People's Daily - August 2, 2026

"Adhering to High-Quality Development Must Be a Key Part of Officials' View on Performance" (People's Sentiments of the General Secretary)

By: 本报记者 赵 成 史一棋

On July 30, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局). The meeting pointed out that "it is necessary to consolidate and expand the achievements of the study and education on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, and promote leading cadres at all levels to continuously create new achievements in high-quality development with a more vigorous and uplifting spirit."

"'Promoting high-quality development to advance steadily and go far' — 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "walk steadily, reach far," to advance steadily and go the distance) — is inseparable from the correct view of political achievements." General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Adherence to high-quality development must become an important part of leading cadres' view of political achievements."

Leading high-quality development with the correct view of political achievements ensures the continued advancement of Chinese modernization.

Cultivating and developing future industries is one of the directions of high-quality development.

On January 30, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the 24th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In light of the forward-looking, strategic, and disruptive characteristics of future industries, the General Secretary stressed: "It is necessary to accurately grasp the development direction," "to grasp the development pace," and "in particular, to guide all localities to firmly establish and practice the correct view of political achievements."

Solving the problem of the view of political achievements well is an important prerequisite for doing economic work well.

As early as 22 years ago, when Comrade Xi Jinping served as secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, in response to the prominent problems that had emerged in the rapid economic growth of Zhejiang, he put forward: "The view of political achievements and the view of development are closely connected. What kind of view of political achievements one has, one will correspondingly have what kind of view of development, and vice versa."

General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to leading high-quality development with the correct view of political achievements. In April and July of this year, meetings of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee twice analyzed and studied the current economic situation and economic work, discerning the inner connection between development and the view of political achievements:

On April 28, the meeting stressed that "it is necessary to carry out in depth the study and education on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, and turn the results of the study and education into practical results in promoting high-quality development." On July 30, the meeting pointed out that "China's economy has presented a development trend in which growth momentum turns toward the new and the structure turns toward the better."

In today's China, new industries and new economic growth points are continuously being cultivated. From the 稳扎稳打 (wěn zhā wěn dǎ - "pitch camp steadily, fight steadily," steady and sure advance) of the "new three items" (新三样; new-energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products) to the accelerated rise of the "new-new three items" (新新三样; artificial intelligence, robots, and innovative drugs), the economy is being promoted to continue developing toward the new, the superior, and the good.

To lead high-quality development with the correct view of political achievements, it is necessary to adhere to and apply scientific methods.

On how to transform the correct view of political achievements into the driving force for promoting high-quality development, General Secretary Xi Jinping has thought deeply and provided scientific guidance.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed: "To fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy and focus on promoting high-quality development — to carry out this requirement level by level — cannot be done without the correct view of political achievements."

The new development philosophy is a whole; the requirements it puts forward are all-encompassing and multi-layered, by no means only economic indicators. One cannot simply judge heroes by GDP.

At the national two sessions (全国两会) in 2023, when General Secretary Xi Jinping heard a deputy mention the 2019 Xiangshui accident (响水事故), he specifically admonished: "At no time can we take the path of hasty patchwork, of 竭泽而渔 (jié zé ér yú - "drain the pond to catch the fish," to seek short-term gains at the expense of long-term interests), or of GDP-only. This is precisely why the new development philosophy must be firmly established. The establishment of the correct view of political achievements lies precisely here — success need not be attributed to me, but success must involve me."

To calibrate the view of political achievements with the new development philosophy, it is necessary to overcome the "single-track" way of thinking (单打一), not to focus on one point to the neglect of everything else, and not to do the foolish things that only curry favor with leaders but disappoint the masses.

To make adherence to high-quality development an important part of leading cadres' view of political achievements, it is also necessary to use high-quality development to establish the correct work orientation for the view of political achievements.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "High-quality development is not only an economic requirement, but a general requirement for all aspects of economic and social development; not only a requirement for economically developed regions, but a requirement that must be implemented in the development of all regions; not only a requirement for one time and one matter, but a requirement that must be upheld for the long term."

Leading high-quality development with the correct view of political achievements is, in the final analysis, for the sake of benefiting the people.

Benefiting the people is the greatest political achievement.

On June 24, General Secretary Xi Jinping went to Dezhou City, Shandong Province, for an inspection, going deep into the fields to learn about grain production, coming to the countryside to investigate the building of grassroots Party organizations and rural revitalization, and walking into farmers' homes to talk together about happy lives.

"The establishment and practice of the correct view of political achievements must ultimately be reflected in benefiting the people. The broad ranks of Party members and cadres must strengthen their public servant awareness, cultivate deep feelings for the people, do more good deeds for the masses, handle more practical matters for them, and solve more difficult problems for them, tangibly enhancing the common people's sense of gain, happiness, and security." The General Secretary's important speech profoundly clarified that promoting high-quality development is, in the final analysis, for the sake of benefiting the people.

"When we do things and carry out work, if we achieve what is beneficial to the state above and to the people below; if it conforms both to the requirements of the immediate interests of the state and the people and to the requirements of the long-term interests of the state and the people; if it can both promote economic and social development and promote national prosperity and strength and the happiness of the people — then we have produced the true political achievements that the Party and the people need."

General Secretary Xi Jinping's admonition, 语重心长 (yǔ zhòng xīn cháng - "words weighty, feelings deep," sincere and earnest), points out the epistemology, provides the methodology, and guides Party members and cadres to genuinely put the correct view of political achievements into practice and continuously make new breakthroughs in promoting high-quality development.

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Seeking Happiness

By: 金社平

The happiness and well-being of the people are the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development.

On July 30, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The meeting stressed: “We must adopt multiple measures to strengthen people’s livelihood guarantees, increase support for employment of key groups, and do a good job in protecting the rights and interests of flexible employment personnel and those in new forms of employment. We must ensure service guarantees for the elderly and children, improve the tiered and categorized social assistance system. We must strengthen ecological and environmental protection, win the battle against the ‘Three-North’ Shelterbelt Project, and actively and steadily promote carbon peak and carbon neutrality.”

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: “Over the past 105 years, our Party has always adhered to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.”

Having traversed a 105-year journey of struggle, the century-old Party is 风华正茂 (fēng huá zhèng mào - “full of youthful spirit and vigor”), its original aspiration unchanged.

“The people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal.” This goal is both grand and pragmatic, and in the final analysis, it is to seek happiness for the people and ensure the common people live better lives.

Uphold the principle of building the Party for the public and exercising power for the people, consciously practice the fundamental tenet of serving the people wholeheartedly, and firmly stand with the people, think with them, and work with them.

(I)

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Only by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, insisting on development for the people, development relying on the people, and development achievements shared by the people, can we have a correct view on development and modernization.”

Development “for whom” — a mandatory question that reflects the view on performance, a touchstone that tests the nature of a political party and a regime.

For whom, relying on whom? The word “people” carries immense weight.

In early June, the “relay” of two “rivers” was inspiring.

Open an outlet to the sea! The main project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, the Pinglu Canal, is fully open to navigation. The canal, which took about four years to build and involved total earth and rock excavation about three times that of the Three Gorges Project, boosts regional development, drives employment and income growth, and smooths economic circulation…

Officially breaks ground! The first major national landmark project to commence construction during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, the new Three Gorges water transport channel with a total investment of over 77 billion yuan, will expand water resources, shipping, and ecological functions for the main line of the Yangtze River, better supporting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Major projects that benefit the people not only demonstrate institutional advantages and comprehensive national strength, but are also vivid manifestations of practicing the people-centered development philosophy.

Agricultural and rural modernization concerns the overall situation and quality of Chinese-style modernization. The “Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement” project (千万工程) was a major decision personally conceived and promoted by Comrade Xi Jinping when he worked in Zhejiang. It started with rectifying the rural environment and solving problems of “dirt, disorder, and poor sanitation,” expanding from points to areas, and scaling up construction. Over more than 20 years, the “Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement” project has created thousands of beautiful villages and benefited hundreds of millions of farmers.

From water conservancy hubs to transportation arteries, from energy bases to scientific and technological facilities, from beautiful villages to people’s cities, project after project lays foundations for long-term benefit, takes concrete actions, seeks practical results, and transforms development dividends into tangible well-being for the people.

Development for the people is also reflected in various reform measures. In Hanzhong, Shaanxi, Ma Fuming (马福明) and Liu Shulian (刘淑莲), an elderly couple in their 80s with severe disability, receive economic compensation and home care from the long-term care insurance policy. Every time the caregiver arrives, the couple’s faces are full of joy and relief. In Sanming, Fujian, an elderly man surnamed Lin (林) in his 70s suffers from lung cancer; the local promotion of compact county-level medical community construction allows him to receive effective treatment in the county…

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, we have adhered to the people-centered approach, continuously deepened reforms, built the world’s largest education system, social security system, and medical and health system. People’s quality of life has been continuously improved, and the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security has been effectively guaranteed.

Currently, the people’s aspiration for a better life has shifted from “whether there is something” to “whether it is good.” They hope for better education, better public services, higher-level medical and health services, more comfortable living conditions… This requires us to continuously deepen reforms and make development achievements more and more equitably benefit all the people.

Deepen comprehensive education reforms, build a high-quality education system; optimize fertility support policies and incentive measures to effectively reduce the cost of childbirth, childcare, and education for families; deepen medical and health system reforms, promote the expansion and balanced regional distribution of quality medical resources; improve the elderly care service system, continuously enhance the well-being of the elderly; deeply implement rural construction actions, improve the convenience of rural public services and the comfort of the living environment… During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, reform measures to guarantee and improve people’s livelihood are heartwarming one by one.

Always firmly stand on the people’s side, put the people’s interests in the highest position, take whether the people have truly benefited, whether their lives have improved, and whether their rights and interests are truly guaranteed as the fundamental criteria for testing work effectiveness. The construction of Chinese-style modernization will surely open up new prospects.

(II)

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Chinese-style modernization is the cause of all Chinese people. We must firmly rely on the people, gather the infinite wisdom and power contained in the people, in order to continuously create new historical achievements.”

Thousand-year ice peaks are hard to open; to open them, unless immortals come. At the end of 2025, the world’s longest highway tunnel — the Tianshan Shengli (Victory) Tunnel — officially opened to traffic, marking the full operation of the G0711 highway from Urumqi to Yuli in Xinjiang.

With a length of 22.13 kilometers, a construction area at an average altitude of over 3,000 meters, crossing 16 geological fault zones, and encountering endless adverse geological conditions such as rock bursts, water inrush, and large deformation of soft rock… The ones who opened the Tianshan Shengli (Victory) Tunnel were not immortals, but thousands of road construction workers who braved hardships such as snowstorms and oxygen deprivation through continuous struggle for more than four years.

The tunnel’s completion reduces the time to cross the Tanshan Mountains from the original 3 hours to about 20 minutes, providing solid guarantee for personnel exchanges, economic and cultural communication between northern and southern Xinjiang.

Harvesting summer grains in the boundless fields, building railways on the roof of the world, manufacturing chips in dust-free factories… At this moment, hundreds of millions of working people, under the leadership of the Party, are creating wealth with their hands, striding forward toward the grand goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

What is the greatest confidence for seeking happiness?

The people, and only the people, are the driving force in creating world history. Historical materialism holds that in the process of human historical development, the masses are the creators of social material wealth, the creators of social spiritual wealth, and the decisive force in social change.

“The victory of the Huaihai Campaign was pushed by the common people with small carts; the victory of the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign was rowed by the common people with small boats.” Our Party’s more than 100-year development history is a history of the Party and the people 心心相印 (xīn xīn xiāng yìn - “hearts linked closely, mutual understanding”) and 同甘共苦 (tóng gān gòng kǔ - “share sweet and bitter together”), and also a history of leading the people in united struggle and forging ahead.

Entering the new era, to seek happiness for more than 1.4 billion people, we must adhere to development relying on the people, respect the principal status of the people, and fully mobilize the people’s initiative.

White ribbons dance, silver strands emerge from the pot. In Hualong Hui Autonomous County (化隆回族自治县), Qinghai, which suffered drought nine years out of ten, more than 60% of the over 200,000 farmers were poor households in the past. With the help of the Party and government, the local people learned to make pulled noodles, left the mountains, started businesses in cities, stretched open more than 20,000 noodle shops in over 330 domestic cities and 16 countries worldwide, “pulling” back tens of billions of yuan a year, forging a good path to prosperity.

Chinese-style modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all people. To seek happiness, we must respect the people’s pioneering spirit.

Yiwu is not near the sea, not by a river, not along the border, and its resource endowment is not outstanding, yet it has developed from a small agricultural county in the hinterland of central Zhejiang into the world’s largest small commodities market. What is the secret?

In April 2026, General Secretary Xi Jinping made important instructions, emphasizing that “we should combine the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view on performance, further summarize and apply the ‘Yiwu development experience,’ guide all regions to base themselves on their own resource endowments, and respect the pioneering spirit of the grassroots and the masses.” Early during his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping required all parts of the province to learn from the “Yiwu development experience.” In April 2006, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government issued the “Notice on Learning and Promoting the Yiwu Development Experience.”

Over the past 20 years, Yiwu has continuously written new chapters of “small commodities, big markets.” The market has been iteratively upgraded, and each leap is inseparrable from the innovative exploration of grassroots people, each breakthtrou demonstrates the cherishing of the people’s pioneering spirit. As of the end of 2025, Yiwu has undertaken 111 national-level innovation pilot tasks, and many major institutional innovation achievements have been promoted nationwide.

Mount Tai does not reject fine soil, hence it can become high. On the new journey, to create extraordinary achievements, we must draw on the wisdom of the masses, fully mobilize the masses, and jointly play the “grand chorus” of all the people.

(III)

General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “Common prope rity is an essential requirement of socialism and an important feature of Chinese-style modernization.”

The per capita annual income of farmers in Ningxia increased from about 1,400 yuan in 1996 to over 20,000 yuan in 2025. This account spans more than 4,000 li and three decades. The Fujian-Ningxia cooperation, this “relay race” between the east and west that began in 1996, has run out the deep affection between mountains and seas, and also run out the Chinese answer to common prosperity.

Fujian has successively dispatched 14 batches of 254 cadres to Ningxia for temporary posts and assistance, and 39 relatively economically developed counties (cities, districts) paired up to assist 9 poverty-stricken counties in Ningxia. During the poverty alleviation campaign, all 9 poverty-tricken counties were removed from the list, and all 803,000 rural poor people were lifted out of poverty.

In June this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping made important instructions on normalizing east-west cooperation: “Summarize and apply beneficial experiences such as Fujian-Ningxia cooperation” and “promote solid steps toward common prosperity for all people.”

This is a new call issued in the first year of the “15th Five-Year Plan” and the first year of normalized assistance.

Looking across the country, east-west cooperation has continuously increased the intensity of industrial transfer, jointly building nearly 800 industrial parks. During the transition period of consolidating and expanding poverty alleviation achievements and effectively connecting with rural revitalization, enterprises have been guided to invest over 750 billion yuan in the western region.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, through eight years of continuous struggle, nearly 100 million rural poor people have been lifted out of poverty, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty. “When future historians write the history of our era, China’s poverty alleviation campaign may well become one of the most significant chapters,” said Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the United States.

Ensuring that people in old revolutionary base areas share the fruits of reform and development and live happy lives is a deep concern of General Secretary Xi Jinping.

In the route selection of the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway, it could have taken a straight line along the river valley, but instead chose to set up a station in Luochuan, Yan’an, Shanxi, adding 9 kilometers of mainline and an extra investment of 1.8 billion yuan, just so that the people in the old revolutionary base area of northern Shanxi can ride high-speed trains. Chinese-style modernization never makes the choice of “eliminating anyone,” but is a solemn commitment of “not one less.”

On the Long March, three female Red Army soldiers stayed overnight at the home of villager Xu Jiexiu (徐解秀) in Shazhou Village, Rucheng County, Hunan. Before leaving, they cut half of their only quilt and left it behind. “The feeling between us Communists and the common people is the feeling of sharing one quilt.”

More than 90 years have passed, and this sentiment remains unchanged. In Longyan, Fujian, the site of the Gutian Conference shines brightly; the city’s total output value of undr-forst economy reaches 27.575 billion yuan, with industrial development benefiting 180,000 forest farmers. On South Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, the Red Boat remains; Sanxing Village, through joint Party building, drives cluser common prosperity in the area, narrowing the urban-rural resident income ratio to 1.48:1, and rural residents’ income has ranked first in Zhejiang Province for 22 consecutive years…

Looking at the whole country, common prosperity is advancing steadily. Over the past five years, China’s per capita disposable income of residents increased from 35,128 yuan to 43,377 yuan, the ratio of urban-rural per capita disposable income narrowed to 2.31, and in 2025, the national per capita consumption expenditure was 29,476 yuan, up 4.4% from the previous year. The safety net for people’s livelihood is becoming tighter. As of the end of 2025, the participation rates of basic pension insurance and basic medical insurance were both above 95%, and the number of participants in unemployment insurance and work injury insurance reached 249 million and 305 million respectively… Development achievements are solidly transformed into the people’s sense of gain.

All these are inseparable from 真金白银 (zhēn jīn bái yín - “real gold and white silver,” genuine hard currency) financial investment in people’s livelihood. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, financial investment in the livelihood sector was nearly 100 trillion yuan, a cumulative total of over 240,000 old urban residential communities were renovated, the number of elderly care institutions and facilities reached 396,000, and the number of childcare service institutions increased by 66,000…

The rivers and mountains are the people, and the people are the rivers and mountains. Through 105 years of 风雨兼程 (fēng yǔ jiān chéng - “wind and rain, dual journey,” advancing through hardships together), from Shikumen to Tiananmen, from a single red boat to a majestic giant ship, making revolution, engaging in construction, and carrying out reform — the original aspiration of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation has never changed.

Benefiting the people is the greatest political achievement. On the new journey, all Party members and cadres should consciously establish and practice a correct view on political achievements, fulfill their original aspiration and mission, ensure and improve people’s livelihood while promoting high-quality development, make the color of the people’s happy life fuller and warmer, and unremittingly strive to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

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Shanghai steadily builds global science and technology innovation hub (Vibrant China Research Tour)

By: 本报记者 李仕权 徐雷鹏 黄晓慧

In the height of summer, a wave of science and technology innovation surges in Shanghai.

A grand event: the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, with 351 products making their global debut.

A large scientific facility: the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility’s operational hours in the first half of the year increased by 16% year-on-year, of which enterprise user hours grew by 44.2%.

A general-purpose embodied intelligent robotics enterprise: Zhiyuan Robot has shipped over 15,000 units, taking less than three months from the 10,000-unit mass production milestone.

…………

In April 2026, when attending a symposium on strengthening basic research in Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the need to strengthen basic research with greater intensity and more concrete measures, enhance our country’s original innovation capacity, and further consolidate the foundation for building a strong science and technology nation.

In April 2025, when inspecting Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the need to continuously strengthen the innovation source function and high-end industry leading function, and accelerate the building of a science and technology innovation highland with global influence.

Following the direction charted by General Secretary, Shanghai strengthens the responsibility of 敢为 (gǎn wéi - “dare to act”), forges the capability of 善为 (shàn wéi - “good at acting”), and pools the synergy of 共为 (gòng wéi - “acting together”). Basic research blossoms in multiple fields, achievement transformation accelerates, and industrial synergy releases a multiplier effect. The construction of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center advances with 蹄疾步稳 (tí jí bù wěn - “swift steps yet steady pace,” progressing rapidly but steadily).

Dare to Act: Strengthen the Impetus of Original Innovation

Basic research is the “first kilometer” of science and technology innovation — large investment, long cycle, high risk. How to respond?

Shanghai strives to strengthen the responsibility of “dare to act,” with the government providing a “safety net” and institutions “breaking through barriers.”

Daring to be the first — piloting and testing first, optimizing mechanisms, and consolidating the foundation of basic research.

It took the lead in establishing a “Basic Research Pilot Zone,” selecting young researchers who boldly enter “unmanned zones” and granting them stable long-cycle funding.

It established the Shangsi Institute of Natural Sciences (尚思自然科学研究院), implementing a “topic-selection-based personnel selection mechanism” that prioritizes support for high-risk, high-value exploratory research.

It revised the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Regulations, setting up a dedicated “Basic Research” chapter, stipulating that the proportion of municipal fiscal science and technology innovation funds allocated to basic research shall in principle be no less than one-third.

“The city of Shanghai is very willing to provide ample support for high-risk, long-cycle original exploration,” said Zhang Jie (张杰), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute.

Daring to act and daring to do — providing funding, providing time, providing trust, and reinforcing the confidence of scientific researchers.

High-risk, non-consensus topics receive stable support. The new personnel selection mechanism enabled Liu Cong (刘聪), a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science (the text says “中国科学院生物与化学交叉研究中心” — “Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences” — but that is the full name, so first mention should append Chinese: “Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院生物与化学交叉研究中心)”), to become one of the first funded Shangsi Exploration Scholars. Leading his team in long-term in-depth research on alpha-synuclein, and collaborating with the team of Yu Jintai (郁金泰) at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, they discovered globally for the first time a new target for Parkinson’s disease: FAM171A2.

Long-cycle exploration enjoys an inclusive ecosystem. The Tsung-Dao Lee Institute fosters an academic environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, focusing on “the origin and evolution of matter under extreme universe conditions.” It has deployed large scientific facilities such as the Sichuan Jinping PandaX dark matter and neutrino detector, the South China Sea “Hailing Plan” neutrino telescope, and the Qinghai Lenghu JUST spectroscopic telescope, forming a basic research network with Shanghai as the hub.

“Deepening the construction of the Basic Research Pilot Zone, improving the personnel selection mechanism, providing stable long-cycle funding, and supporting scientists in devoting themselves to research — this is the confidence we bring to scientific researchers,” said Luo Dajin (骆大进), director of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (上海市科委).

This confidence is also reflected in the attitude toward failure — Shanghai is piloting a fault-tolerance mechanism: if a project’s conclusion does not meet expectations, as long as the reasons are explained and experience is summarized, it does not affect subsequent applications. Tolerating failure requires more courage than rewarding success.

Giving time to basic research, giving space to original innovation, giving a stage to top-tier talent — this is the footnote Shanghai writes for “from 0 to 1.”

Good at Acting: Enhance the Capability of Achievement Transformation

A theoretical breakthrough is not equivalent to successful application. From paper to product is the “critical kilometer” of scientific and technological achievement transformation. How to solve common problems such as missing intermediate links and mismatch between supply and demand?

Shanghai strives to forge the capability of “good at acting,” fully leveraging the functional role of an “accelerator” and an “incubator.”

Good at being an “accelerator” — vigorously building concept validation, pilot-scale verification platforms, etc., sharing scientific research resources, and promoting the verification and transformation of scientific and technological achievements.

In Zhangjiang Medicine Valley (张江药谷), numerous pilot-scale platforms are operating busily. Here, from basic research to small-scale testing, to pilot-scale testing, to product, new drug development advances with leaps and bounds.

Mabwell Bioscience, rooted here, is both a beneficiary and a witness of this “accelerated sprint.” “Pilot-scale testing is the necessary path for a drug to go from laboratory to industrialization, and it is also the link most prone to bottlenecks,” explained Li Gang (李纲), Executive Director of Production Science and Technology at Mabwell. Professional service platforms in the region help source innovation move faster from the lab to the clinic and to the market.

At present, Zhangjiang Medicine Valley has gathered over 4,000 biomedical innovation entities, 10 major science and technology infrastructure facilities, and over 200 professional service platforms, building an efficient and collaborative full-chain ecosystem.

Good at using “incubators” — going all out to build high-quality incubators to facilitate the transformation and landing of scientific and technological achievements.

Not far away, the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Incubator focuses on key subfields of integrated circuits such as intelligent computing chips and silicon photonic chips, forming a vertical incubation system that has already incubated over 1,600 innovative enterprises. Zhong Hansen (钟翰森), founder of Qisuan Guangqi (奇算光启), said, “From chip tape-out to packaging and testing, we can get assistance from surrounding enterprises.”

