Summary: President Xi Jinping departed Beijing by special plane on the afternoon of September 23 for a state visit to the United States, at the invitation of U.S. President Trump. Accompanying Xi Jinping were Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping; Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to farmers nationwide on the ninth "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival," emphasizing solid advancement of comprehensive rural revitalization, enhanced policy effectiveness for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and efforts to make farmers' lives happier and more fulfilling. Cadres and the public expressed that his remarks were inspiring, stressing the need to implement Party Central Committee decisions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to modernize agriculture and rural areas. The article notes this year's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, with a bumper autumn harvest in sight. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Bank of China, and Agricultural Development Bank of China detailed efforts on autumn production, financial support, and 200 billion yuan in credit for grain purchases. Local officials and villagers across provinces highlighted income-boosting initiatives, village development models, and infrastructure improvements to build livable, workable, and beautiful villages.
Summary: President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, inspiring participants and skilled workers to refine their skills and pursue success through skills. Chinese delegation head Wu Lituo said the letter reflected the Party Central Committee's high regard for skilled talent, while officials like Yu Xubo and Su Jing pledged to support "Made in China" and build skilled talent teams. President Xi emphasized China's willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, promote the world skills movement, and better serve global economic growth. The competition saw record participation with 80 countries and regions registered and 1,385 competitors. Various Chinese representatives, including Li Quanli, Zhang Xiaofei, Zou Bin, Luo Shengqiang, Wang Ying, and Wu Weibin, expressed commitments to integrate WorldSkills standards, cultivate skilled craftsmen, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the movement's development.
Summary: President Xi Jinping announced that the initiative to invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years, proposed in November 2023, has been achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule, with more than 50,000 American youths having visited China. The article highlights Xi's continued engagement through letters and messages with American youth participants in activities such as the "Kuliang Bond" exchange, pickleball visits, and the commemoration of the55th anniversary of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy." It details how visiting American students experienced Chinese culture, history, and technological development, fostering mutual understanding and friendship. The piece emphasizes the establishment of the "Young Envoys Exchange and Study Program" to provide institutional support for these exchanges, which have covered all50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The article concludes that the initiative has strengthened people-to-people bonds and injected vitality into China-U.S. relations.
Summary: Premier Li Qiang attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Skills Conference in Shanghai, stating that skills have always been an important force driving the progress of human civilization and that President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter fully affirmed the platform role of the competition. He shared observations based on China's practice, emphasizing skills contributions to development, commitment to cultivating workers' skills advantages through industry-education integration and lifelong training, and calling for global cooperation to raise skills development levels, including building a World Skills Innovation Center and expanding skills development under the Belt and Road Initiative South-South cooperation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and WorldSkills President Uhan attended and spoke, praising China's contributions to global skills cause. Approximately 1,900 representatives attended, and Li Qiang visited the World Skills Expo before the ceremony, with Chen Jining, Wu Zhenglong, and Qiu Yiqin participating.
Summary: The 7th National Minority Arts Festival closed on September 23 at the Beijing Ethnic Theater, with Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attending the closing ceremony gala. The gala, titled "Realizing the Same Dream, Sharing the Same Glory," featured programs that extolled China's ethnic unity achievements under the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and expressed the love of all ethnic groups for the motherland. The festival, jointly hosted by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Radio and Television Administration, the China Media Group, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, staged 48 plays in 114 performances across 14 theaters from August 18 to September 23, drawing approximately 180,000 viewers online and offline. The opening ceremony gala, "Unity Creates a Better Future, One Heart Toward the Days Ahead," was held earlier in Beijing, expressing the determination to forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation and advance Chinese modernization. Yin Li, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Losang Jamcan, Shohrat Zakir, Shen Yiqin, Batel, and Xian Hui respectively attended the opening and closing ceremony galas.
Summary: In Chongqing, the Dalou Mountains and other former Long March sites are now seeing rural revitalization through green industries and red tourism, as local officials and villagers build on the region's ecological advantages. General Secretary Xi Jinping's April 2024 inspection tour of Chongqing emphasized urban-rural integrated development and ecologically distinctive agriculture, guiding these efforts. The article highlights examples such as selenium-rich rice in Youyang, understory medicinal herbs in Chengkou, and oil-tea camellia bases in Xiushan, all driving income growth and employment. These developments are framed as fulfilling the Long March spirit and revitalizing old revolutionary base areas.
Summary: Dalian is advancing its hydrogen energy industry by leveraging local petrochemical by-product hydrogen and equipment manufacturing strengths, with hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicles and fuel cell technology developed through collaboration with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. The article cites General Secretary Xi Jinping’s January 2025 inspection tour in Liaoning, where he stressed integrating scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation and developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, while the 15th Five-Year Plan outline calls for forward-looking arrangements for future industries including hydrogen energy. Dalian has accumulated over 1,600 patent applications in hydrogen fuel cell fields, expanded application scenarios such as hydrogen refueling stations and buses, and completed projects like the Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Comprehensive Utilization Project producing 20 tons of high-purity hydrogen daily. The city aims for a 10 billion yuan annual output value in the hydrogen energy industry, having gathered more than 60 innovative enterprises across the chain.
Summary: The article is a special report titled "The Foundation of China-U.S. Relations Is Laid by the People, and the Future Is Created by the Youth," appearing in a ninth edition alongside a piece on advancing urban renewal with high quality as an important lever for urban modernization. It frames the foundation of China-U.S. relations as laid by the people and the future as created by the youth, emphasizing people-to-people and youth engagement in bilateral ties. The report is part of a theory and investigation reflection section, suggesting an analytical or policy-oriented approach to the subject.
Summary: President Xi Jinping, in remarks reported by the column, framed 2026 as a "historic and landmark year" for China-U.S. relations, invoking the legacy of "ping-pong diplomacy" and urging the two sides to build a "China-U.S. constructive strategic stability" relationship. During U.S. President Trump's state visit to China from May 13 to 15, 2026, Xi raised the "Three Questions" on bilateral ties, defining the new positioning as "positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, sound stability with competition kept within bounds, normal stability with differences kept under control, and enduring stability with peace within reach." Xi stressed that realizing China's rejuvenation and making America great again can "move forward together without contradiction," and that the two leaders must "jointly shoulder this historic responsibility" to steer the great ship of bilateral relations along the correct course.
Summary: President Xi Jinping has emphasized that the hope of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, its foundation in the grassroots, its future in the youth, and its vitality in local ties. The article reports that since early this year, events including the China-California Business Forum, the 8th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference, and the 2026 China-U.S. Subnational Cooperation Dialogue have been held, with China and the United States having concluded 50 pairs of sister provinces/states and 238 pairs of sister cities. It highlights that subnational economic and trade exchanges remain active, with both sides expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as green shipping corridors and climate forums, while people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including inter-school visits, continue to consolidate the foundation of bilateral ties. The piece concludes that under the strategic guidance of the Chinese and American heads of state, subnational cooperation anchors on building a constructive and stable strategic relationship between China and the United States.
Summary: The article argues that the Xi-Trump summit holds major significance for both nations and the world, as the two heads of state have achieved state visits within six months, signaling a desire for a stable working relationship. It emphasizes that in the economic and trade field, the United States and China are the world's two largest economies, and that cooperation in artificial intelligence is something that is imperative and must be done, with both sides needing to engage in sincere cooperation. The piece criticizes zero-sum game thinking and the rhetoric of "decoupling and severing supply chains" in the United States, asserting that true decoupling would severely shock the U.S. economy. It also highlights the importance of youth exchanges, particularly the "5 years, 50,000" initiative, for promoting mutual understanding, with the author recounting a personal trip to China. The article concludes that the meeting is expected to bring rare certainty and stability to a world facing multiple challenges, including regional conflicts.
Summary: President Xi Jinping announced that the initiative to invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years, proposed in November 2023, has been achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule, with more than 50,000 American youths having visited China. The article highlights Xi's continued engagement through letters and messages with American youth participants in activities such as the "Kuliang Bond" exchange, pickleball visits, and the commemoration of the55th anniversary of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy." It details how visiting American students experienced Chinese culture, history, and technological development, fostering mutual understanding and friendship. The piece emphasizes the establishment of the "Young Envoys Exchange and Study Program" to provide institutional support for these exchanges, which have covered all50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The article concludes that the initiative has strengthened people-to-people bonds and injected vitality into China-U.S. relations.
Summary: President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United States from September 至 25 at the invitation of President Trump. Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said both the United States and China will benefit from a stable trade relationship, and that the so-called idea of "decoupling" the two economies is absurd, adding costs without enhancing U.S. national security. Baker noted that the head-of-state meeting in Beijing clarified the direction for economic and trade cooperation, and that more frequent exchanges between business people enhance confidence in long-term investment. He also praised the "50,000 in five years" initiative as valuable for people-to-people exchanges, expressing hope that the upcoming heads-of-state meeting promotes new consensus in that field.
Summary: Wang Dongming, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, met in Beijing on September 23 with a delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan led by its Chairman, Kudratilla Rafikov. The two sides exchanged views on earnestly implementing the consensus of the two heads of state, further strengthening exchanges and cooperation, and better serving the modernization of both countries.
Summary: The 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiong'an) will be held in the Xiong'an New Area of Hebei Province in late October, as reported on September 23 by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. The institute, as the host organization, is working closely with Hebei Province and the Xiong'an New Area, among others, and is working in a rapid and intensive manner to advance the forum's preparatory work.
Summary: Li Qiang met with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kasymaliev in Hangzhou, where he stated that under the strategic guidance of the two countries' heads of state, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have advanced steadily, and bilateral cooperation has entered a "golden period" of rapid development. Li Qiang expressed willingness to strengthen development strategy alignment, continue high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, advance projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, and expand cooperation in fields including artificial intelligence, digital economy, green energy, and finance. Kasymaliev highly praised the Communist Party of China for leading the Chinese people to achieve tremendous development accomplishments, reaffirmed the Kyrgyz side's firm adherence to the one-China principle, and expressed support for the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.
Summary: At a State Council Information Office press conference on September 23, Minister of Civil Affairs Li Changguan outlined priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, focusing on high-quality development and inclusive, foundational, and bottom-line livelihood construction. Vice Minister Sun Shuopeng detailed targets including a 73% share for nursing-type beds in elderly care institutions and a 70% coverage rate for village-and-community-level elderly care service facilities, alongside the "Five-Thousand Project" for facility construction. Li announced plans to expand social assistance from "guaranteeing survival" toward "guaranteeing basic needs, preventing risks, and promoting development," improving dynamic monitoring and "one-window acceptance, coordinated handling" mechanisms. Vice Minister Hu Haifeng discussed promoting children's welfare institutions to "open their doors and run their institutions," implementing a special action plan for mental health care for children in difficult circumstances, and continuing the "Sunshine Charity" project to enhance transparency and regulation.
Summary: Liu Guozhong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted a research tour in Hubei from September 21 to 23 and attended the national main venue event of the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival. He emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, mobilize farmers and society to accelerate agricultural and rural modernization, and solidly advance comprehensive rural revitalization. Visiting Xiangzhou District and Zaoyang City in Xiangyang, he stressed that despite natural disasters, summer grain output reached a record high and autumn grain is expected to have a good harvest, calling for bottom-line thinking, disaster prevention, and organized harvesting to ensure a bumper year. He also urged high-standard farmland construction, technological promotion, normalized precise assistance to prevent large-scale relapse into poverty, and application of the Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement Project to boost rural industries and incomes. In Danjiangkou City, he learned about water source protection for the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project, emphasizing safe operation, water quality reliability, and high-standard construction with strict quality and safety controls.
Summary: A symposium on the publication of *The History of Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation* was held in Beijing on the 23rd, attended by Li Ganjie, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, who delivered a speech. The meeting stated that the 11-volume, over 4.2 million-character work takes General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on strengthening and improving ethnic work as its fundamental guide, adheres to the historical view of the Chinese nation based on the "five commonalities," and provides a profound historical basis for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation. It also adheres to the Two Integrations to break out of the mold of Western ethnic theories, providing important theoretical support for building China's independent system of historical materials, discourse, and theory on the community of the Chinese nation, and adheres to learning from history to guide the present to respond to practical needs in the new era. The meeting emphasized taking the publication as an opportunity to deepen research on major basic theoretical issues, consolidate the historical materials foundation, strengthen the construction of China's independent academic discourse, and lay a solid theoretical foundation for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation. Responsible comrades from member units of the leading group for compilation work, the compilation committee, relevant departments of the United Front Work Department, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, experts, scholars, young students, grassroots cadres, and the masses attended the meeting.
Summary: The second meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Mechanism was held in Nanjing on the 23rd, co-chaired by Chen Wenqing, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, together with Makhmudov, Secretary of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Chen Wenqing noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership, citing President Xi Jinping's meeting with President Mirziyoyev on August 31, and expressed willingness to deepen cooperation in combating the "three evil forces," telecom network fraud, cross-border gambling, safeguarding cybersecurity, protecting overseas interests, and promoting high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. Makhmudov expressed willingness to implement the consensus and outcomes of the meeting and open up new prospects in bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation. On the 22nd, Chen Wenqing held bilateral talks with Makhmudov, conducting in-depth exchanges on the international security situation.
Summary: A ceremony to confer honorary titles and awards on the astronauts of Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 was held in Beijing on the 23rd. Zhang Shengmin, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, representing President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission, extended warm congratulations to the six astronauts receiving commendations. The decision made by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission to confer honorary titles and award meritorious medals was read out, and Zhang Shengmin presented the medals and certificates to Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, Wang Jie, Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang. Leaders of relevant departments, officers and soldiers of the military aerospace forces, and representatives of participants in research, development, and testing attended the ceremony.
Summary: In a photo report, Zoumagu Town in Chongqing High-tech Zone launched folk culture activities along the ancient post road as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach. The photo shows visitors interacting with the lion dance, an intangible cultural heritage performance, on September 23. The photo was taken by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Chan.
Summary: At a State Council Information Office press conference on September 23, five energy sector representatives discussed "Promoting Green Energy Transition and Supply Security." Wang Yuepeng of State Grid Beijing Changping Power Supply Company emphasized his team's commitment to honing skills for reliable power supply, while Zhang Deping of PetroChina Jilin Oilfield detailed his team's pioneering work in carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage. Zhao Yunfei of China Energy Investment Corporation highlighted how intelligent mining has transformed the coal industry into a high-tech sector, and Zheng Sanguo of China Huadian Gansu Tengger Green Energy Co., Ltd. described an integrated governance model that raised vegetation coverage from under 5 percent to over 70 percent. Liu Xin of Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute showcased the "Yellow Sea No. 1," China's deepest-water offshore floating photovoltaic platform, expressing a commitment to advancing domestic new energy technology innovation.
Summary: The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission publicly notified six typical problems of violations of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach. The cases include Pan Liang, a former deputy-ministerial-level cadre of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, who accepted banquets, golf outings, entertainment arrangements, and gifts; Huang Guilin, former deputy governor of Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, who engaged in "achievement projects"and"image projects"and accepted banquets, gifts, and cash; and others involving illegal gifts, banquets, tourism, and duty failures. The Commission emphasized that the improvement of work style is a tough battle anda protracted war, requiring perseverance, and that discipline inspection organs must resolutely crack down on unhealthy tendencies, deeply rectify chronic problems, and strengthen deterrence through warnings. It also stressed the need to closely monitor holiday-related problems such as illegal eating, drinking, gift-giving, and using public vehicles for private purposes, guiding cadres to know reverence, maintain fear, abide by bottom lines, and create a clean and upright atmosphere for the holidays.
Summary: At a State Council Information Office press conference on September 23, Ministry of Education officials outlined plans to accelerate building a strong education nation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, targeting more equitable basic education and greater international influence by 2030. Vice Minister Du Jiangfeng said the ministry will improve mechanisms for adjusting university disciplines and specialties to serve national strategies and regional industrial structures. Guo Peng, Director of the Department of Development Planning, noted that "Double First-Class" universities must expand undergraduate enrollment by over 76,000 more places from 2027 to 2030, while guiding universities to develop distinctively by category—research, application, and skills-oriented. Tian Zuyin, Deputy Chief Inspector and Director of the Department of Basic Education, announced priorities including balanced basic education, quality upper secondary school construction, and nationwide off-campus practical teaching of at least half a day per week in primary and secondary schools.
Summary: The NPC Standing Committee's General Office held a special study class in Beijing from September 20 to 23 for leading comrades of local people's congress standing committees, themed "Deeply Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law." A total of 202 leading comrades from 18 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government participated. A relevant leading comrade stated at the opening ceremony that Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law is a major innovative development in the theory of the rule of law under socialism with Chinese characteristics, a required course for people's congress workers, emphasizing the need to grasp its political orientation, people's standpoint, cultural heritage, and scientific methods. The study class arranged six special reports from central bodies, including the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the Constitution and Law Committee of the NPC, the Legislative Affairs Commission, and the General Office, plus group discussions, on-site teaching, and summary exchanges.
Summary: On September 23, at the Warm New Courier Station on Chongwenmenwai Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, couriers and other workers in new forms of employment made mooncakes to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival. In recent years, the Chongwenmenwai Street sub-district has relied on its four themed Warm New Courier Stations to regularly carry out special activities such as holiday folk-custom experiences. The report is a photo report from People's Daily, with photo by Chen Bin, People's Daily reporter.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to farmers nationwide on the ninth "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival," emphasizing solid advancement of comprehensive rural revitalization, enhanced policy effectiveness for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and efforts to make farmers' lives happier and more fulfilling. Cadres and the public expressed that his remarks were inspiring, stressing the need to implement Party Central Committee decisions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to modernize agriculture and rural areas. The article notes this year's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, with a bumper autumn harvest in sight. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Bank of China, and Agricultural Development Bank of China detailed efforts on autumn production, financial support, and 200 billion yuan in credit for grain purchases. Local officials and villagers across provinces highlighted income-boosting initiatives, village development models, and infrastructure improvements to build livable, workable, and beautiful villages.
Summary: President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, inspiring participants and skilled workers to refine their skills and pursue success through skills. Chinese delegation head Wu Lituo said the letter reflected the Party Central Committee's high regard for skilled talent, while officials like Yu Xubo and Su Jing pledged to support "Made in China" and build skilled talent teams. President Xi emphasized China's willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, promote the world skills movement, and better serve global economic growth. The competition saw record participation with 80 countries and regions registered and 1,385 competitors. Various Chinese representatives, including Li Quanli, Zhang Xiaofei, Zou Bin, Luo Shengqiang, Wang Ying, and Wu Weibin, expressed commitments to integrate WorldSkills standards, cultivate skilled craftsmen, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the movement's development.
Summary: In Chongqing, the Dalou Mountains and other former Long March sites are now seeing rural revitalization through green industries and red tourism, as local officials and villagers build on the region's ecological advantages. General Secretary Xi Jinping's April 2024 inspection tour of Chongqing emphasized urban-rural integrated development and ecologically distinctive agriculture, guiding these efforts. The article highlights examples such as selenium-rich rice in Youyang, understory medicinal herbs in Chengkou, and oil-tea camellia bases in Xiushan, all driving income growth and employment. These developments are framed as fulfilling the Long March spirit and revitalizing old revolutionary base areas.
Summary: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has decided on leadership adjustments for party chiefs of Anhui, Henan, and Fujian provinces. Li Lecheng is appointed as member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, while Liang Yanshun no longer serves in those roles there. Zhou Zuyi is appointed as member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, and no longer serves as secretary, standing committee member, and member of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee, with Liu Ning no longer serving in Henan's top party posts. Zhao Long is appointed as secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.
Summary: Wang Dongwei was appointed acting governor of Anhui Province on September 23, following the resignations of Liang Yanshun as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial People's Congress and Wang Qingxian as Governor. The decision was made at the 26th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Anhui Provincial People's Congress. Wang Dongwei, previously Vice Governor, will assume the role of Acting Governor.
Summary: Premier Li Qiang attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Skills Conference in Shanghai, stating that skills have always been an important force driving the progress of human civilization and that President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter fully affirmed the platform role of the competition. He shared observations based on China's practice, emphasizing skills contributions to development, commitment to cultivating workers' skills advantages through industry-education integration and lifelong training, and calling for global cooperation to raise skills development levels, including building a World Skills Innovation Center and expanding skills development under the Belt and Road Initiative South-South cooperation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and WorldSkills President Uhan attended and spoke, praising China's contributions to global skills cause. Approximately 1,900 representatives attended, and Li Qiang visited the World Skills Expo before the ceremony, with Chen Jining, Wu Zhenglong, and Qiu Yiqin participating.
Summary: President Xi Jinping replied to young students from 10 American universities who participated in a China-U.S. youth themed exchange activity, expressing expectations that the youth of the two countries would become inheritors, guardians, and developers of China-U.S. friendship. The article highlights the historical foundation of people-to-people amity, including "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the "Flying Tigers," as well as ongoing exchanges in culture, sports, science, and education. It notes that President Xi's initiative to invite 50,000 American youths to China has completed its target ahead of schedule, and that multi-level dialogue mechanisms are operating orderly. The piece concludes that the story of China-U.S. relations is written by the people, with public opinion polls showing rebounding American favorability toward China.
Summary: The article highlights a "relay of small balls" spanning over half a century as a testament to the enduring vitality of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges, with veterans of "ping-pong diplomacy" returning to China to pass the torch to younger generations now playing pickleball. It marks the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. "ping-pong diplomacy," noting how the small silver ball reopened friendly exchanges and led to continued "beautiful stories of friendship" between the two peoples. The piece cites President Xi Jinping's 2023 initiative to invite 50,000 American youths to China, which has already exceeded its goal, with American youth sharing authentic stories of China on social media. It argues that Chinese and American youth making friends through sports offers insight into the right way for the two countries to get along, emphasizing mutual respect for core interests and expanded cooperation. The article concludes that China is willing to deepen people-to-people exchanges with the United States to inject an inexhaustible source of strength into a constructive and strategically stable bilateral relationship.
Summary: A "Salute to the National Flag" themed activity brought over a thousand Hong Kong and Macao flag-raising team representatives to Beijing from September 18 to 22, organized by the Hong Kong and Macao SAR governments, the Central Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. Students expressed pride in the motherland at Tiananmen, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, the Forbidden City, and the China Science and Technology Museum, with teachers framing the trip as sacred duty and vivid history education. At Beijing No. 80 Middle School, youths exchanged with mainland peers through fan-painting, with the principal pledging future themed research projects like aerospace. At Yuanmingyuan, students reflected on national strength and martyr sacrifice, with one Macao student urging peers to serve as builders and successors of One Country, Two Systems.
Summary: The 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Committee of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles was held in Beijing on the 23rd, attended by Tie Ning, Vice Chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairwoman of the Federation. The meeting conducted in-depth study and practice of Xi Jinping's cultural thought, studied implemented the spirit of his important speeches on literary and artistic work, and proposed to solidly advance preparatory work for the 12th National Congress of the Federation. It noted that over the past five years, the Federation united literary workers around the main line of "grasping creation," integrating "doing the work of people" with "producing excellent works," promoting overall work to a new level. It called for raising political standing, focusing on themes, strictly enforcing discipline, innovating measures, and welcoming the successful convening of the 12th National Congress, making new contributions to socialist cultural power construction.
Summary: The 7th China Liaoning International Investment and Trade Fair opened in Shenyang on the 23rd, with Zhou Qiang, Vice Chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee, attending the opening ceremony and delivering a speech. Zhou Qiang stated that President Xi Jinping has always kept the northeastern land in his heart, constantly thinking about the revitalization of the Northeast, having repeatedly come to the Northeast in person for inspections and guidance, chaired special symposiums, and issued a series of important instructions and directives. Zhou Qiang said that Liaoning adheres to the state's basic policy of opening up, abides by the cooperative philosophy of mutual benefit and win-win results, concentrates efforts on building the Northeast land-and-sea grand corridor, deeply integrates into high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, actively participates in construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, continuously strengthens its function as a hub for opening-up and cooperation, and injects new momentum into Northeast revitalization through opening-up practices. This session of the fair takes "New Momentum of Opening-Up New Chapter of Revitalization" as its theme, and before the opening ceremony, Zhou Qiang went to the exhibition halls for a tour of inspection.
Summary: More than 400 compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered at Yanqi Lake in Huairou, Beijing, on the 23rd for the "The Moon Illuminates Beijing, Feelings Bridge the Two Shores" 2026 Cross-Strait Compatriots Mid-Autumn Festival Fellowship Activity. Before the event, Song Tao, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, attended a tea gathering, stating that the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important remarks from April this year would be thoroughly implemented, adhering to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, deepening cross-strait exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development, while resolutely opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and foreign interference. Song Tao emphasized that cross-strait compatriotsare family, sharing a complex of reunion symbolized by the moon, and should jointly trace blood lineage, draw prospects of integrated development, and shoulder the responsibility of national rejuvenation. Li Qianlong, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Chinese Kuomintang, along with more than 300 Taiwanese guests, participated in the event, with Taiwanese compatriots expressing hopes for enhanced mutual trust and expanded exchanges on the basis of the 1992 Consensus and opposing"Taiwan independence." Participants also jointly watched the"e Blossom Together" Strait Song Festival, showcasing the common aspiration of working together side by side.
Summary: The article highlights how mass cultural and sports activities in Inner Mongolia are fostering ethnic unity and common prosperity, featuring examples like "Prairie Village Volleyball" in Otog Front Banner and community facilities in Ulanhot. It quotes local officials and residents, including Ma · Hugejiltu, who initiated the volleyball trend, and Wang Wei, Party secretary of Angsu Township, noting the area received 1.65 million tourists with 2.9 billion yuan in tourism revenue. The piece also covers industrial development, such as Jarud millet cooperatives in Tongliao City, and employment initiatives like the "Litchi Blossoms" workshop in Ordos, which has distributed over 55 million yuan in labor remuneration. Throughout, it emphasizes the goal of all ethnic groups "clinging together like pomegranate seeds" through shared living, cultural exchange, and economic cooperation.
Summary: The "Rural Reading" channel on the "Xuexi Qiangguo" learning platform was launched in Beijing on the 23rd, with comrades in charge from multiple central departments attending and jointly initiating the launch. The channel is a major arrangement to advance the reform, upgrading, and digital transformation of rural libraries, and a landmark converged-media project embodying content innovation, technological empowerment, and integrated dissemination. It sets up six core sections — "Focus," "Farming Matters," "Book Houses," "Companion Learning," "Health and Wellness," and "Literature and Arts" — with down-to-earth and practical content supply seeking to satisfy the diverse spiritual and cultural needs of farmers. The initiative strives to tell well the stories of rural revitalization, struggle, and everyday life in the new era.
Summary: The exchange event "Pooling Strength to Develop Villages · Stories of First Secretaries Stationed in Villages," hosted by People's Daily Digital Communication Co., Ltd., was held in Beijing, aiming to build a platform for exchanging experience and showcasing results in village-based assistance work. Multiple experts, over 40 first secretaries from 15 provinces, representatives from dispatching units including the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and agricultural-assistance influencers participated. The event featured three thematic sharing sessions, where first secretaries exchanged experiences based on frontline practice. The special topic page "Pooling Strength to Develop Villages · First Secretaries Stationed in Villages Speak" was officially launched, featuring a "Village Good-Products Market." The "First Secretaries Stationed in Villages Speak" column has released over 40 installments of converged media reports.
Summary: The commentary discusses the opening of the Pinglu Canal, the first man-made river-to-sea canal since the founding of New China, and its role in advancing regional economic integration and redrawing the economic geography of China-ASEAN. Pan Yunfeng states that the canal will shorten shipping distances for goods from China's southwestern region by more than 560 kilometers and reduce logistics costs by 18% to 30%, while also highlighting the "corridor + platform" stacking effect with this year's CAEXPO, which achieved the participation of all 11 ASEAN countries. The dialogue emphasizes the need for "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, "soft connectivity" of rules, and "heart connectivity" of people-to-people exchanges to release institutional dividends, citing that trade between China and ASEAN reached RMB 5.95 trillion in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 20.6%. Pan Yunfeng concludes that mutual achievement enables harmonious coexistence, exemplified by the fruit trade chain of "ASEAN produces, Guangxi distributes, China sells well," which supports increased income for ASEAN farmers and meets Chinese market demand.
Summary: China's photovoltaic installed capacity surpassed coal power by end-July, but its power generation share lagged due to solar intermittency and volatility, prompting a call to balance "stability" and "progress" and coordinate "quantity" with "quality." Coal power must remain a "ballast stone" for grid safety, shifting from baseload to flexible peak-shaving support, while accelerating storage deployment, smarter grids, and new business forms like photovoltaic-storage integration. The energy transition methodology echoes high-quality development requirements, as the July 30 CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting urged accelerating the shift from old to new growth drivers. Energy transition is a long-distance race requiring historical patience and systems thinking to build a clean, low-carbon, safe, abundant, economically efficient, supply-demand coordinated, flexible, and intelligent new-type power system.
Summary: The commentary reflects on stories from the 1934 Battle of the Xiang River, where villagers preserved a Red Army flag and guarded martyrs' graves for generations, illustrating the bond between the army and the people as close as fish and water. It argues that this persistence stems from faith, righteousness, and trust, rooted in the Red Army's strict discipline and the people's belief that the soldiers sacrificed for their well-being. The piece highlights a two-way commitment: the people trust the Communist Party of China and the people's army, while the Party and army uphold their original aspiration and founding mission, forging an unbreakable bond of unity. It emphasizes that the greatest confidence lies in the Party and the people being heart-to-heart, and calls for carrying forward the Long March spirit as the nation faces new challenges. The commentary concludes by citing efforts such as the Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs and Martyrs' Memorial Day to safeguard the foundation of faith and spread the power of spirit.
Summary: The 20th Asian Games recently opened in Nagoya, Japan, with the Chinese delegation sending 815 athletes to compete in 38 major sports and 369 events, treating the Games as a "training" stage for the new Olympic cycle. Traditional strong events are honing talent pipelines, while emerging events are expanding the medal-winning map, with expectations that Chinese athletes will display strong competitive form. The report frames this as a moment of competitive urgency, with athletes "eagerly and bravely preparing for a challenge" and "making a first attempt to show one's talent," as rising stars emerge and take up the baton toward the mountain's summit.
Summary: The article argues that a city's science and technology talent competitiveness depends not only on attracting talent ("aggregation") but on creating an environment that fosters innovation and allows cross-disciplinary collaboration ("integration"). It cites the "Global Science and Technology Talent Competitiveness Index 2026," which placed 27 Chinese cities in the global top 100, as evidence of talent scale, but stresses that having more talent does not automatically mean stronger innovation capacity. The piece emphasizes that true aggregation requires an environment tolerant of long-term effort and trial and error, while integration involves breaking down barriers between universities, disciplines, and industry to let knowledge and technology flow. It concludes that a city must cultivate both aggregation and integration to convert its talent advantage into a genuine innovation advantage.
Summary: The article is a Jintai essay reflecting on the Ninth Lu Xun Literature Prize, where food-delivery rider Wang Jibing won for his poetry collection *Flying Low*, and his acceptance speech that "a flight at low altitude is still a flight" is used to argue that ordinary perseverance constitutes success. It cites Lei Haiwei, another delivery man who won *Chinese Poetry Conference*, and figures like Ma Shanxiang and Wuhasi Sulaiman to show that "low-altitude flight" does not excuse passivity but affirms down-to-earth striving. The piece concludes by quoting General Secretary Xi Jinping that "all ordinary people can obtain extraordinary lives," emphasizing that national development is built by countless ordinary laborers whose flapping wings have their own strength.
Summary: The themed exhibition "The Great Expedition — Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" opened at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution on September 22, opening to the public on September 25. Organized into seven sections under the theme "Carrying Forward the Great Long March Spirit and Walking Well the New Era's Long March Road," it presents the Red Army's course panoramically, displaying 357 photographs and charts, 875 cultural relics, 186 documents, 73 works of art, and 16 videos, with over 300 items exhibited for the first time. The exhibition highlights more than 60 red stories, including "Half a Leather Belt" and "Half a Quilt," and features interactive exhibits like "I Want to Be a Red Army Soldier." It will be a permanent exhibition, with reservations via the WeChat service account, alongside planned social education activities and a panoramic online digital exhibition hall.
Summary: The 2026 Beijing Culture Forum, co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, was held in Beijing from September 22 to 23, with approximately 600 Chinese and foreign guests discussing the systematic protection of cultural heritage and mutual learning among civilizations. Rao Quan, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, emphasized the need to properly handle relationships between cultural relics and intangible cultural heritage, placing greater emphasis on holistic, dynamic, and synergistic protection. Chen Pingyuan, first-class professor at Peking University, argued that demolished ancient buildings should not be rebuilt, and the focus should be on revitalizing preserved heritage sites, while French director Jacques Malaterre stressed that protecting heritage means allowing it to continue flowing and touching people's hearts. Beijing Vice Mayor Sima Hong introduced the city's "gradual, micro-renewal" model for activating the Old City, including more than 30 voluntary relocation projects since 2019. The forum also saw the release of the "2025 Report on Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange" and the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau and the Italian Union of Walled Cities of the Veneto Region.
Summary: Dalian is advancing its hydrogen energy industry by leveraging local petrochemical by-product hydrogen and equipment manufacturing strengths, with hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicles and fuel cell technology developed through collaboration with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. The article cites General Secretary Xi Jinping’s January 2025 inspection tour in Liaoning, where he stressed integrating scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation and developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, while the 15th Five-Year Plan outline calls for forward-looking arrangements for future industries including hydrogen energy. Dalian has accumulated over 1,600 patent applications in hydrogen fuel cell fields, expanded application scenarios such as hydrogen refueling stations and buses, and completed projects like the Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Comprehensive Utilization Project producing 20 tons of high-purity hydrogen daily. The city aims for a 10 billion yuan annual output value in the hydrogen energy industry, having gathered more than 60 innovative enterprises across the chain.
Summary: Tieling City in Liaoning Province is advancing scientific and technological innovation through cross-regional "enclave" R&D centers, gradient cultivation of enterprises, and institutional breakthroughs like the"university-appointed, enterprise-employed"talent mechanism. The city has cooperated with 10 research institutions, organized 108 industry-university-research alliances, and landed over 70 achievement transformation projects, while investing 75 million yuan in fiscal innovation funds since the 14th Five-Year Plan. These efforts have driven enterprises like Maike New Materials Group and Liaoning Youli'an Electromechanical Equipment to achieve leapfrog development through partnerships with universities such as Shenyang University of Technology. The article highlights Tieling's strategy of"cross-regional wisdom borrowing"and"gradient cultivation"to nurture high-tech and gazelle enterprises, contributing to Liaoning's comprehensive revitalization.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping conducted an inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, on July 15, 2026, where he emphasized that advancing urban renewal with high quality is an important lever for urban modernization, requiring full practice of the people's city concept and adherence to asking the people about their needs, seeking their advice, and evaluating results by their satisfaction. The article investigates Shanghai's historic resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts, a livelihood project pursued for over 30 years, framing it as a vivid practice of Chinese-characteristic urban renewal under the people's city concept, Party building leadership, and whole-process people's democracy. It contrasts this with Western urban governance models constrained by capital logic and partisan strife, arguing that the people's city concept provides Chinese wisdom for solving global urban renewal difficulties. The piece concludes that urban renewal must calibrate urban modernization with the modernization of people, maintain goal stability with a correct view of political achievements, and promote the connection between concentrated tackling and normalized governance.
Summary: The fishing moratorium in all four of China's sea areas concluded on September 16, with the East China Sea and Yellow Sea lifting last, achieving a nationwide full resumption of fishing. Experts Wang Jinpeng and Chen Zuozhi explained that the staggered resumption dates align with regional differences in water temperature and breeding cycles of key commercial species. Monitoring by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed that total resource density in the northern East China Sea increased by about 9.8 times during the moratorium, and in the southern Yellow Sea by 4.7 times. The article details how hairtail, large yellow croaker, swimming crabs, and other catches are now coming onto the market across coastal provinces, with Liaoning mailing 820,000 parcels of seafood since September. It concludes that the "fresh" taste is becoming a visible, purchasable, and portable service chain from livestream rooms to cold-chain logistics.
Summary: The article describes how two traditional markets in China have become cultural tourism attractions. In Linshu County, Shandong, the Caowa Fair has been upgraded, boosting peak visitor flow from 25,000 to 150,000 person-times per market day and driving county-wide revenue growth. In Kunming, Yunnan, the Guandu Comprehensive Market and Wuliduo Agricultural Expo Plaza have been renovated to include intangible-heritage snacks, ethnic flavors, and coffee shops, attracting both locals and tourists. Local officials and vendors highlight the markets' role in extending visitor stays and enhancing the tourism experience. The piece emphasizes the transformation of these markets from simple shopping venues into "tourism experience carriers."
Summary: The article discusses a new trend in the mooncake market ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with consumers favoring low-sugar, health-preserving, and products using ingredients that are both edible and medicinal. Major brands have launched low-sugar mooncakes, while some hospitals introduced medicinal-diet mooncakes pairing ingredients per traditional Chinese medicine principles. The piece notes that innovation optimizes traditional flavors rather than overturning them, while upholding food safety standards. It concludes that changing consumer demand is driving continuous innovation in traditional foods, hoping mooncakes balance reunion's warmth with modern lifestyles.
Summary: Market supervision authorities in some localities have investigated and registered cases against streamers who falsely posed as village cadres to sell goods, while platforms launched special governance against non-compliant livestream rooms. The article stresses that village livestreaming values authenticity above all, and that "fake village livestreams" harming consumer rights overdraft public trust in farmer-aiding efforts. It calls for multi-pronged rectification, including platforms plugging loopholes, regulators refining industry norms, and improving identity authentication systems, to make the industry a new digital driver for rural revitalization.
Summary: Local authorities have issued price-behavior reminder and admonition letters ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, drawing operational red lines for businesses. These letters have become more detailed, broader in coverage, and more cross-departmental, shifting from "friendly tips" to actionable "operation manuals." The article argues that prioritizing "prevention before the fact" over "punishment after the fact" is crucial for fostering a sound holiday tourism and consumption environment. It states that deeper and more precise "consideration" in the letters compresses gray areas, serving as an instruction manual for compliant business, a commitment to consumer rights, and a statement of responsibility for relevant departments in performing their duties with responsibility. While a single letter cannot replace inspection and complaint-response mechanisms, establishing a rule framework for "fire prevention before the fact" can boost consumer confidence and unleash consumption potential.
Summary: Shaanxi successfully launched the independently developed Qinling Satellites 01 and 02 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, marking the first domestic customization of high-resolution remote sensing satellites for the Qinling Mountains and enabling autonomous mission planning for large-area remote sensing tasks. The Pamir Plateau gained its first batch of ecological policing workstations, inaugurated on September 9, with police officers conducting joint ecological patrols alongside the Xinjiang Taxkorgan Wildlife Nature Reserve Service Center. Beijing reported over 4.79 million real-name registered volunteers and more than one million cumulatively published volunteer service projects under its Volunteer Service Promotion Regulations. Guangzhou proposed draft regulations on noise pollution prevention and control, requiring investigation and monitoring of emissions near noise-sensitive buildings. Guangxi established the Qinzhou Tribunal of the Beihai Maritime Court, covering Qinzhou Port, Fangchenggang Port, and key waterways including the Pinglu Canal, while Hebei built 77 standardized "Drivers' Homes" for truck drivers.
Summary: The Yangzhou Puppet Research Institute has been continuing traditions while innovating, performing over one hundred public campus shows annually since Yangzhou rod-puppet theater was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. In May 2024, the institute debuted on a livestreaming platform as "Yangzhou Rod Puppets," becoming the first state-owned puppet troupe nationwide to launch group livestreaming. This approach safeguarded the professional core of intangible cultural heritage preservation while achieving diversified expansion of dissemination channels. Yangzhou rod puppetry has thus extended its performance arena from physical stages to phone screens, opening a brand-new space for intangible cultural heritage dissemination.
Summary: The article reports on seasonal goji berry harvesting employment in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, where the 2026 planting area reached 30,300 hectares and expected fresh fruit output is 410,000 tons, drawing over 100,000 migrant workers from Qinghai and provinces like Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Local human resources and social security departments, jointly with transportation departments, have opened "special buses and special trains" to deliver workers to the main producing areas and dynamically deploy labor. Haixi has set up mobile rights-protection service stations and implemented a payment model combining real-name registration with daily or weekly wage settlement, while exploring a "goji berry picking+" model to extend the employment chain. The piece features Ma Wenqiang, a fourth-year picker from Xiangride Township, who hopes to save enough to contract his own goji berry plot.
Summary: A "small but specialized" job fair was held at the Hepan Huayuan Community Service Station on Xincheng Street, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, where resident Guo Rui attended, with 28 local enterprises offering more than 700 nearby positions alongside skills training and policy interpretation areas. Tongliao City has incorporated precise construction of a job-supply-and-demand matching platform into its livelihood projects, with local employment departments relying on "small but refined" routine recruitment activities to promote high-quality and full employment. The city has comprehensively carried out 427 online and offline recruitment events of various types to precisely match the needs of different groups. On September 11, the Tongliao City Horqin District Youth Employment Special Job Fair was successfully held,with 38 enterprises releasing 1,101 positions. These refined and convenience-oriented employment measures have opened up the "last mile" of employment services through doorstep-delivered considerate services.
Summary: A skills competition for online delivery riders was held at Zhongyi Square in Zhongxian County, Chongqing, hosted by the Chongqing Federation of Trade Unions and the People's Government of Zhongxian County. Contestant No. 32, Liu Yuke, a local delivery rider of five years, completed the preparation phase by checking tires and brakes and stacking simulated meals in three layers. The competition included modules such as delivery preparation, order pickup and delivery, and driving skills, aiming to create a strong atmosphere of respecting labor and advocating skills. After winning second prize, Liu Yuke said he would share the steady-driving skills practiced at the competition with his colleagues at the station.
Summary: The article, timed to National Science Popularization Month, features three Chinese Academy of Sciences academicians answering science questions from young readers. Wang Pinxian discusses deep-sea exploration, describing its creatures, resources, and importance, while Liu Jiaqi explains the role of volcanoes in shaping Earth and the value of basalt fiber. Zhang Jiping addresses the difficulty of mathematics, arguing that hard work and interest are key, and that AI cannot replace human thinking or the foundational importance of mathematics. The piece is framed by Xi Jinping's call to cultivate young people's scientific literacy and interest.
Summary: The article is an editor's note celebrating children's scientific curiosity, emphasizing that the act of seeking answers is more precious than the answers themselves. It highlights that China has over 2.2 million full-time and part-time science popularization personnel, with the China Association for Science and Technology mobilizing more than ten thousand academicians, experts, and science and technology workers annually to produce online science content. The piece expresses hope that youth will move from "learning science" to "loving science" and then to "doing science," envisioning a future galaxy of brilliant scientific stars. It concludes with a blessing for youth to harbor aspirations and move forward without hesitation, connecting distant planets and boundless frontiers to all.
Summary: The article reports that Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, has built a first-class business environment to energize high-quality development, with regional GDP growing 7.9% year-on-year in the first half of this year, ranking first in Shaoxing City. It details reforms such as the "data gets land" mechanism for industrial land, "land allocation upon contract signing," and "one-window acceptance" to compress project approval cycles, alongside a "Scenario Cultivation Office" and "Zero-Innovation Bay" platforms to nurture new quality productive forces. The district has also implemented "Enterprise Care Service Day," a "whitelist" for enterprise-related inspections, and a housing guarantee system of "Zero-yuan Apartments" to provide warm-hearted services. Looking ahead, Shangyu District will continue to strengthen the orientation of"valuing the real economy, valuing industry, valuing enterprises," contributing to Shaoxing's bid to become the city with the best business-environment reputation in China.
Summary: Chinese athletes achieved outstanding results at the 20th Asian Games, with Zhang Zhanshuo winning gold in the men's 200-meter freestyle and setting a new Asian record. The Chinese men's gymnastics team, composed of Zhang Boheng, Zou Jingyuan, Sun Wei, Lan Xingyu, and Tian Hao, secured a third consecutive Asian Games title, while the women's team achieved a fourteenth consecutive title. Zhang Boheng attributed his victories in the individual all-around and team events to the team's constant striving for perfection. In swimming, the Chinese team won the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay gold, with Zhang Zhanshuo's anchor leg split time helping seal the victory. Chinese shooters frequently refreshed world records, with Sheng Lihao winning three consecutive gold medals and Wang Zifei and Jiang Yiting each claiming two golds.
Summary: The Chinese delegation secured 48 gold, 20 silver, and 10 bronze medals as of the evening of September 23, the fourth competition day after the Asian Games opened. On the 23rd, athletics events began, with Shi Shengji claiming the men's half marathon race walk title and the 200th gold medal in Chinese athletics history at the Asian Games, while Yang Liujing won the women's event. In shooting, the Chinese team won 3 gold, 2 silver,and 1 bronze, including team titles in women's 10m air pistol and women's skeet, with Jiang Yiting tying the world record. Swimming yielded 6 gold and 3 silver, highlighted by Zhang Zhanshuo breaking the Asian record in the men's 200m freestyle. Gymnastics teams defended their titles, wushu concluded with Gao Xiaobin and Yao Yang winning, Hua Tian retained his equestrian gold, and the men's football team advanced to the quarterfinals as group leaders.
Summary: The author, a veteran swimmer on the Chinese delegation to the 20th Asian Games, reflects on his fifth Asian Games journey, from his debut at Guangzhou 2010 to becoming the oldest on the team. He recounts setbacks, including a bronze at Incheon 2014, and breakthroughs, such as gold and an Asian record at Hangzhou 2023. At this edition, held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, he competed at age 32, winning two bronze medals and one relay gold. He emphasizes resilience, breakthrough, and legacy as the spirit of sport, and expresses hope that Chinese swimming will build collective strength beyond a few top athletes. The piece concludes with his commitment to cherish every opportunity to compete for Chinese sport.
Summary: The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce released the "2026 Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises" list in Tianjin, with JD.com, Alibaba (China) Co., Ltd., and Hengli Group Co., Ltd. ranking in the top three and an entry threshold of 255.99 billion yuan. The report highlights steady growth in scale and operational efficiency, with total operating revenue reaching 44.93 trillion yuan and net profit 1.83 trillion yuan in 2025. Manufacturing enterprises account for 70.60% of the list, and firms are actively laying out strategic emerging industries such as new materials, new energy, and high-end equipment manufacturing. Innovation vitality is surging, with R&D expenditure totaling 1.26 trillion yuan and 848,700 valid patents held, while social contributions include 11.9633 million employees and 1.30 trillion yuan in tax payments. Officials and entrepreneurs, including Mou Shuhui and Zhang Ronghua, emphasized leading roles in cooperation with SMEs, the Private Economy Promotion Law's supportive measures, and commitments to high-quality development and social responsibility.
Summary: AI assistants are joining the autumn harvest across China, with the article highlighting smart agricultural technologies in Zaoyang (Hubei),, Hengyang (Hunan),, Xiaoshan(Zhejiang),, and Hunchun(Jilin).. Key examples include Beidou-guided harvesters with centimeter-level precision, smart grain systems that train drying curves for over 20 rice varieties, AI-driven one-stop services that raise transport efficiency by 30%, and intelligent color sorters for quality assessment. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will strengthen support for agricultural science and technology, aiming to raise the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting to above 80%.
Summary: AI is empowering the autumn harvest across China, from the Tumen River to the Jianghan Plain, with precision harvesting, fine drying, careful storage, and deep processing. In Qifang Town, Zaoyang, Hubei, BeiDou intelligent terminals control harvesting row spacing error to the centimeter level. Jiaoshan Rice Industry in Hengyang, Hunan, has trained drying curve models for more than 20 rice varieties, achieving "one variety, one drying profile." An intelligent system in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, plans optimal grain delivery routes, raising transport efficiency by 30 percent, while intelligent color sorters in Hunchun, Jilin, multiply daily processing capacity severalfold. With data and algorithms, artificial intelligence is giving new wings to agricultural modernization.
Summary: The Agricultural Bank of China Zhejiang Branch showcased its full-chain financial services at the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo, which opened on September 23 in Hangzhou under the theme "Meet the AI Future at the Digital Trade Expo." The branch highlighted investment-loan linkage products, including the "Zhejiang ABC · Chuangxing-1" AI micro-nano satellite developed by Xingzhong Space, and reported a loan balance of nearly 240 billion yuan to technology-oriented enterprises. It also demonstrated digital services in agriculture, green finance, and elderly care, with agriculture-related loans reaching nearly 850 billion yuan. Cross-border services were expanded through partnerships with "Yiwu Pay" and new online financing products for cross-border e-commerce. The branch participated as a strategic partner for the fifth consecutive year, integrating financial products and interactive exhibits to show finance serving the real economy.
Summary: The article reports on the "Palm Turn" agricultural-therapy program at Yunqiu Mountain Yuangu Hope Farm in Xiangning County, Shanxi Province, which has helped over 40 young people with disabilities transform from "palm facing up to beg" to "palm facing down to stand on their own" over nine years. Chen Lilong, founder of the project, and Zhang Lianshui, chairman of the Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, are credited with establishing the farm, which was named a "National Advanced Collective for Work with Persons with Disabilities" in 2025 and awarded the title of "Jinxiang Home" demonstration institution by the Shanxi Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation. The article highlights the story of Zhang Nan, a trainee with cerebral palsy who became a store manager, and quotes Chen Lilong's philosophy that the farm is not just about teaching agriculture but helping trainees accumulate the ability to live independently. It also details the farm's financial struggles, including a funding chain rupture in 2018, and its plans to expand cooperation with universities such as Hainan Normal University and Shaanxi Normal University.
Summary: Hunan Hengyang Radium Technology Co., Ltd. has developed an electromagnetic ultrasonic intelligent flaw-detection metrology system that can measure internal defects in steel plates online at high speed, solving a difficult inspection problem. In August this year, Hengyang was approved as a national industrial metrology integration and innovation pilot zone, and its Intelligent Weighing-Instrument Metrology Industrial Park, jointly built with the State Administration for Market Regulation, has attracted enterprises through policies such as type-approval optimization and "integration of two inspections into one." Xu Zhibin of Hunan Fennuo Electronics Co., Ltd. noted the company was first in Hunan Province to obtain type-approval certification for a new electronic pricing scale, while Cao Bin of Weistone Information Technology Co., Ltd. said product delivery cycles have been shortened by 50% on average. Jiang Jiyang of Hengyang Qunyingfei Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. described drone patrols monitoring safety hazards in the park, and Yang Yanyan, general manager of the park development company, highlighted upcoming high-capability laboratories including a large-torque facility. Zhu Jian, secretary of the Hengyang Municipal Party Committee, urged seizing the window of opportunity to accelerate industry clustering toward innovation and quality improvement.
Summary: The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has implemented the Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project, an integrated protection and restoration initiative with a total investment of 5.491 billion yuan, to comprehensively improve the ecological environment of the Li River Basin. The project, which involves 12 counties (cities, districts) and includes 83 sub-projects across 8 categories, has completed all sub-projects, achieving transformations such as controlling rocky desertification, restoring abandoned mines, and improving water quality along tributaries. In the Yangshuo section, the forest coverage rate has reached 75.8%, and the green plant coverage rate of the core scenic area has risen from 68% to 82%. The project has also driven land transformationand utilization, with expected value-added returns exceeding 200 million yuan, and its key technologies were selected into the 2025 Guangxi typical cases of territorial spatial ecological restoration. As a result, the surface water environmental quality of Guilin City has ranked among the forefront of the country for 7 consecutive years, with rare birds such as the glossy ibisand the Chinese merganser having returned to the Li River.
Summary: The article compiles speeches from a forum on international rule-of-law cooperation, centered on the theme of providing legal safeguards for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Various officials, including Chief Justice of Nepal's Supreme Court Manoj Sharma and Chief Justice of Samoa's Supreme Court Satiu Perez, emphasized the importance of judicial cooperation, mutual learning among legal systems, and the rule of law as a cornerstone of peace and development. National Prosecutor of Chile Ángel Valencia called for joint efforts to combat transnational crime, while Wang Hongxiang of the China Law Society highlighted Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and the Global Governance Initiative. Other speakers, such as former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Shakhray and Djibouti's Ombudsman Hassan Sultan, discussed digital transformation, legal convergence, and China-Africa legal cooperation, with several contributors underscoring the role of law in global governance and dispute resolution.
