People's Daily - August 20, 2026

Justice Arrives

By: 本报记者 徐 隽 魏哲哲

China’s easternmost island court — the Shengshan People’s Tribunal of Shengsi County People’s Court in Zhejiang Province — sits on Shengshan Island, only 24 nautical miles from the high seas. Surrounded by sea on all sides, the area is known for strong winds and rough waves. In the past, when local residents needed to file a lawsuit, they had to take a ferry to Sijiao Island, but ferry services were frequently suspended due to high winds. Since it was inconvenient for fishermen to litigate, the court simply “moved” its tribunal onto the sea.

Rocking, and rocking again; pitching, and pitching again… Fishing boats and sampans carried the judges of the Shengshan Tribunal back and forth, and also carried the expectations of more than 18,500 residents in its jurisdiction for fairness and justice.

Waves surge against the tide; the court emblem shines. The judges have learned the temperament of the tides, memorized the schedule of every passenger ferry, and understood the working patterns of the fishing grounds. When the wind and waves subside, they set out; when the tide recedes, they hold court. Wherever the national emblem is carried, there the circuit tribunal is established. Based on the realities of island life, the Shengshan Tribunal provides targeted and convenient litigation services for fishing-area production and the needs of the people, safeguarding the warmth of everyday life and watching over fairness and justice.

This watchfulness brings the warmth of the judiciary to the hearts of the people.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, “Pay greater attention to the coordination of the rule of law with reform, development, and stability, and pay greater attention to safeguarding and promoting social fairness and justice.”

People’s tribunals take root across the length and breadth of the country. They are the “grassroots front line” through which the judiciary serves the people, and also the “last kilometer” through which fairness and justice reach production and daily life directly. To date, there are 11,035 people’s tribunals nationwide, which concluded 34 million cases between 2021 and 2025, accounting for approximately 35 percent of all first-instance cases in courts nationwide — 1.7 times the figure of the previous five-year period.

Capable and effective, fairness and justice are written into the fields, streets, and neighborhoods where the people live. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and in particular Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, people’s tribunals establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, and, toward the goal of “striving to ensure that the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case,” they substantively resolve disputes and stop conflicts, uphold fairness and justice, serve urban and rural development, safeguard social tranquility, and gather the mighty force of grassroots rule-of-law construction in China.

Standing firmly on the people’s side, “as if I were the litigant” practices justice for the people

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “The law should not be cold and unfeeling; judicial work is also work with the masses.”

People’s tribunals are dispatched organs of grassroots courts, among the most basic political-legal units, and also the Party’s governing tentacles and bridge to the people’s hearts at the grassroots level. Although they handle “small cases” close to the people, every one of them concerns the people’s vital interests, and every one is connected to the direction of popular sentiment.

A collected artifact bears witness to the heart of justice for the people.

At the National Museum of China, the wooden seat used by the “cable-crossing judges” when riding the zip-line is permanently collected. This seat comes from Fengjie County, Chongqing, and is a spiritual symbol of mountain-area judges adhering to a people-centered approach.

The mountains are high and the valleys deep. Since the 1990s, judges of the Fengjie County People’s Court have carried the national emblem and case files on their backs, crossing the river by zip-line over the Jiuhe River, bringing circuit tribunals into farmhouse courtyards and resolving disputes on the spot, sparing mountain residents long journeys. In 2015, a photograph of a judge holding the national emblem while crossing the river by zip-line to handle a case spread widely, and the “cable-crossing judges” became known to more people.

One of the subjects of the photograph, Wang Wei, was then a clerk at the Third People’s Tribunal of Fengjie County People’s Court (later renamed Xinglong People’s Tribunal). “In 2014, I rode the zip-line for the first time, for a case involving a neighboring-rights dispute between two brothers,” Wang Wei said. “The river was rushing below, and my palms were sweating. The veteran chief judge encouraged me, saying the mountain roads were hard to travel, but as long as we headed toward the people, our hearts would be at ease.”

When they reached the courtyard, they hung up the national emblem, set up a table, and pulled up a banner — and it became a circuit tribunal. After learning the facts of the case, they found the cause was that rainwater from the eaves had long been flowing onto the other brother’s yard, leaving both brothers nursing grievances, and the feud had dragged on for years. Through explanation of the law and reasoning, the case was smoothly mediated — the wall was demolished, the ditch was dug, and both families were satisfied.

“Take one more step, and the people will walk fewer detours; show a bit more patience, and the people will have more trust in the judiciary,” Wang Wei said.

Justice on the move continues.

Not long ago, when I met Wang Wei again, he told reporters about the new generation of “cable-crossing judges”: “Two years ago, young Tan Shuang took up the baton; the ‘old cable-crossing’ has retired from the daily work of case handling.”

“My ‘case-handling partner’ is a fully equipped 5G ‘vehicle-mounted convenience tribunal,’” Tan Shuang said. The tribunal can drive directly into village committee offices, reaching the doorsteps of the people, enabling on-site case filing, on-site mediation, and on-site issuance of legal documents — one-stop resolution.

One year, during the harvest season for Fritillaria in Shiban Village, Fengjie County, not a soul was seen on the hillsides — 27 households of villagers had driven three-wheeled vehicles to block the warehouse gate of the village cooperative.

It turned out that the cooperative had leased villagers’ land to grow medicinal herbs, hoping to increase villagers’ incomes together. However, market fluctuations were severe, the cooperative suffered losses, and the rent that should have been paid to the villagers was not fulfilled. Afterward, the villagers took back their land and farmed it themselves, but their attempts to recover the rent came to nothing.

Upon learning of the “gate-blocking” dispute, the “cable-crossing judges” went to the village. Knocking on doors, they listened to the villagers’ concerns; going into the cooperative, they listened to the manager’s difficulties; plot by plot, they surveyed the disputed land and verified the transfer agreements on site… The “cable-crossing judges” sat down with the villagers and the cooperative manager to calculate the long-term account: “A year of litigation will delay several harvests; if trust is lost, the industry cannot take a single step forward.”

After multiple rounds of communication, an agreement was finally reached between the two sides: the rent would be paid in installments, with the first installment arriving in the account that very night.

“Small cases” are not handled lightly; every one is connected to the people’s hearts. From feet and zip-lines to digits and the cloud, what has changed is the tools; what has not changed is the original aspiration of justice for the people. It is precisely the people’s tribunals’ steadfastness rooted in the warmth of everyday life that warms every courtyard that can only be reached after crossing mountains, and that builds the most simple trust of grassroots people in fairness and justice.

China has a vast territory, with uneven development across regions and vastly different local customs and folkways. In recent years, people’s tribunals everywhere have stood firmly on the people’s side, integrated the concept of convenience and benefit to the people into the entire process of daily case handling, gone deep into the grassroots front line, made good use of such experiences as “vehicle-mounted tribunals,” “horseback tribunals,” and “waterborne tribunals,” effectively extended the reach of judicial services, and provided tangible convenience for the people in litigating.

In the Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan areas of Changping District, Beijing, the separation of workplace and residence is pronounced, and it is difficult for workers in new employment forms such as couriers and food-delivery riders to coordinate time for litigation.

How can the people’s production and daily life be better served?

The answer from Changping District People’s Court is: turn on the lights — the tribunal’s convenience services never “close.” The Huilongguan People’s Tribunal and Tiantongyuan People’s Tribunal have introduced a “night tribunal” convenience mechanism, using evening hours to conduct hearings, service of process, and evidentiary inspections, making it convenient for office workers in super-large communities who face difficulties in litigating.

In a case where a courier sued an intermediary to recover a rental deposit, the party concerned could not take leave from work. The Huilongguan People’s Tribunal activated the “night cloud tribunal” and flexibly arranged the hearing time.

After the judgment took effect, the courier received the refunded deposit of 7,000 yuan and was very moved: “If I hadn’t gotten this money back, how many delivery orders would I have had to make to make up for it!”

With people’s tribunals as the fulcrum, “night tribunals,” “weekend tribunals,” and “market-day tribunals” serve the people’s production and daily life, handling cases without delaying work hours or violating the farming calendar, warming the hearts of the people.

Fairness and justice are what the people hope for and what governance is oriented toward. The empathetic perspective of “as if I were the litigant” drives judges to measure popular sentiment with their steps, to pay constant attention to facilitating litigation for the people and reducing their litigation burden, to turn more than 10,000 people’s tribunals nationwide into more than 10,000 convenience service stations, to transform abstract legal provisions into fairness and justice that the people can feel, touch, and access, and to put into practice the commitment of “administering justice for the people.”

Serving urban and rural development, settling disputes and consolidating the foundation of the rule of law

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, “Improve the governance system for urban and rural communities, and resolve conflicts and disputes at the grassroots level and in their budding state in a timely manner.”

People’s tribunals bear the important responsibility of lawfully, fairly, and efficiently resolving conflicts and disputes, balancing social interests, regulating social relations, and standardizing social conduct, so as to create a sound rule-of-law environment for urban and rural construction and development. They are the most direct platform through which the people perceive the rule of law and come into contact with the judiciary.

The resolution of a dispute over a single seed records this sense of responsibility.

Zhangye, Gansu, is home to hundreds of seed enterprises and is China’s most concentrated corn seed production and processing technology center. One out of every two corn seeds in the country comes from Zhangye, and most local farming households make their living from seed production.

Old Xu, now 63, is a seed-producing farmer who has been rooted in his hometown all his life, making a living from seeds. Several years ago, Old Xu discussed with a childhood friend who served as general manager of a seed company the integration of his own farmland plus transferred land, totaling more than 3,000 mu, into a cooperative venture. Following the local customary mode of transaction, the two verbally finalized the cooperation details, and the contract they signed was relatively rough, with vague provisions on acreage calculation and yield verification.

By the autumn harvest, the seed company, without waiting for Old Xu to verify on site, had harvested the seed corn ears and hauled them back to the drying ground. At settlement, the two sides disputed the area calculation and price settlement.

How much should actually be paid? This concerned both the farmer’s livelihood and the enterprise’s business operations.

The question ultimately reached the “seed tribunal” — the Xijiao People’s Tribunal of Ganzhou District People’s Court, Zhangye City.

Since the measurement of the planted area was in doubt, a testing company was engaged to verify the actual seed-production area; since the settlement of seed-production payments was disputed, the judges visited farming households to learn about the corn growth and dispel the enterprise’s concerns… In the end, the “seed tribunal,” based on the original contract terms, surveying reports, testimony from hired village workers, and other evidence, clarified the facts of the case and ruled that the seed company must pay Old Xu more than 4.95 million yuan in seed-production payments within a set period.

Cases of this kind are not few. In recent years, the “seed tribunal” has accepted an average of 160 seed-production disputes per year, most with similar facts, with the disputed points being acreage calculation, price settlement, and liability for yield reduction.

It does not stop at individual cases. In order to reduce contract disputes at the source, address common problems in the industry, and achieve the goal of adjudicating one case and governing an entire area, under the overall guidance of the Gansu Provincial Higher People’s Court, the Ganzhou District People’s Court of Zhangye City, together with the agriculture and rural affairs bureau, the seed industry association, and township agricultural service centers, formed a special working group for source-level governance of the seed industry, went down to the grassroots to understand needs, and introduced model contracts to regulate the development of the agricultural “chip” industry, preventing disputes from arising at the source.

From handling one case to resolving an entire category of problems, people’s tribunals represented by the “seed tribunal” equally protect the rights and interests of all parties through fair adjudication, substantively resolve disputes, promote cooperation, benefit development, guide all parties to honor commitments and abide by the law, and serve the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.

Inside the Wuzhou Lingang Economic Zone in Guangxi, machines run day and night without rest. Scrap metal is reborn here, and a green industry at the hundred-billion-yuan level is rapidly taking shape.

How can one serve as a guardian of development? The Industrial Park People’s Tribunal of Longxu District People’s Court, Wuzhou City, provides the answer — judicial services move forward, so that enterprises can walk more steadily.

Not long ago, judicial officers of the Industrial Park People’s Tribunal went into enterprises to popularize the law.

“When an enterprise purchases raw materials, how should the terms be agreed to be safe?” In response to the enterprise manager’s question, the tribunal officers, after learning the details, offered advice: “A clause on ‘raising quality objections within 7 days after delivery’ cannot be omitted, and the liability for breach of contract should also be written specifically, so that if disputes arise later, there is a basis for response.”

Such source-level guidance has brought tangible benefits to enterprises. Starting from case adjudication, the Industrial Park People’s Tribunal has established categorized files for key industries in the park, including metal processing, electronics manufacturing, and agricultural product processing, accurately grasping the risk points of different industries and guiding enterprises to operate lawfully.

On one occasion, an enterprise manager reported: “The workshop has many production-line workers and high shift rotation frequency, and daily attendance and overtime payroll calculations are prone to omissions, which may lead to labor disputes.”

Judicial services follow enterprise needs. The Industrial Park People’s Tribunal carried out targeted legal popularization, and, based on the employment characteristics of enterprises in its jurisdiction and typical cases, analyzed and explained item by item the key points of labor contract signing, attendance ledger management, overtime pay publicity, and temporary labor standards, guiding enterprises to improve their employment systems and avoid disputes.

From “adjudicating individual cases” to “systemic protection,” from “handling cases while seated in the office” to “serving proactively,” from “extinguishing fires after the fact” to “preventing fires beforehand,” people’s tribunals everywhere actively connect with industrial and supply chains, deeply embedding judicial services into the production front line, and promoting the steady and long-term development of urban and rural areas.

Establishing faith in the rule of law, taking responsibility to safeguard grassroots governance

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “Strengthen governance according to law, and foster a rule-of-law environment in which the whole society handles matters according to law, turns to the law when encountering problems, uses the law to solve problems, and relies on the law to resolve conflicts.”

People’s tribunals are windows for judicial services at the grassroots level and also important portals for serving grassroots governance. Whether their functions are performed well directly bears on the effectiveness of building a safe China and a rule-of-law China.

The resolution of a case involving dividend distribution for “married-out daughters” tested this effectiveness.

The conflict originated from a village regulation formulated in 2016 by a village in Shangjie Town, Minhou County, Fujian Province: “After a woman marries out, she shall no longer participate in collective income distribution from the following year.”

In recent years, the village was demolished and resettlement housing was built, with part of it leased out by the village collective, and villagers could receive dividends of more than a thousand yuan each year. However, this village regulation deprived Ms. Wang and more than 60 other “married-out daughters” of their due rights and interests.

“I grew up here, and my household registration is here. Why should I no longer be a villager just because I got married?” Ms. Wang sued the village committee, requesting confirmation of her status as a member of the village collective economic organization and the right to enjoy income distribution.

The case came to Judge Chen Huaji of the Shangjie People’s Tribunal of Minhou County People’s Court, Fujian Province. Ruling according to law was not difficult; the difficulty lay in how rural society could break through traditional concepts.

Chen Huaji went to the village to learn about the situation. Village committee director Old Chen said that the non-distribution of dividends to “married-out daughters” was decided by everyone’s vote — the minority yields to the majority, and the village regulation so provides.

“‘The minority yields to the majority’ is not a reason to deprive them of their lawful rights and interests. The meeting records show that not one of the more than 60 interested ‘married-out daughters’ was present. Without letting them speak, this rule cannot stand on its own feet.” To break the impasse, Chen Huaji activated the “court + comprehensive governance center” mechanism, organizing mediation jointly with cadres from the comprehensive governance center and mediators from the judicial office.

On the one hand, they visited households one by one to verify the family situations of the “married-out daughters” and sort out their claims; on the other hand, they reviewed the village regulations and covenants to identify loopholes.

In the end, through the patient work of the judge and mediators, the two sides reached a mediation agreement: the village committee confirmed the collective economic organization membership status of Ms. Wang and the others, and committed to convening a villagers’ assembly to revise the improper provisions of the village regulations.

In October of last year, good news came: the villagers’ assembly passed a new version of the village regulations by unanimous vote, deleting the provision that “married-out daughters shall not participate in dividend distribution.” The names of more than 60 “married-out daughters” were written into the dividend register. At the beginning of this year, they received their collective income dividends.

Clarifying rules, explaining principles, and establishing new customs — in response to disputes arising from betrothal-gift competition and extravagant ceremonies in rural society, people’s tribunals pool multiple dispute-resolution forces, integrate public order and good customs and traditional virtues into legal explanation and reasoning, and, through the combination of morality and law, resolve antagonistic emotions, repair social relations, gather consensus toward goodness, and lead healthy social trends. Through their perception of judicial fairness, villagers establish faith in the rule of law.

Property services are connected to the lights of ten thousand households, involve a wide scope, and have complex interests — they are an important part of grassroots social governance.

“Quality not matching price” has always been a pain point in property service contract disputes.

How can property services have quantifiable evaluation standards? In Da’an District, Zigong, Sichuan, a lawsuit filed by property owners requesting a reduction in the property service grade provided a reference for resolving this problem.

Chunfeng Jiuli is an upscale residential complex built several years ago. Because of “quality not matching price,” many property owners refused to pay property fees, and the property management company sued the owners in court.

When handling the case, Lu Xiaofeng, chief judge of the Tuanjie People’s Tribunal (Tourism and Environment Tribunal) of Da’an District People’s Court, together with the housing and urban-rural development department, discovered during visits to the complex that there were illegal constructions, fire safety hazards, and inadequate basic property services. Subsequently, the property owners requested a reduction in the property fee standard and applied for judicial appraisal of the property service grade of the complex.

In practice, after a property company is graded, there is little room for dynamic adjustment afterward. If owners want a price reduction, they often can only do so by replacing the property company.

How could the specific demands of the complex’s residents be addressed and property disputes be thoroughly resolved?

The Tuanjie People’s Tribunal reported the grassroots problem to the Zigong Intermediate People’s Court. After conducting research, the Zigong Intermediate Court issued a judicial recommendation to the relevant authorities, proposing the establishment of a dynamic adjustment mechanism for property service grades to promote “quality matching price” in property services.

The housing and urban-rural development department attached great importance to the judicial recommendation upon receiving it, and introduced a third-party institution to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all 134 four-star and five-star rated property companies in its jurisdiction.

Among them, the property company involved in the case was found to have as many as 32 items of service management problems. The relevant authorities reduced the property service grade of the complex from level 5 to level 4, and lowered the fee standard from 2.2 yuan per square meter to 1.6 yuan. The property company stated that it accepted the evaluation results, actively cooperated with rectification, proactively refunded part of the prepaid property fees, and the environment of the complex took on a new look.

People’s tribunals are at the forefront of serving the people and on the front line of resolving conflicts and disputes. They keenly perceive new situations and changes in economic and social development, and promptly study new issues and new requirements for judicial service guarantees, which is conducive to improving governance rules and promoting social governance.

In recent years, people’s tribunals everywhere have not limited themselves to handling cases as isolated matters, but rather, from the perspective of being conducive to the realization of the goals of law-based grassroots governance and good law and good governance, have used rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods to analyze and solve problems, cultivated a rule-of-law culture, and used rule-based governance to remedy rights, balance interests, settle disputes, stop conflicts, and safeguard justice, so that the people truly feel that fairness and justice are right by their side.

* * *

At the China-Laos border at the southernmost tip of Yunnan, the Mohan People’s Tribunal of Guandu District People’s Court, Kunming City, guards the harmony and tranquility of the national gate.

On one occasion, three foreign nationals came to the tribunal for consultation. It turned out that a foreign national, Pei, had orally agreed with a Chinese citizen, Tu, to purchase a vehicle, and after paying an advance of 11,500 yuan, a dispute arose because the payment and delivery times had not been specified. With language barriers and cross-border communication difficulties, both sides were anxious.

The Mohan People’s Tribunal immediately coordinated with relevant departments and, through on-site mediation with an interpreter, went from case acceptance to reaching an agreement in just one afternoon.

“In China, resolving disputes is both good and fast.” With the dispute resolved on the spot, Pei signed the mediation agreement.

A “national-gate tribunal” is a window displaying China’s rule-of-law image. People’s tribunals everywhere emphasize both adjudication and mediation, both law and reason, and both settling disputes and stopping conflicts — this is a distinct Chinese characteristic and a notable institutional advantage.

From the White Mountains and Black Waters to the shores of the South China Sea, from border ports to urban streets and alleys… people’s tribunals safeguard fairness and justice and the tranquility of ten thousand households, writing one touching rule-of-law story after another.

The national emblem on their shoulders, the people in their hearts. On the new journey of the new era, people’s tribunals nationwide thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, and, with the consciousness of “as if I were the litigant,” strive to serve the overall situation and administer justice for the people, responding to the people’s expectations with more solid work results, and contributing judicial strength to building a higher-level safe China and rule-of-law China.

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Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to Boka on Assuming Office as President of Hungary

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 — On August 19, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Bóka András, congratulating him on his inauguration as President of Hungary.

Xi Jinping pointed out that Hungary was among the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China, and the traditional friendship between China and Hungary has a long history. Over the 77 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both sides have always adhered to mutual respect, equal treatment, and mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and cooperation in various fields has yielded remarkable results. I attach great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations, and I am willing to work together with President Bóka to continue the traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust and practical cooperation in various fields, promote the steady and sustained development of the China-Hungary new era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, and better benefit the people of both countries.

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Making Cross-Border Data Flow Faster and Better (Deepening the Implementation of the Strategy to Upgrade Pilot Free Trade Zones)

By: 本报记者 王崟欣

The Political Bureau meeting of the CPC Central Committee held on July 30 pointed out: "We must expand the space for mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation, vigorously develop services trade, and promote balanced trade development. Improve the management system for outbound investment and the comprehensive overseas service system, and actively attract and utilize foreign investment." The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes: "Implement the strategy of upgrading pilot free trade zones, carry out institutional opening-up trials with greater intensity, and elevate the level of innovation-led development."

Implementing the strategy of upgrading pilot free trade zones is an important measure for advancing high-level opening-up and promoting high-quality development. Our newspaper from today opens the column "Deeply Implementing the Strategy of Upgrading Pilot Free Trade Zones," focusing on the practical explorations of various localities in advancing pilot free trade zone construction according to local conditions, steadily and orderly, and the latest achievements in promoting reform and development through opening-up, demonstrating China's confidence and determination to unwaveringly advance high-level opening-up.

— Editor

Not long ago, Puliansitong (普联思通), a Shanghai foreign-invested enterprise focused on cross-border logistics visualization services, obtained the latest cross-border data filing for logistics pilot scenarios from the Management Committee of the Lingang New Area (临港新片区) of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, with the filing validity period extended from one year to three years.

"This has strengthened our confidence in investing in China, and also demonstrated the effectiveness of cross-border data flows in logistics pilot scenarios," said Tan Shuai, a relevant person in charge at Puliansitong.

The foundation of Puliansitong's business lies in the cross-border flow of logistics data. "In international trade, without safe and reliable cross-border data flows, corporate decision-making is like 盲人摸象 (máng rén mō xiàng - "blind men feeling the elephant," to mistake a part for the whole due to limited perspective)," Tan Shuai said.

Puliansitong is not alone. Shanghai has nearly 80,000 foreign-invested enterprises and about 1,700 regional headquarters and R&D centers of multinational corporations. Keeping pace with the global trend of industrial digitalization, promoting and regulating the safe and orderly cross-border flow of data elements, is a required question that must be answered.

The "Overall Plan for the Lingang New Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone" proposes "implementing the safe and orderly cross-border flow of international internet data."

In 2022, Puliansitong settled in Shanghai. "Which data can be transmitted? Where are the compliance red lines? How can data be ensured against tampering or theft during cross-border flows? Previously, there were few precedents in China to follow," introduced Jiang Xiaotong, a staff member of the Data Division of the Lingang New Area Management Committee. Staff and enterprise personnel reviewed, simulated, and discussed together, and ultimately, Puliansitong obtained China's first cross-border scenario-based pilot filing for supply chain logistics scenario data.

At Shanghai's Yangshan Port, gantry cranes rise and fall without pause. Containers just unloaded from oceangoing cargo ships await transfer by container trucks. On the other side of the ocean, a reminder pops up simultaneously on the consignee's phone: "Cargo has arrived at port; the land transport segment is expected to enter the warehouse within 12 hours." While the cargo is in transit, on Puliansitong's system, information such as cargo nodes and abnormal warnings is also being transmitted in real time.

When data flows, business thrives. "Foreign trade clients can grasp the logistics status in China more conveniently. We also rely on data to conduct AI analysis, automatically calculate optimal logistics routes, and provide early warnings of risky routes," Tan Shuai said. "With convenient data access, foreign-invested enterprises have greater confidence in the Chinese market."

In the year the filing was obtained, Puliansitong added investment of more than US$7 million and established an institution in the Lingang New Area. Today, its data connects globally, serving more than 1,000 import and export trading enterprises.

Subsequently, on the basis of small-scale scenario-based pilots, the Lingang New Area further piloted the negative list model for data exiting the territory, compiled and implemented operational guidelines for data exiting the territory, and gradually improved the procedures for pre-filing, during-process evidence preservation, and post-hoc supervision of enterprise cross-border data.

In April this year, Shanghai expanded the coverage of the negative list for data exiting the territory from the free trade zone to the entire city, optimized and iterated the content of the negative list, appropriately relaxed the conditions for cross-border data flows, and further reduced enterprise compliance costs. At present, the number of data exit security assessments completed cumulatively in Shanghai accounts for about 40 percent of the national total.

Institutional innovation gives rise to innovative business forms.

Clicking the mouse, the relief details on the screen are rendered with every hair visible... Relying on cross-border data flows, Shanghai Linshu Cultural Technology Co., Ltd. (上海临数文化科技有限公司) reached cooperation with the Cambodian government to carry out digital revitalization of Angkor Wat.

"Angkor Wat is a world cultural heritage site, and the data has particular characteristics," said Liao Qinghua, head of the company. How to achieve cooperation on the premise that data does not enter the country once troubled them.

"We built a new cross-border data dedicated line, directly connected to overseas submarine optical cables, with data processed offshore and going directly overseas," Jiang Xiaotong introduced. The Lingang New Area has also built a supporting public computing power service platform, so small and medium-sized enterprises do not need to build their own servers and can call on computing power resources on demand; a test computer room has been established, supporting enterprises in testing new businesses in a closed environment first, and only after successful operation are they promoted to the market.

In recent years, the Lingang New Area has accelerated the building of an international data processing hub and cross-border data channels, vigorously developing industries such as "incoming data processing" and digital culture going global, and has gathered more than 100 related enterprises.

"In the future, we will continue to focus on the efficient, convenient, and safe flow of cross-border data, build a high-level international data processing hub, and accelerate the advancement of data service infrastructure construction," said Wu Xiaohua, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Lingang New Area.

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Li Qiang and Zhao Leji Meet Respectively with Ecuadorian President Noboa

Xinhua Beijing, August 19 — On the morning of August 19, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Ecuadorian President Noboa, who is in China on a state visit.

Li Qiang said that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Ecuador. Over these years, with the joint efforts of both sides, cooperation between the two countries in various fields has advanced steadily and achieved many new results. Yesterday, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Noboa, making further plans for deepening China-Ecuador relations. Facing the accelerated evolution of major changes unseen in a century, China is willing to work with Ecuador to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, strengthen communication and coordination, consolidate political mutual trust, expand all-round mutually beneficial cooperation, and better serve the modernization of both countries.

Li Qiang pointed out that China is willing to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Ecuador, continue to implement the China-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement well, leverage the complementary advantages of the two economies, expand the scale of bilateral trade, consolidate and expand cooperation in traditional fields such as energy, minerals, and infrastructure construction, deepen cooperation in emerging fields such as 5G and artificial intelligence, and achieve more practical results. China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural and food products from Ecuador, encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Ecuador, and hopes that Ecuador will protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises. The two sides should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in disaster prevention, education, medical care, and people-to-people and cultural fields, and enhance the well-being of the two peoples. The current situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is complex and volatile. China is always willing to be a trustworthy partner of countries in the region, and to work with Ecuador and other parties to expand the breadth and depth of China-Latin America cooperation and continuously deepen and solidify the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future.

Noboa said that China is an important partner and good friend of Ecuador, and bilateral relations have always maintained sound development. In recent years, bilateral trade volume has grown significantly, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results. Ecuador is willing to work with China to further release the dividends of the bilateral free trade agreement, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, finance, mining, renewable energy, infrastructure construction, agriculture and fisheries, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.

Xinhua Beijing, August 19 — Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with Ecuadorian President Noboa on the morning of August 19 in Beijing.

Zhao Leji said that yesterday, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Noboa, jointly drawing a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Ecuador. China is willing to work with Ecuador to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation, continuously raise the level of bilateral relations, and bring more benefits to the two peoples. The National People's Congress of China is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the National Assembly of Ecuador at multiple levels and in multiple fields, deepen exchanges of experience in legislation, oversight, and governance, and provide legal guarantees for practical cooperation between the two countries.

Noboa said that Ecuador regards China as a good friend and good partner, supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is willing to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment and other fields, and strengthen mutual learning between legislative bodies.

Xiao Jie attended the meeting.

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Emotional consumption: What’s new about it? (Reader’s request · Joint focus)

By: 本报记者 吴 凯 王东辉

All kinds of cultural and creative products are sought after by many young people, and netizens are always posting photos of their "perler bead" projects on social media. Why do these products make young people so "obsessed"?
——Question from a People's Daily Online netizen

To answer this question, it is worth observing today's young people.

After work, buying a bouquet of flowers to reward the "old self" who has worked hard; while shopping, opening new blind boxes at trendy toy stores to collect different surprises; on weekends, traveling thousands of miles for a favorite singer's concert... Through these fragments of daily life, we can see that more and more young people's consumption concepts are shifting from focusing on "cost-performance ratio" to emphasizing "heart-performance ratio."

According to data, the scale of China's emotional consumption market has reached 2.72 trillion yuan. This both reflects people's pursuit of a better life and reveals deep-seated changes in economic and social development.

Where is the "newness" of this new consumption trend?

There is the "newness" of consumption concepts. From buying daily necessities to meet basic needs to generously spending on "poetry and distant places," the evolution of consumption concepts is backed by increasingly abundant material conditions and is also a vivid portrayal of the transformation and upgrading of the consumption structure. In the first seven months of this year, service retail sales grew by 5 percent year on year, notably faster than the growth rate of goods retail sales, which shows that people are increasingly willing to pay for "experiences" and "feelings."

There is also the "newness" of consumption subjects. The younger generation is redefining "what is worth buying" with their own views. They reject "what others think is good" and pursue "what I think is worth it"; they do not blindly believe in brand premiums, yet are willing to pay for a unique emotional experience. From "passive acceptance" to "active definition," today's young people champion "saving where one should save, spending where one should spend," and are becoming the "managers" of consumption trends.

There is also the "newness" of consumption purposes. Balancing "paying for practicality" and "paying for happiness" has become a distinctive feature of current consumption. A "Xinjiang little lamb," though a plush toy, speaks for everyone the sentiment that "ordinary days are also worth dressing up with care"; a custom travel postcard uses the ritual of "I was here" to preserve memories of the journey. The use value of goods is extending from "useful" to "evocative," and social attributes, personal expression, and emotional resonance are gradually becoming new drivers of consumption.

Chasing the new and following trends is the current face of consumption; tracing back to the roots, the genes of emotional consumption have echoes from deep in history.

"On the flower seller's pole, I bought a sprig of spring about to bloom" — the ancients adding flowers and color to adorn their lives is no different from today's young people carefully tending their succulents; "at dawn at the blue sea, at dusk at Mount Cangwu" conveys the same longing as the internet expression "youth has no price tag, the journey is in the present moment."

Seen from this perspective, throughout history and across the ages, the core of "paying for emotions" has never changed; what has changed is the way this pursuit is satisfied. The internet has broken the boundaries of time and space, turning emotional consumption from "one person's small happiness" into "a group's sense of ritual." Social media has amplified the joy of sharing and also given birth to new consumption scenarios — when "showing off" becomes part of consumption, emotional consumption, because of emotional resonance, gains a multiplier effect.

However, amid the boom, there are also some tendencies worth examining with a cool head.

Some people, beyond their income capacity, spend huge sums tipping streamers; some indulge in emotional consumption to escape real-world interpersonal interactions; and there are even individual toys that, under the banner of "stress relief," transmit distorted values... When novelty-seeking becomes the selling point, emotional consumption loses its due warmth.

Joy should have limits; passion should have direction. Emotional consumption must not become emotionalized. Emotional consumption in payment for passion and beauty should always be filled with healthy and positive value pursuits — striving upward toward goodness, and growing toward the sun.

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China achieves first land recovery of rocket

Jiuquan, August 19 (Reporters Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿) and Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶)) — At 7:35 a.m. on August 19, the first satellite made in Xiong'an, the "Honghu-03 satellite" (鸿鹄03星), was launched aboard the Zhuque-3 (朱雀三号) reusable flight-2 carrier rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone. At 7:45 a.m., the satellite successfully entered its preset orbit, its solar wings deployed, all telemetry parameters were normal, and the launch mission achieved complete success.

According to the introduction, the carrier rocket flew normally throughout its entire flight, and the first stage successfully landed at the preset position of the recovery site. This mission is China's first realization of carrier rocket first-stage recovery by means of landing legs, and it is also China's first realization of land recovery of an orbital-class carrier rocket's first stage.

(Related report on page 11)

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Guide to Reading

TheoryLeading the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence by Enriching the Supply of International Public Goods
　　Contributing China's Approach to Jointly Building a Fair and Reasonable Global AI Governance System
　　Ninth Edition

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Building a High-Quality and Efficient Medical Service System to Better Meet the People's Health Needs

Tianjin, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Liu Guozhong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted research in Tianjin on Aug. 19. He emphasized that it is necessary to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on building a Healthy China, unswervingly follow the path of health development with Chinese characteristics, unswervingly implement the health and wellness work policy of the new era, adhere to the strategy of prioritizing health development, build a high-quality and efficient medical service system, promote the development of new quality productive forces in the health field such as brain-computer interfaces, and better meet the people's comprehensive, full-cycle health needs.
　　Liu Guozhong successively visited community health service centers, specialized hospitals, and general hospitals, where he learned in detail about primary-level medical services, clinical specialty development, the building of emergency medical rescue teams, and blood supply guarantees. He emphasized that it is necessary to deeply implement the project to strengthen the foundation of medical and health services, strengthen the development of county-level medical communities and urban medical consortia, continue to promote the sinking of personnel and services to the grassroots, and continuously enhance the capacity of primary-level medical and health services. It is necessary to solidly implement family doctor contracted services, actively promote tiered diagnosis and treatment, and guide the public to seek medical treatment rationally. It is necessary to expand the supply of rehabilitation and nursing services, and support the development of weak disciplines such as psychiatry, pediatrics, geriatric medicine, and hospice care. It is necessary to strengthen publicity and mobilization for voluntary blood donation, and enhance the capacity for emergency blood supply guarantees. It is necessary to strengthen the coordination of medicine and education, improve the medical talent training system, and raise the quality of talent cultivation.
　　Liu Guozhong also went to relevant laboratories and medical institutions to conduct in-depth research on the research and development, clinical trials, and application of brain-computer interfaces. He emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen basic research in brain science, advance the tackling of key core technologies, and enhance the capacity for original innovation. It is necessary to do a good job in overall coordination, guide all localities to base themselves on their own scientific research and industrial advantages, identify their development positioning, expand application scenarios, and explore the formation of development paths with distinctive local characteristics. It is necessary to improve the standards system, strictly regulate and supervise, and firmly hold the bottom line of safety.
　　Today marks the ninth Chinese Physicians' Day, with the theme "Forging the Soul and Strengthening the Foundation, Lofty Virtue and Superior Skill." During the research, Liu Guozhong visited and expressed condolences to frontline medical personnel, and extended holiday greetings to medical workers across the country. He emphasized that the vast number of medical workers have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding the people's health and are worthy guardians of health in the new era. It is necessary to strive to temper excellent professional skills, carry forward the fine medical ethics and style, provide better medical and health services for the people, and make new contributions to the building of a Healthy China. It is necessary to strengthen the building of the medical and health workforce, care for and show concern for medical personnel, and foster a favorable social atmosphere of respecting doctors and valuing health.

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Pilot-scale platforms help more samples move toward mass production (New economic coordinates: from "0" to "1," extending the "1")

By: 本报记者 杨 迅

In Ningxiang City, Changsha, Hunan, at the Biopharmaceutical Engineering Center (pilot-scale platform) of Chutian Technology Co., Ltd., experimenters are busily attending to the milky-white bacterial liquid inside a huge fermentation tank. Laboratory samples in fields such as synthetic biology and bio-based materials are striving to overcome difficulties and move onto production lines to achieve mass production.

In response to the problems of "acclimatization failure" between R&D and mass production, and the high cost for enterprises to independently purchase equipment for pilot-scale testing, Hunan has built a shared pilot-scale platform as a key bridge to span the chasm in achievement transformation, promoting the efficient transformation of laboratory samples into market-ready mass-produced products.

Equipment sharing reduces enterprise pilot-testing costs

"Strains that grow well in laboratory shake flasks suffer 'acclimatization failure' when scaled up to ton-level fermentation tanks, with yields plummeting sharply," said Liu Gaobo, deputy general manager of Chutian Microspheres Biotechnology (Changsha) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Chutian Technology. "This is a sample sent by a biomedical company, stuck at the mass-production stage. The other party said that to figure out the reason, they would need to find their own site and platform, and even modify equipment—high cost and considerable effort. But here, by paying only a relatively low pilot-testing fee, the technology can potentially be validated."

Similar situations have also occurred at the Hunan Biomanufacturing Pilot-Scale Base Co., Ltd. in the High-tech Zone of Jinshi City, Changde. Liu Xiaodu, the base's operations manager, said that the area has gathered 30 upstream and downstream biomanufacturing enterprises, all facing similar problems. In June 2023, the Hunan Biomanufacturing Pilot-Scale Base Co., Ltd., guided by government layout and operated on a market-oriented basis, was established.

Last November, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the first batch of biomanufacturing pilot-scale capability construction platform lists, and both Chutian Technology and Hunan Biomanufacturing Pilot-Scale Base Co., Ltd. were selected.

"We do not produce or sell end products; we mainly provide pilot-scale technical services and an industry-supporting ecosystem, giving a push and a helping hand when sample achievements are being transformed," Liu Xiaodu explained. The company possesses a full-chain pilot-scale system, attracting biomanufacturing enterprises and research institutes from multiple provinces and cities to conduct process validation and tackle new technical challenges. The Jinshi municipal government has also introduced supporting policies, providing special operating subsidies based on the company's annual pilot-scale service performance and the number of enterprises served. At the same time, enterprise-benefit implementation rules have been issued: after projects of enterprises stationed at the pilot-scale platform are built as factories in Jinshi, pilot-testing fees can be reduced or waived.

Cost reduction and efficiency enhancement raise the success rate of industrial implementation

How effective is the pilot-scale platform? Yang Bo, director of Chutian Technology's Biopharmaceutical Engineering Center (pilot-scale platform), provided a set of data:

Previously, enterprises needed to independently build a biopharmaceutical fermentation pilot-scale production line from 200 liters to ton-level, with fixed-asset investment generally exceeding 10 million yuan. By relying on the pilot-scale platform for process validation, enterprises can reduce upfront fixed-asset investment by over 75%; at the same time, the cycles for equipment procurement, plant construction, and qualification commissioning are eliminated, and the R&D cycle from laboratory samples to finalized industrial processes is shortened by an average of 4 to 8 months.

"Biotechnology laboratory achievements that have not been refined through pilot-scale testing generally have an industrial implementation success rate of less than 30%; for projects that have completed full process scale-up and stability validation on the platform, the success rate exceeds 92%," Yang Bo stated. Since the platform began operation, it has undertaken more than 40 process scale-up projects from university research teams and small and medium-sized biomedical enterprises. Quite a few laboratory achievements from universities outside the province have landed in Hunan for pilot-scale testing, and after project validation matures, they have naturally chosen to select sites and build factories within the province.

By saving costs for enterprises, what does the pilot-scale platform gain? Yang Bo explained that over the past three years, the platform has served more than 200 enterprises through fee-based projects, while also providing free pilot-scale support to nearly 200 pharmaceutical companies. While ensuring its own business operations, it has also promoted collaborative innovation across the biomedical industry chain.

The Hunan Biomanufacturing Pilot-Scale Base Co., Ltd. has adopted a similar business model. Liu Xiaodu noted, "The platform achieves market-oriented operation by charging service fees. The pilot-testing fee an enterprise pays per session ranges from several thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan."

It begins with cost reduction, and its value lies in efficiency enhancement. Yang Bo said, "To better attract high-quality enterprise projects to settle in, we strive to provide better services, connecting upstream scientific research achievement supply with downstream market demand."

"Enterprises coming for pilot testing value our platform's supporting facilities and the upstream and downstream market resources that Chutian Technology has accumulated in the pharmaceutical industry. We will also promote the construction and development of the pilot-scale platform according to the development needs of the pharmaceutical market," Yang Bo said. In response to the common problems of strain stability and process parameter fluctuations, the platform has simultaneously established complete pilot-testing data archives and a tiered confidentiality management mechanism, with supporting risk-control processes.

Multi-party efforts promote the expansion and upgrading of the pilot-scale platform

Why do biomanufacturing enterprises come to Hunan, a central province, to conduct pilot-scale testing?

"With universities such as Central South University and Hunan University, and enterprises such as Chutian Technology and Sansure Biotech, there is a foundation for developing biomanufacturing," said Wang Shuai, deputy director of the Achievement Transformation Promotion Division of the Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology. "Developing biomanufacturing is not just about achieving a single-point breakthrough in future industries; more importantly, it can accelerate the green transformation of Hunan's traditional industries such as petrochemicals, chemicals, materials, and agriculture."

It is attracted not only by the industry clustering effect, but also inseparable from policy guidance and support. In the biomedical and medical device fields, Hunan Province has laid out 12 pilot-scale bases, uniformly publishing pilot-scale service manuals and lists to the public, and is preparing to establish 3 concept validation centers. Wang Haibo, director of the Consumer Goods Industry Division of the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, introduced that Hunan Province supports a number of key biomanufacturing enterprise projects through special funds, guides and supports the expansion of the Jinshi chemical industry park, and helps plan the development of the biomanufacturing industry.

"But there are still some potential customers who do not understand the value of the pilot-scale platform's existence, and publicity efforts need to be strengthened; in terms of technical confidentiality, at present customers mainly send personnel to participate in operations at key positions to ensure key technologies remain controllable, and the building of a trust mechanism still has a long way to go," Liu Xiaodu frankly admitted. To enable the pilot-scale platform to play a better role, many parties have made considerable efforts, such as introducing state-owned enterprises to participate in platform construction, the government planning a risk deposit fund system, and insurance companies strengthening cooperation with pilot-scale platforms.

In the past year, Chutian Technology's Biopharmaceutical Engineering Center (pilot-scale platform), in coordination with industry chain units such as Chutian Microspheres, has driven orders for upstream and downstream chromatography fillers, single-use bioprocess consumables, and intelligent equipment supporting systems to grow by more than 30 million yuan. Together with other pilot-scale platforms in the province, it has filled the gap in the "small-scale testing—pilot-scale testing—industrialization equipment support" chain of Hunan's biomanufacturing achievement transformation. During its service process, the platform has sorted out general operating specifications for biopharmaceutical fermentation scale-up, assisted more than 10 partner enterprises in improving process standard documents, and promoted the formation of replicable biomanufacturing process flows.

"At present, there are still many projects queuing to settle into the pilot-scale platform. We are combining project implementation progress with plans for expanding and upgrading the pilot-scale platform to enhance its attractiveness," Yang Bo said.

This issue coordinated by: Zhang Anyu

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Build a Good "Nursery" for Research Outcomes (Voices from the Field)

By: 刘高波

Just looking at the project materials from this biomedical company, I could tell the work would not be easy. This is a veterinary vaccine prioritized by Heilongjiang Province, and they wanted us to help with process development.
In the materials, the research direction was clear and the scientific background was solid. But because they could not find a production workshop that met Good Manufacturing Practice standards, lacked pilot-scale equipment, and had not been able to assemble a team to explore vaccine production processes, the vaccine samples developed in the laboratory were struggling to move toward clinical research and commercial production.
Since the pilot platform was established, I have received similar research teams every year — their R&D capabilities are not the problem, but once they move from the "gram level" to the "kilogram level" or "ton level," they get stuck. Where does the problem lie? Batch drug production requires exploring a suitable production process, just like baking bread at home — add more water when there is too much flour, add more flour when there is too much water, cycle back and forth, and arrive at a recipe. But exploring a pharmaceutical production process is far more complex, requiring enormous manpower, material resources, and funding. Some research teams, lacking sufficient capacity, can only give up halfway after countless failed trials.
"Guarding perfect data while being unable to produce a qualified product — it is agonizing." A biomedical company once lamented this. Fortunately, they ultimately used the pilot platform's equipment to explore a production process, and the project landed smoothly.
The pilot platform is the "seedling nursery" for research achievements. Research institutes do the breeding, developing the technology; enterprises do the planting, bringing products to market. But for good seeds to achieve a good harvest, it is best to nurture them for a period on the pilot platform first — once the seedlings are strong and the roots are deep, they can withstand wind and rain when planted in the field.
I often encourage my colleagues on the team: what we are doing is not just solving technical problems — it is paving the way for the entire industry. In the future, when research teams bring good seeds here, we can say with greater confidence — the "seedling nursery" is ready, let's work together!
(Compiled and arranged by staff reporter Yang Xun)

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Spare no effort in preparing for competitions and achieve new successes in building a sporting powerhouse

Beijing, August 19 (Xinhua) — State Councilor Shen Yiqin on the 19th visited the training bureau of the General Administration of Sport to inspect preparations for the Nagoya Asian Games, where she called on and expressed concern for athletes, coaches, and support staff, encouraging everyone to bear in mind the great trust of the Party and the people, make every effort to complete preparation and competition work, achieve a double harvest in athletic performance and spiritual civilization, lay a solid foundation in the new Olympic preparation cycle, and make new contributions to building a sporting powerhouse.

Shen Yiqin successively entered the gymnastics hall and the swimming hall, observed event training, and inquired about athletes' pre-competition training arrangements, physical condition adjustment, and logistical service support. She encouraged everyone to uphold the principle of putting the motherland first and winning glory for the country, to train scientifically, maintain a calm mindset, and fight tenaciously, striving to perform at their best level.

Shen Yiqin emphasized that it is necessary to keep the Los Angeles Olympic Games in view, enhance the quality and effectiveness of training through the Asian Games, systematically carry out targeted training in the sprint phase, and comprehensively elevate competitive strength. Service support should be strengthened and team management strictly enforced, so that athletes and coaches can focus wholeheartedly on preparing for competition, resolutely ensuring a "zero occurrence" and "zero tolerance" approach to doping issues, and winning gold medals of morality, gold medals of style, and clean gold medals. Bottom-line thinking should be firmly established, and various risks should be effectively prevented and defused to ensure safety in preparation and competition.

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Why Phone Charging Keeps Getting Faster (Innovation Around Us)

By: 本报记者 吕绍刚

When you wake up in the morning, your phone's remaining battery is low. Plug in the charger, and by the time you finish washing up and getting dressed, the battery is nearly full. Previously, you charged overnight; now you charge for a short while after waking up. This change in charging habits is thanks to the popularization of fast-charging technology.

It may seem like just switching chargers, but with faster charging, challenges follow. "It's like 'walking a tightrope' and finding a balance among constraints such as energy conversion efficiency, heat dissipation, battery lifespan, safety, and charger size," said Tian Chen, head of battery R&D at OPPO.

"Consumers have demands: to alleviate battery anxiety, they want both fast charging and large battery capacity. But for us, these two are not easy to achieve simultaneously," explained Lu Qingyun, a battery expert at Honor. Lithium batteries mostly use graphite as the anode material; to increase battery capacity, the electrode must be made thicker, which lengthens the lithium-ion transport path and slows charging speed.

Mixing silicon into the graphite anode — this is the solution manufacturers came up with. Silicon's theoretical specific capacity is nearly 10 times that of graphite, and it can store more electricity at the same mass. But its "temperament" is not so good; it expands significantly in volume when charging.

To this end, R&D personnel use carbon materials to build a "skeleton" inside the battery to constrain silicon's expansion, while reserving space so it "has room to swell." Lu Qingyun explained that in the batteries developed by the company, the silicon content has increased from about 5% in the first generation to about 32%, achieving simultaneous improvement in battery capacity and fast-charging capability.

How is fast-charging heat generation solved? Lu Qingyun said, "In traditional batteries, current flows in and out through a concentrated set of positive and negative electrode pathways. We adopted a three-tab dual-circuit technology, splitting the 'large traffic flow' into two 'small traffic flows,' which both shortens the current transmission path and reduces localized heat generation." Tian Chen stated that the phone batteries produced by the company use a dual-cell architecture, coordinated with dynamic algorithm adjustment, to share the stress of charging and discharging.

按下葫芦浮起瓢 (àn xià húlu fú qǐ piáo - "press down the gourd, the ladle floats up," solving one problem only to create another). As charging speed increases, the size and weight of chargers grow larger and larger. For example, traditional laptop chargers, though powerful, are like small bricks — heavy, bulky, and inconvenient to carry. The reason is that the charger uses an electronic switch that opens and closes at high speed, cutting electrical energy into high-frequency pulses that are processed by components such as transformers before being delivered to the phone. Because the electronic switch has traditionally been made primarily of silicon materials, the switching frequency is limited. To increase charging power, the energy delivered per transfer must be increased, and components such as transformers must also grow larger.

Reflected in actual user experience, when consumers go out, they have to put a "small brick" in their bag to extend their phone's battery life. Who would buy into such a fast-charging experience?

This time, major manufacturers have turned their attention to gallium nitride. Power devices made from this new semiconductor material offer advantages such as high switching frequency and low energy loss, creating the conditions for chargers to achieve both high power and small size simultaneously. It is like carrying buckets of water to a pool — if you make more trips, the "bucket" can be smaller, less water is "spilled," and losses and heat generation are reduced.

"We also redesigned the entire system of control, heat dissipation, and other aspects around the material's characteristics," said the relevant technical lead at Anker Innovations. Domestic chips, semiconductor devices, and the related supply chain are maturing, providing support for the widespread application of gallium nitride technology.

As electronic products such as phones and tablets become more rapidly popularized, charging scenarios in daily life are more diverse, and consumer demands for charging go beyond just speed. Safety, stability, convenience... multiple pain points remain to be solved. A common question is: does fast charging damage the battery?

"Choosing a charger and cable that have passed formal certification, the impact of fast charging on battery lifespan is controllable," explained Deng Fugui, R&D manager at UGREEN. Charging rate and temperature are the key factors affecting battery lifespan. As materials and structures continue to advance, batteries can withstand higher charging rates.

Some consumers have also noticed that chargers with the same interface can have quite different charging speeds.

"To achieve fast charging, the charger, cable, and device must all be compatible," Deng Fugui said. The charger and phone first perform a protocol "handshake" to match input and output power before charging begins. Currently, devices with Type-C interfaces generally support mainstream fast-charging protocols. However, some phone manufacturers also have their own high-power fast-charging protocols. If a charger has not obtained the manufacturer's authorization, it can only fast-charge according to the mainstream protocol, and the power output lags behind that of the original charger.

The relevant technical lead at Anker Innovations believes that in addition to visible pain points such as charging speed and heat generation, companies should also pay more attention to consumers' potential needs. For example, multi-port and retractable cable designs can reduce cable clutter, and chargers equipped with displays make real-time status clear at a glance. "Providing users with a more reassuring and worry-free experience is our direction of effort."

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World Robot Conference opens

Report from our newspaper in Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Pan Junqiang (潘俊强)) — On the 19th, the 2026 World Robot Conference, themed "Human-Machine Symbiosis, Production-Demand Integration," opened in Yizhuang, Beijing.

The conference is co-hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics (中国电子学会) and the World Robot Cooperation Organization (世界机器人合作组织), inviting 30 international support institutions to participate, attracting 373 enterprises and 3,000 innovative products for exhibition, gathering over 17,000 contestants, releasing achievements such as the "Initiative for the Upward and Good Development of Intelligent Robots" (智能机器人向上向善发展倡议), with 311 new products unveiled at the conference.

