: "This place, neither facing the sea nor the border, how did it become a world trade center? Because the people of Yiwu achieved 'creating something from nothing' and 'unfathomable.'"
People are the biggest variable in development, and the masses harbor immeasurable wisdom and strength.
Feng Aiqian (冯爱倩), now nearly 90 years old, is one of the first-generation operators of Yiwu small commodities and witnessed the beginning of large-scale market trading in Yiwu.
At the beginning of reform and opening up, many Yiwu farmers put down their hoes, shouldered carrying poles, shook rattles, and walked through the streets and alleys. But mobile operation had high running costs and unstable customers. A group of peddlers first gathered on the streets of Yiwu county town to set up stalls, gradually forming a continuous roadside market.
In 1980, Feng Aiqian, who had five children and an elderly mother, joined the stall team to make a living. However, setting up stalls on the street was often regarded as speculation and profiteering, and her goods were confiscated many times by management personnel.
One day in May 1982, Feng Aiqian mustered the courage to stand in front of the Yiwu County Party Committee compound, stopped the new county party secretary Xie Gaohua (谢高华), and asked bluntly: "I do a little business to support my family. Why doesn't the government allow it?"
Xie Gaohua invited Feng Aiqian into his office, listened carefully to her story, and said to her: "If you want to set up a stall, just go ahead and set it up."
After Feng Aiqian left, Xie Gaohua immediately sent a work team to investigate the living conditions of Yiwu's masses and the situation of the stallholders. A few months later, the Yiwu County Party Committee and County Government announced "four allowances" — allowing farmers to engage in commerce, allowing long-distance transportation and sales, allowing the opening of urban and rural markets, and allowing multi-channel competition.
In September of that year, the Yiwu Huqingmen Market (湖清门市场) opened, and Yiwu's small commodity business moved from roadside stalls to a formal market. Feng Aiqian received the 001 individual industrial and commercial business license.
The history of Yiwu's development is a history of entrepreneurship characterized by the masses' pioneering, timely empowerment, and iterative upgrading. Daring to venture and try, daring to be the first, is the spiritual gene carved into the bones of Yiwu people. Rooted in the grassroots, originating from the masses, is the distinctive background of the "Yiwu Development Experience."
Now, revisiting the words written by Comrade Xi Jinping in July 2006 in Zhijiang New Language (之江新语), the revelation is even deeper: "To learn the Yiwu Development Experience is to learn the experience of the Yiwu people in starting from reality and engaging in creative practice."
He Haimei (何海美), also a first-generation merchant in Yiwu, after entering the market, traveled year-round to coastal cities, purchasing buttons, knitwear, hardware, and other goods in bulk and bringing them back to Yiwu for sale.
At that time, domestic commodity circulation channels were blocked, and factories in various places lacked a unified wholesale platform. Yiwu's stable and continuous demand for goods led them to voluntarily come to Yiwu to rent stalls and set up distribution points. Thus, a shift occurred from "Yiwu people going out to find sources of goods" to "national goods actively gathering in Yiwu."
In 1992, He Haimei, whose business was growing larger, took 10 mu of land in the industrial zone and founded a clothing company. From repeatedly traveling to factories in other places to stock goods, to owning her own factory, and then to selling products nationwide, He Haimei, along with many Yiwu merchants, moved to a new stage of development.
"Buying from all over the country, selling to all over the country." The masses explored the market and innovated models, while the government built platforms and regulated order, creating a new chapter in commerce that connected the inland small city with all regions, confirming that the masses are the deepest source of vitality for reform and development.
Innovation and seeking, unremittingly.
In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, which meant that Chinese goods entered the global market and the threshold for foreign buyers to come to China was significantly lowered. Yiwu actively chose a development strategy that balanced domestic and foreign trade.
On October 22, 2002, the fifth-generation market of Yiwu opened, and its name was changed from "Yiwu China Small Commodity City" to "China Yiwu International Trade Mart."
Just over two months after the International Trade Mart opened, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, came here for research. "Secretary Xi asked us, 'How is the Trade Mart positioned?' 'What are the next plans?' We reported to him that the Yiwu market was shifting from domestic trade to foreign trade, and we named the fifth-generation market the 'International Trade Mart,' with the second phase already being planned," recalled He Peisong (何培松), former member of the Party Committee of Zhejiang China Small Commodity City Group Co., Ltd.
During this research, Comrade Xi Jinping learned that some merchants were starting to build brands and many goods were already being sold to Japan, South Korea, Central Asia, and Europe. He encouraged everyone, saying that this direction was correct and should continue. Regarding Yiwu's construction of an international commercial city, he explicitly stated: "The target positioning is accurate, it fits Yiwu's actual situation, the thinking is clear, and the work is solid and effective." Soon, the second phase of the International Trade Mart project was launched.
"Buying from all over the world, selling to all over the world." Yiwu's international transformation was not a pre-designed blueprint but a new path forged by thousands of merchants.
Zong Guyin (宗谷音), a Yiwu merchant, was one of the last generation of carrying-pole peddlers. He set up a stall selling socks at the age of 16, and later founded Zhejiang Mengna Socks Co., Ltd. When Comrade Xi Jinping visited this enterprise, Zong Guyin talked about his dream: within three years, to achieve a production value of 1 billion yuan and exports of 80 million US dollars from "a pair of socks."
"Mengna was not very large at the time. I didn't expect Secretary Xi to say, 'When you do well, I will come to see you again.' He also told me, 'Doing real business has boundless prospects.'" That one sentence gave Zong Guyin peace of mind.
More than two years later, Comrade Xi Jinping visited the enterprise again as promised. From seeing the factory to seeing the market, he felt the new look of Yiwu and praised: "Yiwu has developed very quickly in recent years, with great changes, full of vigor and vitality."
The masses are at the forefront of practice, and they have the keenest perception and deepest feeling of the changes and developments in things.
After the domestic market became saturated, Yiwu merchants actively captured global opportunities, spontaneously went to exhibitions in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States, visited local wholesalers, and brought samples for door-to-door promotion; from offline cross-border wholesale to cross-border e-commerce, live streaming overseas, overseas warehouse distribution, and global customized OEM, Yiwu merchants never stopped innovating; facing a series of external changes such as international trade frictions, overseas consumption upgrades, and digital trade waves, Yiwu merchants were the first to adjust their business strategies...
During his trip to Zhejiang in September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping recalled the past and pointed out the profound truth: "'Rule of Law Zhejiang,' 'Safe Zhejiang,' 'Ecological Zhejiang'... many experiences and practices are now being promoted nationwide, and among them are the contributions made by the people of Zhejiang. The Communist Party is precisely to discover good experiences and practices based on the creations of the grassroots masses, then summarize and promote them. Therefore, the masses are the true heroes."
Over more than 40 extraordinary years, the "Yiwu Development Experience" has remained evergreen. A clear consensus is deeply rooted in people's hearts: respecting the pioneering spirit of the masses is the fundamental reason for Yiwu's development of "unfathomable, creating something from nothing, turning stone into gold."
Respecting the laws of the market economy:
"Let the market play the decisive role in resource allocation."
On one side, European merchants are scrambling to buy small heat-relief appliances, Latin American wholesalers favor World Cup peripheral products; on the other side, large numbers of Yiwu enterprises are organizing groups to go abroad to explore markets... In the first five months of this year, Yiwu's foreign trade export value reached 315.4 billion yuan, setting another new record for the same period in history.
"Yiwu's small commodities broke into a big market, made a big industry, and formed the 'Yiwu Development Experience.' This is a successful practice of developing the county economy according to local conditions." In General Secretary Xi Jinping's incisive exposition, "market" is an extremely important keyword.
In 1993, more than ten years after the Yiwu small commodity market opened, the number of stalls reached more than 14,000, with over 30,000 practitioners, and the market transaction volume ranked first among national specialized markets, but it also faced new challenges —
Nearly 70% of the market's goods relied on factories outside the area. During peak seasons, shortages, price increases, and supply disruptions occurred frequently, and merchants' profits were continuously squeezed by upstream suppliers. The Yiwu people keenly realized that although commerce required little capital and made money quickly, if they stuck to the market without local manufacturing, it would lead to a hollowing out of the market and thus lose competitive advantage.
That year, Yiwu City made a decision to implement a strategy of "promoting industry through commerce, linking trade and industry" on the basis of continuing "building the city through commerce." The market provided orders, merchants provided capital, the government provided industrial parks and policies, and villages provided labor, promoting the on-site conversion of commercial resources. Yiwu did not copy the traditional industrialization path of "first building factories, then expanding sales channels," but explored a new industrialization path of "first having market orders, then implementing production."
In 1994, Yiwu's total industrial output value jumped from 6.1 billion yuan in the previous year to nearly 12 billion yuan.
Looking back on the development path, Yiwu has always insisted on leveraging the advantage of "Yiwu merchants" strong market economy awareness, making the market a "Yiwu people's market" rather than a "Yiwu government market."
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out, "Developing a market economy under socialist conditions is a great creation of our Party," "Fully let the market play the decisive role in resource allocation, and better play the role of the government."
From a "basic role" to a "decisive role," our Party's understanding of the role of the market in resource allocation has continuously deepened. Against this era background and development process, Yiwu has also been braving the waves and forging ahead in the market tide.
Yiwu West Station, the sound of train whistles lingers, China-Europe Railway Express trains fully loaded with goods arrive and depart in an orderly manner, like a steel camel caravan, outlining crisscrossing trade veins on the map of the Eurasian continent.
In the past, Yiwu's small commodities mainly relied on two ways to "go global": one was to transport by truck to Ningbo or Shanghai for loading onto ships, but if the sailing schedule was missed, a delay of half a month, and seasonal goods couldn't wait; the second was to transport by truck directly from Xinjiang ports, with high freight costs and limited cargo capacity.
In response to market needs, in 2014, the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" (义新欧) China-Europe Railway Express was launched, traveling more than 13,000 kilometers to Madrid, the largest small commodity distribution center in Europe. To date, the "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" has operated a total of 16,000 trains, developed into 27 routes, covering more than 160 cities in over 50 countries and regions.
Not bordering the border, build thoroughfares. Not facing the sea, use ports as a gateway.
East of Yiwu West Station, the Yiwu (Suxi) International Hub Port has broadened Yiwu's maritime channel. The world's largest small commodity market and the world's largest port in terms of cargo throughput are seamlessly connected through sea-rail intermodal transport.
On land, build a China-Europe Railway Express assembly center; on sea, build the "Sixth Port Area" of Ningbo Zhoushan Port; in the air, the renovation and expansion project of Yiwu Airport is fully launched; online, promote the integrated development of "live streaming + platform + cross-border e-commerce + overseas warehouse"... Yiwu seizes global market opportunities and builds an open pattern of land-sea linkage and east-west mutual assistance.
In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during his inspection at the Yiwu International Trade Mart that the Trade Mart should create new brilliance and make greater contributions to expanding domestic and international markets and smoothing the domestic and international dual circulation.
Bearing in mind the instructions, responding to market changes, a series of new measures are being accelerated.
In October 2025, the sixth-generation market of Yiwu, the Global Digital Trade Center, opened for operation. The entire process of design, sampling, production, and marketing can be completed without leaving the building; digital human live streaming for sales, artificial intelligence to predict hot products, global payment and collection with one click... Amid the flickering of light and data, the trade elements of "people, goods, venues, and chains" are fully iterated.
"Shops are live streaming rooms, upstairs and downstairs are upstream and downstream, business circles are ecological circles, the big market is a big model. The sixth-generation market transcends traditional physical space. It is an ecological field integrating display, trading, logistics, and R&D, marking that Yiwu has truly entered the era of digital-intelligence-driven trade," said Chen Dezhan (陈德占), Chairman of Zhejiang China Small Commodity City Group Co., Ltd.
Following market laws, adhering to market thinking, Yiwu has more new explorations:
Launching the world's first vertical trade large model for small commodity trade, the "World Yiwu" (世界义乌) trade large model, iterating the "Chinagoods" digital market, "ZhiJieYuanGang" digital logistics, and "YiwuPay" digital finance — the "three digital systems and three platforms," creating a never-ending "Digital Trade Fair";
Developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions, promoting the transformation of manufacturing from "front shop, back factory" to a dual-wheel drive of "digital trade + digital intelligence manufacturing," with emerging industries and future industry projects such as new energy storage, humanoid robots, and low-altitude economy being implemented one after another...
Work revolves around the market, cities are built around the market, and industries are nurtured around the market.
Along the way, despite the changing market winds and clouds, Yiwu has never wavered in establishing and implementing the development strategy of "building the city through commerce," never changed the concept of grasping the market as grasping the economy, and never stopped the pace of promoting hardware upgrades, transaction innovation, and functional expansion.
Many cadres and masses in Yiwu said: Based on resource endowments, industrial foundations, and development stages, accurately grasping and actively responding to changes in market supply and demand, industrial iteration and other needs, and letting the market play the decisive role in resource allocation, only then did the market operation model of "nationwide production, Yiwu distribution, global sales" come into being.
As practice deepens, understanding becomes more profound. The "Yiwu Development Experience" shows that the boundaries between government and market must always be clarified, the market does what the market should do, the government does what the government should do, adhering to "the market explores the path first, the government escorts later."
Giving play to the role of an effective government:
"The key is to handle the relationship between the government and the market."
Opening Zhijiang New Language, a passage written by Comrade Xi Jinping during his work in Zhejiang is thought-provoking: "Deepening market-oriented reforms, the key is to handle the relationship between the government and the market, that is, the relationship between the 'visible hand' and the 'invisible hand' — these 'two hands.'"
At the Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized the regular understanding of economic work, emphasizing that "we must coordinate the relationship between an effective market and an effective government to form an economic order that is both 'liberalized' and 'manageable.'"
Practice yields true knowledge. The "Yiwu Development Experience" shows that an effective government and an efficient market allow enterprises to profit and the people to benefit.
Being effective means daring to face problems and actively solve them —
In the 1980s, after the opening of the Yiwu Huqingmen Market, a high-tax and complicated eight-level progressive tax system was implemented. This meant that for batch purchases and sales with a single transaction amount over 30 yuan, taxes and market management fees had to be paid.
Facing strongly reactive merchants, the relevant departments of Yiwu discussed and decided to change the market to a "fixed quota lump sum" tax collection method. Based on the location of the stall and the category of goods, the taxable turnover was determined, and business income beyond the target quota was no longer taxed.
After the trial implementation of the "releasing water to raise fish" fixed quota tax method, it was greatly welcomed by merchants. Tax revenue not only did not decline but actually increased significantly.
Proactively reforming with the "visible hand" to loosen and reduce burdens for the "invisible hand" directly unleashed the enthusiasm for private commerce, leading to the transformation of Yiwu.
In response to situations where merchants in the small commodity market had to source similar goods scattered in different places, large price differences for the same product, price gouging, and frequent disputes, Yiwu pioneered the "categorizing and zoning" (划行归市) system. Tens of thousands of goods were uniformly classified and zoned: accessories, hardware, toys, knitwear, and other similar products were concentrated in operation, divided into eight major trading zones and sixteen major product zones, with uniformly planned stall layouts, enabling one-stop price comparison purchasing. Prices became more transparent and stable, effectively resolving the chaos of disorderly operations.
In response to the problem of hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized merchants having scattered procedures for license applications, annual inspections, and changes, and high non-operating costs, Yiwu actively promoted the "run at most once" integrated reform, integrating market supervision, taxation, and other windows into a one-stop government affairs hall, simplifying the registration and annual inspection procedures for individual businesses, implementing "contactless smart processing" and "conditional acceptance," allowing merchants to focus on exploring the market.
In response to the insufficient digital transformation capabilities of small and medium-sized merchants, Yiwu built a public digital trade platform for the market. The government invested in constructing public live streaming bases and cross-border digital exhibition halls, providing free operational training for merchants; built an online-offline integrated mall platform, opened up online wholesale and cross-border distribution channels, lowering the threshold for digital transformation of small and micro merchants.
In recent years, when new business forms such as small-package LCL foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce, and online live streaming overseas first emerged, there were no mature regulatory policies. Yiwu followed the logic of "letting the market run first," did not rush to impose rigid restrictions, allowed merchants to practice on a small scale, let the market fully expose pain points, and after forming a mature operation model, then studied and introduced supporting governance plans.
Being effective means daring to break through oneself and innovate and develop —
Comrade Xi Jinping wrote in Zhijiang New Language: "Some say that Zhejiang's economy is the people's economy, but the people's economy does not mean that the Party committee and government are inactive. On the contrary, it is the Party committee and government that respect the pioneering spirit of the masses, steadily promote market-oriented reforms, and make Zhejiang's degree of marketization rank among the top in the country."
In 1984, Yiwu established the development strategy of "building the county through commerce"; after the county was upgraded to a city in 1988, it was upgraded to "building the city through commerce." Over 40 years, the small commodity market has undergone six relocations and thirteen expansions, and this core has become increasingly distinct.
"Building the city through commerce" is not "guarding the stall" (守摊子), but constantly breaking bottlenecks and expanding space through innovation and exploration.
One day in early 2006, at 4:45 p.m., Iranian businessman Ali hurriedly squeezed into a bank. Near closing time, there were still many foreigners inside, all wanting to cash their payments before the International Trade Mart's Spring Festival closure.
Yiwu is a county-level city. According to the foreign exchange management system at the time, non-residents had to use foreign exchange through bank accounts. Foreign buyers had to go to the bank once for each purchase, which was troublesome, and missing the payment time would delay shipments. At the same time, many local enterprises complained: major banks could only set up county-level branches in Yiwu, with only a few million yuan in credit authorization, sometimes forced to use private lending for emergencies. Grassroots cadres also had difficulties: "Institutions are staffed based on a population of 600,000, but how to serve a permanent resident population of over 1.5 million?"
In just a few years at that time, Yiwu's GDP had doubled. But as its "size" grew, constraints became more apparent. The rapidly developing Yiwu faced various institutional and mechanism bottlenecks.
In response, Comrade Xi Jinping made a vivid analogy: "It's like we say a child has grown up, but now an 18-year-old young man is still wearing clothes for a 6-year-old. As development progresses, we need to give them some empowerment policies."
Under Comrade Xi Jinping's push, in November 2006, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee Office and Provincial Government Office issued the "Several Opinions on Carrying Out Pilot Reform to Expand Yiwu City's Economic and Social Management Authority," implementing an unprecedented expansion of authority for Yiwu, expanding 472 items of economic and social management authority for Yiwu City. The Yiwu city government was once called by the outside world "the most powerful county-level government in China."
Being effective means being good at regulating and controlling, and precisely steering —
Yiwu government's "being effective" is not "doing everything," nor "intervening in the market," but being good at using the "strengths" of government behavior to make up for the "shortcomings" of the spontaneous market, achieving delegation without laissez-faire, and acting when necessary.
Do what the market cannot do or does poorly. The government must be a good rule-maker, order maintainer, and development escort.
In the development process of the Yiwu small commodity market, the government proactively took over the practical achievements of the masses, upgraded the comprehensive market into a standardized specialized market, built large logistics parks based on merchants' cross-regional freight needs, improved warehousing, transportation, and other supporting facilities around the procurement needs of national customers, and issued commercial support policies relying on the market's agglomeration effect...
"Being effective without overstepping, being in place without being absent." Successive Yiwu Party committees and governments have insisted on one term after another doing the work, drawing the blueprint to the end. No matter how the leadership team changed, the determination to protect the interests of business entities and cultivate a good business environment has always been firm and the intensity increasing.
From the early "categorizing and zoning" and regulating order, establishing Zhejiang Yiwu China Small Commodity City Co., Ltd. to promote market-oriented operation, to subsequently building a national logistics hub, improving the warehousing and customs clearance system, then to laying out the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone and aligning with the "Belt and Road"; from lowering access thresholds, simplifying approvals, and providing precise services, to improving rule-of-law guarantees, strengthening market supervision, and advancing urban supporting facilities... Yiwu continuously strengthens institutional supply, strengthens policy guidance, matches infrastructure and services based on the expansion of goods and industries, and creates a good environment for economic development.
To date, Yiwu has accumulated a total of 1,361 items of authority expansion and empowerment, and the business environment continues to improve. In 2025, the number of market entities in Yiwu exceeded 1.26 million, ranking first among county-level regions in the country.
Persisting in reform, innovation, and hard work:
"Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts, keep pace with the times, and work creatively."
The "Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe" China-Europe Railway Express rumbles by, the Yiwu Comprehensive Bonded Zone is bustling, the International Land Port E-commerce City is crowded with people... In the past, it was a closed village; now it is the forefront of openness. The former Hengtang Village (横塘村) in Chengxi Street, Yiwu City, has deeply participated in global trade.
Twenty years ago, Comrade Xi Jinping comprehensively elaborated the "Yiwu Development Experience" for the first time in Hengtang Village, pointing out that "the Yiwu Development Experience is the experience of correctly handling the relationship between inheritance and innovation, the experience of receiving the 'relay baton' well and running the 'relay race' well."
Inheriting the innovative spirit of "creating something from nothing," practicing the hard work and responsibility of "turning stone into gold," and radiating the development vitality of "unfathomable," through wind and rain, Yiwu has experienced market iterations and leaps without decline. Behind this is a history of struggle that breaks through with reform and empowers with innovation.
Taking the lead in the country to implement the "commitment means entry" reform for business-related operating permits, taking the lead in the province to launch the reform of the commercial registration system, taking the lead in the country to build a "city without certification," the "run at most once" reform has been rated first in the province for consecutive years, becoming a "place with remarkable results in deepening the reform of the commercial registration system"... To date, 29 reform achievements have been replicated and promoted across the province or the country, making it an important experimental field for China's reform.
Comrade Xi Jinping wrote in Zhijiang New Language that it is good at combining the central government's requirements with local realities, emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with the times, and working creatively.
For decades, Yiwu has firmly shouldered the major mission of "testing the system for the country and exploring new paths for opening up." By 2025, Yiwu has successively undertaken 111 national-level innovation pilot tasks and 216 provincial-level pilot tasks, including the comprehensive reform of international trade, the reform of the domestic trade circulation system, and the construction of the pilot free trade zone. This three-layer risk-sharing mechanism of central empowerment, provincial support, and local exploration is the deep guarantee for Yiwu's courage to boldly reform and experiment.
Cherishing the "great of the nation" (国之大者) and always promoting comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development is also an inherent meaning of the "Yiwu Development Experience."
In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Yiwu for inspection, and his first stop was Lizu Village (李祖村).
From the Party-mass service center to the "common prosperity market," on the road near the village entrance, two small high-rise buildings caught General Secretary Xi Jinping's attention. "Villages generally don't build tall buildings. I immediately reported to the General Secretary that these were apartments arranged by the village for households in difficulty and those relocated from dilapidated houses. The General Secretary was very happy and said, 'This is good!'" recalled Fang Haolong (方豪龙), Party branch secretary of Lizu Village.
Standing under the big camphor tree at the village entrance, General Secretary Xi Jinping had a cordial exchange with the villagers.
The General Secretary said, "Common prosperity and rural revitalization, the most important thing is that not a single person should be left behind. The small high-rise buildings I just saw at the edge allow villagers with relatively poorer economic conditions to also live in better housing. This thing is done well and should be promoted."
"Not a single person should be left behind" — a single instruction led to a precious memory.
In 2002, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, made his first visit to Yiwu for research, and his first stop was Dachen Er Village (大陈二村). "When we walked out of the small courtyard of the villager's house, Secretary Xi asked us a question: the elderly without families and the poor households in the village have no money, can they move into new houses, and how to arrange their lives?" recalled Zhu Jingyi (朱京义), then Party secretary of Dachen Town.
To this question, village cadres explained that the village had built "suite-type" apartments uniformly. The elderly without families and poor households could exchange their old houses, and if that was not enough, the village also had subsidies, ensuring that low-income farmers did not have to pay a cent and could still move into new houses.
"Secretary Xi instructed us not to leave anyone behind on the path to comprehensive well-off society. He has always been concerned about common prosperity," Zhu Jingyi said.
Under the guidance of Comrade Xi Jinping, Yiwu took the lead in the country in 2003 to issue an action plan for urban-rural integration, comprehensively promoting new rural construction. Over more than 20 years, guided by the "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project (千万工程), one village after another has improved the environment, developed industries, achieved a magnificent transformation, and benefited millions of farmers.
Today, the per capita annual income of Dachen Er Village has reached 65,000 yuan, with thriving industries and affluent lives complementing each other. In 2025, Yiwu's urbanization rate reached 83.7%, and the urban-rural income ratio narrowed to 1.76.
With a spirit of reform, innovation, and hard work, Yiwu has achieved a series of remarkable development results:
While achieving significant economic progress, it has attached great importance to developing education, science and technology, culture, health, sports, and other social undertakings; while the market is rapidly developing and urbanization is accelerating, it has promoted urban-rural integration in a timely manner; when environmental problems gradually became prominent, it promptly promoted the construction of ecological cities and ecological towns and villages; as the people gradually became wealthier, it strived to improve residents' civil literacy and the level of social civilization...
Today, Yiwu's per capita disposable income of urban residents has ranked first among counties (cities) in the country for 19 consecutive years. It has become a national county for the balanced development of high-quality compulsory education and a national county for the universal and inclusive development of preschool education, achieving full coverage of health towns and community hospitals. The proportion of people's livelihood expenditure in general public budget expenditure has remained above 70% for a long time.
Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: "I said Yiwu's development is 'unfathomable,' but in fact, the secret lies in its rich cultural heritage."
In the process of promoting economic and social development, Yiwu pays more attention to casting the soul with culture and prospering industries with culture, polishing the brand of "the place where the first complete Chinese translation of the Communist Manifesto was published," promoting the Yiwu spirit of "diligent farming and studiousness, uprightness and courage, integrity and tolerance," creating a national civilized city, and launching the logo of "taste world cuisine, buy world goods, make world friends."
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "A good blueprint, as long as it is scientific, fits the actual situation, and meets the people's wishes, should be carried out like a relay race, one leg after another."
Perseverance over time eventually yields results.
Facing changes in the development environment, Yiwu's Party members and cadres have always maintained sobriety and stability, striving to do solid work and stay ahead. From 2005 to 2025, Yiwu's GDP increased from 30.48 billion yuan to 269.33 billion yuan, exports from 8.99 billion yuan to 730.69 billion yuan, and urban residents' per capita disposable income from 19,010 yuan to 101,816 yuan, continuously reaching new development stages.
Govern a county, revive a province, govern a country. From multiple reform measures pioneered nationwide to a series of innovative models replicated and promoted in various places, the "Yiwu Development Experience" has been inherited and innovated, sublimated in practice, and has yielded fruitful results.
Each place has its own endowment, each region has its own responsibility.
By further summarizing and applying the "Yiwu Development Experience" well, with the whole country working together and united in struggle, with all regions and departments adhering to seeking truth from facts and adapting measures to local conditions, each developing its own beauty and contributing to the beauty of all, we will surely gather greater confidence and momentum, and play the national game of high-quality development well.
(Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, July 22 - Xinhua reporters Wu Huanqing (邬焕庆), Zhao Chao (赵超), Zhejiang Daily reporters Shen Jingjing (沈晶晶), Chen Jiaying (陈佳莹))
Return to TopAccording to the 2026 China Economic Semi-Annual Report released recently, in the first half of this year, China’s gross domestic product totaled 69.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.7% at constant prices. The Chinese economy has operated within a reasonable range while withstanding pressure, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. International figures interviewed by our reporter said that under the current complex and turbulent international situation, the Chinese economy is generally stable, moving toward the new and the excellent, which not only strengthens its own development foundations, but also, with a complete industrial system, a super-large market, and high-level opening up, injects certainty and new momentum into world economic development.
Sufficient Economic Resilience —
Consolidating the Position as a Stabilizing Anchor for Global Economic Growth
Not long ago, the International Monetary Fund, while lowering its 2026 global economic growth forecast, raised its forecast for China’s economic growth by 0.2 percentage points. The Asian Development Bank, while lowering its 2026 growth forecast for developing economies in the Asia-Pacific, maintained its growth forecast for China unchanged. International institutions generally have a favorable outlook on China’s economic prospects, highlighting that China’s status as a stabilizing anchor for global economic growth is increasingly solid.
“China’s economic performance in the first half of the year is encouraging, fully demonstrating the strong resilience and endogenous driving force of the Chinese economy,” said Claudia Yanuzzi (克劳迪娅·亚努齐), President of the Brazil-China Innovation Economy Research Institute. She stated that the advantages of the Chinese economy are reflected in the continuous optimization of the economic structure, the increasing improvement of innovation capacity, and the constant upgrading of the industrial system. China continues to make breakthroughs in green development, the digital economy, and industrial transformation, laying a solid foundation for long-term stable economic development.
Félix Baldivieso (菲利克斯·巴尔迪维索), Director of the China Center at IE University in Spain, said that China’s economic development achievements fully reflect its resilience and stability. “China continuously promotes industrial structure transformation and upgrading through long-term planning. This continuity explains why China can continuously consolidate its position as an important engine of world economic growth.”
“Promoting high-quality development with new quality productive forces is the key to maintaining the resilience of the Chinese economy,” said Enrique Dussel (恩里克·杜塞尔), Professor of Economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Director of the China-Mexico Research Center. He said, “As the ‘Fifteenth Five-Year Plan’ outline continues to be implemented, China will continuously enhance its innovation capacity, improve industrial competitiveness, and lay the foundation for long-term stable economic development.”
“I believe the fundamentals of China’s economy being sound in the long run will not change, and it will continue to be an important engine for world economic growth,” said Tang Longgong Wusentilangu (唐隆功·吴森提兰谷), President of the Thailand Belt and Road Economic and Education Development Research Institute. He said that China’s economic growth momentum comes more from technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and consumption potential. Sectors such as new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and modern service industries are full of vitality. Meanwhile, macroeconomic policies maintain continuity and foresight, and the advantages of the super-large market are continuously released, providing stable expectations for enterprises and investors.
Complete Industrial System —
Helping More Countries Integrate into Global Value Chains
According to Chinese customs statistics, in the first half of this year, China’s exports of mechanical and electrical products increased by 20.1%, and exports of high-tech products increased by 39%. More and more high-end, intelligent, and green “Made in China” products are going overseas, significantly lowering the global threshold for applying new technologies. At a time of deep adjustment in global industrial chains, China’s complete industrial system and abundant innovation capacity, through deeply integrated localized production and ecological co-construction, are helping more countries build modern industrial systems.
“In recent years, China has continuously promoted industrial upgrading. New energy, digital economy, and other emerging industries have developed rapidly, and the competitiveness and risk-resistance capacity of the industrial system have continuously strengthened. China’s practice proves that a complete and efficient industrial system can not only support the country’s own sustainable development but also create more opportunities for industrial upgrading in other countries,” said Dussel. He said that China provides equipment and technology to developing countries, helping to enhance their industrial supporting capacity and autonomous development capacity, providing important support for developing countries to advance industrialization, improve industrial competitiveness, and better integrate into global value chains.
“In Thailand, more and more Chinese enterprises are bringing not only advanced equipment, key components, and green technologies, but also a complete industrial ecosystem and talent cultivation system, helping Thailand accelerate the development of new energy vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, and the digital economy,” said Wusentilangu. He said that “Made in China” is moving from scale advantages to innovation advantages, providing important support for the stable operation of global production and supply chains. China adheres to the development direction of green, low-carbon, and technological innovation, providing more mature solutions and high-cost-performance products for global energy transformation and industrial upgrading. The current world situation is complex and volatile, and the risk of fragmentation of global production and supply chains is increasing. China’s high-quality development has not only enhanced the resilience of the world economy but also boosted the international community’s confidence in global economic recovery.
Yanuzzi believes that the rapid development of Chinese enterprises in areas such as new energy, intelligent manufacturing, and digital technology not only promotes their own industrial upgrading but also provides new cooperation opportunities for many countries, including Brazil.
Over the past 20-plus years, Baldivieso has visited China many times. In his view, the Chinese economy focuses on innovation-driven development, demonstrating advantages in automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalization, and has become an indispensable participant in global value chains. The current global development of renewable energy, the advancement of electric transportation, and the process of industrial modernization are all inseparable from the production and supply capacity of Chinese enterprises.
Fast Pace of Opening Up —
Joining Hands with Countries Worldwide to Share New Development Opportunities
In the first half of this year, China’s total imports and exports of goods increased by 16.9% year-on-year, of which imports increased by 22.1%; the total imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises in China reached 7.39 trillion yuan, an increase of 17.1%, achieving growth for nine consecutive quarters. As the potential of the super-large market is continuously released and high-level opening up is steadily promoted, while providing the world with greater “market dividends,” China is also contributing increasingly more “innovation dividends.” The vivid picture of “China Opportunity 2.0” is unfolding.
In May this year, China comprehensively implemented a zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations. In the view of Kofi Kuaku (科菲·库阿库), Senior Research Fellow at the African-China Research Center at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, this policy has significantly promoted Africa-China economic and trade cooperation. In May and June this year, China’s imports from Africa increased by 23.5% year-on-year, and the import structure has become more diversified. In addition to traditional African specialty agricultural products such as cocoa, coffee, and chili peppers, industrial manufactured goods and high-value-added products from South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and other countries have also begun to enter the Chinese market more. This not only helps Africa expand exports, increase industrial added value, and accelerate the industrialization process, but also helps Africa integrate more deeply into global production and supply chains, achieving more autonomous and resilient development.
“China is transforming from the ‘world’s factory’ into an important engine of global innovation and a key partner in international cooperation,” said Dussel. He said that for the vast number of developing countries, including those in Latin America and the Caribbean, China is not only an important trading partner but also a partner in investment, industry, and technology. As China continuously expands high-level opening up, countries can not only share the opportunities brought by China’s super-large market but also enhance their autonomous development capacity through production and supply chain cooperation and technological cooperation, achieving mutual benefit and win-win results.
“China’s super-large market, high-level opening-up policies, and continuously released innovation vitality have created new growth space for global enterprises. China continuously expands international cooperation through important platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the China International Supply Chain Expo; through more open trade policies and cooperation initiatives, it allows more countries to share China’s development opportunities,” said Yanuzzi. She said that a China that insists on opening up and cooperation will continue to bring more certainty to world economic growth.
Wusentilangu believes that China is providing the world with more diverse and high-quality development opportunities. For Thailand, the continuous upgrading of the Chinese market means that more high-quality agricultural products, food, and services can enter the Chinese market, while Chinese enterprise investment also promotes local industrial upgrading and employment growth in Thailand. “China Opportunity 2.0” will inject more lasting momentum into sustainable development in Asia and the world at large.
(Our reporters Jiang Bo, Chen Yiming, Yan Huan, Wang Xiaobo, Bai Yuanqi, and Ma Fei reported from Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Johannesburg on July 22)
Return to TopBy: 赵学林
Japan's increasingly swelling nuclear ambitions among its right wing are a dangerous signal that Japan's "new militarism" 新型军国主义 is gathering strength and becoming a menace, posing a serious threat to world peace and stability.
Recently, Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro declared that Japan should discuss policy related to nuclear weapons without any taboos. For a sitting head of Japan's defense department to make such a statement is extremely rare in Japan's post-war history. It is highly provocative and dangerous, fully exposing the ambition of Japan's ruling authorities to break through the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" 无核三原则 and challenge the post-war international order, rapidly drawing strong attention and high alert both within Japan and from the international community.
Japan's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons have long been in the making. As early as World War II, Japan secretly conducted nuclear weapons research. In 2013, the representative Japanese right-wing figure and former Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Toshio Tamogami, published a book titled Japan's Nuclear Armament Plan, detailing a roadmap for achieving independent nuclear armament within twenty years, following a "three-stage, eight-step" strategy. Japan has also for a long time produced and stored plutonium materials far exceeding the actual needs of civilian nuclear energy, theoretically enough to manufacture a large number of nuclear warheads, possessing the capability to achieve a "nuclear breakout" in the short term. To this day, Japan is internationally recognized as a nuclear threshold state, being the only non-nuclear-weapon state among the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that possesses reprocessing technology, the ability to extract weapons-grade plutonium, and operational reprocessing facilities.
For a long time, successive Japanese governments have publicly stated their adherence to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" of not possessing, not manufacturing, and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons. However, in recent years, Japan's negative words and deeds regarding nuclear weapons possession have been continuous, with Japanese officials repeatedly and openly discussing revising the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." Since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came to power, the Japanese government has constantly sought to strengthen so-called "extended deterrence" cooperation, attempted to develop nuclear-powered submarines, sought to reach a "nuclear sharing" arrangement, plotted to redeploy nuclear weapons on Japanese soil, and even indulged the Japanese right-wing forces in openly disseminating arguments for independent nuclear armament. The ambition to acquire nuclear weapons is now an open secret. The step-by-step relaxation of constraints in the nuclear domain echoes and reinforces the comprehensive military expansion, which is in line with Japan's ambition to cast off the constraints of the international order, accelerate "re-militarization," and revive militarism, already posing a real threat to regional peace and stability.
A series of negative words and deeds by Japanese right-wing forces regarding nuclear weapons seriously violate Japan's obligations under international law. According to documents with full force under international law, such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, Japan should be completely disarmed and shall not maintain any industry that would allow it to rearm. This certainly includes Japan not being permitted to retain nuclear materials and capabilities for developing nuclear weapons. As a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Japan must fulfill its international legal obligations not to accept, manufacture, possess, or proliferate nuclear weapons. However, while Japan has long posed internationally as a "victim of atomic bombing" and disguised itself as a supporter of a nuclear-free world to confuse people, it has simultaneously, under the pretext of so-called "external threats" and "defense," continuously broken through the constraints of its constitution, international law, and domestic regulations, challenging the post-war international order and the international nuclear non-proliferation system. These self-contradictory positions and actions have fully exposed its hypocrisy and duality.
In response to the dangerous actions of the Japanese right-wing forces, as many as 82 local assemblies in Japan, including those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have submitted opinions to the central government or the Diet, demanding that the Japanese government adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." What this reflects is the public sentiment longing for peace, indicating that the ruling authorities' erroneous choice to deviate from the pacifist constitution and accelerate "re-militarization" is unpopular. If the Japanese ruling authorities continue to misjudge the situation regarding the nuclear issue, obstinately pushing ahead with revising the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" and introducing allied nuclear weapons for deployment in Japan, this will not only be a serious provocation against the post-war international order and the international nuclear non-proliferation system but also a violation of Japan's own peace commitments and a defiance of universal public opinion within Japan. In the end, they will inevitably pay a heavy price for this.
Japan's increasingly swelling nuclear ambitions among its right wing are a dangerous signal that Japan's "new militarism" is gathering strength and becoming a menace, posing a serious threat to world peace and stability. Japan must strictly adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" and its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, truly reflect on its history of aggression, and completely sever ties with militarism. All peace-loving countries and peoples have the responsibility and the duty to join hands, resolutely block any dangerous moves to revive Japanese militarism, and jointly safeguard the fruits of victory in World War II, jointly safeguard the nuclear non-proliferation system, and jointly safeguard international peace and security.
(The author is a researcher at the China Institute of Nuclear Industry Strategy.)
By: 本报记者 颜 欢
"All parties should strengthen dialogue and cooperation, so that the fruits of AI development benefit more people." In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Rafif Srour, Program Director of the School of Science and Technology at IE University in Spain and an expert in data science and artificial intelligence, stated that the risks and challenges brought by the rapid development of AI require joint responses from all countries. At present, AI governance is moving from discussing broad ethical principles toward a more specific and pragmatic stage; the focus of international discussion is gradually shifting toward how to carry out testing and evaluation, enhance transparency, improve risk classification and data governance mechanisms, as well as build accountability systems and address the impact of AI on society.
Srour said that China clearly regards AI as one of the important driving forces for development and has become a major participant in the global field of AI foundation models. AI is being integrated into multiple areas in China, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, transportation, public services, and scientific research. Chinese enterprises and research teams constitute a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and their efficient and rigorous engineering practices as well as their efforts to promote the inclusive development of AI have drawn attention from the international community. At the same time, China has issued regulations such as the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services (生成式人工智能服务管理暂行办法) and has put forward a series of initiatives regarding AI ethics, safety, and international cooperation, "demonstrating not only speed and scale in the development of the AI ecosystem but also governing AI in a responsible manner."
Srour believes that China's ability to play a major role in global AI governance is largely due to its rich practical experience accumulated in the large-scale deployment of AI. "Governance cannot be built solely on theoretical foundations; it also needs to be tested against real applications, real users, and real social impact." In her view, China's emphasis on the inclusive development of AI is equally significant. Srour said that if advanced models, computing power, data, and talent resources are concentrated only in the hands of a few economies, AI may further widen the development gap between countries. China places importance on capacity building and international cooperation, paying particular attention to moving forward hand in hand with developing countries.
Srour stated that cooperation does not necessarily mean having the same political systems or regulatory frameworks, but rather identifying shared priorities in areas of common concern and working together on issues that truly matter. AI has enormous potential in addressing global challenges and can play a positive role in fields such as climate simulation, energy system optimization, healthcare, drug development, education, and disaster prevention. Europe has made considerable explorations in basic research and regulatory governance of AI, while China has clear advantages in application scenarios, data scale, infrastructure, and rapid deployment. Cooperation between the two sides will better create public value. Srour believes that universities in Europe and China can continuously expand the scope of cooperation in the AI field through joint research, student exchanges, doctoral training networks, and the co-development of courses on responsible AI.
Return to TopThis newspaper, Manila, July 22 (Reporter Fan Fan (樊帆)) – The China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held on the 22nd in Manila, Philippines. Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the meeting with Muhammad, Foreign Minister of Malaysia, the coordinating country for China-ASEAN relations. Foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretary-General attended.
Wang Yi stated that this year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Under the joint strategic guidance of leaders of both sides, China-ASEAN cooperation has moved ahead, proceeded steadily, and progressed rapidly, yielding fruitful results, benefiting over 2 billion people of both sides, and further solidifying the foundation for building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. The course of development of China-ASEAN relations shows that mutual respect and mutual trust are the foundation of good neighborliness; treating each other with sincerity is the way of coexistence; cooperation and win-win are the basis for achieving success; openness and inclusiveness are the key to prosperity. These are all valuable experiences worth continuing to carry forward.
Wang Yi stated that China has just solemnly commemorated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Over the past 105 years, the Communist Party of China has united and led over 1.4 billion Chinese people in unremitting struggle, creating great achievements that have attracted worldwide attention, greatly promoting the progress of human civilization, and profoundly changing the development pattern of the world. Facing successive global challenges, President Xi Jinping has put forward the major concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind (人类命运共同体) and four major global initiatives, aiming to follow the trend of peaceful development of the times, address the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance, and promote the building of a more just and reasonable global governance system. China is willing to adhere to the principles of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win with ASEAN, benefit the people of all countries in the region with closer cooperation, respond to emerging challenges and uncertainties with firmer unity, continuously advance the joint construction of the "five major homes" (五大家园), and make China-ASEAN cooperation continue to be the engine of Asia's development and revitalization, the model of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, and the benchmark for the unity and self-reliance of the Global South, injecting lasting stability, prosperity, and goodness into a turbulent and changing world.
Wang Yi put forward four suggestions:
First, maintain the regional peace and development environment. Take the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (东南亚友好合作条约) as an opportunity, promote the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, resolutely oppose external unreasonable interference, resist the construction of exclusive "small circles," reject the provocation of bloc confrontation, and never allow militarism to rise again.
Second, enhance regional development resilience. Adhere to open cooperation, deepen development integration, build the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 (中国—东盟自贸区3.0版) well, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (区域全面经济伙伴关系协定) with high quality, and enhance regional food and energy security and supply chain stability.
Third, promote innovative and green development. Expand cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, and submarine cables, explore docking with the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (东盟数字经济框架协议), and accelerate cooperation in areas such as climate change response, clean energy, green agriculture, and blue economy.
Fourth, adhere to the people-centered approach. Promote inclusive and universal development, make the achievements of China-ASEAN cooperation tangible and accessible, and better benefit the people of all countries. China is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN in areas such as poverty reduction, public health, education, youth, think tanks, tourism, media, and culture.
Wang Yi also elaborated on China's principled position on the South China Sea issue, stating that the South China Sea is our common home. China and ASEAN countries have the wisdom and ability to continue handling the South China Sea issue well, making peace, stability, cooperation, and friendship the mainstream narrative of the South China Sea. Regional countries should strictly abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (南海各方行为宣言), while resisting external forces' fanning of flames, opposing individual countries' using the sea to create trouble, and firmly grasping the initiative in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea in their own hands. Currently, we face an important time window to reach the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" (南海行为准则), and we must seize the opportunity, eliminate interference, and strive to achieve the goal.
All parties highly appraised the fruitful results achieved in the five years since the establishment of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, unanimously stating that China is one of ASEAN's most important friendly neighbors and dialogue partners, and also ASEAN's largest trading partner. The relationship between ASEAN and China is the most dynamic and effective, bringing tangible and accessible benefits to the people of all countries. All ASEAN parties support the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the four major global initiatives proposed by China, congratulate China on successfully hosting the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (世界人工智能大会) and establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (世界人工智能合作组织), and highly appreciate China's support for ASEAN community building and ASEAN's central position in the regional architecture. Facing the turbulent international situation, ASEAN countries expect to strengthen strategic alignment with China, enhance their own development resilience, promote high-quality connectivity, build the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 well, deepen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, investment, digital economy, artificial intelligence, climate change, clean energy, combating cross-border crime, promote people-to-people exchanges, and further consolidate the foundation of public opinion. All parties look forward to reaching the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" as soon as possible within the year, jointly maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. They are willing to work with China to uphold multilateralism, address global challenges, and make the ASEAN-China relationship a stable force for regional peace and development and a benchmark for dialogue partners.
The meeting adopted the Joint Statement of the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers on Addressing the Impact of the Evolution of the Middle East Situation on the Region and Strengthening Regional Energy Cooperation.
During the meeting, Wang Yi also met with foreign ministers of relevant countries.
Return to TopThis newspaper’s Manila, July 22 dispatch (Reporter Fan Fan (樊帆)) — Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Philippine Foreign Secretary Lazaro upon request on the 22nd in Manila on the sidelines of the East Asia Cooperation series foreign ministers’ meetings, expounded China’s solemn position to the Philippine side, and expressed strong protest against the crude act of Philippine personnel ramming Chinese law-enforcement vessels at Ren’ai Reef (仁爱礁).
Wang Yi stated that over the past few years, China-Philippines relations have continuously faced difficulties and challenges, which clearly do not serve the interests of either side and are especially detrimental to the Philippines’ own development. Facing a world of turbulence and transformation, we should have jointly safeguarded the hard-won peace and development situation in this region, but the Philippines’ approach runs counter to (bèi dào ér chí - “run in the opposite direction,” to act in opposition to what is expected) the practices of other regional countries, becoming a source of disturbance to regional peace and stability. Facts have proven that allowing external forces to interfere and intervene, and deliberately stoking and expanding maritime differences, will only result in being used as a tool. If one attempts to provoke incidents by relying on external countries, in the end one can only swallow the bitter fruit one has brewed. Regrettably, whenever China and the Philippines are about to hold dialogue, certain forces within the Philippines, especially some elements in the military and police departments, deliberately create incidents to disrupt the advancement of dialogue. At present, China-Philippines relations stand at a crossroads; where to go (hé qù hé cóng - “where to go, what to follow,” a decision on which direction to take) requires the Philippines to make a correct and rational choice.
Wang Yi emphasized that China has never been a security threat to the Philippines, and has never invaded or colonized the Philippines in history. The existence of territorial and maritime delimitation disputes between China and the Philippines is an objective fact. China has always been committed to managing differences and stabilizing the situation through bilateral dialogue and consultation. However, the Philippine side has deviated from the bilateral negotiation channel, and, instigated by external forces, has set up a makeshift “arbitral tribunal” — a makeshift troupe — to fabricate and hype up the illegal and invalid so-called “award,” which China has never accepted, never participated in, and will certainly not recognize. The Philippine side should immediately cease its provocative actions on maritime issues, abide by its commitments made to China so far, and make tangible efforts to stabilize bilateral relations.
Lazaro stated that the Philippines consistently adheres to the One-China policy, fulfills the commitments made at the establishment of diplomatic relations, that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Philippine side hopes to find a proper resolution to maritime issues through dialogue and strive for the improvement of bilateral relations.
Return to TopOn July 22, Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs led by Chair David McAllister. The two sides held in-depth exchanges of views on jointly implementing the consensus of leaders of both sides, strengthening communication and dialogue, and promoting the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations.
Return to TopXinhua News Agency, United Nations, July 21 - The first meeting of the UN Global Cybersecurity Standing Mechanism (联合国全球网络安全常设机制) was held from July 20 to 24 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Chinese delegation submitted to the global mechanism the Position Paper of the People's Republic of China on Global Cyber Governance in the Digital Intelligence Era (《中国关于数智时代全球网络治理的立场文件》). Following cyber sovereignty (网络主权), China has now put forward the important principle of digital sovereignty (数字主权), which is the latest move by China to implement the Global Governance Initiative (全球治理倡议) and promote the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace (网络空间命运共同体).
The document emphasizes that, in order to maintain peace and stability, all countries should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in cyberspace; it advocates respecting digital sovereignty and jointly promoting inclusive and beneficial development, with the right of each country to independently choose, based on its national conditions, the development path for digital intelligence technologies including artificial intelligence, the right to independently choose artificial intelligence technologies, products, and services, and that they should not be coerced into taking sides; it reiterates adherence to multilateralism, effectively addressing the risks posed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to cybersecurity, and formulating new international cyber rules in step with the times.