Summary: The 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress adopted the Law on Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement, effective January 1, 2027, which a responsible official from the Civil Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission said is significant for ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grains and absolute security of staple food rations. The legislation addresses problems of cultivated land being used for non-agricultural and non-grain purposes by making the balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation more rigorous, strictly controlling conversion of cultivated land into other agricultural land, and improving rules for permanent basic farmland designation, including a first-time negative list. It also highlights quality improvement by clarifying construction goals for high-standard farmland, establishing monitoring systems, prohibiting fund misappropriation, and encouraging treatment of saline-alkali land and protection of black soil. The law establishes a responsibility system with joint Party and government accountability and off-office auditing, and the Ministry of Natural Resources stated it will use methods such as direct case filing and supervision with listing to crack down on illegal occupation of cultivated land.
Summary: A National People's Congress deputy and village Party secretary from Zhoutaizi Village in Hebei Province recounts leading villagers to recover from last year's severe flood and restore agricultural production. She describes submitting proposals on circular agriculture and cultivating high-caliber farmers, and building a rural revitalization agricultural products exhibition and sales center. She notes that villagers' main demands are stable income increases and elderly care, amid rural labor outflow and an aging farming population. She reports that over 670 training sessions have been held, training more than 70,000 people. She pledges to continue fulfilling her duties to promote comprehensive rural revitalization and common prosperity.
Summary: The article reports on Chongqing's "Bayu Practice Stations for Whole-Process People's Democracy," which are built on the basis of upgraded homes (stations, points) for people's congress deputies to smooth public opinion channels. It describes how a station at Jiangjin No. 5 Middle School forwarded student letters to deputy Chen Hong, leading to a "Jinlong Discussion Hall" meeting that adjusted staggered dismissal times, and how a Minzhu Village station in Jiulongpo District built a "five-party discussion" platform to reach consensus on installing an elevator. A relevant official of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress said the stations make whole-process people's democracy "tangible and accessible at the grassroots level" and fulfill the "last kilometer" of connecting with the masses.
Summary: Yang Jinlong, a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice dean of the School of Body Shaping, Painting, and Coating at Hangzhou Technician College, has been advocating for vocational education and skilled talent development since his election to the 13th and 14th NPC. He has conducted extensive research, including visits to frontline workshops and colleges, and has submitted suggestions on aligning vocational training with industry needs and integrating digital skills like artificial intelligence into curricula. At a symposium convened by the NPC Standing Committee's law-enforcement inspection group on the Vocational Education Law in Zhejiang, he noted that vocational education still faces difficulties in enrollment and advancement to higher education. His studio has cultivated more than 500 technicians and over 2,000 senior workers over more than a decade. He emphasized that enhancing the appeal of vocational education is key to allowing more people to see that "blue-collar" workers can also become high-level talent.
Summary: In an interview with People's Daily, Yan Haiying, chief curator of "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" at the Shanghai Museum, discussed the exhibition's phenomenal popularity, which drew over 2.77 million visits and more than 30 billion internet exposures. She attributed this success to China's first fully independent curation of a top-tier Egyptian relics exhibition abroad, grounded in China-Egypt joint archaeology and a Chinese discourse system. Yan highlighted deep-level commonalities between Chinese and Egyptian civilizations, such as the pursuit of "order," concepts of harmony with nature, and hieroglyphic writing systems. She emphasized that the exhibition avoided treating foreign civilizations as spectacles, instead fostering equal dialogue and mutual learning, and expressed hopes for sustained two-way exchanges, including Chinese exhibitions going to Egypt.
Summary: The article recounts the creation of the National Centre for the Performing Arts' original drama *The Backpacker*, inspired by the "graffiti" on the walls of a Beijing siheyuan guesthouse. Producer Wang Ning was drawn to the multilingual inscriptions, and playwright Wang Jian initially struggled until he found the script's "heartbeat" in the "pause between people" the walls embodied. The director Huang Ying, who was "falling in love at first sight" with the subject, led actors to live in the guesthouse and rehearse outdoors to capture a more authentic, tentative tone. The author, the play's executive supervisor, reflects that the drama is a response to words written on the walls of life, with an empty space reserved for the audience.
Summary: The article, authored by an actor with the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre, discusses the TV drama *The Lark's Song to Heaven*, which draws on the life of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei and follows the fictional character Meng Jinfu's life. The author notes that his father, Tan Xiaozeng, served as artistic director and he was opera consultant, overseeing characterization. He describes how leading actors, including Zhang Yishan, underwent rigorous opera training, with Zhang suffering injuries from practicing difficult moves. The author concludes that the drama's title reflects Meng Jinfu's spirit of rising again and again to become a grand master, hoping audiences see a life journey of holding fast to one's original aspiration.
Summary: The author, screenwriter of the TV drama *Confrontation*, reflects on the three-year creation of the series, which features 53 principal characters and nearly 800 scenes, and describes it as a silent thunderclap amid a sea change of the era. The drama's character names, drawn from classical Chinese poetry, carry symbolic meanings tied to cultural markers shared across the Taiwan Strait, such as surnames, festivals, and folk customs, which serve as "bloodline codes" connecting both sides. With support from the Ministry of State Security, the writer engaged with real state security officers to ground the counterespionage story in documentary realism while preserving a texture closer to reality, avoiding spectacular action scenes. The narrative explores how ordinary people, exploited by spies, face tragic fates, and how protagonists like Lin Kanshan, Ma Qi, and Chunxiao make different choices amid tests of faith and humanity. The drama is dedicated to the nameless heroes who defend the country and protect the homeland.
(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) On the afternoon of September 23, President Xi Jinping departed Beijing by special plane for a state visit to the United States, at the invitation of U.S. President Trump.
Accompanying Xi Jinping on the visit were: Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping; Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
On the occasion of the arrival of the ninth "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival," General Secretary Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to the vast number of farmers across the country and to comrades working on the agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (三农) front, emphasizing: "Solidly advance the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, enhance the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers, focus on improving the comprehensive agricultural production capacity and quality efficiency, broaden channels for increasing farmers' incomes and getting rich, build livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions, and strive to make the lives of the vast number of farmers happier and more beautiful."
The broad masses of cadres and the people expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping's festive congratulations and sincere greetings are inspiring and uplifting (鼓舞人心, gu wu ren xin - "encourage, beat, person, heart") and encouraging people to move forward (催人奋进, cui ren fen jin - "urge, person, strive, advance"). The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical period for basically realizing the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. It is necessary to unswervingly and thoroughly (不折不扣, bu zhe bu kou - "not, fold, not, mouth") implement the various decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, anchor the goals, muster full momentum, and promote the development of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers to continuously reach new heights.
This year, China's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, early rice output has remained stable at over 56 billion jin for six consecutive years, and at present, a bumper autumn grain harvest is in sight.
"The General Secretary's earnest instructions fill us with great encouragement." Lü Xiutao, Deputy Director of the Planting Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated, "This year is the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and achieving a full-year bumper harvest of grain and agriculture is of great significance. At present, agricultural and rural departments at all levels are making every possible effort (全力以赴, quan li yi fu - "all, strength, one, go") to do a good job in the 'three autumns' agricultural production, ensuring not only a bumper autumn grain harvest but also that winter wheat and winter rapeseed are fully and properly sown, laying a solid foundation for a bumper grain and oil harvest next year."
In Wangcang County, Sichuan, rice is ushering in a bumper harvest. "The General Secretary's earnest and instructive (谆谆, zhun zhun - "earnest, earnest") words are both care and encouragement. Ensuring food security is the top priority. We focus on stabilizing area and stabilizing output, and truly shoulder the responsibility on our shoulders," said Wang Guohua, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the County Agriculture and Rural Bureau.
On the black soil land, corn is golden yellow. Liu Shuyuan, a villager of Junfeng Village, Xing'an District, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, said, "The CNOOC Chemical agricultural service team comes to our door year-round to test the soil, supplementing whatever is lacking, making the black soil more fertile."
Supporting grain production cannot be separated from diversified investment. Xing Fengqin, General Manager of the Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers Corporate Business Department of the Head Office of the Agricultural Bank of China, stated that the Agricultural Bank will always regard serving food security as the top priority, implement the requirements for coordinating the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture, continuously strengthen financial services in key areas such as grain and oil production, seed industry revitalization, agricultural science and technology equipment, and diversified food supply, increase capital and resource investment, and strive to provide strong financial support for the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
"The General Secretary's deep concern inspires us to closely focus on serving the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas and the building of a strong agricultural country, and to fully guarantee national food security." Wang Fuli, General Manager of the Grain, Cotton, and Oil Department of the Agricultural Development Bank of China, stated that the Agricultural Development Bank has reserved 200 billion yuan in credit funds to support the upcoming autumn grain purchase, with subsequent funds supplied in full as needed, truly achieving "money waiting for grain," and helping the state's policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers be implemented.
In agricultural and rural work, no matter how much one says or does (说一千、道一万, shuo yi qian, dao yi wan - "speak, one, thousand, say, one, ten thousand"), increasing farmers' incomes is the key.
"Keeping the instructions in mind, we are exhausting every possible means (千方百计, qian fang bai ji - "thousand, way, hundred, plan") to broaden channels for increasing farmers' incomes and getting rich." Chen Jie, head of the Industrial Service Section of the Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center of Baoji City, Shaanxi, said that the "government + research institution + enterprise + cooperative + base" mechanism for linking farmers drives the masses to increase their incomes steadily.
Lu Xueling, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Siping Village, Pingma Town, Tiandong County, Guangxi, said, "Last year, the village trial-planted a new variety of tomato, and the returns were good. The advantages of the variety have truly filled the villagers' pockets."
Haining City, Zhejiang, continues to implement the "Strong Village Plan" and iterates the "villages joining forces" development model. Zha Weixiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Haining City, said, "We continue to promote increasing agricultural benefits, increasing rural vitality, and increasing farmers' incomes, painting a new picture of common prosperity in the countryside."
The countryside carries nostalgia and is the home where hundreds of millions of farmers live and work. Building a beautiful home and living a better life are the expectations and aspirations of hundreds of millions of farmers.
In Tantou Village, Yudu County, Jiangxi, a sweet fragrance wafts from the selenium-rich rice cake workshop. "The General Secretary emphasized 'building livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions.' Over the years, the village has coordinated the advancement of ecological protection, cultural inheritance, and industrial development, developing new business forms such as picking experiences and agricultural study tours, and everyone is becoming more and more motivated." Liu Lianyun, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Tantou Village, said.
From having access to tap water to lighting up mountain roads, Chongyan Village, Rangdu Town, Wanzhou District, Chongqing, by the Yangtze River, has taken on a new look. "The General Secretary's emphasis on 'solidly advancing the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas' makes us feel the heavy responsibility on our shoulders." Guo Shengnan, First Secretary stationed in Chongyan Village, said, "As a village-based cadre, together with the villagers, I have promoted the implementation of drought-resistant water source projects, implemented village road lighting and weir and canal renovation projects. The water in the village is sweeter, the lights are on, and the canals are unblocked. Next, we will continue to improve the village living environment so that villagers can live more comfortably."
Striving forward in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the broad masses of cadres and the people have expressed that they will keep their mission in mind, work pragmatically to revitalize agriculture, and make solid progress toward the goal of building a strong agricultural country.
(People's Daily reporters Zhu Jun, Wang Hao, Chang Qin, Yu Jingxian, Li Xiaoqing, Deng Jianyang, Wang Yunshan)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
On September 22, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, which greatly inspired the participants and the vast number of skilled workers. They all said that they would strive to refine their skills, realize the path of achieving success through skills, and make greater contributions to the development of the world skills movement.
President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter sparked warm repercussions among the Chinese delegation to the 48th WorldSkills Competition. Wu Lituo, head of the Chinese delegation and Director of the Department of Vocational Capacity Building of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said that President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter fully reflected the Party Central Committee's high regard and warm concern for skilled talent, and the entire delegation felt immensely inspired and deeply encouraged: "We will take the 48th WorldSkills Competition as an opportunity to engage in learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutually learn, mutually examine") with competitors and experts from various countries and regions, accelerate the cultivation of a high-quality skilled talent team that is large in scale, reasonable in structure, and excellent in quality, and provide strong skilled talent support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country."
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating and breaking through, bringing profound influence to the global development of skills." The WorldSkills Competition closely aligns with industrial demands, providing a beneficial platform for skilled talent from various countries to refine their skills and engage in learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange.
"President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter has made us fully realize the important significance of skilled talent work under the new circumstances, and we must promote skilled talent to better support 'Made in China' and 'Created in China'." Yu Xubo, Chairman of China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd., said that the Group will build a Industrial Mother Machine Craftsman Academy to high standards, cultivate composite skilled talent who understand blueprints, understand equipment, and understand the worksite, and contribute talent strength to building a manufacturing powerhouse.
"Cultivating and expanding the skilled talent team plays an important role in promoting high-quality and full employment, developing new quality productive forces, and building a modern industrial system." Su Jing, Deputy Director of the Chongqing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said that Chongqing will strengthen the "Bayu Craftsman" brand, focus on building a city of skills, and promote the supply of skilled talent to better support industrial development.
In recent years, Guangdong has linked up over a thousand industry chain leading enterprises, promoting the construction of 168 industry-education-evaluation skill ecological chains."Our company has absorbed over ten thousand skilled employees, and with the support of the human resources and social security departments, has built a public training base for high-skilled talent." Liu Yanyu, Training Center Director of Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd., said that the company will further improve work such as independent evaluation of enterprise skilled talent and intensive training for vocational skills competitions, boosting the iterative upgrading of new energy products.
President Xi Jinping emphasized: "China will take the hosting of this competition as an opportunity to encourage and guide more workers, especially young people, to take the path of achieving success through skills."
Li Quanli, head of the Chinese Technical Expert Group for the Mechatronics Project at the 48th WorldSkills Competition and Professor at Tianjin University of Technology and Education, said that as a vocational education worker, he will bear in mind President Xi Jinping's entrustment, use WorldSkills standards to drive skills teaching, integrate the craftsman spirit into talent cultivation, guide young people to firmly take the path of achieving success through skills, and cultivate more skilled craftsmen.
"The WorldSkills Competition provides a shining stage for young people to serve the country with skills and a precious opportunity for learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange."Zhang Xiaofei, gold medal winner of the 47th WorldSkills Competition and teacher at Huangshan Vocational and Technical College, said that he will strive to tell well the stories of achieving success through skills, drive young people to love skills, delve into techniques, and better realize the value of life.
President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter made Zou Bin, National Technical Expert and Quality Director of the Changsha Olympic Sports Center Project Bid Section I of the General Contracting Company of China Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau, more steadfast in his confidence in taking the path of achieving success through skills. He said that he will, together with his colleagues, strive for perfection and continuous improvement (精益求精, jing yi qiu jing - "refine, seek, seek, excellence"), strive for excellence, and strive to reach new heights of excellence (勇攀高峰, yong pan gao feng - "bravely climb high peak"), integrating personal struggle into the construction of major national projects.
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "We are willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with all parties, promote the development of the world skills movement, and better serve global economic growth and the improvement of people's livelihoods and well-being."
A total of 80 countries and regions registered to participate in this WorldSkills Competition, with 1,385 competitors from 68 countries and regions participating, and both the number of participating countries and regions and the number of participating competitors reached record highs. Luo Shengqiang, Director of the Academic Department of the WorldSkills China (Shanghai) Research Center, believes that hosting a WorldSkills Competition full of new ideas and broad influence in Shanghai, while simultaneously holding the WorldSkills Conference and the WorldSkills Expo, is in itself China's positive contribution to the development of the world skills movement: "We will, in accordance with President Xi Jinping's requirements, promote international cooperation in skills, and contribute more Chinese wisdom to the development of the world skills movement."
Wang Ying, President of Shandong Industrial Technician College, said that the College will take this WorldSkills Competition as an opportunity to deepen international exchange and cooperation, organize and carry out training and mentoring for international competitors and coaches, empower professional upgrading, practical training quality improvement, and teacher capacity enhancement, and drive the cultivation of high-quality skilled talent with high-level skills competitions.
"President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter has pointed out the direction for us to further improve the cultivation of skilled talent." Wu Weibin, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Zhejiang Province, said that Zhejiang will comprehensively learn professional experience in event operation, technical support, and other areas, integrate WorldSkills standards into the entire process and every link of skilled talent cultivation, continuously expand the high-quality skilled talent team, and contribute wisdom and strength to promoting high-quality development and improving people's livelihoods and well-being.
(People's Daily reporters Qiu Chaoyi, Li Xinping, Huang Xiaohui, Li Jiading, Sun Chao, Dou Hao, Shen Jingran)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马 菲 包 晗
"Since I proposed the initiative in November 2023 to 'invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years,' more than 50,000 American youths have already visited China, achieving the expected goal two and a half years ahead of schedule." In May this year, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from students of both countries who participated in the "Sailing the Blue Together: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Tour" activity, solemnly announcing this inspiring piece of news.
A youthful invitation across the Pacific, a strategic plan deeply cultivating people-to-people bonds. Since the "50,000 in five years" initiative was proposed, more than 50,000 seeds of friendship have taken root and sprouted, inscribing vivid youthful annotations for China-U.S. friendship, and using youthful strength to paint a warm backdrop for the future of China-U.S. relations.
Strategic planning, friendly exchanges open a new chapter
In November2023, the China-U.S. summit meeting in San Francisco drew worldwide attention. During his visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping, based on the overall situation of bilateral relations development and a profound grasp of the long-term trend that the "future of China-U.S. relations lies in youth," proposed the initiative to "invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years," opening a new chapter for friendly exchanges between Chinese and American youths.
As soon as the initiative was proposed, it stirred enthusiastic responses across various sectors in the United States. Sarah Lande, a friend from Iowa, wrote to President Xi Jinping, hoping that Muscatine High School could also participate. "I welcome the students of Muscatine to participate in this program." Encouraged by President Xi Jinping, in late January2024, more than20 students from Muscatine High School crossed the ocean, becoming the first group of American middle school students to visit China after the initiative was proposed.
After the visit, the delegation students wrote to President Xi Jinping, recounting their joy during the trip to China. President Xi Jinping replied, welcoming more American youth friends to come to China for exchange and study, to personally experience a real, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China, and to interact with Chinese youth, making friends, learning from each other and helping each other learn (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutual, learn; mutual, learn")。
Sincere care, consistent from beginning to end (一以贯之, yi yi guan zhi - "one, one, through, maintain"). On New Year's Day2025, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan sent return New Year cards to teacher and student representatives from a high school in Washington state, the United States, encouraging Chinese and American youths to continue actively participating in the "50,000 in five years" initiative and contributing to promoting the development of China-U.S. relations and world peace; in January2026, President Xi Jinping, in his reply letter to Chinese and American teachers and students who visited China as part of an educational exchange delegation, pointed out that"carrying out friendly exchanges and cooperation is the common aspiration of the peoples of China and the United States," and expressed hope that more American youths would become"a new generation of envoys for friendship between the two countries"; recently, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from young students of10 American universities, pointing out that"Chinese and American youth live on the same planet and share the mission of the times," hoping that"you will continue, together with the broad masses of youth in both countries, to strive to become inheritors, defenders, and developers of China-U.S. friendship and cooperation".
Deep friendship, no obstacle of mountains or seas. "I am very glad to see young people from all walks of life in China and the United States gathering in Fuzhou, revisiting the Kuliang story and carrying forward the Kuliang bond""I am very glad to see that pickleball has become a new bond for exchanges between Chinese and American youth""Today, young people of the two countries renew the 'ping-pong friendship' and carry out a series of sports exchange activities, which is very meaningful for advancing the cause of China-U.S. friendship"... From the "Kuliang Bond" China-U.S. Youth Exchange Week, to the visit of the Maryland Youth Pickleball Cultural Exchange Delegation to China, and then to the Commemoration of the55th Anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the series of China-U.S. Youth Sports Exchange Activities, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly interacted, through congratulatory letters, verbal messages, and other forms, with American youth who came to China for exchanges, encouraging them to erect more bridges of mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples of the two countries.
President Xi Jinping's earnest exhortations have encouraged wave after wave of American youth to visit China. In just two and a half years, the "50,000 in five years" initiative has delivered a youthful answer sheet that far exceeded expectations and was inspiring: more than50,000 American youths have visited China, achieving full coverage of all50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., with their footprints spanning31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China, as well as Hong Kong and Macao. Behind these impressive numbers lies the two-way endeavor of tens of thousands of Chinese and American youth, and the most vivid and lively practice of people-to-people bonds between the two nations.
From the five-year youthful appointment to completing the answer sheet ahead of schedule, the"50,000 in five years" initiative, with its powerful appeal, has confirmed the deep public opinion foundation of China-U.S. friendship, and has also demonstrated the endless and vigorous growth (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi -"birth, birth, not, cease") of youthful vitality in people-to-people exchanges.
Knowledge and action integrated, perceiving a real and multi-dimensional China
American youth visiting China, through historical memories, touch the deep roots of friendship between the two countries; through immersive cultural experiences, perceive the unique charm of Eastern civilization; and through the real landscape of development, understand the vigorously developing China of the new era.
In April this year, hosted by institutions such as the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Commemoration of the55th Anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the series of China-U.S. Youth Sports Exchange Activities were held in Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Shanghai, and other places. American students who touched a ping-pong paddle for the first time, under the guidance and encouragement of Chinese students, adjusted their postures and swung their paddles. The warm current of friendship gradually warmed up amid the spinning, bouncing, and rebounding of the small ball. Seeing the laughing Chinese and American youth, Judy Hoarfrost, a70-year-old witness to the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," could not help but recall the"ice-breaking journey"55 years ago, and felt heartfelt relief that the spirit of the"Ping-Pong Diplomacy" has been carried forward: "Sports provide a common language that transcends national borders and cultural differences. Please let the new generation of young people continue to carry forward this spirit."
Seeking out historical roots, inheriting sincere friendship and drawing strength for the journey ahead from shared memories. Driven by the"50,000 in five years" initiative, American youth have walked into memorial sites, visited sites of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and reflected on the friendship of shared hardship between the two countries. This year marks the85th anniversary of the Flying Tigers' arrival in China to fight against Japanese aggression, with commemorative activities held successively in Nanjing, Jiangsu; Liuzhou, Guangxi; Kunming, Yunnan, and other places. Chinese and American youth stood shoulder to shoulder, reciting in unison the poem "Crossing Mountains and Seas, Only for Peace," and jointly reading aloud the"China-U.S. 'New Era Flying Tigers Members' Initiative." The shared struggle during the war-torn years stirred a spiritual resonance that transcended time and space, and the youth of the two countries, in the name of youth, took up the baton of the peace mission and conveyed the voice of friendship.
Since the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation launched the"Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program," more than560 American students have participated in Flying Tigers summer camp delegations to China, carrying out diverse exchange activities with50 Flying Tigers Friendship Schools in China. "The Flying Tigers spirit is a precious shared legacy of the United States and China." Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, said that, thanks to President Xi Jinping's strong support and the powerful empowerment of the"50,000 in five years" initiative, the Flying Tigers spirit has been able to transcend generations, endless and vigorous growth; "Chinese and American youth should, just as the peoples of the two countries did back then, stand shoulder to shoulder in exchange and learning, and build friendships."
Perceiving cultural charm, understanding each other, drawing closer, and growing together through enhanced mutual understanding. In classrooms in Wuxi, Jiangsu, cloisonné wire inlaying, water-rhythm paper-cutting, rice-dumpling wrapping during the Dragon Boat Festival, and yin-yang tai chi allowed American teachers and students to experience the modern vitality of China's intangible cultural heritage and traditional culture. On campuses in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, American students learned Chinese ethnic dances, calligraphy, paper-cutting techniques, and traditional martial arts, exploring the development context of grassland civilization. Climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City, playing diabolo, making dumplings... The gentleness and inclusiveness of Chinese culture could be felt and touched in ordinary streets and alleys. At the Hebei Provincial Expo Garden, Chinese and American youth wielded shovels to add soil, adding new greenery to the"China-U.S. Friendship Heritage Youth Forest." American youth Jeremiah Anthony said he hoped that the China-U.S. friendship could, like these trees, grow robustly and flourish increasingly luxuriantly.
Touching the pulse of development, building trust and feeling inclusiveness and goodwill through learning and interaction. In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, American youth experienced up close cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving systems, iron-battery energy storage, and permanent-magnet synchronous direct-drive motors, intuitively appreciating the vigorous momentum of scientific and technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area; at the New Energy Vehicle Base in Changzhou, Jiangsu, precisely dancing automated robotic arms and highly efficient, orderly intelligent workshops sparked a strong interest in modern manufacturing in Romero, an engineering student from Miami Dade College in Florida, USA. "China has become an important window through which I look toward the future." Romero said that in the future, he will firmly pursue a career in engineering research and development, and also wants to help more people understand China.
Recent U.S. public opinion polls show that American public opinion toward China has been steadily improving, with support for engagement and cooperation with China becoming the mainstream, and the younger generation is becoming a vital new force in the cause of people-to-people friendship. This fully proves that real, warm two-way interactions and long-lasting, steady emotional connections allow the youth of the two countries to see each other's shared passions, injecting an inexhaustible source of new vitality into the long-term development of China-U.S. relations.
Two-way empowerment, nurturing the flower of future-oriented friendship
Building a bridge of youth across the Pacific requires not only sincere feelings to bring about encounter and mutual understanding, but also long-term mechanisms to achieve two-way empowerment.
To promote the high-quality implementation of the"50,000 in five years" initiative and expand exchanges between Chinese and American youth, the Chinese side has established the"Young Envoys Exchange and Study Program" (YES Program), led and implemented by the China Education Association for International Exchange, covering various exchange activities such as inter-school exchanges, language learning, winter and summer camps, internships, and preparatory programs. The YES Program integrates resources from universities, research institutes, and local governments, forming a diverse project matrix including the"China-U.S. Youth Global Classroom" summer school, "Knowing China by Walking," the"China Roots-Seeking Journey" summer camp, marine research study, and other programs, and establishing cooperation mechanisms such as the"YES Program Friends Circle," providing comprehensive institutional safeguards for American youth coming to China for exchanges.
Milinda Sylvan, principal of Miami Diamond Leadership Academy, once participated in an educational exchange delegation to China. Currently, her school has driven multiple schools in Miami to launch exchange programs with China. Sylvan said with surprise that personally visiting China has brought about a qualitative change in students' horizons and ways of thinking, with results exceeding expectations. The"50,000 in five years" initiative has given new momentum to U.S.-China cross-cultural exchanges and strengthened the determination of the peoples of the two countries to deepen exchanges.
In deep intellectual exchanges, young people of the two countries have broken down cognitive barriers and coalesced a youthful consensus. At Tsinghua University, graduate students majoring in international affairs and public administration from Columbia University in the United States sat together with Chinese students, engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as China-U.S. relations and climate change. American student Samuel said he hopes to gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese youth's views and perspectives on issues such as climate change and global health, where urgent cooperation between the two countries is needed: "Now is an important time for us to engage in dialogue and mutual understanding."
In tacit cooperation and co-creation, young people of the two countries have come to understand the true meaning of cooperation and built a solid foundation of friendship. At Changzhou Beijiao Senior High School, Chinese students led20 American teachers and students, fitting together perfectly without any gaps (严丝合缝, yan si he feng -"strict, silk, fit, seam") the concave and convex mortise-and-tenon joints, using wooden beams one by one to build an exquisite wooden Luban Bridge. In their letter to President Xi Jinping, recalling this"most unforgettable experience" of their trip to China, the American students wrote: "In working shoulder to shoulder with our Chinese partners, we not only learned scientific principles, but also built a bridge symbolizing friendship and understanding."
On broad practical platforms, young people of the two countries, based on a global vision, jointly shoulder the mission of the times. In the"Sailing the Blue Together: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Tour" activity, Chinese and American youth boarded an oceanographic research vessel, jointly collecting marine samples and analyzing ecological data, deepening their camaraderie in the practice of global ocean governance. Jessica, a doctoral student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said that through round-the-clock companionship and interdisciplinary exchanges, students of the two countries quickly established deep friendships: "I have also participated in similar collaborative research, but the experience of riding a research vessel together with outstanding American and Chinese research scholars is truly unparalleled or incomparable (无与伦比, wu yu lun bi -"not, with, compare, match")."
An initiative achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule is not merely a numerical target, but also a weighty answer sheet of public opinion. The"50,000 in five years" initiative has gathered a mighty force for promoting the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and the aspiration of the peoples of the two countries to understand each other and draw closer is unstoppable. More beautiful new chapters of youth are continuously being written between China and the United States.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Shanghai, September 23) (Reporters Jiang Hongbing, Cui Yin) Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council, attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Skills Conference in Shanghai on the morning of September 23 and delivered a speech.
Li Qiang stated that skills have always been an important force driving the progress of human civilization. President Xi Jinping, in his congratulatory letter to the 48th World Skills Competition, fully affirmed the platform role of the competition in promoting global skills exchange and cooperation, and clarified China's clear stance in supporting the development of the world skills movement. This conference, themed "Skills Light Up the Future,"" resonates with the pulse of the times. I would like to share a few observations based on China's practice.
First, China's development achievements contain a prominent skills contribution. In the continuous leapfrogging of the level of social productive forces, there is the solid support of skills. At present, China is building a modern industrial system, and the mutual reinforcement of talent and technology injects an inexhaustible source of momentum into high-quality development. In the long continuation of fine traditional culture, there is the guardianship and inheritance of skills. Chinese traditional craftsmanship has been passing down from generation to generation (代代相传, dai dai xiang chuan - "generation, generation, mutually, pass"), and much of it has also gone global, both empowering talent cultivation and industrial development in various countries and promoting mutual understanding among civilizations and cultural integration. On the road of people creating a better life, there is the assistance and support of skills. Through large-scale skills training, more and more ordinary workers have gained higher skills and more career choices.
Second, China has always been committed to cultivating the skills advantages of workers. We place emphasis on the deep integration of industry and skills, and in the future will closely follow the needs of industrial development, deeply advance the integration of industry and education and school-enterprise cooperation, and enhance the targetedness and effectiveness of skills talent cultivation. We place emphasis on strengthening lifelong vocational education and training, and in the future will continuously improve the education and training system, supporting more workers to continuously"recharge" throughout their careers. We place emphasis on fostering a social atmosphere conducive to achieving success through skills, and in the future will continue to create a strong atmosphere of advocating skills, inspiring more young people to love and devote themselves to skills.
Third, work together to create a bright future for skills development. The new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is profoundly reshaping the demand for skills. All parties should adapt to the times and circumstances, collaborate closely, and strive to raise the level of global skills development. We should develop skills with greater livelihood warmth, increase investment in people, actively carry out general education in artificial intelligence, help workers achieve skills transformation, and promote high-quality and full employment. We should develop skills with greater innovative vitality, make forward-looking arrangements for the cultivation of high-skilled talent, improve mechanisms for skills development in emerging fields, and encourage and guide more skilled talent to devote themselves to innovative activities. We should develop skills that are more open and inclusive, establish closer mechanisms for international skills exchange and cooperation, and jointly build an open skills ecosystem. China is willing to work with all parties to promote the building of a World Skills Innovation Center and expand skills development under the Belt and Road Initiative South-South cooperation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, WorldSkills President Uhan, and others attended the opening ceremony and stated in their speeches that the Chinese government has long been deeply engaged in the building of skilled talent, effectively empowering economic and social development, and also making important contributions to promoting the global skills cause and youth development. Skills development has become a priority for governments of all countries, and all parties are willing to strengthen exchange and learning from each other through exchange (交流互鉴, jiao liu hu jian -"exchange, mutual, learn from") with China, making skills an important bond for achieving win-win cooperation. Approximately 1,900 representatives from all sectors around the world attended the opening ceremony.
Before the opening ceremony, Li Qiang visited the World Skills Expo.
Chen Jining, Wu Zhenglong, and Qiu Yiqin participated in the above activities.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 23) The 7th National Minority Arts Festival, which lasted more than a month, came to a close on the evening of the 23rd at the Beijing Ethnic Theater. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the closing ceremony gala.
The full gala, "Realizing the Same Dream, Sharing the Same Glory," was composed of two chapters, "A Colorful Scroll" and "A Splendid Chapter of Endeavor," presenting a brilliant and diverse display (精彩纷呈, jing cai fen cheng - "splendid, colorful, present, each") that was deeply moving or gripping (扣人心弦, kou ren xin xian - "strike, person, heart, string"). The opera excerpt "Ancient Charm, National Style," the children's play "The Tree of the Earth," the instrumental ensemble "Blossoming," the dance "Chasing Light, Pursuing Dreams"... The programs took root in the fertile soil of China, embodied ethnic characteristics, reflected the temper of the times, warmly extolled the historic achievements scored in China's ethnic unity and progress cause under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, deeply expressed the boundless love of the sons and daughters of all ethnic groups for the great motherland and the big family of the Chinese nation, and vividly presented the magnificent tableau of the Chinese people's state of unity and social cohesion (人心归聚, ren xin gui ju - "people, heart, return, gather"), spiritual interdependence, brotherly affection, and mutual assistance and support in times of need (守望相助, shou wang xiang zhu - "watch, look, mutually, help").
This edition of the arts festival was jointly hosted by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Radio and Television Administration, the China Media Group, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. Closely centering on the main line of forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation, adhering to the people-centered creative orientation, the festival rolled out a batch of outstanding stage art works imbued with the heritage of Chinese culture, drawing on the cultural nourishment of all ethnic groups, and integrating modern civilization. From August 18 to September 23, a total of 48 outstanding plays were staged in 114 performances across 14 theaters in Beijing, with the number of plays hitting a new high across all previous editions; the types of plays were rich and the forms diverse; cross-regional jointly created and rehearsed plays were launched for the first time, and grassroots creation was encouraged. This edition of the arts festival drew approximately 180,000 viewers online and offline, with cadres and people of all ethnic groups responding warmly.
Earlier, the opening ceremony gala, "Unity Creates a Better Future, One Heart Toward the Days Ahead," was held in Beijing. The gala was composed of three chapters, "Same Blood, Same Roots," "Same Homeland, Same Beauty," and "Same China, Same Heart," comprehensively employing such artistic forms as song, dance, music, scenario performance, and intangible cultural heritage display, expressing the firm determination of the sons and daughters of all ethnic groups to rally closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation, and advance the building of a community for the Chinese nation, and pooling the powerful force of promoting Chinese modernization through the great unity of the Chinese nation.
Yin Li, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Losang Jamcan, Shohrat Zakir, Shen Yiqin, Batel, and Xian Hui respectively attended the opening and closing ceremony galas.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姜 峰
In Chongqing, autumn tints the Dalou Mountains. The mountains are high, yet the roads are smooth and passable.
On the Yangdu River, where one enters Chongqing from Guizhou, a wind-and-rain covered bridge has stood to this day: 91 years ago, the officers and soldiers of the First Red Army Corps passed this way, moving from Songkan Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou, to fight in Shihao Town, Qijiang District, Chongqing.
Peng Shaohui, then chief of the Education Section of the First Red Army Corps Headquarters, wrote in his diary: "We set out at eight o'clock, walked mountain roads all day long, the roads were slippery and hard to traverse. The journey was approximately fifty-five li." Now, this stretch of road takes only an hour by car.
In April 2024, during his inspection tour of Chongqing, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Chongqing integrates a large city, a large countryside, large mountainous areas, and large reservoir areas into one; we must vigorously advance urban-rural integrated development" and "develop ecologically distinctive agriculture in light of local conditions, following the terrain."
Unwavering determination and original aspiration (初心如磐, chuxin rupan -"initial, heart, like, rock"), and thoughts like torches. The earnest exhortations are kept firmly in mind. Chongqing, based on its endowments, deeply taps red resources and, in light of local conditions, deeply cultivates green industries.
In the Dalou Mountains, in the fields of Shiquan Village, Shihao Town, more pink tomatoes, late-maturing yellow peaches, and high-altitude bayberries are now being planted.
"The temperature difference is large, the sweetness is high, the texture is sticky when eaten, and they sell well." Ren Qichao, the village-based first secretary, promoted the "little green eggs" in the tomato greenhouses: "They will be on the market in about ten days; soon they will turn from green to pink, just in time for the holiday travel rush!"
More changes, this reporter witnessed along the journey, step by step.
In Chongqing, all the sites of the Long March are located in remote mountain townships: to the north, Chengkou County in the Daba Mountains; to the southwest, Qijiang District in the Dalou Mountains; to the southeast, Youyang, Xiushan, Qianjiang, Pengshui, Shizhu and other places in the Wuling Mountains… However, being far from the central urban area and having a weak industrial foundation, development difficulties objectively exist. For the old revolutionary base areas to be revitalized, how can a breakthrough be sought?
—The green foundation, formerly an "obstacle," is now an advantage.
Deep in the Wuling Mountains, Nanyaojue Town, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, is an old revolutionary base area that has completely preserved the original appearance of the Soviet area.
Yang Xiuzhi, a villager from Nanjie Village who had previously gone out to work, has now returned home to start a business growing selenium-rich rice:"We have obtained organic certification, and our main sales channel is through videos and livestreams."
Through innovative smart farming and the establishment of linkage mechanisms, the annual output value of rice in Nanyaojue Town has exceeded 12 million yuan, driving nearly 7,000 villagers to increase their incomes at their doorsteps, among which the high-quality selenium-rich rice has been incorporated into the "Youyang 800" standardized direct-supply system.
"Youyang 800" is a regional public brand created locally, focusing on the distinctiveness of high-mountain agriculture at an average altitude of 800 meters. To date, 79 enterprises have been authorized, 14,000 mu of direct-supply bases have been certified, brought into the brand framework and sharing value-added benefits. Yang Xiuzhi, who previously "always wanted to leave the mountains," now features nothing but his hometown's landscapes, culture, and people in his videos.
—The red accumulation does not forget the road traveled, and also illuminates the road ahead.
In the hinterland of the Daba Mountains, Chengkou County, nestled among steep ridges and deep gorges, was once the only old revolutionary base area in Chongqing that established Soviet political power at all four levels—county, district, township, and village—as complete organizational units. At that time, with a population of over 50,000, several thousand people joined the revolution, and more than 470 martyrs sacrificed their lives along the Long March…
Chengkou County's forest coverage rate ranks first in Chongqing. In recent years, it has taken the lead in piloting reforms of the collective forest tenure system, achieving multiple firsts.
In Xingguang Village, Gaoyan Town, Chengkou County, collective forest land began to be transferred two years ago to develop understory planting of Chinese medicinal herbs. There was no paved road into the mountains. Hu Xiaomeng, the 90s-born deputy secretary of the village Party branch, led more than 30 villagers, each carrying a bamboo basket loaded with dozens of jin of seedlings and fertilizer up the mountain, planting, tending, and weeding, working from before dawn until after dark.
Now, the village's Chinese medicinal herb planting scale has exceeded 1,700 mu, and the expected per-mu output returns are quite considerable. The road has also been built. Yet the village cadres and fellow villagers repeatedly say: "The industry was carried up the mountain on our backs; the original aspiration for starting this business must not be forgotten!"
The Daba Mountains are vast, and their backbone is unyielding. The great Long March spirit is increasingly becoming the spiritual source for the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas in the old revolutionary base areas.
—The golden harvest is not limited to agriculture, but lies even more in integrated empowerment.
The monument to the Battle of Chuanhe Gai, fought by the Independent Division of the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps in eastern Guizhou, stands in Yongdong Town, Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County. Last year, this town broke through two "ten millions."
Sales revenue from agricultural products exceeded 10 million yuan. Take the oil-tea camellia industry, for example: Yongdong Town has built four oil-tea camellia bases on barren mountains. Water sources are scarce in the mountainous areas—how to solve the "bottleneck" problem? The locality has innovated a composite management and protection model of"infiltration irrigation + drip irrigation + four-condition monitoring stations," building a"national demonstration base for high-yield, mechanization-friendly, rapid-establishment oil-tea camellia orchards."
Comprehensive output value from rural tourism exceeded 10 million yuan. Yongdong Town has built the Chuanhe Gai Red Army Memorial Hall, launched immersive courses such as"Retracing the Red Army's March," cultivated anew business format of"red study tours + agricultural sightseeing + leisure experiences," and has already developed more than 60 homestays, driving employment for over 300 people.
Chen Xuchang, a villager from Nanmu Village, Yongdong Town, who plants tea in his spare time and helps in the kitchen during busy seasons, is happy to see his own wallet bulge and the town become more bustling:"So many young people are coming—that's great!"
Before the monument, the wind unfurls the banners; gazing into the distance at the mountains, the forests spread in vast swathes of deep green. The red old base areas have donned"new garments," and the future holds even more color.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘成友 胡婧怡
In September, in the early morning in Jinpu New District, Dalian, Liaoning, hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicles begin their work early. Without the roar of fuel engines, hydrogen and oxygen are converted into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions in hydrogen fuel cell engines, driving the vehicles.
"A hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicle consumes 9.29 kilograms of hydrogen per 100 kilometers, at a cost of less than half that of fuel." Li Peng, asset manager of Dalian Detai Urban Service Group Co., Ltd., said, "Not only are costs greatly reduced, but zero carbon emissions are also achieved."
Behind a hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicle lies a hydrogen energy industry chain: it takes only 8 to 10 minutes for the sanitation vehicle to refill with hydrogen at a hydrogen refueling station along the route; the hydrogen comes from purified industrial by-product hydrogen from local petrochemical enterprises; the technology for hydrogen fuel cell stacks and engine systems originates from local research institutes, with research, development, and manufacturing carried out by local enterprises.
In January 2025, during his inspection tour in Liaoning, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Cultivating and expanding strategic emerging industries hinges on deepening the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions." The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to "make forward-looking arrangements for future industries" and to "promote quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth-generation mobile communications to become new economic growth points."
To thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, relying on the abundant hydrogen source provided by the local petrochemical industry base and the strong industrial support provided by the complete equipment manufacturing industry chain, Dalian, in light of local conditions, takes hydrogen fuel cells as a breakthrough point to drive the development of research, manufacturing, storage, transportation, refueling, application, and related manufacturing industries.
Innovation leads; technology originates.
On the intelligent fully automated bipolar plate forming production line of Guochuang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., pieces of titanium-based metal bipolar plates are stamped to form fine and uniform flow channels. "The thickness of the bipolar plates determines the power per unit volume of the fuel cell stack. We work closely with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and now a set of bipolar plates is only 0.58 millimeters thick, with power per liter increased from 5.7 kilowatts to 8.5 kilowatts." Han Fujiang, executive deputy general manager of the company, introduced. Guochuang Hydrogen Energy invests an average of 40 million yuan in research and development annually, and years of technological accumulation have finally ushered in a market explosion, with annual sales revenue expected to double this year.
The degree of scientific and technological breakthroughs determines the speed, breadth, and depth of future industry development. Dalian promotes the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with hydrogen energy industry innovation, opening up the complete chain from basic research to industrial implementation. At present, Dalian has accumulated more than 1,600 patent applications in fields such as key materials for hydrogen fuel cells, core components, and stack systems.
Releasing scenarios; demonstration through application.
At Dalian Shenggang Comprehensive Energy Station, 2 dual-nozzle hydrogen refueling machines can provide hydrogen refueling services for 4 vehicles simultaneously, and the adjacent bus depot can accommodate 20 hydrogen-powered buses.
"With the expansion of hydrogen energy application scenarios, the daily hydrogen refueling volume of Shenggang Energy Station has grown from 200 kilograms to 500 kilograms over three years." Li Kangjian, deputy general manager of Dalian Northern Energy Co., Ltd., said, "We are optimistic about the market prospects of hydrogen energy in the transportation sector, and have already put two comprehensive energy stations with hydrogen refueling capability into operation, with another 5 in preparation."
Cultivating the seedlings of future industries cannot be separated from the fertile soil of application scenarios. Dalian has launched a hydrogen energy comprehensive utilization demonstration project, continuously releasing application scenarios, promoting data accumulation and product iteration, and helping the development of the hydrogen energy industry: various types of hydrogen-powered vehicles cover multiple scenarios such as sanitation, heavy trucks, buses, and short-distance port transport; hydrogen fuel cell prototype vessels have been launched for trial navigation; the first domestically produced hydrogen fuel cell rail locomotive is undergoing demonstration operation; and the public data collection and monitoring platform for hydrogen energy vehicles has accumulated more than 48 million pieces of data...
Industrial synergy; strengthening and extending the chain.
This year, the first phase of the Dalian Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Comprehensive Utilization Project was completed and put into operation, capable of producing 20 tons of high-purity hydrogen per day, meeting the daily hydrogen demand of 1,500 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. "The upstream petrochemical base of the parent company Fujia Group produces about 120,000 tons of industrial by-product hydrogen annually. In the past, one-third of it was burned directly. Now, after extending the industry chain, we have achieved turning waste into valuable assets (变废为宝, bian fei wei bao - "change, waste, become, treasure")." Hu Guanglin, general manager of Dalian Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., said.
Fully leveraging the foundational advantages of the traditional petrochemical industry and equipment manufacturing industry, Dalian promotes the coordinated development of traditional industries, emerging industries, and future industries, promotes the implementation of key hydrogen energy industry projects, accelerates the extension, reinforcement, and strengthening of the hydrogen energy industry chain, and hydrogen energy industry projects such as the Dajian Group Hydrogen Energy Testing Center and the Changxing Island Northeast Asia Hydrogen-Based Energy Center Liquid Terminal have been successively completed and put into operation. Anchored on the goal of 10 billion yuan in annual output value for the hydrogen energy industry, Dalian has now basically formed a complete hydrogen energy industry chain ecosystem, gathering more than 60 innovative enterprises across the upstream and downstream of the industry chain.
Bearing in mind the earnest instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Dalian will develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, strengthen the guarantee of various resource factors, promote the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application, and promote the clustered development of the hydrogen energy industry.
Return to TopTheory · Investigation and Reflection
Advancing Urban Renewal with High Quality Is an Important Lever for Urban Modernization
Ninth Edition
Special Report
The Foundation of China-U.S. Relations Is Laid by the People, and the Future Is Created by the Youth
Fifth Edition
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 程 龙
Opening Remarks of the Column
The tide of the times surges onward, and the steps of rejuvenation are firm. Where the leader's footprints reach is where the national conditions and public sentiment lie; the scene of current political news is the first window for observing China.
"One Glimpse" sets out from here. Arriving at the scene at the first moment, freezing historical instants in the frame; observing from the first perspective, capturing moving details; delving deeply into the first agenda, expounding the mighty power of thought.
Perceiving subtle signs to understand the big picture (见微知著, jian wei zhi zhu -"see, small; know, profound"). The "One Glimpse" column, together with its broad readership, feels the bearing and sentiment of the people's leader, understands the wisdom and responsibility of governance, and touches the warmth and pulse of a great power's march forward.
From the historic meeting in Beijing in early summer, to the new voyage of head-of-state diplomacy of major countries opening in golden autumn, the interaction across the two shores of the Pacific has always held the attention of the world.
"Make 2026 a historic and landmark year for China-U.S. relations that carries forward the past and opens a new chapter." Looking back at the road traveled and gazing toward the future, President Xi Jinping's this proposition is laden with profound meaning.
The rings of history record the stormy journey of major-country interactions, and also bear witness to the way the two countries get along with each other.
"55 years ago, China and the United States carried out 'ping-pong diplomacy,' pushing open the door that had been ice-bound for more than 20 years between China and the U.S., becoming a major event in the history of contemporary international relations. Since then, China and the U.S. have continued to write chapters of friendship through many stories of openness and cooperation."
Following President Xi Jinping's words, traversing the vast and long river of China-U.S. relations—
In April 1971, a U.S. table tennis delegation composed of 15 people, at the invitation of the Chinese side, made a historic visit to China, and the China-U.S. "ping-pong diplomacy" opened the door of friendly exchanges between the two peoples.
"The small ball turned the big ball," pulling open the prelude to a historic transformation in China-U.S. relations. In 1972, the two major countries crossed the Pacific and shook hands for the first time; in 1979, bilateral relations formally got underway... For more than half a century of enduring hardships and vicissitudes (栉风沐雨, zhi feng mu yu -"comb, wind; bathe, rain"), time and again through winding paths through mountains and rivers (山重水复, shan zhong shui fu -"mountain, heavy; water, repeat"), time and again to finding a new way or bright prospect after difficulties (柳暗花明, liu an hua ming -"willow, dark;; flower, bright").
Changes in the international situation, changes in the balance of power, and changes in thought and perception are interweaving and evolving, and China-U.S. relations have arrived at another critical juncture.
From May 13 to 15, 2026, U.S. President Trump made a state visit to China. Gazing into the distance before the Great Hall of the People, strolling and conversing among the ancient trees with vigorous trunks in Zhongnanhai... During this period, President Trump repeatedly used one word: respect. "The two peoples harbor profound mutual respect" "I deeply respect President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people."
Having come forth from the depths of history, all the more should we jointly write new history.
"As the once-in-a-century transformation accelerates, and the international situation becomes intertwined with change and turbulence, can China and the United States surmount the 'Thucydides Trap' and create a new paradigm for major-power relations? Can the two countries jointly respond to global challenges and inject more stability into the world? Can the two countries, focusing on the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity, jointly create a bright future for bilateral relations?"
President Xi Jinping raised the "Three Questions" on China-U.S. relations, which "are questions posed by history, questions posed by the world, and questions posed by the people, and also a test paper of the era that leaders of major countries need to write together."
After more than two hours of in-depth talks, an important formulation quickly seized the headlines of major media around the world: the two sides will build a "China-U.S. constructive strategic stability" relationship as the new positioning of China-U.S. relations, providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations in the coming three years and beyond.
What is "constructive strategic stability"?
"It should be positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, sound stability with competition kept within bounds, normal stability with differences kept under control, and enduring stability with peace within reach." President Xi Jinping pointed out profoundly.
Seeking harmony while respecting differences (和而不同, he er bu tong -"harmony, and; not, same"), seeking common ground while reserving differences (求同存异, qiu tong cun yi -"seek, same;; preserve, different"). This new positioning of major-country relations is brimming with wisdom and demonstrating responsibility.
Promoting the development of a China-U.S. constructive strategic stability relationship is necessary for the development of both countries, and also necessary for world peace and stability—
In the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, standing on the profound foundation of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, are striving unremittingly to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese modernization;
The United States ushers in the 250th anniversary of its independence, and more than 300 million American people are revitalizing the spirit of patriotism, innovation, and pioneering, propelling America's development toward a new journey;
In the coming months, the two countries will respectively host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the G20 Leaders' Summit, shouldering the important mission of promoting regional development and improving global economic governance.
Major countries are striding toward a vast journey, and the era is gathering common aspirations.
China-U.S. relations carry the well-being of more than 1.7 billion people of the two countries, concern the interests of more than 8 billion people around the world, and are the most important bilateral relationship in the world today—they can only be managed well, not managed poorly.
In this important year, the heads of state of the two countries personally steer the course for the great ship of China-U.S. relations, releasing an important signal to the outside world—that realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can move forward together without contradiction (并行不悖, bing xing bu bei -"parallel, walk;; not, conflict"), achieve mutual success, and benefit the world.
Time flows like a great river, and the lens of history freezes a critical frame. The year 2026 is destined to write an extremely weighty stroke in the history of China-U.S. relations.
From the "historic and landmark year" gazing toward the farther future, President Xi Jinping's words are clear, firm, and steering the course—
"We should jointly shoulder this historic responsibility and propel the great ship of China-U.S. relations steadily forward along the correct course."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马 菲 包 晗 李志伟
President Xi Jinping has pointed out that the hope of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, its foundation lies in the grassroots, its future lies in the youth, and its vitality lies in local ties. This is not only a profound summary of the historical experience of China-U.S. relations, but also a heartfelt expectation for the shared future of the two peoples.
Since the beginning of this year, events such as the China-California Business Forum, the 8th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference, and the 2026 China-U.S. Subnational Cooperation Dialogue have been held successively, continuously smoothing channels of cooperation and accumulating practical results. Deeply tapping the cooperation potential of China-U.S. sister provinces/states and sister cities helps enhance the well-being of the two peoples, consolidate the foundation of people-to-people ties, and provide positive energy for the steady and sustained progress of China-U.S. relations.
With heads of state at the helm, sister-city exchanges continue to develop
The relationship between countries lies in the affinity between their peoples, and the affinity between peoples lies in the connection of hearts. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1979, provinces/states and cities of the two countries have continuously carried out pairing exchanges, building normalized and institutionalized platforms for non-governmental cooperation. At present, China and the United States have concluded a total of 50 pairs of sister provinces/states and 238 pairs of sister cities, forming a multi-level, wide-ranging pattern of people-to-people exchanges.