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National railway freight volume reaches 2.35 billion tons in first seven months

Beijing, August 19 (Xinhua) — Reporter Li Xinping (李心萍) — The reporter learned from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司) that from January to July this year, national railways cumulatively transported 2.35 billion tons of freight, a year-on-year increase of 0.7%; average daily loading reached 187,000 wagons, a year-on-year increase of 2.1%, and the brand influence and market competitiveness of "China Railway Logistics" continued to improve.

Transport guarantees for key materials were robust. From January to July, national railways transported 1.216 billion tons of coal, of which 813 million tons was thermal coal; coal stockpiles at power plants directly supplied by railways nationwide remained at relatively high levels, effectively supporting various regions in meeting peak summer electricity demand. From January to July, national railway freight volumes for grain, chemicals, and textiles increased year-on-year by 7.4%, 5.4%, and 21.4%, respectively.

Railway logistics products are increasingly well-developed. From January to July, a cumulative total of 165 rail-sea intermodal "single-document system" (一单制) products were launched, with 71,600 TEUs of bookings, promoting a year-on-year increase of 9.2% in container rail-sea intermodal volume; efforts were focused on cultivating high-quality rail-road intermodal routes, with rail-road intermodal volume reaching 294 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 80.9%. Vigorous efforts were made to operate "passenger-train-style" express freight trains, building convenient and efficient logistics corridors among major economic zones such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, effectively serving the construction of a unified national market.

Railway logistics services were upgraded in quality. From January to July, a cumulative total of 1,523 total logistics package contracts were signed, with contracted freight volume reaching 1.236 billion tons.

China-Europe (Asia) freight trains continued to operate steadily. From January to July, 21,570 China-Europe (Asia) freight trains were operated, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%, of which 12,988 were China-Europe freight trains, a year-on-year increase of 17.6%; 8,582 were China-Central Asia freight trains, a year-on-year increase of 0.7%.

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100-Day Million-Job Recruitment Drive Launches Online Special Sessions for AI and Other Sectors

Beijing, August 19 (Xinhua) — (Reporter Qiu Chaoyi) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部) that from August 17 to 23, the Hundred-Day Ten-Thousand-Position special recruitment campaign launched four online recruitment sessions in the artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and foreign trade industries, organized by relevant human resources service institutions, with more than 3,000 employers participating and a recruitment demand of 24,000 person-times.

Among them, the artificial intelligence industry session organized 400 employers including China Unicom Software Research Institute, COSCO Shipping Technology Co., Ltd., and Beijing Brain Science and Brain-like Research Institute (北京脑科学与类脑研究所), offering positions such as intelligent agent development engineer, large-model algorithm engineer, AI data analyst, and machine vision application engineer, with a recruitment demand of more than 11,000 person-times.

The advanced manufacturing industry session organized 1,593 employers including Huawei, BOE, Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, and XCMG Machinery, offering positions such as automation engineer, formulation process engineer, and metal materials engineer, with a recruitment demand of 8,631 person-times.

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China’s local practices offer a model for solving global development imbalances

By: 本报记者 刘军国

In May 2021, the Party Central Committee entrusted Zhejiang with the major mission of building a demonstration zone for high-quality development and common prosperity. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Zhejiang will push for decisive progress in building the demonstration zone for high-quality development and common prosperity, taking the lead in presenting a vivid picture of basically realizing socialist modernization.

In recent years, large numbers of foreign political party cadres, experts and scholars, enterprise employees, and international students have visited Zhejiang's industrial parks and villages in person, observing up close the vivid practices of promoting common prosperity, and witnessing the tangible results Zhejiang has achieved in industrial income growth, improvement of people's livelihoods, ecological benefits for the people, and cultural enrichment.

"A vibrant industrial ecosystem allows the dividends of common prosperity to be transmitted layer by layer along the industrial chain"

Inside the Jiaxing Smart Common Prosperity Greenhouse, members of a South African delegation reached out to touch the intelligent temperature control terminal and paused before the large screen to review the full-chain data on agricultural product production and sales, directly experiencing the entire process by which digital technology reshapes modern agriculture. In March this year, Solly Mapaila, General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, led a senior cadre delegation to Jiaxing for six days of in-depth research. After visiting the contiguous standardized farmland, he remarked: "In the villages of Jiaxing, we have seen the institutional practice by which China's poverty alleviation effort connects with rural revitalization. Modern industry has effectively narrowed regional disparities, and its experience is worth learning from."

In July this year, Vinicio Peluffo, Chairman of the Italy-China Friendship Association of the Italian Parliament, led a delegation of politicians from multiple parties to visit Jiaxing. The group carefully read historical materials at the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China, and went deep into urban and rural industrial parks to learn about the results of integrated development. "The vivid picture of coordinated urban-rural development in Zhejiang directly confirms the powerful vitality of Chinese-style modernization," Peluffo remarked.

Industrial clusters drive income growth through coordination among government, enterprises, and the people. In 2025, the membrane materials town in Heshang Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, achieved an added value of 3.94 billion yuan for industries above designated size. Hangzhou Cobetter Filtration Equipment Co., Ltd. has absorbed more than 4,000 workers, and by revitalizing idle rural housing has driven an annual income increase of more than 18 million yuan for farming households. "The more prosperous the town's industry, the better business we outside operators do," said Alishiba, a Pakistani merchant who runs a pastry shop in the area.

In Jinyun, Lishui, inside the R&D workshop of Zhejiang Leshang Leisure Products Co., Ltd., British designer Simon sketched a vehicle frame outline with a pencil, repeatedly discussing material selection and mold processes with Chinese engineers. A new product went from concept to batch production in just six months. "Here, the industrial supporting facilities are complete, government-enterprise coordination is efficient, communication is smooth, and execution is fast — enterprise growth and workers' income growth reinforce each other. A high-quality business environment builds a bridge for industrial collaboration between China and foreign countries. A vibrant industrial ecosystem allows the dividends of common prosperity to be transmitted layer by layer along the industrial chain," Simon said.

Wolong Group in Shangyu District, Shaoxing, as a global leader in electric drives, radiates to thousands of upstream and downstream supporting enterprises, with the entire industrial chain employing more than 100,000 people. "By laying out new tracks in embodied intelligence and continuously expanding employment space, we have consolidated the foundation for long-term common prosperity. Automated production lines and comprehensive talent support policies allow frontline workers to genuinely share in the gains of industrial upgrading," said Maedani Tatsuo, a Japanese executive at Wolong Group.

Mountainous areas develop distinctive industries to narrow regional development gaps. In 2025, the total output value of the automotive thermal management industry in Longquan, Lishui, exceeded 10 billion yuan. Oumeng, a Sudanese postdoctoral researcher, has settled into the laboratory to tackle fuel cell thermal management technology, helping the traditional auto parts industry transform toward the new energy track. In Oumeng's view, Zhejiang's promotion of common prosperity breaks through geographical restrictions, allowing remote mountainous areas to gain equal opportunities to participate in high-quality development through distinctive industries.

Industry is the foundation of common prosperity. The dual-track layout of upgrading industry on the plains and developing distinctive industries in the mountains allows regions with different locations and different endowments to find paths to income growth. Pan'an, Jinhua, has seized the development opportunity of "one county, one industry" to build a highland for the traditional Chinese medicine and health industry at a high level. Baek Seung-hak, chairman of an institution under South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the understory Ganoderma lucidum planting base and the standardized GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) processing workshop, and highly recognized the local integrated development model of "industry-academia-research-medicine."

"The deep integration of digital, ecological, and industrial elements paves a sustainable path to common prosperity for mountainous villages"

In Kaihua, Quzhou, clear water flows gently in mountain fish ponds. Frank, a Canadian farmer, set up his phone to livestream traditional fish farming, with millions of netizens watching the landscapes of western Zhejiang online. Having been rooted in Kaihua for more than a decade, Frank has witnessed with his own eyes the earth-shaking changes in the villages here: ecological construction has been converted into stable income for the people; where once large numbers of young and middle-aged people flowed out, now returning home to start businesses has become a trend; and cold-chain logistics reaching directly to village entrances have greatly lowered the threshold for rural entrepreneurship...

"'Green waters and lush mountains are gold and silver mountains' is not an empty slogan but a complete set of conversion mechanisms. The water is cleaner, the mountains are greener, everyone has work to do, and every family has income. The deep integration of digital, ecological, and industrial elements paves a sustainable path to common prosperity for mountainous villages," Frank said.

The Taihu No. 9 Highway in Changxing, Huzhou, spanning 99 kilometers, links 111 scenic spots and 88 natural villages. The locality promotes the "ten villages joining forces, linking farmers and driving agriculture" model of integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism. Marian, an Armenian resident, has settled with her family by the shores of Taihu Lake and rides a bicycle along the lakeside road in her spare time. The "Taihu Breeze Youth Market" along the route draws an average daily footfall of more than 5,000, with merchants earning tens of thousands of yuan in monthly income. Marian said she was deeply impressed by how landscape resources have been converted into income-generating assets for the people.

As the only She autonomous county in the country, Jingning has continuously improved transportation and convenience services, breaking through the constraints on mountainous development. Katya, a Russian content creator, has lived for a year in the digital nomad community of Fuye Village, Dajun Township, and has genuinely felt that urban-rural buses and on-demand rural common prosperity shuttle buses keep residents mobile, that the integration of passenger, freight, and postal services has brought parcel delivery to every village, and that the gap between urban and rural consumption and living amenities continues to narrow. "The mountains are no longer a barrier to life. People in the mountains can enjoy equally convenient services. Farming households join forces to livestream and sell goods and increase income together — this is the unique picture of common prosperity belonging to the She countryside," Katya said.

In Wencheng, Wenzhou, remote mountain villages have been equipped with complete modern facilities. Wuyang Village in Nantian Town has full network coverage, shared charging piles, ecological parking lots, smart health clinics, and photovoltaic streetlights lined along the roads. "Relying on smart energy to achieve green development and revitalization is a vivid answer sheet for Chinese-style modernization in the countryside. In every lamp and every kilowatt-hour of electricity in this deep mountain village, common prosperity is visible and tangible," said Ada, a Ghanaian youth who has lived in Wenzhou for ten years, after visiting the village.

"Simultaneous material and spiritual prosperity is the distinctive feature of Zhejiang's common prosperity"

In promoting common prosperity, Zhejiang adheres to a two-pronged approach of "material prosperity and spiritual prosperity," continuously improving rural cultural venues, regularly carrying out mass cultural and artistic activities, and enriching the people's spiritual and cultural life.

Yudong Village in Kecheng District, Quzhou, enjoys the reputation of "China's No. 1 Village of Peasant Painting." Among the village's more than 800 residents, over 300 are engaged in painting and artistic creation, forming an industrial chain of "peasant painting + cultural creativity + tourism + study tours." Liliana, a Colombian teacher who has lived in China for five years, often visits with her family and participates in the "Our Village Gala" Spring Festival carnival activities. "The villagers not only have money in their pockets but also have equally enriched inner lives, with a broad stage to express themselves and share their joy. Simultaneous material and spiritual prosperity is the distinctive feature of Zhejiang's common prosperity," Liliana said.

Poyang Ancient Street in Jindong District, Jinhua, has developed its cultural tourism business model by relying on the "Eight Immortals Accumulated Path Common Prosperity Belt." Butterfly, a Rwandan international student, was invited to participate in a cultural exploration activity, experiencing Wu opera and tasting the distinctive crispy cakes and ham. "I learned that local villagers transfer land, run shops, and work nearby. With land transfer fees added to wages, their incomes have increased severalfold," Butterfly said.

In recent years, Zhejiang has regularly built platforms for Sino-foreign exchange, with foreign friends deeply integrating into local life and jointly witnessing the continuous improvement of rural conditions. They believe that Zhejiang has fully constructed a sustainable and replicable paradigm of balanced regional development, extending the fruits of development to all people on an equal basis, balancing material income growth with spiritual nourishment, and contributing a Chinese local practice sample of great reference value to the global effort to resolve development imbalances and enrich the choices of paths to modernization for humanity.

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Surrender Day "Worshiping Evil": Those Who Defy the Trend Will Ultimately Be Judged by History (Bell Ringing)

Japanese political figures' visits to Yasukuni Shrine are by no means a matter of personal belief or internal affairs, but a major issue of right and wrong concerning whether Japan honors its postwar peace commitments and can correctly treat its history of aggression.

August 15 is the day of Japan's defeat and surrender. It is a day of justice engraved with the glory of the world anti-fascist war victory, and also an important juncture warning people to remember history and safeguard peace. Yet on that very day, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae offered ritual tribute fees to Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A war criminals of World War II; Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro and three other incumbent cabinet members, the Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General and other senior party figures, and about 90 lawmakers from the cross-party parliamentary group "Association of Members of Parliament Who Visit Yasukuni Shrine Together" went to "worship the ghosts." This string of 倒行逆施 (dǎo xíng nì shī - "going against the current, acting perversely," to defy the trend of history and do evil) once again exposes the Takaichi administration's sinister intentions of distorting its history of aggression and drumming up support for militarism. It is a blatant desecration of historical justice, a serious injury to the feelings of the people of Asian victimized countries, and even more so a deliberate provocation against the fruits of the World War II victory and the postwar international order. It naturally draws strong condemnation from the international community and from discerning people within Japan.

Japanese political figures' visits to Yasukuni Shrine are by no means a matter of personal belief or internal affairs, but a major issue of right and wrong concerning whether Japan honors its postwar peace commitments and can correctly treat its history of aggression. Yasukuni Shrine is by no means an ordinary religious site, but rather the spiritual instrument and symbol of Japanese militarism in launching wars of foreign aggression. The 14 Class-A war criminals it enshrines are the chief culprits of war whose hands are stained with the blood of the peoples of Asian countries. History has repeatedly proven that sincere reflection on the history of aggression and thorough liquidation of the poisonous legacy of militarism constitute the important political foundation for Japan's development of relations with its Asian neighbors. A Asahi Shimbun editorial pointed out that this move will shake Japan's postwar pacifist principles and constitutional order, and damage Japan's political trust with neighboring countries such as China and South Korea.

The vile conduct of right-wing figures such as Takaichi Sanae and Koizumi Shinjiro is by no means a momentary political stunt, but a concentrated exposure of their deeply entrenched historical revisionist stance. In her address that day at the "National Ceremony of Mourning for the War Dead," Takaichi Sanae deliberately played down the profound disasters Japanese militarism inflicted on Asian countries, did not utter a single word about "reflection" or "lessons," and instead one-sidedly played up the so-called "sacrifices of war," deliberately casting Japan as a victim of war. This historical narrative that 颠倒黑白 (diān dǎo hēi bái - "inverting black and white," to confuse right and wrong) is 如出一辙 (rú chū yī zhé - "as if from the same rut," to be exactly the same in kind) with her conduct days earlier when she attended the memorial ceremonies for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where she also equivocated on whether Japan would continue to uphold the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." This distorted logic of speaking only of a "victim narrative" while stripping away the "identity of aggressor" is precisely the habitual trick of Japanese right-wing forces to "absolve" and "whitewash" the history of aggression. And Takaichi Sanae is pushing this reactionary current from the hidden to the open, from the fringe to the mainstream. Koike Akira, Secretary-General of the Japanese Communist Party, pointed out 一针见血 (yī zhēn jiàn xiě - "one needle draws blood," to hit the nail on the head) that Takaichi Sanae made remarks like a leader of a victimized country, and a country that knows no reflection cannot win the trust of the international community.

Deviation in historical perception will inevitably lead to deviation in actual policy; summoning the ghost of militarism ultimately serves to pave the way for military unshackling. In recent years, Japan has repeatedly broken through the constraints of the postwar peace system, substantially increasing its defense budget for years running, accelerating the development of so-called "counterstrike capabilities," promoting the export of lethal weapons, continuously hollowing out the principle of "exclusive defense," and going ever further down the road of military unshackling. The fundamental purpose of right-wing figures such as Takaichi Sanae in glorifying the history of militarism on the day of defeat and surrender is precisely to manufacture public opinion and coerce popular will for breaking through the constraints of the postwar system and advancing arms buildup and war preparations.

Right-wing politicians who drive history in reverse cannot represent the Japanese people. On August 15, large numbers of Japanese citizens spontaneously held rallies and marches, urging the government to face the history of aggression squarely, deeply reflect on war crimes, and criticizing the erroneous conduct of right-wing politicians who disregard people's livelihoods and 穷兵黩武 (qióng bīng dú wǔ - "exhausting troops and indulging in arms," to wage war recklessly and militarize excessively). Koketsu Atsushi, Professor Emeritus of Yamaguchi University, pointed out that the Japanese government's promotion of "remilitarization" at the cost of sacrificing the interests of the people, trading the anxiety of people's livelihoods for so-called "national security," is a fundamentally wrong path of development. A Tokyo Shimbun editorial warned that many of the policies led by Takaichi show an obvious tendency of "return to the prewar era," and that the practices of revitalizing the military industry and expanding armaments are highly similar to prewar Japan; if not corrected in time, the fruits of postwar democracy may be 付诸东流 (fù zhū dōng liú - "cast into the eastward flow," to be wasted and come to nothing).

Those who "worship ghosts" are doomed to defeat! This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trial. This trial of justice was an important fruit of the world anti-fascist war victory, laying the legal cornerstone of the postwar international order, and its fairness and authority admit of no doubt or overturning. What the Takaichi administration has done is in essence a blatant negation of the fruits of the World War II victory and the postwar international order. Those who drive history in reverse will inevitably 重蹈覆辙 (chóng dǎo fù zhé - "retread the tracks of an overturned cart," to repeat the same mistakes and meet the same fate); those who betray historical justice will ultimately be judged by history. Only by truly facing the history of aggression squarely, deeply absorbing the lessons of war, thoroughly cutting ties with militarism, and adhering to the path of peaceful development can Japan find its true way to 安身立命 (ān shēn lì mìng - "settle the body and establish one's destiny," to secure a proper place and sustainable existence).

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Wang Yi Holds Talks with Foreign Minister Perez of Chile

Xinhua Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Ma Zhuoyan (马卓言)) — Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Chilean Foreign Minister Perez in Beijing on the 19th.

Wang Yi said that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership, and China is willing to work with the new Chilean government to push China-Chile relations to a new level. China is willing to deepen cooperation with the Chilean side around the APEC "China Year" and accelerate the building of the Asia-Pacific community and the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area. The two sides should strengthen development strategy alignment, enhance communication and coordination, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Perez said that the new Chilean government firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and is willing to intensify high-level exchanges, strengthen people-to-people and cultural bonds, enhance industrial chain alignment, and expand cooperation. He wished the APEC "China Year" complete success.

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Wang Yi to visit South Korea and Indonesia

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 — A Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on the 19th that, at the invitation of ROK Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, will visit the ROK and Indonesia from August 19 to 22. During the visit to Indonesia, Wang Yi will chair the first meeting of the China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue mechanism and, together with Minister of National Defense Dong Jun, co-chair the second ministerial meeting of the China-Indonesia Foreign and Defense Ministerial "2+2" Dialogue mechanism.

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He Lifeng meets with Chilean Foreign Minister Perez

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, met with Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren at the Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of Aug. 19.

He Lifeng stated that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Chile have continued to deepen political mutual trust, and practical cooperation in various fields has achieved positive results. China and Chile have strong economic complementarity. China is willing to carry forward the traditional friendship with Chile, strengthen economic cooperation, deepen exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology and other fields under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously advance the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership.

Van Klaveren stated that developing relations with China is a priority direction of Chile's diplomacy. Chile is willing to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Chile-China comprehensive strategic partnership as an opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields and bring Chile-China relations to a new level.

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Timor-Leste President Horta Meets with Dong Jun

Xinhua News Agency, Dili, August 19 — On August 18, East Timor's President José Ramos-Horta met in Dili with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun.

Horta said that he thanks the Chinese side for its long-term support and assistance since East Timor's independence, and hopes that the two militaries will deepen and expand practical cooperation. East Timor adheres to the One-China policy and is willing to work together with China and other countries in the region to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.

Dong Jun said that the leaders of the two countries have reached a series of important consensuses, pushing bilateral relations into the best period in history. The Chinese side appreciates East Timor's adherence to strategic autonomy and its commitment to fairness and justice, firmly supports East Timor's national defense and military construction and development, and is willing to work with the East Timorese side to push military-to-military relations to a new level.

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China, Australia central banks renew bilateral local currency swap agreement

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 (reporters Wu Yu, Ren Jun) — A reporter learned from the People's Bank of China on August 19 that recently the People's Bank of China and the Reserve Bank of Australia renewed the bilateral local currency swap agreement, with the swap scale expanded from the original 200 billion yuan / 41 billion Australian dollars to 220 billion yuan / 46 billion Australian dollars. The agreement is valid for five years and may be extended upon mutual consent.

The People's Bank of China stated that the two sides' renewed signing of the bilateral local currency swap agreement and expansion of its scale will help further deepen monetary and financial cooperation between the two countries, promote the facilitation of bilateral trade and investment, and safeguard financial market stability.

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"Provides a roadmap for solving the complex problems of today's world" (said by recipient of the Distinguished Diplomatic Service Medal)

By: 本报记者 牟宗琮 孟祥麟

In May this year, Pakistan's Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi received the "Outstanding Diplomatic Envoy Medal" awarded by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "This medal honors not just me personally, but a team. This team includes all the staff of the Pakistani Embassy in China and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, as well as all the people who have contributed to promoting Pakistan-China friendship," Hashmi said in an exclusive interview with our reporter.

Hashmi worked at the Pakistani Embassy in China from 2008 to 2010, and took up his post as Pakistan's Ambassador to China in November 2023. Hashmi said that over the past two years and more, he has focused on advancing three areas of work: vigorously promoting commercial cooperation between the two countries, promoting vocational and technical education cooperation, and enriching people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In particular, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he launched the song "China-Pakistan Lasting Friendship" (中巴情长), performed jointly by Pakistani and Chinese artists and blending the phonology of Chinese and Urdu, and held distinctive celebrations such as the mango festival... "This medal will inspire us to make greater efforts to push bilateral relations to a new level," Hashmi said.

"Pakistan's establishment of enduring and stable friendly relations with China is 难能可贵 (nán néng kě guì - "difficult to achieve, thus commendable," rare and valuable)," Hashmi said. Over the past 75 years, the two sides have trusted, respected, and supported each other, forging an ironclad friendship. The leaders of the two countries are far-sighted, and people from all walks of life have worked diligently to keep Pakistan-China relations developing steadily forward. "On multilateral stages such as the United Nations, the two sides maintain communication and coordination, jointly advance multilateral cooperation, and contribute to promoting peaceful development, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation."

"In the development of bilateral relations, the strategic guidance of the two heads of state plays a key role, guiding us forward," Hashmi said. After more than 10 years of fruitful cooperation, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has effectively promoted the construction of transportation, energy, and other infrastructure in Pakistan, further enhancing the speed and quality of Pakistan's economic development. "In the future, the two sides will focus on strengthening cooperation in agriculture, mining, information technology, and other fields, and promote the high-quality development of the '2.0 upgraded version' of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor."

"The rivers and mountains of Tibet give people a sense of tranquility, the vegetables of Shouguang (寿光) in Shandong are extremely fresh and delicious, and the ice and snow festival of Harbin in Heilongjiang is unforgettable..." Over the years, Hashmi has visited almost all of China's provinces. Speaking of China's changes in recent years, Hashmi said that China has achieved the rapid popularization of green technologies, including new energy vehicles, power batteries, photovoltaic products, wind power equipment, etc., which not only promotes China's green development but also broadly benefits many countries around the world, including developing countries.

Hashmi believes that China's economy has achieved a "strategically significant transformation" and "has already shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development." Over the past decade or more, China's development achievements in aerospace, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, and other fields have attracted 举世瞩目 (jǔ shì zhǔ mù - "the whole world gazes," attracting worldwide attention). He said: "China pursues a path of mutual benefit and win-win coexistence with countries around the world. China's scientific and technological strength is continuously growing, its development experience is continuously accumulating, and it shares opportunities with countries around the world through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and other means."

Hashmi said that he has learned tai chi in China and has also deepened his understanding of Chinese philosophy and Chinese wisdom. "The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind provides a roadmap for solving the 错综复杂 (cuò zōng fù zá - "interlocking and tangled," intricate and complicated) problems of today's world; this concept is the contemporary expression of ancient Chinese wisdom." Hashmi said that the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the four global initiatives constitute a comprehensive action plan that will push the world toward a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous direction. In order to create a better future, all countries in the world should act together.

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"Seeing Tibet: New Era, New Development" Story-Sharing Event Held in Kathmandu

Our newspaper Kathmandu, August 19 (Reporter Li Mo) On August 19, the "Seeing Tibet: New Era, New Development" story-sharing event was held in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Jiang Jianguo, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, deputy director of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and executive vice president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies; Top Bahadur Magar, chairman of Nepal's National Human Rights Commission; and Zhang Maoming, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, attended and delivered speeches.

Jiang Jianguo stated that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Over the past 75 years, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have adhered to taking the rights to subsistence and development as the primary basic human rights, taken the promotion of people's free and comprehensive development as the highest value pursuit, and successfully blazed a path of human rights development that follows the trend of the times and suits the country's national conditions. In today's Tibet, the overall social situation remains continuously stable, economic development changes with each passing day (rì xīn yuè yì - "renew daily, differ monthly," changing rapidly), people of all ethnic groups live and work in peace (ān jū lè yè - "settle in peace, delight in work," living and working in contentment), religious harmony prevails and Buddhist affairs proceed smoothly, opening up advances in depth, and the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security grows ever stronger.

This story-sharing event, grounded in Tibet's four major tasks of "stability, development, ecology, and border strengthening," set up four story units: seeing "Harmonious and Beautiful Tibet," "Vibrant Tibet," "Green Tibet," and "Open Tibet." Scholars from the Tibet Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences and the China Tibetology Research Center, as well as figures from Nepal's performing arts circles and journalism education, presented a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive Tibet to the audience through vivid stories and lively imagery.

Concurrently with the sharing event, a "Seeing Tibet" photography exhibition was held on site, showcasing to the Nepalese people the fruitful achievements Tibet has made in such fields as economic development, ecological protection, ethnic unity, and opening up.

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China-Provided Emergency Humanitarian Earthquake Relief Supplies Arrive in Colombia

According to Xinhua News Agency, Bogota, August 18 (Reporter Li Zijian) — At noon local time on the 18th, the emergency humanitarian earthquake relief supplies provided by the Chinese government to Colombia arrived at El Dorado International Airport in the Colombian capital Bogota. Chinese Ambassador to Colombia Zhu Jingyang, together with representatives of the Colombian side including the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the local government, held a ceremony at the airport for the arrival of the aid supplies. It is understood that this batch of supplies mainly includes generators, water purification vehicles, disinfection machines, solar lighting equipment, tents, and blankets and other urgently needed relief materials, totaling approximately 80 tons.

Zhu Jingyang delivered a speech at the ceremony on behalf of the Chinese side, saying that the teams of China and Colombia overcame difficulties, worked day and night, and coordinated closely to facilitate the smooth arrival of the aid supplies, fully demonstrating the deep popular support and solid foundation of China-Colombia friendship, and also reflecting the distinctive character of mutually beneficial and mutually supportive bilateral relations.

David Santiago Tamayo, Director of Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, delivered a video speech that day, saying that this batch of supplies embodies the support given by the Chinese government and people during Colombia's difficult times, and that the Colombian side will coordinate with local governments and rescue agencies to properly distribute the supplies. Sara Mendoza, representative of the government of Colombia's Valle del Cauca Department, said that the government of Valle del Cauca Department sincerely thanks the Chinese government for its assistance, and that this batch of supplies has reassured local residents who are in a difficult period.

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Jointly Release the Advanced Deeds of the "Most Beautiful Doctors"

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 — In order to deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on health and wellness work, create a strong atmosphere of respecting doctors and valuing health throughout society, and further consolidate the strength for building a Healthy China (健康中国), on the occasion of the arrival of "Chinese Doctors' Day" (中国医师节), the Central Publicity Department (中央宣传部) and the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委) publicly released to all society the advanced deeds of the "Most Beautiful Doctors" (最美医生).

Comrades Wang Qiu (王秋), Feng Ke (冯珂), Lü Huakun (吕华坤), Du Ronghui (杜荣辉), Lu Jingen (陆金根), Luo Mingqin (罗明琴), Bai Huali (柏华丽), Hou Fanfan (侯凡凡), and Gu Cuiying (顾翠英), nine comrades in total, were honorably selected. They comprehensively implement the health and wellness work policy for the new era, adhere to putting the people first and life first, cherish a heart that relieves suffering, and be great physicians for all living beings. Some deeply cultivate basic medical research and its application, striving to conquer difficult and complicated diseases; some are committed to the inheritance and innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine, exploring and summarizing multiple distinctive surgical diagnosis and treatment plans combining Chinese and Western medicine; some are diligent day and night, sparing no hardship, always fighting on the front line of emergency rescue; some melt warmth with their devoted hearts, meticulously caring for severely ill and disabled elderly patients; some take root in deep mountains, going from village to village, protecting the health of the people in their locality with their original aspiration and perseverance… They use practical actions to practice the lofty professional spirit of "revering and protecting life, 救死扶伤 (jiù sǐ fú shāng - "rescue the dying, heal the wounded," to heal the wounded and rescue the dying), being willing to dedicate, and boundless great love," centrally displaying the good demeanor of medical workers in the new era.

The broad masses of medical workers expressed that they must take the "Most Beautiful Doctors" as role models, cultivate medical ethics and rectify medical conduct, speak of the medical way and practice benevolent arts, provide the masses with even higher quality and more efficient health services with heart and feeling, 身体力行 (shēn tǐ lì xíng - "personally practice with body and strength," to practice what one advocates) popularizing scientific health knowledge and advocating civilized and healthy lifestyles, promote the improvement of the health literacy of the entire people, and contribute strength to advancing the building of a Healthy China.

It is reported that the special program of the "Most Beautiful Doctors" release ceremony will be broadcast in the near future.

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Safeguarding a Healthy China with the Healer's Compassion

By: 本报记者 白剑峰

Under the shadowless lamp, they fight a life-and-death battle with disease; deep in the mountains, they deliver medical care and medicine to the masses; in the laboratory, they leave viruses nowhere to hide... They are the "Most Beautiful Doctors" and the guardians of the people's lives and health.

On August 19 this year, more than 16 million medical workers across the country welcomed their own festival — the ninth Chinese Doctors' Day. The Central Publicity Department (中央宣传部) and the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委) jointly released the advanced deeds of the 2026 "Most Beautiful Doctors," showcasing the fine professional demeanor of medical workers in the new era.

"Carry forward fine medical ethics and conduct, and strive to create a clean and upright (风清气正, fēng qīng qì zhèng - "clean wind and upright spirit," a clean and upright atmosphere) industry environment," "cultivate medical virtue, practice benevolent healing, cherish a heart that relieves suffering, and become great physicians for all living beings"... Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's earnest instructions, the broad ranks of medical workers carry forward the lofty professional spirit of "revering life, rescuing the dying and healing the wounded (救死扶伤, jiù sǐ fú shāng - "rescue the dying, heal the wounded," to save lives and heal the injured), being willing to dedicate, and showing great love without borders (大爱无疆, dà ài wú jiāng - "great love without borders," boundless compassion)," guarding a Healthy China with a physician's benevolent heart (医者仁心, yī zhě rén xīn - "a physician's benevolent heart," the compassion of a healer).

"When you are a doctor, you must always keep patients in your heart"

In the Department of Nephrology at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University (南方医科大学南方医院), there is a "Hou's Law": the light in Hou Fanfan's (侯凡凡) office is often on from 8 a.m. to midnight.

Hou Fanfan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, chief physician of the Department of Nephrology at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, and director of the National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases (国家肾脏病临床医学研究中心).

Every Wednesday at 8 a.m., Hou Fanfan, 75, appears in the consultation room on time, and once seated, the session often does not end until after 5 p.m.

"When you are a doctor, you must always keep patients in your heart." To help patients control their salt intake, Hou Fanfan uses toothpaste caps and mineral water bottle caps as measuring tools, teaching patients by hand how to master the proper amount. To reduce patients' financial burden, she advocates that the department adhere to the "Three No Principles" — cases that can be resolved in outpatient care are never hospitalized, cases that can be treated with a single drug are not given multiple drugs, and affordable drugs are chosen over expensive ones whenever possible.

Hou Fanfan has been deeply engaged in the field of kidney disease for more than fifty years, continuously exploring treatment plans suited to Chinese kidney disease patients and establishing new diagnostic standards for the Chinese population. Her scientific research achievements have delayed the progression of late-stage chronic kidney disease patients to uremia by 3 to 5 years. In 2025, Hou Fanfan received the "Pioneer Award" issued by the International Society of Nephrology. She also led her team to launch China's first comprehensive management AI large model for chronic kidney disease, "Zhi Shen" (智肾), providing an auxiliary tool for clinical treatment decisions.

"Passing on tradition without being bound by the ancients; innovating without departing from the ancestral school." From the fourth-generation inheritor of the Shanghai-school traditional Chinese medicine "Gu's Surgery" (顾氏外科) to a leading figure in modern TCM anorectal disciplines, Lu Jingen (陆金根), chief physician at Longhua Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (上海中医药大学附属龙华医院), has been deeply engaged in TCM surgery for more than fifty years, using one original achievement after another to relieve patients of pain.

For perianal sinus and fistula diseases, especially complex anal fistulas, the previously conventional treatments were highly traumatic, slow to heal, and prone to damaging anal function, causing great suffering to patients. Facing this challenge, Lu Jingen creatively proposed the pathogenesis theory of "insufficient qi and blood, downward flow of damp-heat, stasis blocking the meridians, and residual toxins not fully eliminated." On this basis, he boldly integrated multiple traditional TCM therapies with Western clinical techniques and successfully developed the "thread-dragging therapy" (拖线疗法), a TCM minimally invasive surgical technique. This technique "uses the thread in place of the knife," not only completely removing the lesion but also maximally protecting the patient's perianal tissue and anal function.

With Lu Jingen's active promotion, "Gu's Surgery Therapy" was successfully included in the national representative list of intangible cultural heritage projects. Lu Jingen also promoted the establishment of 41 "Gu's Surgery Second-Level Workstations," radiating quality TCM resources to surrounding community hospitals and other regions.

Du Ronghui (杜荣辉), deputy director and chief physician of Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital (武汉市肺科医院) in Hubei. In thirty-three years of medical practice, she has been committed to solving major problems at low cost. The CT-guided percutaneous lung bulla ablation procedure she developed has successfully shortened patients' hospital stays, improved respiratory function, and enhanced quality of life.

"The differences in imaging are often in the subtlest details, and not the slightest carelessness is permissible." When reading films, Du Ronghui often holds a magnifying glass, not letting a single clue (蛛丝马迹, zhū sī mǎ jì - "spider threads and horse tracks," tiny clues or traces) escape — which is why patients call her the "magnifying glass doctor."

During the Spring Festival in 2009, in Tongcheng County (通城县), Hubei, a villager whose lung disease had not been cured for a long time sought help from Du Ronghui. After carefully examining the patient's CT scan, Du Ronghui determined that the patient had pneumoconiosis. After the news spread in Tongcheng County, many residents came to seek treatment drawn by her reputation (慕名前来, mù míng qián lái - "come drawn by reputation," to seek someone out because of their fame). To make it convenient for the villagers to see a doctor, Du Ronghui decided to provide free clinics on the last Saturday of every month. From then on, regardless of bitter cold or scorching heat (严寒酷暑, yán hán kù shǔ - "bitter cold and scorching heat," extreme weather conditions), wind, frost, rain, or snow (风霜雨雪, fēng shuāng yǔ xuě - "wind, frost, rain, and snow," all kinds of harsh weather), she drove herself to keep the appointment — and has persisted for 17 years.

"Only by going to the front line can you obtain first-hand information"

At around 2 a.m., Lü Huakun (吕华坤), chief physician at the Institute of Immunization Planning of the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (浙江省疾病预防控制中心), was awakened by the telephone. "An infectious disease outbreak has occurred at a middle school in our county; please send experts to guide the response." It was the director of a county CDC calling. Lü Huakun immediately got up, reported the matter upward, contacted experts, and coordinated vehicles. An hour later, the team assembled and set out, arriving at the outbreak site before dawn.

When conducting mosquito density monitoring, Lü Huakun did not fear mosquito bites, holding up a mosquito aspirator to capture mosquitoes, and after completing the monitoring, continued on to the next monitoring site. When conducting tick host surveys, he carried equipment into sparsely populated wilderness, dragging white cloth flags over vegetation, stopping every ten-plus minutes to check the cloth surface, and despite the bloody scratches on his arms from brambles, carefully used tweezers to remove ticks and place them in bottles.

"Only by going to the front line can you obtain first-hand information." This is a sentence Lü Huakun has put into practice through action.

"Go where the motherland needs you most, and do more meaningful things." In October 2021, Wang Qiu (王秋), director and chief technician of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University (四川大学华西第二医院), was appointed president of the Tibet Autonomous Region Women's and Children's Hospital (西藏自治区妇产儿童医院). He led 13 medical staff to fly to Lhasa for paired assistance.

During his aid-Tibet tenure, Wang Qiu led the team to build the Department of Child Health Care and the Department of Child Rehabilitation to high standards, and took the lead in jointly establishing a clinical medical research center for plateau child development, filling multiple research gaps in plateau child health fields such as child rehabilitation and child lung development.

Feng Ke (冯珂), deputy director and chief physician of the Emergency Department of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (宁夏医科大学总医院), often says: "Seeing the relieved smiles on patients' family members is my greatest happiness." For 17 years, he has insisted on arriving early and leaving late, handling the rescue of more than 7,000 critically ill patients over more than 6,000 days and nights.

On the emergency front line, Feng Ke frequently treats patients injured by cats and dogs, stung by bees, or bitten by snakes. He led his team to start from zero — researching materials, establishing standards, and running procedures — and in 2021 took the lead in establishing Ningxia's first animal injury clinic, filling the gap in standardized treatment of animal injuries in the region.

"Cure the patient's disease, and care for the sick person"

With a backpack basket and a medicine box, braving wind and rain, traversing the mountains — this is the work that Bai Huali (柏华丽), a village doctor at the Dazhao Village (打召村) health room in Duncao Township, Changshun County, Guizhou (贵州长顺县敦操乡打召村), has held fast to for 23 years. The villagers affectionately call her the "backpack doctor."

In January 2003, Bai Huali, a graduate of community medicine from Qiannan Health School, came alone to Dazhao Village. A shoulder pole carrying two buckets, with bedding and grain inside — these were all her belongings. The health room was two old rooms, and apart from a bed, there was no medical equipment or medicine.

Over more than 20 years of work, Bai Huali built the simple clinic into a standardized village health room and brought it under the unified management of the compact county-wide medical community, enabling the masses to achieve "minor illnesses not leaving the village." She takes the initiative to make home visits, having walked to every household. For villagers facing financial difficulties, she insists on not charging consultation fees, and sometimes even advances the cost of medicine herself, so that the villagers can seek treatment with peace of mind. "I cannot leave here, because the villagers need me," Bai Huali says.

Luo Mingqin (罗明琴), director of the Nursing Department and chief nurse at Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital (青海省人民医院), has been deeply engaged in the nursing profession for thirty years. In response to the dilemma of "difficulty seeing a doctor and difficulty receiving nursing care" faced by people with limited mobility, she actively explored an "Internet + nursing" service model with plateau characteristics, organized professional backbone staff to form a nursing service team, and launched 21 high-frequency, high-demand home nursing services, bringing chronic disease rehabilitation and specialist nursing services down to the doorsteps of the masses.

"Gentle touch and professional care — that is our standard." Focusing on the nursing needs of elderly patients and end-of-life patients, Luo Mingqin took the lead in building a standardized and normalized elderly health service and hospice care service model, incorporating pain management, psychological counseling, and family bereavement support into a comprehensive closed-loop care system, making care both professionally precise and humanistically warm.

"Cure the patient's disease, and care for the sick person." This is the commitment of Gu Cuiying (顾翠英), director and chief physician of the Department of Geriatrics at Qinghe County Central Hospital, Xingtai City, Hebei (河北邢台市清河县中心医院). When the geriatrics department was first established, an elderly person had a large pressure ulcer on the buttocks and severe electrolyte disturbance, and the family held almost no hope. Gu Cuiying took over the case voluntarily and treated the pressure ulcer with a combination of Chinese and Western medicine. Under her careful care, the elderly patient gradually recovered. Today, the geriatrics department has grown from dozens of beds to more than 180, and now has an intensive care unit and a hospice care room, becoming an important base for integrated medical and elderly care in the surrounding counties.

Some of the elderly patients admitted to the geriatrics department are bedridden for long periods; others have lost cognitive or physical function, eating through nasal feeding tubes and needing help to turn over. How should nursing be provided so that the elderly can maintain more dignity? Gu Cuiying summarized the "Four Degrees" essentials: the height of the head of the bed, the concentration of nutritional fluids, the temperature of liquid food, and the speed of syringe pushing. Every one of these comes from bedside observation and repeated verification. "In this job as a doctor, without love you cannot last, and without skill you cannot do well," Gu Cuiying says.

Health is entrusted, lives are committed. Behind the "Most Beautiful Doctors," there are still tens of millions of medical workers silently holding their posts. They use great love to write a warm answer sheet of revering and protecting life, and to lay a solid health foundation for Chinese-style modernization.

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2026 National "New Era Good Youth" Advanced Deeds Released

Xinhua News Agency, Shenyang, August 19 (Reporters Ding Feibai, Yang Zhanfei) — The Central Office for Building Spiritual Civilization (中央精神文明建设办公室), the Ministry of Education (教育部), the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (共青团中央), the All-China Women's Federation (全国妇联), and the China National Committee on Care for the Next Generation (中国关工委) jointly held the 2026 National "New Era Good Youth" (新时代好少年) advanced deeds release ceremony in Shenyang, Liaoning on the 19th, presenting to society the advanced deeds of 50 (groups of) outstanding children and youths.

The release ceremony, themed "Spark Youth" (星火少年), used vivid and lively deed short films, sincere and moving story narrations, and diverse stage presentations to collectively release the deeds of the 50 (groups of) good youths. These 50 (groups of) good youths were recommended through student self-nomination, mutual nomination, and recommendations from teachers, parents, and society, on the basis of extensive "New Era Good Youth" publicity and learning activities carried out in various localities. They are excellent in character and learning, full of vigor, and outstanding in promoting fine traditional culture, inheriting the red gene, being diligent in study, loving science, being willing to help others, and striving unceasingly to improve themselves (自强不息 - zì qiáng bù xī - "strengthen oneself without ceasing," to strive constantly for self-improvement).

At the event site, guests including "aerospace hero" Yang Liwei, President of the China Cultural Relics Society (中国文物学会) Gu Yucai (顾玉才), National Moral Model Yang Sujing (杨素静), and National March 8th Red Banner Bearer Li Xiaoxia (李晓霞) exchanged face-to-face with the New Era Good Youths, encouraging them to establish lofty ideals, strive to grow and become talented, and grow up to be useful people to the country and society. At the release ceremony, the New Era Good Youths issued an initiative, calling on everyone to strive to be good children with aspirations and dreams, who love learning and labor, understand gratitude and kindness, dare to innovate and strive, and develop comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor, and to strive to be New Era Good Youths who love the Party and the country, are diligent in study, and develop comprehensively.

The advanced deeds of the "New Era Good Youths" deeply moved the audience present. Students participating in the event on site expressed that they would take them as role models, start from small things, and strive to grow into socialist builders and successors who develop comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor.

It is reported that since 2018, the Central Office for Building Spiritual Civilization and other organizing units have successively released 10 batches of the advanced deeds of the National "New Era Good Youths." Through deeply excavating and displaying from multiple angles the touching stories happening around children and youths, they continuously discover and put forward child and youth models who are amiable, respectable, credible, and learnable, creating a strong atmosphere among minors of learning from advanced models, becoming advanced models, and striving to be "New Era Good Youths."

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Photo Story

With the new semester about to begin, the Xinhua Bookstore in Dayu County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, organized staff to carry out textbook warehousing inventory, sorting and packing, transshipment and distribution, ensuring that textbooks for primary and secondary schools in the jurisdiction are delivered in a timely and complete manner. The photo shows staff counting and moving textbooks in the warehouse of the book distribution center on August 19.
　　Photo by Ye Gongfu (叶功富) (Image China)

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Over 680 media outlets release 2025 media social responsibility reports.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 — More than 680 news media outlets across the country recently publicly released their 2025 media social responsibility reports on their affiliated websites, client apps, and other platforms, including 20 major central news units such as People's Daily, 58 national industry media outlets, and more than 600 local media outlets, sorting out and presenting their performance of social responsibility in 2025 from nine aspects including political responsibility, position-building responsibility, and service responsibility.

In 2025, news media conscientiously conducted publicity for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. People's Daily, Qiushi Journal (《求是》杂志), and others opened special columns such as "The General Secretary's Concerns: Echoes of Implementation" and "Systematized and Theorized Research and Interpretation." Xinhua News Agency released major reports including "Xi Jinping's View of Heroes," achieving good communication results. Major coverage was carried out on the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the national two sessions, and the SCO Tianjin Summit. China Media Group's live broadcast and replay/on-demand coverage of the conference commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War reached a total all-media reach of 33.94 billion person-times. Economic Daily and others did well in reporting on the Central Economic Work Conference, launching a series of commentaries and special reports around themes such as boosting consumption, expanding domestic demand, stabilizing foreign trade, and stabilizing investment, displaying the resilience and vitality of China's economy from multiple angles.

China Youth Daily, Legal Daily, and others did well in reporting on emergencies such as the earthquake in Dingri County, Tibet (定日县), and carried out constructive supervision on social hot topics such as excessive blood lead levels in kindergartens in Gansu, promoting the resolution of livelihood issues. China Daily, China International Communications Group (中国外文局), China News Service, and others broadcast editorials and series of short videos regarding the "tariff war," China-U.S. economic and trade consultations, and the Japanese prime minister's remarks concerning China, which were widely republished by overseas media. In terms of communication matrix construction, downloads of the Xinhua News Agency client and Xinhuanet client each exceeded 440 million, and the PLA News and Communication Center (解放军新闻传播中心) possesses 91 new media terminals covering 360 million users. Various media outlets also reported on shortcomings in fulfilling social responsibility, improvement measures, and directions for future efforts.

This year marks the 13th year of implementation of the media social responsibility report system. As of late July, the dissemination volume of the 2025 media social responsibility reports exceeded 80 million times, and all sectors of society have generally expressed affirmation.

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Chen Xinwu elected mayor of Chongqing

This newspaper, Chongqing, August 19 (reporters Li Zenghui, Liu Xinwu) — The Fifth Session of the Sixth Chongqing Municipal People's Congress elected Chen Xinwu (陈新武) as Mayor of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government on August 19.

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Multimodal transport national standards continue to improve

Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Lin Lili (林丽鹂)) — The national standard "Multimodal Transport Documentation Business Process Specifications" (GB/T 47421—2026) has recently been officially implemented, providing standardized guidance for promoting the flow of documentation business across the entire multimodal transport chain and for popularizing the "one-document system" (一单制) service model.

The standard takes comprehensive account of both domestic and international multimodal transport scenarios, and is respectively oriented toward the three mainstream modes of container (unit load device) road-rail combined transport, rail-water combined transport, and air-land combined transport. It standardizes the operational norms for all parties including multimodal transport operators, segment carriers, consignors, and consignees, and clarifies operational specifications for booking, transshipment, customs declaration, and delivery, as well as special requirements for international combined transport such as customs sealing and cross-border clearance.

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Heavy rainfall expected in Hainan, Guangdong and other regions

Beijing, August 19 (reporters Jiang Xuehong, Deng Jianyang) — Meteorological monitoring shows that during the daytime of August 19, heavy rain occurred in Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, Hunan, Hainan and other places, with torrential rain in some localities.

The National Meteorological Center (中央气象台) forecasts that the tropical disturbance in the northern South China Sea will develop into a tropical depression on the afternoon of the 19th. Affected by it and the southwest monsoon, over the next three days some parts of Hainan Island, southern Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan Island, Zhejiang and other places will see heavy rain or torrential rain; Chongqing, western Hubei, northeastern Hunan, southern Yunnan, southern Guizhou, southeastern Xizang and other places will see multiple episodes of scattered intense precipitation; North China, central and eastern Inner Mongolia, the Northeast region, Huang-Huai and other places will see multiple episodes of showers or thundershowers. At 18:00 on the 19th, the National Meteorological Center issued a blue rainstorm warning; the Ministry of Water Resources (水利部) and the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局) jointly issued a yellow flash flood meteorological warning; the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部) and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a yellow geological disaster meteorological risk warning.

A reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources: at 5:36 on August 19, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai (青海海西蒙古族藏族自治州), with a focal depth of 10 kilometers. The Ministry of Water Resources immediately activated the water conservancy earthquake relief dispatch and command mechanism, immediately surveyed the distribution of rivers, lakes, and water conservancy projects in the quake-affected area, and urged local water conservancy departments to promptly investigate the situation of earthquake damage to water conservancy projects in the quake-affected area to ensure personnel safety. According to preliminary investigation, river and lake water conditions in the quake-affected area are stable, all construction personnel at projects under construction have safely taken shelter, and no reports of earthquake damage to water conservancy projects have been received so far. The Ministry of Water Resources will closely monitor the rainfall situation, water conditions, and the operation of water conservancy projects in the quake-affected area, and guide local water conservancy departments to continue doing a good job in investigating earthquake damage to water conservancy projects in the quake-affected area and safeguarding the drinking water needs of the people, strictly preventing secondary disasters.

On the 19th, the Ministry of Water Resources held a special consultation meeting to analyze and assess the development trend of the flood situation in the Taihu Lake Basin, and further arranged and deployed flood defense work; based on the 24-hour rainfall forecast, it issued "one province, one list" (一省一单) targeted warnings to 8 provinces and regions including Inner Mongolia, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Shaanxi. The Ministry of Water Resources maintained the Level III emergency response for flood defense targeting Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the Level IV emergency response for flood defense targeting Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Anhui, and Henan.

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Comrade Li Yongjin Passes Away

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 — Comrade Li Yongjin, a retired cadre at the deputy grand military region level and former Deputy Commander of the Beijing Military Region and Commander of the Beijing Military Region Air Force, died of illness despite medical treatment in Beijing on August 6, at the age of 84.

Li Yongjin was a native of Jiaonan County, Shandong Province (today's Huangdao District, Qingdao). He enlisted in 1959 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1962. Over the course of his revolutionary career, he successively served as deputy squadron commander, deputy battalion commander, battalion commander, deputy regiment commander, regiment commander, division commander, deputy commander of the Air Force Wuhan Command Post, deputy chief of staff of the Air Force, army commander, and deputy commander of the Beijing Military Region Air Force, making contributions to the revolutionization, modernization, and regularization of the armed forces.

Li Yongjin was a deputy to the Eighth and Tenth National People's Congresses. He was conferred the rank of Air Force Senior Colonel in 1988, promoted to the rank of Air Force Major General in 1990, and promoted to the rank of Air Force Lieutenant General in 1999.

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National Cultural Heritage Administration deploys immediate review and rectification of museum exhibition content

According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Xu Zhuang) — Recently, individual museum exhibitions have experienced problems such as textual errors and inappropriate expressions, which have drawn high public attention. The National Cultural Heritage Administration (国家文物局) issued a notice on the 19th, deploying comprehensive strengthening of the content review work for museum exhibitions, and requiring that provincial-level cultural heritage administrative departments immediately organize special inspection and rectification work on the exhibition content of museums within their respective jurisdictions.

According to the notice, the targets and scope of the inspection are: the content of basic exhibitions, regular exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions of all registered museums within the respective jurisdictions, as well as various public service information such as guide signage, notices and announcements, and reminders. The notice emphasizes that each museum should conduct careful review of the content of exhibitions held at the museum or held in the museum's name, clarify the responsible entities at each link of the exhibition process, and ensure that responsibility is assigned to specific individuals. Exhibition managers should regularly inspect exhibition halls, and immediately rectify any problems found in exhibition content. If exhibition managers verify that there are indeed errors in the exhibition content, they should complete corrections within the same day and provide feedback.