In the Brain Intelligence World·Brain-Computer Interface Science and Innovation Transformation Center (脑智天地·脑机接口科创转化中心), upstairs and downstairs are upstream and downstream. Platform facilities for concept validation, clinical transformation, and incubation are distributed across different floors, and an ecological chain of “technological breakthrough — industrial transformation — scenario landing” is taking initial shape. Since construction began at the end of June last year, over 50 brain-computer interface enterprises have been registered and established.

Shanghai is continuously improving the mutually reinforcing mechanism between basic research and achievement transformation. It has currently laid out and constructed 20 high-quality concept validation platforms. Among the 19 built high-quality incubators, 4 have been rated as excellence-level incubators by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, accounting for one-third of the national total.

Acting Together: Pool Synergy for Industrial Development

The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs. A single locality or domain can hardly build a complete system. How to better open the “last kilometer” from product to industry?

Shanghai pools the synergy of “acting together,” fully implementing the Party Central Committee’s decision and deployment to expand the Shanghai International Science and Technology Innovation Center to cover the Yangtze River Delta, moving from a single-city breakthrough to a new phase of regional coordination.

Sharing innovation resources — Shanghai drives the Yangtze River Delta to form a fist, accelerating the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation.

The cross-regional flow and sharing of scientific and technological achievements has reached new heights. In 2025, the Yangtze River Delta region conducted 46,800 technical contract transactions, with a technical transaction volume of 246.13 billion yuan, maintaining a rapid growth trend.

“Shanghai is further integrating regional innovation resources and industrial chain supporting capabilities, better playing a leading and exemplary role in promoting the coordinated development of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta,” said Hu Guanzi (胡关子), associate researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

Jointly building science and innovation industries — the Yangtze River Delta industrial map has already “grown” a pair of “science and innovation wings.”

One wing is the G60 Science and Innovation Corridor, linking the R&D, manufacturing, logistics, and service industry chains, connecting nine cities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui.

The other wing is the Along Shanghai-Nanjing Industrial Innovation Belt (沿沪宁产业创新带), integrating achievement exhibition and industrial services, and building four major platforms for talent, finance, government affairs, and going global.

Policy coordination, factor flow, industrial complementarity — the Yangtze River Delta is moving from geographic “adjacency” to innovation “integration.”

“The Yangtze River Delta’s excellent innovation environment and industrial synergy provide important support for enterprise development,” said Liu Yaoqi (刘垚圻), Chairman and CEO of Zhongke Tiansuan (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (中科天算（上海）信息科技有限公司). The company has developed a space-borne intelligent computer, exploring the provision of on-orbit intelligent computing capabilities for satellite constellations.

From increased investment in basic research to forward-looking deployment of large scientific facilities; from independent cultivation of top-tier talent to early positioning in future industries; from Shanghai’s first-mover breakthrough to coordinated linkage in the Yangtze River Delta — Shanghai’s science and technology innovation vitality continues to surge, accelerating the transformation of the “key variable” of scientific and technological innovation into the “maximum increment” for high-quality development. “Anchored to the goal of building the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shanghai strives to improve the overall effectiveness of the innovation system, advancing education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation as an integrated whole,” said the responsible comrade of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Striving forward during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Shanghai strengthens its mission and responsibility — daring to act, good at acting, acting together — steadily building a science and technology innovation highland with global influence.

(Our reporters Zhang Anyu (张安宇) and Wang Yinxin (王崟欣) contributed to the writing of this article.)

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Talking About Three Changes by the Gongshui River (Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievement: Frontline Report)

By: 本报记者 田豆豆 吴 君

A Gongshui River, passing through Xuan'en County (宣恩县), Hubei Province, like a green silk ribbon, embraces the county seat in its arms.

This local mother river not only nourishes this land, but also becomes an important support for Xuan'en County's development. In 2025, the local "Romantic Xuan'en Tourism Zone" (浪漫宣恩旅游区) received 10.107 million visitors, achieving total tourism revenue of 7.621 billion yuan, with year-on-year growth of 87.68% and 96.18% respectively.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium on further promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (长江经济带): "Correctly grasp the relationship between ecological environmental protection and economic development, and explore a new path of synergistically advancing ecological priority and green development"; "Correctly grasp the relationship between overall planning and 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist over time to achieve results," enduring effort), and unswervingly carry a blueprint through to the end."

Gongshui River is a second-level tributary of the Yangtze River; its waters flow into the Qingjiang River, and eventually merge into the Yangtze. From water disasters troubling the people to the shared prosperity of water and city, the changes of Gongshui River bear witness to the vivid practice of Xuan'en County's continuous water management and city revitalization, promoting green development, and carrying a blueprint through to the end.

Today, along the banks of Gongshui River, the water is clear and green trees shade the area. In the 1980s, Gongshui River presented a different scene. "When there was drought, water was scarce; during the flood season, water inundated; the common people suffered bitterly beyond words (苦不堪言, kǔ bù kān yán - "so bitter that one cannot bear to speak of it," unbearable hardship)," said Tian Changyou (田长友), former chief engineer of Xuan'en County Water Resources Bureau (宣恩县水利局).

To control Gongshui River, starting from 1988, Xuan'en County spent several years building a reservoir upstream of the county seat, providing support for the county seat's water supply and flood control.

"But the reservoir capacity was insufficient; when precipitation was concentrated, because the river embankments were low and narrow, water always flooded into the homes of residents along the river," Tian Changyou explained.

Thereafter, closely monitoring the situation reported by the masses without letting up, Xuan'en County gradually widened the river channel flowing through the county seat to 69 meters, raised the river embankments to over 15 meters, and built 3 flood discharge tunnels and 4-level automatic flap gates.

Gongshui River's "temper" stabilized, achieving its first transformation. But as the city developed, new problems came one after another.

"At that time, a strange smell could always be smelled by the river; everyone passing by had to cover their noses and run; no one wanted to stay longer," Tian Changyou recalled.

The county's concentrated investigation found that the "root cause" of Gongshui River's problems was mainly concentrated in domestic sewage. "Previously, the pipeline network was old, rainwater and sewage mixed, and most sewage was directly discharged into the river," said Liu Hui (刘辉), chief engineer of Xuan'en County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau (宣恩县住房和城乡建设局).

After 2008, Xuan'en County began to strengthen the control of sewage sources in Gongshui River, constructing transmission pipelines, collection pipelines, branch pipes, and household connection pipes, and built a sewage treatment plant in the county seat. Xuan'en County also innovated the "ecological credit score" (生态信用积分), and hired full-time management and protection personnel and part-time ecological forest rangers to conduct all-round monitoring of the Gongshui River basin. Liu Hui introduced that now the water quality of Gongshui River has consistently remained at Class II or above.

The river is clear, the banks are green; Gongshui River ushers in its second transformation.

Xuan'en County further enlivened the "water essay" (i.e., water-themed development), and starting from 2023, successively created water night tour projects such as Dragon Tour Gongshui (龙游贡水), Gong Show (贡秀), and Gongshui Night Painting (贡水夜画) on Gongshui River. "The project's boatmen, safety officers, performers, and other staff total over 500 people, basically all local residents," said Zhang Hao (张好), head of Xuan'en County Gongshui River Water Commercial Operation Management Co., Ltd. (宣恩县贡水河水上商业运营管理有限公司). Since the beginning of this year, the total revenue of Gongshui River water operation projects has exceeded 35 million yuan.

Not only did it drive local residents to find employment nearby, but it also activated the commercial vitality of the entire city; Gongshui River achieved its third transformation. Relying on viewing and playing in the water, Xuan'en County's tourism industry flourished; local residents started homestays, and agricultural specialty products became popular souvenirs. "I have opened two homestays in the county seat, and my annual income is quite considerable," said citizen Zhang Yinju (张银菊) happily.

Since the beginning of this year, Xuan'en County has continued to carry out inspection, dredging, and surveying work on the county seat's sewage pipeline network, newly building and renovating a total of over 20 kilometers of pipelines, achieving the full collection of sewage around Gongshui River. "Let Gongshui River always remain clear and bright, let lucid waters and lush mountains truly benefit the people," Liu Hui said.

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Photo Report

99 years of forging ahead, the heroic people's military defends the territory with loyalty and safeguards peace with responsibility. As August 1st Army Day approaches, officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force celebrate the occasion in various forms.

The picture shows recently, officers and soldiers of a brigade of the 83rd Group Army holding an oath-taking ceremony facing the military flag.
Photo by Zou Xiaoxin (Xinhua News Agency)

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Continuously Creating New Achievements in High-Quality Development (Today's Commentary)

By: 亦 多

To do a good job in the economic work of the second half of the year, the key is to earnestly implement the spirit and decisions of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and "continuously create new achievements in high-quality development."

Seek new growth increments from the transformation of old and new growth drivers (新旧动能转换). In the first half of the year, some provinces had fast growth and good efficiency, while other provinces had slow growth and great difficulties. Fast has its challenges, slow has its potential; the future depends on who can transform the old and new growth drivers more quickly and more steadily. The key is to develop new quality productive forces (新质生产力) according to local conditions.

Seek new development space from strategic overlapping advantages. From a large agricultural province to a large industrial province, from a labor-exporting area to a gathering place for "chips, displays, automobiles, and integration" (芯屏汽合), how did Anhui achieve its magnificent transformation? One important reason is the implementation of the Party Central Committee's strategic blueprint for "three places and one district" (三地一区). Today's China, each region has strategic overlaps. By precisely positioning in the overall situation, making full use of strategic overlapping advantages, leveraging comparative advantages, strengthening coordination and integration, and actively cultivating new growth poles, we can continuously win development momentum.

Upholding the correct view of performance, with a more uplifting and upward spirit, exert pragmatic efforts, and transform all positive factors into development achievements, we will surely promote the economy to continuously develop towards new, better, and higher quality, and achieve a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五).

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Promoting More Efficient Transfer and Continuation of Enterprise Annuities (Policy Interpretation)

By: 本报记者 邱超奕

Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部办公厅) issued the "Procedures for the Transfer and Continuation of Enterprise Annuity Personal Accounts (Interim)" (《企业年金个人账户转移接续规程（暂行）》) (hereinafter referred to as the "Procedures"). What is an enterprise annuity? What impact will the newly issued Procedures have on employers and employees? A reporter interviewed the relevant official in charge from the Department of Pension Insurance of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, enterprise annuity management institutions, and social security experts, among others.

What is an enterprise annuity?

An enterprise annuity is a supplementary pension insurance system independently established by employers and their employees on the basis of lawfully participating in the basic pension insurance for enterprise employees, and it is an important component of the second pillar in China's multi-tiered, multi-pillar pension insurance system. All types of enterprises, social organizations, foundations, private non-enterprise units, and other employers participating in the basic pension insurance for enterprise employees, along with their employees, may all establish enterprise annuities.

The relevant official in charge from the Department of Pension Insurance of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that, for employers, establishing an enterprise annuity is conducive to attracting and retaining talent, improving the incentive effect of compensation through "investing in people," stabilizing the workforce, and enhancing the employer's competitive advantage. For individual employees, it is conducive to increasing income channels in old age, realizing the integration and mutual promotion of pension and investment, raising the level of pension insurance benefits, and strengthening consumer confidence.

If an employee leaves their job or "job-hops," will their enterprise annuity rights disappear? It must be emphasized that an employee's enterprise annuity rights will be safely kept in custody by the annuity management institution, will not be affected by factors such as mobile employment, and can ensure the realization of the supplementary pension function.

How is transfer and continuation handled?

The transfer and continuation of enterprise annuity personal accounts mainly refers to the business in which employees, due to reasons such as job changes, need to transfer their enterprise annuity personal accounts between different enterprise annuity plans, or transfer them between different entrusting parties of the same pooled plan.

The Procedures will be implemented on January 1, 2027. According to the Procedures, employees may apply for the transfer and continuation of enterprise annuity personal accounts through nationally unified online service channels such as the National Social Insurance Public Service Platform, the National Human Resources and Social Security Government Service Platform, the electronic social security card, and the Palm 12333 APP. Corporate trustee institutions of enterprise annuities and enterprise annuity councils, through the pension insurance second-pillar information platform, accept enterprise annuity personal account transfer and continuation business applications and data exchange, and provide consulting services to employees.

Zhu Junsheng (朱俊生), a postdoctoral fellow in applied economics at Peking University, analyzed that in the past, after employees changed their work units, the transfer procedures for enterprise annuity personal accounts were relatively complex, the cost of linkage between different plans was relatively high, and some employees even formed multiple long-term idle accounts, affecting the management of personal rights and the institutional experience. The new Procedures establish a nationally unified online application channel, rely on the second-pillar information platform to realize information exchange and fund transfer, and form a new model of "individual application, institutional handling, system circulation," greatly reducing individual handling costs, improving institutional operational efficiency, enabling enterprise annuities to have portability similar to that of the basic pension insurance, and better matching the development needs of the labor market.

The relevant official in charge from the Enterprise Annuity Department of China Life Pension Insurance Company Limited (中国人寿养老保险股份有限公司) explained that, for employees, the Procedures will improve the service experience. In the future, when employees are transferred in their jobs and need to transfer their enterprise annuities, they only need to initiate account consolidation with one click on the platform themselves; the platform will automatically retrieve information, identify the old and new units and the administrator, and realize visible and trackable progress. Employees no longer need to run around everywhere as before, going to the old unit to complete the transfer-out and then urging the new unit to handle contributions.

How are distribution, benefits, and withdrawal handled?

The reporter learned that in recent years, China's enterprise annuity investments have achieved fairly good returns. Taking China Life Pension Insurance Company Limited as an example, according to the "Summary of National Enterprise Annuity Fund Business Data" for 2025 published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, as of the end of 2025, the scale of enterprise annuities managed by the company was close to 1.5 trillion yuan; the number of enterprises it served through entrusted management exceeded 43,000, and the number of employees exceeded 8.34 million. In terms of enterprise annuity investment management, as of the end of 2025, the company's enterprise annuity investment management scale was 525.155 billion yuan, and it managed 910 portfolios in total; in the past three years, the cumulative return rate of single-plan portfolios containing equity-type investments was 12.45%; in the past three years, the cumulative return rate of single-plan fixed-income portfolios reached 11.85%.

For employees participating in enterprise annuities, how will returns be distributed and obtained?

The relevant official in charge from the Enterprise Annuity Department of China Life Pension Insurance Company Limited introduced that the enterprise annuity fund implements a fully funded system, adopts a personal account model for management, uses the share method to record personal account rights, and, according to the unit net value of the enterprise annuity fund, credits investment returns into the enterprise annuity personal account in full on a weekly or daily basis. Personal contributions in an employee's enterprise annuity personal account and their investment returns belong to the employee personally from the outset; for employer contributions and their investment returns, the employer may agree with the employee side that they belong to the employee personally from the outset, or may agree that they gradually belong to the employee personally as the employee's years of work in the enterprise increase, and the period for complete attribution to the employee personally shall not exceed eight years at most.

How is the enterprise annuity received?

The relevant official in charge from the Department of Pension Insurance of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that when employees reach the retirement age prescribed by the state, completely lose the ability to work, or go abroad (leave the country) to settle, among other circumstances, they may receive the enterprise annuity from their own enterprise annuity personal account on a monthly basis, in installments, or in a lump sum, or use all (or part) of it to purchase commercial pension insurance products.

Zhu Junsheng stated that the enterprise annuity is essentially an important component of employees' long-term pension wealth. The Procedures clarify that personal contributions to the enterprise annuity, employer contributions to the enterprise annuity that have already been attributed to the employee personally, and the corresponding investment returns may all be transferred with the account, and further strengthen the trust management principle that the enterprise annuity fund is independent from the property of enterprises, individuals, and the management institution itself. This helps strengthen employees' awareness of the personal rights attribute of the enterprise annuity, promotes the gradual formation among employees of the concept that "the enterprise annuity is personal long-term pension wealth," and thereby enhances institutional identification and enthusiasm for participation.

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Early Rice Harvest and Storage Fully Managed Under Trusteeship (Summer Farming in Progress)

By: 本报记者 窦瀚洋

Every year during the early rice harvest, Shi Xihua (石锡华), a large grain grower in Yueqing (乐清市), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, always has some worry: “In July and August there is a lot of rain; if a typhoon hits on top of that, there is no time to harvest, store, and dry the grain.”

On the eve of this year's harvest, he made a phone call, much more composed. “My family's early rice needs to be harvested in the next couple of days. Can you arrange it?” On the other end of the line, Chen Dan (陈丹), head of the Zhefeng Agricultural Service Center (浙丰农事服务中心), looked at the appointment records and readily agreed.

At 6 a.m. on the agreed date, Shi Xihua waited on time by his own rice field. “The service center sent a fleet of vehicles, no need to harvest the grain myself,” he said cheerfully, greeting the staff. In the fields, harvesters worked in an orderly manner; by the fields, grain transport trucks gradually filled up. In half a day, the harvest of 100 mu of rice fields was completed, and 50 tons of wet grain were directly hauled away.

Following the fleet for a 20-minute drive, Shi Xihua went from his own field to the service center's grain cleaning center. Rows of drying towers were neatly arranged, with multiple types of equipment integrated and linked. Here, the paddy rice underwent drying, impurity removal, and other operations, and was then directly transported to the grain depot. Chen Dan explained that in 2024, under the guidance of the grain and materials department, the service center invested 5 million yuan to build the grain cleaning center, equipped with 12 20-ton-class dryers, dry-wet grain impurity removal equipment, and other supporting facilities, able to provide full-process trusteeship services including grain drying, impurity removal, storage, and transportation.

In the past, however, these steps all required Shi Xihua to contact and arrange on his own: find a truck fleet to transport grain, look around for drying points with available capacity, and after drying, contact the grain depot. “At the peak of the purchase season, for a truckload of 20 tons of grain, just queuing to unload at the purchase point would take half a day,” Shi Xihua said.

The long storage and drying process after wet grain harvest, with large losses, has become a common problem faced by growers. “Take Yueqing as an example: the city has 87 drying stations of various sizes scattered around, with differing technical levels and uneven drying quality; the impurity removal step is mainly concentrated in the downstream storage and purchase companies, with relatively limited processing capacity, so queuing is common during peak periods,” analyzed Jin Liyong (金李永), director of the Storage and Supervision Division of Wenzhou Municipal Grain and Material Reserves Bureau (温州市粮食和物资储备局).

Now at the service center, there is no need to queue: 50 tons of wet grain are first weighed on a scale, then quickly tested for moisture, heavy metals, and other indicators, and then sent through automatic pipes into drying equipment, taking just over 30 minutes. Once the grain enters the drying tower, it begins a 15-hour low-temperature (below 55 degrees Celsius) slow automation process. Chen Dan recalled, “In earlier years, not just handling, but every step of drying required close attention; even a dozen people could not keep up. Now only two people are needed: one monitors moisture and temperature, and one is responsible for fuel and equipment operation.” After coming out of the tower, the grain is further cleaned of impurities, and finally, after on-site quality testing by the stationed staff of the purchase and storage company, the qualified grain can be directly transported to the grain depot via a green channel.

This batch of newly harvested grain from Shi Xihua's family was sent to the Wenzhou Grain Reserve Panqiao Depot (温州市粮食储备潘桥库), which has a storage capacity of over 200,000 tons. A smart grain warehouse robot automatically conveyed the grain into the warehouse, spreading it evenly layer by layer, quickly leveling the grain surface, achieving fully automated material spreading. Jin Weibo (金维博), deputy director of the Panqiao Depot, explained that this is a smart piece of equipment developed jointly by the grain depot and a university, integrating functions such as autonomous movement, precise grain throwing, intelligent leveling, and remote control, preventing safety risks such as falls from height and dust explosions at the source.

This grain depot, covering 160 mu, is also equipped with a digital safety net built with AI models, smart robots, and IoT sensing systems, achieving 24-hour unmanned intelligent patrol and prevention. Jin Weibo said that during severe weather such as typhoons and rainstorms, robot dogs are also deployed to inspect the depot area instead of humans.

From sending grain into the depot to the grain payment arriving in the account, the fastest takes just 24 hours. “The most important thing is that I can stop worrying. Early rice must be harvested in fine weather, wet grain must be dried promptly, and late rice must be planted in succession — farming waits for no one,” Shi Xihua said. In the past, to fully process all the grain his family produced would always take over ten days. Now it only requires making an appointment in advance, then making two trips, at most four days. “Everything is handled on my behalf; I basically don't need to manage anything — just wait for the grain sale payment to arrive.”

For the service center, can this model — purchasing equipment, adding steps, full-process trusteeship — operate sustainably?

Chen Dan has calculated: there are subsidies for equipment, and the service center has also increased its sources of income. The bulk comes from farmers purchasing services, including seedling raising, transplanting, and grain cleaning, at a service fee of about 1,000 yuan per mu per season, plus fees for drying and other services. There is also some income from policy support, such as a grain cleaning subsidy of 20 yuan per ton and a collection and transport subsidy of 5 yuan per ton.

Wenzhou is actively promoting the development of modern agricultural services. It has added grain cleaning function zones in 80 agricultural service centers similar to Zhefeng, with a daily grain cleaning service capacity of 9,000 tons. In this year's early rice purchase season, the grain cleaning service volume has exceeded 40,000 tons. In Zhejiang, more than 20 major grain-producing counties have basically achieved full coverage of the modern grain purchase service system, with grain losses during the purchase process reduced by about 3%, and grain farmers' grain sale costs reduced by 60–70 yuan per ton.

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Not Summer Harvest, Not Autumn Harvest — What Is Early Rice? (Further Reading)

By: 朱仁山

Early rice is usually sown in March each year and harvested in the summer of that year; in statistical terms, it is generally not included in summer grain and is a separate category independent of summer grain and autumn grain. In recent years, the national early rice planting area has stabilized at around 71 million mu, and its output accounts for approximately 4% of the nation's total grain output.

The growing period of early rice is relatively short, generally a little over 100 days, and most of it is xian rice (indica rice). Because the grain-filling period coincides with high summer temperatures, high humidity, and small diurnal temperature differences, which are unfavorable for nutrient accumulation, the rice grains are usually harder in texture and lower in stickiness. Even for the same variety, when planted as early rice, the rice quality usually changes.

Why persist in planting early rice? China has a large population but limited land. In production areas with sufficient accumulated temperature, such as Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, and Zhejiang, planting one season of early rice and then, after harvesting, immediately planting late rice on the same field can effectively improve land utilization and enrich the national grain reserve. In some southern provinces, because xian rice has a high amylose content, it is suitable for processing into specialty foods such as rice noodles and rice candy, making it an important source of staple food. Over the years, China's breeding workers have continuously improved early rice varieties, selecting and breeding multiple high-yield, high-quality varieties such as the "Luoyou 8" (珞优8号) super rice and "Anyou 5020" (安优5020), effectively raising per-unit yield and rice quality.

(The author is a professor-level senior engineer at the National Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice (Wuhan University) (杂交水稻全国重点实验室（武汉大学）), compiled and arranged by this newspaper's reporter Yu Jingxian (郁静娴).)

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Management Measures for the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve Issued

Beijing, August 1 (Reporter Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶)) — In accordance with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves and relevant provisions, on August 1, the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部), the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (国家林业和草原局), the China Coast Guard (中国海警局), and the Hainan Provincial People's Government (海南省人民政府) jointly issued the Management Measures for Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve (hereinafter referred to as the Management Measures).

Huangyan Island (黄岩岛) is located in China’s Zhongsha Islands (中沙群岛), possesses a unique coral reef ecosystem and special geological structure, and is home to a large number of rare and endangered organisms such as the hawksbill turtle, green sea turtle, and giant clam (Tridacna crocea), with rich biodiversity and unique species rarity. In September 2025, the State Council approved the establishment of the new Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve, requiring the improvement of management institutions, the strengthening of supervision and law enforcement against various illegal and irregular activities related to the nature reserve, ensuring the implementation of all management measures, and continuously raising the level of construction and management of the national nature reserve.