The head of the Chinese delegation, the coordinator for network and digital affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部网络和数字事务协调员), comprehensively introduced the Chinese position paper during the global mechanism meeting.
Return to TopOur newspaper, Beijing, July 22 (Reporter Wang Li (王莉)). The Global Civilization Research Institute (全球文明研究院), a high-end comprehensive academic platform established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was inaugurated in Beijing on the 22nd. The Global Civilization Research Institute aims to deeply implement the Global Civilization Initiative (全球文明倡议), conduct multidisciplinary and cross-integrated research on global civilization, continuously enhance the international influence of Chinese civilization, accelerate the construction of China's independent knowledge system of global civilization, and provide an ideological foundation and intellectual support for deepening civilizational exchange and mutual learning, consolidating consensus on global cooperation, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind (人类命运共同体).
It is reported that after the establishment of the Global Civilization Research Institute, it will mainly focus on key areas such as new forms of human civilization, foundational theories of civilization, history of civilization, comparative civilization, artificial intelligence and the development of global civilization, and will continuously produce high-quality research成果 that are strategic, forward-looking, and practically targeted. At the same time, the Global Civilization Research Institute will be committed to building a global network for academic dialogue and cooperation on civilization, creating a high-level international academic exchange platform, and promoting the formation of a joint force in global civilization research.
Return to TopThis newspaper Manila, July 22 (reporter Fan Fan (樊帆)) Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with US Secretary of State Rubio in Manila on the 22nd.
Wang Yi stated, this year is a “big year” for China-US relations. The heads of state of the two countries successfully held a historic meeting in Beijing, defining the positioning of a constructive strategic stable relationship (建设性战略稳定关系) between China and the US, and putting forward the direction for the joint efforts of both sides. This is important progress made by the two major countries, China and the US, on the road of exploring peaceful coexistence, which conforms to the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and meets the common expectations of the international community. Now our responsibility is to, along the track set by the heads of state of the two countries, eliminate interference, overcome obstacles, ensure that the consensus of the leaders is transformed into consensus and action across the entire government and in all fields, use the strategic stability of China and the US to promote world peace and tranquility, and use the constructive interaction between China and the US to provide important impetus for international cooperation. Wang Yi also stated China’s solemn position on the recent series of negative words and actions by the US side, demanding that the US side respect China’s core interests, adhere to the One-China principle, effectively manage contradictions and differences, address China’s legitimate concerns, and let the year of opportunity for China-US relations shine into reality.
The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional hot-spot issues.
The two sides believed that this meeting was pragmatic, positive, and constructive, and agreed to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, play the role of political and diplomatic channels, prepare well for the next phase of high-level exchanges, and promote substantive progress in the China-US constructive strategic stable relationship.
Return to TopThis newspaper Beijing, July 22 (Reporter Zhang Guangzheng (张光政)). The China-Uzbekistan Think Tank Forum, themed "China and Uzbekistan: Strategic Alignment and High-Quality Development," was held in Beijing on the 22nd. The forum was co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, the Uzbekistan Center for Strategic Development, and the Uzbekistan Embassy in China. More than 50 participants, including think tank experts, diplomats, and media representatives from China and Uzbekistan, attended the forum to discuss topics such as the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the "Uzbekistan - 2030" strategy and China-Uzbekistan relations.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 史一棋
On July 22, the State Council Information Office (国务院新闻办) held a press conference themed "Strivers on the New Journey" (新征程上的奋斗者) for Chinese and foreign journalists, inviting one representative recipient of the July 1 Medal (七一勋章) and four representatives of the national Two Excellences and One First (两优一先) to meet and exchange views with Chinese and foreign reporters around the theme "Carry forward excellent qualities, persevere in struggle, and create new achievements worthy of the times and the people."
"Having worked at the grassroots for 38 years, I have witnessed the happy lives of the masses rise step by step, from quantitative change to qualitative change. In this process, I have personally felt that the masses' feelings toward the Party are growing deeper and deeper," said Ma Shanxiang (马善祥), the representative recipient of the July 1 Medal, a retired cadre of the Guanyinqiao Subdistrict Office in Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, and head of the Old Ma Workshop (老马工作室).
Receiving over 20,000 visits from the masses, mediating more than 2,500 disputes, and developing the Old Ma Work Method (老马工作法) — this is Ma Shanxiang's grassroots work "report card."
Once, Ma Shanxiang helped a 76-year-old elderly person solve a problem. The elderly person was very happy and said to him, "Old Ma, now that the country is so good and life is so good, if I don't live to be 100, I would be letting down our Party!"
"This elderly person attributed his good days to the Party's leadership, truly reflecting the deep feelings of grassroots masses toward the Party," Ma Shanxiang said. "While enjoying a good life, the masses always have a sentiment: gratitude for the Party's leadership!"
Also engaged in grassroots work, Zhao Naixiang (赵耐香), a representative of the national Advanced Primary-level Party Organization (全国先进基层党组织), Party secretary of the Changcheng Huayuan Community Party Committee and director of the Neighborhood Committee on Changcheng Middle Road Street in Jinfeng District, Yinchuan City, Ningxia, works in a large multi-ethnic community where, among nearly 20,000 residents, ethnic minorities account for 38%.
In order to accommodate the living habits of people from different ethnic groups and promote ethnic unity, Zhao Naixiang organizes a Thousand-Household Feast (千家宴) on every traditional festival, where each household brings one dish. "Everyone sits together savoring food and chatting, melting away estrangement and deepening feelings, clinging together tightly like pomegranate seeds," Zhao Naixiang said.
Changcheng Huayuan Community has formed 23 volunteer teams, including the Warmth Group (暖暖团) mutual aid association that helps young people find partners, the Hug Group (抱抱团) mutual aid association that cares for ill residents, and the Veterans Self-Help Group (老兵自助团) volunteer team that ensures safety. "Grassroots governance cannot be achieved without the broad participation of the masses. We organize Party members and let the masses get involved, so everyone's life gets better and better," Zhao Naixiang said.
At the press conference, Liang Yan (梁琰), a representative of the national Outstanding Communist Party Member (全国优秀共产党员) and full-time deputy secretary of the Party branch of the Anyang Special Education School in Henan Province, displayed oracle bone script porcelain carving works made by hearing-impaired students of the school, which read: 自强不息 (zì qiáng bù xī - "self-strengthening without ceasing") and 厚德载物 (hòu dé zài wù - "great virtue bears all things").
"Special education is a project of conscience. For many years we have adhered to teaching students according to their aptitude, tailoring personalized growth plans for children, implementing a teaching model of 'main subjects plus special skills,' and launching 14 special-interest clubs including dance, drum music, and porcelain carving." The oracle bone script works in Liang Yan's hands came from the porcelain carving club.
"Not one can be left behind; each must shine" — this is the educational philosophy Liang Yan has always held. She treats her students as her own children and cares for them with devotion.
Zhong Baijun (钟佰均), a representative of the national Advanced Primary-level Party Organization and Party secretary and village director of Xijidang Village, Zhewang Town, Ganyu District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, when he returned to the village in 1998 to serve as village Party branch secretary, faced a passive situation where the village collective was in debt, there was no industry, and villagers could only rely on the land to make a living.
Zhong Baijun was determined to make changes. He insisted on adapting measures to local conditions, leveraging the local advantages of being near the sea and having abundant discarded fishing net resources to develop nylon pellet reprocessing. As more and more small workshops emerged, in 2016, the village collective invested 120 million yuan to establish a company, with villagers buying shares, and the pace of development continued to accelerate.
"We have built a model of 'Party branch + industrial chain + leading enterprises.' Party members in the village play a vanguard and exemplary role, with those who get rich first helping those who get rich later," Zhong Baijun said. The village's total industrial output value last year was 2.5 billion yuan, and the village collective's operating income was nearly 15 million yuan. "With the collective economy growing stronger, we have also promoted the renovation of rural housing, free medical care for villagers, and built a free cafeteria for the elderly, leading our fellow villagers to make life better and better."
In order to better rally the new employment groups around the Party organization, Wang Kehao (王柯皓), a representative of the national Outstanding Party Worker (全国优秀党务工作者), Party branch secretary of the Little Bull Brother · Pioneer Rider (小牛哥·先锋车手) volunteer service team in Niushikou Subdistrict, Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and manager of the Chengyi branch of the Chengdu Operations Center of Chongqing Newspaper Distribution and Logistics Co., Ltd., after the Party branch was established in 2021, coordinated with the community to guide delivery workers and couriers to proactively show their Party membership identity in work and life and actively report to the Party organization. The Party branch also, through rider recommendations and other methods, cultivated outstanding riders with high political literacy, good work performance, and strong public recognition as Party membership applicants, conducting one-on-one contact and training.
Through Wang Kehao's unremitting efforts, the Party branch has grown from only three Party members at its inception to the current 13 Party members, and the volunteer service team members have increased to over 700. In recent years, the Party branch has cumulatively reported over 1,000 pieces of information on grassroots social governance, taken on more than 850 volunteer service projects such as Love Errands (爱心跑腿), and assisted special hardship groups more than 2,000 person-times.
"The 'Little Bull Brothers' of the Party branch 'run with heart, mission must be achieved' in their work, charging to the front line with the posture of runners, unremittingly striving!" Wang Kehao said.
Return to TopKUNMING, July 22 (Xinhua) — On July 22, the Central Office for Cultural and Ethical Progress (中央精神文明建设办公室) held the launch ceremony for the 2026 “Civilized China” (文明中国) themed interview and reporting campaign in Kunming, Yunnan Province.
The themed interviews will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, organize journalists to follow General Secretary Xi Jinping’s “cultural footprint,” deeply comprehend the vivid scene of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture (习近平文化思想) uniting hearts and forging souls at the grassroots level, and, through immersive and investigative interviews, use small entry points and multiple perspectives to publicize and report on the uplifting demeanor of the broad masses of cadres and the people as they bear in mind instructions and press forward with gratitude, colorfully present the myriad scenes of “Civilized China,” and fully manifest the gratifying situation of high-quality development in the construction of spiritual civilization in the new era.
The event released the typical case of the “Yunnan-Revitalizing, Border-Nourishing New Era Civilized Practice Belt” (兴滇润边新时代文明实践带), using methods such as story-telling, multimedia exhibitions, and scenario recreations to intuitively demonstrate the practical achievements Yunnan has made by integrating spiritual civilization construction deeply with rural revitalization and ethnic unity, combining the characteristics of a border ethnic region, thereby providing fresh experience for innovative work. The event also launched a newly upgraded “Civilized China” client, further telling good civilization stories and enhancing the effectiveness of civilization dissemination.
It is reported that after the first stop of this year’s “Civilized China” themed interviews in Yunnan, the reporting team will go to various places, using methods such as exclusive interviews, live broadcasts, and integrated media products to carry out in-depth reporting on results display, experience mining, and case investigation. The activity will continue until the end of November, linking with the “Civilization+” matrix for extensive dissemination, creating a strong public opinion atmosphere.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 卞民德 徐驭尧 琼达卓嘎
“It has sprouted!”
A few willow saplings, less than half a meter tall, cautiously pushed out tender shoots. 38-year-old Dorji Wangchuk (多吉旺久) crouched down, gently lifted the protective film, and a smile spread across his dark, weathered face.
This is Pumajiangtang Township (普玛江塘乡), Langkazi County (浪卡子县), Shannan City (山南市), Tibet. With an average elevation of 5,373 meters, an oxygen content in the air less than 40% of that at sea level, and a winter that lasts nine months, it is the highest administrative township in the country.
Looking around, the tender green willow saplings are actually the tallest plants growing here.
Even more striking than the willow saplings is the bright red Party flag. For more than half a century, the Party committee of Pumajiangtang Township has worked year after year, wholeheartedly for the masses, forging a strong combat fortress at the top of the world.
“All officials, especially those in Tibet, should carry forward the ‘Old Tibet Spirit’ (老西藏精神), which means being short of oxygen but not of spirit, enduring hardship but not fearing hardship, and having a higher realm at a higher altitude. In their work, they must constantly strengthen their sense of responsibility and mission, enhance their capabilities, and temper their work style.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s earnest instructions have become the driving force for the Party members and officials of Pumajiangtang Township.
As the township Party secretary, Dorji Wangchuk feels increasingly that the burden on his shoulders is as heavy as a thousand jun. “We must bear in mind the instructions, work hard and act with determination, and be the backbone and intimate confidant of the masses.”
With the Party flag flying high, the people of Pumajiangtang are more united and their outlook is renewed.
Responsibility: Tempering Party Spirit in an Extreme Environment
“Take a quick breath of oxygen; your lips are turning purple.” When he ran into Yang Song (杨松), Dorji Wangchuk quickly reminded him.
Underfoot, ice and snow creaked and cracked. After taking a few steps, one had to stop and catch one’s breath. Yang Song, a township Party committee official, had only recently arrived in Pumajiangtang and was suffering from severe altitude sickness.
Even for someone born and raised in Tibet, when Dorji Wangchuk first came to Pumajiangtang, he also had headaches so bad he couldn’t sleep. “Facing an extreme environment, you cannot relax the spirit inside,” Dorji Wangchuk said. “If Party members and officials can’t endure this hardship, how can they lead the masses?”
With a total area of 1,511 square kilometers, 280 households, and 1,093 people, Pumajiangtang is sparsely populated. What can rally the people?
A strong and capable team of Party members and officials is an important guarantee for getting things done. The 274 Party members across the township think together with the masses and work together with them.
In the more than three years since he came to Pumajiangtang, Dorji Wangchuk has led township officials to visit every grazing point and border mountain pass in the township — they have been to the windiest places, stayed in the highest-elevation villages, and kept watch through the harshest winter nights.
Not long ago, there was an elderly person living alone in Xiasuo Village (下索村) who needed to go to Lhasa for medical treatment and had no one to accompany him. When the village women’s director Guisang Quzhu (贵桑曲珠) learned of this, without a second word she left her two children in the care of family members and accompanied the elderly person to Lhasa for treatment, staying until the person recovered.
Someone asked her: “What are you after?”
“I am a Party member. If the masses have difficulties, if I don’t help, who will?” Guisang Quzhu was very resolute.
“Here, being a Party member is synonymous with taking responsibility,” said Side Dorji (斯德多吉), the Party branch secretary of Xiasuo Village. “In the past two years, an average of six or seven people in our village have applied to join the Party each year.”
Today, Pumajiangtang has achieved village access to water, electricity, roads, and networks, as well as full coverage of oxygen supply and heating. The masses have moved into spacious and comfortable small buildings, and their lives have undergone tremendous changes.
Cheng Xiang (程祥), 27, came to work in Pumajiangtang after graduating from university. Last year, he submitted his Party membership application and became a probationary Party member.
“Serving the masses, helping the masses — that is our meaning here.” Cheng Xiang has always kept in mind these words of his Party introducer.
Practical Work: Bringing Benefits to the People Through Continuous Struggle
Officials in Pumajiangtang typically rotate every three years. But when it comes to getting things done, no one focuses only on their own term in office.
Yang Tongbo (杨同波), a former township Party secretary, after taking office in 2021, promoted full coverage of oxygen supply and heating across the township, and had equipment installed for each household free of charge. The funds were finally secured, and the preliminary work was just getting started when his term ended.
Some worried: “It might become a ‘half-finished project’.”
In September 2025, Dorji Wangchuk succeeded him as township Party secretary, giving the masses a “reassurance pill”: full coverage of oxygen supply and heating remains a key task of the township Party committee.
“We will not ‘flip the flatbread’ on policies, but will wholeheartedly turn good things into well-done things and practical things into solidly accomplished things,” Dorji Wangchuk said. “Whether our work is good or not depends on whether the masses have benefited.”
To ensure continuity of work institutionally, the Langkazi County Party Committee, based on the actual situation, implements a phased adjustment and staggered handover for officials in Pumajiangtang, taking into account factors such as length of service and physical condition to advance in echelons.
Being in an extreme environment is exceptionally difficult, but in the dictionary of Pumajiangtang’s Party members and officials, there is never the word “lying flat.”
Shakong Village (沙空村) is plagued by year-round wind and sand, with harsh natural conditions. To improve the lives of the masses, the township Party committee sought funds from various sources to “upgrade” the people’s welfare. On the basis of the previous full coverage of oxygen supply and heating, they renovated one “Healthy Cabin” per household, installing air-source heat pump fan heaters and diffuse oxygen generators. Some villagers had concerns when they heard that structural changes would be made to their houses.
Party members set an example, acting as the intimate confidants of the masses.
Gongzha (贡扎), the Party branch secretary of Shakong Village, brought in a construction team and started work in his own courtyard, taking the lead in “setting a sample” for the villagers. “Come to my house and see for yourselves.” After it was completed, Gongzha went door to door inviting the villagers. “Look, just turn the switch and oxygen comes out.”
The villagers’ worries were put to rest. Before winter last year, every household had a “Healthy Cabin.”
“The cabin has plenty of oxygen, it’s so comfortable, I can’t even describe it.” After moving into the “Healthy Cabin,” Cuomu (措姆), a 62-year-old villager from Shakong, said with emotion, “The village officials are very good to us; they always have us in their hearts!”
Putting Down Roots: Realizing Value Through Ordinary Persistence
Where does the flower of youth bloom?
Having been in Pumajiangtang for more than two years, 28-year-old Wu Hui (武慧) has a clearer answer in her mind. In 2024, together with Li Hongyan (李红炎) and Li Tianjiao (李天娇), she became one of the first group of female police officers at the Pumajiangtang Police Station.
Going from village to village and household to household, learning from the veterans how to serve the masses; on border patrol routes, stepping along ice crevices to inspect; at times of confusion, receiving warm care and help… In the past two years plus, the three female police officers have put down roots in this “life-forbidden zone” (生命禁区), guarding a 1,511-square-kilometer border jurisdiction and a 25-kilometer border line together with their colleagues. “The flower of youth should bloom in the places where the motherland and the people need it most,” Wu Hui said.
On the plateau, the scarcest thing is oxygen; the most precious thing is spirit.
At the Pumajiangtang Border Red Education Base, the simple exhibits — from physical “dugout shelters” (地窝子) to models of straw-brick houses, and then to photos of comfortable houses and well-off homes — outline decades of tremendous change.
On the visitor message board, one tourist wrote: Above the clouds, I have seen the power of perseverance.
Zhang Zhengqiu (张拯球), a member of the township Party committee’s United Front work, came to Tibet after graduating from university in 2019, and in 2023 he voluntarily requested a transfer to Pumajiangtang. “While I’m young, I want to come and gain experience.”
From a village-based team member to a united front committee member, Zhang Zhengqiu’s role has changed, and his thinking has also changed. “I feel more and more the extraordinary nature of this land, and I understand more deeply the necessity of firming up ideals and convictions and supplementing the calcium of the spirit.”
“Working here, the power of the spirit is extremely precious,” said Luo Yun (罗云), the secretary of the Langkazi County Party Committee. “Generations of Party members and officials have kept in mind the original aspiration and mission, carried forward the ‘Old Tibet Spirit,’ and continuously created new achievements, shaping Pumajiangtang’s present.”
As we were leaving, those few willow saplings came into view again. They are very short, with branches only as thick as chopsticks. But they grow on the 5,373-meter-high plateau, towering over many giant trees on the plains.
“We put down roots here so that the masses’ lives will get better and better,” Dorji Wangchuk said.
In the distance, the Party flag flutters in the wind.
Beijing, July 22 (Reported by Fan Jiayuan) — Approved by the State Council, the General Administration of Sport of China (国家体育总局) recently released the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for Building a Sports Powerhouse (体育强国建设“十五五”规划). This is the first national-level special plan with "sports powerhouse" as its theme, making systematic arrangements for accelerating the construction of a sports powerhouse and promoting high-quality development of sports during the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan period.
The plan proposes that by 2030, the overall quality and efficiency of sports development will be significantly improved, its comprehensive value and multiple functions will be fully manifested, and the foundation for sports to become a more solid symbol of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be strengthened. It sets five main development indicators: per capita sports venue area reaches about 4 square meters, the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise reaches about 40%, the national physical fitness excellence rate reaches 31.1%, the number of world championships won ranks among the top, and the total scale of the sports industry exceeds 7 trillion yuan.
The full text of the plan consists of 11 parts, divided into three major sections: general introduction, key tasks, and safeguard measures. It puts forward 38 key tasks covering the areas of National Fitness, competitive sports, youth sports, the "three major ball sports" (三大球), the sports industry, sports culture, sports exchanges with foreign countries and with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as sports education, science and technology, personnel, rule of law, anti-doping, and safety. The plan is equipped with eight featured projects, involving key fields such as venue and facility construction, sports event layout, training base upgrade, reserve talent cultivation, sports science and technology innovation, and sports personnel cultivation.
The plan requires upholding and strengthening the Party's leadership over sports work, integrating the Party's leadership throughout the entire process of plan implementation. Local people's governments at all levels shall fulfill their main responsibilities, improve and perfect mechanisms for overall coordination, acceptance and implementation, and supervision and guarantee. The General Administration of Sport of China shall, together with relevant departments, strengthen overall guidance and coordinated support, promote effective integration of plan implementation with annual work plans, and carry out dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, and summary evaluation of plan implementation.
(Relevant coverage see Page 11)
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Reporter Liu Wenxin (刘温馨)) — On the morning of July 22, the Office of the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (国家防总办公室) and the Ministry of Emergency Management (应急管理部) organized a multi-department joint consultation to study the development trend of rainfall and flood conditions, and to deploy measures for the prevention and response to heavy rainfall as well as flood control and disaster relief in key areas.
The consultation pointed out that currently, nationwide rainfall is characterized by wide coverage, strong localized intensity, and scattered occurrences. Some rainfall areas overlap heavily with earlier periods, water levels in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in certain locations are on the high side, and soil moisture content is saturated. The risks of small-to-medium river flooding, flash floods, and geological disasters are relatively high. In addition, the 12th typhoon of this year is about to form and will later affect the South China region of our country, making the situation for flood control and typhoon prevention complex and severe.
The consultation emphasized that continued efforts must be made to defend against river floods, ensure the supply of materials and input of forces, and carry out high-frequency patrols of reservoirs, dams, and embankments by combining both point and area approaches. Areas such as Guangdong and Guangxi must, based on the worst-case scenario of a direct typhoon landfall, make all preparatory work for typhoon prevention well in advance. It is necessary to strictly guard against flash floods and geological disasters, implement the pre-disaster warning "hailing" mechanism (临灾预警‘叫应’机制) and the linked warning-response mechanism, and organize the transfer of threatened personnel in accordance with the requirements of the five key links (五个关键环节) and the four always (四个一律). Efforts must be made to effectively prevent and respond to severe convective weather, strengthen forecasting and warning, increase the frequency of consultation and judgment, and step up linked response and safety control.
Return to TopFor days, the workers of the 22nd Regiment of the Second Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have been seizing the farming window to replow and reseed the fields after the wheat harvest, providing high-quality and sufficient overwintering silage forage for local livestock farmers. The photo shows farm workers conducting reseeding operations on July 22. Photo by Xie Jianglin (Image China).
Return to TopBy: 本报评论员
The foundation for building a strong education nation lies in basic education.
"Fully implement the Party's education policy, fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing talent" and "continuously create a new situation for high-quality development of basic education" — General Secretary Xi Jinping recently issued important directives on basic education work, pointing the direction for doing a good job in basic education on the new journey of the new era.
On July 22, the National Conference on Basic Education was held in Beijing, making specific work arrangements for China's basic education.
Basic education occupies a foundational and leading position in the national education system. The more solidly basic education is handled, the more stable the pace of building a strong education nation and the greater its staying power.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to basic education and put forward clear requirements, emphasizing "strive to make China's basic education better and better," providing scientific guidance for the development of basic education.
He emphasized building a solid foundation of ideals and a tower of beliefs for students, pointing out "basic education is a cause of fostering virtue and nurturing talent, and must unequivocally strengthen ideological and political education and moral education";
He cared about the healthy growth and all-round development of children and teenagers, stressing "establish the education concept of health first, open and fully offer physical education classes";
He promoted solving prominent issues in the education field, specifying "in the 'double reduction' of education, do a good job of adding science education" ...
These ideas have taken root, transforming into vivid practices of successive policy introductions and joint management by all parties, adopting multiple measures to promote substantial development of basic education, providing strong support for building a strong education nation.
From "having schools to attend" to "attending good schools," from "education for all" to "excellent education for all," today, the popularization level and talent cultivation level of China's basic education are continuously improving. By the end of 2024, China's basic education has reached the average level of high-income countries in the world.
"China's basic education has advantages in the world; we must strengthen cultural confidence."
This confidence is reflected in the continuously upgraded education equity.
Compulsory education has achieved basic balance in 2,895 county-level regions; the policy of exempting childcare and education fees for the one year before primary school has benefited 14 million children; measures such as teacher exchange and rotation, and group-run schools are continuously narrowing the education gaps between urban and rural areas, regions, and schools... "Striving to enable every child to enjoy fair and quality education" is becoming a reality.
This confidence is rooted in the deep integration of forging the soul and nurturing the heart.
The country has established more than 550 national-level practical teaching bases for "grand ideological and political courses," forming a large number of brands such as "walking ideological and political courses" and "museum-based ideological and political courses"... The Party's innovative theories are continuously entering minds and hearts, and batches of new-era talents are growing robustly.
This confidence comes from the educational practice of all-round development.
"Comprehensive physical activity of 2 hours per day and a 15-minute break between classes for primary and secondary school students" has been deployed and rolled out in all provinces; labor education classes in schools across the country are basically fully offered; actions to immerse schools in aesthetic education are carried out; mental health education is popularized; scientific orientation for education evaluation is established... Reversing the "score-only theory," students have "sweat on their bodies and light in their eyes," developing comprehensively in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education.
Today, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, and Chinese-style modernization has reached a "critical period."
"On the new journey of the new era, we must deeply grasp the demands of Chinese-style modernization for education, science and technology, and talent, and strengthen the supporting role of education for science and technology and talent."
As a "foundational project for improving the quality of the nation," basic education has great potential and can achieve great success in serving the construction of a modernized strong country and serving the all-round development of people.
The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes "improve the education resource allocation mechanism that adapts to demographic changes" and "promote the expansion and quality improvement of basic education."
Deeply grasp the political, people-oriented, and strategic attributes of education; unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge souls and nurture talents; adhere to simultaneously promoting and integrating the five educations; follow the laws of education; adapt to the new situation of economic and social development and the new expectations of the people; implement the deployments of the National Conference on Basic Education; deeply promote the high-quality development of basic education; then we will surely jointly lift up the future of hundreds of millions of children and truly make China's basic education better and better.
Education is a great plan for the country and a great plan for the Party; basic education affects millions of households and is a cause for the whole society. On the new journey, by providing high-quality basic education and leveraging the "foundation" to drive the overall leap of the education of a large country, we will surely better use the power of education to cultivate the root of people's happiness, and use the strength of education to consolidate the foundation of national prosperity and strength.
Return to TopSnow-capped mountains tower. In Xiaojin County (小金县), Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in front of the Dawei Meeting Bridge, a guide is explaining to students on a study tour: "In June 1935, the Central Red Army crossed Jiajin Mountain and held a victorious meeting with a unit of the Fourth Front Army here..." After listening to story after story, Zhang Yuyang, a student at Jiajin Mountain Red Army Primary School, voluntarily signed up to become a "little guide."
Aba is a piece of red land. From April 1935 to August 1936, the three main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army — the First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies — moved through and stayed in Aba for 16 months, crossing dozens of permanently snow-covered high-cold mountains including Jiajin Mountain, traversing the grasslands three times, and leaving behind red stories such as Seven Matches (七根火柴 - "seven matches") and Golden Fishhook (金色鱼钩 - "golden fishhook") that etch those eventful years.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The Long March is always on the road. A nation that does not remember its path is a nation without a way out. No matter to what stage our cause develops, no matter what achievements we have made, we must vigorously promote the great Long March spirit and continue to advance courageously on the new Long March."
To walk the new Long March well, Aba Prefecture deeply cultivates its red resources and tells red stories well: the prefecture has built 5 red-themed museums (memorial halls) and 78 Long March memorial facilities; compiled more than 50 local Party history study textbooks such as The Red Army's Long March in Aba (红军长征在阿坝), and released over 160 oral history documentaries including Youth on the Snowy Plateau (雪域青春) and Red over the Qiang Mountains (羌山红遍), continuously enhancing the communication power of red culture.
On the Red Army trail at Five-Curve Bend on Jiajin Mountain, one retraces the marching route; at the site of the Lianghekou Meeting, one simulates the meeting scene... In recent years, Aba Prefecture has built 19 red A-level scenic spots and launched 5 classic red tourism routes such as Snowy Mountains and Grasslands · Long March Monument (雪山草地·长征丰碑). In 2025, the prefecture's red tourism received 5.8 million visitors. "Red tourism is becoming a new engine for the development of Aba's tourism industry," said Zhu Bangwen (祝邦文), Vice Governor of Aba Prefecture.
Today, walking across the vast Zoige Wetland (若尔盖湿地), the grass is green like a carpet, lakes and marshes are scattered like a chessboard — the endless grasslands where the Red Army once trudged with difficulty have become a beautiful home for all living things.
As an important water conservation area on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Zoige Wetland once was deeply mired in an ecological crisis of lake desiccation, grassland desertification, and degradation. Fixing on the goal of "windbreak and sand fixation in one year, vegetation restoration in two years, seedling survival in three years, continuous tending in four years, and shrub-grass combination in five years," Aba Prefecture deployed more than 5,000 ecological restoration sites and launched systematic governance.
Frequent wind, sand, rain, and snow, relatively thin oxygen, successive failures in transplanting grass species... On the plateau, restoring the wetland is no easy task.
"Every generation must walk its own Long March. When we feel it is hard and tiring, we think about how the Red Army climbed snowy mountains and crossed grasslands back then, and use that to motivate ourselves," said Tu Sheng (涂胜), a forestry engineer with the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Zoige County. He explained that today, the windblown sand has been "locked down" — since 2021, Zoige has systematically treated a total of 257,200 mu of desertified land, with the comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland reaching over 85%; the wetland has become "moist" — the water area of Flower Lake Wetland has expanded to 650 hectares, and the number of black-necked cranes has increased to nearly 3,000.
The scorching sun blazes, mountain winds blow. In the high mountain valleys of Zamtang County (壤塘县), photovoltaic panels spread out in a continuous sheet, and wind turbines rotate steadily.
"We base ourselves on resource endowment to walk the path of making the county strong through energy," said Zhou Yuhua (周玉华), director of the Development and Reform Bureau of Zamtang County. Since 2023, Zamtang County has conducted a comprehensive survey of its clean energy assets and sent Party members and cadres to study at multiple photovoltaic and wind power project construction sites in various places. Today, Zamtang County's installed clean energy capacity has exceeded 1.08 million kilowatts.
Carrying forward the red lineage, strengthening ecological advantages, and building up green industries, Aba Prefecture is striving to write a new chapter of high-quality development.
Return to TopInterlocutors:
Zhou Shanshan, Commentator of People's Daily
Luo Qun, Deputy Director of the Brand Innovation Center of China Culture Daily
Zhou Shanshan: Not long ago, the National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) joined with eleven provinces and six major platforms to invest over 6 billion yuan in advancing a plan for the creation and dissemination of high-quality micro-dramas, with the goal of guiding the release of a thousand outstanding micro-dramas throughout the year. Given the massive market supply, how can we strengthen awareness of quality works? The "pleasure sensation" (爽感) was the path that brought the industry to where it is today; now, can "texture quality" (质感) increase the rate of audience return?
Luo Qun: As times change and technology innovates, the creative logic and forms of expression of literature and art are constantly being reshaped, yet the Book of Songs and Songs of Chu from thousands of years ago can still move people's hearts today. This shows that the cultural core of thought cognition, aesthetic psychology, and value concepts is precisely the unchanging underlying logic of literary and artistic creation.
No matter how the media form is updated, the audience's expectation that a work be profound in thought, exquisite in artistry, and refined in production has not changed — a good work must show concern for reality, provide comfort to emotions, reflect on life, and care for humanity. Whenever a new form of literature and art appears, people tend to focus more on its "newness" and emphasize its uniqueness, but the general public's universal expectation for high-quality literary and artistic works cannot be ignored either. Every micro-drama that is widely recognized by the market and audience always holds deep reverence for and steadfastly practices the general laws of creating quality works. As the market supply of micro-dramas surges like a blowout (井喷之势), superficial and formulaic "pleasure sensation" is bound to lose momentum and fail to move the audience; only by meticulously polishing "texture quality" can one break through.
Zhou Shanshan: At present, the innovation and creation of micro-dramas are forcing a transformation of the cultural supply system. Compared with long-form videos and cinema films, lightweight audio-visual products represented by micro-dramas — what cultural needs of the audience do they meet, and how are they expanding the channels for public cultural services?
Luo Qun: Micro-dramas are more like a "lightweight buffet" for the audience, catering to the new consumption needs of viewers, especially young people, making people's fragmented time more enjoyable, and giving the audience a strong sense of resonance and immersion.
At the same time, some micro-dramas have expanded the channels for appreciating serious subject matter, allowing cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, and red culture to "break through their circles" through lighthearted plots, playing a positive role in knowledge dissemination and transmission of mainstream values.
It can be said that micro-dramas, using the thinking of internet product production and operation, have influenced and even reconstructed the logic of public cultural supply, bringing culture into daily life, turning more audiences from appreciators into co-creators, and expanding the communication chain from one-way transmission to two-way interaction.
Zhou Shanshan: Data show that the number of AI-generated micro-dramas launched this year has reached 200,000. AI technology has significantly lowered the production threshold and has already penetrated various fields of film and television creation, including long-form dramas, films, and variety shows. In the digital age, what is the irreplaceability of human creation?
Luo Qun: The powerful productivity brought by AI empowerment should not be underestimated, but it should be recognized that the ceiling of the market has never been output volume. While AI can greatly enhance production efficiency, simply stacking up quantity cannot better meet the needs of the audience.
As many industry insiders have pointed out, AI's computing power is beyond human reach, but AI's flaw is its inability to "create something from nothing" (无中生有, wú zhōng shēng yǒu - "to create something out of nothing"), and the originality of "having what others lack" is precisely the core of artistic creation. The creation and appreciation of art is communication and resonance between people, but algorithms cannot generate emotions, and code cannot produce thoughts.
Zhou Shanshan: From the past, when a small number of professional creators dominated content production, to now, when a massive number of amateur creators have taken to the stage via carriers such as short videos and micro-dramas, and a large amount of original content from rural life and everyday urban life reaches the masses through the internet — this ecology of creation involving the whole people is precisely an important characteristic of the new mass literature and art.
Luo Qun: Literature and art moving toward the masses has been an important thread in the development of Chinese literature and art over the past hundred years. If the mass literature and art of the past more often involved organizing the masses to carry out activities, then the new mass literature and art in the internet context carries a stronger sense of initiative and spontaneity — the subjects of creation are more diverse, the social attributes are more pronounced, and creation, production, dissemination, reception, appreciation, and criticism are increasingly integrated, with the boundary between literature/art and daily life growing ever fuzzier. The new mass literature and art is not the opposite of traditional literature and art, but rather a powerful supplement and perfection. Together, the two drive the new-era literature and art to take root among the people and fulfill its cultural mission.
Digital infrastructure, smart devices, and information technology provide the soil for the new mass literature and art, but technology is merely a tool, never the final destination. The most moving aspect of the new mass literature and art is that countless ordinary people, carrying the joys and sorrows of real life and simple ideals and hopes, step onto the literary and artistic stage, endowing amateur creation and daily life with new value, and manifesting the value orientation of "taking the people as the center" (以人民为中心).
Zhou Shanshan: The "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" outline includes the flourishing of new mass literature and art under internet conditions and the development of new cultural formats such as micro-dramas into the top-level design — this is a powerful guide for the logic of cultural production and dissemination. From a user base of 700 million with an average daily usage time exceeding two hours, to the market size surpassing 100 billion yuan in 2025, micro-dramas have grown into a new carrier covering a broad audience. Embedding the awareness of quality works into the genes of creation and letting the masses become the subjects of creation — these are the important lessons that the development of micro-dramas imparts to film and television creation in the digital age, and also the unchanging direction for the new mass literature and art to help build a strong cultural country.
Return to TopBy: 李 拯
From the superposition of strategies to capture opportunities, from regional linkages to find space, from fostering strengths and compensating for weaknesses to strengthen advantages — localities can thus find paths of differentiated development and continuously accumulate momentum for development success.
At the confluence of three rivers, transformation prompts deep reflection. Yibin, Sichuan, once beset by "chemical industries surrounding the river, pollution encircling the city," has now entered the new-energy track. One out of every ten power batteries in the world is made in Yibin. In the first half of this year, the local power battery industry's added value grew 37.8 percent year-on-year, and economic development achieved both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement.
Why was Yibin able to achieve such a butterfly-like transformation?
Viewing this from the perspective of the nation's development as a single chessboard reveals the code of development. As an important fulcrum of the regional economy, Yibin actively participates in the high-quality coordinated development of the automobile industry in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (成渝地区双城经济圈), forming deep industrial chain collaboration with Chengdu and Chongqing. At the same time, based on the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, it makes full use of the Yangtze River golden waterway to reduce logistics costs. By actively integrating into the national regional development strategy, it has consolidated its industrial foundation and accelerated the flow of factors, enabling Yibin to seize the opportunity for transformation and upgrading.
Since the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continuously enriched and improved the concepts, strategies, and policy systems for coordinated regional development, driving the spatial pattern of economic development to expand in depth and breadth. China has gradually built a regional economic layout with clear main functions, complementary advantages, and high-quality development. With the accelerated construction of a unified national market, regions empower each other, triggering new chemical reactions in regional coordinated development and bringing new vitality and new opportunities to local development.
Regional coordination accelerates the free flow of factors and aggregates momentum for innovation. For example, regarding the Yangtze River Delta integration in relation to the Yangtze River Economic Belt: in technological innovation, from cities along the G60 Science and Innovation Corridor jointly building a source of innovation, to Shanghai strengthening its science and technology radiation to cities along the river, a synergistic innovation pattern of "R&D in the Yangtze River Delta, transformation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt" is taking shape more rapidly; in factor mobility, through institutional innovation and industrial undertaking between regions, the Yangtze River Economic Belt's role of "gathering industries and strengthening nodes" has become more prominent. Only when each region is beautiful in its own way, and all are beautiful together, can they synergistically enhance development effectiveness.
Breaking barriers and connecting, remolding locational advantages, expands space for development. For instance, the New Western Land-Sea Corridor (西部陆海新通道) connects the Belt and Road Initiative, turning inland areas into open frontiers and opening up incremental space for hinterlands. Another example is the planning and construction of the Pearl River–Xijiang River Economic Belt, which creates favorable conditions for Wuzhou, Guangxi, to undertake industrial transfer from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区): R&D in Shenzhen, manufacturing in Wuzhou, logistics via Xijiang water transport to the Pearl River Delta for export. This not only activates the development potential of less-developed areas but also opens up new development space for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Building on cross-regional, cross-basin major passages and taking the linked development of urban clusters as a vehicle, advancing the implementation of intra-regional development strategies and inter-regional linked development in a coordinated manner is conducive to bringing into play the superposition effect of strategies.
Looking across the country: Shenzhen, Guangdong, both anchors itself in building the Pilot Demonstration Zone of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (中国特色社会主义先行示范区) to carry out bold reforms, and takes the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Center as an engine to pursue innovation with determination, becoming a national innovation highland; Wuhan, Hubei, relying on the Central China Rise Strategy and the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Strategy, forges its strengths in emerging industrial tracks such as optoelectronic information; Chongqing, by virtue of the New Era Western Development Strategy and the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, enables its new-energy vehicles to sell well overseas… By integrating into the overall national development picture, capturing opportunities from the superposition of strategies, finding space from regional linkages, and strengthening advantages from fostering strengths and compensating for weaknesses, localities can find paths of differentiated development and continuously accumulate momentum for development success.
China's high-quality economic development requires both leveraging the role of key regions as growth poles and enabling cross-regional economic belts to act as 穿针引线 (chuān zhēn yǐn xiàn - "pass the needle, draw the thread," to act as a link or intermediary), threading the warp and weft. Creating conditions for localities to give full play to their comparative advantages, making the growth poles more stable and the circulation corridors smoother, will propel the great ship of China to 劈波斩浪 (pī bō zhǎn làng - "cleave waves, slice through breakers," to forge ahead bravely and resolutely) and advance with unstoppable momentum.
Return to TopBy: 余 璇
【Keywords】 The power of the banner
【Event】 In Guigang, Guangxi, the words "The People's Liberation Army is here" gave peace of mind to teachers and students trapped in floodwaters; in Hengzhou, Nanning, a firefighter assisting an elderly person trapped in chest-deep floodwater, saying "Hold on to me, it's okay," warmed the entire internet. These two simple phrases contain a power that reaches directly into the heart, allowing people to truly feel the inspirational force of that spiritual banner.
【Commentary】
Carrying out the mission with loyalty, bearing the nation and the family with iron shoulders. When storms strike, the vivid red Party flag and military flag are the most reliable guide and the warmest support, rallying a mighty force of 众志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng - "united in purpose like a fortified city," solidarity) and 共克时艰 (gòng kè shí jiān - "jointly overcoming the hardships," pulling together to surmount difficulties).
When the banner is held high, why does it give people confidence and certainty?
Within the banner lies the sincere devotion to putting the people first. Protecting the safety of the people's lives and property is a responsibility that must be shouldered. From flood fighting and emergency rescue to earthquake relief, from emergency response to border defense, wherever danger exists, there are figures moving against the flow; wherever there is need, there is fearless charging forward. Always adhering to putting the people first sustains one life-or-death rescue after another, one day-and-night vigil after another.
Where the banner points, there is the readiness to sacrifice oneself regardless of danger. Whether facing raging floodwaters or blazing flames, those who rush to the most perilous spots are always the "military green," "flame blue," and "rescue red." They move upon orders, advance against danger, setting personal life and death aside. In the midst of peril, responsibility is demonstrated. It is not that they do not cherish their own lives or the happiness of their small families, but that they understand more deeply the weight of responsibility and the glory of the mission, leaving no room for hesitation.
Beneath the banner, there is watchful solidarity and mutual assistance. From rescue sites to resettlement points, vast numbers of Party members and cadres advance against danger and fight on the front lines, guarding the safety of the people's lives and property with a sense of responsibility that is "always at ease, always concerned" (时时放心不下). Many ordinary people also spontaneously join the teams delivering supplies and evacuating affected residents; some bring out their own stored grain, others set up makeshift stoves, actively offering hot congee and ginger tea to rescue workers and those affected. Always thinking with the people, working with the people, sharing weal and woe through wind and rain, sharing hardships — this is the source of strength.
From the tragic leap on the Long March of "would rather die than harm the common people, would rather die than be a prisoner," to the pure heart of "bringing benefit to the people is the greatest political achievement" on the new journey of struggle, the 105-year history of the Party is an epic of the Party and the people always sharing weal and woe, living and dying together. Amid the floodwaters, a five-year-old girl sat in a rubber boat and, in her childish voice, sang "Ode to the Motherland." The clear singing voice speaks more than a thousand words, conveying a simple love for the Party and the country, and also conveying an undying spark of spirit.
The banner never fades; true feelings always warm people's hearts. When the rescue personnel withdrew from Guigang, citizens lined the streets to see them off, holding local specialties and offering flowers, hoping to "give the best to the most lovable ones"; before the soldiers left, they left a message in the elementary school classroom where they had temporarily rested: "When you grow up, may you not let down your youthful years, not let down the era, and use your learning and skills to guard our homeland and serve the motherland" ... Every time there is this mutual reaching out, the warmth and kindness left between the two sides will surely become an inexhaustible force supporting the cadres and masses in the disaster area to rebuild their homes and forge ahead.
The wind and rain will eventually stop, the floodwaters will eventually recede, but the mission and responsibility of "putting the people first, putting life first" must never be slackened for a moment. Hold fast to the original aspiration, hold high the banner, unite to fight, and tenaciously strive; we will surely overcome all difficulties and obstacles, and continually advance from one victory to the next.
Return to TopIn Dawang Village (大王村), Fengmiao Town (冯庙镇), Lingbi County (灵璧县), Anhui Province, the summer daycare class carries out fun activities such as clay handicraft making to stimulate children’s imagination; in Longhu Mandiyuan Community (龙湖曼蒂苑社区), Daminggong Street (大明宫街道), Weiyang District (未央区), Xi’an, Shaanxi, the “Qinghe Workshop” (“青禾坊”) summer daycare class has extended its service hours to “weekdays + weekends”… As summer vacation arrives, many places are exploring new models of public-interest summer daycare services, making things easier for parents and allowing children to benefit.
This is exactly:
Work keeps one busy morning and evening,
Child-rearing leaves no time to attend.
Services relieve worries and longings,
Summer vacation is not spent in vain.
Cheng Sen (成森)
By: 柳 五
How to go from “sudden viral fame” to “long-lasting popularity”? This is a common challenge faced by many internet-famous cities.
In Jilin, Yanji’s travel-photography businesses grew from 2 to over 1,200; Hunchun’s king crab industry evolved from “passing through” to “taking root”; Meihekou’s “Nightless City” transformed from a temporary street into a “city business card”… The reason these three cities have been able to sustain attention for a longer period is precisely that they were not swept away by the traffic of online attention, but instead used its momentum to strengthen their foundations. Traffic is but a boost; development is the real goal. Becoming an internet sensation is accidental; lasting popularity depends on solid effort.
Yanji turned “being seen” into “being remembered.” Ethnic culture, bilingual neon signs, specialty cuisine — these did not emerge overnight; they were urban features that had long existed. What truly kept tourists staying longer was the rapid completion of a full-chain service covering travel photography, homestays, and folk-custom experiences. From “leave after taking photos” to “stay one more day,” behind this shift lies the rapid growth of business entities and the proactive upgrading of the industrial ecosystem.
Hunchun’s transformation path is even more hardcore. A small border city that does not produce king crabs at all managed, by leveraging its locational advantages and institutional innovation, to become the country’s largest distribution center for live king crabs. The internet brought visibility, but what truly enabled Hunchun to stand firm was the country’s pioneering “bonded + re-export” trade model, along with a complete industrial chain spanning temporary breeding, processing, gift-box customization, and online sales. Hunchun’s story shows that a viral single product can open a window, but only by forming an industrial chain can one grow bigger and stronger.
Meihekou’s exploration embodies another possibility — that of “light assets, heavy content.” Its “Northeast Nightless City” did not involve large-scale demolition and construction. Instead, it used a 533-meter street, immersive performances, and continuously iterated scenes to keep generating appeal. It has boosted the incomes of over 200 merchants, created more than 20,000 jobs, and formed a cultural-tourism matrix in coordination with surrounding scenic spots. The benefits brought by online traffic have genuinely benefited the people, enriched the city’s commercial ecosystem, and optimized its industrial structure.
The practices of these three cities offer insight: whether one can cultivate depth of development from a moment of popularity depends on the ability to convert online attention into offline productivity, and to precipitate an internet-famous label into an industry brand. Lasting popularity does not come from standing forever in the spotlight; it means that even when the heat has faded, the city still possesses the capacity for self-sustenance and continued growth.
(Excerpted from Jilin Daily, originally titled “Only When Traffic Becomes ‘Retention’ Can ‘Internet Fame’ Become ‘Lasting Popularity’”)
Return to TopBy: 李 坤
The moment the drill bit touches the porcelain, “ability” finds its place to be used; only when “what I am able to do” satisfies “what the nation needs” can personal value be better realized.
Without a diamond drill, one cannot handle porcelain work. This is the wisdom of an ancient saying, and also a microcosm of the era.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition is counting down. Seventy-one young Chinese contestants are nervously preparing, eager to test their own “diamond drills.” From plastering and partition walls to precision machinery, from social care to mobile application development... on the skills competition field, young talents 大放异彩 (dà fàng yì cǎi - “greatly display brilliance,” shine brilliantly).
The hardness of diamond is achieved through 经年累月 (jīng nián lěi yuè - “through years and months,” over a long period of time) of high-pressure refinement deep in the Earth’s crust. The quality of the “diamond drill” in young people’s hands similarly requires pouring in 精益求精 (jīng yì qiú jīng - “refine excellence in pursuit of excellence,” constantly striving for perfection) craftsmanship, settling through day-after-day honing. From precise operations on assembly lines to debugging smart manufacturing programs, from inheritance and innovation of traditional crafts to tackling high-end manufacturing technologies, behind every exquisite skill there is a need for 一丝不苟 (yī sī bù gǒu - “not a single thread careless,” meticulous) and extreme patience. Whether for personal growth or for cultivating talent for the nation, one should adhere to long-termism, and must avoid being 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì - “eager for quick success and instant benefit,” seeking short-term gains) and 浅尝辄止 (qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ - “taste superficially and then stop,” dabbling without depth). Only by mastering true skills tempered through 千锤万凿 (qiān chuí wàn záo - “thousand hammerings, ten thousand chisellings,” undergoing repeated hard work) can one break through bottlenecks and overcome difficulties.
Since the new era, from Tian Feihong (田飞鸿), who walked out of the mountains of Guizhou and won the gold medal in the hairdressing event at the WorldSkills Competition, to Ma Hongda (马宏达), a post-2000s technician who achieved millimeter-level precision in plastering and stood on the world podium, to Song Biao (宋彪), a mechanical expert who captured the highest award of the WorldSkills Competition, the Albert Vidal Award... batch after batch of young skilled talents have honed their skills to internationally top-tier levels, revealing China’s soft power from one aspect.