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一版责编：胡安琪 赵 政 栾心怡 二版责编：吕 莉 张安宇 陈 震 三版责编：韩晓明 姜 波 关皓宇 四版责编：刘 念 韩春瑶 余 璇

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Amplifying Innovation Momentum Through Integration (Observer Commentary)

By: 崔 妍

Let scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation be tightly interlocked, let new quality productive forces and production and daily life be closely interwoven, and innovation energy will continuously release development increments.

On the screen, power flows, computing power flows, and carbon emission flows jump in real time, with computing tasks and green electricity precisely matched; in the machine room, there is no stuffy hum, only rows of intelligent cabinets neatly arranged, as "clean watts" continuously give rise to "green bits"...
At Guangdong Guangzhou Tangxia Substation, substation, data center, photovoltaic station, and energy storage station are combined into one, with power operation and maintenance and computing power dispatch "grasped with both hands," undertaking the task of second-level computation of an average of 100 million data items per day, where "computing-power-electricity synergy" is made concrete here.
Promoting the coordinated layout of green electricity and computing power has been written into the "15th Five-Year Plan" outline. Green electricity precisely matches computing tasks, and computing power helps the power grid shave peaks and fill valleys, effectively solving practical problems such as high energy consumption, scattered dispatch, high costs, and difficulty in quantifying carbon emissions, vividly demonstrating that "new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces."
Building on strengths and integrating efforts is the important logic for promoting "computing-power-electricity synergy," and is also an important methodology for achieving greater development. On July 30, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting and pointed out the need to make good use of various opportunities and advantages to promote high-quality development to proceed steadily and far. Integration is precisely an important lever for making good use of opportunities and advantages. Only by grasping the method of "integration," enhancing the action of "combination," and striving to achieve "setting sail with the wind" and "steady anchoring with a fixed direction" can we achieve long-distance navigation amid the waves of the times.
Why integrate? Under the new circumstances, the weakening of traditional drivers is a problem that development must face. Stimulating new drivers does not mean a single-point breakthrough or solo advance of production factors, but rather, through innovative allocation of various factors, promoting the overall optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure.
When intelligent sensors are implanted in field ridges and drones rise into the air to sow seeds, the age-old agricultural civilization moves from "depending on heaven for food" to "knowing heaven and acting accordingly," and the granary of a major country becomes more abundant; when the Internet of Things transforms smart factories, when high-tech, high-value-added Chinese products continuously refresh global shelves, and the complete industrial system continuously releases innovation dividends, "Intelligent Manufacturing in China" is unafraid of wind and waves; turning rich natural endowments "green into gold," using green and low-carbon to brighten the luster of industry, and high-aesthetic-value ecology supports high-quality development... Promoting new concepts and new technologies to empower all industries and integrate into the overall economy, new quality productive forces will burst forth, strengthening new drivers for high-quality development.
Promoting integration is not "doing addition," but "doing multiplication"; it is a transformative qualitative change. Crossing industrial barriers and achieving dynamic allocation, letting "clean watts" and "green bits" complement each other, and artificial intelligence empowering thousands of factories and myriad shops produces a greater multiplier effect. With lidar, automotive-grade chips, and the like forged into the "skeleton," and with "vehicle-road-cloud integration" enhancing the "functions," China's intelligent connected vehicles are accelerating onto new tracks. Let scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation be tightly interlocked, let new quality productive forces and production and daily life be closely interwoven, and innovation energy will continuously release development increments.
Integration will not be smooth sailing. For example, in "computing-power-electricity synergy," the original substation was on industrial land; after being converted into a data center and opened to enterprises, compliance risks may arise due to the nature of the land. Promoting deep integration requires straightening out mechanisms and unblocking bottlenecks and sticking points, and reform is the key. How should the power system adapt to computing power demands? How should data be rights-confirmed and shared? Facing new problems, only by relying on reform to straighten out mechanisms and systems can we succeed. Using reform to assist "integration" and achieving quality and efficiency improvements through comprehensive innovation can better promote traditional industries sprouting new shoots, emerging industries growing robustly, and future industries taking root.
To climb toward the new and the high, it is inevitably necessary to smelt existing strengths into newer advantages and respond to the changes of the times with deep integration. Recognizing change, responding to change, and seeking change, continuously deepening reform, and accelerating integrated innovation will make new quality productive forces visible everywhere and shine brilliantly, and China's economy will surely ride the waves forward and sail far against the wind.

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Improving efficiency requires the right approach (Everyone's Talk · Understanding, Going Deep Into, and Serving the Grassroots ③)

With the right approach, four ounces can move a thousand pounds. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed, "With the right method, one gets twice the result with half the effort; without it, one gets half the result with twice the effort, or even negative results." In this installment of "Everyone's Discussion," we have selected three submissions for publication, inviting readers to think together about how to further improve the effectiveness of grassroots work.
　　— Editor
　　
　　Master the "Three Knows"
　　Liu Shili, Zepu County, Xinjiang
　　While visiting villages, I heard an old village party secretary recount an incident: a superior leader once came to the village for research, and pointing at random at a farmer's house, asked about the household head's information, income, and difficulties. Some village cadres could not answer, and everyone's face turned red.
　　Comrade Xi Jinping, when working in Xiamen, Fujian, said, "For cadres, there are only three skills: know the roads, know the neighbors, know the characteristics." Only with sharp eyes and a clear mind, with the situation thoroughly at one's fingertips, can work be done thoroughly and properly.
　　Knowing the roads requires getting a clear picture of the fundamentals. Knowing the roads is not just being familiar with streets and alleys, but more importantly, accurately grasping social conditions, public sentiment, and development bottlenecks. If one has only a smattering of knowledge about the local population structure and hidden contradictions, work will be like shooting without a target. Only by frequently walking the back streets and alleys, the fields and ridges, and keeping in mind the affairs of every household, can one formulate precise measures.
　　Knowing the neighbors requires investing genuine feeling. Knowing the neighbors means treating the masses as friends and family. Without sincerely making friends, it is hard to hear the real situation or understand real problems. Cadres should sit on the same bench as the masses, use the masses' "complexion" to inspect the "quality" of work, and respond to "urgent, difficult, anxious, and expectant" concerns with the responsibility of "not shirking difficulties."
　　Knowing the characteristics requires adhering to adapting measures to local conditions. Each village and community has different resource endowments, cultural traditions, and so on. It is necessary to base oneself on reality and deeply explore comparative advantages. Only by closely combining national policies with local realities and taking a path of differentiated development can local characteristics be transformed into development highlights.
　　Less packaging, more painstaking effort. Once the fundamentals are clear and the situation is understood, work can grasp the key points.
　　
　　Turning Difficulties into Highlights
　　Xu Yuanjian, Yantai City, Shandong
　　In a residential community in my hometown, the sewage pipe network of the buildings had aged. At the residents' request, the community initiated repairs, but unexpectedly, the various households had greatly divergent demands. Just as a good deed for the people was about to hit a deadlock, the community party secretary led people door-to-door to record demands, surveyed the pipeline routes on site, and repeatedly coordinated the construction plan, finally overcoming the hard nut. "Difficult problems are not unsolvable; only by facing difficulties can one overcome them," he remarked afterward.
　　In advancing work, one must dialectically view difficulty and ease. So-called difficult points are precisely where contradictions are concentrated and exposed, and also the breakthrough points for getting a clear picture of the actual situation and making up for shortcomings. When solving historical legacy problems and handling complex conflicts and disputes, one cannot just aim for "good enough." Only by daring to face thorny problems head-on, digging deep into the roots, and suiting the remedy to the case can one eradicate the disease and avoid the work "flipping the pancake" repeatedly. The difficulty of tackling hard problems now is precisely in exchange for the ease of future development.
　　There is no shortcut to solving difficult problems; only by sinking down and putting in real effort. When rural industries encounter sales bottlenecks, one cannot sit and wait for support, but should proactively connect with the market and expand channels; when neighborhood disputes remain unresolved for years, one cannot simply mediate and be done with it, but should identify the root of the divergence, clarify the emotional knots, and dissolve the estrangement. By acting proactively in peacetime, sorting out bottlenecks, and accumulating handling experience, one can calmly respond and quickly break the deadlock when faced with complex difficulties.
　　Fearing difficulty and retreating will only make every step difficult; facing difficulty head-on is the way to open new paths. Abandoning the mentality of avoiding the heavy and choosing the light, exerting effort on difficult problems, and turning difficulties into highlights—this is the responsibility grassroots cadres should have.
　　
　　Avoiding Mismatch between Supply and Demand
　　Kong Lingdan, Harbin City, Heilongjiang
　　Recently, when the community carried out publicity on livelihood policies, it changed the old method of uniformly distributing leaflets. Instead, for elderly groups, it arranged door-to-door explanations of pension certification, medical insurance reimbursement, and other matters; for young residents, it pushed employment, entrepreneurship, and skills training information through the owners' group. A little more thought went into it, and the recognition from the masses increased. This brings to mind that avoiding mismatch between supply and demand requires precision thinking.
　　The demands of the masses are increasingly diverse, and the concerns of different groups differ markedly. Even within the same community, the actual needs of different households vary. If one still follows the old way of thinking—using one plan to the end, one model covering everything—it may look stable, but in reality it easily causes mismatch between supply and demand and idle services, wasting grassroots manpower and resources while failing to satisfy the masses. The more refined the service and the more closely it fits actual needs, the more visible results it achieves.
　　Precision cannot rely on self-perception; one should listen more to the feelings of the masses. Sink deeper into the front line, listen to the masses' opinions, ask about their demands, tailor measures to each person, and serve according to need. Only in this way can policies be implemented more down-to-earth and service supply be closer to the people's hearts, consolidating the popular foundation of grassroots governance in small, concrete matters.

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Life Services Should Aim for Quality, Not Compromise (People's Commentary)

By: 郝迎灿

Life services industries are connected on one end to the daily necessities of countless households, and on the other to the steady progress and quality improvement of the overall economy. In the first half of this year, the expansion and quality enhancement of life services industries was a distinctive feature.

In the first half of the year, the value added of the wholesale and retail sector and the accommodation and catering sector both expanded, and cultural enterprises achieved a 4.6 percent year-on-year increase in operating revenue. Behind this report card are the bustling vitality of countless small shops, the dedicated efforts in elderly care and childcare services, and the continuous succession of fine performances across culture, tourism, sports, and commerce.

It must also be recognized that while the question of "whether something exists" has been basically resolved, the expectation of "whether it is good" is becoming increasingly urgent. Take the housekeeping services industry as an example: although it employs more than 30 million people, the problem of "good nannies being hard to find" still troubles many consumers. When life services industries are mentioned, the common topic troubling everyone is: high-quality supply is insufficient, leaving people with no choice but to settle for second best and passively "make do," unable to achieve a textured life of "being particular" about quality.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments issued the "Several Policy Measures on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Housekeeping Services Industry," with 19 specific measures covering multiple dimensions including protection of workers' rights and interests, regulation and oversight of service pricing, credit inquiry for business entities, and comprehensive evaluation of service quality, precisely targeting the bottlenecks and difficulties facing the development of the housekeeping services industry.

To create "particular" services with sufficient supply and excellent quality, so that consumers no longer have to "make do," an essential path is to promote the high-quality, diversified, and convenient development of life services industries.

Scale is the foundation; quality is the core. Without polishing quality, no amount of scale can be sustained. Only by closely following the iterative trend of residents' consumption demand and promoting the precise matching of supply structure with demand structure can the same-frequency resonance of total volume expansion and quality leap be achieved.

Hainan has formulated local service standards for housekeeping, built a housekeeping credit information platform, and made efforts to cultivate the housekeeping labor brand "Yisao" (椰嫂), which has so far driven the employment of nearly 50,000 people. Practice shows that expanding scale and improving quality are like the two wheels of a carriage—only when they turn in coordination can consumers have both more choices and better choices.

Inclusive benefits form the foundation; distinctive features add color. "Inclusive benefits" are meant to secure the bottom line of basic livelihood and guarantee the rigid and fundamental needs of the people; distinctive features are meant to respond to the continuously upgrading wave of consumption and satisfy differentiated and personalized demands.

Suzhou in Jiangsu Province has relied on the renovation of old street districts to create pet-themed cultural tourism consumption blocks, meeting the emerging consumption needs of young groups; many places in Guizhou have moved coffee shops into karst caves and sinkholes, cultivating and expanding the new business format of mountain micro-vacations. These distinctive and innovative explorations not only effectively satisfy the diversified consumption needs of the people, but also open up a brand-new blue ocean for the sustainable development of the industry.

Life services industries cover many areas and have dispersed business entities, requiring both deregulation to stimulate vitality and proper management to hold the bottom line.

Walking into the Heping New Village community canteen in Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, the aroma of freshly steamed buns stuffed with three delicacies fills the air. The community has revitalized idle space to run its own canteen, recruited resident volunteers to participate, and provides regular meal assistance services for elderly people in the jurisdiction. To date, the city of Shenyang has built more than 200 meal assistance points for the elderly, allowing the elderly to obtain a happiness that warms both the stomach and the heart right at their doorstep.

Only when policies have warmth and regulation has substance can the industry develop in a more "particular" manner. On the one hand, the business environment should be continuously optimized, attracting private enterprises, social organizations, and individual operators to participate, and strengthening supply in areas such as elderly care, childcare, housekeeping convenience, community care, and cultural, sports, and leisure services. On the other hand, the regulatory system should be improved, with better industry service standards, credit evaluation, traceability management, and dispute mediation mechanisms, accelerating the formation of a virtuous cycle in which good money drives out bad money.

The transition from "making do" to "being particular" is a profound transformation of service standards and development philosophy, and even more so a comprehensive test of governance capacity. Fill in the shortcomings of "making do," lengthen the strengths of "being particular"—every pursuit of quality of life will be transformed into a sense of gain in the hearts of the people.

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Photo Report

As of now, this year's summer box office revenue (including pre-sales) has surpassed 10 billion yuan. According to estimates, every 1 yuan of box office revenue drives the creation of 15.77 yuan in output value from related industries. From IP (intellectual property) co-branding to cross-industry integration at cinemas, and then to "film + tourism" and "film + food"... from a single ticket to an entire chain, the film industry is becoming an important lever for stimulating consumption.

This is precisely the picture:

The silver screen's light turns and flows,

Rich business formats unfold and show.

Upstream and downstream linked through,

Consumption's fruits in full view.

Liao Yuan

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Governance Wisdom Under the Awning (Across the Board)

By: 李 悟

Every summer, heat waves rise from the road surfaces of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. When waiting at red lights, cyclists and pedestrians stop at intersections, and the awnings overhead quietly spread open a patch of shade; when a typhoon approaches, the same batch of awnings will have their tops removed before the storm arrives, leaving only the frames standing silently. Between "installation and removal," a city's governance wisdom and humanistic warmth are revealed in full.

The awnings are not unique to Hangzhou; Hangzhou's choice is to make these awnings come alive — on scorching days they enter the scene in time, and in typhoon season they also know to leave early. This seemingly simple "installation and removal" is in fact a dynamic response mechanism of urban management. Municipal departments must, based on weather forecasts, dispatch manpower to complete the removal of awning tops at all intersections citywide before the typhoon makes landfall. After the storm passes, they must race to restore installation before the next high-temperature day arrives. Every awning's "installation and removal" involves the coordinated operation of information flow, logistics, and manpower. When infrastructure possesses the capacity for dynamic adaptation, the city is no longer a rigid jungle of steel and concrete, but becomes an organism that knows how to breathe. Hangzhou's awning management has turned the two characters "meticulous" from a slogan into a tangible, touchable daily reality.

The "installation and removal" of awnings carries two mutually complementary forms of urban care. "Installation" is a proactive response to citizens' daily needs. In the scorching heat, the few dozen seconds of waiting before a red light is enough to leave one 汗流浃背 (hàn liú jiā bèi - "sweat streaming down the back," drenched in sweat); that patch of shade, though small, reduces the physical exertion and psychological burden of travel, making the wait at an intersection no longer an ordeal. "Removal" is reverence for extreme weather. When a typhoon passes through, any blown-off awning top could become a sharp weapon that injures people; removing them in advance is the safeguarding of citizens' safety at a higher level. Between one installation and one removal, the two forms of urban governance care are precisely delineated: city managers must both proactively create comfort and prudently guard against risk.

Ultimately, this installation and removal responds to the daily experience of every ordinary person living in the city. This concern is not ostentatious, yet through each repeated installation and removal, it accumulates into citizens' identification with and sense of belonging to the city, allowing everyone within it to feel the delicate and warm connection between themselves and the city. The warmth of a city often lies not in grand landmarks, but precisely in these subtle details.

Over the past few decades, we built tall buildings, bridges, and plazas; the city grew at flying speed through "addition." Now, the city is beginning to learn the compound operation of "addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division" — contracting when it should contract, releasing when it should release, changing when it should change. From "hard construction" toward "soft governance," from "static planning" toward "dynamic response," from "being able to manage" toward "serving well," this seemingly unremarkable awning is precisely a sample.

(Excerpted and compiled from Zhejiang Daily, original title: "'Installation and Removal' Embodies Governance Precision")

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Let the "first mile" of sci-tech innovation be worry-free (On-site Commentary)

By: 王崟欣

Walking into the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院分子植物科学卓越创新中心) in Xuhui District, Shanghai (徐汇区), one sees fruits and vegetables thriving in transparent artificial climate chambers. In the rice chamber, the temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius; people are drenched in sweat, but the rice seedlings are full of vigor.

"These are heat-tolerant varieties," said Lin Hongxuan (林鸿宣), academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as he checked the labels plant by plant. "When temperatures exceed 37 degrees Celsius, rice yields drop sharply. After years of research, we have finally made rice 'unafraid of heat.'" Molecular plant science and basic research have been given concrete form in the "heat-tolerant" rice.

Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the master switch for all technical problems. How can we organically connect the "first mile" of basic research with the "last mile" of achievement transformation and application? In seeking to solve this question for reflection, reporters felt confidence and strength in Shanghai.

Aiming at "real problems," finding the right direction, and shooting the arrow at the target 有的放矢 (yǒu dì fàng shǐ - "shoot the arrow at the target," to act with clear purpose).

At the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, studying mosquitoes can extract the "symbiotic bacteria" within them to combat malaria and enhance human welfare; cultivating high-protein corn can enrich feed varieties and solve agricultural "chokepoint" (卡脖子) problems; research on heat tolerance and disease resistance in rice helps to firmly hold the rice bowl of China.

Basic research is the foundation of building a strong science and technology nation. Adhering to the "Four Orientations" (四个面向), truly researching problems and researching real problems, writing papers on the fields and land—only then can we find the key to solving difficulties, and in the process elevate our sense of value and meaning.

Bravely venturing into the "no-man's land" cannot be separated from talent, this key variable.

Academician Lin Hongxuan's team spent 8 years to find the first heat-tolerance gene from more than 40,000 rice genes. He remarked with emotion, "It is precisely because Shanghai proposed not to judge solely by papers, not by titles, not by awards, and to adhere to long-cycle evaluation" that he was given confidence. "Eccentric talents, extraordinary talents, unconventional talents—we want them all." At the Shanghai Chuangzhi Academy (上海创智学院), the talent selection and cultivation methods that do not stick to one pattern 不拘一格 (bù jū yī gé - "not confined to one pattern," not restricted to a single mold) are increasingly attractive to young scientific researchers.

Basic research has a long cycle and great difficulty. In doing a good job of talent cultivation, introduction, and utilization, the key lies in creating good scientific research conditions and fostering an inclusive and open innovation ecosystem. Shanghai's creation of a pilot zone for basic research is precisely about loosening constraints and reducing burdens, providing long-term stable support for scientists to conduct high-risk, high-value basic research. Respecting the laws of scientific research and forming a strong atmosphere of cherishing and valuing talent can help basic research talents sit firmly on the "cold bench" (冷板凳), devote themselves to research, and accumulate thickly to emit thinly 厚积薄发 (hòu jī bó fā - "accumulate thickly, emit thinly," to make a breakthrough after long and deep accumulation).

Strengthening "hard safeguards" and aggregating resources with systematic thinking.

Where are the results of basic research to be verified, and how are they to be transformed? Promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation depends on mature mechanisms. For example, research on "heat-tolerant" rice requires coordination and verification among breeding companies, experimental fields, and other parties, and the supporting system behind it is indispensable.

An entrepreneur focused on artificial blood mentioned "two unexpected things": first, "I didn't expect entrepreneurship to have so many difficulties"; second, "I didn't expect all these difficulties to be solved in Zhangjiang (张江)." In Zhangjiang, Shanghai, thanks to the supporting industrial mechanisms, "upstairs and downstairs are upstream and downstream"—within a single building there are platform facilities such as concept verification, clinical transformation, and incubators, enabling seamless connection between innovation and creation. Integrating resources and improving mechanisms, further opening up the innovation chain of basic research, applied development, and achievement transformation, allowing scientific researchers to focus on their research—more scientific and technological achievements will naturally emerge.

"At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, and global scientific and technological competition is more focused on basic and frontier fields, with the importance of original and disruptive innovation becoming increasingly prominent." Possessing strong basic research and original innovation capabilities is an inherent requirement of building a strong science and technology nation. From the "first mile" to the "last mile," with a more inclusive social atmosphere, a more scientific evaluation mechanism, and a smoother transformation system, more basic research achievements will surely blossom one after another across the land, powerfully supporting high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.

(The author is a reporter from this newspaper's Shanghai branch.)

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Editor: Li Zheng, Zhang Fan, Li Tielin

This edition's email: rmrbpl@peopledaily.cn (Contributions should indicate the column name)

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Smart logistics network, built this way (Big Data Watch: New momentum in the "six networks")

By: 本报记者 吴 君

"This beef has firm texture and a people-friendly price — really good!" At the "Belt and Road" national pavilion in the Central China Trade Service Zone of Changjiang New Area (长江新区), Wuhan, Hubei, citizen Ren Zhongyuan praised the "freshness-locking" and affordability of the fresh products.

Behind the praise is a digital-driven innovation in logistics efficiency. As a national pilot city for logistics data open interconnection, Wuhan has gradually broken through data barriers across all logistics links, integrating scattered logistics data on shipping routes, warehousing, cold storage, and transport capacity, matching supply and demand information in real time, and through a smart logistics network, compressing the circulation costs of imported goods, delivering more global products to consumers at faster speed and better prices.

Data empowerment: precise matching between supply and demand sides

Walking south from the Central China Trade Service Zone, the Jinkong Changmao International Cold Chain Logistics Park is a scene of bustle. Trucks loaded with refrigerated containers shuttle back and forth, delivering sealed fresh products into cold storage.

"This batch of fresh products from South America took less than 40 days from dispatch to receipt, saving considerable time in transit compared with before," said Peng Haifeng, general manager of Huapei Commercial Logistics Group.

The rapid turnover of goods is inseparable from the support of the multi-modal transport and supply chain finance service platform. "The platform integrates data from customs, ports, shipping, and road transport. Before the fresh products even board the ship, I have already coordinated with different freight companies in advance and worked out the optimal transshipment plan," Peng said.

"In the past, data was not interconnected. Knowing where goods were and when they could be unloaded required manual phone calls and emails to confirm one by one," Peng recalled. Whenever ports were congested, the daily mounting cold storage rental fees and cargo losses would eat away all the profits.

In 2024, the Wuhan Changjiang International Trade Multi-modal Transport and Supply Chain Finance Service Platform began trial operation, and Peng Haifeng became one of its first users. "The platform's key value is reducing the logistics costs caused by information asymmetry," said Wang Huan, the platform's technical director. To attract more cargo owners, freight forwarders, and logistics transport entities to join, the platform unified its data standard system, and all customized logistics services are provided free of charge, allowing supply and demand sides to connect directly. Since the platform went live, it has attracted over 300 logistics enterprise users and completed more than 20,000 multi-modal transport orders.

"In the past, doing logistics was 'crossing the river by feeling the stones'; now it's 'watching the phone for the whole journey,'" Peng said. Relying on the platform's real-time data to continuously optimize supply chain management, logistics costs have dropped by an average of 15–20 percent. This year, the company increased its procurement of beef, seafood, and red wine imported from South America and Europe. "With logistics efficiency up, we have more confidence in doing business," Peng said.

Breaking barriers: imported goods with "one document throughout"

In the customs declaration hall of SIPG Yangtze Logistics Hubei Co., Ltd. at Yangluo Wuhan New Port (阳逻), staff click a mouse, and a shipment of imported goods from Argentina completes its declaration.

In the past, imported goods destined for inland cities had to first stop at coastal ports such as Shanghai, Tianjin, or Shenzhen for customs clearance, then be transshipped by multiple modes of transport to their destination, driving up the cost of imported goods.

With the completion of the Yangtze River waterway improvement project, 10,000-ton vessels can now reach Wuhan directly. To achieve "one document throughout" for imported goods, Wuhan Customs and the Shanghai side built a cross-regional data-sharing channel, enabling real-time interconnection of supervisory data including vessel trajectories, flight schedules, and terminal operation status. Imported goods no longer need to go through customs procedures in Shanghai; from overseas to Wuhan, the entire journey is "one declaration, one inspection, one release."

"Containers are lifted from the ship directly onto cold-chain transport trucks, without repeated inspection or secondary opening of the boxes. Waiting time at berth has been reduced from the original 6 hours to about 2 hours, and transit time has been cut by approximately 50 percent," said Lu Liying, manager of SIPG Yangtze Logistics Hubei Co., Ltd.

Not only have regional logistics information barriers been broken, but logistics data across different industries has also achieved integration.

"In the past, every time goods switched transport modes, it was like changing examination rooms — you had to fill out new forms and queue up again," Lu explained. Since the Hubei Supply Chain Logistics Public Information Platform went live in August 2023, the cargo transshipment process has been greatly simplified.

After this shipment of imported goods from Argentina completed customs declaration, the digital information was synchronized in real time to the public information platform. "The platform organically links static and dynamic data including customs supervision, terminal operations, logistics transport, warehousing temperature control, and sales distribution. No matter which transport mode imported goods use to arrive at Yangluo Wuhan New Port, with this 'electronic ID card,' they can move smoothly across rail, road, water, air, and warehousing," Lu said.

From the past "manual serial connection" to today's "data parallel connection," Wuhan has achieved interconnected sharing of more than 20 items and over 550 fields of logistics-related data with ports in Shanghai, Ningbo, Khorgos (霍尔果斯), and elsewhere, turning every logistics link from "each blowing its own horn" into "playing the same tune together."

Security as the foundation: activating the value of logistics data

"Logistics data is our commercial secret. What if it leaks after we hand it over?" Before joining the multi-modal transport and supply chain finance service platform, Yi Zhi, general manager of Wuhan Changjiang Supply Chain Service Co., Ltd., had such concerns.

How to ensure data security so that enterprises are willing to share data proactively? This is an important question for achieving sustainable development of logistics data open interconnection.

"We adopt a 'usable but not visible' data-sharing model. Data uploaded by enterprises first undergoes strict desensitization processing, and only authorized users can access the corresponding data fragments," said Jin Zheng, supervisor of the platform's technical department.

The platform also introduces blockchain technology at the technical level to ensure data cannot be tampered with, and through multiple encryption mechanisms, builds a solid defense line for data transmission. "We have established a comprehensive data quality evaluation system that scores incoming data from multiple dimensions including accuracy, completeness, and timeliness, ensuring data quality at the source," Jin said.

After in-depth understanding, Yi Zhi set aside his concerns and connected his data to the platform. "This gave us access to more efficient logistics matching services, and the empty-load rate of vehicles and vessels has continued to decline," Yi said.

Open interconnection allows logistics value to realize even greater value. Currently, more than 30 financial institutions have established cooperation with the platform. Enterprises on the platform can apply for loans from financial institutions based on their logistics warehousing data; financial institutions can apply to access logistics warehousing data to understand enterprises' actual operating conditions.

"Focusing on multi-modal transport and multi-industry integration, we have started building more than 10 logistics data application scenarios to help enterprises reduce costs and improve efficiency, and to better empower modern industrial development and supply chain coordination with data," said Wang Shuo, Party Secretary and Director of the Wuhan Municipal Data Bureau.

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Smart Logistics Empowers All Industries (Expert Commentary)

By: 过文俊

When logistics flows smoothly, all industries prosper. The logistics system connects production and consumption, and is an important link in smoothing the economic cycle. Our country's logistics market scale continues to lead globally, and logistics transport corridors are densely woven into a network, injecting momentum into the high-quality development of the real economy.

The smooth flow of goods stems from the continuous optimization of our country's comprehensive transportation system, and further requires the deep integration of commercial flow, logistics, capital flow, and information flow. In recent years, 纵横交错 (zòng héng jiāo cuò - "vertical and horizontal interweaving," crisscrossing) transportation routes connecting rivers and seas have supported the busy logistics network. Multiple transport modes are closely linked, with innovations in multi-modal transport models such as rail-water intermodal transport, river-sea intermodal transport, and road-water intermodal transport 层出不穷 (céng chū bù qióng - "layer upon layer emerging without end," emerging one after another), and a logistics network that is smooth internally and open externally is accelerating its formation. In the smart logistics practice of "one commission, one document to the end, one container to the end," the data mutual recognition mechanism has played an important role, which is conducive to forming a new digital-intelligent modern logistics paradigm, promoting the transformation of physical hubs that merely undertake cargo collection and distribution functions into value centers for data-driven resource integration, and achieving efficient coordination across regions and across transport modes.

The Linyi Port network freight platform in Shandong, through multi-source data interconnection, has achieved full-process visual tracking of containers in road-sea intermodal transport, improving transport timeliness by 20%, serving thousands of international trade business entities; Ningbo and other places have built a "four ports" linked smart logistics cloud platform, greatly shortening the average time for river-sea intermodal transport…… Breaking the "information islands" in the logistics field, opening up the data barriers between different transport modes, and promoting the seamless flow of logistics information can not only effectively clear the bottlenecks of multi-modal transport and reduce the logistics costs of the whole society, but also help deepen industrial integration and promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries.

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, our country's logistics network construction will start from multiple aspects including closer connectivity, more efficient operation, more open data, and smarter management, revitalizing existing facilities, filling shortcomings and weaknesses, optimizing resource allocation, further stimulating logistics vitality, and continuously promoting high-quality economic development.

(The author is the president of the Wuhan Digital Commerce Association (武汉市数商协会) and a professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (中南财经政法大学); compiled by our newspaper reporter Wu Jun (吴君).)

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A single sheep grass brings both green and prosperity (County development in focus)

By: 本报记者 吴 勇 赵景锋

In Xiaojieji Town (小街基镇), Kailu County (开鲁县), Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, 10,000 mu of grassland spreads out like a green carpet, 一望无际 (yī wàng wú jì - "one glance, no boundary," as far as the eye can see). Yet just a few years ago, this was a saline-alkali wasteland where 寸草不生 (cùn cǎo bù shēng - "not an inch of grass grows," completely barren).

"Previously the ground surface was covered with white alkali frost, and when a strong wind blew, yellow sand filled the sky. Not to mention planting grass — even cattle and sheep refused to come near." So said Fan Yinglai (范颖来), a large cattle-raising household. At that time, sandy marshland accounted for 38% of Xiaojieji Town, with grassland degradation, desertification, and salinization exceeding 600,000 mu, and the ecological environment was harsh.

In 2019, Kailu County invited the Zhongke sheep grass (中科羊草) technical team from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院植物研究所) to conduct research. "We found that Kailu's environment is suitable for growing salt-tolerant Zhongke sheep grass, so we wanted to try using one kind of grass to manage one piece of land." In recent years, Liu Hui (刘辉), an engineer at the institute, has been stationed here long-term, promoting the new forage variety.

Walking into the grass, Liu Hui parted the soil at the roots of the sheep grass: "These creeping rhizomes can both fix sand and retain water, and they secrete organic acids that improve saline-alkali soil. Its alkali tolerance can reach pH 9.5, and it is drought-tolerant, cold-tolerant, and tolerant of mowing."

"In the second year of planting, the grass's rhizomes can extend 1.5–2 meters outward; coverage reaches 50%, and by the third year it can reach nearly 100%, forming a stable community." Liu Hui explained that once sheep grass is successfully established, it does not need to be reseeded for 20 years, and it can also suppress the invasion of alien species, preserving the originality of the ecosystem.

Over the 7 years of promotion, the 2,000 mu of saline-alkali land contracted by Fan Yinglai has been completely transformed into high-quality sheep grass pasture, and his cattle have grown from just over 100 head to more than 1,200 head today. Soil test data show that in Kailu County's sheep grass planting areas, soil salt content has gradually decreased from an initial 1.2% to 0.3%, organic matter content has increased by 42%, and the number of sandstorm days has decreased by 68% compared with 2019.

Beyond the transformation of the ecological environment, what truly made local farmers and herders accept sheep grass was the solid increase in income.

Zhou Jingfeng (周井凤), 57, is a villager of Sanshifangdi Village (三十方地村) in Xiaojieji Town. Earlier, he contracted 300 mu of grassland as pasture. As Zhongke sheep grass "took root" in Xiaojieji Town, under the guidance of the town government, Zhou Jingfeng planted all his pasture with sheep grass. Unexpectedly, in the first year, the grass seedlings came up sparse and scattered, and the alkali patches were still glaring; after reseeding in the second year, the situation improved slightly, but income only broke even.

"At that time I really wanted to sell all the cattle and sheep and just go out to work as a migrant laborer," Zhou Jingfeng recalled. Just then, technical personnel arrived at the pasture with testing instruments: "Old Zhou, look, the soil pH value has dropped from 8.9 to 8.2. Hold on one more year, and you're sure to have a bumper harvest."

Sure enough, in the third year, summer brought change. The sheep grass grew to half a person's height. After harvesting, calculations showed that one mu produced 280 kilograms of dry grass and 11 kilograms of grass seed — not only enough to feed more than a hundred sheep for a year, but also yielding considerable income from seed sales. "The protein content of Zhongke sheep grass is 12 percentage points higher than corn straw. Feeding it saves the cost of buying concentrated feed, and the sheep gain weight faster." Zhou Jingfeng smiled and crushed a grass seed; the plump endosperm glistened with oil.

In recent years, Kailu County has promoted the "research + company + village collective + farmers" sheep grass industry development model — the Zhongke sheep grass team provides technical support, more than 30 companies are responsible for market operations, village collectives organize land transfer, and farmers participate in planting and management. An Zhijun (安志军), chairman of Inner Mongolia Zhongke Sheep Grass Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. (内蒙古中科羊草农业发展有限公司), pointed to the processing workshop's production line and introduced: "We have established a full industry chain from seed production, planting, to processing. Last year we purchased 800 tons of grass seed, and after processing into coated seeds, we supply them to ecological restoration projects in many places, with each ton increasing in value by 3,000 yuan."

Chang Liang (常亮), deputy county head of Kailu County, calculated this ecological and economic account: "The county's 100,000 mu of sheep grass sequesters carbon equivalent to the emissions of 32,000 cars each year, and conserves 1.8 million cubic meters of water; last year the county's sheep grass industry had a total output value of 110 million yuan, driving more than 800 farming and herding households to increase their average income by 32,000 yuan." Both account books are impressive, and Chang Liang is 踌躇满志 (chóu chú mǎn zhì - "proudly confident, heart full of aspiration," full of confidence and ambition): "In the future we will expand planting to 300,000 mu, striving to build the nation's largest Zhongke sheep grass breeding base."

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Justice Arrives

By: 本报记者 徐 隽 魏哲哲

China's easternmost island tribunal — the Shengshan People's Tribunal (嵊山人民法庭) of Shengsi County People's Court (嵊泗县人民法院), Zhejiang Province — sits on Shengshan Island, only 24 nautical miles from the high seas.

Surrounded by sea on all sides, the area is known for strong winds and rough waves. In the past, when local residents needed to file lawsuits, they could only take a boat to Sijiao Island (泗礁岛), but gale-force weather frequently caused ferry services to be suspended at a moment's notice. Since it was inconvenient for fishermen to litigate, the court simply "moved" the tribunal onto the sea.

Rocking, and rocking again; pitching, and pitching again... Fishing boats and sampans carried the judges of the Shengshan Tribunal back and forth, laden also with the expectations of more than 18,500 people in its jurisdiction for fairness and justice.

Waves surge at the tide's crest; the court emblem shines. The judges have learned the temperament of the tides, memorized the schedule of every passenger ferry, and understood the working patterns of the fishing grounds. When the wind and waves subside, they set out; when the tide recedes, they hold court. Wherever the national emblem is carried, there the circuit tribunal is established. The Shengshan Tribunal, grounded in the realities of island life, provides targeted and convenient litigation services for fishing-area production and the needs of the people, safeguarding the warmth of everyday life and watching over fairness and justice.

This watchfulness brings the warmth of justice to the hearts of the people.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, "Pay greater attention to the coordination of the rule of law with reform, development, and stability, and pay greater attention to safeguarding and promoting social fairness and justice."

People's tribunals, taking root across the length and breadth of the country, are the "frontline at the grassroots" for judicial services to the people, and also the "last kilometer" for bringing fairness and justice directly to production and daily life. To date, there are 11,035 people's tribunals nationwide, which concluded 34 million cases from 2021 to 2025, accounting for approximately 35 percent of all first-instance cases in courts nationwide — 1.7 times the figure of the previous five-year period.

Capable and effective, fairness and justice are written into fields, streets, and the lives of the people. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and in particular Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, and striving toward the goal of "ensuring that the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case," people's tribunals substantively settle disputes and end conflicts, uphold fairness and justice, serve urban and rural development, safeguard social tranquility, and converge into a mighty force for the construction of the rule of law at China's grassroots.

Standing firmly on the people's side, practicing "as if I were the litigant" to deliver justice for the people

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "The law should not be cold and impersonal; judicial work is also work with the masses."

People's tribunals are dispatched organs of grassroots courts, among the most basic political-legal units, and also the Party's governing tentacles and bridge to the people's hearts at the grassroots level. Although they handle "small cases" close to the people, every one concerns the vital interests of the masses and every matter is tied to the direction of popular sentiment.

A collected artifact bears witness to the heart of justice for the people.

At the National Museum of China, the wooden seat used by the "cable-crossing judges" (溜索法官) to ride the zip line has been permanently collected. This seat comes from Fengjie County (奉节县), Chongqing, and is a spiritual symbol of mountain-area judges adhering to a people-centered approach.

The mountains are high and the valleys deep. Since the 1990s, judges of Fengjie County People's Court have carried the national emblem on their backs and case files in hand, crossing the Jiupan River (九盘河) suspended on a zip line, bringing circuit tribunals into farmers' courtyards and resolving disputes on the spot, sparing mountain residents long journeys. In 2015, a photograph of a judge clutching the national emblem while crossing the river by zip line to handle a case spread widely, and the "cable-crossing judges" became known to more people.

Wang Wei (王威), one of the subjects of the photograph, was at the time a clerk of the Third People's Tribunal of Fengjie County People's Court (later renamed Xinglong People's Tribunal). "In 2014, I rode the zip line for the first time, for a case involving a dispute over neighboring rights between two brothers," Wang Wei said. "The river was rushing below, and my palms were sweating. The old chief judge encouraged me, saying the mountain roads were hard to travel, but heading in the direction of the people, one's heart is at ease."

Arriving at the courtyard, they hung up the national emblem, set up a table, and pulled up a banner — and it became a circuit tribunal. After learning the facts of the case, the cause was that rainwater from the eaves had long been flowing onto the other's yard, and the two brothers had been nursing grievances for years. Through explaining the law and reasoning, the case was smoothly mediated — demolishing the wall, digging the ditch, both families were satisfied.

"Take one more step, and the people will walk fewer detours; show a bit more patience, and the people will have more trust in the judiciary," Wang Wei said.

Justice on the move continues.

Not long ago, meeting Wang Wei again, he introduced to reporters the new generation of "cable-crossing judges": "Two years ago, young Tan Shuang (谭双) took up the baton; the 'old cable-crossing' has already retired from daily case work."

"My 'case-handling partner' is a fully equipped 5G 'vehicle-mounted convenience tribunal,'" Tan Shuang said. The tribunal can drive directly into village committee offices, reaching the doorsteps of the masses, enabling on-site case filing, on-site mediation, and on-site issuance of legal documents — one-stop resolution.

One year, when the fritillaria in Shiban Village, Fengjie County, entered its harvest season, not a soul was seen on the hillsides — 27 households of villagers drove three-wheeled vehicles to block the warehouse gates of the village cooperative.

It turned out that this cooperative had leased villagers' land to grow medicinal herbs, hoping to increase income together with the villagers. However, market fluctuations were severe, the cooperative suffered losses, and the rent that should have been paid to the villagers was not fulfilled. Afterward, the villagers took back their land to farm themselves, but their attempts to recover the rent came to nothing.

Upon learning of the "blockade" dispute, the "cable-crossing judges" went to the village. Knocking on doors, they listened to the villagers' concerns; entering the cooperative, they heard the manager's difficulties; surveying the disputed land plot by plot, they verified the land transfer agreements on site... The "cable-crossing judges" sat down with the villagers and the cooperative manager to calculate the long-term account: "A year of litigation delays several harvests; once trust is lost, the industry cannot move an inch (寸步难行, cùn bù nán xíng - "hard to move even an inch," unable to make any progress)."

After multiple rounds of communication, an agreement was finally reached between the two sides: the rent would be paid in installments, with the first installment arriving on the evening of the same day.

"Small cases" are not handled lightly; every case is connected to the people's hearts. From feet and zip lines to digits and the cloud, what has changed is the tools; what has not changed is the original aspiration of justice for the people. It is precisely the perseverance of people's tribunals rooted in the warmth of everyday life that warms every courtyard that can only be reached by 翻山越岭 (fān shān yuè lǐng - "cross mountains and traverse ridges," to travel over hill and dale), and that builds the most simple trust of grassroots people in fairness and justice.

China's territory is vast, development conditions vary across regions, and local customs and folkways 千差万别 (qiān chā wàn bié - "a thousand differences, ten thousand distinctions," differing in countless ways). In recent years, people's tribunals across the country have consistently stood firmly on the people's side, integrating the concept of convenience and benefit for the people into the entire process of daily case handling, going deep into the grassroots frontline, making good use of the experience of "vehicle-mounted tribunals," "horseback tribunals," and "waterborne tribunals," effectively extending the reach of judicial services, and providing tangible convenience for the masses in filing and pursuing lawsuits.

In the Huilongguan (回龙观) and Tiantongyuan (天通苑) areas of Changping District, Beijing, the separation of workplace and residence is pronounced, and it is difficult to coordinate litigation times for workers in new employment forms such as couriers and food-delivery riders.

How can services to the people's production and daily life be improved?

The answer from Changping District People's Court is: turn on the lights, the tribunal's convenience services never "close." The Huilongguan People's Tribunal and Tiantongyuan People's Tribunal have launched a "night tribunal" convenience mechanism, using evening hours to conduct hearings, service of documents, and inspections, accommodating office workers in the super-large communities who face difficulties in litigating.

In a case where a courier sued an intermediary for the return of a rental deposit, the party was unable to take leave from work. The Huilongguan People's Tribunal activated the "night cloud tribunal," flexibly arranging the hearing time.

After the judgment took effect, the courier received the returned deposit of 7,000 yuan and was very moved: "If I hadn't gotten this money back, how many delivery orders would I have had to make up for it!"

With people's tribunals as the fulcrum, "night tribunals," "weekend tribunals," and "market-day tribunals" serve the people's production and daily life, handling cases without delaying work hours or violating the farming calendar, warming the hearts of the masses.

Fairness and justice are what the people hope for and where governance is oriented. The empathetic perspective of "as if I were the litigant" drives judges to measure popular sentiment with their footsteps, to constantly pay attention to facilitating litigation for the people and reducing their litigation burden, transforming more than 10,000 people's tribunals nationwide into more than 10,000 convenience service stations, converting abstract legal provisions into fairness and justice that the masses can feel, touch, and access, and putting into practice the commitment to "administer justice for the people."

Serving urban and rural development, settling disputes and ending conflicts to consolidate the foundation of the rule of law

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, "Improve the governance system for urban and rural communities, and resolve conflicts and disputes at the grassroots level and in their budding state in a timely manner."

People's tribunals bear the important responsibility of lawfully, fairly, and efficiently resolving conflicts and disputes, balancing social interests, regulating social relations, and standardizing social behavior, creating a sound rule-of-law environment for urban and rural construction and development. They are the most direct platform through which the masses perceive the rule of law and come into contact with the judiciary.

The resolution of a dispute over a single seed records this sense of responsibility.

Zhangye, Gansu, is home to hundreds of seed enterprises and is the most concentrated corn seed production and processing technology center in the country. One out of every two corn seeds nationwide comes from Zhangye, and the majority of local farming households make their living from seed production.

Old Xu, now 63, is a seed-producing farmer who has been rooted in his hometown soil all his life, making a living from seeds. Several years ago, Old Xu discussed with a childhood friend who served as general manager of a seed company the integration of his own farmland plus transferred land, totaling more than 3,000 mu, into the cooperation. Following the local customary transaction model, the two verbally finalized the cooperation details, and the contract they signed was relatively rough, with vague provisions on acreage calculation and yield verification.

When the autumn harvest arrived, the seed company, without waiting for Old Xu to come and verify, harvested the seed ears and hauled them back to the drying ground. At settlement, the two sides disputed over area calculation and price settlement.

How much should be paid after all? It concerned both the farmer's livelihood and the enterprise's business development.

This question ultimately reached the "seed tribunal" — the Xijiao People's Tribunal of Ganzhou District People's Court, Zhangye.

Where doubts existed over the measurement of planted area, a testing company was engaged to verify the actual seed-production area; where there was a dispute over the settlement of seed-production payments, judges visited farming households to understand the corn growth and dispel the enterprise's concerns... In the end, the "seed tribunal," combining the original contract terms, survey reports, and testimony from village laborers, clarified the facts of the case and ruled that the seed company must pay Old Xu more than 4.95 million yuan in seed-production funds within a set period.

Cases of this kind are not few. In recent years, the "seed tribunal" has accepted an average of 160 seed-production disputes annually, most with similar facts, with the disputed points being acreage calculation, price settlement, and liability for production shortfalls.

It does not stop at individual cases. To reduce contract disputes at the source and address common problems in the industry, achieving the goal of "adjudicating one case, governing one area," under the overall coordination of the Gansu Provincial Higher People's Court, the Ganzhou District People's Court of Zhangye, together with the agriculture and rural affairs bureau, the seed industry association, and township agricultural service centers, formed a special working group for source-level governance of the seed industry, going down to the grassroots to understand needs, launching model contracts, and regulating the development of the agricultural "chip" industry, preventing disputes from arising at the source.

From handling one case to resolving a category of problems, people's tribunals represented by the "seed tribunal" equally protect the rights and interests of all parties through fair adjudication, substantively resolving disputes, promoting cooperation, benefiting development, guiding all parties to honor commitments and abide by the law, and serving the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.

Inside the Wuzhou Lingang Economic Zone in Guangxi, machines run day and night without rest. Waste metal is reborn here, and a hundred-billion-yuan green industry is rapidly taking shape.

How to serve as a guardian of development? The Industrial Park People's Tribunal of Longxu District People's Court (龙圩区人民法院), Wuzhou, gave its answer — judicial services move forward, letting enterprises walk more steadily.

Not long ago, officers of the Industrial Park People's Tribunal went into enterprises to popularize the law.

"How should an enterprise stipulate terms when purchasing raw materials to be safe?" In response to the enterprise manager's question, after understanding the situation in detail, the tribunal officers gave their advice: "The clause 'quality objections must be raised within 7 days of delivery' cannot be omitted, and the liability for breach of contract should also be written specifically, so that there is a basis for response if disputes arise later."

Such source-level guidance has given enterprises a tangible sense of gain. Starting from case adjudication, the Industrial Park People's Tribunal has established categorized files for key industries in the park, including metal processing, electronics manufacturing, and agricultural product processing, accurately grasping the risk points of different industries and guiding enterprises to operate in accordance with the law.

On one occasion, an enterprise manager reported: "There are many workers on the production line and high rotation frequency; daily attendance and overtime pay calculations are prone to omissions, which may lead to labor disputes."

Judicial services follow enterprise needs. The Industrial Park People's Tribunal carried out targeted legal popularization, combining the employment characteristics of enterprises in its jurisdiction with typical cases, breaking down key points one by one — labor contract signing, attendance ledger management, overtime pay disclosure, and temporary employment standards — guiding enterprises to improve their employment systems and avoid disputes.

From "adjudication of individual cases" to "systematic protection," from "handling cases from the bench" to forward service, from "extinguishing fires after the fact" to "fire prevention beforehand," people's tribunals across the country actively connect with industrial and supply chains, deeply embedding the reach of judicial services into the front line of production, and promoting 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "walk steadily, reach far," to proceed steadily toward long-term goals) development of urban and rural areas.

Establishing faith in the rule of law, taking responsibility to safeguard grassroots governance

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "Strengthen law-based governance, and cultivate a rule-of-law environment in which the whole society handles affairs according to law, seeks solutions through law when encountering problems, uses law to resolve issues, and relies on law to defuse conflicts."

People's tribunals are windows for judicial services at the grassroots level and important portals for serving grassroots governance. How well their functions are performed directly bears on the effectiveness of building a Safe China and a China under the rule of law.

The resolution of a "married-out daughter" dividend case tested this effectiveness.

The conflict originated from a village regulation formulated in 2016 in a village in Shangjie Town (上街镇), Minhou County (闽侯县), Fujian Province: "After a woman marries out, she shall no longer participate in collective income distribution from the following year."

In recent years, the village was demolished and resettlement housing was built, with part rented out by the village collective, and villagers could receive dividends of more than a thousand yuan each year. However, this village regulation caused Ms. Wang and more than 60 other "married-out daughters" to lose their due rights and interests.

"I grew up here, my household registration is here — why should I no longer be a villager just because I got married?" Ms. Wang sued the village committee, requesting confirmation of her status as a member of the villagers' collective economic organization and the right to enjoy income distribution.

When the case reached Chen Huaji (陈华吉), a judge of the Shangjie People's Tribunal of Minhou County People's Court, Fujian, adjudicating the case according to law was not difficult; the difficulty lay in how a rural society could break through traditional concepts.

Chen Huaji went to the village to understand the situation. Old Chen, the village committee director, said that the non-distribution of dividends to "married-out daughters" was decided by everyone's vote — the minority submits to the majority — and the village regulation so provided.

"'The minority submits to the majority' is not a reason to deprive them of their lawful rights and interests. The meeting records show that not one of the more than 60 interested 'married-out daughters' was present. Without letting them speak, this rule itself cannot stand." To break the impasse, Chen Huaji activated the "court + comprehensive governance center" mechanism, jointly organizing mediation with cadres from the comprehensive governance center and mediators from the judicial office.

On the one hand, they visited households one by one to verify the family situations of the "married-out daughters" and sort out their demands; on the other hand, they reviewed the village regulations and folk conventions to identify loopholes.

In the end, through the patient work of the judge and mediators, the two sides reached a mediation agreement: the village committee confirmed the collective economic organization membership status of Ms. Wang and the others, and promised to convene a villagers' assembly to revise the improper provisions of the village regulation.

In October of last year, good news came: the villagers' assembly unanimously passed a new version of the village regulation, deleting the provision that "'married-out daughters' shall not participate in dividends." The names of more than 60 "married-out daughters" were written into the dividend register. At the beginning of this year, they received their collective income dividends.

Clarifying rules, explaining principles, and establishing new practices — in response to disputes arising from bride-price competition and extravagant ceremonies in rural society, people's tribunals pool multiple dispute-resolution forces, integrate public order and good customs and traditional virtues into legal explanation and reasoning, and through the combination of morality and law, resolve antagonistic emotions, repair social relationships, gather consensus toward goodness, and lead healthy trends. Through their perception of judicial fairness, villagers establish faith in the rule of law.

Property services are connected to the 万家灯火 (wàn jiā dēng huǒ - "lamps and fires of ten thousand households," the lights of countless homes), involve broad coverage and complex interest relationships, and are an important part of grassroots social governance.

"Quality not matching price" has always been a pain point in property service contract disputes.