The Management Measures focus on provisions concerning management mechanisms, protection and control measures, and legal responsibilities, comprising a total of sixteen articles.

According to the Management Measures, the Ministry of Natural Resources is responsible for organizing the demarcation of the nature reserve’s boundaries, review of plans, management of natural resource protection and utilization and asset accounting, confirmation and registration of rights, and protection and management of the baseline points of the territorial sea for the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve; the National Forestry and Grassland Administration is responsible for the supervision and management of the nature reserve, and for the review and approval of adjustments, planning, construction, and other work concerning the nature reserve; the South China Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部南海局) assumes the responsibilities of a management agency, specifically responsible for the daily protection and management of the nature reserve, and for work such as resource survey and monitoring, ecological protection and restoration. The Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the China Coast Guard, and the Hainan Provincial People’s Government, among others, establish a coordination mechanism to coordinate and resolve major issues in the protection and management of the nature reserve, and to strengthen work coordination and information sharing.

The Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve will implement strict protection; without approval, activities such as fishing, mining, and the extraction of coral, coral reefs, and giant clams, as well as other activities that damage rare marine species and the natural ecosystem, are prohibited. Acts that violate the relevant provisions of the Management Measures will be pursued for liability in accordance with the law.

The issuance of the Management Measures is an important measure to implement the requirements of the State Council’s approval, and is of great significance for maintaining the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the natural ecosystem of Huangyan Island. Relevant departments will guide the management agency in earnestly implementing the Management Measures, strictly fulfilling the responsibility for ecological and environmental protection, establishing and improving a normalized early warning and monitoring mechanism, continuously carrying out marine resource monitoring and assessment as well as ecological protection and restoration, and building and managing the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve to a high standard.

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Seeking happiness

By: 金社平

The happiness and well-being of the people is the ultimate purpose of promoting high-quality development.

On July 30, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The meeting emphasized: "Multiple measures must be taken to strengthen livelihood security, increase employment support for key groups, and do a good job in protecting the rights and interests of flexible employees and personnel in new employment forms. Grasp the service and security for 'the elderly and the young,' and improve the stratified and classified social assistance system. Strengthen ecological and environmental protection, fight the tough battle of the 'Three-North' Shelterbelt Program, and promote carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in an active and steady manner."

At the meeting celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In the 105 years, our Party has always remained true to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation."

Having walked through a 105-year journey of struggle, the century-old Party is in its prime, and its original aspiration remains unchanged.

"The people's yearning for a better life is our奋斗目标 (struggle goal)." This goal is very grand and also very pragmatic; at its root, it is about seeking happiness for the people and letting the common people live better lives.

Adhere to the principle of establishing the Party for the public and governing for the people, consciously practice the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and stand firmly with the people, think together with the people, and work together with the people.

(I)

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Only by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, and adhering to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development achievements shared by the people, can there be a correct view of development and a view of modernization."

"For whom" development is a mandatory question that reflects one's view of political achievements, and a touchstone to test the nature of a political party and a political regime.

For whom, and relying on whom? The two words "the people" carry a weight of a thousand catties.

In early June, the "relay" of two "rivers" was inspiring.

Opening an outlet to the sea! The Pinglu Canal, a backbone project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, has seen water flowing through its entire line. This canal, with a construction period of approximately 4 years and a total volume of earth and stone excavation approximately three times that of the Three Gorges Project, helps boost regional development, drives employment and income increases, and smooths economic circulation...

Official groundbreaking! The Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel, the first major national landmark project to commence construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period with a total investment exceeding 77 billion yuan, will expand the water conservancy, shipping, and ecological functions of the Yangtze River main line and better support the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Major projects that create benefits for the people both demonstrate institutional advantages and comprehensive national strength, and are even more a vivid embodiment of practicing the people-centered development philosophy.

Agricultural and rural modernization relates to the overall situation and the "color" (quality) of Chinese-style modernization. The "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project (千万工程, qiān wàn gōng chéng - "thousand villages demonstration, ten thousand villages improvement," a massive rural revitalization initiative) was a major decision personally planned and promoted by Comrade Xi Jinping during his work in Zhejiang, starting from rectifying the rural environment and solving "dirty, chaotic, and poor" problems, moving from points to surfaces and expanding construction. Over the past 20 years, the "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project has created thousands of beautiful villages and benefited hundreds of millions of farmers.

From water conservancy hubs to transportation arteries, from energy bases to scientific and technological facilities, from beautiful villages to people's cities, one project after another lays a foundation for long-term benefits, employs practical measures to seek practical results, and transforms development dividends into the tangible well-being of the masses.

Development for the people is also reflected in various reform measures. In Hanzhong, Shaanxi, an elderly couple in their 80s, Ma Fuming and Liu Shulian, suffer from severe disabilities; the long-term care insurance policy provides them with economic compensation and home care. Whenever the caregiver arrives at the home, the couple's faces are full of joy and relief; in Sanming, Fujian, Uncle Lin, who is in his 70s, suffers from lung cancer; the local promotion of the construction of a tight-knit county-level medical community allows him to receive effective treatment even in the county...

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, we have adhered to a people-centered approach, continuously deepening reforms, and built the world's largest education system, social security system, and medical and health system. The quality of people's lives continues to improve, and the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security are effectively guaranteed.

Currently, the people's yearning for a better life has shifted from "whether there is" to "whether it is good," with expectations for better education, better public services, higher-level medical and health services, and more comfortable living conditions... This requires us to continue deepening reforms to ensure that development achievements benefit all people more and more fairly.

Deepening comprehensive education reform to build a high-quality education system; optimizing fertility support policies and incentive measures to effectively reduce the costs of family childbirth, upbringing, and education; deepening the reform of the medical and health system to promote the expansion of high-quality medical resources and a balanced regional layout; improving the elderly care service system to continuously enhance the well-being of the elderly; deeply implementing rural construction actions to improve the convenience of rural public services and the comfort of the living environment... During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, one reform measure after another to guarantee and improve people's livelihoods is deeply heartwarming.

By always standing firm on the people's standpoint, placing the interests of the people in the highest position, and using whether the people truly receive tangible benefits, whether their lives have improved, and whether their rights and interests are truly protected as the fundamental criteria for testing the effectiveness of work, the construction of Chinese-style modernization will surely open up new horizons.

(II)

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Chinese-style modernization is the undertaking of all Chinese people. We must rely closely on the people and gather the infinite wisdom and strength hidden within the people to continuously create new great historical achievements."

A thousand-year ice peak is hard to open; to open it, one must have immortals descend. At the end of 2025, the world's longest highway tunnel—the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel—officially opened to traffic, marking that the G0711 highway from Urumqi, Xinjiang to Yuli is in full use.

With a length of 22.13 kilometers, an average construction altitude of over 3,000 meters, and crossing 16 geological fault zones, adverse geological conditions such as rock bursts, water inrushes, and large deformations of soft rock emerged incessantly... What opened the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel was not immortals, but the continuous struggle of thousands of road workers facing hardships such as wind, snow, and hypoxia for more than 4 years.

The connection of the tunnel will shorten the time to cross the Tianshan Mountains from the original 3 hours to approximately 20 minutes, providing a solid guarantee for the convenient exchange of personnel, economy, and culture between northern and southern Xinjiang.

Harvesting summer grain in the boundless fields, building railways on the roof of the world, manufacturing chips in dust-free factories... At this very moment, hundreds of millions of working people, under the leadership of the Party, are using their hands to create wealth, marching toward the grand goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

What is the greatest confidence for seeking happiness?

The people, and only the people, are the driving force that creates world history. The historical materialism view holds that in the process of human historical development, the masses of the people are the creators of social material wealth, the creators of social spiritual wealth, and also the decisive force of social change.

"The victory of the Huaihai Campaign was pushed out by the common people using small carts; the victory of the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign was rowed out by the common people using small boats." The more than one hundred years of development history of our Party is a history of the Party being in one heart with the people and sharing joys and tribulations with the people, and also a history of leading the people to unite in struggle and strive forward.

Entering the new era, to seek happiness for more than 1.4 billion people, we must adhere to development relying on the people, respect the people's status as the mainstay, and fully mobilize the people's enthusiasm.

White flour flies and silver threads emerge from the pot. In Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai, where there have been nine droughts in ten years, more than 60% of the past 200,000 farmers were poverty-stricken households. Under the assistance of the Party and the government, local people learned to make pulled noodles, left the mountains, and went to cities to start businesses, "stretching" out more than 20,000 noodle shops in more than 330 cities in China and 16 countries globally, "pulling" back tens of billions of yuan in a year, and carving out a good path to prosperity.

Chinese-style modernization is a modernization of common prosperity for all people. To seek happiness, one must respect the people's spirit of original innovation.

Yiwu is not near the sea, not by a river, and not along a border; its resource endowment is not prominent, yet it has developed from an agricultural small county in the hinterland of central Zhejiang into the world's largest small commodities market. What is the secret?

In April 2026, General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions, emphasizing: "In conjunction with carrying out the study and practice of establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, the 'Yiwu development experience' must be further summarized and utilized well, guiding all regions to base themselves on their own resource endowments and respect the original innovation spirit of the grassroots and the masses." As early as during his work in Zhejiang, Comrade Xi Jinping required all parts of the province to study the "Yiwu development experience." In April 2006, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government issued the "Notice on Studying and Promoting the Yiwu Development Experience."

For 20 years, Yiwu has continuously written new chapters of "small commodities, large market," with the market continuously iterating and upgrading. Every leap is inseparable from the innovative exploration of the grassroots masses, and every breakthrough manifests the valuing of the masses' spirit of original innovation. As of the end of 2025, Yiwu has successively undertaken 111 national-level innovation pilot tasks, and many major institutional innovation results have been promoted nationwide.

泰山不拒细壤，故能成其高 (tài shān bù jù xì rǎng, gù néng chéng qí gāo - "Mount Tai does not reject even a handful of soil, thus it can achieve its height," meaning greatness is built upon small, accumulated efforts), on the new journey, to create extraordinary political achievements, one must absorb the wisdom of the masses, fully mobilize the masses, and jointly play the "grand chorus" of all the people.

(III)

General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and an important feature of Chinese-style modernization."

The per capita annual income of farmers in Ningxia grew from about 1,400 yuan in 1996 to over 20,000 yuan in 2025. One account, spanning more than 4,000 li and passing through thirty years. The Minning Cooperation, this "relay race" between the eastern and western regions that began in 1996, has run out the deep affection between mountains and seas, and has also run out the Chinese answer to common prosperity.

Fujian has successively dispatched 14 batches of 254 cadres to Ningxia for temporary posts to provide assistance, and 39 economically developed counties (cities, districts) have paired with 9 poverty-stricken counties in Ningxia for assistance. During the period of poverty alleviation, all 9 poverty-stricken counties were lifted out of poverty, and all 803,000 rural impoverished people were lifted out of poverty.

In June this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions on doing the work of eastern and western cooperation in a normalized manner: "Summarize and utilize beneficial experiences such as Minning Cooperation" and "promote all people to take solid steps toward common prosperity."

This is a new command issued in the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan" and the first year of normalized assistance.

Looking across the country, eastern and western cooperation continues to increase the intensity of industrial transfer, with nearly 800 jointly built industrial parks. During the transition period of consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively linking them with rural revitalization, enterprises have been guided to invest more than 750 billion yuan in the western regions.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, after 8 years of continuous struggle, nearly 100 million rural impoverished people have been lifted out of poverty, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty. "When future historians write the history of our era, China's poverty alleviation struggle could entirely become one of the most heavily colored chapters among them," so evaluated Kuhn, Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the United States.

Ensuring that the people in old revolutionary base areas share the achievements of reform and development and live happy lives is a deep concern of General Secretary Xi Jinping.

In the route selection of the Xiyan High-Speed Railway, it could have followed a straight line along the river valley, but instead, it chose to set a station in Luochuan, Yan'an, Shaanxi, adding 9 kilometers of main line and investing an additional 1.8 billion yuan, just to let the people in the old revolutionary areas of northern Shaanxi ride high-speed trains. Chinese-style modernization never makes the choice of "who to eliminate," but rather is a solemn promise that "not one shall be left behind."

On the Long March, three female Red Army members stayed at the home of Xu Jiexiu, a villager in Shazhou Village, Ruchang County, Hunan Province; upon leaving, they cut half of their only quilt to leave behind. "The feeling between us Communists and the common people is the feeling of sharing a single quilt."

More than 90 years have passed, and this feeling has not changed. In Longyan, Fujian, the site of the Gutian Conference shines brightly, the total output value of the forest-under-canopy economy in the whole city reaches 27.575 billion yuan, and industrial development benefits 180,000 forest farmers. In Nanhu, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, the red boat remains as before; Sanxing Village drives regional collective prosperity through party building interconnection, the ratio of urban to rural resident income has narrowed to 1.48:1, and rural resident income has maintained the first place in Zhejiang Province for 22 consecutive years...

Looking at the whole country again, common prosperity is being steadily promoted. In the past 5 years, China's per capita disposable income of residents grew from 35,128 yuan to 43,377 yuan, the ratio of per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents narrowed to 2.31, and in 2025, the per capita consumption expenditure of national residents was 29,476 yuan, an increase of 4.4% over the previous year. The livelihood security net is being woven more and more densely. As of the end of 2025, the participation rates of basic old-age insurance and basic medical insurance were both above 95%, and the number of participants in unemployment insurance and work injury insurance reached 249 million and 305 million respectively... the achievements of development are solidly transformed into the sense of gain of the common people.

All of these are inseparable from the "real gold and silver" investment in people's livelihoods. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, fiscal investment in the field of people's livelihoods was nearly 100 trillion yuan, with more than 240,000 old urban residential communities renovated, elderly care institutions and facilities reaching 396,000, and childcare service institutions increasing by 66,000...

The country is the people, and the people are the country. Through 105 years of wind and rain, from Shikumen to Tiananmen, from a single red boat to a towering great ship, the original aspiration of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation while carrying out the revolution, conducting construction, and grasping reform has never changed.

Creating benefits for the people is the greatest political achievement. On the new journey, the vast number of Party members and cadres must consciously establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, practice the original aspiration and mission, guarantee and improve people's livelihoods in the promotion of high-quality development, make the "color" of the people's happy lives fuller and warmer, and fight unremittingly for the great undertaking of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

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National fitness for health and joy

During the summer vacation, the masses in various places actively participate in rich and diverse fitness activities, happily enjoying health.

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July Manufacturing PMI at 49.2%

Beijing, August 1 (Reporter Ouyang Jie (欧阳洁)) The China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for July, released by the Service Industry Survey Center of the National Bureau of Statistics (国家统计局服务业调查中心) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (中国物流与采购联合会), stood at 49.2%, down 1.1 percentage points from the previous month. Looking at historical data, in most years, the July manufacturing PMI has experienced a month-on-month decline due to seasonal factors such as high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and typhoons. In July this year, China generally faced high-temperature weather, and many regions were affected by extreme weather, causing manufacturing operations to slow down compared with the previous month, with enterprise production activities stabilizing but slightly slowing.

In July, the new growth drivers of China's manufacturing sector still maintained a relatively good expansion trend. The high-tech manufacturing PMI was 53.3%, of which the production index was flat month-on-month, operating stably above 54%, and the new orders index remained above 53%.

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"Blue Roofs" Light Up Pakistan's Green Future

By: 本报记者 赵益普

From the skies above Pakistan's Islamabad, Lahore, and other cities, one can see a distinctive sight — blue solar panels covering roofs of buildings of varying heights. Since Pakistan launched its renewable energy promotion program in 2017, Chinese photovoltaic products have quietly reshaped the local energy landscape, aiding economic development and improvements in people's livelihoods.

Villages that once suffered frequent power outages now have a stable electricity supply. In many parts of Pakistan, particularly in rural areas where power supply is rather unstable, it is common to see wedding vehicles carrying solar panels on the road. These solar panels are decorated with red cloth and bouquets. Local residents told reporters that these are the bride's dowry, and the widely popular Chinese solar panels have become the locally aesthetic and practical "standard wedding accessory." The newlywed couple Raza and Mariam have added a refrigerator, washing machine, electric water pump, and other appliances to their home. To meet their daily electricity needs, they invested in a rooftop "sunshine bank," purchasing 15 solar panels with a power rating of 585 watts each, capable of generating approximately 8 kilowatt-hours per hour, significantly reducing their electricity costs.

Data from the International Energy Agency shows that Pakistan has a population of over 240 million, yet more than 40 million people still lack access to stable electricity supply. Over the past decade, the Pakistani government has actively promoted solar power generation nationwide, with notable results. According to a report by the mainstream local media The News International, more than 7.3 million households in Pakistan have installed solar power systems. In villages in southern Punjab province and northern Sindh province, nearly 50% of rural households have installed solar panels from China. Tala, general manager of the Pakistani photovoltaic company Dort Energy, told reporters that the company sells about 200,000 Chinese solar panels each year.

Thanks to Chinese photovoltaic products, villages that once experienced frequent power outages now have a stable electricity supply. A report from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics shows that during the summer peak electricity consumption period in 2025, photovoltaic power generation exceeded thermal power generation for the first time.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, many villagers assemble solar panels into complete solar power generation and storage systems, meeting not only daily electricity needs but also supporting electricity for agricultural production links such as irrigation, greenhouses, drying, and cold chains. Hasbi, a farmer in Zangbat Village (占巴特村) in the province, told reporters that his farm purchased and installed a complete set of Chinese solar panels, estimated to last 20 years. "Chinese-made solar panels are affordable and of reliable quality. The power generation and storage fully meet household needs."

The growth rate of solar power generation in Pakistan exceeds three times the global average, continuously supporting the energy transition. Data from Reuters UK shows that as of June 2025, the growth rate of solar power generation in Pakistan exceeded three times the global average. The News International commented that photovoltaic power generation is no longer a niche energy choice in Pakistan but is becoming an important part of the energy structure. In this regard, the British magazine The Economist commented, "Pakistan is becoming one of the most unexpected clean energy transition success stories in a decade."

A shop in the F7 Market in Islamabad city center installed 34 Chinese-made solar panels in May last year. It uses solar power during the day and public electricity at night, saving over 100,000 Pakistani rupees (1 US dollar equals approximately 278 Pakistani rupees) in electricity bills each month. "During the peak summer electricity consumption period this year, we added another 15 Chinese solar panels. This not only reduces the impact of power outages on business but also further lowers electricity costs," said Sikandar, the shop manager.

The rapid popularization of photovoltaic power generation in Pakistan is inseparable from Chinese photovoltaic products. Some Pakistani media pointed out that from 2022 to 2024, the total installed capacity of photovoltaic modules imported by Pakistan from China increased fivefold, reaching 16,600 megawatts, and the growth trend continued into 2025, making Pakistan one of the fastest-growing markets for photovoltaic demand globally. Khurram Lalani, founder of the Pakistani energy consulting firm Resources Future, said that without China's technology and products, Pakistan could not have achieved such rapid popularization of photovoltaic power generation, and the energy transition process would have been greatly affected.

Chinese solar panels are also widely used in Pakistan's industrial electricity sector. According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, thanks to the increasingly mature local solar power generation infrastructure, a large number of textile, garment manufacturing, building materials, and other companies have introduced Chinese solar power systems. "Photovoltaic power generation is gradually influencing Pakistan's industrial electricity landscape."

Clean energy is the direction of future development, and Chinese photovoltaic products have made indelible contributions. Pakistan's The Express Tribune cited a report stating that since 2018, photovoltaic power generation in Pakistan has helped the country save approximately 12 billion US dollars in fuel import costs. At current market prices, the use of photovoltaic products this year is expected to help the country save approximately 6.3 billion US dollars.

Atif Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, believes that clean energy is the future direction of Pakistan's energy development, and Chinese photovoltaic products have made indelible contributions.

Hassan Daud, Director of the Regional Research Center for the Belt and Road and Global Governance at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Pakistan, told reporters that solar panels from China have lit up Pakistan. "Chinese photovoltaic modules not only facilitate the daily lives of Pakistani people and reduce household electricity expenses but also greatly alleviate public electricity pressure, bringing profound changes to Pakistan's economic and social development."

Mahmood Ul Hassan Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Knowledge and Public Policy Center, said that in recent years, China's exports of solar panels, electric vehicles, and lithium batteries have grown steadily. Countries adopting these technologies are not only purchasing products but also enhancing long-term development stability, affordability, and the ability to withstand fluctuations in the fossil fuel market. China's renewable energy supply chain is gradually becoming an important force supporting global economic growth and sustainable development.

Daud said that more and more Chinese enterprises are cooperating with Pakistani enterprises to achieve localized production of photovoltaic modules in Pakistan, which will drive Pakistan to establish and improve the solar power generation industry, inject new vitality into economic and social development, and the future of Pakistan-China cooperation in the new energy field is promising.

(This newspaper's Islamabad dispatch)

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Belt and Road cooperation between Sri Lanka and China continues to improve and upgrade (International Forum)

By: 玛雅·马朱兰

The cooperation between the two countries has paved a development picture of long-term win-win cooperation, woven a close bond of friendly ties of people-to-people connectivity and shared future, and provided useful reference for Global South countries to join hands in moving toward modernization and achieving common development.

After the publication of the series of works Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in Sri Lanka, they have attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society and become an important window for Sri Lanka to understand China's development philosophy and learn from China's experience in governance. Recently, a China-Sri Lanka readers' meeting for the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was held in Colombo. The book is rich in content, systematically expounding the theoretical connotations and practical essentials of high-quality Belt and Road (一带一路) cooperation, forming a logically rigorous and content-rich theoretical framework, and profoundly revealing the internal logic by which the Belt and Road Initiative has won broad recognition from the international community.

Belt and Road cooperation has always respected the development conditions of each country, precisely aligned with the development strategies of each country, taken connectivity as the main line to consolidate the foundation of cooperation, relied on pragmatic infrastructure cooperation to foster long-term development momentum, and focused on solving the problem of imbalanced global development, so that the fruits of modernization can better benefit the people of all countries. This development logic has been fully validated in Sri Lanka. For a long time, constrained by factors such as funding shortages and insufficient construction capacity, Sri Lanka's infrastructure construction has lagged behind. As one of the first countries to respond to and participate in Belt and Road cooperation, Sri Lanka's cooperation with China has continued to deepen and solidify. A number of flagship projects, such as the Colombo Port City, the Hambantota Port, and the Southern Expressway Extension, have been successively implemented, improving the local infrastructure network, enhancing regional connectivity, and effectively expanding the space for Sri Lanka's economic growth. These projects are not expedient measures pursuing short-term gains, but rather strategic layouts based on long-term considerations, whose potential value will be continuously released as local industrial upgrading, trade growth, and capital agglomeration proceed.

High-quality Belt and Road cooperation adheres to a systems approach, both promoting "hard connectivity" in infrastructure fields such as transport, energy, and water conservancy, and continuously deepening "soft connectivity" in areas such as rules and standards, industrial coordination, talent exchange, and people's livelihoods, promoting the coordinated and integrated advancement of hard and soft connectivity. Practice has fully proven that only when infrastructure construction is deeply integrated with factors such as enhanced governance efficiency, policy and mechanism coordination, participation of business entities, and accumulation of human capital can it release an inexhaustible source of endogenous development momentum and cultivate sustainable development capabilities. This is also an important development revelation that high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has brought to Sri Lanka: the value of cooperation is not only reflected in the implementation of a number of physical engineering projects, but also lies in laying a solid foundation for the local economic transformation and upgrading, helping Sri Lanka build a modern economy with smoother connectivity, stronger industrial competitiveness, and more solid economic resilience.