Every “diamond drill” is an important social asset. To allow more young skilled talents to each do their best and each display their strengths, we must adjust the direction of talent cultivation according to industrial needs. The moment the drill bit touches the porcelain, “ability” finds its place to be used; only when “what I am able to do” satisfies “what the nation needs” can personal value be better realized.
Currently, the scale of our country’s manufacturing industry has ranked first in the world for 16 consecutive years. A complete industrial system breeds broad opportunities, but situations such as insufficient supply of high-skilled talents and inadequate alignment between talent structure and emerging industries still exist. By improving the mechanism for aligning talent cultivation with the needs of economic and social development, and solving the mismatch problems of “having work but lacking drills, having drills but being useless,” we can better release the talent dividend.
Society’s demand for high-skilled talents is more diversified. How should education exert itself? In Lanzhou New Area, learning scenarios are deeply embedded into production sites — “the industrial park is the campus, the enterprise is the classroom.” Schools understand the real needs of the industry end, enterprises have more aligned and stable talent supply, and students have gained a growth channel from interest to career. Supply-demand alignment is not simply a meeting of heads, but 知根知底 (zhī gēn zhī dǐ - “know the root and know the bottom,” thorough understanding) and 同频共振 (tóng pín gòng zhèn - “same frequency, common resonance,” resonating in sync). Only by taking the pulse accurately and stepping to the beat well can the education chain, talent chain, industry chain, and innovation chain better promote each other.
Each and every “diamond drill” embodies the long-term perseverance of young skilled talents and also carries the glorious mission entrusted by the era. By tempering superb skills with perseverance and patience, and promoting precise alignment with the craft of embroidery, letting talent growth and industrial development mutually reinforce each other, we will surely polish more dreams and inspire surging momentum.
Return to TopDear readers, this page's columns such as Everybody's Talk (大家谈), Warm News and Hot Comments (暖闻热评), China Road, Chinese Dream (中国道路中国梦), and Contributions (来论) are long-term soliciting contributions. Contributions are welcome, but please do not submit the same manuscript to multiple publications.
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By: 本报记者 宋朝军
'After your supervision, the matter advanced swiftly...' Speaking of the thank-you letter sent three years ago by Ms. Cao (曹女士), a Shanghai resident, Xu Tao (徐涛), a member of the Party branch of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office of the Gansu Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (甘肃省纪委监委党风政风监督室党支部), is still 记忆犹新 (jì yì yóu xīn - "the memory is still fresh") about it. This was one of the earliest thank-you letters received after the social supervision opinion handling platform began operation.
Ms. Cao lives far away in Shanghai, why did she travel across a thousand miles to write such a thank-you letter?
Starting from 2023, Gansu Province launched a special action of "grasp learning to promote improvement, grasp execution to promote implementation, grasp efficiency to promote development" (抓学习促提升、抓执行促落实、抓效能促发展). During the action, the Party branch of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection took the lead and set up a social supervision opinion handling platform. "Let more public demands be transmitted from the bottom up, and we will promote them from the top down," Xu Tao said. All 19 members of the branch participated.
Ms. Cao had once studied at a certain school in Gansu. When she enrolled, the school made an error in entering her ID number, causing the identity information in the "Ministry of Education Online Verification Report of Student Status" on the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (学信网) to not match her actual identity. Ms. Cao graduated in 2004. This matter spanned a long time and involved many departments. She ran back and forth several times, seeking help from the school, the prefecture-level city, and the competent departments but could not get it resolved, which severely affected her household registration, social security, and other matters in Shanghai.
"I called you with a mindset of just giving it a try, and the staff were enthusiastic and proactive, with a sincere attitude and clear reasoning in handling matters," Ms. Cao wrote in the thank-you letter. After receiving the report, Xu Tao and his colleagues immediately urged the relevant departments: "Pick up the burdens that should be picked up, shoulder the responsibilities that should be shouldered, identify the crux of the problem, and promote efficient resolution."
Over the course of more than one month, the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office tracked the whole process, set time limit requirements, and the school sent personnel to visit and verify at Ms. Cao's high school and original household registration location. On the premise of ensuring authenticity, they issued conclusive materials and submitted them to the superior department. Before long, Ms. Cao found that her information on Xuexin.com had been updated correctly.
Over the past three years and more, relying on the social supervision opinion handling platform, the Party branch of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office, in conjunction with multiple departments, has widely accepted public demands through telephone, email, and letters, and has used heart and emotion to promote the resolution of key small matters around the masses and difficult business matters for enterprises, cumulatively accepting over 12,000 social supervision opinions.
In the process of solving problems of high social concern and involving the vital interests of the masses, the Party branch of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office deeply integrated business work with Party building work, mutually integrating and jointly promoting.
"Arrears of wages for migrant workers have always been a focus of social attention, and we have always 不遗余力 (bù yí yú lì - 'spare no effort') to promote rectification," said Wang Jian (王健), discipline inspection committee member of the Party branch. They combined rectification of migrant workers' wage arrears with the continuous deepening of rectification of unhealthy practices and corruption around the masses, and made it a key rectification project for three consecutive years.
Wang Jian introduced that the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office took the lead in establishing a linkage mechanism with the human resources and social security departments and other departments, promoting the implementation of the "monthly settlement and monthly clearance" (月结月清) regular investigation mechanism at all relevant levels. At the same time, they smoothed the channels for complaints and reports, quickly verified, classified, and resolved wage arrears leads, and for major cases, they supervised with listed cases and made full efforts to tackle them, ensuring that wage arrears problems were properly resolved. In addition, they also took the lead in issuing a list of main responsibilities for county-level party committees, promoting county party secretaries and county magistrates to serve as "dual group leaders" (双组长) of the rectification work leading group.
Over the past three years, targeting areas such as migrant workers' wage arrears, high-standard farmland construction, and management of rural collective "three types of assets" (三资), the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office has continuously deepened the rectification of unhealthy practices and corruption around the masses, promoting the resolution of 116,700 problems of 急难愁盼 (jí nán chóu pàn - "urgent, difficult, worried, and longing," pressing concerns).
"To supervise others, first one's own foundation must be solid and one's work style must be outstanding." At a Party branch general membership meeting, Xu Bin (徐斌), deputy secretary of the Party branch, said to everyone while holding the newly formulated "Basic Skills List of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office" (《党风政风监督室基本功清单》) this year.
The Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office bears the comprehensive coordination responsibility for political supervision, rectification of the "four forms of decadence" (四风), special rectification, and other work, covering many points and a wide range. For this reason, the Party branch formulated this list—20 department basic skills and 18 post basic skills. "With this standard, our direction of effort is clearer," said Tang Jihong (唐吉宏), a post-90s cadre.
On this basis, the Party branch secretary and committee members led topic research, guiding Party members and cadres to start from small entry points and dig deep, carrying out 15 "micro-research" (微调研) projects with problems and tasks.
"How many government affairs APPs have the higher authorities required to be downloaded and installed?" "Are there any task assessment ranking requirements?" In a certain village, Yang Wenjun (杨文军), a cadre of the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office, asked a village cadre. The Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office arranged for Party members and cadres to start from rectifying "formalism at the fingertips" (指尖上的形式主义), sending out small teams to conduct in-depth, stay-in-place research in townships, villages, and communities using the "four no's and two straights" (四不两直) method, forming "small but refined" research reports, and putting forward practical and effective countermeasure suggestions, effectively reducing burdens at the grassroots.
The number of thank-you letters and pennants received by the Party Conduct and Integrity Supervision Office of the Gansu Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has exceeded 320. Li Tianlun (李天伦), Secretary of the Party branch, said: "We will continue to grasp learning and practice hard skills, grasp performance of duties and shoulder hard tasks, grasp work style and fight hard battles, to benefit the people, promote the extension of comprehensive strict governance of the Party to the grassroots, and promote the majority of Party members and cadres to abide by rules and discipline, transform customs and form habits."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 驰
The sky was overcast, and soon a light rain began to fall. On the slope beside the Jinsha River, rain-soaked leaves of the rosewood tree fell onto the red soil along the straight trunk. Flourishing like the rosewood trees, there were also large stands of trees at different heights: acacia, oleander, flame tree... the whole mountain was lush and green. Beneath the fine rain, Zhao Peixian (赵培仙), his hair gray, carried no umbrella.
“Local people long for water and treasure it. Every time it rains, it is a gift from nature.” Zhao Peixian, now 62 years old, is a senior forestry engineer. He once served as head of the Ecological Restoration Section of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Yuanmou County (元谋县), Yunnan Province. After starting work in 1984, he took on the tasks of afforestation and ecological restoration of the Jinsha River dry-hot valley. Facing the dry-hot valley’s problems of high temperature, low rainfall, and soil erosion, he explored the “ring-mountain horizontal strip planting ditch soil preparation” (环山水平带状种植沟整地) technique, selected and bred fine tree species suited to local conditions, and watched over the Jinsha River dry-hot valley as it gradually changed from barren mountains and bare ridges to being covered in “green attire.”
Once ecologically barren, now lush and green everywhere
Zhao Peixian has retired, but he still loves to go up into the mountains, introducing visitors to the course of afforestation in Yuanmou, and also taking the opportunity to look at a sapling he planted years ago — on the mid-slope of the Eastern Mountain stands a rosewood tree as thick as a bowl.
“When we first introduced and trial-planted it, this tree was only as thick as a chopstick.” Zhao Peixian said, his hand stroking the trunk. Around the rosewood are traces of repeated afforestation: from the earliest planted eucalyptus, to large-leaf acacia, and then to the slash pine on the opposite slope... The lucid waters and lush mountains dreamed of by several generations of forestry workers are becoming a reality in Yuanmou.
Looking at the scene before them, who would have thought that Yuanmou County, due to its prominent high-temperature, drought, and low-rainfall climate, was once ecologically barren? Here, the average annual rainfall is only 637 mm, yet the evaporation rate is 2.6 times the rainfall. According to the Yuanmou County Forestry Annals, in 1985 the forest coverage rate of Yuanmou County fell to its historical low, merely 5.2%.
Zhao Peixian recalled that when he first started working, there was almost no vegetation cover on the mountains; they were bare, like barren land. “In spring the wind is strong; as soon as it blows, it raises dust, and the sky was gray and hazy,” Zhao Peixian said. The local vegetation type was savanna. Once the rainy season came, large amounts of sediment washed down the slopes, worsening soil erosion and desertification. “At that time, the soil layer on the slopes was very thin, sandification was severe, and it was basically broken gravel and sand,” Zhao Peixian said. To alleviate the worsening ecological conditions, from 1999 onward, Yuanmou County began large-scale afforestation.
Water is the “root” of tree planting. At first, Zhao Peixian followed the older generation of forestry workers, digging individual tree pits on the barren slopes and afforesting by scattering tree seeds. But due to drought and water shortage, the germination rate of seeds and the survival rate of seedlings were low. “A soil moisture content of 8% in the surface layer is the critical threshold for plant survival and growth, but back then it didn’t even reach 8%,” Zhao Peixian recalled. In those years, the annual afforestation area reached tens of thousands of mu, but the area that ultimately survived was no more than a hundred mu.
Sweat dripped, drop by drop, into the cracked earth. Zhao Peixian felt frustrated and also a bit aggrieved. “Seeing that the hilltops showed little improvement, I was very discouraged,” Zhao Peixian said. At the time, some people said they were “not up to the task,” that trees simply could not be planted successfully in Yuanmou, and they should not waste their efforts. “But we held our breath — no matter how hard, we had to keep going.”
“Making up” the barren mountains, keeping the water
To bite through the “hard bone” of “tree survival rate,” the water problem had to be solved first. With high mountains, steep slopes, and low rainfall, how could water be retained?
On the slopes of the Eastern Mountain area of Yuanmou County, artificially planted trees are growing vigorously. Scattered dots of green trees are neatly arranged, distributed in rings along the contour lines. Zhao Peixian explained that this is the “ring-mountain horizontal strip planting ditch soil preparation” technique innovatively applied in Yuanmou County: before planting, first level the slope surface along the contour lines and excavate planting ditches; break up the compacted soil and stones, expose them to sunlight, and after the soil has matured, backfill it into the ditches, forming a gentle slope structure that is “higher on the outside, lower on the inside.”
“Preparing the land and digging ditches increases soil porosity. At the same time, sunlight and high temperatures help decompose soil nutrients. When the rainy season arrives, the looser soil has larger gaps and can store more water, helping tree roots to penetrate deeply,” Zhao Peixian said. The new technique can increase the soil water and soil retention capacity by over 40%.
To mobilize more forces, in the 1990s Yuanmou County implemented a system of compulsory afforestation demonstration plots for government and public institutions. Each year, every staff member and worker was required to prepare the land and dig ditches for at least 25 meters, planting one tree per meter. To get the seedlings planted before the rainy season arrived, from after the Spring Festival to early May each year, figures were always visible on Yuanmou’s barren hills, heads down, working the land. Among them, Zhao Peixian was never absent.
In spring in Yuanmou, dry and hot conditions are the norm; temperatures sometimes even approach 40 degrees Celsius. Zhao Peixian remembers that once, nearing noon, the scorching sun roasted people, making them hot and thirsty. But looking around, there was not even a tree on the mountain to provide shade. At that moment he felt pained, but he swung his hoe with even more force. “I thought that the trees I plant today, if in a few years they can provide shade for people, that will be my contribution,” Zhao Peixian said.
When it came time to transplant seedlings, the staff and workers of Yuanmou County tried every means to transport water and protect the seedlings: pulling water buckets to the foot of the mountain, then using mules to carry the water up the slopes trip after trip... To let the seedlings “drink” more, everyone was reluctant to drink the water they carried themselves; no matter how thirsty, they would set aside some to water the trees. In the repeated assault on the difficulty — “afforestation — drought — wilting — afforestation again” — the slopes of Yuanmou County gradually turned green.
Partnering with scientific research forces to solve the problem of improved seeds
In the early days of afforestation, seedlings were very precious. Zhao Peixian remembers that at first, people used seeds of Yunnan pine and Simao pine for nursery cultivation, but because the climate was too dry, the seedlings often withered and died. Selecting, introducing, and domesticating tree species that were suited to the local conditions became another key to solving the restoration problem of the Jinsha River dry-hot valley.
After 2000, Yuanmou County cooperated with scientific research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the Yunnan Academy of Forestry to strengthen the selection and domestication of tree species for ecological restoration in the dry-hot valley.
“Our goal was to find tree species that are drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, fast-growing, and have well-developed root systems.” Zhao Peixian, together with Li Kun, then deputy director of the Institute of Resource Insects of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and researcher Zhang Yanping, opened a “test field” in Yuanmou to plant seeds of rosewood introduced from India by the Chinese Academy of Forestry. However, because they were unfamiliar with the growth habits of the seedlings, the survival rate of the young plants was very low. Some seedlings withered from lack of water, some died from waterlogging due to overwatering, and others suffered from damping-off disease or were damaged by insects.
“Observing and cultivating the stress resistance of tree species requires waiting day after day.” Though anxious inwardly, Zhao Peixian kept his hands busy. From the amount of watering, to soil ratio, to fertilizer application and mulching, he patiently observed and recorded in detail, repeatedly experimenting with the researchers, writing a thick notebook of cultivation notes, and gradually figuring out the growth patterns of rosewood.
Ten years for a tree (shí nián shù mù - "ten years to grow a tree," a saying meaning that nurturing talent or achieving lasting results takes time) is no empty phrase. To study whether rosewood was suitable for planting in Yuanmou, Zhao Peixian and the researchers spent a full eight or nine years. They placed cultivated rosewood seedlings into nutrition bags, then transplanted them onto the slopes to observe their growth. “To judge whether a tree species is truly suited to the local climate, you not only have to wait for it to flower and bear fruit, but also use the fruit to cultivate second-generation and third-generation seedlings. Only the survival rate observed continuously for several years counts,” Zhao Peixian said. Trees must not only be planted, but also guarded well.
Rooted in the mountains and wilderness, grounded in reality, scientific experiments and exploration became important support for improving afforestation survival rates in Yuanmou County. In addition to exploring the planting of Indian rosewood and other species, researchers also selected local tree species such as emblic, flame tree, albizia, and tamarind, adopting a three-dimensional ecological restoration model of “trees, shrubs, and grasses” to build a mixed forest of “native tree species plus domesticated tree species.” In recent years, five local tree species independently applied for by Yuanmou County have received provincial certification as improved forest tree varieties, providing germplasm resource guarantees for the restoration of the Jinsha River’s important ecosystems.
Today, Yuanmou County has a forest area of 945,000 mu, and the forest coverage rate has risen from the historical low of 5.2% to 31.11%. Yuanmou County has also explored new methods such as photovoltaic water pumping and irrigation to solve the drought problem, while relying on its vast forests to cultivate industries such as under-forest economy and forest health care, continuously activating the ecological value of lucid waters and lush mountains.
“Protecting the ecological barrier of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and letting green cover the Yuanmou dry-hot valley, is the wish of my lifetime,” Zhao Peixian said. In 2022, Zhao Peixian received the honor of “National Advanced Worker in Greening” (全国绿化先进工作者). In 2026, the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Yuanmou County received the honorary title of “Yunnan Province Advanced Collective in Ecological Civilization” (云南省生态文明先进集体).
■Reporter’s Notes
Where does the lush green come from?
On the slopes of the Eastern Mountain in Yuanmou County, the wind of the dry-hot valley carries a moist freshness. The former barren slopes have become a beautiful oasis. The transformation of the Yuanmou dry-hot valley is inseparable from the hard-working spirit of local forestry workers, their dedication to research rooted in the land, and their heartfelt desire to benefit the people.
Little patches of green, watered by sweat, gradually merge into expanses in the river of time. If they cannot be planted successfully, plant them again; if they cannot bear to drink the water, they must still ensure the seedlings’ water source... Facing harsh conditions such as drought and poor soil, Zhao Peixian and others, for decades as if it were one day, feared no difficulty, persevered over time (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist over a long period to achieve success"), and raised the forest coverage rate of Yuanmou County from 5.2% to 31.1%.
Effective methods grow in the soil, relying on a spirit of research. From summarizing the experience of digging ditches and planting trees, to screening seedlings suited to local conditions, Zhao Peixian and others, like tree roots burrowing into the soil, absorbed the moisture of scientific knowledge and gradually worked out ecological restoration methods adapted to local conditions, finally biting through the “hard bone.”
A good ecology is a universal public welfare for people’s livelihoods. Comfortable temperatures and fresh air have attracted many sojourners to Yuanmou, driving local economic development. The ecological benefits of lucid waters and lush mountains are becoming apparent. Only by persistently exploring the balance between protection and development in ecologically fragile areas can more strength be gathered to participate in ecological protection.
Return to TopIn recent years, Ningxia has fully leveraged its natural resource endowments to develop clean energy industries such as photovoltaic, wind power, and energy storage in deserts, Gobi deserts, and barren beaches. The picture shows, on July 21, the National Energy Ningdong 2 GW Composite Photovoltaic Base (国能宁东200万千瓦复合光伏基地) located in Lingwu (灵武), Ningxia.
Photo by Yuan Hongyan (袁宏彦)
By: 本报记者 郁静娴
People regard food as their heaven. The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that in the first half of this year, the added value of agriculture (crop farming) increased by 3.6% year-on-year, and total summer grain output reached 301.49 billion jin, up 0.7% from the previous year, breaking through 300 billion jin for the first time.
In June this year, when inspecting Dezhou City (德州市), Shandong, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that "no matter how modern our country becomes, grain must mainly rely on ourselves; the 1.4 billion people cannot depend on anyone else for food, and we must do a good job of grain production."
A bumper summer grain harvest has laid a solid foundation for stabilizing grain production throughout the year, providing strong support for coping with the complex and severe international situation, promoting the steady and positive development of the economy, and achieving a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五).
Looking at the foundation: grain is sufficient in quantity, good in quality, and stable in price, effectively supporting consumption demand for staple food
"Muyield of 879.21 kilograms per mu, ranking among the top in the province." Xu Xudong (徐旭东), chairman of the Anhui Taihe County (太和县) Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative, said that although there was a lot of rain in the early period, thanks to the good resistance of the variety and timely management, the wheat ears did not lodge on a large scale, and the yield held steady.
Xu Xudong said that in recent years they have mainly planted "Annong 98," a variety that not only has strong stress resistance but also produces flour with high whiteness and good gluten, reaching the standards for high-quality steamed bun and noodle wheat. In April, the cooperative's Taihe County Large Grain Growers Association reached a cooperation agreement with a banmian (板面) food enterprise in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, to build a high-quality raw material supply base.
"We cannot rely on the international market to solve the food problem; we must firmly guard the bottom line of national food security and provide solid support for Chinese-style modernization," said Zhong Yu (钟钰), a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (中国农业科学院农业经济与发展研究所).
For the basic grain plate, "stability" is the key word. This year, among the 25 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with summer grain production, 19 saw an increase in sown area; summer grain sown area reached 398 million mu. Coupled with the basic full coverage of improved grain varieties, the bottom line of food security has been firmly held. Currently it is the peak season for summer grain procurement, and localities are coordinating policy-linked reserve procurement and market-oriented procurement to keep the prices of grain and other important agricultural products at a reasonable level.
Both yield and quality are being addressed, and the entire chain of grain production shows a trend of increase in both quantity and quality. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China's grain output has been rising steadily, reaching the 1.3 trillion jin mark in 2015 and the 1.4 trillion jin mark in 2024. At present, China's per capita grain possession exceeds 500 kilograms, far above the international security line; the annual total output value of the national grain industry is stable at over 4 trillion yuan, and 13 provinces have annual grain industry output values exceeding 100 billion yuan.
Looking at the confidence: technological innovation boosts the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture (农业新质生产力), consolidating and strengthening the foundation of grain production capacity
In Xing'an Village (兴安村), Xianglan Town (香兰镇), Tangyuan County (汤原县), Heilongjiang, smart agriculture has "unlocked" a new model for summer management. This year, a smart drip irrigation water-fertilizer integration project was implemented in the village's corn fields. In the control room, the backend system precisely adjusts the water-fertilizer ratio and delivers it to the crop roots. "Crops can also 'drink water and eat fertilizer' on demand. Both spring plowing and summer management are easier than in previous years," said village Party branch secretary Sha Yufu (沙玉福).
At present, the fertilizer utilization rate of China's three major grain crops has entered the international middle-to-upper level range of 40% to 50%. Sha Yufu calculated an income increase: "In the past, a shang (垧) of land used a large amount of fertilizer; now only about 1,200 jin of fertilizer is used per year, applied in four topdressing applications as needed, reducing costs for agricultural materials and labor. The corn emergence is stable at 90,000 plants per shang, with uniform and sturdy seedlings, and the drought resistance and lodging resistance have improved considerably." In Tangyuan County, smart planting technology has been demonstrated on 5,300 mu.
The recently released "15th Five-Year Plan" for Accelerating Agricultural and Rural Modernization (加快农业农村现代化“十五五”规划) places the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture in a more prominent strategic position, adapting measures to local conditions. In Jilin, the province's first 45K liquid-phase chip for corn design breeding is expected to change the traditional cold-region breeding model in Northeast China. Hunan has introduced local regulations focusing on local agricultural machinery shortcomings, from innovation and R&D to manufacturing and promotion, introducing hard measures… Technology empowerment continuously strengthens the foundation of food security.
Aiming at the new round of the 100-billion-jin grain production capacity enhancement action (千亿斤粮食产能提升行动), deeper confidence is also reflected in strategic resolve and long-term planning. In April this year, the draft revision of the Agriculture Law was submitted for deliberation; the draft revision clarifies the national food security strategy, improves the mechanism for compensating major grain-producing areas and the mechanism for safeguarding grain producers' income, and adds provisions such as establishing a food security monitoring and early warning system.
Looking at resilience: responding to risks and challenges such as climate and market, China becomes a ballast stone for maintaining the stability of the global grain supply chain
The meteorological department predicts that this year's main flood season will see generally poor climatic conditions across China, with an increase in extreme weather and climate events.
Since June, Xingan County (新干县), Jiangxi, has experienced persistent cloudy and rainy weather with little sunlight, high temperature and high humidity combined, exposing 340,000 mu of early rice at the booting stage to high risks of pests and diseases such as rice stem borer, rice leaf folder, and rice blast. With the help of Liu Jun (刘珺), an agricultural technician from the county agricultural and rural bureau, Pei Dongru (裴冬如), a large grain grower in Zhengjia Village (郑家村), Jiebu Town (界埠镇), had trap devices installed on his more than 300 mu of rice fields ahead of time. "The agricultural technical guidance this year came just in time. Green control not only effectively dealt with waterlogging but also saved plant protection costs," Pei Dongru said.
The early rice in Pei Dongru's fields has already begun harvesting, with 5 combine harvesters and 3 farm vehicles working simultaneously to accelerate loading of rice. "We also need to plant the late rice before August." The county deployed 55,000 farm machines and organized more than 10 mobile farm machinery repair teams to ensure orderly progress of the "double rush" (双抢) — rushing the harvest and planting — and that late rice transplanting is completed in the agricultural season.
Looking globally, 41 countries and regions currently need external food assistance. The latest issue of Crop Prospects and Food Situation (《作物前景与粮食形势》) report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out that conflict and insecurity remain the primary drivers of severe acute food insecurity. In addition, weather conditions triggered by El Niño and high input prices are constraining agricultural production prospects in some countries. Against the complex external environment, China's calmness and resilience in the grain supply chain are especially valuable.
In March this year, multiple departments issued the Action Plan for Accelerating the Remediation of Grain and Oil Origin Drying Capacity Shortcomings (《加快补上粮油产地烘干能力短板行动方案》); on the basis of the 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland already built nationwide, localities continue to improve post-construction management and protection mechanisms to ensure that every piece of land built is effective; in response to turbulence in the international fertilizer market, multiple departments jointly worked to stabilize fertilizer supply; during the "three summers" (三夏) period — summer harvesting, summer planting, and summer management — from timely response in cross-regional socialized farm machinery services to multi-level agricultural technical teams covering sub-districts and zones, the strong institutional advantage has become the fixed plate star (定盘星) for stabilizing production and ensuring supply.
Currently, localities are pressing ahead with autumn grain production in close succession, going all out to lay a solid foundation for a full year's grain bumper harvest, ensuring that food security is as stable as a rock (稳如磐石, wěn rú pán shí - "as stable as a rock," extremely stable).
(Reported by our correspondents Li Xiaoqing, Fang Yuan, and Zhou Huan.)
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Reporter Wang Haonan (王昊男)) — This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and also the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. On July 22, the "Special Exhibition on the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and the March North to Resist Japan" (中国工农红军长征与北上抗日专题展) and the "Revolutionary Crucible, Quenching and Forging the Soul — Special Exhibition on the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University" (革命熔炉 淬火铸魂——中国人民抗日军事政治大学专题展) opened simultaneously at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The "Special Exhibition on the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and the March North to Resist Japan" takes "Long March northward, sharing the nation's hardship" as its main thread, and through more than 100 photographs and 40 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, it displays the content of the Chinese Communist Party's multiple anti-Japanese declarations and resolutions after the September 18 Incident, its proposal of the slogan and related policies of marching north to resist Japan, and the gradual formation and implementation of the strategy of marching north to resist Japan. The "Revolutionary Crucible, Quenching and Forging the Soul — Special Exhibition on the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University" covers an exhibition area of approximately 1,180 square meters, displaying 208 photographs and 120 pieces (sets) of cultural relics. The exhibition is divided into three parts: "Stronghold of the War of Resistance, Cradle of Cadres," "Political Forging of the Soul, Educating Talents in the Flames of War," and "Monument of the Anti-Japanese University, Eternally Shining Radiance," systematically presenting the school-running process of the Anti-Japanese University and demonstrating the outstanding contributions made by all its faculty, staff, and students to achieving victory.
The two exhibitions use technological means such as scene restoration, projection, and sound effects to bring history from "the pages of books" into "the scenes." A relevant person in charge of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression said: "We hold these two exhibitions to highlight the value of the times, hoping that through visiting the exhibitions, the broad audience can draw wisdom and strengthen confidence."
Return to TopHefei, July 22 (Reporter Li Junjie (李俊杰)) — Recently, the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission, jointly with the Provincial Water Resources Department, issued a notice clarifying the rural water supply pricing mechanism, strictly managing various types of water supply fee items, setting an upper limit for tap water household connection fees, and effectively reducing the burden of water costs on the rural population.
The notice clarified the pricing form for rural water supply prices, namely: the water supply prices for rural public pipe network water supply projects implement government-set pricing, formulated by the people's governments of cities and counties (cities, districts), with the specific work undertaken by their subordinate development and reform departments; the water supply prices for other small centralized water supply projects and decentralized water supply projects implement market-regulated prices.
The notice also regulated the fees for rural tap water household connection and water supply extended services. The notice clarified that the construction and installation costs of water supply pipelines and facilities from the water supply source to the household metering water meter (including the water meter and meter pit) for urban-rural integrated water supply projects and rural centralized water supply projects shall be borne by the government or the water supply unit. The fees for rural residents' tap water household connection include the costs of pipeline and ancillary facility materials and installation fees from the household metering water meter to the interior of the household, with fee rates determined by the development and reform departments of cities and counties (cities, districts) jointly with the water administrative departments (water supply competent departments) at the same level, in accordance with the principle of compensating costs, borne by the users, and in principle not exceeding a per-household ceiling.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 尚嵘峥
If one were to describe Xinjiang's Turpan in a single word, that word would certainly be "hot."
How hot? For over 100 days a year, the high temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius; since the start of July this year alone, there have been 20 days with highs above 40 degrees Celsius, and recently extreme highs exceeding 50 degrees Celsius have been recorded, with ground temperatures often surpassing 70 degrees Celsius.
It is not only hot, but also dry. Strong winds are frequent; the average annual precipitation is only 14.7 millimeters, while evaporation reaches as high as 2,477.5 millimeters.
Such is the dry heat, yet it has now become a driving force for industrial development. Arriving in Turpan in summer, on the roads, all kinds of test vehicles shuttle back and forth; in hotels, engineers with accents from various places hurry along, going out early and returning late 早出晚归 (zǎo chū wǎn guī - "go out early, return late," working hard), staying for months at a time; at the foot of Flaming Mountain, products such as new energy vehicles, drones, air conditioners, and photovoltaic panels "sit in rows," enduring high-temperature exposure…
Every year from June to September, more than ten thousand products made of plastic, rubber, metal, and others, along with over a thousand new energy vehicles, undergo a "baking test" in Turpan, giving rise to a high-temperature dry-heat testing industry with an annual output value of over a hundred million yuan.
New energy vehicles — On the road! Extreme environment tests performance.
骄阳似火 (jiāo yáng sì huǒ - "the scorching sun is like fire," extremely hot), the temperature quickly soared to over 40 degrees Celsius. At the testing ground of the New Energy Vehicle Testing Center of CCCC Flaming Mountain Automotive Testing Co., Ltd. (中交火焰山汽车检测有限公司), test engineer Zeng Wenbo (曾文波) parked a new energy vehicle under the scorching sun, officially commencing a 10-day outdoor exposure test.
"New energy vehicles generally undergo high-temperature, high-cold, and high-altitude testing before being launched. Turpan's natural conditions are 得天独厚 (dé tiān dú hòu - "obtain heaven's unique favor," uniquely favorable), making it our first choice for high-temperature dry-heat testing," Zeng Wenbo explained. New energy vehicle testing mainly covers four aspects: safety, durability, comfort, and range.
This year, the company Zeng Wenbo works for will complete testing work on 20 vehicle models and over 80 cars in Turpan.
Looking closer, dozens of sensors are attached to the car's dashboard, steering wheel, seats, door handles, and body; each sensor is marked with a number and connected by wires to a terminal. This is like installing a thermometer on the car, allowing continuous temperature measurement of key parts.
After exposure, the temperature inside the car can reach over 70 degrees Celsius; the steering wheel, gear shift lever, and seats that users frequently touch can reach 90 degrees Celsius, while the hottest area of the front dashboard can reach 110 degrees Celsius. "Outdoor exposure tests must be conducted during the hottest periods, each lasting at least three hours," Zeng Wenbo said. "Abundant measured data can aid the heat-resistant design of automotive components and upgrade anti-scald measures."
After the 10-day static outdoor exposure test, the car must also undergo on-road testing to verify battery safety, overall vehicle power and heat dissipation durability, air conditioning and driving comfort, and electronic/electrical and sealing reliability.
On the approximately 3-kilometer-long simulated urban road, several cars are continuously turning corner after corner, including multiple sharp turns. Speed bumps, manhole covers, and railway tracks appear on the road from time to time.
"We are the country's first third-party high-temperature dry-heat automotive testing ground. Compared to testing grounds built by car companies themselves, we can cover a wider range of test items and reduce cost pressure on car companies," introduced Yu Shengli (于胜利), Executive Deputy General Manager of CCCC Flaming Mountain Automotive Testing Co., Ltd. In addition to the simulated urban road, the testing ground also opens multiple test roads such as gravel road, dust road, serpentine road, and straight performance road. It has already attracted over 70 automobile brands from more than 50 car companies, with about 1,500 vehicles coming for testing each year.
Currently, Turpan has built five high-temperature dry-heat testing bases, undertaking over 90% of the country's automotive high-temperature dry-heat testing volume.
Low-altitude aircraft — Take off! High-temperature dry-heat tests quality.
"Buzz—" test engineer Luo Hao (罗皓) operated the remote control, and the drone rose steadily. This inspection drone is mainly used for scenarios such as electric power, photovoltaics, and highways.
"Drone test flights require airspace application, so we spent a long time choosing a location, and finally found that this place is both a high-temperature dry-heat environment and allows compliant test flights," Luo Hao said. The team came to Turpan for the first time this year and will conduct three months of test flight work here.
In 2025, the low-altitude testing area of CCCC Flaming Mountain Automotive Testing Co., Ltd. was approved. The testing area covers airspace within a radius of 5 kilometers and an altitude of 600 meters centered on the testing ground, where low-altitude aircraft testing can be conducted. Testing mainly focuses on power battery safety, flight control and motor power system performance, airframe structure and sealing, etc.
This time in Turpan, Luo Hao brought two identical drones; one was placed in an outdoor environment for three months for static testing, and the other was used for dynamic testing. During static testing, the structural parts are checked once each morning and evening. Apart from paying attention to the impact of high-temperature dry heat on structural parts, it is also necessary to consider whether the large day-night temperature difference causes thermal expansion and contraction of structural parts.
"Dynamic testing simulates the normal operation process under extreme conditions, mainly full-load inspection," Luo Hao introduced. Extreme weather may affect the heat dissipation of the motor and the operational stability of the flight control chip, causing battery temperature rise and power decay during sustained hovering.
After the drone landed and stabilized, Luo Hao exported the battery voltage, current, and other data on the platform end, compared the value changes, and verified battery safety. Approaching the drone, he removed two batteries, each the size of half a brick. Luo Hao carefully checked for bulging or cracking, and observed whether the fasteners had melted or deformed. After confirming everything was normal, the test was successfully completed.
"Test flight management is strict. We will check the airworthiness certificate of the low-altitude aircraft and the operator's license of the pilot as required by the competent authorities, and proactively assist enterprises in reporting the test flight model and time to the competent authorities. After obtaining approval, test flights can proceed," Yu Shengli said. Since the low-altitude testing area was approved, more than 20 low-altitude aircraft have completed testing.
Air conditioners, photovoltaic panels, etc. — Exposure! "Department store shelves" placed outdoors.
At the foot of Flaming Mountain, at the testing ground of the Xinjiang Turpan Natural Environment Testing Research Center (新疆吐鲁番自然环境试验研究中心), rows of panel houses are installed with air conditioners of different brands and models, undergoing high-temperature dry-heat testing.
The outdoor units of the air conditioners are blowing hot air with a whir. Xu Ce (徐策), a test engineer from Jianke Huanneng Technology Co., Ltd. (建科环能科技有限公司), wearing a sun-protection jacket and with his face completely covered, operated equipment with one hand to inspect circuit components, while holding a phone in the other hand, speaking loudly, discussing via video call with a colleague how to handle the problems discovered.
"We mainly check whether the air conditioner can achieve its rated value in a high-temperature dry-heat environment, with a focus on the coefficient of performance (COP), that is, how much cooling capacity is produced per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed," Xu Ce explained. Extreme high temperatures have a great impact on the cooling capacity of air conditioners. Testing can be conducted on typical high-temperature days, or the equipment can be run continuously for 24 hours, lasting for a week.
According to introductions, the Xinjiang Turpan Natural Environment Testing Research Center is the country's largest outdoor empirical testing and research base for dry-heat natural environments, with the capability to inspect and test over 300 parameters for 31 types of products across 8 categories, including automotive, metals and alloys, plastics, and others.
Next to the air conditioner testing ground, photovoltaic panels are being roasted by high temperatures. "Data collection boxes are installed beside the photovoltaic panels, capable of continuously collecting power generation data from four series-connected panels. We also regularly remove the panels and send them to the laboratory to measure power output, power generation efficiency, and other data, and to observe the appearance condition," said Guo Chunyun (郭春云), Deputy Director of the center. Dynamic data reflect the trend of power generation changes in actual operation, while static data are used to evaluate the energy conversion efficiency of the panels and observe the impact of material differences on generation efficiency. Currently, 10 photovoltaic companies have commissioned the center to conduct tests.
Walking deeper into the testing ground, it feels like entering an outdoor department store. Doors and windows, panels, plastic runways, traffic signs, pipes, plastic mulch… all kinds of products are neatly arranged, each with its own exclusive test plan. Staff come regularly according to the inspection frequency specified in the plan to check changes in product appearance and other characteristics.
As of now, the center has cumulatively undertaken testing work for over 42,000 products, providing data support for the formulation of natural aging standards in dry-heat environments and research on testing techniques and methods.
At noon, the Flaming Mountain under sunlight is a deep, vivid red, with heat waves rolling; the "baking test" of more than ten thousand products continues.
Return to TopThis newspaper, Xi'an, July 22 (Reporter Qi Yukun (亓玉昆)). The 2026 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum opened in Xi’an, Shaanxi on the 22nd. The forum, with the theme “Wisdom Gathering on the Silk Road, Digital Opens a New Journey — Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace,” brought together approximately 800 guests from over 50 countries and regions and 7 international organizations.
Participating guests stated that President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance and delivered a keynote speech, systematically clarifying China's propositions on advancing global artificial intelligence development and governance, which carries great significance for the construction of the Digital Silk Road. It is necessary to grasp the general trend of the times, carry forward the Silk Road spirit, and push the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to go deeper and produce solid results, so that the achievements of digitalization, networking, and intelligentization can better benefit the world and the people. It is necessary to deploy infrastructure and build a more interconnected Digital Silk Road; to cultivate fertile ground for innovation and build a more inclusive and prosperous Digital Silk Road; to strengthen cultural ties and build a more inclusive and mutually learning Digital Silk Road; to forge a solid line of defense and build a safer and more controllable Digital Silk Road.
This forum is hosted by the World Internet Conference and undertaken by the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government. After the opening ceremony, a ministerial meeting was held, and special forums focusing on topics such as Digital Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and development were convened, to help countries jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative build consensus and work together, jointly seizing new opportunities in digital and intelligent development. During the forum, the World Internet Conference Digital Case Collection on Cultural Heritage (2026) was released, and a series of activities were held, including a training workshop on AI-driven digital trade capacity building and a themed salon on “Digitalization of Cultural Heritage · Empowerment through Copyright.”
People's Daily Beijing, July 22 (Reporter Ni Yi (倪弋)) — In order to concentratedly demonstrate the work effectiveness of procuratorial organs in deeply implementing the law, and to fully leverage the role of typical cases in demonstrating and leading, as well as explaining the law through cases, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Supreme People's Procuratorate jointly released 10 typical cases of implementing the law promoting private economy (民营经济促进法).
Among these typical cases, the procuratorial organs comprehensively performed their criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation procuratorial functions, strictly implemented the legislative spirit of the law promoting private economy, legally and equally protected the lawful rights and interests of all types of business entities, and helped create a law-based business environment. For example, in the aspect of criminal crime prosecution, in the cases released this time of Wang Moumou for embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and bribery by non-state functionaries, Bai Moumou for embezzlement, and Liu Moumou for concealment of criminal proceeds, the procuratorial organs relied on measures such as specialized review and technical assistance, comprehensively reviewed financial and communication evidence, deeply uncovered omitted crimes and omitted offenders, and added additional prosecutions.
The procuratorial organs deeply implemented the spirit of Article 66 of the law promoting private economy, and according to different circumstances of supervision, legally and in accordance with regulations comprehensively employed different supervision methods to improve the quality and effectiveness of legal supervision over litigation activities involving private economic organizations and operators. For example, in the case-filing supervision case of Wu Moumou for intentional destruction of property, the procuratorial organs strictly distinguished between economic disputes and criminal crimes, and for those that did not yet constitute criminal crimes, through timely and effective legal supervision, they avoided escalation of conflicts and urged the parties to resolve disputes rationally.
In addition, the procuratorial organs adhered to placing equal emphasis on punishment and governance, and equal emphasis on lawful crackdown and lawful protection; while lawfully punishing crimes and protecting innovation, they made substantive recovery of losses for private enterprises an important aspect of handling cases; they paid attention to listening to opinions from various types of economic organizations, analyzed root causes from the system and mechanism level, blocked loopholes, and promoted the achievement of 标本兼治 (biāo běn jiān zhì - "address both symptoms and root causes," to treat both the superficial manifestations and the underlying causes). For example, in the contract fraud case of Zhang Moumou, the procuratorial organs, through penetrative review, determined the objective fact that the actor used "circular trade" (转圈贸易) means to disguise financing, and while lawfully punishing the crime, they did a good job in recovering stolen goods and losses, effectively safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of private enterprises.
Return to TopOn July 22, the Chinese Navy hospital ship Jixiang Fangzhou (吉祥方舟) set sail from a military port dock in Qingdao, Shandong, to execute the "Harmonious Mission—2026" (和谐使命—2026) task in Africa and South Asia.
This is the first time the hospital ship Jixiang Fangzhou has gone overseas to execute a mission. The hospital ship is equipped with 18 clinical departments, 5 auxiliary diagnostic departments, and 8 standard operating rooms, and can carry out more than 60 kinds of examinations, treatments, and surgeries in general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, and other fields. The one ship-based medical rescue helicopter carried on board has the capability to carry out forward-deployed emergency medical rescue missions.
The Harmonious Mission (和谐使命) task is an overseas humanitarian medical service task led by the Chinese Navy, and has been completed 11 times since 2010. The third 10,000-ton ocean-going hospital ship independently designed and built by our country, Jixiang Fangzhou, is undertaking the twelfth Harmonious Mission task this time. It is planned to last more than 200 days, visiting Djibouti and other countries, and providing free medical services to local people.
Photo by Liu Zaiyao (Xinhua)
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Our reporter Li Linwei (李林蔚)) — The reporter learned from a regular press conference of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源和社会保障部): Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, China’s human resources service industry, oriented by enterprise demand, has served over 50 million employer units per year on average, of which about 40% are manufacturing enterprises, and the supporting role of human resources has been continuously strengthened.
Since November last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, together with relevant departments, has carried out pilot work on the integrated development of the human resources service industry and the manufacturing industry, conducting preliminary trials in 39 cities to promote human resources development in the manufacturing sector. The pilot cities attached great importance, promoted the inclusion of the pilot work into the overall local economic development, formulated implementation plans, matched with policy measures, strengthened departmental coordination, implemented a number of manufacturing industry recruitment and talent attraction plans, developed a batch of service products adapted to manufacturing human resources management, and created a number of innovative models for integrated development, achieving phased progress.
In the next step, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will deepen the pilot work on integrated development, implement the “Human Resources Service + Advanced Manufacturing” plan, and develop embedded service products oriented towards advanced manufacturing clusters.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 田先进
At 3 p.m., in an ancient book restoration room of the Anhui University of Chinese Medicine (安徽中医药大学) library, Mao Keren (茆可人), deputy director of the Ancient Book Special Collections Department, was working with full concentration. On the workbench was a damaged ancient Chinese medicine book. Mao Keren carefully aligned the repair paper with the damaged area, then used a tool to remove excess repair paper from the edges. “Ancient book restoration is like a doctor treating an illness; it requires ‘looking, listening, asking, and pulse-taking (望闻问切),’ patience and meticulousness, suiting the remedy to the case, and not a single bit of carelessness is allowed,” Mao Keren said.
His connection to ancient book restoration began in 2004. That year, Mao Keren, out of curiosity, signed up for the ancient book restoration major. At that time, this discipline was still little known. Five years of study gradually made him fall in love with this discipline.
“My favorite was the practical class. In the early stage, we couldn’t operate on real ancient books, so we used incense to burn holes of various shapes in paper to simulate ‘wormholes,’ and then repaired them bit by bit,” Mao Keren said. In the fourth year of enrollment, he came into contact with real ancient books for the first time. “The moment I touched them with my hand, a sense of reverence spontaneously arose.”
In 2009, he joined Anhui College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (安徽中医学院), now Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, as a Chinese medicine ancient book restorer. “To outsiders, this may seem like a boring job, putting in a lot of time and energy, only to possibly get a small gain.” But Mao Keren had his own thoughts. “When a damaged ancient book is restored and reappears before everyone, it feels like a successful time-space dialogue with the classics and with the ancients. That sense of achievement is beyond words.”
The library of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine holds over 33,000 volumes of ancient books, of which Chinese medicine ancient books account for 70%. Insect damage, flocculation, embrittlement, etc., are common problems in the preservation of ancient books. To achieve the effect of restoring the old as old, many procedures are required. The preciousness of ancient books and the difficulty of restoration require restorers to hold reverence in their hearts and invest a lot of time and energy.
“Chinese medicine ancient book restoration has a complete and standardized operational process,” Mao Keren introduced. First, a restoration archive must be established and a restoration plan formulated, then proceed to actual operation, including separating pages, making paste, mending holes, pressing flat, binding covers, sewing threads, etc. “The craft is complex, testing the restorer’s patience, and no step allows mistakes,” Mao Keren said.
Taking mending holes as an example, one must select repair paper with texture, thickness, and color similar to the original paper according to the size, shape, and position of the holes, then dip a brush in an appropriate amount of paste, gently apply it to the edge of the hole, and precisely attach the repair paper. In cases of dense insect damage, embrittlement, or flocculation, one must hold one’s breath and concentrate, completing the patch within millimeters. A slight deviation may worsen the damage or leave obvious repair marks.
“With the development of technology, more and more new technologies are empowering ancient book restoration,” Mao Keren said. For example, a paper fiber analyzer, replacing the traditional method of touching with hands and looking with eyes, can more accurately analyze the material and composition of ancient book paper; another example is an acid-base tester, which can test the pH of repair paper. These all make ancient book restoration more meticulous and precise.
After restoration is completed, how to make more ancient books actively utilized? Through digitization, physical damage caused by manual flipping can be effectively avoided, and it also facilitates teachers and students in collecting learning materials. Mao Keren introduced that with relevant government support, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine has built a digital platform for ancient book documents. Currently, image input and full-text recognition have been completed for more than 7,400 volumes of Chinese medicine ancient books. “We are trying to use large AI models to construct a Chinese medicine knowledge graph and improve the efficiency of database use,” Mao Keren said.
At the same time, the school offers a labor practice course on ancient book restoration for freshmen, with hands-on operation in the ancient book restoration room, using substitute materials and simulated restoration to experience the charm of ancient books. The school also launched a campus cultural and creative design competition titled “When Chinese Medicine Meets Design,” encouraging students to think divergently and develop characteristic cultural and creative products centered on Chinese medicine ancient books.
“I look forward to more young professional talents joining the Chinese medicine ancient book restoration team, and hope that Chinese medicine culture can better benefit the public and bring a healthy and happy life,” Mao Keren said.
■Extended Reading
Preserve while inheriting, innovate while developing.
The restoration of Chinese medicine ancient books is not only a protection of culture but also builds a bridge for dialogue between ancient and modern times. Just like Chinese medical treatment, ancient book restorers must also possess the restoration skill of “looking, listening, asking, and pulse-taking.” They must not only restore the physical form of paper and ink but also discover and utilize the medical wisdom contained in ancient books, and achieve creative transformation and innovative development, allowing it to continue in the present. Presenting the original appearance of Chinese medicine ancient books through new technologies such as digital restoration has gradually become an important method of inheritance and protection.
The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to strengthen the discovery and transformation of Chinese medicine preparations and classic famous formulas. As an important carrier of Chinese medicine knowledge and culture, Chinese medicine ancient books not only record ancient medical theories but also contain cultural essences such as philosophy and ethics. Protecting and inheriting Chinese medicine ancient books, allowing the traditional medical and health wisdom contained therein to keep pace with the times, continuously demonstrates the strong vitality of Chinese medicine.
(The author is Li Hongtao (李鸿涛), director of the Ancient Book Resources Research Office of the Institute of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences; compiled from an interview by Tian Xianjin (田先进), reporter of this newspaper.)
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (People's Daily) — (Reporter Wang Zhou (王洲)) A reporter learned from Beijing Customs: In the first half of this year, the total value of import and export trade in goods in the Beijing region was 1.78 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.5%. Among this, imports were 1.47 trillion yuan, up 19.4%; exports were 313.3 billion yuan, setting a record high.
Among this, the import-export value of private enterprises in the Beijing region was 285.38 billion yuan, up 42.4%; the import-export value of state-owned enterprises was 1.25 trillion yuan, up 16.0%; the import-export value of foreign-invested enterprises was 248.99 billion yuan.