How can property services have quantifiable evaluation standards? In Da'an District (大安区), Zigong, Sichuan, a lawsuit filed by homeowners requesting a reduction in the property service grade provided a reference for resolving this problem.

Chunfeng Jiuli is an upscale residential community built in recent years. Because of "quality not matching price," many homeowners refused to pay property fees, and the community's property management company sued the homeowners in court.

Lu Xiaofeng (卢晓凤), chief judge of the Tuanjie People's Tribunal (Tourism and Environmental Tribunal) of Da'an District People's Court, when handling the case, jointly with the housing and urban-rural development department conducted visits in the community and discovered problems including illegal construction, fire safety hazards, and inadequate basic property services. Subsequently, the homeowners requested a reduction in the community's property fee standard and applied for judicial appraisal of the community's property service grade.

In practice, after a property company is graded, there is little room for dynamic adjustment afterward. If homeowners want a price reduction, the only option is often to replace the property company.

How could the specific demands of community residents be addressed and property disputes be thoroughly resolved?

The Tuanjie People's Tribunal reported the frontline problem to the Zigong Intermediate People's Court. After conducting research, the Zigong Intermediate Court issued judicial recommendations to relevant units, proposing the establishment of a dynamic adjustment mechanism for property service grades to promote "quality matching price" in property services.

The housing and urban-rural development department attached great importance to the judicial recommendations and introduced a third-party institution to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all 134 four-star and five-star rated property companies in its jurisdiction.

Among them, the property company involved in the case was found to have as many as 32 service management problems. The relevant department downgraded the community's property service grade from level 5 to level 4, and the fee standard was reduced from 2.2 yuan per square meter to 1.6 yuan. The property company stated that it accepted the evaluation results, actively cooperated with rectification, voluntarily refunded part of the prepaid property fees, and the community environment took on a 焕然一新 (huàn rán yī xīn - "shining forth as entirely new," to take on a completely fresh appearance) look.

People's tribunals are at the forefront of serving the people and on the front line of resolving conflicts and disputes. Keenly perceiving new situations and changes in economic and social development, and promptly studying new issues and new requirements facing judicial service guarantees, is conducive to improving governance rules and promoting social governance.

In recent years, people's tribunals across the country have not limited themselves to handling cases in isolation, but rather, from the perspective of being conducive to achieving the goals of law-based grassroots governance and good laws and good governance, have used rule-of-law thinking and methods to analyze and solve problems, cultivated a culture of the rule of law, and through rule-based governance, remedied rights, balanced interests, settled disputes and ended conflicts, and upheld justice, truly enabling the people to feel that fairness and justice are right by their side.

*** ***

At the China-Laos border in the southernmost part of Yunnan, the Mohan People's Tribunal (磨憨人民法庭) of Guandu District People's Court (官渡区人民法院), Kunming, guards the harmony and tranquility of the national gate.

On one occasion, three foreign nationals came to the tribunal for consultation. It turned out that a foreign national surnamed Pei and a Chinese citizen surnamed Tu had verbally agreed on a car purchase. After Pei prepaid 11,500 yuan, a dispute arose because the payment and delivery times had not been specified. With language barriers and cross-border communication difficulties, both sides were anxious.

The Mohan People's Tribunal immediately coordinated with relevant departments and conducted on-site mediation through an interpreter — from acceptance of the case to reaching an agreement, it took only one afternoon.

"In China, resolving disputes is both good and fast." The dispute was resolved on the spot, and Pei signed the mediation agreement.

A "border-gate tribunal" is a window displaying China's rule-of-law image. People's tribunals across the country value both adjudication and mediation, speak both law and reason, and emphasize both settling disputes and ending conflicts — this is a distinct Chinese characteristic and a notable institutional advantage.

From the white mountains and black waters to the shores of the South China Sea, from border ports to urban streets and alleys... people's tribunals guard fairness and justice and the peace of ten thousand households, writing one moving rule-of-law story after another.

The national emblem on their shoulders, the people in their hearts. On the new journey of the new era, people's tribunals nationwide are deeply implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, with the consciousness of "as if I were the litigant," striving to serve the overall situation and administer justice for the people, responding to the people's expectations with more solid work results, and contributing judicial strength to building a higher-level Safe China and a China under the rule of law.

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Editor: Ji Yalin, Lu Tao, Zhang Weihao

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China to Complete Multi-Tiered Medical Security System Within Five Years (People's Livelihood Frontline)

By: 本报记者 孙秀艳

The National Healthcare Security Administration released the "15th Five-Year Plan for Universal Medical Security" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") on August 19. The Plan specifies that it will adhere to a people's health-centered approach, take promoting high-quality development of the healthcare security undertaking as the theme, take reform and innovation as the driving force, adhere to overall planning and systematic governance, do our utmost according to our capabilities and act within our means, comprehensively establish a multi-tiered healthcare security system that covers the entire population, coordinates urban and rural areas, is fair and unified, safe and standardized, and sustainable, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Promote sustainable funds, more refined management, and more beneficial systems for the people

The Plan outlines the development vision for universal healthcare security over the next five years, namely, by 2030, fair healthcare security will be universally beneficial and balanced, and the accessibility of basic healthcare security public services will be further enhanced. Rule-of-law healthcare security will be standardized and improved, a healthcare security legal system will be basically formed, law-based administrative capacity will be continuously improved, and administrative law enforcement will be more rigorous and standardized. Safe healthcare security will continue to be stable and sound, healthcare security fund management will be continuously strengthened, fund operation will be safe and sustainable, and healthcare security guarantee capacity will be consolidated and enhanced. Digital and intelligent healthcare security will be convenient and efficient, with refined management and precision services based on big data, artificial intelligence, and other technologies widely applied. Collaborative healthcare security will resonate in unison, the mechanism for coordinated development and governance of the "three medicals" (medical insurance, medical services, and pharmaceuticals) will be further improved, and the efficiency of healthcare security fund utilization will be further enhanced. Scientific healthcare security will be accelerated, healthcare security standardization will be accelerated, the healthcare security scenario verification system will be gradually improved, and a whole-process, whole-chain, all-round scientific healthcare security system will be basically established.

To achieve these visions, the Plan specifies the overall requirements for promoting healthcare security reform and development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, among which the development goals set 8 main indicators and establish relevant target values.

A relevant official of the National Healthcare Security Administration stated that the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical five years for promoting high-quality development of the healthcare security undertaking. The Plan, based on the current status of healthcare security reform and development, closely focuses on safety and sustainability, concentrates on refined management, and scientifically plans development indicators. The indicators focus on China's economic and social development situation, population development trends, and the direction of healthcare security reform and development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, and have specifically added indicators such as the number of coordinated regions covered by the long-term care insurance system, the payable months of cumulative surplus of the basic medical insurance coordination funds for employees and urban and rural residents, the coverage rate of immediate settlement of basic medical insurance fund expenditures, and the direct payment of maternity allowances to individuals.

Strive to reduce the burden of medical expenses on the people when seeking medical treatment

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the degree of population aging will deepen, the people's demand for medical services will continue to be released, and new medical technologies will develop rapidly. The Plan specifies that it will continue to improve the multi-tiered healthcare security system, build a comprehensive security pattern in which basic healthcare security and commercial medical insurance, charitable donations, and medical mutual assistance have coordinated functions, complement each other, and develop together, better exert the comprehensive security function of the system, and strive to reduce the burden of medical expenses on the people when seeking medical treatment.

Within the multi-tiered healthcare security system, the three-tier guarantee system of basic medical insurance occupies a dominant position, and improving the basic medical insurance system remains the top priority. The Plan specifies that it will continuously improve the quality of universal medical insurance coverage; optimize and improve the sustainable financing mechanism, balance the financing responsibilities of individuals, employers, and the government, and promote diversified financing; and improve the fair and moderate benefit guarantee mechanism. Reimbursement policies will be tilted toward the grassroots level, and appropriate differences in hospitalization reimbursement levels for insured persons at medical and health institutions of different levels will be made according to local conditions. The standardization and unification of outpatient chronic disease and outpatient special disease guarantees within provinces will be promoted; the reform of operational mechanisms will be deeply advanced, coordinated regions will be promoted to improve financing and guarantee management levels, and the fund's risk resistance capacity and utilization efficiency will be improved, with provincial-level coordination basically achieved by 2029. At the same time, the supplementary guarantee role of serious illness insurance and other supplementary insurances will be better exerted, and the bottom-line guarantee function of medical assistance will be consolidated.

Beyond the three-tier guarantee, the development of commercial medical insurance will also be vigorously promoted, striving to meet the people's unmet guarantee needs beyond basic medical insurance, and promoting commercial medical insurance to better play a supplementary guarantee role in the multi-tiered healthcare security system. At the same time, charitable organizations and other social forces will be guided to participate in diversified medical assistance guarantee work, forming a comprehensive assistance synergy, striving to reduce the medical expense burden on people in difficulty and patients with serious illnesses, and better meeting the people's diversified medical security needs.

Multiple measures simultaneously to promote the quality improvement and upgrading of healthcare security services

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, how can healthcare security handling management and services better resolve the people's worries about medical treatment after illness?

The Plan also provides the answer. A relevant official of the National Healthcare Security Administration stated that in the next five years, multiple measures will be taken simultaneously to promote the quality improvement and upgrading of healthcare security services, making medical treatment and reimbursement more worry-free for the people.

First, a more complete system. The work of strengthening the foundation of healthcare security will be advanced, efforts will be made to build a grassroots healthcare security service network covering townships (streets) and villages (communities) nationwide, the construction of grassroots healthcare security service stations will be actively supported, the extension of convenience services to the grassroots will be promoted, and the "last kilometer" of serving the people will be opened up.

Second, more efficient handling. The channels of "handheld handling and online handling" for healthcare security services will be enriched, and more high-frequency service matters will be made "handleable in different places and handleable nearby." On the basis of the national list of 28 high-frequency healthcare security service matters, local lists and handling guides will be promoted to be unified and standardized, providing more considerate and convenient services for the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, people in difficulty, and other groups. The "efficient completion of one matter" in the healthcare security field will be deepened, further expanding and upgrading on the basis of 24 "one matters," continuously compressing handling time limits and simplifying handling procedures.

Third, more intelligent services. The application of face-scan payment, one-code payment, mobile payment, and credit payment will be comprehensively deepened, striving to fully establish a convenient healthcare security payment system within 3 years, and effectively solving the pain points and bottlenecks of "multiple queues and long queues" for patients when paying for medical treatment. The promotion of healthcare security handling intelligent agents will be accelerated, and a national healthcare security intelligent customer service will be launched to facilitate the public's consultation on healthcare security policies and handling procedures.

Fourth, more comfortable reimbursement. The scope of insurance types for direct settlement of medical treatment in different places will be expanded, and direct settlement of maternity-related medical expenses in different places will be actively promoted. The settlement services and information technology support capacity for medical treatment in different places will be continuously optimized, and the success rate of direct settlement across provinces will remain stable. The cross-provincial mutual use of personal accounts of employee basic medical insurance will be fully realized, the family mutual assistance function will be further strengthened, and the healthcare security fund will be made to operate more efficiently and with more warmth.

Manage and use the people's "medical treatment money" and "life-saving money" well

Fund safety and sustainability are the foundation for the operation of the universal healthcare security system. The Plan makes detailed arrangements for improving the fund management and supervision system in the next five years. A relevant official of the National Healthcare Security Administration stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the National Healthcare Security Administration will fully implement the requirements of the Plan, strive to build a healthcare security fund supervision system that is "combining leniency and severity, addressing both symptoms and root causes, implementing comprehensive measures, and being all-round, multi-tiered, and three-dimensional," and resolutely safeguard the people's "medical treatment money" and "life-saving money." In the future, it will focus on three aspects: striking hard at symptoms, continuously consolidating the high-pressure situation of "daring not to defraud"; empowering with technology, continuously weaving a tight net of "being unable to defraud"; and addressing the root causes, continuously improving the long-term mechanism of "not wanting to defraud."

Specifically, during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, efforts will be made to complete full coverage of on-site inspections of designated medical and pharmaceutical institutions nationwide. National flight inspections will cover all provinces nationwide every year, and cover all prefecture-level cities nationwide within 5 years; provincial flight inspections will cover all prefecture-level cities in the province every year, and cover all counties (cities, districts) within 5 years. The research, development, and application of various big data supervision models will be continuously strengthened, focusing on typical illegal and non-compliant behaviors, special groups, drugs and consumables, diagnosis and treatment items, disease types, and insurance types, striving to form a big data supervision model matrix covering the whole chain, whole cycle, multiple dimensions, and multiple scenarios of healthcare security fund use within 5 years. The whole-process intelligent supervision system covering pre-event, in-event, and post-event will be improved. Efforts will be made to achieve full coverage of pre-event reminders for designated medical and pharmaceutical institutions, eliminate various illegal and non-compliant behaviors in the bud, and continuously reduce the occurrence of illegal and non-compliant problems.

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Seize New Opportunities to Create a Better Tomorrow Together

By: 本报记者 富子梅

The "Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2026-2030)" (澳门特别行政区经济和社会发展第三个五年规划) was officially released on August 18, proactively and closely aligning with the national "15th Five-Year Plan" (十五五规划), clarifying eight major development goals and four key tasks for the next five years. Next steps include formulating lists of key projects, division of responsibilities for key work, and major reform measures to ensure the orderly advancement and implementation of the "Third Five-Year Plan." All sectors of Macao society have expressed strong confidence in the future. All sectors of the SAR will, under the leadership of the SAR government, seize new opportunities, actively participate in Macao's various construction and development tasks, and with new responsibility and action, jointly create a better tomorrow for Macao.

Huang Shaoze (黄少泽), Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao SAR Government, stated that the "Third Five-Year Plan" lists "further enhancement of the effectiveness of law-based governance" as one of the eight major development goals, meaning that enhancing the effectiveness of law-based governance is the key support for advancing Macao's high-quality development and achieving the goals and tasks of the "Third Five-Year Plan." The SAR government will aim for good governance, uphold and improve the executive-led system, deepen public administration reform, advance the modernization of the legal system, improve judicial efficiency, and build a modern, law-based Macao.

Among the ten chapters of the "Third Five-Year Plan," a dedicated chapter plans for appropriate economic diversification and high-quality advancement of the Hengqin Cooperation Zone construction, clearly stating that with renewed thinking, stronger measures, and more concrete actions, efforts will be made to promote the "1+4" diversified industries from aspects including strengthening policy support, increasing capital investment, and optimizing the business environment. Cui Shichang (崔世昌), member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Macao Chamber of Commerce (澳门中华总商会), stated that the "Third Five-Year Plan" takes appropriate economic diversification as the key task, charting a clear path for Macao's future development. In the next five years, the four major engineering projects and the government guidance fund will serve as key levers to enhance Macao's industrial competitiveness and economic development momentum, with non-gaming value added accounting for about 60% of GDP by 2030. The Macao Chamber of Commerce will promote the industrial and commercial sector to seize policy dividends, proactively align with the "1+4" diversified industry development, and contribute to Macao's long-term prosperity and stability.

High-quality advancement of the Hengqin Cooperation Zone construction is the key to breaking new ground in Macao's appropriate economic diversification over the next five years. Ye Zhaojia (叶兆佳), member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and member of the Macao SAR Legislative Assembly, believes that reform methods should be used to solve development challenges, with science, technology, and education as the guide, implementing the new "Macao + Hengqin" development positioning, deepening Macao-Hengqin integrated development, fully advancing the second phase of high-level construction of the Cooperation Zone, achieving high economic synergy between Macao and Hengqin, deep alignment of rules, and efficient and convenient cross-border flow of various factors.

"The plan coordinates the development of education, science and technology, and talent in an integrated manner, with key deployment of university town construction, building a broader platform for Macao's higher education development." Song Yonghua (宋永华), president of the Macao Higher Education Development Promotion Association (澳门高等教育发展促进会), stated that this move deepens the strategic position of higher education in the SAR's development. The association will continue to play its role as a bridge and think tank, actively cooperate with the SAR government in implementing the goals of the "Third Five-Year Plan," and contribute the strength of higher education to the high-quality development of Macao and the country.

Wu Zhiliang (吴志良), president of the Macao Cultural Sector Federation (澳门文化界联合总会), stated that the "Third Five-Year Plan" clearly proposes to promote the "two creations" (两个打造) and build "one highland" (一高地), better playing the role of internal connectivity and external outreach, precisely grasping the key areas where Macao can contribute most to the country's overall development. Macao's cultural sector should strive to play three irreplaceable functions: serve as a good "converter" of Chinese culture, build a good "laboratory" for mutual learning among civilizations, and serve as a good "hub" for precise exchange, demonstrating Macao's openness and inclusiveness in over 400 years of dialogue between Chinese and Western civilizations, and contributing Macao's strength to the country's cultural power building.

"The plan devotes seven chapters to effectively safeguarding and improving people's livelihood and well-being from aspects including housing, medical care, social security, population, and youth, giving people a tangible sense of gain and happiness, and reading it brings warmth." Chen Jialiang (陈家良), director of the Macao Neighborhood Association Federation (澳门街坊联合总会), stated that the federation will leverage its own advantages, continue to serve as a bridge between the government and residents, collect and reflect social conditions and public opinion, unite the strength of neighborhood communities, and build a beautiful and smart Macao.

On August 19, Macao Daily published an editorial titled "Macao's 'Third Five-Year Plan' Draws a Beautiful Blueprint," stating that the beautiful blueprint has been drawn and the clarion call for endeavor has sounded. Every Macao resident is a participant, implementer, and beneficiary of the new five-year plan. The implementation of the plan requires not only the SAR government to truly shoulder the responsibilities of head of household and primary responsible person, but also all sectors of society to 群策群力 (qún cè qún lì - "pool wisdom, pool strength," to unite collective wisdom and efforts) and work in unison. With the full support of the central government and the mainland motherland, and under the guidance of the new five-year plan, Macao will surely continue to open new chapters in high-quality development and make new and greater contributions to building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.

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Not receiving HPV vaccine does not affect school enrollment.

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- (Reporter Bai Jianfeng) Does not receiving the HPV vaccine affect school enrollment? A relevant official of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration recently stated that completing HPV vaccination is not an enrollment threshold, and whether or not it is completed will not affect a child's enrollment in school.
Since November 2025, China has included the HPV vaccine in the national immunization program, with 13-year-old girls as the target population, which is the optimal choice made after comprehensively considering factors such as HPV infection risk, vaccine protection effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and implementation feasibility.
The Vaccine Administration Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that residents living within the territory of China enjoy the right to receive vaccines included in the immunization program in accordance with the law and fulfill the obligation to receive vaccines included in the immunization program. The HPV vaccine has been included in the national immunization program, and school-age girls should fulfill their vaccination obligations, and guardians should ensure in accordance with the law that school-age girls are vaccinated on time.
The Measures for the Inspection of Vaccination Certificates for Children Entering Nursery and School stipulate that when children enter nursery or school, nursery institutions and schools should inspect vaccination certificates. At the current stage, all childcare institutions, kindergartens, and primary schools should carry out the inspection of vaccination certificates for children entering nursery and school. Whether other types of schools are included in the inspection management is determined by relevant local departments according to the needs of disease prevention and control.
It is reported that in some regions, disease control, health, and education departments have included the HPV vaccination status of school-age girls in the content of vaccination certificate inspections. Through inspecting vaccination certificates, verifying children's vaccination status, providing health reminders to parents and children, and promptly detecting and making up missed vaccinations, the health of children and the public health safety of campuses are safeguarded. Parents of school-age children should actively cooperate with the inspection of vaccination certificates and promptly make up any vaccinations that need to be supplemented. However, completing HPV vaccination is not an enrollment threshold, and whether or not it is completed will not affect a child's enrollment in school.
A relevant official of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration pointed out that vaccination units across regions routinely carry out the detection and supplementary vaccination of missed vaccines in the immunization program. School-age girls who meet the date-of-birth requirements and who, for various reasons, missed the free HPV vaccination period can go to the vaccination site in their jurisdiction to receive the supplementary vaccination free of charge.

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Carry Forward Fine Family Traditions and Promote New Social Customs (Our Festivals·Qixi)

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Yang Zhanfei) — August 19 this year falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is the Qixi Festival among China's traditional festivals. Around the Qixi Festival, the Bureau of Cultural Practice under the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (中宣部文明实践局), the Department of Social Affairs under the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部社会事务司), the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化和旅游部非物质文化遗产司), the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (共青团中央宣传部), the Publicity Department of the All-China Women's Federation (全国妇联宣传部), and the Literary and Art Volunteer Service Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (中国文联文艺志愿服务中心) jointly organized the "Our Festival · Qixi" themed cultural activities, aiming to fully tap the cultural connotation of the festival, carry forward the values of diligence and wisdom, loyal and steadfast love, family happiness, and the pursuit of beauty, pass on fine family traditions and family education, advocate a new trend of civilized marriage and love, continuously deepen the transformation of outdated customs and practices, and create a strong festive atmosphere.

In Xingtai, Hebei, where the story of the "Cowherd and Weaver Girl" is widely circulated, activities such as the Qixi-themed poetry recitation and the "Magpie Bridge Promise" Qixi folk custom season carried forward the excellent cultural connotation of the festival; in Yixing, Jiangsu, one of the birthplaces of the Legend of Liang Zhu, the ancient legend was presented through AI digital technology, with light and shadow flowing to fill the air with a romantic atmosphere; Yantai, Shandong, and Wushan, Chongqing, jointly held a collective wedding ceremony, vividly interpreting the civilized new trend of transforming outdated customs and conducting weddings in new ways; in Yunxi, Hubei, citizens and tourists could both wander through the bustling intangible cultural heritage market and witness collective weddings on site, immersively experiencing folk charm and wedding customs and etiquette; in Weinan, Shaanxi, one hundred original love poems collected nationwide were written out and exhibited, with the creators and calligraphers reciting the poems, while civilized wedding custom publicity was carried out simultaneously...

In addition, localities across the country, in light of the characteristics of the Qixi Festival, organized healthful marriage and love culture lectures, Qiqiao duet singing, and reading sharing sessions at New Era Civilization Practice Centers (stations, sites), and held activities such as threading needles, weaving cloth, paper-cutting, and embroidery, creating a warm, romantic, happy, and beautiful festive atmosphere and enhancing people's understanding of and affection for the Qixi Festival.

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Cherished Memories for Love

This year, August 19th is the Qixi Festival, and many newlyweds chose to register their marriage on that day. Around the Qixi Festival, some localities carried out themed cultural activities on related topics, experiencing traditional folk customs and advocating civilized new practices through forms such as threading needles to pray for skill, tying knots to convey feelings, and taking warm group photos.

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Cross-strait youth organizations to co-host exchange event in Shanghai

BEIJING, August 19 (Xinhua) — (Reporter Jiang Lin) Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, introduced at a regular press conference on the 19th that the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee was authorized on April 12 to release ten policy measures to promote cross-strait exchange and cooperation, including the establishment of an institutionalized platform for two-way youth exchange between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China. From August 24 to 28, relevant youth organizations on both sides of the strait will jointly hold the "Walking Together with One Heart — Cross-Strait Youth Exchange Season Shanghai Stop" event in Shanghai.
She introduced that at that time, young people from both sides of the strait will engage in in-depth exchanges and discussions at the main forum on themes such as emerging technology, Chinese culture, and cross-strait youth exchange; check in at the trend market for food and trendy toys, experiencing the leisurely atmosphere of summer nights in one stop; and sing and dance together with entertainment stars from both sides of the strait at the gala evening, fully displaying the fervor and high spirits of youth. Afterwards, young people from both sides of the strait will also go to Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other places for visits and study, entering schools, villages, enterprises, and other venues, exploring the poetic Jiangnan and lucid waters and lush mountains, and experiencing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Zhu Fenglian stated, "We warmly welcome young people from Taiwan to come to the mainland to participate in relevant activities, and we also look forward to more young people from Taiwan participating in cross-strait exchanges, walking together with one heart with mainland youth, exchanging and celebrating, learning from each other, jointly discussing youthful ideals, and jointly creating a better future."
In response to the Taiwan Affairs Council's fabrication and slander against the mainland's forthcoming "State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration," misleading a small number of people on the island into worrying that "entering and leaving the mainland will carry risks," Zhu Fenglian pointed out that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities spare no effort in prohibiting and restricting cross-strait exchanges and contacts, trying every possible means to block compatriots on both sides of the strait from drawing closer and approaching each other, with an endless variety of tactics such as suppression, intimidation, and fabrication, and the Taiwan Affairs Council has rushed to the forefront to become a "stumbling block" to cross-strait exchanges and interactions.
She stated that in the first half of this year, Taiwanese compatriots coming to the mainland reached 2.85 million person-trips, a year-on-year increase of 24.9%, and Taiwanese compatriots coming to the mainland for sightseeing and visits during the summer have been arriving in an endless stream — all of these are the clearest responses to the DPP authorities' prohibitions, restrictions, and obstructions. Facing the surging tide of cross-strait exchanges and interactions, what the DPP authorities fear most is that the "information cocoons" they have created will continue to be punctured and the false "Taiwan independence" narrative they have constructed will continue to be exposed, which is why they are so brazenly 信口雌黄 (xìn kǒu cí huáng - "a random mouth spews orpiment," to make reckless and unfounded statements).

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"Good Times, Gathering in Fuzhou" 6th Talent Conference Held

Our newspaper Fuzhou, August 19 (Reporter Fu Wen (付文)) — The sixth "Good Years, Gather in Fuzhou" (好年华 聚福州) Talent Conference was recently held in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. This conference closely adhered to the main line of gathering talent, empowerment, and pursuing innovation, investing in people through systematic policies, driving industrial upgrading with talent vitality, and assisting entrepreneurship to drive employment, deep integration of industry and talent, and sustainable urban development.

At the conference site, universities, industrial parks, key enterprises, service institutions, and entrepreneurs joined hands to jointly build Fuzhou's "AI + One-Person Company" entrepreneurship ecosystem, providing entrepreneurs with ten major resource services including space and venues, computing power services, supply-demand matching, financial products, and talent support. The conference released the Xiaofuxing Talent Service Intelligent Agent (小福星人才服务智能体), the first dedicated intelligent assistant created for talent service scenarios in Fujian Province, which relies on a standardized knowledge base deeply interfacing with an intelligent engine to promote precise matching between talent needs and policy supply, enabling all types of talent to conveniently and efficiently obtain policy information and service support. At the conference, six academician expert teams signed industry talent cultivation plans with key enterprises in relevant counties (cities, districts), building a cultivation ecosystem in which academicians lead skills transmission and young scientific innovation follows up, consolidating talent echelon construction.

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Beijing launches centralized mosquito control campaign

Our newspaper, Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Pan Junqiang) — The reporter learned from the Capital Environmental Construction and Management Office and the Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office that, in order to systematically advance all aspects of mosquito prevention and control work, Beijing has seized the golden period for mosquito extermination after rainfall, actively carried out a special concentrated mosquito extermination campaign, focused on key sites such as residential areas, parks and green spaces, and backstreets and alleys, normalized the cleaning of sanitary dead corners, turned over pots and emptied containers, removed accumulated water, and cleaned up mosquito breeding sources, cumulatively carrying out cleaning in 8,726 residential communities, 2,537 villages, and more than 5,000 backstreets and alleys.

To strengthen mosquito and fly extermination work in the sanitation industry, Beijing carried out 6,357 special deep-cleaning activities for waste sorting facilities, cleaning 796,000 garbage bins and 21,000 garbage collection and transport vehicles. All public toilets and nearly a thousand enclosed cleaning stations, garbage transfer stations, and similar facilities throughout the city have been installed with mosquito and fly extermination equipment, with comprehensive disinfection and spraying of mosquito and fly extermination agents carried out daily.

Relying on the public health committees of subdistricts (townships) and communities (villages), Beijing has incorporated mosquito prevention and extermination work into grassroots grid-based management. Mosquito density monitoring and third-party unannounced inspections are regularly carried out, with results fed back to each district at the first opportunity, urging grassroots units to make rectifications. 1,242 communities, parks, and units have voluntarily participated in the construction of "mosquito-free communities," creating distinctive demonstration benchmarks. 13 municipal parks and 6 district-level parks in the central urban area took the lead in carrying out mosquito-free park construction.

Adhering to scientific prevention and control, Beijing adopts green, environmentally friendly, and efficient methods for the scientific prevention and control of mosquitoes. It promotes measures such as releasing mosquito-eating fish into water bodies, planting mosquito-repelling plants, clearing submerged plants, increasing water flow velocity to destroy static water environments, installing mosquito-killing lamps, and laying out sticky mosquito boards. In addition, to enhance mosquito prevention and extermination capabilities, the municipal and district levels have also organized mosquito extermination work training, with more than 30,000 people participating online and offline. Municipal expert groups have cumulatively carried out on-site guidance for 31 communities and units in 6 districts, consolidating and enhancing grassroots mosquito prevention and extermination capabilities.

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本版责编：程晨 白真智 闵方正

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Sweat Gleams in Motion (New Era Panorama: A Joyful and Fulfilling Summer Vacation)

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Strong Physique, Power of Growth

By: 史 哲

On the green pitch, dribbling past defenders; in the swimming pool, cutting through the water; on the fitness trail, striding lightly... During the summer vacation, young people sweat and stretch their bodies and minds in exhilarating exercise, sketching a picture of vigorous youth.

Every run and jump is a period of growth. In recent years, localities have adhered to the concept of health first and implemented the requirement that primary and secondary school students engage in no less than 2 hours of daily physical exercise. Data show that regular exercise has steadily improved the physical fitness of young people, with indicators such as height, lung capacity, and physical capacity continuing to improve, and the rising trends in myopia and obesity being effectively curbed.

Rich and varied activities fill out children's summer lives.

The range of activities is diverse. Zhejiang Province has launched a public welfare summer sports camp for young people, covering sports such as pickleball, frisbee, and rock climbing, providing young people with diverse sports options and broadening their sporting horizons. In fresh and interesting experiences, children find the activities they love.

Venues and facilities are being filled in. Primary and secondary schools in multiple places, including Beijing, Kunming in Yunnan, and Changsha in Hunan, are piloting the opening of sports venues and smart sports facilities to society during the summer, solving the problem of where children can go to exercise.

The number of participants is large. Ordos in Inner Mongolia has launched a cloud sports meet, with more than 38,000 primary and secondary school students enthusiastically participating, and cumulative exercise check-ins exceeding one million person-times, showing surging fitness enthusiasm.

From passive exercise to active participation, health accompanies children as they grow; from school sports to holiday "companions," exercise fills vacation time. We look forward to more young people persisting in exercise, and with vigorous vitality and strong physiques, continuously accumulating upward-growing strength.

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Editor: Gong Yuhua, Shi Zhe, Gao Ji

Layout Design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼) & Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Leading AI Global Governance with a Richer Supply of International Public Goods (People's Forum)

By: 薛 澜 陈 颖

President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Conference on Artificial Intelligence and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, emphasizing that "as a responsible major country, China has always been committed to serving as a provider of international public goods in the field of artificial intelligence." President Xi Jinping's important speech, focusing on the common future of human society and the major trends in AI development, profoundly elucidates China's value stance and sense of responsibility in participating in global AI governance. As a strategic technology leading the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, artificial intelligence not only contains enormous development opportunities but also brings governance challenges. We must deeply study and implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speech, and with the breadth of vision and sense of responsibility befitting a major AI power, continuously enrich the supply of international public goods in AI, contributing China's wisdom, China's solutions, and China's strength to building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system.

Balancing development and security, contributing China's solutions through governance-type public goods

President Xi Jinping emphasized: "Artificial intelligence should become a trustworthy tool for humanity. We must attach great importance to the various endogenous and derivative risks triggered by AI, promote the building of systems for laws and regulations, technological monitoring, risk early warning, and emergency response, shore up the bottom line of security, prevent misuse and malicious use, and ensure that AI always remains under human control."

While injecting strong momentum into economic and social development, artificial intelligence is accompanied by multiple challenges such as malicious use, technological malfunction, and systemic risks. Balancing development and security, reconciling innovation and governance, and effectively preventing and defusing various risks while promoting the widespread application of AI have become a major issue facing the international community and an important direction for global AI governance. In particular, as AI accelerates its evolution toward generality and autonomy, its capabilities for perception, reasoning, decision-making, and action continue to strengthen, and risks may transmit from individual links to complex systems. Once a system's goals deviate from human intentions and cannot be promptly intervened in and effectively controlled by humans, it may trigger severe consequences that are difficult to predict. Currently, in specific experimental environments, AI systems have been found to exhibit tendencies toward strategic deception, evasion of intervention, and self-preservation, as well as strategic behaviors such as concealing information and misleading operators. Although such phenomena currently appear mainly in simulated testing, the potential risks they reveal cannot be ignored.

Governance and innovation promote each other and complement each other. Scientific and effective governance can clarify rule boundaries, improve accountability mechanisms, and strengthen risk prevention, creating a stable, transparent, and predictable institutional environment for technological innovation. AI technology iterates rapidly, has broad application scenarios, and its risk patterns are constantly evolving, which objectively requires timely updating of governance thinking, reshaping of governance relationships, and promoting governance systems to move in the same direction and evolve in coordination with technological development. We must strengthen forward-looking research and policy reserves, promptly issue corresponding rules for new technologies, new business forms, and new risks, and conduct dynamic assessment and continuous improvement based on technological evolution, industrial development, and practical feedback, promoting the shift of governance from relatively static rule management to dynamic adaptation that responds to technological change. We must abandon the game-theoretic thinking of simple opposition between regulators and the regulated, improve communication and coordination mechanisms among governments, enterprises, research institutions, industry organizations, and the public, promote the sharing of risk information and the sharing of governance responsibilities, and form a governance pattern of multi-stakeholder participation and collaborative governance. We must implement categorized and tiered governance based on application scenarios and risk levels, highlight the principle of flexibility in tool selection, and comprehensively apply governance tools such as regulatory sandboxes, pilot demonstrations, and dynamic assessment, achieving an organic unity of regulation and incentives.

As early as June 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the 17th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the 12th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, making forward-looking plans for the development of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence. Over the past decade or more, China's AI development has always advanced steadily along the blueprint drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping, achieving a historic leap from "following" and "running alongside" to "leading" in multiple fields. At the same time, China has actively explored agile governance paths that conform to the laws of AI development. China adheres to inclusive and prudent regulation, reserving necessary space for the growth of new technologies and new business forms while holding the bottom line of security. At the same time, in the face of new situations and new problems such as privacy leakage and excessive data collection, regulatory authorities have responded promptly and adjusted dynamically, continuously improving governance rules and regulatory measures. In this process, China has gradually formed a governance model in which technological development and governance improvement advance in coordination: technological innovation moves forward continuously while governance capacity improves in tandem; risk problems are identified in a timely manner while institutional arrangements are dynamically optimized. This governance model avoids both suppressing innovation vitality through excessive regulation and allowing security risks to accumulate through governance absence, achieving an organic unity of encouraging innovation and regulating development, and contributing China's solutions to global AI security governance.

Adhering to open source and openness, bridging the digital-intelligence divide through technology-type public goods

President Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must seize the rare historical opportunity, encourage open source, openness, cooperation, and sharing, comprehensively promote AI technological innovation, industrial development, and scenario application, coordinately advance the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, the cultivation and growth of emerging industries, and the forward-looking layout of future industries, and let AI empower a thousand industries and ten thousand sectors."

Open source and openness are increasingly becoming an important path for promoting technological innovation, achievement diffusion, and industrial application. Frontier large-model research and development is characterized by technology intensity, capital intensity, talent intensity, and resource intensity. At the present stage, the number of countries that truly master the core technology system of large models and possess the capability from underlying algorithm innovation to large-scale model training and deployment can be counted on one hand, with approximately 40% of the world's core AI technology research and development concentrated in China and the United States. At present, the global digital-intelligence divide is continuously widening, and the risk of extreme polarization is rising, in which a few developed countries harvest technological dividends while the vast number of developing countries are reduced to suppliers of raw data. The "AI Preparedness Index" formulated by the International Monetary Fund clearly quantifies the global digital-intelligence divide: as of April 2024, the index for developed countries was 0.68, while that for emerging market countries and low-income countries was 0.46 and 0.32 respectively. Many developing countries that are "followers" in the AI field lack competitive technology enterprises, also lack sufficient technology and talent reserves, and even suffer from severe deficiencies in relevant infrastructure. Data from the International Telecommunication Union shows that by the end of 2024, nearly 2.6 billion people worldwide still had no access to the Internet, accounting for one-third of the global population; in the least developed countries, only 35% of the population used the Internet, and in landlocked developing countries, only 39% of people had Internet access.

For countries that do not yet possess the capability for independent research and development of frontier large models, especially the vast number of developing countries, open-source large models can significantly lower the threshold for technology acquisition and application, enabling these countries to carry out localized adaptation, scenario-based development, and industrialized application on the basis of existing advanced technology. More and more countries are taking open-source large models as an important technological foundation for developing their own AI industries, and using them to accelerate the improvement of application capabilities and the construction of industrial ecosystems. Promoting the open sharing of AI research achievements and technical experience is conducive to expanding the accessibility of frontier AI technology, enhancing the independent development capabilities of all countries, and providing strong support for bridging the global digital-intelligence divide and promoting the inclusive development of AI.

China has always adhered to promoting the inclusive development of AI through open source and openness, providing important support through technology supply for developing countries to lower the threshold for acquiring advanced technology, carry out scenario-based applications, and cultivate local industrial ecosystems, effectively promoting the popularization and application of AI on a global scale. At present, the cumulative global downloads of China's open-source AI large models have exceeded 10 billion times. The new-generation open-source model Kimi K3 has been officially released, with parameter scale reaching 2.8 trillion, making it currently the world's largest open-source model, marking new achievements in the development of China's AI models.

Practicing multilateralism, improving global governance through institutional public goods

President Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must practice true multilateralism, effectively give play to the important role of the United Nations, strengthen the alignment and coordination of AI development strategies, governance rules, and technical standards, and reach a global governance framework with broad consensus at an early date, so that this frontier technology can better benefit human society."

The risks brought by artificial intelligence are transnational, complex, and systemic in nature, and technological vulnerabilities may trigger chain reactions across regions and across fields. In particular, when AI applications are built on the basis of similar foundational models and architectures, common vulnerabilities may cause collective failure. This is a common issue facing the international community, and no country can stand aloof or respond alone. Ensuring that AI is safe, reliable, and controllable cannot be achieved without coordination and cooperation among the international community. All countries should treat the safety, reliability, and controllability of AI as important international public goods, deepen coordination and cooperation in technological research and development, safety assessment, risk monitoring, and emergency response, promote the formation of governance mechanisms featuring information sharing, shared responsibility, and joint risk management, and jointly build a global line of defense for safe, reliable, and controllable AI.

At present, the accelerated breakthroughs in AI technology are intertwined with rising geopolitical risks, and global governance is facing a complex situation characterized by intensified major-power competition, heightened technological rivalry, and poor rule coordination. A small number of countries have turned AI governance into a tool for maintaining their own technological advantages and competitive positions, undermining the long-established international scientific research cooperation networks and industrial collaboration systems. This not only hinders AI technological progress and the universal sharing of achievements, but also does nothing to solve the common risks and challenges facing the international community; on the contrary, it damages the common interests of all countries. At the same time, the global AI governance system is still in a stage of accelerated formation. Different countries and regions differ in development stages, governance philosophies, value orientations, institutional arrangements, and policy rhythms. Various governance mechanisms overlap with one another, rules and standards are insufficiently connected, and the difficulty of international coordination continues to increase. To break through the predicament of global AI governance, we must adhere to openness, win-win cooperation, inclusiveness, and unity in purpose, and promote the formation of a global consensus on AI governance under the framework of the United Nations, building an international cooperation platform that practices multilateralism.

China advocates the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, providing an important institutional public good for improving global AI governance. As the world's first intergovernmental international organization in the field of AI, the World AI Cooperation Organization follows the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respects the sovereignty of all countries and the diversity of civilizations, adheres to equal treatment, practices multilateralism, upholds the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and achieves mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. It has built an institutionalized international cooperation platform for all countries to participate equally in governance dialogue, strengthen policy communication and rule coordination, and deepen technological exchanges and practical cooperation. This helps transform scattered willingness to cooperate into stable institutional arrangements, transform principled governance consensus into sustained common action, and also provides an institutional vehicle for promoting the inclusive development of AI. From proposing the initiative to signing the agreement, China has promoted the deepening of global AI governance from conceptual consensus to institutional practice through concrete actions, fully demonstrating the pragmatic efforts of a responsible major country in improving global governance.

Focusing on capacity building, consolidating the foundation for development through empowerment-type public goods

President Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must carry out extensive international cooperation, help Global South countries strengthen capacity building, bridge the digital-intelligence divide, promote sustainable development, and avoid creating new historical injustices in the field of artificial intelligence."

AI application capabilities and governance capabilities support each other and promote each other. Rich application practice can provide reliable judgment bases and experiential references for risk identification and rule-making. The improvement of governance capabilities can in turn provide institutional guarantees for the safe implementation and regulated development of technology. Developing countries face dual challenges in AI development — challenges in both technology application and governance discourse power — the deep roots of which lie in relatively weak educational and scientific research foundations, insufficient professional talent reserves, weak scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and lagging information infrastructure construction. Unlike ordinary technological products, AI is characterized by rapid iteration, broad application fields, and strong penetration capabilities. Without the necessary talent reserves and software and hardware infrastructure support, the enabling effects of AI will be difficult to fully release, and may even create a digital-intelligence divide that further widens the development gap. The key to bridging the digital-intelligence divide lies in strengthening the independent development capacity building of the vast number of developing countries. We should help developing countries acquire and apply AI technology through technical assistance, knowledge sharing, joint research and development, and talent cultivation, while supporting them in gradually forming the capacity for independent innovation and sustainable development, truly achieving the goal of "teaching people to fish" rather than merely giving them fish.

Developing countries continue to be in a structurally disadvantaged position in rule-making and agenda-setting, but global AI governance cannot be dominated by a few technologically powerful countries, still less can technological advantages be used to solidify governance advantages or capability gaps to solidify rights gaps. Countries have different development stages, different technological foundations, and diverse governance demands, but all have the right to participate equally in global governance, express their interests and demands, and jointly formulate rules. To promote the inclusive development of AI, it is necessary not only to let developing countries share the development dividends brought by technological progress, but also to enhance their capacity to participate in governance agendas, negotiate international rules, and safeguard their own rights and interests. We should strengthen the AI governance capacity building of developing countries, help them improve their levels of risk identification, policy formulation, standard implementation, regulatory enforcement, and international consultation, and enable them to participate in global governance more fully and effectively.

China has always regarded supporting the capacity building of developing countries as an important part of promoting the inclusive development of AI. Since President Xi Jinping proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, China has promoted the adoption by consensus of the UN General Assembly resolution on international cooperation on AI capacity building, released the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, the Global AI Governance Action Plan, and the International Cooperation Initiative on AI Plus, proposed the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, built the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center, and established the China-ASEAN AI Industry Innovation Center, among other efforts. Through multi-level exchanges and cooperation among governments, enterprises, and research institutions, China has promoted the smoother flow of technology, knowledge, talent, and application experience to developing countries. During the 2026 World Conference on Artificial Intelligence and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, the AI Cooperation and Development Action Plan, the International Action Plan on AI Ethics Governance, and the Global Cooperation Initiative on Interconnection, Intertrust, and Interoperability of Intelligent Agents were successively released. In the next five years, China will provide 5,000 AI-themed training and study places for developing countries, build international AI application cooperation centers for ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS countries, and promote the application of the "Mazu" meteorological intelligent early warning solution in 30 countries, using concrete actions to promote AI as an international public good that benefits all of humanity.

(The authors are respectively the Dean of the Institute for International AI Governance at Tsinghua University and a Distinguished Research Fellow of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

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Contributing China’s Proposal to Jointly Building a Fair and Reasonable Global AI Governance System (People’s Forum)

By: 魏 亮

President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, titled "Working Together to Build a Fair and Reasonable Global AI Governance System." He stated that "all countries should uphold the principles of people-centeredness and pursuing good and upward progress, making AI an important driving force for promoting common prosperity and safeguarding common security," profoundly elaborating the conceptual propositions, principled pathways, and practical plans for jointly building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system. This is a further systematic response by President Xi Jinping, standing at the height of human historical development, to the major question of where humanity is headed in the age of AI, building on the Global AI Governance Initiative proposed in 2023 and the Global Governance Initiative proposed in 2025. It provides scientific guidance for making AI a powerful positive force that enhances the well-being of all humanity and advances the progress of human civilization.

In today's era, jointly building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system is of great significance.

AI governance concerns the destiny of all humanity and is a common challenge faced by all countries in the world. Only by accurately grasping the historical position of global AI development, confronting risks and challenges head-on, and deepening collaboration and co-governance can we effectively steer AI toward a direction that is good, upward, and beneficial to humanity.

Technological leaps are reshaping the development landscape, and strengthened cooperation is needed to jointly respond to the changes of the times. President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Looking back at history, the invention of the steam engine inaugurated industrial civilization, the spread of electricity illuminated modern society, and the birth of the internet connected the entire world. Every scientific and technological revolution has profoundly restructured the ways of human production and life, driving major leaps in economic and social development." Currently, global AI technological innovation has entered an unprecedented period of vitality, and AI is becoming a new engine for world economic growth and an accelerator for the transition between old and new growth drivers. The iteration cycle of cutting-edge models is increasingly shortening, with model capabilities reaching "human-like" or even "superhuman" levels in some fields; intelligent agents are evolving from auxiliary tools toward possessing autonomous capabilities, self-learning, and self-evolution, with the length of specific software tasks that top-tier agent systems can complete doubling every four to seven months. The enabling effects of AI are becoming increasingly prominent. The large model AlphaFold has successfully predicted structures for nearly 200 million proteins, and its intelligent mining of protein structures far exceeds humanity's cumulative scientific research of the past century, significantly accelerating the drug development process; smart glasses provide real-time translation, digital humans offer consulting services, and humanoid robots in the industrial sector enter factories to perform tasks such as handling, sorting, and inspection. AI is shifting from "being able to chat" to "being able to work," and from the "digital world" to the "physical world." The intelligent technologies of universal connectivity, human-machine collaboration, cross-domain integration, and co-creation and sharing are releasing enormous energy. Only by examining AI within the historical context of humanity's scientific and technological revolutions can we accurately grasp the far-reaching impact of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation represented by AI, regard governance cooperation as the inevitable path for humanity to jointly respond to the deep adjustment of the global order, and anchor the correct direction for jointly building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system.

The spillover of risks highlights the urgency of governance, and strengthened cooperation is needed to jointly safeguard human well-being. President Xi Jinping confronted the questions of the times head-on at the opening ceremony, incisively summarizing the current challenges facing AI governance. From the perspective of human-machine relations, as AI technology's capacity for autonomous decision-making and autonomous action in complex environments continues to strengthen, issues such as the blurring of rights and responsibility boundaries between humans and machines are emerging, posing potential challenges to the principal position of humanity. From the security dimension, algorithm participation in decision-making may amplify social biases, and new types of risks such as deepfakes impact public security; the integration of AI technology with critical infrastructure such as finance, communications, and transportation is deepening, and single-point failures may escalate into systemic risks. From the ethical dimension, the phenomenon of AI anthropomorphic interactive services inducing excessive emotional dependence is occurring frequently, technology is beginning to challenge ethical bottom lines, and the problem of value alignment urgently needs resolution. From the economic dimension, the impact of AI on employment deserves attention, with automation substitution interwoven with mismatches in knowledge and skills; technological monopoly is widening the intelligence divide, potentially further exacerbating the development imbalance between the North and the South and the polarization between the rich and the poor in society. Only by examining AI in light of the urgent need for risk prevention and control, and jointly addressing global risks through governance cooperation, can we ensure that this "thousand-li horse" of AI runs both fast and steadily, ensuring that it always remains a trustworthy tool for enhancing human well-being.

Inclusive and shared benefits call for openness and collaboration, and strengthened cooperation is needed to jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity. President Xi Jinping pointed out: "AI development should not be a solo performance by one country, but rather a symphony played by global cooperation." AI is the crystallization of wisdom and precious wealth of all humanity. The opportunities arising from its development should be shared globally, and the risks should be borne globally. However, certain countries regard AI as a tool for great-power games, adopting exclusionary strategies such as "building walls and erecting barriers" and "decoupling and severing supply chains," and AI development faces challenges such as the fragmentation and camp-based division of global governance mechanisms; countries of the Global South are constrained in factors such as talent, data, algorithms, and computing power, and lack representation and voice in the formulation of governance rules. The World AI Cooperation Organization was established in Shanghai, providing an inclusive and open platform for policy dialogue and technical exchange among countries, accelerating the transition of global AI governance from advocating concepts to building mechanisms. Only by examining AI within the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, and building consensus on the basis of respecting differences, can all countries participate equally, decide equally, and benefit equally, jointly composing the symphony of the times for global AI cooperation.

Contributing China's wisdom to global AI governance through upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground.

At the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, President Xi Jinping coordinated the four dimensions of development, security, civilization, and governance, and put forward proposals for jointly building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system. These proposals both uphold openness and innovation and strengthen risk control; both promote mutual learning among civilizations and highlight coordination of rules, contributing China's wisdom to bridging the governance deficit.

Upholding the development concept of openness and innovation. As a strategic technology leading the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, AI's innovation, development, and application are inherently global in nature, deeply dependent on global data flows, talent exchange, technology open-sourcing, and industrial chain collaboration. Only by upholding the spirit of openness, win-win cooperation, and mutual benefit can we effectively break through resource bottlenecks, bridge disciplinary boundaries, improve innovation efficiency, and invigorate industrial vitality. China advocates open-source and open access, encourages global developers, enterprises, academic institutions, and public sectors to jointly build open-source communities and platforms, promotes the opening and sharing of foundational resources, collaboratively drives the iterative upgrading of the entire industrial chain from fundamental algorithm breakthroughs and computing power infrastructure construction to large model training and deployment, lowers the threshold for technological innovation and application, and promotes the inclusive and accessible availability of AI technology services. China promotes AI empowerment across thousands of industries, encourages all countries to empower industrial manufacturing, trade and commerce, healthcare, education, agriculture, and other fields based on their own industrial foundations and development needs, builds a diverse, healthy, and beneficial AI application ecosystem, accelerates the creation of new quality productive forces, and enables people of all countries, including the Global South, to benefit broadly.

Upholding the security concept of trustworthiness and controllability. At present, AI security risks are becoming increasingly prominent, with vulnerabilities existing in algorithms, models, intelligent agents, and other areas. Reports show that AI is continuously reshaping the operational methods of cyber attackers, greatly increasing the speed, scale, and efficiency of their actions. In 2025, the volume of exploits targeting publicly facing software and system applications increased by 44 percent year-on-year, and the number of active ransomware organizations rose by 49 percent compared with the previous year. At the same time, AI risks have cross-border and cross-domain transmission characteristics, and countries differ considerably in technological strength and governance capacity. No single country can independently resolve all types of security challenges. China consistently places equal emphasis on development and security, continuously improving the security, reliability, controllability, and fairness of AI technology; building a dynamically adaptive, tiered and categorized security regulatory system; exploring traceability management systems for AI services; consolidating the bottom line of data and ethical security; advancing the upgrading of technological prevention and control; effectively preventing and defusing AI security risks; promoting global coordination; coordinating the elements of privacy protection, security technology, risk early warning, security review, and rapid response; and jointly building a mutually recognized platform for security assessment.

Upholding the civilizational concept of exchange and mutual learning. AI development may dissolve the unique cultural characteristics of various countries and squeeze the living space of local distinctive cultures. The report of the United Nations International Scientific Panel on AI points out that AI systems optimized for user stickiness and large-scale application are not neutral; they primarily embed the cultural assumptions of English-speaking countries and the Global North, and these cultural assumptions may actively marginalize the majority of the world's population. China consistently advocates inclusiveness and tolerance, emphasizes that AI development should respect the diversity of civilizations, prevent issues such as cultural bias in reality from affecting output content, and reject single governance standards and technological camps; promotes exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, advances cross-cultural dialogue and cross-civilizational exchange, takes into account the cultural demands of all countries, and never engages in model export; leverages AI as a carrier to empower the integration of civilizations, promotes the sharing of digital cultural resources, and uses intelligent technology to protect diverse cultural heritage.