Looking at the world, this development philosophy of being long-term oriented, pragmatic, and win-win is in line with the common aspirations of the vast number of developing countries. Currently, many developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions still have obvious shortcomings in the fields of transport, energy, water conservancy, and digital infrastructure. High-quality Belt and Road cooperation provides these countries with long-term stable financing support, mature engineering experience, and advanced technical support, helping them break through development bottlenecks and cultivate independent and sustainable development capabilities. It is precisely this pragmatic and long-term cooperation that has enabled the Belt and Road Initiative to transcend geographical barriers and attract more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations to join hands in building it together.

Currently, Sri Lanka-China Belt and Road cooperation continues to upgrade in quality and level. A number of "small and beautiful" livelihood projects, such as agricultural irrigation and domestic water supply, have been implemented and delivered results, benefiting hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans and effectively improving the production and living conditions of the people. Digital economy cooperation has been continuously deepened, with precise efforts in smart cities, e-government, and digital infrastructure construction, providing strong support for the development of Sri Lanka's digital economy. The cooperation between the two countries has paved a development picture of long-term win-win cooperation, woven a close bond of friendly ties of people-to-people connectivity and shared future, and provided useful reference for Global South countries to join hands in moving toward modernization and achieving common development.

(The author is co-founder of the Sri Lanka Belt and Road Organization)

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"CPC Sets a Model for Political Party Development"

By: 本报记者 黄炜鑫

"The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to achieve 举世瞩目 (jǔ shì zhǔ mù - "the whole world's attention," attracting worldwide attention) accomplishments, and its successful experience is worth learning from for Kenyan political parties." Omar, Secretary-General of Kenya's ruling party, the United Democratic Alliance, recently said in an interview with our reporter that the Communist Party of China's successful experience in enhancing organizational capacity, formulating development plans, and practicing whole-process people's democracy has provided useful reference for the United Democratic Alliance.

Earlier this year, Omar led a senior cadres delegation of Kenya's United Democratic Alliance on a visit to China. The delegation visited Zhejiang Province, going to Xiaogucheng Village in Jingshan Town, Yuhang District, and Tangqi Village in Tangqi Town, Linping District, Hangzhou, where they observed beautiful rural construction and village residents' meetings, gaining an in-depth understanding of how, under the guidance of the "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project (千万工程), the villages had transformed their appearance and increased collective income; they visited the "Meet Hangzhou's Six Little Dragons Life Exhibition Hall" (遇见杭州六小龙生活展示馆), closely observing scientific and technological innovation achievements and their application practices; they attended courses tailored by the Zhejiang Provincial Party School (浙江省委党校) for senior cadres of Kenya's ruling party, systematically learning about the intellectual lineage of China's development... Among these, exchanges with China's most grassroots village-level Party organizations, examining their organizational structure, decision-making mechanisms, responsiveness to the masses' demands, and public participation, led Omar to exclaim: "China has an extraordinary governance system." He said that the Communist Party of China anchors clear national development goals, widely mobilizes forces and resources from all sectors of society, and ensures that development plans are implemented at the most grassroots level.

"The Communist Party of China adheres to a people-centered approach, actively responds to the people's demands, and while seeking happiness for the Chinese people, it also contributes Chinese wisdom to the cause of global peace and development," Omar said. "The Communist Party of China has set a model for political party development — if a political party wants to achieve substantial development, it must have a clear vision, a strong leading team, and grassroots organizations with strong execution capability. The United Democratic Alliance is vigorously strengthening grassroots construction, consolidating forces to accomplish set goals."

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. "Africa-China relations have always been based on mutual respect and shared prosperity," Omar said. High-quality Belt and Road cooperation promotes global connectivity, facilitates trade and people-to-people exchanges, and is conducive to achieving shared prosperity. Africa-China cooperation is committed to building interconnected infrastructure and achieving diversified and win-win trade exchanges. Taking the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway (蒙内铁路) as an example, it integrates market resources, facilitates people-to-people movement, and drives manufacturing development — it is a true portrayal of the friendly cooperative relations between Africa and China.

Omar believes that China's implementation of zero-tariff measures for all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations is of great significance. "This opens up a huge market of more than 1.4 billion consumers for Africa, will vigorously promote Africa-China trade, and provides enormous development opportunities for African countries, including Kenya."

"Kenya and China are important cooperation partners," Omar said. In recent years, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries have become increasingly close. More and more Chinese tourists travel to Kenya, and more and more Kenyan students and representatives from various sectors come to China for training and study, laying a solid foundation for enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries and promoting people-to-people bonds. The two sides have achieved a series of cooperative results in areas such as energy, infrastructure, and new energy vehicles. He looks forward to exploring more possibilities for cooperation with the Chinese side in fields such as space exploration in the future, further enriching the connotation of bilateral relations.

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"Infusing Lasting Momentum into Urban Green Development" (China-Kyrgyzstan Media Joint Interview on High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation)

By: 本报记者 崔 琦 曲 颂

On August 1, the China–Kyrgyzstan joint interview on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation was launched in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Nearly 20 journalists from Chinese and Kyrgyz media walked into the Bishkek municipal waste treatment and power generation project, observing up close the whole process of harmless domestic waste treatment and resource-based power generation, and experiencing the vivid practice of China–Kyrgyzstan green cooperation benefiting people’s livelihoods.

The plant area is surrounded by greenery and is clean and tidy. In the operation room, huge grab cranes firmly seize truckloads of urban domestic waste and drop them into a high-temperature incinerator at around 1,000 degrees Celsius. The steam generated by incineration drives a pure condensing steam turbine to produce electricity, realizing a resource cycle of turning waste into treasure — 变废为宝 (biàn fèi wéi bǎo - “turn waste into treasure,” to convert useless things into valuable ones).

This project is invested and built by Junxin Environmental Protection (Kyrgyzstan) Investment Co., Ltd. (军信环保（吉尔吉斯）投资有限公司), a subsidiary of Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. (湖南军信环保股份有限公司). At present, Phase I of the project has been put into operation, and the foundation for Phase II has been formally laid. After the entire project is fully operational, the total daily waste treatment capacity will reach 3,000 tons, and it can supply about 480 million kWh of green electricity annually, making it the largest domestic waste incineration power generation project in Central Asia.

Aktan (阿克坦), a central control patrol inspector in the company’s operations department, said that in the past, domestic waste in Bishkek was mainly disposed of by landfill. The landfill areas were nearing capacity, and accumulated biogas inside easily triggered fires. After this project came into use, newly generated domestic waste in Bishkek is directly transported to the plant area for closed-loop treatment. Many nearby residents have made special trips to visit the plant. “Here I learned advanced and environmentally friendly power generation technology. In the future, I hope to study Chinese well and go to China to learn more experience,” Aktan said.

Klara Kudaibergenova (克拉拉·库达伊别列根诺娃), a journalist from Kyrgyzstan National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation, visited the project site for the first time and was deeply impressed. She said that waste treatment, power supply, and other issues are the most concerning livelihood pain points for local people. “This project both efficiently treats urban waste and improves air quality, while continuously outputting green electricity. Chinese enterprises have helped us solve two major livelihood problems at once, injecting lasting momentum into the city’s green development,” she said.

This joint interview is the first time Chinese and Kyrgyz media have conducted a joint interview on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In the coming days, journalists from People’s Daily and Kyrgyz media including Banner (Qizhi Bao), Kyrgyzstan Opinion (Yanlun Bao), Kyrgyzstan National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation, and Kabar National News Agency of Kyrgyzstan will visit key cooperation projects in energy, agriculture, transportation, archaeology, and other fields, jointly telling the story of high-quality China–Kyrgyzstan Belt and Road cooperation and contributing media力量 to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in the new era and building a closer China–Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.

(People’s Daily, Bishkek, August 1)

Layout design: Wang Zheping (汪哲平)

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China Holds Briefing at UN on 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on AI Global Governance

People's Daily, Washington, August 1 (Reporter Li Zhiwei (李志伟)) United Nations news: The Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations held a briefing on July 31 at United Nations Headquarters for the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (2026世界人工智能大会) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance (人工智能全球治理高级别会议).

Fu Cong (傅聪), Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, stated that President Xi Jinping, at the opening ceremony of the conference, systematically and comprehensively put forward China's proposal around the global AI governance system, the concepts of people-centeredness and progress toward goodness (向上向善), helping the Global South narrow the intelligence gap, establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (世界人工智能合作组织), and supporting the United Nations global AI governance process, making important contributions to global AI governance. China will uphold the concepts of open source and openness, win-win cooperation, extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and on the broad platform of the United Nations, discuss and plan together with all parties major issues concerning the future global governance of AI.

United Nations Envoy on Digital and Emerging Technologies Gill stated that the World Artificial Intelligence Conference has landmark significance, and expressed the hope that the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization will closely interface and cooperate with the United Nations. Song Haitao (宋海涛), a member of the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, shared his impressions of participating in the conference.

On July 16, 29 countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (关于成立世界人工智能合作组织的协定), becoming founding member states. This marks important interim progress in China's initiative to promote the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.

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China-Russia Subcommittee on Media Cooperation Under Committee on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges Holds Meeting

Moscow, August 1 (People's Daily correspondent Sui Xin). On July 31, the 19th meeting of the Media Cooperation Subcommittee of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation was held in Moscow. He Biao, deputy director of China's National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局), and Cherkosova, deputy minister of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, attended the meeting and delivered keynote speeches. More than 50 representatives from the competent government departments, mainstream media, and industry institutions of the two countries attended the meeting.

The meeting held that over the past year, China-Russia media cooperation continued to improve quality and increase efficiency, actively implemented the consensus of the two heads of state, centered on major themed activities such as the China-Russia Culture Year and the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, efficiently coordinated news reporting and content cooperation, continuously promoted the mutual broadcasting of outstanding audiovisual works, actively carried out brand exchange activities, witnessed vigorous development of cooperation in the new media field, achieved notable results in book mutual translation and publication, continuously consolidated the public foundation of friendship between the two countries, and facilitated the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

During the meeting, representatives of the two countries conducted in-depth exchanges on topics including policy communication, industry governance, content cooperation, technical exchange, and personnel exchanges, and reached broad consensus. The meeting decided to continuously improve the media cooperation mechanism between the two countries, establish special working groups on content, technology, and other matters, and, centering on themes such as the China-Russia Education Year, promote the implementation of key cooperation projects in the fields of news reporting, joint interviews, cooperative production, youth exchanges, technology application, and book publishing.

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Effectively Protect the Safety of People's Lives and Property (In-depth Reading)

By: 本报记者 刘温馨

Work safety is a major matter of people's livelihood, bearing on the well-being of the people and on the overall situation of economic and social development; not the slightest slack can be allowed.

Since the beginning of this year, multiple major production safety accidents have occurred domestically. All localities and relevant departments have deeply absorbed the lessons, conducted thorough investigation and rectification of various risks and hidden dangers, and grasped and refined the implementation of safety production measures, so as to effectively protect the safety of people's lives and property.

Compacting principal responsibility, enterprises strengthen self-inspection and self-correction

Entering Zhejiang Jinhua Yongkang City Liwushe Technology Co., Ltd., equipment operates in an orderly manner, materials are partitioned clearly, and workers operate methodically.

"In the past, operating a single-switch hydraulic press required pressing a button with one hand while placing material with the other; employees reported a risk of hand crush injuries," said the company's general manager Ying Changbin. After discovering the hidden danger, the company updated all old equipment and added an infrared monitoring system. Now, as long as a hand reaches into the work area, the hydraulic press emergency stops.

As a small and micro enterprise in traditional stamping equipment, Liwushe adheres to using "low-cost small technical improvements" to eliminate "major on-site safety hazards." QR codes are posted at workshop entrances, elevator doors, and other locations, and suggestion boxes are set up to facilitate employees reporting safety hazards at any time.

Manual grinding machine blades easily chip and fly out, injuring eyes; after replacing with automatic equipment, not only can accidents be avoided, but operating efficiency also increases by 150%. The wires of floor-standing fans in the workshop were repeatedly crushed by tow trucks, causing cracks and exposure; after rectification, all fans were mounted on walls to ensure electrical safety. Sharp materials stored uncovered easily caused scratches; the company changed to wrapping materials with winding film... "Since 2024, the company has invested a total of more than 1 million yuan in on-site hazard rectification, and has had no safety accidents for two and a half consecutive years," said Ying Changbin.

Compacting the principal responsibility of enterprises, urging the principal persons in charge of enterprises to put the concept of safety production into action, motivating employees to promptly discover and report various safety hazards, and promoting a full-staff, full-process, full-coverage effort to build a solid safety production defense line.

In February this year, an employee of a petrochemical company in Hunan Province discovered a large amount of hydrogen peroxide leaking from the gasket of a safety valve flange during a patrol inspection. The company activated its emergency plan, stopped the pump, and replaced the flange gasket. Because the discovery and handling were timely, a possible explosion accident caused by a large hydrogen peroxide leak was avoided.

In March this year, during a boiler "four-tube" anti-wear and anti-explosion inspection at a thermal power plant in Hubei Province, the boiler team discovered that when the sealing plate of the low-temperature superheater's bypass tube at the manhole door was installed, it had been welded on both sides with adjacent pipes. The team immediately organized grinding and polishing of the sealing plate locally, eliminating the hazard of pipe rupture due to restricted expansion.

In June this year, Jiangsu Province urged enterprises to carry out an action for all staff to find risks and hazards, reporting a total of more than 400,000 items of hazards, and issuing rewards of more than 36 million yuan.

"In 2025, we conducted special training for more than 50,000 principal persons in charge and supervisory personnel of metal smelting and tourism-related enterprises, strengthening the awareness of the safety red line," said a responsible person from the Department of Comprehensive Coordination of Work Safety of the Ministry of Emergency Management (应急管理部安全生产综合协调司). Regarding newly recruited employees, transferred employees, and special operations personnel, all regions are urged to study and apply the criteria for determining major accident hazards, further improve the reward mechanism for reporting accident hazards, and stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of enterprises to self-inspect and self-correct major hazards, thereby enhancing the intrinsic safety level.

Strengthening supervision and law enforcement, seriously investigating and punishing violations and illegal acts

"The approved safety facility design was for 180 new workshops, but you built 207; the total warehouse area exceeds nearly 500 square meters." At the construction site of a fireworks production enterprise project in Wanzai County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, Guo Yeming, section chief of the Fireworks Safety Supervision Section of the Municipal Emergency Management Bureau, was conducting a permit verification inspection.

The fireworks production enterprise's failure to carry out renovations and expansions in accordance with approvals violates the provisions of Article 98, paragraph 3 of the Work Safety Law, which may lead to hidden dangers such as cross-operation of workshop processes and insufficient internal and external safety distances. The relevant department immediately ordered the enterprise to stop construction and imposed a fine of 125,000 yuan.

Simultaneously storing bulk sulfur and potassium nitrate, storing some semi-finished products in the finished product warehouse, failing to clear the firebreak zone next to the material transfer workshop in a timely manner... During a law enforcement inspection of another fireworks manufacturing enterprise, law enforcement personnel found seven safety hazards.

"The mixing of sulfur and potassium nitrate is a typical explosive precursor. If subjected to friction, impact, or heat, it can easily cause combustion or explosion, constituting a major accident hazard. Not only a fine, but also a case must be filed for investigation and punishment," said Guo Yeming. In early May this year, Yichun City established four unannounced inspection teams, using the "four no's and two direct" (四不两直) method to carry out a special rectification of all fireworks production enterprises, wholesale enterprises, and retail stores in the city, ordering 22 enterprises to suspend production for rectification and filing 17 cases for punishment.

"Targeting illegal and irregular acts such as 'four excesses and two changes' (四超两改), since May, Jiangxi has inspected a total of 8,970 fireworks production and operation units, revoked or cancelled 144 licenses, filed 18 cases for administrative-criminal convergence, detained 222 people, and seized 8,517 boxes of over-standard and prohibited products," said a relevant responsible person from the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management.

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has carried out a comprehensive inventory and rectification of coal mining and excavation projects across the entire region, severely cracking down on concealed working faces and the use of "real" and "fake" two sets of drawings to commit fraud and deliberately evade supervision. Chongqing has carried out an in-depth, city-wide major investigation, thorough inventory, and comprehensive rectification of safety production risks and hazards, strictly applying measures such as time-limited rectification and supervisory listing for discovered major accident hazards to ensure closed-loop rectification. Shandong Province, in conjunction with rectification actions for outsourced construction, high-altitude operations, confined spaces, etc., has conducted on-site verification of enterprises' actual safety production conditions against the criteria for determining major accident hazards... Strengthening full-chain, penetrating safety supervision and governance in key industries and fields, all localities and departments adhere to a problem-oriented approach and bottom-line thinking, continuously improving the professionalism and penetration of supervision.

"Since the beginning of this year, safety accidents have occurred frequently and repeatedly in some localities and industries. From the accident investigation perspective, prominent issues such as illegal and irregular acts in safety production and fraud are the main causes of accidents," said a responsible person from the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee. Recently, the Central Work Safety Assessment and Inspection is carrying out second and third quarter unannounced inspections and secret visits, explicitly stating that responsibility will be traced back for typical major accident hazards, and after verification, serious accountability and punishment will be pursued.

Currently, the work of "cracking down on illegal and irregular activities" (打非治违) in key industries such as mining, chemicals, fire protection, and industry and trade is being carried out in depth. A responsible person from the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee stated that tough measures such as "one case, double punishment" (一案双罚), administrative-criminal convergence (行刑衔接), and administrative-discipline convergence (行纪衔接) will be used to truly achieve "accountability for one case, warning for an entire region, deterrence for a whole area," accelerating the transformation of the safety production governance model towards pre-event prevention.

Popularizing emergency knowledge, enhancing the safety literacy of the entire population

"Auntie, your power strip here has three high-power appliances plugged in; the wires are getting hot. Let us help you replace it with a new socket. You can't use it like this anymore." On July 14, in an old residential building in Jiefang Road Community, Cangxi County, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, grid worker He Min was replacing a hazardous socket while patiently explaining to the resident.

Since the start of the dog days, Guangyuan City has experienced sustained high temperatures. High-power appliances such as air conditioners and fans in residents' homes operate under high load for long periods, sharply increasing the risk of electrical fires. The municipal emergency management, fire protection, and other departments, together with party members and cadres, community grid workers, resident representatives, and professional technical forces from the power and gas sectors, formed mixed household-visit teams, focusing on inspecting hazards such as blocked fire escapes, illegal charging of electric vehicles, aging gas hoses, and risks of falling objects from heights, and provided hands-on guidance for rectification.

"We follow the principle of 'not missing a single building, not leaving out a single household,' carrying out large-scale 'door-knocking campaigns' (敲门行动) in key places such as old residential communities and street-side shops, visiting twenty to thirty households every night," said He Min.

In recent days, the emergency management, fire protection, education, civil affairs, and other departments of Sichuan Province have entered schools, elderly care institutions, and large shopping malls, facing teachers, students, the elderly, and merchants to explain practical skills such as identifying fire hazards, key points for escape and survival, and initial fire handling, turning illegal cases into immersive safety classrooms. "Since the beginning of this year, no major fires, stampedes, or other safety accidents have occurred in key places across the province, and the overall safety situation is stable," said a relevant responsible person from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Emergency Management.

Anhui television programs focus on crowded places, inviting experts to analyze risks in real scenarios and popularize hazard identification and self-rescue skills. Hainan has carried out special publicity on ship anti-capsizing and other topics for important free trade port industries such as hazardous chemicals, maritime transportation, and fishing vessels. Hebei has held online "Public Safety Open Classes" to publicize the criteria for determining major accident hazards, with more than 20,000 people participating in the study. Yunnan has carried out the "Three Deliveries to the Countryside" activity featuring emergency science popularization vehicles, allowing the public to acquire practical knowledge through fun experiences... Focusing on grassroots units such as communities, schools, rural areas, and families, all localities and departments spread safety knowledge to the fields and to every household, enhancing the safety awareness and emergency response capabilities of the entire society.

Only when everyone becomes a "knowledgeable person" in emergency response can a "firewall" for jointly protecting safety and jointly guarding peace be built. "In June this year, the 'National Emergency Management Science Popularization Database' was officially launched online, covering emergency knowledge popularization and risk avoidance skills guidance for various scenarios," said a relevant responsible person from the Ministry of Emergency Management. In the coming period, efforts will be made to strengthen resource integration and the construction of publicity and education positions, promote the thorough and practical advancement of safety production publicity and education, and let the safety awareness of the entire population take root, sprout, and grow.

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Shanghai steadily builds itself into a global hub for scientific and technological innovation (Vibrant China Research Tour)

By: 本报记者 李仕权 徐雷鹏 黄晓慧

In the height of summer, a wave of scientific and technological innovation surges in Shanghai.

A grand event, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance, saw 351 products make their global debut;

A major scientific facility, the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (上海光源) saw its open operation machine hours increase by 16% year-on-year in the first half of the year, with enterprise user machine hours growing by 44.2%;

An enterprise in general-purpose embodied intelligent robotics, Zhiyuan Robot (智元机器人) saw over 15,000 units roll off the production line, taking less than three months from the ten-thousand-unit mass production milestone;

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In April 2026, at a symposium on strengthening basic research held in Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must strengthen basic research with greater force and more concrete measures, enhance our country's capacity for original innovation, and further consolidate the foundation for building a strong nation in science and technology.

In April 2025, during an inspection tour in Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must continuously enhance the function of originating scientific and technological innovation and the function of leading high-end industries, and accelerate the building of a globally influential highland of scientific and technological innovation.

Following the direction charted by the General Secretary, Shanghai has strengthened its sense of responsibility to “dare to act”, forged its ability to “be good at acting”, and gathered the joint force to “act together”. Basic research has blossomed in multiple areas, the transformation of achievements has been accelerated, and industrial collaboration has released multiplier effects. The construction of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Center for Science and Technology Innovation has advanced 蹄疾步稳 (tí jí bù wěn – “hooves swift, steps steady,” steady and fast progress).

Dare to Act: Enhance the driving force of original innovation

Basic research is the “first kilometer” of scientific and technological innovation, requiring large investment, long periods, and high risk. How to deal with it?

Shanghai is making concerted efforts to strengthen the sense of responsibility to “dare to act”, with the government providing a “safety net” and the system “breaking down walls”.

敢为人先 (gǎn wéi rén xiān – “dare to be the first among people,” to have the courage to lead) — piloting and testing, optimizing mechanisms, to solidify the foundation of basic research.

They took the lead in establishing a “Basic Research Pilot Zone” (基础研究先行区), selecting young researchers who bravely venture into “uncharted territory”, and providing long-term stable funding;

established the Shangsi Institute of Natural Sciences (尚思自然科学研究院), implemented a “topic-based personnel selection mechanism”, and focused on supporting high-risk, high-value exploratory research;

revised the Shanghai Municipal Regulations on the Advancement of Science and Technology (上海市科学技术进步条例), with a dedicated chapter on “basic research”, specifying that the proportion of municipal fiscal science and technology innovation funds used for basic research shall in principle be no less than one-third...

“This city of Shanghai is very willing to provide full support for high-risk, long-cycle original exploration,” said Zhang Jie (张杰), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (李政道研究所).

敢作敢干 (gǎn zuò gǎn gàn – “dare to do and dare to carry out,” bold in action) — giving funding, giving time, giving trust, to strengthen the confidence of scientific researchers.

High-risk non-consensus projects have stable guarantees. The new personnel selection mechanism enabled Liu Cong (刘聪), a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院生物与化学交叉研究中心), to become one of the first batch of funded Shangsi Exploration Scholars. He has led his team in in-depth research on α-synuclein for many years, and in collaboration with the team of Yu Jintai (郁金泰) at Huashan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University (复旦大学附属华山医院), they discovered for the first time globally a new target for Parkinson’s disease, FAM171A2.