Currently, the import-export value of the Beijing region with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 912.18 billion yuan, accounting for more than half of the total import-export value. In terms of ports, the business volume of the "dual-hub" airports of Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport continues to maintain a high level, with the total import-export value through the "dual-hub" ports reaching 410.98 billion yuan, an increase of 18.7%.
In the first half of this year, the Beijing region exported 7.07 billion integrated circuits, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%, with an export value of 28.73 billion yuan, up 137.6%, contributing a growth contribution rate of 124.3% to the export value growth of the Beijing region. During the same period, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and grain were imported at 23.43 billion yuan and 43.93 billion yuan respectively, increasing by 124.7% and
Return to Top2026 is the first year of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan, and also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province. The entire prefecture takes forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main thread, adheres to promoting overall development with high-quality development, focuses on the Four News (四新) and tackles the Four Modernizations (四化), deeply implements Guizhou Province's strategy of strengthening comparative advantages, promotes the integrated development of invigorating industry, strengthening counties, and enriching the people according to local conditions, coordinates the advancement of various undertakings, and since the beginning of this year, the economic operation has made steady progress, development momentum continues to gather, and people's well-being continues to improve, welcoming the 70th anniversary of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture with solid development achievements.
The "4+2" system gathers chains into momentum, consolidating the ballast stone of industrial development.
Qiandongnan Prefecture, based on its unique resource endowments and solid industrial foundation, unswervingly promotes new-type industrialization, builds a "4+2" modern industrial system, focuses on the four leading industries of deep processing of mineral resources, recycled resource circular materials, ethnic specialty foods, and ethnic medicine, and synergistically drives the upgrading of two advantageous industries: wood processing and specialty light industry, allowing traditional industries to be revitalized in green transformation and emerging industries to grow vigorously in agglomerated development.
The two hundred-billion-level economic development zones of Lubi and Taijiang have risen strongly, driving the accelerated formation of two hundred-billion-level industrial clusters. The whole prefecture has cultivated 4 national-level green factories, 16 provincial-level green factories, and 3 provincial-level green supply chain management enterprises, built 1 national-level green park and 4 provincial-level green parks, and the green development foundation in the industrial field is becoming increasingly prominent. From January to May this year, the added value of industries above designated size in the whole prefecture increased by 10.4% year-on-year, of which the added value of the mining industry increased by 16.0% year-on-year, the added value of the manufacturing industry increased by 9.5% year-on-year, and the added value of the electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply industry increased by 12.4% year-on-year.
Smooth comprehensive three-dimensional corridors, the "bridgehead" construction expands space.
Closely following the strategic positioning given by the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee to Qiandongnan Prefecture as a "bridgehead" for the Li-Cong-Rong (黎从榕) area to connect and integrate into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Qiandongnan Prefecture continues to weave a comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network of "railways, highways, waterways, and aviation". High-speed railways cross mountains and ridges, expressways crisscross the entire territory, and the county-level expressway access rate has steadily improved, allowing Qiandongnan Prefecture to fully integrate into the Guiyang metropolitan area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area economic circle. Barriers to industrial collaboration, commercial circulation, talent exchange, and resource interconnection are being broken down step by step, and the industries, projects, technologies, and markets of the Greater Bay Area are continuously converging on this hot land.
Channels bring traffic, services retain people's hearts. The whole prefecture continuously optimizes the business environment, builds industrial cooperation platforms, establishes specialized collaborative industrial parks and modern logistics parks, promotes the direct delivery of local specialty agricultural products, ethnic cultural and creative products, and ecological wellness products to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area market, transforming channel advantages and location advantages into industrial advantages, economic advantages, and opening-up advantages. As of the end of June this year, the registered business entities in the whole prefecture reached 421,500. The value-added reform of government services extends to the village level, with 82 high-frequency items in Liping County being handled at the village level. A window for Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao cross-regional handling has been established, and 126 services have achieved "cross-provincial handling". Relying on the eastern-western collaboration mechanism, 9 jointly built industrial parks and 15 agricultural industrial parks have been established. The construction of the "bridgehead" for the Li-Cong-Rong area to integrate into the bay and sea continues to accelerate. 124 "vegetable basket" production bases for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area supply stably. The story of mountain-sea collaboration writes vivid footnotes in the Miao villages and Dong villages.
Cultural and tourism integration continues to exert force, consumption potential accelerates release.
Relying on its unique ecological foundations and brilliant, heavy ethnic culture, Qiandongnan Prefecture closely follows the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee's deployment requirements of "making good use of the 'two treasures' of natural treasures and cultural treasures", innovatively builds a "1+4" integrated development system, the influence of the "Village-Character IP" continues to expand, promoting the conversion of cultural tourism traffic into consumption increments, adding dividends for the people to increase income.
During the May Day holiday this year, the number of tourists received and total tourism revenue in the whole prefecture increased by more than 10% year-on-year: The 4th Guizhou Village Super League (村超) held in Rongjiang County attracted 137 village-level teams to compete, received 488,800 tourists, and achieved comprehensive tourism revenue of 487 million yuan, an increase of 19.41% and 20% respectively year-on-year; Taijiang County, relying on the dual IP linkage of Miao Sisters' Festival (苗族姊妹节) and Village BA (村BA) , received 544,900 tourists, with total tourism spending reaching 711 million yuan, an increase of 36.57% and 19.3% respectively year-on-year; On the Village T (村T) stage in Kaili City, Miao embroidery and batik encountered fashion trends, allowing Miao and Dong ethnic costume culture to go out of the mountains and become a new urban cultural tourism check-in point. Liping tea and Majiang blueberries use the cultural tourism boom to expand overseas sales channels, achieving two-way empowerment between cultural tourism traffic attraction and agricultural product export. The three core scenic spots of Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, Zhaoxing Dong Village, and Zhenyuan Ancient Town continue to iterate their business formats, rejuvenating old scenic spots.
Mountain agriculture strings pearls into chains, fertile soil grows the "gold industry" .
With eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland, relying on unique mountainous resource endowments, Qiandongnan Prefecture accelerates the construction of a "5+3" characteristic agricultural industry system, focusing on cultivating five major planting industries: Chinese medicinal materials, oil tea, sour soup raw materials, blueberries, and tea, while simultaneously growing three major breeding industries: beef cattle, poultry, and ecological fishery, walking a path of modern mountainous efficient agriculture that suits local conditions and has distinctive characteristics, promoting steady progress of mountain agriculture towards scale, standardization, branding, and full-chain development.
What were once scattered planting and breeding industries have now grown into industries that enrich the people and drive the region. The planting scale of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (太子参) and Uncaria rhynchophylla (钩藤) ranks first among prefecture-level cities in the country; the planting area and output of oil tea, Chinese medicinal materials, blueberries, and the under-forest economy continue to lead the province; the number of ducks and geese slaughtered ranks first in the province, and Sansui duck has been recognized as a national geographical indication protection product and selected into the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' agricultural brand quality cultivation plan list. The agricultural product processing conversion rate in the whole prefecture reaches 70.9%, the gold content of mountain agriculture is increasing, and the people's income increase path is widening.
Guard the green waters and green mountains foundation, green development strides firmly .
Green waters and green mountains are the moving background color of Qiandongnan Prefecture, and also precious wealth. The whole prefecture always adheres to the clear orientation of ecological priority and green development, coordinates the promotion of integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and uses solid actions to protect this ecological fertile soil. Leishan County, Taijiang County, and Jianhe County have secured provincial special funds to advance rural sewage treatment; Taijiang County is making every effort to build a rural beauty pilot zone; the Qingshui River has regular fishing bans and fish stocking; the green transformation of industrial parks in Taijiang and Lubi economic development zones in Guizhou will be fully completed this year; under-forest wellness, eco-tourism, and other green industries are growing vigorously, and ecological advantages are continuously being transformed into development advantages.
Since the 14th Five-Year Plan (十四五), the excellent rate of ambient air quality in the central city and county towns of the whole prefecture has been stable at over 98.5%, and the excellent and good water quality ratio of 42 national and provincial surface water assessment sections has continuously remained 100%. The water quality of 3 national groundwater environmental quality assessment points in the whole prefecture remains stable; the treatment and control of rural domestic sewage in 1,301 administrative villages has been completed, with a rural domestic sewage treatment rate of 61.08%. Each eye-catching ecological data point is the tangible ecological happiness of the people.
Ethnic unity, mutual assistance and watchfulness, the warmth of people's livelihood soaks people's hearts .
The number of ethnic characteristic villages and traditional villages in Qiandongnan Prefecture ranks among the top in the country. As a national model prefecture for ethnic unity and progress, Qiandongnan Prefecture always takes forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main thread, enabling people of all ethnic groups to help each other, watch over each other, and feel like one family in co-residence, co-education, co-construction, co-sharing, co-work, and co-happiness. In relocation communities for ex-situ poverty alleviation, the warm model of "settling + employment" and the thoughtful design of "centralized resettlement + nostalgic naming" allow people of all ethnic groups to move out, stay stable, integrate, and together strive for a better life in the development of inter-embedded communities.
Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the whole prefecture has accumulated 570 million yuan in ethnic development funds, supporting more than 1,000 projects, creating 64 pilot sites for integrated tourism development of ethnic characteristic villages, driving people to find employment and increase income at their doorstep. The number of ethnic trade and ethnic products enterprises in the whole prefecture has reached 461, covering a number of ethnic specialty industries such as Kaili sour soup, Miao and Dong silver jewelry, batik embroidery, Liping tea, Majiang blueberries, Sansui duck, and Jinping goose.
The happiness and well-being of the people is the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development. The whole prefecture solidly advances the ten practical livelihood matters, solves the urgent difficulties and worries of the people, and allows the fruits of development to benefit people of all ethnic groups more fairly. In 2026, in the employment field, the "Six-Six Employment Stabilization Plan" (六六就业稳岗计划) will be continuously implemented, with an annual target of adding 56,400 new urban jobs. Relying on work-relief programs and skills training, the channels for people to increase income will be broadened, stabilizing the employment scale of 900,000 rural laborers. In education, 20 primary and secondary schools and kindergartens will be newly built or renovated, adding 20,000 new school places, and promoting Congjiang No.1 Middle School to be established as a provincial model high school. At the medical level, the renovation and upgrading of 428 village-level health rooms will be completed, 8 new county-level medical sub-centers will be built, regular health check-ups for the elderly and free screening for "two cancers" (cervical cancer and breast cancer) for women will be carried out, making it more convenient and reassuring for grassroots people to see a doctor and receive medical treatment.
Forging ahead in the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan, Qiandongnan Prefecture will always anchor the direction of high-quality development, coordinate the advancement of industrial quality improvement, ecological protection, livelihood improvement, and ethnic unity, move forward with solid work, respond to expectations with actual achievements, and strive to write a new chapter in the practice of Chinese-style modernization in Qiandongnan Prefecture.
Data source: CPC Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture Committee
Return to TopBy: 蓝佛安
Expanding domestic demand concerns both economic stability and economic security; it is not a temporary expedient but a strategic move. The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference required "implementing more proactive and effective macro policies, enhancing policy foresight, targeting, and coordination." At that meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out "adhering to domestic demand-led development and building a strong domestic market." This year's Government Work Report made important deployments on implementing fiscal and financial coordination to boost domestic demand. The State Council Executive Meeting made specific arrangements for related work, proposing to strengthen the coordination and linkage between fiscal policy and financial policy, fully leverage policy effects, and guide social capital to participate in promoting consumption and expanding investment. We must truly unify our thoughts and actions with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and grasp implementation from a political and overall perspective, providing strong support for expanding domestic demand and consolidating the foundation for the sustained positive economic trend.
Deeply Understand the Important Significance of the Fiscal-Financial Coordination to Boost Domestic Demand Package
In accordance with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, a fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand policy tool (财政金融协同促内需政策工具) was innovatively established this year. The central government finance specifically allocated 100 billion yuan, launching a fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package (财政金融协同促内需一揽子政策) of six policies,统筹推进 promoting consumption and expanding investment. This is an important innovative measure in the field of macro-control taken by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, grasping the new changes in the domestic and international situation, focusing on fully tapping the potential of the large economy, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, and is of great significance.
An important lever to leverage China's super-large market advantages and promote resident consumption. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Market resources are China's huge advantage; we must fully utilize and leverage this advantage, continuously consolidate and strengthen this advantage, and form a solid support for constructing a new development pattern." China has a population of over 1.4 billion, per capita GDP has approached 14,000 US dollars, and the size of the middle-income group is steadily expanding, making it the most promising market in the world. Within domestic demand, consumption is final demand and the goal; resident consumption is the driving force behind investment and economic growth. In recent years, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, we have firmly implemented the strategy of expanding domestic demand, especially placing the promotion of consumption in an important position, deepening policies such as the trade-in of consumer goods. In 2025, China's total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion yuan for the first time, service retail sales increased by 5.5% over the previous year, and the contribution rate of final consumption expenditure to economic growth reached 52%, increasingly becoming the fundamental force driving economic growth. International experience shows that as the economy develops and per capita income levels rise, resident consumption will further expand from goods consumption to service consumption, and consumption, especially service consumption, will release greater growth space. Implementing the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package, optimizing the two interest discount policies for personal consumption loans and service industry business subject loans, combined with other consumption-promoting policies, is conducive both to enhancing residents' consumption capacity and to increasing the supply of high-quality services, further unleashing the potential of the super-large market, and promoting domestic demand to better play its role as the main driver and stabilizer.
A realistic need to enhance the endogenous momentum of the market and stimulate the vitality of private investment. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The expansion of domestic demand we emphasize is not simply expanding government public expenditure; effective institutional arrangements must be made in rationally guiding consumption, savings, investment, etc." Investment plays a key role in economic growth. Expanding effective investment requires not only leveraging the guiding role of government investment but also stimulating the vitality of various business subjects and promoting private investment. China's private enterprises account for over 92% of the total number of enterprises, and about half of fixed asset investment comes from private investment. In the past two years, affected by multiple factors, private investment has declined. Facing this situation, we implement the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package, providing targeted support for private investment through interest discounts on loans to small, medium, and micro enterprises, interest discounts on equipment renewal loans, a special guarantee plan for private investment, and a risk-sharing mechanism for private enterprise bonds, aiming to solve pain points and difficulties such as financial institutions being "unwilling to lend," guarantee institutions being "unwilling to guarantee," and small, medium, and micro enterprises being "unable to obtain loans," focusing on reducing enterprise financing costs and financing thresholds, further stimulating the endogenous momentum of private enterprise development. Once the vitality of private investment is stimulated, social capital can be transformed into more effective supply, which in turn drives and creates new demand, promoting the improvement of factor flow efficiency and smoothing the domestic economic cycle.
A beneficial exploration to strengthen policy integration and enhance the effectiveness of macro-control. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Strengthen the coordination and cooperation between fiscal policy and monetary policy, focus on expanding domestic demand, and enhance the foundational role of consumption in economic development and the key role of investment in optimizing the supply structure." As the two main policy tools of macro-control, fiscal policy and monetary policy have different functional orientations and transmission mechanisms, each with its own advantages and focus. Their coordinated cooperation, each displaying its strengths, can fully leverage the precision of fiscal policy's targeted regulation and the flexibility of monetary policy's aggregate regulation, enhancing the transmission efficiency and overall effectiveness of macro policies. The fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package anchors on the common goal of expanding domestic demand, using fiscal funds to guide financial resources and financial channels to amplify the multiplier effect, superimposed on the coordination of multiple policies such as industry, investment, and consumption, forming a transmission chain of fiscal guidance, financial amplification, and market operation. This is conducive to further opening up space for fiscal policy to exert force, improving the quality and efficiency of financial services to the real economy, and achieving a policy effect of "1+1 > 2."
Accurately Grasp the Principles and Methods of the Fiscal-Financial Coordination to Boost Domestic Demand Package
Thoroughly implementing the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package requires balancing aggregate and structure, stock and increment, current and long-term, enhancing the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of policy implementation, and ensuring the achievement of expected policy objectives.
Adhere to combining an effective market with a competent government. Expanding domestic demand and strengthening the domestic cycle require both effective regulation by market mechanisms and guidance and support from the government, allowing the "invisible hand" and the "visible hand" to each take their proper place and complement each other. Thoroughly implementing the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package: on the one hand, better leverage the government's role — the finance department establishes mechanisms and provides funds, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments clarify key area lists, and financial departments provide liquidity — conducive to forming a favorable policy environment where the government, banks, and guarantee institutions join hands to pave the way for business subjects; on the other hand, fully leverage the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, adhere to market-oriented and rule-of-law principles, let consumers and business subjects make their own decisions, let handling banks independently approve, make good use of the financial system's advantages in risk control, channel operation, service response, customer reach, etc., and minimize direct government intervention in microeconomic activities.
Adhere to combining short-term demand expansion with long-term enhancement of staying power. To resolve the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand and smooth the domestic economic cycle, it is necessary not only to focus on releasing immediate demand and stabilizing the macro economy, but also in the long term to persist in both expanding domestic demand and optimizing supply, achieving a high-level dynamic balance. Thoroughly implementing the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package: on the one hand, we must base ourselves on the present, adopt more forceful measures, and continuously release consumption potential and investment vitality. Expand the support areas for the interest discount policy on personal consumption loans and service industry business subject loans, raise the interest discount cap, and genuinely reduce the current costs for consumers and business subjects; implement the special guarantee plan for private investment, increase credit guarantee amounts, lower guarantee fee rates, etc., enhancing the availability of financing for business subjects, especially small, medium, and micro enterprises. On the other hand, we must focus on the long term, increase support for scientific and technological innovation, the construction of a modern industrial system, etc., improve total factor productivity, and continuously enhance the quality of supply. For example, the interest discount policy for equipment renewal loans and for small, medium, and micro enterprise loans not only broadly benefits traditional industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood, such as transportation, water conservancy, agriculture, and manufacturing, but also actively serves emerging and future industries such as high-end equipment, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, urgently cultivating new drivers of economic growth. As another example, further expand the coverage area of the interest discount policy for service industry business subject loans, extending from the original eight fields to eleven fields including digital, green, and retail, to better meet the needs of residents' consumption upgrading.
Adhere to combining scientific design with effective implementation. Macro policy design must not only adhere to goal-orientation and problem-orientation, seeking the optimal solution among multiple choices, but also fully consider operability, ease of implementation, and effectiveness. Thoroughly implementing the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package comprehensively considers multiple goals such as stabilizing growth, adjusting structure, and benefiting people's livelihoods, closely follows the prominent shortcomings currently constraining domestic demand growth, insists on exerting force on both consumption and investment, and combines the use of policy tools such as fiscal interest discounts, financing guarantees, and risk sharing, systematically integrating and precisely implementing policies. At the same time, focus on the needs of the masses and enterprises, optimize service processes, innovate service methods, break through the "last mile" of policy implementation, and promote the direct, fast delivery of benefits to the people and enterprises. Simplify operational steps, accelerate the arrival of interest discount funds through methods such as "pre-allocation + settlement." Substantially expand the number of handling institutions, promoting the types of institutions to cover domestic and foreign-funded banks, large, medium, and small financial institutions in cities and rural areas, as well as new-type financial institutions like traditional banks and consumer finance companies, extending interest discount services further to county and rural areas, providing more convenience for the masses and enterprises to apply. Strengthen coordination and linkage with offline stores and online platforms, including online consumer credit, credit card installment billing services, and auto finance within the scope of interest discounts, giving consumers more choices.
Continuously Release the Effectiveness of the Fiscal-Financial Coordination to Boost Domestic Demand Package
Since the implementation of the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package at the beginning of this year, the central government has coordinated promotion, local governments have grasped implementation, financial institutions have innovated services, and business subjects and residents have widely participated, forcefully promoting the accelerated implementation of the policies, with the policy effects gradually appearing. According to statistics, from January to June, the total of four types of loans newly issued in related fields — small, medium, and micro enterprise loans, equipment renewal loans, service industry business subject loans, and personal consumption loans — exceeded 17 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. The two consumption-promoting policies benefited approximately 1.31 trillion yuan of resident consumption, with about 99 million person-times enjoying the benefits of the interest discounts. With the coordinated force of various consumption-promoting policies, consumption in areas such as China's cultural tourism, sports events, and health developed rapidly; from January to June, service retail sales increased by 5.3% year-on-year, a growth rate significantly faster than that of goods retail sales. The four investment-promoting policies together benefited over 1.24 trillion yuan of private investment, with related funds mainly directed to areas such as fixed asset investment by small, medium, and micro enterprises, equipment procurement for advanced manufacturing projects, and technological transformation and upgrading of traditional industry projects. The bank credit quotas obtained by small, medium, and micro private enterprises increased substantially, and the loan acquisition rate steadily improved.
Overall, the progress of policy implementation is in line with expectations, supporting counter-cyclical growth in credit supply to key investment and consumption areas, driving more social resources to flow to key areas of expanding domestic demand. In the next step, we must conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, establish and practice a correct view of performance, implement the fiscal-financial coordination to boost domestic demand package with a nail-spirit, ensure that the policy dividends fully benefit all types of business subjects and the vast number of consumers, promote the unblocking of bottlenecks and blockages constraining investment and consumption, and expand new space for domestic demand growth.
Strengthen multi-party linkage to ensure better implementation and effectiveness of policies. Enhance information sharing among departments, improve the normalized consultation mechanism, clarify responsibility chains, strengthen online-offline linkage, implement parallel review and joint review mechanisms for cross-departmental affairs, and improve execution efficiency. Deepen central-local linkage, encourage exploration according to local conditions, and promote effective connection between policies and local practice. Systematically review experiences and problems in policy implementation, simplify operational processes, compress processing time limits, and ensure that policy benefits are universally enjoyed, quickly enjoyed, precise, and direct. Make good use of technological means such as big data to promote faster and more precise identification and effective reach of policies to eligible business subjects and residents. Carry out full-process management of interest discount funds to ensure standardized and efficient use of funds. Strengthen publicity and guidance to further enhance policy awareness and reach.
Strengthen problem-orientation, do a good job of policy tracking, analysis, and assessment. Conduct dynamic policy evaluation and analysis, closely track consumption upgrading and industrial development trends, timely optimize and adjust, and better stimulate the initiative of business subjects. Strengthen policy research and reserves, closely adhere to key links such as resident consumption, private investment, and optimization of supply-demand structure, and continuously enrich the policy toolbox. Insist on integrating the needs and expectations of enterprises and the masses into the entire process of policy formulation, implementation, evaluation, and optimization, truly doing good things well and practical things solidly.
Strengthen overall coordination, promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of fiscal-financial linkage. Enhance the consistency and effectiveness of macro policy orientations, coordinate various economic policies and non-economic policies, stock policies and incremental policies, promote the coordinated cooperation of fiscal policy and monetary policy moving in the same direction, and actively introduce policies conducive to stabilizing growth and expectations. Give full play to the role of policies such as employment, industry, consumption, investment, and regional policies, smooth the policy transmission mechanism, and improve the foresight, targeting, and effectiveness of macro-control. Strengthen communication and collaboration among departments, establish and improve a synergistic linkage working mechanism featuring complementary advantages, mutual connection, and strong execution, to better adapt to the needs of economic operation and macro-control. Strengthen expectation management, and promote the mutual reinforcement and virtuous cycle of stabilizing expectations, strengthening confidence, and stabilizing the economy.
(The author is the Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Finance)
Return to TopBy: 李 娟
The correct view of political achievement is the “compass” and “fixed-pole star” for Party members and cadres in performing their duties. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for consolidating the foundation and exerting full efforts. Facing the complex and volatile international situation and the arduous and heavy tasks of domestic reform, development, and maintaining stability, General Secretary Xi Jinping admonished the whole Party: “Pay attention to policy coordination in all areas, maintain consistency in the orientation of macro policies, and prevent and overcome departmentalism and local protectionism.” This directly targets the prominent problem of deviation in the view of political achievement and provides important methodological guidance for the vast number of Party members and cadres to establish and practice a correct view of political achievement.
One of the core essences of the correct view of political achievement is to properly handle the dialectical relationships between the whole and the part, the long-term and the immediate, and the overall and the individual. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Think about issues and handle affairs from the perspective of the overall situation and the strategic height; all work must be premised on implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and must not damage the overall interest for the sake of local interests, nor damage the fundamental and long-term interests for the sake of temporary interests.” This profoundly clarifies that true political achievement has never been the glorious feat of a single locality or a single moment, but rather pragmatic actions that serve the overall situation, benefit the long term, and advantage people’s livelihoods. The vast number of Party members and cadres must keep in mind the two overall situations, always pay attention to what the Party Central Committee cares about and emphasizes, deeply understand what the most important interests of the Party and the country are and what positions most need to be firmly upheld, and on the basis of thoroughly comprehending the general policies and decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, integrate regional and departmental work into the larger chess game of the Party and the country’s cause.
Looking at Comrade Xi Jinping’s practice of local governance, the view of political achievement that bases oneself on one region while serving the overall situation has been 一以贯之 (yī yǐ guàn zhī - “to thread through consistently,” to be consistent throughout), setting a benchmark and model for the entire Party. In Zhengding, Hebei (河北正定), basing on the actual conditions of the county and looking at the national trend, he innovatively developed the “semi-suburban economy” and summarized the “twenty-character classic” for urban-oriented development; in Ningde, Fujian (福建宁德), he profoundly pointed out: “The overall situation of eastern Fujian can only submit to the overall situation of the entire province and even the entire country”; in Zhejiang, from the overall perspective he grasped the development characteristics and direction of Zhejiang and pointed out that “Zhejiang must develop by leaping out of Zhejiang”; in Shanghai, he considered and planned Shanghai’s future development by placing it in the strategic positioning of the central government for Shanghai’s development, in the general trend of economic globalization, in the larger pattern of national development, and in the overall deployment of the state’s development of the Yangtze River Delta region. A series of practices fully prove that only by embracing the overall situation and submitting to the general interest can one truly create solid political achievements that can withstand the test of history, practice, and the people.
Departmentalism and local protectionism are typical stubborn diseases of a misaligned view of political achievement. A small number of Party members and cadres fall into the narrow thinking of “one mu and three fen of land,” adhere to the self-serving logic of “each household sweeps the snow from their own doorstep,” and implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee with discounts and adaptations. For example, some, in implementing the decision to build a unified national market, unilaterally emphasize “local particularities,” granting local enterprises policy preferences such as tax reductions and fiscal subsidies in violation of regulations, thereby hindering the efficient and free flow of factors between regions and damaging the construction of a unified national market; some, under the pretext of protecting local industries, turn a blind eye to the illegal production of enterprises with low energy efficiency, high pollution, and low levels, giving green lights to projects, plans, and land that do not conform to industrial policies, resulting in the continuous deterioration of the ecological environment; and so on. The emergence of these phenomena reflects the weakening of Party spirit, the lack of overall concept, and the deviation of the view of political achievement among a small number of Party members and cadres. They seem to safeguard local interests, but in reality, they damage overall development and overdraw development potential.
He who grasps the greater can also embrace the lesser; he who stands far can achieve lasting success. To establish and practice the correct view of political achievement, the key lies in breaking down narrow thinking, firmly establishing an overall concept, and finding the balance point and combination point between “the small self” and “the big self,” the part and the whole, the present and the long term. We must resolutely discard the short-sighted thinking of departmentalism and local protectionism, jump out of the shackles of local interests, and put an end to the deviations of 各自为战 (gè zì wéi zhàn - “each fights for oneself,” uncoordinated independent action) and 各行其是 (gè xíng qí shì - “each does what he thinks right,” everyone going their own way), so as to think within the overall situation, act within the overall situation, and focus on implementing with the overall situation in mind. Adhere to 实事求是 (shí shì qiú shì - “seek truth from facts”), persistently and steadily (久久为功), take benefiting the people as the greatest political achievement, promote the transformation of policy deployments from “top-level design” into “on-the-ground effectiveness,” and use the light of one region to illuminate the overall situation.
Return to TopBy: 马玉娜
Minors are the future of the motherland and the successors to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. A good social environment is the "fertile soil" for the healthy growth of minors. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Jointly strive to create a good social environment for the healthy growth of minors." The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline makes specific arrangements for "strengthening the care and protection of minors," requiring "strengthening online protection for minors, expanding the space and positions for online education. Promoting the building of a child-friendly society, creating a social environment that cares for and supports the next generation," etc. To implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important requirements and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, it is necessary to base ourselves on reality, weave a protection net for the healthy growth of minors, draw the largest "concentric circle" of collaborative education by all forces, and strive to cultivate new generations of the era capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation.
The Party and the state attach great importance to the healthy growth of minors. Since the new era, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors has been revised, the Outline for the Development of Chinese Children (2021-2030) has been formulated, and the Outline for the Construction of an Education Power (2024-2035) has been issued... integrating the healthy growth of minors into the overall framework of national governance for coordinated advancement. Currently, information technology is developing rapidly and deeply embedding itself into social life. The growth environment of minors is increasingly characterized by the intermingling of digital space and real space. In the digital space, while minors use the internet to facilitate and enrich their learning and life, they also face many risks such as harmful information infringement, leakage of personal information, and online addiction; in real life, problems such as the erosion of bad social atmosphere and potential safety hazards cannot be ignored. This means that the healthy growth of minors is not only a personal issue but also a systematic project that requires adhering to the combination of online and offline, promoting the joint participation of families, schools, and society, to jointly escort the healthy growth of minors.
Strengthen the integration of information and data. Currently, some risks and hidden dangers in the growth environment of minors often exhibit characteristics such as being generated online and fermenting offline, or lurking offline and spreading online. Promoting the two-way interconnection and cross-verification of online and offline information and data is conducive to breaking information barriers, making budding problems "visible" and key facts "tangible." For example, the Civilization Office of Tongzhou District, Beijing, the District Education and Work Committee of the District Party Committee, the District Education Commission, and the Tongzhou District Teacher Training Center established a mental health counseling station for minors, providing Q&A services for minors and their parents through online, telephone, face-to-face consultation, and teaching methods, playing an important role in serving the mental health growth of minors. We can promote the establishment of cross-departmental information sharing and consultation and judgment mechanisms, while strengthening field visits and research, to achieve early detection, early identification, and early intervention of risks and hidden dangers.
Strengthen joint handling. To jointly create a good social environment for the healthy growth of minors, it is very necessary to promptly and actively respond while discovering risks and hidden dangers. Measures can be classified and implemented according to the level of environmental risk: for general risks, strengthen measures such as content filtering and time control online to prevent harm from spreading, and simultaneously carry out comprehensive interventions offline such as psychological counseling and home-school communication to strengthen source governance; for situations that may involve higher risks, establish and improve relevant procedures, strengthen full-chain closed-loop handling. For example, disease control institutions can strengthen monitoring and supervision of school hygiene, dynamically track the epidemic trends of common student diseases, and strengthen hygiene supervision of teaching and living environments closely related to the health of students on campus. On this basis, strengthen the cross-cycle tracking and review of risk handling effects, further improving work efficiency.
Strengthen the coordination of resources. This is conducive to improving the collaborative education work mechanism and strengthening the collaborative education function. For example, in recent years, the Huining Residential Area in Huangpu District, Shanghai, has strengthened overall coordination, organizing minors of different age groups to carry out activities such as red propaganda, environmental practice, and neighborhood assistance, guiding and encouraging children to practice the core socialist values in volunteer actions. In practice, we can promote the deep integration and integrated linkage of digital resources and physical resources, strive to create and produce good cultural products for children, and provide good cultural services. Use digital technology to activate the educational functions of venues such as museums and science and technology museums, develop digital products such as online exhibitions, virtual tours, and interactive micro-courses; rely on physical education venues to host digital education resources, introduce high-quality digital courses in fields such as patriotism and mental health into school classrooms and community bases, transforming them into vivid practices that can be participated in, experienced, and felt.
(The author is a special researcher at the Research Center for the Theory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League)
Return to TopBy: 张盈华
In December 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his important speech at the Central Economic Work Conference, pointed out: "Implement the rehabilitation and nursing capacity expansion and upgrading project, and promote the long-term care insurance system." The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline proposes "promoting long-term care insurance." As an important component of China's social security system, long-term care insurance provides services for the basic daily care of disabled persons (失能人员) and the closely related medical care, and is an important part of implementing the national strategy of actively responding to population aging. Accelerating the establishment of the long-term care insurance system must adhere to a problem-oriented approach and precise policy implementation, truly achieving "protection for the disabled (失有所护)", and further weaving the safety net for people's livelihood security.
Since 2016, the state has organized pilot programs for the long-term care insurance system, playing an active role in ensuring the basic care needs of disabled persons, solving the urgent, difficult, worrisome, and longed-for problems (急难愁盼) of disabled families, promoting the coordinated development of the medical care, health care, and nursing industries, and encouraging the standardized growth of the nursing service market. However, establishing the long-term care insurance system still faces some challenges. For example, there are large differences in the ability to raise funds among urban and rural areas, regions, and groups; the funding channels for employees and residents are different; individual contributions are uneven; these place higher demands on balancing the funding burden of all parties and ensuring that all who should be insured are insured (应保尽保). The protection cycle of long-term care is long, the long-tail risk of insurance liability is high, and population aging places higher demands on ensuring the sustainability of the system. This year, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (中共中央办公厅) and the General Office of the State Council (国务院办公厅) issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Establishment of the Long-term Care Insurance System," proposing the main goal of basically establishing a long-term care insurance system that adapts to China's basic national conditions within about three years. We must earnestly implement various deployments and arrangements, actively overcome difficulties, unblock bottlenecks, and promote the implementation and landing of the long-term care insurance system.
Strengthen mechanism innovation and broaden funding channels. Promoting high-quality participation in insurance is the cornerstone of establishing the long-term care insurance system. We must focus on truly meeting the needs of the people and break through inherent constraints through mechanism innovation. It is possible to explore and innovate the social security coordinated development mechanism. On the premise of sufficient calculation and ensuring financial health, reasonably adjust the unit contribution rate of basic medical insurance for employees, use part of the adjustment as the unit contribution rate for long-term care insurance, adjust the personal account of basic medical insurance to be used for the personal contributions of the insured person and their close relatives in participating in long-term care insurance, activate idle social security funds, and improve the efficiency of fund use. Innovate the family joint insurance funding mechanism, with minors following their legal guardians to participate in insurance, ensuring that all who should participate do participate. Innovate the overall management mechanism of the long-term care insurance fund (hereinafter referred to as "the fund"), unify the system framework, establish unified accounts for funding, and use funds in a unified manner to achieve mutual aid and co-assistance with universal participation. Innovate the classified and tiered subsidy mechanism, implement classified and tiered subsidies for the participation of medical assistance recipients and the contributions of low-income groups, and strengthen support for the participation of disadvantaged groups.
Focus on covering the entire population, and implement gradually and orderly. Currently, China is accelerating the establishment and improvement of a population service system covering the entire population and the entire life cycle, comprehensively and systematically promoting integrated urban-rural development, and making every effort to improve basic public services and social security levels. Facing the basic national conditions of a large population, vast territory, unbalanced regional development, and large differences in local conditions, establishing the long-term care insurance system must adapt to the new situation and new requirements, taking universal coverage and coordinated urban-rural development as the starting point and foothold of the system. It can start with unit employees, retirees, and flexible employed persons, while accelerating the implementation of financial subsidies, effectively improving service supply, and as soon as possible including unemployed urban and rural residents in the protection, achieving full system coverage as early as possible. Adhere to the principle of balancing revenue and expenditure, start with the basic benefits for persons with severe disabilities, and on the basis of good actuarial analysis, gradually expand the scope of protection and adjust the benefit baseline.
Adhere to seeking truth from facts, and strictly manage budgets. Establishing the long-term care insurance system requires adhering to the principles of fairness and moderation, basic protection, and orderly coordination, doing one's best and acting within one's means (尽力而为、量力而行). China is the world's largest developing country, still in and will long remain in the primary stage of socialism, with the reality of getting old before getting rich (未富先老) coexisting with entering the era of longevity. To establish the long-term care insurance system, we must focus on the goal of universal coverage and enjoyment for all, raise funds according to capacity, provide moderate protection, and base the level of protection on the foundation of financial affordability and fund sustainability. Adhere to the actuarial balance mechanism, regularly analyze and judge changes in population structure, life expectancy trends, and nursing cost trends, and make medium- and long-term forecasts of fund revenue and expenditure. Strengthen the budget constraint mechanism, include long-term care insurance in the scope of social security fund budget preparation, strengthen budget performance management, and ensure the long-term stable operation of the system.
Enhance risk awareness, and strictly guard fund safety. Establishing the long-term care insurance system requires building a tight and solid fund safety prevention and control system. Strengthen the management mechanism of financial special accounts, strictly enforce financial discipline, eliminate misappropriation for other purposes, crack down on illegal embezzlement, punish fraud and insurance scams, and severely crack down on illegal acts that erode fund safety with a zero-tolerance attitude, ensuring that the fund is "strictly managed." Innovate the capacity improvement mechanism for handling operations, introduce social forces to participate in handling, improve the efficiency of basic services such as application acceptance, disability assessment, and nursing planning, and give full play to the leading role of "long-term care specialists (长护专员)" in formulating care plans and integrating nursing resources, ensuring that the fund is "well used." Innovate the departmental coordination and linkage mechanism, promote cross-departmental mutual recognition of disability assessment results, optimize the connection between related insurance and subsidy systems, eliminate duplicate protection, avoid fund waste, and ensure more efficient use of the fund. Strengthen the designated agreement management mechanism, strictly implement the access and exit system, optimize incentive and constraint policies, give full play to the strategic purchasing and payment guidance role of the fund, improve the initiative of designated institutions to provide quality services and the initiative of self-management, and ensure the fund is safer.
(Author unit: Institute of Chinese-style Modernization, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院))
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 邱超奕
Headline Highlights
On July 22, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部) held a regular press conference to release the employment data for the first half of the year. In the first half of the year, the employment situation remained generally stable. Focusing on stabilizing employment and promoting development, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, in coordination with relevant departments, advanced relevant work with emphasis on "exerting additional force" in five areas; clarified a number of policy measures to play an active role in stabilizing employment and ensuring people's livelihood; and solidly carried out work on skilled personnel, with the skilled personnel team continuing to grow.
A reporter learned from the regular press conference held by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on July 22: In the first half of this year, the number of newly added urban jobs nationwide was 6.95 million, flat year-on-year; the average surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2%; and the employment situation remained generally stable.
How will employment policies be implemented with additional force this year? How will social security policies support stabilizing and expanding jobs? What new progress has been made in building China's skilled personnel team? Responsible persons from relevant departments of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security provided answers.
"Five Areas of Intensified Effort" to Promote Stable Employment
Cui Pengcheng (崔鹏程), Director of the Policy Research Department and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, introduced that employment work in the first half of the year focused on "five areas of intensified effort."
Intensified efforts to roll out stable employment policies. For the first time, an employment-specific section was established in the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" outline. The State Council Leading Group for Employment Promotion and Labor Protection issued the "Action Plan for Stabilizing Jobs, Expanding Capacity, and Improving Quality." In June, the State Council issued the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for Implementing the Employment Priority Strategy." From January to June, 3.6 billion yuan in unemployment insurance stabilization returns, 0.9 billion yuan in one-time job expansion subsidies, and 1.2 billion yuan in skill improvement subsidies were disbursed.
Intensified efforts to promote employment for key groups. In coordination with the Ministry of Finance (财政部), 16 policy measures to promote employment for college graduates and other young people were issued; in coordination with the Ministry of Education (教育部), the "100-Day Action of Employment Public Services Entering Campuses" was implemented; and regular employment assistance to prevent and address relapse into poverty was strengthened.
Intensified efforts to upgrade and empower entrepreneurship work. In coordination with relevant departments, an entrepreneurship model leading action was implemented, the "one thing" for individual entrepreneurship was deeply promoted for efficient completion, and "four models" of entrepreneurship were promoted to drive and improve the quality of entrepreneurship.
Intensified efforts to carry out large-scale vocational skill improvement training. Focusing on high-precision and cutting-edge industries and urgently needed sectors, key groups such as college graduates, and in coordination with industry departments and mass organizations, special training in areas such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and new energy vehicles was deeply carried out. In the first half of the year, subsidized training exceeded 5.5 million person-times.
Intensified efforts to promote the quality and efficiency of employment public services. The human resources and social security departments issued typical cases of infringing on workers' employment rights, innovatively held a cloud recruitment month activity for internet enterprises, carried out a special action for the transfer and receipt of college graduate personnel files, and promoted the national employment public service logo.
Regarding employment of college graduates, Huang Junmei (黄俊梅), Second-level Inspector of the Employment Promotion Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, introduced that the human resources and social security departments are organizing various regions to carry out an employment service offensive action, establishing a real-name ledger, and including 2026 graduating class unemployed graduates in the service scope. Graduates can use Tencent, Baidu, or Gaode maps to search for the "National Employment Public Service Map" to find the nearest employment public service institution, and can also enter the job search registration mini-program through channels such as the State Council client to obtain job information, career guidance, etc., free of charge.
From now until the end of the year, the human resources and social security departments will successively hold recruitment activities such as the "100 Days, 10,000 Jobs" special recruitment action, the National Urban Joint Recruitment Autumn Special Session, the Golden Autumn Recruitment Month, and the Human Resources Service Industry Promotion Employment Action, and based on the needs of graduates, will carry out targeted service projects such as employment training, employment internships, and youth skill improvement actions. In addition, the human resources and social security departments will also focus on rectifying illegal and irregular behaviors such as false recruitment, employment discrimination, "training loans," and "carrot recruitment" (predetermined hiring).
Better Leveraging Social Insurance to Protect People's Livelihood
Unemployment insurance is an important component of the social insurance system, with important functions of protecting livelihoods, preventing unemployment, and promoting employment. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, together with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局), jointly issued the "Notice on Unemployment Insurance Supporting Enterprises to Stabilize and Expand Jobs," clarifying a number of policy measures to play a positive role in stabilizing employment and ensuring people's livelihood.
First, continue to implement the stable job return policy. Continue to implement the stable job return policy for insured enterprises that do not lay off or reduce staff, with small and medium-sized enterprises returning no more than 60% of the actual unemployment insurance premiums paid by the enterprise and its employees in the previous year, and large enterprises returning no more than 30%; social organizations, law firms, accounting firms, and individual businesses insured as units shall implement by reference. Beneficiary units may use the stable job return funds for employee living subsidies, paying social insurance premiums, job transfer training, skill improvement training, etc., to stabilize employment positions and reduce production and operation costs.
Second, continue to implement the one-time job expansion subsidy policy. For enterprises and social organizations that recruit graduating year and college graduates who have left school for two years without employment, as well as registered unemployed youth aged 16–24, sign labor contracts and pay social insurance premiums in full for more than 3 months, a one-time job expansion subsidy may be issued at a standard of no more than 1,500 yuan per person recruited. This policy is mainly to encourage and support enterprises to absorb youth employment.
Third, optimize the skill improvement subsidy policy. Compared with previous years, the policy this year is characterized by further emphasizing "certificate–post alignment" (证岗相适). Insured employees or persons receiving unemployment insurance benefits who obtain one of the following three types of certificates may apply for one subsidy: The first type is when the occupational category corresponding to the certificate obtained by the employee is consistent with the industry category of the enterprise where they work. Each occupation corresponds to an occupational category, and each enterprise corresponds to an industry category. If the occupational category corresponding to the certificate is consistent with the industry category corresponding to the enterprise, it meets the requirement of "certificate–post alignment" and the subsidy can be applied for. The second type is digital occupation and green occupation level certificates. In the "Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People's Republic of China (2022 Edition)" and subsequent new occupational classifications, certificates marked with the letter "S" are digital occupation certificates, and those marked with the letter "L" are green occupation certificates. The third type is level certificates included in the local list of urgently needed occupations (types of work). For those who have obtained multiple urgently needed occupation (type of work) certificates, an additional 2 subsidy applications may be added.
Chen Feng (陈峰), Director of the Unemployment Insurance Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, stated that relevant departments will accelerate the release of policy dividends, optimize the "exemption from application, immediate enjoyment" (免申即享) service model for stable job returns, determine enterprises that meet the conditions for enjoyment through back-end data comparison, actively push information, improve the precision of disbursement, and actively help stabilize employment, stabilize enterprises, stabilize the market, and stabilize expectations.
Deeply Advancing the "Skills Illuminate the Future" Training Campaign
In the first half of this year, China deeply implemented the "new eight-level worker" system (新八级工制度), with the skilled personnel team continuing to grow. A total of 4.819 million person-times newly obtained professional qualification or skill level certificates, including 1.936 million person-times for advanced workers and above, and 141,000 person-times for technicians and above.
At present, preparations for the 48th World Skills Competition are progressing in an orderly manner. China has successfully held the 48th World Skills Competition Technical Preparation Week Meeting and the 48th World Skills Competition Reception for Diplomatic Envoys in China.
Cui Pengcheng introduced that currently, more than 70 countries and regions have registered to participate, and nearly 1,400 competitors have completed registration. The training of Chinese competitors is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the recruitment of World Skills Competition volunteers has been basically completed.
Regarding the World Skills Conference and Skills Expo, the agenda of the World Skills Conference has been basically determined. Twenty-one member countries and regions and 10 international organizations have confirmed participation in the World Skills Expo. All 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have confirmed participation in the "one province, one skill" (一省一技) specialty skills exhibition.
In the next step, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will solidly carry out skilled personnel work, deeply advance the "Skills Illuminate the Future" (技能照亮前程) training campaign, and together with Shanghai Municipality, solidly carry out preparatory work for activities such as the "one competition, two conferences" (一赛两会), formally establish the Chinese delegation for the 48th World Skills Competition, participate in all 64 projects, actively prepare for training, and strive to achieve excellent results.
(Wang Shuyan (王澍言) contributed to the writing.)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孙海天
In summer, many regions experience hot and humid weather. Some people develop clusters of small transparent blisters on the sides of their fingers and palms, with itching and burning sensations. They dare not scratch, and after the blisters dry, the skin peels off layer by layer. This condition is medically called dyshidrotic eczema (汗疱疹), also known as pompholyx. What are its causes? And how should it be prevented and treated?
Fu Wenhao (符文好), associate chief physician of the Department of Dermatology at Hainan Provincial People's Hospital (海南省人民医院), introduced that dyshidrotic eczema is a chronic recurrent palmoplantar eczema with obvious seasonality. It often begins in late spring and early summer, worsens in summer, and resolves spontaneously in winter. Fu Wenhao explained that typical dyshidrotic eczema blisters are pinpoint to rice-grain sized, hidden beneath the epidermis, slightly raised, firm in texture, and not easily ruptured. The blisters contain clear serous fluid, appearing in clusters on the palms, sides of fingers, and fingertips, often occurring simultaneously on both hands. After two to three weeks, the blisters dry and peel, revealing new skin that is thin and tender, painful to touch. Most patients also experience itching and a burning sensation, and it is prone to recurrence.
Some might take the term at face value (望文生义 – wàng wén shēng yì – "look at the text, produce the meaning," to interpret literally or mistakenly based on the name): since it is called "sweat blister," is sweat to blame? Actually, this is not the case. During the formation of the blisters, the sweat gland ducts are not affected. Currently, the medical community believes that dyshidrotic eczema is a type of eczematous hypersensitivity reaction occurring on the skin. Fu Wenhao explained that its exact cause is not yet fully clear, but clinically, multiple triggering pathways have been identified.
Metal allergy is one triggering pathway. Studies have shown that systemic allergies to metals such as nickel and chromium are closely related to dyshidrotic eczema. Rings, bracelets, and watches worn daily that contain alloy components easily release metal ions when frequently exposed to water, potentially irritating the skin.
In addition, factors such as prolonged mental stress, anxiety, insufficient sleep, and excessive fatigue are also important triggers for the onset of the condition.
Although excessive sweating of the hands is not a direct cause, the retention of sweat on the epidermis in summer may lead to worsening of symptoms. People with sensitive skin have weak tolerance to changes in temperature and humidity, and slight irritation may trigger the condition. Fu Wenhao specifically reminded that at this time, excessive handwashing can actually be counterproductive. Cases where hand sanitizers, soaps, etc., repeatedly wash away the skin barrier, aggravating symptoms, are not uncommon in clinical practice.
It should be noted: do not mistakenly treat all small blisters on the hands as dyshidrotic eczema. Fu Wenhao introduced that several diseases with similar appearances need careful differentiation: blister-type tinea manuum usually presents with tinea pedis first, then tinea manuum, mostly unilateral, and fungal examination is positive; herpetic whitlow, scabies, and erythema multiforme may also appear on the hands and feet and are easily confused with dyshidrotic eczema. When uncertain, one should go to a regular hospital for a clear diagnosis.
After diagnosis, how should it be treated? Fu Wenhao introduced that the treatment strategy for dyshidrotic eczema needs to be adjusted according to the disease course in stages: in the early blister stage, the focus is on drying and stopping itching, and calamine lotion can be applied externally; in the desquamation stage, corticosteroid ointments such as triamcinolone acetonide urea ointment and halometasone cream can be used instead, but the duration of ointment use must be controlled, and continuous use should be limited to two weeks to avoid drug side effects. Subsequently, topical calcineurin inhibitors can be used for consolidation therapy. However, such drugs must be used under the guidance of a doctor. If a rash appears, medical consultation should be sought promptly.
Patients with recurrent local desquamation, dryness, and pain need to pay attention to enhancing skin moisturization, but should use appropriate skincare products and avoid excessive contact with potential allergens such as fragrances or preservatives. When itching is severe, topical menthol ointment can provide relief, and if necessary, oral antihistamines such as cetirizine can be taken.
For patients with severe acute episodes, a short course of oral prednisone can quickly control the condition, but attention must be paid to drug side effects. Such patients need to go to the hospital for consultation and take medication under the guidance of a physician.