Upholding the governance concept of joint contribution and shared benefit. In the face of the fragmentation and disorder challenges in global AI governance, the current AI governance mechanisms are inadequate, the digital divide between developed and developing countries needs to be bridged, and some countries monopolize the right to speak, weakening the capacity for collective action. Against this backdrop, China adheres to true multilateralism, advocates the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefit, and maintains that the destiny of the world should be grasped by all countries, international rules should be written by all countries, global affairs should be governed by all countries, and development achievements should be shared by all countries, promoting equal participation, equal decision-making, and equal benefit for all countries in global governance; firmly upholds the UN Charter and international law, supports the establishment of AI governance mechanisms with universal participation by all countries under the UN framework, and promotes the building of a fair and reasonable global governance system in the field of AI; always places the expectations and needs of developing countries in an important position, supports making the strengthening of international cooperation on AI capacity building a priority, encourages AI-leading countries to take practical actions, supports developing countries in strengthening comprehensive capacity building in AI innovation, application, and governance, and ensures that no country is left behind in the age of AI.

Demonstrating the mission and responsibility of a major responsible country through practical actions.

Seek true knowledge through practice, and pursue good governance through exploration. President Xi Jinping leads China in actively embracing the wave of AI, placing equal emphasis on development and security, promoting the development of AI for good, and contributing international public goods to supporting global AI development and advancing global AI capacity building.

As a practitioner of major-country responsibility, China innovates and strengthens AI security regulation, providing China's experience to the world. In the face of risks such as algorithmic bias caused by AI, China places equal emphasis on development and security and has built a multi-level, multi-dimensional AI security regulatory system. Responding promptly to technological development and the needs of the times, China has successively implemented laws, regulations, and policies such as the Measures for the Labeling of AI-Generated Synthetic Content and the Interim Measures for the Administration of AI Anthropomorphic Interactive Services, consolidating the institutional foundation for the healthy development of AI through good laws and good governance. At the same time, China promotes the coordinated efforts of government, industry, academia, research, and application, and has established a relatively complete system for algorithm regulation, data security, and ethical review, ensuring that effective governance safeguards the release of AI's innovative vitality. Looking ahead, China will continue to improve a dynamic, agile, and multi-stakeholder coordinated AI governance landscape, build an AI governance system covering the entire chain of AI research and development, deployment, application, and impact, improve systems such as algorithm filing, transparency management, and security assessment, and provide governance experience to the international community through more mature and complete domestic practice.

As a contributor to inclusive and shared benefits, China continuously advances global AI capacity building and promotes the sharing of intelligent dividends among all countries. Promoting the inclusive and equitable development of AI is an inevitable requirement for all countries to jointly move toward a better and more intelligent future. China has proposed and implemented the Global AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, initiated the establishment of the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building, and carried out a series of practical cooperation initiatives to help bridge the intelligence divide. At this conference, China announced the provision of 5,000 AI training opportunities for developing countries, the building of international AI application cooperation centers for ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the SCO, and BRICS countries, and the promotion of the application of the "Mazu" AI-powered meteorological early warning system in 30 countries, continuously providing important momentum for global AI capacity building. China will continue to integrate inclusiveness and shared benefits throughout the entire process of AI governance, promote the opening and sharing of core resources such as computing power, algorithms, and data, carry out cooperation in AI model research and development and empowerment, strengthen AI literacy and talent cultivation, continuously improve the accessibility of AI technology and services, enable more countries to participate fairly in AI development, and ensure that developing countries benefit equally in the new wave of intelligence.

As an advocate for global AI governance, China strengthens multilateral cooperation and continues to contribute China's wisdom. In October 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative, clearly articulating propositions such as people-centeredness and AI for good, contributing China's approach to global governance. Since then, China has promoted the consensus adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution on international cooperation on AI capacity building, released the Global AI Governance Action Plan and the "AI+" International Cooperation Initiative, and promoted the transformation of existing consensus into practical measures. The World AI Cooperation Organization was established in Shanghai as an important milestone in the history of AI development. China will strengthen the alignment and coordination of AI development strategies, governance rules, and technical standards, blaze a path of open consultation, multi-stakeholder participation, mutual trust, and co-governance, enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance, ensure that all countries enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules in AI development and governance, and promote the formation of a global governance framework with broad consensus.

(The author is Vice President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology)

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"Starting a Career on This Vibrant Land" (Highlights Across China)

By: 南方日报记者 杜玮淦 祁 雷

"I have already reached preliminary cooperation intentions with the enterprises we visited, and plan to land a cross-border marketing project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," said Hu Huimin (胡慧敏), a Doctor of Medicine from Oxford University. Recently, at the "Overseas Students Return to the Motherland" event (海外学子归国行) hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security (广东省人力资源和社会保障厅), Hu Huimin, along with more than 200 master's and doctoral students from world-renowned universities, toured industrial parks and visited enterprises. After field visits and exchanges, she was full of expectations for developing her career in Guangdong. "Here there are talent resources, a policy environment, and soil for working and starting businesses. Many people are attracted to this hot land to begin their first career stop," Hu Huimin said.

Hu Huimin's experience is a vivid microcosm of Guangdong's in-depth implementation of the "Million Talents Gathering in Southern Guangdong" action plan (百万英才汇南粤).

Talent is the first resource. Guangdong has absorbed more than 1 million university graduates to stay in and come to Guangdong for employment and entrepreneurship for two consecutive years, further consolidating the talent foundation of its modern industrial system.

Job fairs are the conventional way to recruit talent. On the one hand, Guangdong "opens its doors to welcome talent," holding large-scale comprehensive spring job fairs for two consecutive years; on the other hand, it "goes out to attract talent," carrying out N-city linkage spring recruitment activities, with recruitment events entering more than 100 key universities in 13 provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Guangdong's advantageous industries such as new energy, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, as well as well-known enterprises, actively participated, with thousands of employers delivering job opportunities on-site, attracting more than 220,000 university graduates to seek employment.

"Automotive-grade chips provide richer application scenarios for automotive intelligence. Automotive-grade semiconductors are a golden track of high growth in the next 5 to 10 years. We sincerely invite outstanding talents to join us and race together." In March this year, Chen Gang (陈刚), Vice President of BYD Group and General Manager of BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd., extended an invitation to graduates at Peking University. In recent years, BYD has seized the opportunity of rapid enterprise development, released a large number of high-quality positions, and continuously organized campus recruitment activities, recruiting more than 50,000 university graduates to work in Guangdong from 2023 to 2025.

In the new era, Guangdong's talent attraction closely aligns talent recruitment work with the layout of modern industrial system construction, promoting the matching of the talent chain, industrial chain, and employment chain at the same frequency. On the one hand, recruitment sessions are becoming increasingly refined, with special sessions for state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, high-skilled talent, and cultural talent; on the other hand, positions in emerging tracks continue to expand, with special recruitment venues set up around future industries and emerging industries, opening new types of positions such as entrepreneurial postdoctoral fellows and technology managers for shortage majors including materials, electronic information, and automation, releasing signals of talent demand driven by industrial upgrading.

"Last year, XPeng Motors added more than 8,000 new employees, with positions for university students accounting for over 60%, covering frontier fields such as intelligent driving and artificial intelligence large models," said Cai Wuliang (蔡武亮), head of school-enterprise cooperation at Guangdong XPeng Motor Technology Co., Ltd.

Talent competition is, in essence, a contest of development ecosystems. Cities across Guangdong continue to extend the boundaries of talent services, covering the complete cycle of study and cultivation, employment and career choice, innovation and entrepreneurship, and settled living, so that university graduates can stay and live well.

Settled living security is a basic "configuration." A key change in this year's "Million Talents Gathering in Southern Guangdong" action is to move the talent service chain forward and extend it, with various subsidies for job seeking, employment, entrepreneurship, and household registration, as well as corresponding welfare benefits for postdoctoral fellows, shortage talent, and high-level talent, reducing talent's 后顾之忧 (hòu gù zhī yōu - "worries from behind," concerns about one's rear/future security). In Shenzhen, Guangdong, multiple recruitment venues provide signed graduates with "Shenzhen Youth Talent Pre-recognition" and "Transitional Housing Rental Intention Registration" services on site. Graduates can lock in their talent status and housing security in advance at the moment of signing.

"The household registration subsidy, housing subsidy, and 'second-approval' household registration service have put my mind at ease." An Pengju (安鹏举), a Peking University master's graduate who landed in Shenzhen through the "Million Talents Gathering in Southern Guangdong" action plan, has now begun research and development work on reinforcement learning for upper-limb robotic arms in the Embodied Intelligence Department of Zhongqing Robotics.

Next, Guangdong will hold high-standard, high-quality N-city linkage autumn recruitment activities, a series of thematic recruitment activities, and large-scale comprehensive autumn job fairs, raising more high-quality positions, building a precise platform for matching supply and demand, and providing solid talent support for Guangdong to add innovation advantages and achieve new breakthroughs on its new journey.

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Qinghai Lamian Noodles: A New Name, Higher Hopes (Voices from Around the World)

By: 江 萌

Recently, many friends who regularly eat lamian noodles have noticed that the "Lanzhou lamian" shop on the street corner where they have eaten for years has quietly changed its sign to "Qinghai lamian." Many lamian restaurants in Tianjin have collectively taken down the old signs they had used for years, and places such as Jiangsu and Guangdong have also followed suit one after another. The replacement of a sign has sparked considerable discussion: some feel it is sudden, some express understanding, and others worry that changing the name will change the taste.

To be fair, hidden within this is a story of nearly 40 years of "borrowing a boat to go to sea" (借船出海 - "borrowing a boat to go to sea," relying on another's name or platform to develop oneself). One bowl of noodles supports one family; one shop drives one village. Qinghai people have opened lamian restaurants in more than 330 cities across the country, with over 30,000 outlets and more than 200,000 employees.

Some ask: a perfectly good sign, why bother changing it? As the industry has grown, problems have also emerged. An industry that has reached a scale of ten billion yuan in scale, yet has no brand of its own, and the brand effect cannot fall upon itself. This "borrowing a boat to go to sea" has reached the moment when the name must be "rectified" (正名 - "rectify the name," to correct or establish one's proper name and status). Rather than continuing to be entangled in a gray area, it is better to take this opportunity to strive to raise one's own banner.

Changing the sign is only the result; the real effort was put in beforehand. In 2023, Qinghai issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Qinghai Lamian Industry," clearly implementing the "three shops in one" (三店合一) model and registering "Qinghai Lamian" as a regional public brand, integrating lamian restaurants, specialty agricultural and livestock product exhibition and sales shops, and shops promoting the beauty of Qinghai into one. When customers enter the shop, besides eating noodles, they can also buy Qinghai specialty products such as yak meat, highland barley biscuits, and Xunhua chili peppers. Local standards such as the "Qinghai Lamian Quality Guide" and the "Qinghai Lamian Regional Brand Cultivation and Construction Guide" have been issued one after another, covering everything from what kind of bones are used to simmer the soup and what variety of chili is used to refine the chili oil, to how the brand should be built and how it should be managed, all with clear specifications. One bowl of noodles connects three industries: catering, agriculture, and cultural tourism.

At the same time, behind the "rectification of the name" of this bowl of noodles lies an even larger industrial development goal. In February 2025, Qinghai launched the provincial-level regional public brand "Qinghai Family Feast" (青海家宴), covering links such as ingredient supply, specialty catering, and online sales, stringing together highland quality ingredients such as yak and Tibetan sheep, highland barley and quinoa, and Qilian yellow mushrooms into a complete industrial map. "Qinghai Lamian" is precisely a striking entry point on this industrial map — it is not just about changing a sign, but about using one bowl of noodles as a fulcrum to push Qinghai's specialty agricultural products and cultural tourism resources toward the whole country and even the world.

From borrowing a name to survive to establishing a name to strive for strength, Qinghai lamian has traveled a long road. Nearly 40 years ago, Qinghai people walked out of the mountains on the strength of one bowl of noodles; today, this bowl of noodles is being integrated into a provincial-level regional public brand, hoping to carry the plateau's original ecological ingredients and the cultural heritage of its many ethnic groups, and go farther and walk better.

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Knowing What You Don't Know Is Also a Skill (Listening to the World)

By: 朱绍岳

Recently, at the Yangzhou Skills Night School in Jiangsu, an artificial intelligence application training and hands-on course was launched, covering content such as the Yangzhou dialect large model and embodied intelligence, and open free of charge to enterprise employees, young entrepreneurs, and college graduates. Local leading cadres attended the class as students, sitting in as auditors.

What is worth noting about leading cadres sitting in a night school classroom is not their identity, but their attitude toward new industries and new technologies — when faced with new things, they dare to acknowledge that the boundaries of their cognition have limits, and are willing to sit down and learn anew.

Understanding that one "does not understand" is a kind of cognitive sobriety. Today, knowledge and information are growing explosively at an unprecedented speed. Lag just half a beat, and one's cognition is prone to a "fault line." Therefore, Party members and leading cadres need to know which areas they are not familiar with, which judgments require listening to professional opinions, and which new changes are worth going to see and try for themselves.

From "not understanding" to "understanding," what lies behind crossing professional barriers is actively shortening the distance between cognition and reality. Only by truly going to the front line can one accurately diagnose problems. The significance of these classes is to help managers keep pace with the rhythm of industrial change.

The times will constantly set new questions. In many cases, one need not know the answer from the very start, but one must know when it is time to reopen the textbook. Turning "not understanding" into "understanding" is how governance can always keep up with change and development.

(Excerpted and compiled from Xinhua Daily)

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Rapid Dispatch from All Directions

Compilation of 7 National Standards for Humanoid Robots Launched in Wuhan, Hubei

Hubei Daily, Wuhan, August 19 (Reporters Wang Ziyi, Yang Wenyi) — Recently, the compilation of 7 national standards for "Test Methods for Humanoid Robots" was launched in Wuhan, Hubei. These 7 standards correspond respectively to general provisions, environmental perception, decision planning, motion control, operation and manipulation, positioning and navigation, and human-machine interaction. This is also China's first national standard series on test methods for humanoid robots.

The National Public Service Platform for Standards Information shows that these projects are all recommended national standard projects, with a duration of 12 months, and are currently in the drafting stage.

Sichuan Chengdu International Trains' Overseas City Stations Increased to 140

Our newspaper, Chengdu, August 19 (Correspondent Liu Fei) — Recently, Sichuan Chengdu international trains added 3 new overseas city stations: Atbasar and Feodorovka in Kazakhstan, and Dourges in France, bringing the total to 140.

Among them, the Atbasar and Feodorovka to Chengdu trains have achieved regular operation, mainly carrying agricultural products such as wheat flour and mixed feed wheat and barley flour; the Dourges to Chengdu train mainly serves the transport of high-end cosmetics.

Shandong Opens Its First Model Worker (Craftsman) Undergraduate Class

Our newspaper, Jinan, August 19 (Correspondent Gao Yuangui) — The Shandong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions recently issued a notice proposing that, starting this year, it will rely on Shandong Management University to establish the Shandong Provincial Model Worker (Craftsman) Undergraduate Class. This is the first such undergraduate class to be opened in Shandong.

The undergraduate class plans to enroll 50 students, incorporated into Shandong Management University's annual overall plan for adult higher education undergraduate programs, with special management and separate recruitment and admission.

Guizhou Chishui Bamboo "Gene Bank" Preserves 620 Varieties

Guizhou Daily, Zunyi, August 19 (Reporter Wang Jian) — The National Forest Germplasm Resource Bank for Bamboo in Chishui City, Zunyi City, Guizhou, is one of China's three national forest germplasm resource banks for bamboo, and is also the only national-level bamboo germplasm resource bank in the western region, worthy of being called the national strategic "gene bank" for bamboo germplasm.

In recent years, staff of the resource bank have traveled to Zhejiang, Sichuan and other places to introduce more than 200 varieties of bamboo seedlings. At present, it stably preserves 620 bamboo varieties from 37 genera and 710 germplasm materials, basically covering the vast majority of scattered and clustered bamboo species in China.

Heilongjiang Province Barbecue Workers' Skills Competition Kicks Off

Heilongjiang Daily, Hegang, August 19 (Reporter Wu Shujiang) — Recently, the 2026 Heilongjiang Province Barbecue Workers' Skills Competition and the 4th Hegang Small Skewers Barbecue Competition kicked off, with teams from the federation of trade unions of 13 cities (prefectures) in Heilongjiang participating.

This competition sets up two tracks: standardized skills assessment and creative flavor competition. Contestants from multiple locations each displayed their strengths, with Qiqihar specialty grilled beef, Daqing intangible cultural heritage pit roasting, Jixi specialty grilled fish, and others appearing in turn.

Tianjin Marathon Advocates "No Bag Storage" Participation

According to Xinhua News Agency — The 2026 Tianjin Marathon will start on October 25. Building on the green event organization of previous editions, the event advocates a "no bag storage" participation method.

The "no bag storage" participation method encourages runners to travel light and participate simply. The organizers will issue dedicated race bibs to contestants who choose this participation method, plan an independent post-race item collection route, and provide exclusive commemorative materials, forming a green closed loop throughout the entire "registration—participation—finish" process.

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Go check out the morning and night markets.

In the Beilin District of Xi'an, Shaanxi, the Xiaonanmen morning market at the foot of the Wumu Gate city wall opens with bustling activity, as citizens and tourists select fresh produce and specialty snacks, experiencing the vivid everyday vitality of the ancient city.

In Jinghong, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, the Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Starry Night Market integrates distinctive architecture and dining with local festivals and ethnic customs, promoting the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry.

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Youth Noon School Broadens Growth Pathways

By: 浙江日报记者 王凯艺

Recently, at the Zhejiang Innovation Center (浙江创新中心) in Ningbo's Eastern New City, public welfare lecturer Ma Yawen (马雅雯) used a workplace comedy talk-show format to break down the operating logic of a one-person company with the trainees in the audience. The 45-minute midday class was 座无虚席 (zuò wú xū xí - "seats without empty places," a full house).

This was the first class after the release of the 2.0 version of the Ningbo Youth Noon School (青年午校), with more than a hundred trainees coming to learn during their lunch break, most of them nearby office workers. Two years ago, after receiving the demand from young workplace professionals who wanted to use their lunch breaks to learn skills, the Ningbo Municipal Party Committee Organization Department (宁波市委组织部), together with the Ningbo Talent Development Group (宁波人才发展集团), carried out field visits, research, and questionnaire surveys. One month later, the first Youth Noon School was established in Ningbo.

"The Youth Noon School has provided me with a new channel for growth." Li Ruonan (李若楠) is a study-abroad planning advisor. Through the Youth Noon School, she has made many new friends. To date, the Ningbo Youth Noon School has cumulatively offered more than 120 sessions, serving over 160,000 person-times of young talent, with an average course attendance rate of 92%. Recently, the Youth Noon School has been comprehensively upgraded. Its course system includes both content such as industry trend interpretation and vocational skills practical training, and also introduces lightweight courses such as workplace comedy talk shows and life tips, balancing both usefulness and fun.

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Pet toys carve out overseas market

By: 本报通讯员 赵元君

Teething balls, rope-woven donuts, sound-interactive toys... Walking into the showroom of a fabric company in Shenze County (深泽县), Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, one sees a 琳琅满目 (lín láng mǎn mù - "beautiful jade fills the eye," a dazzling array of fine objects) display of pet toys. "These toys not only sell well in the domestic market, they are also particularly sought after overseas," said He Hongliang (何红亮), general manager of the company.

A few years ago, this company was still just a fabric factory processing sofa cushions.

Why the "cross-industry" move into pet toys? Traditional fabric processing has thin profit margins and severe market homogenization. In 2020, the company began its transformation and ultimately chose the track of hand-woven pet toys. The factory's craftsmen repeatedly trial-wove, and also purchased equipment from Shandong, Zhejiang and other places, gradually "weaving" the products into existence piece by piece. With novel styles and complete functions, the products quickly opened up the market, selling as far afield as South Korea, the United States, Thailand and other countries.

In recent years, the company has also recruited residents from the surrounding area to participate in production. They weave at home on a regular basis, and the enterprise comes to their doorsteps to purchase, driving more than 60 households to increase their income.

At present, Shenze County has more than 400 enterprises engaged in fabric production and processing, with products covering more than a thousand varieties including pet toys, sofa cushions, home decorations and others. In 2025, the annual output value of Shenze County's fabric industry was approximately 2.34 billion yuan.

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Timely treatment needed for fall pollen allergies

By: 新华社记者 彭韵佳 尹硕韩

Now, as the autumn pollen season approaches, pollen concentrations from sensitizing plants such as mugwort are about to enter their peak, and severe allergic reactions induced by pollen will also enter a period of high incidence.

"Severe allergic reactions have shown a year-on-year rising trend in incidence and have become a key concern in the global public health field," said Yin Jia (尹佳), chief physician of the Department of Allergy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (北京协和医院). Globally, hospital admissions for severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock triggered by triggers such as food, drugs, and insect stings continue to increase.

Early and accurate identification is the first line of defense. According to the "Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Anaphylaxis" (严重过敏反应诊断和临床管理专家共识), after exposure to a suspected allergen, the appearance of multi-system symptoms such as erythematous rash of the skin and mucous membranes, swelling of the lips, eyelids, and periorbital areas, throat tightness, chest tightness and wheezing, dizziness and fatigue, and nausea and abdominal pain can be determined as a severe allergic reaction, requiring immediate initiation of emergency treatment.

"Most people generally do not experience severe allergic reactions, but every autumn pollen season, we receive many patients with severe allergies presenting with varied symptoms," said Wang Xueyan (王学艳), director of the Department of Allergy at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University (首都医科大学附属北京世纪坛医院). For severe anaphylactic shock, the timely and standardized use of adrenaline, the first-choice emergency medication, can rapidly reverse shock symptoms and greatly reduce risk. "The golden rescue window is 4 to 6 minutes after the onset of a severe allergic reaction."

Experts recommend that patients who have experienced severe allergic reactions should establish a personal emergency prevention and response plan, achieving the "three ones": keep one set of emergency medications readily available at all times, equip yourself with emergency medications suitable for your own condition under a doctor's guidance, and ensure that those around you know where they are stored and how to use them; firmly remember one set of emergency treatment procedures — when symptoms such as difficulty breathing or throat tightness occur, immediately use emergency medication and call 120, without harboring any luck-based thinking; and maintain one record of risk factors, documenting in detail the foods, medications, environments, and exercise conditions encountered before each episode, to accumulate clues for subsequent allergen screening.

(According to Xinhua News Agency)

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Repairing stonework in Chengde

By: 新华社记者 徐 壮

In Chengde City, Hebei, tuff is a common local stone, used to carve stone steles, stone statues, and the like. Over the past several hundred years, these stone artifacts have weathered wind and rain, and have been unable to escape the erosion of time, urgently requiring "rescue."

Fifteen years ago, a professional team from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (中国文化遗产研究院) came here to repair the stones. The temperature difference in Chengde across the four seasons can reach 60 degrees Celsius, and for several hundred years the stone artifacts have been in a state of uninterrupted thermal expansion and contraction. In addition, tuff has a loose structure, with high content of rock fragments and volcanic ash, and it easily expands upon absorbing water. In summer, moisture inside the stone migrates and precipitates out layer upon layer of salt and alkali; in winter, water molecules condense into ice crystals at low temperatures. Under the long-term effects of alternating wet and dry conditions and freeze-thaw cycles, the rock has developed extensive irreversible damage such as cracking, deformation, and spalling.

The team conducted over a thousand freeze-thaw cycle tests and salt damage simulation tests, prepared more than ten thousand test specimens, and repeatedly adjusted the material preparation processes... "Cultural relics have no tolerance for error in being 'repaired badly.' Without thoroughly analyzing the problem, we will absolutely not begin restoration." This is what Shao Mingshen (邵明申), director of the Institute for Conservation and Restoration of Grotto Temple and Stone (Geotechnical) Cultural Relics at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, said.

Over the past 15 years, the team has implemented nearly 20 conservation projects in Chengde, and over a hundred fragile stone artifacts of different forms and structures have received effective protection. Their gaze has also extended from stone to thangka paintings, paper murals, and more, allowing an increasing number of cultural relics to receive professional guardianship.

(According to Xinhua News Agency)

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Guard the Grottoes at Datong

By: 本报通讯员 闫 昌

At the World Cultural Heritage Monitoring Center for the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, electronic screens display in real time the environmental data and operation status of treatment equipment in the condensation water treatment areas of Caves 9 and 10 of the Yungang Grottoes. "With this system, the environmental conditions inside the grottoes can be seen clearly." Staff member Yang Bingqing (杨冰清) introduced that this system is a result of the project "Key Technology Research on Monitoring and Treatment of Internal Condensation Water in Stone Cultural Relics of the Yungang Grottoes."

"In the past, during hot and humid weather, condensation water frequently appeared on the grotto walls," said Yan Hongbin (闫宏彬), deputy director of the Cultural Heritage Protection and Monitoring Center of the Yungang Research Institute. "It seeps into the micropores of the sandstone, drives salt crystallization, accelerates mineral weathering, and causes irreversible damage at the microscopic scale."

How to solve this? Yan Hongbin explained: "See clearly, measure accurately, treat well." "Seeing clearly" relies on integrating non-destructive techniques such as ultrasound with artificial intelligence algorithms, using surface monitoring data to invert the porosity and mineral composition inside the rock mass. "Measuring accurately" stems from a sensitive monitoring network — in Caves 9 and 10, 192 micro-sensors are deployed at key points including the eaves, front chamber, and rear chamber, enabling high-precision reconstruction of the temperature and humidity fields inside the caves. "Treating well" involves an adaptive intelligent environmental control system installed within the caves, which uses dew point temperature as the basis for judgment, compares temperature and humidity data inside and outside the caves in real time, automatically determines which state the current environment is in, and takes corresponding measures to intervene. Experimental data show that the effective rate of condensation water treatment reaches 97%.

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本版责编：陈娟 杨笑雨 张一夫

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)    
　　Submission email: rmrbgdcz@peopledaily.cn

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A new 'Xiong'an Star' joins the cosmos (Economic Focus)

By: 本报记者 邵玉姿

A "star" setting out from Xiong'an has successfully journeyed into space!
At 7:45 a.m. on August 19, the "Honghu 03 Satellite," also known as "Xiong'an No. 1," was successfully launched into orbit aboard the Zhuque-3 reusable carrier rocket's second flight vehicle from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Pilot Zone.
At the Xiong'an New Area Science and Technology Innovation Center pilot testing base, at the Hongqing Technology satellite intelligent operation and management center, the "Xiong'an No. 1" satellite telemetry signal appeared on the large display screen, and staff members burst into cheers.
This is the first in-orbit satellite of Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, integrating dozens of advanced technologies including an argon-propellant electric propulsion system and an "active fluid loop + deployable radiator" thermal control scheme.
The successful orbital insertion of the "Xiong'an No. 1" satellite marks the realization of a full closed loop in Xiong'an New Area's aerospace information and satellite internet industry, from "R&D and manufacturing" to "in-orbit application." This satellite roaming in space reflects a supply chain and illuminates a city.
"The closer to the chain leader, the faster the product iteration"
Central state-owned enterprises take the lead, and factors of production accelerate their agglomeration
Aerospace information and satellite internet were still fresh concepts in Xiong'an just a few years ago. In 2021, China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. was registered and established in Xiong'an. In October 2024, China SatNet officially relocated to Xiong'an New Area. As the first central state-owned enterprise headquarters to settle in Xiong'an, this "chain leader" shouldering the important task of developing China's aerospace information and satellite internet industry released a leading-goose effect as soon as it landed.
"SatNet is here, so we came here. The closer to the chain leader, the faster the product iteration." Chen Wei, chairman of Xinlianxin (Hebei Xiong'an) Technology Co., Ltd., had conducted in-depth research at the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for more than 10 years. Aiming at the industry's development opportunities, he led his team to Xiong'an in 2023, focusing on the R&D and production of core components for satellite laser communications — lasers, amplifiers, and communication modules.
To lay out industrial development around leading enterprises, at the beginning of 2024, a special work team for commercial aerospace and satellite internet was established in Xiong'an New Area. In May 2024, the "Xiong'an New Area Satellite Internet and Commercial Aerospace Industry Development Work Plan" was issued. In November 2024, the China Aerospace Information and Satellite Internet Innovation Alliance was officially inaugurated in Xiong'an.
The "chain leader" provides guidance, the alliance builds bridges, the special work team advances progress, and policies provide direction. Today, enterprises "heading to" Xiong'an like Xinlianxin are by no means few.
At the Xiong'an Science and Technology Innovation Center pilot testing base, inside the satellite intelligent manufacturing workshop of Lanjian Hongqing (Xiong'an) Space Technology Co., Ltd., technical personnel are debugging the visual recognition system of the intelligent production line. At present, Hongqing Technology is concentrating its efforts on applying new technologies such as artificial intelligence to continuously improve production line efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs.
Industrial platform construction is also advancing in tandem. In Phase II of the pilot testing base, the satellite shared intelligent manufacturing center and satellite shared testing center have completed equipment installation and commissioning, and are currently carrying out full-system loaded acceptance work. Not far away, the satellite super factory and commercial satellite final assembly supporting base are also being constructed intensively.
"By the end of this year, after these industrial platforms are put into use, Xiong'an will have the capacity to produce 300 satellites per year," said the relevant person in charge of the Xiong'an New Area Industry and Information Technology, Science and Technology and Data Bureau. "Xiong'an New Area has designated the aerospace information and satellite internet industry as the first industrial chain for key deployment, accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system characterized by the driving role of relocated central state-owned enterprises, creating conditions, building platforms, creating application scenarios, providing policies, fostering the business environment, and optimizing services, to promote the agglomerated development of more enterprises and build an important source of innovation for the national commercial aerospace and satellite internet industry and a core supply ground for low-orbit constellation construction."
With central state-owned enterprises taking the lead, various innovation factors in the aerospace information field are accelerating their agglomeration. There are 69 upstream and downstream aerospace information enterprises and 9 innovation platforms... "If you want to do aerospace information well, come to Xiong'an" is gradually becoming an industry consensus.
"With no worries behind us, we can devote ourselves wholeheartedly to R&D"
Policy support strengthens enterprise confidence
When Chen Wei came to Xiong'an to start a business, the aerospace information and satellite internet industry here had only just begun, and the industrial foundation was weak. However, the New Area's clear and long-term industrial layout, thoughtful talent policies, and full-lifecycle enterprise services gave him confidence.
"The New Area provided factory building support, decoration took only 4 months, and science and technology special projects came to us proactively." What also left a deep impression on Chen Wei was the construction and supporting facilities of the pilot testing base. "It connects innovation on one end and industry on the other, with upstream and downstream enterprises developing in agglomeration, and there will be more and more platform resources in the future."
Today, R&D personnel account for more than 70% of the team. Last summer, Chen Wei led his project to participate in the "Xiong Talent Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and won the grand prize. The agglomeration effect is also gradually emerging. "Many enterprises have found me, and the company's orders are continuous," Chen Wei said.
Since the "Xiong'an No. 1" satellite came off the production line, Hongqing Technology's research team has been immersed in the pilot testing base, conducting more than a thousand ground tests in three major categories: large-scale environmental tests, special single-machine tests, and whole-satellite electrical performance and flight tests. "The tests are repeated and time-consuming, but we just want to focus wholeheartedly on doing this one thing well." Now that the "Xiong'an No. 1" satellite has been successfully launched into orbit, Sun Dezhi, manager of Hongqing Technology's Xiong'an pilot testing center, has led the team into new R&D work.
Sound policies and warm services protect the people who come to Xiong'an.
Looking at talent policies, the "Xiong Talent Sixteen Measures" covers housing security, living allowances, children's education, and various other guarantees; looking at industrial support, science and technology innovation special projects inject financial vitality into satellite R&D and industrial implementation; competition platforms such as the "Xiong Talent Cup" and the Xiong'an Future City Scenario Expo provide broad stages for innovative teams... all of this is attracting young R&D talent to Xiong'an.
"After the company settled in Xiong'an, we recruited more than 40 fresh graduates," Sun Dezhi said. "With no worries behind us, we can devote ourselves wholeheartedly to R&D." Last year, nearly 10 people from the company applied for and received Xiong Talent Cards, enjoying all-round services including housing security, living allowances, and free public transportation.
The spacecraft final assembly, integration, and testing factory of Hebei Xiong'an Weilai Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. is being decorated intensively and is expected to be completed and put into operation within the year. "The relevant supporting policies are strong and inject a shot in the arm into our future development," said Bai Junbiao, the company's deputy general manager, with full expectation.
With policy support and service backing, journeys of pursuit here are turning, one after another, into growth through resonance at the same frequency.
"Satellite internet technology brings changes 'from the sky to the ground'"
Application scenarios expand, benefiting millions of households
At the smart construction site in the startup area of Xiong'an New Area, engineering equipment such as rollers and pavers are equipped with the BeiDou positioning system to automatically plan travel routes and autonomously adjust operating rhythms, with positioning errors controlled to the centimeter level.
Baiyangdian Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the North China Plain. In the area of Anxin County, 24 rural tourism docks and more than 1,500 vessels are all equipped with independent BeiDou terminals. Relying on BeiDou high-precision positioning, full-process dynamic monitoring of vessels and smart dispatching of water tourism are achieved. One terminal per vessel, one screen managing the entire area, safeguarding the tranquility of the water town.
As a national pilot city for large-scale BeiDou application, Xiong'an is promoting the empowerment of urban construction by aerospace information and accelerating the application of "BeiDou+" scenarios.
Driving on Wenying East Road in the Rongdong area, when the vehicle turns into an underground parking garage, the mobile phone navigation interface switches accordingly, and the ground road map transforms into a detailed underground space map, with parking spaces and passages clear at a glance. "Accurate navigation is possible even in underground parking garages." Lu Zhaoming, professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and deputy director of the Xiong'an Aerospace Information Research Institute, introduced that this new navigation system developed by the team achieves a closed loop of navigation above and below ground.
For a long time, wall and floor slab obstruction has made it difficult for BeiDou signals to penetrate, and high-precision positioning in underground spaces has been an industry challenge. Lu Zhaoming led his team to the underground space development site in Xiong'an, independently developed the "BeiDou + 5G indoor distribution" underground positioning and navigation system, and built a supporting unified management platform for BeiDou underground spaces, solving the problem of underground space travel and optimizing the planning and layout of above-ground spaces.
Today, "satellite internet + BeiDou" has been applied in scenarios such as Xiong'an's underground spaces, smart construction sites, and the low-altitude economy.
It is not only BeiDou — more and more aerospace information technologies are being implemented and applied in Xiong'an.
Recently, Xinlianxin's R&D team, together with payload enterprises in the New Area, is planning to pull laser communications from "the sky" down to "the ground" — Baiyangdian Lake has numerous and scattered islands, and laying optical fiber between islands is difficult, so they are setting up laser links to replace optical fiber, with a transmission distance of up to 10 kilometers.
"Satellite internet technology brings changes 'from the sky to the ground.'" Chen Wei said that in the future, the team will continue to tackle ultra-high-speed laser communication technology while continuously exploring diverse application scenarios, so that satellite internet technology can benefit millions of households.
From satellite R&D in the firmament to scenario implementation on the vast earth, a group of Xiong'an people chasing light and stars are striving to build a bridge connecting the galaxy and the land.

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How China achieves land recovery of its rockets

Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Liu Shiyao) — At 7:35 a.m. on the 19th, the Zhuque-3 (朱雀三号) reusable carrier rocket, second flight-test vehicle (遥二), lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone. After liftoff, the rocket's first and second stages separated, and the second substage continued flying, accurately sending the "Honghu-03 satellite" (鸿鹄03星) into its predetermined orbit. At 7:41 a.m., the rocket's first substage successfully made a soft landing on the Zhuque-3 landing pad in Minqin County, Gansu Province, following the predetermined procedure, and the flight test mission achieved complete success.

This mission is the first time China has achieved recovery of a carrier rocket's first substage by means of landing-leg touchdown, and it is also the first time China has achieved land recovery of an orbital-class carrier rocket's first substage. It is an important flight test in which the Zhuque-3 has transitioned from recovery-technology verification into the engineering-based reuse-verification phase.

After the first and second stages separated, the first substage entered the return segment in accordance with the predetermined flight procedure, successively completing key maneuvers including high-altitude return attitude adjustment, re-entry ignition powered deceleration, aerodynamic glide control, landing ignition deceleration, and landing-leg deployment and cushioning, ultimately touching down stably by means of the landing legs. The mission conducted a systematic verification of the entire process by which the first substage returned from a high-speed flight state to the land-based landing pad.

The Zhuque-3 is a new-generation reusable liquid-oxygen/methane carrier rocket independently developed by LandSpace (蓝箭航天). It adopts a single-core, two-stage tandem configuration, with the rocket body made primarily of stainless steel and powered entirely by liquid-oxygen/methane propulsion. The full rocket is 66.1 meters in length, the first and second substage bodies are 4.5 meters in diameter, and the payload fairing is 5.2 meters in diameter. The rocket's first substage is equipped with a return control system, grid fins, and landing legs, enabling vertical recovery and reuse after completing an orbital launch.

On December 3, 2025, the Zhuque-3 first flight-test vehicle (遥一) lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone and completed its flight mission in accordance with procedure, with the rocket's second stage entering the predetermined orbit; however, the first-substage recovery test failed. The Zhuque-3 second flight-test vehicle (遥二) incorporated multiple targeted optimizations to key segments of the reusable flight.

In light of the characteristics of this launch mission, the Zhuque-3 second flight-test vehicle (遥二) also carried a non-pyrotechnic stacked compression-release device independently developed by LandSpace, further verifying the working performance of the relevant technical scheme under real flight conditions. This mission lays a solid foundation for subsequent recovery-vehicle body inspection and maintenance, reuse flights, and commercial application, helping China further enhance its low-cost, high-frequency, high-reliability space transportation capabilities.

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China achieves AEO mutual recognition with 10 APEC economies

This newspaper Dalian, August 19 (reporter Ouyang Jie (欧阳洁)) — The reporter learned from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) "Authorized Economic Operator" (AEO) special seminar held on the 19th that all APEC economies except Papua New Guinea have established and implemented the AEO system, and China Customs has achieved AEO mutual recognition with 10 of these economies. According to China Customs statistics, from January to July this year, the import and export value of China's AEO enterprises was 16.76 trillion yuan, accounting for 44.2 percent of the national total import and export value, an increase of 5.77 percentage points compared with the same period last year.

The AEO system is an institutional rule advocated by the World Customs Organization, with the goal of promoting global trade security and facilitation, and is hailed as the "green pass" for international trade. To date, China Customs has signed a total of 34 AEO mutual recognition agreements, covering 60 countries (regions), and has implemented mutual recognition with 53 of them. The number of mutual recognition agreements signed, the number of mutual recognition countries (regions), and the number of mutual recognition implementations all rank first globally. AEO enterprises in mutual recognition countries (regions) can enjoy multiple mutual recognition facilitation measures provided by local customs, including reduced inspections, priority processing, and designated coordinators, significantly reducing trade costs such as port and logistics costs.

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Commercial secret protection system increasingly完善

Beijing, August 19 (Xinhua) — Reporter Lin Lili — The reporter learned from the special press conference on "Protecting Trade Secrets, Safeguarding Industrial Development" recently held by the State Administration for Market Regulation that from 2024 to the present, market regulation departments nationwide have investigated and handled a total of 383 cases of trade secret infringement.

Trade secrets refer to commercial information such as technical information and business information that is not known to the public, has commercial value, and is subject to corresponding confidentiality measures taken by the right holder. In essence, they are a special form of intellectual property, and precisely because of their special nature, they are highly susceptible to becoming targets of unfair competition practices. In the current competitive environment characterized by rapid technological iteration and close interconnection among commercial entities, strengthening trade secret protection is particularly important. Strengthening trade secret protection bears on the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, bears on the construction of a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment, is the key to safeguarding enterprise competitiveness and stimulating enterprise innovation vitality, and is moreover an important cornerstone for ensuring the security of key industries and assisting the development of new quality productive forces. According to the introduction, the latest round of revision to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law has once again increased the severity of penalties for trade secret infringement. In February of this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the Provisions on Trade Secret Protection, providing market regulation departments with a clearer, more specific, and more operable action guide for law enforcement and case handling, and for various enterprises for compliant operations.

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New employees help ensure peak supply

By: 本报记者 刘军国

An unmanned inspection vehicle came to a steady stop at its designated work point. The onboard compartment door opened, and a four-legged robot dog landed nimbly on the ground, slipped into a cramped power distribution space, and began autonomous inspection. Temperature and humidity checks, partial discharge screening... outside the power distribution room of the Smart Net Valley Town (智慧网谷小镇) in Gongshu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the scene was one of bustling activity.
Eighteen inspection tasks, 20 minutes, completed in one smooth stretch. On-site staff member Wang Yan (王焱) explained, "In the past, manual inspection took more than twice as long." This "unmanned vehicle + robot dog" inspection combination for power distribution stations and rooms has already been applied in Gongshu District and several other areas.
A huge population, a vibrant industrial economy, and continuously rising temperatures place ever higher demands on refined equipment management and power supply reliability. State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company (国网杭州供电公司), relying on the advantages of the local artificial intelligence industry, is accelerating the formation of a multi-form, multi-scenario AI team across six major business areas, including planning and construction, operation control, and power grid operation.
At the dispatch control center of State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company, the large screen displays real-time fluctuations in power grid operation data across the entire city. "Grid load has increased by 13.85% compared with the previous day. It is projected that after 11:00, load in the Binjiang area will climb sharply. Please optimize the power supply plan." An instruction came through. The AI dispatcher "Guangqing" (光擎) responded immediately, assessing in real time the operational status of 9,517 transmission and distribution lines and 504 substations. In just one minute, the power load assessment was completed, and the dispatch strategy was implemented simultaneously.
In the past, dispatchers formulating load transfer plans required lengthy simulation and calculation. Today, with artificial intelligence, complex assessment work can be completed in just a few minutes, greatly reducing dispatch decision-making costs. Instructions are issued with clarity, equipment across the entire grid operates in coordination, and urban electricity use remains stable and orderly.
From the dispatch hub to the streets and alleys, AI "employees" are everywhere. In Qianjiang Century City (钱江世纪城), Xiaoshan District, a robot dog moves through a cable tunnel 19 meters underground. A mechanical arm extends automatically, detecting cable discharge conditions and collecting data such as temperature, with a hidden-danger detection rate exceeding 95%. At the 220 kV Caihong (Rainbow) Substation on the bank of the Qiantang River, a six-legged bionic "little spider" robot crawls inside the cavity of a gas-insulated switchgear with a pipe diameter of 300 millimeters, checking for hidden problems such as internal wall cracks while simultaneously generating a three-dimensional digital model of the equipment.
Ground level, underground, at height, in pipe trenches... AI "employees" are helping the Hangzhou power grid build an all-domain intelligent inspection defense line without blind spots. "In the past, manual inspection was high-risk and high-intensity. Now AI equipment is on duty 24 hours a day, making hidden dangers easier to detect and with greater precision," said cable inspection and maintenance worker Chen Wei (陈威).
At the AI workshop of State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company, cutting-edge intelligent equipment is undergoing intensive commissioning. Under the instructions of AI trainer Huang Di (黄迪), a humanoid live-line operation robot successfully completed a switching operation. The team converted frontline hands-on experience into algorithm parameters, solving the problem of adapting to outdoor operation scenarios. This batch of robots can already adapt to complex working conditions and complete high-risk operations, and is about to be officially put on duty.
Behind the steady deployment of intelligent equipment lies a mature and complete innovation ecosystem. State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company has joined with universities and technology enterprises to form an innovation alliance to tackle technical challenges in the power sector.
"In the past five years, Hangzhou's power supply capacity has grown by more than 30%, and the scale of the power grid has continued to expand. Intelligentization and unmanned operation are the only way to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the power grid," said Tang Tieying (唐铁英), a third-level expert at State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company.

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Chongqing Changshou District: Clear Waters and Green Mountains Nurture Premium Products, Brand-Building Agriculture Writes a New Chapter

The Yangtze River passes through the city, three rivers wind and meander, six mountains rise in layered green, a hundred lakes scatter like stars and chess pieces — these outline the unique landscape painting of Changshou District, Chongqing, and create its resource endowment of beautiful scenery and abundant products.

However, despite holding this uniquely blessed ecological fertile soil, Changshou's agricultural products once faced the dilemma of "good goods without good prices." In the past, due to scattered household management and the lack of unified labeling for individual products, many quality agricultural products were "raised in deep mountains, valuable but unbranded."

To break the deadlock and seek change, Changshou District anchored onto the goals of strengthening agriculture through branding and enriching the people and increasing income, launching the "Natural Changshou" (自然长寿) regional public brand in 2018. Through coordinating and integrating characteristic agricultural resources in the fields, connecting scattered agricultural products point by point into lines, it effectively solved the development problem of small farmers fighting alone, activated the development momentum of agriculture across the entire region, and accelerated the transformation and upgrading of traditional planting and breeding models toward modern agriculture. In 2025, it launched a three-year brand building action, systematically constructed an agricultural product brand matrix, and continuously enhanced the added value of agricultural products.

After eight years of cultivation, the "Natural Changshou" regional public brand has firmly taken root in the Chengdu-Chongqing market, and has also driven local good products to go out of Bayu (巴渝) and sell across the country, becoming an important fulcrum for Changshou to leverage industrial upgrading, drive mass income increases, and empower comprehensive rural revitalization.

To establish a brand, one must first consolidate the foundation. Changshou District has built a management system featuring government coordination, multi-department supervision, state-owned enterprise platform operation, and broad participation of business entities, with the District Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (区农业农村委) taking the lead in coordinating brand management, implementing four management systems of unified standards, unified authorization, unified publicity, and unified supervision, anchoring onto categories such as Changshou pomelo, Changshou fish, and Changshou rice noodles, and strictly controlling quality at every step of the entire chain from field planting and breeding to finished products leaving the factory.

To revitalize agriculture, one must first optimize the ecology. Changshou District vigorously develops ecological aquaculture, centering on the two major key lake areas within its territory, comprehensively implementing the ecological fish farming model of "people release, heaven raises, fish purify water" (人放天养、以渔净水), and building an organic aquatic product planting and breeding base with a leading scale in Chongqing. After years of cultivation, the district now has 75 green foods, 13 organic aquatic products, 26 Chongqing famous brand agricultural products, and 5 Chongqing time-honored brands.

To expand the market, one must first strengthen promotion. Changshou District organizes local agricultural business entities to enter various agricultural exhibitions, relying on large exhibition and sales platforms to build brand awareness. The "Natural Changshou" series products have successively appeared at high-end exhibition platforms such as the China-ASEAN Expo, the Western Agricultural Fair, and the Three Gorges Citrus International Trade Fair. With excellent quality, Changshou fish was selected for the 2025 Bayu "local specialties" list of 100 famous and excellent products, Changshou rice noodle making techniques were included in the seventh batch of Chongqing municipal intangible cultural heritage representative project lists, and Changshou pomelo has been successively awarded "China's Famous Fruit" and "National Famous, Special, Excellent, and New Agricultural Products" (全国名特优新农产品).

Today, the "Natural Changshou" regional public brand has become an important vehicle for Changshou District to link with the Chengdu-Chongqing region and revitalize rural industries. Four characteristic industrial clusters of citrus, pomelo, fishery, and eggs have taken shape and landed, among which Changshou citrus and pomelo have a combined annual output value of over 2.3 billion yuan, Changshou fish aquaculture covers 160,000 mu, building an ecological fishery highland in Southwest China, Changshou eggs have an annual output of nearly 90,000 tons, egg production has maintained first place in the city for many years, focusing on building the "Chongqing Egg Valley" (重庆蛋谷), and the brand radiates and drives over 100,000 farmers across the district to steadily increase income. At the same time, leveraging brand momentum, Changshou District closely follows the opportunity of building the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor (巴蜀文旅走廊), deeply explores the integration potential of agriculture-tourism and cultural-tourism, and new business forms such as rural fruit picking and farming experience continue to emerge. Actively integrating into the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (成渝地区双城经济圈), Changshou District and Sichuan Province's Pengzhou City and other Sichuan-Chongqing cooperative cities jointly build and share sales networks, and cross-regional production and sales channels are getting wider and wider. The brand premium effect continues to be released, with farmers' average annual income increasing by over 3,000 yuan in 2025, achieving brand enrichment of the people and industrial revitalization of villages.

Data source: Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of Changshou District, Chongqing

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本版责编：吴燕 韩文榕 黄金玉

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Keep it simple, let the focus return to the product: CS55 Blue Whale Super Engine launches, starting at 79,900 yuan

*The starting price is the price after stacking limited-time benefits; the limited-time benefits period is from the launch date to September 30, 2026.
*For vehicle features and configurations, please stay tuned to official and dealer information at all times.