Long-cycle exploration has an inclusive ecosystem. The Tsung-Dao Lee Institute fosters an academic environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, focusing on “the origin and evolution of matter under extreme universe conditions”. It has deployed major scientific facilities such as the PandaX dark matter and neutrino detection facility in Jinping, Sichuan (四川锦屏), the “Hai Ling Project” neutrino telescope in the South China Sea (南海“海铃计划”), and the JUST spectral telescope in Lenghu, Qinghai (青海冷湖), forming a basic research network with Shanghai as the hub.

“Deepen the construction of the Basic Research Pilot Zone, improve the personnel selection mechanism, provide long-term stable funding, and support scientists in dedicating themselves to research. This is the confidence we bring to scientific researchers,” said Luo Dajin (骆大进), director of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (上海市科委).

This confidence is also reflected in the attitude toward failure — Shanghai pilots a fault-tolerance mechanism: if a project’s conclusion does not meet expectations, the reasons are explained and experience is summarized, without affecting subsequent applications. Tolerating failure requires more courage than rewarding success.

Give time to basic research, give space to original innovation, give a stage to top-notch talents — this is the footnote Shanghai has written for “from 0 to 1”.

Be Good at Acting: Enhance the ability to transform achievements

A theoretical breakthrough does not equal success in application. From paper to product is the “critical kilometer” of transforming scientific and technological achievements. How to solve common problems such as missing intermediate links and mismatch between supply and demand?

Shanghai is striving to forge the ability to “be good at acting”, fully leveraging the functions of “accelerators” and “incubators”.

Good at being an “accelerator” — vigorously building concept verification and pilot-scale verification platforms, sharing research resources, and promoting the verification and transformation of scientific and technological achievements.

In Zhangjiang Pharma Valley (张江药谷), pilot-scale platforms are busy in operation. Here, from basic research to small-scale testing, pilot testing, and then to product, new drug development advances 一日千里 (yī rì qiān lǐ – “one thousand li in a day,” rapid progress).

Mabwell Bioscience (迈威生物), rooted here, is both a beneficiary and a witness of this “accelerated sprint”. “Pilot testing is the necessary path for a drug to go from the laboratory to industrialization, and it is also the link most prone to bottlenecks,” said Li Gang (李纲), executive director of the Production Science and Technology Department of Mabwell Bioscience. The specialized service platforms in the region help original innovation move faster from the lab to the clinic and to the market.

Currently, Zhangjiang Pharma Valley has gathered over 4,000 biomedical innovation entities, 10 major scientific and technological infrastructure facilities, and over 200 specialized service platforms, forming an efficient and collaborative full-chain ecosystem.

Good at using “incubators” — making every effort to build high-quality incubators to assist the transformation and implementation of scientific and technological achievements.

Not far away, the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Incubator (张江高科895孵化器) focuses on key sub-sectors of integrated circuits such as smart computing chips and silicon photonic chips, forming a vertical incubation system, and has incubated over 1,600 innovative enterprises. Zhong Hansen (钟翰森), founder of Qisuan Guangqi (奇算光启), said: “From chip tape-out to packaging and testing, we can get assistance from neighboring enterprises.”

At the Brain Intelligence World · Brain-Computer Interface Science and Technology Innovation Transformation Center (脑智天地·脑机接口科创转化中心), going up and down the stairs is the upstream and downstream. Platform facilities such as concept verification, clinical transformation, and incubators are distributed on different floors, and the ecological chain of “technological breakthrough — industrial transformation — scenario implementation” has initially taken shape. Since its construction began at the end of June last year, more than 50 brain-computer interface enterprises have been registered and landed.

Shanghai is continuously improving the mutual promotion mechanism between basic research and achievement transformation. It has currently planned and built 20 high-quality concept verification platforms. Among the 19 high-quality incubators already built, 4 have been rated as excellent-level incubators by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部), accounting for one-third of the national total.

Act Together: Gather joint force for industrial development

The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs. It is difficult for a single locality or domain to build a complete system. How to better open up the “last kilometer” from product to industry?

Shanghai gathers the joint force to “act together”, fully implementing the decision and deployment of the Party Central Committee to expand the Shanghai International Center for Science and Technology Innovation to the Yangtze River Delta, moving from a single-city breakthrough to a new stage of regional collaboration.

Share innovation resources — Shanghai drives the Yangtze River Delta to 握指成拳 (wò zhǐ chéng quán – “clench fingers into a fist,” to unite forces), accelerating the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.

The cross-regional flow and sharing of scientific and technological achievements reached a new high. In 2025, the Yangtze River Delta had 46,800 technology contract transactions with a technology transaction value of 246.13 billion yuan, maintaining a rapid growth trend.

“Shanghai is further integrating regional innovation resources and industrial chain supporting capabilities, better playing a leading and exemplary role in promoting the collaborative development of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta,” said Hu Guanzi (胡关子), associate researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the China Academy of Macroeconomic Research (中国宏观经济研究院产业所).

Jointly build science and innovation industries — The Yangtze River Delta industrial map has already “grown” a pair of “wings of science and innovation”.

One wing is the G60 Science and Innovation Corridor (G60科创走廊), linking R&D, manufacturing, logistics, and service industry chains, connecting nine cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui;

The other wing is the Industrial Innovation Belt along Shanghai-Nanjing (沿沪宁产业创新带), integrating achievement display and industrial services, building four major platforms for talent, finance, government affairs, and going global.

Policy coordination, factor flow, and industrial complementarity — the Yangtze River Delta is moving from geographical “adjacency” to innovative “integration”.

“The good innovation environment and industrial collaboration in the Yangtze River Delta provide important support for enterprise development,” said Liu Yaoqi (刘垚圻), chairman and CEO of Zhongke Tiansuan (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (中科天算（上海）信息科技有限公司). The company has developed an onboard intelligent computer and is exploring the provision of on-orbit intelligent computing capabilities for satellite constellations.

From increasing investment in basic research to advanced layout of major scientific facilities, from independent cultivation of top talents to early moves in future industries, from Shanghai’s breakthrough first to the collaborative linkage of the Yangtze River Delta — Shanghai’s innovation vitality continues to burst forth, accelerating the transformation of the “key variable” of scientific and technological innovation into the “maximum increment” of high-quality development. “Anchoring the construction goal of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Center for Science and Technology Innovation, Shanghai is focused on improving the overall efficiency of the innovation system, and advancing education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation in an integrated manner,” said a relevant responsible comrade from the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Forging ahead in the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, Shanghai strengthens its mission and responsibility, dare to act, is good at acting, and acts together, steadily building a globally influential highland of scientific and technological innovation.

(This newspaper’s reporters Zhang Anyu (张安宇) and Wang Yinxin (王崟欣) contributed to this report.)

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Central disaster relief supplies of 11,000 units allocated jointly with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration

This newspaper, Beijing, August 1 (Reporters Deng Jianyang, Jiang Xuehong) The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red flash flood disaster meteorological warning at 18:00 on August 1. It is forecast that from 20:00 on August 1 to 20:00 on August 2, flash flood disasters are highly likely (orange warning) in parts of eastern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, and other areas, and in some localities the likelihood of flash flood disasters is very high (red warning). Other areas may also experience flash floods due to local short-duration heavy rainfall.

This newspaper, Beijing, August 1 (Reporter Deng Jianyang) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources: According to forecasts, on August 1 there will be heavy to torrential rain in eastern Northeast China, on August 2 light to moderate rain in southeastern Northeast China, and from August 3 to 7 moderate to heavy rain will continue in the central and northern parts of Northeast China; the Gan River, a tributary of the Songhua River and Nen River in Heilongjiang Province, may experience a numbered flood; the Jiamusi reach of the Songhua River mainstem and its tributary Tangwang River may experience an above-alert flood; some small and medium rivers within the rainstorm area may experience major floods. The Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV emergency response for flood defense for Heilongjiang Province at 13:00 on August 1.

From 08:00 on July 31 to 08:00 on August 1, heavy to torrential rain fell in parts of central and eastern Heilongjiang, central Sichuan, southeastern Gansu, central and southern Shaanxi, central Guangdong, southern Guangxi, northeastern Hainan, and other areas, and locally extremely heavy rain fell in Mianyang, Meishan, Leshan, Deyang in Sichuan, Harbin, Yichun, Qiqihar in Heilongjiang, and Fangchenggang in Guangxi. Nineteen rivers in Heilongjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing and other places experienced floods above the alert level, and the Mayi River in Heilongjiang Province experienced its second numbered flood of 2026.

On the morning of August 1, the Ministry of Water Resources organized a rolling consultation to analyze and assess the national rain, water, and flood situation. Based on the 24-hour rainfall forecast, the Ministry of Water Resources issued a “one-province-one-sheet” targeted warning to 16 provinces including Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai, notifying them of the list of counties (cities, districts) covered by heavy rainfall, the list of reservoirs, and the flash flood disaster risk areas and points, and reminding them to ensure safe flood season operation of reservoirs and check dams, and to defend against small and medium river floods and flash flood disasters.

The Ministry of Water Resources maintains a Level IV emergency response for flood defense for Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu; six working groups of the Ministry of Water Resources are at the front lines in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Guangdong, Gansu and other places assisting and guiding rainstorm and flood defense efforts.

This newspaper, Beijing, August 1 (Reporters Liu Wenxin, Wang Donghui) On August 1, the Office of the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management, in response to the recent rainstorm and flood disaster situation in Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places, sent working groups to the two provinces to inspect the disaster situation on the ground, and assist and guide local authorities in carrying out disaster relief work. In accordance with the needs of disaster area relief and rescue work, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, it allocated 11,000 pieces of central disaster relief materials, including blankets, bedding, and family emergency kits, to Jilin and Heilongjiang, to support the localities in properly carrying out the安置 (resettlement) and relief of affected people.

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Hong Kong Garrison Holds Reception to Mark 99th Founding Anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

Xinhua Hong Kong, Aug 1 (Reporter Xiao Yichen (肖逸晨)) — The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison (中国人民解放军驻香港部队) held a reception at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks (昂船洲军营) on Aug 1 to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong Zhou Ji (周霁), Commissioner of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong Dong Jingwei (董经纬), Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong Cui Jianchun (崔建春), and Political Commissar of the Hong Kong Garrison Lai Ruxin (赖如鑫) served as officiating guests.

At around 17:00, the reception officially began. All present rose and sang the PLA anthem.

In his speech, Lai Ruxin stated that this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March. Three stretches of 波澜壮阔 (bō lán zhuàng kuò - "waves surging and vast," magnificent and sweeping) history are tightly interwoven, linking together the people's army's 矢志不渝 (shǐ zhì bù yú - "vow unwavering," steadfast) journey of struggle.

Lai Ruxin stated that all officers and soldiers of the garrison firmly obey the Party's command, carry forward glorious traditions, concentrate on troop training and combat readiness, forge strong capabilities, strengthen defense capabilities, and are always ready to make new contributions to safeguarding Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.

In his speech, John Lee extended festive congratulations to the officers and soldiers of the Hong Kong Garrison and expressed gratitude for the garrison's strong support for the region's development over the years.

Subsequently, officers and soldiers of the Hong Kong Garrison presented meticulously created cultural and artistic performances for the guests.

Approximately 400 people attended the reception, including principal officials of the Hong Kong SAR government, heads of central government agencies stationed in Hong Kong, representatives of central government-invested enterprises stationed in Hong Kong, some Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representatives of patriotic and pro-Hong Kong organizations, veterans of the East River Column's Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Brigade (东江纵队港九独立大队) and representatives of their families, as well as other leaders of the Hong Kong Garrison and some representatives of officers and soldiers honored with awards and commendations.

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Comrade Wang Luolin Passes Away

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 30 -- Comrade Wang Luolin (王洛林), former Vice President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), at the level of a full minister (正部长级), passed away due to illness in Beijing on June 26, 2026, at the age of 88.

After Comrade Wang Luolin's passing, relevant leading comrades of the Central Committee expressed condolences in various ways and extended sympathy to his family members.

Wang Luolin was born in June 1938 in Huanggang (黄冈), Hubei Province. He began work in September 1960 and joined the Communist Party of China in October 1978. From September 1960 to January 1961, he served as an assistant teacher in the Department of Political Education at Gansu Normal University (甘肃师范大学). From January 1961 to August 1984, he successively served as assistant teacher, lecturer, associate professor, and deputy director in the Department of Economics at Xiamen University (厦门大学). From August 1984 to September 1989, he served as Vice President of Xiamen University, member of the Party Standing Committee, and associate professor in the Department of Economics. From September 1989 to July 1993, he served as Secretary of the Party Committee of Xiamen University, Vice President, and associate professor and professor in the Department of International Trade. From July 1993 to September 1998, he served as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and member of the Party Committee. From September 1998 to October 2004, he served as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group.

Wang Luolin was an alternate member of the 13th and 14th Central Committees of the Communist Party of China, a member of the 15th Central Committee, and an alternate member of the 16th Central Committee.

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Comrade Zhang Yutai Passes Away

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 31 — Comrade Zhang Yutai (张玉台), former director and party group member of the Development Research Center of the State Council (国务院发展研究中心), died of illness in Beijing on July 24, 2026, at the age of 80.

After Comrade Zhang Yutai passed away, relevant leading comrades of the Party Central Committee expressed condolences in various ways and extended sympathy to his family.

Zhang Yutai was born in August 1945 in Tancheng County, Shandong Province. He joined the work force in September 1968 and joined the Communist Party of China in November 1964. From January 1969 to March 1970, he underwent labor training at the Farm of the 40th Army of the Shenyang Military Region. From March 1970 onward, he successively served as a research intern at the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and as a division-level secretary and deputy director of the General Office of the State Science and Technology Commission (国家科委). From June 1988 onward, he served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, concurrently holding the positions of Director of the Office of the Joint Academic Divisions, and President and Editor-in-Chief of China Science Daily. From January 1995 onward, he served as Secretary of the Secretariat, Party Group Secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology (中国科学技术协会), and Party Group Member of the State Science and Technology Commission. From May 1996 to October 2004, he served as Vice Chairman, First Secretary of the Secretariat, and Party Group Secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology. From October 2004 to March 2011, he successively served as Party Group Secretary, Deputy Director; Director, Party Group Secretary; and Director, Party Group Member of the Development Research Center of the State Council. In November 2011, he concurrently served as Executive Deputy Director of the China Care for the Next Generation Committee (中国关心下一代工作委员会).

Zhang Yutai was a member of the 16th and 17th CPC Central Committees, a member of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress and a member of its Law Committee, a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Deputy Director of its Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Health, and Sports (教科文卫体委员会), and a member of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee and Director of its Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Health, and Sports.

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2026 World Dairy Industry Conference Opens in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

Hohhot, August 1 (Reporter Zhang Cheng (张枨)) On August 1, the 2026 World Dairy Industry Conference opened in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with nearly a thousand representatives including heads of international industry associations and leading enterprises in the global dairy industry chain attending.

Themed "Science and Technology Leading, Win-Win Cooperation, Jointly Building a Global Dairy Sustainable Ecosystem," this conference closely follows the trend of high-quality development of the global dairy industry, makes every effort to build an internationalized, specialized, market-oriented, and industrialized industry exchange and cooperation platform, and helps promote mutual resource connectivity, complementary advantages, and coordinated development of the global dairy industry.

At the opening ceremony, multiple important industry achievements were collectively released and several key industrial projects were launched: the Green Navigator Plan (绿色领航者计划), the White Paper on Breast Milk Scientific Research (母乳科学研究白皮书), and major scientific and technological achievements of the National Dairy Technology Innovation Center were officially released; the construction launch ceremonies for the China (Global) Dairy Digital Hub Center and the Global Dairy High-Quality Data Set Factory were held. At the same time, the International Food Science and Technology Alliance formally awarded Hohhot the plaque and trophy of "World Dairy Capital" (世界乳都).

During the conference, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (中国食品土畜进出口商会) will each hold industry forums, bringing together global industry experts and technical leaders of backbone enterprises in the industrial chain to carry out a series of activities such as cutting-edge technology discussions, industry standard exchanges, and precise industry-university-research matching, jointly exploring replicable and scalable new paths for high-quality development of the global dairy industry.

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Editors of Page 1: Yang Xu, Zhang Shuaizhen, Zhang Yujie; Editors of Page 2: Lin Lin, Qi Jiarun, He Biao; Editors of Page 3: Wu Gang, Zhou Zhou, Xie Jianing; Editors of Page 4: Yuan Zhenxi, Liu Jingwen, Zhang Xueyan

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Let Interest Connect to a Broader World (Youth Observation: Decoding Youth Cultural Trends)

By: 本报记者 吴储岐

Xiaohan (小含) posted a painting she had just completed on the internet and immediately received a long comment written by a stranger. The other person went from the character relationships to the plot twists, and then carefully analyzed the painting's expression in detail. The two had never met, yet the other person understood what she had tried to convey.
"That sincerity really didn't seem fake," Xiaohan said.
A painting, a musical, a favorite character — with the help of the internet, all of these can now become starting points for young people to establish connections. Some exchange feelings around common interests, some move from online discussions to offline meetings, and some create together and organize activities, turning from strangers into "fellow enthusiasts." Digital platforms have raised the efficiency of the dissemination and matching of interest information and, to a certain extent, are changing the path by which youth come to know each other.

Common Interests: Why Do They Become the "Shortcut Key" of Social Interaction?

In a record of watching performances, Xingxing (星星) wrote that, because she likes musicals, she has made some friends. The actors everyone follows are not exactly the same, yet they can arrange to watch shows together and discuss plots, and they also go from the stage to talking about study and life.

From theaters to shopping malls, from coffee shops to late-night eateries, Xingxing already knows the roads in that area so well that she does not need navigation. When someone came from another place, they would watch a performance and eat together; the exchange that originally began around one performance gradually extended to more everyday topics.

Xingxing once called musicals a "short-acting seasoning" in life. Beyond the pleasure brought by watching performances, she also pays attention to the time and rhythm she invests. For her, musicals are not a space sealed off from other life, but are interwoven with study, friend interaction, and urban experience.

The reason common interests can easily become the entry point of interaction is, first of all, that they provide concrete topics. Facing a person with whom one is 素不相识 (sù bù xiāng shí - "never previously acquainted," a complete stranger), it is not easy to directly narrate one's personal experience; talking about a painting, a melody, or a character is far more natural. Young people do not need to begin with cautious probing and polite pleasantries before they can quickly judge whether the two sides have a basis for continuing to communicate.

Ding Liting (丁莉婷), director of the Student Employment and Entrepreneurship Guidance Center at Renmin University of China, compared traditional social relations to the "social blind boxes" that young people receive. "Classmates, dormitory roommates, relatives, and colleagues are mostly brought by existing life scenarios; relationships built on the basis of interest have the more obvious characteristic of independent choice." She believes that, with the help of the internet, young people can actively seek out people with similar aesthetics and common topics, and can also decide the depth of their participation according to their own state.

When Xiaohan first posted her works online, her wish was not complicated. After finishing a painting, she hoped someone would understand it; after reading an exciting plot passage, she also wanted to find someone to discuss it. "Painting with my head down, collecting with my head down, buying with my head down — if no one understands, it is meaningless," she said.

When she accepted commissions, a client told her: "I really like your style, so I came to commission you." In Xiaohan's view, this is both a creative service and contains aesthetic recognition.

Penzi (盆子), a first-year college student, calls common interests "an ice-breaking stone" between people. In role-playing activities, recognizing the character the other person is presenting, or discovering that both know the same relatively obscure work, is often enough to open up a topic. "As we keep chatting, we get to talking about whether the courses are difficult, whether we are confident about exams, and what worries we have run into recently," Penzi said.

However, Penzi also found that common interests do not automatically generate stable relationships. He has known quite a few "fellow enthusiasts," but whether they can truly remain in long-term contact still depends on each other's personalities, values, and life rhythms.

Interests have raised the efficiency of encounters, but they have not changed the basic laws of interpersonal interaction. A common topic can open the door, but for a relationship to continue moving forward still depends on the respect, responsibility, and shared experience in getting along. "Relationships formed by interest and existing relationships such as classmates, colleagues, relatives, and friends do not replace each other; rather, they jointly constitute different parts of youth's social connections," said Wang Yongtao (汪永涛), associate research fellow at the China Youth Research Center (中国青少年研究中心).

"Interaction formed on the basis of interest has the characteristic of adjustable distance: young people can maintain relatively relaxed contact around a certain topic, and they may also share more life experience in sustained interaction." Ding Liting believes that, as the space for choice increases, how to identify reliable relationships and understand differences between people has also become content that youth need to learn.

A Hobby: How Does It Transform into a Growth Increment?

After she began accepting commissions, Xiaohan met new challenges.

Facing the needs raised by clients, she first has to understand what the other party hopes to express, transform the character relationships, plot, and style into a picture, and then listen to feedback and adjust details. Beyond composition, color schemes, and software tools, understanding needs and completing tasks as agreed has also become part of creation.

At first, Xiaohan posted her works online only hoping that someone could understand them. Later, through one creation and one round of feedback after another, Xiaohan gradually formed a personal style and became more accustomed to communicating with others and being responsible for her works. A hobby thereby extended from personal expression into a concrete task that has requirements, has feedback, and needs to be seriously completed.

Penzi's changes are more reflected in expression and interaction. Participating in role-playing activities requires knowing the character's traits, preparing costumes and makeup, presenting and communicating on site, and sometimes introducing one's ideas to people who do not understand the relevant works. "Mentally, I am more confident, I do not get stage fright, and I have more courage to show myself," Penzi said.

The positive influence brought by common interests cannot be measured only by the number of friends made. Digital platforms and offline activities have lowered the threshold for creation and collaboration; some young people have gradually moved from being viewers of cultural products to being creators and disseminators.

Ding Liting believes that the joint creation and collaboration carried out around interest is itself a part of social life. Expressing views, accepting feedback, cooperating with people of different personalities, and jointly advancing a task — these abilities, improved through hobbies, will act upon study, work, and public participation.

Interest sometimes also brings young people into deeper learning. In role-playing and costume display activities, ancient figures, traditional clothing, and opera images receive attention. In order to present characters more accurately, some people consult the historical background of the era, learning about the shapes and systems of garments and headwear, the implied meanings of patterns, and etiquette norms.

Sustained creative practice has also allowed Xiaohan to gradually see new possibilities for career development. Now she is interning at an enterprise for online literature and IP (intellectual property) development, drawing cultural derivative product patterns for relevant works.

"When I was little, I had no idea such a profession even existed," Xiaohan said. Interest did not predetermine her future for her, but it let her become clearer about her strengths through repeated practice, and she gradually entered an industry about which she previously knew nothing.

Interest participation can increase the possibility of growth, but this possibility will not be realized automatically. Whether one stays at watching and consuming, or goes further into creation, cooperation, and knowledge accumulation; whether one simply follows what is popular, or forms a relatively mature aesthetic and judgment — all of this affects what a hobby ultimately leaves behind.

"There is no need to require every hobby to produce visible results, nor can one let interest be left with nothing but repeated watching, purchasing, and displaying." Ding Liting said that adding content such as creative sharing, knowledge explanation, and cooperative practice can give young people more opportunities to move from recipients to participants.

Let Mainstream Values Become the Distinct Undertone of Interest Circle Tiers

Ding Liting calls the interaction networks formed around common interests, common language, and similar modes of participation "circles" or "circle tiers." "Circle tiers can help youth find companions and exchange knowledge comparatively quickly, but once internal standards become increasingly singular, they may also alienate interest into status comparison," she said.

Xiaohan has seen a plush toy that was inflated to two or three thousand yuan. Some people chose an affordable substitute because of the high price, but were ridiculed as "not true love." In some interest groups, the quantity of purchases, the amount of money spent, and whether collections are scarce are sometimes given meanings beyond consumption and love itself.