Dyshidrotic eczema is a self-limiting disease. Most people can recover on their own in about half a month, but the most troublesome aspect is recurrence. Fu Wenhao reminded: avoid squeezing the blisters, avoid scratching. When the skin is broken, the risk of infection increases significantly. If suppuration, swelling, pain, or long-term non-healing occurs, it is necessary to promptly seek medical attention to adjust the treatment plan.
For daily prevention, Fu Wenhao gives the following suggestions: avoid washing hands with overly hot water and frequent use of disinfectant products; pay attention to the material of jewelry, avoid alloy components, remove rings and watches before contact with water, and put them back after drying hands; wash hands with warm water, avoid contact with detergents including hand sanitizer, focus on moisturizing, and when skin is dry and peeling, apply a simple-ingredient hand cream immediately after washing hands, and use fewer products containing fragrances; wear gloves when doing housework or contact with chemical agents; maintain sufficient sleep and emotional stability; keep the diet appropriately light, eat less spicy and stimulating food, consume more fresh vegetables, and supplement with vitamins and trace elements in moderation.
Return to TopIn front of the government service hall of Qianxi City, Guizhou Province (黔西市), stalls selling seasonal vegetables and local snacks are neatly arranged, and citizens are shopping. To solve the problem of "disturbing residents," Qianxi City relocated the "vegetable basket" network originally located in residential areas to the front of the government service hall, using refined management of "fixed time, fixed location, fixed scope" to facilitate citizens' shopping and optimize the residential environment. Photo by Zhou Xunchao (周训超) (Image China).
Return to TopNanchang, July 22 (Our Newspaper Reporter Zhou Huan (周欢)) — The "Jiangxi Provincial Overall Plan for the Construction of a Smart Transportation System" (江西省交通运输智慧系统建设总体方案) (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") was recently issued. The Plan is dedicated to propelling the province's smart transportation construction into a new stage of system integration and digital-intelligence leadership.
The Plan proposes that Jiangxi will steadily advance the construction of a smart transportation system in three phases. By the end of 2027, a unified digital base will be established; by the end of 2029, a "single map" of digital transportation will be completed, achieving full-process digital restructuring of eight major business domains including highway and waterway; by the end of 2030, the transportation smart system will be fully built, deepening full-scenario intelligent applications and entering a new stage of "intelligent leadership."
The Plan specifies: construct a "single sensing network," building an integrated "air-space-ground" ubiquitous sensing system for comprehensive transportation; consolidate a "single digital base," creating a provincial-level unified comprehensive transportation digital base; create a "single collaborative window," building a highway and waterway electronic map and collaborative visualization platform; integrate "eight business domains," covering eight major areas including highway transportation, road transport, waterway transportation, etc., creating a collaborative application system covering the entire business chain.
Return to TopHefei, July 22 (Reporter Li Junjie (李俊杰)) — Anhui has in recent years solidly carried out the convenience parking action, expanding parking supply through multiple channels. Since 2022, the province has cumulatively added over 2 million urban parking spaces, including 330,000 public parking spaces. The difficulty of parking in key areas has gradually eased.
In Shushan District (蜀山区), Hefei, the Hefei Heran Huarun Gas Company (合肥合燃华润燃气公司) integrated and revitalized 9.8 mu of idle land, without adding construction land or damaging the city's original appearance, scientifically planned 303 parking spaces and equipped them with new energy charging facilities, effectively meeting the parking needs of surrounding old residential communities, commercial buildings, and street-front shops.
Bengbu City has integrated parking and charging into practical livelihood projects, cumulatively completed the smart transformation of 12,000 on-street parking spaces, built 144 public parking lots with a total of 12,100 spaces, added 255 public charging stations and 2,537 charging piles, constructing a diversified and shared parking space supply network and an urban "2-kilometer charging service circle." The average time for new energy vehicle owners to find a charging pile has been reduced by 65%.
Targeting the pain point of traffic congestion around campuses in old urban areas, Xuancheng City innovated a governance plan of "time-period reuse, one site dual use." Around Xuancheng No. 6 Middle School, 94 motor vehicle parking spaces and 140 non-motor vehicle parking spaces were planned, exclusively for temporary parking of pick-up and drop-off vehicles during school peak hours, and converted into student extracurricular activity space during other periods. The traffic efficiency of the main road has significantly improved.
A relevant official from the Anhui Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (安徽省住房城乡建设厅) stated that in the next step, they will further strengthen parking management, optimize parking services, focus on areas with prominent parking difficulties such as old residential communities, hospitals, and schools to implement targeted efforts, enhance the effective supply of parking spaces, while accelerating the promotion of smart parking, striving to achieve time-staggered sharing of parking spaces, supporting diversified operation of parking lots, and continuously improving the convenience and satisfaction of the public in parking.
Return to TopUrumqi, July 22 (Our reporter Shang Rongzheng (尚嵘峥)) The reporter learned from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Department of Human Resources and Social Security (新疆维吾尔自治区人力资源和社会保障厅) that in recent years, Xinjiang has taken the construction of gig markets (零工市场) and gig stations (零工驿站) as an important lever to implement the employment priority strategy and improve the public employment service system. It has built 105 gig markets and gig stations, cumulatively served 3.241 million person-times of gig workers, provided 2.064 million gig job positions, and a convenient and efficient gig service network covering urban and rural areas is being accelerated.
Focusing on the goals of making job-seeking more convenient, hiring more reliable, matching more efficient, and rights and interests guaranteed, the Xinjiang human resources and social security departments have prioritized the deployment of service sites in key areas such as gig worker concentration zones, industrial parks, and transportation hubs, forming a service network with 58 gig markets as the backbone and 47 gig stations as extensions, among which 32 gig markets have comprehensive service functions such as immediate rapid recruitment, accommodation and dining, and skills training. Gig markets in various localities, on the basis of providing job matching, have also gradually expanded functions such as skills training, rights protection, and livelihood security, truly enabling flexible employment personnel to “enter, stay, and work well.”
In terms of digital empowerment, the Xinjiang human resources and social security departments are exploring digital-intelligent service models, promoting deep integration of online and offline, and will take the China Xinjiang Talent Market (中国新疆人才市场) as a driver to create a unified online gig market for the entire Xinjiang, cultivate more offline gig markets and gig stations, and enrich the intelligent application scenarios of the “Silk Road Gig” (丝路零工) brand zone.
Xinjiang will continue to improve the carriers of gig employment services, and by the end of 2027 will build 140 standardized gig markets and gig stations.
Return to TopLhasa, July 22 (People's Daily) -- (Reporter Xian Gan) The General Office of the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region recently issued the "Implementation Plan for Establishing a Long-Term Care Insurance System in the Tibet Autonomous Region," clarifying that from September 1 this year, the long-term care insurance system will be formally implemented, with the goal of achieving full coverage in the Tibet Autonomous Region by the end of 2028, and building a mature and finalized long-term care security system.
In terms of fund raising, it follows the principles of "determining expenditures based on revenue, balancing revenue and expenditure" and the "law of large numbers," through multiple channels including individuals, employers, and the government, with contributions collected simultaneously with basic medical insurance premiums. The total contribution rate for employed workers is 0.3%, of which employed individuals pay 0.15% of their own monthly wage income, and employers pay 0.15% of the total wages of their employed workers. At the same time, the employer contribution rate for employee medical insurance is reduced by 0.15%, and the reduced portion is directly transferred as the employer contribution for long-term care insurance, without increasing the burden on employers. Retirees pay 0.15% of their own basic pension, and their former employers do not pay. Flexible employment personnel individually pay 0.15% of the previous year's average monthly wage of employees, and the employer portion is also transferred from the basic medical insurance rate by 0.15%; they may also choose to participate under the urban and rural resident insurance policy. Persons under 18 years old participate with their parents or guardians but do not pay; orphans and others who cannot follow a guardian are deemed to have participated in the insurance at their household registration location.
Return to TopOur reporter Nanning, July 22 — (Reporter Zhang Yunhe (张云河)) The reporter learned recently from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Federation of Trade Unions: In order to build a stage for industrial workers to make contributions, Guangxi has extensively carried out the “Guangxi has skills, industry revitalization” (桂有技能、产业振兴) labor and skills competitions, and nearly 30,000 front-line workers have achieved skill upgrades through the competitions, growing into intermediate and senior workers, technicians, and even senior technicians.
The autonomous region’s human resources and social security department advances the “Skills Guangxi Action” (技能广西行动), innovatively promotes the training model of “job demand + skills training + skills evaluation + employment service”, and carries out large-scale vocational skills upgrading training. It deeply implements the “new eight-level worker” (新八级工) system, supports key enterprises to independently carry out the evaluation and appointment of special-grade technicians and chief technicians, and builds a complete growth system from apprentice to chief technician. In terms of industry-education integration, Guangxi adheres to “adjusting professional settings with industrial layout, optimizing talent training with job demand”. Among the new professional program points for vocational education in 2026, one-third are concentrated in emerging industry fields such as artificial intelligence.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 范佳元
The General Administration of Sport of China recently released the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Sports Powerhouse (体育强国建设“十五五”规划) (hereinafter referred to as the Plan). This is the first national-level special plan with the theme of "building a sports powerhouse," making systematic arrangements for accelerating the construction of a sports powerhouse and promoting high-quality development of sports during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Focusing on issues such as the formulation and implementation of the Plan, the head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport of China (国家体育总局政策法规司) provided an interpretation.
Speed up and improve quality, set five main development indicators.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China ranked among the world's major sports countries and Olympic powerhouse, and the development and progress of sports became a microcosm of the achievements of Chinese-style modernization. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for consolidating the foundation and fully exerting force to basically achieve socialist modernization, and also an important stage for comprehensively accelerating and improving the quality of building a sports powerhouse.
The Plan sets the 2030 target and sets five main development indicators: per capita sports venue area reaching about 4 square meters, the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise reaching about 40%, the national physique excellent rate reaching 31.1%, the number of world champions ranking among the top, and the total scale of the sports industry exceeding 7 trillion yuan.
During the compilation of the Plan, 17 major research studies were conducted; in-depth investigations were carried out across the country; opinions were publicly solicited from the public on the official website of the General Administration of Sport; and after seeking opinions from the national sports system and relevant national ministries, the final text was formed.
The head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that China's comprehensive national strength is continuously improving, providing solid material guarantees and a good social environment for the development of sports. The public's awareness of fitness has significantly increased, and the demand for multi-level and diverse sports is more urgent, providing new opportunities for sports development.
Serve the overall situation, first included in a national-level special plan.
The full text of the Plan consists of 11 parts, divided into three major sections: general introduction, key tasks, and safeguard measures. Around national fitness, competitive sports, youth sports, the three major ball sports (三大球), the sports industry, sports culture, etc., the Plan proposes 38 key tasks and sets up 8 special column projects. The head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that this time, the sports field plan is included in the national-level special plan for the first time, reflecting that the Party and the state have elevated sports to an unprecedented important position.
In the field of national fitness, it proposes to implement a plan to expand mass sports space, encourage qualified places to tap into golden corners and silver edges (金角银边), promote the construction and renovation of sports facilities that are elderly-friendly, child-friendly, and barrier-free, and deepen the integration of sports and health (体卫融合). In youth sports, it explores the establishment of a "primary school – middle school – high school" connected reserve talent training system for football, basketball, and volleyball, and focuses on conducting pilots on key issues such as myopia, obesity, scoliosis, and mental health among adolescents.
The head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that the Plan implements the requirements of the national 15th Five-Year Plan outline regarding actively developing mass sports and strengthening youth fitness popularization, making arrangements from aspects such as improving the public service system for national fitness, strengthening the construction of national fitness venues and facilities, enriching sports events and activities for the masses and youth, and deepening the integration of sports and education (体教融合), promoting the deep integration of sports and national health, and exploring new models of exercise promoting health.
The Plan proposes that at the sports industry level, deploy to improve the modern sports industry system, vigorously develop the event economy, consolidate and expand the results of driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports (带动三亿人参与冰雪运动), implement the outdoor sports industry upgrade project, and activate new business forms such as the silver economy (银发经济) and the parent-child economy. The head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that the Plan implements the requirements of the national 15th Five-Year Plan outline regarding building a strong domestic market and vigorously boosting consumption, promoting high-quality development of the sports industry, and stimulating the vitality of sports consumption.
In terms of sports culture, the Plan implements the requirements of the national 15th Five-Year Plan outline regarding the construction of spiritual civilization, prospering cultural creation and production, and enhancing the dissemination influence of Chinese civilization, making arrangements from aspects such as expanding and strengthening the cultural brand of Ode to the Chinese Sports Spirit (中华体育精神颂), enriching sports cultural products and platforms, strengthening the cultivation of civilized behavior in stadiums, and promoting Chinese traditional sports to go global (走出去), carrying forward the Chinese sports spirit, and promoting the prosperity of sports culture.
Improve mechanisms to ensure all tasks are completed on schedule.
To ensure the implementation of the Plan, the head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that through various forms of publicity and interpretation of the Plan, in-depth interpretation of the main goals, key tasks, and reform measures of building a sports powerhouse during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, unify the ideological understanding of the national sports front, enhance cohesion, and create a good development atmosphere for the implementation of the Plan.
The Plan requires upholding and strengthening the Party's leadership over sports work, and running the Party's leadership through the entire process of the Plan's implementation. Local people's governments at all levels must implement the main responsibility, and improve and perfect the mechanisms for overall coordination, acceptance and implementation, and supervision and guarantee.
The head of the Policy and Regulation Department of the General Administration of Sport stated that the General Administration of Sport will do a good job of overall coordination, strengthen coordination and cooperation among ministries, and consolidate the responsibilities of local sports administrative departments, various departments of the Administration, relevant public institutions, sports event centers, and associations, and promote the implementation of the Plan in a coordinated manner. Promote the effective connection between the implementation of the Plan and annual work plans, strengthen the support of relevant sports plans for the Plan, and ensure the coordination and consistency of various sports plans and annual plans.
In terms of plan evaluation, strengthen dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, and summary evaluation of the implementation of the Plan. According to the evaluation of the implementation of the Plan and the actual work, accelerate the implementation process of the Plan's tasks, and improve the efficiency of the Plan's implementation.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 季 芳
On July 22, the first competition day of the 2026 ISSF Full World Cup Hangzhou station arrived. In the 10m air pistol mixed team final, Chinese pairs, relying on outstanding performance, swept the gold and silver. Yao Qianxun (姚千寻) / Hu Kai (胡凯) won the gold medal with a score of 488.4 rings and set a new world record. Shen Yiyao (沈奕瑶) / Bu Shuaihang (布帅航) received the silver medal.
Because there were many participating pairs, the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification was divided into two groups. In the first group, Shen Yiyao / Bu Shuaihang, who appeared first, shot 589 rings, exceeding the original world record by 2 rings. Then Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai, who appeared later, were in better form, shooting a good result of 591 rings, creating a new qualification world record for the 10m air pistol mixed team. These two pairs advanced to the final as the top two in qualification.
The final process was 一波三折 (yī bō sān zhé - “one wave, three bends,” full of twists and turns). In the first half, Shen Yiyao / Bu Shuaihang had a hot touch, once rushing to the top of the ranking. Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai calmly adjusted their rhythm, continuously narrowing the gap. After several rounds of competition, the match entered a Chinese pair’s “derby” situation. Finally, Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai fixed their ring count at 488.4 rings, successfully overtaking to win the gold, and set a new final world record. Shen Yiyao / Bu Shuaihang got the silver medal with 485.7 rings, and the South Korean pair took the bronze.
From once falling behind to achieving a comeback, Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai always played 稳扎稳打 (wěn zhā wěn dǎ - “steady planting, steady striking,” to advance steadily and securely). After the match, Yao Qianxun said that what she could do in the competition was to concentrate on shooting every shot well, “not paying too much attention to the opponent’s performance, nor thinking about the result.”
Shen Yiyao / Bu Shuaihang, who received the silver medal, demonstrated the considerable strength of young athletes, continuously achieving good results in fierce competition. Bu Shuaihang said that the final match was 跌宕起伏 (diē dàng qǐ fú - “ups and downs,” full of dramatic fluctuations), and he enjoyed the process very much and also accumulated a lot of experience.
It is worth noting that starting from this season, the rules for the 10m air pistol mixed team final have undergone relatively major changes: the gold medal match and bronze medal match are no longer held separately. The top four pairs in qualification will directly advance to the final competition to contend for medals. Du Li, team leader of the pistol event of the Chinese shooting team, said that the Chinese team is currently still in the stage of adapting to the new rules and exploring new patterns. “Through participating in international competitions in the first half of the year, we have gradually found our form, but there is still room for improvement.”
In the men’s 10m air rifle final held a little later, Olympic champion Sheng Lihao won the championship with a score of 253.9 rings; this was also the second gold medal won by the Chinese team at this station event. Olympic champion Zhang Changhong won a silver medal with a score of 252.4 rings, and Swedish athlete Victor Lindgren won the bronze medal.
This World Cup will decide 15 gold medals within a 10-day schedule, covering all shooting competition events including air rifle, air pistol, and shotgun. The Chinese team sent a strong lineup to compete, with more than 10 Olympic champions such as Sheng Lihao and Liu Yukun participating in the competition, and new-generation world champions such as Yao Qianxun and Wang Zifei (王子菲) also appearing on the field. The Chinese shooting team will use this competition to further accumulate experience and improve their form, gathering strength for a sprint toward important events such as the Asian Games.
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Reporter Sun Longfei (孙龙飞)) — The regular season first stage of the 2026 China Table Tennis Super League (hereinafter referred to as the CTT Super League) begins on July 23 in Dalian, Liaoning.
This season, the number of men’s and women’s team entries in the CTT Super League has increased to 10 and 8 respectively. To further strengthen talent pipeline construction, the CTT Super League this year requires each team to register at least one U19 (under-19) athlete, providing space for the growth of young players.
The new season of the CTT Super League still adopts the format of a regular season and finals: the first stage of the regular season will be held from July 23 to 26 in Dalian, Liaoning, and the second stage will be held from July 29 to August 1 in Xiong’an, Hebei. The teams finishing first to fourth in the regular season advance to the finals, which will be held from December 25 to 27 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, using a single-elimination format.
Unlike the previous men’s and women’s team format of one doubles match plus four singles matches, this year’s CTT Super League, referencing the mixed team event, adopts a 15-game, 8-win system. Each individual match is played to a full three games (score 3:0 or 2:1), each game is 11 points, and the team that first accumulates 8 games wins. The order of matches is: doubles, singles, singles, doubles, singles. Each match must feature at least 4 athletes and at most 7. Each athlete may appear at most twice, and cannot play two singles matches or two doubles matches, and U19 athletes must appear in the first three matches.
Return to TopBy: 陶相安 梁一凡
The 2026 FIBA U17 (Under-17) Women’s Basketball World Cup, recently concluded in Brno (布尔诺), Czech Republic, saw the Chinese team finish in sixth place, achieving its best result in the event in the past decade.
For this U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup, the Chinese team sent Sun Hanyun (孙晗昀), Pang Yunshu (庞云舒), Sun Xuan (孙璇), Li Yuanshan (李沅珊), Tang Yatong (汤雅童), Jia Yu (贾驭), Wang Xinyue (汪欣悦), Feng Ying (冯颖), Wu Mengjie (吴梦婕), Wang Yiming (王一茗), Wan Jiayi (万珈伊), and Sun Ruoyan (孙若妍) to compete. Among them, several players had taken part in the 2025 FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup, where the team finished fourth with a record of three wins and three losses, accumulating not only international competition experience but also earning qualification for this U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
For the Chinese team, the journey in this World Cup was not easy. On the one hand, China was grouped with Mexico, Germany, and Spain; Spain is ranked second in the world, making the fight for group-stage advancement fierce. On the other hand, the group-stage schedule was tight, with consecutive high-intensity matches over a short period, posing a challenge to the players’ physical reserves.
Chinese team head coach Liu Yang (刘旸) revealed that, in order to prepare for the competition, the team conducted altitude training in Yunnan during the Spring Festival period this year. “Whether facing European and American teams characterized by high-intensity physical confrontation, or Asian teams known for their fast pace, abundant physical fitness is needed as support,” Liu Yang explained. “The special environment of high altitudes can effectively improve athletes’ cardiopulmonary function and aerobic endurance, helping the team better adapt to the World Cup’s game tempo.”
During the group stage, the Chinese team successively defeated Mexico and Germany before losing to Spain in the final match, eventually finishing second in the group with two wins and one loss, advancing to the knockout stage.
In the first knockout match, the Chinese team leveraged its inside advantage to defeat Latvia 83:60, smoothly advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite the victory, the team made only 8 of 32 three-point attempts, an issue needing attention. In the quarterfinal, the Chinese team made timely adjustments, and the game against Canada was very tight. After Canada’s player Vollet (沃莱特) made a layup with 1.7 seconds left in the game, the Chinese team lost narrowly to Canada 68:69, failing to reach the semifinals.
Although the one-point loss was regrettable, the players were not discouraged by it. In Liu Yang’s eyes, these young players are “full of vigor and fighting spirit, and deeply love basketball.” In the subsequent classification matches, the Chinese team recorded one win and one loss in contests against Slovenia and New Zealand, ultimately finishing sixth in the tournament and achieving the pre-tournament goal of “breaking into the World Cup top eight.”
Looking back at this tournament, players such as Li Yuanshan, Sun Hanyun, and Pang Yunshu repeatedly performed well on both offense and defense. Li Yuanshan, in particular, with an average of 20.3 points per game, became the tournament’s scoring champion and was selected to the All-Tournament Second Team. However, facing the high-intensity game pace, how to ensure consistency and success rate in performance also places higher demands on these young players.
For this young team composed mainly of players born in 2009 and 2010, Liu Yang is full of expectations. She said: “I hope the players can always maintain a state full of vigor, keep growing, display the demeanor of China’s young women’s basketball team, and win more honors for the country in the future.”
Return to TopGreenways crisscross Huai’an, Jiangsu, providing favorable conditions for citizens’ outdoor fitness and attracting many cycling enthusiasts.
57-year-old Wang Shuping (王淑萍) is one of them. Wang Shuping gets up early every day and cycles 40 kilometers to strengthen her body and improve her health. Relying on her solid physical fitness reserve, she has twice participated in the Ride Together Jixi International Cycling Marathon (Anhui Jixi – Shanghai) (骑聚绩溪国际自行车马拉松骑行大会（安徽绩溪—上海）), a race of 421.95 kilometers, and won the women’s championship both times. “Cycling makes me relax both physically and mentally and brings a lot of fun to my life,” Wang Shuping said.
Cycling is increasingly popular. More and more people, like Wang Shuping, practice the low-carbon concept, enjoy the joy of cycling, and sketch a vivid picture of the vigorous development of national fitness.
The photo shows Wang Shuping (front row, in red) and her cycling companions enjoying a leisure ride on Binhe Avenue in Huai’an, Jiangsu.
Photo by Yin Chao (殷潮) (Xinhua)
This newspaper, Beijing, July 22 electronic report (reporter Tao Xiang'an (陶相安)). On July 21 local time, the International School Sport Federation (hereinafter referred to as the ISF (国际中体联)) 2026 renewal member congress was held in Belgrade, Serbia; Serbian Zeljko Tanaskovic (热利科·塔纳斯科维奇) was re-elected ISF President, and Teng Lianshuai (滕连帅), Deputy Secretary-General of the Joint Secretariat of the Student Sports Association of the Ministry of Education (教育部学生体育协会联合秘书处) and Vice President of the China School Sports Federation (中国学生体育联合会), was elected ISF Vice President.
This member congress had representatives from secondary school sports organizations of 81 countries and regions in attendance, and the meeting elected 22 seats of the new Executive Committee for 2026–2030.
On the 20th local time, the congress also held an Asian intercontinental meeting, and relevant personnel briefed on the preparation of the 2026 ISF Football World Cup (国际中体联足球世界杯). This event will be held in October this year in Suzhou, Jiangsu.
The ISF was founded in 1972, is the highest leading organization for secondary school sports globally, holds a member congress once a year, its administrative management body is the Executive Committee, and the members of the Executive Committee include the President, three Vice Presidents, five Continental Presidents, and several Executive Committee members.
Return to TopChangsha, July 22 (Reporter Yang Xun (杨迅)) The opening ceremony of the 2026 Hunan Province Harmonious and Beautiful Village Basketball Tournament (和美乡村篮球大赛) (“Village BA” (村BA)) and National Selection Tournament was held on the 21st in Xinyi Village (新义村), Quzi Temple Town (屈子祠镇), Miluo City (汨罗市), Yueyang City (岳阳市). Sixteen participating teams from various cities and prefectures of Hunan gathered at the competition venue, and over eight match days they will compete in 44 games. The champion and runner-up teams will represent Hunan in the national “Village BA” Southern Regional Tournament. On the evening of the 21st, the Yiyang Anhua Team (益阳安化队) and the Yueyang Miluo Team (岳阳汨罗队) played the opening game.
The competition is divided into multiple stages including group matches and cross matches, running from July 21 to July 28. It will be held at the Miluo City “Village BA” Gymnasium (汨罗市“村BA”球馆) and the Miluo No.1 Middle School Basketball Gymnasium (汨罗市第一中学篮球馆), allowing more members of the public to experience the charm of basketball up close.
The event was co-hosted by the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (湖南省农业农村厅) and the Yueyang Municipal Government (岳阳市政府). During the tournament, Miluo City 因地制宜 (yīn dì zhì yí - “adapt measures to local conditions,” to suit local circumstances) and deeply integrated cultural and sports resources. Apart from watching the games, spectators can both purchase local specialty agricultural products and enjoy delicious food, as well as immersively experience the Dragon Boat Culture Special Exhibition (龙舟文化特展), gaining multiple experiences.
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Return to TopBy: 南方日报记者 杨立轩 浙江日报记者 何贤君 大众日报记者 白 晓
Chenghai small fans: powerful features, better heat relief
“This handheld fan is small in size, but the wind volume it blows out is large, and it is very quiet.” In the scorching summer, walking into a craft gift factory in Chenghai District (澄海区), Shantou City, Guangdong Province, export sales manager Lin Qiuxiang (林秋翔) is introducing a cooling product — a small fan — to foreign customers.
Products with a spray function emit a cool sensation seconds after being turned on; beauty-model fans with a fill light enable fill-light selfies; IP (intellectual property) co-branded models printed with popular anime characters are highly favored — this summer, small fans shipped from Chenghai District have become a hot summer heat-relief item. In the production workshop of this gift factory, workers are busy rushing to fulfill orders, packing and boxing them for shipment to overseas markets.
“Right now, orders from Europe and South America have grown the most,” Lin Qiuxiang explained. The company upgrades the functions and craftsmanship of its products every year. For example, small fans with optimized motors can achieve a maximum battery life of up to 10 hours.
The popularity of Chenghai small fans benefits from the solid foundation of the local toy creative industry’s “full-chain industrial chain + cross-border e-commerce belt.” “We can find all the parts and components we need here,” Lin Qiuxiang said. When the company adds new production lines and optimizes production processes, the delivery cycle under normal circumstances is only seven days.
In recent years, the local government has vigorously promoted industrial technological transformation. By holding events such as the Shantou AI (artificial intelligence) toy industry ecosystem conference, it helps enterprises connect with technological resources. So far, it has driven 12 toy creative and upstream/downstream enterprises to be successfully included in the provincial-level special fund project for the digital transformation pilot of small and medium-sized enterprises in cities.
Yiwu small ice sleeves: micro-innovations, more comfortable
In the sun-protection clothing and accessories section of Zone 4 of the Yiwu International Trade Market in Zhejiang, buyers from many countries around the world are selecting goods here. This section covers a full range of needs from basic protection to innovative design, with categories including sun-protection clothing, sun-protection arm sleeves, and so on.
Suitable for both outdoor sports and open-air work, ice sleeve products have become hot-selling items thanks to their extremely strong practicality and wide range of applicable scenarios. Data show that from April 1 to July 17, the procurement amount for Yiwu ice sleeves increased by 72.42% compared to the same period last year.
“Starting from February, we entered the peak production and sales season, with orders from domestic e-commerce, supermarkets, and so on accounting for 80%,” said Chen Jia (陈嘉), the manager of a brand store. This year, the team has focused on product research and development, strictly selecting innovative fabrics that are highly effective at sun protection yet breathable and lightweight — ice-silk cool-feel nylon. After wearing, the perceived body temperature is lower. They have also added color schemes and shapes, adjustable tightness, watch windows, and so on. These micro-innovations make the ice sleeves more practical and aesthetically pleasing while providing sun protection. Since the start of this year, sales have reached 600,000 pairs.
Dong Wei (董薇), the head of a knitting enterprise, recently finalized an order for 3,000 pairs of ice sleeves with a client. These days, the factory of this enterprise is working overtime to produce, and orders are already scheduled through the end of August. For people with sensitive skin, they specially developed styles made from natural materials such as mulberry silk and linen this year. So far, more than 30,000 pairs of these new products have been sold.
At the same time, ice sleeve products are also experiencing an export boom, with customers from Spain, Italy, Germany, and other places frequently placing repeat orders.
“In previous years, we focused on domestic sales, but this year, many new overseas customers have come to purchase ice sleeves, ordering 20,000 to 30,000 pairs at a time,” Dong Wei explained. The design team produces customized items based on the body shape characteristics of overseas consumers to improve wearing comfort.
“Not only must they provide sun protection, but they also need to be breathable, cool, and portable, meeting the wearing needs of different occasions, and they also need to look good,” said Sheng Yafang (盛亚芳), president of the Yiwu China Commodity City Gloves and Cotton Knitwear Industry Chamber of Commerce. Ice sleeves are transforming from pure functional apparel accessories into summer outfit essentials, not only expanding consumption scenarios but also prompting the industry chain to continuously iterate and innovate in fabrics, designs, and colors.
Jiaozhou sun hats: after upgrading, they sell even better
On July 18, machines rumbled in the workshops of hat-making enterprises in Ligezhuang Town (李哥庄镇), Jiaozhou City (胶州市), Shandong Province.
In the production workshop of a hat company, workers methodically perform steps such as edge binding, shaping, and Velcro sewing. Batches of functional sun-protection baseball caps with widened and lengthened brims for shading are coming off the production line one after another, soon to be boxed and shipped to overseas markets.
Jia Wen (贾雯), the person in charge of this production workshop, explained that the workshop is currently running two production lines in parallel, simultaneously scheduling the production of casual baseball caps and summer sun-protection functional models, maximizing capacity release. At present, in Ligezhuang Town, many hat-making enterprises are relying on mature baseball cap production lines to carry out product function iteration and upgrades, adopting cool-touch quick-drying materials, breathable sun-protection mesh, and extended brims for shading as key processes for summer products.
After more than 40 years of development, Ligezhuang Town has gathered over 400 hat-making enterprises and more than 200 upstream and downstream supporting suppliers, producing nearly 500 million high-end and mid-range sports and casual hats annually, with products exported to more than 100 countries and regions.
Mature industrial supporting facilities have greatly reduced the cost of enterprise transformation and iteration. The town’s shared factory model and one-stop accessory supply model, combined with automation production upgrades, have reduced overall production costs for enterprises by 30%. Small and medium-sized enterprises can quickly switch to producing sun-protection functional models without needing large investments in technological transformation.
“Based on mature craftsmanship and stable foreign trade channels, we can precisely adapt to the needs of different regional markets. The North American market mainly features extended-brim outdoor sun-protection baseball caps; the European market sees hot sales of wide-brim leisure sun-protection hats; the Japanese and South Korean markets mainly feature thin, lightweight, foldable, and portable sun-protection hats,” explained Lu Yuzhen (陆玉珍), the person in charge of the company. Leveraging the advantages of a flexible and nimble industrial chain, a new sun-protection baseball cap locally can go from sample making to batch production in just three days, quickly accepting various small-batch overseas custom orders.
An upgraded and iterated sun-protection baseball cap is a vivid microcosm of how the hat-making industry in Ligezhuang Town has seized the opportunity to break through, and it further expands the development space for improving quality and efficiency in the traditional foreign trade sector.
Return to TopBy: 徐雷鹏
Recently, in Zhongshan, Guangdong, a recruitment notice posted by a parent seeking a university student to come to the home to care for children during the summer vacation has once again pushed the topic "children on break, parents not on break" onto the hot search list.
This small recruitment notice has attracted considerable attention: as the holiday arrives, who will lend a hand in the matter of childcare? The question is not exactly new, yet it comes online punctually every year.
For children, the holiday is an important period for resting the body and mind, getting close to nature, and enriching the self; it is also a precious opportunity for extracurricular reading, experiencing life, and accompanying family members. But the reality is right before our eyes: if sent back to the hometown to be cared for by grandparents, there is fear of being spoiled; signing up for care centers or summer camps not only costs no small amount, but whether safety is guaranteed and whether the teachers are responsible also remain question marks; taking leave to stay home and accompany the child — what about work? Leaving this difficult problem for parents alone to solve will inevitably lead to 左支右绌 (zuǒ zhī yòu chù - "to prop left while the right gives way," unable to cope with the situation from all sides); if it is completely thrown to the market, it may quietly turn into a "business manual."
To solve the "difficulty of childcare during holidays," this household must-answer question needs to be turned into a public question for society to answer together.
Relevant departments might as well first actively explore. At present, childcare explorations by departments such as trade unions, Women's Federations (妇联), and communities in many places have already been rolled out, but the coverage is limited and the standards are 参差不齐 (cēn cī bù qí - "uneven and irregular," varying in quality). The urgent task is to establish clear and reliable service standards, so that parents can entrust their children with peace of mind and children can stay comfortably.
Employers also have great potential. Enterprises with the conditions can incorporate holiday childcare into their employee welfare system, running care centers the way they run cafeterias. In places such as Guangdong and Zhejiang, industrial parks and enterprises have jointly opened "summer care centers at the doorstep," where workers bring their children when coming to work and pick them up when leaving work, solving practical difficulties and also enhancing employees' sense of belonging.
Communities should even more become the support that is close at hand. Revitalize spaces such as Party-mass service centers (党群服务中心) and community cultural activity rooms, and introduce the forces of professional social workers and volunteers to jointly support the effort. Some places have implemented a "community partner" (社区合伙人) pattern, integrating resources such as retired teachers and university student volunteers within the jurisdiction, enabling childcare services to operate at low cost and sustainably.
In addition, commercial childcare and study tour institutions must be regulated and managed, giving compliant operators space and leaving no loopholes for speculators to exploit.
Holiday childcare should not be a "one-man show" for parents, nor merely a "private family matter"; it reflects the background color of public services and is also filled with the warmth of social cooperation. Only when each fulfills their own responsibilities and lends each other a hand can parents have a bit more ease and children grow up better.
Return to TopBy: 黑龙江日报记者 赵宇清
In the sweltering month of July, even more intense than the weather is the ice rink of the Qitaihe (七台河) Sports Center in Heilongjiang. Teams from Mongolia, Hungary, Australia, and other countries and regions are taking turns training on the ice, with the ice rink training schedule booked through September.
Who says the ice-and-snow economy can only be "popular for one season"? Qitaihe is transforming "cold resources of ice and snow" into a "year-round hot economy." By leveraging its advantages in ice and snow sports, this city has broken through the seasonal limitations of the ice-and-snow industry, forging a transformation path of "competition-training attracting flow, cultural tourism empowering, consumption expanding" (赛训引流、文旅赋能、消费扩容).
Qitaihe has cultivated four Winter Olympic champions in short track speed skating and has accumulated a relatively mature system for talent selection and training. This is precisely the main reason why athletes from around the world come here to train. The Ice Speed Skating Association of Queensland, Australia has held a short track speed skating training camp in Qitaihe for the sixth time this summer. Association President He Yi (何易) told reporters that what they value is Qitaihe's training methods.
Events that do not distinguish between winter and summer have become an important vehicle for Qitaihe to gather popular attention. Last year, Qitaihe hosted more than 130 short track speed skating invitationals, friendly matches, and other events, driving the number of tourists and total tourism expenditure to increase by 28.8% and 32.8% year-on-year respectively.
Return to TopBy: 新华社记者 邹竞一
Yang Xin is a journalist with the Shangluo Daily (商洛日报社) in Shaanxi.
During one interview trip to the countryside, she discovered that many elderly people living deep in the mountains had worked hard all their lives but had never had a formal individual portrait taken. What was even more regrettable was that after some of the elderly passed away, their relatives could not find a single complete and clear photograph to keep as a memento.
Yang Xin conceived the idea of using her own photography skills to take free portraits for the elderly. At the end of 2017, Yang Xin launched the "Old-Age Remembrance" (老有所忆) public welfare project, going into the mountain villages of Shangluo City to take free photos for the elderly.
Before each shoot, Yang Xin would set up the venue in advance, carefully helping the elderly comb their hair and adjust their clothing. Today, Yang Xin's public welfare team has grown to more than 150 people. In the future, Yang Xin plans to go into more mountain villages to preserve more memories for the elderly.
Return to TopJiangsu establishes 6G Industry Alliance
Xinhua Daily, Nanjing, July 22 (reporter Fu Qi) — On July 17, the Jiangsu Province 6G Industry Alliance was established. The alliance gathers upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, covering network equipment, chips and core components and other fields, and will focus on tasks such as integrating innovation resources across the entire chain, deepening government-enterprise对接 (duìjiē - "docking/coordination"), collaboratively tackling key technologies, building a high-end talent echelon, and promoting large-scale application of scenarios, so as to construct a "government-industry-academia-research-application-finance" (政产学研用金) deeply integrated 6G industry development ecosystem.
Xiong'an International Smart Express Logistics Technology Application Competition concludes
Tianjin Daily, Tianjin, July 22 (reporter Hao Yiping) — The finals of the Xiong'an International Smart Express Logistics Technology Application Competition recently concluded successfully. The competition was set with three tracks: intelligent processing and automation, postal smart equipment and new application scenarios, and green postal packaging and circular utilization. It attracted many Beijing-Tianjin enterprises to participate, with a total of 75 high-quality projects entering the finals.
Hainan launches "One Thing" service zone for intellectual property protection
Our newspaper, Haikou, July 22 (correspondent Gao Chao) — Recently, the Hainan Intellectual Property Protection "One Thing" (一件事) service zone was officially launched on the Hainan Government Service Network. This service zone integrates 51 items of online government services across the entire chain of intellectual property creation, utilization, protection, management, and service, providing "one-window handling" for 45 service matters including patents, trademarks, geographical indications, and data intellectual property.
The 51st Wuhan River Crossing Event held
Xinhua News Agency — The 51st Wuhan River Crossing Event was held on July 16, attracting nearly 2,000 swimmers from around the world to race across and swim across the Yangtze River. River crossing is a traditional mass fitness activity in Wuhan, Hubei. This year's event was divided into an individual race challenge crossing the Yangtze and a mass team crossing activity, with swimming distances of approximately 1,800 meters and 6,000 meters respectively. This year's individual race had 70 participants from countries and regions including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Thailand.
Inner Mongolia releases two national standards in the cashmere field
Inner Mongolia Daily, Hohhot, July 22 (reporter Li Guoping) — Two national standards, GB 18267—2026 "Cashmere" and GB/T 14593—2026 "Quantitative analysis method for cashmere, wool and other animal fibers," led and revised by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Fiber Quality Monitoring Center (内蒙古自治区纤维质量监测中心), were recently released and implemented. The new standards will provide technical support for standardizing fair trade and promoting the quality upgrade of the cashmere industry.
Yunnan Qiubei Puzhehei Flower Face Cultural Series Activities commence
Yunnan Daily, Wenshan, July 22 (reporter Li Tong) — On July 18, the Puzhehei (普者黑) Flower Face Cultural Series Activities commenced in Qiubei County (丘北县), Yunnan Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (文山壮族苗族自治州). After the artistic performances, the fun folk custom of "smearing flower faces" (抹花脸) was carried out. The crowd on site gathered by the lotus pond, using plant ash as ink, smearing each other's faces and exchanging blessings.
By: 河北日报记者 刘 英
On the morning of July 19, inside the exhibition hall of a technology company in Xianghe County (香河县), Langfang City, Hebei Province, a running jianbing robot attracted many merchants.
With a light tap of a fingertip on the touch screen, selecting "double egg, chili sauce, and chopped green onions," the white robotic arm then operates, automatically completing the entire process of spreading batter, cracking eggs, flipping, brushing sauce, sprinkling ingredients, adding crispy wafer, and bagging, and can serve the meal in 3 minutes. Take a bite: the edges are crispy, the inside is soft and chewy.
"Smart hardware upgrades quickly, and the daily meals of ordinary people are also a high-frequency rigid demand. Using robot technology to standardize cuisine is both a new track and a new mission," said Hu Wentao (胡文涛), the general manager of the company.
At the end of 2018, the team started research and development. To replicate the authentic taste of handmade jianbing, the R&D personnel repeatedly observed the techniques of master chefs on the streets of Tianjin, completing over 300,000 tests in total; to overcome the problem of "egg cracking leaving residue," they also developed a special film-coating technology, achieving zero residue. Now, this set of equipment has obtained more than 50 patents.
In April 2025, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Robot Competition (京津冀机器人大赛) was held in Xianghe, and the jianbing robot project of Hu Wentao's company signed contracts on site, with a first-phase investment of nearly 200 million yuan. The jianbing robot: Beijing R&D, Tianjin flavor, Xianghe manufacturing, reflecting the industrial ecology of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei collaborative innovation.
Return to TopBy: 西藏日报记者 孙开远
In Comai County, Shannan City, Tibet (西藏山南市措美县), a fourth-grade classroom at the town's elementary school, 11-year-old Baima Luobu (白玛罗布) leans over his desk, writing a letter to a child in Anhui.
Baima Luobu has never been to Anhui. The teacher has shown the class pictures of the Taihe Shaying River National Wetland Park and described what board noodles look like floating in red chili oil. The children in the class have almost all built their imagination of Anhui from just those few photos and descriptions.
When the recess exercises ended, Baima Luobu ran back to the classroom and, as a casual gesture, took off his coat and hung it on the back of his chair. This action now seems perfectly natural, but several teachers still recall that a few years ago, before the school had heating, the children would bundle up in thick cotton-padded clothes, their fingers red from the cold.
Change has also come to Gudui Township Elementary School (古堆乡小学) in Comai County. In June 2025, the renovation and expansion project for this rural elementary school passed inspection. At the end of that year, after finishing a recess exercise on the new playground, one student walked into the classroom, touched the radiator, and said, “The temperature in the classroom and the feeling of basking in the sun on the playground are the same – warm.” That remark was later repeated by teachers to many people. The phrase “full coverage of school building heating” (校舍供暖全覆盖) in policy documents had turned into that natural act of every child taking off their coat.
Raising the level of teaching capacity is a more pressing problem. In Comai County's elementary schools, high-quality teachers are in short supply. The Anhui aid-Tibet work team has put considerable effort into enabling the teachers here to get access to newer teaching concepts and methods. In April 2025, 12 backbone teachers from Comai went to Anhui Normal University (安徽师范大学) for training and study. In December of the same year, eight more teachers from Comai County went to Huainan Normal University (淮南师范学院) for specialized training.
Social forces have also joined in. In November 2025, a company from Anhui donated 100,000 yuan to the Comai County education system. Around the same time, the Comai work group of Anhui Province's Ninth Batch of Aid-Tibet Work Teams (安徽省第九批援藏工作队措美工作组) delivered condolence money to 28 needy students at Gudui Township Elementary School.
Baima Luobu knows none of these things. He only knows that the letter he wrote to the child in Anhui is part of a “hand-in-hand” (手拉手) activity. At the end of the letter, he wrote: “The teacher says the 56 ethnic groups are all one family. Even though we are far apart, I feel that we are family.”
After finishing, he turned to his deskmate and asked, “Tell me, when they eat board noodles, do they put yak meat in it?”
Return to TopBy: 本报通讯员 龚键荣
On July 15, Fuding City, Fujian, completed its first tea garden ecosystem carbon sink transaction, with the obtained carbon sink credits to be fully used to offset the carbon emissions of the 2026 Fujian Provincial City Football League (Min Super League) Ningde home games, helping sports events achieve carbon neutrality.
Under the overall coordination of the Fuding City Carbon Sink Practice Working Group (碳汇实践工作专班), Fuding City Agricultural Reclamation Development (Group) Co., Ltd. (福鼎市农垦发展（集团）有限公司) sold 200 tons of tea garden ecological carbon sinks through the Strait Resources and Environment Trading Center (海峡资源环境交易中心), with a total transaction amount of 17,400 yuan.
After years of exploration, Fuding City's 362,000 mu of tea gardens have formed a stable and sustainable carbon sequestration ecosystem. In August 2025, Fuding established a Carbon Sink Practice Working Group and developed the "Fuding City Tea Garden Ecosystem Carbon Sink Accounting Method" (《福鼎市茶园生态系统碳汇核算方法》). In April 2026, the first batch of 3,018 tons of Fuding tea garden ecosystem carbon sinks was listed and put online on the Strait Resources and Environment Trading Center.
Return to TopBy: 王新宇
I am a chief physician at a travel medicine clinic.
What is a travel medicine clinic? Is it just a place to “get vaccines before going abroad”? Vaccine consultation is certainly important, but travel medicine goes far beyond that. It is a discipline that comprehensively assesses destination risks, travel methods, and individual health status, guides travelers in preventing possible diseases, and provides personalized health recommendations.
Every year during holidays or the start of the foreign school season, the number of travelers and international students coming to the clinic for consultation increases, mainly to prevent travel diseases.
What are travel diseases? People are more prone to illness while traveling. In addition to local endemic diseases, these include fever, diarrhea, allergies, altitude sickness, motion sickness, blood pressure fluctuations, and even trauma, sprains, fractures, etc.
In the 1980s, cross-border travel emerged, and travel medicine arose in response. Abroad, travel clinics are relatively widespread. In the past decade, hospitals in China have also begun to open such clinics, but patient volume is not large.
A travel medicine doctor must not only know how to treat illnesses but also understand a bit of “medical geography.” When going to tropical or subtropical regions, attention must be paid to preventing mosquito and tick bites; when going to Africa, South America, or parts of Southeast Asia, vaccination and malaria prevention assessments should be conducted in advance; when planning activities such as going to high altitudes, taking cruises, diving, hiking, skiing, or rainforest expeditions, one must also consider environmental and activity risks such as altitude sickness, motion sickness, drowning, trauma, hypothermia, or heat stroke. Therefore, travel medicine doctors must have a broad range of knowledge, understand history and geography, and continuously learn.
Currently, many cities in China have opened travel medicine clinics or travel health care centers. I look forward to more people learning about this niche, valuable clinic, so that “prevention is better than cure” becomes a way of life.
(Xinhua News Agency dispatch; author is Deputy Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University, and Chief Physician of the Travel Medicine Clinic)
Return to TopLayout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼). Submission email: rmrbgdcz@peopledaily.cn
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 常 钦
Henan watermelon planting area and output rank first in the country. Recently, open-field watermelons from Kaifeng, Henan, and other areas have been concentrated on the market, and some production areas have experienced sales difficulties and price declines. Topics such as "watermelons a few fen per jin" have attracted attention.
Investigation has found that the watermelons sold at "a few fen per jin" are mainly tail-end melons that are relatively small, poor in appearance and taste, or special prices offered by farmers who haul them to market themselves and are eager to sell – they do not represent the general market conditions in the production areas. The farm-gate purchase price for ordinary watermelons is mostly 0.2–0.3 yuan per jin, those with better appearance can sell for 0.4–0.6 yuan, and premium melons fetch even higher prices, but overall prices are clearly lower than the same period last year. This round of low prices is caused not only by short-term factors such as abnormal weather and concentrated market entry from production areas, but also reflects deeper problems including a lack of suitable varieties, extensive production management, an incomplete grading system, and a low degree of organization in production and marketing.
Why have prices fallen?
In recent years, per-unit yield has increased, total supply has remained at a high level, and price differentials between different qualities are large.
During this period, in Fan Village Township, Xiangfu District, Kaifeng City (开封市祥符区范村乡), many watermelon farmers haul their melons to wait for buyers as soon as dawn breaks. Farmer Liu Liqin (刘丽勤) reported that this year the purchase price for ordinary watermelons is mostly 0.2–0.3 yuan per jin, a clear drop from the same period last year, while melons with better appearance can sell for 0.4–0.6 yuan per jin. The watermelons rumored online to be a few fen per jin are mainly some tail-end melons that farmers sell at low prices to avoid rotting in the fields – not the general local market situation.
In Beigang Village, Dagangli Township, Tongxu County, Kaifeng City (开封市通许县大岗李乡北岗村), farmer Li Zhaoxin (李兆新) planted 10 mu of watermelons intercropped with corn and chili peppers. He reported that watermelons with good appearance can sell for 0.4 yuan per jin, while slightly smaller ones go for about 0.2 yuan.
The situations of these two farmers show that although there are indeed declining prices and sales pressure in the production areas, price differentials between watermelons of different qualities are large.
Relevant departments in Kaifeng also discovered that some media and self-media have published and reposted inaccurate reports, selectively taking partial low-price segments, 以偏概全 (yǐ piān gài quán - "take a part for the whole," to generalize from partial evidence), deliberately exaggerating sales difficulties, and obscuring the full picture of the facts, creating the impression that Kaifeng watermelon prices are all relatively low.
Henan’s open-field watermelon area is approximately 1.5 million mu, a considerable portion of which uses wheat-watermelon intercropping. Of this, Kaifeng’s watermelon planting area has long been 600,000 to 700,000 mu. Farmers interplant watermelons in the later growth stage of wheat, and then interplant chili peppers and corn before the watermelons are harvested, thereby increasing operating income while ensuring grain production. This is a long-standing local grain-melon-vegetable rotation model.