In his congratulatory letter to the 5th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference, President Xi Jinping pointed out: "The foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the grassroots, and the source of its strength lies in the friendship between the peoples. Sister provinces/states and sister cities are important vehicles for deepening the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual, benefit; together, win")." Looking back on the course of China-U.S. relations, non-governmental and subnational cooperation is the most resilient component of the bilateral relationship.
In 1979, the very year China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations, Hubei Province and the State of Ohio, and Nanjing City and the City of St. Louis, respectively concluded friendly relations, becoming respectively the first pair of sister provinces/states and the first pair of sister cities between China and the United States, opening the historical prelude to pairing exchanges between Chinese and American provinces/states and cities. Over more than 40 years, China-U.S. sister-city cooperation has gradually expanded from initial general friendly exchanges to comprehensive exchanges in multiple fields such as economy and trade, people-to-people and cultural engagement, green development, and scientific and technological innovation, forming a subnational exchange system with broad coverage and mature operation.
Along the way, China-U.S. subnational friendly exchanges have continuously written new chapters. In 1980, Shanghai and San Francisco established sister-city relations, becoming a landmark achievement of China-U.S. subnational friendly exchanges in the early period of reform and opening up. In 1985, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhengding County Party Committee of Hebei Province, led a delegation to visit Iowa, Hebei Province's sister state, forging deep friendships with local people. In 2012, during his visit to the United States as Vice President of China, Xi Jinping made a special trip back to Iowa to visit old friends. In November 2023, President Xi Jinping met with representatives of American friendly personages before attending the joint welcome banquet hosted by American friendly organizations in San Francisco, and at the banquet put forward the important initiative of "50,000 in five years," drawing a blueprint for China-U.S. subnational cooperation, youth exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity in the new era.
Subnational cooperation has become an important positive force driving the development of China-U.S. relations. Kenneth Quinn, Honorary President of the World Food Prize Foundation, has long been committed to promoting non-governmental and subnational exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. In September this year, Quinn came to China to co-chair the World Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Conference, promoting bilateral subnational exchanges to go deeper and more practical through concrete actions. He said: "U.S.-China non-governmental and subnational exchanges have a solid foundation and strong continuity. Normalized two-way interaction can enhance mutual understanding and help the bilateral relationship develop in a sound direction."
Hebei Province and Iowa, Fuzhou and Tacoma, Hangzhou and Boston... Pair after pair of provinces/states and cities joining hands across the ocean, continuously expanding the "circle of friends" of China-U.S. sister-city cooperation. Carol Lopez, Honorary Chair of Sister Cities International, said: "Sister-city cooperation is an extremely resilient non-governmental communication channel between the United States and China, capable of translating friendly consensus into practical results and supporting the steady development of bilateral relations through normalized subnational interaction."
Economic and trade linkages are practical, mutually beneficial cooperation continues to deepen
The friendship of sister cities begins with mutual understanding and is fulfilled through mutual benefit. Subnational cooperation is closer to the market, closer to industry, and closer to people's livelihoods, and can maintain resilience and vitality against the backdrop of a complex and ever-changing bilateral relationship, continuously releasing cooperation dividends. As China-U.S. subnational economic and trade integration continues to deepen, China has already become the largest trading partner of 9 U.S. states and one of the top three export markets for more than 30 states, benefiting enterprises and people of both countries.
Since the beginning of this year, China-U.S. subnational economic and trade exchanges have remained active, with multiple institutionalized activities held in succession, building a stable platform for docking cooperation between the two sides. In May, the 2026 China-California Business Forum was held in Los Angeles, where relevant Chinese provinces and cities and California conducted policy dialogue and information exchange, and entrepreneurs from both sides jointly explored business opportunities. In June, the 8th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference was held in San Francisco, incorporating sister-city pairing, industrial connectivity, and cultural and tourism cooperation into the cooperation consensus. In the same month, the 2026 China-U.S. Subnational Cooperation Dialogue was held in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, where representatives from the agricultural, food, machinery, logistics, and aviation fields of the two countries gathered to discuss docking paths and promote the upgrading and improvement of subnational economic and trade cooperation.
While traditional economic and trade exchanges advance steadily, both sides are actively expanding cooperation in emerging fields. The Port of Shanghai and the Port of Los Angeles jointly initiated the establishment of a "Green Shipping Corridor," promoting the development of maritime trade between the two places in a cleaner, lower-carbon, and more efficient direction. Tianjin Municipality and Fujian Province, together with the U.S. State of Oregon, jointly held a forum on climate change and sustainable development, conducting exchanges and mutual learning on ecological protection, green technology, and low-carbon transition, becoming a beneficial practice of China and the United States jointly addressing climate challenges at the subnational level.
Both sides continue to innovate cooperation models, gradually improve docking mechanisms, and deepen coordinated industrial development. Relying on the mechanism of the Joint Committee on Cooperation and Development, Fuzhou and Tacoma continue to expand port cargo trade and steadily advance the intelligent and green upgrading of ports. Jiangsu Province and California, Wuxi City and San Bernardino County, and Xishan District and Fontana City have formed a three-tiered, province-city-district linked three-dimensional exchange model, continuously enriching the forms of sister-city cooperation and expanding the space for subnational cooperation.
People-to-people and cultural exchanges continue, the foundation of people-to-people ties is steadily consolidated
"No matter how the situation changes, the desire of the Chinese and American peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change, and the friendship of mutual understanding and affinity between the young people of the two countries will not change." In February this year, President Xi Jinping's reply letter to friends in Iowa was full of sincere and deep affection. This friendship transcends time and space and is truly precious.
The sister state relationship between Hebei Province and Iowa is a vivid model of China-U.S. subnational and non-governmental exchanges. Luca Berrone, a board member of the Iowa Sister States Commission, said that the two places have always insisted on exploring exchange opportunities and deepening non-governmental friendship, continuously driving the people of the two places to understand and integrate with each other. He believes that facing cultural differences squarely, insisting on exchanges and mutual learning, and passing on stories of friendship can continuously accumulate people-to-people strength for U.S.-China relations.
This year, inter-school exchanges under the sister-city framework have been carried out in many places. Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of friendly exchange city relations between Wuhan and Tacoma, students from Tacoma Community College went to Wuhan City Vocational College to study Chinese and professional courses, and visited the Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center to experience firsthand the vitality of China's scientific and technological innovation; Hangzhou Normal University and Butler University of the United States deepened cooperation in music education, jointly cultivating international music talent; Wuxi Vocational College of Science and Technology and Chaffey College of San Bernardino County carried out inter-school visits, promoting mutual learning between teachers and students; American teachers and students from Hawaii experienced distinctive folk activities together with students of Hainan Overseas Chinese Middle School, personally experiencing Hainan's local customs and the development vitality of the free trade port; at Chengdu Foreign Languages School, teenagers from Washington gathered and exchanged with students from Sichuan, quickly closing the distance through the bonds of food, sports, and pop music, continuing the deep friendship of 44 years between the two sister provinces/states... Inter-school exchanges enable the young people of the two countries to enhance understanding and forge friendships through getting to know each other.
"I have witnessed the entire process of American and Chinese students appreciating each other, engaging in friendly exchanges, and building friendships." Karl Hoseth, Principal of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, was deeply moved. He believes that as long as young people of the two countries have the opportunity to communicate face to face, they can bridge gaps, enhance understanding, and jointly paint the future picture of China-U.S. friendship.
Sister cities serve as the boat, and people-to-people ties as the sail. Under the strategic guidance of the Chinese and American heads of state, China-U.S. subnational cooperation anchors on the general direction of building a constructive and stable strategic relationship between China and the United States. Through practical cooperation and close exchanges, the beautiful aspirations of the two peoples are continuously translated into solid cooperation results, injecting an inexhaustible source of people-to-people momentum and development vitality into the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.
(People's Daily, Washington)
Return to TopBy: 劳伦斯·弗里曼
President Xi Jinping's face-to-face meeting with President Trump is a meeting of significant strategic weight in the interaction of the world's major powers. The two heads of state have achieved state visits to each other's countries within six months, which shows that the leaders of both sides hope that the two major countries, the United States and China, can establish a stable working relationship. Despite the many differences between the two countries, face-to-face communication between the heads of state provides an important opportunity for the healthy and stable development of U.S.-China economic and trade relations, and is of great significance to both countries and the world.
Guided by the consensus of the heads of state, the two sides have strengthened cooperation with the goal of achieving common development, and each can benefit from the other's development advantages. We look forward to the two heads of state, on the basis of the consensus on building a constructive and strategically stable U.S.-China relationship, carrying out pragmatic cooperation of greater long-term value, benefiting both countries and the world.
In the economic and trade field, the United States and China are the world's two largest economies, which opens up enormous space for bilateral trade, investment, and economic growth. The economies of the two countries are deeply integrated, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and bilateral trade has brought tangible benefits to the businesses and consumers of both countries, and can also enable learning from each other's strengths to make up for each other's weaknesses (取长补短, qu chang bu duan - "take, long, supplement, short"). In the short to medium term, relevant economic and trade agreements can lay the foundation for stabilizing U.S.-China relations. But the two countries should also build a deeper foundation of cooperation and mutual trust on which to formulate policies that promote long-term economic growth for both sides.
In the development of artificial intelligence, cooperation between the two countries is something that is imperative and must be done (势在必行, shi zai bi xing - "trend, exist, must, act"). Artificial intelligence technology has the potential to enhance social productivity, but if it lacks effective regulation, it can also bring enormous risks. The development of artificial intelligence concerns the future of all countries in the world. As the two major countries in the field of artificial intelligence, the United States and China must engage in sincere cooperation on this matter. If the two sides can determine the correct direction for promoting the development of artificial intelligence, it will have a tremendous leading effect on the industries of both countries and even the world.
It is worth noting that zero-sum game thinking and the rhetoric of "decoupling and severing supply chains" still have a certain market in the United States. "Decoupling" is merely an unrealistic proposition advocated by some forces in the United States. In fact, if the United States and China were truly to "decouple," the U.S. economy would suffer a severe shock. The United States has pursued a policy of economic de-industrialization since the early 1980s, and its manufacturing sector has continued to shrink, which is a result of its own policy choices. The tariff policies introduced by the United States have also failed to reverse this situation, and the economy is currently under inflationary pressure.
Young people are more receptive to new ideas and new things. It is very important for young Americans to go abroad, visit other countries, and experience local cultures. It is especially beneficial for American teenagers to visit China and personally experience the vast and profound (博大精深, bo da jing shen - "broad, big, exquisite, profound") Chinese culture. In addition, observing the United States from the other side of the Pacific Ocean also helps American teenagers form a more comprehensive understanding of the world. The "5 years, 50,000" initiative proposed by the Chinese side is of great significance for promoting exchanges between American and Chinese youth. Similar exchange programs should continue to be carried out and further expanded in scale. I recently concluded a three-week trip to China with my wife, who had never been there before. As we strolled through parks in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places, we felt the openness and friendliness of the Chinese people, which greatly amazed my wife. Many elderly Chinese people were singing and dancing joyfully (载歌载舞, zai ge zai wu - "carry, song, carry, dance"), which was deeply impressive. Going to China to see it for yourself, tasting the cuisine, and visiting cultural heritage sites can give you a better understanding of China's rich history.
The world is currently facing multiple challenges, and there is a risk that regional conflicts will drag on and escalate. The meeting between the heads of state of the United States and China is expected to bring rare certainty and stability to the world. If the two countries move toward each other and push economic and trade cooperation to a new level, it will be a major achievement that benefits all countries in the world.
(The author is an American international affairs expert)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马 菲 包 晗
"Since I proposed the initiative in November 2023 to 'invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years,' more than 50,000 American youths have already visited China, achieving the expected goal two and a half years ahead of schedule." In May this year, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from students of both countries who participated in the "Sailing the Blue Together: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Tour" activity, solemnly announcing this inspiring piece of news.
A youthful invitation across the Pacific, a strategic plan deeply cultivating people-to-people bonds. Since the "50,000 in five years" initiative was proposed, more than 50,000 seeds of friendship have taken root and sprouted, inscribing vivid youthful annotations for China-U.S. friendship, and using youthful strength to paint a warm backdrop for the future of China-U.S. relations.
Strategic planning, friendly exchanges open a new chapter
In November2023, the China-U.S. summit meeting in San Francisco drew worldwide attention. During his visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping, based on the overall situation of bilateral relations development and a profound grasp of the long-term trend that the "future of China-U.S. relations lies in youth," proposed the initiative to "invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years," opening a new chapter for friendly exchanges between Chinese and American youths.
As soon as the initiative was proposed, it stirred enthusiastic responses across various sectors in the United States. Sarah Lande, a friend from Iowa, wrote to President Xi Jinping, hoping that Muscatine High School could also participate. "I welcome the students of Muscatine to participate in this program." Encouraged by President Xi Jinping, in late January2024, more than20 students from Muscatine High School crossed the ocean, becoming the first group of American middle school students to visit China after the initiative was proposed.
After the visit, the delegation students wrote to President Xi Jinping, recounting their joy during the trip to China. President Xi Jinping replied, welcoming more American youth friends to come to China for exchange and study, to personally experience a real, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China, and to interact with Chinese youth, making friends, learning from each other and helping each other learn (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutual, learn; mutual, learn")。
Sincere care, consistent from beginning to end (一以贯之, yi yi guan zhi - "one, one, through, maintain"). On New Year's Day2025, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan sent return New Year cards to teacher and student representatives from a high school in Washington state, the United States, encouraging Chinese and American youths to continue actively participating in the "50,000 in five years" initiative and contributing to promoting the development of China-U.S. relations and world peace; in January2026, President Xi Jinping, in his reply letter to Chinese and American teachers and students who visited China as part of an educational exchange delegation, pointed out that"carrying out friendly exchanges and cooperation is the common aspiration of the peoples of China and the United States," and expressed hope that more American youths would become"a new generation of envoys for friendship between the two countries"; recently, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from young students of10 American universities, pointing out that"Chinese and American youth live on the same planet and share the mission of the times," hoping that"you will continue, together with the broad masses of youth in both countries, to strive to become inheritors, defenders, and developers of China-U.S. friendship and cooperation".
Deep friendship, no obstacle of mountains or seas. "I am very glad to see young people from all walks of life in China and the United States gathering in Fuzhou, revisiting the Kuliang story and carrying forward the Kuliang bond""I am very glad to see that pickleball has become a new bond for exchanges between Chinese and American youth""Today, young people of the two countries renew the 'ping-pong friendship' and carry out a series of sports exchange activities, which is very meaningful for advancing the cause of China-U.S. friendship"... From the "Kuliang Bond" China-U.S. Youth Exchange Week, to the visit of the Maryland Youth Pickleball Cultural Exchange Delegation to China, and then to the Commemoration of the55th Anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the series of China-U.S. Youth Sports Exchange Activities, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly interacted, through congratulatory letters, verbal messages, and other forms, with American youth who came to China for exchanges, encouraging them to erect more bridges of mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples of the two countries.
President Xi Jinping's earnest exhortations have encouraged wave after wave of American youth to visit China. In just two and a half years, the "50,000 in five years" initiative has delivered a youthful answer sheet that far exceeded expectations and was inspiring: more than50,000 American youths have visited China, achieving full coverage of all50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., with their footprints spanning31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China, as well as Hong Kong and Macao. Behind these impressive numbers lies the two-way endeavor of tens of thousands of Chinese and American youth, and the most vivid and lively practice of people-to-people bonds between the two nations.
From the five-year youthful appointment to completing the answer sheet ahead of schedule, the"50,000 in five years" initiative, with its powerful appeal, has confirmed the deep public opinion foundation of China-U.S. friendship, and has also demonstrated the endless and vigorous growth (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi -"birth, birth, not, cease") of youthful vitality in people-to-people exchanges.
Knowledge and action integrated, perceiving a real and multi-dimensional China
American youth visiting China, through historical memories, touch the deep roots of friendship between the two countries; through immersive cultural experiences, perceive the unique charm of Eastern civilization; and through the real landscape of development, understand the vigorously developing China of the new era.
In April this year, hosted by institutions such as the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Commemoration of the55th Anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the series of China-U.S. Youth Sports Exchange Activities were held in Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Shanghai, and other places. American students who touched a ping-pong paddle for the first time, under the guidance and encouragement of Chinese students, adjusted their postures and swung their paddles. The warm current of friendship gradually warmed up amid the spinning, bouncing, and rebounding of the small ball. Seeing the laughing Chinese and American youth, Judy Hoarfrost, a70-year-old witness to the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," could not help but recall the"ice-breaking journey"55 years ago, and felt heartfelt relief that the spirit of the"Ping-Pong Diplomacy" has been carried forward: "Sports provide a common language that transcends national borders and cultural differences. Please let the new generation of young people continue to carry forward this spirit."
Seeking out historical roots, inheriting sincere friendship and drawing strength for the journey ahead from shared memories. Driven by the"50,000 in five years" initiative, American youth have walked into memorial sites, visited sites of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and reflected on the friendship of shared hardship between the two countries. This year marks the85th anniversary of the Flying Tigers' arrival in China to fight against Japanese aggression, with commemorative activities held successively in Nanjing, Jiangsu; Liuzhou, Guangxi; Kunming, Yunnan, and other places. Chinese and American youth stood shoulder to shoulder, reciting in unison the poem "Crossing Mountains and Seas, Only for Peace," and jointly reading aloud the"China-U.S. 'New Era Flying Tigers Members' Initiative." The shared struggle during the war-torn years stirred a spiritual resonance that transcended time and space, and the youth of the two countries, in the name of youth, took up the baton of the peace mission and conveyed the voice of friendship.
Since the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation launched the"Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program," more than560 American students have participated in Flying Tigers summer camp delegations to China, carrying out diverse exchange activities with50 Flying Tigers Friendship Schools in China. "The Flying Tigers spirit is a precious shared legacy of the United States and China." Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, said that, thanks to President Xi Jinping's strong support and the powerful empowerment of the"50,000 in five years" initiative, the Flying Tigers spirit has been able to transcend generations, endless and vigorous growth; "Chinese and American youth should, just as the peoples of the two countries did back then, stand shoulder to shoulder in exchange and learning, and build friendships."
Perceiving cultural charm, understanding each other, drawing closer, and growing together through enhanced mutual understanding. In classrooms in Wuxi, Jiangsu, cloisonné wire inlaying, water-rhythm paper-cutting, rice-dumpling wrapping during the Dragon Boat Festival, and yin-yang tai chi allowed American teachers and students to experience the modern vitality of China's intangible cultural heritage and traditional culture. On campuses in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, American students learned Chinese ethnic dances, calligraphy, paper-cutting techniques, and traditional martial arts, exploring the development context of grassland civilization. Climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City, playing diabolo, making dumplings... The gentleness and inclusiveness of Chinese culture could be felt and touched in ordinary streets and alleys. At the Hebei Provincial Expo Garden, Chinese and American youth wielded shovels to add soil, adding new greenery to the"China-U.S. Friendship Heritage Youth Forest." American youth Jeremiah Anthony said he hoped that the China-U.S. friendship could, like these trees, grow robustly and flourish increasingly luxuriantly.
Touching the pulse of development, building trust and feeling inclusiveness and goodwill through learning and interaction. In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, American youth experienced up close cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving systems, iron-battery energy storage, and permanent-magnet synchronous direct-drive motors, intuitively appreciating the vigorous momentum of scientific and technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area; at the New Energy Vehicle Base in Changzhou, Jiangsu, precisely dancing automated robotic arms and highly efficient, orderly intelligent workshops sparked a strong interest in modern manufacturing in Romero, an engineering student from Miami Dade College in Florida, USA. "China has become an important window through which I look toward the future." Romero said that in the future, he will firmly pursue a career in engineering research and development, and also wants to help more people understand China.
Recent U.S. public opinion polls show that American public opinion toward China has been steadily improving, with support for engagement and cooperation with China becoming the mainstream, and the younger generation is becoming a vital new force in the cause of people-to-people friendship. This fully proves that real, warm two-way interactions and long-lasting, steady emotional connections allow the youth of the two countries to see each other's shared passions, injecting an inexhaustible source of new vitality into the long-term development of China-U.S. relations.
Two-way empowerment, nurturing the flower of future-oriented friendship
Building a bridge of youth across the Pacific requires not only sincere feelings to bring about encounter and mutual understanding, but also long-term mechanisms to achieve two-way empowerment.
To promote the high-quality implementation of the"50,000 in five years" initiative and expand exchanges between Chinese and American youth, the Chinese side has established the"Young Envoys Exchange and Study Program" (YES Program), led and implemented by the China Education Association for International Exchange, covering various exchange activities such as inter-school exchanges, language learning, winter and summer camps, internships, and preparatory programs. The YES Program integrates resources from universities, research institutes, and local governments, forming a diverse project matrix including the"China-U.S. Youth Global Classroom" summer school, "Knowing China by Walking," the"China Roots-Seeking Journey" summer camp, marine research study, and other programs, and establishing cooperation mechanisms such as the"YES Program Friends Circle," providing comprehensive institutional safeguards for American youth coming to China for exchanges.
Milinda Sylvan, principal of Miami Diamond Leadership Academy, once participated in an educational exchange delegation to China. Currently, her school has driven multiple schools in Miami to launch exchange programs with China. Sylvan said with surprise that personally visiting China has brought about a qualitative change in students' horizons and ways of thinking, with results exceeding expectations. The"50,000 in five years" initiative has given new momentum to U.S.-China cross-cultural exchanges and strengthened the determination of the peoples of the two countries to deepen exchanges.
In deep intellectual exchanges, young people of the two countries have broken down cognitive barriers and coalesced a youthful consensus. At Tsinghua University, graduate students majoring in international affairs and public administration from Columbia University in the United States sat together with Chinese students, engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as China-U.S. relations and climate change. American student Samuel said he hopes to gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese youth's views and perspectives on issues such as climate change and global health, where urgent cooperation between the two countries is needed: "Now is an important time for us to engage in dialogue and mutual understanding."
In tacit cooperation and co-creation, young people of the two countries have come to understand the true meaning of cooperation and built a solid foundation of friendship. At Changzhou Beijiao Senior High School, Chinese students led20 American teachers and students, fitting together perfectly without any gaps (严丝合缝, yan si he feng -"strict, silk, fit, seam") the concave and convex mortise-and-tenon joints, using wooden beams one by one to build an exquisite wooden Luban Bridge. In their letter to President Xi Jinping, recalling this"most unforgettable experience" of their trip to China, the American students wrote: "In working shoulder to shoulder with our Chinese partners, we not only learned scientific principles, but also built a bridge symbolizing friendship and understanding."
On broad practical platforms, young people of the two countries, based on a global vision, jointly shoulder the mission of the times. In the"Sailing the Blue Together: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Tour" activity, Chinese and American youth boarded an oceanographic research vessel, jointly collecting marine samples and analyzing ecological data, deepening their camaraderie in the practice of global ocean governance. Jessica, a doctoral student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said that through round-the-clock companionship and interdisciplinary exchanges, students of the two countries quickly established deep friendships: "I have also participated in similar collaborative research, but the experience of riding a research vessel together with outstanding American and Chinese research scholars is truly unparalleled or incomparable (无与伦比, wu yu lun bi -"not, with, compare, match")."
An initiative achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule is not merely a numerical target, but also a weighty answer sheet of public opinion. The"50,000 in five years" initiative has gathered a mighty force for promoting the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and the aspiration of the peoples of the two countries to understand each other and draw closer is unstoppable. More beautiful new chapters of youth are continuously being written between China and the United States.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李志伟
At the invitation of Trump, President of the United States of America, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. "I look forward to the upcoming meeting between the Chinese and American heads of state bringing more positive effects to trade between the two countries." Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research of the United States, said in a recent interview with our reporter, "Both the United States and China will benefit from a stable trade relationship."
In May this year, the Chinese and American heads of state held a meeting in Beijing and agreed to take "China-U.S. constructive strategic stability" as the new positioning of bilateral relations. The two sides also expressed willingness to carry out more exchanges in such fields as diplomacy, the two militaries, economy and trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and law enforcement, injecting new momentum into interactions between the two countries in the next stage. Baker believes that the head-of-state meeting in Beijing clarified the direction for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. In many fields such as climate change and aerospace, the United States and China can achieve a mutually beneficial situation (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual benefit, win-win") through deepening cooperation.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai released the "2026 China Business Report" in early September, showing that 58 percent of surveyed American enterprises hold an optimistic or slightly optimistic attitude toward their business prospects in China over the next five years, an increase of 17 percentage points over the previous year. Baker said that more frequent and active exchanges between business people of the two countries help enhance confidence in long-term investment on both sides. American enterprises do not want the government to introduce measures that harm their business, and there is a foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship between American and Chinese enterprises.
Regarding the rhetoric of "decoupling and severing supply chains" between the Chinese and American economies, Baker believes that the so-called idea of "decoupling" the two economies is absurd. Trade is mutually beneficial, and both the United States and China have the motivation to safeguard the security of supply chains in key fields. Baker said: "Facts have proven that the so-called trade diversion of the United States has not brought it benefits; it only adds costs and does nothing to enhance U.S. national security."
In August this year, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a report titled "Generation Z Does Not Worry About China," stating that most young Americans do not regard China as a major threat to the United States and are more inclined to support policies of friendship, cooperation, and engagement between the two countries. "I believe most American people bear no hostility toward China." Baker said that interactions between the peoples of the United States and China play a very important role in enhancing understanding and dispelling antagonistic sentiments.
"The '50,000 in five years' initiative is very valuable." Baker said that the two sides should encourage more students to study in each other's countries. "The long-term residential lifestyle of studying abroad is conducive to Chinese youth understanding the United States, and American youth can likewise use this to understand China. I look forward to the meeting between the heads of state of the two countries promoting the formation of new consensus in the field of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and enhancing understanding between the American and Chinese peoples."
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 23) On September 23, Wang Dongming, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, met in Beijing with a delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan led by its Chairman, Kudratilla Rafikov. The two sides exchanged views on earnestly implementing the consensus of the two heads of state, further strengthening exchanges and cooperation, and better serving the modernization of both countries.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter Chen Shangwen) The reporter learned on the 23rd from the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs that the 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiong'an) will be held in the Xiong'an New Area of Hebei Province in late October this year. As the host organization, the institute is working closely with Hebei Province and the Xiong'an New Area, among others, and is working in a rapid and intensive manner (紧锣密鼓, jin luo mi gu - "tight, gongs, dense, drums") to advance the forum's preparatory work.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Hangzhou, September 23) (Reporter Liu Junguo) On the afternoon of September 23, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang met in Hangzhou with Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Kasymaliev, who had come to China to attend the Fifth Global Digital Trade Expo.
Li Qiang stated that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two countries' heads of state, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have advanced steadily, and bilateral cooperation has entered a "golden period" of rapid development. Against the backdrop of a volatile and turbulent international situation and weak global economic growth, China and Kyrgyzstan, as good neighbors and good friends, should collaborate more closely and continue working together toward a common goal (携手前行, xie shou qian xing - "hold hands, move forward"). China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Kyrgyz side, promptly implement the outcomes of the heads of state's visits, promote the building of a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future to achieve more results, and better benefit the peoples of both countries.
Li Qiang pointed out that China is willing to strengthen development strategy alignment with the Kyrgyz side, continue high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, promote the steady and sound development of two-way trade and investment, advance the construction of projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the modernization of ports, and continuously enhance connectivity. China is willing to import more high-quality goods from Kyrgyzstan, encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Kyrgyzstan, and expand cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, green energy, and finance. It is hoped that both sides will reach a high-level agreement on trade in services and investment as soon as possible. China is also willing to strengthen people-to-people cooperation with the Kyrgyz side in culture, tourism, education, and healthcare, consolidating the public foundation of China-Kyrgyzstan friendship. The two sides should maintain close multilateral coordination, promote the implementation of the outcomes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, further strengthen and optimize the China-Central Asia mechanism, actively practice the four major global initiatives, and contribute greater strength to the cause of world peace and development
Kasymaliev highly praised the Communist Party of China for leading the Chinese people to achieve tremendous development accomplishments. Kasymaliev stated that not long ago, President Xi Jinping conducted a historic state visit to Kyrgyzstan, injecting strong momentum into the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era. The Kyrgyz side firmly adheres to the one-China principle, is willing to implement the important consensus of the two countries' heads of state with the Chinese side, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as trade, investment, and connectivity, actively advance the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, and better benefit the peoples of both countries. The Kyrgyz side firmly supports the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, supports China in leading the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization and the International Organization for Mediation, is willing to maintain close coordination with the Chinese side on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the China-Central Asia mechanism, jointly promoting world stability and prosperity
Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 吴储岐
On September 23, the State Council Information Office held a series of press conferences under the theme "Getting Off to a Good Start for the 15th Five-Year Plan," introducing the relevant situation regarding advancing the high-quality development of civil affairs undertakings during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Minister of Civil Affairs Li Changguan stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with high-quality development as the main thread, with meeting the people's needs for a better life as the goal, and with comprehensively deepening reform as the driving force, we will continue to strengthen inclusive, foundational, and bottom-line livelihood construction.
By the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, nursing-type beds in elderly care institutions will account for 73% of the total.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's basic elderly care service system was comprehensively established, with over 53 million elderly people enjoying elderly allowances, and elderly care service institutions and facilities reaching 395,000 in number.
"We will focus on promoting the expansion, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement of care services for the disabled and those with cognitive impairments." Sun Shuopeng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Vice Minister, introduced that by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the coverage rate of elderly care service facilities at the village and community level nationwide will reach 70%, and nursing-type beds in elderly care institutions will account for 73% of the total; we will improve the elderly capability assessment system, and based on capability levels and individual wishes, guide elderly people to choose home-based, community-based, or institutional care services.
At the family level, we will promote care skills entering families and vigorously develop door-to-door care services; at the community level, we will encourage community elderly care service institutions to provide diversified services to families; at the institutional level, we will guide all localities to expand the supply of inclusive elderly care services, achieving affordable prices, guaranteed quality, and sustainable operations.
In terms of facility construction, we will implement the "Five-Thousand Project": promote 2,000 public elderly care institutions to reach the second-level standard or above, achieve 1,000 high-quality, high-standard inclusive elderly care institutions, achieve 1,000 care institutions for elderly people with cognitive impairments, and achieve 1,000 chain-operated, brand-oriented community embedded elderly care service institutions. At the same time, we will strengthen the standardization construction of care for the disabled and those with cognitive impairments, and improve the nationally unified service quality standards and evaluation system.
Regarding elderly care services in rural areas, civil affairs departments will improve the three-tier elderly care service network at the county, township, and village levels, improve the visit-and-care mechanisms for empty-nest, living-alone, and left-behind elderly people, strengthen the construction of the rural elderly assistance worker team, improve the convenient meal assistance services for elderly care, and vigorously develop mutual-aid elderly care services.
Care services for persons with disabilities will also be further strengthened. Sun Shuopeng introduced that we will actively explore the joint admission of "elderly parents + disabled children" families into elderly care institutions, and encourage qualified elderly care institutions to specially open care units. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, every qualified prefecture-level city nationwide will establish at least one centralized custodial care service institution.
Promote the expansion of social assistance toward "guaranteeing basic needs, preventing risks, and promoting development"
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, cumulative national expenditure on basic living assistance exceeded 1.38 trillion yuan, with the average standards for urban and rural subsistence allowances increasing by 22.8% and 25% respectively. This year, the Social Assistance Law was promulgated and implemented, and a comprehensive, tiered-and-categorized, efficient, and effective social assistance pattern is accelerating its formation.
Li Changguan introduced that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will further improve the four systems of policy institutions, service guarantees, supervision management, and social participation, and promote the expansion of social assistance from "guaranteeing survival" toward "guaranteeing basic needs, preventing risks, and promoting development"。
We will improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for subsistence allowance standards, steadily raise the level of assistance guarantees; improve and perfect the temporary assistance system, and strengthen the bottom-line guarantee for families on the margins of subsistence allowances and families with heavy rigid expenditures. While strengthening policy supply, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will deepen the construction of the national dynamic monitoring information platform for low-income populations, bringing targets with real difficulties and potential risks into dynamic monitoring.
How can assistance resources accurately reach people in difficulty? Li Changguan introduced that we will actively promote the efficient handling of social assistance as "one matter," improve the working mechanism of "one-window acceptance, coordinated handling," establish and improve the closed-loop operating mechanism in which civil affairs departments identify assistance recipients, manage information by tier, dynamically monitor, and push information according to need, while various departments provide categorized assistance and feed back results, and establish a social assistance policy list anda "happiness list," so that people in difficulty can understand, calculate clearly, and trust the policies.
To ensure the fair and just implementation of all assistance policies, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will strengthen whole-process supervision of social assistance funds, strengthen social assistance window services and hotline duty, and promptly resolve the demands of the people.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs will also actively develop service-type social assistance, accelerate the establishment of a needs assessment system, formulate supply lists in light of local conditions, form a comprehensive assistance model of "materials + services," provide care, living, and care services to eligible social assistance recipients with needs, and strengthen the effective connection between government assistance and charity support.
Promote children's welfare institutions to "open their doors and run their institutions"
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the guarantee standards for orphans raised in institutions, social scattered orphans, and children de facto without guardianship all increased by more than 26% compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and a care service system for migrant children and left-behind children was preliminarily established.
Hu Haifeng, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, introducedthat during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, on the basis of steadily raising basic guarantee levels, we will promote the construction of a diversified supply pattern of "materials + services," so that children can not only eat their fill and dress warmly, but also receive necessary support in terms of mental health, personal safety, and rights protection.
In response to the mental health problems of children in difficult circumstances, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will join relevant departments to jointly implement the "Special Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving the Capacity of Mental Health Care and Services for Children in Difficult Circumstances," striving to use three years to improve the protection system of "early detection, early intervention." At the same time, we will accelerate the establishment of new systems such as care services for children with autism spectrum disorder and child family guardianship assessment.
How can professional services benefit more children? Hu Haifeng introducedthat we will further promote children's welfare institutions to "open their doors and run their institutions," and, to the extent of their capabilities, provide services to sick and disabled children outside the institutions; promote the "expansion of coverage and improvement of efficiency" of minor assistance and protection institutions, providing crisis intervention, temporary care, return-and-reintegration, growth-and-development, and other services to more children in need and their families.
At present, the country has a total of 42,000 township (subdistrict) children's supervisors and 550,000 village (community) children's directors. Next, we will strengthen the standardized and professional construction of the team, incorporate mental health identification, safety risk screening, mandatory reporting system, visit-and-care concern, and other content into required training courses, and at the same time explore the establishment of allowance subsidy systems and incentive-and-constraint mechanisms.
Continue to implement the "Sunshine Charity" project
At present, the total number of charity organizations nationwide is nearly 16,000, an increase of 69% compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In recent years, charity organizations have spent approximately 150 billion yuan annually on livelihood fields such as "the elderly and children," "those in difficulty and those with disabilities," education, and medical care.
Hu Haifeng statedthat during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will adhere to promoting development on one hand and regulating on the other, better leveraging the role of charity as a third distribution.
To protect and stimulate the public's enthusiasm for participating in charity, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will further improve support policies, cultivate grassroots charity organizations, revise the "Measures for the Administration of Charity Trusts," regulate the development of online charity, smooth and expand channels for charity participation, and create a charitable atmosphere in which "everyone is willing to act, everyone is able to act, and everyone finds joy in acting."
"Public credibility is the lifeblood of the charity cause." Hu Haifeng introducedthat we will continue to implement the "Sunshine Charity" project, through spot-check audits, special inspections, and social supervision, promote charity organizations to achieve "what should be disclosed, must be fully disclosed" and"what should be transparent, must be fully transparent." At the same time, we will improve the regulations on the collection, management, and use of funds and materials, strengthen look-through supervision, so that every piece of charitable property can operate in the sunshine.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Wuhan, September 23) Liu Guozhong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted a research tour in Hubei from September 21 to 23 and attended the national main venue event of the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival. He emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, implement the deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, fully mobilize the initiative and enthusiasm of the broad masses of farmers, extensively pool the strength of all sectors of society, accelerate agricultural and rural modernization, build livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions, and solidly advance comprehensive rural revitalization.
Liu Guozhong successively visited Xiangzhou District and Zaoyang City in Xiangyang, where he conducted on-site research on autumn grain production, agricultural machinery services, and the improvement and upgrading of rural living environments, and joined farmers in celebrating the Harvest Festival activities. He emphasized that General Secretary Xi Jinping has extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to the broad masses of farmers nationwide and comrades on the agriculture, rural areas, and farmers front for nine consecutive years, fully reflecting the Party Central Committee's consistent and persistent throughout the process (一以贯之, yi yi guan zhi - "one, through, connect, continue") high-level attention to work on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and embodying deep care and concern for the hundreds of millions of farmers. This year marks the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Despite overcoming adverse factors such as natural disasters, China's summer grain output reached a new record high, early rice remained stable, and autumn grain is expected to have a good harvest. It is necessary to adhere to bottom-line thinking, do a good job in late-stage field management of autumn grain and disaster prevention and reduction, carefully organize harvesting and purchasing, and ensure a bumper grain harvest for the whole year. It is necessary to promote the construction of high-standard farmland with high quality, encourage research institutes and agricultural technicians to develop and promote advanced and applicable agricultural technologies, and strive to enhance the comprehensive agricultural production capacity and quality efficiency. It is necessary to do a good job in normalized and precise assistance, continue to consolidate and expand the achievements of the battle against poverty, and firmly hold the bottom line of preventing large-scale relapse into poverty or re-impoverishment. It is necessary to deeply study and apply the experience of the Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement Project, develop and strengthen distinctive rural industries, deeply implement rural construction actions, strengthen and improve rural governance, enhance the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers, broaden channels for farmers to increase income and become prosperous, and strive to make the lives of the broad masses of farmers happier and more beautiful.
Liu Guozhong also went to Danjiangkou City in Shiyan, where he learned in detail about the protection of the water source area of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the construction of the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project. He emphasized the need to strengthen the scientific dispatch and operation management of the first phase of the eastern and middle routes of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, strengthen the protection of water source areas, and ensure the safe operation of the project and the safety and reliability of water quality. It is necessary to do a high-standard job in the construction of the Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project, strictly control quality, production safety, and fund supervision, and accelerate the construction of a modern water network.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter Yi Shuran) The symposium on the publication of The History of Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation was held in Beijing on the 23rd. Li Ganjie, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
The meeting pointed out that The History of Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation, comprising 11 volumes and over 4.2 million characters, takes General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on strengthening and improving ethnic work as its fundamental guide, adheres to the historical view of the Chinese nation based on the "five commonalities" in writing the history and establishing the record, and provides a profound historical basis for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation; adheres to the Two Integrations (两个结合) to break out of the mold of Western ethnic theories, and provides important theoretical support for building China's independent system of historical materials, discourse, and theory on the community of the Chinese nation; adheres to learning from history to guide the present (以史为鉴, yi shi wei jian - "take, history, as, mirror") to respond to the practical needs of interactions, exchanges, and integration among all ethnic groups in the new era, and provides valuable experience and inspiration for promoting the high-quality development of the cause of ethnic unity and progress.
The meeting emphasized that the publication of this book should be taken as an opportunity to continue to do well in publicity and interpretation, academic research, and transformation and utilization, further deepen research and tackling of major basic theoretical issues concerning the community of the Chinese nation, consolidate the historical materials foundation of the community of the Chinese nation, strengthen the construction of China's independent academic discourse, build a scientific and complete theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation, and lay a solid theoretical foundation for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation and advancing the building of the community of the Chinese nation.
Responsible comrades from member units of the leading group for compilation work and from the compilation committee attended the meeting. Comrades from relevant departments of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, as well as representatives from the expert committee, the expert review group, chief editors of individual volumes, relevant experts and scholars, young students, grassroots cadres, and the masses, participated in the meeting.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Nanjing, September 23) The second meeting of the China-Uzbekistan Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Mechanism was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on the 23rd. Chen Wenqing, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, co-chaired the meeting and delivered remarks together with Makhmudov, Secretary of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on elevating the quality and upgrading the level of bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation, reaching broad consensus and a number of outcomes.
Chen Wenqing noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership. On August 31, President Xi Jinping held a meeting with President Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, drawing a new blueprint for promoting the development of the China-Uzbekistan new-era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership and building a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future. China is willing to work with Uzbekistan to jointly implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, fully leverage the functional role of the China-Uzbekistan law enforcement and security cooperation mechanism, strengthen counterpart exchanges between law enforcement and security departments, continuously deepen cooperation in combating the "three evil forces," deepen joint law enforcement in areas such as combating telecom network fraud, cross-border gambling, and other transnational crimes, as well as safeguarding cybersecurity, deepen cooperation in protecting overseas interests, deepen coordination within multilateral platforms, promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and forge a security landscape of peace, tranquility, and sharing weal and woe (休戚与共, xiu qi yu gong - "suffering, joy, and, together")
Makhmudov expressed willingness to work with the Chinese side to implement the consensus and outcomes of the meeting, open up new prospects and reach a new level in bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation, and make new and greater contributions to safeguarding the security interests of both countries and promoting the development of the Uzbekistan-China new-era all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.
On the 22nd, Chen Wenqing held bilateral talks with Makhmudov, conducting in-depth exchanges of views on the international security situation and cooperation between the two countries in the field of security.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter Mei Changwei) The ceremony to confer honorary titles and awards on the astronauts of Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 was held in Beijing on the 23rd. Zhang Shengmin, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, representing President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission, extended warm congratulations to the six astronauts receiving commendations and extended sincere greetings to all comrades on the aerospace front.
The conferral ceremony began with the solemn playing of the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. At the ceremony, the decision made by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission to confer honorary titles and award meritorious medals upon the six astronauts was read out. Zhang Shengmin presented the medals and certificates to Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, astronauts of Shenzhou-20, and to Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, astronauts of Shenzhou-21, who received the commendations. The ceremony concluded with the resounding playing of the song of the People's Liberation Army. Leaders of relevant departments of the organs of the Central Military Commission, officers and soldiers of the military aerospace forces, and representatives of participants in research, development, and testing on the aerospace front attended the ceremony.
Return to TopAs the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach, Zoumagu Town in Chongqing High-tech Zone has launched a series of folk culture activities along the ancient post road. The photo shows visitors interacting with the lion dance, an intangible cultural heritage performance, on September 23.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Chan
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 王云杉
On September 23, the State Council Information Office held a press conference with Chinese and foreign journalists themed "Strivers on the New Journey," inviting five representatives from the energy sector to meet and exchange views with Chinese and foreign reporters on the topic of "Promoting Green Energy Transition and Supply Security."
In the power supply industry, people often say "no power outage is the best service." Wang Yuepeng, Chief Technical Officer of State Grid Beijing Changping Power Supply Company and Squad Leader of the Distribution Network Live-Line Work Room, has been in the industry for 26 years, rooted at the front line, long engaged in live-line work on tens of thousands of volts of high voltage on the distribution network.
"For ordinary people, high voltage is a danger zone, but for us, it is a position for ensuring reliable power supply," Wang Yuepeng said. "Together with my team, I will hone our skills further, provide better service, and safeguard the lights of ten thousand households."
Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage, in simple terms, means collecting carbon dioxide and injecting it into underground oil layers, both "squeezing" out the oil and permanently sealing the carbon dioxide underground, thereby turning waste into something valuable (变废为宝, bian fei wei bao - "change, waste, become, treasure").
"When the relevant projects first started, there was no mature technology domestically, no ready-made equipment, and a lack of practical experience; everything had to be explored from scratch," said Zhang Deping, Technical Leader of the Carbon Dioxide Development Company of PetroChina Jilin Oilfield. "Our team worked day and night on tackling key problems, conducting experiments, reviews, and optimizations over and over again, gradually discovering the patterns and progressively exploring and forming a distinctive series of technologies, many of which filled domestic industry technology gaps. I will continue to hold fast to the front line of scientific research and deepen my work on the low-carbon track."
With the rapid advancement of intelligent mining, the coal industry is becoming a genuinely high-tech industry. Zhao Yunfei, Party Branch Secretary and Team Leader of the Comprehensive Mining Team No. 1 of Jinjie Coal Mine, Shendong Coal, China Energy Investment Corporation, has witnessed the transformation of coal mines from the traditional "counting on manpower" approach to intelligent operations.
Intelligentization has reduced the labor intensity of miners, greatly improved working conditions, and achieved a substantial increase in work efficiency. Zhao Yunfei said, "I believe that we will surely use technology and knowledge to push the traditional mining industry toward a new stage that is safer and more efficient."
"The Gansu Tengger Desert Hexi New Energy Base where I work is one of the key projects of the national 'desert, Gobi, and barren land' large-scale wind and photovoltaic power base, and the project is mainly located in Jiudun Beach, Wuwei City. When I first arrived at Jiudun Beach, the vegetation coverage rate was less than 5 percent," said Zheng Sanguo, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of China Huadian Gansu Tengger Green Energy Co., Ltd. He and his team have explored an integrated governance model of "ecology + production + people's livelihoods." Over the past four years, 1.47 million drought-tolerant plants have taken root, and the vegetation coverage rate has risen to over 70 percent.
This was mainly achieved through three measures: engineering sand fixation, biological desert control, and technology empowerment. Zheng Sanguo introduced that desert control, power generation, and enriching farmers are bundled together as one undertaking, so that the same piece of land both grows green, generates electricity, and enriches the people.
At the press conference site, Liu Xin, Director of the Offshore Wind Power Department and Director of the Smart Hydropower Department of Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute, brought out a model of the "Yellow Sea No. 1." The "Yellow Sea No. 1" is China's deepest-water, strongest wave-resistance offshore floating photovoltaic platform built to date. At present, the platform is in the waters of the Shandong Peninsula, carrying 434 photovoltaic panels of different technical specifications as well as 2 vertical-axis wind turbines, conducting a series of offshore experiments.
"China's sea areas are vast, and wind and solar resources are abundant. How to develop this energy treasure trove more efficiently and safely is our direction of exploration," Liu Xin said. "I will apply the knowledge I have learned to promote independent innovation in China's new energy technology and let our offshore wind power technology go farther into the deep blue."
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter: Shi Yiqi) As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach, the implementation of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation must be carried forward with making continuous and unremitting efforts (常抓不懈, chang zhua bu xie - "constantly, grasp, not, slack") and sustained, long-term effort. Recently, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission publicly notified six typical problems of violations of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation. The details are as follows:
Pan Liang, a former deputy-ministerial-level cadre of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, accepted banquets that could affect the impartial execution of official duties, golf outings, and entertainment arrangements, and illegally accepted gifts, among other problems. From 2016 to 2025, Pan Liang on multiple occasions illegally accepted banquets arranged by private enterprise owners at in-house hospitality venues and elsewhere, consuming high-end dishes and drinking high-end alcoholic beverages; on multiple occasions illegally accepted golf outings arranged by private enterprise owners, and together with several relatives and friends accepted entertainment activities arranged by private enterprise owners, with the relevant expenses paid by the other party; and illegally accepted gifts given by private enterprise owners. Pan Liang also had other serious disciplinary and law-violating problems; he was expelled from the Party, and his suspected criminal problems were transferred to procuratorial organs for examination and prosecution according to law.
Huang Guilin, former deputy governor of Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and former secretary of the Fuquan Municipal Party Committee, had a distorted view of political achievements, engaged in "achievement projects" and "image projects," accepted banquets that could affect the impartial execution of official duties, and illegally accepted gifts and cash, among other problems. During Huang Guilin's tenure as secretary of the Fuquan Municipal Party Committee, in order to quickly produce political achievements, he departed from the requirements of high-quality development, ignored the facts that Fuquan's urban area had a relatively small population and the realities of industrial development, and under the pretext of improving the city's image, while over a thousand mu of land in the main urban area had long been idle, he started something new from scratch (另起炉灶, ling qi lu zao - "separately, start, stove, kitchen") to build an eastern new city, occupying more than 3,000 mu of land, with an investment of several billion yuan, overdrawing development potential to engage in grandstanding and posturing; he acted blindly and recklessly without due thought (盲动蛮干, mang dong man gan - "blind, move, reckless, do") in implementing the "straightening curved sections of municipal trunk roads" project, and arranged for the ordinary double-arm street lamps on both sides of the relevant roads, which already met lighting requirements, to be replaced with beautifully styled ornamental lamps, causing the street lamp project budget to increase from 780,000 yuan to over 14 million yuan, resulting in waste of state funds. From 2013 to April 2025, Huang Guilin over a long period illegally accepted banquets arranged by private enterprise owners and subordinates, with the relevant expenses paid by the other party; illegally used alcoholic beverages from subordinate state-owned enterprises for personal banquets and official receptions; illegally accepted cash, high-end alcoholic beverages, and other gifts given by management and service targets, with many occurrences falling at nodes such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and Spring Festival. Huang Guilin also had other serious disciplinary and law-violating problems; he received the disciplinary sanctions of expulsion from the Party and dismissal from public office, and his suspected criminal problems were transferred to procuratorial organs for examination and prosecution according to law
Sun Xinchun, former deputy secretary of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the Geological Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, illegally accepted gifts and cash, and accepted tourism activity arrangements that could affect the impartial execution of official duties, among other problems. From October 2019 to June 2024, Sun Xinchun on multiple occasions illegally accepted cash, high-end alcoholic beverages, and other gifts given by management and service targets. In February 2024, Sun Xinchun and his relatives illegally accepted tourism activities arranged by management and service targets, with the relevant expenses paid by the other party. Sun Xinchun also had other disciplinary and law-violating problems; he received the sanctions of probation within the Party for one year and administrative demotion
Zhang Weixing, former secretary of the Party Leadership Group and director of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Huozhou City, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, and former secretary of the Party Working Committee and director of the Management Committee of Huozhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, accepted banquets that could affect the impartial execution of official duties, among other problems. On May 2, 2025, during the period of in-depth study and education on implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation, Zhang Weixing, during his duty shift, left his post without authorization, and together with multiple members of the leadership team of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Huozhou City, collectively illegally accepted a banquet arranged by a management and service target at his home and consumed alcoholic beverages. Zhang Weixing also had other disciplinary and law-violating problems; he received the sanctions of revocation of Party posts and administrative demotion, and other responsible personnel received corresponding handling
Yu Junfeng, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy county governor of the People's Government of Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, illegally accepted gifts and cash, and failed to perform his duties properly, among other problems. From 2017 to 2024, Yu Junfeng on multiple occasions illegally accepted cash, high-end alcoholic beverages, tea, and other gifts given by management and service targets. From 2024 to 2025, with regard to problems feedback by the competent industry department at the higher level concerning a certain quarry's mining beyond its approved boundary and encroachment on the ecological protection red line, Yu Junfeng organized verification and rectification ineffectively; he lacked vigilance toward the frequent occurrence of safety accidents in the areas under his purview, failed to effectively organize the investigation and elimination of safety hazards, causing risk loopholes to exist over a long period. Yu Junfeng received the sanction of a serious warning within the Party
Li Gen, deputy general manager of the Audit Department and director of the Audit Center of Ansteel Group Co., Ltd., accepted banquets, tourism, and entertainment activity arrangements that could affect the impartial execution of official duties, and illegally accepted gifts, among other problems. From 2015 to 2023, Li Gen on multiple occasions illegally accepted banquets, tourism, and entertainment activities arranged by management and service targets, with the relevant expenses paid by the other party; on multiple occasions during the Spring Festival illegally accepted high-end alcoholic beverages given by management and service targets. Li Gen received the sanction of a serious warning within the Party
The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission emphasized that the improvement of work style is a tough battle anda protracted war, requiring perseverance and tenacity, with effort concentrated on the two characters of "constancy" and"long-term," making the"golden business card" shine ever brighter. Among the above cases, some were still indulging in eating, drinking, and pleasure-seeking, failing to restrain oneself or stop wrongdoing (不收敛不收手, bu shou lian bu shou shou - "not, restrain, not, stop hand"); some had deviations in their view of political achievements, engaging in"achievement projects"and"image projects"; some, as"top leaders" of their regions or units, took the lead in committing disciplinary violations. Severely investigating and publicly notifying these cases is precisely to embody the determination and resolve to carry through to the end without the slightest slackening, and to release a strong signal of strictness to the end without yielding an inch. Party organizations at all levels must consolidate and expand the achievements of study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, implement and refine the primary responsibility for work style improvement, establish and improve mechanisms for regularly discovering and solving problems, focus on strengthening education, management, and supervision over leading cadres, cadres in key positions, and young cadres, and, with the spirit of driving nails, reinforce the dike of the Central Eight-Point Regulation. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels must, with iron discipline, resolutely crack down on unhealthy tendencies, deeply rectify and centrally address chronic problems that recur repeatedly, accurately identify and promptly handle trends of hidden and mutated forms, quickly investigate and severely punish cases of defying discipline in flagrant violation, deeply advance the simultaneous investigation and governance of corruption and misconduct, and strengthen deterrence through warnings. It is necessary to continuously prevent and correct problems of deviations in the view of political achievements, resolutely correct problems such as waiting and watching, failing to act, as the change of leadership approaches, and after the change of leadership, seeking quick success and immediate benefits (急功近利, ji gong jin li - "urgent, merit, near, profit"), making drastic and superficial changes to policies (翻烧饼, fan shao bing - "flip, roast, flatbread"), engaging in"achievement projects,"and new officials ignoring the debts or issues left by predecessors (新官不理旧账, xin guan bu li jiu zhang - "new, official, not, manage, old, account"), among other problems, intensify the investigation of responsibility, and impel cadres at large to work, start businesses, take responsibility, and act, with a correct view of political achievements. As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach, it is necessary to closely monitor problems that are prone to frequent occurrence during holidays, such as illegal eating and drinking, illegally accepting or giving gifts and cash, using public vehicles for private purposes, and exploiting the handling of weddings, funerals, and celebrations to collect money, strengthen supervision, inspection, reminders, and warnings, quickly investigate and severely punish those who fail to restrain themselves or stop wrongdoing, guide cadres at large to know reverence, maintain fear, abide by bottom lines, and strive to create a clean and upright atmosphere (风清气正, feng qing qi zheng - "wind, clear, air, upright") for the holidays.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 丁雅诵
On September 23, the State Council Information Office held a series of press conferences under the theme "Getting Off to a Good Start for the 15th Five-Year Plan," introducing the relevant situation regarding the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the acceleration of building a strong education nation.