Some experts believe that when the amount spent, the scarcity of collections, and the seniority of participation are used to measure love and distinguish status, disorder easily appears within interest groups. Personal aesthetics are replaced by price, equal exchange gives way to mutual comparison, and a hobby may also deviate from the essence of love under the pressure of conformity.

Another tendency worth guarding against is that similar information, viewpoints, and evaluations circulate repeatedly within the circle, and participants' horizons, 不知不觉 (bù zhī bù jué - "not knowing, not perceiving," unconsciously), grow narrower and narrower.

Xiaohan once ran a small experiment, specifically registering a new account with almost no interest records, to see what would appear on the screen when there was no past browsing trajectory to "point the way." Sure enough, the content changed. "What the platform pushes is content based on algorithmic recommendation; it does not equal the whole of the interest world," she said.

Wang Yongtao believes that algorithms can improve the efficiency of information matching, but when similar content appears repeatedly, some popular choices may also be mistaken for universal consensus.

How can interests maintain vitality and not be confined by a single standard or by algorithms?

First, youth themselves need to step out. "If you like musicals, you do not need to hand all your time, topics, and judgments over to them," Xingxing reminded herself in her record of watching performances. In her view, being able to listen to different understandings and respect different choices is precisely the gain that interest-based interaction should leave behind.

Stepping out of the familiar circle is not putting a hobby down, but letting interest connect with real life. A themed creation can bring young people from the screen to museums and intangible cultural heritage workshops; an interest exchange can also extend to community service and volunteer activities. Some people seek the history behind the works in the exhibition hall; some people learn division of labor, punctuality, and responsibility in working together; in this way, interest connects cultural inheritance, social responsibility, and mutual assistance between people.

Ding Liting believes that youth should not be only recipients of cultural content; they can also become expressers of values. Using painting to present fine traditional Chinese culture, using images to record ordinary people's labor, using words to tell the struggles of the people around them, and learning division of labor, trustworthiness, and responsibility in joint creation — mainstream values will then be internalized and accumulated through one participation after another.

For youth to actively broaden their horizons, a healthier and richer information environment is also needed. Some experts say that high-quality creation, knowledge sharing, mutual aid and cooperation, and cross-field content should be given more display, and the amplification of conflict and comparison content should be reduced, so that while obtaining content they are interested in, youth can also be exposed to different fields and different viewpoints.

Mainstream values permeating the interest life of youth has already become an everyday occurrence. Xiaohan has extended her painting hobby into the creation of cultural derivative products. Abstract cultural concepts become perceptible and knowable precisely in one consultation, one artwork, one exchange.

Wang Yongtao suggested using more of the language and forms familiar to youth, telling national development, social progress, fine traditional Chinese culture, and the struggles of ordinary people in a way that is real and perceptible, so that mainstream values reach the hearts of youth and become the spiritual coordinate of youth's growth and development.

When high-quality content continuously broadens horizons and real practice continuously calibrates understanding, youth can both cherish their own love and not be swept along by the circle's horizon, letting interest truly become one of the fulcrums for understanding society, increasing abilities, and gathering strength.

(In this article, Xiaohan, Xingxing, and Penzi are all pseudonyms; Wang Lele (王乐乐) participated in the reporting and writing.)

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Growing with Passion (Reporter's Notes)

By: 吴储岐

Before the interview, I did not fully understand why some young people would invest so much time and energy into a musical, a character, or a painting. After truly approaching them, I saw that a seemingly niche hobby can help young people make friends, build confidence, learn to create, and even open the window to career choices. Interest is not the fringe of youthful life; it is participating in shaping how young people see themselves and the world.

During the interview, I realized that interest requires enthusiasm, but also boundaries and direction. If the amount of consumption becomes a criterion of identity, and if algorithms constantly push similar content, then personal aesthetics are easily led by price and traffic, and an open perspective may also be obscured by familiar voices. Such an interest is not only difficult to sustain, but will also weaken the value of creation, exchange, and growth it ought to bring.

I would rather see mainstream values integrated into the works and activities that young people love, and embedded in the practices they are willing to engage in. In concrete and real life, young people experience labor, responsibility, integrity, friendliness, and dedication; their horizons are broadened by high-quality content, and their judgments are strengthened by social practice. In this way, personal passions are connected to the life of the times, transforming into a youthful force that strives upward and toward goodness.

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Dare to Enter the "No-Man's Land," Be a Deep Cultivator (Youth Perspective)

By: 刘博通

On July 23, the list of winners of the 21st Fields Medal was announced. Chinese young mathematicians Wang Hong (王虹) and Deng Yu (邓煜) both won awards, achieving a breakthrough of zero for Chinese scholars in this prize. After winning the award, a message from Wang Hong struck a chord with many people: "I hope everyone can muster up courage and bravely do what they like to do."

In childhood, she formed a bond with mathematics; after being admitted to Peking University, she entered the School of Mathematical Sciences through a major transfer exam, and also experienced self-doubt during exploration... Looking back at Wang Hong's growth trajectory, what supported her life breakthroughs, besides interest and her own talent, were the "long-termism" stemming from love and the courage and spirit to venture into uncharted territory.

What is the point of doing this? What is the use of studying this major? Can delving into this hobby bring benefits? At present, some young friends, when making major choices such as studies and careers, encounter the "utilitarian interrogation" of "useful or useless." In fact, the value judgment of "useful or useless" can only be seen clearly when placed in a longer time dimension. In response to a high school student's question about the meaning of studying mathematics, mathematician Yau Shing-Tung replied: The pursuit of seemingly "useless knowledge" will unexpectedly become the source of "applications beyond dreams." From the "artificial sun" EAST creating a world record of "100 million degrees for a thousand seconds," to the first controlled recovery of a launch vehicle, to the continuous upgrade of AI large models... In recent years, each technological innovation has behind it the deep power of basic research such as mathematics, which is 十年磨一剑 (shí nián mó yī jiàn - "ten years to sharpen a sword," the long-term grinding effort needed to achieve mastery).

He who wants to build a house must first lay the foundation. In youth, there is no need to blindly chase "hot topics"; one might as well boldly explore some "uses of the useless," calm one's temperament and do more basic work. Those years of deep cultivation and sedimentation, seemingly silent, actually consolidate the foundation that lifts ideals upward.

The country's development is inseparable from original innovation "from 0 to 1," and personal growth is inseparable from the enterprising spirit and drive to dare to be first. Lu Yaxiang (陆雅翔), a researcher at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, faced the difficulty of sodium-ion battery layered oxide cathode material being "afraid of air," a problem that had plagued the industry for many years. Together with team members, she experienced countless failures and restarts, finally crossing the research gap. Shooting Olympic champion Sheng Lihao (盛李豪), wearing a shooting suit weighing over 10 jin (about 5 kg), stands for hours, maintaining concentration in seemingly boring training, climbing one peak after another. As many fields transition from following, running alongside, to leading, today's Chinese youth are more confident and emboldened to look the world in the eye and compete with young people from various countries on the same stage. More uncharted territory calls on the youth of the new era to set lofty aspirations of youth, elevate the spirit of youth, and with the sharpness of "though thousands and tens of thousands are against me, I go" and the resilience to face failure, march toward the wilderness that predecessors have not yet set foot in.

Those who aim without seeking ease will succeed; those who do not avoid difficulties will advance. True persistence embraces confusion and allows turning back; in constant trial and self-examination, one anchors the inner direction. During her master's studies, Wang Hong once considered "changing careers" and interned at an architecture firm. After a period of detachment, she decided to devote her most creative years to mathematical research. What to do when the career one is engaged in gets stuck? Persisting in a dream is not about enduring hardship, but about regrouping and setting out again. Guard the original heart between advance and retreat; accumulate strength in the alternation of tension and relaxation; eventually, one can see the rainbow after the storm.

For young people to chase their dreams and achieve the resonance of personal growth with social development, society must also provide sufficient nourishment and soil for growth. In recent years, various places have practiced "investing in people," increasing supporting services in housing, elderly care, childcare, etc., reducing the practical burdens on young people in their work and entrepreneurship. At the same time, we also look forward to more fault-tolerant mechanisms and support measures, not solely focusing on short-term results, tolerating trial and error exploration, and supporting young people to boldly venture into uncharted territory in their careers, so that the path of long-term deep cultivation and striving to be the first in pursuing dreams has more confidence.

This year is the first year of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan, a timely moment for youth to make contributions. Today's China, with its rich application scenarios, open innovation ecosystem, and complete industrial chain, provides a broad stage for young people to fully display their skills. When young people hold fast to the love in their hearts, strengthen their confidence in sedimentation, and draw closer to their dreams with the persistence of 日拱一卒 (rì gǒng yī zú - "daily advance a pawn," steady incremental progress), they will eventually become a better version of themselves in the fertile soil of the times.

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Yangzhou University has a group of "field stewards"

By: 本报记者 尹晓宇

In the contiguous farmland of Xiaoguang Village (小广村), Xiaojian Town (小尖镇), Xiangshui County (响水县), Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, Wang Jianliang, a doctoral student at the College of Agriculture of Yangzhou University (扬州大学), was operating an unmanned aerial vehicle to patrol the fields. Mr. Wang, a grower in his 70s, watched the direction in which the drone was flying.

From using drones to patrol the fields and track seedling growth, to using the "prescription fertilization model" to precisely calculate fertilizer application amounts for different plots, to unmanned crop-protection machines carrying out precision fertilization — with the help of the "Field Steward" (田管家) agricultural technology assistance team of Yangzhou University (hereinafter referred to as "Field Steward"), Mr. Wang's fields have seen notable yield increases in recent years. "Each mu can harvest more than 100 jin more of wheat," said Mr. Wang, the grower.

Ma Bin, professor at the College of Agriculture of Yangzhou University and head of "Field Steward," said that "Field Steward" was established in 1986 and currently has 56 members, of whom young people under the age of 35 account for 87 percent.

"Problems come from the fields, are brought to the classroom for study and research, and are then taken back to the fields for verification and practice, sprinkling the sweat of youth on the fields in service of the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas," Ma Bin said.

Zang Yuguang, a doctoral student at Yangzhou University, had been coming to the fields of Xiangshui as a member of "Field Steward" since his undergraduate years. He found that when farmers grew rice, in order to obtain higher yields they would apply a great deal of nitrogen fertilizer, with the result that leaves grew very luxuriantly, but there were relatively many empty and shriveled grains, and the expected yield was not achieved after all. Zang Yuguang brought this "rice stay-green" problem back to school, researched it under the guidance of his teachers, and followed it up for three years before finally finding a solution. This technique was then brought back by him to the fields to help farmers improve their cultivation methods, achieving good results. Now, wheat seedlings are growing in his experimental plots, and he is using 11 cultivation methods to study how to improve soil, increase the nitrogen utilization rate, and reduce carbon emissions.

The figure of "Field Steward" is present not only in Jiangsu, but also in serving farmers in other provinces such as Guizhou and Hainan. Doctoral student Zhu Changjin helped locals in Guizhou improve rice seedling-raising methods and machine-transplanting techniques, greatly increasing local rice yields and planting benefits; doctoral student Wang Chuxin and his classmates, while conducting research at the Nanfan Base (南繁基地) of Yangzhou University in Hainan, helped nearby farmers screen high-quality rice varieties and taught them to adopt the seedling-throwing method for rice planting.

After nearly 40 years of development, "Field Steward" has participated in establishing 15 frontier theories and technologies, including the "Physiological Mechanism and Regulation of Rice Grain Filling" (水稻籽粒灌浆的生理机理和调控), with cumulative promotion and application exceeding 315 million mu-times. Over the past five years, the team has continuously provided technical training to 18 large farms and hundreds of family farms, training more than 12,000 high-quality farmers cumulatively, effectively improving the skill levels of farmers. In 2025, "Field Steward" was named Jiangsu Province's "Good Young People of the New Era" (新时代好青年) of 2025.

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Layout Editor: Yi Shuran

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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Answering the Call of "First" on the Path to a Strong Military (On the Road to a Strong Military)

This year marks the 99th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, and it is also a pivotal year in the hard battle to achieve the goal of building the military by the centenary of its founding. Having traversed ninety-nine years of arduous and glorious history, the people's army has passed through the smoke and flames of war, cutting through brambles and thorns (pī jīng zhǎn jí - "to cut brambles and chop thorns," to forge ahead despite obstacles) all the way, made tremendous sacrifices, achieved one brilliant victory after another, and performed great historic feats for the Party and the people.

From the foundation of the army's soul during the Sanwan Reorganization to the dream-chasing long voyages of the 10,000-ton large destroyers; from the first air victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea to the strategic support of the great-power long sword... In the long river of time, one after another, "first"-titled meritorious and honorable units dared to struggle and dared to win, carving out a mighty reputation in military history; entering the new era, "first unit," "first ship" and other new-domain and new-quality forces carry forward the red bloodline, guarding the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains with outstanding capabilities.

The great road is as smooth as a whetstone, and the traveler has no bounds. In this special report, let us step into five pioneer forces together, listen to their stories of closely watching the changes in technology, changes in warfare, and changes in adversaries, striving with united effort to tackle difficulties and rowing hard to be the first toward achieving the goal of building the military by the centenary of its founding.

— Editor

Army 83rd Group Army, a certain brigade, "Red Company" (红一连) — Let the red gene be passed down from generation to generation

Our Reporter Li Longyi

"Red Company" was born in the Autumn Harvest Uprising of 1927. During the Sanwan Reorganization, Comrade Mao Zedong personally developed six Party members in this company and built the first company-level Party branch of our army.

In the company history hall of "Red Company" of a certain brigade under the Army 83rd Group Army, a group of new soldiers are gathered before a relief sculpture, stopping and gazing. The relief sculpture depicts Comrade Mao Zedong leading six new Party members raising their right fists to take the oath. The light shines down, illuminating every face on the relief.

From the time of the Sanwan Reorganization, the four characters "the Party commands the gun" were engraved into the bones of the officers and men of "Red Company." For more than 90 years, the company has maintained the loyal essence of "the birthplace of the army's soul," following the Party through wind and rain, through a thousand hardships and ten thousand perils never turning back.

Last late autumn, at the most critical moment of a live-force exercise, "Red Company" was ordered to penetrate to the enemy rear. The night was as dark as if ink had been splashed, and the mountain roads had been soaked by rain into mud. Before setting out, the political instructor brought the entire company to that sculpture and encouraged everyone, saying: "Back then, our predecessors joined the Party in a hail of bullets. Today, walking a stretch of mountain road in the pitch dark — what is that?"

In the darkness, everyone charged forward bravely. Soldier Liu Yang twisted his ankle during the forced march; his ankle swelled up, and he nearly fell to his knees in the mud several times. The squad leader told him to stay put and wait for assistance. Liu Yang gritted his teeth and shook his head: "I can walk." He limped along with the formation and stubbornly did not fall behind. In the end, the entire company arrived at the penetration point 15 minutes ahead of schedule, tearing open an opening for victory.

In the exercise debriefing, Liu Yang said one sentence: "Where the Party member is, the Party branch is; where the Party branch is, the direction is." This sentence spoke the common conviction in the hearts of all officers and men of "Red Company": the Party in the heart, the gun in the hand; the military flag forever follows the Party flag.

Every quarter, the company selects six outstanding Communist Party members — this number echoes the six predecessors in the attic of Ye Family Ancestral Hall at Shuikou, Hunan, back then. On the training ground, Party member backbones take the lead on difficult and dangerous subjects; in daily life, each Party member helps and mentors one new soldier; the Party branch holds a "kang-head meeting" every week — a habit handed down from the war years, no podium, no reading from a script, sitting on the bunks, anyone with difficulties speaks up face to face, discusses face to face, to push for problem resolution.

When we came out of the company history hall, the setting sun was turning the training ground into a golden expanse. Soldiers were running the 400-meter obstacle course, each one leaping up, climbing over, sprinting, their shouts ringing out in the twilight.

The evening wind rises, carrying the company song of "Red Company": "At the place where the army's soul originates, we bear the loyal and fearless responsibility. Let the ever-victorious battle flag fly high forever..." The loyal gene is deeply engraved in the bones of every soldier, passed down from generation to generation.

(Hu Ruizhi and Qin Zhaopeng contributed to this report)

Naval Ship Nanchang (南昌舰) — Forging will amid riding the waves and churning the sea

Our Reporter Jin Zhengbo

The Nanchang, hull number 101, is the first independently developed Type 055 10,000-ton-class destroyer of our country. To date, the People's Navy has commissioned 10 of these 10,000-ton large destroyers.

In a certain area of the Pacific Ocean, where waves and clouds are treacherous and unpredictable (波谲云诡, bō jué yún guǐ - "waves treacherous, clouds weird," ever-changing and dangerous), the Nanchang ship, plowing through the waves at high speed, is conducting a live-force air defense engagement drill.

"Unknown target rapidly approaching us," inside the ship-to-air missile control room, Sergeant Second Class Qiao Peng closely monitors the target situation, analyzes its trajectory, and pre-formulates a strike plan. The opportunity fleets in an instant; Qiao Peng synthesizes information from all sides, waits for the right moment and presses the launch button. The target is successfully destroyed.

In the six years since commissioning, Qiao Peng and his comrades have cut through brambles and thorns (pī jīng zhǎn jí - "to cut brambles and chop thorns," to overcome difficulties), honing their hard skills through one live-fire tempering after another, propping up the air defense network of the Nanchang ship as it guards the sea and sky.

"I still remember when I was about to fire a missile for the first time, my hands were shaking nonstop; after actually launching it, I felt relieved." That year, Qiao Peng had just become a squad leader when he received the important mission of live-firing multiple ship-to-air missiles. He led a team with an average age of 23, spending days and nights repeatedly running through plans; sometimes even during meals he would mutter a few commands. He knew that the responsibility weighed a thousand jun, and on the battlefield the slightest carelessness could not be tolerated.

On the day of the exercise, Qiao Peng directed his comrades to accurately lock onto the target; several missiles shot straight into the sky, precisely hitting the incoming target.

On the Nanchang, from top to bottom there seems to be a tacit understanding: they use wind and waves to temper their will, and use "soles of the feet" to make up for "shortcomings."

During a night training session, the roar of the gas turbine suddenly resounded through the engine room. When Master Sergeant Third Class Yu Degang arrived, he found yellow oil overflowing from the gas turbine casing. The situation was critical; Yu Degang immediately worked with his comrades to handle it with all their might, until the ship slowed down and stopped. After stopping, there was no spare part for the damaged pipeline; so he used his knowledge to rush the work — bending pipes, grinding, adjusting… A few hours later, a brand-new spare part was fabricated and installed successfully, saving the ship's "heart" and ensuring the mission proceeded smoothly.

Over the past few years, Yu Degang has led his squad members to train from the basics, requiring both a thorough grasp of theory and familiarity with equipment performance, mastering all practical skills. They have handled more than ten equipment emergency incidents, constantly charging toward victory in battle.

Today, the new-generation Nanchang ship's combat system is highly integrated, its power system upgraded, possessing strong comprehensive combat capability. Officer Chi Jianjun said that as the lead ship of the Type 055 10,000-ton large destroyers, the Nanchang time and again controls the waves across thousands of miles, time and again traverses storms, constantly sharpening its ability to win, and its practical combat capability continues to leap upward.

(Wu Di contributed to this report)

Air Force "Strong Army Vanguard Flying Brigade" — Fly routes that no one else has flown

Our Reporter Ren Tongtong

The predecessor of the unit to which the "Strong Army Vanguard Flying Brigade" belongs was the first heroic unit to achieve an air combat victory during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, creating the first aerial victory in the People's Air Force's combat history.

Under the blazing summer sun, at an airfield of a certain unit of the Northern Theater Command Air Force, several fighters took off one after another. A complex multi-aircraft formation electronic countermeasure drill then unfolded, putting the pilots' comprehensive combat capability and technical-tactical level to a full test.

"In 1951, on the front line of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, then-Brigade Commander Li Han first damaged an enemy aircraft in combat, then shot down an enemy aircraft in the next battle." A leader of the unit said: "As a heroic unit with a rich history, we must intensify our efforts to fly hard, shouldering the mission of the new era entrusted by the Party and the people."

Walking into the Honor Room of Flying Brigade One, each display item, though weathered by the years, still shines brightly.

Since the new era, the officers and men of this unit have piloted their war eagles to fly over far seas and high plateaus, highlighting real combat and realistic training, daring to draw their swords and contend for superiority, always remaining the aerial blade guarding the security of the motherland's airspace.

During an air combat competition assessment, two pilots of the unit, relying on their solid tactical literacy, took the initiative to press forward from the medium-range engagement stage, continuously compressing the opponent's maneuver airspace. In the "fierce battle," one fighter was suddenly locked by an opponent from a tail-chase position; at the critical moment, the other pilot turned his nose around and flew head-on toward the opponent, simultaneously "launching missiles" to attack, ultimately winning the battle. In this assessment, they achieved a perfect record of 8 wins out of 8 and won the "Golden Helmet."

"If the battlefield is not won, everything is zero. Carrying forward the bloodline ultimately means forging superb ability to win." Staff Officer Ge Junmiao of the unit said: "Every time they return from training, the pilots go straight to the debriefing room to conduct a review, analyzing data together and discussing flight maneuvers."

"That time during return flight, the fuel warning light was already red." Staff Officer Yuan Wenju of the unit recalled a cross-region mobility mission: the pilots piloted the fighters to continuously take off and land at unfamiliar airfields, crossing multiple regions, facing multiple difficulties such as nighttime long-range flight and extreme fuel quantity.

"We relied on a single conviction to stubbornly push through." Yuan Wenju said: "In that mission, our training data achieved a comprehensive breakthrough, and we became the first unit in the Air Force to complete that training subject that year."

"To live up to the title of 'Vanguard,' we must fly routes that no one else has flown, and attempt areas that no one else has attempted." A leader of the unit said: "We must integrate the heroic genes into our blood, and with the spirit of 只争朝夕, 时不我待 (zhǐ zhēng zhāo xī, shí bù wǒ dài - "only contending for the morning and evening; time waits for no one," to work with urgency and not let the moment slip), push forward the high-quality development of the unit."

(Wang Xuefeng and Li Shiquan contributed to this report)

Rocket Force "Dongfeng First Brigade" — Train the ability to win to the utmost

Our Reporter Ren Tongtong

The "Dongfeng First Brigade" is the first ground-to-ground strategic missile unit of our army, a "hardcore" force in charge of the great-power heavy weapon.

"Operator, take position!" In the height of summer, on a missile position, as the command sounded, a "battle" began. Officers and men of a certain battalion of the Rocket Force's "Dongfeng First Brigade" swiftly rushed to their battle stations, carrying out precise operations as ordered: deploying equipment, data checking, equipment installation... The drill movements were crisp and neat, the operational process advanced rapidly.

When the "launch" entered a critical phase, a certain instrument device suddenly "malfunctioned." At that moment, section leader Ren Jie closely watched changes in all relevant data while rapidly issuing commands, directing the operators to coordinate in troubleshooting. Before long, the fault was successfully cleared, and the missile was smoothly "ignited and launched."

"Scenes of such complex training are already routine for us," Ren Jie said. "The 'Dongfeng First Brigade' is the first ground-to-ground strategic missile unit of our army. In the difficult years when New China was just starting out with faltering steps, they were formed in a time of crisis, starting from scratch, pioneering the strategic missile force, and produced the morale-boosting 'spirit-boosting missile.'"

Over the years, the officers and men of this brigade have kept their mission in mind and not forgotten their original aspiration, completing dozens of major exercises and training missions, becoming a strong shield protecting the motherland and the people.

During one exercise, the operators needed to wear heavy protective suits and perform various tasks inside a sealed space.

A few hours passed; new soldier Wang Ming was drenched in sweat all over; the tight straps of the gas mask left deep marks on his face; the high-intensity running made it difficult for him to breathe... During a break in the operation, Wang Ming whispered to Ren Jie: "Squad leader, I can't hold on much longer." Ren Jie encouraged him and at the same time kept a close watch on his physical condition, helping him gradually adjust his state. In the end, the entire battalion, relying on strong willpower, overcame multiple psychological and physiological tests and smoothly completed the mission.