Xu Yong (许勇), Chief Scientist of the National Watermelon and Melon Industry Technology System (国家西甜瓜产业技术体系), analyzed that in recent years per-unit watermelon yield has increased and total supply has remained at a high level. Last winter was relatively warm, so output from Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan and other provinces as well as Southeast Asia was relatively high, and the opening prices around the Spring Festival were low, putting downward pressure on prices in subsequent production areas. When Kaifeng open-field watermelons entered the market en masse from late June to early July this year, the rainy season came early; rainfall accelerated the ripening of some watermelons and reduced quality, and muddy field roads made it difficult for buyers to purchase.
Lou Wei (娄威), Chief Agronomist of the Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (开封市农业农村局), explained that this year the local watermelon planting area increased, and the market entry times are relatively close to those of production areas in neighboring provinces; some of Kaifeng’s protected-field melons have not yet finished harvesting, causing a "schedule collision" with wheat-watermelon and garlic-watermelon intercropped melons, leading to a short-term concentrated release of supply. Some farmers in Xiangfu District, Kaifeng City, used the "sky-ground film" (天地膜) model, bringing watermelons to market 7–10 days earlier, but then rainfall increased the water content of some melons, making them unsuitable for long-distance transport.
Why is market competitiveness insufficient?
Variety aging and insufficient grading; most are sold near the production area.
Xu Zhihong (徐志红), Chief Expert of the Henan Watermelon and Melon Industry Technology System (河南省西甜瓜产业技术体系), believes that Kaifeng has long lacked specialized varieties suitable for wheat-watermelon intercropping and open-field conditions. The "Meidu" (美都) variety has good sugar content and taste, but is more suitable for fine management in greenhouses; in open-field cultivation its stress resistance and stability are insufficient. The old variety "Longjuanfeng" (龙卷风, Tornado) is stress-resistant and stable in yield, but its sugar content and taste can no longer meet the demands of consumption upgrading. There are also similar varieties sold on the market under the name "Meidu", with seedling quality varying widely.
Behind variety selection lies a trade-off by farmers between market recognition and stable yield with risk resistance.
Wang Lingyun (王凌云), Party branch secretary of Beigang Village, introduced that local "Meidu"-type seedlings cost 0.7–1.1 yuan each, planted at 550–600 per mu, yielding about 6,000 jin per mu; "Longjuanfeng" seedlings cost about 0.5 yuan each, planted at about 500 per mu, with a yield of about 7,000 jin per mu. Although "Longjuanfeng" seedlings are cheaper and yield higher, because "Meidu" has higher market recognition, more than 90% of the village’s planting is of the "Meidu" type, and only four or five households plant "Longjuanfeng". Once continuous rainfall occurs, the risk of "Meidu"'s insufficient stress resistance and large quality fluctuations becomes concentrated.
The insufficient competitiveness of local melons is especially evident in circulation volumes at large wholesale markets. Ning Yabing (宁亚兵), Manager of the Food Safety Office at Henan Wanbang Market (河南万邦市场), introduced that the market’s daily watermelon sales volume is about 820 tons, of which about 800 tons come from outside the province, and only about 20 tons from within the province – a very low share. Among the out-of-province supply, the main circulating varieties include Qilin watermelon (麒麟瓜) from Yunnan and Hainan, small hanging melons from Hebei and Shandong, "Texiaofeng" (特小凤) from Jiangsu and Shandong, and "Tianwang" (甜王, Sweet King) from the Northeast and Shaanxi; melons from within the province mainly come from Kaifeng, Xinxiang, Zhongmu and other areas, and are mostly sold near the production area.
Ning Yabing analyzed that some of Kaifeng’s local watermelons have problems such as aging varieties, low sugar content, and uneven fruit shape, making it difficult to meet the stable standards required for large-batch wholesale circulation. Local melons entering Wanbang Market are mostly brought by surrounding farmers using three-wheeled vehicles or small agricultural vehicles to the free public trading area for scattered sales, which lags behind the scale-organized, standardized sorting, and stable supply of out-of-province watermelons.
Some wheat-watermelon intercropping production methods remain relatively extensive. Due to factors such as wheat growth and labor shortages, pruning, fruit retention, and water-fertilizer management are not standardized, leading to instability in fruit uniformity, sugar content, and storage and transport tolerance. On July 7, the Zhengzhou Comprehensive Experimental Station (郑州综合试验站) of the National Watermelon and Melon Industry Technology System conducted a survey in Tongxu County and found that premium large fruit can sell for 0.7–0.9 yuan per jin, medium fruit for 0.4–0.5 yuan, and inferior fruit for only 0.2–0.3 yuan – a clear price differential. However, the production-area grading and branding system is not yet well established; good melons and inferior melons are sold mixed together, making it difficult to achieve good prices for good quality.
Scattered cultivation and a short supply chain further weaken the ability to sell outside the region. Ning Yabing said that local watermelons have not yet formed a complete and stable supply chain from picking and sorting to storage, transport, and distribution. When multiple production areas are concentrated on the market and local melons enter the tail end of harvesting, they are at a disadvantage in appearance, taste, and stable supply capacity compared with high-quality melons from new plantings in other areas. Once some farmers haul their melons out of the fields, lacking cold storage and return conditions, they can only 随行就市 (suí háng jiù shì - "go along with the market," to sell at the prevailing market price) and sell at low prices.
How can production and income growth be balanced?
Reduce the risk of periodic glut through variety, standards, branding, and organizational development.
Experts believe that one should not reject wheat-watermelon intercropping because of a temporary glut, nor should a "one-size-fits-all" approach be taken to force farmers out of this model. The wheat-watermelon intercropping pattern balances production and income growth and has practical rationality in the absence of stable alternative crops. Policy focus should shift from "restricting what to plant" to helping farmers "plant well and sell well."
First, accelerate the breeding and selection of specialized varieties for wheat-watermelon intercropping, promoting the combination of "Meidu"'s quality advantages with "Longjuanfeng"'s stress resistance and stable yield advantages, selecting varieties that are stress-resistant, tolerant of extensive management, of good quality, and suitable for storage and transport. At the same time, strengthen the promotion and dissemination of good varieties to prevent the sale of counterfeit good varieties.
Second, build standardized production demonstration zones, forming pruning, fruit retention, water-fertilizer, and pest-disease control norms suitable for the wheat-watermelon intercropping model. Through socialized services, increase the rate of high-quality fruit and commercial fruit, and promote the grading of watermelons by size, quality, appearance, etc., so that dealers can enter the fields to purchase and sort into boxes.
Third, address the shortcomings in the production-area supply chain and market organization. Promote the organization of scattered farmers by cooperatives, brokers, and leading enterprises, improve the picking, pre-cooling, sorting, packaging, storage, transport, and external sales systems, and enhance the capacity for stable supply. Wanbang Market has set up a free public trading area and assigned personnel to carry out production-marketing matching, relying on the market’s procurement resources to align buying and selling needs. Measures of this kind help with emergency sales support, but more importantly, they should drive local melons from "farmers hauling in for scattered sales" toward standardized, large-scale entry into national wholesale channels.
Fourth, improve production-marketing monitoring and policy guidance, promptly release information on planting area, maturity period, weather, market arrivals, and prices, and guide staggered market entry. Agricultural and rural departments should also assess the impact of relevant policies on production methods for fresh cash crops, and implement differentiated measures on the premise of maintaining the bottom line of food security. For now, sales pressure can be alleviated through buyer matching, transport coordination, and centralized purchasing; in the long term, the risk of periodic gluts should be reduced through variety, standards, branding, and organizational development.
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (People’s Daily) — (Reporter Wang Ke) The Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments recently issued the "Several Policy Measures on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Domestic Service Industry," proposing 19 policy measures in five areas: increasing support for domestic service enterprises, encouraging local governments to carry out institutional innovation practices, strengthening vocational skill training, establishing and improving the credit information platform system, and consolidating the foundation for industry development.
In terms of increasing support for domestic service enterprises, it encourages regions with conditions to support domestic service enterprises in innovating service models, exploring smart scenarios, and expanding home-based elderly care and childcare services; encourages insurance companies to develop insurance products suitable for the domestic service industry; supports eligible domestic service enterprises in providing home-care services under long-term care insurance; and improves the social security system for workers in flexible employment, raising the participation rate of domestic service workers in flexible employment in social insurance.
In terms of encouraging local governments to carry out institutional innovation practices, it supports regions with conditions, in accordance with the law and local realities, to explore effective paths for protecting the rights and interests of domestic service workers directly employed by households, such as rest time and privacy protection; encourages Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools in the domestic service field, and explores the introduction of overseas high-level domestic service vocational schools to operate in China.
In terms of strengthening vocational skill training, it revises and improves the national occupational standards for domestic service-related occupations (types of work), and optimizes the methods for determining vocational skill levels. It supports industry associations in carrying out vocational skill level determinations for domestic service workers. It supports regions with conditions in establishing a list of recognized overseas vocational qualifications in the domestic service field.
The document also proposes to investigate and rectify the illegal purchase and use of personal information, and to use platforms such as the domestic service credit information platform to collect and enrich multi-dimensional credit data on domestic service workers. It relies on the Ministry of Public Security’s credit information sharing and service platform to provide credit verification services for domestic service workers.
Return to TopThis newspaper, Beijing, July 22 (Reporter Wang Yunshan (王云杉)). The National Energy Administration (国家能源局) recently issued the "Notice on Deeply Advancing the Rural Energy Revolution and Carrying Out Pilot Construction of Village and Town Micro-Energy Networks (村镇微能网)", proposing that by the end of 2028, a batch of village and town micro-energy network pilot projects will be built nationwide, and within the areas where the pilot projects are located, the clean energy supply guarantee system will be basically established, the management systems for operational mechanisms, safety and quality, etc., will be basically improved, new technologies, new business formats, and new models will be basically mature, and the green production and lifestyle will be basically formed. By the end of 2030, the successful experience and mature models from the pilots will be effectively practiced in rural areas.
The notice clarifies that in villages and towns with relatively abundant renewable energy resources and a certain level of energy demand, public-benefit micro-energy networks centered on the utilization of green electricity and with simultaneous development of non-electric renewable energy utilization, as well as interconnected and mutually supportive micro-energy network clusters, will be constructed. In terms of electricity, grid enterprises are supported in carrying out resource aggregation management of new energy and loads, with the core objective of ensuring energy for rural green production and living, and uniformly laying out, constructing, operating and maintaining new energy and energy storage facilities.
Return to TopOn July 21, in Qingshizui Town (青石嘴镇), Menyuan Hui Autonomous County (门源回族自治县), Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (海北藏族自治州), Qinghai Province, a vast sea of rapeseed flowers spreads like a golden carpet at the southern foot of the Qilian Mountains, accompanied by mountain ranges and drifting clouds, outlining a plateau pastoral picture. Photo by Yang Xiao (杨潇) (Image China).
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 林丽鹂
Since the beginning of this year, driven by the policy of replacing old consumer goods with new ones, the potential for green and intelligent consumption has been accelerating its release. In the home appliance sector, the old-for-new replacement program focuses on six major product categories, with key subsidies for products with Grade 1 energy efficiency and Grade 1 water efficiency. In the first half of the year, the retail sales growth rate of high-efficiency-grade home appliances exceeded 30%.
Many consumers, when selecting home appliances, will find products marked with a "China Energy Efficiency Label (中国能效标识)" or a "China Water Efficiency Label (中国水效标识)", which are usually divided into three to five grades. What do these labels signify? How can one understand them and choose home appliances with higher cost-effectiveness through these labels? Our reporter interviewed relevant experts.
The China Energy Efficiency Label is an information label attached to energy-consuming products or their smallest packaging, indicating performance indicators such as the product's energy efficiency grade. Currently, common products for which China mandatorily implements the energy efficiency label include monitors, LCD televisions, rice cookers, induction cookers, household washing machines, refrigerators, storage-type electric water heaters, air conditioners, etc.
The China Water Efficiency Label is a label attached to water-using products or their smallest packaging. Currently, common products that have implemented the water efficiency label include toilets, smart toilets, dishwashers, showerheads, water purifiers, and other related household water-using products.
Bai Xue (白雪), a researcher at the China National Institute of Standardization (中国标准化研究院), explained that the China Energy Efficiency Label and China Water Efficiency Label on the body of home appliances are like a "green report card" for the appliance. For products such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and gas stoves, the smaller the energy efficiency grade number, the lower the electricity consumption during use. For products such as toilets and dishwashers, the smaller the water efficiency grade number, the less water used during use. Taking a little extra time to pay attention to these labels is both a way to reduce one's own household expenses and to contribute to green environmental protection.
Shi Cheng (施铖), an engineer at the China National Electric Apparatus Research Institute (中国电器科学研究院), suggested that when selecting home appliances, one must identify the energy efficiency label and water efficiency label; Grade 1 of both labels represents the highest industry standards for energy saving and water saving. Although such appliances have a slightly higher purchase price, they can significantly reduce electricity and water bills over long-term use, offering cost-effectiveness far superior to models with lower-grade labels.
Specifically, when choosing an air conditioner, look for Grade 1 energy efficiency plus rated cooling capacity — it saves energy and cools quickly; when choosing a refrigerator, look for Grade 1 energy efficiency plus capacity — it saves electricity and holds a lot; when choosing a washing machine, look for Grade 1 energy efficiency plus washing ratio — it is practical and clean; when choosing a water purifier, look for Grade 1 water efficiency plus water production rate ≥ 65% — it reduces waste water; when choosing a dishwasher, look for Grade 1 water efficiency plus high drying and cleaning index — it saves water and is practical.
Chen Jingzhi (陈敬智), an engineer at the China National Electric Apparatus Research Institute, stated that one must identify the water efficiency label as the "key to saving money." Low-water-efficiency models may seem cheap at first, but in the long run the water bills and consumable costs are higher. Choosing correctly is the real way to save.
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Reporters Li Xinping (李心萍) and Xiao Jiaxin (肖家鑫)) — At 10:50 on July 21, the X80442 train, loaded with 53 containers of commercial vehicles and auto parts, departed from Yantai Port in Shandong, marking the operation of the country's first cross-border sea-rail-road "single document" (一单制) block train.
The train adopts a seamless "sea + rail + road" intermodal transport model: cargo is shipped by sea from Incheon, South Korea, to Yantai Port, then transported by rail directly to Kashgar, Xinjiang, where it continues under customs supervision via tractor-trailer for outbound transport, ultimately arriving in cities such as Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The entire journey takes only 12 days, shortening the time by 5 days compared with traditional transport modes.
The train also achieves a single document through-route: relying on the China Railway 95306 platform (国铁95306平台) to uniformly issue a through bill of lading, with documents at each link mutually recognized and interoperable, breaking down industry document barriers. Customers need only place a single entrustment to enjoy a full-chain service of 一单通行、一次结算、一箱到底、全程负责 (yī dān tōngxíng, yī cì jiésuàn, yī xiāng dàodǐ, quánchéng fùzé — "one document passes through, one settlement, one container to the end, full responsibility throughout"), effectively solving the problems of complex procedures and multi-point coordination in traditional cross-border logistics.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 程远州
As the computing power industry continues to expand, the electricity demand of data centers has risen steadily. The southern region has continuously optimized computing-electricity coordination (算电协同) trading rules, improved the technical support system, gradually expanded the scope of data center participation in electricity spot trading, promoted the deep integration of electricity, carbon emissions, and computing power resources, and achieved efficient matching of green energy and computing tasks through intelligent dispatch.
From January to May this year, 309 data centers in Guangdong consumed 49.22 billion kWh of electricity, a year-on-year increase of 22.55%. 94 data centers have participated in electricity trading, with a trading volume of 24.8 billion kWh, of which 1.28 billion kWh was green electricity.
On May 7, the first cross-provincial point-to-point green electricity transaction in the southern region was implemented in Guangdong. This transaction opened up the electricity consumption channel from new energy power generation bases such as wind power and photovoltaic in Guangxi and Yunnan to data centers in the Pearl River Delta, achieving a trading volume of 218 million kWh. Among them, 9 data centers in Guangdong purchased 17.45 million kWh of green electricity, with a landed price of about 0.4 yuan per kWh. Zeng Zhiyong (曾智勇), a specialist in the Sales Section of the Marketing Department of Guangdong Power Grid under China Southern Power Grid (南方电网广东电网), stated that the implementation of cross-provincial green electricity trading marks the acceleration of data centers' integration into the electricity market.
New energy power generation such as wind power and photovoltaic has characteristics of intermittency and volatility. How can data centers confidently use green electricity?
"For data centers with higher requirements for power quality, they can add an extra layer of insurance for electricity safety by equipping energy storage facilities," introduced Shu Kangan (舒康安), a specialist in the Development Research Department of Guangdong Electricity Trading Center (广东电力交易中心). The volatility of wind and photovoltaic power indeed causes fluctuations in grid voltage and frequency. The power system can effectively offset such fluctuations through frequency regulation and reserve ancillary services, mobilizing rapidly adjustable power sources such as gas-fired power generation and independent energy storage, ensuring the safety of computer room electricity.
Regarding the transaction traceability mechanism, "Green electricity settlement is based on the smallest of three values: contracted electricity, generation-side on-grid electricity, and consumption-side electricity," said Shu Kangan. This mechanism ensures that the actual on-grid electricity of new energy enterprises is greater than or equal to the green electricity volume purchased by users. In addition, enterprises can log in to the Guangdong Electricity Trading Platform to apply for a green electricity traceability report, making the origin of green electricity traceable.
In the computer room of the China Unicom data center located in Shaoguan, Guangdong, on the monitoring screen, a computing power collaborative dispatch that adapts in linkage following virtual power plant commands is being carried out in an orderly manner.
"With the intelligent dispatch of the virtual power plant platform, we can help data centers scientifically optimize their electricity consumption periods, reasonably regulate their electricity consumption scale, and save electricity costs through flexible electricity consumption, achieving greater economic benefits," introduced Zhu Zhenhai (朱振海), general manager of the Market Trading Division of Guangdong Power Grid Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (广东电网能源投资有限公司). The virtual power plant platform uniformly aggregates the flexible computing power loads of data centers and directs data centers to shave peaks and fill valleys based on spot market price signals, maximizing market returns.
The computing-electricity coordination trading mechanism of "computing follows electricity dispatch" is being established, and electricity price has become one of the variables in dispatch decisions. Yang Jie (杨杰), chief expert on green and low-carbon of China Mobile Guangdong Branch, said that by carrying out computing-electricity coordination, every watt of electricity in the computer room can be turned into real money on the books.
The technical scheme for data centers to participate in peak-shaving demand response in the form of virtual power plants has been incorporated into the emergency drill for power load management during the summer peak in Guangdong Province, which can further test the effect of data center virtual power plants participating in peak-shaving demand response.
A relevant person in charge of Guangdong Power Grid stated that it will further expand the varieties and coverage of green electricity trading, organize data centers in the province to regularly participate in cross-provincial point-to-point green electricity trading, research and develop a multi-year green electricity trading mechanism, support enterprises in signing long-term power purchase contracts, stabilize expectations for green energy use, and assist the steady progress of the low-carbon transformation of the computing power industry.
(Ouyang Yixue (欧阳逸雪) contributed to the reporting and writing.)
This newspaper reports from Beijing on July 22 (reporters Qiu Chaoyi (邱超奕) and Wang Zhou (王洲)). The reporter learned from Beijing Daxing International Airport: On July 21, the annual passenger throughput of Daxing Airport exceeded 30 million passenger trips five days earlier than last year. This is the fourth consecutive year since it first broke through this threshold in 2023 that it has achieved accelerated target fulfillment.
Since the start of the summer travel season, passenger travel enthusiasm has continued to rise. From July 1 to July 21, the average daily number of flights at Daxing Airport exceeded 1,000 sorties, and the cumulative number of passengers served reached 3.492 million, an increase of 9.93% compared with the same period last year. A total of 10 days recorded single-day passenger flow exceeding 170,000.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘晓宇
In the early morning, a night rain had just stopped in the mountainous region of eastern Fujian (闽东), and a layer of white mist rose from the back mountain of Yanke Village (燕窠村), Pingxi Town (平溪镇), Shouning County (寿宁县), Ningde City (宁德市), Fujian Province. Zhou Yanzhang (周岩章), a 67-year-old forestry farmer, carried a bamboo basket on his back, stepping unsteadily on the slippery, decayed leaf soil. Dew dripped down from the broad chestnut leaves, falling onto his shoulder. “This tree is too dense; I need to prune some branches, otherwise the nutrients won’t be enough.” Zhou Yanzhang stood on tiptoe, used his calloused hand to snap off an extra side branch, then pointed at the slope before him and told the reporter: “My family has planted 20 mu of chestnuts; last year the net income was over twenty thousand yuan.”
Twenty years ago, Yanke Village was a different scene.
In 2004, Chen Shanjv (陈善举), a cadre dispatched by the Organization Department of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee (福建省委组织部), came to Yanke Village to serve as the village’s first secretary stationed in the village (驻村第一书记). At that time, the village had dirt roads and kerosene lamps. Chen Shanjv did not rush to whitewash walls or repair gate towers, but instead took agricultural experts across mountains and ridges (翻山越岭, fān shān yuè lǐng - “cross mountains and pass ridges,” to travel over difficult terrain) for on-site surveys. The conclusion they reached left the villagers half-believing, half-doubting (半信半疑, bàn xìn bàn yí - “half-believe, half-doubt,” skeptical): the soil here was rich in elements such as selenium and zinc, and the temperature difference between day and night was large, making it suitable for growing chestnuts.
“Nobody believed it back then.” Xu Zhengquan (许正权), secretary of the Yanke Village Party branch, sat on the steps of the village committee office building and took out a yellowed notebook that belonged to the then village Party branch secretary. The inner pages had become brittle; on them was written: “April 4, clear, Chen Shanjv took me to the county to get saplings; villagers blocked the way, saying it was better to plant sweet potatoes.” “July 12, overcast, road construction; Chen Shanjv carried sandbags, his shoulders rubbed raw.”
Xu Zhengquan said the hardest part was building that 4-kilometer village access road. There was no machinery; everything relied on manual labor. Chen Shanjv took the lead carrying rocks, and his palms were covered in blood blisters. With Chen Shanjv’s persistence, the village mobilized scattered households to plant the first batch of chestnut saplings.
The saplings bore fruit in three years and reached full production in five years, but the joy of the harvest did not last a few days before new problems came thick and fast (接踵而至, jiē zhǒng ér zhì - “tread on heels and arrive,” come one after another). In the autumn of 2008, barbed chestnut husks covered the mountains and plains (漫山遍野, màn shān biàn yě - “covering mountains and covering plains,” everywhere), yet no one came to buy them. “I carried over 100 jin of chestnuts to town, squatted there from early morning until sunset, and nobody wanted them even at one yuan per jin,” Zhou Yanzhang recalled. “My heart was ice-cold at that time; I really wanted to chop the trees down for firewood.”
The news of cutting down the trees spread to the town. Town cadres became anxious and found Huang Gaoying (黄高英), who was doing business outside. Huang Gaoying said, “The town cadres told me that the village didn’t lack people to grow things; what it lacked most was someone who could sell the fruit.”
In 2013, Huang Gaoying registered and established Shengfeng Agriculture Co., Ltd. (圣丰农业有限公司), took the lead in forming a specialized farmers’ cooperative, and implemented a “five unifications” (五统一) model: unified seedlings, unified techniques, unified procurement, unified processing, and unified sales, absorbing a total of 101 member households. “Over a decade has passed, and the village not only has a planting base, but the processing workshop has also been built right at our doorstep.” Huang Gaoying stood inside the newly built chestnut processing workshop; above her head came the faint sound of newly installed ventilation equipment. “This workshop was converted from an idle old tea factory.” This is a new measure promoted by the town Party committee and town government since last year — putting dormant assets to use, saving construction costs, and accelerating the progress toward production.
“A single enterprise cannot afford to invest on its own, and government finance alone is not enough either,” said Miao Binbin (缪斌斌), secretary of the Pingxi Town Party Committee. The town specifically convened the specialized cooperatives of Yanke Village and surrounding villages, guided each village to buy shares, and jointly raised the initial start-up funds for the processing workshop. At the same time, they sought agricultural integration funds from higher levels, earmarked specifically for production line upgrades and cold storage expansion. With the town’s full-process tracking and guidance, the new workshop smoothly passed the food production license certification at the end of last year, enabling products such as ready-to-eat chestnut kernels and chilled chestnuts to enter large supermarkets and online platforms for sale. “Without the town helping to sort out the site, raise funds, and run the certification, this new workshop could not have started production so quickly,” Huang Gaoying said.
Huang Gaoying pulled out her phone and opened her video channel — this, too, was something the town helped her open last year. “The town said that even a good product needs to be promoted with a good voice,” she said, flipping through the backend data. “A few short videos about how to select and peel chestnuts — the highest view count surpassed 100,000.” In the footage, she stood by the production line in work clothes, greeting netizens warmly, and when someone asked “Where can I buy it?” in the comments, she posted the link.
At present, Yanke Village is bustling with activity everywhere — washing, steaming, quick-freezing, packaging — a fully automated production line has replaced the manual work of the past. Workers dressed in white work suits packed each golden, plump chestnut kernel into vacuum bags. On the packaging bag, the characters “燕窠” (Yanke) were especially prominent, with the words “Fujian Famous Brand Agricultural Product” printed beside them.
“Elder sister, this batch has to be shipped out tonight; it needs to be on the shelves in Hangzhou tomorrow.” Yu Jingwei (余靖玮), a member of the village work team (驻村工作队员), walked into the workshop with a notebook tucked under his arm and a freshly printed shipping order in his hand. Several female workers sorting the goods looked up and responded, their hands moving faster.
Yu Jingwei said that this year they had established contact with many supermarkets inside and outside the province, and order volumes had increased. Yu Jingwei has worked in the village for two years; after discussing with the village two committees (村两委, the village Party branch and village committee), they decided not to set up another stove (另起炉灶, lì qǐ lú zào - “set up another stove,” start all over again from scratch) but instead to continue extending the industrial chain — applying for green food certification, organizing “village livestreaming (村播)” training, and linking chestnut picking with the rural tourism routes of the Pingxi area. “In the two years I’ve been in the village, if I can take this baton cleanly and run steadily, that’s how I’ll be worthy of the trust of the organization and the people,” he said.
Inside the Pingxi Town Government office, satellite comparison maps from 2004 to the present are hung on the wall. In the images, the once-barren mountains are gradually being covered by chestnut trees. “For over 20 years, every cadre who has come to serve in Pingxi Town must take a look at the comparison map,” Miao Binbin said, pointing at the increasingly deep green. “Everyone shares an unspoken understanding: no matter who comes, the chestnut industry plan cannot be changed. The common people are not afraid that you lack ability; they are afraid that you make reckless changes.”
Miao Binbin remembered a set of figures clearly: the town’s chestnut planting area has expanded from less than 1,000 mu in 2013 to over 12,000 mu currently, radiating to and driving surrounding townships such as Qinyang (芹洋) and Xiadang (下党); the 101 cooperative member households in Yanke Village saw their per capita net income last year quadruple compared to ten years ago.
At around 6 p.m., the setting sun dyed Yanke Village a golden yellow. Zhou Yanzhang finished work and headed home, passing by the new solar streetlights at the village entrance. A notice was posted on the light pole, displaying last year’s detailed income and expenditures of the village collective, of which the chestnut industry alone contributed 200,000 yuan in revenue to the village collective economy.
“The practice of the 20-year relay development of the chestnut industry in Pingxi Town shows that to establish and practice a correct view of achievement (正确政绩观), we must, in the inspection and assessment of cadres, look not only at explicit indicators but also pay attention to discerning whether cadres have done work that lays the foundation and benefits the long term (打基础、利长远). For cadres who persist in painting one blueprint to the end (一张蓝图绘到底) and have outstanding actual performance, they should be given priority in training and appointment. Only in this way can we truly achieve the goal of changing personnel without changing thinking, new officials handling old accounts (新官理旧账), making good things happen well, and making practical things materialize (把好事办好、把实事办实),” said Lan Zhuhua (蓝住华), member of the Standing Committee of the Shouning County Party Committee and Director of its Organization Department.
Return to TopBy: 迟嘉瑞
Anchoring on a single plan, focusing on doing one thing well, Yanke Village (燕窠村) of Pingxi Town (平溪镇), Shouning County (寿宁县), Fujian Province has witnessed the “nail-spirit” (钉钉子精神) of local cadres pooling their hearts and strength to develop industries that enrich the people.
After taking over the baton passed from the previous term, whether to continue running forward or to switch to another track must consider the actual conditions and long-term needs of local development, and must consider the demands of the masses. If one’s eyes are only fixed on “explicit achievements” (显绩), and one’s heart is only filled with one’s own “account of standing out,” then changing and altering the plans set by the predecessor at will will only 劳民伤财 (láo mín shāng cái - “toil the people and damage wealth,” to waste resources and exhaust the people), leaving behind a heap of mess.
Working batch after batch requires not only maintaining endurance and perseverance, but also the ability to be flexible and adapt; this is an inherent requirement for the stable and far-reaching (行稳致远) progress of an undertaking, and even more a realistic test of cadres’ view on political achievements. In the relay race of career development, different stages have different tasks, but “a good blueprint, as long as it is scientific, practical, and conforms to the people’s wishes,” one must set aside selfish thoughts and personal concerns, boldly carry it through, and genuinely produce results.
Of course, to truly achieve “changing personnel but not changing thinking, new officials settling old accounts” (新官理旧账), the mechanisms for selecting and appointing personnel must also keep pace with the times. In cadre assessments, look at both explicit achievements and implicit achievements (潜绩), both the present and the long term, so that those who persist in “drawing a blueprint to the end” (一张蓝图绘到底) have a stage; only then will the soil for continuous struggle become increasingly fertile.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 魏哲哲
When a family relationship undergoes a change, how to determine the child’s direct custodian has always been a topic of social concern. Recently, the Shanghai Baoshan District People’s Court (上海市宝山区人民法院) disclosed a case, responding to the public’s concern.
After Mr. Ning divorced, his five-year-old daughter Xiao Ning was placed in the care of relatives. Soon after, Mr. Ning registered marriage with Ms. Pan, and then brought Xiao Ning back home. Although the couple later had a son and a daughter together, Ms. Pan always treated Xiao Ning as her own child.
However, the good times did not last. Mr. Ning became addicted to gambling, thus incurred huge debts, often broke into violent conflicts with Ms. Pan over trivial matters, and arbitrarily scolded and beat Xiao Ning.
In June last year, Ms. Pan moved out of the residence with the three children, and at the same time filed a divorce lawsuit with the people’s court, hoping that all three children, including Xiao Ning, would continue to be raised by her. However, Mr. Ning confidently asserted: “Xiao Ning is my biological child, she must come with me.”
When the remarried relationship reaches its end, to whom should Xiao Ning’s custody ultimately belong?
“Xiao Ning has lived with her stepmother Ms. Pan since childhood, was raised and educated by her, and the two have formed a fictive kinship relationship (拟制血亲关系) that conforms to legal provisions. At the same time, the natural blood relation (自然血亲关系) between Xiao Ning and Mr. Ning objectively exists,” explained the presiding judge Li Xiaofei (李啸飞). According to the Civil Code, the rights and obligations between a stepfather or stepmother and a stepchild whom they have raised and educated shall apply the provisions on the relationship between parents and children. Therefore, both Ms. Pan, as the stepmother, and Mr. Ning, as Xiao Ning’s biological father, have the right to claim custody of Xiao Ning.
“In this case, Xiao Ning’s biological father neglected her upbringing and discipline, and her biological mother has been unreachable since the divorce and has never paid child support. Meanwhile, Ms. Pan has for many years assumed the primary responsibility of raising and educating Xiao Ning, and has built a deep emotional bond with her,” Li Xiaofei said. According to legal provisions, where a child has reached the age of eight, his or her true wishes shall be respected. In this case, Xiao Ning, who had reached the age of thirteen, clearly expressed a strong willingness to continue living with Ms. Pan.
Based on this, the Baoshan District People’s Court ruled: grant the divorce between Mr. Ning and Ms. Pan; all three children, including Xiao Ning, shall be raised by Ms. Pan; Mr. Ning shall pay corresponding child support to Ms. Pan each month; and Ms. Pan shall assist Mr. Ning in exercising visitation rights.
Currently, situations of remarrying and forming new families are not uncommon. Li Xiaofei stated that through handling related cases, making a choice between “blood ties” and “responsibility” that conforms to the spirit of the law and the interests of minors sends a clear signal to society: the upbringing of minors emphasizes due diligence and assumption of responsibility; the determination of custody attribution always adheres to the best interests of the minor child principle (最有利于未成年子女原则); whether it is natural blood relation or fictive kinship, only by earnestly fulfilling the obligation of raising and educating can the healthy growth of minors be protected.
Return to TopHarbin, July 22 (reporters Guo Xiaolong (郭晓龙)) — The reporter learned from the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security (黑龙江省人力资源和社会保障厅) that Heilongjiang recently launched the pilot work on occupational injury protection for new employment form personnel (新就业形态人员职业伤害保障试点工作). The work focuses on three key industries: travel, instant delivery, and intra-city freight, making up for the shortcomings in occupational injury protection for new employment form personnel, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of new employment form personnel through institutionalized and standardized measures, and promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the platform economy.
All occupational injury protection costs are paid entirely by the platform enterprises on a per-order basis, with no individual payment required from new employment form personnel. The entire province uniformly sets the base contribution amount according to industry category, and innovatively adopts the method of "insurance per order, payment per day, overall coverage and overall protection" (按单参保、按日缴费、总参总保), achieving "every order must be protected, every person must be protected."
The Heilongjiang pilot adopts a unified handling model of "government-led, commercial insurance institution undertaking" (政府主导、商业保险机构承办), integrating the "three matters" of occupational injury confirmation, labor ability appraisal, and benefit distribution into a "single matter" handled from the perspective of the masses. If new employment form personnel encounter bumps, falls, traffic accidents, etc., while on delivery routes, they only need to open the platform APP they use for daily order-taking, find the "one-click report" (一键报案) entry, and submit the injury situation online.
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (Xinhua) — (Reporter Ni Yi (倪弋)) The reporter learned from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (最高人民检察院) that from January to June 2026, procuratorial organs nationwide handled a total of 3,186 cases of false litigation, a year-on-year decrease of 18.6%, indicating that the high-incidence trend of false litigation has been curbed to a certain extent.
False litigation, also known as “fighting a fake lawsuit,” seriously harms the legitimate rights and interests of the parties involved, damages judicial order and the social credit system. Procuratorial case handling has found that false litigation has spawned new types and new forms, and its harm has broken through the scope of individual interest damage and is gradually spreading to national and social public interests, requiring continuous strengthening of governance.
False litigation infringing on public property has emerged, causing huge property losses. State and collective property are important material foundations for economic and social development. Some managers of state-owned units or collective organizations, in order to 中饱私囊 (zhōng bǎo sī náng - “line one’s pockets,” to embezzle for personal gain), maliciously collude with related parties to fabricate civil disputes such as loans, sales, and guarantees, and through litigation, use methods such as gratuitous transfer or low-price sale to embezzle and transfer state funds, land, and real estate, resulting in abnormal reduction of state and collective property.
In addition, false litigation in the financial sector is frequent, affecting healthy economic development. Some professional lenders, in order to legalize illegal claims such as “trap loans” (套路贷), deploy loans by inflating loan amounts, fabricating false bank transaction records, and other means, using false litigation to disrupt the credit market order and damage the honest and trustworthy business environment.
False litigation is prone to occur during the implementation of public policies such as national or regional regulatory and control measures. Some actors, in order to illegally obtain specific scarce materials and qualifications, file false litigation by fabricating civil legal relationships such as sales, loans, and debt repayment, as well as forging evidence. This type of false litigation is more covert, and most are cases involving multiple parties. It is highly destructive to litigation order and judicial credibility, seriously harms national and social public interests, and even triggers systemic risks, reducing the effectiveness of macro-control policy implementation.
Special funds such as old-age insurance pensions and work-related injury insurance funds are common “targets” of false litigation. Such false litigation squeezes funds for essential needs, undermines the bottom line of integrity and fairness, and hampers the long-term implementation of livelihood security policies.
A relevant responsible person from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate stated that procuratorial organs will deeply advance false litigation supervision work, pay attention to the coordinated performance of duties by the “four major procuratorates” (四大检察), rely on big data legal supervision models to broaden sources of case leads, and establish cooperation mechanisms with other relevant functional departments for lead transfer, joint investigation, and result feedback, forming a joint supervisory force. In response to systemic and nascent problems and hidden dangers of false litigation, they will study and judge the patterns of occurrence and source governance measures, promptly report situations and make suggestions to relevant departments, and promote comprehensive governance and source governance of civil false litigation.
Return to TopMidsummer season, heat and humidity interwoven. On July 22, the "Little Red Bud" (小红萌) volunteers from Nanguan Primary School (南官小学) in Lubei Subdistrict (路北街道), Luqiao District (路桥区), Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, together with their parents, came to the local Mingtai Community (铭泰社区) to carry out a volunteer activity, delivering watermelons, beverages and other heat-relief supplies to workers who steadfastly hold their work posts under high temperatures. The picture shows "Little Red Bud" volunteers giving watermelons to sanitation workers. Photo by Jiang Youqing (People's Vision).
Return to TopNanning, July 22 (Reporter Pang Geping (庞革平)) — The Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration (广西海事局), the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区人力资源和社会保障厅), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guangxi Branch (中国国际贸易促进委员会广西分会), and the China Maritime Arbitration Commission Greater Bay Area Arbitration Center (South China Branch) (中国海事仲裁委员会大湾区仲裁中心（华南分会）) recently signed a four-party cooperation agreement to jointly establish a collaborative mechanism of "Multiple Mediation + Arbitration + Labor Rights Protection" (多元调解+仲裁+劳动权益保障). The four departments will focus on national and local major projects such as the Pinglu Canal (平陆运河) in Guangxi to create a specialized "Water One-Stop Dispute Resolution Center" (水上一站式解纷中心), providing a solid legal guarantee for the construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor (西部陆海新通道).
In the future, as the shipping business volume of the Pinglu Canal increases, water disputes such as ship collisions, cargo losses, and crew labor disputes will correspondingly rise. This cooperation establishes a "Pinglu Canal Water One-Stop Dispute Resolution Center" (平陆运河水上一站式解纷中心) on the front line of the project, integrating functions such as multiple mediation, commercial arbitration, labor and personnel dispute arbitration, labor security supervision, legal consultation, and legal publicity.
Previously, water disputes involved multiple fields such as administrative management, commercial contracts, and labor relations, and the parties often had to travel back and forth between different departments. The new mechanism clarifies: the maritime department is responsible for water traffic industry management and administrative mediation; the human resources and social security department guides labor security supervision and labor contract implementation; the CCPIT promotes commercial mediation services; and the Greater Bay Area Arbitration Center provides professional maritime arbitration support. The four parties will explore online circulation of disputes and business coordination, so that enterprises and crew members can "enter one door and solve multiple difficulties."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郝迎灿
The potholed and uneven village road has been transformed into an asphalt surface; agricultural products such as potatoes and peppers have found new sales channels online; and during the slack farming season, villagers form teams to go into town and earn "extra income"… In Daming Village (大明村), Xinzhuzi Town (新庄子镇), Linghai City (凌海市), Liaoning Province, these visible and tangible changes have made the villagers' days increasingly full of hope. Since arriving in Daming Village from the Liaohe Oilfield (辽河油田) in March 2024 to serve as the village's resident first secretary, Wan Yi (宛毅), now 36 years old, has rooted himself in the fields, winning the trust of the villagers through practical action and a sense of responsibility.
The changes in Daming Village are a microcosm of Liaoning Province's solid progress in village-assistance work. Since 2021, Liaoning has improved the dynamic adjustment mechanism for village assistance and the mechanism for selecting, cultivating, managing, and utilizing resident cadres, continuously dispatching work teams to 1,790 villages that have been lifted out of poverty, and sending first secretaries to 5,360 villages with heavy rural revitalization tasks and to villages where Party organizations are weak and lax. A total of more than 15,000 person-times have been dispatched, providing a strong organizational guarantee and cadre talent support for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization and consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation.
Strictly adhere to standards, precisely select and dispatch. In Baoxing Village (宝兴村), Jinxing Manchu Ethnic Township (金星满族乡), Xifeng County (西丰县), Ma Gang (马刚), the resident first secretary dispatched from the Party School of the Liaoning Provincial Committee (辽宁省委党校), took the lead in establishing a "Party member contact household" system, dividing the entire village into five "Party-member-led joint prosperity responsibility zones." Seventeen Party member backbone households engaged in prosperity efforts formed assistance pairs with 55 households, providing technical guidance in areas such as tussah silkworm rearing and traditional Chinese medicine planting. Last year, the output value of the village's tussah silkworm industry exceeded 10 million yuan.
To ensure that "good steel is used on the blade," Liaoning has sifted through every administrative village in the province one by one, scientifically assessing and determining the targets for dispatching. "In the selection process, we emphasize matching the person to the post and allocating according to need, promoting the model of 'sending science and technology cadres to industrial villages, economic cadres to economically weak villages, political-legal cadres to villages with concentrated conflicts, and Party affairs cadres to weak and lax villages,'" introduced Ge Hui (葛辉), director of the Second Division of the Organization Department of the Liaoning Provincial Committee (辽宁省委组织部). As of now, a total of 2,503 cadres with specialized agricultural technical expertise and 8,046 cadres with rural work experience have been dispatched.
"Xiao Ru's (小茹) father suffers from uremia; we contacted and secured a charity donation of 3,200 yuan; Li Xiufen (李秀芬), an elderly person living alone, had a head injury; we helped apply for relief funds of 1,320 yuan and accompanied her to the hospital for examination and treatment…" Opening the people's sentiment diary of Chang Le (常乐), the resident first secretary of Nailingao Village (乃林皋村), Dasanjia Town (大三家镇), Beipiao City (北票市), it is densely filled with more than 30 pages recording the assistance situation for needy households. "It is these individual matters and small deeds, one after another, that have linked the hearts of cadres and the masses together."
The ability of resident cadres to take root at the grassroots level and act with responsibility cannot be separated from institutional support. Focusing on promoting the implementation of key assistance tasks, the Organization Department of the Liaoning Provincial Committee and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (省农业农村厅) formulated and issued the "Work Guidance for Provincial Resident First Secretaries and Work Teams," proposing 21 specific work requirements in six areas, including strengthening village Party organizations and consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation. They established and improved a task list and a rights-and-responsibilities list for village assistance, ensuring that resident cadres have direction in their work, basis for performing their duties, and confidence in their actions.
Since 2021, resident cadres across Liaoning Province have cumulatively introduced or cultivated 3,558 industrial projects, coordinated and invested a total of 4.01 billion yuan in actual funds, participated in resolving 138,000 various conflicts and disputes, and helped peasant masses solve 187,000 urgent, difficult, and anxious problems.
In addition, Liaoning has adhered to and improved the work mechanism of "archival management by organization departments and other units, daily management by county and township Party committees, tracking management by the dispatching units, and self-management by resident cadres," guiding all regions and units to link the selection and dispatch work with the construction of the cadre team, continuously motivating resident cadres to play their role. As of now, a total of 1,359 resident cadres have received promotions, rank advancements, or commendations and awards, and 1,208 cadres with development potential who have been tested by practice have been included as key training targets by organizational and personnel departments.
Return to TopYinchuan, July 22 (Reporter Jiao Siyu (焦思雨)) — The reporter learned at a press conference on Ningxia’s import and export situation for the first half of 2026 that, in order to further improve the level of customs clearance facilitation, Yinchuan Customs (银川海关) has introduced three reforms in local inspection operations, including continuously expanding the scope of application of “remote video inspection” (远程视频查检), promoting the implementation of the “batch inspection (quarantine)” (批次检验（检疫）) reform for exported agricultural and food products, and promoting the implementation of the “1+N” local inspection business reform (1+N属地查检业务改革).
Under the “remote video inspection” model, enterprises need only connect with customs in real time through the “Mobile Single Window” (掌上单一窗口) application, and customs completes the inspection of goods online. In promoting “batch inspection (quarantine)” for exported agricultural and food products, by setting up a “batch inspection unit,” customs conducts a goods-document conformity inspection on the first declared shipment of exported goods. After completing the conformity assessment, subsequent shipments from the same batch may be released directly without on-site inspection. At the same time, the “1+N” local inspection business reform is being promoted, enabling multiple inspection operations to be carried out simultaneously, shortening the waiting time for appointment-based inspection.
These new measures effectively compress the waiting time for goods inspection and the overall customs clearance cycle, reduce various hidden costs for enterprises such as warehousing, port detention, and turnover costs, achieving improved inspection quality, faster customs clearance, and reduced burdens for enterprises.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姚雪青
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Uphold a heart of reverence for history and love for culture, adhere to the principles of protection first, rational utilization, and minimal intervention, and promote systematic protection and unified supervision of cultural heritage."
Minimal intervention, repairing the old to preserve its old appearance—in Nanjing, Jiangsu, the Pukou Railway Station from Zhu Ziqing's The Back View has become a new cultural space for the city; archaeology in advance, living inheritance—Meishan, Sichuan, has built a city of elegance with poetry and books; from closed management and protection to sharing by the whole people, the protection journey of Liangzhu, Zhejiang, is a vivid microcosm of China's construction of a grand pattern of cultural heritage protection; from residents to guardians and disseminators, the villagers of Shixia Village (石峡村), Badaling Town, Yanqing, Beijing, "protect the Great Wall as they protect their homes" ... Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture (习近平文化思想), China's cultural heritage protection and inheritance work has achieved remarkable results, and the whole society jointly guards the cultural treasures of the Chinese nation, with cultural heritage radiating the brilliance of the times.
This edition launches from today the "Decoding·Systematic Protection of Cultural Heritage" series feature, telling vivid practices of systematic protection and unified supervision of cultural heritage, and showcasing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions in concepts of cultural heritage protection, technical means, and other aspects.
— Editor
In Zhu Ziqing's essay The Back View, the father hobbles across the railway tracks and climbs onto the platform; that back view has become a shared memory for generations. The setting of the story is a century-old station in Nanjing, Jiangsu—Pukou Railway Station.
In 1914, Pukou Railway Station opened for operation, becoming the terminus of the Tianjin-Pukou Line; in 1968, when the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge opened to traffic and trains crossed the Yangtze directly, Pukou Railway Station fell silent for a time; in 1985, the station resumed passenger service and was later renamed "Nanjing North Station"; in 2004, Pukou Railway Station withdrew from the passenger service stage... The station has witnessed more than a hundred years of history and also witnessed the development and changes of a city.
In October 2024, after holistic protection and renewal, the Pukou Railway Station district officially opened to the public. The old station still retains the texture of time, but has "grown" a new life: bookstores, cafes, cultural and creative shops... Historical protection and urban renewal intermingle. On May 13 this year, the station restored its original name: Pukou Station. This renaming is both an optimization and adjustment of the railway hub layout and a heartfelt look back at the historical context.
Minimal Intervention, Continuing Historical Genes
The value of Pukou Railway Station is not limited to literature.
In 2013, the former site of Pukou Railway Station was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. In 2021, the Pukou Railway Station area urban renewal project started construction, advancing gradually and in a darning-like manner according to the concept of "micro-renewal."
"Pukou Railway Station is an organism." Zhou Qi (周琦), professor at the School of Architecture, Southeast University, and designer of the district renewal, introduced that not only railway facilities such as the waiting building, platforms, and ticket office, but also the small shops, staff housing, and the docks and warehouses extending to the riverbank, have all been completely preserved. In this area, buildings added successively in different eras are like the rings of a big tree, recording the changes of the times.
The key of "micro-renewal" is to continue the historical genes with minimal intervention. The building itself, the station square, and the riverside area preserve the historical environment and maintain the overall atmosphere.
A hundred years ago, passenger flows from north and south gathered at Pukou Railway Station, and Pukou Damalu Road became a bustling commercial street. No. 15 Damalu Road, built in the 1930s, is an immovable cultural relic; before renovation, it was fitted with aluminum alloy windows and rolling shutters, concealing its original appearance.
During the restoration process, the renovation team stripped away the later additions layer by layer, revealing the true appearance of the old building. The brick walls had powdered, and the team first designed and modeled based on the techniques of the same period, then proceeded with restoration.
In the entire district, there are 24 old houses restored in this way, the earliest built in 1915, the latest built in 2010. Why not "one-click restore" to the appearance of the station in the 1930s? Zhou Qi explained that the team referred to maps and aerial photos from different years, preserving buildings with characteristics of different eras.
After demolishing illegal structures and clearing open spaces, new buildings such as exhibition halls and cafes were "darned" into the district, with styles and volumes coordinated with the surroundings. The team laid micro-electricity and drainage pipelines underground in the district, then equipped them with automatic sprinkler systems and fireproof windows, ensuring fire safety—the old district's face and interior were renewed simultaneously.
Following the Trend, Gathering Innovative Business Forms
Strolling through the Pukou Railway Station district, elements from The Back View can be seen everywhere.
In the small square, a bronze statue stands quietly—Zhu Ziqing in a long gown, holding a suitcase in his left hand and a bright-colored orange in his right hand. Not far away, a wall displays Chinese textbooks from the 1930s to 2017, each turned to the page of The Back View. Visitors can stop, find memories of their school days, and take photos.
The strong literary atmosphere constitutes the foundation of the district.