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A wait with no return date

By: 新华社记者 丁增义 卢东方 刘一诺

That year the rouge was fresh and red, straw sandals swift as the wind. The long, long road of the Long March, so often appears in dreams.
　　This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's victory in the Long March. Our reporter crossed mountains and ridges to retrace the Long March route, hearing along the way many poignant and beautiful love stories of Red Army soldiers. The women of the Soviet areas who had supported their husbands in joining the Red Army and setting out on the Long March — many of them, to the very end of their lives, never saw their husbands return for a reunion. Along the route, through hail of bullets and rain of shells, wrapped in wounds and bathed in blood, countless Red Army soldiers fell on the Long March.
　　Even though all news of their husbands vanished without a trace, they never gave up the promise they had made to them. Year after year they leaned against the door, gazing into the distance; season after season they craned their necks in longing, redeeming their vows of love with the passage of time.
30 Sets of New Clothes
What the fine, dense stitches sewed in was not only a Red Army wife's longing, but also an ordinary farm girl's most simple support for the revolution
　　The wheels of the car rolled over the red earth of Changting County (长汀县), Longyan City, Fujian Province, and the warm rain beat against the car body, also beating into the reporter's heart. Outside the window, Songmao Ridge (松毛岭) was lush with green, its peaks dark as indigo.
　　Zhongfu Village (中复村) in Changting County, at the foot of Songmao Ridge, is hailed as "the first village of the Red Army's Long March." In late September 1934, officers and men of the Ninth Red Army Corps were ordered to block the enemy at Songmao Ridge; after completing their mission, they withdrew to Zhongfu Village to assemble, and from there set out on the long, long road of the Long March.
　　"My man, when you join the Red Army, think not of home; devote yourself to the revolution, roam to the ends of the earth; ten years or eight is not too long; when the reactionaries are overthrown, then come back…" This mountain song, once popular in the Changting area, gave voice to the feelings of Soviet-area women who actively sent their husbands to join the Red Army and were full of faith in the victory of the revolution.
　　Today, the descendants of the Red Army here use an interplay of light and shadow to tell us a story from long ago: the Hakka girl Lai Ermei (赖二妹) sits on the threshold of the old house, her needle and thread moving back and forth without pause — she is making new clothes for her husband Zhong Fenran (钟奋然), who had set out on the Long March with the Red Army shortly after their marriage.
　　"According to Hakka custom, a wife must make a set of clothes for her husband every year," explained docent Xie Xiaofen (谢小芬). From the Battle of Songmao Ridge in September 1934 to the day in 1963 when the martyr's certificate was delivered to the home, Lai Ermei sewed 30 sets of new clothes for her husband, from whom no news had come — she did not stop even in the most difficult years.
　　"Father said that on the day the martyr's certificate arrived, Grandma sat on the threshold in a daze for a long time," Zhong Fenran's grandson Zhong Mengfang (钟萌芳) told us, pointing to a grave mound not far outside the house. That was the cenotaph Grandma had built for Grandpa back then, and those new clothes that had never been worn were buried inside it. "Grandma often said in her lifetime that we must follow the Party; the days we have now were bought with Grandpa's sacrifice, and she told us to serve the motherland well."
　　Before Zhong Fenran's cenotaph, the grass grows thick and green, with tiny purple daisies swaying here and there among it.
　　Year after year, time passes quickly, like the flowers before Zhong Fenran's grave blooming and falling; year after year, time also passes slowly — Lai Ermei, who waited her whole life, saw her black hair turn white.
　　Sitting in the performance hall of the national opera Love of Songmao Ridge, watching "Lai Ermei" on stage sew new clothes for her husband stitch by stitch, listening to her lean against the door and pour out her longing for her husband in song and in tears, we seemed to touch the love of a Red Army soldier and his wife, faithful unto death.
　　What the fine, dense stitches sewed in was not only a Red Army wife's longing, but also an ordinary farm girl's most simple support for the revolution.
75 Pairs of Straw Sandals
Her longing for her husband, she wove it all into 75 years of autumns and springs, into 75 pairs of straw sandals
　　Inside the Ruijin Central Revolutionary Base Area Memorial Hall in Jiangxi Province, a sculpture titled "A Thousand Ropes, Ten Thousand Strands of Grass, Bearing Deep Affection" caught the reporter's eye. The sculpture depicts the centenarian Hakka woman Chen Fagu (陈发姑) holding a pair of straw sandals. On the base of the sculpture are carved the words: "A hundred-year vow, hair already white; a hundred-year wait — when will you return?"
　　In 1931, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic (中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府) was established in Ruijin, and a campaign to "expand the Red Army" surged across the Soviet areas. Chen Fagu actively responded to the call, persuaded her aged mother-in-law, and encouraged her husband Zhu Jixun (朱吉薰) to enlist in the Red Army. In October 1934, Zhu Jixun left with his unit on the Long March. When seeing her husband off, Chen Fagu said to him firmly: "I will keep waiting for you to return in victory."
　　In those years of beacon fire and war, Chen Fagu held fast to her promise to her husband, weaving a pair of straw sandals for him every year, thinking he would need them when he came back. After the founding of New China, Chen Fagu still had not received any news of her husband. The local government conducted an investigation and determined that Zhu Jixun had gone missing or been killed on the Long March. Whenever someone urged her to stop waiting, Chen Fagu would say: "He believed in the revolution, and I believe in him." She would often lean alone against the doorframe, gazing toward the village entrance while humming the little tune she had sung countless times: "I said I'd wait for you, so I'll wait for you; I'm not afraid the iron tree should bloom or the water should flow backward; even if the water should turn the stones over, I don't know when my man will return?"
　　In 2008, Chen Fagu completed her 115 years of life. Time gave Chen Fagu more than enough years, yet in the end she never got to see the one she most wanted to see.
　　When people sorted through the old woman's belongings, they found, neatly arranged in the corner of the room, 75 pairs of straw sandals, some new and some old. Her longing for her husband, she had woven it all into 75 years of autumns and springs, into 75 pairs of straw sandals.
　　This love story is 家喻户晓 (jiā yù hù xiǎo - "known in every household," widely known) in Ruijin. That wait of epic proportions, having passed through the long river of years, has also become an object of deep admiration for people today. The local government and the people have erected statues of her in several places. These statues bear witness both to Chen Fagu's steadfast faithfulness in love and to the Soviet-area people's firm faith in the revolution.
A Kerosene Lamp
Before the troops set out, two Red Army soldiers' wives, holding a kerosene lamp, insisted on seeing their husbands off a little further — little did they know it would be the last time they saw them
　　Under a blazing sun, the reporter drove to Yangxi Village (洋溪村), Yeping Town, Ruijin City, in search of a kerosene lamp from more than 90 years ago.
　　In Yangxi Village, many households bear plaques above their doors reading "Glorious Military Family" or "Glorious Martyr's Family." Behind each of these plaques, gradually mottled with age, lies a moving red story. A village cadre told us that during the Soviet-area "expand the Red Army" campaign, nearly every household in Yangxi Village had someone join the Red Army — it could be said that "every family has a martyr, every household has a Red Army soldier."
　　Zhong Jifa (钟基发), 88 years old, bent over and led us into an old house. From under a table against the wall he took out a tightly wrapped plastic bag, inside which was a kerosene lamp that had weathered the vicissitudes of the years.
　　In 1934, Zhong Jifa's father-in-law Liu Shisheng (刘石生), together with his younger brother Liu Xinqing (刘新庆) and his cousin Liu Shanmu (刘善沐), responded to the call and enlisted in the Red Army together. At the time, Liu Shisheng's wife Huang Jiandi (黄检娣) was pregnant, and his younger brother Liu Xinqing had also been newly married. In October 1934, the Red Army began the Long March; to guard against enemy aircraft reconnaissance and bombing, the troops set out at night.
　　At parting, the two wives, holding this kerosene lamp, insisted on seeing their husbands off a little further. At this point in the story, Zhong Jifa's voice grew choked: "We never thought that would be the last time we saw them."
　　After the three brothers set out, no news of them ever came. Whenever her longing for her husband grew unbearable, Huang Jiandi would take out the kerosene lamp, wipe it carefully, and murmur to it: "Shisheng, come back soon; your son and I miss you!"
　　In 1998, Huang Jiandi passed away after waiting for 64 years. On her deathbed, she instructed her children and grandchildren: "Light the kerosene lamp and place it by the bedside." She could not forget that night 64 years earlier when she had held up the kerosene lamp to see her husband off; she too would follow the lamp's light to seek her husband's footsteps.
　　Walking on the Long March road the Red Army once trod, following the love stories of Lai Ermei, Chen Fagu, and Huang Jiandi, we think of the many more ordinary Red Army soldiers who fell on the Long March, and of the wives who waited for them at home, suffering in longing. With a lifetime of waiting, they tell the world: behind the victory of that great expedition, there were not only countless Red Army soldiers charging into battle, but also countless women's deep and tender longing. Though they never saw their Red Army husbands come home, they did live to see a new China, full of vitality.
　　(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 19)

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Human resources and social security system to strengthen supply of high-quality services

Our newspaper Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Li Linwei (李林蔚)): Strengthening work style construction is an important measure for the human resources and social security system to improve work style, optimize government services, and enhance administrative efficiency. Recently, the relevant official in charge of the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源和社会保障部) introduced the relevant situation regarding deepening the advancement of work style construction in the human resources and social security system.

"During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the human resources and social security system focused on resolving bottlenecks, difficulties, and pain points in the people's handling of affairs, continuously optimized basic public services, orderly advanced the 'efficiently accomplish one thing' (高效办成一件事) initiative, and comprehensively raised the level of standardization and informatization," the official introduced. "During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the human resources and social security system will strengthen the high-quality supply of policies and services, place greater emphasis on improving quality and efficiency, universal benefits and fairness, smart convenience, and balanced accessibility, launch a batch of policy and service supply items each year, and improve the long-term mechanism for handling practical matters for the people."

Optimize and upgrade basic public services. Vigorously advance the standardization construction of basic public services in human resources and social security. Expand the functions of the human resources and social security convenience service circle, realize "handling nearby" and "handling at multiple points" for enterprises and the public, and implement unified acceptance and one-stop processing for window services.

Regularly advance the "efficiently accomplish one thing" initiative. Improve the list management mechanism and regular advancement mechanism for key items, promote "entering only one door" for offline handling, "one-network comprehensive handling" for online handling, and "one-line response" for enterprise and public appeals.

Continuously optimize the business environment. Strengthen employment service guarantees for key enterprises. Implement the "Skills Illuminate the Future" (技能照亮前程) training campaign. Improve the entrepreneurship service system.

Promote the direct delivery and quick enjoyment of policies benefiting enterprises and the people. Give play to the role of existing government service platforms and business systems, and improve the service functions of policies benefiting enterprises and the people.

Enhance the digital and intelligent service efficiency of human resources and social security. Accelerate the advancement of "AI + Human Resources and Social Security" (人工智能+人社) application development, and create application scenarios such as digital and intelligent employment, smart social insurance, precise talent cultivation and use, smart labor relations, and smart human resources services. Enhance the service efficiency of the social security card "one-card pass" (一卡通), promote more service items to be "handled on the palm, handled at the fingertips," and realize the transformation of government services from "can be handled, able to be handled" to "well handled, smartly handled."

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Zhejiang rectifies four types of illegal and non-compliant practices in government procurement

This newspaper Hangzhou, August 19 (Reporter Dou Hanyang) — In order to create a fair and competitive government procurement market environment, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Finance (浙江省财政厅), the Provincial Department of Public Security (浙江省公安厅), and the Provincial Administration for Market Regulation (浙江省市场监督管理局) jointly issued the "2026 Zhejiang Province Government Procurement Field 'Four Types' Illegal and Non-Compliant Behavior Special Rectification Work Implementation Plan," carrying out special rectification targeting the "four types" of problems that are prominently reflected in the current government procurement field: purchasers setting discriminatory and differential clauses, agency institutions charging arbitrary fees, suppliers providing false materials, and suppliers engaging in bid rigging and collusive bidding.
According to the plan, the focus of rectification includes: purchasers applying discriminatory and differential treatment through unreasonable conditions such as supplier registration location, form of ownership, and years of operation, or pointing toward specific suppliers or products; agency institutions charging fees in violation of regulations or failing to return bid security deposits on time; suppliers providing false testing reports, certification certificates, and other materials to seek winning bids; and malicious collusion behaviors such as bid documents being mutually mixed and intermingled, or entrusting the same unit to handle bidding matters.

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Urban public facility management standards released

Reported from Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Lin Lili (林丽鹂)): The State Administration for Market Regulation (National Standards Commission) (市场监管总局（国家标准委）) recently approved and released the national standard "General Requirements for Urban Public Facility Management" (城市公共设施管理 通用要求), effective from February 1, 2027. The standard will establish unified general norms for full life-cycle governance of urban public facilities nationwide, helping to advance standardized, smart, and refined management of urban public facilities in China.

This standard revision integrates the practical needs of urban operations, filling gaps in areas such as digital operation and maintenance, multi-stakeholder co-governance, and emergency support. The main content includes four aspects. First, it highlights value orientation and humanistic care. It establishes four management orientations: people-centered, functional adaptation, cultural empowerment, and sustainable development, while balancing livelihood concerns, urban emergency resilience, cultural heritage preservation, and green low-carbon operations, defining value principles for the full-process management of facilities. Second, it reconstructs a three-dimensional classification system. Breaking the old binary classification model, it divides urban public facilities into three major categories: municipal facilities, public service facilities, and digital public infrastructure. It adds content on low-altitude infrastructure and community service facilities, and for the first time systematically standardizes management requirements for digital foundations such as the City Information Model (CIM), computing power centers, and urban sensing terminals, making the classification more forward-looking and inclusive. Third, it clarifies a multi-stakeholder closed loop of rights and responsibilities. It clarifies the management responsibilities of property ownership units, operation and maintenance units, and industry competent authorities, builds a multi-stakeholder governance closed loop with participation and supervision from social organizations, volunteers, and citizens, and details practical operational rules for the entire process of planning and construction, daily operation and maintenance, inspection and maintenance, and emergency response. Fourth, it improves digitalization and data governance rules. It adds requirements for full life-cycle digital operation and maintenance and unified digital foundation construction, simultaneously supporting information security and electronic archive management specifications, and establishes mechanisms for tiered data management and control, security testing, and backup and recovery, balancing smart operation and maintenance efficiency with public data security protection.

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Busy building captain at the resettlement site

"Auntie, you're not feeling unwell today, are you?" "Uncle, is the lunch to your taste?" In a dormitory building of the Beiwudu Town Central School (北舞渡镇中心学校) in Wuyang County (舞阳县), Luohe City, Henan Province, 33-year-old grassroots cadre Ma Sai (马赛) was chatting warmly with the masses. She speaks quickly, and her steps are even quicker.

Affected by Typhoon "Baiji" (白海豚), Henan Province activated the Nihewa flood detention area (泥河洼滞洪区) on August 13, and the Beiwudu Town Central School relocation site houses 1,036 people. Ma Sai is the building manager of one dormitory building at the relocation site, responsible for the daily lives of 334 people. She has worked continuously for over a week without going home, and her phone has become a hotline — coordinating medical treatment, distributing supplies, calming emotions... She answers and makes over a hundred calls every day. She says they must let the displaced people move in with peace of mind and stay with reassurance.

On August 19, as the water level dropped, people at the relocation site began returning home in batches. Just as dawn was breaking, Ma Sai was already busy. She organized everyone to board the buses in an orderly manner while helping people carry their luggage. One trip, two trips, three trips... until the last bus carrying people back home disappeared from sight. She said: "I can feel that the people recognize and understand our work, and this makes me feel that everything is worth it."

Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jianan (李嘉南) photo report

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Hainan strengthens filing and review of government regulatory documents

Our newspaper Haikou, August 19 (Reporter Sun Haitian) — The General Office of the Hainan Provincial People's Government issued guiding opinions to further strengthen and standardize the filing and review work of administrative regulatory documents across the provincial government system, resolving problems in filing and review such as "emphasizing formulation over filing, emphasizing filing over review, emphasizing procedure over error correction," so as to provide rule-of-law government institutional support for the high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Hainan's administrative regulatory documents exhibit the characteristics of growing quantity and broad coverage. The guiding opinions take "all documents that should be filed must be filed, all filings must be reviewed, and all errors must be corrected" as the core principles, and achieve full coverage of filing responsibility on the basis of a list of formulating entities; fully implement the "three unifications" management system and comprehensively apply multiple methods to conduct review; strengthen filing verification and rectification within time limits, and improve classified handling and error correction mechanisms.

In terms of strengthening rigid constraints and standardizing empowerment, the guiding opinions propose establishing a provincial-level filing and review expert database and accelerating the construction of a province-wide filing and review platform, using digital means to empower quality and efficiency improvement; at the same time, strictly implement the annual reporting system for filing and review status. The guiding opinions clarify that while improving work efficiency, the burden on grassroots units must not be increased, promoting the standardized and normalized operation of filing and review work across the province.

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Gansu advances construction of four-tier comprehensive governance center system

Lanzhou, August 19 (Reporter Song Chaojun) — Gansu recently held a press conference themed "When there are disputes and conflicts, go to the comprehensive governance center." The reporter learned at the conference that in recent years, Gansu has advanced the construction of a four-tier comprehensive governance center system at the provincial, municipal, county, and township (sub-district) levels. As of now, all 86 counties (cities, districts) in the province, as well as Jiayuguan City and Lanzhou New Area, have independently established comprehensive governance centers. County-level comprehensive governance centers across the province now have 651 full-time mediators stationed on site, along with 626 resident lawyers and 476 psychological counselors.
Gansu has promoted the establishment of docking mechanisms between county- and township-level comprehensive governance centers and courts, police stations, and petition departments respectively, with the comprehensive governance centers organizing the stationed forces to jointly resolve civil and commercial cases where the parties are willing to mediate, dispute-related police alerts, and conflicts and disputes within petition matters of the complaint-appeal type. In the first half of this year, comprehensive governance centers at all levels in Gansu resolved 256,900 conflicts and disputes through the "three-mediation docking" approach.
In building county-level comprehensive governance centers, Gansu has promoted the integration of petition reception centers, litigation service centers, procuratorial service centers, public legal service centers, and social psychological service centers into the facilities. In the first half of this year, county-level comprehensive governance centers successfully mediated 121,300 conflicts and disputes of various types, resolved 51,800 cases on-site through arbitration, administrative reconsideration, administrative adjudication, and expedited adjudication, and handled 42,200 matters including judicial confirmation, legal aid, and notarization.

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Ministry of Civil Affairs通报典型违法案例 involving social organizations' branches and representative offices

This newspaper, Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Wu Chuqi (吴储岐)) The Social Organization Administration Bureau (社会组织管理局) of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部) reported five typical illegal cases involving branches and representative offices of social organizations, involving problems such as illegally establishing branches, conducting activities beyond the business scope, and negligent management of representative offices. These cases include "the case of the PRC National History Society (中华人民共和国国史学会) establishing branches and representative offices in violation of regulations," "the case of the Beijing Yichun Enterprise Chamber of Commerce (北京宜春企业商会) establishing branches in violation of regulations," "the case of the Shanxi Jinsui Border Region Historical Culture Research Association (山西省晋绥边区历史文化研究会) conducting activities beyond its business scope, failing to apply for change registration in accordance with regulations, and establishing branches in violation of regulations," "the case of the Xiangcheng Waterproof Association (项城防水协会) establishing branches in violation of regulations," and "the case of the Hebei Private Economy Development Promotion Association (河北省民营经济发展促进会) being negligent in managing its representative offices."

The Shanxi Jinsui Border Region Historical Culture Research Association, without convening a council meeting or standing council meeting for deliberation and approval, illegally established the Lan County Red Culture Special Committee (岚县红色文化专委会) as a branch; it also engaged in activities beyond the purposes and business scope stipulated in its charter, and after changing its domicile, failed to apply for change registration with the registration management authority as required. The above acts violated the provisions of Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Regulations on Registration and Administration of Social Organizations (《社会团体登记管理条例》), which states that "where registration items of a social organization need to be changed, it shall apply for change registration with the registration management authority within 30 days from the date of examination and approval by the competent business unit," and Article 3 of the Measures for Registration of Branches and Representative Offices of Social Organizations (《社会团体分支机构、代表机构登记办法》), which states that "a social organization establishing branches or representative offices shall perform democratic procedures in accordance with the provisions of its charter." In March 2026, the Department of Civil Affairs of Shanxi Province (山西省民政厅) imposed the administrative penalty of suspending activities for six months on the Shanxi Jinsui Border Region Historical Culture Research Association, and ordered the replacement of the directly responsible supervisors.

The Xiangcheng Waterproof Association of Henan arbitrarily established the Xiangcheng Waterproof Association Qinghai Branch across regions, and the latter illegally recruited members and collected membership fees in Xining City, Qinghai Province. The above acts violated the provisions of Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations on Registration and Administration of Social Organizations, which states that "a social organization shall not establish regional branches." The Xiangcheng Civil Affairs Bureau (项城市民政局), jointly with the competent business unit, held talks with the responsible persons of the association and ordered it to rectify within a time limit. The association revoked the Xiangcheng Waterproof Association Qinghai Branch as required. In July 2026, the Xiangcheng Civil Affairs Bureau of Zhoukou City, Henan Province imposed the administrative penalty of a warning on the Xiangcheng Waterproof Association in accordance with the law.

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Guangdong Foshan regulates pop-up ads in parking lot QR code payments

This newspaper, Guangzhou, August 19 (Reporter Jiang Xiaodan (姜晓丹)). In recent years, many car owners in Foshan, Guangdong have frequently encountered advertising "chain traps" when scanning QR codes to pay for parking — close buttons are designed to be hidden, advertising pages deliberately imitate payment buttons, and inducing users to claim coupons redirects them to third-party marketing pages.

Recently, the Foshan Municipal Market Supervision Administration (佛山市市场监督管理局) issued the "Compliance Tips on Regulating Advertising Publication on Parking Lot QR Code Payment Pages," putting forward regulatory requirements in several aspects.

Ads must possess identifiability; all commercial promotional content should clearly mark the word "advertisement" in a prominent position on the page, and it is strictly forbidden to publish ads in disguised forms such as disguised pop-ups, false notifications, or service prompts; pop-up ads must implement "one-click close," and it is strictly forbidden to have violations such as no close button, blurred or hidden buttons, requiring a countdown to elapse before closing, or repeated pop-ups after closing; pages must ensure the smooth operation of core services, and ads must not interfere with or obscure key information on the payment page such as parking duration, fee details, and invoice entry points; false inducement marketing is strictly prohibited, including the use of false red envelopes, coupons, points rewards, and other interest inducements, as well as misleading designs with false interactive buttons; the frequency and duration of ad pushes must be strictly controlled, and ads must not be repeatedly pushed at high frequency in a single QR code payment transaction.

The compliance tips clarify the compliance obligations of various business entities, including parking lot operators, advertisers, advertising operators and publishers, and third-party platform enterprises. For example, parking lot operators who know or should know that illegal advertisements are being published using their premises shall stop them; third-party platform enterprises shall conduct monitoring and inspection of advertisements on their platforms, and upon discovering illegal advertisements, shall take disposal measures such as deletion or blocking.

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Photo Report

To deepen the nationwide anti-drug publicity and education campaign, the China Customs Museum (中国海关博物馆) has recently launched the "With Me at the National Gate, Drugs Have Nowhere to Hide — Immersive Science Exhibition on Customs Drug Interdiction," open to the public for offline visits, while also setting up an online virtual exhibition hall for netizens to learn about customs anti-drug knowledge. In the photo, visitors are listening to staff explain typical cases at the museum. Chen Ziying (陈子颖) photographed (People's Visual).

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本版责编：季健明 赵晓曦 迟嘉瑞

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Cultural venues help "babysit" — fun and rewarding for kids

Rural bookstores and libraries can provide care services, orderly and well-filled; museums offer interesting and informative cultural heritage activities, full of charm and 引人入胜 (yǐn rén rù shèng - "lead people into wonder," fascinating and absorbing)... This summer, cultural venues in many places have innovatively launched care services, exploring solutions to the problem of children being "unsupervised and having nowhere to go," creating a safe, meaningful, and culturally rich vacation for children.

— Editor

Jiangxi Gao'an City provides care services for children of new employment groups
In the library, every day is full of anticipation
Staff Reporter Yang Yanfei

At 8:30 in the morning, 9-year-old Liu Xunya walked into the Gao'an City Library in Yichun, Jiangxi, greeting her companions in the care class.

Colored paper, scissors, and tape were laid out in a row on the table. Liu Xunya followed the volunteer with 聚精会神 (jù jīng huì shén - "gather essence, concentrate spirit," to concentrate intently) as she learned to cut paper window decorations, and a delicate window flower gradually took shape. "The classes are interesting, and I've also made friends," Liu Xunya said.

In previous summers, her parents went to work early in the morning, and Liu Xunya could only go to her grandparents' house. Watching TV for too long was boring, and playing alone was lonely. This year, she came to the library to participate in care activities, and every morning she was full of anticipation.

At 10 a.m., in the spacious activity area of the library, volunteer Zhu Changkai was leading the children in physical education class. He is a student majoring in physical education and often intersperses fun little games into his PE classes.

"My major matches perfectly, and I'm a local. I wanted to do something for the children of my hometown," Zhu Changkai said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

How can children put down their phones and make their vacations more colorful? Here, college students returning to their hometowns arrange a rich variety of activities for the children, covering paper cutting, movies, dance, sports, and more.

When the day's care ended, parents gradually arrived at the library entrance to pick up their children, most of them delivery riders, couriers, ride-hailing drivers, and other new employment groups.

Chen Ziming's mother, Luo Huiyin, delivers food year-round and normally has no time to spare. "The children participate in the library's care activities, and we feel very reassured," Luo Huiyin said. "The activities arranged by the volunteers are interesting, and safety is also guaranteed."

"To address the problem of 'difficulty in supervision' and 'lack of companionship' for minor children of new employment groups and some families in difficulty during the holidays, the library recruits college students returning to their hometowns online. The care period runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., matching workers' schedules, and a caring lunch is also provided at noon," introduced Xi Chen, deputy secretary of the Gao'an Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League (共青团高安市委).

"The library has a strong cultural atmosphere, spacious premises, complete facilities, and various cultural activities on a daily basis, making it very suitable for public welfare services for young people," said Liang Jianfeng, curator of the Gao'an City Library. Relying on the library's collection resources, children can read at any time outside of class.

Liu Xunya clutched her paper-cutting work and ran smiling toward her mother, sharing what she had gained today.

"We have rolled out 6 service points across the city, recruited 37 college students returning to their hometowns and young volunteers, and served more than 200 young people in urban and rural areas," Xi Chen said. They also plan to expand the service scale next year so that more children can spend a pleasant and orderly summer vacation in the library.

Hubei Xianning explores the "bookstore + aesthetic education + research study" model
Rural bookstores transformed into growth classrooms
Staff Reporter Fan Haotian

Where do village children spend their summer vacation? At the rural bookstore in Baishui Village (白水村), Gaoqiao Town (高桥镇), Xian'an District (咸安区), Xianning City, Hubei Province, a painting and science popularization activity was underway.

Jin Ziran, a college student volunteer from Hubei University of Science and Technology (湖北科技学院), explained the history of oil-paper umbrellas to more than 20 village children — from their use as everyday items for rain and sun protection in ancient times, to the aesthetic imagery in poetry, to local traditional umbrella-making techniques. The children listened with 津津有味 (jīn jīn yǒu wèi - "with moist flavor," with great relish) and 迫不及待 (pò bù jí dài - "too urgent to wait," unable to wait) to start painting.

Blank oil-paper umbrella models and watercolor brushes were distributed one by one to each child. The volunteer demonstrated coloring techniques on the spot, and the children lowered their heads to carefully paint their patterns.

Six-year-old Tang Shiwen painted carefully on the umbrella surface. "This is a tree, this is a flower, this is a little bird," Tang Shiwen said, pointing at her painting. In the bookstore, she could not only read books but also practice painting and singing.

"We designed activities in science popularization, music, experiments, drama, and more, and also took the children into the fields to make 'seed paintings,' hoping to make their vacation more fulfilling and exciting," said Zhang Ran, leader of the volunteer team.

Ru Lijun, deputy curator of the library at Hubei University of Science and Technology, introduced that the university, together with the Publicity Department of the Xian'an District Committee and local public libraries, has held the "Rural Bookstore · Joyful Reading in the Countryside" (农家书屋·悦读乡村) activity for three consecutive sessions, exploring the "bookstore + aesthetic education + research study" model to transform rural bookstores from mere places for borrowing and reading books into growth classrooms for children's summer vacations.

Amid the fragrance of books and full of laughter, the rural bookstore has become a new space for summer care. "When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher." After learning this ancient Chinese saying, can everyone name the strengths of the people around you? Inside the Wangjiafan School (王家畈学堂) in Gaosai Village (高赛村), Maqiao Town (马桥镇), Xian'an District, Shi Ying, a member of the "Xianning Cultural Heritage · Framing Light and Shadow" summer social practice team from Hubei University of Science and Technology, brought a Chinese classics reading session to more than 10 village children.

The Wangjiafan School, with nearly a century of history in Gaosai Village, has been transformed into a "Guizi Bookstore" (桂子书屋), housing more than 1,700 books on Chinese classics, science popularization, agriculture, and other subjects. Leading teacher Peng Jin said the team has come to the bookstore for summer care for two consecutive years, helping children make good use of the bookstore's resources and learn about local history and culture. Next, the team will also visit Zengpu Village (曾铺村), Longkoufeng Village (垅口冯村), and Liujiaqiao Village (刘家桥村) to bring more cultural nourishment to village children.

"At present, Xian'an District has built 141 village-level rural bookstores, with digital e-bookstores provided in tandem, achieving full coverage of administrative villages," said Hu Jianfang, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Xian'an District Committee. Through cooperation with Hubei University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Conservatory of Music (武汉音乐学院), and other universities, the district relies on public cultural service facilities such as rural bookstores to carry out summer care activities, solving the summer supervision problem while giving children a culturally rich summer vacation.

Henan Museum's distinctive research study activities attract more than a thousand children
Come to the museum and be a "National Treasure Guardian"
Staff Reporter Zhao Shuaijie

During the summer vacation, in the cultural relics exhibition halls of the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, a group of students wearing T-shirts with the pattern of the Lotus and Crane Square Vessel (莲鹤方壶) followed their research study teacher, carefully observing cultural relics such as the Jiahu bone flute (贾湖骨笛) and the Fu Hao owl zun (妇好鸮尊).

This was part of the Henan Museum's summer "National Treasure Guardian" (国宝守护人) research study activity. Thirteen primary school students took out their "National Treasure Guardian Handbook" and could choose the cultural relics they wanted to "guard" in the exhibition halls, spending five days completing multiple tasks including explanation training, simulated archaeology, and "national treasure restoration."

"The activity has been held for eight consecutive years, attracting more than a thousand children to participate," introduced Liang Shuang, head of the Project Education Section of the Social Education Department of the Henan Museum. This year's activity not only included grain grinding, bronze handicrafts, and XR (extended reality) experiences, but also added many cultural relics interpretation and interactive Q&A sessions, making cultural heritage knowledge tangible and accessible.

In previous years, most participating students came from within Henan Province. "Parents don't have time to look after their children during the summer, so they send them here to learn and experience," Liang Shuang said. This year, however, there were many more children coming from other provinces.

"Last year I brought my daughter to the Henan Museum to see the exhibitions and we also experienced half a day of research study activities, but I always felt it wasn't enough. This year, as soon as I saw the activity information, I signed up immediately," said Ms. Liu from Xuzhou, Jiangsu. "Drop off in the morning, pick up in the afternoon. The care period is relatively long, and I can also look around Zhengzhou."

Spending the summer vacation in the museum not only brings children close to cultural relics and helps them learn about cultural heritage, but also allows them to make more friends.

Holding a hand trowel to excavate "underground treasures" in a simulated excavation pit, designing cloud-shoulder garments with their own hands, putting on XR glasses to "travel back" to the Shang Dynasty to solve puzzles, walking into the Tang Dynasty city of Luoyang to experience the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, and even reciting poetry with Li Bai... Speaking of the research study activities, student Wang Chi was full of experiences.

This summer, the Henan Museum also launched the long-form research study activity "Walking through Henan, Inquiring into the Original Appearance of Chinese Civilization," in which participants left the museum and traveled to archaeological sites such as Erlitou and Yinxu, "going home to take a look on behalf of the cultural relics in the display cases."

"The 'National Treasure Guardian' activity is aimed at lower-grade children, focusing on museum collection enlightenment and handicraft activities; the long-form research study targets teenagers aged 10 to 16, teaching professional archaeological knowledge, covering students at different cognitive stages," introduced research study teacher Guo Qian. The museum also offers public welfare courses for "Red Scarf docents," which both look after students and fulfill the function of cultural and scientific popularization.

"In the future, we will continue to update the content of youth research study programs and design more interesting and informative cultural heritage classes," Liang Shuang said.

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Use the Dialectics of "Stock" and "Increment" Well (Editor's Note)

By: 陈世涵

A pair of scissors cuts out childlike delight, a colored pen paints the charm of the countryside, a small trowel uncovers new knowledge hidden in cultural relics... Reading closely the submissions from reporters in the three localities, one shift is quite striking: the pain point of summer "childcare difficulties" has become the fulcrum for cultural benefits to the people.
Why did this shift occur? The key lies in making good use of the dialectic between "existing stock" and "new increment." Without large-scale demolition and construction, each locality has relied on existing cultural positions and proactively extended the reach of the public service system, upgrading summer childcare from "being looked after" to "gaining something."
The exploration and innovation of the three localities are also a microcosm of the continuous improvement and upgrading of public cultural services. Libraries, rural book houses, museums... cultural spaces spread across urban and rural areas are gradually breaking through their original boundaries and becoming carriers that bear diverse livelihood needs.
When public resources are used for what the people need, and public cultural services reach the hearts of the people, the warmth in countless tiny places converges into the tangible sense of happiness of thousands of households.

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Fragrance Endures, the Great River Keeps Its Voice

By: 本报记者 任飞帆 姜晓丹

“A great river, its waves wide and broad…” This familiar melody has accompanied generations of Chinese people. It is not only My Motherland — many of the songs of Guo Lanying, recipient of the "People's Artist" national honorary title and renowned opera performing artist, have settled into the collective memory of the nation.
On August 11, Guo Lanying passed away in Guangzhou, Guangdong, at the age of 97.
Xi'er in The White-Haired Girl, Xiaoqin in Xiao Erhei's Marriage, Hulanzi in Liu Hulan… After the founding of New China, Guo Lanying, as the leading principal performer of the Central Experimental Opera House and the China Opera and Dance Drama Theatre, created numerous stage images full of flesh and blood and radiant with brilliance.
Guo Lanying was one of China's outstanding national vocal music artists and one of the founders of the new opera. "She made historic contributions to the establishment of a complete system for China's national opera art," said Feng Li, president of the China Opera and Dance Drama Theatre.
"To act is to act in plays like this"
In 1929, Guo Lanying was born into a farming family in Pingyao, Shanxi. From a very young age, she began learning opera, and by her teens she had become a locally famous "leading star." In 1946, when the North China United University Literary and Art Troupe performed The White-Haired Girl, Guo Lanying was deeply shaken after watching it, and resolved that "to act is to act in plays like this, and to be an actress is to play roles like Xi'er!" She then resolutely joined the revolutionary ranks and became a revolutionary literary and art worker. From a famous opera star in an old-style theatrical troupe to a literary and art fighter who joined the revolution, the torrent of the era reshaped Guo Lanying's artistic path and also let her find the singing career she would hold fast to for life.
In 2019, at the age of 90, Guo Lanying, together with young singers, once again sang My Motherland on the CCTV stage, and the entire audience rose to applaud — this scene became the highlight moment of the entire gala. In addition, her renditions of songs such as Nanniwan and People Say Shanxi Has Fine Scenery are widely loved and have been passed down and sung to this day.
"Guo Lanying possessed a deep and solid foundation in traditional opera, and she creatively applied the articulation, embellishment, stage bearing, and emotional expression of traditional opera to the performing art of national opera," said You Weizhi, executive editor of Opera magazine. Guo Lanying advocated that vocal technique should always serve the character's inner world and the dramatic narrative, and put forward the performance concept that "speaking is singing, and singing is speaking," constructing a practical paradigm that conforms to Chinese national vocal aesthetics and unifies voice and emotion, laying a pioneering academic foundation for the establishment of China's national opera art system and the development of national singing art.
"I am willing to be a paving stone on the road"
"Guo Lanying devoted her entire life to the inheritance of national vocal music," said performing artist Qiao Peijuan, speaking of her close friend with deep emotion. In the 1980s, Guo Lanying took her savings to Panyu, Guangdong, and founded the Guo Lanying Art School, cultivating a large number of outstanding literary and art talents. Guo Lanying often taught her students: "Songs sing the life of the people."
Sun Feifei is a student of the second cohort of the Guo Lanying Art School and is now the head of performing arts at the Panyu District Cultural Center. "Teacher Guo placed great emphasis on stage practice and often took students into the troops and grassroots units to give consolation performances," Sun Feifei recalled. One year, when Guangzhou was preparing a large-scale gala, Guo Lanying, then in her sixties, stayed at the sports ground throughout, demonstrating yangge and waist-drum programs for the vocal music and dance students. After prolonged high-intensity guidance, her strength gave out and she went into shock on the spot, moving all the students deeply. Guo Lanying's spirit of taking root among the people and serving the people has always inspired her students.
Guo Lanying often said, "I am willing to be a paving stone on the road." Even past the age of eighty, she still traveled monthly between Beijing and Guangzhou, juggling teaching work at both the China Opera and Dance Drama Theatre and the Guo Lanying Art School. Once, when class was about to begin and the elevator was out of service due to a malfunction, she, who lived on the 18th floor, was unwilling to delay her students' class and walked down the stairs step by step to get to class. Her niece Guo Shizhen said with emotion: "In this old lady's life, what occupied her heart most was her students and art — she would not let either be the least bit let down."
In the classroom, Guo Lanying was extremely meticulous; every articulation and every movement posture was demonstrated repeatedly and corrected one by one, with no room for carelessness. "She was extremely strict about art, but very simple with herself," Guo Shizhen said. Guo Lanying's daily diet was very plain — a bowl of noodles with a dish of pickled vegetables, or white porridge with steamed buns, was enough for a meal. She often urged the younger generation in her family: "For things you can do with your own hands, try not to trouble others."
Cao Yanli, a teacher at Guangdong Vocational College of Literature and Art, regards Guo Lanying as a teaching benchmark: "Teacher Guo upheld what is right without being conservative, and innovated without forgetting her roots — this has deeply influenced my philosophy of education." Cao Yanli has integrated My Motherland into the ideological and political education of her classroom, guiding students, beyond the teaching of skills, to remember the conviction of performing for the people.
In Guo Lanying's home, a painting by the artist Li Kuchan of three ink orchids is treasured. Facing this painting, she often encouraged herself with the words "I sing for the people." The fragrance of orchids endures, the great river keeps its sound; singing of the motherland, singing of the people — these moving melodies will surely transcend time and space, echoing for a long time to come.

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Chang'e-7 to launch in coming days; rocket-lander stack completes vertical transport

Beijing, August 19 (Reporters Li Junqiang (李君强), Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶)) — According to the China Manned Space Agency (中国载人航天工程办公室), on August 19 Beijing time, the Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket completed work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, and the probe-rocket assembly has been vertically transferred to the launch area.

The Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in April and July respectively, and successively completed preparatory work including assembly and testing. At present, the launch site's facilities and equipment are in good condition. Subsequently, pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, propellant filling and other work will be carried out as planned, and the launch is planned to be conducted at an opportune time in the coming days.

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China Disabled People's Art Troupe Brings "My Dream" Charity Performance to Tibet

Our newspaper, Lhasa, August 19 (Reporter Xu Yuyao) — On the evening of the 18th, the Tibet Grand Theater was ablaze with lights as the China Disabled People's Art Troupe held its charity performance "My Dream" here. This is the troupe's first performance in Tibet since its founding. The entire performance brought together 15 outstanding programs, integrating artistic forms such as traditional dance, sign-language poetry, and instrumental performance. With superb artistic standards and full emotional resonance, it vividly displayed the spirit of disabled people growing toward the sun and striving to pursue their dreams, offering a high-quality audio-visual feast to people of all ethnic groups on the snow-covered plateau.
The performance was meticulously infused with local Tibetan cultural elements, with specially invited Tibetan disabled performers taking the stage together. Lamu Quzhen (拉姆曲珍), a hearing-impaired performer from Lhasa Special Education School, said: "Special art allows us to transcend the limitations of our bodies and stand on stage to shine. We hope that through our performance, more compatriots on the snow-covered plateau will see hope and bravely pursue their dreams."
To promote the flow of cultural resources to the grassroots and enable more disabled people to share in the fruits of cultural development, during the performance period the troupe formed a small cultural performance team that went deep into grassroots service institutions including the regional children's welfare home, Lhasa SOS Children's Village, Tama Community in Chengguan District of Lhasa, and the Lhasa Daycare Service Center for the Disabled, carrying out condolence and exchange activities. The performers conveyed warmth and strength through song, dance, and joint celebrations, using art to build bridges of spiritual connection.

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Ningxia and Harbin Institute of Technology launch joint training program for young engineers

Our newspaper Yinchuan, August 19 (Reporter Jiao Siyu) — On the 19th, the mobilization meeting for the launch of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Harbin Institute of Technology youth engineer training program, and the first session of visiting study and research pre-departure orientation, was held in Yinchuan, Ningxia, launching the joint training of young engineers.
Under the training plan, starting from 2026, outstanding young backbone personnel will be selected in two sessions each year to go to Harbin Institute of Technology for full-time, closed-door visiting study and research. The forms of study and research cover theoretical lectures, seminar exchanges, hands-on practical training, analysis of typical cases, and on-site observation, with teaching content closely tied to Ningxia's key industries and frontier technology needs. In 2026, the 60 visiting study and research personnel in the two sessions will cover key industries, universities, research institutes, and the front lines of enterprises. Lu Xu (路旭), a visiting study and research participant and engineer at Ningxia Transportation Science Research Institute Co., Ltd. (宁夏交通科学研究所有限公司), said: "This training both fills gaps in theoretical knowledge and solves practical problems. I will bring the real problems from the engineering front line to the laboratory, and bring frontier results back to the worksite."
This training effort is an important measure in Ningxia's in-depth implementation of the strategy of strengthening the region through talent and deepening east-west sci-tech cooperation. It will focus on industrial development and effectively transform the results of study and research into tangible outcomes for industrial transformation and upgrading.

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Beidou Spatiotemporal Information Professional Competition Preliminary Round Kicks Off in Zhuzhou, Hunan

Changsha, August 19 (Reporter Yang Xun (杨迅)) — The preliminary round of the Beidou Spatiotemporal Information Professional Competition of the 15th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition commenced on the 18th in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province.

This edition of the competition collected 349 valid participating projects, covering 26 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, involving 64 key science and technology innovation cities, achieving full coverage of the core regions of the domestic Beidou spatiotemporal information industry. The preliminary round focuses on examining the innovation, technical advancement, market prospects, and team potential of the projects, selecting outstanding projects that represent the frontier level of the Beidou spatiotemporal information field and possess good transformation potential.

This edition of the competition is jointly hosted by the Torch High-Tech Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部火炬高技术产业开发中心), the Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (湖南省科技厅), and the Zhuzhou Municipal Government (株洲市政府). As one of the important activities of the Beidou Summit, this competition is of great significance for building a Beidou innovation highland, accelerating the transformation of achievements, and enhancing Zhuzhou's influence in the Beidou spatiotemporal information industry. At that time, the projects advancing to the semifinals will be publicly announced on the official website of the China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

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Editor: Zhi Chunli, Chen Yuanyuan, Yin Yan

Layout design: Zhang Fangman (张芳曼)

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How other countries strengthen drowning prevention education and governance (International Perspective)

By: 本报记者 谢亚宏 汪思源 白元琪

Summer vacation is a period of high incidence of drowning accidents among minors. Data from the World Health Organization shows that drowning is one of the important causes of accidental death among children globally; the latest statistics from the United Nations Children's Fund indicate that more than 96,000 adolescents and children under the age of 20 lose their lives to drowning worldwide each year. To strengthen drowning prevention safety education and governance, Greece, South Korea, Cambodia and other countries, in light of their respective national conditions, have adopted comprehensive measures across such dimensions as skills instruction in schools, water area risk prevention and control, and coordinated social governance, striving to reduce the incidence of drowning accidents.

Incorporating drowning prevention and survival swimming skills into the compulsory education system

Incorporating drowning prevention and survival swimming skills into the compulsory education curriculum is a major measure adopted by many countries to enhance young people's self-rescue capabilities and reduce drowning risks.

As a Mediterranean coastal country, Greece has a long coastline, numerous islands, and frequent water activities, making drowning safety risks relatively prominent. In recent years, the Greek government has vigorously promoted the introduction of swimming and water safety education into the classroom. In June 2025, the country's Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports officially announced the gradual inclusion of swimming as a compulsory content of primary school physical education: in the 2025–2026 school year, swimming classes will first be offered in the third grade, with the curriculum incorporating knowledge of underwater hazard identification and basic lifesaving; in the 2026–2027 school year, the program will be further extended to the fourth grade, with full-time coordinators appointed to optimize curriculum implementation. According to the plan, 10 to 12 swimming classes are arranged per school year, each lasting two hours, with a small-class teaching configuration of one instructor responsible for approximately 10 students, accompanied throughout by school physical education teachers.

To ensure the participation of students in remote areas, local schools cooperate with municipal and regional administrative departments to provide free transportation services, covering all schools within 25 kilometers of swimming pools. To date, more than 52,000 students have participated in the program, setting a new record for participation. Taking Zakynthos Island as an example, 720 students from 19 schools have participated in swimming classes, and in the new school year, the island's mountain-area primary schools and special education schools will also be included in the scope of services, expanding the total number of covered students to 800.

South Korea is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and young people have abundant water-related activities. After the sinking of the ferry "Sewol" in 2014, the South Korean government positioned "survival swimming education" as an important component of campus safety education. The South Korean Ministry of Education promoted the full integration of "survival swimming education" into the national primary school physical education curriculum, issuing the "Primary School Survival Swimming Education Manual" in 2019, which specifies teaching priorities by grade: first and second grades focus on water environment adaptation and eliminating fear of water; third and fourth grades focus on teaching survival floating techniques, basic self-rescue, and elementary rescue knowledge; fifth and sixth grades carry out skill consolidation and comprehensive emergency response training under complex scenarios. Since 2023, Songpa District of Seoul has established a normalized cooperation mechanism with the Korea Coast Guard, offering practical courses at the Safety Experience Education Center, covering the correct wearing of life jackets, body temperature maintenance in low-temperature environments, practical floating skills such as the "shrimp-back float" and the "leaf float," as well as preliminary drowning rescue methods.

In response to the current high incidence of child drowning, Cambodian anti-drowning public welfare organizations have continued to promote free children's survival swimming courses in high-risk communities. In May this year, the organization launched a new round of swimming training for primary school students in Siem Reap Province, providing basic swimming training for more than 100 children, while simultaneously popularizing water safety rules, hazard identification, and self-rescue skills after falling into water. De Sala, head of the Cambodian anti-drowning public welfare organization, stated that the organization plans to extend water safety education to at least 10,000 children over the next two years, with 1,000 of them receiving systematic survival swimming course training.

Strengthening management of high-risk water areas and improvement of supporting facilities

Focusing on key water areas and public spaces with high incidence of drowning accidents, strengthening source governance and facility support constitutes the key lever for countries to reduce drowning accident rates.

In recent years, governments at all levels in South Korea have continuously improved the safety management system for public water recreation spaces. According to data from the South Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety, in the summer of 2025, a total of 17 people died in water recreation accidents in the country, with the incident locations concentrated at seasides, rivers, and streams, and safety negligence and insufficient swimming skills being the most prominent accident triggers. This year, the South Korean government introduced and implemented the "2026 Summer Water Safety Management Measures," strengthening on-site safety management and emergency response capabilities for water recreation: in accident-prone key areas such as rivers, mountain streams, sea bathing beaches, and national parks, approximately 5,700 safety management personnel have been deployed, an increase of more than 340 compared to last year, while further strengthening personnel safety training and daily on-site management standards.

A reporter observed at the swimming pools and wading areas of Seoul's Han River Park that the sites are divided into activity zones for adults, adolescents, children, and infants and toddlers, equipped with full-time safety officers, medical rooms, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), first-aid kits, and other equipment, with staff strengthening on-site surveillance through watchtowers and surveillance cameras. According to introductions, the staff here also regularly receive safety training such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, forming a water safety guarantee system covering advance prevention, on-site monitoring, and emergency rescue.

Data from the United Nations Children's Fund shows that Cambodia's drowning mortality rate reaches 7.6 per 100,000, twice the Southeast Asian average; among them, the drowning rate for people aged 1 to 17 reaches 35 per 100,000, with more than 2,000 minors losing their lives to drowning each year.

Rural areas of Cambodia are high-incidence zones for accidents, where grassroots rescue forces and safety protection facilities are relatively weak. According to the country's "2025–2030 National Strategic Plan for Drowning Prevention and Management" issued in 2025, grassroots governments at all levels are required to regularly conduct blanket investigations of dangerous water areas such as rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and irrigation canals, establish risk lists, and implement daily inspection and management protection systems. During high-incidence periods for accidents such as school holidays and the rainy season, village cadres and volunteers strengthen patrols and duty at watersides, promptly persuading children playing in dangerous water areas to leave. In view of the characteristics of left-behind children during summer vacation and children of migrant worker families, some communities have established supervised daycare centers and children's activity venues with dedicated personnel, reducing the risk of accidental falls into water for young children from the perspective of activity space.

Building a multi-stakeholder coordinated long-term drowning prevention governance system

As a systemic public health issue, countries have built multi-stakeholder coordinated long-term drowning prevention governance systems through such means as introducing top-level plans, strengthening publicity and education, and popularizing first-aid skills.

As early as 2015, Greece launched the "National Water Safety Plan" through its Ministry of Health. The plan adopts a model combining distance learning with on-site training, offering online education modules such as "Drowning: Prevention, Rescue, Treatment" and "Swimming Pool Water Safety," and developing educational demonstration materials and popular science reading materials for children for primary and secondary schools. After more than 10 years of continuous promotion, the plan has complemented required school courses and significantly enhanced public water safety awareness, particularly among young people and children.

South Korea has continuously improved the advance prevention system for youth water safety, promoting the gradual expansion of water safety management from accident emergency response to such aspects as risk prevention, daily safety education, and proactive protection. Through measures such as issuing safety warnings and disaster prevention information in advance, promoting experiential safety education, popularizing survival swimming skills, and carrying out family safety education, the country has further tightened the water safety protection network coordinated among schools, families, and society.

Located in Ansan City, South Korea, the Gyeonggi Maritime Safety Experience Center has, since its opening in July 2021, continuously carried out practical programs such as student survival swimming, maritime safety education, family safety experiences, emergency response, and first-aid training. As of June 2026, it has received a cumulative total of approximately 335,000 visitors. Some regions of South Korea have begun exploring the inclusion of parents in survival swimming and water safety education, promoting closer integration of school education, family guardianship, and local public safety forces. For example, in 2026, the Sejong Special Self-Governing City Office of Education carried out the "Survival Swimming Together with Parents" activity, guiding parents and students to jointly learn water safety skills.

Cambodia's "2025–2030 National Strategic Plan for Drowning Prevention and Management" positions prevention first, source governance, and whole-population participation as the priorities of drowning prevention work. In terms of publicity and education, local authorities popularize drowning prevention knowledge through various forms such as short videos, village radio broadcasts, school classrooms, and community lectures, and increase the frequency of publicity during the summer vacation period, guiding young people and children to consciously refrain from entering water without permission, swimming in groups without authorization, or diving in to rescue others blindly.

Professional institutions across Cambodia carry out scientific first-aid skills training such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation for grassroots residents, correcting erroneous rescue methods such as "hanging upside down to drain water," and improving the success rate of on-site treatment of drowning accidents. In addition, Cambodia has established a unified drowning data collection and risk assessment mechanism, integrating accident statistics, key water area monitoring, flood risk analysis, and other information, providing a basis for accurately identifying high-risk areas, optimizing resource allocation, and improving prevention and control measures. Sam Say, Secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Health, stated that drowning prevention is not only a public health issue, but also requires the joint participation of the government, schools, families, and all sectors of society to build a child safety protection system covering urban and rural areas.

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Brazilian New Energy Vehicle Sales Hit Record High

By: 本报记者 时元皓

In the first half of this year, Brazil's new energy vehicle market experienced rapid growth, with hybrid and pure electric model sales rising significantly year-on-year, setting a new historical record. Benefiting from multiple favorable factors including policy support, increasingly complete charging infrastructure, and rising consumer recognition, Brazil's new energy vehicle market share has continued to expand. Chinese new energy vehicle brands occupy a mainstream position in the Brazilian market with strong product strength, and are accelerating localized production layouts, helping to drive the green upgrade and industrialization development of Brazil's automotive industry.

According to the latest data from Brazil's National Federation of Motor Vehicle Distribution, from January to July this year, Brazil's passenger car and light commercial vehicle registrations reached approximately 1.625 million units, up 19% year-on-year. Among them, new energy models showed rapid growth momentum, with hybrid vehicle registrations of approximately 191,000 units, up 88% year-on-year; pure electric vehicle registrations exceeded 116,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 209%. The organization's president, Asselio Junior, stated that although the overall size of Brazil's new energy vehicle market remains smaller than the fuel vehicle market, its market share is steadily and continuously expanding, and the industry's development momentum is positive.

To accelerate the development of the new energy vehicle industry, the Brazilian government launched the "Green Mobility and Innovation Plan" (绿色出行和创新计划) in 2024, supporting new energy vehicle technology research and development through tax credit policies. For ride-hailing, taxi, and other practitioners, the Brazilian government recently introduced a vehicle renewal plan offering low-interest preferential financing schemes to reduce the cost of purchasing new energy vehicles for practitioners. The Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association believes that new energy vehicles have lower operating costs and more stable expenditures, attracting a large number of industry practitioners to choose to replace their vehicles with electric models, effectively driving market demand growth.

Although Brazil's new energy vehicle charging pile construction started relatively late, it has seen significant growth in recent years. Relevant survey data from May this year shows that Brazil has cumulatively built more than 25,000 charging piles, an increase of nearly 21% compared to February, with the new additions in three months nearly matching the total increase of the entire previous year. At the same time, the number of cities covered by charging piles increased from 1,649 to 1,832, with infrastructure construction accelerating in remote areas of the Midwest and Northeast regions, changing the pattern where electric mobility was concentrated only in developed cities. David Bertoncello, communications director of the Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association, stated that local charging infrastructure has moved beyond the pilot stage and entered a phase of large-scale construction.

Brazilian consumers' confidence in new energy vehicles is also continuously strengthening. A survey by Indicata, a used car industry consulting agency, shows that the circulation efficiency of used electric vehicles in Brazil has significantly improved, with multiple BYD models becoming hot-selling used car models within 4 years of vehicle age. The rising turnover rate of used cars has broken the market's entrenched impression that electric vehicles are "hard to sell." Industry insiders analyze that against the backdrop of frequent fluctuations in international oil prices, electric vehicles combine the advantages of low-carbon environmental protection and avoiding the risk of fossil fuel price fluctuations, making them the preferred choice for more and more consumers.