"Train to the utmost in peacetime, then in wartime we will not be suppressed by a strong enemy!" A leader of the brigade explained: "We routinely simulate various extreme situations such as equipment damage in battle and operator attrition. After each round of training, we immediately conduct a review to fill capability gaps." Facing real challenges such as continuous equipment upgrades, the officers and men set up multiple specialized research teams, revised operational procedures for each piece of equipment, and conducted intensive training, achieving an "acceleration" in preparing for combat and enhancing capabilities, pressing the "fast-forward button" for combat effectiveness construction.

(Han Zhilin and Yang Yuanchao contributed to this report)

Armed Police Beijing Corps National Guest Honor Guard Squadron — Protect the majesty of a great power with exquisite skills

Our Reporter Li Longyi

The National Guest Honor Guard Squadron is the only ceremonial unit in our country tasked with motorcycle escort missions for foreign heads of state, government heads, and other national guests, and is known as "China's No. 1 Rider."

On July 1, on the straight and broad Chang'an Avenue, 21 ceremonial motorcycles escorted the vehicles carrying the recipients of the "July 1 Medal," steadily heading toward the Great Hall of the People. The members of the National Guest Honor Guard Squadron, riding the motorcycles, dressed in white ceremonial uniforms, stood tall and straight like pines, forming a flowing "scenic view."

Each stunning appearance is the result of day after day of rigorous training. 298 kilograms is the weight of the motorcycle, and also the challenge that every member must face. To master this "iron lump," one must start with the most basic effort — pushing the motorcycle. To complete the subject of a 3-kilometer push run, one must find the right point of force application and balance the vehicle. "My arms often hurt so much I can't lift them; many comrades even dream of pushing the motorcycle in their sleep." Recalling the feeling during training, soldier Xu Yupeng has a vivid memory.

To become a qualified national guest honor guard member, one must also undergo arduous training in six major modules: driving preparation, basic driving, stunt driving, tactical basics, tactical application, and formation drill, passing a strict "elimination" assessment. "This process requires an average of 22,000 kilometers of motorcycle driving training, usually taking two years or even longer." Squadron Leader Zhang Chao introduced: "During training, motorcycle tire wear is extremely severe; the squadron uses and consumes more than 600 tires each year."

"Iron heart follows the Party, iron riders take the lead, iron bones clang and ring!" Every morning, Zhang Chao leads the recitation of the squadron's loyalty oath to begin the day's training. The hardest time is midsummer. The motorcycle surface temperature approaches 70 degrees Celsius; riding on it is like holding a ball of fire; the helmet is airtight; sweat flows down blurring the eyes, but the movements must not deviate, the formation must not scatter. Winter is also uncomfortable: the ceremonial uniform looks crisp but is actually thin; wind cuts through like a knife; hands freeze stiff, yet the coordination of throttle and clutch cannot be off by even a hair...

Hard training for skills unmatched under heaven, daring to be "China's No. 1 Rider." The Beijing APEC meeting, the BRICS Xiamen Summit, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation... The young soldiers, riding their iron steeds, have always maintained a record of "zero mistakes, zero errors, zero failures" in their missions. "As members of the National Guest Honor Guard, the mission is glorious, and the responsibility on our shoulders is also weighty. We will continue to pursue perfection, strive for excellence, and successfully complete every escort mission." Squadron Political Instructor Li Zhe said.

(Yin Bo and Ji Miao contributed to this report)

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Editor of this page: Ren Tongtong

Layout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

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Literary creation is no longer the exclusive domain of professional writers (Humanities Dialogue)

By: 本报记者 刘 阳

Recently, the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize (鲁迅文学奖) was announced. As one of the highest honors in Chinese literature, the selection results of every Lu Xun Literary Prize attract great attention. This year, the award results of the ninth Lu Xun Prize achieved a "break the circle" (破圈) spread, becoming a social topic and triggering widespread response.

How was the list of winners of the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize produced? What features and trends in literary creation can be seen from the evaluation of this Lu Xun Literary Prize? In this issue, we invite three judges of the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize to talk about their feelings about the evaluation, answer readers' questions, and respond to social concerns.

—— Editor

Host:
Liu Yang (刘阳), reporter of this newspaper

Guests:
Fan Wen (范稳), judge of the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize, chairman of the Yunnan Writers Association (云南省作家协会)
Chen Peihao (陈培浩), judge of the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize, professor of Fujian Normal University (福建师范大学)
Cheng Yuling (程玉玲), judge of the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize, senior teacher (zheng gaoji) of Chinese language at Dalian Yuming High School (大连育明高级中学)

Evaluation mechanism innovation further ensures fairness and justice

Reporter: What characteristics does the ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize have in terms of evaluation mechanism? What are the differences compared with previous editions? How is the fairness and justice of the evaluation ensured?

Fan Wen: I believe that the selection of this Lu Xun Prize, under the leadership of the China Writers Association, has always adhered to the grand literary view (大文学观) standpoint. From the composition of the evaluation committee to the scope of works selected, it reflects the principles of 海纳百川 (hǎi nà bǎi chuān - "the sea admits hundreds of rivers," broad-minded and inclusive), keeping pace with the times, being close to life, and being fair and just.

The evaluation committee includes both expert judges — writers, critics, university literature professors, etc. — and public judges such as middle school teachers, cultural media personnel, etc. In the novella evaluation committee to which I belong, there was a Chinese language teacher from the No. 1 Middle School of Huaibei City, Anhui Province. He analyzed the submitted works from the perspectives of middle school Chinese teaching and student reading, bringing us a different judging perspective. The diversified composition of the evaluation committee also broadened the evaluation horizon and made the evaluation standards stricter. Through five rounds of evaluation and screening, each work underwent repeated discussion, comparison, and careful deliberation, from general reading to close reading, from close reading to intensive reading. Whether it is pure literary works or genre literature and online literature, the judges, based on the text, judged its ideological and artistic qualities, striving to ensure that the selected works all reflect the new face of pioneering innovation, prosperity, and development of literature in the new era.

Chen Peihao: Whether the evaluation is fair and just is one of the issues people care about most. Procedural design and the evaluation mechanism have the greatest impact on this. In fact, before the concentrated evaluation, the judges had already started reading more than a month in advance. During the concentrated evaluation period, everyone was even more 心无旁骛 (xīn wú páng wù - "heart without distraction," fully focused), reading and discussing according to the work schedule.

From my feelings and observations, this Lu Xun Prize has some new features in the evaluation mechanism: First, judges were randomly selected from the judge pool according to relevant conditions, so there were many new faces this time, breaking the previous social doubts about the evaluation being "circle-oriented." Second, the addition of public judges was also a highlight of this evaluation mechanism. Previously, all judges were experts in literary creation and criticism; this time, teachers from the front line of Chinese language education and media personnel also participated. Their participation optimized the judge structure, broke aesthetic limitations, and brought different perspectives, objectively promoting the implementation of the grand literary view in the evaluation. Third, the system of centralized storage of mobile phones during the critical stage of evaluation allowed judges to shield themselves from external interference, making them more focused, calm, and composed, which was more conducive to fair and just evaluation. Fourth, proactively using technological means to conduct originality identification and quality control of the submitted works, in accordance with the evaluation regulations, treating each work seriously, carefully, and fairly, achieved good results. Fifth, increasing the number of recommended works and expanding the channels for submission, allowing excellent works published online first to be directly submitted for evaluation, and other new measures, gave more good works the opportunity to enter the evaluation field, ensuring fairness and justice in the recommendation process.

Cheng Yuling: As a front-line high school teacher, I and the other five public judges were all lucky beneficiaries of the innovation in the evaluation mechanism of this edition. Compared with previous editions, this Lu Xun Prize for the first time included front-line middle school Chinese language teachers. The relevant responsible comrade from the China Writers Association said to me on the phone: "Our reform this year is to invite middle school teachers who have been deeply engaged in language and text work on the front line, have achievements, and have influence, to join the team of evaluation experts. We trust your professional ability; more importantly, the evaluation needs your reader perspective, which will play a very important role in the dissemination of the award-winning works." If I were to summarize the characteristics of this year's evaluation mechanism, I think it is both standing at a high point and landing on the ground: the evaluation experts include senior writers, publishing experts, university scholars, and also middle school teachers who are based on the teaching front line.

As for how to ensure fairness and justice in the evaluation, I understand that the evaluation office of this Lu Xun Prize strictly implemented "no connection" in selecting judges, requiring that judges have no connection with the authors of the submitted works and no connection with the submitting units. The evaluation work strictly required democracy and openness. Judges must read the works carefully, form their own opinions, and fully exchange views during discussions. During the evaluation work, we often added temporary morning or evening meetings outside the scheduled discussion time. Some works went through multiple rounds of discussion and multiple dimensions of judgment until consensus was reached.

A literary pilgrimage that the general public can participate in

Reporter: From the award-winning works of this Lu Xun Literary Prize, what new features and trends have emerged in literary creation and the literary contingent in recent years?

Fan Wen: Overall, the award-winning works of this Lu Xun Prize have distinct characteristics of the times, unique perspectives on historical writing, rich cultural heritage, innovative artistic exploration, and diverse styles and forms. In reflecting reality, being close to life, inheriting civilization, and exploring history, they have both literary height and human warmth. They are a concentrated review of the literary contingent over the past four years. Veteran, middle-aged, and young writers, as well as writers of different literary types, compete on the same stage and appear together, making us feel that the literary hall is no longer an ivory tower, but a literary pilgrimage that the general public can participate in. Each award-winning work interprets, from different levels, the characteristics of the times and the vigorous development trend under the perspective of the grand literary view.

Chen Peihao: These new features and trends are manifested as follows: First, the rise of new mass literature and art (新大众文艺), with both traffic and quality works. Many works have completed the transformation from new-quality breakthrough to high-quality creation, which is exciting and inspiring. Second, realist writing continues to deepen, and the concept of realism has become broader and richer, covering not only major national infrastructure, rural revitalization, and man and nature, but also ordinary people's daily lives, elderly care, and adolescent psychological crises. Third, veteran writers are 老当益壮 (lǎo dāng yì zhuàng - "old but vigorous," still energetic in old age) and produce brilliant works continuously; the middle-generation writers are the mainstay, carrying forward the past and opening up the future; and young writers 敢为人先 (gǎn wéi rén xiān - "dare to be the first," pioneering) and present a dazzling array of talents.

Cheng Yuling: 百花齐放 (bǎi huā qí fàng - "hundred flowers bloom," letting a hundred flowers blossom) is my most intuitive feeling. From the perspective of the works, reading the submitted reportage works greatly broadened my knowledge. The earliest reportage works I encountered were Wei Wei's "Who Are the Most Beloved People?"; in recent years, I often teach Xia Yan's "Indentured Laborer," so the reportage in my mind was still relatively "traditional." After reading the more than 370 submitted works, I found that besides traditional writing methods, some works have new writing ideas, such as cross-genre (跨文体) and non-fiction (非虚构). Liang Hong's award-winning work "There Must Be Light" is an excellent non-fiction work. From the perspective of authors, the veterans who have deeply cultivated the literary world are still vigorous, and the newcomers show their talents prominently. And the fact that many non-professional writers, even people not from Chinese language backgrounds, write books has become a surprising trend.

Literature and film-television coexist in mutual support, each with its own brilliance

Reporter: Some nominated and award-winning authors of this Lu Xun Literary Prize have also been deeply engaged in the field of film and television creation for a long time. Some of their literary works have been adapted into film and television works and have been loved by audiences. In recent years, the relationship between literature and film-television has become closer, and the conversion of works has increased. How do you view this phenomenon?

Fan Wen: Literature is the mother of all art forms. Whether it is re-narrating history or reflecting reality, literary works with high text quality and a good foundation all have the possibility of film-television conversion.

Excellent literary works can expand their popularity, enhance social effects, and enrich socialist literature and art with the help of film and television. Literary works that have won national-level awards such as the Mao Dun Literary Prize and the Lu Xun Literary Prize generally have a high conversion rate to film and television. For example, Lu Yao's "Ordinary World," Chen Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain," as well as Liang Xiaosheng's "The World of People," and Jin Yucheng's "Blossoms," etc. Not long ago, after the TV drama adaptation of Chen Yan's "The Protagonist" was broadcast to great popularity, it attracted more people to read the original work. Now that medium-length and short dramas are prevalent, if long novels are the parent texts of long TV series, then excellent medium-length and short stories provide rich thematic resources for the development of medium-length and short dramas. Literature lays a solid foundation for film and television, while film and television attach a pair of colorful wings to excellent literary works, allowing them to fly into thousands of households.

Chen Peihao: Many of the award-winning works of this edition have been noticed and adapted by the film and television industry, objectively confirming their artistic charm and potential to reach a wider readership.

In fact, literature has continuously provided film and television with excellent original stories, creativity, and ideas. In the 1980s, Zhang Yimou's adaptation of Mo Yan's "Red Sorghum" was a sensation. Later, the film and television adaptations of works by writers such as Su Tong, Liu Zhenyun, Liu Heng, Mai Jia, Liang Xiaosheng, and Chen Yan were very successful. Literature and film and television are symbiotic; literature provides the source of creation for film and television, while film and television re-create literature and push it to a wider audience. However, literature and film and television have their own artistic characteristics, and literature also has artistic advantages that film and television do not possess. Not all literary works must aim for film and television adaptation. Coexisting in mutual support, yet each with its own brilliance, is the best choice.

Cheng Yuling: This question happens to be one I often set for students in Chinese classroom teaching. For example, when teaching Mr. Lu Xun's "The New Year's Sacrifice," I show students relevant films and let them compare the differences between film and literature, so as to cultivate their disciplinary literacy and aesthetic appreciation. I think that "本立而道生 (běn lì ér dào shēng - 'when the foundation is established, the way emerges')" — literary works are the "foundation." Without good literary works, it is difficult to achieve outstanding film and television works. The conversion of works is a good thing; it allows classic literary works to 雅俗共赏 (yǎ sú gòng shǎng - "suit both refined and popular tastes," appeal to both the cultured and the common) and gain 口碑载道 (kǒu bēi zài dào - "public praise fills the streets," enjoy widespread reputation).

Breaking the circle in dissemination triggers public empathy and resonance

Reporter: The award won by "deliveryman poet" Wang Jibing became a hot topic in the media and society. In fact, the dissemination of this Lu Xun Literary Prize achieved a "break the circle," not only attracting attention from the literary world but also winning the attention of the media and the broader public. In your view, what are the reasons for this phenomenon?

Fan Wen: The award to "deliveryman poet" Wang Jibing is a vivid footnote to the manifestation of the grand literary view in the evaluation of this Lu Xun Prize. The award-winning works of the Lu Xun Prize, while emphasizing professional standards, appear more approachable, more extensive, and more representative. Wang Jibing's simple, warm, infectious, and penetrating lines of poetry moved countless readers. The evaluation committee of this Lu Xun Prize timely discovered this "deliveryman poet" from the front line of life and used the Lu Xun Prize to commend his literary pursuit and literary achievements, paying tribute to the new mass literature and art group. Wang Jibing winning the Lu Xun Prize for poetry became a phenomenon-level topic, precisely indicating that the broad masses of people need poets who can speak for them, and the times need poetry that is more grounded and more heartwarming.

Chen Peihao: The break-the-circle dissemination of this Lu Xun Prize can be said to result from the evaluation mechanism gaining recognition from all walks of life, the award-winning works responding to the inner concerns of the people, and the aesthetic taste closely interacting and resonating with the broader public. Internally, it is related to the fact that this Lu Xun Prize evaluation was guided by the grand literary view. The grand literary view responds to the new literary phenomena, new types, and new qualities that are constantly emerging in the new era. This Lu Xun Prize brought them into its field of vision, gave them fair recognition and professional coronation. Good deeds naturally have echoes.

Cheng Yuling: It is precisely because a large number of ordinary people who are not from formal training or professional backgrounds have taken up the path of writing, and literary creation is no longer the exclusive domain of professional writers. This breakthrough in the circle at the level of the creative subject naturally drives the break-the-circle at the level of dissemination. Because when the stories and emotions of a large number of ordinary people are presented in a literary way, it naturally triggers public empathy and resonance. This Lu Xun Prize gaining attention from all walks of life is also the best footnote to our being born in a prosperous era.

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The Gift of the Earth (Humanities Teahouse)

By: 艾 平

I walk on the Hulunbuir land, observing plants and animals as if reading a book, drawing close to those herders and hunters whose bodies bear the cultural "patina," and also making the acquaintance of some cultured new herders and guardians of the grasslands and forests. That my essay collection Intrinsic Grassland (《天生草原》) could win the Ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize for Prose and Essay Award stems from the benevolence of Mother Earth.

I have seen the solemnity of an old Aba (阿爸 - father) burying a herd of horses with ice water; I spent a night with an Eji (额吉 - mother) in a cold yurt, delivering a pair of twin lambs; I know that the three different colored ribbons on the chest of the Haji Evenki herder — blue represents water, black represents land, red represents fire — they have passed through the vicissitudes of time bearing gratitude to nature; I touched the glossy antlers of reindeer and listened to an Evenki friend tell the story of reindeer and human symbiosis; I learned the story of Zhao Hongsong (赵红松), owner of the Ergun Sahuan'er Ranch (额尔古纳撒欢儿牧场), who returned to his hometown after graduating from university, engaged in tourism and ecological study tours, rescued many wild small animals, and to protect 3,000 mu of wild red peonies from being illegally dug, was threatened and beaten several times. I look at the grasslands and forests from an on-the-ground perspective, look at the interaction between the times and this hidden land, often mixing surprise and joy, deeply moved. "Change" is the most fascinating, so I am not satisfied with leaving my writing at the level of natural mysteries and ecological stories, but instead write human growth, cultural comparisons, and ecological recovery as an organic whole.

Reading my new essay collection Intrinsic Grassland, you will see — Aba (father) would rather freeze his arm stiff, raising a flashlight high in a blizzard, to guide the sent-down youths; in the essay **"Aha's Gold Medal" (《阿哈的金牌》), Aha (阿哈 - elder brother) and sent-down youth from Tianjin, Cai Leming (蔡乐铭), became 生死之交 (shēng sǐ zhī jiāo - "life-death friendship," inseparable bond) during nomadic life; before parting, he gave his most precious national wrestling champion gold medal to Cai Leming, who carefully preserved it for many years and then returned this gold medal to the grassland museum; in "Above Adun Ula" (《阿敦乌拉的天上》), herder Meng Hesha (孟和沙) gave up the lambskin horseshoe cuffs necessary for herding, leaving the dead lamb to the mother eagle raising her eaglet; in "Thus You Handed the Grassland to Me" (《你就这样把草原交给了我》), the grandmother summoned the wolf pack by imitating wolf howls, protecting the mother wolf and wolf cub that had just given birth... These characters are "ancient" and "young," sparkling with the light of regional culture.

I know that for prose to 引人入胜 (yǐn rén rù shèng - "lead people into the scenic," to be fascinating and absorbing), it needs vivid and poetic details to support it. It was precisely after discovering such details in life that I began to write. Writing "Harhai Enters the City" (《哈拉海进城》), the reason for starting was that in those years, as a work team member, I once stayed at Zhalait Banner Sipingshan Second Team (扎赉特旗四平山二队) and, together with the farmers, relied on the wild vegetable harhai (哈拉海) to stave off hunger. In the tourism era, I discovered that harhai had become a signature local dish. In the essay "Aha's Gold Medal," the sent-down youth, who had gained survival experience, tied the new young cadre Wu Baogui (吴宝贵) to a sheepdog with his belt, staggering and stumbling dozens of li through a blizzard. When Wu Baogui finally entered the warm yurt and took the hand-held meat handed to him by the host, 饥寒交迫 (jī hán jiāo pò - "hunger and cold assail together," starving and freezing), he did not eat it but first offered it to the loyal sheepdog... It was this detail that led me to seek out the story of the 水乳交融 (shuǐ rǔ jiāo róng - "water and milk intermingle," harmony and close integration) between the herders and sent-down youths in those years. The true essence of literature is treasured in the depths of life. For many years, I have been like an old horse, slowly walking across the land of my hometown. Every time the wind blows, I want to know what subtle "changes" are in the "cracks" of the wind. The Hulunbuir land, like parents, made me know how ecology shapes humanity, and know the unignorable influence of ecology on culture and history.

Literary creators should be builders of culture. We need to constantly explore the philosophy of coexistence of all things, need to use new concepts and old experience to understand life, need to use thought-provoking literary images and beautiful yet sharp language to cherish and defend our land. Therefore, going deep into life and being loyal to life are forever the focus and endpoint of my writing. I hope to use my words to tell the world that humanity once walked on the grasslands in such a way.

(The author is a writer and recipient of the Ninth Lu Xun Literary Prize.)

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Zheng Haiou

Format design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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From Historical Research to Historical Perspective Building

By: 冯 远

The 20th century was a period of transformative development and the most fruitful achievements for Chinese figure painting. Not only were there a great number of figure painters, but the quantity and quality of figure paintings, as well as the frequency of academic exhibitions and exchange activities, all saw substantial increases. As an important component of Chinese art history, 20th-century Chinese figure painting is a key subject worthy of in-depth study and requiring faithful presentation and writing.

Completing this subject is not easy. Looking across the entire history of painting, research on early painting is often continuous, coherent, and balanced in its judgments. This is because the greater the temporal distance from history, the more easily a historical consensus can be reached, and thus the easier it is to grasp. History that is closer in time, characterized by intellectual emancipation, active ideas, and diverse artistic forms, is harder to control due to insufficient sedimentation and an ongoing process of change, thereby becoming a weak link in art historical research. The history of 20th-century Chinese figure painting as an independent field of study, although scattered writings exist, has mostly been topical or period-specific, lacking a truly systematic work that runs through the entire 20th century and gives equal consideration to painting creation and theoretical criticism. The recently republished book by Yi E (裔萼), History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting (二十世纪中国人物画史), relying on seven years of historical research, work tracking and investigation, and individual interviews with painters, fills the gap in systematic research in this field, and provides inspiration for related research from the perspectives of historiographical methods and approaches to discussing history.

Traditional art history writing, especially the writing of figure painting history, often takes the change of dynasties as the warp and famous masters and works as the weft, weaving a tapestry of stylistic evolution. While such an approach is clear, it easily falls into two pitfalls: first, compressing complex history into a linear succession of styles; second, narrowing figure painting into a history of the evolution of brush-and-ink language. In fact, the evolution of 20th-century Chinese figure painting was not a one-way street toward some predetermined "modern" form, but rather a multi-voiced dialogue revolving around "how to respond to the changes of modern China through images." This means that relevant research must focus not only on the innovation of stylistic language but also on the spiritual responses, value choices, and identity reconstructions of painters facing social change.

The breakthrough of History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting lies precisely in not treating "modernity" as a rigid label, but consciously taking "modernity" as the core analytical category running through the entire book, and handling it as a problem-space full of tension. The author not only avoids those "untimely" (不合时宜 (bù hé shí yí - "not conforming to the times," untimely)) painters and works, but instead uses them as important references for understanding the formation of the mainstream narrative. For example, the detailed discussion of several painters from the Republican period who adhered to the traditional literati path does not stem from a nostalgic desire to fill gaps, but rather uses this to profoundly reveal the historical reasons why the "modernity" of 20th-century Chinese figure painting was generated amid the tug-of-war between inheritance and transformation, conservation and innovation. This narrative strategy breaks the single dimension of the "progressive view of history," presenting a complex and true picture of the historical landscape.