Xu Shu (徐墅), Executive General Manager of Nanjing Yangtze Cultural Commercial Development Co., Ltd., introduced that the operation strategy of the entire district revolves around the industrial heritage of the century-old station and the emotional resonance of The Back View. Several key words—"familial affection, homeward journey, time, railway context"—are integrated into visible, tangible, and tasteful daily consumption: bookstores and old-item warehouses retain the heritage, time-honored brands and cafes infuse the hustle and bustle of life, and homestays and photo studios display distinctive features.
Most of the business forms in the district follow the structure and space of the old buildings.
At the entrance of the district, a new "darned" building has opened a cafe. Besides menu items like orange latte and "Father's Black Hat Coffee" that echo the theme, the shop also has a "Postcard Story Wall" collecting family stories left by visitors. The barista in the shop, Duan Siheng (段思恒), introduced that on weekends they serve over a thousand people a day, and during holiday peaks exceed 5,000 visitors.
The meticulously restored No. 15 Damalu Road is a heritage building; its structure cannot be altered, and open flames cannot be used. The district introduced two shops: on the left is Fuxingyuan Bakery, and on the right is Hongfu Noodle House, both local time-honored brands that match the temperament of the old building.
There are also derivative business forms in the district. Next to the cafe is a fragrance shop, opened in an old house built in the 1960s. The shop manager, Wei Dajian (魏大健), said that although The Back View does not mention anything about scents, they transformed the familial affection and warmth in the literature into a district-limited orange fragrance. The shop retains the original red brick walls and retro arched windows, adding only dark green display cabinets and a log blending station outside, which both maintains consistency with the district's style and enriches the cultural experience.
Walking through the district is like reading a coherent story. It is both about that well-known essay and about a piece of the city's memory.
Stringing Pearls into a Chain, "Joy Reading" Urban Space
It is summer vacation, and a study tour team from Nanjing No.1 Middle School Mingfa Binjiang Branch School (南京一中明发滨江分校) launched a "Traversing a Century" textbook study tour, with the first stop being Pukou Railway Station.
In front of the textbook wall, team leader Ma Jing (马静) said: "Students, count—there are more than ten Chinese textbooks here." The familiar text is right before their eyes, and some students cannot help reciting. "Your fathers and grandfathers might have all studied this lesson," Ma Jing said.
Passing through the covered corridor, they arrive at Pukou Wharf. Ma Jing told everyone that the corridor connects the station and the wharf, allowing passengers to go straight to the riverside to transfer to ferries after getting off the train—the same principle as building a metro station directly into a train station today.
Further ahead, they reach the railway ferry bridge, an industrial heritage built in 1933. Standing by the ferry bridge and looking east, the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge spans north and south. A student actively shared: "The bridge is dual-use for road and rail—cars on the upper deck, trains on the lower deck." Gu Zihan (顾子涵), a second-year junior high student, said: "I seem to see the history of transportation development."
Pukou Railway Station is not only integrated into the industrial study tour route, but is also an important part of Nanjing's "city reading campaign" (读城行动). This May, hundreds of young people followed an actor playing "Zhu Ziqing" and cycled along the Yangtze River, checking in at the century-old station. The actor, Zhang Zhenhao (张真好), said: "City reading means integrating old districts and new stories into more people's daily lives."
Li Youming (李有明), Deputy Director of the Nanjing City Reading Studio, introduced that since April last year, Nanjing has integrated cultural resources and launched the "city reading campaign," leading citizens into historical and cultural districts and cultural heritage sites, making urban spaces readable, historical context perceptible, and industrial culture tangible. Currently, over a hundred events have been held, with nearly 50,000 participants.
Return to TopBy: 贺云翱
Witnessing the great transformations from China’s modern era to the present, and having seen the partings and reunions of travelers journeying from south to north and north to south, the century-old Pukou Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu, is not only a “back view” left for today by the city’s history, but also a cultural heritage carrying the weight of historical years and rich emotions.
See the people, see the objects, see life. Today, cultural heritage, through multiple “ways of opening,” influences our clothing, food, housing, and transportation, and merges into every aspect of Chinese-style modernization.
Cultural heritage can guide us in conducting scientific research and promote innovation in thought and in practice. Many areas of knowledge within cultural heritage have already become objects of study in contemporary social sciences and humanities; numerous theoretical achievements concerning the laws of human social development also include rich results from archaeology, anthropology, history, and other fields based on cultural heritage. At present, the path of combining cultural heritage with modern technology is growing ever broader; fields such as the digitization of cultural heritage and cultural relic protection all involve a large number of modern scientific methods and issues of technological innovation, opening up space for scientific research and knowledge innovation.
Cultural heritage is also an important foundation for the construction of towns, villages, and even regions. Traversing vast history, crossing high mountains and great rivers, many cultural heritage sites are themselves scenic spots famous both at home and abroad. Various types of heritage parks, cultural parks, museums, folk-custom villages, etc., built on the basis of cultural heritage, not only make a region’s land and water more distinctive and more attractive, but also provide a continuous source of nourishment for people’s spiritual and cultural life.
The beauty of humanity reflects the flourishing of development; from the perspective of “humanistic economics,” cultural heritage is also a “booster” for economic development. Ancient and modern converse, elegance and trend clash. With the rise of the “cultural-museum craze” and the “cultural-creative craze,” traditional crafts and traditional arts with profound foundations bloom with new brilliance in the production and life of contemporary people. The fine traditional Chinese culture is continuously excavated, inherited, and interpreted. The integration of “cultural heritage+” is giving rise to various new business forms, creating new consumption demands, and bringing vigorous vitality to high-quality development.
Where do we come from? Where are we heading? Cultural heritage, imbued with the wisdom of ancient Chinese civilization, nurtures the contemporary characteristics of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Today, cultural heritage becomes cultural memory; cultural memory forms cultural consciousness; cultural consciousness supports cultural confidence; cultural confidence leads to cultural self-strengthening. Through cultural heritage, we can more deeply understand the historical necessity, cultural connotation, and unique advantages of the Chinese path.
In the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage often lie the advantages and potential of development. Human practice has repeatedly proven that there is no individual life that can be separated from cultural heritage, and still less is there a modernization that can be separated from cultural heritage. As human technological development and material production capacity increasingly improve, what people crave more is a cultural life and spiritual civilization that can enrich the soul, and cultural heritage will play an unimaginable role in this regard.
To 革故鼎新 (gé gù dǐng xīn - “remove the old, establish the new,” to reform and innovate) and 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn - “advance with the times,” keep pace with the times) are the eternal spiritual qualities of Chinese civilization. Strengthen cultural confidence, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, and Chinese-style modernization, growing out of a profound civilizational foundation, will surely take new and solid steps forward.
(The author is a professor at the School of History, Nanjing University, and Director of the Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage.)
Return to TopBeijing, July 22 (People's Daily reporter Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶)) — At 10:54 on the 22nd, our country's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (太原卫星发射中心), using the Yinli-1 (引力一号) Yao-4 carrier rocket in the eastern sea area of Shanghai, successfully sent the carried Dongpo 13-14, Dongpo 17-20, Xiguang-2 01, Tianyi 49, and Zixiang-3 satellites — a total of 9 satellites — into the preset orbit. The flight test mission achieved complete success. This mission is the third flight of the Yinli-1 carrier rocket.
Return to TopHangzhou, July 22 (Our Newspaper) — (Reporter Dou Hanyang (窦瀚洋)) On the evening of the 21st, to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Yue opera, the newly compiled Yue opera modern drama The Female Troupe (《女班》) created by the Shengzhou Yue Opera Troupe of Zhejiang had its premiere. Starting in August, The Female Troupe will launch a national tour, performing in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and other places.
At the premiere symposium of The Female Troupe held on the morning of the 22nd, experts believed that the play has innovations in its display techniques such as scriptwriting, stage design, and vocal styles, and has produced a strong emotional resonance with contemporary young people.
Return to TopPeople's Daily, Nanning, July 22 (Reporter Zhang Yunhe (张云河)). The 13th National Acrobatics Exhibition, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, opened at the Beihai People's Theater in Beihai, Guangxi on the evening of the 21st.
Since its inception in 1984, the National Acrobatics Exhibition has been held for 12 editions. The 13th National Acrobatics Exhibition brings together 8 acrobatic grand shows and 45 fine acrobatic and magic programs from 23 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities), cumulatively presenting 24 professional performances. The participating troupes include state-owned professional troupes, arts academies, and new literary and art groups, showcasing the new development landscape of contemporary Chinese acrobatics with a hundred flowers blooming and diverse coexistence.
That evening, the opening ceremony performance was splendid and varied. Multiple acrobatic and magic programs such as "Tide Rider – Turntable Pose," "Infinite – Drum Kicking," "Sculpting Heart Pottery – Double-Layer Contortion," and "Grapes Are Ripe" appeared in succession, demonstrating classic acrobatic and magic techniques such as foot juggling, balancing on the head, and tumbling.
This edition of the exhibition adopts a dual-city linkage model between Nanning and Beihai, and the event will last until August 15. During the exhibition period, industry-specific symposiums and seminars will also be held to build a platform for exchange between acrobatic art theory and practice. In addition, public welfare performances benefiting the people will be carried out in multiple neighborhoods and scenic spots, with multiple measures taken simultaneously to lower the threshold for watching performances.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 颜 珂 申智林
During the summer vacation, nine-year-old Li Wenxi (李文兮) set out from Hengyang City, Hunan Province, to join his mother Liu Jiao (刘姣), who works in Shenzhen. During the days of reunion, Li Wenxi shared his time at school: the chirping of insects on the playground, adorable classmates, and the soaring songs in the classroom. "Before, I had to ask a question before my child would answer a word," Liu Jiao said, pleasantly surprised. "The child has changed so much!"
Li Wenxi's transformation is inseparable from the aesthetic education curriculum implemented by Longshi Primary School (隆市小学) of Lijiang United School (栗江联合学校) in Hengnan County (衡南县), Hengyang City.
"The spring breeze sends me on a cloud-white horse, spring sprouts in my heart..." In a video shared by Chen Lingyan (陈玲燕), a music teacher at Longshi Primary School, Li Wenxi is singing with his classmates.
From the beginning when no students volunteered to go on stage, to later when half the children eagerly participated, Chen Lingyan recorded the bits and pieces of the students' changes. "Some young people, due to lack of confidence, dare not express themselves, but at the same time their desire to be recognized is very strong," Chen Lingyan said.
Many years ago, during a music class, Chen Lingyan discovered that many children were very interested, and even those classmates who were usually quiet and reticent blossomed with smiles.
Entering the music class, students were in twos and threes, some standing, some sitting. As the music started, the children's bodies rose and fell with the melody. "Children's emotions can be well expressed through singing," Chen Lingyan said.
Aesthetic education nourishes the heart and protects children's healthy growth. In 2025, Hengnan County comprehensively promoted the "Every Class Has Songs" (班班有歌声) series of activities, encouraging every class in every school across the county to set aside time each day for aesthetic education activities.
At Chengguan Primary School (城关小学) of Chejiang United School (车江联合学校) in Hengnan County, over 80% of the children are from rural areas. In addition to the fixed weekly music classes, the school has also carried out the "Small Instruments into the Classroom" (小乐器进课堂) activity 有声有色 (yǒu shēng yǒu sè - "with sound and color," vivid and impressive). Every week during the flag-raising ceremony, children are invited to perform on stage. "We integrate aesthetic education courses into the daily routine of youth mental health education," said Zeng Yan (曾燕), the principal of the school.
Protecting the mental health of young people does not rely solely on singing.
"It not only builds a platform for relieving the collective emotions of students, but also explores scientific mechanisms for guiding students' individual psychological problems," introduced Quan Lingling (全玲玲), a mental health teacher at Hengnan County No. 9 Middle School (衡南县第九中学).
"From the very first day the children enter the school, we repeatedly tell them that the doors of the 'Knowing Heart House' (知心屋) are always open to them; coming to the 'Knowing Heart House' to speak one's mind is as ordinary as eating and sleeping," Quan Lingling said.
Hengnan County, 因地制宜 (yīn dì zhì yí - "according to local conditions," to take measures suited to local circumstances), has built 130 "Knowing Heart Houses" and 163 parent schools, with full-time and part-time psychological teachers covering all primary and secondary schools in the county. Starting from the time students enter school, psychological surveys are conducted on a regular basis, and growth records are established and improved.
Since 2021, Hengnan County has actively organized the construction of a mental health education network for primary and secondary school students, comprehensively strengthening the construction of school mental health teacher teams, curricula, and facilities, achieving full coverage of adolescent mental health records.
"From all-around guarantees, whole-process services, to whole-society care, we must not only let children make academic progress, but also let them be physically and mentally sound, with solid character, so that every child can grow healthily in a warm environment," said Zeng Yan, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Education Bureau of Hengnan County (衡南县教育局).
Return to TopOn the 22nd, primary and secondary school students from the summer public-interest care class of Yanghu Township (洋湖乡), Zhangshu City, Jiangxi Province, visited the Zhangshu City Museum (樟树市博物馆) for study tours, gaining an appreciation of the charm of history and culture. During the summer, the museum has launched a rich variety of exhibitions and study activities, attracting local residents and tourists to come and visit.
The photo shows children viewing exhibits at the museum.
Photo by Zhou Liang (周亮)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 黄培昭
In the early morning, within the Niumi Biosphere Reserve, which faces the Gambian capital Banjul across the river, mangroves sway in the gentle breeze as a flock of grey herons circles above the trees, sometimes diving to hunt and sometimes soaring high. The red limestone along the coast glistens especially brightly under the sunlight, complementing the dense tropical forest and vast savanna woodlands.
July 26 is the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, established by UNESCO, and diverse actions are being taken around the world to protect this "ocean green lung." July this year also marks the second anniversary of the Niumi Biosphere Reserve's inscription on the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. As Gambia's first world-class biosphere reserve, it preserves rare original mangrove communities rarely seen in West Africa. Days ago, this newspaper's reporter visited the reserve to learn firsthand about the local area's characteristic ecological practices in expanding mangrove coverage and advancing a win-win for ecological protection and livelihoods development.
Protecting Original Mangrove Resources
The Niumi Biosphere Reserve, located on the north bank of the Gambia River, is an important ecological barrier for the entire West Africa region. Traveling by small wooden boat through the waterways among the trees feels like entering a natural hidden world. The thick aerial roots of the mangroves are intertwined and deeply rooted in the tidal flat mud, like a fine giant net connecting land and ocean, withstanding the erosion and assault of Atlantic waves all year round.
Adir, the manager of the Niumi Biosphere Reserve, told the reporter that the total protected area of the reserve covers about 1,937 square kilometers, with approximately 178,000 residents living within the area. The original mangrove communities in the reserve are quite spectacular. "The leaves of the mangrove are green year-round. The bark is rich in tannic acid; when the bark or branches are damaged and exposed to air, they rapidly oxidize and turn reddish-brown, hence the name 'mangrove' (红树林, literally 'red tree forest')." Adir explained that mangroves are hailed as "coastal guardians" and "ocean green lungs." They serve as important habitats and breeding grounds for rare waterbirds such as grey herons and egrets, and are also key sites for the growth and reproduction of aquatic organisms like offshore fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. They play an irreplaceable role in stabilizing coastlines, preventing marine erosion, and maintaining offshore marine biodiversity.
As one of the few well-preserved original mangrove communities remaining in West Africa, the ecosystem here is intact and has unique regional characteristics. In the heart of the reserve, tropical forest and savanna woodlands connect seamlessly; monkeys forage and play among the trees, hyenas pace slowly through the grass, revealing the vibrant vitality of the West African savanna.
Local residents within the reserve have lived by the forests for generations. Lamin, a 68-year-old fisherman who makes a living fishing on the Gambia River, told the reporter: "Our ancestors passed down from generation to generation that mangroves are the guardian deities we depend on for survival. We must not indiscriminately cut trees or overfish. Destroying the mangroves would mean cutting off our livelihoods." The reporter saw a simple fishing net on his boat, with mesh size noticeably larger than ordinary nets. "Large-mesh nets allow young fish and shrimp to escape, enabling them to reproduce sustainably. Only then can we have fish to catch every year," Lamin said.
Exploring a Sustainable Tourism Model
To systematically protect mangroves and the region's rare biological resources, the Gambian government has enacted specific laws and regulations strictly controlling destructive activities such as logging, disorderly development, and illegal fishing in mangrove areas. At the same time, the government has established a special ecological environmental protection fund to support projects such as ecological restoration, environmental remediation, and infrastructure upgrades in the reserve, providing institutional and financial guarantees for ecological protection.
Relying on the original ecological resources, developing sustainable tourism has become an important measure for Gambia to strengthen biosphere protection. The local area adheres to the principle of "minimal intervention, ecological priority," implementing strict visitor limit measures, with daily visitor numbers not exceeding 200. Lightweight tourism facilities such as wooden boardwalks and bird-watching platforms have been installed within the reserve, providing convenience for visitors to enjoy natural scenery up close and observe wildlife while also avoiding, as much as possible, the disturbance and damage to plant and animal habitats caused by tourism activities. At the same time, the local area actively guides community residents to participate in the operation and service of ecotourism, engaging in work such as site guiding and the production and sale of specialty handicrafts, thereby broadening residents' employment and income channels and fundamentally reducing residents' livelihood dependence on logging and unregulated fishing.
Amina, 32, is a guide for the local sustainable tourism project and a direct beneficiary of the ecological protection policies. "Previously, the whole family made a living from sporadic fishing and cutting mangroves. The income was meager and unstable, and we often faced penalties for damaging the ecology. There was no security in life," Amina told the reporter with a smile. After the government launched the sustainable ecotourism project, she participated in professional guide training organized by the reserve, mastered multilingual guiding service skills, and successfully transitioned to become an ecotourism guide. "Now the work is stable, income is substantial, and the quality of life has greatly improved compared to the past."
The reporter followed Amina along the wooden boardwalk through the forest. The boardwalk is laid along the edge of the mangroves, avoiding the core ecological conservation area. The water below the boardwalk is clear and transparent; swimming fish and shrimp and the interwoven aerial roots of the mangroves are clearly visible. At a nearby bird-watching platform, several visitors held cameras and quietly framed their shots, immersing themselves in the beauty of the natural ecology. "We strictly implement the 'Leave No Trace' concept, requiring all visitors not to discard litter, not to pick wild plants, and not to disturb wildlife, making every visitor a participant and practitioner of ecological protection," Amina explained.
The local community deeply explores indigenous ecological resources and folk characteristics, launching a mangrove handicraft making experience project. Villagers use local materials, utilizing natural materials such as fallen mangrove leaves, dry branches, and coastal shells to hand-weave beautifully shaped storage baskets, decorative pendants, and other specialty handicrafts, which have become popular souvenirs for tourists. Fatoumata, 56, has practiced traditional weaving skills for many years. She told the reporter: "Previously, these fallen branches and leaves were casually discarded. Now they are turned from waste into a product that increases income. People's enthusiasm for protecting mangroves and ecological resources is growing."
The Gambian government has established an ecological feedback mechanism, investing 30% of the revenue from the sustainable tourism industry specifically into mangrove ecological restoration, tidal flat remediation, and community environmental publicity and education, creating a virtuous cycle of "ecological protection — green development — feedback protection." Now, more and more local residents are actively participating in ecotourism-related industries, achieving sustainable development for both individuals and the community while protecting their native ecological home.
Building a Cross-Border Ecological Protection Corridor
Gambia actively aligns with the international ecological protection system, establishing cooperative mechanisms with international organizations such as UNESCO and the World Wide Fund for Nature, introducing mangrove ecological restoration technologies and public funds, and routinely carrying out ecological projects such as artificial mangrove planting. The reporter saw in the ecological restoration area of the Niumi Biosphere Reserve that staff and volunteers, working under the scorching sun, carefully transplant cultivated mangrove seedlings into the tidal flat wetlands for vegetation replanting. "Under the professional guidance of international experts, we have mastered the techniques of mangrove planting and maintenance. So far, we have restored more than 200 hectares of degraded mangroves, and we will continue to expand the planting scale," Adir said.
The Niumi Biosphere Reserve is geographically contiguous and ecologically interconnected with the Saloum Delta Biosphere Reserve in Senegal. The two form a contiguous Niumi-Saloum cross-border ecological protection corridor, a model of cross-border ecological collaborative protection in the West Africa region. Gambia and Senegal have established a regular cross-border ecological protection coordination mechanism, carrying out joint patrols, wildlife species monitoring, and environmental protection publicity on a regular basis. "The Saloum Delta in Senegal is inseparable from our reserve. A large number of waterbirds and terrestrial wild animals migrate across the borders between the two countries year-round. Only by deepening cross-border collaboration and joint protection and patrol can we protect the habitats of these animals," Adir stated. According to reports, the two countries jointly conducted a special survey of waterbirds across the entire area last year, recording over 120 species of waterbirds, including several rare and endangered species, fully confirming the important value of cross-border collaborative protection.
The local area also vigorously guides residents to participate in the daily management, ecological restoration, and environmental protection publicity of the reserve. The reserve routinely holds cultural and sports activities such as ecological photography contests and literary and artistic performances themed on mangrove protection, encouraging residents to use cameras to record the beauty of ecology and use literary and artistic works to spread environmental concepts. Around World Environment Day each year, the reserve organizes residents and volunteers to carry out volunteer activities such as cleaning tidal flat garbage, planting mangrove seedlings, and giving ecological knowledge lectures. "In the past, many villagers did not have sufficient understanding of the ecological value of mangroves. Indiscriminate logging and uncontrolled fishing were rampant despite repeated bans," Adir said with emotion. After years of regular publicity, guidance, and practical motivation, more and more residents have come to deeply realize that protecting mangroves means protecting their homes and livelihoods, and they have begun to actively participate in ecological protection and consciously resist destructive behavior.
Today, in the Niumi Biosphere Reserve, the mangroves are lush and green, local residents live and work in peace and contentment, and a positive interaction between ecological protection and community development has been achieved, providing a practical model for biosphere protection in West Africa and even globally. "Protecting natural resources is not only for the development of the present generation but also for preserving ecological well-being for future generations. We will do our utmost to protect the ecological foundation of this land and ensure the sustainable ecological development of the region," Adir said.
(This report was filed from Banjul)
Return to TopBy: 王骁波
On July 21, the United States and Mexico launched a new round of bilateral consultations under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (the free trade agreement signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada), with Canada not participating. The day before, the U.S. government announced an additional 50% tariff on hundreds of imported goods from Canada, and even if those goods complied with the USMCA rules of origin, they would not be exempted. This latest series of moves by the U.S. side has once again pushed the prospects for the survival of North American trade cooperation into the focus of public opinion.
The USMCA, which has been in effect for six full years, faced its first triennial joint review in July of this year. Because the U.S. side explicitly refused to renew the agreement in its current form, the agreement did not roll over for 16 years as expected, directly triggering the "annual review" mechanism. North American regional trade has thus entered an uncertain phase of "one review per year, year-by-year bargaining," which not only disrupts the industrial chain layout within the region but also adds sustained policy risk to global supply chain arrangements. This regional agreement, founded on free trade, is increasingly deviating from the original meaning of "free" the more it is amended.
The North American Free Trade Agreement, which took effect in 1994, was the starting point of North American free trade cooperation. At that time, the consensus among the three parties was to build a cross-border production capacity division system by eliminating tariff barriers, achieving complementary advantages: Mexico leveraged its labor dividend, Canada provided abundant resources, and the United States supplied advanced technology and a vast market. The three sides jointly supported a globally competitive "Made in North America" industrial cluster, driving the rapid agglomeration of upstream and downstream industries such as automobiles and electronics, and significantly releasing regional trade dividends.
However, in 2017, the U.S. side, citing the expansion of its trade deficit and damage to domestic industrial interests, pushed Mexico and Canada to restart agreement negotiations. The USMCA, which took effect in 2020, was nominally an "upgraded version" of NAFTA, but in reality it changed the underlying logic of regional cooperation: gradually shifting from "efficiency first, comprehensive openness" to "national priority first, managed trade," thereby continuously weakening the foundation of trust on which the stability of the North American industrial chain depended.
This round of joint review has fully brought to the table the deep-seated divergences accumulated by the three parties over the long term. The U.S. side intends to use the "annual review" mechanism to continuously adjust rules, further compress the trade deficit, strengthen the layout of key industries and foreign investment reviews, and at the same time signal the initiation of separate bilateral consultations with Mexico and Canada, seeking to maximize unilateral benefits; Mexico prioritizes rule stability as its foremost demand, arguing that frequent rule adjustments will weaken enterprise investment confidence and raise compliance costs, and firmly defends its competitive advantage as a global nearshoring destination and manufacturing center; Canada focuses on the effective operation of dispute settlement mechanisms and the implementation of fair trade rules, demanding that the U.S. side cancel unilateral trade restrictions on products such as steel, aluminum, and lumber.
The ongoing rule bargaining is continuously eroding the scale advantages accumulated through the integration of the North American industrial chain, with the automobile industry being the most typical case. Currently, the agreement has significantly tightened the rules of origin for automobiles: the required regional value content in North America for vehicles to enjoy zero-tariff treatment has been raised from 62.5% under NAFTA to 75%, and additional restrictions such as the proportion of labor value and regional procurement ratios for steel and aluminum have been added, greatly compressing the space for enterprises to optimize costs through global supply chains. According to reports from Reuters and other media, the U.S. side intends to further raise the stakes in consultations and negotiations, possibly proposing to further increase the North American regional value content of automobiles and raise the proportion of U.S. domestic procurement. Although these ideas have not yet been implemented, the continuously fluctuating policy expectations have already significantly suppressed the willingness of multinational automakers to invest in North America; the rising institutional costs, compliance costs, and production costs will ultimately be borne by North American consumers in the form of higher terminal selling prices.
The fundamental value of a free trade agreement lies in breaking down trade barriers, optimizing resource allocation, unleashing market vitality, and allowing the dividends of cooperation to benefit all members. But the continuously escalating restrictive clauses and the year-by-year tug-of-war review mechanism are steadily diluting the "free" nature of the USMCA. The three parties, deeply mired in rule-inflicted internal friction, might do well to look back at the original intention that drove them to begin cooperation more than 30 years ago. Only by returning to the original aspiration of mutual benefit and win-win can regional cooperation get back on track, rather than consuming each other's long-term interests in "year-by-year bargaining."
Return to TopTraffic volumes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait both decline
According to Xinhua News Agency, London, July 22 (Xinhua) -- (by reporter Gao Wencheng) International market services firm Kepler posted on social media on the 22nd that traffic volumes through the two major international energy transport routes, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, both declined on the 21st, reflecting a further rise in risk aversion among international shipping companies against the backdrop of sustained tension in the regional security situation.
Data show that on the 21st, the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell by 31% compared with the previous day, to 9 vessels; the number of vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell by 34%, to 29 vessels.
Analysts believe that although navigation through the two straits has not completely ceased, the operational confidence of shipping companies continues to come under pressure. In the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden, four vessels have been confirmed to have turned around and headed back, indicating that after the Houthi armed group threatened vessels associated with Saudi Arabia, some shipping companies are adopting more cautious operational strategies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry denies any nuclear activity at Gaoshan
According to Xinhua News Agency, Tehran, July 22 (Xinhua) -- After U.S. President Trump threatened to launch attacks on Iran's underground nuclear facility at Gaoshan (镐山), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Baghaei responded in a post on the 22nd, denying any nuclear activity at Gaoshan, and saying that the U.S. side's "obsession" with focusing on Gaoshan is merely fabricating a pretext for aggression against Iran.
Baghaei said on social media that day that the United States' repeated attacks on and threats against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities not only flagrantly violate the core principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, and relevant resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors and the United Nations Security Council, "but also expose the deep-rooted hostility of the U.S. side toward Iran's scientific progress and technological development."
Gaoshan is located near the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan Province in central Iran. Intelligence agencies of the United States, Israel and other countries regard it as one of Iran's most fortified underground nuclear facilities.
Baghaei said that Iran has fulfilled its relevant obligations and has fully reported its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency. "There is no nuclear activity at Iran's Gaoshan; the U.S. obsessive focus on Gaoshan is merely a pretext fabricated for its aggression, destruction, and deliberate sabotage."
Trump told the media on the 21st at the White House during a meeting with visiting Lebanese President Aoun that the United States "may soon" strike Iran's Gaoshan underground nuclear facility.
Japan's trade deficit in the first half of this year exceeds 1 trillion yen
According to Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, July 22 (Xinhua) -- (by reporters Li Shimeng and Lan Jianzhong) Preliminary statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance on the 22nd show that Japan's trade deficit in the first half of 2026 amounted to 1.01 trillion yen (1 U.S. dollar equals about 157.75 yen), marking the tenth consecutive half-year period with a trade deficit.
Data show that in the first half of this year, Japan's goods exports rose 13.7% year-on-year to 60.66 trillion yen; imports rose 10.7% year-on-year to 61.68 trillion yen. Imports and exports of semiconductor and other electronic components both increased significantly and were the main drivers of trade growth. In addition, export growth was also driven by increased exports of automobiles and other goods; import growth was also affected by increased imports of nonferrous metals and other goods.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 许海林
On July 21, the French parliament formally passed a bill prohibiting minors under the age of 15 from using social media. French President Macron stated that the bill marks a "big step forward" for France on the relevant issue and that he will continue to promote the concrete implementation of related measures.
In recent times, many European countries have intensively introduced legislative and regulatory measures, continuously tightening restrictions on minors' use of social media. By setting age access thresholds, strengthening platform verification responsibilities, and complementing them with specific functional restrictions, they are enhancing the prevention of risks such as cyberbullying, addiction, and mental health damage. Online protection for minors is shifting from fragmented platform governance to regional legislative regulation.
It is reported that this French bill is planned to be implemented in phases starting from September: from September 1, minors under 15 will not be able to create new accounts on social media platforms; from January next year, existing social media accounts belonging to minors under 15 will be suspended or closed. France's minister delegate for artificial intelligence and digital affairs, Le Hénaf, stated that at that time French users will need to verify their age when using social media platforms, and if they are under 15, their accounts will be closed. She called on social media platforms to assume corresponding responsibilities for protecting minors.
In June this year, the UK government announced a comprehensive ban on minors under 16 using mainstream social media platforms, with controls covering short video, image social networking, video portals, social forums, and other categories; at the same time, it prohibits minors from communicating with strangers on live streaming and gaming platforms, blocking channels for online harm. According to the plan, the relevant regulatory regulations will be submitted to parliament for consideration before the end of this year, and the entire set of measures is expected to be formally implemented in the spring of 2027. A public consultation conducted earlier showed that the majority of British parents support the relevant measures. The policy will hold platforms as the main accountable entities, and will strengthen corporate primary responsibility by reinforcing age verification mechanisms.
The UK government also announced new regulations on the basis of the original control framework, setting a social media "curfew" for 16- to 17-year-old adolescents, requiring platforms to default restrict users in this age group from logging in and using from 0:00 to 6:00 daily, automatically turn off addictive features such as video autoplay and infinite scroll, and include AI chatbots within the scope of supervision for minors.
The regulatory developments in France and the UK are a microcosm of Europe's further strengthening of online governance for minors. In recent years, with the rapid proliferation of electronic devices, the penetration rate of social media among adolescents has continued to rise, and the accompanying risks have become increasingly prominent. Multiple international studies have confirmed that premature and excessive exposure to low-quality digital content may lead to delayed language development, reduced cognitive abilities, decreased attention, and increase the risk of emotional disorders, vision damage, and other physical health risks. A Spanish study shows that over 90% of local adolescents use at least one social media platform, and about one in ten minors have experienced cyberbullying; a French 2025 opinion poll shows that 37% of adolescent respondents aged 6 to 18 have encountered online violence, and a quarter of them have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide as a result.
Many European countries are advancing specific legislation and forming a regional consensus on governance. In February this year, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez proposed promoting legislation to prohibit minors under 16 from using social media, requiring platforms to establish strict age verification mechanisms. The Portuguese parliament recently approved a bill stipulating that minors aged 13 to 16 may access social media only after obtaining "explicit and verified parental consent," and requiring users to complete age verification through the national digital identity platform. Violating enterprises face a maximum fine of 2 million euros or 2% of global annual turnover. In addition, Denmark has reached a cross-party agreement to introduce a law banning minors under 15 from accessing certain social media. Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Germany, and others are also advancing or have already introduced relevant control measures.
Currently, European social media regulation for minors presents several common characteristics. First, universally drawing a red line for age access, with most countries setting the restriction threshold at 15 to 16 years old, and some countries implementing differentiated controls for different age groups to balance protection intensity with the reasonable usage needs of adolescents. Second, strengthening technical verification support, relying on official digital identity systems to implement real age verification, and overcoming regulatory difficulties such as false registration and identity misappropriation. Third, consolidating the primary responsibility of platforms, placing compliance obligations on the enterprise side, and supporting them with high penalty mechanisms to form rigid constraints. Fourth, expanding the coverage boundaries of controls, bringing related scenarios such as live streaming and gaming social features into the scope of regulation.
European Parliament member Schaldemose stated that illegal acts offline must also be prohibited by law online. Major platforms have not proactively taken sufficient protective actions. Regulatory bans send a clear signal to tech companies and society: the physical and mental health of minors should be given stronger protection.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李昌禹 吴储岐
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “In building modern people’s cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, wise, and civilized, renovating old urban residential communities is an important link”; “Whether a society is happy or not is, to a very important extent, seen in whether the elderly are happy or not.”
Advancing aging-friendly renovation, against the backdrop of China’s accelerating population aging, is both an urgent task to address the inconveniences faced by the elderly and an important subject in building modern people’s cities. In 2021, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Committee on Social and Legal Affairs (全国政协社会和法制委员会) launched a five-year special democratic oversight initiative centered on “accelerating the advancement of social aging-friendly renovation.” Now that five years have passed, what actual results has this oversight achieved? The reporter has selected the installation of elevators in old residential communities — a facet of aging-friendly renovation — to see how this democratic oversight has helped resolve the “livelihood of the elevator,” and thereby to observe the vitality and dynamism of whole-process people’s democracy.
— Editor
Early morning, at the Nanda Xinan’er Community (南大西南二社区) of Xuefu Subdistrict (学府街道), Nankai District (南开区), Tianjin, a silver-gray externally attached elevator in an old residential building stopped steadily at the first floor. Hou Wei (侯维), nearly eighty years old, slowly walked out of the elevator and strolled leisurely in the community.
Such going up and down stairs is utterly ordinary; yet for the elderly living in these old apartment buildings, it was once a hurdle standing before life.
Elderly care is both a family matter and a national matter. Starting in 2021, in accordance with the CPPCC National Committee’s work plan for conducting democratic oversight on the implementation of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Social and Legal Affairs carried out a five-year special democratic oversight initiative centered on “accelerating the advancement of social aging-friendly renovation.”
Taking the installation of elevators in old residential communities as an entry point, members of two consecutive CPPCC National Committees fulfilled their duties in succession, delving deeper along the issues of greatest, most direct, and most practical concern to the people. One elevator connects not only changes in the later years of life but also a practice of special democratic oversight — from discovering problems to driving their resolution.
How did a small matter become a subject of special democratic oversight?
Some people call the elderly who have long been trapped in old apartment buildings “the suspended elderly”: downstairs there is sunshine, there is a vegetable market, there are old friends, and there is a bustling life; but separated by a few flights of stairs, the lively atmosphere outside the window becomes something visible but unreachable.
“Without an elevator, I probably wouldn’t feel like going downstairs very often,” Hou Wei said from deep experience. Many residents in the building are already over eighty, with limited mobility. Buying groceries, picking up medicine, seeing a doctor — things that were once entirely ordinary — all require first weighing the question: Can I make it down this time? Can I still make it back up?
CPPCC National Committee member Zhang Jinying (张金英) is no stranger to such a scene. She has multiple family members over 85 in her home, and she has witnessed and remembered the hardship of elderly relatives climbing stairs after buying groceries, “an elderly person can barely manage to go downstairs once or twice a week.”
This awareness came from family, and also from research.
Carrying this concern, Zhang Jinying participated in the special democratic oversight on “accelerating the advancement of social aging-friendly renovation.” In visit after visit, what the elderly talked about most was not any grand wish, but a series of trivial yet pressing little matters: having to rest several times while climbing the stairs in between, having to wait for children to come and help with grocery shopping, wanting to go to the hospital for a follow-up visit but worrying that their legs wouldn’t hold out.
The Donggaodi area (东高地片区) of Beijing also left a deep impression on CPPCC National Committee member Liu Zheng (刘争).
That area was built relatively early, with many old buildings and many elderly residents. Around Liu Zheng’s workplace, there are about 42,000 residents, of whom roughly 14,000 are over 60. After many retired workers grew old, their biggest worry was being unable to go downstairs.
During one research visit, an elderly person in a wheelchair grabbed hold of Liu Zheng and insisted on demonstrating the newly built ramp outside their door. Gripping the handrail with both hands, the elderly person exerted strength and, wheelchair and all, went steadily up the ramp, “as happy as a child.” “For us, going up a staircase is very simple; for the elderly and those with limited mobility, it is something they have long hoped for,” Liu Zheng said.
Why does a single ramp, a single elevator, touch so many people’s hearts?
Because, though it looks small, it concerns the most genuine lives of thousands of households. As of the end of 2025, China’s population aged 60 and above exceeds 320 million. Installing an elevator is opening a door for the elderly in their later years. This door is both the elevator door and a door for the elderly to step out of their homes, enter the community, and maintain dignity and independent living.
Five years of special democratic oversight did not mean only holding meetings and submitting proposals, but pursuing inquiry along the lines of the elderly’s concerns: Have the needs been thoroughly identified? Is the policy precise? Where is grassroots implementation stuck? After the elevator is installed, do the elderly feel at ease using it?
These voices were recorded by the committee members in their research notes and also brought into consultation forums and oversight reports. From the helplessness before a door to a five-year oversight initiative, the most authentic feelings of the masses became the starting point for this democratic oversight in finding problems and driving their resolution.
More than 30 meetings, turning “each has their own logic” into “everyone works together”
“The affairs of the many are deliberated by the many.” Zhang Jinying often repeated this phrase during research.
It is not difficult to say, but to put it into practice often starts from one stool, one household, one word that someone is reluctant to speak.
During research, Zhang Jinying and Liu Zheng heard many similar appeals: some people were calculating how to split the costs, some were eager to start construction quickly, and others worried about who would manage it if the elevator broke down.
Each kind of concern cannot simply be brushed aside with a glib “it’s for the majority.”
These voices all eventually converged at the community level.
Ma Yi (马义), Party secretary of the Nanda Xinan’er Community, has worked in the community for over ten years. He summarized the community as having “three highs”: high age, high education level, and high rate of living alone. “Many residents are retired teachers, experts, and scholars; they have their own opinions and demands, and they place great importance on procedures.”
“When we install elevators, we don’t build them with steel and concrete; we have to build them with people’s hearts,” Ma Yi said.
The community has already completed the installation of five elevators. On average, for each one, from the initial discussion to final completion, more than 30 resident deliberation meetings were held, and coordination took place hundreds of times.
When installation began in Hou Wei’s unit, residents on the lower floors raised concerns: Would the elevator block the light? Would the construction be too noisy? Is it safe to install on an old building? Residents on the upper floors also had their own difficulties: they were getting older, their legs were becoming weaker, and if the elevator wasn’t installed, how would they go on?
What to do? The community did not rush to “make a final decision,” but laid the issues out on the table one by one.
Concerned about legal liability, legal advisors and rule-of-law volunteers were invited to explain the relevant regulations clearly; worried about noise affecting sleep, elevator companies and technical staff were brought to the site to conduct tests, letting the data speak; concerned about lighting obstruction and construction disturbance, residents were taken to buildings where elevators had already been installed to see for themselves and ask questions directly.
Ma Yi discovered that some residents on the first floor were not absolutely opposed, but simply felt that the installation of the elevator had a greater impact on them, yet were uncomfortable raising the topic of compensation. “Some people say they don’t want compensation, but that may not be what they really mean deep down. We first have to find the knot in their heart, and then discuss how to untie it,” he said.
Meeting after meeting, heart-to-heart talk after heart-to-heart talk — the problems were not evaded but gradually peeled back, layer by layer, slowly pulling the originally opposing sides to the same table. Some went from “I disagree” to “let me take another look,” and some from “let me take another look” to “we can talk about it.” Finally, one by one, the consent forms were signed, and one by one, the elevators were built.
Such scenes made Zhang Jinying even more convinced that the “difficulty of negotiation” the CPPCC members heard during research was not a vague generalization, but a concrete problem that occurred at every floor and in front of every household.
The committee members brought the issues reported by communities into symposiums and into reports, and also brought the methods explored by various localities back to the grassroots: which concerns could be resolved through technical solutions, which differences needed to be balanced through a compensation mechanism, and which matters should be written into an agreement before construction began.
From “wanting to install” to “getting it installed,” one elevator witnessed not only the completion of a project but also a group of residents, through round after round of negotiation, turning “each has their own logic” into “everyone works together.”
Visit after visit, negotiation after negotiation, helping to unblock each “bottleneck”
Some difficulties within a building can be resolved through patient negotiation, but others cannot be solved by a single community or a single secretary alone.
Ma Yi recalls that when the community first pushed for elevator installation, what caused the most worry was the approval process. “Who should we go to first? Who next? Should it be approved as equipment or as a building project?” One elevator involves multiple links — planning, housing construction, fire safety, utility lines, construction — and the community often had to run from department to department.
These confusions from the grassroots were also brought by CPPCC members beyond the research site.
Zhang Jinying summarized the five-year special democratic oversight process as a “closed loop”: first, conduct on-site visits to understand the needs of the masses and the blockages at the grassroots; then, feed the problems back upward, together with government departments, enterprises, and the community, to negotiate; finally, supervise and push forward, to see whether the problems have truly been resolved.
Liu Zheng, on the other hand, was more focused on how experiences from different places could learn from each other. Installing an elevator may seem like a small matter, but in fact it involves multiple departments, different groups, and various resources. When committee members conducted cross-provincial research, they not only looked at how residents negotiated, but also listened to where communities were stuck, what technical solutions enterprises could provide, and which shortcomings financial and maintenance institutions could fill — then they compiled these scattered opinions into oversight recommendations.
In Ma Yi’s view, the function of CPPCC special democratic oversight lies precisely in enabling problems that are difficult to solve at the grassroots level to be reported from “below” to “above,” and enabling good policies to land from the “page” onto the “ground.”
The community once reported to committee members that the approval links were scattered and that coordination between departments was poor. Later, a multi-department joint review mechanism was gradually improved, and matters such as equipment, buildings, housing, and public utility lines were coordinated and advanced. “Now the process is much smoother, and approval efficiency has improved,” Ma Yi said.
The “bottlenecks” in a single building thus, through visit after visit, symposium after symposium, negotiation after negotiation, and supervision after supervision, gradually turned into mechanisms that could be optimized.
However, the installation of the elevator did not mean the end of the issues.
Liu Zheng noticed during research that more and more residents were starting to ask about the “second half” of the story: Who will handle repairs when the elevator ages? How will the maintenance fees be divided? How to deal with the few steps left in a half-floor-entry situation? “It’s best to figure this out before the elevator is installed, and put in black and white who will pay for future maintenance costs,” Liu Zheng said.
On this point, Ma Yi had already made arrangements early in his community’s practice. Before the elevator was even installed, residents sat down together and discussed item by item the electricity fees, maintenance fees, major repair responsibilities, and other matters; the installation contract and the follow-up maintenance contract were signed simultaneously, and the boundaries of responsibility were written out clearly one by one.
From the masses raising the difficulty of “being unable to go downstairs,” to the community organizing negotiations; from committee members carrying problems into research, to relevant departments optimizing processes; from the elevator being put in place, to the follow-up operation and maintenance being agreed upon in advance… one elevator connects the chain of public opinion expression, deliberative consultation, democratic oversight, and policy implementation.
Democratic oversight sustained for five years, demonstrating the warmth of people’s livelihood
The five-year special democratic oversight has now concluded, and change has clear metrics.
The CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Social and Legal Affairs conducted public opinion surveys for five consecutive years centered on “accelerating the advancement of social aging-friendly renovation.” The surveys show that over 70% of respondents recognized the effectiveness of social aging-friendly renovation during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period; over the five years, the proportion of household aging-friendly renovation that has been completed or is underway increased by 12.4 percentage points, while the proportion of those who felt no need or did not want renovation decreased by 7.52 percentage points.
The rise and fall in the survey reflect changes in the mindset of many families.
In the past, some felt that their homes “could still make do,” while others thought renovation was too troublesome. Now, whether the elderly can go up and down stairs conveniently, whether getting up at night is safe, and whether they can get support when bathing or using the toilet — these concerns are beginning to be considered in advance by more families.
The survey also shows that about 60% of the elderly rely mainly on self-care or care from a spouse. For them, home is not only a place to live, but also the most important pillar of their elderly life. “Accelerating the advancement of social aging-friendly renovation is an urgent task, but also a long-term mission,” said a relevant official from the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Social and Legal Affairs.
This “long-term” is embodied in one concrete small matter after another.
For elevators already installed, how to implement maintenance responsibilities, cost-sharing, and daily management; for households not yet renovated, how to identify needs earlier and connect with resources; for the aging-friendly environment, how to extend from one room, one building, to more scenarios such as community meal assistance, medical visits and transportation, barrier-free services, and digital life… These issues will continue to enter new research and new practice, through visit after visit and negotiation after negotiation.
From the “14th Five-Year Plan” to the “15th Five-Year Plan,” social aging-friendly renovation will continue to be advanced in coordination with urban renewal, renovation of old residential communities, barrier-free environment construction, and the building of the elderly service system. Installing an elevator is one step to help the elderly walk out of their homes. “What aging-friendly renovation needs to do is to keep them safe at home, help them live with ease in the community, and preserve their choices and dignity in familiar surroundings. Democratic oversight sustained for five years demonstrates the warmth of people’s livelihood,” Zhang Jinying said.
In the evening, the elevator at Nanda Xinan’er Community was still running.
Hou Wei pressed the button, and the car rose slowly. A few seconds later, the door opened at his floor, then closed gently.
For him, this is just the stretch of road home; but in the many more old apartment buildings still awaiting renovation, such a stretch of road still awaits careful measurement and timely response.
The five-year special democratic oversight has come to a close, but the people’s livelihood test of aging-friendly renovation continues.
During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the degree of aging in China will deepen further, and the Outline of the “15th Five-Year Plan” has also put forward new requirements for aging-friendly renovation. How to shift from “whether it exists” to “whether it is good,” achieving high-quality development? The gradual advance of aging-friendly renovation may still need to start from voices that are heard again and again within the process of whole-process people’s democracy.
Return to TopBy: 范社岭
The "Plan for Accelerating the Building of a Strong Agricultural Country (2024–2035)" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council clearly proposes to deeply develop rural characteristic cultural industries and strengthen the protection of agricultural cultural heritage, ethnic village stockades, traditional buildings, and so on. From traditional rice terrace systems that nestle against mountains and fields to mulberry-dike-fish-pond systems that recycle planting and breeding, agricultural cultural heritage, as the "living fossil" of China's farming civilization, both carries local memories and cultural roots and threads together multiple dimensions such as rural ecology, industry, culture, and people's livelihoods, effectively empowering the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.
In recent years, China has achieved remarkable results in the field of agricultural cultural heritage protection. As of the end of 2025, China has 25 Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, ranking first in the world. However, in the course of research we have discovered many problems in the protection and utilization of agricultural cultural heritage. For example, in some areas, farmers have insufficient awareness of agricultural cultural heritage and show insufficient enthusiasm for participating in its protection; the willingness of the younger generation to engage in heavy physical labor such as agriculture is weak, traditional skills related to agricultural cultural heritage face the risk of being lost, and the situation of innovative transformation is not optimistic; special protection funds are not in place, and cross-departmental coordination mechanisms are not well established. Dynamic protection of China's agricultural cultural heritage, achieving its inheritance and development, is particularly important.
Actively explore and improve the policy measures and working mechanisms for protecting agricultural cultural heritage. All localities should base themselves on the characteristics of their local agricultural cultural heritage resources, 因地制宜 (yīn dì zhì yí - "adjust measures to local conditions," to act according to local circumstances) formulate local protection rules and supporting policy details, clearly define the protection boundaries, graded protection standards, and development and utilization norms for agricultural cultural heritage, and refine punishment mechanisms for acts such as illegal destruction and excessive development, so that protection work has laws to rely on and regulations to follow. Adhere to planning first, and in conjunction with rural development and territorial space planning, compile scientific and systematic special plans for the protection and development of agricultural cultural heritage. Comprehensively carry out a survey and inventory of agricultural cultural heritage resources within the jurisdiction, accurately sort out core information such as geographical location, historical evolution, farming techniques, ecological value, and cultural connotations, establish standardized archives and dynamically updated databases, providing solid data support for refined protection, scientific research, and rational development.
Promote deep integration of the three industries, and through living inheritance, help upgrade rural industries and increase villagers' incomes and prosperity. Deeply explore the economic value and cultural value of agricultural cultural heritage, promote deep integration of agriculture, culture, tourism, and creativity, and continuously release the multiple values of agricultural cultural heritage. For example, the Xinghua (兴化) Duotian traditional agricultural system in Jiangsu is among the first batch of China's important agricultural cultural heritages. The local area has created the thousand-duotian rapeseed flower tourism activity, attracting a large number of tourists every year, with homestays and farmhouse restaurants being very popular, and local villagers able to find employment and increase their incomes at their doorsteps. At the same time, we can also deeply cultivate the farming culture IP, extract characteristic elements such as traditional farm tools, folk patterns, and farming stories, develop special products such as cultural and creative ornaments, folk handicrafts, and intangible cultural heritage souvenirs, and transform high-quality cultural resources into real economic advantages.