Wang Guangyan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Vice Minister, introduced: "We will firmly grasp the political attribute, the people's attribute, and the strategic attribute of education, accelerate the building of a strong education nation, and strive to achieve by 2030 that basic education is more equitable and of higher quality, that the supply of places in upper secondary education and higher education is more abundant, that service and support for Chinese modernization is more robust, that a batch of universities and disciplines enter the world's leading ranks, and that education's international influence is more prominently displayed."
Orderly promotion of "Double First-Class" universities expanding undergraduate enrollment scale
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the scale of disciplinary and specialty adjustments in universities has continued to increase, with the cumulative adjustment ratio exceeding 20%. Facing the development needs of new business formats and new industries, how should the dynamic adjustment mechanism for university disciplines and specialties be improved, continuously enhancing the degree of fit?
Du Jiangfeng, Vice Minister of Education, stated: "Looking toward the 15th Five-Year Plan, we will deeply implement the action to optimize adjustments in the setup of higher education disciplines and specialties, promoting disciplines and specialties to deeply integrate from the 'small logic' of universities' own development into the 'big logic' of serving national social development."
Du Jiangfeng introduced that, first, we will improve the mechanism for extraordinary layout guided by national strategies, organizing the cultivation of talent urgently needed by major national strategies; second, we will improve the mechanism for supply-demand fit and dynamic early warning with regional industrial structures, strengthening the linkage between discipline and specialty setup and enrollment, cultivation, and employment; third, we will solidly advance the connotation-based development of disciplines and specialties, continuously consolidating the foundation for talent cultivation.
In recent years, in order to let more children receive quality higher education, the Ministry of Education has orderly promoted "Double First-Class" universities to expand their undergraduate enrollment scale. From 2024 to 2026, "Double First-Class" universities cumulatively increased undergraduate enrollment places by 62,000 people.
The 15th Five-Year Plan outline clearly proposes that the number of undergraduate admissions at "Double First-Class" universities increase by more than 100,000 people."That is to say, from 2027 to 2030, there is still a need to expand capacity by more than 76,000 people." Guo Peng, Director of the Department of Development Planning of the Ministry of Education, said.
Guo Peng stated that the expansion of quality undergraduate education is not a simple increase in quantity, but rather simultaneously advances structural optimization and quality improvement. On the one hand, we will, in light of national strategic needs, optimize and adjust disciplines and specialties, strengthening supply-demand fit; on the other hand, we will make full use of policies such as central budget investment and ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support"Double First-Class" universities in improving basic conditions for running schools.
Guide universities to leverage their strengths on different tracks and develop distinctive features
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Reform of Universities by Category," making systematic arrangements for promoting university reform by category. How can universities be guided to leverage their strengths on different tracks and develop distinctive features?
"In 2025, China's gross enrollment rate in higher education reached 61.3%, with the total scale of enrolled students reaching 48.73 million people. Such a large higher education system cannot have only one track or one model; it needs category-based policy implementation to better bring into play the functions of various types of universities." Guo Peng said.
To promote university reform by category, classification is the method, reform is the driving force, and development is the purpose. Guo Peng introduced that the general direction is to take research-oriented, application-oriented, and skills-oriented as basic school-running orientations, and comprehensiveness and distinctive features as basic directions, guiding universities to position themselves scientifically; improve differentiated policy support, promote the distinctive development of various types of universities including science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, humanities and social sciences, arts and sports, and teacher education, continuously optimizing the type structure of universities and the structure of talent cultivation.
Research-oriented universities should focus on supporting major national strategic needs; in the new round of"Double First-Class" construction, further emphasis will be placed on forward-looking layout guided by national mission and driven by strategy. Application-oriented universities should focus on serving regional high-quality development;; during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, support will be given to building around 200 high-level application-oriented undergraduate universities and a number of quality distinctive disciplines and specialties. Skills-oriented universities should closely connect with the front line of production practice, promoting deep coordination and linkage between schools and localities, and between schools and enterprises.
Wang Guangyan introduced that, in the next step, we will, based on industrial parks, build around 100 city-region industry-education consortia, carrying out precise matching between vocational schools and regional industrial development in an organized manner;; relying on leading enterprises in industries, we will plan and build around 20 industry-education integration communities, promoting the transformation of technical standards and production standards into education and teaching standards.
Implement off-campus practical teaching of at least half a day per week in primary and secondary schools
China's basic education includes 430,000 primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, 220 million students, and 16 million teachers, with an enormous scale that has a decisive or significant influence.
Tian Zuyin, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Education and Director of the Department of Basic Education, stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the following work will be prioritized:
Uphold the public welfare attribute, advance the balanced development of basic education, so that more and more good schools "at the doorstep" emerge;; implement the basic education anchor-point project, advance a new round of compulsory education capacity improvement projects, and promote the construction of more than 1,000 quality upper secondary schools;; at the municipal level, optimize the planning and layout of schools within the city-region, and comprehensively advance important work such as the revitalization of county high schools and the reform of the secondary school entrance examination;; establish and improve a monitoring and early warning mechanism for the school-age population, expand the supply of educational resources in cities with net inflows of school-age population and in regions with weak foundations, increase efforts to build complete secondary schools and twelve-year consistent schools, so as to both ensure a smooth"crossing of the peak" and avoid idle waste after"crossing the peak";; implement with high quality the project of fostering virtue through education in the new era, comprehensively carry out health promotion actions, and adhere to the simultaneous development of five types of education and comprehensive development.
The "15th Five-Year Plan for Educational Development" proposes establishing a system for national conditions study tours in primary and secondary schools. Tian Zuyin introduced that during the"15th Five-Year Plan" period, efforts will focus on building a great classroom for social practice for primary and secondary school students from three aspects:: first, build a network system, continue to support the construction of camps and bases for primary and secondary school students' study tour practice, making various types of resources more abundant;; second, optimize the curriculum system, develop a series of practical education courses that cover all stages of schooling, run through inside and outside of schools, and reflect regional characteristics, enhancing the effectiveness of education;; third, improve the guarantee system, implement nationwide off-campus practical teaching of at least half a day per week, guide all localities and schools to make reasonable arrangements in light of local conditions by school stage, and incorporate this into schools' education and teaching plans.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter Peng Bo) The General Office of the NPC Standing Committee held a special study class in Beijing from September 20 to 23 for leading comrades of local people's congress standing committees, themed "Deeply Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law." A total of 202 leading comrades from the standing committees of provincial- and municipal-level people's congresses from 18 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government participated in the study.
A relevant leading comrade of the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee stated at the opening ceremony that Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law is a major innovative development in the theory of the rule of law under socialism with Chinese characteristics and is the guiding ideology that must be upheld for the long term in comprehensive law-based governance in the new era. Studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law is a required course and basic skill for people's congress workers in performing their duties. It is necessary to further deepen understanding and comprehension of this scientific thought, firmly grasp the distinct political orientation, steadfastly take the people's standpoint, appreciate the profound cultural heritage, apply scientific methods of thinking, and promote the enhancement of political capability and duty-performing capability through the improvement of ideological and theoretical standards. It is necessary to firmly establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, improve the quality and effectiveness of people's congress work, and provide strong legal support for the smooth completion of the economic and social development goals and tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
The study class arranged six special reports, inviting relevant leading comrades from the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), the Constitution and Law Committee of the NPC, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, and the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee to give lectures on related topics. The study class also organized group discussions, on-site teaching, and summary exchanges.
Return to TopOn September 23, at the Warm New Courier Station on Chongwenmenwai Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, couriers and other workers in new forms of employment made mooncakes to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival. In recent years, the Chongwenmenwai Street sub-district has relied on its four themed Warm New Courier Stations to regularly carry out special activities such as holiday folk-custom experiences.
(People's Daily report) Photo by Chen Bin, People's Daily reporter
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
On the occasion of the arrival of the ninth "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival," General Secretary Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to the vast number of farmers across the country and to comrades working on the agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (三农) front, emphasizing: "Solidly advance the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, enhance the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers, focus on improving the comprehensive agricultural production capacity and quality efficiency, broaden channels for increasing farmers' incomes and getting rich, build livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions, and strive to make the lives of the vast number of farmers happier and more beautiful."
The broad masses of cadres and the people expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping's festive congratulations and sincere greetings are inspiring and uplifting (鼓舞人心, gu wu ren xin - "encourage, beat, person, heart") and encouraging people to move forward (催人奋进, cui ren fen jin - "urge, person, strive, advance"). The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical period for basically realizing the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. It is necessary to unswervingly and thoroughly (不折不扣, bu zhe bu kou - "not, fold, not, mouth") implement the various decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, anchor the goals, muster full momentum, and promote the development of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers to continuously reach new heights.
This year, China's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, early rice output has remained stable at over 56 billion jin for six consecutive years, and at present, a bumper autumn grain harvest is in sight.
"The General Secretary's earnest instructions fill us with great encouragement." Lü Xiutao, Deputy Director of the Planting Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated, "This year is the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and achieving a full-year bumper harvest of grain and agriculture is of great significance. At present, agricultural and rural departments at all levels are making every possible effort (全力以赴, quan li yi fu - "all, strength, one, go") to do a good job in the 'three autumns' agricultural production, ensuring not only a bumper autumn grain harvest but also that winter wheat and winter rapeseed are fully and properly sown, laying a solid foundation for a bumper grain and oil harvest next year."
In Wangcang County, Sichuan, rice is ushering in a bumper harvest. "The General Secretary's earnest and instructive (谆谆, zhun zhun - "earnest, earnest") words are both care and encouragement. Ensuring food security is the top priority. We focus on stabilizing area and stabilizing output, and truly shoulder the responsibility on our shoulders," said Wang Guohua, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the County Agriculture and Rural Bureau.
On the black soil land, corn is golden yellow. Liu Shuyuan, a villager of Junfeng Village, Xing'an District, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, said, "The CNOOC Chemical agricultural service team comes to our door year-round to test the soil, supplementing whatever is lacking, making the black soil more fertile."
Supporting grain production cannot be separated from diversified investment. Xing Fengqin, General Manager of the Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers Corporate Business Department of the Head Office of the Agricultural Bank of China, stated that the Agricultural Bank will always regard serving food security as the top priority, implement the requirements for coordinating the development of scientific and technological agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture, continuously strengthen financial services in key areas such as grain and oil production, seed industry revitalization, agricultural science and technology equipment, and diversified food supply, increase capital and resource investment, and strive to provide strong financial support for the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
"The General Secretary's deep concern inspires us to closely focus on serving the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas and the building of a strong agricultural country, and to fully guarantee national food security." Wang Fuli, General Manager of the Grain, Cotton, and Oil Department of the Agricultural Development Bank of China, stated that the Agricultural Development Bank has reserved 200 billion yuan in credit funds to support the upcoming autumn grain purchase, with subsequent funds supplied in full as needed, truly achieving "money waiting for grain," and helping the state's policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers be implemented.
In agricultural and rural work, no matter how much one says or does (说一千、道一万, shuo yi qian, dao yi wan - "speak, one, thousand, say, one, ten thousand"), increasing farmers' incomes is the key.
"Keeping the instructions in mind, we are exhausting every possible means (千方百计, qian fang bai ji - "thousand, way, hundred, plan") to broaden channels for increasing farmers' incomes and getting rich." Chen Jie, head of the Industrial Service Section of the Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center of Baoji City, Shaanxi, said that the "government + research institution + enterprise + cooperative + base" mechanism for linking farmers drives the masses to increase their incomes steadily.
Lu Xueling, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Siping Village, Pingma Town, Tiandong County, Guangxi, said, "Last year, the village trial-planted a new variety of tomato, and the returns were good. The advantages of the variety have truly filled the villagers' pockets."
Haining City, Zhejiang, continues to implement the "Strong Village Plan" and iterates the "villages joining forces" development model. Zha Weixiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Haining City, said, "We continue to promote increasing agricultural benefits, increasing rural vitality, and increasing farmers' incomes, painting a new picture of common prosperity in the countryside."
The countryside carries nostalgia and is the home where hundreds of millions of farmers live and work. Building a beautiful home and living a better life are the expectations and aspirations of hundreds of millions of farmers.
In Tantou Village, Yudu County, Jiangxi, a sweet fragrance wafts from the selenium-rich rice cake workshop. "The General Secretary emphasized 'building livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions.' Over the years, the village has coordinated the advancement of ecological protection, cultural inheritance, and industrial development, developing new business forms such as picking experiences and agricultural study tours, and everyone is becoming more and more motivated." Liu Lianyun, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Tantou Village, said.
From having access to tap water to lighting up mountain roads, Chongyan Village, Rangdu Town, Wanzhou District, Chongqing, by the Yangtze River, has taken on a new look. "The General Secretary's emphasis on 'solidly advancing the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas' makes us feel the heavy responsibility on our shoulders." Guo Shengnan, First Secretary stationed in Chongyan Village, said, "As a village-based cadre, together with the villagers, I have promoted the implementation of drought-resistant water source projects, implemented village road lighting and weir and canal renovation projects. The water in the village is sweeter, the lights are on, and the canals are unblocked. Next, we will continue to improve the village living environment so that villagers can live more comfortably."
Striving forward in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the broad masses of cadres and the people have expressed that they will keep their mission in mind, work pragmatically to revitalize agriculture, and make solid progress toward the goal of building a strong agricultural country.
(People's Daily reporters Zhu Jun, Wang Hao, Chang Qin, Yu Jingxian, Li Xiaoqing, Deng Jianyang, Wang Yunshan)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
On September 22, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, which greatly inspired the participants and the vast number of skilled workers. They all said that they would strive to refine their skills, realize the path of achieving success through skills, and make greater contributions to the development of the world skills movement.
President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter sparked warm repercussions among the Chinese delegation to the 48th WorldSkills Competition. Wu Lituo, head of the Chinese delegation and Director of the Department of Vocational Capacity Building of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said that President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter fully reflected the Party Central Committee's high regard and warm concern for skilled talent, and the entire delegation felt immensely inspired and deeply encouraged: "We will take the 48th WorldSkills Competition as an opportunity to engage in learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutually learn, mutually examine") with competitors and experts from various countries and regions, accelerate the cultivation of a high-quality skilled talent team that is large in scale, reasonable in structure, and excellent in quality, and provide strong skilled talent support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country."
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating and breaking through, bringing profound influence to the global development of skills." The WorldSkills Competition closely aligns with industrial demands, providing a beneficial platform for skilled talent from various countries to refine their skills and engage in learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange.
"President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter has made us fully realize the important significance of skilled talent work under the new circumstances, and we must promote skilled talent to better support 'Made in China' and 'Created in China'." Yu Xubo, Chairman of China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd., said that the Group will build a Industrial Mother Machine Craftsman Academy to high standards, cultivate composite skilled talent who understand blueprints, understand equipment, and understand the worksite, and contribute talent strength to building a manufacturing powerhouse.
"Cultivating and expanding the skilled talent team plays an important role in promoting high-quality and full employment, developing new quality productive forces, and building a modern industrial system." Su Jing, Deputy Director of the Chongqing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said that Chongqing will strengthen the "Bayu Craftsman" brand, focus on building a city of skills, and promote the supply of skilled talent to better support industrial development.
In recent years, Guangdong has linked up over a thousand industry chain leading enterprises, promoting the construction of 168 industry-education-evaluation skill ecological chains."Our company has absorbed over ten thousand skilled employees, and with the support of the human resources and social security departments, has built a public training base for high-skilled talent." Liu Yanyu, Training Center Director of Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd., said that the company will further improve work such as independent evaluation of enterprise skilled talent and intensive training for vocational skills competitions, boosting the iterative upgrading of new energy products.
President Xi Jinping emphasized: "China will take the hosting of this competition as an opportunity to encourage and guide more workers, especially young people, to take the path of achieving success through skills."
Li Quanli, head of the Chinese Technical Expert Group for the Mechatronics Project at the 48th WorldSkills Competition and Professor at Tianjin University of Technology and Education, said that as a vocational education worker, he will bear in mind President Xi Jinping's entrustment, use WorldSkills standards to drive skills teaching, integrate the craftsman spirit into talent cultivation, guide young people to firmly take the path of achieving success through skills, and cultivate more skilled craftsmen.
"The WorldSkills Competition provides a shining stage for young people to serve the country with skills and a precious opportunity for learning from each other and gaining experience through mutual exchange."Zhang Xiaofei, gold medal winner of the 47th WorldSkills Competition and teacher at Huangshan Vocational and Technical College, said that he will strive to tell well the stories of achieving success through skills, drive young people to love skills, delve into techniques, and better realize the value of life.
President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter made Zou Bin, National Technical Expert and Quality Director of the Changsha Olympic Sports Center Project Bid Section I of the General Contracting Company of China Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau, more steadfast in his confidence in taking the path of achieving success through skills. He said that he will, together with his colleagues, strive for perfection and continuous improvement (精益求精, jing yi qiu jing - "refine, seek, seek, excellence"), strive for excellence, and strive to reach new heights of excellence (勇攀高峰, yong pan gao feng - "bravely climb high peak"), integrating personal struggle into the construction of major national projects.
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "We are willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with all parties, promote the development of the world skills movement, and better serve global economic growth and the improvement of people's livelihoods and well-being."
A total of 80 countries and regions registered to participate in this WorldSkills Competition, with 1,385 competitors from 68 countries and regions participating, and both the number of participating countries and regions and the number of participating competitors reached record highs. Luo Shengqiang, Director of the Academic Department of the WorldSkills China (Shanghai) Research Center, believes that hosting a WorldSkills Competition full of new ideas and broad influence in Shanghai, while simultaneously holding the WorldSkills Conference and the WorldSkills Expo, is in itself China's positive contribution to the development of the world skills movement: "We will, in accordance with President Xi Jinping's requirements, promote international cooperation in skills, and contribute more Chinese wisdom to the development of the world skills movement."
Wang Ying, President of Shandong Industrial Technician College, said that the College will take this WorldSkills Competition as an opportunity to deepen international exchange and cooperation, organize and carry out training and mentoring for international competitors and coaches, empower professional upgrading, practical training quality improvement, and teacher capacity enhancement, and drive the cultivation of high-quality skilled talent with high-level skills competitions.
"President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter has pointed out the direction for us to further improve the cultivation of skilled talent." Wu Weibin, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Zhejiang Province, said that Zhejiang will comprehensively learn professional experience in event operation, technical support, and other areas, integrate WorldSkills standards into the entire process and every link of skilled talent cultivation, continuously expand the high-quality skilled talent team, and contribute wisdom and strength to promoting high-quality development and improving people's livelihoods and well-being.
(People's Daily reporters Qiu Chaoyi, Li Xinping, Huang Xiaohui, Li Jiading, Sun Chao, Dou Hao, Shen Jingran)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姜 峰
In Chongqing, autumn tints the Dalou Mountains. The mountains are high, yet the roads are smooth and passable.
On the Yangdu River, where one enters Chongqing from Guizhou, a wind-and-rain covered bridge has stood to this day: 91 years ago, the officers and soldiers of the First Red Army Corps passed this way, moving from Songkan Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou, to fight in Shihao Town, Qijiang District, Chongqing.
Peng Shaohui, then chief of the Education Section of the First Red Army Corps Headquarters, wrote in his diary: "We set out at eight o'clock, walked mountain roads all day long, the roads were slippery and hard to traverse. The journey was approximately fifty-five li." Now, this stretch of road takes only an hour by car.
In April 2024, during his inspection tour of Chongqing, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Chongqing integrates a large city, a large countryside, large mountainous areas, and large reservoir areas into one; we must vigorously advance urban-rural integrated development" and "develop ecologically distinctive agriculture in light of local conditions, following the terrain."
Unwavering determination and original aspiration (初心如磐, chuxin rupan -"initial, heart, like, rock"), and thoughts like torches. The earnest exhortations are kept firmly in mind. Chongqing, based on its endowments, deeply taps red resources and, in light of local conditions, deeply cultivates green industries.
In the Dalou Mountains, in the fields of Shiquan Village, Shihao Town, more pink tomatoes, late-maturing yellow peaches, and high-altitude bayberries are now being planted.
"The temperature difference is large, the sweetness is high, the texture is sticky when eaten, and they sell well." Ren Qichao, the village-based first secretary, promoted the "little green eggs" in the tomato greenhouses: "They will be on the market in about ten days; soon they will turn from green to pink, just in time for the holiday travel rush!"
More changes, this reporter witnessed along the journey, step by step.
In Chongqing, all the sites of the Long March are located in remote mountain townships: to the north, Chengkou County in the Daba Mountains; to the southwest, Qijiang District in the Dalou Mountains; to the southeast, Youyang, Xiushan, Qianjiang, Pengshui, Shizhu and other places in the Wuling Mountains… However, being far from the central urban area and having a weak industrial foundation, development difficulties objectively exist. For the old revolutionary base areas to be revitalized, how can a breakthrough be sought?
—The green foundation, formerly an "obstacle," is now an advantage.
Deep in the Wuling Mountains, Nanyaojue Town, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, is an old revolutionary base area that has completely preserved the original appearance of the Soviet area.
Yang Xiuzhi, a villager from Nanjie Village who had previously gone out to work, has now returned home to start a business growing selenium-rich rice:"We have obtained organic certification, and our main sales channel is through videos and livestreams."
Through innovative smart farming and the establishment of linkage mechanisms, the annual output value of rice in Nanyaojue Town has exceeded 12 million yuan, driving nearly 7,000 villagers to increase their incomes at their doorsteps, among which the high-quality selenium-rich rice has been incorporated into the "Youyang 800" standardized direct-supply system.
"Youyang 800" is a regional public brand created locally, focusing on the distinctiveness of high-mountain agriculture at an average altitude of 800 meters. To date, 79 enterprises have been authorized, 14,000 mu of direct-supply bases have been certified, brought into the brand framework and sharing value-added benefits. Yang Xiuzhi, who previously "always wanted to leave the mountains," now features nothing but his hometown's landscapes, culture, and people in his videos.
—The red accumulation does not forget the road traveled, and also illuminates the road ahead.
In the hinterland of the Daba Mountains, Chengkou County, nestled among steep ridges and deep gorges, was once the only old revolutionary base area in Chongqing that established Soviet political power at all four levels—county, district, township, and village—as complete organizational units. At that time, with a population of over 50,000, several thousand people joined the revolution, and more than 470 martyrs sacrificed their lives along the Long March…
Chengkou County's forest coverage rate ranks first in Chongqing. In recent years, it has taken the lead in piloting reforms of the collective forest tenure system, achieving multiple firsts.
In Xingguang Village, Gaoyan Town, Chengkou County, collective forest land began to be transferred two years ago to develop understory planting of Chinese medicinal herbs. There was no paved road into the mountains. Hu Xiaomeng, the 90s-born deputy secretary of the village Party branch, led more than 30 villagers, each carrying a bamboo basket loaded with dozens of jin of seedlings and fertilizer up the mountain, planting, tending, and weeding, working from before dawn until after dark.
Now, the village's Chinese medicinal herb planting scale has exceeded 1,700 mu, and the expected per-mu output returns are quite considerable. The road has also been built. Yet the village cadres and fellow villagers repeatedly say: "The industry was carried up the mountain on our backs; the original aspiration for starting this business must not be forgotten!"
The Daba Mountains are vast, and their backbone is unyielding. The great Long March spirit is increasingly becoming the spiritual source for the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas in the old revolutionary base areas.
—The golden harvest is not limited to agriculture, but lies even more in integrated empowerment.
The monument to the Battle of Chuanhe Gai, fought by the Independent Division of the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps in eastern Guizhou, stands in Yongdong Town, Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County. Last year, this town broke through two "ten millions."
Sales revenue from agricultural products exceeded 10 million yuan. Take the oil-tea camellia industry, for example: Yongdong Town has built four oil-tea camellia bases on barren mountains. Water sources are scarce in the mountainous areas—how to solve the "bottleneck" problem? The locality has innovated a composite management and protection model of"infiltration irrigation + drip irrigation + four-condition monitoring stations," building a"national demonstration base for high-yield, mechanization-friendly, rapid-establishment oil-tea camellia orchards."
Comprehensive output value from rural tourism exceeded 10 million yuan. Yongdong Town has built the Chuanhe Gai Red Army Memorial Hall, launched immersive courses such as"Retracing the Red Army's March," cultivated anew business format of"red study tours + agricultural sightseeing + leisure experiences," and has already developed more than 60 homestays, driving employment for over 300 people.
Chen Xuchang, a villager from Nanmu Village, Yongdong Town, who plants tea in his spare time and helps in the kitchen during busy seasons, is happy to see his own wallet bulge and the town become more bustling:"So many young people are coming—that's great!"
Before the monument, the wind unfurls the banners; gazing into the distance at the mountains, the forests spread in vast swathes of deep green. The red old base areas have donned"new garments," and the future holds even more color.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) Recently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has decided:
Comrade Li Lecheng is appointed as member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Liang Yanshun no longer serves as secretary, standing committee member, and member of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee.
Comrade Zhou Zuyi is appointed as member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, and no longer serves as secretary, standing committee member, and member of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Liu Ning no longer serves as secretary, standing committee member, and member of the Henan Provincial Party Committee.
Comrade Zhao Long is appointed as secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Hefei, September 23) (Reporters Zhang Zhifeng, Han Junjie) The 26th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Anhui Provincial People's Congress decided on September 23: to accept the request of Liang Yanshun to resign from the post of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial People's Congress, to accept the request of Wang Qingxian to resign from the post of Governor of the Anhui Provincial People's Government, and Wang Dongwei, Vice Governor of the Anhui Provincial People's Government, was appointed Acting Governor.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Shanghai, September 23) (Reporters Jiang Hongbing, Cui Yin) Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council, attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Skills Conference in Shanghai on the morning of September 23 and delivered a speech.
Li Qiang stated that skills have always been an important force driving the progress of human civilization. President Xi Jinping, in his congratulatory letter to the 48th World Skills Competition, fully affirmed the platform role of the competition in promoting global skills exchange and cooperation, and clarified China's clear stance in supporting the development of the world skills movement. This conference, themed "Skills Light Up the Future,"" resonates with the pulse of the times. I would like to share a few observations based on China's practice.
First, China's development achievements contain a prominent skills contribution. In the continuous leapfrogging of the level of social productive forces, there is the solid support of skills. At present, China is building a modern industrial system, and the mutual reinforcement of talent and technology injects an inexhaustible source of momentum into high-quality development. In the long continuation of fine traditional culture, there is the guardianship and inheritance of skills. Chinese traditional craftsmanship has been passing down from generation to generation (代代相传, dai dai xiang chuan - "generation, generation, mutually, pass"), and much of it has also gone global, both empowering talent cultivation and industrial development in various countries and promoting mutual understanding among civilizations and cultural integration. On the road of people creating a better life, there is the assistance and support of skills. Through large-scale skills training, more and more ordinary workers have gained higher skills and more career choices.
Second, China has always been committed to cultivating the skills advantages of workers. We place emphasis on the deep integration of industry and skills, and in the future will closely follow the needs of industrial development, deeply advance the integration of industry and education and school-enterprise cooperation, and enhance the targetedness and effectiveness of skills talent cultivation. We place emphasis on strengthening lifelong vocational education and training, and in the future will continuously improve the education and training system, supporting more workers to continuously"recharge" throughout their careers. We place emphasis on fostering a social atmosphere conducive to achieving success through skills, and in the future will continue to create a strong atmosphere of advocating skills, inspiring more young people to love and devote themselves to skills.
Third, work together to create a bright future for skills development. The new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is profoundly reshaping the demand for skills. All parties should adapt to the times and circumstances, collaborate closely, and strive to raise the level of global skills development. We should develop skills with greater livelihood warmth, increase investment in people, actively carry out general education in artificial intelligence, help workers achieve skills transformation, and promote high-quality and full employment. We should develop skills with greater innovative vitality, make forward-looking arrangements for the cultivation of high-skilled talent, improve mechanisms for skills development in emerging fields, and encourage and guide more skilled talent to devote themselves to innovative activities. We should develop skills that are more open and inclusive, establish closer mechanisms for international skills exchange and cooperation, and jointly build an open skills ecosystem. China is willing to work with all parties to promote the building of a World Skills Innovation Center and expand skills development under the Belt and Road Initiative South-South cooperation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, WorldSkills President Uhan, and others attended the opening ceremony and stated in their speeches that the Chinese government has long been deeply engaged in the building of skilled talent, effectively empowering economic and social development, and also making important contributions to promoting the global skills cause and youth development. Skills development has become a priority for governments of all countries, and all parties are willing to strengthen exchange and learning from each other through exchange (交流互鉴, jiao liu hu jian -"exchange, mutual, learn from") with China, making skills an important bond for achieving win-win cooperation. Approximately 1,900 representatives from all sectors around the world attended the opening ceremony.
Before the opening ceremony, Li Qiang visited the World Skills Expo.
Chen Jining, Wu Zhenglong, and Qiu Yiqin participated in the above activities.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马 菲 包 晗
"Chinese and American youth live on the same Earth and share the mission of the era." Recently, President Xi Jinping replied to the young students from 10 American universities who came to China to participate in the China-U.S. youth themed exchange activity, and expressed earnest expectations that the youth of the two countries would join hands to become inheritors, guardians, and developers of China-U.S. friendship and cooperation.
In recent years, the forms of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges have continued to enrich, the mechanisms have grown increasingly complete, gradually forming an exchange landscape with multiple levels and broad coverage, becoming an important force in promoting sound interaction between major-country relations.
Carrying forward the friendship, consolidating the historical foundation of people-to-people amity
"The foundation of China-U.S. relations is poured by the people, and its future is created by the youth." In April this year, the commemorative conference for the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and the launching ceremony for the series of China-U.S. youth sports exchanges were held, and President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter, clarifying the direction for the development of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the new era.
People-to-people amity has always been the warm undertone of the development of China-U.S. relations。In 1971, the U.S. table tennis team made a historic visit to China; the pioneering feat of "a small ball turning the big ball" knocked open the door of friendly exchanges between the peoples of the two countries, becoming a celebrated chapter of people-to-people diplomacy recorded in history.
At that time, Judy Hoarfrost, then only 15 years old, as the youngest member of the American delegation, set foot on Chinese soil for the first time, witnessing the precious moment of the icebreaking exchanges between the two countries. Fifty-five years later, Hoarfrost, as a firsthand participant in China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," led the American Oregon Friendship Pickleball Delegation to participate in the 2026 China-U.S. Civilian Pickleball Friendship Tournament, continuing to write a brand-new chapter in China-U.S. people-to-people friendly exchanges.
The China-U.S. people-to-people friendship, having weathered the trials of time and the tempering of war, has become becoming stronger and more resilient over time (历久弥坚, li jiu mi jian - "endure, long time, increasingly, firm"). During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the American "Flying Tigers" aided China in the resistance against Japan, forging with blood and commitment a life-and-death friendship spanning the Pacific, becoming a historical testament to the two peoples sharing weal and woe. Over the past 85 years, this precious friendship has been passed down from generation to generation, continuing endlessly without interruption (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, cease"). From Chinese and American students participating in Flying Tigers summer camps learning from and studying each other (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "each other, learn, each other, examine"), to youth of the two countries discussing friendship at the Flying Tigers Youth Leaders Dialogue, the Flying Tigers spirit continues to nourish the fertile soil of China-U.S. people-to-people friendship, making the sincere friendship that transcends time and space ever more mellow and enduring.
Music is a "language without borders"; as notes flow, stories of people-to-people connectivity continue to unfold. In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra made its first performance tour to China, and artists of the two countries jointly performed the classic folk piece "Moon Reflected on Second Spring," its melodious and graceful tune crossing national borders and touching people's hearts, becoming a classic moment in the history of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In November 2023, at the commemorative concert for the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to China, Chinese and American artists joined hands once again, playing the familiar melody.
A series of people-to-people interactions transcending time and space fully confirm that the foundation of China-U.S. friendship lies in the people, its strength lies in the people, and its future lies in the people; the cause of friendship between the two countries has always relied on the peoples of both countries joining hands to build and pass on the torch. As Hoarfrost said: "Friendship and mutual trust are the most solid foundation of state-to-state relations. I am passing this torch to the new generation." It is precisely through the perseverance and inheritance of generation after generation of people-to-people friendship envoys, continuously conveying goodwill, building bridges of communication, that the vast Pacific is no longer an insurmountable chasm separating the two sides, and the relay baton of China-U.S. people-to-people friendship is passed down from generation to generation.
Blossoming at multiple points, broadening the dimensions of people-to-people and cultural exchange cooperation
In July this year, youth from China and the United States gathered in Changzhou and Nanjing, Jiangsu, jointly performing the adapted piece "From Jasmine Flower to Turandot," singing together "Auld Lang Syne," using melodious melodies to build a cross-Pacific bridge of youth. Relying on the deep foundation of people-to-people amity, China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the new era have gradually broken through the limitations of a single field, achieving coordinated development across multiple fields and deep advancement on multiple fronts. The initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping to "invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study within five years" has completed its expected target two and a half years ahead of schedule, building an important platform for normalized exchanges between the youth of the two countries. Under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, practical exchanges between China and the United States in the fields of culture and sports, science and education, and people-to-people mechanism dialogues have continued to deepen, forming an exchange landscape of blossoming at multiple points and coordinated advancement, continuously consolidating the public opinion foundation of bilateral relations.
Cultural and sports exchanges influencing others subtly and silently (润物无声, run wu wu sheng - "moisten, things, without, sound"), building a solid bridge for emotional resonance and spiritual connection between the peoples of the two countries. In recent years, from the inaugural China-U.S. Youth Cheerleading Exchange Competition kicking off in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, with nearly a thousand athletes from both countries competing and honing their skills on the same field, to the first overseas training base of Songshan Shaolin Wushu College being established in San Francisco, United States, sparking a local craze for Chinese martial arts, and then to the China-U.S. Film Festival and China-U.S. TV Festival being held regularly every November, with the peoples of the two countries deepening cultural resonance both on and off the screen... The rich and colorful activities have brought the peoples of the two countries closer and enhanced mutual understanding through shared experiences.
Deep cooperation in the fields of science and education provides long-term support for China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The two countries focus on youth cultivation and technological innovation, continuously improving the exchange and cooperation system, promoting people-to-people exchanges from short-term interaction toward long-term collaboration. Normalized youth programs such as "China-U.S. Youth Envoys" and"Knowing China" continue to support youth of the two countries in learning from and studying each other; the "China-U.S. Talent Cultivation Program" 121 Dual-Degree Project links more than 200 universities in both countries, establishing a stable platform for academic exchange and joint talent cultivation; the China-U.S. Youth Maker Competition, already held for 13 consecutive sessions, has cumulatively attracted more than 80,000 young people from both countries to participate, carrying out collaborative innovation around frontier fields and producing more than 20,000 scientific and technological innovation achievements. Practical cooperation in science and education ensures that people-to-people and cultural exchanges no longer remain at the emotional level, but rather form a bond of practical win-win cooperation, injecting lasting endogenous momentum into bilateral relations.
Normalized dialogue mechanisms provide institutional guarantees for the steady development of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges. At present, multi-level exchange platforms such as the China-U.S. 1.5-track dialogue, the high-level Track II dialogue, and the Civilian Peace Forum are operating in an orderly manner, providing channels for communication, consensus-building, and divergence-resolution among various sectors of the two countries. John Quelch, American chancellor of Duke Kunshan University, believes that sustained people-to-people communication and cultural exchanges are an important foundation for maintaining U.S.-China mutual trust and deepening bilateral cooperation. Jeffrey Sullivan, director of athletics at the Board of Education of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, stated that diverse people-to-people exchange platforms can continuously enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries and contribute to the long-term friendly development of U.S.-China relations. Various institutionalized exchanges have effectively avoided the fragmentation problem of people-to-people exchanges, promoting the standardized, orderly, normalized, and long-term development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
A two-way endeavor, radiating new vitality into people-to-people exchanges
Entering the new era, China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges have taken on entirely new forms and vitality. From fingertip interactions to cross-Pacific reunions, exchange participants are increasingly diverse, exchange methods are innovating by bringing forth the new from the old (推陈出新, tui chen chu xin - "push, old, emerge, new"), the boundaries of people-to-people exchanges continue to expand, and China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges have opened a new chapter.
Digital communication has broken through geographical barriers, becoming a new driving force for exchanges. Soaking feet, wearing cotton slippers, practicing Baduanjin... As the "Chinese-style lifestyle" craze sweeps overseas social media, American youth are embracing China's everyday life scenes. Large numbers of American users have flooded into Chinese social media platforms, with netizens of the two countries engaging in lively interactions. Jack Midgley, associate professor at Georgetown University in the United States, believes that the daily interactions formed between young people of the two countries through digital platforms are quietly constructing a new kind of "people-to-people connection mechanism," allowing the younger generation to be subtly influenced or transformed over time (潜移默化, qian yi mo hua - "subtle, move, silent, transform") in enhancing their understanding and trust of each other's cultures.
Online enthusiasm is being converted into offline footsteps, with American people's willingness to visit China continuing to rise. As China's visa-free transit policy has been comprehensively relaxed and optimized, large numbers of American influencers and travel bloggers have embarked on "eastward journeys" of exploration, documenting on the spot the safe and bustling city night markets in the early hours, the whistling high-speed rail networks, and the everyday convenience of shared bicycles that can be "picked up and ridden at will." "Come to China and experience it yourself" is a phrase often used by Ethan Robertson, an American automotive self-media blogger. During the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, he led overseas fans to experience Chinese new-energy vehicles up close, feeling the increasingly robust strength of China's automotive industry at close range.
And many moving exchanges happen in the encounters of ordinary people. Neumann Brecken from Mississippi, through a "friend-seeking post," made a close Chinese friend, enabling the two families to "meet in person" across the Pacific, and even being invited to appear on a Spring Festival Gala-related program; American teacher Sakolsky, affectionately called"Saikos" by Chinese netizens, returned to China after 26 years, and together with Yin Yuzhen, the Chinese desertification-control pioneer who had once received his donation support, and her husband, planted a "friendship tree," moving countless netizens with the words"I have left a part of my heart in China." These ordinary yet sincere encounters and reunions are precisely the most authentic portrayal of people-to-people connectivity, continuously narrowing the distance between the hearts of the peoples of the two countries.
The latest survey by the Pew Research Center in the United States shows that American public favorability toward China has rebounded for the third consecutive year. More and more people expect to see a stable, healthy, and sustainable China-U.S. relationship. Public opinion and popular aspiration are precisely the greatest confidence for the continuous deepening of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
The story of China-U.S. relations is written by the people. From the "small ball turning the big ball" in the depths of history, to the broad mutual learning of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and then to the two-way endeavor of the digital age, more than half a century of sincere interactions is the most vivid and warmest footnote of China-U.S. relations. The trickling streams of people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions are continuously converging into an enduring river that enhances understanding and mutual trust between the Chinese and American peoples, injecting sustained vitality and momentum into the development of bilateral relations.
Return to TopA "relay of small balls" spanning more than half a century vividly illustrates the enduring vitality of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and highlights the sincere friendship between the two peoples that has been constantly renewing over time (历久弥新, li jiu mi xin - "long time, still, new").
Veterans of China-U.S. "ping-pong diplomacy" who are now in their seventies and beyond have returned to China, passing the friendly torch of "a small ball turning the big ball" to the younger generation. Chinese and American youth gathered on the pickleball court to connect with each other heart-to-heart, allowing the sportsmanship of "friendship first, competition second" to be passed on from generation to generation (薪火相传, xin huo xiang chuan - "fire, torch, pass, transmit"). From the ping-pong ball that knocked open the door of China-U.S. exchanges 55 years ago, to the pickleball now widely popular among the youth of both countries, this "relay of small balls" spanning more than half a century vividly illustrates the enduring vitality of China-U.S. people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and highlights the sincere friendship between the two peoples that has been constantly renewing over time.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. "ping-pong diplomacy." 55 years ago, the small silver ball shattered the ice of estrangement, reopening the door of friendly exchanges between the two peoples, becoming a major event in the history of contemporary international relations. Since then, from the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to China opening the prelude to China-U.S. cultural exchanges, to the "Kuliang connection" continuing a century-spanning friendship between the two peoples, China and the United States have continued to write beautiful stories of friendship (友谊佳话, you yi jia hua - "friendship, excellent, story") through more stories of openness and cooperation. Entering the new era, the spirit of exchanges embodied in "ping-pong diplomacy" — of the Chinese and American peoples drawing closer to each other — is being carried forward in diverse forms. Pickleball, a sport that is light, easy to learn, and highly interactive, transcends the boundaries of language, culture, and geography, allowing Chinese and American youth who are complete strangers to one another (素不相识, su bu xiang shi - "plain, not, know, recognize") to deepen understanding through rallies and practice, cultivate rapport through playing side by side, and close the distance between them through laughter and joy. This proves once again that people-to-people friendship has always been the solid foundation for China-U.S. relations to move steadily to go far (行稳致远, xing wen zhi yuan - "walk, steady, reach, far"), and is the driving source for China-U.S. relations to traverse storms, overcome difficulties, and forge ahead.
The relationship between countries lies in the friendship between their peoples. With an eye to the long-term development of the cause of friendship between the two peoples, President Xi Jinping proposed in San Francisco in 2023 the initiative to "invite 50,000 American youths to China for exchange and study over five years." In just over two years, the number of American youths who have come to China for visits and exchanges has exceeded 50,000, achieving the expected goal ahead of schedule. Driven by this initiative, more and more American youths are stepping out of their country and into China, touring famous mountains and rivers (名山大川, ming shan da chuan - "famous, mountain, great, river"), experiencing cyber technology, feeling the hustle and bustle of everyday life, using real observations to break through information cocoons, using hands-on practice to dispel cognitive misconceptions, and learning through personal experience that the two countries can be partners and friends. "Ancient history and modern technology complement each other" "The Chinese people are friendly, warm, and open-minded"... Many American netizens are proactively sharing what they have seen and heard on social media, passing authentic and vivid stories of China to the American public. The two-way journeys of Chinese and American youth across mountains and seas, time and again, continue to sow seeds of correct understanding, which will eventually grow into towering trees of people-to-people friendship and state-to-state amity, accumulating more rationality and positive energy for the development of bilateral relations.
Today, China-U.S. relations once again stand at a critical historical juncture, and the strategic choices of the two countries will again influence the direction of evolution of the global landscape. Chinese and American youth making friends through sports (以球会友, yi qiu hui you - "use, ball, meet, friend") and competing by the rules on the pickleball court provide profound insight for the two countries to find the right way to get along: just as both sides on the court must abide by the rules, China and the United States, to coexist peacefully on this planet, must also not cross lines or overstep boundaries on issues involving each other's core interests; just as athletic competition improves and progresses through learning from and referencing each other (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutual, learn, mutual, examine"), China and the United States should also explore expanding areas of cooperation and do more major and good things for both countries and the world. In recent years, Chinese and American youth have boarded research vessels side by side to unlock the mysteries of the ocean, jointly explored solutions to global problems at maker competitions, and demonstrated through concrete actions that the potential for cooperation between the two countries is enormous. In the future, the steady progress of the "big ball" of China-U.S. relations will still require the sustained impetus of countless "small balls" of people-to-people friendship. All sectors of Chinese and American society, especially the younger generation, should draw wisdom and strength from history, come to know and cherish each other through exchanges and cooperation, march forward hand in hand through mutual learning, jointly tighten the bonds of friendship, and make new contributions to promoting the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.
A ball, though small, can connect mountains and seas; a bond of friendship, though subtle, can transcend time and space. Just as pickleball integrates the strengths of multiple sports, the vast Earth fully has room for China and the United States to develop respectively and prosper together, and different civilizations can indeed complement each other. China is willing to continue deepening people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions with the United States, write a new chapter in the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, and inject an inexhaustible source of people-to-people strength into a constructive and strategically stable relationship between China and the United States.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 烁 江 琳
On September 20, greeting the first rays of dawn, the eyes of more than a thousand Hong Kong and Macao youths sparkled. With anticipation and expectation, sonorous footsteps sounded, and the national flag guard marched in neat steps toward the flag-raising platform.
"The Five-Starred Red Flag rises together with the sun. Our motherland is prosperous and strong; as Chinese descendants, I feel extremely proud!" said Guan Wenqi, a student of Hong Kong Kowloon Tong School. As the majestic national anthem sounded, more than a thousand Hong Kong and Macao youths stood at attention and sang the national anthem loudly.
From September 18 to 22, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, the Central Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government organized representatives of flag-raising teams from Hong Kong and Macao primary and secondary schools and universities to visit Beijing, carrying out the "Salute to the National Flag" themed activity, with more than a thousand representatives of flag-raising teams from 121 primary and secondary schools and 21 universities in Hong Kong and Macao participating.
"I am proud to be Chinese"
"Motherland, I love you" "I love Beijing Tiananmen" "Salute to the National Flag"... Ascending the Tiananmen Rostrum, Hong Kong students with purple bauhinia flowers embroidered on their chests and Macao students with lotus flowers embroidered on theirs gathered in small groups or crowds (三五成群, san wu cheng qun - "three, five, form, groups"), vying to take group photos, some shouting slogans in unison, some singing songs loudly, forming a bright and youthful scene.
Looking toward the vast Tiananmen Square and the towering Monument to the People's Heroes, Feng Yizhou, a student of Hong Kong Kiangsu-Chekiang College, was filled with many different emotions (感慨万千, gan kai wan qian - "feel, lament, ten thousand, various"), "Standing here, I think of the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China. It was here that Chairman Mao solemnly proclaimed to the world the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Compared with that time, our motherland is even stronger and even more beautiful."
During the "Salute to the National Flag" themed activity, Liu Hongrui, a student of Macao Pui Ching Middle School, greatly looked forward to going to Tiananmen Square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony. The night before, he was so excited that he could not sleep. When he watched the bright Five-Starred Red Flag rise slowly together with the bursting-forth rising sun, Liu Hongrui's blood boiled, ""As a member of my school's flag-raising team, I must raise the flag well every time."
Zhang Beihan, a student of Hong Kong Pui Kiu College, is the captain of his school's flag-raising team. For this trip to Beijing, he came together with his teammates. "Joining the flag-raising team originated from my love for the motherland. When I throw the national flag into the air, and hundreds of schoolmates behind me sing the national anthem together, my heart is filled with pride." Zhang Beihan said.
"So big, so beautiful, so exciting!" Holding up their phones as they entered the Great Hall of the People's Ten-Thousand-Person Auditorium, the Hong Kong and Macao youths let out exclamations. Standing beneath the dome of the Ten-Thousand-Person Auditorium, Zhang Beihan was very excited,""We often say that Hong Kong, backed by the motherland, is connected to the world. Participating in this themed activity has made me feel more deeply the strength and warmth of the motherland. I am proud to be Chinese, and I want to study hard and contribute my part to national construction in the future."
During the activity, the Hong Kong and Macao youths also came to the station of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ceremonial and Honor Guard Battalion for visits and study, and sent representatives to conduct drill training. "The PLA's drill steps are so neat, sonorous and forceful, and their quilts are folded like tofu blocks. I am deeply impressed, and I want to learn from them." said Lin Haochen, a student of the affiliated school of Hong Kong Fujian Middle School.
"As a guiding teacher of the school flag-raising team, I hope students understand that the national flag, national anthem, and national emblem are symbols and marks of the state, and that raising the national flag is a very sacred duty. This trip to Beijing itself is a vivid lesson in history education; students can combine theory with practice, reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles. I believe everyone will return with a full harvest." said Liao Runxian, a teacher of Macao Escola Choi Nong Chi San.
"Truly feeling the long and continuous history of Chinese civilization"
"Everyone, take a look — how many colors does Tang sancai actually have?" Following the guide's narration, the Hong Kong and Macao youths came to the "Ancient China" exhibition hall of the National Museum of China.
"So 'three' is a general reference — Tang sancai has this many colors!" The children gathered around, speaking one after another. The Houmuwu Ding, the Four-Sheep Square Zun, the Drum-Beating Storyteller Figurine... Previously they could only see pictures in books, but now the cultural relics appeared before their eyes, and the Hong Kong and Macao youths took out their phones one after another to take photos.
"I have loved reading history books and watching documentaries since I was young. Coming here, I truly feel the long and continuous history of Chinese civilization." Lai Yingtong, a student of Hong Kong Leung Shek Chee College, closely followed the guide, listening with rapt attention,""I am very interested in the Sanxingdui civilization. After listening to the explanation, I know that it is a part of Chinese civilization, belonging to the brilliant ancient Shu civilization."
Lu Rijin, a student of Hong Kong Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Sun Hoi Directors' College, opened his phone and showed the reporter the photo he had taken of the Four-Sheep Square Zun. ""The cultural relic restoration technology is astonishing. If the guide had not pointed it out, I really could not have told where the Four-Sheep Square Zun had been restored." Lu Rijin said.
At the China Arts and Crafts Museum, Huang Sicheng, a student of the affiliated school of Hong Kong Fujian Middle School, listened to the explanation while bowing his head to take notes. On his notebook, "the flourishing of cultural lineage" was highlighted with emphasis."Chinese culture is vast and profound in scope and depth, like a treasure trove. Since arriving here in the morning, my pen has not stopped recording. From the painted pottery of the Yangshao culture to the lacquerware of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and the porcelain of the Yuan dynasty, I want to write it all down." Huang Sicheng had long yearned for the capital Beijing, and this time his wish was finally fulfilled.
Under the warm autumn sun, the golden tiles of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony in the Forbidden City were shining brightly (熠熠生辉, yi yi sheng hui - "shining, producing, life, brightness"), and the Hong Kong and Macao youths came here for a visit. "Previously I had only seen it on television; this time I have really come to the Forbidden City." Hu Haolang, a student of Hong Kong Pui Kiu Primary School, developed a strong interest in the sundial in the Forbidden City courtyards,""In science class, the teacher explained the principle of the sundial — it uses the shadow of the sun to tell time. I took a photo of the sundial, and when I go back I will share it with my classmates."
Hong Kong and Macao youths exchanging with mainland youths was one of the contents of the themed activity. At Beijing No. 80 Middle School, the children attended a fan-painting experience class together, picking up brushes, dipping them in ink, sketching landscapes, and quickly became familiar with one another. When the class ended, the Hong Kong and Macao youths and their mainland partners exchanged contact information and gave each other the fans they had painted by hand as gifts.