Chinese new energy vehicle brands are widely popular in the Brazilian market. Data from Brazil's National Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that Brazil imported more than 280,000 vehicles in the first half of the year, with nearly half coming from China. In terms of brand sales, BYD ranked fourth in Brazilian passenger car sales, while Chinese brands such as Chery, Great Wall, and Geely made the top 15 sales list. In the hybrid and pure electric market segments, BYD Dolphin Mini and Great Wall Haval topped the two category sales charts respectively, with the top three in both categories being Chinese brand models. Igor Calvet, president of Brazil's National Association of Automobile Manufacturers, believes that high local market demand and Chinese automakers' continued overseas expansion together drive the rapid development of Chinese automotive brands in Brazil.

Facing Brazil's new energy vehicle import tariff restored to 35% since July this year, Chinese automakers are actively making localized production arrangements. In 2025, BYD's and Great Wall's Brazilian factories were successively put into operation, and Geely Automobile also reached a cooperation project with the Renault Group at the end of 2025 to produce new energy vehicles. Since this year, Changan Automobile's Brazilian factory has officially started production, GAC Group plans to establish a factory in Brazil to produce automobiles, and Great Wall has announced it will set up a second factory in Brazil. Antonio Diegues, coordinator of the Industrial and Technological Economics Center at the University of Campinas in Brazil, stated that Chinese enterprises have innovated automotive technology research and development and production methods, injecting new vitality into the local industrialization process. "Chinese automakers have created a window of opportunity for Brazil's automotive industry."

(Our newspaper, Rio de Janeiro, August 19)

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Global Scan

Japanese Media Reveals: Ruling Coalition "Performs a Duet" to Challenge the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles"

According to Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, August 18 (Reporters Chen Ze'an, Li Ziyue) — Japan's Mainichi Shimbun revealed on the evening of the 18th that the Japanese Prime Minister's Office had requested that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ruling coalition partner, Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), go "one step further" in re-examining the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

The "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" refer to "not possessing, not producing, and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons." In June of this year, Nippon Ishin submitted a proposal to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae regarding the year-end revision of the "three security documents," in which it stated regarding the "not permitting introduction" item of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" that "a realistic examination should be conducted."

The report stated that a person related to Nippon Ishin revealed the inside story, saying: "The Liberal Democratic Party is constrained by various burdens and cannot say certain necessary words. The Prime Minister's Office made a request to us: 'We hope you will go one step further.'"

According to the disclosure, before the proposal was submitted, multiple senior figures of the party, including Nippon Ishin co-representative Fujita Fumitake, as well as former senior official of the Japanese Ministry of Defense Shimada Kazuhisa and former Chief of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force Iwata Kiyofumi, secretly discussed the wording of the proposal. The proposal adopted Shimada's opinions almost verbatim.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported that one of the backgrounds behind the re-emergence of discussions on re-examining the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" is that the United States is advancing a development plan for sea-based nuclear cruise missiles. The estimated range of these missiles is approximately 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers, and they are expected to be deployed after 2032. Submarines carrying these missiles may operate in waters around Japan and make port calls at the U.S. military's Yokosuka base in Japan.

Takaichi had already expressed her intention to revise the "not permitting introduction" item before assuming the post of Prime Minister. The Mainichi Shimbun disclosed that senior Nippon Ishin figures said that when compiling the proposal, they "maintained close communication with people around the Prime Minister." These people include Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru, as well as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister in charge of security policy Onoue Sadamasa, among others.

ROK-U.S. Joint Military Exercise to End 6 Days Earlier

According to Xinhua News Agency, Seoul, August 19 (Reporters Zhang Can, Sun Yiran) — The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on the 19th that the ROK-U.S. "Ulchi Freedom Shield" joint military exercise, originally scheduled to be held from the 17th to the 27th, will end 6 days earlier on the 21st, with the schedule shortened by more than half.

The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement on the 19th that, based on a proposal from the U.S. side, the ROK and U.S. sides decided to adjust certain contents including the timing and scale of the exercise. The exercise period has been adjusted to August 17–21. In addition, the two sides decided to reduce some joint field maneuver training, and the specific adjustments are still under consultation.

According to another report by Yonhap News Agency on the 18th, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Xavier Brunson held talks that day with ROK Minister of National Defense An Kyu-baek. ROK media reported that it is believed externally that the decision to reduce the exercise was finalized during these talks.

U.S. Media Says Pentagon Assessing Reduction of Military Presence in the Gulf Region

According to Xinhua News Agency, Washington, August 19 — According to a report by the U.S. Washington Post on the 18th, citing some U.S. officials and informed sources, affected by the Iran war, the Pentagon is assessing whether to reduce the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.

The report said that large U.S. overseas military bases have been attacked by Iran for several months and damaged, and the Pentagon has a rare opportunity to reconsider its military presence in the region, with one important aspect being whether to withdraw troops from the Gulf region. Previously, the U.S. Department of Defense had indicated that it might not rebuild bases on the scale that existed before the conflict. The report disclosed that the U.S. military typically deploys approximately 40,000 troops at nearly 20 locations in the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated in July that U.S. expenditures on the war against Iran had reached $37.5 billion. Additionally, according to an April estimate by the American Enterprise Institute, rebuilding the attacked U.S. military bases may require an additional $5 billion.

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North America hit by 'historic wildfire season' in multiple regions

By: 本报记者 李志伟

Over recent days, parts of Canada and the United States have suffered severe drought and extreme high temperatures, with wildfires breaking out in concentrated clusters and spreading rapidly, forcing large numbers of residents to evacuate. The disaster situation in western Canada and the western United States is especially severe, and the speed of fire development has exceeded official expectations.

The Canadian federal government reported on August 18 that there are currently 582 active wildfires across the country, 31 of which are out of control. Affected by high temperatures and drought, the wildfire risk in the country will remain at a relatively high level over the coming weeks. Since the beginning of this year, Canada has experienced a cumulative total of 4,793 wildfires, with a total burned area of 41,000 square kilometers. The number of wildfires is more than 200 higher than in the same period last year, but the burned area is lower than in the same period last year.

Canada's British Columbia province has been hit hardest. The province declared a state of emergency on August 8, with evacuation orders covering multiple areas including Summerland and Peachland. Among them, the town of Summerland, with a population of about 12,000, faces a severe fire situation; local wildfires have spread over approximately 184 square kilometers, some homes and property have been destroyed, and people have died in the fires. Because the fire spread extremely quickly, firefighters at one point suspended direct firefighting operations and gave priority to assisting residents in evacuating. British Columbia Premier David Eby stated that the speed of fire spread has exceeded the expectations of official forecasting models, and some residents had almost no time to evacuate. "This may signal that a new form of wildfire disaster has arrived."

The wildfire season disaster in the United States is equally severe. Data from the National Interagency Fire Center show that on August 1, 84 large-scale wildfires were burning across the country, the vast majority concentrated in the West, with more than 26,000 firefighting and rescue personnel deployed to firefighting operations. Statistics from the center in mid-July show that since the beginning of this year, the United States has handled 46,509 wildfires nationwide, with a total burned area of approximately 25,900 square kilometers; these two figures are respectively 126% and 155% of the 10-year average. Oregon's cumulative burned area is approximately 10,000 square kilometers, already breaking the 2024 record and becoming the most severe wildfire season on record for the state. Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency. According to media reports, this "historic wildfire season" has already destroyed at least 846 buildings in Washington State. At present, firefighting manpower and materials in many parts of the United States are approaching their load ceilings.

Sustained extreme high temperatures are an important trigger for the high incidence of wildfires in this round. A "heat dome" weather system is enveloping most of Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued high-temperature warnings to many areas. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that in July this year, the average temperature across the 48 contiguous U.S. states reached 24.94 degrees Celsius, 0.07 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record from the 1936 "Dust Bowl" period, making it the hottest month since weather records began in 1895. Sustained high temperatures combined with long-term drought have left surface vegetation extremely dry, creating conditions for the rapid spread of wildfires.

Meteorological departments predict that, affected by sustained drought, the high-risk period for wildfires in North America will continue for several more months. In addition, meteorological forecasts indicate a relatively high probability of a warm winter in North America this year, and extreme disaster conditions will continue to compound, with the risk of subsequent fire situations potentially rising further. Susan Prichard, a fire ecologist at the University of Washington, stated that climate change is continuously accelerating, the window period for mountain forests to become flammable is constantly lengthening, and whether fire sources originate from accidents, human activity, or lightning strikes, they can easily ignite forests.

(Our newspaper, Washington, August 19)

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本版责编：岳林炜 刘 刚 魏 贺

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Shanxi Opera: A Living Stage of Talent and Tradition (Cultural China Tour · Cultural Observation · Drama Revitalization Series Report ⑤)

By: 本报记者 付明丽 人民网记者 焦搏文

On Saturday night, at the Jin Opera Art Center in Taiyuan, Shanxi, the regular performance brand "Jin Art in Action · Weekend Theater" arrived as scheduled. The Jin Opera Qingfeng Pavilion (清风亭), choreographed by the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute, commenced its singing, with masters leading and rising stars performing together on the same stage, attracting many spectators.

Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of Chinese opera in China and currently possesses 38 opera genres, making it the province with the most opera genres in the country. The Four Great Shanxi Bangzi—Puju, Jinju, Beilu Bangzi, and Shangdang Bangzi—continue the ancient melodic bloodlines like living fossils. In recent years, Shanxi has integrated the protection and inheritance of local opera into the coordinated promotion of the public cultural service system, continuously increasing support from policy support and funding investment to talent cultivation and troupe reform. Recently, reporters went deep into troupes in three locations in Shanxi to interview them and see how Jinju, Puju, and Linxian Daoqing Opera (临县道情戏) are revitalizing their new vitality.

Setting the Stage

Letting new seedlings stay and train within the troupes

On stage, actors perform with composure; below the stage, spectators watch the opera under umbrellas. The mellow Jinju singing melodies blend with the pitter-patter of rain, creating a unique and moving charm.

The Youth Corps of the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute was invited to perform in Zhongyang County, Luliang City, for seven shows over four days, featuring both classic repertoires such as Xiahedong (下河东) and Qingfeng Pavilion, as well as newly arranged Jinju pieces such as Fan Jin Passes the Imperial Examination (范进中举) and Below Lanzhou Mountain (烂柯山下). "The young people in the troupe are already able to stand on their own!" Watching this scene, Xie Tao, director of the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute, was full of gratification.

A talent gap among young actors is a common developmental problem faced by many opera genres across the country. Around 2019, more than half of the in-service personnel at the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute were over fifty years old. As one of the Four Great Shanxi Bangzi, Jinju has a long history, and the urgency of talent inheritance has become increasingly prominent. Xie Tao was deeply worried about this: "The inheritance of Jinju cannot wait, and it certainly cannot be slow!"

In 2020, the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute signed a strategic cooperation agreement for Jinju talent cultivation with Luliang Arts School to jointly build a talent training base, recruiting an initial batch of 63 students with an average age of 16.

Grasping livelihood security with one hand and teaching/cultivation with the other—the Taiyuan municipal finance department fully bears the costs of the base's food, lodging, teaching consumables, and substitute teacher salaries, and issues special living subsidies to each student to remove any worries for students from mountainous areas learning opera; several retired veteran artists within the institute have actively devoted themselves to teaching, serving as artistic instructors for students, and 21 active backbone performers and staff members teach full-time, constructing a systematic teaching system.

"With no worries about food or housing, and professional teachers imparting everything they know, we have no reason not to settle down and practice our skills hard." Wen Junjun, from Linxian, was among the first batch of students at the base; he was only 14 when he joined the class, and now he has already begun to make a name for himself among the youth.

The path of learning opera is full of hardships. In summer, one must wear a heavy back cushion that cannot be removed for the entire performance, making it so hot one can hardly breathe. When performing martial opera, one fears the headpiece will fall off, so it is tied tightly, pulling the temples painfully. "If one practices ten parts of the foundation below the stage, it is truly rare to be able to perform even two or three parts' worth upon taking the stage." Yan Siying, who specializes in the Daomadan (刀马旦, female roles involving martial arts) role, is very determined: "To sing well and grow into an excellent opera actor, one must only grit one's teeth and 持之以恒 (chí zhī yǐ héng - "hold on with perseverance," to persevere/persist)." Currently, Yan Siying is a main actor in the Youth Corps of the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute, playing leading roles in classic grand plays such as The Female Generals of the Yang Family (杨门女将), King Qi Pulling the Horse (齐王拉马), and Flooding Jinshan (水漫金山).

During the years of running the school, the base has rehearsed nearly 20 grand plays for students, such as The General at the Three Passes (三关点帅), King Qi Pulling the Horse, and Striking the Golden Branch (打金枝), as well as over 30 martial opera excerpts, including Zhong Kui Marrying off His Sister (钟馗嫁妹), Battle in the Intestines (盘肠战), and The Eighteen Arhats Capturing the Great Roc (十八罗汉收大鹏). "The base adheres to promoting learning through performance; as long as there is an opportunity to take the stage, we will arrange it as much as possible to help the children quickly adapt to a real stage," Xie Tao said.

In 2024, the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute optimized its troupe structure, officially forming a youth performance troupe with the students trained at the base as the main force. Initially, it was difficult for the youth corps to independently develop the market, so the troupe arranged for masters and famous teachers to lead them in performing together on stage. After more than a year of touring both within and outside the province, from rural stages to urban theaters, this young team has traveled through many places in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, gradually accumulating a good reputation.

"If you perform once, they don't know who you are; perform twice, and they applaud you; perform three times, and they call your name; perform four times, and they come up to ask for a photo with you." Wen Junjun remembers that before one performance, while he was applying makeup, a spectator came over and pulled a hand-drawn portrait from a pocket, which was exactly his appearance when performing Shuangxia Shan (双下山). "That was the first time I truly experienced what a fan is. In my heart, that drawing was a certificate of merit."

Since the training base was established, it has recruited a cumulative total of over 130 students, with about 70 percent ultimately staying.

On the evening of June 30, the second "Inheritance · Prime Years" series of youth opera actor performances concluded successfully. Over 10 days and 10 shows, it gathered multiple genres including Jinju, Qinqiang, and Yuju; all youth actors aged 18 to 45 from the Taiyuan Jin Opera Art Research Institute took the stage, and youth opera talents from troupes inside and outside the province engaged in mutual learning and exchange on the same stage. The offline exhibition received a cumulative total of nearly 6,000 spectators, with an overall average occupancy rate exceeding 85%.

"When catching a good era, one must seize the opportunity to set the stage well and steadily pass down the treasures handed to us by our predecessors," Xie Tao said.

Integration

New forms help small genres sing loudly and spread widely

With the sanxian (three-stringed lute) providing the base, the banhu (two-stringed fiddle) providing atmosphere, and the suona (double-reed horn) adding color, the singing melodies are quiet and simple, and the lyrics are popular and easy to understand... Daoqing Opera, which is popular in Northwest Shanxi, Linxian, and the area along the Yellow River in the Luliang Mountains, sings of the various aspects of human life and the smoke and fire of daily domesticity, gaining wide popularity among the people.

However, in the 1990s, traditional Daoqing Opera declined, performances became increasingly rare, and the survival of troupes became difficult.

It is not only Daoqing Opera. "Shanxi has 26 endangered opera genres, and most of these genres do not have state-owned troupes or have only one state-owned troupe." Zhang Weijun, deputy director of the Art Department of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (山西省文旅厅), introduced that the practitioners, performable repertoires, and performance activities for these genres are relatively few, and their distribution areas are limited.

The inheritance and development of endangered genres cannot be separated from policy support. Since 2017, Shanxi has included "providing ten thousand free opera performances to the countryside every year" in the provincial government's livelihood projects. In 2021, the Shanxi Province Endangered Opera Genre Rescue Project Work Plan and supporting measures were issued, purchasing public welfare performance services for the 26 endangered genres at a standard of 5,000 yuan per performance. Since 2023, the scope of purchase has expanded to 31 rare genres, benefiting 66 troupes.

"With policy backing, we have more mental energy to create, slowly groping out new forms such as 'combining song and dance, combining opera and dance, combining music and dance, and combining literature and dance,' helping small genres sing loudly and spread widely," introduced Qu Quanming, former director of the Linxian Daoqing Research Center (Luliang City Cultural and Art Center).

The essence of a troupe lies in people. Qu Quanming puts forward requirements for actors of "one word, one dance, one painting, one song, and one sentence (Mandarin)": "Only with a high-quality team of actors can creation have continuous endogenous momentum."

In these two years, the National Arts Fund-funded project, the Linxian Daoqing Opera Clear River (大河清清), is a brand-new attempt. Unlike traditional Daoqing Opera, this play incorporates a large amount of dance elements. Opera actors take on the main roles, while dancers participate in the stage narrative using their body movements and recitation, bringing a touch of modernity.

"Since 2020, we have opened recitation courses for dancers. This not only serves the creation of newly arranged Daoqing repertoires but also allows dancers to practice the skill of 'opening their mouths' to broaden their professional directions," Qu Quanming said.

New forms are also reflected in the playing of musical instruments. In Clear River, in order to enhance the atmosphere, instruments such as the cello and bass were added. "Instrumentation can be boldly attempted, but the flavor of Daoqing must not be lost. The main melody always originates from traditional instruments such as the banhu, guanzi (oboe), and da sanxian (large three-stringed lute)," introduced Gao Yanchun, a musician at the Linxian Daoqing Research Center.

Such exploration is still ongoing. During this year's "May Day" holiday, the "Daoqing Echoes" symphony concert, jointly produced by the China Symphony Orchestra and the Linxian Daoqing Research Center, was performed at the Beijing Concert Hall. In the creation of the fifth movement "Spring and Autumn on the Stage" of the symphonic poem-painting Qikou (碛口), composer Zhang Qianyi used the melodies of Daoqing Opera as the background color; as soon as the suona sounded, it instantly pulled the audience back to the ancient town of Qikou in Linxian on the banks of the Yellow River. The simple melodies of Linxian Daoqing Opera also added a unique charm to the symphonic art.

Linxian Daoqing Opera has stepped from a small-scale genre within a county onto the grand national stage step by step. "Adhering to correctness without adhering to the old, and innovating without losing roots. We will continue to polish high-quality works and strive to let the ancient Daoqing continuously glow with new life in the new era," introduced Ma Xiaoyan, director of the Linxian Daoqing Research Center. In recent years, the center has received funding from the National Arts Fund many times and has won over a hundred provincial and ministerial-level honors.

Polishing the Opera

Letting new repertoires be presentable and established through polishing

"Who knows when they will sing Jingwei Fills the Sea (精卫填海)? That is the signature play of the Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe." Cui Yuzhu, a villager from Cui Village in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, was inquiring in a WeChat group. Cui Village has a tradition of holding a temple fair on the third day of the fourth lunar month. This year, the village invited the Linfen Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe to perform.

On the day of the performance, the seats below the stage were packed. The troupe's young actor Liang Jing played "Jingwei"; as the plot progressed, her specialized skills such as double whips, water sleeves, plume work, and flying kneeling appeared one after another, drawing cheers from the audience.

Puju is named because it flourished in the ancient Pu Prefecture area of southern Shanxi; it is the oldest of the Four Great Shanxi Bangzi, characterized by high-pitched and rapid melodies, being rugged and unrestrained, and possessing a deep audience base.

More than 30 years ago, screenwriter Jia Ren created the script for Jingwei Fills the Sea, but because the role of "Jingwei" requires an actor to complete cross-role performances of Huadan, Qingyi, and Daomadan within a single play, combined with high rehearsal costs, the script remained shelved. In 2023, after careful consideration, the Linfen Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe decided to take on the script. Liang Jing entered the profession at age 12, specializing in Daomadan and Xiaodan roles; her solid foundation in both literary and martial skills made her the incomparable choice for "Jingwei."

With the right actor, how can an old story be told with new meaning? "We established the concept of 'ancient but not old, new but not departing from the essence,' using formal innovation to generate resonance with young audiences," said Wang Xiaotong, the director of Jingwei Fills the Sea.

To this end, the directing and editing team spent more than two years polishing the script, both preserving the traditional artistic essence—demonstrating traditional skills such as Bangzi melodies, water sleeves, and plume work—and utilizing modern technological means to innovate in aspects such as scenery, lighting, makeup, sound effects, and props to enhance visual effects.

The actors also put in hard work. The martial arts in the play are dense, involving strikes, spear kicks, whip play... not a single movement can be out of sync. "Everyone polishes it time and again, practicing until their whole bodies feel broken, and then coming back the next day," Liang Jing said.

In 2025, during the final evaluation of the 32nd China Drama Plum Blossom Award held in Shanghai, Liang Jing successfully won the "Plum Blossom Award" based on her exquisite performance in Jingwei Fills the Sea.

This play not only conquered the judges but also won over young audiences. Liu Zhuoli, a student from the Fifth Middle School of Changzhi City, watched it at the Taiyuan Youth Palace Performing Arts Center and then made a special trip to Shanghai to "watch it a second time" at the Plum Blossom Award final evaluation site. "The martial arts and specialized skills in the latter half are especially good to watch," Liu Zhuoli said.

Good plays cannot only remain in large city theaters; they must also be performed for the common people. "The original lineup is large and the stage design is complex, so the troupe specifically adapted a touring version, using curtains to replace electronic screens to suit rural stages," introduced Bai Yunshan, troupe leader of the Linfen Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe. Currently, Jingwei Fills the Sea has performed in the countryside for more than 30 shows.

In 2024, Shanxi established a provincial art fund, investing 50 million yuan annually, with a focus on supporting opera creation, and the Linfen Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe is a beneficiary. "Only with policy support do we dare to take on grand plays and can polish high-quality works without distraction," Bai Yunshan said.

In addition to Jingwei Fills the Sea, in recent years, new repertoires from the Linfen Xiaomeihua Puju Troupe such as The Old Stork's Nest (老鹳窝), Tears Shed in the Land of Lovesickness (泪洒相思地), and Washing the Iron Hill Tomb (洗雪铁丘坟) have also been deeply loved by audiences. "This year, we have set a new goal: to create one original new play, restage one classic repertoire, and polish another two to three excerpts, bringing more good plays to the doorsteps of the people," Bai Yunshan said.

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Opera protection and inheritance shifts from "soft constraints" to "hard support" (Cultural Salon)

By: 王 馗

Effective August 1 this year, the "Regulations of Henan Province on the Protection, Inheritance and Development of Yu Opera" officially took effect. Through provincial-level local legislation, Henan has systematically standardized the protection, inheritance, and development of local opera genres, marking that the protection of Yu Opera and Henan's local opera genres now has legal basis, moving from "soft constraints" to "hard support." Two months earlier, on June 1, the "Regulations of Wuhan Municipality on the Protection and Inheritance of Han Opera" officially took effect. In response to the promotion and implementation of the "Three-Year Action Plan for the Revitalization of Drama (2026–2028)" jointly issued by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and four other departments, these two local regulations have become important markers of advancing the high-quality development of opera art in the new era.

Opera legislation is an important institutional safeguard for promoting the protection and inheritance of opera.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 20 local regulations have already been implemented in relevant localities, including the "Regulations of Shantou Municipality on the Protection and Inheritance of Chao Opera" and the "Regulations of Shaanxi Province on the Protection, Inheritance and Development of Qinqiang Opera Art." These were essentially all promulgated after the 18th National Congress of the CPC, and the genres protected include Kunqu Opera, Chao Opera, Huai Opera, Min Opera, Qinqiang Opera, Huangmei Opera, Puxian Opera, Wu Opera, Long Opera, Chuan Opera, Yue Opera, Yiyang Qiang, Xi Opera, and Lü Opera. Of China's 348 opera genres and the two theatrical forms of puppet theater and shadow play, the genres covered by the aforementioned local regulations, plus those implemented "by reference" within the said administrative regions, account for nearly 25 percent of the total number of opera genres nationwide. Although the number of genres protected remains somewhat limited, this nonetheless demonstrates the cultural intent and active efforts of various localities since the new era to seek effective protection and orderly development for opera art through local legislative means.

Traditional opera is one of the important categories of intangible cultural heritage. Both the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China" and the intangible cultural heritage protection regulations promulgated by relevant provinces and municipalities list traditional opera as a primary object of protection and inheritance. In July 2015, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Several Policies on Supporting the Inheritance and Development of Opera," which, through 9 sections and 21 requirements and measures, comprehensively advanced the work system for opera protection and inheritance and the talent cultivation system, while improving the performance troupe system and mechanisms and the safeguard and incentive mechanisms for opera workers. These laws, regulations, and policy measures provide multiple channels for the protection of opera genres, lay the foundation for localities to further introduce local regulations targeting specific genres, and lead the work of opera protection and inheritance to greater depth.

Historically, Chinese opera was dependent on the institutional background of the national ritual-music culture, and was incorporated into national management and guidance through the traditional systems of music officials, music registration, and guilds. As times have changed, Chinese opera has continuously sought institutional and mechanistic safeguards within systems and policies. Since the new era, the Party and the state have attached great importance to opera art, and relevant provinces and autonomous regions have deepened the protection of local opera art through legislative means, achieving comprehensive advancement across national laws, administrative regulations, local regulations, and policy documents.

The most heartbreaking reality in opera development is the loss of both artists and their art due to the lack of stable and timely attention and support. Whether opera can escape such difficulties as the interruption of successor talent and insufficient development funding is closely related to whether national and local opera policies are in place, whether the established systems are effective, and whether the planned programs are sustainable.

In recent years, through the institutionalized development of opera protection and inheritance, the Party and the state have promoted a series of favorable policies to break through, as far as possible, the predicaments constraining the sound development of opera, and to benefit, as comprehensively as possible, China's opera genres: incorporating opera performances into the basic public cultural service catalog with subsidies; promoting "hematopoietic" support for performances of endangered genres; and accelerating the growth of young talent through measures such as "Masters Passing on Their Art," the "Training Program for Leading Talents in Opera Performance," and "Showcases of the Essence of Local Opera"... All of these guide local governments to push opera work deeper and more refined.

The new era provides an unprecedentedly broad stage for the flourishing development of opera. With the escort of laws and regulations and the support of numerous opera policies, opera protection and inheritance are embracing new opportunities for high-quality development. Opera practitioners should cherish this precious opportunity, bearing heavy responsibilities on their shoulders and achieving great things.

(The author is the director of the Institute of Opera Studies of the Chinese Academy of Arts; this article was compiled through an interview by our reporter Zheng Haiou.)

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Millennium clay sculptures go viral via livestream (Rural Vistas)

By: 本报记者 郑海鸥

“We came drawn by its reputation.” At summer noon, with the sun dazzling to the eyes, Zhou Hexian (周荷仙), a Baoji citizen, and her 12-year-old child Di Yihang (狄亦航) were nevertheless very excited: “The child loves intangible cultural heritage and has long wanted to come see Fengxiang clay sculpture.”

Baoji’s Fengxiang District (凤翔区), located in the west of Guanzhong, was called “Yong” in ancient times. Fengxiang clay sculpture (凤翔泥塑) was included in the first batch of the national-level intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. Liuying Village (六营村) has long enjoyed the reputation of “China’s No. 1 Village of Clay Sculpture.” As soon as they entered the village, a more than 20-meter-tall “clay sitting tiger,” brightly colored and with spirited eyes, made the mother and son gasp in admiration.

Entering the “Shaanxi Xinming Clay Sculpture Workshop,” exhibits of varied forms were on display, with visitors coming and going. In the workshop beside, artisans sat upright at their benches, skillfully kneading, shaping, painting… Hu Xinming (胡新明), the national-level representative inheritor of Fengxiang clay sculpture’s intangible cultural heritage, was among them. He kept his head lowered, wholly absorbed in the world of clay in his hands, meticulously polishing every detail of his work.

“I’m designing the zodiac cultural creative product for next year.” Hu Xinming was covered in dust, his hands rough and calloused. “Without putting in painstaking effort, without pouring in one’s heart and soul, the creations you produce will not be brilliant. Spending more than half a year on a fine design is a common occurrence, and I take pleasure in it.”

Hu Xinming has been accompanied by Fengxiang clay sculpture for more than half a century. On the one hand, he delves deep into excavating and organizing the historical culture and technical characteristics of Fengxiang clay sculpture; on the other, he combines it with contemporary aesthetics to continuously develop new products. “The clay zodiac sculptures I designed were selected as the main pattern for zodiac stamps three times, and some works have appeared on CCTV’s stage.” Hu Xinming pointed at the 琳琅满目 (lín láng mǎn mù - “a dazzling array of beautiful things”) works in the workshop and said, “On the basis of upholding tradition, we innovate and develop — engaging in cross-boundary collaborations, going live on streaming platforms, and conducting study tours — so that more young people will fall in love with it.”

On this land, Fengxiang clay sculpture has long been closely linked to the lives of ordinary people. Weddings, the birth of a child, moving house… clay sculptures are all fine gifts.

Today, several hundred cultural creative products of varied forms and diverse meanings, imbued with beautiful expectations for life, have entered more people’s daily lives. Di Yihang was 爱不释手 (ài bù shì shǒu - “love something so much one cannot bear to put it down”) with the distinctive “Qin General Horse” ornament. “Qin General Horse” is the zodiac cultural creative product that Hu Xinming developed together with his son this year. “Combining the forms of unearthed cultural relics, with colors and patterns retaining traditional flavor, we’ve already sold more than 30,000 pieces — you could say it’s ‘a horse hard to come by.’” Hu Xinming said.

Also “a horse hard to come by” is the “Rocking Horse” designed by Han Jianbin (韩建斌), a post-90s generation municipal-level representative inheritor of Fengxiang clay sculpture.

In university, Han Jianbin studied economics. After graduation, he chose to return to his hometown to start a business. “I explored developing a ‘farmers + cooperatives’ model, connecting the entire chain of design, research and development, and sales, establishing my own brand, and attracting villagers to participate.” Han Jianbin also actively expanded outward, seeking innovation and change. “For example, developing co-branded cultural creative products with well-known domestic and international enterprises, letting ‘rustic craftsmanship’ take the big stage.”

In recent years, Shaanxi Province has carried out a plan to multiply new spaces for intangible cultural heritage. Liuying Village has taken advantage of the opportunity to build exhibition and experience spaces for intangible cultural heritage, making clay sculpture elements ubiquitous and integrated into daily life; promoting the deep integration of intangible cultural heritage and tourism, the village has developed into a national 3A-level tourist scenic area and has received titles such as National Ecological Culture Village and Provincial Model Village for Rural Tourism.

The transmission of intangible cultural heritage depends on inheritors. Currently, Liuying Village has 12 representative inheritors, with orderly succession across old, middle-aged, and young generations. 268 households with more than 1,000 people are engaged in clay sculpture production. Last year, the village’s clay sculpture output value exceeded 40 million yuan, received more than 30,000 study tour visits, and clay sculptures were sold to more than 50 countries and regions.

Since May this year, Liuying Village has officially launched online livestreaming of Fengxiang clay sculpture, with inheritors entering the livestream rooms one by one. “Every piece of Fengxiang clay sculpture has vitality. The 13 processes and over a hundred small steps are all done by hand… Everyone, place your orders quickly — slow hands, gone!” In the livestream room, Han Jianbin was full of confidence. Soon, several hundred products were sold out.

“Choose one thing, devote a lifetime to it. Do what you want to do and pour all your effort into doing it well — such a life is very valuable.” Han Jianbin said joyfully that he already has a post-00s apprentice, and quite a few young people are preparing to join the team…

On the yellow earth, the thousand-year-old clay sculpture is radiating new vitality.

(Mi Zebing (弥赜冰) participated in writing)

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本版责编：耿磊

Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Rule of Law Safeguards Green Homes, Civil Code Protects Happy Lives (Upholding and Improving the People's Congress System)

By: 本报记者 倪 弋

On August 15, the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China officially took effect.
That same day, at the Qujiang District People's Court in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the first case in the country to apply the Code was heard.
A seafood shop, for its business needs, had built fish ponds and installed multiple water pumps and oxygenation pumps, with the equipment running continuously 24 hours a day. The low-frequency vibration noise transmitted upward through the floor slabs and walls, causing a second-floor resident, Ms. Zhang, to suffer from long-term insomnia and anxiety, for which she sought medical treatment. Unable to bear the disturbance, Ms. Zhang filed a lawsuit with the court. The shop owner, however, argued: the noise decibel readings did not exceed the standard — on what grounds should liability be imposed?
Does meeting the standard necessarily mean no infringement is constituted? The court held that for operational low-frequency noise pollution, determination is not based solely on monitoring data; even if decibel values meet the standard, as long as continuous vibration noise disturbs residents, exceeds the tolerance limits of the general public, and infringes upon residents' right to peaceful habitation, the operator bears liability. The court ruled: the defendant must complete noise reduction and vibration mitigation rectification of the facilities and equipment within a specified period, and compensate the plaintiff for corresponding medical expenses and moral damages.
As China's second law named with the title "Code," the Ecological Environment Code responds to the people's growing needs for a sound ecological environment, uses the strictest system and the most rigorous rule of law to protect the ecological environment, promotes green and low-carbon development, and builds a solid legal foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.

Weaving a "protection net" for the people's ecological environment rights and interests
Chinese-style modernization places the people's livelihood first. "Incorporating 'safeguarding public health and ecological environment rights and interests' into Article 1 of the legislation." Lü Zhongmei, Deputy Director of the Environment and Resources Committee of the National People's Congress, said that the Code directly addresses prominent issues of public concern such as drinking water, air, soil, and noise, and translates a sound ecological environment — the most inclusive form of public wellbeing — into specific rights and obligations.
After sitting in on the first case in the country to apply the Ecological Environment Code, Zhu Xiangxiang, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a Chinese language teacher at Zhengzhai Town Central Primary School in Pujiang County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, said: "The hearing of this case demonstrates the Code's people-centered legislative philosophy, safeguarding the people's right to peaceful habitation."
The Code makes more operational provisions on issues where previous regulations were either principled in nature or contained gaps, such as catering cooking fumes, malodorous gases, and light pollution.
"The Code establishes, for the first time at the legal level, a governance system for emerging pollutants, filling the gap in risk control for emerging pollutants such as antibiotics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and microplastic pollution," Lü Zhongmei said. The Code provides for risk control of chemical substance pollution, and for the prevention and control of electromagnetic radiation and light pollution, bringing emerging pollutants and new types of ecological environment issues of domestic and international concern within the scope of legal regulation.
The safeguarding of ecological environment rights and interests is also reflected in the pathways for rights protection. The Code clarifies that citizens, legal persons, and other organizations have the right, in accordance with law, to obtain ecological environment information and to participate in and supervise ecological environment protection; departments responsible for ecological environment protection supervision and management shall, in accordance with law, disclose ecological environment information, improve public participation procedures, and facilitate the participation of citizens, legal persons, and other organizations in and supervision of ecological environment protection. This means that the public has the right to inquire about air quality, drinking water quality, and pollutant discharge permit information of surrounding enterprises; upon discovering illegal acts such as clandestine sewage discharge, indiscriminate dumping of garbage, or deforestation and land encroachment, they may report them to the relevant departments; and for major construction projects involving the ecological environment, the public has the right to submit opinions during the environmental impact assessment public comment stage.
More critically, the Code opens the door to multiple remedies for damaged rights and interests. In response to the difficulty of evidence collection in civil rights protection, the Code clarifies that the polluting actor bears the burden of proof regarding "the circumstances provided by law for non-liability or mitigation of liability, and the absence of a causal relationship between the act and the damage," thereby reducing the cost of rights protection for citizens. For acts that pollute the environment or damage the ecology and harm the public interest, social organizations meeting the statutory conditions may, in accordance with law, file civil public interest lawsuits with the people's courts; procuratorial organs may support victims in filing lawsuits in ecological environment cases, and pursue the liability of violators through administrative and civil public interest litigation.
From the clarification of the boundaries of square dance volume, to the source prevention and control of cooking fumes from restaurants below residential buildings, "meeting the standard" is no longer a shield against liability — the Code, with its 1,242 articles, weaves a dense rule-of-law protection net in which "rights can be enjoyed, information can be known, conduct can be supervised, and damage can be compensated." Within this protection net, every citizen is both a builder and guardian of a Beautiful China, and the most direct and most inclusive beneficiary.

Protecting the ecological environment with the strictest system and the most rigorous rule of law
Not long ago, the Changshan Islands migratory bird habitat in Liaoning was officially inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site, forming a complete ecological corridor along the flight paths of migratory birds.
Local authorities have expanded the scope of protection to a grand framework of coordinated land-sea management and regional collaboration,统筹 advancing wetland restoration, shoreline management, joint patrols, and digital monitoring. Coastal areas have also continued to carry out the conversion of aquaculture ponds back to wetlands, dredging of tidal channels, restoration of salt marsh vegetation, and control of pollution entering the sea, promoting the integration of heritage site protection with comprehensive coastal zone management.
The Ecological Environment Code treats "human and nature" as a community of life, and protects "mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts" as a community of life.
From "ecosystem protection" and "natural resource protection and sustainable use," to "species protection" and "protection of important geographic units," and further to "prevention and control of ecological degradation" and "ecological restoration," the Code constitutes an organic whole covering all elements, all stages, and all measures; it provides for the protection of ecosystems including forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and lakes, and deserts, and devotes a separate section to the protection of "important river basins and regions such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau."
"The Code clarifies that 'the state establishes a system for zoning control of the ecological environment,' giving legal and standardized form to the ecological conservation redline, the environmental quality bottom line, the resource utilization upper limit, and the ecological environment access list," explained Yu Wenxuan, professor at China University of Political Science and Law. "In the future, for any region, at the very outset of planning and development, the 'bottom line' and 'ceiling' of its ecological environment will be clear legal red lines. Whether a project can proceed, and what kind of project can proceed, must first pass through this 'sieve.'"
The dignity of law lies in its rigid binding force. The Code uses the strictest system and the most rigorous rule of law to build a solid rule-of-law barrier for lucid waters and lush mountains.
Yu Wenxuan said that the Code not only consolidates and improves the penalty provisions in existing laws, but also focuses on raising fine amounts and expanding the types of penalties, while strengthening continuous penalty measures such as "per-day fines." At the same time, the Code systematically provides for liability for ecological environment damage, clarifying that units and individuals that cause ecological environment damage must restore or compensate for the damaged ecological environment, changing the previous situation in which "a fine settled everything" and no one paid for public ecological damage. In addition, it constructs a liability accountability system linking administrative, civil, and criminal liability, making the "combined punch" of deterrence a key pillar of the Code's rigid character.
From the Lianjiang River in Guangdong transforming from an "ink-black river" into an "ecological river" with clear waters and green banks, to Wuliangsuhai Lake where reeds sway and the ecological scene of hundreds of birds soaring has reappeared, to the Qilian Mountains where vegetation flourishes below the glacier snowline and blue sheep roam... the "hard-nut problems" once named and supervised by the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection have now become models of ecological restoration. Ecological and environmental protection inspections have driven the resolution of a large number of chronic ecological environment problems strongly reflected by the public, becoming a "hard lever" for压实 the responsibility of local Party committees and governments for ecological environment protection.
"Incorporating the ecological environment protection inspection system into the Code means that inspections are no longer temporary or ad hoc, but a normalized rule-of-law measure with legal basis and procedural rules. With the Code as the guiding framework, inspections will go deeper and be implemented more solidly on the track of the rule of law, providing more rigid institutional safeguards for the construction of a Beautiful China," said Sun Youhai, professor at Tianjin University.

Promoting green and low-carbon development through high-quality implementation of the Code
In the workshop of Shenzhen Fengfa Technology Development Co., Ltd., the production line for high-efficiency energy-saving motors is running at full capacity. Zhou Qingyu, the company's chairman, is optimistic about the enormous opportunities brought by green transformation and has increased R&D investment year after year: "The Code encourages green and low-carbon development, and particularly emphasizes support for green technology innovation — this is deeply encouraging to us. Green and low-carbon development is not only a responsibility, but also the core competitiveness of the future market."
"The Code answers a question of our era: how to transform the relationship between ecological environment protection and economic and social development from a conflicting 'dilemma' into a mutually integrated 'synergy.'" Qin Tianbao, Director of the Environmental Law Research Institute at Wuhan University and Vice President and Secretary-General of the Environmental Resources Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said that the Code innovatively establishes a "green and low-carbon development" part, which is of forward-looking significance in the history of global environmental code compilation.
The "dual carbon" goals have been translated into authoritative and clear institutional arrangements. The Code actively implements the "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" strategy, elevating to law such key institutions as the total carbon emission and intensity control system, the national carbon emissions trading market, and the national greenhouse gas voluntary emission reduction trading market.
In mid-May of this year, the Qinghai-Henan UHV project — the world's first ultra-high-voltage corridor primarily transmitting new energy — cumulatively transmitted over 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Under the traction of the "dual carbon" goals, the West-to-East Power Transmission program delivers a continuous stream of green electricity to support the energy structure adjustment of the eastern region. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, with energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP cumulatively reduced by 16.1 percent.
Combining constraints and incentives makes green transformation shift from an "option" to a "must." While strengthening constraints on high-energy-consumption and high-emission projects, the Code also supports green industries and environmentally friendly enterprises through diversified policy tools such as fiscal taxation, pricing, government procurement, green credit, and green labeling.
Implementing carbon sink trading turns mountains, forests, and vegetation into quantifiable green assets; exploring ecological compensation mechanisms allows regions and people who safeguard lucid waters and lush mountains to reap ecological dividends; developing under-forest planting and breeding leverages ecological advantages to achieve premium prices for quality agricultural products... In recent years, localities across the country have improved mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products, explored gross ecosystem product accounting, and gradually embarked on a path of "win-win" between ecological protection and economic development. In response, the Ecological Environment Code clarifies that the state improves the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products, forms diversified pathways for realizing the value of ecological products, and advances the ecologization of industry and the industrialization of ecology.
The vitality of law lies in its implementation, and the authority of law also lies in its implementation. To promote the high-quality implementation of the Ecological Environment Code, all departments are joining forces. The General Office of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress sent letters to relevant parties requiring the conduct of centralized cleanup work on regulatory documents involving the Ecological Environment Code; the State Council conducted a cleanup of relevant administrative regulations, deciding to amend provisions of 12 administrative regulations and repeal 3 administrative regulations; the Ministry of Ecology and Environment carried out the cleanup, formulation, and revision of relevant documents, repealing 176 regulatory documents; the Supreme People's Court issued the first batch of supporting judicial interpretations after the Code's implementation, taking effect simultaneously with the Code; and 19 departments and units, including the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, jointly issued a notice deploying study, publicity, and implementation of the Ecological Environment Code.
Law brings stability to the world. By thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, and by persevering without slackening in promoting the high-quality implementation of the Ecological Environment Code, we will surely paint the magnificent picture of a Beautiful China.

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Voice of the People's Congress

Building a Healthy China by 2035 is a strategic decision made by the Party Central Committee. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for achieving this goal. We must make overall plans, step up efforts, and strive for decisive progress. How can we accelerate the building of a Healthy China? Our reporter interviewed four NPC deputies.

— Editor —

Tan Guohe (谭国鹤), NPC deputy and Vice President of Guangxi Medical University (广西医科大学):
Collaboratively weaving a dense modern public health protection network

Building a modern public health system bears on people's health, social stability, and national security.

Deepen social co-governance, integrate the Patriotic Health Campaign (爱国卫生运动) with new-era grassroots governance, and push the focus of work forward toward whole-life-cycle health maintenance. Deepen medical-prevention coordination, improve mechanisms for mutual appointment of personnel, cross-training, and information sharing between medical institutions and disease control institutions, and push prevention and control resources down to county-level medical communities; enhance epidemiological investigation capacity and emergency response capacity, build a strong tiered, layered, and triaged treatment system, emergency medical rescue and pre-hospital emergency care networks, dynamically optimize the types of vaccines in the immunization program, strengthen material support and whole-chain supervision for pharmaceuticals, blood, and biosecurity, and firmly hold the safety bottom line.

Apply artificial intelligence technology in a timely manner, connect data interfaces from multiple sources such as medical institutions, grassroots sentinel posts, and environmental monitoring, so as to precisely trigger integrated medical-prevention disposal processes. Promote the dual binding of "electronic health card + public health work order," so that clinical screening and public health follow-up form a closed loop. Establish dynamic data streams for "slow-variable risks" such as psychological crises and acute exacerbations of COPD, achieve early identification and early intervention, and push medical-prevention integration to truly embed into daily diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, sink digital prevention and control capabilities down, and effectively reduce the burden of frontline data collection and entry.

Accelerate the layout of preventive medicine research, and strengthen research on key technologies in public health, infectious disease prevention and control, and chronic disease management. Fully leverage the integrated advantages of medical universities in medical treatment, education, and research, promote synergy among industry, academia, and research, and push university research achievements to quickly land on the prevention and control frontline; improve training plans for interdisciplinary and composite talents in medicine, prevention, and management, build a two-way training system between universities and disease control institutions and hospitals, and reserve a group of strategic public health scientists.

(Compiled from an interview by our reporter Zhang Yunhe (张云河))

Ma Xiuying (马秀英), NPC deputy and Vice President of the People's Hospital of Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County, Gansu (甘肃积石山保安族东乡族撒拉族自治县人民医院):
Building a high-quality and efficient medical service system

Balanced medical resources are a bottom-line project and, moreover, the foundation for benefiting the people. We must push high-quality medical resources down, focus on strengthening the grassroots, substantively build compact county-level medical communities, and fill the hardware and equipment shortcomings of township health centers and village clinics. Through paired assistance, group-style support, and remote teaching, channel technology, talent, and management to the grassroots, so that the people can obtain high-quality medical services nearby at their doorsteps.

To judge the effectiveness of medical service optimization, one must look at the people's reputation. We should coordinate the whole-chain services of disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and chronic disease management, and do well in whole-life-cycle health management. Deepen the implementation of tiered diagnosis and treatment, standardize the two-way referral mechanism, promote mutual recognition of examination and test results, unblock the bottlenecks of internal collaboration within medical consortia, and improve the operational efficiency of the system. Improve telemedicine, online consultation, and smart medical care platforms, optimize medical treatment processes, use informatization to amplify the effectiveness of high-quality medical services, and enhance the people's medical treatment experience.

Adhere to the public welfare nature of medical and health services, optimize the fiscal investment mechanism, and improve the performance assessment mechanism for public hospitals. Coordinate the synergistic linkage of medical treatment, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals, make good use of medical insurance payment method reform, leverage the role of medical insurance as a lever, guide rational medical treatment, standardize diagnosis and treatment behavior, and reduce the people's medical treatment burden. Optimize salary distribution and professional title evaluation rules, proactively tilt resources and treatment toward the clinical frontline and grassroots medical personnel, and fully stimulate the work enthusiasm of medical workers. At the same time, improve industry supervision and hold the bottom line of medical quality and safety.

(Compiled from an interview by our reporters Wang Jintao (王锦涛) and Zeng Yichen (曾亦辰))

Wu Xiangjun (吴相君), NPC deputy and Chairman of Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (石家庄以岭药业股份有限公司):
Promoting the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasure of Chinese civilization. To promote the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine, we must adhere to upholding integrity and pursuing innovation: plant the roots of tradition deeper and broaden the path of innovation.

Adhere to taking theoretical innovation as the guide. Traditional Chinese medicine culture must keep pace with the times, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, continuously advance theoretical innovation, and enable this traditional culture to forever retain its vitality and vigor.

Adhere to taking scientific and technological innovation as the engine. We must actively advance traditional Chinese medicine research and innovation, focus on using modern science to interpret the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, and promote the combination and mutual promotion of traditional Chinese medicine and modern science. Centering on the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and major difficult and complicated diseases, strengthen scientific research efforts, break through technical bottlenecks, and use scientific and technological means to raise the level of traditional Chinese medicine prevention and treatment.

Adhere to taking product innovation as the foundation. We must fully leverage the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine, research, develop, and produce more innovative products, accelerate the modernization and industrialization of traditional Chinese medicine, and better meet the people's health needs.

Science cannot do without exchange, and innovation cannot do without cooperation. We must also actively build international exchange platforms for traditional Chinese medicine, deepen practical cooperation with various countries in theoretical research, clinical practice, industrial development, and cultural dissemination, and promote traditional Chinese medicine going global.

(Compiled from an interview by our reporter Shao Yuzi (邵玉姿))

Chen Xiaojing (陈小静), NPC deputy, general Party branch secretary and village committee director of Yuantou Village, Yantan Town, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province (浙江省温州市永嘉县岩坦镇源头村):
Integrating health concepts into rural governance

To build a Healthy China, we must not only focus on "treating existing diseases," but also pay more attention to "treating diseases before they occur." Advocating a healthy and civilized lifestyle is the "key" to opening the door to health.

Improving the living environment must take the lead. Only when the rural environment is good can villagers' health be guaranteed. At present, the coverage rate of rural public health facilities is relatively low and their layout is uneven, and the problem of "emphasizing construction while neglecting management and maintenance" is prominent. It is suggested to continue deepening the experience of the "Thousand-Village Demonstration, Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" project (千万工程), push waste management from "building facilities" to "building mechanisms," and promote small-scale sewage treatment facilities 因地制宜 (yīn dì zhì yí - "according to local conditions," to adapt measures to local circumstances). Through establishing village cleaning days, beautiful courtyard evaluations, and the like, guide villagers to develop clean and hygienic habits.

Civilized habits depend on cultivation. We must adhere to 刚柔并济 (gāng róu bìng jì - "combine firmness and flexibility," to use both hard and soft measures) — use rigid constraints to draw the bottom line by writing health and civilization requirements into village rules and covenants; use flexible guidance to set benchmarks, establish nearby models that can be learned from and compared with, create a good atmosphere of striving upward and toward goodness, carry out regular science popularization in ways that the masses are 喜闻乐见 (xǐ wén lè jiàn - "glad to hear and see," loved and welcomed by the people), and lead the new trend of civilization.

Digital empowerment enhances effectiveness. Relying on grassroots governance digital platforms, integrate multi-departmental data, build a "single table" of village-level health information, and implement dynamic monitoring and intelligent early warning for key populations. Vigorously develop digital applications such as telemedicine and online follow-up consultations, break down the barriers between urban and rural medical resources, and unblock the "last kilometer" of resource sinking. Use the data chain to link the service chain and unblock the governance chain, making rural health governance smarter, more precise, and warmer.