Strengthen the building of a talent team. Talent is the core driving force for the living inheritance of agricultural cultural heritage. Localities can regularly carry out special training, expert lectures, and field practical guidance, provide systematic training for village cadres, local farmers, and intangible cultural heritage inheritors, popularize knowledge of agricultural cultural heritage protection, ecological protection techniques, and cultural tourism operation skills, comprehensively improve the protection capacity and inheritance level of local personnel, and cultivate a group of localized and professional grassroots inheritance teams. Establish and improve talent incentive mechanisms, commend and reward individuals and teams that make outstanding contributions to the protection, skill inheritance, industrial innovation, and cultural tourism development of agricultural cultural heritage, injecting lasting talent vitality into protection and inheritance.
Advance protection and innovation side by side, promoting the deep integration of traditional farming culture and modern science and technology. On the one hand, use modern information technologies such as big data, the Internet of Things, and satellite remote sensing to build a digital protection platform for agricultural cultural heritage, carry out digital preservation and cloud display of traditional farming scenes, ancient skills, and precious germplasm resources, achieving permanent preservation and universal sharing of heritage resources. On the other hand, the traditional skills contained in agricultural cultural heritage also need innovative development. The Gaolan (皋兰) Shichuan (什川) ancient pear orchard system in Gansu is a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. The local area cultivates new seedlings to inject fresh blood into the ancient pear orchard; through digital management of "one tree, one file," it establishes electronic files for ancient pear trees. A series of measures have allowed the pear orchard to radiate vigorous vitality in the blend of tradition and modernity.
Protecting the "living fossil" of agricultural cultural heritage is a heavy responsibility and a long road (任重道远, rèn zhòng dào yuǎn - "the burden is heavy and the road is long," a heavy responsibility and a long journey). We must continuously summarize experience in practice and provide Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for the global protection of agricultural cultural heritage.
(The author is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Our reporter Yi Shuran (易舒冉) conducted the interview and compiled the text.)
Return to TopProposer: Central Committee of the China Democratic League (民进中央)
Subject: In recent years, with the successive implementation of the Wetland Protection Law (湿地保护法) and the Yellow River Protection Law (黄河保护法), great achievements have been made in the ecological protection of wetlands in the Yellow River basin, and the ecological environment has continued to show marked improvement. However, surveys have found that some shortcomings remain: the overexploitation of water resources and the trend of wetland degradation have not yet been fundamentally reversed; the funding input mechanism for wetland protection is still not sound; and the wetland management mechanism remains imperfect.
Recommendations: Adhere to planning guidance and improve the top-level design for wetland protection and restoration in the Yellow River basin. Further construct a systematic and complete wetland protection planning scheme for the Yellow River basin, fully consider the water resource elements of the basin, coordinate wetland water replenishment sources, water replenishment routes, water replenishment volumes, and water level regulation, link up with the national water network construction, and give wetlands sufficient space for development. Optimize the scale of wetlands in the basin in stages, improve the total wetland area control system, gradually restore the natural space of wetlands, and encourage the construction of artificial wetlands. Continuously optimize the pattern of territorial space development and protection, coordinate wetland resource carrying capacity, ecological benefits, and farmland protection goals, and improve the indicator evaluation system for regional territorial space planning.
Improve the funding input mechanism for wetland protection in the Yellow River basin. Strengthen ecological compensation funding support, integrate funds from various fields, and concentrate investment in areas critical for wetland ecological functions and core key technologies for wetland protection. Coordinate wetland protection with regional development, and in accordance with wetland carrying capacity, standardize the development of industries such as ecotourism, science education, health and wellness, cultivate distinctive industries, create a Yellow River wetland ecological cultural IP, and promote the effective transformation of the value of wetland ecological products.
Further improve the basin-wide wetland system protection management mechanism. Improve the inter-ministerial coordination and inter-provincial coordination mechanisms for basin wetland protection, and promote the overall wetland protection work in the Yellow River basin. Improve the wetland hierarchical management mechanism, further clarify the boundaries of wetlands at all levels and the responsible entities for protection. On the basis of the Wetland Protection Law and the Yellow River Protection Law, further refine laws and regulations, improve standards and norms, and enhance the practical effectiveness of protection and management.
(Compiled by Wen Tong)
During his inspection in Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "绣花功夫 (xiùhuā gōngfu - 'embroidering skill,' meticulous effort)" should be used to continuously improve the management of residential communities and the level of convenience services, striving to make residents satisfied.
Currently, all localities are deeply cultivating grassroots governance, responding to the demands of people's livelihoods through democratic deliberation, resolving disputes according to law, and convenience services, thereby raising the happiness index of the masses. This edition of the Rule of Law section selects four cases to demonstrate how to fully apply "embroidering skill" to make homes more beautiful.
— Editor
Beijing Haidian District: Technology empowerment, precise services uphold the 'sunset glow'
Staff Reporter Wang Haonan (王昊男)
On a summer morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice, flooding the bedroom. After feeding medicine to her bedridden husband, 81-year-old Chen Yan (陈艳) picked up her phone to check the overnight sleep monitoring data for the two of them. Above the headboard, two white "vital sign monitoring radars" (体征监测雷达) quietly pointed at the bed.
"If heart rate or breathing becomes abnormal, the device can immediately sense it, and the backend staff will also promptly remind us," said Chen Yan, who has been caring for her bedridden husband alone for 11 years, living in Xuefu Shujia Yuan (学府树家园), Qinghe Street, Haidian District, Beijing. "In the past, I was most afraid of something happening at night. Now with 'high-tech,' I sleep much more soundly."
What made Chen Yan feel at ease was not only the nighttime protection. In the elderly couple's home, "smart ingenuity" could be seen everywhere: A one-button call phone in the living room, directly connected to "120" and "999", and also able to call a taxi, report repairs, and access property services with one button; the button-style smart terminal carried by the two elderly people could, in case of an emergency, call for help with one button and transmit precise location in real time.
Technology empowerment is reshaping the elderly care experience. In April 2026, the Haidian District Civil Affairs Bureau (海淀区民政局) issued the "Haidian District 'Artificial Intelligence + Elderly Care' Three-Year Action Plan (2026-2028)" and the "Haidian District Smart Elderly Care Community Pilot Construction Work Plan." Qinghe Street, taking Xuefu Shujia Yuan Second Community and Huayuan Lou Community as pilots, launched the construction of smart elderly care communities. Elderly households aged 80 and above in the jurisdiction (with Haidian District household registration, residing in the district, and contracted with community hospitals) and families with special family planning situations are equipped as needed with the "three-piece set" (三件套) of a one-button call landline, a vital sign monitoring radar, and a portable one-button call device.
"All smart terminals have been connected to the community smart elderly care service platform." At the Xuefu Shujia Yuan Second Community Elderly Care Service Station (养老服务驿站), a large screen displays real-time data on the elderly's health, service demands, and early warning information. Hao Yuanyuan (郝圆媛), director of the Haidian District Yaoyang Elderly Care Service Center (海淀区曜阳养老服务中心), introduced that the local area has built a three-level linkage mechanism of "street—community—elderly household." "When an elderly person sends a demand signal through the community platform, the platform operator immediately generates an electronic work order. From dispatching to home visit, the entire process is closed-loop and traceable."
"In the past, the community mainly relied on visits to understand the situation of the elderly, with delayed information updates and slow service response," said Du Weihong (杜卫红), Party secretary of the Xuefu Shujia Yuan Second Community. "Now the platform is like a 'digital butler.' When it detects abnormal health data or prolonged inactivity of an elderly person, the community platform immediately issues an alert, ensuring that staff can go to the home at the first time."
Technology empowerment not only brings a sense of security but also makes elderly care services more precise. Currently, this smart elderly care service platform has integrated over a hundred service providers, including elderly care stations, medical institutions, meal assistance points, and repair shops. When an elderly person places an order via the one-button call, the system will intelligently match the nearest and best-service resources, and track the quality of service throughout. Qi Hongxia (齐洪霞), an elderly person over 80, has deep experience with this: "Last time I wanted someone to clean the air conditioner, I pressed the one-button call, and soon a technician came to the door. The work was done well, and the price was transparent."
"In the future, on the basis of the mature operation of the smart elderly care community service system, we will further expand application scenarios, promoting the interconnection and intercommunication of elderly care data with systems such as community health service centers, convenience commercial services, and property security," said Jia Lili (贾丽丽), section chief of the Qinghe Street Livelihood Security Office (清河街道民生保障办公室). She stated that they will continue to strengthen the diversified service supply "at the doorstep," so that technology-assisted elderly care truly benefits every elderly person.
Shanghai Pudong New Area: Democratic consultation resolves community parking space disputes
Staff Reporter Ju Yunpeng (巨云鹏)
"In the past, we could hear arguing almost every night, mostly over grabbing parking spaces," said Lu Yiling (陆易玲), a resident of East Fourth Residential Area (东四居民区), Hudong New Village Street (沪东新村街道), Pudong New Area, Shanghai, shaking her head repeatedly. "When arguments got intense, the police would be called, and no one had peace."
The East Fourth Residential Area of Hudong New Village Street is an old commercial housing community built in 1996, with a total of 870 households and a permanent population of over 2,600. When the community was first built, there were over 400 parking spaces, which were initially quite ample. But as residents' living standards improved, the parking spaces gradually became insufficient, and conflicts over grabbing spaces increased.
"Parking spaces are a necessity for people's livelihoods. Given the objective constraints, we focus on democratic management and put effort into resident self-governance," said Chen Yan (陈燕), Party branch secretary of the East Fourth Residential Area. The Party branch adhered to the principle of "civil affairs deliberated by the people, handled by the people, and managed by the people" (民事民议、民事民办、民事民管), inviting Party members, owner representatives, car owners, and frequently complaining owners to hold multiple hearings to listen to public opinion and collect suggestions.
On the basis of in-depth investigation and extensive democratic participation, the basic situation of community parking gradually became clear: 59 vehicles could not achieve the "three certificates consistent" (三证相符) of property deed, driver's license, and vehicle registration, indicating that non-residents were occupying parking spaces; 43 households had two cars; and some residents treated certain public parking spaces as their own "exclusive" spaces, not allowing others to use them even when they were not parked there.
"Put these problems in the open and let residents participate in solving them," Chen Yan introduced. Based on the suggestions collected from the hearings, the owners' committee distributed public opinion survey forms, and then, based on the residents' opinions and suggestions, formed a draft of the relevant measures for motor vehicle management in the community, which was posted on the community bulletin board for public notice.
"Taking into account the long-term parking habits of some old residents, the draft proposed giving them relatively fixed spaces. But we also suggested that for spaces that could be shared, could we spray paint a '共' (shared) character on them so that other car owners could see at a glance," said Lu Yiling and other residents, who made many suggestions, many of which were absorbed into the draft.
At the end of 2022, the East Fourth Residential Area held an owners' representative meeting for a vote, and ultimately passed the "East Fourth (Lianxin Fang) Community Motor Vehicle Management Measures" (《东四（联鑫坊）小区机动车管理办法》) with a high approval rate. This management measure was made into a booklet and distributed to every owner.
Opening this management measure, it detailed various situations of community parking, clarified the corresponding responsibilities for car owners and property management companies, and specifically stipulated that no one may pre-occupy public parking spaces in any way.
"The places where conflicts were most prominent now have this self-governance convention to regulate them. Now we rarely hear people arguing over parking," said Lu Yiling. The community has become more orderly, residents' moods have improved, and they are more willing to participate in community governance.
"The Party organization, as the 'backbone' of the community, has twisted the 'three carriages' (三驾马车) into a single rope," said Chen Yan. Through fair, just, and open democratic management, the credibility of the neighborhood committee, the owners' committee, and the property management company has been recognized, and other conflicts and difficult matters have been resolved more smoothly. Subsequently, a series of problems, such as new energy vehicle charging, property fee adjustment, and property service response speed, have been solved one after another. "Only by insisting on asking the people about their needs, asking the people for their suggestions, and asking the people about the results (问需于民、问计于民、问效于民) can we do community work better," said Chen Yan.
Changsha Tianxin District, Hunan: The power of the rule of law resolves accessibility travel difficulties
Staff Reporter Wei Zhezhe (魏哲哲)
Shang Lei (商磊), who lives in Tianxin District, Changsha, Hunan, is a blind massage therapist. Due to work and life needs, he leaves home around 11 a.m. every day and often returns home in the early morning after working overtime at night.
"The elevator in the residential building has been equipped with Braille and voice announcement systems, making it very convenient for me to travel independently, and I feel more confident," said Shang Lei. However, a few years ago, Shang Lei faced many difficulties when returning home. At that time, because the elevator lacked accessibility facilities, Shang Lei often went to the wrong floor and knocked on the wrong door, annoying the neighbors who were disturbed.
"Could accessibility facilities be installed to eliminate travel barriers?" Shang Lei repeatedly approached the community property management company to express his demands. Because the developer had not equipped the elevator with relevant facilities when building it, installation required additional costs, and the problem Shang Lei reported was not resolved in a timely manner.
To attract the property company's attention, Shang Lei refused to pay the property management fee. Subsequently, the community property management company filed a lawsuit with the Tianxin District People's Court (天心区人民法院).
"The litigant Shang Lei has a stable income and paying the property fee is not difficult for him," said the presiding judge Li Yang (黎阳). Although this case is a dispute over a property service contract, the core of the dispute between the two parties is whether the property company can provide accessibility facilities for disabled persons.
After multiple visits, Li Yang learned that Shang Lei's life was indeed inconvenient due to the lack of accessibility facilities.
To better resolve the dispute, the court invited mediators from the Disabled Persons' Federation (残联) to participate in the mediation of the case. On one hand, the judge and the specially invited mediators went to the property company multiple times, jointly explaining to the person in charge of the property company the necessity of upgrading the elevator's accessibility facilities, seeking the property company's understanding of adding accessibility facilities; on the other hand, they actively communicated with Shang Lei, explaining the law and reasoning, to untie his mental knot.
During the mediation process, the Tianxin District People's Court utilized the accessible trial livestreaming system. When recording the mediation transcript, the relevant text was simultaneously transmitted to Shang Lei's mobile phone, and through the text-to-speech function, it helped him obtain relevant information in real time, eliminating the information barrier in communication for Shang Lei and safeguarding his legitimate rights and interests.
On the day of the face-to-face mediation, Shang Lei also invited several visually impaired friends. "I wanted my visually impaired friends to share their experiences and feelings, to arouse society's attention," Shang Lei said on the spot. He stated that as long as the property company could install Braille and voice announcement systems on the elevator, he would immediately pay the overdue property fees.
In the end, the court facilitated a settlement between the two parties. The property management company made a commitment to install Braille and voice announcement systems on the elevator as soon as possible. Shang Lei said he would make up the property fees as soon as possible.
With the power of the law, not only was the property dispute properly resolved and the property company installed accessibility facilities, but it also promoted the installation of accessibility facilities in other communities with visually impaired persons, ensuring that disabled persons can participate and integrate into social life equally, fully, and conveniently. "With the promotion of relevant departments, the building where my visually impaired friend who accompanied me to the mediation lives has also been equipped with accessibility facilities, eliminating travel barriers for disabled persons," Shang Lei introduced.
According to reports, in recent years, the Tianxin District People's Court has fully leveraged its judicial functions, in handling individual cases, properly explaining the law, reason, and emotion, untangling "legal knots" as well as "mental knots," while enhancing the public's awareness of the rule of law, it promotes the improvement of quality and efficiency in grassroots governance.
Yunnan Kunming Guandu District: Convenience services, assistance visits warm residents' hearts
Staff Reporter Yang Wenming (杨文明)
In the clothing alteration shop, sewing machines clattered; in the hair salon, electric clippers hummed... At 3 p.m., in Shuguang Community (曙光社区), Jinma Street (金马街道), Guandu District, Kunming, Yunnan, 15 convenience cabins along the street were open. Wei Ping (魏平), Party secretary of the community, walked under the shade of the trees in the community, unhurried. "Property fee is 0.35 yuan, hasn't been raised for 8 years." She pointed to the lush greenery by the roadside, "Look at this environment, is it worth it?"
These words, said 8 years ago, no one would have believed. Shuguang Community was built in the 1990s, with 89 courtyards cramming over 5,000 households, over 30% of whom are elderly. After the property management withdrew in 2013, there were no repairs for burst water pipes in the middle of the night, it was hard to find a parking space even after circling three times when returning home from work, the property fee payment rate once fell below 40%, and community governance fell into difficulty.
In 2018, the community introduced "Red Property" (红色物业), building Party organizations into the property management company, with Party members taking the lead in overseeing services. Mending, haircuts, repairs... these small matters of "needles and threads" were picked up one by one by the community. The community mobilized the "Red Property" to give up 15 street-facing storefronts, transforming them into convenience service points. Altering clothes, haircuts, measuring blood pressure, fixing home appliances—daily life matters could be handled without leaving the community.
The Warm Heart Clothing Alteration Shop was the first to become lively. Deng Huaimin (邓怀民), 68, used to set up a stall on the street for mending. He had been advised against street vending, but didn't qualify for subsistence allowance. The community proactively invited him into the shop, rent-free. His wife was also recommended to work as a cleaner in the property management. The couple now has a stable income. "Previously, I was exposed to wind and sun; now I'm not rained on or sunburned. I feel at ease," said Deng Huaimin.
One by one, these small shops formed an entire convenience line. At the Benefiting the People Hair Salon, a haircut costs 5 yuan, free for those over 90; in the health cabin, retired doctors measure blood sugar and blood pressure for neighbors free of charge; at the repair station, plumbers and electricians are on duty 24 hours, arriving at a single phone call; at the convenience grocery store, the prices of daily necessities like rice, oil, salt, and firewood are lower than market prices, and if an elderly person makes a phone call, goods are delivered to their door.
The convenience points handle trivial matters, while the Heart-Connecting Card (连心卡) and the Benefiting the People Cafeteria (惠民食堂) provide a safety net to address the urgent needs of elderly and seniors living alone in the jurisdiction.
The community distributes Heart-Connecting Cards to seniors. The card prints in large font the contact numbers of the community, grid workers, and property management, clear and eye-catching. Wei Ping said: "If an elderly person has a problem, they call the number, and staff immediately come to the door."
Gao Maini (高麦妮), 85 years old, lives alone and has difficulty walking. Through the Heart-Connecting Card, she registered for daily meal delivery service. Zhao Qingyun (赵庆云), a community worker, delivers meals on time, and while there, checks the water, gas, and electricity valves, and helps the elderly woman complete the online certification for senior subsidies, handling several tasks in one trip. Beyond services, it can also handle emergencies. Community senior Hu Baogui (胡宝贵) suddenly felt unwell. His wife grabbed the Heart-Connecting Card to ask for help. A grid worker arrived within 10 minutes, while calming the elderly person's emotions and contacting family, also coordinated with the Benefiting the People Cafeteria to deliver meals for the couple for a week.
These meals come from the community's Benefiting the People Cafeteria. The cafeteria was originally only 40 square meters, but was expanded into a garden-style restaurant in 2023. Seniors over 60 enjoy tiered subsidies, with seniors over a certain age spending only a few yuan per meal. On average, over 300 elderly people come to eat every day. They sit around tables, and if someone has a difficulty or a conflict arises, they casually mention it over the meal. Community workers overhear, and then provide assistance and mediation at home, thus resolving many problems.
Such heartwarming stories are numerous in Shuguang Community. From the time in 2018 when she led staff to visit every household, Wei Ping has walked this community path countless times. Convenience services warm people's hearts, and resident satisfaction has risen from 45% to over 95%.
Return to TopBy: 张天培
Currently, our country has fully entered the main flood season. Yet on the internet, discordant notes that contradict the true picture of flood prevention and disaster relief appear from time to time. These pieces of false information not only create panic but, in more serious cases, may disrupt the overall situation of flood prevention and disaster relief. Recently, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security (公安部网安局) centrally released 25 typical cases of online rumors related to disasters. A batch of rumor-mongers who used spliced old videos, AI (artificial intelligence) forgery, and fabricated casualty data to gain traffic have been dealt with: four persons have been placed under criminal detention in accordance with the law, 23 persons have received administrative penalties, and all involved accounts have been banned and shut down.
Behind this thunderous strike, a clear signal is conveyed: floods must be prevented, rumors must be curbed; rushing to build a solid flood-control levee, controlling rumors to hold the online bottom line.
Looking through the 25 typical cases, disaster-related online rumors have adopted new tricks and become significantly more deceptive. Some employ 移花接木 (yí huā jiē mù - "move flowers, graft branches," to pass off old material as new) by repurposing old footage. Liao Mou (廖某) of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, downloaded flood videos from other locations, casually edited and spliced them, and falsely claimed that "after heavy rain, a large number of vehicles were submerged." After the video was released, some citizens dared not go out normally. Du Mou (杜某) of Nanning, Guangxi, forcibly linked construction site images with flood conditions and arbitrarily spread the rumor "natural disasters attributed to mountainside construction," misleading netizens into paying attention and discussing. Others use AI forgery to fabricate danger situations out of thin air. Wu Mou (吴某) and Wu Mou (伍某) of Guangzhou, Guangdong, used editing software to create special-effects videos of flash floods and night market inundation, fabricating extreme disaster scenarios from nothing, triggering panic among local residents. Still other netizens used AI tools to generate waterlogging videos, concocting fake images to profit from traffic. Additionally, rumors such as fabricated casualty data, fictional reservoir dam breaches, and concocted notices about water and power outages appear endlessly. True and false information intertwine, and some netizens even inadvertently become "relayers" of rumor propagation.
Flood prevention and disaster relief is a tough battle requiring coordination from all personnel. Grassroots cadres, rescue workers, material support teams, and others are fighting on the front line. Every bit of manpower and every dispatch concerns the safety of the masses. Yet once disaster-related rumors appear, multiple local departments — including cyberspace affairs, public security, and emergency management — have to divert personnel from rescue missions to verify and refute rumors, needlessly consuming precious disaster relief resources. In particular, a few netizens use disaster situations to smear front-line disaster relief workers. Relying on just a partial screenshot, they maliciously speculate, spread rumors, and cyberbully grassroots cadres who have persisted for many days, undermining the dedication and contribution of rescue personnel and weakening society's enthusiasm for united disaster resistance. Moreover, during disasters, the public is already anxious and sensitive. Shocking rumors such as "city-wide water outage" or "flash flood about to enter the city" easily amplify panic, spur irrational behaviors like hoarding and disorderly evacuation, and plant hidden safety hazards. What is worth vigilance is that a flood of rumors can drown out the genuine assistance requests of ordinary people. The pleas for help and avoidance appeals of trapped victims are often covered up by fake videos and unverified hearsay, potentially delaying the golden window for rescue. These various chaotic phenomena confirm that disaster-related rumors are by no means harmless "casual posts"; they are illegal acts that disrupt the overall situation of disaster prevention and relief and harm public sentiment.
Governing disaster-related rumors requires coordinated efforts from the whole society. Public security organs severely crack down on illegal and criminal activities involving disaster-related online rumors and hold rumor-mongers accountable according to law. Cyberspace affairs departments monitor flood-related public opinion in real time and quickly remove false disaster-related content. Platform enterprises upgrade AI recognition and image tracing technologies to intercept in advance irregular short videos that are spliced, forged, or have altered geolocation. Grassroots workers go deep into communities, villages, and towns to conduct law popularization campaigns, using cases to explain the law and clarify the costs of creating and spreading rumors. Meteorological, emergency management, water affairs, and other departments establish authoritative information release mechanisms, update flood conditions and evacuation guidance in real time, and use timely, transparent, and detailed official announcements to compress the gray space where rumors breed, cutting off the chain of false information dissemination from the source. The vast majority of netizens, when faced with unusually shocking disaster reports of unknown origin, should do more to verify and check official information, not become a "transit station" for rumor spread, and block the transmission chain.
The main flood season is not over yet; flood prevention and disaster relief must not be relaxed, and cleaning up the online space also requires 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist for a long time to achieve success," sustained effort over time). Only by severely cracking down on online rumor chaos, smoothing authoritative voice dissemination channels, and raising the media literacy of the entire people can we jointly safeguard peace and stability both online and offline.
Return to TopBy: 陈 欣
Electric bicycles are an important means of transport for people’s daily short-distance travel. To guard against risks, some electric bicycle riders choose to purchase commercial insurance. However, certain insurance products suffer from problems such as promotional content that does not match the actual scope of coverage and blurred conceptual boundaries between different types of insurance. Not long ago, the Chaoyang District People’s Court of Beijing heard a dispute case concerning an electric bicycle liability insurance contract.
After purchasing an electric bicycle, Mr. Guan used the brand’s linked mobile phone app to take out a certain insurance company’s combination insurance for mobility tools, paying an insurance premium of 199 yuan. The coverage included additional onboard personnel liability, non-motor vehicle third-party liability, and electric bicycle theft and robbery insurance.
A few months later, Mr. Guan crashed while riding the electric bicycle and was injured. The traffic management department determined that the incident was a traffic accident for which Mr. Guan bore no liability. Mr. Guan applied for a claim but was refused. The insurance company stated that the coverage scenario for the additional onboard personnel liability in the policy was “the insured is liable,” whereas Mr. Guan’s injury resulted from a traffic accident for which he was not liable, and therefore the conditions for indemnity were not met.
“The promotional content on the insurance company’s policy purchase page is inconsistent with the actual scope of coverage, and its sales process involved fraudulent conduct.” Mr. Guan sued the insurance company in the Chaoyang District People’s Court of Beijing, requesting that the court rescind the insurance contract signed by both parties and order the insurance company to return the insurance premium and corresponding interest.
The Chaoyang District People’s Court found upon trial that, on the promotional and policy purchase pages of the insurance product, the insurance company had used graphic and textual expressions such as “Crash injury — what to do if you are accidentally injured while riding” and “Onboard personnel injury,” which intuitively conveyed to the policyholder the message that “the rider’s own accidental injury is covered.” However, the actual scope of coverage provided did not include any insurance category covering injury to the rider himself, and the additional onboard personnel liability insurance could not provide compensation for injury suffered by the rider himself.
“The principle of good faith is the fundamental principle that civil subjects must abide by when engaging in civil activities; both the insurer and the policyholder should adhere to this principle,” said the presiding judge. The judge indicated that the insurance company, as a professional institution, should not only ensure that the product design matches the promotional content, but should also, in the course of promotion and sales, fully explain the product features to the policyholder in a way that an ordinary person can understand, and fulfill its clear duty of notification and explanation. However, the descriptions such as “crash injury” and “accidental injury” that the insurance company actively made in its promotional materials were inconsistent with the actual scope of coverage of the insurance in question. Moreover, the company merely displayed the insurance terms in a simple manner without providing a clear explanation of the coverage content, which clearly violated the principle of good faith and constituted fraudulent conduct. Based on the facts of the case and relevant legal provisions, the Chaoyang District People’s Court ruled to rescind the insurance contract in question, ordered the insurance company to refund Mr. Guan the insurance premium, and to pay corresponding interest.
Return to TopBy: 曹 志
During the commute, opening an episode of National Treasure Moments (国宝时刻) to feel the cultural pulse; during the lunch break, scrolling through a few segments of Guardian of Liberation West (守护解放西) to sense the warmth of the rule of law… A calm, healing mode of deep viewing is quietly returning, with lightweight viewing scenarios frequently appearing in daily life.
According to CVB (China Visual Big Data) statistics, in the first half of 2026, national satellite TV channels cumulatively broadcast 754 documentaries, with a total broadcast duration of 24,000 hours, a cumulative viewing time of 6.15 billion hours, and a viewing scale of 35.64 billion person-times. Among them, micro-documentaries within 10 minutes were cumulatively broadcast in 159 titles, with a viewing scale of 2.73 billion person-times, and the viewing scale of micro-documentaries increased by 71.4% year-on-year. The five major platforms—iQiyi, Youku, Tencent Video, Mango TV, and Bilibili—cumulatively launched 1,235 new documentaries, an increase of 20.0% year-on-year.
The "increase" in viewership reflects the heat of demand; the "new launches" on platforms confirm the change in supply. The explosive growth of micro-documentaries confirms the precise adaptability of "lightweight expression" to fragmented reading habits; the continuous expansion of documentary supply indicates the irreplaceability of "deep content" in an environment of information overload.
Increase in viewership
The viewing scale of micro-documentaries increased by 71.4% year-on-year, mapping a deep shift in the logic of documentary creation and consumption.
At first glance, 71.4% represents "speed." Micro-documentaries have a light volume, small entry points, and short production cycles, cultivating a capacity for "rapid response." From lightweight interpretations of major themes to instant presentations of cultural relic and archaeological sites, documentary content is embedding itself into users' fragmented time with a more agile posture. CVB data shows that in the first half of the year, national satellite TV channels broadcast 159 micro-documentaries, indicating that this lightweight format has become a new force on the content supply side that cannot be ignored.
Peeling away the outer shell of "speed," we touch a commendable "slow steadiness." The 71.4% growth proves that in an era where short videos are sweeping attention, the television big screen remains an important entry point for micro-documentaries. What the big screen gives documentaries is a sense of viewing ritual in the family scene and the quality credibility of mainstream platforms. What truly makes viewers cast a vote of trust with their remote controls is always the high-value core of documentaries.
Narrative innovation has allowed some "hard subjects" to achieve a "soft landing." Guard: Beware of Leak Risks Around You (守护：警惕身边的泄密风险), which reminds the public to enhance their awareness of confidentiality, achieved a national viewership rate of 2.506% during its premiere, ranking first among social reality documentaries in viewership, using a "light" form to carry a "heavy" theme. Similarly, Frontline of High-Quality Development (高质量发展第一线), which cuts into the epochal theme with a condensed volume, focuses on the responsibilities and commitments of grassroots employees on the new journey of high-quality development. Each episode ranked first in viewership among local satellite TV programs in the same time slot in Guangdong, giving the grand theme of "high-quality development" an entry point that resonates with people. Algorithms may push short videos with strong stimuli and instant pleasure, but what viewers seek is no longer just fragmented content for pastime; they also expect high-quality documentary works that can provide knowledge increments within a short time.
In an environment of information overload, viewers have a strong craving for a sense of reality and a sense of gain. The hundred-episode micro-documentary National Treasure Moments (国宝时刻), with each episode focusing on one cultural relic and each relic presented in a concise five-minute format, transforms historical resources preserved in museums into spiritual wealth shared by society, achieving a cumulative communication volume of 3.7 billion times across the entire network. China's Micro Business Card: World Heritage (中国微名片·世界遗产) (Season 3) adopts a first-person narrative perspective, using extreme imagery of less than five minutes to immerse viewers in a "cloud" tour of world heritage sites. In the first half of the year, it was watched by a cumulative 31.688 million person-times, allowing viewers to complete a spiritual journey during their commute.
When "shortness" becomes the standard format, "refinement" and "depth" become the key variables for standing out. In this fast-paced era that rushes forward, documentaries preserve a "slow space" where viewers can quietly observe and think deeply.
New launches on platforms
In the first half of 2026, the five major platforms—iQiyi, Youku, Tencent Video, Mango TV, and Bilibili—cumulatively launched 1,235 new documentaries, an increase of 20.0% year-on-year. The industry confidence revealed by this increase is worth a deep reading.
The growth in the number of "new launches" indicates that documentaries have become an important part of the strategic layout of online audiovisual platforms. In the current era of increasingly fierce homogeneous content competition, documentaries are becoming a lever for platforms to build content barriers. The huge demand base allows platforms to see the comprehensive value of documentaries in terms of acquiring new users, retaining users, and enhancing brand tone. From Never Stop, Never Yield (一步不停歇 半步不退让), which achieved a maximum heat value of 11,941 on Tencent Video, to Chinese Doctors 3: Emergency 24 Hours (中国医生3：急诊24小时), which entered the top ten in documentary playback volume on all three platforms—iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video—it can be seen that high-quality documentary content can both earn acclaim and win market success.
This 20% increase is not a simple replication on existing tracks. In the past, online platform documentaries were often simplified into a fixed combination of "nature + food." Today's "new launch" list covers history, humanities, society, nature, medicine, and many other fields, with each platform making precise deployments based on its own user profiles. Tencent Video's self-produced IPs like No Spice, No Joy (无辣不欢) and Exploring New Frontiers (探索新境) have heat values exceeding 10,000; iQiyi schedules Decoding the Three Kingdoms (破译三国) and General History of China (中国通史) to deeply cultivate the historical and cultural track; Youku attracts vertical audiences with nature exploration content like Return to the Wolf Pack (重返狼群) and Tracking Giant Fish: Prequel (追踪巨型鱼前传); Mango TV occupies a differentiated position in social reality with works like Ancient Methods: Xiang Debate (古法“湘”对论) and Ten Thousand Years of Life (人生一万年); Bilibili, with observational works like Life is a Sea (人生海海) and Shining Pediatricians (闪闪的儿科医生), continues to deeply cultivate youth communities with a style of authenticity and empathy. From mass communication to niche deep cultivation, the "new launches" of documentaries allow different users to find their own spiritual corner in the increasingly rich content pool.
Through the data, we see a common value regression: in an era where algorithmic recommendations dominate the distribution of attention, documentaries are winning the active choices of more and more viewers with a unique "slow steadiness."
From "increase" to "new launches," a virtuous cycle is forming: creators respond to expectations with more high-quality works, platforms answer with premium content, and viewers vote with their remote controls. If the growth of micro-documentaries on the big screen proves that viewers are willing to consume deep content in fragmented time, then the continuous expansion of new launches on online platforms proves that the market has the capacity and the willingness to provide a steady stream of quality supply for this demand. From the big screen to the small screen, the supply and demand sides resonate at the same frequency, opening up broader development space for documentaries.
Only works that dare to slow down to polish content and sink the heart to observe reality can become the visual footnotes of the times. This "slow steadiness" is the creators' respect for history, their cherishing of the present, and also the cultural consciousness of documentaries to preserve images for the times and to chronicle for the people.
(Author unit: Broadcasting, Film, and Television Information Network Center of the National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局广播影视信息网络中心))
Return to TopBy: 李九红
On the occasion commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March, the television drama Nine Bullet Holes (九个弹孔) has come to meet the audience. This work focuses on the nearly twenty-year life journey of the protagonist Li Zhixin (李智信) from 1932 to 1949, fusing major historical nodes such as the Second Revolutionary Civil War, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the War of Liberation into one furnace. At the very beginning of creation, we established the key imagery — "bullet hole."
This stems from reverence for history: flipping through the revolutionary history of Hubei, founding general Xu Haidong was wounded nine times, Li Renlin (李人林) was injured fourteen times... We condensed these "scars" scattered throughout historical materials into the "nine bullet holes" on Li Zhixin's body. From "son of the Li family" to "soldier of the Red Army," the "bridge" that realizes this transformation is precisely the bullet holes.
These nine bullet holes are our attempt to break through conventional narrative and also an incision into the soul of the hero. From "recording events" to "entering the soul" is an important link in writing military-themed scripts. If we string the plot together with battles, what the audience sees is only the "external skeleton" of history: which battle was won, how it was won. But by choosing to use "bullet holes" to connect, we can bore into the "interior" of history, observing where the bullet hit and what the character was thinking at that moment.
In the drama, Li Zhixin entered the revolutionary ranks carrying family vendetta and personal grievances. His first bullet hole etched the powerlessness of being oppressed; while his ninth bullet hole was left because he stopped a young soldier from privately avenging a family wrong. From "desiring personal revenge" to "stopping personal revenge," the state of mind is vastly different. Each injury in between is not simply physical trauma, but a gauge of spiritual intensity. Just as the regimental commander He Xinsheng reminded him with the metaphor of smelting iron and forging knives: the same iron, if improperly tempered, becomes a defective blade. It is precisely in these nine trials of "facing death to live" (向死而生) that Li Zhixin grew from a mountain lad into a commander who understood "what to fight for."
Rejecting flat logic and正视 "imperfection" is another hurdle that scriptwriting must overcome. To avoid the homogenized aesthetic of war dramas, we intentionally used each instance of "bearing up" (扛住) to distill the character's moral quality. The stories of the nine bullet holes are all different: the first was being wounded in ignorance, the middle one was shielding a comrade, and the last was covering the rear alone. Each bullet hole corresponds to a kind of emotional state and stage of belief. We wrote about victory, but also about defeat, sacrifice, and pain. For example, sleepless nights after a comrade was mistakenly wounded, a momentary wavering when trapped. Battle is the backdrop, bullet holes are the psychological coordinates. These "imperfect" moments answer the question "why did they become heroes."
This creative approach is especially evident in character shaping. Whether Li Zhixin or Huangpusheng (黄埔生) and Pan Zuwang (潘祖望), their beliefs are not castles in the air; every transformation has a solid internal logic. Particularly, the two crucial "gunshots" in the drama: the first was driven by personal enmity — Li Zhixin stole a gun and went down the mountain only to avenge his mother's murder; he was a passive avenger. The second was mission-driven — he climbed a cliff to destroy a machine gun, thinking "If I don't die, dozens of comrades below will all die." The difference between these two instances is exactly the watershed of his transformation from "son of the Li family" to "soldier of the Red Army."
The series has aired. While collecting audience feedback, I ask myself: what is the significance of telling such a story today? The answer may be somewhat "counterintuitive": we are not telling how a person gets hurt, but how a person "bears up."
Young people today might be trapped in uncertain emotions. The situation Li Zhixin faced was far more brutal than ours: family destroyed and people dead, ammunition exhausted and food supplies cut off. His nine bullet holes are essentially nine darkest moments of life. We did not write him as inherently brave and mighty — he cried when wounded the first time, and fainted from extreme hunger. This "mortal sense" (凡人感) is meant to tell the audience: heroes are not unafraid, but even when afraid, they still choose to move forward.
In the drama, Li Zhixin's transformation from "for family revenge" to "for the people" can be translated today into "from living for oneself" to "finding a meaning greater than the individual." These nine bullet holes carry not the thrill of revenge, but the weight of choice: what are you willing to bear the bullets of fate for, and for whom?
We hope that young people not only "revere" a distant hero, but also see themselves in Li Zhixin. To see a person, after being pierced through by fate countless times, how to transform the pain of "why me" into the responsibility of "why not me." Nine bullet holes are not an exhibition of scars, but an answer about "possibility": in the darkest moment, a person can still choose light.
This is the reason why Nine Bullet Holes is still worth telling today.
(The author is the screenwriter of the television drama Nine Bullet Holes.)
Return to TopBy: 牟正洋
"Eight Immortals!" is the first film work I directed and wrote. Like most people, my initial understanding of the Eight Immortals began with the idiom 八仙过海 (bā xiān guò hǎi - "eight immortals cross the sea," each showing their own special skills). Unlike many classic myths, the Eight Immortals are well-known enough, but when it comes to specific stories, people are both familiar and unfamiliar. This leaves more room for creation. We hope that through the film, we can refresh the story of the Eight Immortals and reflect the texture of our era.
In my view, the Eight Immortals are a rare "mortals attaining immortality" group in Chinese mythology—they are not born immortals, they do not have innate magical powers. They are ordinary people who emerged from the folk, each with their own background, occupation, and even "faults." The reason the legend of the Eight Immortals has been widely circulated is that the experiences of these eight individuals almost cover all kinds of life circumstances in the world. Precisely because of this, regardless of background or situation, people can always find their own projection in the Eight Immortals. Today, retelling the story of the Eight Immortals will surely find kindred spirits.
In the early stages of creating "Eight Immortals!", a great deal of time was invested in collecting materials and researching allusions. Many of the Eight Immortals' characters have distinctions between their historical images and mythical images, so we first needed to sort out the threads. It was also in this process that we discovered: everyone has heard the names of the Eight Immortals and knows the legend of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," but few people know what exactly they experienced before becoming immortals. This is precisely the most interesting part of the Eight Immortals legend. So we wanted to fill in this story: how a group of ordinary townsfolk turned into the Eight Immortals. Before attaining immortality, they each had their own calculations, would undermine each other, and would quarrel endlessly. It is precisely this group of imperfect people who, at critical moments, chose to support each other, turning the impossible into the possible.
If you walk alone, you go fast; if you walk together, you go far. The Eight Immortals "各显神通 (gè xiǎn shén tōng - "each displays their own divine power," each showing their own special skills)," each brings out their own strengths, gathers together, and turns the impossible into the possible. This spirit of mutually achieving and moving forward together is the kind of goodness that each of us can feel around us and is willing to believe in.
The gradient glass color change is the aesthetic concept of the film "Eight Immortals!", running through the entire visual system from the immortals' costumes to the Penglai Immortal Realm. The film's aesthetic style did not come out of nowhere, but grew from the subject matter of the Eight Immortals itself. "Mortals attaining immortality" and "marketplace smoke and fire" are the core of the story; style serves the story. We found support in folk culture: ancient people often used words like 流光溢彩 (liú guāng yì cǎi - "flowing light and overflowing color," radiant and dazzling) to describe immortals, so we transformed it into a visual language that fits contemporary aesthetics. The immortals' clothes present a gradient flowing color under different light and shadow, possessing both traditional immortal aura and the delicacy of contemporary expression. The mountains of the Penglai Immortal Realm also followed this logic. The team referred to the texture of glass and jewels in the Palace Museum collection "Malachite-inlaid Jewel-encrusted Penglai Immortal Realm Bonsai", integrated the color system of blue-green landscape painting, making the mountains of the Penglai Immortal Realm appear jade-like in warmth and transparency, visually completely distinguishing from rough rock textures, allowing the audience to feel at a glance that this is an "otherworldly" immortal realm.
The gradient glass color change is a refinement of traditional folk culture—preserving the intense colors of New Year paintings and the plain texture of folk artifacts, re-presenting them with contemporary aesthetics and technology, making traditional colors and textures come alive in three-dimensional animation.
After the film was released, I have been paying attention to audience reviews. I once came across an audience comment saying: "After watching 'Eight Immortals!', walking out of the cinema, I decided to be a kind person." At that moment, I felt that all the effort was not in vain. The audience has all kinds of interpretations of "Eight Immortals!", and what I most want to give the audience through the film is a beautiful vision: doing the right thing, doing kind things, being a kind person—perhaps there will not be immediate rewards, but it is a life worth pursuing.
(Reporters Ren Shanshan (任姗姗) and Wang Jingyuan (王靖远) of this newspaper)
Return to TopBy: 袁 晶
What kind of writing, after all, can reach people’s hearts? In repeated cycles of creation, learning, and sedimentation, I gradually gained some insights: true deep emotion is hidden in the wind by one’s side, the road home, and in ordinary people’s year-after-year journeys.
When I created the song What the World Gives Me (世界赠予我的), I only wanted to write a song that would gently catch my life, catch my ups and downs, gains and losses, ordinariness and regrets, hustle and growth. Later it received a response, making me understand: it turned out that this song could also gently catch the lives of the listeners.
To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the high-quality short drama series Miracle (奇迹) was launched. This series consists of 15 Shenzhen stories set in different historical backgrounds. The composer Teacher Cao Zhengjie (曹正杰) and I were invited to create the theme song. To express the development and changes of a city over 45 years, a hundred or so words of lyrics are hard to make clear. We came to Shenzhen and chatted freely with people from different positions, different ages, different identities, and from 五湖四海 (wǔ hú sì hǎi - “five lakes and four seas,” all over the country), listening to them tell their own Shenzhen stories. What moved me most was that in the eyes of this group of new and old Shenzheners, I saw the light of happiness. So I thought: facing a city’s 45 years of brilliant achievements, I might not have the ability to bear it with just a few lines of lyrics, but I can write about “people,” write about specific “people.” Shenzhen’s vigorous development is the result of the struggle of millions upon millions of specific people; the struggle history of this “one person” is the epitome of Shenzhen’s 45-year development history. Thus, I wrote the song Yao Yao (遥遥). “People coming from north and south, put down roots here, use their youth to build the same city, like family.” With the creation of the New Era’s main melody (主旋律), I extol the burning-hot life of every ordinary person.
Time came to the opening of the Spring Festival travel rush, and “safe return home, happy reunion” became a common hope. In accordance with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (中国文联)’s thematic literary and artistic creation requirement of “New Era in Scenes” (场景里的新时代), I wrote the work Next Stop, Family Feast (下一站家宴). The family is the smallest state; the state is ten million families. The best appearance of a prosperous age is written in a Spring Festival travel rush where there are people to look forward to, a home to return to, and warmth to rush toward. Teacher Cao Zhengjie’s composition gave me gentle emotional guidance, and Yu Kewei (郁可唯)’s singing flowed with warmth. In this journey, I pack pieces of luggage for going home, and count each portion of 归心似箭 (guī xīn sì jiàn - “heart like an arrow heading home,” extremely eager to return home) longing. Just as the lyrics write: “Neon lights, amid the years, there is a figure waiting at the home gate. The rain is continuous, like fleeting years, but cannot flow past the mountains of the hometown.”
Over these years, I have been constantly adjusting my perspective. While looking up at the high sky and chasing distant views, I also bend down to life and embrace all beings. First find the greatest sincerity, then find each person’s inner heart, understand their hardships, warm their way home, and respect their ordinariness. I have always believed that the best literary and artistic works always grow close to the earth. Creation is not in high places, not in distant places, but in every journey, in every passion, in the daily life of every ordinary person living seriously.
(The author is the lyricist of the song What the World Gives Me.)
Return to TopBy: 章笛沙
After many years of preparation and production, the film When the Stars Shine finally met its audience. Every recognition the audience gives to the story is a great encouragement to us. The film tells of the forebears living in 1970 who "calculated" a way home for astronauts in space in 2035. This story has many imaginations, and behind each imagination there are people lifting it up, helping it take root and sprout. None of this would have been possible without the deep participation and full escort of the behind-the-scenes scientific advisory team.
As early as the script development stage, the scientific advisors had already joined. Wang Shu (王姝), a science communication expert who initiated the science-film integration project relatively early in China, helped us connect with different institutions in the science and technology community. My co-writer Hu Xiaoxi (胡晓曦) and I often visited Li Ran (李然), who was then working at the National Astronomical Observatories (国家天文台). Li Ran, engaged in survey telescope observations and dark matter research, introduced us to the China Space Station Survey Space Telescope (中国空间站工程巡天望远镜, CSST) — that is China's new-generation flagship space astronomical telescope. Scholars Wang Qiao (王乔) and Liu Ziming (刘孜铭) from the National Astronomical Observatories also gave us a lot of help. The ultra-large-scale cosmological simulation project "Qianyan" (千衍) led by Wang Qiao set an international record.
We crowded into Li Ran's office, talking about what time and space are, how the existence of gravity affects spacetime. We talked about what kind of telescope to place in the universe in 2035. So we set the opening of the film as a maintenance mission for a survey telescope in a near-lunar orbit. In the film, Zhao Jihu, living in 1970, asks: What will spaceflight be like in the future? We stand in 2026 and look toward 2035 — will it have already surpassed the imagination in the film? The thought is exciting.
Later, Zhu Tianqi (朱天琪) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院) and Chen Xian (陈弦) from the School of Physics, Peking University (北京大学物理学院) also joined, and together we tackled the difficult problems in the script. For example, in the film, scientists in 1970 use abacuses to rescue a spaceship in 2035. Audiences might find it incredible, but looking back at the development process of the "two bombs, one satellite" (两弹一星), it was precisely with abacuses and hand-cranked calculators that scientists completed unimaginably massive calculations. So we designed in the film the plot of "6,000 abacuses achieving a cross-time rescue."
How to make such a setting convincing? All the calculation details in this scene — the use of abacuses, hand-cranked calculators, and the dense formulas on the blackboard — had to be rigorous and reasonable. Many of the blackboard writings in the film were carefully designed by the science advisors according to the plot. On the filming set, Zhu Tianqi checked and corrected problems one by one, ensuring that every frame of formulas that everyone saw was accurate. She also suggested using 1970s slide rules, and we successfully found them. The actors on set had never seen them and certainly did not know how to operate them, so she taught each actor hand in hand how to operate them properly. Now this scene has become one of the segments that audiences remember deeply.
With these experts and scholars as our backing, our creation could deepen step by step. However, we were still filled with trepidation. Just like Zhao Jihu's line — 失之毫厘，谬以千里 (shī zhī háo lí, miù yǐ qiān lǐ - "a miss by a hair's breadth leads to a mistake of a thousand li," small errors lead to large consequences) — we worried that our imagination would deviate from science. Chen Xian saw my anxiety and said: "As long as science has not falsified it, anything is possible, so be bold." This sentence made us let go. Whenever our imagination touched the boundary, the science advisors could always help us find reasonable solutions; even if a certain path was impassable, they would provide suggestions based on professional knowledge.
The help they gave was constructive. For example, the scene where Zhao Jihu explains the 2035 danger on a red cloth. This scene needed to clarify why the signal of "Dongfanghong-1" (东方红一号) could become the link connecting two time-space points, and was therefore crucial. As filming was approaching, we discussed and tackled the problem together. One day we stayed up until dawn; someone recalled the red silk cloths that were ubiquitous in the 1960s and 1970s, and thus the solution was born: use a red silk cloth to represent normal space-time, sprinkle salt grains to represent the signal of the Dongfanghong-1 satellite; when an ashtray is pressed down, the salt grains flow toward the depression, thereby outlining the moving trajectory of the ashtray. This explanatory method was simple and clear.
The co-creation of When the Stars Shine was an exciting attempt. Looking back on this time, what I most want to say is thanks — thanks to the science advisory team for their escort and protection, which not only let me experience the rigor of science but also helped me find a certain connection between reality and science fiction.
We are in a great era; the rapid development of national science and technology has given science fiction creation a realistic foundation. When we tell a science fiction story, it is not only a story but also a possibility about the future.
(The author is the director and screenwriter of the film When the Stars Shine.)
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