"I hope that through today's acquaintance, the children can forge precious friendships." Ren Weidong, principal of Beijing No. 80 Middle School, said,""In the future, the school will also explore and plan more themed research projects, such as aerospace and Green China, and through means such as online seminars, let the children discuss and grow together, contributing youthful strength to the nation."
"Strive to be models of patriotism, love for Hong Kong, and love for Macao in the new era"
The day of departure was September 18, which left a deep impression on Li Zhihao, a student of Macao Escola Choi Nong Chi San. ""This year marks the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident. For every Chinese person, this day must not be forgotten. We should remember history and commemorate the martyrs; as youths, our generation must strive to strengthen ourselves and work hard to repay the nation."
"Be proud of the nation, win honor for the nation!" At the entrance of the"Quest for Space" exhibition hall of the China Science and Technology Museum, children from Hong Kong Bonham Road Government Primary School were spirited and high-spirited, high-fiving and shouting loudly, while their teacher used a camera to capture this unforgettable image for them.
Stepping into the exhibition hall, they were greeted by a huge wall of signatures of Chinese astronauts. The Hong Kong and Macao youths were instantly attracted by the photo of Lai Ka Ying, the first astronaut from Hong Kong, and gathered around to take commemorative photos.
"Not long ago, we just participated in the 'Tiangong Classroom·Hong Kong and Macao Special Session' space lecture activity. When I saw that 'bauhinia flower' fly out of Lai Ka Ying's hand and float in the Chinese space station, I felt extremely proud and honored, because the bauhinia flower represents Hong Kong." Chen Xinjia, a student of Hong Kong Fung Kai Liu Man Shek Tong Secondary School, said.
"The fact that an astronaut from Hong Kong could enter space is because of the nation's care and strong support for Hong Kong and Macao." Liang Yixiang, a student of Hong Kong Fung Kai Liu Man Shek Tong Secondary School, said with emotion,""In Beijing, I feel everywhere the nation's care for and attention to us Hong Kong and Macao youths. We must integrate our feelings for the great motherland into our blood, embody them in our actions, strive to be models of patriotism, love for Hong Kong, and love for Macao in the new era, and write a splendid life with our fervent youth."
Arriving at the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park, Tang Peiyi, a student of Hong Kong Tin Shui Wai Heung To Secondary School, slowed her steps. In front of the ruins of the Dashuifa (Grand Waterworks),, she and her classmates took out their phones and silently took photos to record,""Here lies the heavy history of our motherland. I hope the motherland grows stronger and stronger!"
"Why must a nation be strong? At Yuanmingyuan, this answer becomes even more profound. The motherland has already become stronger and stronger, and we youths must work even harder. We must do every single thing well in our studies and lives, hold ourselves to strict standards, and in the future contribute more to national development." Xu Haobang, a student of Hong Kong Kiangsu-Chekiang College, said.
During the visits and studies, the modern political cartoon "The Situation Map," which reflected the great powers' carving up of China, left a deep impression on the Hong Kong and Macao youths. From the long-standing poverty and weakness (积贫积弱, ji pin ji ruo - "accumulate, poor, accumulate, weak") of the past to today's prosperity and strength, history is the best textbook.
"The beautiful life we have now was obtained by revolutionary martyrs with their lives and blood. It did not come easily, and we must cherish it well." Zheng Anqi, a student of Macao Escola Secundária Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional, said,""We Hong Kong and Macao youths should study hard, enhance our abilities, and properly serve as builders and successors of the cause of One Country, Two Systems."
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 23) The 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Committee of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles was held in Beijing on the 23rd. Tie Ning, Vice Chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairwoman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, attended the meeting.
The meeting conducted in-depth study and practice of Xi Jinping's cultural thought, earnestly studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches, instructions, and directives on literary and artistic work, and proposed to further unify thinking, consolidate consensus, deploy tasks, and solidly advance the preparatory and organizational work for the 12th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
The meeting pointed out that over the past five years, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles has united and led the vast number of literary and artistic workers to keep in mind the instructions, plan scientifically, closely adhere to the main line of work of "grasping creation," deeply integrate "doing the work of people" with "producing excellent works," unswervingly and thoroughly (不折不扣, bu zhe bu ku - "not fold, not subtract") implement and implement, and promote the overall work of the Federation to reach a new level. It is necessary to raise political standing, focus on themes, strictly enforce discipline, innovate measures, and with a spirited and enterprising mental outlook and a rigorous and efficient work style, welcome the successful convening of the 12th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and make new contributions to the construction of a socialist cultural power.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Shenyang, September 23) The Seventh China Liaoning International Investment and Trade Fair opened in Shenyang on the 23rd. Zhou Qiang, Vice Chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.
Zhou Qiang stated that President Xi Jinping has always kept the northeastern land in his heart, constantly thinking about (念兹在兹, nian zi zai zi - "think, this, exist, exist") the revitalization of the Northeast, having repeatedly come to the Northeast in person for inspections and guidance, chaired special symposiums, and issued a series of important instructions and directives, charting the course and drawing the blueprint for comprehensive revitalization and all-around revitalization of the Northeast in the new era.
Zhou Qiang said that Liaoning adheres to the state's basic policy of opening up, abides by the cooperative philosophy of mutual benefit and win-win results, concentrates efforts on building the Northeast land-and-sea grand corridor, deeply integrates into high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, actively participates in construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, continuously strengthens its function as a hub for opening-up and cooperation, and injects new momentum into Northeast revitalization through opening-up practices.
This session of the Liaoning Investment and Trade Fair takes "New Momentum of Opening-Up New Chapter of Revitalization" as its theme. Before the opening ceremony, Zhou Qiang went to the exhibition halls of this session of the fair for a tour of inspection.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporters: Zhang Shuo) More than 400 compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered on the 23rd at Yanqi Lake in Huairou, Beijing, to jointly participate in "The Moon Illuminates Beijing, Feelings Bridge the Two Shores" — the 2026 Cross-Strait Compatriots Mid-Autumn Festival Fellowship Activity. On the evening of the 23rd, beside Yanqi Lake, the moonlight was bright and clear, mountains and waters nestled together, and cross-strait compatriots jointly admired the bright moon, jointly spoke of hometown longing, jointly recounted the future, expressing their joy in jointly welcoming the traditional festival of the Chinese nation and their beautiful vision of longing for cross-strait reunion.
Before the fellowship activity, Song Tao, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, attended a cross-strait compatriots Mid-Autumn Festival tea gathering. He stated that in April this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping met with Chinese Kuomintang Chairman Zheng Liwen and delivered important remarks, charting the direction for the development of cross-strait relations. We will thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important remarks, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, broadly unite Taiwanese compatriots, deepen cross-strait exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and foreign interference, promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and advance the great cause of national reunification and national rejuvenation.
Song Tao stated that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival when we Chinese people, thinking of distant loved ones while looking at the moon (望月怀远, wang yue huai yuan - "gaze at moon, cherish distant"), experience the whole family gathering together in reunion (阖家团圆, he jia tuan yuan - "whole, family, gather, circle"). Cross-strait compatriots are family, are kin; one family spending Mid-Autumn together and sharing family affection embodies the Chinese people's complex of reunion, which takes the moon as a token of faith and kinship as the ultimate homecoming. Cross-strait compatriots should bathe together in the light of the same moon, jointly trace the fundamental bond of shared blood lineage; they should walk together along the same path, jointly draw the prospects of integrated development; they should jointly fulfill the same dream, jointly shoulder the responsibility of national rejuvenation.
Li Qianlong, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Chinese Kuomintang, along with more than 300 Taiwanese guests, including representatives of distinguished guests from the island, Taiwanese entrepreneurs, and Taiwanese compatriots from various sectors residing in Beijing, participated in the event. Taiwanese compatriots present at the meeting expressed that cross-strait compatriotsare one family; to Chinese people on both sides of the strait, the Mid-Autumn Festival is not merely a festival, but even more a sentiment; the bright Mid-Autumn moon is a cultural mark shared by cross-strait compatriots. When the moon is full, one longs for reunion; no matter how great the career one builds or how far one travels, one will never forget one's roots. The broad community of Taiwanese businessmen and compatriots constitutes an important bridge for cross-strait exchanges; they hope that on the basis of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," mutual trust can be enhanced and exchanges expanded, enabling the two shores to coexist peacefully and prosper together. Participants also jointly watched the"e Blossom Together" Strait Song Festival, which showcased the common aspiration of cross-strait compatriots of working or traveling together side by side (并肩同行, bing jian tong xing - "side by side, shoulder to shoulder, together, walk") and joining hands for the future.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 枨 刘博通
"Great shot! What a smash!"
Leaping to serve, swinging the arm to smash, bending low to save the ball — on the volleyball court in Angsu Township, Otog Front Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, farmers and herders are locked in fierce "Prairie Village Volleyball" matches, with cheers and shouts rising and falling from the sidelines.
"A few years ago I set up a net at my doorstep and invited nearby farmers and herders to form the 'Good Neighbors' volleyball team. We played for fun in the slack farming season. To my surprise, word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and more and more people joined." said Ma · Hugejiltu, a 60-year-old herdsman and the initiator of "Prairie Village Volleyball."
As participation grew, he paid out of his own pocket to build a volleyball hall, opening it free of charge to fellow villagers of all ethnic groups, and the venue is bustling almost every night. "Everyone, young or old, is making friends through sports (以球会友, yi qiu hui you - "use, ball, meet, friend"). No matter what disputes arise between neighbors, a few games of volleyball settle things." Ma · Hugejiltu said with a smile.
Today, playing and competing in tournaments has become a new trend in farming and pastoral areas. People of all ethnic groups compete and cooperate together on the "Prairie Village Volleyball" courts, and the bonds of ethnic unity grow ever stronger. The local government has also further improved venues, hosted various competitions, and built a cultural-creative reception hall, where intangible cultural heritage creations and local specialty products are displayed and sold together, turning the popularity of the courts into momentum for enriching the people.
"With more visitors coming, the beef, mutton, and dairy products in the hands of farmers and herders have found wider markets, and supporting industries such as catering, accommodation, and transportation have also been upgraded." said Wang Wei, Party secretary of Angsu Township. In just the past year, Otog Front Banner received 1.65 million tourists, with total tourism revenue of 2.9 billion yuan.
One after another, mass cultural and sports activities have not only invigorated rural cultural tourism and broadened income channels, but also deepened the bonds of affection among people of all ethnic groups.
Inside the "Harmonious Neighbors' Home" of Fu'an Community, Tianjiao Subdistrict, Ulanhot City, Hinggan League, table tennis balls bounce back and forth, and laughter rings out around the billiards tables.
"In the past, there weren't enough venues, and many cultural and sports activities were hard to organize. Now we can exercise and chat without leaving the residential compound, and relations between neighbors are getting more and more harmonious." said community resident Lü Hefeng.
Fu'an Community is a typical multi-ethnic intermingled community, where people of all ethnic groups live side by side and help one another. In recent years, the community has built a comprehensive convenience and intermingling hub, offering residents of all ethnic groups diverse activity spaces for health and leisure, chess and card games, fitness and stress relief, and after-school reading.
Accompanied by cheerful music, in the dance studio of the Fu'an Community Party-Mass Service Center, dance team members are rehearsing a program. "Our amateur dance team has quite a variety of routines. Members of all ethnic groups teach and learn from one another, blending dances of different ethnicities." said team member Wang Yanli.
"Through shared living spaces, cultural exchange, joint care for the elderly and children, and the mobilization of the whole population, we continuously create conditions for people of all ethnic groups to live, study, build, share, work, and enjoy life together, promoting the unity of all ethnic groups clinging together like pomegranate seeds." said Zhang Ruixin, Party branch secretary of the community.
Residents of all ethnic groups draw closer to one another in daily life and strengthen community cohesion, achieving the goal that "small venues carry great livelihoods, and micro-spaces promote great integration."
In recent years, Inner Mongolia has taken fostering a sense of community for the Chinese nation as its main thread, deepening the intermingled development of all ethnic groups. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, it cultivated 364 model demonstrations of intermingled development plans for people of all ethnic groups, built 2,057 platforms and carriers for intermingled development such as the "Red Pomegranate+" and "Pomegranate Seed Series," and actively established spaces and carriers for exchange and interaction.
"Look at this millet, golden in color — the porridge made from it is richly fragrant. This is the famous Jarud millet..." In the livestream room of West Bayantal Village, Jarud Banner, Tongliao City, the host is enthusiastically promoting the product.
"Our millet here is of good quality, but in the past farmers planted it scattered and separately, making it hard to achieve economies of scale. With weak capacity to resist risks, good products couldn't fetch good prices." said He Shengjun, Party branch secretary of the village.
To strengthen the specialty industry, the village Party branch took the lead in establishing a grain planting cooperative, transferring more than 5,300 mu of land, bringing in 303 households of all ethnic groups as shareholders, and embarking on the path of scaled planting. To increase the added value of agricultural products, the village also established a village-run enterprise, introduced millet processing equipment, achieved full-process mechanization of grain processing, created its own brand, and extended the industrial chain.
"Now the village's Jarud millet has been rated a national famous, special, new, and superior agricultural product and obtained green food certification, with products sold across the country. The cooperative has distributed cumulative dividends of over 24 million yuan to villagers of all ethnic groups." He Shengjun said with a smile.
People of all ethnic groups unite their efforts, using thriving industry as the "golden key" to open the door to a happy life of common prosperity.
Sewing machines clatter away, wool felt takes shape in hands, and soldering irons trace gourd pyrography — one after another, handicrafts embodying the meaning of ethnic unity are completed. Inside the "Litchi Blossoms" entrepreneurship and employment workshop in Habagai Subdistrict, Kangbashi District, Ordos City, residents are rushing to fill orders.
Habagai Subdistrict has gathered a large number of relocated farmers and herders. In recent years, relying on the work-relief policy, the local government has built the "Litchi Blossoms" entrepreneurship brand, a homophone for "aspiring blossoms." "Targeting five groups — relocated farmers and herders, people with disabilities, the elderly, new residents, and mothers accompanying their children's schooling — we have built 3 entrepreneurship bases and 10 entrepreneurship teams, developed more than 180 kinds of handicrafts, and sell both online and offline, establishing an integrated production-sales income channel." said Liu Xianghong, deputy director of the subdistrict office.
"Before, at home I could only look after the kids. Now I can earn money making handicrafts right at my doorstep — taking care of the family and earning income at the same time." said resident Qiao Li with a smile.
"Relying on nearby employment, skills training, and returns reinvested to benefit the people, we have built a platform for common prosperity for people of all ethnic groups." Liu Xianghong said. The subdistrict continues to deepen Party-building-led work-relief, ensuring that people of all ethnic groups can move out, stay settled, and become prosperous. Over the past three years, Kangbashi District has implemented 408 work-relief projects, distributed more than 55 million yuan in labor remuneration, and driven steady income growth for more than 1,500 people of all ethnic groups.
Today in Inner Mongolia, people of all ethnic groups sing and dance together, strive forward hand in hand, and in their exchanges, interactions, and integration seek common development and share happiness, clinging together like pomegranate seeds.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporters Li Zhuoe, Zhang Yifu) The launching ceremony of the "Rural Reading" (乡村阅读) channel on the "Xuexi Qiangguo" (学习强国) learning platform was held in Beijing on the morning of the 23rd. Comrades in charge of relevant departments from the Central Propaganda Department, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Radio and Television Administration, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the All-China Women's Federation, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the China Writers Association attended the launching ceremony and jointly initiated the channel's launch.
The "Rural Reading" channel is a major arrangement made by the "Xuexi Qiangguo" learning platform with a view to advancing the reform, upgrading, and digital transformation of rural libraries, and is a landmark converged-media project that centrally embodies content innovation, technological empowerment, and integrated dissemination, fully demonstrates the achievements of the platform's deepening systemic reform, and strives to achieve the organic unity of positive energy, high quality, and massive traffic. The channel sets up six core sections — "Focus," "Farming Matters," "Book Houses," "Companion Learning," "Health and Wellness," and "Literature and Arts" — and, with down-to-earth and practical (接地气, jie di qi - "touch the ground, receive energy") content supply and multi-media, all-platform communication, seeks to satisfy the diverse spiritual and cultural needs of farmers and the masses, striving to tell well the stories of rural revitalization, struggle, and everyday life in the new era.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Wu Wenjing, Wang Yijing) The exchange event "Pooling Strength to Develop Villages · Stories of First Secretaries Stationed in Villages," hosted by People's Daily Digital Communication Co., Ltd., was held in Beijing. The event aimed to build a platform for exchanging experience and showcasing results in village-based assistance work. Multiple experts and scholars, over 40 first secretaries stationed in villages from 15 provinces, representatives from more than 10 dispatching units including the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, and agricultural-assistance influencers from multiple commercial platforms participated in the event.
The event featured three thematic sharing sessions: "strengthening the foundation and consolidating the basis (强基固本, qiang ji gu ben - "strengthen foundation, consolidate root")," "developing villages and enriching the people (兴村富民, xing cun fu min - "prosper village, enrich people")," and "sustained, long-term effort." First secretaries stationed in villages engaged in in-depth exchanges of experience based on frontline practice. At the event, the special topic page "Pooling Strength to Develop Villages · First Secretaries Stationed in Villages Speak" on the People's Digital Network was officially launched, featuring a special "Village Good-Products Market" showcasing distinctive rural products from various regions. The "First Secretaries Stationed in Villages Speak" column, planned and produced by People's Daily Digital Communication Co., Ltd., has released over 40 installments of converged media reports, continuously uncovering and disseminating advanced models and practical experience from the frontline of village-based assistance work.
Return to TopDialogue participants:
Zhou Shanshan Commentator, People's Daily
Pan Yunfeng Commentator, Guangxi Daily
Zhou Shanshan: Recently, the Pinglu Canal officially opened to navigation, becoming the first man-made canal connecting rivers to the sea since the founding of New China. How will the opening of the canal advance regional economic integration and redraw the economic geography of China-ASEAN?
Pan Yunfeng: The Pinglu Canal runs through the north-south axis, links rivers, railways, and the sea, and connects domestic and foreign trade; it is a backbone project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. From the perspective of regional economic integration, the canal's "single move of a piece" will accelerate the flow and convergence of capital, technology, talent, and other factors within the region, generating a multiplier effect and driving "vitality across the entire board."
The Pinglu Canal will not only change Guangxi's passive situation of rivers and seas being separated and goods having to detour to reach the sea, but will also redraw the China-ASEAN economic geography: the shipping distance for goods from China's southwestern region to reach the sea will be shortened by more than 560 kilometers, and logistics costs will be reduced by 18% to 30%. This means that quality products from the southwestern hinterland can quickly reach the sea, arrive in ASEAN and even more distant markets, and also allow foreign goods to enter China's super-large market more efficiently.
Zhou Shanshan: A canal shortens distance, draws markets closer, and reshapes the landscape. On the eve of this year's China-ASEAN Expo (hereinafter referred to as the "CAEXPO"), the Pinglu Canal officially opened to navigation. In the future, how will the canal's "golden passage" and the expo's "golden platform" complement and synergize with each other, empowering each other in both directions?
Pan Yunfeng: The "convergence" of the canal and the expo brings more highlights to high-level opening up: this year's CAEXPO has set up a canal-themed exhibition area and on-site inspection routes, amplifying the "corridor + platform" stacking effect and helping regional factor circulation and industrial agglomeration; it has held the China-ASEAN Commercial and Legal Forum, promoted the establishment of the Pinglu Canal "one-stop waterborne dispute resolution center," and helped build a preferred venue for resolving commercial disputes oriented toward ASEAN.
Last year, trade between China and ASEAN reached USD 1.05 trillion. This year's CAEXPO achieved the participation of all 11 ASEAN countries in a "family portrait." As the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure and the "soft connectivity" of rules are improved in tandem, regional economic integration will continue to accelerate.
Zhou Shanshan: "Hard connectivity" solves the question of "how goods flow," while "soft connectivity" solves the question of "how rules align." The year 2026 coincides with the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and is also a key year for accelerating the implementation of the Protocol on Upgrading the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 after its signing. From 1.0 to 3.0, how can institutional dividends be released around the physical corridor?
Pan Yunfeng: Implementing the data export management list for the pilot free trade zones and signing digital cooperation agreements with multiple ASEAN countries; establishing the ASEAN National Standardization Cooperation and Exchange Center to help significantly compress cross-border transaction costs; using cross-border industrial parks as a carrier to promote cross-regional industrial chain deployment and forging an industrial collaboration path that fits the development stages of ASEAN countries and accommodates the development demands of all parties... As the frontier and window for opening up and cooperation with ASEAN, the Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone proactively aligns with international high-standard economic and trade rules, pushing institutional innovation from scattered, piecemeal breakthroughs toward systematic, integrated reform.
A series of institutional innovations has upgraded a single logistics corridor into a composite opening-up corridor featuring factor interconnection, mutual recognition of standards, and industrial synergy. In the first eight months of this year, trade between China and ASEAN reached RMB 5.95 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 20.6%. These impressive figures fully confirm that the institutional dividends brought by rule alignment are being continuously released, and the region's high-level opening up is deepening and being consolidated.
Zhou Shanshan: General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "People-to-people connectivity is the most fundamental, most solid, and most enduring form of connectivity." Based on the practice of China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation, how should opening up achieve mutual reinforcement between economic cooperation and mutual learning among civilizations?
Pan Yunfeng: Various exchanges and cooperation promote not only the expansion of trade, but also the alignment of hearts and the resonance of cultures. The implementation of institutions depends not only on unified rules, but also on mutual trust between countries. During the 2024-2025 China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the two sides held nearly 200 high-level people-to-people exchange activities. This kind of "visiting each other as often as relatives do" allows the people to genuinely perceive the benefits of cooperation, accumulate mutual trust, and continuously reduce the cost of institutional implementation.
Mutual achievement enables harmonious coexistence. From January to July this year, the import value of ASEAN fruits through Guangxi ports exceeded RMB 26 billion, a year-on-year increase of 19%. Guangxi's fruit output ranks first in the country, yet it continues to expand fruit imports from ASEAN. This pattern of openness is powerful evidence of mutual achievement. The fruit trade chain of "ASEAN produces, Guangxi distributes, China sells well" supports increased income for ASEAN farmers at one end and meets Chinese market consumer demand at the other — a vivid practice of mutually beneficial outcomes (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual, benefit, common, win") and of beauty shared by all.
Zhou Shanshan: From a canal to an expo, from a piece of fruit to a rule on paper, the story of China-ASEAN regional economic integration contains a methodology of regional opening-up and cooperation that proceeds from point to surface and from the superficial to the profound. High-level regional economic integration has never been a mere expansion of trade scale, but rather "hard connectivity" that gets goods moving, "soft connectivity" that establishes rules, and "heart connectivity" that plants the roots of trust. By deepening economic cooperation and promoting mutual learning among civilizations, a lasting and stable regional community with a shared future will surely bring prosperity to all parties.
Return to TopBy: 王云杉
Grasping the relationship between "stability" and "progress," and coordinating "quantity" with "quality" — this methodology of the energy transition also echoes the requirements of the era for high-quality development.
On the road of energy transition, a new milestone has been erected. As of the end of July this year, China's photovoltaic power generation installed capacity historically surpassed coal power, accounting for more than ree-tenths of the nation's total power generation installed capacity, breaking the long-standing pattern in which coal power served as the country's largest source of power.
Amid the delight, one must also recognize that installed capacity scale does not equal actual power generation capacity or electricity output, and during the same period, photovoltaic power generation accounted for only 13 percent of total societal electricity consumption. When the two sets of data are compared, they merit a calm and sober examination.
Why has photovoltaic installed capacity reached the top, yet its power generation contribution has not kept pace? Behind this lies the inherent or innate characteristics (与生俱来, yu sheng ju lai - "with, birth, possess, come") of new energy.
A day has day and night, and wind has its rises and falls. For example, at noon, a large number of photovoltaic power stations generate at full capacity simultaneously, placing sudden pressure on grid absorption capacity, and some regions have even had to adopt restrictive measures on photovoltaic power; during the evening peak of electricity consumption, however, there is no sunlight, and photovoltaic systems basically generate no power. This intermittency and volatility cause new energy sources such as photovoltaics to have annual utilization hours far lower than those of coal power. Under existing technical conditions and system regulation capabilities, photovoltaic power generation is not yet as stable and reliable as coal power.
The challenges extend beyond absorption. As electricity market-oriented reform advances in depth, new energy has fully entered the market, with electricity prices determined by market supply and demand, and the industry has bid farewell to the era of "generating one more kilowatt-hour, earning one more cent." The time periods when photovoltaics concentrate their output often correspond to lower electricity prices, and the uncertainty of project returns has increased markedly.
Therefore, the logic of new energy development is changing: expanding installed capacity scale also requires attention to the comprehensive benefits of the system. How to enable new energy to not only "generate what can be generated," but also to be "used well" and "have value," has become a subject that must be properly answered in the construction of the new-type power system.
Grasp the relationship between "stability" and "progress." The "progress" of photovoltaics does not equal the "retreat" of coal power; in the stage when new energy has not yet acquired stable and reliable output capacity, coal power remains the "ballast stone" for the safe operation of the power system, gradually transforming from a "baseload mainstay" that operates at full capacity year-round into a "peak-shaving support" that flexibly adjusts in accordance with new energy output.When sunlight is abundant, coal power actively lowers its load, making room for clean energy; when night falls and wind weakens, coal power quickly steps up, holding the livelihood bottom line of no "power rationing and blackouts."
"Stabilizing" the basic foundation of coal power, paying greater attention to leveraging its flexible regulation and bottom-guaranteeing support role, enabling it to come forward when critical moments arise and hold the line, is conducive to laying a solid foundation for the construction of the new-type power system.
Coordinate "quantity" with "quality." Moving from "being able to install" toward "being able to use well," the key lies in converting installed capacity advantages into reliable power supply capacity. We should accelerate the scaled deployment of pumped-storage hydroelectricity and new-type energy storage, allowing more regulatory resources to keep pace with the development pace of new energy. It is also advisable to make the power grid "smarter" and more resilient, and through inter-provincial and inter-regional power transmission corridors one by one, precisely "transport" clean electricity to where it is needed most. We should also actively explore new business forms such as photovoltaic-storage integration and photovoltaic hydrogen production, seeking diversified absorption pathways and better value conversion methods for the vast amount of photovoltaic power.
Through multi-dimensional coordinated efforts, continuously improving the development, transmission, and utilization efficiency of new energy, can we enhance the market competitiveness and development benefits of new energy.
The methodology of the energy transition also echoes the requirements of the era for high-quality development. The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on July 30 proposed accelerating the transformation of old growth drivers into new ones. When new growth drivers have not yet formed sufficient scale, it is all the more necessary to coordinate the upgrading of traditional industries, the expansion of emerging industries, and the cultivation of future industries, promoting a smooth and orderly transition and replacement between old and new growth drivers
Energy transition is a long-distance race that tests endurance and wisdom. On the premise of ensuring the smooth operation of the economy and society, maintaining historical patience, adhering to systems thinking, and accelerating the construction of a new-type power system that is clean, low-carbon, safe, and abundant, economically efficient, coordinated in supply and demand, and flexible and intelligent, will surely enable new energy to become a powerful engine driving the future.
Return to TopBy: 余 璇
Keywords: the bond between the army and the people, as close as fish and water
Story: In the 1934 Battle of the Xiang River, Red Army officers and soldiers fought across the land of northern Guangxi, resisting a powerful enemy with their lives, and there they also sowed the spark of spirit. In Fengshujiao Tun, Paijiang Village, Guanyang County, a wounded soldier left behind a Red Army military flag, which the Huang family carefully preserved and later donated to a museum. In Caiwan Village, Caiwan Town, Quanzhou County, villagers secretly buried the remains of unknown martyrs, and five generations of the Jiang family have taken turns guarding them, sweeping the graves and offering sacrifices at festivals... More than ninety years have passed, the smoke of gunpowder has long since dispersed, but the fine tale of the bond between the army and the people, as close as fish and water, continues to be written.
Commentary
Through decades of great changes over time (沧桑巨变, cang sang ju bian - "old, many, big, change"), yet being able to uphold a single promise all along — where does this persistence originate?
Persistence stems from faith and righteousness. When leaving behind the military flag, the soldier said, "When the revolution is victorious, I will come back to retrieve it," and the villagers, braving the "capital crime of execution," "protected the red flag like their own eyes," generation after generation keeping it, guarding it, and passing it on. Because they believed that "they gave their lives so that the common people could live good lives," they risked danger to bury the martyrs, and passed down the charge of guarding the graves from generation to generation. Honoring one's word and keeping promises (重信守诺, zhong xin shou nuo - "heavy, trust, keep, promise") is a fine virtue that the Chinese nation has upheld from ancient times to the present. Without any written agreement, being completely willing and sincere (心甘情愿, xin gan qing yuan - "heart, willing, feeling, willing") in doing whatever they could for the heroes, they relied on the morality and conscience in their hearts.
Persistence likewise stems from trust. Why could unknown martyrs be regarded by the masses as their own kin, remembered forever and never forgotten? The answer lies in work style. The elders of the Jiang family recalled that in those years the Red Army was strict in discipline, not taking even a needle or a thread from the masses (不拿群众一针一线, bu na zhong qiu yi zhen yi xian - "not, take, masses, one, needle, one, thread"), and even took the initiative to help with chores, deeply moving the local people. Whose work style is good, who stands on the side of the masses, who truly fights for the people — the common people see it all in their eyes and remember it in their hearts. Only by keeping the people in one's heart can one win the heartfelt respect of the people.
Faith, righteousness, and trust have never been one-way. In Qianshan, Anhui, upon seeing the grain requisition certificate and IOU left by the People's Liberation Army 79 years ago, the relevant local departments, after verification, converted and rewarded its value, fulfilling the promise to the family that had lent grain — is this not also a kind of faith and righteousness? During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region lay within the enemy's encirclement, amid raging battlefires. Marshal Nie Rongzhen later recalled, "In the ocean of the masses, we were extremely safe" — is this not also a kind of trust?
The Chinese people trust the Communist Party of China and the people's army, and the Party and the army, in turn, have not forgotten their original aspiration and founding mission, cherishing deep affection for the masses of the people. It is precisely because of this two-way commitment that the Party and the people have forged an unbreakable bond of unity. From this, one can better understand how the Communist Party of China has come all the way through a period of great difficulty or darkness (风雨如晦, feng yu ru hui - "wind, rain, like, dark"), without changing its nature, without changing its color, without changing its character, becoming the strong leading core of the great cause.
Facing difficulties and uncertainties, we often say that "confidence is more precious than gold." With confidence, one can fear no temporary disturbances, remain unshaken by discordant voices, and have the motivation to advance bravely. And the greatest confidence of all lies in the Party and the people being heart-to-heart, unswervingly advancing along the correct path.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March. The great Long March spirit forged in the flames of war is a vivid reflection of the revolutionary bearing of the Communist Party of China and the people's army it leads, a concentrated display of the national character of the Chinese nation's constantly striving for self-improvement (自强不息, zi qiang bu xi - "self, strengthen, not, cease"), and the highest expression of the national spirit centered on patriotism. To conquer one new "Loushan Pass" and "Lazikou" after another, this precious spiritual asset must be better carried forward.
Implementing the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs," designating September 30 each year as Martyrs' Memorial Day, continuously advancing the management, protection, and restoration of revolutionary sites, historical materials and documents, and memorial facilities, using the rigidity of the rule of law, the solemnity of ceremonies, and the continuity of media to safeguard the foundation of faith; holding the "First Lesson of the School Year" at the resting places of martyrs, promoting the deep integration of red resources with study-and-research practice, cultural tourism development, and comprehensive rural revitalization... Carrying forward the bloodline of spirit and spreading the power of faith, every step we have taken has a clear direction and full confidence
Great spirits will not fade with the erosion of time; those radiant glimmers will continue to illuminate the path of endeavor for a long time to come.
Return to TopThe 20th Asian Games recently opened in Nagoya, Japan. At this edition of the Games, the Chinese delegation has sent 815 athletes to compete in 38 major sports and 369 events, treating the Asian Games as a "training" stage for the new Olympic cycle. Traditional strong events are honing their talent pipelines, while emerging events are expanding the medal-winning map, with expectations that Chinese athletes will display strong competitive form.
This is precisely:
The drums of competition urge another year onward,
Athletes eagerly and bravely preparing for a challenge (摩拳勇当, mo quan yong dang - "rub fists, use courage, be first") to take the lead.
Making a first attempt to show one's talent (初试锋芒, chu shi feng mang - "first try, edge, sharpness"), the rising stars emerge,
Taking up the baton and building momentum toward the mountain's summit.
Cheng Senwen
Return to TopBy: 朱绍岳
Not long ago, the "Global Science and Technology Talent Competitiveness Index 2026" was released, with 27 cities (metropolitan areas) including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Nanjing entering the global top 100. From multiple dimensions such as the scale and structure of talent, innovation effectiveness, growth potential, ecological environment, and open collaboration, one can observe a city's competitiveness in science and technology talent.
"Talent" and "productive forces" cannot be directly equated: having more talent does not mean innovation capacity is necessarily stronger; outstanding individuals, one by one, will not automatically converge into powerful strength. What truly tests a city is how to convert its talent advantage into an innovation advantage. It may be worthwhile to understand, through the way of aggregation, the way of talent growth and the way of innovation-driven development.
First, let us speak of "aggregation." The closer one moves toward the frontier of science and technology, the more talent, platforms, knowledge, and capital need to reach sufficient density. Without sufficient convergence of talent, without a sufficiently thick knowledge foundation, many breakthroughs "from 0 to 1" would have no basis for discussion. But "aggregation" does not mean simply placing outstanding individuals together. If talent is attracted, yet is bound hand and foot by overly dense assessments and short-term targets, the phenomenon of having "people" but no "strength" will hardly be avoided. True "aggregation" means creating an environment suited to the growth of innovation, one that can accommodate enduring hardship or loneliness for a long-term goal (坐冷板凳, zuo leng ban deng - "sit, cold, wooden, bench"), also permits trial and error, and can give explorations that cannot yet see returns a bit more time.
Whether the talent advantage can truly be converted into a development advantage also depends on a character "integration." Even within the same city, universities are separated by campus walls, disciplines have their professional boundaries, and scientific research and industry each have their own barriers, and they may not necessarily be able to fully undergo chemical reactions with one another. Only by allowing knowledge, technology, and innovation factors to flow and integrate can the density of "aggregation" be converted into the strength of "integration."
A tiny chip links together multiple fields including materials, physics, chemistry, software, and equipment; a new drug coming to market cannot be separated from the joint participation of basic research, clinical needs, and engineering translation. Many places send enterprise demands into laboratories and invite scientific researchers to the front lines of production. The significance of these measures lies not only in the four characters "achievement transformation," but even more in enabling talent to step beyond their original boundaries, letting different bodies of knowledge collide with one another and different capabilities be recombined. If "aggregation" is about accumulating innovative potential, then "integration" is about letting that potential truly flow and be released.
Aggregation builds momentum; integration generates vitality. Thus, today, in building a city of science and technology talent, one cannot merely count "how much talent there is," but must also look at the interactions among that talent. Talent arriving is attractiveness; talent staying is cohesion; talent moving across boundaries is letting one body of knowledge activate another, letting one advantage link to another advantage. Only with both "aggregation" and "integration" can innovation capacity truly take shape.
(Excerpted from Xinhua Daily, original title: "Activating Talent Potential in 'Aggregation' and 'Integration'")
Return to TopBy: 匡 吉
Some time ago, the award ceremony for the Ninth Lu Xun Literature Prize was held in Shanghai. Wang Jibing, a 58-year-old food-delivery rider, mounted the award podium with his poetry collection Flying Low, becoming the first poet in the prize's history to win as a food-delivery rider.
"Not every pair of wings can soar aloft," he said in his acceptance speech, "but a flight at low altitude is still a flight." These words are not merely poetic expression, but also a plain interpretation of the value of striving, and a re-examination of secular standards of success.
In real life, people often believe that only reaching the summit counts as success, and that only those standing high and wearing halos deserve applause. This way of thinking narrows the dimensions of success, and also underestimates the significance of countless ordinary people's perseverance and running forward. In fact, the value of flight has never lain only in the altitude reached, but even more in the posture of never ceasing and striving forward with all one's might.
Perseverance in flight, though silent, has its own power. In 2018, Lei Haiwei, a young delivery man, relying on his profound accumulation of poetry, won the championship of the third season of Chinese Poetry Conference. "Delivery man" and "poetry master," two identities fused into one, precisely confirming a truth: life cannot be labeled by one's occupation, but is made splendid by chasing one's dreams.
From Lei Haiwei to Wang Jibing, what they have displayed goes far beyond "turning the tables." As Wang Jibing put it, "I love my life. Life, I take seriously" and "With Flying Low I show a group of people who likewise take life seriously, people who carry light in their hearts."
At present, more and more couriers, food-delivery riders, and other new employment groups shuttle through city streets and alleys, regardless of wind, rain, dawn, or dusk, keeping cities running and guarding the everyday warmth of common life through one on-time delivery after another, one thoughtful service after another. They deserve to be respected, to be seen.
Looking across the vast land, there are many ordinary strivers, advancing with steady steps. Through their day-after-day perseverance they prove: even in an ordinary position, one can equally "fly" out a splendid life. Ma Shanxiang has spent more than 30 years rooted at the grassroots level mediating disputes, guarding the peace of one locality amid the trivialities of family life, and"when something happens, go find Old Ma" has become a catchphrase among the neighbors; Wuhasi Sulaiman makes the horse's back his home and the medicine box his companion, fearing neither bitter cold nor scorching heat, traversing rugged mountain paths to make his rounds visiting and treating herdsmen, having over several decades received and treated more than 100,000 patients. They hold no prominent status, nor have they performed earth-shaking feats, yet they have carried each ordinary thing to the utmost. It is precisely this persistence that neither slackens because of ordinariness nor abandons because of smallness that lets them, on their own flight paths, fly out their own altitudes, and also lights up more people around them.
Of course, affirming the"low-altitude flight" by no means dissolves the significance of"striving to soar high toward dreams," still less provides an excuse for passive lying-flat. Mountains have high and low, flights have swooping and soaring; at the heights there is the vast magnificence of clouds, at the low places there is the deep, sedimented richness.
To jointly build a vigorous, upward-striving society, what is needed is both the pioneering of those who dare scale peaks and chase clouds, and the cultivation of those who are down-to-earth and earnest in practice. Street-cleaning sanitation workers sweeping lanes in the small hours, industrial workers focusing on their tasks at assembly lines, rural teachers rooted in mountain wildernesses... Many of them may never have stood under the spotlight or mounted an award stage, yet through their respective senses of responsibility they hold up the smooth, orderly functioning of society.
Every pair of wings flapping with all its might has its own power. "Flying low" is not capitulation to reality, but an earnest acknowledgment of life; not an abandonment of the lofty, but a steadfast practice of perseverance. The solid cornerstone of national development has always been laid brick by brick by hundreds of millions of ordinary laborers. Without the stooping cultivation of countless ordinary people, no vision, however beautiful, can be translated into reality.
"As long as one has firm ideals and convictions, an unremitting spirit of struggle, and down-to-earth does every ordinary thing well, all ordinary people can obtain extraordinary lives, and all ordinary work can create extraordinary achievements." General Secretary Xi Jinping's words profoundly interpret the truth that greatness springs from ordinariness, and ordinariness forges greatness.
Ordinariness does not equal mediocrity. Every down-to-earth effort, every perseverance rooted in one's post, every unceasing rush toward one's goal, is a flight uniquely one's own. Rooted in one's small patch of ground, deeply cultivating the everyday, even without an earth-shaking momentum, there is still the sound of wings beating. May every striver be able to hear their own"wind like birdsong," and see their own"wheels like shooting stars."
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 任彤彤
On September 22, the themed exhibition "The Great Expedition — Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" opened at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, and opened to the public on September 25.
With the theme of "Carrying Forward the Great Long March Spirit and Walking Well the New Era's Long March Road," the exhibition covers an area of approximately 3,300 square meters and is organized into seven sections, including "Strategic Shift — Setting Foot on the Long, Long March Toward Life Through Death," "The Zunyi Meeting — Realizing the Great Turning Point of Life and Death," and "Cutting Through Passes and Seizing Barriers — Composing a Moving and Heroic Epic of War," presenting in a panoramic manner the glorious course of the Red Army's Long March.
Entering the vestibule, a route map of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army comes into view, clearly presenting the long journey traversed by the various front armies through 15 provinces. Bloody battles at the Xiang River, the Zunyi Meeting, four crossings of the Chishui River, the seizure of the Luding Bridge... Fourteen scenes depicting important events along the Long March are distributed among the exhibition areas, allowing visitors to advance along the exhibition route, view them in sequence, and deeply appreciate the great Long March spirit.
Inside the exhibition hall, cultural relics lie quietly on display — the blue single-layer cotton coats worn by Red Army soldiers when crossing snow mountains, the hand-cranked generators and Hartley-type transmitters used during the Long March, the fishing line used by He Long when crossing the grasslands, the receipts left when the Red Army borrowed grain from the Baili Monastery... — these string together the hardships and glories of the expedition. This exhibition displays 357 photographs and charts, 875 cultural relics (sets),, 186 documents, 73 works of art, and 16 videos. Among them, over 300 cultural relics and documents are exhibited for the first time, accounting for approximately 28 percent.
The manuscript memoirs of Long March stories from "Sparks Starting a Prairie Fire" are among the cultural relics and documents exhibited for the first time. According to the docent, most of these manuscripts are reminiscence articles written in the 1950s by veterans of the Long March during the essay solicitation campaign for "Thirty Years of the Chinese People's Liberation Army," possessing both important historical value and high literary value.
The exhibition also prominently presents more than 60 red stories, including "Half a Leather Belt," "Half a Quilt," "The Quartermaster," and "The Last Party Membership Dues," vividly recounting the moving deeds of revolutionary predecessors such as Hong Chao, Chen Shuxiang, Deng Ping, Wu Huanxian, and Huang Su, setting examples for cadres and the masses to learn from.
"Shed the last drop of blood for the new Soviet China" — this is the oath that Chen Shuxiang fulfilled with his life, engraved on the exhibition wall behind the sculpture work "Chen Shuxiang." During the Battle of the Xiang River, the 34th Division of the Fifth Army Corps of the Red Army served as the rearguard for the entire army; after completing the task of covering the main force's crossing of the river, Division Commander Chen Shuxiang was severely wounded and captured, and on the way to being escorted, he "broke his intestines to declare his resolve."
In response to the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted cultural needs of visitors, this exhibition emphasizes three-dimensional presentation, employing multiple means, and through such carriers as text, images, videos, music, and works of art, enhancing the richness and appeal of the exhibition. The exhibition has set up 9 interactive exhibits and multiple information query screens, including "I Want to Be a Red Army Soldier," "Red Army Soldiers Recognize Wild Vegetables," "Red Army Soldiers Write Slogans," and "Cultural Relics and Documents of Red Army Political Work," giving visitors a greater sense of immersion and engagement.
This themed exhibition will be on long-term display as a permanent exhibition. Visitors can make reservations through the WeChat service account of the "Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution." The Military Museum will also, relying on the exhibition, successively organize such social education activities as Long March-themed ideological and political courses and expert lectures, release information on exhibition developments and cultural relic stories, and launch a panoramic online digital exhibition hall.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 施 芳 王昊男 王 珏
From September 22 to 23, the 2026 Beijing Culture Forum, co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, was held in Beijing. Over the two days, the main forum, five parallel forums, six professional salons, and the regular activities of the Beijing Culture Forum reception room were held intensively, with supporting activities such as a special session for releasing important outcomes and a conference of cultural industry investors held in tandem. Approximately 600 Chinese and foreign guests exchanged ideas, shared experiences, and discussed the future together, pooling wisdom and strength for advancing the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage and promoting mutual learning among civilizations.
Strengthening the foundation and nurturing the essence (固本培元, gu ben pei yuan - "solidify, foundation, nourish, source"), promoting the systematic protection of cultural heritage
At the forum, participating guests universally expressed that the protection of cultural heritage is undergoing profound transformation, and that systematic and holistic protection is a question of the times, and moreover a historical mission that this generation must shoulder.
Ba Mo Qubu Ma, director of the Expert Committee of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China, on the basis of drawing on the concept of "holistic protection" proposed by UNESCO, has put forward a "systematic protection" with greater Chinese characteristics.
Systematic protection has yielded abundant results. In 2024, "Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List. Beijing, taking the protection of the Central Axis as the leading thread, has promoted the systematic upgrading of the overall protection of the Old City, radiating outward to drive the coordinated protection of surrounding heritage buildings, historic streets and lanes, ancient and notable trees, and intangible cultural heritage, allowing the Old City to radiate new vitality amid protection.
As the district in Beijing with the richest Great Wall resources, Yanqing District has established a three-tier Great Wall protection system at the district, township, and village levels, with the repair rate of brick-and-stone Great Wall exceeding 92 percent. It has actively promoted cultural heritage to enter daily life, creating brands such as the Great Wall Culture Festival and the Great Wall Concert. It has concentrated efforts on building Great Wall cultural clusters and Great Wall cultural villages, achieving coordinated development of heritage protection, cultural inheritance, and comprehensive rural revitalization. "I hope more people will join the ranks of guarding the Great Wall, allowing the millennium-old cultural lineage to be inherited in living form and to continue in endless cycles of growth and life (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, cease")." Said Song Haojie, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yanqing District Committee and head of its Publicity Department, in Beijing.
As the practice of protection, utilization, and inheritance of cultural heritage continues to deepen, a modern protection concept system with Chinese characteristics is taking shape. "We must properly handle the relationships between cultural relics and intangible cultural heritage, between the heritage itself and its environment, and between historical information and contemporary value, placing greater emphasis on the holistic, dynamic, and synergistic nature of protection, and better coordinating the protection and utilization of cultural relics and the protection of cultural relics with economic and social development." Said Rao Quan, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
Uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, activating the contemporary vitality of cultural heritage
On the evening of the 22nd, as a supporting activity of this forum, Chinese and foreign guests took a replica vintage streetcar to tour the Beijing Central Axis at night. "Ancient and modern appear in the same frame — a sight so beautiful it is overwhelming (美不胜收, mei bu sheng shou - "beauty, not, endure, receive")." During the tour, Chinese and foreign guests exclaimed one after another.
Develop amid protection, protect amid development. Behind the beautiful scenery lies profound reflection on how to "protect, inherit, and utilize" cultural heritage well.
"Ancient buildings that have already been demolished should not be rebuilt; what should concern us is how to revitalize those cultural heritage sites that have been preserved." At the main forum, Chen Pingyuan, first-class professor at Peking University and director of its Institute of Modern Chinese Humanities, said so.
Cultural heritage is the common wealth of all humanity. "We must pass it on, re-endowing it with a face, a voice, and emotions." At the forum site, renowned French documentary director Jacques Malaterre shared the story of his collaboration with a Chinese team, saying, "Protecting our cultural heritage does not mean sealing the past away, unchanging, but rather allowing it to continue flowing, to continue touching people's hearts, and to continue transforming everyone who encounters it."
Sima Hong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, introduced that in recent years, Beijing has explored a model of "gradual, micro-renewal activating the Old City." Since 2019, it has carried out more than 30 voluntary relocation projects, including Caishikou West, the surroundings of the Drum Tower and Bell Tower, Huangcheng Jingshan, and Dazhalan Guanyinsi, cumulatively completing more than 11,000 households. This year, Beijing has also innovatively launched a "menu-style" renovation model, dividing it into five major modules — housing repair, kitchens and bathrooms, rainwater and sewage pipelines, courtyard landscaping, and smart amenities — to enhance the sense of gain and happiness of residents in hutongs.
Sharing the beauty of diverse cultures together (美美与共, mei mei yu gong - "beauty, beauty, with, share"), building a platform for mutual learning among civilizations
At the Capital Museum, the major exhibition "Corn, Gold, Jaguar — The Ancient Maya and Andean Civilizations" slowly unfolds before visitors the rise and fall of two major civilization systems along the Andes mountain range in Central America and South America.
While "bringing in," China's archaeological and cultural heritage protection teams have continuously been "going out." Wang Wei, first-class researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and president of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, introduced that since 2020, China has jointly carried out more than 80 archaeological projects with foreign partners, involving more than 30 countries, while also conducting more than 10 international cooperation projects in cultural heritage conservation and restoration.
At the forum, the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies under the China International Communications Group officially released the "2025 Report on Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange: Deepening Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, Highlighting Civilizational Symbols." The report shows that in 2025, Sino-foreign cultural exchanges continued to deepen, the concept of mutual learning among civilizations became richer, and Chinese cultural symbols gained broader understanding and recognition from the international community. "In 2025, our international exchange mechanisms continued to improve. The Ministerial Conference on Global Civilizations Dialogue brought together representatives from more than 140 countries and regions, forming the 'Beijing Declaration of the Ministerial Conference on Global Civilizations Dialogue,' comprehensively advancing multi-level, multi-field Sino-foreign civilizational dialogue." Li Yafang, deputy editor-in-chief of the China International Communications Group and president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, introduced.
To promote mutual learning between Chinese and Italian civilizations and advance cultural relics and museum exchanges, on September 22, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau formally signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Italian Union of Walled Cities of the Veneto Region. According to the agreement, both sides will jointly plan and develop joint exhibitions, invite each other's experts and scholars to participate in academic conferences and industry activities, and explore new pathways for cultural heritage protection and mutual learning among civilizations.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘成友 胡婧怡
In September, in the early morning in Jinpu New District, Dalian, Liaoning, hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicles begin their work early. Without the roar of fuel engines, hydrogen and oxygen are converted into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions in hydrogen fuel cell engines, driving the vehicles.
"A hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicle consumes 9.29 kilograms of hydrogen per 100 kilometers, at a cost of less than half that of fuel." Li Peng, asset manager of Dalian Detai Urban Service Group Co., Ltd., said, "Not only are costs greatly reduced, but zero carbon emissions are also achieved."
Behind a hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicle lies a hydrogen energy industry chain: it takes only 8 to 10 minutes for the sanitation vehicle to refill with hydrogen at a hydrogen refueling station along the route; the hydrogen comes from purified industrial by-product hydrogen from local petrochemical enterprises; the technology for hydrogen fuel cell stacks and engine systems originates from local research institutes, with research, development, and manufacturing carried out by local enterprises.
In January 2025, during his inspection tour in Liaoning, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Cultivating and expanding strategic emerging industries hinges on deepening the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions." The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to "make forward-looking arrangements for future industries" and to "promote quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth-generation mobile communications to become new economic growth points."
To thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, relying on the abundant hydrogen source provided by the local petrochemical industry base and the strong industrial support provided by the complete equipment manufacturing industry chain, Dalian, in light of local conditions, takes hydrogen fuel cells as a breakthrough point to drive the development of research, manufacturing, storage, transportation, refueling, application, and related manufacturing industries.
Innovation leads; technology originates.
On the intelligent fully automated bipolar plate forming production line of Guochuang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., pieces of titanium-based metal bipolar plates are stamped to form fine and uniform flow channels. "The thickness of the bipolar plates determines the power per unit volume of the fuel cell stack. We work closely with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and now a set of bipolar plates is only 0.58 millimeters thick, with power per liter increased from 5.7 kilowatts to 8.5 kilowatts." Han Fujiang, executive deputy general manager of the company, introduced. Guochuang Hydrogen Energy invests an average of 40 million yuan in research and development annually, and years of technological accumulation have finally ushered in a market explosion, with annual sales revenue expected to double this year.
The degree of scientific and technological breakthroughs determines the speed, breadth, and depth of future industry development. Dalian promotes the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with hydrogen energy industry innovation, opening up the complete chain from basic research to industrial implementation. At present, Dalian has accumulated more than 1,600 patent applications in fields such as key materials for hydrogen fuel cells, core components, and stack systems.
Releasing scenarios; demonstration through application.
At Dalian Shenggang Comprehensive Energy Station, 2 dual-nozzle hydrogen refueling machines can provide hydrogen refueling services for 4 vehicles simultaneously, and the adjacent bus depot can accommodate 20 hydrogen-powered buses.
"With the expansion of hydrogen energy application scenarios, the daily hydrogen refueling volume of Shenggang Energy Station has grown from 200 kilograms to 500 kilograms over three years." Li Kangjian, deputy general manager of Dalian Northern Energy Co., Ltd., said, "We are optimistic about the market prospects of hydrogen energy in the transportation sector, and have already put two comprehensive energy stations with hydrogen refueling capability into operation, with another 5 in preparation."