(Compiled from an interview by our reporter Dou Hanyang (窦瀚洋))

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Responding to public expectations and advancing the building of a sporting powerhouse

By: 本报记者 亓玉昆

"Tweet!" The whistle sounded; accompanied by drumbeats, in a 3-meter-wide waterway, a dragon boat over 20 meters long shot forward swiftly.
In an instant, the helmsman steered with precision, the paddlers applied force in time with the drum, and as the dragon boat passed the Tantou C-bend course, it drifted close against the waves, and cheers rose from the shore.
In Diebei Community, Guicheng Subdistrict, Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, villagers call the dragon boat a "dragon vessel," and the dragon-boat paddling activity is not merely a program for the Dragon Boat Festival, but also a mass sport through which villagers display their skills daily and strengthen teamwork.
From August 6 to 8, officials in charge from the General Administration of Sport of China (国家体育总局) and the relevant departments of the Social Development Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress led a research team to Foshan to conduct a survey on national fitness work, and participated in the national main venue event of the 2026 "National Fitness Day," interacting with the public on site to understand their needs and further advance the high-quality handling of deputies' suggestions.
"In Diejiao, every village has its own dragon boat team, with broad public participation, and everyone is also actively building brand IP (intellectual property)." The relevant official in charge of Nanhai District introduced to the research team that the locality is continuously advancing the construction of sports venue facilities, deepening the integration of sports and education and the development of the sports industry, making sports an important vehicle for enhancing the public's sense of gain and well-being.
At the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress, many NPC deputies offered suggestions and proposals for the development of the national fitness cause. Thirteen deputy suggestions concerning "promoting the extensive development of national fitness" were designated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (全国人大常委会) as a key supervision item for 2026, to be handled under the lead of the General Administration of Sport of China and supervised by the Social Development Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress.
After receiving the relevant suggestions, the General Administration of Sport of China promptly made arrangements, requiring that work be closely combined with actual practice, that deputy suggestions be carefully studied, and that deputies' concerns be responded to in a timely manner. The Department of Mass Sports quickly formulated a handling work plan and convened a work deployment meeting.
"The General Administration of Sport of China contacted me at the first opportunity, clearly stating that it would carefully study and actively adopt the deputy's suggestions," said Jin Fang, NPC deputy and professor at the Guangzhou National Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases (呼吸疾病广州国家实验室). "During the handling process, the responsible comrades of the Department of Mass Sports communicated with me by phone on multiple occasions and invited me to participate in the International Tai Chi Tournament and the main venue activities of National Fitness Day, reflecting respect and support for deputies' performance of their duties."
"The handling unit maintained close communication with us, ensuring that deputies' voices receive responses and the people's demands are addressed." Jiang Zhigang, NPC deputy and director of the River Channel Management Center of Xining City, Qinghai Province, said he would bring the results of this survey back to Qinghai and contribute wisdom to the development of the mass sports cause.
The research team went deep into towns and villages to learn about the construction of mass sports facilities and the development of national fitness activities, and convened symposiums to hear opinions from multiple sides.
Entering the Shishan Bo'ai Lake Sports Park in Nanhai District, one could see that the sports facilities in the park are rich and diverse: an 8.5-kilometer plastic track threads through the lake scenery, and all-age-friendly venues such as children's activity areas and senior fitness areas are fully equipped. It being summer vacation, many primary and secondary school students were exercising in the football and basketball areas.
As an ecological sports park themed on tennis, the Dali Lianjiao Sports and Agriculture Leisure Park makes full use of idle resources such as space under bridges to build mass sports facilities, effectively integrating sports, leisure, and other scenarios.
At the Zumiao Lion Dance Base in Chancheng District, traditional programs such as Hung Kuen and awakened lion dance are deeply integrated with national fitness, and the public's enthusiasm for participation is high.
…………
"Strengthening the construction of national fitness venue facilities can both enhance the people's physique and facilitate the development of the health industry." Dong Quanmin, NPC deputy and dean of the College of Forestry and Grassland at Qinghai University, suggested developing fitness facilities in light of local conditions (因地制宜, yīn dì zhì yí - "adjust measures to local conditions," to act according to circumstances) to better meet the public's needs.
"The locality has fully revitalized the 'golden corners and silver edges' of urban and rural areas, opening up the 'last kilometer' for the public to exercise nearby. This is very inspiring for us." Renqing Zhaxi, NPC deputy and deputy county head of Maduo County (玛多县), Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, said he would give play to the role of an NPC deputy and make more contributions to the mass sports cause in his own post.
Northeast yangge dance, thousand-person square dancing, tai chi demonstrations... In recent days, closely tied to local folk customs, people in various places have enthusiastically participated in fitness activities. Some places have also launched people-benefiting services such as scientific fitness guidance and free physical fitness testing, and the concept of national fitness has taken deep root in people's hearts.
"We will closely integrate the handling of key supervised suggestions with mass sports work during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, listen to deputies' voices, absorb deputies' suggestions, accelerate the handling process, and effectively promote the continuous improvement and enhancement of work in the mass sports field, helping to build a sporting power." said Chen Xingnian, director of the Department of Mass Sports of the General Administration of Sport of China.

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本版责编：魏哲哲

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Protecting the Plateau's Wildlife, Waters, and Mountains with the Power of the Rule of Law (Rule of Law Front Page)

By: 本报记者 徐驭尧

Qiangtang, Tibet — another peak tourist season. The "Tree of the Earth" scenic spot beside National Highway 317 in Nagqu City, which draws passing tourists to stop and take photos because flowing water has scoured a large tree shape into the landform. Beside National Highway 317, Ciren Duoji, director of the Sixth Procuratorial Department of the Nagqu City People's Procuratorate, stopped the car. Before his eyes everything was 井然有序 (jǐng rán yǒu xù - "orderly and methodical," well-ordered and organized) — a 750-meter-long protective mesh fence extended along the edge of the highway, and 2 safety management and protection signs were clear and conspicuous; in the newly built dedicated parking lot, self-driving vehicles were parked in an orderly manner. Tourists stood in the designated area outside the guardrail to take photos, no longer stepping onto the "branches." "Under our supervision, the relevant environmental restoration and governance has achieved good results," Ciren Duoji said.

Ciren Duoji clearly remembers that when he first came here to collect evidence in early autumn last year, off-road vehicle tire tracks crisscrossed like scars, tourists stepped onto the "branches" to take photos, low grass was pulled up by the roots, and there was no parking lot, no warning signs, no fence. Almost the entire scenic area lies within the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve; building a parking lot and erecting a fence required passing a strict ecological environmental assessment. The procurators squatted on site to collect evidence and surveyed the scope of damage, held repeated consultations with the culture and tourism, transportation, and traffic management departments, and ultimately issued procuratorial suggestions. The county government, on the premise of compliance, improved the mesh fence, guide signs, and temporary parking points. In early spring 2025, all rectification construction was completed.

Since 2021, Tibet's procuratorial organs have fully implemented the Law of the People's Republic of China on Ecological Protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and deeply carried out the special action to protect the "Asian Water Tower," handling a number of influential and effective cases in the field of ecological environment and resource protection. Procuratorial organs across the region have established multiple coordination mechanisms with the ecological environment, public security, water resources, and forestry and grassland departments, delivering a "procuratorial answer sheet" for safeguarding the plateau's living beings, plants, and 万水千山 (wàn shuǐ qiān shān - "ten thousand waters and a thousand mountains," the vastness of the natural world).

Strengthen protection, firmly hold the ecological bottom line

In April 2024, at the north gate of the Mount Everest scenic area in Dingri County, Shigatse City. Procuratorial police stood at the entrance, before them tour buses queuing to enter.

However, walking further along the scenic road, problems gradually emerged: the observation deck infrastructure was outdated, food packaging bags and beverage bottles were scattered along the roadside, some sections' trash bins were overflowing with no one to clear them, the tent hotels at base camp emitted odors from kitchen waste, the medical point was simply equipped, and the number of oxygen cylinders was insufficient. The monitoring equipment at the Mount Everest observation deck atop Jiawula Mountain had long been damaged, and illegal drone flights ("black flights") occurred from time to time.

"These problems not only damage the plateau ecological environment, but also constrain the quality improvement and upgrading of Dingri's cultural tourism industry," said He Kun, deputy procurator-general and deputy party secretary of the Dingri County People's Procuratorate. "Mount Everest is a calling card of Tibet's ecology and cultural tourism. Our procuratorial organs must use concrete actions to polish this calling card."

Precisely for this reason, procurators from the public interest litigation department of the Shigatse City People's Procuratorate went down to the grassroots frontline and formed a joint case-handling team with the Dingri County People's Procuratorate. In April 2024, the case-handling team discovered the above clues during duty performance and launched a preliminary investigation; through on-site visits and scene inspections, they ascertained the full picture of the problems. Subsequently, the Dingri County People's Procuratorate legally issued procuratorial suggestions and consultation opinions respectively to the county culture and tourism bureau, taxation bureau, market supervision bureau, and public security bureau, urging each unit to perform its duties according to law. Each administrative organ responded swiftly: the culture and tourism bureau carried out rectification in terms of improving scenic area infrastructure, strengthening sanitation cleaning, and ensuring tourist safety; the market supervision bureau investigated and dealt with 59 tent hotels that lacked food business licenses and health certificates, and all were rectified in place; the public security bureau completed the re-procurement and installation of monitoring equipment at the Mount Everest observation deck atop Jiawula Mountain, and jointly with the local government and border police station carried out rule-of-law publicity for tent hotel managers.

"Under our vigorous supervision, the ecological environment of the Mount Everest scenic area has improved markedly," He Kun said.

Cultural tourism scenic areas often overlap with protected areas, and similar problems are not uncommon. In June 2024, during the peak tourist season, Cangmu Qiong, director of the procuratorial business department of the Purang County People's Procuratorate, discovered that along the 1.2-kilometer shoreline of Lake Rakshastal, garbage had accumulated, with plastic packaging bags and beverage bottles scattered on the mudflats.

The procuratorate initiated administrative public interest litigation on July 1, 2024, implementing a "one case, one special team" closed-loop case-handling approach. The police overcame high-altitude oxygen deficiency, surveyed the lake in segments along the shore, visited more than 30 practitioners including merchants and homestay operators, and identified the root of the problem. After procuratorial suggestions were issued, the relevant departments cleared the accumulated garbage and added 8 sets of standardized garbage collection facilities and 4 temporary collection points.

Today, the shoreline ecology of Lake Rakshastal has comprehensively improved, and water quality stably meets standards.

Procuratorial organs across the region have always treated the ecological protection red line as an insurmountable bottom line. The Tibet Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate and the regional forestry and grassland bureau jointly formulated the Plan for Establishing Public Interest Litigation Procuratorial Liaison Offices in National Nature Reserves Across the Region, establishing procuratorial liaison offices in 35 forestry and grassland departments involved in 11 national nature reserves, making ecological protection supervision more precise and efficient.

重拳出击 (zhòng quán chū jī - "strike with a heavy fist," to attack with full force), combat ecological environment crimes

In November 2022, in Tuolin Town, Zanda County, Ngari Prefecture, a certain Han and a certain Shan discovered a snow leopard cub. The two not only failed to contact the relevant departments to protect it, but instead beat it to death.

The snow leopard is a national first-class key protected wild animal and a flagship species at the top of the alpine ecosystem food chain.

When handling the case as a criminal case, the Zanda County People's Procuratorate found that the act also harmed social public interests, and filed a criminal case with attached civil public interest litigation in May 2024. According to judicial appraisal, a single snow leopard has a total value of 500,000 yuan. The court sentenced both defendants to five years and six months in prison and fined each 5,000 yuan for the crime of endangering precious and endangered wild animals.

After the criminal judgment, the Ngari Branch of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate filed civil public interest litigation according to law, requesting that the two defendants be ordered to jointly compensate for ecological environment losses and appraisal fees totaling 527,000 yuan. On December 24, 2024, the court ruled in support of all claims. This judgment released a clear signal: illegally hunting rare plateau wildlife may not only incur criminal liability, but also require ecological compensation.

In the field of biodiversity protection, the reach of procuratorial organs' duty performance continues to extend. In Daqian Township, Seni District, Nagqu City, a saker falcon — a national first-class key protected wild animal — with an injured wing was sent by residents to the police station. After learning of this, the Seni District People's Procuratorate proactively coordinated with the district natural resources bureau and forestry and grassland bureau, building a full closed loop from the police station to a professional clinic and then to the wildlife rescue station of Hangcuo National Wetland Park.

After diagnosis by the rescue station's veterinarian, the saker falcon had a fractured wing bone. After professional treatment and rehabilitation care, it gradually recovered its ability to survive in the wild. "As human activities expand, contact between humans and wild animals is increasing. Facing wild animals in distress, we need to actively intervene and use concrete actions to safeguard the plateau's lucid waters and lush mountains," said Zhang Wei, deputy procurator-general of the Seni District People's Procuratorate.

In addition to rare animals, Tibet's procuratorial organs at all levels also crack down severely on crimes of harming rare plants. In December 2025, at the Suo County People's Court in Nagqu City, three defendants — a certain Mi, a certain Tu, and another — appeared in court with heads bowed. They had illegally dug up 950 plants of Rhodiola crenulata. This national second-class key protected wild plant, whose root system can stabilize soil and retain water, is a key species for maintaining permafrost stability.

When reviewing the prosecution, the Suo County People's Procuratorate calculated an ecological account: Rhodiola crenulata grows only a few millimeters per year in alpine meadows; digging up one mature plant is equivalent to destroying a century of ecological accumulation. The procuratorial organ filed criminal proceedings with attached civil public interest claims, requesting that the three be ordered to jointly compensate for ecological environment losses of 74,155.72 yuan. The court pronounced its judgment in court, supporting all claims. After the judgment took effect, the three paid the compensation and publicly issued apology statements, and restoration of the damaged meadow subsequently began.

At the institutional level, the regional people's procuratorate researched and issued the Case-Handling Guidelines for Ecological Environment and Resource Protection Cases (Trial), breaking down the barriers between criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation procuratorial functions, and implementing an integrated mechanism for ecological environment cases involving clue transfer, evidence sharing, and joint case handling.

Supervise restoration, make the sky bluer and the water clearer

In Nanmulin County, Shigatse City, the sky above the Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve is azure. Procuratorial police walked into the reserve, but underfoot was deeply plowed, compacted soil; in the distance, black-necked cranes still strolled leisurely by the water, but the shrub woodlands and inland mudflats where they once roosted had been replaced by contiguous potato fields.

In 2017, a local 46,000-mu artificial grassland project was implemented, actually leveling and improving 24,000 mu of land, with nearly 300 million yuan of state funds invested. The project land was all located within the Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve. After being halted in 2021 following national forest inspection, the damaged land had never been restored.

The procurators retrieved nearly 10 years of land statistics for the area involved, conducted on-site surveys against wind and sand, visited surrounding herders, and through satellite remote sensing comparison, images unfolded before their eyes: the suspected total cultivated area of the project was approximately 24,000 mu. Subsequently, the Shigatse City People's Procuratorate publicly announced and served 6 procuratorial suggestions to the Nanmulin County forestry and grassland, natural resources, construction planning, agriculture and rural affairs, and water resources departments. The regional people's procuratorate issued procuratorial suggestions to the forestry and grassland department, promoting rectification of the problem.

In January 2024, the regional forestry and grassland bureau organized experts to review the ecological restoration plan, deciding to implement artificial restoration on the 5,346 mu of the reserve assessed as requiring restoration, with the remaining areas primarily relying on natural recovery. At present, Nanmulin County has carried out ecological restoration work such as tree planting and grass sowing, the relevant illegal approvals have been revoked according to law, and illegal acts damaging the reserve have received administrative penalties.

In May 2022, at the Nanmula Wetland in Pianji Township, Zhongba County, Shigatse City, procurators discovered during patrol that the once lush wetland was undergoing large-scale desertification. The case-handling team retrieved remote sensing data for comparison: the overall water-loss area of Nanmula Wetland had reached 3.91 square kilometers. This important breeding ground for rare plateau birds was sounding a silent alarm.

The Zhongba County People's Procuratorate immediately served procuratorial suggestions to the administrative organs, requiring the formulation of a restoration plan, construction of protective fences and warning signs, and carrying out rule-of-law publicity on wetland protection. A few months later, procurators walked into Nanmula Wetland again and saw that fences had been erected, warning signs stood by the roadside, and the once exposed river channel was again shimmering with light. In October 2022, remote sensing monitoring confirmed: the wetland water area had recovered to 7.14 square kilometers, ecological functions were gradually reviving, and black-necked cranes appeared by the water again. This case became a vivid footnote to Tibet's procuratorial organs safeguarding the plateau's "kidney of the Earth."

Restoration is not limited to natural wetlands. In Chamdo, along National Highways 317 and 318, garbage once piled up, with mineral water bottles, instant noodle boxes, and worn clothing mixed together; when the wind blew, plastic bags hung on shrub branches. Procuratorial organs and ecological environment departments jointly carried out special rectification, accepting 10 administrative public interest litigation cases, supervising the cleanup of 2,500 tons of garbage along the routes, and cleaning 13.1 kilometers of river channel garbage.

After the Dingqing County People's Procuratorate in Chamdo City received a clue through the "Yixin Weigong" (益心为公) volunteer platform, it promoted the township government to organize more than 1,400 people to comprehensively clean the garbage pits and areas along the national highway, hauling away more than 900 tons of garbage. A volunteer said at the cleanup site: "Every time I passed that stretch of road I could smell the stench. Now it's finally clean."

Similar work is being carried out across Tibet. In Bomi County, Nyingchi City, procuratorial organs focused on fish resource protection, facilitating the stock enhancement release of 450,000 native fish fry into the Parlung Tsangpo; in Medog County, Nyingchi City, procuratorial organs coordinated with relevant departments to regulate bee colony grazing, protecting the biological safety of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve.

From correcting individual cases to governing by case category, from single-department efforts to cross-regional coordinated action, from "end-of-pipe enforcement" to "front-end prevention," Tibet's procuratorial organs are integrating the "procuratorial blue" into the ecological base tone of the plateau land through their duty performance. The picture of snow-capped peaks ever present, lucid waters ever flowing, and fresh air ever constant is slowly unfolding through the handling of one case after another.

"Public interest litigation is not litigation for its own sake, but rather to use perceivable solutions to make the people believe in the power of the rule of law," said the person in charge of the public interest litigation department of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate. "On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with its high altitude, oxygen deficiency, and fragile ecology, this judicial protection must especially not be absent."

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Don't Let AI Customer Service Add to Consumers' Frustrations (Jintai Sharp Review)

By: 倪 弋

Recently, an analysis of complaints accepted by consumer associations nationwide in the first half of 2026, released by the China Consumers Association, showed that AI (artificial intelligence) customer service has become a new "pain point" in consumer complaints, with problems mainly concentrated in three areas: artificial barriers at every level in transferring to human service; AI customer service making clear commitments on fee composition, promotional activities, and the like, only for operators to later refuse to honor them on the grounds that "AI responses do not represent the merchant's position"; and general-purpose AI-generated content containing factual errors that mislead consumers and cause property losses.

Objectively speaking, the promotion and popularization of AI technology in consumer service scenarios not only helps merchants reduce costs and increase efficiency, but also brings more convenience to consumers. But why has a technical application that should empower services been transformed into a new "pain point" frequently complained about by consumers?

One of the reasons is that some merchants merely reduce it to a tool for lowering costs, rather than a lever for improving and upgrading service. What is worse, some, knowing full well that AI customer service has systematic commitment bias, let it "promise everything readily," and then, after consumers complete transactions, overturn the promises with the excuse that "AI responses do not represent the merchant's position."

A used-car transaction dispute reported by the China Consumers Association is quite representative. Before purchasing the car, the AI customer service clearly told the consumer that the vehicle price included transfer fees and license plate fees, and the consumer paid a deposit and reached a transaction intention on that basis. However, during the actual transaction, the merchant demanded separate payment of the transfer fee. The contradictory statements before and after inevitably make one wonder: behind this, is it a technical defect, a system error, or a deliberate evasion of one's own contractual obligations?

From the perspective of the rule of law, although AI customer service does not have the qualification of an independent subject bearing civil legal liability, as an important tool deployed by merchants and applied in business and service activities, its output content should by rights be considered a component of the services provided by the operator. Consumers face the merchant's customer service entrance; whether human or AI, their transaction decisions are made based on reasonable trust in the merchant. How can merchants shirk responsibility with a phrase like "what the machine says doesn't count"? The principle of good faith established by the Civil Code, the operator's obligation to provide truthful information stipulated by the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, and other relevant legal rules will not exempt merchants from the obligations they should bear simply because "it is the machine that speaks."

To govern the chaos of AI customer service, the key is to clarify the boundaries of rights and responsibilities, so that technology truly returns to its proper role of serving, rather than becoming a tool for merchants to perfunctorily evade responsibility. Operators must recognize that deploying AI customer service is a service upgrade, by no means a downgrade of responsibility. According to the relevant provisions on the protection of consumer rights and interests, operators have the obligation to safeguard consumers' right to know and their right to fair transactions. This means that for all clear commitments made by AI customer service, as long as consumers have reasonable reliance, operators should honor them. If the error is caused by technical problems, merchants may pursue the responsibility of the technology supplier, but they should bear corresponding responsibility to consumers.

In addition, keeping human service channels unimpeded is a basic requirement. For complex matters such as returns and refunds and liability determination, conclusions cannot simply be given and the processing flow terminated through AI customer service alone; merchants should arrange for timely final confirmation and handling through human customer service within a reasonable time. Regulatory authorities should bring AI customer service into the key monitoring scope of consumer rights protection, investigate and punish in accordance with the law acts of refusing to perform obligations under the pretext of "AI exemption," so that the cost of illegality is higher than the benefit of illegality. At the same time, for high-risk scenarios such as airline ticket refunds and changes and financial services, platforms should establish risk warning and secondary confirmation mechanisms, guiding consumers to verify key information through official channels. Consumers also need to remain rational and prudent; for matters involving large-amount transactions and irreversible decisions, they should proactively confirm through authoritative channels such as human customer service and contract texts.

Technology should make service warmer, not add unnecessary frustration. Used well, AI customer service is an efficient service that benefits the people and enterprises; used poorly, it becomes a "shield" for operators to prevaricate and shirk responsibility. While enjoying the dividends of technology, merchants should also bear corresponding responsibilities and obligations — this is both a clear requirement of the rule of law and the proper meaning of technology for good.

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What to Do When a 10-Million-Yuan "Wall-View Apartment" Claim Is Rejected? (Case-Based Legal Analysis)

By: 本报记者 金 歆

Ms. Tang wanted to purchase an apartment in a residential complex in Putuo District, Shanghai. When selecting a floor plan, Ms. Tang felt that the eastern-side unit, in addition to facing north and south, also had windows on the east side, giving it better views and natural lighting. She therefore purchased an eastern-side off-plan unit in the complex at a price exceeding that of other unit types, totaling more than 10 million yuan. When the apartment was about to be delivered, Ms. Tang went to inspect it in person and discovered that the windows on the east side of the apartment were entirely blocked by a huge wall. The advantage of three-sided natural light that she had expected from a corner unit was completely gone, and instead she felt very oppressed.

Thereupon, Ms. Tang approached the developer of the complex. But at this point the developer told her that this wall was a fire wall installed by the complex to meet mandatory fire safety requirements, that it had been present on the original design drawings, and that it complied with relevant regulations. The position of the fire wall had also been marked on the scale model of the project used for promotional purposes when the apartments were being sold. But Ms. Tang clearly remembered that when she was selecting her apartment, the developer had provided a floor plan promotional brochure and a related notice. In none of these materials did Ms. Tang see any indication that there was a wall outside the windows of this apartment. The two sides failed to reach a result through discussion, so Ms. Tang filed a lawsuit against the developer in court, demanding compensation of more than 520,000 yuan for the depreciation loss of the apartment.

The court held that the developer, being in possession of the planning and design scheme and knowing the structural layout, had both the obligation and the ability to disclose to the home buyer the defect information concerning the apartment and its surroundings. The court carefully examined the various promotional and public disclosure materials provided by the developer and found several key points: First, in the brochure printed and distributed by the developer, the schematic diagram showing the same unit type and position as the apartment purchased by Ms. Tang did not mark the external fire wall. The brochure is the most direct way for a home buyer to understand the unit type; without a clear marking, it would be difficult for the buyer to know the specific condition of the apartment. Second, although the scale model showed that the exterior elevation of this building differed to some extent from other buildings, given the size and proportions of the scale model, it was difficult to demand that a home buyer, within the limited time available for selecting an apartment, make a precise identification of these subtle differences. Third, the "building brochure," that is, the sales instruction booklet, is the most formal document used by the developer to inform buyers of adverse factors of the project. In it, no special notice was given regarding this fire wall on the east side of Building No. 3, where Ms. Tang purchased her apartment.

Therefore, the court determined that although the developer had fulfilled part of its disclosure obligation, it had failed to provide sufficient notice and disclosure, which affected Ms. Tang's right of choice as the buyer. Taking all factors into consideration, the court ruled that the developer should compensate Ms. Tang for losses of more than 200,000 yuan.

The judge reminded the public that when buying a house, it is not enough to merely look at the "building brochure" and the scale model; one must carefully review the surrounding environment and adverse factors publicly displayed at the sales office. Questions one particularly cares about can be requested to be written into supplementary clauses of the contract. For developers, merely relying on compliance of the fire safety design and the fact that some materials contained general notices does not fully exempt them from liability. Truthfully, comprehensively, and clearly informing every home buyer of the specific adverse factors of the apartment they are purchasing is an obligation prescribed by law.

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From "unable to get a hearing" to "a response upon arrival"

By: 本报记者 亓玉昆 范昊天

“I did the work but didn’t get paid. Thanks to the comprehensive governance center for helping me sort out the path and get a fair resolution!” Recently, at the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center in Wuhan, Hubei Province, 65-year-old Mr. Huang received his court judgment.

In 2019, Mr. Huang turned 60 years old. After that, he was hired by a decoration company to perform maintenance work on multiple renovation projects. The two parties signed a temporary employment agreement stipulating compensation of 233 yuan per day. Starting in June 2024, the decoration company began to default on his compensation. Mr. Huang demanded payment multiple times, but the company always made excuses.

“I didn’t know whether I should go to the Human Resources Bureau or the court.” With a try-it-and-see attitude, Mr. Huang came to the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center. After the staff learned of his situation, they immediately directed him to the legal consultation window. The duty lawyer analyzed that although Mr. Huang had reached retirement age, based on the employment agreement and the nature of the work, he had formed a labor service relationship with the company. The main issue was recovering labor service remuneration, which could be resolved through litigation.

Considering that Mr. Huang was advanced in age and would have difficulty pursuing the case on his own, the comprehensive governance center quickly connected him with a resident judge who guided Mr. Huang in organizing evidence materials and completing expedited case filing. In the past, over-age workers seeking to protect their rights often had to run back and forth between different departments. Now, the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center has broken down departmental barriers, achieving procedural linkage and coordinated efforts, and has opened up the “first kilometer” of rights protection for over-age workers.

Walking into the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center, in front of the comprehensive intake window in the main hall, elderly workers can be seen coming in from time to time to seek consultation.

“For employment disputes involving over-age workers, the difficulty lies in determining the legal relationship — is it a labor service relationship or a labor relationship? Should they go to the Human Resources Bureau or the court? How can ordinary people tell the difference?” A relevant person in charge of the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center introduced that the center, by setting up a comprehensive intake window, records all disputes in full and, based on the needs expressed by the public, directs them to windows such as legal consultation or labor arbitration for answers and guidance, so that people can clarify their rights-protection path as soon as they walk in.

“The reason we can respond quickly and implement targeted measures benefits from the flexible working mechanism of ‘resident + rotating + on-call’ staffing.” A relevant leading comrade of the Jiang'an District Political and Legal Affairs Commission introduced that at the comprehensive governance center, personnel from the district court, the Justice Bureau, the Human Resources Bureau, and other departments are stationed on a resident basis. For areas with a high incidence of labor service disputes, the district federation of trade unions, industry associations, and others rotate in on a scheduled basis.

After the case entered the litigation process, the comprehensive governance center did not stop at “once the case is filed, the matter is over,” but continued to track progress. The court held that Mr. Huang had signed an employment agreement with the decoration company, performed maintenance work on an irregular schedule according to the company’s arrangements, and agreed to be paid by the day. The two parties formed a labor service relationship, and Mr. Huang’s right to receive compensation should be protected in accordance with the law.

Based on the key evidence submitted by Mr. Huang, the “Maintenance Worker Attendance Confirmation Form,” the court confirmed that he had worked 202 days. After deducting the portion the company had already paid, the court ruled on the spot that the decoration company should pay Mr. Huang the outstanding labor service fee of 42,066 yuan.

“I thought it would take a year or more of running around. Unexpectedly, with the help of the comprehensive governance center, the consultation, case filing, court hearing, and judgment all went smoothly, and I got the judgment in just over a month.” At the moment he received the judgment, Mr. Huang’s eyes welled up with tears.

The Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center did not stop at resolving individual cases but took a long-term view, using digital empowerment to move the governance threshold forward.

“Relying on Hubei Province’s dispute investigation and resolution system, we aggregate labor dispute data, grid worker patrol information, and other data to precisely identify risk points in employment disputes involving over-age workers, providing data support for source prevention.” The person in charge of the Jiang'an District Comprehensive Governance Center introduced that the district Human Resources Bureau leverages its front-end advantages to promptly detect problems in their infancy. The district federation of trade unions relies on the grassroots trade union organizational network, giving play to the supervisory role of the “one letter, two documents” (一函两书) mechanism, conducting routine supervision and reminders on corporate employment practices, and promoting source prevention of disputes. The district Justice Bureau coordinates legal service resources, conducting legal publicity in communities and enterprises to help workers strengthen their awareness of lawful rights protection. The district court has opened a fast-track green channel for the expedited filing and trial of cases involving over-age workers, effectively shortening the trial cycle, while also issuing model judgments in typical cases, achieving the positive effect of “handling one case, governing a whole area.” At the same time, the comprehensive governance center has introduced a digital-intelligent mediation module, creating a “human + AI” collaborative service model that achieves 7×24-hour online response, allowing over-age workers to learn about rights-protection policies without leaving home.

A relevant leading comrade of the Jiang'an District Political and Legal Affairs Commission stated that they will further advance the standardized development of the comprehensive governance center, so that over-age workers who encounter problems have a place to “seek a fair resolution,” avoiding the predicament of having done the work but not getting paid and being unable to get a clear explanation.

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Let Children Keep Encountering Great Theater (Arts & Culture Watch)

By: 郭 琰

As soon as summer arrives, children become the most active audience for cultural life during the summer vacation. Parent-child cultural activities continue to heat up, and watching a children's play has become the cultural choice of more and more families. This change is gratifying, showing that children's theater is no longer only aimed at a specific age group, but has become an important part of children's aesthetic education, family companionship, and public cultural life.
Regarding the development and future of children's theater, we should not only pay attention to "how many works" and "how many performances," but also explore how we today should understand children, how to tell Chinese stories, and how to build a real connection between the stage and children.
Finding a mode of expression suited to children
On the children's theater stage in recent years, the single craze for animation IP (intellectual property) plays has gradually faded, and the proportion of classic Western fairy tales has gradually decreased. Chinese stories composed of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, myths and legends, literary classics, and regional cultural resources have become an important source for original works.
Telling Chinese stories is a creative tradition of children's theater. In recent years, creators have not aimed to "retell" classics, but have striven to find a mode of expression that is easier for children to enter. They no longer simply put classic stories on stage, but instead make children participants in and experiencers of the stories, using ancient tales to express current emotional experiences.
In the ongoing 15th China Children's Theater Festival, the children's play Jiang Ziya of the Investiture of the Gods (封神之姜子牙) launched by Zhejiang Performing Arts Group, and the small-theater work Little New Year Beast, Don't Make Trouble! (小年兽，别捣蛋！) launched by Xi'an Children's Art Theater, are representative explorations. Jiang Ziya of the Investiture of the Gods takes contemporary children's "anxiety about failure" as its entry point, leading the protagonist and the audience through time travel into the grand world of mythology, walking the road of growth together with Jiang Ziya. The stage narrative reshapes the classic characters, and the work connects ancient stories with themes such as adolescent growth, courage, and choice. Little New Year Beast, Don't Make Trouble! links New Year custom culture with social phenomena, making ancient folk customs a vehicle for family affection.
Similar explorations reveal a shift: the expression of Chinese culture in children's theater is moving from "telling a child a traditional story" toward "letting the child enter the world of traditional culture." When cultural resources are connected with children's growth experience and emotional experience, traditional culture will hopefully be deposited in more children's hearts, and then grow into their own aesthetic experience.
The quality of children's theater first depends on the creators' understanding of the "child audience." Today, more and more practice proves that children are not audiences who can only accept simple answers; they are equally able to understand the confusion of growing up, the relationships between people, and the complex emotions of life. The children's play The Straw House (草房子), adapted from the novel of the same name by Cao Wenxuan, puts the loneliness, friendship, dignity, and regret of adolescent growth on stage. It does not evade the imperfections of growing up, but through poetic stage expression lets children feel the warmth of growth.
A true child-centered approach is not about lowering artistic standards, nor catering to shallow tastes, but about respecting children's spiritual world and responding to their needs with sincere artistic expression.
Opening up more possibilities for the stage
Some creative practices that focus on children's expression and artistic participation are also constantly emerging. The children's modern dance drama A Drop of Ink That Runs Away (逃跑的一滴墨) attempts to explore children's imagination through the body, space, and movement language; some theater groups created with the participation of children and adolescents are also gradually turning children from mere spectators into participants in theatrical experience and artistic expression. Children's theater creation is moving from "creating for children" toward "co-creating with children."
Along with changes in creative concepts, the stage language of children's theater is also becoming increasingly rich. In addition to traditional spoken drama, song-and-dance drama, puppetry, traditional Chinese opera, physical theater, digital technology, immersive experience, and non-theater spaces have all come onto the children's theater stage.
The puppet play Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles (千里走单骑) is an innovative exploration of a traditional art form. The work takes string puppetry, a stage language with Eastern characteristics, as its main medium, letting puppet manipulation, performance, and visual design together constitute a theatrical world that children can perceive.
Some works are reflecting on "where the theater is." The new-space interactive story theater Song of the Wilderness (荒野之歌) attempts to break through the traditional proscenium stage, transforming the natural space of the "wilderness" into part of the narrative, allowing children to participate in the story in a more open environment.
Children come to know the world through multiple senses. The stage of children's theater can be inside a theater, or it can be a space, a sound, a journey. When more art forms actively create for children, modern dance, acrobatics, puppet theater, visual art, sound art, and so on can all become ways for children to understand the world.
A good play is a shared cultural memory of a family. The theater audience is a group of people who enter a story together; children gain imagination and joy, and adults can also rediscover childhood. When watching Little New Year Beast, Don't Make Trouble!, I felt strongly that children were attracted by the little New Year beast's "mischievous" behavior, while adult audiences were moved to tears by the old man's loneliness and his selfless love for his children. The value of a high-quality children's play does not only occur in the few dozen minutes on stage. After the show ends, children and parents discussing the characters, the story, and their own feelings is also part of the theater's nourishment of the heart.
Cultivating thick soil for good works to grow and thrive
Chinese stories are seeking new expression, creators are increasingly respecting children's emotional world, stage language is constantly being enriched, and family attendance at performances is gradually becoming an important part of cultural life. These changes give us confidence in the development of Chinese children's theater.
We should pay attention to creation by age group, but also to reaching audiences by age group. Young children are an important part of the current children's theater audience. How to keep upper-primary and adolescent audiences coming into the theater still requires joint exploration by schools, theaters, and public cultural institutions. Theater has already entered the compulsory education curriculum; theater textbooks help children understand theater, while theaters can let children truly experience it. Classroom learning and live viewing need more connection.
The cultivation of the children's theater creative ecology also requires cross-disciplinary integration. In recent years, some professional institutions have begun to try to extend from "producing works" to "nurturing works." The China National Theatre for Children's "Blossom · Set Sail" (绽放·启航) incubation program for children's and youth stage works provides opportunities for more creators to enter the field of children's theater through work solicitation, expert guidance, creative support, and other means. Similar explorations release a positive signal: mature cultural institutions are stages for presenting good works, and can also become platforms for discovering and nurturing works.
For the children's theater ecology to become richer, it cannot rely solely on the "theater circle." With cross-disciplinary collaboration, cooperation, and exploration among professional troupes, private institutions and individual creators, schools and education researchers, as well as the different fields of literature, music, dance, acrobatics, museums, and technology, the soil for good works to grow and thrive will also become richer.
The true significance of children's theater is not just letting children see a few good plays in childhood, but letting them, at different stages of growth, encounter good works that understand them and accompany them — works that will also draw them to broaden their horizons, understand society, and embrace the world.
Going into the theater may be just an ordinary cultural experience, but a work that truly moves a child may become a beam of light they still remember years later. This beam of light needs to shine more brightly in theaters, schools, communities, and everywhere children's lives reach — letting children meet good plays, and letting such encounters continue to happen.
(The author is a theater playwright and director)

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Saluting the Passion of Legal Professionals (Author's Notes)

By: 沈 严

Directing the TV drama Pillars (Zhongqi) began with my empathy for the script. Screenwriter Zhao Dongling created lifelike characters and a complete dramatic structure, and especially the panoramic presentation of China's decades-long journey of judicial progress moved me deeply.

The story of Pillars begins in the late 1970s and early 1980s. That was a relatively difficult stage for judicial work. How legal professionals picked up their professional knowledge amid judicial reform and the process of rule of law, and how they upheld law and justice within a specific social context — these are the propositions we wanted to explore in our creation.

Truthfully presenting the contest between legal principle and human sentiment is a difficulty of judicial-themed creation. Pillars focuses temporally on 1979 to 1997, and geographically selects the capital Beijing, the prefecture-level city Binjiang, the county town Nanyu, the village-town of Dashi Village, and the frontier Bieshan Prison. Professionally, it sets up different practitioners — prosecutors, judges, lawyers, and others — combining the fictional and the real, laying out the course of rule of law through more than a dozen cases. In the drama, ideals and reality constantly collide, and each legal professional's understanding of law and rule of law deepens through collision after collision. There is a line in the drama that moved me: as a judge, the most ideal state is to have no need to investigate case files everywhere, but only to hear the well-reasoned arguments of both prosecution and defense in the courtroom and render a ruling on the spot. This may be a professional ideal, but in reality, what we often see are legal professionals who seem "nagging and fussy," showing solicitude for every large or small case that happens to every ordinary person, integrating professional knowledge into popular sentiment and public opinion. Just as in the "Qiu Agui case" that sparked audience discussion, in that era, between extremely cruel case facts and excusable circumstances, legal professionals had no choice but to seek that "optimal solution" between popular aspiration and the yardstick of law.

Growth is the theme of Pillars. Law school graduates Chen Yizhong, Zhang Lihui, Yu Gaoyuan, Xia Yingjie, and Lu Zeming form the "Five-Person Law Group." They intern at the grassroots level, and after graduation take up different posts as judges, prosecutors, prison judicial officers, and lawyers. Over more than ten years, through multiple landmark cases, they jointly push forward the implementation of the judicial concept of "presumption of innocence in doubtful cases"... Their growth trajectories reflect the course of our country's rule-of-law system construction. The young and passionate Chen Yizhong once could not understand his father's "cowardice" and "insincerity," and only after realizing in case after case that reality is not simply black and white did he finally achieve spiritual reconciliation with the older generation. Yu Gaoyuan bears the heavy expectation of a child from a poor family who "dare not let anyone down"; the pressure from his family of origin deforms his life. Their origins and choices differ, but what these five young people share is passion and responsibility. On the road to pursuing justice, idealism that counts no cost sustains them, and also sustains their teachers, predecessors, and colleagues. This "bond of kindred spirits" based on legal understanding is the most moving emotional undertone of the drama.

In terms of visual presentation, this drama pursues "aesthetic realism." To restore the social landscape of those years, we shot on location across three places — Leshan, Chongqing, and Delingha. To embody the rigor and objectivity of judicial work, I and director of photography Li Xi chose a cool-toned blue-gray as the visual keynote, evoking in the audience a resonance with events of decades ago through a slightly cool palette. What we valued most was the authenticity of details, which is reflected in the different uniforms worn by the characters in the drama. From the initial plain clothes to the later uniforms of judges, prosecutors, and public security officers each performing their own duties, this iteration of uniforms is also an intuitive footnote to the course of rule of law. I must also thank the unsung heroes behind the scenes, such as the script supervisors. To enable the images to produce deep emotional resonance with the audience, they carried out delicate and in-depth processing of case logic and character personalities in the shooting script.

At the opening ceremony of Pillars, I once said: "This drama is a tribute to Chinese legal professionals." As filming deepened and my understanding of the course of rule of law grew, this layer of respect continuously elevated in my heart. I hope that through this work, audiences can see the path of our country's rule-of-law construction, and see those legal professionals who silently dedicate themselves at the grassroots level and carry heavy burdens between legal principle and human sentiment. I hope our work leaves this respect in the hearts of more audiences.

(The author is the director of the TV drama Pillars)

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Visit the museum and leaf through "Love Letters to Grandma"

By: 张 燕

Mountains and seas, ten thousand li — how far is it, really? The film Love Letter to Grandma (《给阿嬷的情书》) has led many viewers to find a gentle answer. The special exhibition "Rivers Stretch Ten Thousand Li, Yet the Distance Is Not Felt — Film Props and Qiaopi Artifacts from Love Letter to Grandma," currently on display at the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China, is a gentle encounter between light and shadow and the passage of time, and a deep mutual gaze between creation and historical fact.

Coming to the museum to leaf through Love Letter to Grandma, viewers can see three layers of narrative.

The narrative of artifacts plus film props. From the film props of qiaopi (侨批, remittance letters sent by overseas Chinese to their families) and the pedicab to the museum's collected artifacts of Chaozhou opera records and the Letter-Writing Textbook (尺牍课本), more than 70 pieces (sets) of film props and more than 120 pieces (sets) of museum artifacts are displayed side by side. Memories of light and shadow, everyday objects, and historical documents mirror one another; fictional plotlines and historical foundations interlock, drawing viewers deep into history. The exhibition organically integrates film and television art, Chaoshan folk customs, and the overseas Chinese history of Nanyang, recreating the stories of millions of overseas Chinese who went abroad to earn a living and sent qiaopi home over the past century. History reaches the heart through what can be touched and felt.

The narrative of exhibition viewing plus scene experience. More than 10 groups of immersive realistic scenes have become popular photo spots among viewers. Strolling through the exhibition hall, one can always see people lingering at experience points such as the banner-carrying procession, the old-fashioned photo studio, the wumi guo snack stall, the qiaopi bureau, and the Chinese-language school, and pausing at the qiaopi calligraphy copying, the AI online qiaopi bureau, and the special safety seal activities at the end of the exhibition. The immersive display keeps viewers longer, and the stories stay longer in their hearts. In this new cultural space that can be seen, touched, and participated in, immersive new scenes deepen viewers' empathy and extend the chain of cultural dissemination.

The narrative of museum collection plus private collection. More than 40 pieces (sets) of private qiaopi artifacts provided by well-known domestic qiaopi collectors are another highlight that draws people to stop. With resource barriers broken through and the dimensions of exhibits enriched, qiaopi artifacts and historical materials from different eras and different regions slowly unfold the historical panorama, revealing how the mountains and waters of Chaoshan nourished its sons and daughters, nurturing the Chaoshan overseas Chinese character of keeping watch without rest, bravely venturing across the four seas, being resilient and sincere, and valuing sentiment and upholding righteousness.

The memory points in the film have become the "starting point" for viewers to understand the real history of overseas Chinese. Since opening in July, visitor numbers have doubled compared with the same period in previous years. Young people, parent-child families, and study tour groups have entered the museum because of the film, driving up visits to the museum's permanent exhibitions. Some viewers have shared their exhibition experience on social media: "Only after seeing the permanent exhibition and then the prop special exhibition can one truly understand the era value of qiaopi" and "After participating in the qiaopi writing interactive experience, one can better understand the difficulty of sending silver letters in the old days"... After leaving the exhibition hall, some viewers even chose to watch the film a second time.

The warmest response has come from overseas Chinese. Overseas Chinese youth, returned overseas Chinese, and their families have come to visit one after another, making this a new scene for overseas Chinese at home and abroad to trace their roots and share empathy. To our delight, the heat of the exhibition has advanced artifact collection work, with overseas Chinese and associations at home and abroad making multiple donations of overseas Chinese-related historical materials and artifacts, including qiaopi. Several exhibits in this exhibition, including the wooden bicycle film prop and reproduced qiaopi, have now been formally collected by the museum.

This exhibition is a key project of the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China's 2026 "Overseas Chinese · Essence" (侨·蕴) series of cultural and artistic exhibitions. During the preparation stage, we joined forces with the Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Museum, a branch of the Overseas Chinese Museum, and Damai Entertainment to build the framework based on the film's prop exhibition. But as a national-level overseas Chinese thematic museum, we did not want to merely replicate the film scenes. Rather, we hoped that through the film's narrative expression, with a new curatorial approach and exhibition format, light-and-shadow art and a century of overseas Chinese history would reflect each other in virtual and real dimensions, activating the museum's cultural space and stirring the feelings of family and country in viewers' hearts.

(The author is a curator and associate researcher at the Exhibition Services Department of the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China.)

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Encountering a piece of red memory at the high-speed railway station

By: 周 欢

Soothing music begins to play; a woman in coarse cloth garments bends slightly forward, carefully smoothing the collar creases of eight young men dressed as Red Army soldiers, gently straightening the Red Army caps on their heads… The noisy crowd quiets down. People raise their phones to record the tender scene before them.

This scene is not taking place in a professional theater, but at the bustling Ganzhou West High-Speed Railway Station in Jiangxi. A red-themed tableau flash mob encounters passing travelers by chance (不期而遇, bù qī ér yù - "meet without appointment," to encounter unexpectedly).

The flash mob draws on the widely circulated red historical fact "Eight Sons Joining the Army" (八子参军) from the southern Jiangxi Soviet Area (苏区) — during the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, Yang Rongxian (杨荣显), a commoner of Ruijin, Ganzhou, responding to the revolutionary call, sent his eight sons to the front lines one after another, and all ultimately died a heroic death. Based on this, Ganzhou created the red-themed tableau dance "Eight Sons Joining the Army," which tours theaters in various places year-round. Among its segments, the one of the mother tearfully sending her sons off to war is the most classic, vividly recreating the moving scene of the Soviet Area where "fathers sent sons, wives sent husbands, and brothers vied to become Red Army soldiers."

The creators trimmed subplot narrative threads, focusing on the core narrative segment of the mother sending her sons to war; discarded large-scale set pieces and lighting equipment, relying on character costumes and body language to complete the plot expression; the performance lasts only a few minutes, balancing the display effect with travelers' travel needs… The flash mob achieves an organic integration of stage art and public space through lightweight adaptation.

It happens to be summer vacation, when tourism and study tour activities are concentrated, and station passenger flow is heavy. In July alone, Ganzhou West High-Speed Railway Station's average daily passenger flow reached 29,000 person-times. "Utilizing travelers' fragmented waiting time to present red-themed tableau performances allows travelers from north and south (南来北往, nán lái běi wǎng - "come south, go north," people coming and going from all directions) to experience up close and immersively the revolutionary history of the southern Jiangxi Soviet Area," said Gan Jinghui (甘敬晖), General Party Branch Secretary of the Ganzhou West Station Area.

The eight Red Army soldiers nestle beside the mother, revealing youthful attachment. The bugle call gradually grows impassioned; the soldiers straighten their postures, form ranks, turn, and stride forward. Two young men cannot help but look back several times; after brief hesitation, they resolutely turn and march far away. Behind them, the mother stands alone in place, lips slightly pursed, tears glistening in her eyes, straining to hold back the reluctance of parting; she raises her right hand, waving farewell from afar in the direction of the marching column, gazing long after them… The 15-minute performance ends, with all performers freezing in the pose of soldiers rushing to the battlefield. After a brief silence, warm applause rings through the waiting hall. Travelers express their regards to the performers one after another. Subsequently, the song "My Motherland and I" resounds through the hall; performers weave through the crowd, distributing small red flags, and dots of red spread through the crowd in succession. Some travelers wave the red flags in their hands; others softly sing along with the melody.

"I was just transferring trains at Ganzhou West Station, and didn't expect to also watch a wonderful performance, feeling the sincere sentiment of the southern Jiangxi people giving up their families to serve the country back then. This trip has taken on special significance!" said Li Wenyue (李文月), a traveler from Tianjin.

This flash mob event, jointly planned and organized by Ganzhou West Station and the Ganzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau (赣州市文化广电旅游局), is an important component of the series of themed activities commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March victory, and is also an exploration of deepening the integrated development of "railway + cultural tourism."

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The Courage to Hold the Stage (People)

By: 李维俊

Speaking of her grandmother Pan Chuhua, Zhong Xingyi, who comes from a family of opera performers, reddened and tears welled up in her eyes. "Whenever I put on my stage costume and sing that melodious, lingering tune, I feel as if I have gained the ability to converse with my grandmother across time and space. She gave me the courage to stand firm on the stage!" Then, changing her tone, her gaze became bright and resolute.
Having devoted many years to the inheritance and innovation of Cantonese opera, Zhong Xingyi won the Newcomer Award of the China Quyi Peony Award for her exquisite performance of playing three roles in one in Six Young Ladies.
Pan Chuhua is a Cantonese opera performing artist from Guangxi. Zhong Xingyi grew up in the theater compound, where the sound of gongs and drums from the rehearsal hall downstairs was the most familiar background of her daily life. When she was little, she often went out with her grandmother and saw audiences coming up to greet her warmly, calling her "Teacher Pan," and learned that Cantonese opera performance was held in high esteem.
It was when she was seven or eight years old that she truly felt the charm of Cantonese opera. Once, she watched her grandmother guide students in rehearsing Storm over the Mountain Village. With the same line and the same movement, the student's performance was flat, "but after my grandmother demonstrated it herself, the character immediately 'stood up.'" Zhong Xingyi said, "This scene deeply shocked me!" After that, she would sit in the practice room for one to two hours at a time, and the seed of art quietly sprouted in her heart.
What attracted her at first, however, was dance. As the "lead dancer" in school cultural activities, she dreamed of standing on the Spring Festival Gala stage as a backing dancer. When her grandmother heard this, she teased her: "Why don't you have any ambition to be the leading role?" At that time, Zhong Xingyi was shy, did not dare to act, and could not even imagine becoming the person at the center of the stage.
At the age of 12, she faced her first major life choice. "Should I attend dance school, or apply to Cantonese opera school?" Her family held a "family meeting," and the elders analyzed that Cantonese opera's "singing, reciting, acting, and acrobatics" provided a solid foundation and broader room for development. Zhong Xingyi followed her family's advice and boarded the train to study in Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Between passion and perseverance lies a mountain called "tempering." The Cantonese opera school was a boarding school. In the period shortly after leaving home, she would secretly cry under the covers at night. "I even naively thought at one point: if I got injured, would I be able to go home?" Only after a year did she gradually adapt to an independent life.
Training was an even harsher test. Leg presses, leg stretches, somersaults, front walkovers, and cartwheels—tears often flowed together with sweat. After crying, when the teacher said one word, "Continue," she gritted her teeth and kept practicing. "Opera performers probably all grow up this way," Zhong Xingyi said with a wry smile.
During every winter and summer vacation, she practiced singing with her grandmother. Her grandmother began teaching her, bit by bit, about vocal placement and breath control. "As soon as the new term started, my classmates all said I had 'made great progress after the holidays.'" As her voice opened up, Zhong Xingyi truly experienced the joy of singing Cantonese opera.
Fate dealt her a heavy blow before graduation. Being tall and slender, she was rejected by a troupe during her internship. Their remark—"If you stand in the lineup, the whole formation will look bad"—completely destroyed her confidence. At 18, she concluded that she was "not suited for acting," gave up her major, and switched to working as a dance teacher and body-shaping coach. Later, she married, had a child, and became a full-time mother. "At that time, the stage became a dream of the past," Zhong Xingyi recalled of her confusion.
Later, when her grandmother fell seriously ill, Zhong Xingyi's whole family returned to Wuzhou, Guangxi, to care for the elderly woman. Her mother suggested that she participate in performances and competitions again, telling her: "Your not being suited to play a maidservant does not mean you are not suited to play the leading role." These words awakened her and also ignited her. Her aunt, also a professional opera performer, began to coach her hand in hand in singing opera. "From vocal style to stage movement, from the eyes to character transitions, we polished, overturned, and started over again and again, as if I had returned to age 18." In works such as The Legend of Xianglian and Green Mountains Forever Dwell in the People's Hearts, she played multiple roles in one, continuously accumulating experience in competitions and gradually forming her own style.
What truly made her stand out on the national stage was the Cantonese opera Six Young Ladies. Set against the background of the intangible cultural heritage inheritance of Wuzhou Liubao tea, she played three roles in one—Uncle Shi, Sixth Young Lady, and the storyteller—performing both the old male role and the young female role, while also completing rapid switches in vocal style, stage movement, and emotion within a short time. In a scene of a father-daughter quarrel on stage, Zhong Xingyi was a stern, deep-voiced father one second and a wronged, stubborn daughter the next, with almost no breathing room between role changes. The highly difficult performance and the moving story made the judges' eyes light up.
Having stepped onto a bigger stage, Zhong Xingyi has not stopped. She performs at the grassroots level, teaches children Cantonese opera for free in public welfare classes, runs short-video accounts, and co-produces works with Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) teams. She has also created a Cantonese opera program titled Time Travel: I Am an Idol in the Future, incorporating elements such as time travel, rap, and internet dance crazes into the traditional art, hoping to tell Cantonese opera stories in the language of young people and "give the ancient art of Cantonese opera more ways to be opened."
"Every time I step on stage, every phrase I sing, every look in my eyes—it is as if, across time, I am meeting again those predecessors who once shone on the stage," Zhong Xingyi said. "As long as Cantonese opera still rings out on the stage, this dialogue across time and space will never end!"

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Editor: Ren Shanshan

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