A broad vision in the use of historical materials drives innovation in the study of 20th-century Chinese figure painting history. In addition to traditional art works and painter documents, it extensively cites modern newspapers and periodicals, exhibition reviews, art education documents, and even painters' letters and diaries, elevating these historical materials, previously regarded as "scraps" (边角料 (biān jiǎo liào - "scrap material," trivial leftovers)), into key evidence for understanding the generative context of artistic works, effectively enhancing the three-dimensionality of the research. This two-way interaction of "using images to verify history" and "using history to interpret images" gives the research a thick and layered texture at the level of historical materials. History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting uses these "scraps" to re-evaluate several painters who were relatively marginal in previous art historical writings. This is by no means a deliberate reversal of verdicts, but is built on a solid foundation of close reading of works and re-examination of historical materials. These case studies demonstrate the deep isomorphism between "the evolution of stylistic history" and "the changes of social history." The formal language of figure painting is not a purely aesthetic autonomous object, but the artistic crystallization of the subject's spirit in specific historical circumstances. This view provides an enlightening response to the long-standing problem of "the dualism of form and content" that has plagued Chinese art history.

If the method of handling history determines the basic framework of art historical research, then the method of discussing history directly relates to the persuasiveness of the argument. Excellent art historical research should be an organic integration of aesthetic analysis and cultural interpretation. Taking History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting as an example, the author throughout the research treats formal analysis as the starting point, not the endpoint, of meaning inquiry. For instance, the discussion of Jiang Zhaohe's (蒋兆和) Refugees (流民图) does not stop at a technical explanation of the ink wash realistic technique, but delves into how the painter conveys a "silent cry" through the meticulous depiction of the figures' expressions and the handling of spatial relationships between individuals. Technical analysis here becomes a bridge to understanding the historical context; the formal language of the work is restored as a 有血有肉 (yǒu xuè yǒu ròu - "having blood and flesh," vivid and lifelike) historical witness.

Facing the pluralistic coexistence of painting schools in the 20th century, conducting multi-directional comparative research not only helps clarify the artistic development context but also benefits the expansion of new cognitive dimensions through the juxtaposition of images. For example, when discussing the "New Zhejiang School" (新浙派) figure painting, the creations of Fang Zengxian (方增先), Li Zhenjian (李震坚), and others are placed in a horizontal comparison with the "Chang'an School" (长安画派) and the "New Jinling School" (新金陵画派), and also in a vertical lineage of the literati painting tradition and the development of socialist realist art in New China, so that the characteristics of regional painting styles become clearer through comparison.

Maintaining a keen awareness of "discourse power" in research is an aspect many scholars easily overlook. Rather than presenting personal views too excessively and too prominently, I believe that adopting a cautious, restrained expression, combining personal academic views and judgment criteria with works and their historical context, offering appropriately measured commentary, and fully presenting various historical materials, leaving room for readers to judge, is the proper academic attitude for writing history. At the same time, the researcher, in historical interpretation, must not only ask what the painter painted and how, but also why certain subjects and styles were promoted in specific periods while others were marginalized. This kind of conscious questioning, with a sociological character of knowledge, can enable art historical research to transcend the purely evaluative dimension of art appreciation, producing not just a history of artistic styles but also a conceptual history of how figure painting has been viewed, judged, and shaped.

Whether objective, systematic, and profound academic research on 20th-century Chinese figure painting can be carried out is essentially a test of the historian's academic courage, vision, fundamental skills, and attitude toward writing history. The author of History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting manages a vast array of historical materials with a broad perspective, illuminates subtle forms with incisive analysis, and endows history with contemporary significance through deep concern for reality. This book provides a methodological model for how scholars today can write art history amid enormous social transformation. It demonstrates to us: art historical research can neither retreat into pure formal stylistic appreciation nor be simplified into an illustrative footnote to social history; it must maintain a rational dialectical perspective between aesthetic autonomy and social response.

Now, when we once again discuss the proposition "how Chinese figure painting responds to the era," the successes and setbacks, breakthroughs and difficulties sorted out by History of 20th-Century Chinese Figure Painting are undoubtedly a precious historical reference. Among them, the calm analysis of multiple relationships, such as "realism" and "expressionism," "tradition" and "modernity," "China" and "the West," provides beneficial inspiration for transcending binary 非此即彼 (fēi cǐ jí bǐ - "either this or that," either-or) thinking. From the retrieval of historical materials to the construction of historical perspective, research on 20th-century Chinese figure painting history continues to deepen. It is hoped that more scholars will open up new realms in this field with writings that possess both historical depth and intellectual sharpness.

(The author is Vice Director of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History (中央文史研究馆))

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Four Paintings of the Nanchang Uprising: Two Decades of Meticulous Refinement (Reading Paintings)

By: 杨应时

On August 1, 1927, a gunshot rang out atop the city wall of Nanchang, drawing open the great curtain of the Chinese Communist Party's armed resistance against the Kuomintang reactionaries. This was a great event in the history of the Chinese Communist Party, proclaiming the birth of the new-type people's army led by the Chinese Communist Party. To commemorate the Nanchang Uprising and carry forward the red spirit, many art workers have undertaken creations on this theme; the most representative among them is the older-generation oil painter and art educator Li Binghong (黎冰鸿).

"To settle one word in one's verse, one twists off several beard hairs." With these lines, the Tang dynasty poet Lu Yantang (卢延让) vividly described the state of painstaking composition. In creating "Nanchang Uprising," Li Binghong, like Lu Yantang refining characters, painstakingly carved his painting. After nearly 20 years of polishing and creating works with the same title many times, he ultimately froze this major historical moment through art.

Li Binghong first created the oil painting "Nanchang Uprising" in the late 1950s, for the Chinese Revolution Museum (中国革命博物馆; now the National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆). This huge work, 200 centimeters high and 260 centimeters wide, was completed in 1959, vividly reproducing the night before the uprising through artistic means. In the painting, Zhou Enlai, upright in bearing, stands at the front gate of the Jiangxi Grand Hotel (江西大旅社), the general headquarters of the uprising, his left hand on his hip and his right hand waving, delivering a pre-battle mobilization speech to the troops that had completed their assembly. On Zhou Enlai's left is He Long, who served as commander-in-chief of the uprising army; his right leg steps forward, his gaze fixed ahead, his posture dashing and resolute. Commanders such as Ye Ting, Zhu De, and Liu Bocheng stand or sit behind the two, their expressions confident and steady. Beneath the night sky, warm lamplight shone nearby, crowds of people stirred in the distance, the uprising army's banners were furled, guns and cannons gleamed bright, portending that battle was 一触即发 (yī chù jí fā - "one touch, immediately erupt," on the verge of breaking out). Overall, the figures in the painting are accurate in structural modeling, natural and vivid in expression, strictly follow the laws of focal-point perspective, and employ light with great ingenuity, setting off the atmosphere that victory in the uprising was in sight. Its high artistic and historical value led to its inclusion as an illustration in junior high school history textbooks. In 1960, Li Binghong again created, for the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Museum (中国人民革命军事博物馆), an oil painting of the same name whose dimensions and composition differed little from the "National Museum version" of "Nanchang Uprising."

The National Art Museum of China (中国美术馆) also holds a work of the same name (see image). Its dimensions are smaller (77 centimeters high, 100.5 centimeters wide), and in the past it was often taken to be a draft of "Nanchang Uprising," but judging from the appearance of the painting, it is more like an independent work — the overall composition is compact and condensed, the depiction of the figures is true and vivid, and the artistic level is quite high. Its content also differs greatly from the "National Museum version" and the "Military Museum version." In the painting, Zhou Enlai faces the soldiers, his left hand clenched into a fist, his right hand on his hip, in high spirits. The soldier sitting beside him has his left arm wrapped in bandages, suggesting that the battle has already ended. In the foreground, some guns lean against an ammunition box, perhaps spoils captured in battle. The painter also added such figures as the workers' picket corps and the peasants' self-defense army, interpreting that the worker-peasant class was the foundation of revolutionary strength. A more obvious change is that two red flags fly high among the ranks on the right side of the painting, and flags in the distance are also faintly visible, as if telling the viewers that the uprising had already won victory. From this work, one can see both the change in the author's understanding of the historical moment and the 良苦用心 (liáng kǔ yòng xīn - "truly arduous application of mind," painstaking care) he devoted to composing the picture in order to embody this change.

In 1977, Li Binghong created the oil painting "Nanchang Uprising" for the Nanchang August 1 Uprising Memorial Hall (南昌八一起义纪念馆); its composition and content are similar to the version collected by the National Art Museum of China, only somewhat larger in dimensions. According to records, in order to complete the work well, Li Binghong successively went to the Nanchang and Jinggang Mountains areas to experience life, visited old Red Army soldiers and their relatives, collected photographs and materials from various periods of the leaders of that year's uprising, and made dozens of oil painting studies, quick sketches, and drawings of varying sizes. In order to finish the work on time, he set up a studio directly in the memorial hall and worked there more than ten hours every day. In the painting, Zhou Enlai's gaze turns toward the viewers outside the frame, his bearing more solemn. Behind the soldier with the bandaged left arm, the figure of a female soldier is newly added, embodying the affirmation of women's dedication and sacrifice amid the flames of revolution. On the right side of the painting, the number of red flags raised high increases, and the atmosphere of victory is even stronger; therefore, this painting is also named "Cheering for Victory."

Twenty years of painstaking polishing, several versions of detail adjustments — what remains unchanged is the spiritual conviction of the people's army to dare to fight and be certain of victory. The smoke of gunpowder has faded into the distance, and the torch is passed on without end. Today, these red paintings spanning time not only gather powerful spiritual strength for strengthening the military and invigorating the armed forces, but also enlighten art workers that only by upholding a creative attitude of 精益求精 (jīng yì qiú jīng - "already fine, seek finer," constantly striving for excellence) can they forge more works that will be handed down through the ages.

(The author is the deputy director of the Research Department of the National Art Museum of China.)

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A Cross-Media Artistic Resonance

By: 潘镜如

Stepping into the Heterogeneous Resonance (异质共振) exhibition hall of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum (中央美术学院美术馆), porcelain, digital video, and digital sculpture meet here, together launching a cross-media journey of translating traditional culture. The so-called "heterogeneous" refers to differences in materials, techniques, forms, and creative paths; "resonance" comes from the three young artists’ shared and profound contemplation of traditional culture. We take root in the fertile soil of the era, using artistic language that contemporary audiences can understand and empathize with, to artistically interpret and creatively transform traditional culture, letting the thousand-year cultural lineage flow in contemporary life.

Traditional patterns carry the ancients’ longing for a better life, embodying the unique aesthetic tastes and philosophical concepts of the Chinese nation. I have long been deeply engaged in the study of traditional patterns, especially fond of the patterns on ancient architecture along the Beijing Central Axis. For example, the painted decorations on Forbidden City architecture not only have distinct visual characteristics but also contain the beauty of order, and even more so are a joint embodiment of ritual norms, natural concepts, and craftsmanship wisdom. Therefore, I try to start from the cultural core of the patterns, understand their composition methods of symmetry, continuity, enclosure, and central aggregation, and transform them into the movement logic of digital imagery, completing the work Central Axis Kaleidoscope (中轴万花筒) (see figure). It consists of three sets of dynamic imaging devices, using square LED screens spliced in staggered layers. The external outline borrows from the structures of traditional lattice windows and caisson ceilings. The content elements come from dragon patterns on beams and rafters, three-dimensional floral decorations on palace walls, and phoenix patterns in caisson ceilings. Colors of traditional patterns such as turquoise, gold-red, and lapis lazuli flow and recombine across the screens. With the help of digital technology, traditional patterns "step out" from the towering architectural structures and radiate new vitality in contemporary spaces.

If Central Axis Kaleidoscope emphasizes the solemn sense of order of palace architectural patterns, Metamorphosis (蝶变) focuses on the simple vitality of folk patterns. Its creative inspiration comes from the blue calico (蓝印花布) pattern-making technique. Blue calico often uses images of butterflies, flowers, melons and fruits to form continuous patterns, conveying people’s good wishes. I referred to traditional carving methods and made a metal pattern board enclosed by butterfly motifs. A beam of light passes through the metal pattern board. Seemingly it leaves a clear projection on the wall, but in fact, what appears on the wall is another butterfly pattern image generated by artificial intelligence. The superposition of physical patterns, real light and shadow, and algorithmic images reminds the audience that in the age of artificial intelligence, we need more patience to think about the relationship between manual experience, creator’s judgment, and technology.

Digital technology not only empowers classic patterns but also reshapes traditional folk symbols. Stone lions are the guardians of ancient Chinese architecture. Through millennia of trade and cultural exchange, their appearance has continuously evolved, finally forming the cultural image familiar to people today. Li Wenlong’s Timely Lion (时狮) uses 3D printing and artificial intelligence technology to deconstruct the classic form of traditional stone lions, generating new stone lion images that are both familiar and unfamiliar. In the collision of traditional handicraft, industrial manufacturing technology, and intelligent digital production, the work guides the audience to re-examine the relationship between art and technology, and to think about the innovative path of traditional culture in the digital intelligence era.

Ceramics is an important calling card of Chinese civilization, containing the worldview of "harmony between heaven and man." Earth bathed in fire becomes porcelain. It is a process of material transformation and also symbolizes life gaining new birth through tempering. The property of ceramics being hard yet fragile reveals the essence of life’s resilience and fragility coexisting interdependently. He Yisha continuously explores the relationship between ceramics and life. Her Breaking Out of the Shell series (破壳系列) starts from the imagery of the phoenix’s nirvana, using thin-bodied shapes like eggshell fragments to display the moment of life’s birth.

Works of different media and different themes dialogue on the same stage, echoing each other, constructing the core of "Heterogeneous Resonance." This "resonance" contains three dimensions. First, resonance within traditional culture. Although traditional patterns, stone lions, and ceramics differ in form, they together reflect the Chinese people’s aesthetic order, life concepts, and wisdom of creation. Second, resonance between materials and technology. New technologies such as LED imaging, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence enable traditional culture to manifest new forms in the transformation across different media. Third, the resonance of young artists’ exploratory spirit. This benefits from the platform provided to young teachers by the Central Academy of Fine Arts’ Wide Angle°—Youth Experimental Project Space (广角°——青年实验项目空间).

Resonance after resonance injects surging vitality into traditional culture and artistic creation, and also proves that art never has only one path of growth. Difference, collision, and dialogue are the keys to generating novelty and achieving diversity.

(The author is an associate professor at the School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美术学院设计学院).)

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Painting a Portrait of China’s Vast Seas

By: 李 冬

The vast maritime territory carries the lofty aspirations and heroic passion of the Chinese nation in striving for strength toward the sea, witnesses the firm faith of the People's Army in writing loyalty with hot blood, and is also an important subject full of spiritual power in art creation.

I enlisted in my youth, joined the People's Navy, and garrisoned the deep blue. Several years of military life made me truly realize the great significance of maritime tranquility for national prosperity and ethnic rejuvenation, and laid the foundation of my character that holds mountains and seas in my heart. After retiring from service, I never forget the nature of a soldier and adhere to the original aspiration of serving the country. The real experience of defending the sea, profound cognition of coastal defense, and rich accumulation of field research have built my will and sentiment to pursue dreams in the deep blue, and also made my Chinese painting creation go beyond the leisurely pleasures of a literati study, becoming an artistic expression that integrates realistic warmth and cultural thickness.

I have been deeply engaged in marine-themed creation for decades. Looking at the development vein of Chinese painting over a thousand years, the traditional categories of landscape, flowers-and-birds, and figures have complete systems and 源远流长 (yuǎn yuǎn liú cháng - "source distant, flow long," long-standing and well-established), but the vast ocean has always been a weak area in traditional painting, with relatively limited related creation techniques and theoretical research. Ma Yuan's "Water Pictures" of the Southern Song dynasty fully captures the principle of painting water and the wonder of water forms; Yuan Yao's "Picture of Penglai Immortal Realm" of the Qing dynasty creates an illusory and misty seascape through movement and color, making them rare masterpieces that deeply observe water momentum and express the ocean's atmosphere. Exploring the reasons, on the one hand, seawater is 瞬息万变 (shùn xī wàn biàn - "instantaneous myriad changes," changing rapidly), making it difficult for painters to capture its form; on the other hand, ancient painters mostly lived inland and rarely had the opportunity to see the ocean firsthand, leading to this subject being long marginalized in painting history.

Since modern and contemporary times, with the development of coastal defense and the expansion of art workers' creative horizons, marine-themed creation has gradually received attention and achieved breakthroughs. My late father Li Haitao (李海涛) began studying the use of Chinese painting techniques to depict the ocean in the 1970s, becoming one of the pioneers in this field. In 1986, to create the long scroll "Ten-Thousand-Li Maritime Territory Picture," my father spent five years walking along the motherland's coastline and many islands, traveling a total of over 30,000 kilometers, accumulating a large amount of sketching materials. During that time, I accompanied my father, measuring with our steps most of the outline of the motherland's ten-thousand-li maritime territory. Since then, I have also actively collected related creative resources. From the folk customs of coastal areas, to the rich and diverse marine plants, to the 变幻莫测 (biàn huàn mò cè - "changing unfathomably," unpredictable) clouds, mists, and waves, I recorded them all, seeking creative inspiration under real feelings.

In marine-themed creation, the primary work is to understand the patterns of waves, to know clearly their different forms and background reasons at different times and places — the formation of a wave must first have a swell, then a wave; the formation of swells is closely related to the seabed geological structure and surrounding environment; the colors of seawater in different sea areas are not all the same, also determined by factors such as seabed sandstone and vegetation. Through in-depth observation and study of the sea, I constantly summarize patterns and try to innovate traditional brush-and-ink techniques, so that the spiritual bearing of Chinese painting and the vastness and profundity of the ocean merge and interpenetrate. Facing the 千变万化 (qiān biàn wàn huà - "thousand changes, ten thousand transformations," ever-changing) billows, I extract from them the "tendons, bones, and flesh" of the sea, and integrate dozens of techniques such as splashed ink and splashed color, accumulated ink and accumulated color, flying white texture strokes, washing method, and flushing method, to express the layers and spirit of the sea, revealing the majesty and tranquility of the ten-thousand-li maritime territory in the 虚实相生 (xū shí xiāng shēng - "the virtual and real mutually generate," interplay of void and solidity).

Today, the Jiaolong explores the sea, the Xuelong explores the polar regions, new-type warships gallop across the ocean; above the blue territory, blue dreams sail far with the waves. Facing the 日新月异 (rì xīn yuè yì - "daily new, monthly different," constantly changing) landscape of the times, the space for marine-themed art creation is unprecedentedly broad. How to use the unique way of Chinese painting to compose the ocean story that belongs to this era? How to make flexible ink and hardcore themes merge and coexist in the same space? All these require art workers to open up a "new sea route" in their creation, and write their answer while 乘风破浪 (chéng fēng pò làng - "ride the wind, break the waves," to forge ahead fearlessly).

(The author is the vice director of the China Artists Association's Ethnic Art Committee (中国美术家协会民族美术艺委会).)

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Photo Report

Chinese painting "Tianshan Moon Bright," by Li Xuesong (李雪松).

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Summer Retreat in Paintings

By: 周书杨

In the sweltering heat of high summer, where can one find coolness? During the long years without air conditioning or electric fans, the ancients developed a wisdom for dispelling summer heat that was not limited to physical cooling but extended to the construction of a spiritual realm. This wisdom coalesced in painting into a series of captivating visual images, allowing modern people to savor a trace of coolness from within.

When painting scenes of escaping summer heat, the ancients placed great emphasis on the careful arrangement of space. For example, in Mountain Dwelling and Cooling Off (山居纳凉图) by Sheng Mao (盛懋) of the Yuan dynasty, a white-robed worthy leans against the railing of a waterside pavilion, surrounded by ancient trees, with clouds and mist hazy. Avoiding Summer Heat at a Riverside Pavilion (江亭避暑图) by Shen Zhou (沈周) of the Ming dynasty depicts a lofty scholar walking with a staff toward a cool pavilion by the riverbank. The painters used blank space to suggest the moisture-laden atmosphere, and variations in ink density to render the clarity of the air, making the viewer feel as if a cool breeze is brushing the face.

Even more profound is the inward turn of the cooling space. In Escaping Summer Heat Under Locust Tree Shade (槐荫消夏图) by an anonymous Song dynasty painter (see illustration), a semi-enclosed small environment is constructed beneath the shade of a locust tree: a lofty scholar lies on a cool couch with his belly exposed, behind him a standing screen. This screen is both a divider of the pictorial space and a symbol of psychological boundary—it isolates the external heat and creates its own cool realm. Escaping Summer Heat (消夏图) by Liu Guandao (刘贯道) of the Yuan dynasty pushes this inward turn to the extreme. In the painting, a scholar lies on a couch, and behind him is a screen with a figure, and within that figure screen there is yet another landscape screen. Three layers of space are nested one within another, guiding the viewer's gaze from the outside inward, finally reaching a pure, far-reaching spiritual world.

If spatial construction is the skeleton of summer-heat-escaping paintings, then the images borne by the screen are the keys that allow the painting to reach the heart. On the screen in Escaping Summer Heat Under Locust Tree Shade is painted a snowy landscape and wintry forest. In the blazing summer, a screen of snow scenery stands abruptly before one's eyes—this seemingly contradictory combination precisely articulates the wisdom of Chinese aesthetics: 借景移情 (jiè jǐng yí qíng - "borrowing scenery to shift emotion," projecting feelings onto the scene). Subtle visual synesthesia gives the picture an incredible cooling effect. Escaping Summer Heat likewise employs the images on the screen to carry out psychological suggestion. On the main screen is depicted a lofty scholar seated on a book couch, and behind it a screen with landscape, pavilions, and terraces. Here, escaping the summer heat is no longer merely physical cooling but a kind of spiritual introspection—deep within that screen, one seems to hear the lingering contentment of "心静自然凉" (xīn jìng zì rán liáng - "when the heart is calm, naturally you feel cool").

In summer-heat-escaping paintings, the bodily postures of the figures and the refined objects beside them constitute yet another system of cooling signifiers. Almost without exception, the figures in the paintings are in a state of ease and leisure—some lying on a couch with belly exposed and feet bare, others walking with a staff amid mountains and waters. These postures together convey a relaxed state of life: unhurried, unagitated, uncontending. Once the body is freed from daily toil, coolness arises naturally from the depths of the heart. The furnishings in the paintings are even more ingeniously conceived: fly whisks, scrolls, incense burners, and the like are both the literati's summer-heat-escaping "companions" and vessels for lodging emotions and expressing feelings. People need not go deep into the mountains and forests; with just a few pure objects, they can welcome the breeze and while away the long summer within a single room, transforming the blazing outdoor heat into the quiet poetry on the desk.

From the perspective of painting's own formal language, the painters collectively pursue a "heat-dispelling" visual effect at the technical level. In terms of color application, the layering tends toward lightness. Avoiding Summer Heat at a Riverside Pavilion uses flower-blue and sap-green as the dominant tones, thinly applied and lightly washed, creating the cool feeling of an early summer morning. Mountain Dwelling and Cooling Off also uses light applications of azurite and malachite green combined with large areas of blank space to create a visual effect of hazy moisture. Even Escaping Summer Heat Under Locust Tree Shade, which is known for its meticulous brushwork, pursues elegance and stability in coloration, with no trace of agitation. In terms of brushwork, the painters mostly adopt a slow, relaxed rhythm. Liu Guandao's figure line-drawing is steady and powerful yet shows no sharp edges; the folds of clothing flow like a cool breeze. Shen Zhou's landscape texture strokes (皴法) are sparse and light, with no sense of urgency. This "lightness" and "looseness" in themselves are a visual coolant.

In the height of summer, one might well calm the mind, read a painting, and feel that wisp of a breeze from the depths of history.

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Xu Hongmei, Ma Suwei

This edition's email: msfk@peopledaily.cn
Title image design: Zhao Siyu (赵偲汝)

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