Cultivating the seedlings of future industries cannot be separated from the fertile soil of application scenarios. Dalian has launched a hydrogen energy comprehensive utilization demonstration project, continuously releasing application scenarios, promoting data accumulation and product iteration, and helping the development of the hydrogen energy industry: various types of hydrogen-powered vehicles cover multiple scenarios such as sanitation, heavy trucks, buses, and short-distance port transport; hydrogen fuel cell prototype vessels have been launched for trial navigation; the first domestically produced hydrogen fuel cell rail locomotive is undergoing demonstration operation; and the public data collection and monitoring platform for hydrogen energy vehicles has accumulated more than 48 million pieces of data...
Industrial synergy; strengthening and extending the chain.
This year, the first phase of the Dalian Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Comprehensive Utilization Project was completed and put into operation, capable of producing 20 tons of high-purity hydrogen per day, meeting the daily hydrogen demand of 1,500 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. "The upstream petrochemical base of the parent company Fujia Group produces about 120,000 tons of industrial by-product hydrogen annually. In the past, one-third of it was burned directly. Now, after extending the industry chain, we have achieved turning waste into valuable assets (变废为宝, bian fei wei bao - "change, waste, become, treasure")." Hu Guanglin, general manager of Dalian Jiaqing Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., said.
Fully leveraging the foundational advantages of the traditional petrochemical industry and equipment manufacturing industry, Dalian promotes the coordinated development of traditional industries, emerging industries, and future industries, promotes the implementation of key hydrogen energy industry projects, accelerates the extension, reinforcement, and strengthening of the hydrogen energy industry chain, and hydrogen energy industry projects such as the Dajian Group Hydrogen Energy Testing Center and the Changxing Island Northeast Asia Hydrogen-Based Energy Center Liquid Terminal have been successively completed and put into operation. Anchored on the goal of 10 billion yuan in annual output value for the hydrogen energy industry, Dalian has now basically formed a complete hydrogen energy industry chain ecosystem, gathering more than 60 innovative enterprises across the upstream and downstream of the industry chain.
Bearing in mind the earnest instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Dalian will develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, strengthen the guarantee of various resource factors, promote the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application, and promote the clustered development of the hydrogen energy industry.
Return to TopIn the autumn of northern Liaoning, yielding abundant results (硕果累累, shuo guo lei lei - "fruit, abundant, accumulate"). In the enterprise laboratories, R&D centers, and factory workshops of Tieling City, Liaoning Province, scientific and technological innovation achievements continue to emerge, and industrial momentum grows ever more surging.
Cross-regional wisdom borrowing: Building nests in enclaves to attract "golden phoenixes" from all directions
Stepping into the Industrial Internet Innovation Building in Tiexi District, Shenyang, the R&D atmosphere inside Tieling's "enclave brain"—the Tieling (Shenyang) Enclave Innovation Center—is fervent: Liaoning Youli'an Electromechanical Equipment Co., Ltd.'s R&D team is engaged in heated discussions with professors from Shenyang University of Technology over the key core technical parameters of the permanent-magnet-driven collaborative robot power system. Youli'an Company has reached deep industry-university-research cooperation with Shenyang University of Technology, focusing on concentrated tackling of key core technologies such as new-type high-performance permanent magnet magnetic flux. Once the project reaches full production capacity, it is expected to add an annual output value of 1 billion yuan.
Through the "enclave brain,"talent need not be permanently stationed in Tieling, and innovation resources can be utilized for enterprises on site. Today, Tieling vigorously supports enterprises in breaking through geographical restrictions and restructuring their innovation layouts. Liaoning Luping Machinery Co., Ltd. has jointly built a scientific research collaborative innovation center with Shenyang Aerospace University, realizing "Shenyang R&D, Tieling transformation," solving the problem of attracting and retaining talent. Bituoba Technology Co., Ltd. has gone a step further, establishing a frontier R&D center in Shanghai, building a development pattern of"Shanghai R&D, Tieling production."
In Tieling itself, the institute-local government co-construction model is equally flourishing or gaining momentum rapidly (风生水起, feng sheng shui qi - "wind, rise; water, 起"). Through normalizing the conduct of industry-university-research"Double Hundred Tour" activities, Tieling has achieved"cross-regional wisdom borrowing for areas without resources"; the municipal government has successively cooperated with 10 research institutions and universities, organized 108 industry-university-research alliances, and cumulatively landed more than 70 achievements transformation projects.
Gradient cultivation: Precise drip-irrigation to nurture industry"towering trees"
Maike New Materials Group Co., Ltd., located in the Chengnan Development Zone of Diaobingshan City, Tieling, has grown within 5 years from an innovative small-and-medium-sized enterprise into a high-tech enterprise, a Liaoning Province specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprise, anda Liaoning Province gazelle enterprise, achieving leapfrog development.
The growth and strengthening of enterprises cannot be separated from the government's precise empowerment and careful cultivation. With the Tieling Municipal Science and Technology Department acting as an intermediary to facilitate connections (牵线搭桥, qian xian da qiao - "pull, line; build, bridge"), Maike New Materials has already linked multiple well-known domestic universities, building a cross-domain, high-level collaborative innovation network.
The transformation of Maike New Materials is a vivid microcosm of Tieling's gradient cultivation of scientific and technological innovation enterprises. Focusing on the shortcomings of enterprises being relatively small in scale and innovation echelons being fractured, Tieling has constructed a"technology-based SME—high-tech enterprise—fledgling enterprise, gazelle enterprise"full-chain gradient cultivation system, implementing category-based policies and precise management.
Tieling"helps fledgling enterprises onto their horses and accompanies them for a stretch of the journey,"for growing enterprises fully implements tax reduction and exemption preferential policies benefiting enterprises, and for leading enterprises adopts"one-to-one"pairing support, focusing on connecting with provincial-level and national-level scientific and technological innovation resources. Tieling Guixin Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., relying on the tiered cultivation system, has grown steadily, evolving from an ordinary environmental protection enterprise into a high-tech enterprise, and in 2025 successfully obtained approval for a provincial-level pilot-scale verification platform; Xinhua Yang Equipment has been awarded the Liaoning Province Manufacturing Industry Single Champion anda Liaoning Province gazelle enterprise. These former"little saplings"are, step by step, growing into"towering trees"that support the backbone of Tieling's industry.
Ecological empowerment: Institutional breakthroughs activating the"source water"of innovation
To attract high-end talent to work in private enterprises, Tieling City has innovated the"university-appointed, enterprise-employed"mechanism, implementing an operational model of universities filing appointments, enterprises providing on-post duties, and mutual recognition of professional titles, allowing talent to work in Tieling with peace of mind. Currently, 3 enterprises have reached cooperation intentions, providing 4 dedicated positions.
In addition to"university-appointed, enterprise-employed,"Tieling also promotes the flexible talent-introduction model of"transplanting with soil." During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the city has cumulatively introduced 6 high-level innovation and entrepreneurship teams, secured 6.6 million yuan in provincial-level talent funds, allocated 4.3 million yuan in municipal-level talent special funds; flexibly introduced 31 postdoctoral researchers, precisely matched 62 industrial projects, facilitated 23 technical cooperations, driving total project investment exceeding 2.9 billion yuan.
A good innovation ecosystem cannot be separated from the precise drip-irrigation of funds. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, Tieling has cumulatively invested 75 million yuan in fiscal scientific and technological innovation funds, driving enterprises to invest nearly 200 million yuan in independent R&D, achieving the effect of fiscal funds efficiently empowering scientific and technological innovation.
Based on innate endowments and deeply tapping acquired advantages, Tieling has broken through through cross-regional wisdom borrowing, strengthened its foundation through gradient cultivation, and empowered through institutional innovation, blazing a new path for scientific and technological innovation to break through. This momentum of scientific and technological innovation is accelerating to surge across the land of northern Liaoning, contributing strength to Liaoning's comprehensive revitalization and all-round revitalization.
Data source: Tieling Municipal Science and Technology Bureau
Return to TopBy: 于春晖 黄晓春 吴 焰 巨云鹏
Adhering to the principle that people's cities are built by the people and serve the people, and building a modern people's city, constitutes a distinct main thread running through General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on urban work.
On July 15, 2026, General Secretary Xi Jinping conducted an inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, where he listened to briefings on Shanghai's efforts to advance the renovation of old housing without sanitary facilities, historically resolve the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts, and the renovation of residential communities, and inquired in detail of the relevant staff on site. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that advancing urban renewal with high quality is an important lever for urban modernization; it is necessary to fully practice the people's city concept, adhere to asking the people about their needs, seeking their advice, and evaluating results by their satisfaction, do all aspects of urban renewal work in a thorough, detailed, and solid manner, and continuously enhance residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security.
Why does this seemingly "minor matter" of a livelihood project — the "carrying chamber pots" problem — make General Secretary Xi Jinping constantly mindful of it (念兹在兹, nian zi zai zi - "think of it, constantly") and long-term concerned? Why has Shanghai been able to carry on the baton from one generation of leadership to the next, persisting for over 30 years without slackening, and historically draw a full stop on this "world-class difficult problem"? What regular patterns concerning urban modernization are contained therein? With these questions, we conducted an in-depth investigation of Shanghai.
Chinese-characteristic urban renewal under the guidance of the people's city concept
Resolving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts was Shanghai's "No. 1 livelihood project" for this megacity, and also a "mountain" that took decades to completely surmount. Successive municipal party committees and municipal governments of Shanghai, in the course of building a modern people's city, placed the renovation of old districts on an important position on the agenda, keeping the goal unchanged and the intensity undiminished, passing down the task of resolving this livelihood problem from one generation to the next, continuously transforming it into development achievements tangibly felt by the people. Starting from the "365 dilapidated and dangerous housing" renovation in the 1990s, to the historic overall completion in September 2025, over 1.64 million households in Shanghai bid farewell to "carrying chamber pots," ending the history of housing without sanitary facilities. Among them, the final "carrying chamber pots" tough battle alone involved over 14,000 households scattered piecemeal in the capillary-like depths of the old urban districts, with cramped spaces, complex demands, long duration, and considerable costs, determining that the difficulty of resolution far exceeded what those who did not experience it could imagine.
The important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, on July 15, 2026, were both full affirmation of Shanghai's relay-style assault over more than 30 years that historically resolved the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts, and, even more, another profound elaboration on urban work in the era of stock-oriented urban renewal.
In July 2025, a decade later, the CPC Central Committee convened the Central Urban Work Conference again. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that China's urbanization is transitioning from a period of rapid growth to one of stable development, and that urban development is transitioning from a stage of large-scale incremental expansion to one focused primarily on stock quality improvement and efficiency enhancement. The conference specified the goal of building innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart modern people's cities, specified taking the promotion of high-quality urban development as the theme, adhering to connotative urban development as the main line, and advancing urban renewal as the important lever. It required transforming urban development concepts to place greater emphasis on people-centeredness; transforming urban development models to place greater emphasis on intensification and efficiency; transforming urban development drivers to place greater emphasis on distinctive development; transforming the focus of urban work to place greater emphasis on governance investment; and transforming urban work methods to place greater emphasis on overall coordination. In May 2026, the State Council issued the "Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan," specifying the goals, indicators, key tasks, major projects, and policy measures for urban renewal work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
From the strategic planning of the Central Urban Work Conference, to the systematic deployment of the "Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan," to the on-site guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, on July 15, 2026, a clear policy chain has taken shape: top-level design establishes the direction — special planning clarifies the path — grassroots practice tests the effectiveness. Shanghai's historic resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts is precisely a vivid footnote of this policy chain in megacity governance.
Looking at the world, urban renewal, especially stock-oriented renewal, has always been a universal difficult problem faced by urban governance in various countries. First, there is the difficulty of coordinating interests: property rights relationships in old urban areas are intricately intertwined (盘根错节, pan gen cuo jie - "roots, tangled, branches, intertwined"), owners' demands are diverse and scattered, the cost of building consensus from the bottom up is extremely high, and it is easy to fall into the deadlock of being "difficult to satisfy everyone's diverse opinions" (众口难调, zhong kou nan tiao - "many, mouths, difficult, adjust") and discussing without deciding." Second, there is the deviation of value orientation: market-oriented renewal logic often one-sidedly pursues capital appreciation and investment efficiency, tending to "pick the fat and discard the lean," flocking to high-yield land parcels while turning a blind eye to livelihood shortcomings with large investment, long cycles, and low returns; "market failure" leads to the absence of livelihood guarantees. Third, there is the difficulty of spatial restructuring: stock space often carries complex social networks and historical memories; it is necessary both to repair the physical shortcomings of infrastructure and to stitch together social ecology and cultural context, making the coordinated renewal of physical space, social space, and cultural space extremely difficult. Fourth, there is the lag of institutional supply: the existing system of policies and regulations was mostly formulated during the period of incremental urban expansion; facing new requirements in stock revitalization such as mixed land use, flexible planning control, and property rights consolidation, there are often institutional gaps and rule frictions, making it difficult to adapt to the needs of refined governance.
Above these universal difficulties, there is an even more fundamental institutional constraint: under competitive party politics, the rotation of terms in office makes long-cycle, cross-generational livelihood projects extremely vulnerable to becoming "victims of party alternation." This is precisely the institutional root cause of why inner-city decline in Western cities has been difficult to solve for decades.
To solve these problems, the key lies in answering well the fundamental question of for whom cities are built and for whom renewal is undertaken. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the people's city concept, adhering to "people's cities are built by the people and serve the people," regarding bringing benefits to the people as the greatest political achievement, and running asking the people about their needs, seeking their advice, and evaluating results by their satisfaction through everything, profoundly answering this fundamental question. The people's city concept recalibrates the goal orientation and action logic of urban renewal, enabling urban renewal to transcend mere spatial transformation and value appreciation, place greater emphasis on livelihood improvement and overall value enhancement, and providing Chinese wisdom for solving the deep-seated bottlenecks of global urban renewal.
Adhering to the people's city concept and continuously advancing urban renewal and urban governance requires strong Party building leadership. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "make strengthening grassroots Party building and consolidating the Party's governing foundation a red thread running through social governance and grassroots development." On July 15, 2026, during his inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping further pointed out: "It is necessary to further strengthen the leading role of Party building, actively explore new models for the coordinated operation of residents' committees, owners' committees, and property service enterprises under the leadership of community Party organizations." These important discourses profoundly elaborate the foundational position and key role of Party building leadership in the construction of modern people's cities, constituting the most distinctive hallmark of Chinese-characteristic urban renewal.
Strengthening Party leadership over urban work, adhering to a people-centered approach, treating the city as an organic living entity, achieving renewal within protection and development within renewal, are the ways of thinking and working methods that General Secretary Xi Jinping has consistently upheld.
As early as the 1990s, when he served as Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, Comrade Xi Jinping clearly proposed that "urban construction involves matters of every magnitude... it is necessary to firmly establish the concept that all matters concerning the people are major matters" and "never again let ordinary people bathe outdoors or go out carrying chamber pots," and emphasized that renovating old urban residential communities should be combined with land reform, housing reform, and planning, spending money on projects that address the people's most urgent needs, demonstrating a governance approach to urban governance characterized by securing bottom lines, emphasizing connotation, and safeguarding livelihoods. In 2007, while working in Shanghai, Comrade Xi Jinping placed "renovation of old districts" on an important position in the work agenda of the municipal party committee, repeatedly urging that "renovation of old districts must be persistently advanced; we cannot let the people continue to live in such dilapidated houses," requiring that improving residents' housing quality be taken as an important yardstick for testing the effectiveness of urban work.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed the people's city concept, emphasizing that "a city cannot have high-rise buildings on one side and dirty, messy, and dilapidated shantytown areas on the other" and that "renovating old urban residential communities is an important part," elevating urban renewal from mere physical-spatial patching to a people-centered systemic transformation of urban governance. From the renovation of shantytowns in Fuzhou to Shanghai's historic resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" livelihood problem among residents of the old urban districts, the process of forming this important concept is a vivid portrayal of establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements in urban work. This concern lasting over 30 years reflects the political essence of Chinese Communists, who "have no special interests of their own apart from the interests of the people."
Thus, what the "carrying chamber pots" tough battle reveals, in essence, is the fundamental divergence between two logics of urban development in today's world: one is people-centered, taking human dignity and basic living conditions as the bottom-line yardstick of urban modernization; the other is capital-centered, taking market efficiency and return on investment as the primary rule of spatial renewal. The greatness of the people's city concept lies precisely in its thoroughly reversing the urban development inertia of "focusing on material things while ignoring human needs" (见物不见人, jian wu bu jian ren - "see, things, not, see, people"), establishing "bringing benefits to the people" and"investing in people" as the value orientation of urban work, and establishing "co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits" as the basic principle of urban governance. This is something that no Western urban governance model dominated by capital logic and constrained by partisan strife can explain or replicate. Shanghai's practice of the people's city concept, using Party building leadership to tackle the tough battle of old district renovation, is precisely a vivid practice of exploring a new path of Chinese-characteristic urban modernization.
Urban renewal changes space, tests stance, and gathers people's hearts.
Shanghai's historic resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts was by no means achieved merely through financial investment and technical means, but rather a profound transformation that, under the guidance of the people's city concept, systematically reshaped the governance logic of megacities.
To understand this transformative practice, it is necessary to deeply grasp the internal logical connections among the people's city concept, Party building leadership, and whole-process people's democracy contained therein. The people's city concept is the "soul," Party building leadership is the "outline," and whole-process people's democracy is the "path." The people's city concept provides value leadership, requiring that urban renewal must place people's needs and public interests in a priority position; Party building leadership is the political guarantee and organizational support that transforms concepts and institutions into action, both fundamentally ensuring the continuity and stability of long-cycle livelihood projects and enabling the coordination of scattered departmental resources, multiple stakeholders, and complex demands into a governance synergy; whole-process people's democracy is the institutional mechanism that transforms this value requirement into governance practice, and the "adhere to asking the people about their needs, seeking their advice, and evaluating results by their satisfaction" emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping is precisely its concrete unfolding in the field of urban renewal, embedding the people's principal position into the entire process of public decision-making and governance through orderly public participation. It is precisely within this governance logic framework that Shanghai, in this livelihood project, has accumulated valuable experience in enhancing the governance capacity of megacities.
Adhering to asking the people about their needs, anchoring the value origin of urban renewal
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "cities are places where people live together in concentration; urban construction must place making the people live and work in contentment and safety first, leaving the best resources to the people" and"what constitutes good deeds and practical matters must be considered from the people's actual needs, not subjective assumption, not oversimplification or one-sidedness." Shanghai's reform practice of historically resolving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts demonstrates that asking the people about their needs means, amid complex interests and diverse demands, using scientific mass work methods to understand real needs clearly, sort out priorities, and integrate multi-dimensional goals, keeping urban renewal always on the correct track centered on the people.
Use Party building leadership to integrate the diverse and differentiated "needs" and find the greatest common divisor of public interests. One of the prominent features of modern urban renewal is the high degree of differentiation and internal conflict among the public's "needs": those upstairs want to install toilets, those downstairs fear leaks and noise; property rights units and residents each have their own ideas. In Shanghai's "carrying chamber pots" tough battle, over 14,000 households were scattered piecemeal with all kinds of demands, and any slight oversight could lead to a situation of being "difficult to satisfy everyone's diverse opinions" and"discussing without deciding." In response, Shanghai established Party branches on the front line, making Party organizations the organizers of deliberation and the resolvers of contradictions. For example, in the Baoxingli old district renovation in Huangpu District, with the support of the district party committee, the residents' district Party branch took the lead in building an organizational framework of "Party building joint conference + temporary Party branch," establishing six groups including a policy consultation group and a conflict mediation group, directly facing residents' demands, achieving people on site, command on site, work on site, and summarizing the "Baoxing Ten Methods" of Party building-led mass work. In the demolition-and-reconstruction project of Fan Gua Long residential community in Jing'an District, the "Eight Methods of Mass Work" were explored and practiced, with a cumulative total of 26 sessions of "one household, one plan" discussion meetings held, and through soliciting residents' opinions, 47 types of return-housing floor plan designs were created to meet differentiated demands to the greatest extent possible. The reason why the contradictions of the differentiated "needs" could be straightened out lies in the key strengthening of a community-minded approach of close connection; under the coordination of grassroots Party organizations, through repeated consultation among all parties, the greatest intersection of the people's wishes was found.
Use a correct view of political achievements to discern the hierarchically complex "needs" and find a dynamic equilibrium point between meeting the people's expectations and acting within one's means. The needs of the public in modern urban society are highly complex: there are both urgent difficulties and worries such as "difficulty using toilets, difficulty bathing" that concern the bottom line of life, and also development-oriented and even enjoyment-oriented demands such as improving the environment and enhancing quality; within the same community, different groups may even have spatial competition-style demand conflicts. Faced with millions of "needs," the government, as the allocator of public resources, cannot possibly satisfy them all. Behind megacity renewal lies enormous pressure of capital balance, spatial constraints, and long-term operation and maintenance; "doing everything" or"over-promising" detached from the stage of development is not only unsustainable but may instead accumulate debt risks and mortgage the future livelihood of the people.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:""To do good deeds and practical matters for the people, it is necessary to proceed from reality, respect the people's wishes, act within one's means, and do one's best""do more work that is providing timely assistance in times of need (雪中送炭, xue zhong song tan - "snow, middle, send, charcoal") and relieving people's difficulties, and less empty work that is making something already good even better (锦上添花, jin shang tian hua - "silk, on, add, flower") or piling flowers upon flowers." Shanghai profoundly grasped this dialectical relationship in its tough battle of old district renovation:
On the one hand, it set no upper limit in soliciting needs, determining old district renovation goals according to the different needs of the people at different stages. Since the 1990s, Shanghai has continuously expanded the scope of renovation according to the degree of urgency, danger, difficulty, and risk as well as the upgrading of livelihood needs. After the completion of renovation of contiguous old districts, it carried out full-coverage investigation and sorting of scattered, complex old housing, bringing early-period worker residential buildings and old "non-residential-converted-to-residential" buildings that were easy to overlook into the ledger through door-to-door surveys, category identification, and multi-channel verification, ensuring that the people's real difficulties receive responses.
On the other hand, it set bottom lines and calculated detailed accounts, concentrating limited public resources on the most urgent livelihood shortcomings. The Shanghai municipal party committee and municipal government determined work priorities according to the degree of housing difficulty of the residents, giving priority to solving problems affecting basic living and housing safety, finding a dynamic balance between doing one's best and acting within one's means that can withstand the test of history.
Use a systematic approach to coordinate the livelihood, economic, and cultural "needs" and achieve high-quality, sustainable urban development amid multiple objectives. The "needs" of urban renewal are not merely single-dimensional livelihood gap-filling but also contain composite demands of economic sustainability, cultural continuity, and spatial operability. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized "letting cities retain memories and letting people remember nostalgia." To systematically address these difficult problems, Shanghai has, in practice, blazed a path of "demolition, retention, and renovation in parallel, with retention and protection as the priority." For example, for style preservation areas and outstanding historical preservation buildings, grassroots governments have innovatively explored the model of "in-home addition + household relocation + protective restoration," implanting modern functions while preserving and protecting historical fabric. Changle Village residential community in Huangpu District, Shanghai, is an outstanding historical building. An elderly person over 80 years old living here told us, "My father lived here, and I am also willing to live here." This renovation model satisfied the dual physiological and psychological needs of the elderly, coordinating the people's need for housing, the city's need for development, and the need for cultural continuity, blazing a path of high-quality, sustainable renewal for megacities in systemic dynamic balance.
Adhering to asking the people for their advice, transforming the people's "golden ideas" into the "realized scenes" of urban renewal implementation
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:"Integrate whole-process people's democracy into the modernization of urban governance." If "asking the people about their needs" solves the problem of identifying needs — whether to renovate and what to renovate — then "asking the people for their advice" focuses on the generation of the path and implementation guarantee of "how to renovate." In solving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts, Shanghai embedded whole-process people's democracy into the entire chain of refined implementation, transforming the people's "golden ideas" into the "realized scenes" of urban renewal implementation.
Use whole-process people's democracy to improve interest coordination mechanisms, promoting multiple stakeholders to reach consensus on the track of law and rules. Asking the people for their advice, the key is to transform the people's opinions into actionable plans. Renovation of old urban areas involves complex relationships such as land ownership, use rights, and neighboring rights. Governments at all levels in Shanghai strive to listen to the opinions of all parties during renovation, making hearings, coordination meetings, and evaluation meetings mandatory procedures in decision-making, providing institutionalized platforms for expression and coordination for different interest stakeholders. When different opinions seem "each with its own rationale" yet conflict, grassroots Party organizations, by building a co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits governance community, enable different groups to form empathy and understanding on the basis of in-depth exchange, ultimately facilitating consensus. In the housing demolition-and-reconstruction project of Caoxi No. 3 Village in Xuhui District, the subdistrict immediately formed a temporary Party branch and established a vanguard team of Party members, organizing relevant departments, units, and residents to communicate face-to-face, ultimately finding, through community-minded thinking, an optimal plan acceptable to all parties. Overall, whole-process people's democracy played an important role of "promoting consensus through democracy" in this process, while Party building leadership provided organizational foundation and trust guarantee for consensus-building. Here, asking the people for their advice is manifested as: through scientific and reasonable procedures, directly face interest conflicts, find the greatest common divisor within the framework of policies and laws, laying a legal and public-opinion foundation for subsequent refined implementation.
Use whole-process people's democracy to mobilize the enthusiasm of the whole society for participation, breaking through the resource and capacity bottlenecks of individual projects through social mobilization and resource integration. The masses harbor enormous social capital and organizational potential. In the "carrying chamber pots" tough battle, Shanghai relied on whole-process people's democracy to activate grassroots self-governance cells, achieving resource expansion from "government solo" to "social chorus." Grassroots governments fully utilized various co-governance carriers to tap potential spatial stock "in a snail's shell." For example, some communities, by revitalizing long-idle state-owned properties and reallocating office and storage space used by subdistricts themselves, transformed fragmented physical assets into sources of supply for public sanitary facilities. In this process, grassroots Party organizations, by building co-governance networks and shaping mutually beneficial win-win mechanisms, fully mobilized the participation enthusiasm of all stakeholders. Since the launch of complete renovation of old housing units in 2005, the Party working committee of Pengpu New Village Subdistrict in Jing'an District has consistently placed the masses in a principal position, strengthened multi-stakeholder co-governance under Party building leadership, fully activated neighborhood ties, mobilized residents to transform into "off-the-books work teams" for old district renovation, voluntarily undertaking heavy tasks such as door-to-door mobilization, paired persuasion to sign agreements, and persuasion to move, helping the subdistrict resolve a number of difficult contradictions. Here, Party building leadership provided important support for democratic mechanisms to perform social mobilization functions, mobilizing scattered market resources, community capital, and the people's wisdom, opening up more paths to solve difficult problems beyond "government guaranteeing basics."
Use whole-process people's democracy with full-cycle participation to build a dynamic closed-loop renewal model, ensuring that every detail of refined renewal can withstand the scrutiny of the people. No matter how well the plan for urban renewal is formulated, if there is a lack of supervision during implementation, the degree of refinement can easily dissipate through layer-by-layer transmission. In the renovation process of solving the "carrying chamber pots" problem, Shanghai ran whole-process people's democracy through the entire life cycle of "engineering design — construction organization — completion acceptance — return visit and maintenance." Huang Yong'an, a resident of Lane 180, Xiangde Road, Hongkou District, told us, "The construction team carried out construction according to our needs; after the flush toilet was installed, the effect was better than I had imagined, and the work was done very meticulously." Behind this, there is the follow-up and supervision of grassroots Party organizations throughout the entire construction process — from plan publicity to on-site coordination, from quality inspection to problem feedback, Party organizations are always present. This full-chain participation mechanism runs democratic consultation through everything, ensures renovation effectiveness through a dynamic closed loop, and lets the people's city concept truly take root and blossom even in a tiny corner.
Adhering to evaluating results by the people's satisfaction, taking the people's sense of gain as the fundamental yardstick for testing the effectiveness of urban renewal
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:"To test the effectiveness of all our work, in the final analysis, we must see whether the people have truly received tangible benefits." In historically resolving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts, Shanghai profoundly grasped the value connotation of "evaluating results by the people's satisfaction," taking it as the "touchstone" for testing a correct view of political achievements, building an acceptance system with public satisfaction as the hard constraint, a closed-loop mechanism with dynamic return visits as the starting point, and a underpinning project with long-term operation and maintenance as the guarantee, ensuring that renovation projects can withstand the test of the people.
Use bottom-up public evaluation to promote continuous optimization of urban renewal. In the work of old district renovation and old housing renovation, Shanghai changed the previous practice of "closed-door acceptance," making records of handling public complaints a required element of the completion materials for residential renovation projects. Since 2013, the Shanghai housing management department has gradually established and improved a post-renovation evaluation mechanism for old residential communities, conducting ex-post evaluations of project civilized construction, renovation effects, complaint handling, etc., and through setting up opinion boxes, holding forums, conducting questionnaire surveys, and other forms, inviting residents, citizen supervisors, owners' committees, and residents' committees to score engineering projects according to the "Residential Renovation Project Public Satisfaction Evaluation Form," fully mobilizing residents to participate in evaluating and providing feedback on the engineering quality and effects of old residential community renovation, with relevant evaluation results serving as a component of the post-evaluation results of Shanghai's residential renovation projects. This kind of bottom-up listening breaks through the traditional technocratic model of engineering evaluation, helping to ensure that urban renewal always operates on the track of responding to livelihood concerns and enhancing the well-being of the people.
Use the people's sense of recognition as the ultimate yardstick for measuring the effectiveness of urban renewal. Cadres at all levels in Shanghai resolutely abandoned the one-sided practice of "meeting data targets means perfection," taking the people's sense of recognition as an important yardstick for testing the success or failure of the "carrying chamber pots" tough battle. Pengpu New Village, as one of the first batches of worker new villages in New China, has over the past 20 years, advanced from point to surface, step by step, renovated 102 old housing buildings without complete facilities, with a renovation area exceeding 180,000 square meters, benefiting 4,907 households. In today's Pengpu No. 1 New Village residential community, there stands a "gratitude stone" spontaneously donated by the masses, expressing the people's heartfelt support and sincere gratitude for the Party. On July 15, 2026, during General Secretary Xi Jinping's inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, retired resident Zhu Guoli candidly stated that after the renovation, "life has become much more convenient" and"it has a lot of old-world charm." These plain words of everyday life are a vivid annotation of the people's city concept. This kind of sense of recognition among the masses is a full manifestation of the "user experience"-oriented approach of urban renewal.
Use Party building leadership over self-governance and co-governance to promote the continuous deepening of effectiveness evaluation work. In the process of solving the "carrying chamber pots" problem, Shanghai took Party building-led self-governance and co-governance as the deep-level lever for effectiveness evaluation, continuously promoting the continuous optimization of various renovation projects. For example, in the Xiaoximen residential area of Laoximen Subdistrict, Huangpu District, through the general Party branch taking the lead, the "three carriages" (residents' committee, owners' committee, property management company) coordinating, and mobilizing residents to extensively participate in joint deliberation, a refined plan of "one household, one file" and"one building, one strategy" was formed, driving the continuous iteration and upgrading of the original renewal plan. Faced with new needs emerging from the masses during democratic discussion, residents' district Party organizations continuously mobilized residents and construction teams to jointly discuss renovation plans, striving to meet residents' needs as much as possible. In addition, the Xiaoximen residential area also established a joint meeting system of "residents' district Party organization + property management + resident representatives," regularly studying and judging problems exposed after renovation such as drainage backflow and noise, promoting continuous renovation and optimization. By using Party building leadership over self-governance and co-governance, the warmth of urban renewal and the people's satisfaction have been continuously enhanced.
Lessons and references from Shanghai's "carrying chamber pots" renovation: establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements to promote high-quality development of urban renewal
Shanghai's successful exploration of historically resolving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts contains regular understanding of Chinese modernization-driven urban renewal. This practice demonstrates that solving the difficult problem of stock-oriented urban renewal lies fundamentally in adhering to the people's city concept creatively proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping as the fundamental guideline, firmly establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, maintaining historical patience and strategic resolve, and blazing a new path of Chinese-characteristic urban modernization through tackling difficulties and continuous relay-style struggle.
The value origin of urban renewal is to calibrate urban modernization with the modernization of people. On July 15, 2026, during his inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:"The Communist Party exists to serve the people; only when the people live and work in peace and contentment and live comfortably can the Party and government feel at ease." On the surface, urban renewal renovates houses, pipelines, and public facilities, but in essence, it improves people's living conditions, safeguards people's living dignity, and expands people's opportunities to fairly share in the fruits of modern urban development. Urban modernization cannot be reflected only in the modernization of spatial forms and infrastructure, but should be even more reflected in the modernization of people. To measure the development level of a city, it is necessary not only to look at economic aggregate, major projects, and landmark spaces, but also to see how well the most basic and most specific living difficulties of the masses have been solved. Looking at the course of world urban development, urban prosperity does not automatically bring fair sharing of development fruits. Shanghai's practice demonstrates that only when urban renewal takes people's needs as the starting point and ultimate goal, and takes the living conditions of the most disadvantaged groups as the benchmark yardstick for testing the quality of modernization, can the height of urban construction truly be transformed into the warmth of people's lives.
The key support for urban renewal is the organizational strength of Party building-led multi-stakeholder co-governance and the mass work line of the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:"To build modern people's cities, it is necessary to strengthen the Party's overall leadership over urban work." In the "carrying chamber pots" renovation, a "tough bone" project, Party building leadership is not only a political guarantee but also an important support for solving difficult problems and achieving systematic governance.
On the one hand, Party building leadership is primarily reflected in strengthening top-level design and maintaining strategic resolve. Shanghai adhered to the "top leader" taking personal charge, continuously advancing the resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts as a long-term livelihood project. To this end, it established a "monthly normalized coordination" mechanism, with municipal party committee, municipal government, and district leaders directly going down to the front line, commanding from the front, studying and judging difficult land parcels one by one, and removing obstacles to policy implementation. Under the strong overall coordination of Party organizations, relevant departments coordinated and cooperated, forming a responsibility closed loop with clear rights and responsibilities and rapid response, providing solid institutional guarantees for policy optimization and accelerated progress.
On the other hand, Party building leadership is also manifested in the governance capacity of grassroots Party organizations to transform mass work into coordinating interests and building consensus in the practice of tackling difficulties. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:"Matters concerning the masses should be discussed more with the masses, and matters concerning everyone should be participated in by everyone." Shanghai's practice demonstrates that urban renewal requires both professional construction capacity and the mass work capacity to build consensus. Mass work is not an auxiliary "soft task" outside the project but a fundamental governance mechanism for forming public plans. It can neither be simplified into one-way propaganda and administrative mobilization, nor remain at the level of formalistic consultation and one-time voting, but should run through the entire process of urban renewal. Overall, the finer the mass work is done, the more potential contradictions can be resolved in advance, and the lower the comprehensive cost of project advancement. Spatial renewal thereby ceases to be merely the improvement of the physical environment, but also becomes a process of rebuilding social trust, enhancing community identity, and improving grassroots governance capacity.
The basic orientation of urban renewal is to achieve the unity of livelihood value and economic growth in connotative development. When promoting shantytown renovation in Fuzhou, Comrade Xi Jinping clearly proposed:"The purpose of old city renovation is not real estate development, but to properly resettle the people, especially the poor people." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to"be good at calculating big accounts, overall accounts, and long-term accounts, and not only local accounts, departmental accounts, and immediate accounts." These important discourses require measuring the economic account of urban renewal within the overall situation of urban development and the long-term interests of the masses. The process of Shanghai's resolution of the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts demonstrates that when a city enters the stage of stock development, the more strongly the masses reflect problems, the more often they are concentrated in areas with poor building conditions, difficult spatial relocation, and limited commercial returns. If the order of renewal is determined solely by short-term input-output ratios, the places most in need of improvement may instead be shelved by the market for a long time. This reveals a basic law of urban renewal in the stock era: livelihood value and public interests determine the basic direction of urban renewal, while economic sustainability determines how far urban renewal can go.
Urban renewal can neither take project returns as the sole yardstick nor completely rely on fiscal funds to cover everything, but should, according to the characteristics of different projects, form a reasonable combination among public investment, market participation, resource coordination, and long-term operation. For problems with distinct public attributes such as basic living conditions and public safety, the government should bear necessary responsibility; for projects with operational conditions, it is possible to enhance their own capacity for generating returns through functional compounding, resource revitalization, and participation of social forces. For example, Shanghai established an urban renewal center to strengthen resource coordination. For situations where multiple stakeholders exist within the same old renovation area, the municipal urban renewal center takes the lead, promoting capable enterprises and institutions to transform from expropriated units into cooperative development entities, reducing the cash flow pressure of expropriation costs. The key is to determine the direction of resource allocation by public value, improve the efficiency of resource use by following economic laws, and form a long-term mechanism for the sustainable advancement of urban renewal on the premise of holding the bottom line of basic livelihood.
The long-term guarantee for urban renewal is to promote the connection between concentrated tackling and normalized governance with a correct view of political achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during his inspection and research visit at the Shimin Xincun residential area of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict, Huangpu District, Shanghai, on July 15, 2026:"Shanghai has advanced old housing renovation for decades, one term of leadership after another, with sustained, long-term effort. This is a correct view of political achievements." The more livelihood problems with large historical arrears and complex interest relationships are, the more necessary it is to maintain goal stability with a correct view of political achievements. The so-called sustained, long-term effort does not mean mechanically repeating existing methods, nor does it mean understanding long-term advancement as slowing down progress or reducing efficiency, but rather, on the premise of unswervingly adhering to the goal of improving residents' basic living conditions, continuously adjusting policy tools and implementation methods according to changes in renewal objects and actual conditions. Successive Shanghai municipal party committees and municipal governments have continuously advanced urban governance work, through municipal party committee plenary sessions issuing documents such as the "Opinions on Deeply Implementing the Important Concept of 'People's Cities Are Built by the People and Serve the People' and Writing a New Chapter of People's Cities in the New Era" and the"Opinions on Fully Practicing the People's City Concept and Accelerating the Modernization of Megacity Governance," promoting urban renewal to shift from large-scale demolition-and-construction to the parallel approach of retention, renovation, and demolition, and from mainly solving the question of "whether there is or isn't" to focusing on "whether it is good or not," reflecting the unity of goal stability and means adaptability. This enlightens us: on the one hand, one cannot lower the standards of livelihood improvement or bypass complex areas just because the difficulty of urban renewal work has increased; on the other hand, one cannot rigidly adhere to a single model, but should explore differentiated, refined solutions according to project characteristics. A correct view of political achievements also requires reshaping the evaluation yardstick of urban renewal. The completion of an engineering project is not the end point of urban renewal but a new starting point of long-term governance. Only by incorporating subsequent maintenance and operation management into the entire renewal process and promoting the transformation of one-time projects into normalized governance can the fruits of renewal truly continue to play a role.
From a deeper level, Shanghai's reform practice of historically resolving the "carrying chamber pots" problem among residents of the old urban districts demonstrates that Chinese urban renewal under the guidance of the people's city concept places the all-round development of people, fairness and justice, and co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits in a more prominent position, providing an original solution for solving the global urban governance difficult problems of the stock renewal era. This reform process closely links the optimization of urban spatial structure, the overall improvement of social welfare, and the effective construction of social order, constituting a vivid manifestation of the Chinese path and Chinese wisdom in the evolution of modern urban civilization, anda full demonstration of the truth brilliance and practical power of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on urban work. The reason why Chinese urban renewal under the guidance of the people's city concept can be continuously advanced is, most importantly, that the Party exercises overall leadership and coordinates all parties, can maintain the continuity of urban development goals and major livelihood policies, and can rely on a rigorous organizational system to transform long-term strategies into sustained, coordinated actions across levels and departments. The most fundamental reason is the people-centered nature of our Party. The nature and purpose of a Marxist political party determine that our Party always regards bringing benefits to the people as the fundamental value orientation and regarding bringing benefits to the people as the greatest political achievement. It is precisely for this reason that it can transcend the limitation of only pursuing short-term political achievements, properly handle one livelihood practical matter after another with large investment, long cycles, and slow returns, continuously enhance people's livelihood and well-being, promote the continuous improvement of people's capabilities, the continuous expansion of development opportunities, and the continuous release of creative potential, making the modernization of "people" the ultimate purpose of the modernization of "cities."
Return to TopBy: 新华社记者
At 12:00 on September 16, with the formal lifting of the fishing moratorium in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, all four major sea areas of China — the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea — concluded their fishing moratoriums, achieving a nationwide full resumption of fishing in 2026.
After four and a half months of summer rest, fishing ports along the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Shandong saw many ships setting sail in rapid succession (千帆竞发, qian fan jing fa - "thousand, sails, compete, set out"), as various compliant fishing vessels headed for the deep sea, launching a new round of "farming the sea and herding fish."
The national fishing moratorium covers the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the South China Sea north of 12 degrees north latitude, divided into three zones by latitude.
Why impose a fishing moratorium? Wang Jinpeng, a professor at the Law School of Ocean University of China, explained that summer is a critical period for the breeding of marine fish, shrimp, and crabs, and the growth of juveniles. Suspending large-scale fishing both allows the ocean to recover and flourish (休养生息, xiu yang sheng xi - "rest, nourish, grow, thrive") and gives greater confidence in full holds of fish and shrimp, better securing that "fresh" taste on people's dining tables.
Why do the fishing resumption times differ? Chen Zuozhi, a researcher at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, said that the latitudes of each sea area differ, the rhythms of seawater temperature differ, and the breeding periods and juvenile growth cycles of the main commercial fish species also differ. The South China Sea has higher water temperatures, with fish breeding earlier and growing faster, so fishing resumed there on August 16; the Yellow and Bohai Seas mainly protect swimming crabs, prawns, and the like, so fishing resumed there on September 1; the East China Sea mainly protects hairtail, large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker, and the like, whose juveniles take longer to mature, so fishing resumed there on September 16. In Fujian, the resumption is demarcated by "30 minutes north latitude 26 degrees," with southern Fujian resuming on August 16 and eastern Fujian fully resuming on September 16. The reason is that southern Fujian is close to the South China Sea fishing grounds, where the fishing season comes early; eastern Fujian faces the East China Sea, where the main commercial fish species have longer growth cycles.
What benefits does the fishing moratorium bring? Monitoring by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that after four and a half months of rest and recovery, total resource density in the northern East China Sea in the later period of the moratorium increased by about 9.8 times compared with the earlier period, and in the southern Yellow Sea by 4.7 times. Moreover, the moratorium is not a "one-size-fits-all" ban on all fishing. It is reported that during the summer moratorium, applications can be made for special fishing permits, balancing resource protection with the production and livelihood needs of the people.
Along the coast of the East China Sea, hairtail, large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker, swimming crabs, and the like are coming onto the market one after another. In Zhejiang, Xiangshan seafood noodles are often paired with swimming crabs and small yellow croaker; swimming crabs can be steamed, stir-fried with scallion and ginger, or fried with rice cakes. In Fujian, people like to lay female crabs with roe over glutinous rice and steam them.
Along the Yellow and Bohai Seas, Shandong's hairtail, Spanish mackerel, and pomfret are plump and delicious, while swimming crabs and mantis shrimp from Liaoning, Hebei, and elsewhere have firm, sweet flesh. Since September, Liaoning has mailed 820,000 parcels of seafood, driving output value of 270 million yuan.
After the South China Sea concluded its moratorium, catches such as grouper and Spanish mackerel came ashore in succession, loaded into transport trucks and sent to all regions.
After the resumption of fishing, from livestream rooms to cold-chain logistics, this "fresh" taste is becoming a service chain that is visible, purchasable, and portable.
(Xinhua News Agency dispatch)
Return to TopA Large Fair Drives Tourism Across the Entire County
Zhu Peng, Zhuo Lei, reporters with the Integrated Media Center of Linyi City, Shandong Province
On September 19, the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, it was again market day at the Caowa Fair in Linshu County, Linyi, Shandong.
At 4 a.m., at the eastern end of the Caowa Fair, the aroma of the first pot of whole-lamb soup drifted through the air. Twenty-six stalls selling whole-lamb soup were lined up in a row, and cooks stirred the lamb shank bones in the soup pots with force, the milky-white soup roiling, waiting for regular customers who came early to the market to drink "the first bowl."
At the stall of Old Zhang's Family, stallholder Zhang Qiang worked with quick, deft hands — ladling soup, handing out bowls, greeting customers, done in one continuous motion (一气呵成, yi qi he cheng - "one, breath, complete, succeed"). He has been vending at the Caowa Fair for more than 10 years, selling an average of 500 bowls of lamb soup a day. "We focus on original flavor, and return customers are growing more numerous."
At 8 a.m., stalls under sun umbrellas were packed tightly together. "Home-grown small yellow ginger, 10 yuan for 5 jin" "Roast chicken legs, 10 yuan for 3" ... the cries of vendors were rising and falling in succession (此起彼伏, ci qi bi fu - "this, rise, that, rise"). Fried buns at 1 yuan for 2, whole-lamb soup at 10 yuan a bowl — the goods at the Caowa Fair are mostly supplied directly by local farmers, with prices that are genuinely affordable.
In the parking lot, private cars with license plates from various places and tourist coaches were driving in one after another. Xiao Lu, who had driven himself from Suqian, Jiangsu, was visiting the Caowa Fair for the fourth time since last year. Xiao Lu said, "This time I came and found that there are more parking spaces, the restrooms are adequate, and the mobile network signal no longer stutters."
The Caowa Fair has also incorporated intangible cultural heritage and cultural-tourism elements, continuously enriching its consumer formats: willow-woven craft demonstrations on site, Liuqin opera performed in the open air, sanxian storytelling ringing in one's ears; a "Linshu Has Gifts" cultural-creative zone anda an intangible-heritage experience zone have been successively established, with local intangible-heritage foods such as Wang Bin's stir-fried chicken and Zhang Laoda's grass-roasted chicken moving into the fair. Tourist buses have been opened around the fair, creating a 15-minute tourism travel circle, directly connecting to surrounding scenic spots.
The Caowa Fair evolved from the "Xiazhuang Fair" and has a history spanning many years. In early 2025, Linshu County upgraded the Caowa Fair; the new fair is divided into functional zones for dining, fruit-and-vegetables, general merchandise, and clothing, while preserving the traditional market appearance of open-air stalls and bamboo-and-wood canopies. Since it "broke out of the circle" last October, the fair's peak visitor flow per market day has risen from 25,000 person-times to 150,000 person-times, transaction volume has risen from 4 million yuan to around 15 million yuan, and it has cumulatively received more than 1.4 million visitor-trips, achieving transaction volume of approximately 140 million yuan, driving revenue growth of more than 50 percent in county-town catering, accommodation, retail, and other related business formats.
With more tourists arriving, Linshu County did not rush to expand the number of stalls, but rather to shore up weak links: adding large parking lots and tourist coach stopping points, installing additional mobile network base stations to improve signal support capacity, repairing damaged road surfaces...
"Out-of-town visitors generally come to the fair in the morning, and in the afternoon take the bus to Zhucun Village or Guanshan Scenic Area for a spin." He Wenwen, deputy director of the Linshu County Cultural Tourism Development Promotion Center, who was volunteering at the fair, said that visitors' average length of stay in Linshu has been extended from 2 hours to 6 hours, and some hotels have reached occupancy rates above 95 percent before market days.
At 11 p.m., Zhang Qiang saw off his last batch of customers, and the fair, lively for the whole day, fell quiet. Stallholders packed up their gear, calculating how much stock they should prepare for the next market day.
A small fair, great livelihood, and also a link in the development of cultural tourism.
Vegetable Market Becomes a Check-in Spot
Guo Wuhui, reporter with the Integrated Media Center of Guandu District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province
At 8 a.m., stepping into the Guandu Comprehensive Market located in Kunming, Yunnan, the sweetness of rice cakes, the freshness of wild mushrooms, and the mellow aroma of coffee all rushed straight into one's nose. The Guandu Comprehensive Market was built in 1986, and sits east of the Guandu Ancient Town scenic area; it has always been the "vegetable basket" of surrounding residents, and is also a check-in spot for many tourists.
In previous years, this market suffered from aging facilities, crowded circulation routes, anda dirty, messy, and poor environment, which affected residents' grocery shopping and also did not match the cultural-tourism image of the ancient town. Since the beginning of this year, Kunming City has carried out a special campaign to upgrade and improve agricultural (collective) markets, and the Guandu Comprehensive Market was among the first batch to begin renovation in March.
After the renovation was completed in August, the old vegetable market took on a new look. Stall hardware was upgraded, with raw and cooked foods separated, dry and wet areas zoned, aquatic products section separately enclosed, and the snack area equipped with dedicated exhaust and drainage systems; in terms of business formats, intangible-heritage snacks, ethnic flavors, and time-honored brands were introduced, making grocery shopping feel like visiting a scenic area.
Xu Min, a native of Xi'an, Shaanxi, who has been living in Kunming for two years, treats visiting the vegetable market as part of her life: "Every morning I get up early and take a turn around the vegetable market, buy some fresh vegetables and fruits, and then eat a bowl of authentic Guandu small-pot rice noodles — it's very healing."
Zhang Yuting has moved her intangible-heritage craft into the vegetable market; her rice cake stall is surrounded by many customers, with rice cakes printed with custom patterns for Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, becoming hot sellers before the two holidays. "When Kunming people hold banquets or entertain guests, this is indispensable."
Wuliduo Agricultural Expo Plaza, about 10 kilometers from the Guandu Comprehensive Market, is equally a "top draw" among Kunming's vegetable markets. Inside the plaza, vegetables, fruits, wild mushrooms, flowers, and more are having everything one could possibly need (应有尽有, ying you jin you - "should, have, all, have"); many internet-famous storefronts have long queues forming before them, with an average daily foot traffic of 40,000 to 50,000 person-trips, reaching 80,000 to 100,000 person-trips on holidays.
In 2016, as the urban-village renovation work in the Wuli Central Area advanced, the old East Station Farmers' Market was closed in July of that year and demolition and relocation were initiated; it was renamed Wuliduo Agricultural Expo Plaza and officially began business there.
Jiang Lixia's stall was steaming hot, with local rice noodles plus bean-flour tangyuan selling at 8 yuan a bowl. "Usually I sell three to four hundred bowls a day, and on weekends and holidays I can sell 700 bowls." Next door, a stallholder selling wild mountain vegetables was also rushing to restock wild mushrooms: "Before the holidays there are many tourists; for Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day we must stock up sufficiently."
Chen Yutong has opened a coffee shop inside the agricultural market. She is from Pu'er, and her hometown is a coffee-producing region:"Coffee beans are, after all, an agricultural product, and they ought to be just as down-to-earth as soy milk and fried dough sticks." Her shop sells pour-over coffee, and also displays distinctive items such as Buddha's hand citron and bottle gourds. Amid the market's noisy hubbub, she has carved out a place where people can sit down and rest their feet.
"Yunnan's vegetable markets are like a botanical garden; everyone's experience is particularly good." Wu Lijun, a tour guide with a Kunming travel agency, said,"In April this year, I led a Malaysian tour group to visit Wuliduo Agricultural Expo Plaza. This is already the fourth time I have led a group to visit a Yunnan vegetable market."
Since 2024, Kunming has built 6 "golden tourist routes" and launched "market tours," "seagull-watching season," "flower-appreciation season," "mushroom-eating season," and other offerings; in 2025, it specifically issued a work plan to promote market tours, pushing collective markets to transform from "places to buy vegetables" into "tourism experience carriers where one can stroll and have fun."
From "selling vegetables" to "selling experiences," from "vegetable basket" to "scenic spot," this transformation of Kunming's traditional vegetable markets has not only retained the nostalgia of local residents, but has also attracted visitors from all directions.
Return to TopBy: 董汶鑫
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, a new trend has emerged in the mooncake market: mooncakes bearing labels such as "low-sugar" and"health-preserving," as well as those focusing on reducing sugar and oil, are increasingly favored by consumers.Building on traditional craftsmanship while improving recipes and adapting to modern dietary needs, the mooncake industry is making new explorations.
As living standards continue to rise, the public's dietary concepts are constantly being updated, and expectations for seasonal festival foods are also quietly changing. Some new-flavor, new-recipe mooncakes have gained a broad market, and many consumers give priority to low-sugar, zero-additive, and using ingredients that are both edible and medicinal (药食同源, yao shi tong yuan -"medicine, food, same, origin") products. In response, this year major mooncake brands have also launched low-sugar and other mooncake products to meet market demand.
In keeping with new consumer expectations, many food enterprises continue to enrich their mooncake product categories. Some products, while preserving classic flavors, reduce the proportion of sugar and fat; others tap into the potential of natural ingredients such as coarse grains and fresh fruits, using the natural flavors of ingredients to enrich taste while reducing reliance on sugar. Some hospitals have launched medicinal-diet mooncakes featuring the characteristic of using ingredients that are both edible and medicinal, scientifically pairing ingredients according to traditional Chinese medicine compounding principles, adding various medicinal herbs while ensuring taste, and these too have won the affection of many consumers.
Of course, the essence of mooncakes remains that of a seasonal festival pastry, embodying the cultural connotation of Mid-Autumn reunion. Innovation in mooncake categories does not mean overturning traditional flavors entirely, but rather optimizing and adjusting on the basis of passing down flavors, achieving an organic balance between taste experience and healthy eating. At the same time, recipe improvement must also firmly uphold food safety standards, ensure product quality, and guard against food safety risks.
A small mooncake reflects the transformation of public attitudes. From pursuing rich sweetness and heaviness to favoring health preservation, changes in consumer demand are driving continuous innovation in traditional foods. It is hoped that the mooncake industry will continue to deepen its commitment to quality, and keep exploring and innovating, so that mooncakes may both carry the warmth of Mid-Autumn reunion and adapt to modern lifestyles, allowing people to savor a new festive flavor during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Return to TopBy: 新华社记者 陈 诺 潘 峰
Recently, market supervision and regulation departments in some localities have reported that certain online streamers, by falsely assuming the identity of village cadres and fabricating scenarios to market and sell goods, have been placed under investigation and lawfully registered as cases. Relevant platforms have simultaneously launched special governance efforts, adopting disposal measures against non-compliant livestream rooms and accounts. The regulatory sword being drawn and the platforms correcting course send a clear signal: the identity of "village cadre" is by no means a traffic persona that can be casually appropriated, and "aiding farmers" cannot become a smokescreen for the traffic business.
In recent years, village livestreaming has become a bright spot in the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. Many grassroots cadres and farming households have set up their cameras in the fields, speaking of local sentiment, promoting agricultural products, attracting tourists, clearing bottlenecks in the circulation of agricultural products, and injecting fresh vitality into agricultural and rural development. Village livestreaming values above all the word "authentic": authentic place of origin, genuine products, pure original intention, relying on solid work to win consumer recognition. This sincerity is the precious intangible asset of village livestreaming
Looking at the current chaos of "fake village livestreams" appearing on certain platforms, which, under the banner of aiding farmers, pursue in reality the pursuit of profit, frequently presenting problems such as goods that do not match their description (货不对板, huo bu dui ban - "goods, not, match, board"), questionable quality, and absent after-sales service, they not only harm consumer rights and interests, but also overdraft public trust in farmer-aiding livestreams, hindering the healthy development of rural e-commerce
The innovative development of the village livestreaming industry values authenticity above all and emphasizes good faith. Rectifying the chaos of "fake village livestreams" requires multi-pronged efforts, treating both the symptoms and the root cause (标本兼治, biao ben jian zhi - "symptom, root, both, treat"). Platforms need to plug loopholes from the source, and regulatory departments must refine industry norms. At the same time, through improving identity authentication systems, increasing public welfare training efforts, supporting quality farmer-aiding forces, and so on, we must promote the village livestreaming industry to truly become a new digital driver for the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas
(Xinhua News Agency report)
Return to TopBy: 湖北日报评论员 刘中扬
As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays approach, relevant departments in many localities have successively issued price-behavior reminder and admonition letters, drawing operational red lines for various business entities. Reviewing the reminder and admonition letters issued across various localities in recent years, the rules have become increasingly detailed, the coverage of fields has expanded, and cross-departmental cooperation has grown closer... These new changes have transformed the reminder and admonition letters from "friendly tips" into more actionable "operation manuals."
Putting the effort in upfront and shifting market regulation from "punishment after the fact" to "prevention before the fact" is crucial to fostering a sound tourism and consumption environment during the holidays. The deeper and more precise the "consideration" in the reminder and admonition letters, the more the gray areas can be compressed as much as possible. It serves both as an "instruction manual" for operators to conduct business in compliance and a "letter of commitment" for the protection of consumer rights, as well as a "statement of responsibility" for relevant departments in performing their duties with responsibility (履职尽责, lv zhi jin ze - "fulfill duty, do responsibility").
A single reminder and admonition letter, of course, cannot replace the inspection and complaint-response mechanisms during the holiday period, but establishing a rule framework for "fire prevention before the fact" can give consumers a bit more peace of mind and trust, and a little less worry and wariness. When consumers have confidence, consumption potential can be better unleashed, and in the end, the entire market benefits.
(Excerpted and adapted from Hubei Daily)
Return to TopShaanxi Develops and Launches Qinling Satellites
(Shaanxi Daily, Xi'an, September 23) (Reporter Yang Xiaomei) At 12:03 on September 20, the Qinling Satellite 01 and 02, independently developed by Shaanxi, were successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu, and subsequently entered their preset orbits precisely. This is the first time domestically that high-resolution remote sensing satellites have been customized for the Qinling Mountains, enabling autonomous mission planning for large-area, highly targeted remote sensing tasks and building an independently controllable and manageable (自主可控, zi zhu ke kong - "self, govern, can, control") satellite remote sensing monitoring system. The launch of the Qinling satellites marks Shaanxi's entry into a new stage of "sky-air-ground-network" intelligent monitoring for the ecological protection of the Qinling Mountains.
Pamir Plateau Gains Ecological Policing Workstations
(Xinjiang Daily, Urumqi, September 23) (Reporter Wang Qiming) Recently, the Aranbaotai Ecological Policing Workstation, together with the Xinjiang Taxkorgan Wildlife Nature Reserve Service Center, carried out its first joint ecological patrol. The first batch of ecological policing workstations on the Pamir Plateau was inaugurated on September 9. Police officers at the workstations extend the reach of policing to the front line of ecological protection, safeguarding the biodiversity of the Pamir Plateau and securing border-area ecological safety.
Beijing Has Cumulatively Published Over One Million Volunteer Service Projects
(Beijing Daily, Beijing, September 23) (Reporter Meng Yatan) Recently, an enforcement inspection report on the Beijing Municipality Volunteer Service Promotion Regulations was submitted for deliberation at the 26th session of the Standing Committee of the 16th Beijing Municipal People's Congress. According to the report, more than 4.79 million volunteers have registered with real names on Beijing's "Volunteer Beijing" information platform, and over one million volunteer service projects have been cumulatively published, with the support and guarantee system for volunteer services continuously improving.
Guangzhou, Guangdong, Plans Legislation to Prevent and Control Noise Pollution
(Nanfang Daily, Guangzhou, September 23) (Reporter Zeng Yanchun) Recently, the Guangzhou Municipality Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution (Draft Revision for Comment) was released to the public for opinions and suggestions, explicitly proposing to plan and regulate noise pollution control, standardizing the "inclusion of noise pollution prevention and control requirements in the access list," and requiring relevant departments to investigate and monitor noise emissions in key areas such as the surroundings of noise-sensitive buildings.
Qinzhou Tribunal of Beihai Maritime Court of Guangxi Established
(Guangxi Daily, Qinzhou, September 23) (Reporters Jiang Luyang, Jiang Yuxin) The Qinzhou Tribunal of the Beihai Maritime Court of Guangxi was recently established in Qinzhou City. The tribunal's jurisdiction covers the two major port areas of Qinzhou Port and Fangchenggang Port as well as surrounding inland river and port waters, while also encompassing key waterways including the Zuojiang River, the Youjiang River, the Yongjiang River from Ningsong Village in Nanning through Pingtang River Mouth in Hengzhou to the Pinglu Canal. The establishment of this tribunal further improves Guangxi's maritime judicial layout, serving the construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and the operation and development of the Pinglu Canal.
Hebei Has Built 77 Standardized "Drivers' Homes"
(Hebei Daily, Shijiazhuang, September 23) (Reporter Cao Zhi) Focusing on the travel pain points and service difficulties of truck drivers, Hebei continues to advance the construction of standardized "Drivers' Homes," optimizing the distribution of service points, improving supporting functions, and innovating convenience services, making every effort to build a warm and comfortable freight transport service system. At present, Hebei has built 77 standardized "Drivers' Homes" in five batches, including 9 five-A-level "Drivers' Homes."
Return to TopBy: 本报通讯员 蒋斯亮
Yangzhou rod-puppet theater in Jiangsu was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. In recent years, the Yangzhou Puppet Research Institute has been continuing traditions while innovating (传承创新, chuancheng chuangxin - "inherit, pass down; create, innovate"), carrying out more than one hundred public welfare performances on campus each year.
In addition to offline performances, in May 2024 the Yangzhou Puppet Research Institute officially debuted on a livestreaming platform under the name "Yangzhou Rod Puppets," becoming the first state-owned puppet troupe nationwide to launch group livestreaming. This both safeguarded the professional core of intangible cultural heritage preservation and achieved diversified expansion of dissemination channels. Yangzhou rod puppetry has broken out of the confines of the traditional theater, with its performance arena extending from physical stages to phone screens, opening up a brand-new space for the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage.
Return to TopBy: 青海日报记者 丁玉梅
At 7 a.m., with the morning mist not yet dispersed, the goji berry fields in Zongjia Township, Dulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, were already bustling with activity. Ma Wenqiang, who had come from Xiangride Township, Dulan County, bent over, his hands flitting swiftly among the branches laden with red fruit. "This is my fourth year working in the goji berry fields, so I count as a skilled hand now!" Ma Wenqiang said.
In 2026, the goji berry planting area in Haixi Prefecture reached 30,300 hectares, with the expected total output of fresh fruit reaching 410,000 tons. From August to October each year, more than 100,000 farmers and herdsmen converge here from various parts of Qinghai and from provinces such as Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, with per-capita seasonal income increases exceeding 8,500 yuan.
In response to the large-scale employment needs, the local human resources and social security departments, jointly with the transportation departments, have opened "special buses and special trains," delivering migrant workers directly to the main goji berry producing areas, while also surveying the employment situation across the five planting zones, dynamically grasping and promptly deploying the labor force.
Haixi Prefecture has also set up mobile rights-protection service stations in the main goji berry producing areas, implementing a payment model that combines real-name employment registration, daily or weekly wage settlement, with unified settlement at the end of the picking season. It is also exploring the "goji berry picking+" model to extend the employment chain; at the same time, deepening information exchange and strengthening the reserve of labor resources.
The sun setting in the west (夕阳西下, xi yang xi xia - "evening sun, west, descend"), the goji berry fields in Zongjia Township were bathed in a layer of gold. Ma Wenqiang wants to save up more money, and in a couple of years, he too wants to contract a plot of land to grow goji berries.
Return to TopBy: 本报通讯员 阴文娟
"Seeing that the job fair was right at our doorstep, I came over right away!" said community resident Guo Rui at the Hepan Huayuan Community Service Station on Xincheng Street, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia.
In response to community residents' needs for nearby employment and skills training, Hepan Huayuan Community held a special job fair, with 28 local enterprises offering more than 700 nearby employment positions. The event simultaneously set up dedicated areas for skills training and policy interpretation, helping residents address deficiencies or weaknesses (补齐短板, bu qi duan ban - "fill up, shortcoming, board") in skills and understand employment and entrepreneurship subsidy policies.
Since the beginning of this year, Tongliao City has incorporated the precise construction of a job-supply-and-demand matching platform into its livelihood projects. Local employment departments at all levels have relied on "small but refined" routine recruitment activities to promote high-quality and full employment, comprehensively carrying out 427 online and offline recruitment events of various types to precisely match the needs of different groups. On September 11, the Tongliao City Horqin District Youth Employment Special Job Fair was successfully held, with 38 enterprises releasing 1,101 positions. A series of refined and convenience-oriented employment measures, through doorstep-delivered considerate services, have opened up the "last mile" of employment services.
Return to TopBy: 重庆忠县融媒体中心 伯 华
"Dee——" the whistle was crisp and clear. On the track set up at Zhongyi Square in Zhongxian County, Chongqing, 61 online delivery riders, dressed in uniform work clothes, pushed their delivery carts and stood at the starting line, full of high spirits (精神抖擞, jing shen dou sou - "spirit, shake, vigorous").
After hearing the start command, contestant No. 32, Liu Yuke, started quickly: he circled the cart once to check the tires and brakes, opened the delivery box, stacked the simulated meals neatly in three layers — hot food, beverages, and fresh produce — and completed the preparation phase. Liu Yuke is a native of Zhongxian County, has been delivering takeout for 5 years, and standing on the skills competition ground at his own doorstep, he was more focused than usual.
Recently, the labor and skills competition for online delivery riders in Chongqing, hosted by the Chongqing Federation of Trade Unions and the People's Government of Zhongxian County, was held. The competition set up modules including delivery preparation, order pickup and delivery, and driving skills, in order to create a strong atmosphere of respecting labor and advocating skills.
"When I get back, I'll share the steady-driving skills I practiced at the competition with my colleagues at the station." After the competition, Liu Yuke, clutching the second-prize certificate he had just received, said happily.
Return to TopGeneral Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "We must focus on discovering and cultivating young people's interests and aptitudes, scientific literacy, and experimental ability, attracting more young people with research potential to resolve to devote themselves to scientific and technological endeavors." The deeper purpose of science popularization lies not merely in spreading knowledge, but even more in nurturing the reserve force for innovation.
September of this year marks the second National Science Popularization Month. With the theme "Technology Changes Life, Innovation Wins the Future," many academicians have actively participated in and supported science popularization activities. In this installment of "Academicians Explain Science: Special Report on National Science Popularization Month," we have invited three academicians—Wang Pinxian, Liu Jiaqi, and Zhang Jiping—to answer science-related questions raised by our young readers. We hope that, taking National Science Popularization Month as an opportunity, we can stimulate young people's imagination and thirst for exploration, making engagement in basic research the life pursuit of more young people.
—Editor
In the eternally dark deep sea, how many secrets await exploration?
May curiosity never die!
Young readers' questions
You once said the deep sea is another world. What do the creatures there look like? Can they be eaten?
Humanity's home is on land. Why do we need to burrow into the sea? What treasures in the deep sea are truly worth exploring?
Dear children:
I am Wang Pinxian, and I have spent most of my life engaged in marine geological research. At the age of 82, I still boarded the "Deep Sea Warrior" and descended to the deep sea at 1,400 meters in the South China Sea.
For us who live on land, the deep sea is indeed another world, and there are many creatures with which people are relatively unfamiliar. For example, the hadal snailfish photographed at more than 8,000 meters in the Mariana Trench is milky white and translucent, with bones soft enough to bend—it is "custom-made" to withstand more than a thousand atmospheres of pressure; for another example, the extremely rare hadal fish such as certain rattails occasionally found below 6,000 meters of water depth—it is not that they know how to turn invisible, but that we have gone to the deep sea too few times. 95% of the ocean is shrouded in eternal darkness, and finding a fish in black water is harder than finding a mosquito on a playground at night with a flashlight.
In the past, we always thought the deep sea was a "three-without world" of "no light, no movement, no life." In fact, apart from the absence of light, all other perceptions were wrong. The deep sea, with water depths exceeding 2,000 meters, accounts for 84% of ocean area and 60% of Earth's surface—it is the main body of Earth's surface and one of the parts of our planet we understand least. The undersea topography is by no means less varied than the land; there lie mid-ocean ridges stretching tens of thousands of kilometers, and hadal trenches more than 10,000 meters deep. Beside hydrothermal "black smokers" huddle tube worms, shrimp, and shellfish, linking up a "dark food chain" that does not rely on the sun; Hawaii's gold coral can live for thousands of years, as old as the pyramids…. The deep sea is not a lifeless terminus, but an outlet where Earth's interior pushes upward.
But deep-sea creatures are not to be eaten; some contain sulfur and are toxic, and even the non-toxic ones cannot be eaten because they grow too slowly. For example, deep-sea corals can grow into "gardens," but they grow extremely slowly—only one millimeter in several decades—and cannot withstand human consumption.
In the bottomless ocean, exactly how many treasures are hidden?
The deep sea is a "second biosphere." We on land always naturally assume that all living things cannot do without the light and energy provided by the sun, but at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, tube worms have no mouth or anus and survive on sulfur bacteria in their bellies; worms, crabs, and shellfish do not rely on solar energy but on Earth's internal energy to survive; microorganisms hide in rock crevices and sleep for millions of years, waking when magma heats up…. These creatures grow slowly and live strangely; when humans go to the deep sea, we can decipher where their abilities to withstand high temperatures, high pressures, and potent toxins come from.
The deep sea is a metal warehouse. Deep-sea metal ores fall into three major categories: manganese nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, and hydrothermal metallic sulfides. Manganese nodules, like potatoes scattered across the seabed, grow only one centimeter in a million years; cobalt-rich crusts cling to seamounts; hydrothermal "black smokers" spew hot water at two to three hundred degrees Celsius, bringing out abundant copper, zinc, gold, silver, and rare earths. But these ores are not ready-made gold bars; humanity's development of the deep sea is still at a primitive stage, far from mature, and mechanically transplanting the land's "gold rush" methods to the deep sea is bound to fall into traps.
The deep sea is also a future energy reservoir. Water molecules, when frozen, lock methane inside—that is combustible ice that can burn with just a match; in recent years, 70% of major global oil and gas discoveries have come from waters deeper than 1,000 meters. The resources awaiting development beneath the seabed are extremely abundant, and our current exploration has only just begun.
The deep sea is also Earth's own "medical record." The coral forests, ancient hydrothermal vents, and phosphorites on the seabed of the South China Sea record how climate has changed and how ocean currents have flowed over tens of millions of years. Without studying these, we cannot understand typhoons and ice ages.
The longest mountain ranges, deepest valleys, and strongest volcanoes all lie beneath the sea. How does Earth operate? How does climate change? Can life survive without the sun? These answers, too, are hidden beneath the seabed. I wrote "The Deep Sea: A Brief Introduction" because I wanted to use simple language to speak of the deep sea, letting you "take a look" first before deciding whether you love it. Science values exploration and doubt; today you ask what deep-sea creatures look like, and in the future you may design the next generation of deep-sea submersibles, or draw a genealogical tree for a hadal snailfish. As long as you maintain the drive of "not being able to sleep without solving a scientific problem," then in that 95% of darkness, there will always be someone to keep the lamp lit. May curiosity never die!
(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; compiled from an interview by People's Daily reporter Huang Xiaohui.)
Ice and fire—how do they together shape the home we live in?
Hope youth have ambition!
Young readers' questions
Volcanoes have very strong destructive power. If there were no volcanoes, what would Earth be like?
You have drilled into lakes at both the North and South Poles and discovered multiple layers of volcanic ash in ice cores and rock cores. Why do volcanoes also erupt in such cold polar regions?
Dear children:
I am "Volcano Grandpa" Liu Jiaqi. Throughout my research career, most of my time has been spent chasing the imprints of the earth and recording its changes. Reading carefully through each question full of childlike curiosity and reflection, I can deeply feel your pure goodwill and reverence for life and nature.
Indeed, volcanoes have strong destructive power and "quirky" temperaments, but if there were no volcanoes, perhaps Earth would be a lifeless planet, and people would have no chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Changbai Mountain's Heaven Lake, Tengchong's hot springs, and Weizhou Island. In fact, volcanoes are a sign that a planet has vitality; the formation and evolution of every planet cannot do without volcanoes. Without volcanic activity, that planet is dead.
I have been to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau seven times, explored the Arctic three times, and ventured to the Antarctic twice, traveling through more than 50 countries and regions, crossing mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, deserts, and plateaus—all to seek out the secrets hidden deep in nature. The deeper I go into nature, the more I realize: the earth beneath our feet has a pulse and a breath, evolving and changing ceaselessly over hundreds of millions of years.
Perhaps it is hard for everyone to connect the polar ice sheets with scorching, surging volcanoes. In fact, both the North and South Poles have both ancient dead volcanoes and active volcanoes that have erupted in recent times, and even volcanoes hidden beneath thick ice caps. Volcanic activity is dominated by the material and energy within Earth; the low temperatures of polar surfaces cannot easily affect magma at temperatures over a thousand degrees Celsius, and the underground conditions there equally possess the geological prerequisites for volcanic eruption.
During scientific expeditions, we drill and sample in polar lakes, extracting ice cores and lake-bottom rock cores, just like obtaining "archives" that Earth has preserved for millions of years. The fine volcanic ash between rock layers and ice layers is a precious imprint left by ancient times. In ancient times, after volcanic eruptions, volcanic ash rode the wind across mountains and seas, scattering across polar ice fields and lakes; after long-term deposition and coverage by snow and ice, it has been perfectly sealed and preserved to this day. Through scientific testing and analysis of volcanic ash, we can precisely determine the era, scale, and intensity of volcanic eruptions. Then, by cross-referencing volcanic activity data with glacial advance and retreat, climate warming and cooling, and environmental changes, we can fully reconstruct the trajectory of climate and environmental change in the polar regions and even globally over millions of years.
Geological research does not merely look back at Earth's past; it also seeks to unearth the treasures bestowed by nature.
For example, among the rocks we study, one type of volcanic rock is called basalt, formed by volcanic eruptions and widely distributed in nature. In the past, most of these rocks could only be crushed and used to pave roads, with very limited value. Can we make cold, hard volcanic rocks release new value?
After in-depth research and experimentation, we crush natural basalt ore, heat it to over 1,500 degrees Celsius, melt it into liquid magma, and then draw it through specially made bushings into basalt fiber. This new material is completely different from our everyday cotton, linen, and chemical fibers. Ordinary clothing is soft and comfortable but fears high temperatures and extreme cold, and is easily corroded by strong acids and strong alkalis. Basalt fiber, however, draws on the excellent properties of volcanic rock: it withstands high temperatures, resists extreme cold, endures corrosion, has high strength, and is pollution-free. The national flag displayed by China's Chang'e-6 on the far side of the Moon was precisely made from basalt fiber, able to withstand the lunar temperature difference of over 300 degrees Celsius between day and night. Today, this volcanic rock fiber is widely used in aerospace, national defense, firefighting, and other fields, serving our production and daily life.
Children, ice and fire, though seemingly opposed, together shape the home we live in. Geological science is not just rocks and data; it contains the stories of mountains and rivers changing through time and the wisdom of ecological coexistence, and even more, the answers to how humans and nature get along. We hope that in the future, more people will rush to mountains and wilderness, set foot on polar regions, and continue to read this thick, great book that is Earth. Hope youth have ambition!
(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; compiled from an interview by People's Daily reporter Wu Yuehui.)
Mathematics is both supremely beautiful and supremely difficult—how should it be studied?
May you make steady progress without looking back!
Young readers' questions
You believe mathematics pursues the purest, truest, simplest, and most beautiful, and is a discipline that pursues perfection. But for many people, mathematics is simply "supremely difficult"—every day requires calculation and memorizing formulas, feeling abstract and dull. How did you persevere?
If one day, AI (artificial intelligence) solves all math problems correctly, do we still need to learn mathematics?
Dear children:
I am Zhang Jiping, a university teacher who has spent most of his life dealing with mathematical research. My love for mathematics began precisely in my youth; back then, a knowledgeable and highly charismatic mathematics teacher brought me into this wonderful discipline. From then on, mathematics has always been one of the subjects I am best at and most devoted to.
In fact, I completely understand why you feel mathematics is "supremely difficult." Having researched mathematics for decades, I have encountered many difficulties and challenges. I once focused on a problem called the "deficiency zero existence" problem, which was one of the ten open problems in our research field at that time. Back then, people understood quite a lot about this problem in the case of cyclic groups of prime order, but not much about other cases. After deep reflection, I realized that the most critical case was precisely the cyclic case that everyone was most familiar with. After finding this breakthrough point, difficulties still abounded. The problem was relatively easy in the solvable case, but in the non-solvable case, it had to be divided into many categories and handled separately. I divided the entire research into 11 steps, solving it layer by layer like peeling an onion, with every step being a huge challenge.
When I was studying at Peking University, I lived the "three-point-one-line" life of dormitory, cafeteria, and library—sounds monotonous, right? But my mind was filled with research and study matters; making good use of my time was my greatest joy, and I never felt it was bitter. Striving for the goals one pursues is itself a happy thing; although one success may be accompanied by 100 failures, failed attempts are precisely the paving stones and stepping stones toward success. Moreover, difficulty and ease are not absolute—it mainly depends on whether you have a feel for the subject and whether you like it. You like playing games and playing football, and you are willing to practice even the most difficult moves repeatedly; mathematics is the same—once you have interest, there is no such thing as difficult or easy.
Some people call mathematicians geniuses, as if they were born knowing how to solve problems—that is not right. Talent plus sweat is what produces great mathematicians. Talent is certainly important, but hard work afterward is the key to success. You may temporarily feel mathematics is difficult and dull—that does not matter. As long as you keep asking "why" without stopping, persist in pondering and practicing, you will surely see change, and you may come to feel that, it turns out mathematics can be this interesting, too.
You ask me, if AI solves all math problems correctly, do we still need to learn mathematics? That is a very good question. To answer it, we need to talk about the essence of mathematics.
Mathematics is the language of science, able to reveal the complex phenomena and internal laws of nature. The pursuit of the purest, truest, simplest, and most beautiful mathematics is a discipline that pursues perfection and also the cornerstone of many major scientific and technological breakthroughs. For example, in the field of communications, many studies begin with solving mathematical problems; in fields vital to national development such as aerospace, mathematics also plays an irreplaceable role; the TV you watch, the phones, navigation, and AI tools you use—behind them all, it is actually mathematics that provides support. Mathematics is the foundation; just like building a house, only when the foundation is laid firmly can a tall building be erected atop it.
Today, AI can solve math problems for us, help verify mathematical proofs, and even participate in generating new mathematical reasoning. In the future, AI will inevitably play an increasingly important role in the development of mathematics. But powerful AI tools cannot replace our thinking; mathematics is not only about solving problems—it is, even more, an indispensable foundation in the system of human knowledge. To explore a broader world and achieve more imaginative breakthroughs in the AI era, mastering a comprehensive and solid foundation of mathematical knowledge remains the crucial first step. Moreover, an important underlying logic of AI is mathematics itself; AI will not overturn the theories of mathematics, and the interaction between mathematicians and AI will drive great development in mathematics.
Children, do not fear that mathematics is difficult. Mathematics is the high ground of human intelligence, recognized as intellectual gymnastics, and naturally has its challenges. The hardest thing on the road of mathematics is not calculation, but the persistence and courage to take one more step forward when you have reached the boundary—AI may be able to provide answers to some questions, but this "step forward" can only be taken by ourselves. May you make steady progress without looking back!
(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University; compiled from interviews by Jiang Ziyu and Yu Sinan.)
Academic support and data source: China Association for Science and Technology
Return to TopBy: 银 燕
From "What is there in the deep sea," to "Why do volcanoes erupt even at the poles," and then to "Why do we have to study mathematics," facing the fascinating world of science, children dare to ask "why," and pursue with "and then what happens next" — the act of seeking itself is more precious than the answer.
The academicians' answers likewise go beyond mere answers, instead issuing a broader invitation to the children — maintain pure curiosity, and continue exploring the world. At present, our country already has more than 2.2 million full-time and part-time science popularization personnel, and the China Association for Science and Technology's "Science Popularization China" organizes and mobilizes more than ten thousand academicians, experts, and science and technology workers every year to continuously output science popularization works on the internet... A science popularization workforce of vast scale plants the seeds of science into the hearts of children.
May curiosity never die! We look forward to youth harboring aspirations! May you move forward without any hesitation (一往无前, yi wang wu qian - "one, go, no, forward")! Distant planets and boundless frontiers are all connected to you and me. When more and more young people move from "learning science" toward "loving science," and from "loving science" toward "doing science," in the future, the vast starry sky of science will surely shine with a galaxy of brilliant stars.
Return to TopThe business environment is a region's "soft power" and also the "hard support" for development. Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, has firmly established the philosophy that "competing for the economy is competing for the environment, and grasping development begins with grasping the business environment," using reform to improve efficiency, using scenarios to nurture new growth, and using services to warm hearts, going all out to build a first-class business environment of "low entrepreneurship costs and excellent innovation ecology." In the first half of this year, Shangyu District turned in a high-quality "mid-term answer sheet": regional GDP grew 7.9% year-on-year, ranking first in Shaoxing City; industrial investment, manufacturing investment, and high-tech investment all grew over 30% year-on-year, all ranking first in Shaoxing City.
Reform improves efficiency, project landing accelerates
Based on the needs of the entire life cycle of enterprise development, Shangyu District uses whole-process systematic optimization to unblock bottlenecks in project landing, so that projects can be attracted in, landed, and built quickly.
To resolve the structural contradiction between "projects waiting for land" and"land waiting for projects," Shangyu District has innovatively explored the "data gets land" mechanism for industrial land, quantifying and scoring data across four dimensions—growth potential, economic benefits, innovation capacity, and transformation and upgrading—so that high-quality projects obtain priority land supply based on actual performance, with the entire process placed under digital supervision to ensure fairness and justice in every link. Existing industrial land, following the principle of"collect where appropriate to collect, renovate where appropriate to renovate, transfer where appropriate to transfer," is classified and pushed to flow toward high-quality projects. Scattered plots such as corner land, sandwiched land, and interleaved land are revitalized, and, where conditions are met, may be transferred by agreement to adjacent industrial projects, making room for high-quality enterprises to grow stronger and expand. In the first half of this year, manufacturing investment across the district grew 39.4% year-on-year, with the growth rate ranking first in the city, anda number of enterprises accelerated capital expansion and production growth through"having land to use and using land quickly."
Slow project approval and long landing cycles are a common problem in enterprise development. Shangyu District has comprehensively implemented mechanisms such as"land allocation upon contract signing,""commencement upon land acquisition,""pre-acceptance upon roof topping,"and"production by phased space," with industrial projects handled through"one-window acceptance," and multiple approval links including project filing, land use, and construction permits achieving"one-time submission of materials, parallel processing." After the new policies were introduced, the average approval cycle for industrial projects was compressed to within one week, and 100% of all ordinary industrial projects in the district commenced construction within one month of acquiring land, with energy assessment approval time shortened by60% and environmental impact assessment approval compressed to one day. Two hundred-million-yuan-level industrial projects, Jiadun Fire Protection and Wode Fire Protection, completed all commencement procedures in just one week, and fast project landing, fast construction, and fast commissioning have become the norm.
In Shangyu District, innovative achievements are accelerating their journey from the laboratory to the production line. Thanks to the"four-direct fast-conversion" model of"direct recognition of results, direct diversified investment, direct supply of factors, and direct sharing of ecology," Shangyu District has opened up the full-chain pathway from concept validation, pilot-scale maturation, to industrialization, with the average cycle from pilot-scale results to landing and production compressed by about7 months. Relying on the New Materials Innovation Base of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Holdings Co., Ltd., the Xingchuan Xingguang industrialization project took only6 months from completing pilot-scale testing to acquiring land and commencing construction, setting the fastest record in the city for similar projects from landing to production, achieving"one-stop direct access" for the industrialization of pilot-scale projects.
Scenarios nurture new growth, innovation ecology opens new space
Scenarios, as the key link connecting technology with industry and R&D with the market, are becoming an important vehicle for cultivating new quality productive forces. Shangyu District uses real scenarios to guide technological innovation, innovation platforms to aggregate industrial factors, and burden-reducing policies to nurture fertile soil for entrepreneurship, letting innovative forces gather momentum rapidly along the banks of the Cao'e River.
Good technology fears having no place where one's talents can be fully utilized (用武之地, yong wu zhi di - "use, martial, place"), and good products fear having no"debut stage." In response, Shangyu has established a"Scenario Cultivation Office," finding applications for products and technologies for scenarios, publishing a"Scenario Opportunity List" covering12 categories of high-value application scenarios—including embodied intelligence for special industries and urban organic renewal—with a total value of3 billion yuan. A number of robots have entered scenarios such as high-risk inspection in chemical enterprises to"report for duty," with technology having a place to be tested and products having a place to be used. Shangyu District has gone further to proactively"create scenarios": the Yangtze River Delta Center of the Embodied Intelligence Testing Laboratory, jointly built by Zhejiang Shangyu Cao'e River Economic Development Zone and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, was officially inaugurated in July this year, setting up multiple scenarios capable of conducting real-world testing of the locomotion capabilities, environmental adaptability, and other attributes of embodied intelligent humanoid robots and quadruped robots. Scenarios are precisely driving the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.
An efficient, coordinated, three-dimensional innovation network lets innovation move from single-point breakthroughs to full-chain coordination. Shangyu District has built a"government-industry-university-research-finance-intermediary-users" regional joint innovation system, with the Hangzhou Bay Joint Innovation Center, totaling2.1 billion yuan in investment, put into use, focusing on three major strategic leading industries—advanced materials, intelligent equipment, and life health—and prospectively laying out emerging future tracks such as embodied intelligence, having already gathered30 talent-and-science innovation projects and over380 talents of various kinds, with high-energy-level platforms such as the Zhejiang University Shangyu Semiconductor Materials Research Center successively settling in. To nourish the"living water" of innovation, the Hangzhou Bay Joint Innovation Center has introduced professional institutions for technology intermediation, talent services, science-and-technology finance, and more, with innovative forces rapidly converging along the banks of the Cao'e River.
"Zero-yuan entrepreneurship" support lets more innovative dreams take root and flourish in Shangyu District. The four"Zero-Innovation Bay" platforms—the"Zero-Innovation Bay·Hongyan" entrepreneurship space, Zero-Innovation Bay·Biomanufacturing, Zero-Innovation Bay·Hangzhou Bay Joint Innovation Center, and Zero-Innovation Bay·Zhihui Agricultural Innovation Park—are accelerating their formation, among which the"Zero-Innovation Bay·Hongyan" entrepreneurship space has seen its dynamic occupancy rate exceed98%, adding50 new projects this year, with signed projects reaching112. Shangyu District has formulated and issued the"Implementation Plan for Promoting the Full-Chain Empowerment and Upgrading of'Zero-Innovation Bay,'" advancing the landing and effective delivery of"four-zero" services—"zero cost" for site rent, "zero running around" for registration, "zero expense" for utilities, and"zero distance" for training and exchange—with total disbursement of the entrepreneurship loan"Yuchuang Loan" approaching100 million yuan, including40 million yuan added this year, letting young entrepreneurs"travel light" with their ideas.
Warm-hearted services make business entities more fulfilled
Whether the business environment is good or not—the feelings of enterprises are what count. Shangyu District adheres to"responding to enterprise calls," using an institutionalized service network, warm rule-of-law safeguards, and accessible, tangible living support to let business entities operate with peace of mind and let workers develop with confidence.
When enterprises have something to call out, we respond. Shangyu District has designated the first working day of each month as"Enterprise Care Service Day," with leadership team members going down to the front line to collectively inquire about needs. Regular"government-enterprise roundtable meetings" are held, listening to opinions face-to-face and solving problems with real action. All collected problems are incorporated into the"Enterprise Calls, We Respond" platform for unified management, ensuring every item has implementation and every matter has feedback. The"1+4(N)+20" three-tier service matrix of district, platforms (leading industries),, and townships and streets runs through the mobile-government, online-government, and agency-handling service systems, open24 hours a day,365 days a year. Since the beginning of this year, it has cumulatively received visits to657 enterprises, collected636 enterprise-related demands, and resolved636, with the"one-network handling" rate of government services reaching99.7%.
Rule of law is the best business environment. Shangyu District has implemented a"whitelist" for enterprise-related inspections, with the first batch of451 enterprises included in dynamic management, implementing"at most one comprehensive inspection per year," letting law-abiding enterprises produce with peace of mind. "Light punishment for minor violations" and"no punishment for first violations" are being comprehensively promoted, making law enforcement both forceful and warm. A special campaign for credit repair is being advanced in tandem, with Shangyu District opening up a"one-stop" service channel for credit repair, achieving100% completion of repair for all1,185 eligible enterprises. The map of overseas legal service resources has introduced249 overseas law firm service outlets covering65 countries and regions, providing solid support for enterprises"going global."
The warmth of the business environment is reflected in care for every striver. Shangyu District has built a housing guarantee system of"free short-term stay, low-rent medium-term rental, and preferential long-term purchase," launching1,000 units each of"Zero-yuan Apartments" and"rent-then-buy" worry-free housing. For newly employed groups, it provides100 units of indemnificatory housing and65 warm new-employment-group stations, creating friendly scenarios such as courier canteens and warm service circles, letting"secure housing" land in the real lives of workers. The"Courier Council" deliberates solutions around the"key small matters" of newly employed groups and gets things done, letting strivers settle down with peace of mind.
Thriving business in Shaoxing, commerce reaching all under heaven. Looking ahead, Shangyu District will continue to strengthen the orientation of"valuing the real economy, valuing industry, valuing enterprises," iteratively optimize key measures for the business environment, build a first-class business environment, contribute Shangyu's strength to Shaoxing's bid to become the city with the best business-environment reputation in China, and let the momentum of high-quality development continue to surge on this hot land.
Data source: Publicity Department of the CPC Shaoxing Municipal Committee's Shangyu District Committee
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孙龙飞 陶相安 高 佶
In the final 50 meters, Chinese team athlete Zhang Zhanshuo kept accelerating, overtook South Korean team athlete Hwang Sun-woo, and maintained the advantage to the very end, drawing cheers and applause from the entire venue. On September 23, in the men's 200-meter freestyle final of the 20th Asian Games, Zhang Zhanshuo won the gold medal with a time of 1 minute 43.49 seconds, setting a new Asian record.
Since the start of these Asian Games, Chinese athletes have achieved outstanding results and continuously rewritten records, using tenacious struggle to paint a brilliant backdrop of youth.
In gymnastics competition, victory and defeat are decided by a very narrow margin (毫厘之间, hao li zhi jian - "tiny, between"). On September 23, in the men's team gymnastics final, the Chinese team composed of Zhang Boheng, Zou Jingyuan, Sun Wei, Lan Xingyu, and Tian Hao engaged in fierce competition with their opponents from the very first event, the floor exercise. After five rotations, the Chinese team led second-place Japan by 1.934 points.
The suspense lasted until the final rotation, the horizontal bar event. Japan's Kakihira Tomoharu, who competed first, scored 13.766 points, and Sun Wei made a mistake, leaving China's lead at less than one point. Thereafter, Tian Hao seized on a mistake by Japan's Oka Shinnosuke to help the Chinese team stabilize the situation. Facing the high-scoring performance of Tokyo Olympic all-around champion Hashimoto Daiki, Zhang Boheng executed his mount, flips, and dismount in one continuous motion (一气呵成, yi qi he cheng - "one, breath, complete, succeed"), using a perfect performance to help the Chinese team seal the victory and achieve a third consecutive Asian Games title.
The achievement was hard-won. Despite an arm strain suffered before the competition, Zhang Boheng withstood the pressure and successively claimed gold in the men's individual all-around and team events. He attributed the victory to the entire team: "We are a team constantly striving for perfection (精益求精, jing yi qiu jing - "refine, seek, excellence"), and we trained countless times 'at home' precisely to pursue results with greater substance."
In the women's team gymnastics final held on the same day, the Chinese team, despite an unfavorable start, showed great courage and fighting spirit (敢打敢拼, gan da gan pin - "dare, fight, dare, struggle") and completed a comeback, achieving a fourteenth consecutive Asian Games title in this event.
In the swimming pool competition, the Chinese team achieved success in multiple areas simultaneously (多点开花, duo dian kai hua - "many, points, bloom, flowers"), having already rewritten 4 Asian records and multiple Games records, with the relay events particularly demonstrating the team's resilience. In the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay final, Japan placed its strongest swimmer in the lead-off position, attempting to lock in victory with an early advantage. At the critical moment, the team's mutual support came into play: Xu Haibo adjusted his tense state from the preliminaries and swam faster in the final's opening leg; Fei Liwei, though tense, still gave his all; Pan Zhanle fought hard to close the gap. The pressure was left for the anchor leg, Zhang Zhanshuo. "I have three very strong teammates, so why should I be afraid?" With the conviction that "this breath must not be let go," he swam a split time of 1 minute 42.92 seconds, helping the Chinese team win the gold medal.
The appeal of competitive sports lies not only in the glorious moment of standing atop the highest podium, but also in the spirit of not bowing one's head in adversity and courageously pressing forward.
At the shooting range, Chinese athletes frequently refreshed world records, with Sheng Lihao winning three consecutive gold medals and Wang Zifei and Jiang Yiting each claiming two golds... With their "big hearts," they demonstrated unwavering and resolute determination (坚韧不拔, jian ren bu ba - "firm, tough, not, pull") and a fine competitive spirit in the competitions.
The competition continues, and the struggle never ceases. Chinese athletes pour their passion into the arena, break through their own limits amid challenges, and turn every jump, every shot, and every stroke into steps toward their dreams.
(People's Daily reporter Liu Yao and People's Daily Online reporter Hu Xuerong contributed to this report)
Return to TopOn September 23, the fourth competition day after the opening of this Asian Games, Chinese team athletes won 16 gold medals across various events. As of the evening of the 23rd, the Chinese delegation had won 48 gold, 20 silver, and 10 bronze medals at this Asian Games.
On the morning of the 23rd, the athletics events of the Asian Games began (拉开大幕, la kai da mu - "pull open, large, curtain"). In the men's half marathon race walk event, 19-year-old Chinese team athlete Shi Shengji claimed the title with a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds, securing the first athletics gold medal of this Asian Games for China, which was also the 200th gold medal in the history of Chinese athletics at the Asian Games. In the women's half marathon race walk event, Chinese team athlete Yang Liujing, with a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes,and 40 seconds, added another gold medal for the Chinese team.
In shooting events, Chinese team athletes harvested a total of 3 gold, 2 silver,and 1 bronze. The Chinese team composed of Jiang Ranxin, Shen Yiyao,and Yao Qianxun won the women's 10m air pistol team title, while Shen Yiyao and Jiang Ranxin respectively took silver and bronze in the individual event. Jiang Yiting successfully defended her title in the women's skeet individual event, tying the world record. She also joined teammates Che Yufei and Jiang Chaoyu to win the women's skeet team title, setting a new Games record. Lü Jianlin won silver in the men's skeet individual event.
Swimming events continued, and the Chinese team harvested 6 gold and 3 silver across 7 events. In the men's 200m freestyle final, Zhang Zhanshuo won gold with a time of 1:43.49 and broke the Asian record. Tang Qianting and Yu Zidi respectively claimed gold in the women's 100m breaststroke and women's 400m individual medley finals, both setting new Games records. Yu Yiting and Zhang Yufei swept gold and silver in the women's 100m butterfly, while Peng Xuwei won the women's 100m backstroke title. In the mixed 4×100m medley relay final, the Chinese team composed of Xu Jiayu, Dong Zhihao, Zhang Yufei,and Yu Yiting won gold and successfully defended their title.
Gymnastics events welcomed the men's and women's team finals. The Chinese men's team performed excellently and smoothly defended their title. The women's team, despite an unfavorable start, staged a comeback and secured their fourteenth consecutive Asian Games team title. Wushu routines events concluded in full on the 23rd, with Gao Xiaobin and Yao Yang respectively claiming the men's broadsword-cudgel all-around title and the women's sword-spear all-around title. In equestrian competition, Hua Tian successfully defended his gold medal in the individual eventing. Additionally, at this Asian Games the men's football group stage concluded, with the Chinese team advancing to the quarterfinals as group leaders. The Chinese team also advanced to the finals of both men's and women's team events in table tennis and badminton.
(People's Daily reporters Liu Shuoyang, Chen Chenxi, Li Shuo, Sun Longfei, Liu Qiao; People's Daily Online reporter Hu Xuerong)
Return to TopBy: 汪 顺
My fifth Asian Games journey has come to an end. From the young and inexperienced boy at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games to the oldest veteran on the Chinese swimming team at this edition of the Games, I have "ridden" the Asian Games through more than a decade of my youth, and have also experienced a path of growth from repeated "rough patches" to swimming with rhythm.
Competitive sport has never been a smooth and easy journey. I often say: "Race against yourself,and be the best version of yourself in my own lane." At the 2014 Incheon Asian Games,a pre-competition fever disrupted my preparation rhythm,and I could only take bronze in the 200m individual medley,nearly four seconds behind the Asian record set by the champion of that time. The huge gap brought deep frustration. For me,that bronze medal was both a thorn piercing my heart and a lamp illuminating the road ahead. However,it was precisely the refusal to give up during the low point that made possible the later "smoothness" and breakthrough.
At the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games,in the final 50 meters of the 200m individual medley final,I fought hard to complete the comeback and claim my first individual Asian Games gold,truly experiencing the value of striving. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games,I had the honor of serving as the final torchbearer of the opening ceremony in my hometown,and the blazing sense of honor spurred me forward. On the first competition day after the opening,I swam 1:54.62 in the 200m individual medley final,defending my title while setting a new Asian record. At that moment I became even more convinced that every persistence has its echo.
The swimming venue for this edition of the Asian Games was the Tokyo Aquatics Centre——the place where I won my Olympic gold medal. Returning to familiar ground,I set "no limits" for myself. At the age of 32,competing in two individual events,the 200m and 400m individual medleys,was no small test for my body. During the preparation cycle,I worked to strengthen my physical fitness and speed while placing particular emphasis on recovery. Facing formidable opponents,I still gave my all to the task,and ultimately took home two bronze medals and one relay gold. My original aspiration has never changed: to raise the national flag and play the national anthem at the competition venue.
This edition of the Asian Games was a key examination for the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. With the support of a composite team,I hope that Chinese swimming will not rely merely on a handful of top athletes,but will form an overall advantage through collective strength. I also believe that in the future more young athletes will carve out a space for themselves on the international stage,and shine with their own light.
What is the spirit of sport? In my heart,it is resilience,breakthrough,and legacy. Resilience is choosing to move forward even when mired in a low point; breakthrough is ceaselessly challenging one's own limits; legacy is passing down the spirit and energy of predecessors from generation to generation.
Age is just a number,and passion can withstand the long passage of years. No matter how much longer I can swim,I will cherish every opportunity to dive into the water,and do my utmost for Chinese sport. What sport has taught me is not only how to win competitions,but also,through each departure and turn,to become a better version of myself.
(The author is a swimmer on the Chinese sports delegation to the 20th Asian Games; compiled from an interview by People's Daily reporter Sun Longfei)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杨 昊
On September 22, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce released the "2026 Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises" list and research analysis report in Tianjin. JD.com, Alibaba (China) Co., Ltd., and Hengli Group Co., Ltd. ranked in the top three, and the entry threshold for the Top 500 private enterprises was 255.99 billion yuan.
Facing the complex situation of increased external pressure and greater internal difficulties, the Top 500 private enterprises are unswervingly pursuing a goal (坚定不移, jian ding bu yi - "firm, steady, not, move") of high-quality development, continuously enhancing their innovation capabilities, operational efficiency, and core competitiveness, with the overall picture showing a development trend toward the new and the superior.
This year marks the 28th survey of large-scale private enterprises organized by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, with a total of 6,350 enterprises with annual operating revenue of 10 billion yuan or above in 2025 participating; among them, the top 500 by operating revenue constitute the "2026 Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises".
Overall scale grew steadily, and operational efficiency improved steadily. In 2025, the total operating revenue of the Top 500 private enterprises reached 44.93 trillion yuan, with an average of 898.51 billion yuan per enterprise, an increase of 4.35% over the previous year; net profit reached 1.83 trillion yuan, with an average of 36.52 billion yuan per enterprise, an increase of 1.31% over the previous year.
Among the Top 500 private enterprises, secondary industry enterprises accounted for 74.40% and manufacturing enterprises accounted for 70.60% of the total; the total operating revenue of manufacturing enterprises reached 32.22 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.73%, accounting for 71.72% of the Top 500. The Top 500 private enterprises are actively laying out strategic emerging industries and future industries, covering segmented fields such as new materials, new energy, and high-end equipment manufacturing.
Mou Shuhui, Deputy Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Bureau under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated that she hopes the Top 500 private enterprises will continue to play a leading and exemplary role, deepening cooperation with small and medium enterprises in areas such as technological research and development, product supporting, scenario opening, and standard formulation.
Innovation vitality continues to surge. The Top 500 private enterprises hold 848,700 valid patents and have led or participated in the formulation of 11,904 national standards and 8,004 industry standards. Among those that actually reported data, the total R&D expenditure of the Top 500 private enterprises reached 1.26 trillion yuan, with a total of 1.3449 million R&D personnel, and an average R&D investment intensity of 2.95%.
High-intensity R&D investment is accelerating its transformation into perceptible technological achievements. As of the end of June, Tencent had filed a total of over 98,000 patent applications publicly in major countries and regions worldwide, with over 55,000 granted patents, mainly concentrated in fields such as artificial intelligence and instant messaging. IFLYTEK, relying on its independently controllable core technologies, the iFlytek Spark large model, and an artificial intelligence industry system developed through the integration of software and hardware, is promoting the implementation of artificial intelligence in more scenarios.
Social contributions are fully demonstrated. The Top 500 private enterprises employed a total of 11.9633 million people, with an average of 23,900 per enterprise; their total tax payments reached 1.30 trillion yuan, with 254 enterprises paying over 1 billion yuan in taxes, accounting for 50.80% of the total.
"Since the implementation of the Private Economy Promotion Law for more than a year, relevant departments have introduced over a hundred supporting institutional measures, allowing entrepreneurs to operate with peace of mind." Zhang Ronghua, Chairman of the Board of Tianjin Rockcheck Xiangtai Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., stated that he will vigorously promote the entrepreneurial spirit and strive to be a model of patriotism and dedication, law-abiding operation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and giving back to society.
According to the research analysis report, among the Top 500 private enterprises, 66.40% actively participate in the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, expanding industries that enrich the people and driving increases in farmers' incomes;;69.40% participate in social charitable donation activities, with total donations reaching 9.939 billion yuan.
Private entrepreneurs stated that they will abide by the bottom line of honest and law-abiding operation, actively fulfill social responsibilities, devote themselves wholeheartedly to a task (专心致志, zhuan xin zhi zhi - "concentrate, mind, direct, will") to making their enterprises stronger, better, and larger, and take on responsibilities with courage and spirit (挺膺担当, ting ying dan dang - "thrust, chest, undertake, responsibility") for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 吴 君 申智林 窦瀚洋 郑智文
September 23 this year marks China's ninth "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival." During the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan, China will strengthen support for agricultural science and technology and equipment, raising the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting to above 80%.
At the autumn harvest season, reporters walked into the fields, warehouses, and workshops to see how various localities are focusing on key scenarios, relying on intelligent equipment to improve quality and efficiency, turning the traditional autumn harvest into a smart harvest.
—Editor
Zaoyang, Hubei—
"Walk in straight lines, control the spacing, with row-spacing errors controlled to the centimeter level"
At the autumn harvest season, the rice paddies are golden. Early in the morning, just as the dew had barely dispersed from the rice paddies of Qifang Town, Zaoyang City, Tian Hui drove the harvester into the fields."On average we can harvest 60 mu a day, harvesting cleanly, and even more harvesting precisely."Tian Hui said.
Tian Hui is a machine operator at the Shunhui Agricultural Machinery Professional Cooperative in Zaoyang City, and the secret to his efficient work lies hidden in the cab of that harvester.
"This is the Beidou intelligent terminal of the harvester."Tian Hui said, pointing to a square box installed in front of the operating console,"During operations, inputting data can guide us in real time to walk in straight lines, control spacing, with row-spacing errors controlled to the centimeter level."
The Shunhui Agricultural Machinery Professional Cooperative was established in 2010."In the earliest days, we only had 3 agricultural machines."Shen Hui, head of the cooperative, recalled that due to low horsepower, low intelligence levels, and heavy workloads, during the busy farming season the entire team often worked continuously for over ten days straight.
As the national agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy was implemented, Shen Hui took the lead in updating equipment, and members followed suit in adding new agricultural machinery. Today the cooperative owns 156 various agricultural machines and implements.
Walking into the cooperative's dispatch center, on the large screen covering the entire wall, the trajectories of the agricultural machines are immediately obvious."All agricultural machines are equipped with Beidou intelligent terminals, connected to the smart agricultural machinery system management platform."Shen Hui said,"In the past we only carried out wheat harvesting operations. Now for crops such as rice and rapeseed, from plowing to planting, from management to harvesting, we can provide full-process mechanized services."
As of the end of 2025, Zaoyang City's total agricultural machinery power reached 1.9336 million kilowatts, with over 2,300 sets of Beidou agricultural machinery operation monitoring terminals installed, and the comprehensive mechanization rate of cultivation, planting, and harvesting of major crops reached 92.5%.
Hengyang, Hunan—
"Training exclusive drying curve models for over 20 rice varieties"
At the gate of Jiaoshan Rice Industry Co., Ltd. in Hengyang County, Hunan, trucks fully loaded with paddy rice queued up to enter the premises.
"This is one of the largest raw grain drying centers in Hunan Province, with a daily processing capacity of 6,000 tons of raw grain."Upon entering the factory area, Qiu Suyun, head of the marketing department at Jiaoshan Rice Industry, introduced that the entire process of testing, drying, and storage is connected to the"Big Jiaowa Smart Grain System."
Liao Libao, a major grain grower from the Hengdong Hongyang Planting and Breeding Professional Cooperative, transported freshly harvested paddy rice from the previous night here, handing it over to the production line.
The visual recognition system quickly completes three-dimensional modeling of the grain loaded on the vehicle, then randomly generates sampling points."Based on appearance alone, the system can intelligently identify over 20 mainstream rice varieties planted by surrounding farmers."Peng Jiaowen, vice president of Jiaoshan Rice Industry, said that cameras scan the paddy rice with 360-degree high-precision scanning from three angles, and features such as grain shape, husk grain patterns, and tip shapes—dozens of characteristics difficult to distinguish with the naked eye—all serve as the system's benchmarks.
Once testing is complete, the wet grain is transported to the unloading area."From the moment testing is finished, the destination of the paddy rice has already been determined."Peng Jiaowen said. Behind the unloading machine ports, 180 wet grain silos store the collected paddy rice in separate silos according to indicators such as variety and moisture content. Through pipelines, 92 dryers and 132 dry grain silos are further connected to them.
"Paddy rice with different moisture levels, if mixed together and dried using the same drying temperature curve, will not only be prone to uneven drying, but also liable to lose weight, freshness, and taste."Peng Jiaowen said that the smart grain system has an automatic silo assignment function and a"one variety, one drying profile" management approach, relying on the workshop's 24,000 sensors and 260 programmable control modules to collect full-chain operational data in real time and generate optimal drying plans.
"Since the gradual application of the smart grain system in 2023, the system has been iterated year after year, and has now entered version 3.0."Peng Jiaowen said,"On the basis of training exclusive drying curve models for over 20 rice varieties, the system intelligently adjusts parameters to achieve variable-temperature drying. Compared with last year's previous-generation system, the milled rice yield rate has increased by 1%, and the head rice yield rate has increased by over 3%."
Xiaoshan, Zhejiang—
"From transport to storage, AI has been used throughout"
Xu Jianxiang, a major grain grower living in Yinong Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, has planted 340 mu of late-season rice. In previous years, during the grain collection season he was busy running back and forth, but this year he has been considerably more relaxed.
"From transport to storage, AI (artificial intelligence) has been used throughout—very convenient."Xu Jianxiang took out his phone, opened the"Xiaoshan Grain Purchase and Sale" public account, and after making an appointment, he only needed to deliver the wet grain to the drying service point—the subsequent procedures required no further worry on his part.
"In the past, after grain was dried at the service station, it still had to be delivered to the grain depot site to queue up for purchase."Zhao Binjie, deputy general manager of the Xiaoshan Grain Purchase and Sale Company, introduced that the"Xiaoshan Grain One-Stop Service" AI system can, based on real-time data, plan the most optimal locations for farmers online. Each grain depot can also rely on algorithms to automatically complete vehicle diversion, berth pre-allocation, and equipment peak-staggering dispatch, raising the average transport efficiency of grain depots across Xiaoshan District by 30%.
In the sunshine quality inspection room, dried paddy rice samples have acquired their own"ID cards."After inspection personnel read the information with a barcode scanner, a dedicated file is immediately generated in the sunshine quality inspection information system of the"Zhejiang Granary" grain security digital collaborative application platform.
The tall flat warehouse grain depot can hold 6,925 tons of paddy rice, and its interior is equipped with AI technology. Through technical means such as image recognition and IoT direct collection of grain temperature, key values such as humidity, temperature, and nitrogen concentration levels inside the warehouse can all be uploaded to the cloud in real time.
During the critical grain collection and storage period, drones equipped with various sensors undertake multiple tasks including depot area patrol inspection, warehouse roof inspection, and auxiliary detection of gas concentrations inside warehouses. Data is transmitted back to the"Zhejiang Granary" platform, and through AI analysis, staff can immediately lock onto suspicious markers and positions in the images, then rush to the scene for verification and handling, forming a human-machine complementary three-dimensional inspection model that achieves 24-hour real-time monitoring of dynamic changes in grain and warehouses.
Currently, the"Zhejiang Granary" platform's business has covered 232 grain collection and storage enterprises across the province, with networked access to over 590 depot sites and 6,750 warehouses, opening up the data chain for grain collection, storage, transport, and management.
Hunchun, Jilin—
"Gaining 'piercing eyes that can see through any deception' for quality assessment"
Along the Tumen River, golden waves of rice roll layer upon layer. These days, Cui Yuanhao has been busy without stop—patrolling the fields, inspecting the factory premises, making full preparations to welcome the rice harvest.
"We hope for a bumper harvest, and even more for increased income."As the person in charge of Senlin Mountain Agricultural Co., Ltd. in Hunchun City, Jilin, Cui Yuanhao is very confident in the factory's automated processing production line."From husking, brown rice separation, color sorting, polishing, to vacuum packaging, rice is fully completed by mechanical automation, and is now moving toward intelligence."
Stopping in front of a medium-sized machine, the roaring mechanical sound accompanied by bursts of airflow, husked rice rolls down from the upper interior of the machine. Rice with normal color enters the next process, while a small number of darker, duller grains are screened out and blown out by the machine."This is a smart color sorter—optoelectronic equipment that precisely identifies rice color, giving us 'piercing eyes that can see through any deception' for quality assessment."Cui Yuanhao introduced.
The processing plant, spanning nearly 10,000 square meters, has a daily processing capacity of 150 tons, five times that of before the renovation and upgrade. During processing, generally only 3 people are needed—one person watches the raw materials, one manages the machines, and one monitors the finished products. The renovated production line can not only produce traditional rice, but also produce multiple products such as germ rice and brown rice.
Jilin Province has in recent years continuously promoted smart agriculture. With the support of policies, in 2023, the company where Cui Yuanhao works carried out a comprehensive renovation and upgrade, incorporating automation and intelligent design, driving simultaneous improvement in benefits. In 2025, the company's revenue increased by 20% year-on-year.
Return to TopBy: 吕钟正
From the banks of the Tumen River to the Jianghan Plain, from the fertile fields of southern Hunan to the granaries of eastern Zhejiang, AI is empowering the autumn harvest, painting a new "bumper" scene.
Precision harvesting relies not on experience but on data: with the BeiDou intelligent terminal, agricultural machinery operators in Qifang Town, Zaoyang, Hubei, control harvesting row spacing error to the centimeter level. Fine drying with tailored solutions: Jiaoshan Rice Industry in Hengyang, Hunan, has trained dedicated drying curve models for more than 20 mainstream rice varieties, achieving "one variety, one drying profile." Careful storage and transport with optimized grain delivery routes: in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, an intelligent system plans optimal locations in real time online, raising average grain depot transport efficiency by 30 percent. Deep processing with smarter production line equipment: in Hunchun, Jilin, intelligent color sorters automatically remove substandard rice grains, multiplying daily processing capacity severalfold, helping enterprises increase efficiency and farmers increase income.
With data and algorithms, artificial intelligence is giving new wings to agricultural modernization.
Return to TopOn September 23, the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo (abbreviated as "Shu Mao Hui"), a five-day event, opened at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Center in Zhejiang Province. With the theme "Meet the AI Future at the Digital Trade Expo," this year's expo highlights AI empowering digital trade, with a batch of new technologies, new products, and new scenarios making a centralized debut.
As a strategic partner of this year's expo, the Zhejiang Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (abbreviated as "ABC Zhejiang Branch") is participating in depth for the fifth consecutive year, integrating financial products, service cases, interactive terminals, and physical exhibits into its exhibition hall to centrally showcase the practical achievements of finance serving the real economy. Visitors can both get up close with cutting-edge technology and learn through interaction how finance serves technological innovation, business operations, and daily life.
Investment-Loan Linkage Safeguarding the Growth of Hard Technology
Entering the ABC exhibition hall at this year's expo, hard-technology exhibits such as low-orbit satellites, exoskeleton robots, and reusable liquid-propellant launch vehicles have a distinctly futuristic feel. Most of these products come from technology enterprises that ABC has served over the long term, backed by financial support in different forms such as credit loans and equity investment. Among them, the "Zhejiang ABC · Chuangxing-1" AI micro-nano satellite, developed by Xingzhong Space, is exceptionally eye-catching (分外醒目, fèn wài xǐng mù - "extraordinarily, outside, bright, eye"). At the stage when the enterprise urgently needed financial support and the industry's prospects still awaited market validation, ABC Zhejiang Branch broke through traditional credit-granting models and continued to accompany Xingzhong Space's growth. As a testament to the deep mutual trust and cooperation between the bank and the enterprise, the company named its second AI micro-nano satellite "Zhejiang ABC · Chuangxing-1," with a plan to launch it at an opportune time in the fourth quarter of this year.
In recent years, ABC Zhejiang Branch has continuously optimized its technology finance service system, improved its tiered product matrix, built digital-intelligence platforms, and precisely matched enterprise needs, providing science-and-innovation enterprises with integrated comprehensive services covering "investment, loans, bonds, leasing, foreign exchange, and supply chain." As of the end of August this year, ABC Zhejiang Branch's loan balance to technology-oriented enterprises stood at nearly 240 billion yuan, serving 25,000 enterprises.
Investment-loan linkage extends services. In the equity fund zone of the ABC exhibition hall at the expo, the achievements of the Qianfan Qihang AIC pilot fund, with an initial phase of 2 billion yuan, were showcased in a centralized manner. The fund focuses on frontier fields such as AI chips, EDA software, and semiconductor materials, and has already invested in 17 projects with a total amount exceeding 1 billion yuan. Through the investment-loan linkage model, ABC Zhejiang Branch actively implements the requirement to "invest early, invest small, and invest in hard technology," providing full-lifecycle companionship for enterprises. On September 24, ABC Zhejiang Branch also participated in the expo's debut-and-premiere segment, launching two investment-loan linkage products tailored to technology enterprises' financing needs, further smoothing the virtuous cycle of "technology-industry-finance."
Digital Services Empowering Diverse Fields
Digital technology not only gives rise to new industries but is also transforming traditional financial service methods. In fields such as agriculture and forestry, ABC Zhejiang Branch employs "space-air-ground integrated" technologies including satellite remote sensing, drones, and the Internet of Things, providing dynamic and precise support for the investigation and management of agriculture-related projects through comparison of multi-period imagery and data. As of the end of August this year, ABC Zhejiang Branch's agriculture-related loan balance stood at nearly 850 billion yuan, serving nearly 300,000 farming households.
Similar digital services are being implemented in more fields. In the green finance field, ABC Zhejiang Branch uses tools such as green credit, transition finance, and carbon finance to safeguard the ecological foundation; for small and micro enterprises, it enhances financing convenience through online products and a one-stop integrated service platform, becoming the first tier-1 branch in China's banking industry to see inclusive finance loans exceed 500 billion yuan; around elderly-care needs, it has built a "3+2" high-quality elderly-care financial service system.
Faster Cross-Border Services Delivered Directly On Site
The rapid development of digital trade has created new demands on cross-border finance. ABC Zhejiang Branch continues to improve its cross-border financial service system covering financing, credit enhancement, payment, and settlement. In Yiwu, it has achieved direct system interconnection with the cross-border payment platform "Yiwu Pay," expanding cross-border payment channels for market merchants; in Hangzhou, targeting the asset-light nature of cross-border e-commerce and its long capital turnover cycles, it creates "profiles" for enterprises based on platform transaction data and innovatively launches exclusive online financing products such as "Cross-border E-commerce e-Loan."
ABC Zhejiang Branch's financial services also extend to the entire expo site. It has formed a professional financial service support team, optimized the payment acceptance environment for foreign cards, digital RMB, and cash services, set up temporary payment service centers, deployed foreign currency self-service exchange machines, and driven mobile bank vehicles into the venue, providing convenient financial services to domestic and international merchants. The "Digital Trade Night" event of the fifth Digital Trade Expo, exclusively titled by ABC Zhejiang Branch, was held on the evening of September 24, aiming to further connect technology enterprises, investment institutions, and global merchants, and deepen exchanges and cooperation between finance and the fields of technology, industry, and trade.
From hard-technology exhibits to digital-intelligence agriculture and cross-border payments, the vivid scenes at the Digital Trade Expo reflect changes in the way finance serves the real economy. In the digital economy era, ABC Zhejiang Branch will continue to deepen its "finance-digital integration" development path, empower the writing of the "five major articles" in finance through digital transformation, and contribute financial strength to the high-quality development of the digital economy.
Data source: Zhejiang Branch, Agricultural Bank of China
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 马睿姗
"Dong—dong—" At 4:45 p.m., at the foot of Yunqiu Mountain in Xiangning County, Shanxi Province, the Hope Bell of Yuangu Hope Farm rang on time. As the bell's sound drifted over the valley and floated into the farmland, the trainees ended their break and sowed seed after seed into plug trays.
For over nine years, Yunqiu Mountain Yuangu Hope Farm has promoted the "Palm Turn" (手心翻转) agricultural-therapy public welfare program, accompanying young people with disabilities as they transform from"palm facing up to beg" to"palm facing down to stand on their own," achieving a life-changing reversal. In 2025, Yunqiu Mountain Yuangu Hope Farm was named a"National Advanced Collective for Work with Persons with Disabilities," and was awarded the title of"Jinxiang Home" (晋享家园) demonstration institution for auxiliary employment of persons with disabilities by the Shanxi Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation.
Over nine years, more than 40 young people with disabilities have"turned over" their lives through labor.
"The Palm Turn Farm Is Sowing Hope"
In 2016, Zhang Lianshui, chairman of the Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, met Chen Lilong, founder of the"Palm Turn Farm" project, while on an inspection trip to Taiwan. Chen Lilong had once worked at a technology company and later returned to his hometown to farm, combining"community-supported agriculture" with special education and in 2014 pioneered the"Palm Turn Farm"—training young people with disabilities to learn the complete process from sowing, tilling soil, transplanting, to field management, vegetable pre-cooling and packaging, and transportation, exercising their concentration, physical coordination, and social skills through agricultural therapy. "The Palm Turn Farm is sowing hope. The children earn income through labor—this is the source of their confidence," Chen Lilong said.
Zhang Lianshui decided to learn from this model. In spring 2017, at the foot of Yunqiu Mountain, the first vegetable greenhouse was built, and the farm welcomed its first cohort of 5 trainees. Zhang Lianshui invited Chen Lilong to take charge of the farm's daily management and operations. To provide trainees with a secure environment for growth, Zhang Lianshui converted the company's employee dormitories into trainee dormitories, providing free room and board for the young people with disabilities. At the same time, the farm established clear admission criteria: open enrollment to young people with disabilities aged 16 to 30 with basic self-care ability, requiring parental consent, while strictly screening and declining individuals with aggressive tendencies to ensure the safety of all trainees.
When the farm was first established, there was no shortage of skepticism:"Can't young people with disabilities rely on social support and charitable donations? Why build a farm?" Chen Lilong, however, insisted on his original intention:"How long can they get by on other people's help? If we create work opportunities for them, that kind of help can truly last, and it can also let them live with dignity."
The farm tailors a personal growth plan and employment plan for everyone, using systematic training to help them smoothly integrate into society. Beyond labor, socialization training also runs through the trainees' daily lives. Under the guidance of special-education teachers, they go to shopping malls to shop and eat, while also learning to use elevators, cross streets by watching traffic lights, and more. Chen Lilong believes that the Palm Turn Farm is not just about teaching young people to tend crops—more importantly, it helps them accumulate, bit by bit, the ability to live independently.
Today, the vegetables grown by the farm's young people, after quality inspection and acceptance, are purchased in bulk by the hotels, restaurants, and eateries of the Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, and many young people earn their first paycheck here. Some plan to save money to help support their families; others want to use their wages to help their younger siblings pursue their education. Everyone is proving through action that given an opportunity, they have the ability to live an independent, dignified life.
"It's Okay to Be a Little Slower"
At Ta'erpo Village within the Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, in front of the"Slow Courtyard" shop of Yuangu Hope Farm, store manager Zhang Nan was introducing pineapple cakes to tourists.
Zhang Nan has cerebral palsy. To treat his illness, his parents spent all the family's savings, but his condition did not improve. As an adult, Zhang Nan could not work normally or live independently. Watching his family rush about in exhaustion, he felt full of guilt.
At age 27, Zhang Nan became one of the first 5 trainees to come to the farm. When he first arrived, he was not good at communicating, and found it difficult to complete fine motor tasks like sowing. Chen Lilong asked him what his wish was; he remained silent. Asked again the next day, Zhang Nan instead asked blankly:"Teacher Chen, what is a wish?"
Zhang Nan had never thought about what a"wish" was. Learning to sow in the fields, other trainees could complete a full tray of sowing within hours, but his fingers never seemed to obey him. In his anxiety, Zhang Nan simply scattered all the seeds into the plug tray, seeking only to finish the task quickly. Seeing this, Chen Lilong did not scold him but patiently comforted him:"It may look fast, but the germination rate won't keep up—a waste of time and effort (白费功夫, bai fei gong fu -"white, waste, effort, work"). There's no need to compare yourself with others—it's okay to be a little slower." Under patient guidance, Zhang Nan gradually steadied his fingers and found his rhythm, able to complete sowing tasks independently.
At a parents' symposium, Chen Lilong again asked about Zhang Nan's wish. After a long silence, Zhang Nan slowly raised his head:"When I've earned my own money and have the ability, I want to take my mom and dad on a trip." His father's eyes instantly reddened.
Today, Zhang Nan's communication and expression abilities and agricultural skills have all greatly improved. He has grown from a trainee into a store manager, and also serves as a special-education teacher at the farm, helping more trainees grow.
Among the young people who have come out of the farm, some have found jobs, some have returned to their hometowns to start businesses, and some have entered into marriage. "I don't want the children to stay at the farm their whole lives—once they have the ability, they should go out and work and live, but this place will always be their home," Chen Lilong said.
"Connecting More Kindness"
For the farm to develop in the long term, cultivating special-education teachers is key. In 2025, Chen Lilong went to Hainan Normal University to give a presentation, and the"Palm Turn" philosophy of disability assistance deeply moved Liu Jiajia, a student majoring in special education.
"From 'palm facing up to beg' to 'palm facing down to stand on one's own,' a single turn—that is their complete life transformation." Liu Jiajia said that this farmland not only nurtures crops, but also reshapes lives. After her internship ended, she chose to stay at Yuangu Hope Farm,"Everyone is quietly persisting in doing something warm—it can connect more kindness."
The farm has also had moments when it could barely hold on. The farm's main source of funding was the cultural-tourism revenue of the Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area. In 2018, just one year into the farm's operations, the scenic area encountered a funding chain rupture, with only 50,000 yuan left in the accounts, barely able to sustain the farm's daily operating expenses. Zhang Lianshui once briefly entertained the idea of terminating operations. Chen Lilong, however, refused to give up and convened a parents' symposium. "We can accompany the children for a while, but not for a lifetime. When we are gone, who will take care of them?" one parent said. For the sake of these families' hopes, Zhang Lianshui raised loans through multiple channels, revitalized resources, and weathered the hardest times.
The story of Yuangu Hope Farm gradually became known to more people, and a steady stream of kindness converged here. In September 2025, the Shanxi Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation formally inaugurated the farm as the"Jinxiang Home" demonstration institution for auxiliary employment of persons with disabilities. That year, the farm placed 8 eligible persons with disabilities and received a one-time support fund of 75,000 yuan. In 2026, relevant disability-support funding continued, and the farm is expected to receive another 60,000 yuan in special funds, to be used to help 6 young people with disabilities gain employment and grow.
As for the future, Chen Lilong is full of confidence. Yuangu Hope Farm has established cooperative relationships with institutions such as Hainan Normal University and Shaanxi Normal University, regularly recruiting special-education students to come for internships and work. Chen Lilong plans to expand the cooperation map, letting the young people head toward a broader world.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 颜 珂 杨 迅
Without needing to touch the steel plate, without using coupling agents such as water, the testing equipment "runs" along with the steel plate on the production line, simultaneously completing a "full-aspect CT."
This electromagnetic ultrasonic intelligent flaw-detection metrology system, developed by Hunan Hengyang Radium Technology Co., Ltd., can measure online and at high speed the size and location of internal defects in steel plates, solving the difficult problem of inspecting wide and thick plates.
From the relatively simple "weights and measures" equipment of the past, to today's ability to meet testing demands such as "larger," "faster," and "finer," the intelligent weighing-instrument metrology industry has become a new track for development. In August this year, Hengyang was approved as a national industrial metrology integration and innovation pilot zone.
"The enterprise was the first in Hunan Province to obtain the type-approval certification for the new electronic pricing scale, seizing the market initiative first."said Xu Zhibin, quality director of Hunan Fennuo Electronics Co., Ltd.
In May 2025, the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Several Measures on Supporting the Construction of Metrology Industrial Parks," proposing that, for metrology-instrument manufacturing enterprises within metrology industrial parks that make improvements to already-approved types, the metrology technical institutions undertaking type evaluation shall determine the evaluation items according to the specific circumstances of the type improvement, granting necessary optimization and simplification.
The Hengyang Intelligent Weighing-Instrument Metrology Industrial Park is jointly built by the State Administration for Market Regulation and Hunan Province. After the industrial park was completed, supporting measures arrived in quick succession.
"The market window does not wait for anyone."said Xu Zhibin. In December last year, Fennuo Electronics signed a contract to settle in the industrial park, and in March this year began production. "We were attracted by the policy environment, and also moved by the 'Hengyang speed.'"
Weistone Information Technology Co., Ltd., one of the first batch of enterprises to enter the park, is also a beneficiary of the policies. The ultrasonic water meter developed by this company, because it measures accurately and has a long service life, has been welcomed by the market. Relying on the park's "integration of two inspections into one" qualification, the factory inspection of water meters and the government-mandated compulsory inspection are merged into one implementation, with data directly connected to the metrology institute's system, allowing products to enter the market more quickly. "The product delivery cycle has been shortened by 50% on average, and it also saves a large amount of logistics costs."said Cao Bin, head of the company.
The drone rose into the air, executing patrol inspections along a preset route. Inside the office, Jiang Jiyang, project manager for low-altitude patrols at Hengyang Qunyingfei Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., monitored the relevant data. "Safety production hazards in the park, such as illegally parked vehicles, garbage piles, and abnormal roof temperatures, can all be monitored in real time."
The industrial park opens up scenarios, helping enterprises verify their technologies, and the patrol inspection system is continuously improved. Hengyang has issued policies to select a batch of"leading geese" enterprises each year, and through opening up scenarios, drive new products to be applied as soon as possible.
"Building No. 1" — the Hengyang Intelligent Weighing-Instrument Metrology Industrial Base (Testing and Certification Center) building, now under accelerated construction in the industrial park. Including the large-torque laboratory, several high-capability laboratories laid out by the National Institute of Metrology, China, and the Hunan Institute of Metrology and Testing, are about to move in.
"With the large-torque laboratory established, heavy-equipment enterprises in Hunan Province no longer need to transport samples over long distances for calibration of large-torque components. It is also expected to drive the clustering of precision sensing and testing service supporting industries."said Yang Yanyan, general manager of Hengyang Intelligent Weighing-Instrument Metrology Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd.
Hengyang has already built multiple metrology public service platforms. This benefits from the locality's complete range of industrial categories, which provides a uniquely advantageous "testing ground" for the iteration of metrology technology. "Based on our own manufacturing characteristics, keeping a close eye on enterprises and platforms with high growth potential and high technological content, and accompanying them as they grow."said Yang Yanyan.
At the industrial park's biweekly "stabilizing business and reassuring merchants" roundtable meeting, enterprises engage in direct dialogue with municipal party committee and municipal government leaders. "Casual chats" among entrepreneurs sometimes also yield unexpected gains.
"Seize the window of opportunity, leverage comparative advantages, and accelerate the gathering of the intelligent weighing-instrument metrology industry into a chain with momentum, advancing toward innovation and quality improvement."said Zhu Jian, secretary of the Hengyang Municipal Party Committee.
Return to TopThe Li River is the mother river of Guilin, Guangxi. Advancing the upgrading of the Li River ecological environment bears on the overall development situation of Guangxi and the well-being of the people. In June 2022, the integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, lakes, and sand in the Guilin Li River Basin (hereinafter referred to as the "Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project") was selected into the second batch of integrated protection and restoration projects of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, lakes, and sand during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Since the implementation of the project, the Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project has adhered to integrated protection and systematic governance, advanced basin-wide coordination and all-element restoration, and a picture of clear waters and green banks (水清岸绿, shui qing an lv - "water, clear; bank, green") and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature is slowly unfolding along both banks of the Li River, injecting new momentum into continuously polishing the golden signboard that "Guilin's landscapes are the best under heaven" (甲天下, jia tian xia - "first, under heaven").
The Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project has a total investment of 5.491 billion yuan, of which central fiscal funds support 2 billion yuan, autonomous-region, municipal, and county-level fiscal funds jointly contribute 2.416 billion yuan, and social funds of 1.075 billion yuan are introduced. The project involves 12 counties (cities, districts) in the Li River Basin, with a total implementation area of approximately 12,300 square kilometers, and lays out a total of 83 sub-projects in 8 categories: water ecological protection and restoration, forest ecological protection and restoration, biodiversity protection and restoration, soil and water conservation, mine ecological restoration, rocky desertification control, wetland ecological protectionand restoration, and farmland ecological protectionand restoration. At present, all sub-projects have been completed.
The Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project adheres to the concept of a community of life of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, lakes, and sand, changes the single restoration model in which mountain governance and water governance were mutually separated, takes the river basin as the unit for overall planningand systematic policy application, constructs a governance system of"consolidating soil at the source, intercepting and blocking in the process, and upgrading at the end", coordinates mountains above and below, governs banks and waters simultaneously, realizes the transformation from single restoration to comprehensive improvement, promotes the overall optimization of river basin ecosystem functions, and effectively polishes the ecological foundation color of the Li River.
The Yangshuo section of the main stream of the Li River is the essence river section of Li River scenery, which once faced problems such as rocky desertification in the upper reaches, bank collapse in the middle reaches, and farmland degradation in the lower reaches. The Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project set up the Yangshuo water ecological protectionand restoration and rocky desertification control unit, governing rocky desertification and upgrading soil-and-water conservation forests in the upper reaches, dredging silt and restoring ecological bank lines in the middle reaches, improving farmland qualityand renovating village environments in the lower reaches. Today, the once gravel-exposed white sand beaches have transformed into green oases, the silted river channels have reappeared with winding emerald waters, and the collapsed banks have been reclothed in green. The five sub-projects in the area have cumulatively completed protectionand restoration of 7,032.53 hectares, the forest coverage rate of Yangshuo County has reached 75.8%, and the green plant coverage rate of the visible range of the core scenic area of the Li River Scenic and Historic Interest Area has risen from 68% before governance to 82%, and the picture of"clear waters, green banks, fertile farmlands, and beautiful scenery" is slowly unfolding.
The ecological change has also occurred in the mountain fields along the tributaries of the Li River. In Shenjing Village, Chaochao Township, Lingchuan County, Guilin City, which was once covered with stones, today golden sophora, honeysuckle, and other medicinal plants are taking root and growing in the cracks between rocks, and the former barren mountains have become"golden nests" that increase the income of the masses. In the Nanxu underground river basin, which was formerly affected by karst landforms, with droughts and floods overlappingand obvious soil erosion, today water source conservation, water storage, and water retention projects have been completed and put into use, with barrage dams lying across the skylights of the underground river, and both ends of the dam bodies supplemented with grouting water-stop curtains, realizing water storage during the rainy seasonand water supply during the dry season. The two dams can provide more than 8,000 cubic meters of regulated water storage, ensuring drinking water for more than 1,000 downstream villagers, and also providing a stable water source for irrigation of more than 200 mu of farmland
Former abandoned mines have now been reclothed in green. The limestone mine of the Erfang Hengshanli quarry in Lingui District, Guilin City, is located within the ecological protection red line of the Li River Basin, and long-term mining had dug the mountain body into a nearly vertical"half mountain, one wall", with sediment directly threatening the Li River. The Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project invested approximately 50 million yuan, adhering to the principle of ensuring safety first and then rebuilding vegetation: first clearing dangerous rocksand laying protective nets, establishing a"sky-earth-air" intelligent monitoring system to hold the safety bottom line; then using technologies such as microbial crustingand substrate spray-seeding, letting bare rocks be clothed in green, and configuring arbor-shrub-grass composite communities. Today, the vegetation coverage rate of the mining area has leapt from less than 5% to 65%, 23 species including egretsand turtledoves have returned, and the karst peak-cluster landscape is gradually reappearing. The project has preserved mining relics, built a mine-pit observation deck, connected with surrounding scenic areas into an ecological-cultural tourism route, driven land transformationand utilization, with expected value-added returns exceeding 200 million yuan. More gratifyingly, a batch of key technologies adopted by the project has been promotedand applied to multiple similar projects, and was selected into the 2025 Guangxi typical cases of territorial spatial ecological restoration
The results of systematic governance are blossoming at multiple points across the Li River Basin. Along the Lipu River, the once-silted wetland park has reappeared with emerald waters, the slopes of abandoned quarries have been restored to green as before, the vegetation coverage rate of the project area has increased from less than three-tenths to nearly six-tenths, directly benefiting 4,580 people along the banks. Along the Gongcheng River, river sections whose water quality was once Class IV have steadily improved to Class III, realizing"clear water entering the Li River." In the Pingle section of the Li River, egrets gather in flocks, migratory birds have increased, and through proliferationand release of native fish species, the number of fish species in the Li River has recovered from 64 species back to 72 species, and aquaticand terrestrial ecological communities are becoming increasingly rich
All-element restoration, whole-basin care — one river of clear water gives the answer. At present, the surface water environmental quality of Guilin City has ranked among the forefront of the country for 7 consecutive years, and rare birds such as the glossy ibisand the Chinese merganser have returned to the Li River. From rocky desertified barren mountains to full verdure, from mine scars to reappearing peak clusters, from sandy gravel wastelands to lawn green spaces, the Li River Mountains-and-Waters Project writes the article of ecological restoration amid green mountainsand clear waters, packs ecological dividends into the daily lives of the people, making the ecological foundation color of the Li River increasingly distinct
Data source: Department of Natural Resources of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Return to TopEarnestly Promoting Judicial and Legal Cooperation Among Countries
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal Manoj Sharma
The theme of this forum — "Deepening International Exchanges and Cooperation on the Rule of Law, Providing Legal Safeguards for Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" — carries both practical significance and profound implications. International cooperation on the rule of law has become an indispensable driving force for perfecting the contemporary international legal order and effectively advancing the construction of international rule of law. From Nepal's perspective, such exchanges can genuinely promote judicial and legal cooperation among countries. Nepal and China enjoy a friendship with a long and continuous history, a tradition of mutual respect, and deep people-to-people exchanges. As social ties between the two countries grow ever closer, the need for cooperation between the legal institutions of both sides will also continue to increase. In such areas as judicial administration, court management, mediation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, digital justice, judicial education, legal research, and other emerging legal fields, the two sides have broad space for exchanging experience. Such exchanges not only help institutions learn from each other, but can further deepen understanding between the legal communities of the two countries.
Here I wish to emphasize three points: First, the rule of law has always been the cornerstone of peace, stability, and prosperity. Second, in an increasingly interconnected world, the rule of law cannot be separated from effective international legal cooperation. Third, such cooperation must be built on the basis of mutual respect, equality, dialogue, mutual trust, and learning from and examining each other (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutually, learn, mutually, examine"). I hope this forum will not only be a gathering for the exchange of views, but can also become a platform for building long-term partnerships among various legal institutions and exploring practical paths for international judicial and legal cooperation.
Using the Law as a Bridge Advancing Together Toward the Future
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa Satiu Perez
The theme "Deepening International Exchanges and Cooperation on the Rule of Law, Providing Legal Safeguards for Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" carries both contemporary significance and practical relevance. First, international cooperation must be rooted in the rule of law. The rule of law undertakes the indispensable function of giving concrete effect to the sovereign equality of states; international law only has strength when it applies equally to strong and weak nations alike. Second, different legal systems should learn from and examine each other, while preserving their own distinctive characteristics. Learning from and examining each other does not mean pursuing unification of law; our goal is not to make the legal systems of various countries identical, but to enable countries with different legal systems to understand each other and engage in cooperation. Third, the digital age requires upholding the bottom line of human responsibility within an increasingly technologized institutional system. Technology can assist judicial adjudication, but must never replace the role of human beings in trials. Fourth, legal cooperation is crucial to sustainable international trade. Law must not become an obstacle to development, but rather become the foundation of trust upon which enduring development relies. Fifth, sustainable legal cooperation, in the final analysis, depends on people
Practice tells us that legal principles must be understood in light of their social and historical contexts, that various institutions should fulfill their constitutional responsibilities, and that as long as the exercise of rights adheres to justice, custom and law can fully function together. Law can become a bridge: connecting different legal traditions, connecting developed and developing countries, connecting the interests of the present generation with the well-being of future generations
Joining Hands to Combat Transnational Crime
National Prosecutor of Chile Ángel Valencia
Transnational criminal organizations exploit differences between legal frameworks, crossing different jurisdictions, to transfer funds, technology, information, and illegal goods with extraordinary speed and complexity. Whether related governance succeeds depends on our ability to build trust, share information, and conduct collaboration
Today, effectively combating complex crime requires a global perspective. First, strengthen efforts to combat organized crime. This requires close operational cooperation among relevant authorities, enhanced intelligence and information sharing, and joint investigations. Second, intensify efforts to trace criminal funds. Tracing illegal financial flows and confiscating them remains one of the most effective ways to dismantle criminal organizations. Third, maintain zero tolerance toward corruption. If judicial systems are to remain resilient in the face of increasingly complex criminal threats, then transparency, accountability mechanisms, and institutional integrity are all indispensable. Fourth, promote the modernization of mutual legal assistance mechanisms in criminal matters. We must continue to improve the efficiency of information exchange, digital evidence exchange, extradition procedures, asset tracing and freezing, as well as joint investigations
Looking ahead, I propose establishing a standing mechanism to coordinate responses to organized crime, corruption, and other emerging threats. Chile reaffirms its unwavering commitment to work in close cooperation with the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China as well as partners across Latin America and the Caribbean
Promoting the Reform and Improvement of the Global Governance System
Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of the China Law Society Wang Hongxiang
Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, standing at the height of world history and global development, upholding the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, profoundly grasping the development trends of human political civilization, profoundly answering the universal questions in the process of human rule of law, originally proposing the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the progress of world rule-of-law civilization and the reform of the global governance system. Last September, President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward the Global Governance Initiative, which is a concentrated embodiment of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law in the international rule-of-law field, providing scientific guidance and a systematic approach for promoting the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system
The China Law Society is willing to join hands with legal and law-related communities of various countries, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, implement the Global Governance Initiative, continuously deepen international exchanges and cooperation on the rule of law, and jointly promote the reform and improvement of the global governance system. The China Law Society will use exchanges and mutual learning among rule-of-law civilizations as a bridge, continue to strengthen the construction of important platforms such as the China International Forum on the Rule of Law, and establish normalized rule-of-law dialogue mechanisms; use cooperative research on rule-of-law theory as support, support all parties to jointly participate in research on global governance rules, so that the "rule of rules" better benefits the people of all countries; use collaborative cultivation of rule-of-law talent as a source, support law schools, legal institutions, and international organizations to jointly develop law courses related to global governance, jointly support outstanding young rule-of-law talent to participate in consultations on international rules, internships at international organizations, and cross-border public interest legal services
Accelerating the Interaction of the World's Legal Systems through China's Digital Transformation
Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Russian State University for the Humanities Sergey Shakhray
The world's different legal systems are harmoniously combining their finest, most efficient, most beneficial elements for economic development and international trade, and most conducive to social prosperity. China has become the most obvious "active node" in these processes. The most intuitive example is the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Chinese mainland law, Hong Kong's Anglo-American common law, and Macao's continental law interact within the same economic space
In China's practice, different legal systems are not merely coexisting, but genuinely converging. This is closely related to China's leading position over many countries in digital development. In the context of global digital transformation, accelerating the convergence of the world's legal systems requires three key elements, which are precisely the foundation of artificial intelligence systems: big data, powerful computing power, and algorithms. Billions of transactions, judicial documents, and governance decisions have turned China's digital space into a "legal laboratory." In 2021, the scale of China's digital economy had reached 45.5 trillion yuan; by the end of 2025, 5G base stations reached 4.84 million; in June 2026, the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen released a new-generation "Lingsheng" supercomputing system, and China's supercomputing once again ranked first globally. In China, a digital ecosystem is gradually taking shape, enabling legal professionals to utilize this system for convenient legal retrieval, analysis, and research
In the future, what the world needs is not uniform law, but compatible legal interfaces, and China has the ability to become one of the main architects of building such an interface
Improving the Legal Framework Promoting Trade and Economic Exchanges
Ombudsman of Djibouti Hassan Sultan
Law is the pillar of any solid, enduring international relationship. In the context of China-Africa cooperation, establishing and improving a sound legal framework is of vital importance. Therefore, bilateral and multilateral agreements between China and Africa must be built on the solid foundation of universal legal principles, while respecting the cultural and social characteristics of each country
When formulating policies and agreements, full consideration should also be given to respecting sovereignty and the principle of non-interference. Law should promote the establishment of cooperative relationships based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and fairness
Today, China-Africa cooperation continues to be strengthened. Under such circumstances, there is a particular need to establish a solid legal foundation and respect the rights of all parties. In this regard, this forum provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen dialogue, share experience, and seek responses to common challenges in the spirit of consultation and mutual respect
One of the most important goals of this forum is to promote the establishment of more inclusive, fair legal cooperation. We must ensure that local people genuinely benefit from agreements reached between governments and foreign enterprises. This includes protecting workers' rights, establishing judicial remedy mechanisms, and adhering to international human rights standards
Therefore, I sincerely hope that our exchanges can further enhance mutual understanding, strengthen legal cooperation, make China-Africa friendship more fruitful, and enable the peoples of the two sides to benefit from it
Promoting Mutual Learning among Different Legal Systems
Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, President of the Court of Appeal Nalin Abeysekera
There has never been a single legal system in the world. Law is not immutable, but a constantly evolving institution. Precisely for this reason, legal diversity should not be viewed as an obstacle to international cooperation. If this issue is correctly understood, legal diversity is a valuable source of knowledge
Sri Lanka's legal system, shaped over several centuries by multiple legal traditions, reflects this reality. Therefore, for Sri Lankan judges, comparative law experience is by no means merely an academic concept; it is both a part of their legal history and a component of daily judicial practice. Mutual learning between different legal systems does not pursue legal convergence, but rather enhances the quality of justice through judicial dialogue. The value of comparative law lies not in simply copying ready-made answers, but in raising deeper questions. In an era of increasing global interconnectedness, legal cooperation has practical significance and must develop in tandem with economic and technological cooperation. When various legal systems conduct dialogue on the basis of mutual respect, they can reveal different dimensions of viewing problems
The international legal community is facing numerous challenges, and no single country, no single legal system can fully address them alone. Engaging in dialogue is the best policy, and most importantly, conducting learning from and examining each other built on the foundation of equality and respect. In this way, the diversity of the world's legal communities will transform into a shared resource for advancing justice and the progress of the rule of law
Strengthening the Rule of Law Construction and International Cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Member of the Constitution and Law Committee of the National People's Congress, President of the China Law Society's Research Association on the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Macao Basic Law Zhang Yong
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is not merely a bay area in economic, social, cultural, or geographical terms, but rather a major national strategic platform conceived, deployed, and promoted personally by President Xi Jinping
The rule of law provides solid safeguards for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and is also an important component of it. The background of the Greater Bay Area's rule-of-law construction is "one country, two systems, three legal systems." It can be said that the Greater Bay Area is one of the regions with the richest and most diverse legal rules in China and even globally, and its uniqueness is being one of a kind (独一无二, du yi wu er - "unique, one, no, two") in the world. The rule-of-law construction of the Greater Bay Area provides brand-new practical experience and institutional achievements for rule-of-law coordination among different regions of China and even the world
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a new attempt to form a new pattern of comprehensive opening-up, anda new platform for building high-level international economic cooperation. The rule-of-law construction of the Greater Bay Area cannot be separated from opening-up and international cooperation
Currently, the Greater Bay Area is conducting personnel exchanges and business interactions with legal institutions and organizations of an increasing number of countries and regions, and international cooperation is becoming increasingly extensive and deep. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is steadily moving from a strategic concept and grand blueprint toward a world-class bay area, and the rule-of-law construction of the Greater Bay Area is increasingly demonstrating its unique value and significance. Let us use the power of the rule of law to safeguard the takeoff of the Greater Bay Area, jointly participate in, witness, and share the fruitful achievements of the rule-of-law construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Inheriting the Genes of China's Excellent Traditional Rule-of-Law Civilization
Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Supreme People's Court, Vice President, Second-Grade Grand Justice Gao Xiaoli
China's judicial civilization has a long history, with a long and continuous heritage. The people-oriented thought of "the people are the foundation of the state," the equality concept of "law does not favor the noble," the governance wisdom of "prudence in punishment and leniency in sentencing," and the governance logic of "settling disputes and ending conflicts" remain to this day the cultural foundation of comprehensive law-based governance in the new era. Chinese courts inherit and develop China's excellent traditional legal culture, while actively drawing on the beneficial experience of other countries, continuously improving the socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics, providing strong judicial services and safeguards for high-quality economic and social development
Chinese courts have always adhered to judicial fairness, upheld the people-centered judicial philosophy, insisted on promoting governance through adjudication, enhanced quality and efficiency through technological empowerment, and built a "unified case-handling and office-work platform for courts nationwide." At the same time, they actively carry out international judicial exchanges and cooperation, always promoting exchanges and mutual learning among world rule-of-law civilizations with an open and inclusive attitude. To date, the Supreme People's Court has established friendly exchange relations with the highest judicial institutions of more than 140 countries and regions as well as more than 40 international or regional organizations; more than 200 presidents of foreign supreme courts and chief justices have visited China successively; China's grand justices and judges at all levels actively participate in cross-border judicial exchanges, deeply engaging in mutual learning; they also actively host international conferences such as the Meeting of Presidents of Supreme Courts of SCO Member States, providing platforms for exchanges and mutual learning among rule-of-law civilizations
Based on Procuratorial Duties Deepening Mutual Learning Among Civilizations
Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Deputy Procurator-General, Second-Grade Grand Procurator Miao Shengming
The Chinese legal system is a treasure of world legal civilization history. In its long-term development process, it has formed legal wisdom deeply embedded in Chinese cultural traditions, such as the people as the foundation of the state, virtue as primary and punishment as auxiliary, governing in accordance with law, and good laws leading to good governance, providing rich historical nourishment for contemporary China's rule-of-law construction. In the new era, China's procuratorial organs, on the basis of upholding historical and cultural confidence in the Chinese legal system, insist on coordinating the advancement of domestic rule of law and foreign-related rule of law, based on their legal supervision functions, promote the combination of traditional Chinese legal wisdom with contemporary procuratorial practice, and contribute their own strength to promoting global rule-of-law progress and building a community with a shared future for mankind
Chinese procuratorial organs are important participants in Sino-foreign rule-of-law dialogue. Through various forms such as high-level meetings, mutual visits and study programs for prosecutors, and procuratorial business exchanges, they have built professional platforms for equal communication in the judicial and procuratorial field, both drawing on the beneficial achievements of foreign rule-of-law civilizations and conveying China's rule-of-law culture to the world. They actively participate in global rule-of-law governance, contributing Chinese procuratorial wisdom on multilateral platforms, injecting rule-of-law strength into a community with a shared future for mankind. They earnestly fulfill their functions in international judicial cooperation, interpreting China's rule-of-law civilization concepts in transnational judicial practice, effectively safeguarding China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests, while coordinating with relevant countries to solve judicial litigation difficulties, interpreting the value of foreign-related rule of law with tangible case-handling results
Contributing to the Reform of the Global Governance System
Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Justice, Vice Minister Li Mingzheng
"Adhering to the coordinated advancement of domestic rule of law and foreign-related rule of law" is an important component and major original contribution of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. President Xi Jinping creatively proposed and elaborated in depth the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, put forward the Global Governance Initiative, contributing Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom to answering the contemporary question of "what kind of global governance system to build and how to reform and improve global governance"
In recent years, China's Ministry of Justice has deeply studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, advancing foreign-related rule-of-law construction based on its duties. First, accelerate legislation in foreign-related fields. Promote the formulation and revision of important laws and regulations such as the Foreign Trade Law, the Arbitration Law, the Maritime Law, and the Commercial Mediation Regulations, strengthening the organic integration of the foreign-related legal and regulatory system with international rules. Second, actively carry out international exchanges in the field of rule of law. Successfully host activities such as the Tenth Meeting of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States, deepening multilateral and bilateral rule-of-law exchanges and mutual learning. Third, vigorously strengthen international law enforcement and judicial cooperation. Strengthen exchanges with international organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and relevant countries, deepening practical cooperation in combating transnational crime, legal services, judicial assistance, and the transfer of sentenced persons. Fourth, strengthen the rule-of-law safeguards for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. Establish a "Belt and Road" legal services alliance, bringing together the full chain of resources including foreign-related lawyers, arbitration, commercial mediation, notarization, and ascertainment of foreign law
When the Rule of Law Prospers, Enterprises Prosper When the Rule of Law Is Strong, Enterprises Are Strong
Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council Li Zhen
When the rule of law prospers, enterprises prosper; when the rule of law is strong, enterprises are strong. We have always insisted on establishing rules before acting, supervising in accordance with law, and promoting enterprises to operate in accordance with law. Today's Chinese central enterprises, rooted domestically through the rule of law, have become independent business entities deeply integrated with China's market economy; at the same time, going global through the rule of law, they have become responsible corporate citizens in the "ecosystem" of the global market economy. Currently, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation; the more complex the development environment, the more the rule of law must be emphasized. Enterprises, especially large multinational corporations, play an important role in maintaining the world economic order and bear important responsibilities. We are willing to support central enterprises in consciously assuming responsibility and taking initiative, injecting more positive energy and certainty into global development
We will actively guide central enterprises to more consciously abide by local laws, regulations, and customs in the process of going global, compete fairly with their own strength, and drive local economic development and improvement of people's livelihoods. We firmly oppose the politicization, instrumentalization, and weaponization of economic and trade issues, and fully support central enterprises in upholding true multilateralism and maintaining the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core. We are willing to support central enterprises in actively participating in the construction of new mechanisms and rules in emerging fields, creating an open, fair, non-discriminatory favorable environment for technological innovation and industry development
Promoting Global Good Governance through International Good Laws
Distinguished Senior Professor of Philosophy and Social Sciences at Jilin University, Director of the Research Center for Comprehensive Law-Based Governance, President of the Law Education Research Association of the China Law Society Zhang Wenxian
Since mankind entered the 21st century, changes unseen in a century have accelerated, human society faces unprecedented challenges since World War II. New situations and new challenges have further aggravated the global governance deficit, and the world once again stands at a historical crossroads
At this critical moment when humanity faces a historic choice of where to go, President Xi Jinping, upholding the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, has successively proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Governance Initiative, as well as several regional and field-specific governance initiatives, with the rule of law as their core element and cornerstone
First, uphold the supremacy of the Charter. Firmly maintain the basic norms of international relations and international rule of law based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Second, adhere to rule orientation. In essence, this means vigorously promoting the rule of law in international relations. Third, adhere to universal compliance and equal application. Comprehensively, fully, and completely comply with universally recognized basic norms of international relations such as the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Fourth, adhere to fairness and justice. Uphold sovereign equality, promote the realization of global justice, and reform international rules and institutional arrangements that are contrary to fairness and justice. Fifth, the international order and global economic system are undergoing profound restructuring, and an important task therein is to reform the international governance architecture. Sixth, adhere to the rule of law bringing peace to the world. Be adept at resolving differences and disputes between states through peaceful means via dialogue and consultation
We sincerely call upon all countries in the world to promote the common values of all humanity of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, promote mutual understanding and affinity among the people of all countries, respect the diversity of world civilizations, and jointly respond to various global challenges
Strengthening Constitutional Interaction between Different Legal Traditions
President of the International Association of Constitutional Law, Professor at the Faculty of Law of Ankara University, Turkey Selin Esen
For more than a century, comparative law scholars have divided the laws of the world into several relatively independent "legal systems." Although this classification method helps understand the historical origins and institutional characteristics of various legal systems, it is increasingly difficult to reflect the dynamic development reality of 21st-century constitutionalism
Mutual learning is no longer confined to Europe and America; constitutional practices in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are also continuously playing an increasingly important role. Today, what we see is no longer isolated legal systems, but constitutional interaction and institutional integration unfolding along two dimensions. The first dimension is the horizontal dimension: a country's constitutional court may directly draw on analytical frameworks adopted by courts rooted in completely different legal traditions. The second dimension is the vertical dimension:the interaction between domestic legal orders and supranational legal orders. In contrast, the static concept of "legal transplantation," which implies a one-way flow of legal institutions from one system to another, has gradually become insufficient to describe reality. Currently, we are witnessing a process of multi-directional constitutional exchange and mutual learning
The contemporary constitutional landscape shows that various legal traditions are neither closed islands isolated from each other, nor will they dissolve into a single, homogeneous global legal order. The horizontal boundaries between legal systems, as well as the vertical boundaries between domestic law and supranational law, are becoming increasingly permeable
The picture presented by reality is not convergence toward a single global constitutional model, but multi-directional interaction in a multipolar constitutional world. Legal diversity is not an obstacle to mutual learning; it is precisely the foundation upon which mutual learning can be realized. Constitutional dialogue is effective not because various legal systems become completely identical, but because they maintain sufficient differences to provide different approaches to understanding common problems
Deepening Understanding of Diverse Legal Cultures
President of the International Association of Legal Science, Professor at the Faculty of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece Eleni Moustaira
The laws of different human groups differ in every respect (千差万别, qian cha wan bie - "thousand, difference, ten thousand, distinction"). The inherent characteristics of each legal system have been formed over a long period of time. Unlike biological species, legal systems are socio-cultural phenomena that can both evolve and adapt to changed environments, while also adjusting and adapting to various contradictions, conflicts of interest, and doubts visible within the group itself
Therefore, when studying a law, one should not merely regard it as rules acting upon existing social reality, but should simultaneously regard it as something that actively shapes social forms
The term "legal culture" is widely used by many legal scholars, but this term has triggered extremely intense debate. It is very important that relevant research should try as much as possible to break free from Western preconceptions about legal culture and its comparative research methods. A paradigm shift is absolutely and urgently necessary. Legal comparison should not pursue unification as an outcome, but should achieve the effect of pluralistic expansion. Its goal should be to sort out the various different discourses emitted by different cultural forms, groups, and countries. According to this view, comparative law research takes both "fundamental, radical research on differences" as its premise and the forms of difference as its research outcomes
The legal discourse within each culture possesses its own structure, expressing a unique way of thinking. Between people and people, groups and groups, there are both similarities and differences. The reasons why their laws and legal cultures are similar or vastly different stem from many causes. To reveal the key factors behind these commonalities and differences, one cannot rely solely on law; other disciplines can also provide answers
Forming a More Credible and Effective Dispute Resolution Framework
Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation Cheng Yu-jie (Teresa Cheng)
The International Organization for Mediation was initiated by 19 countries including China, and is the world's first intergovernmental international organization dedicated exclusively to resolving international disputes through mediation. Its establishment has filled an institutional gap in the international dispute resolution architecture. The International Organization for Mediation adds a treaty-based institution dedicated exclusively to mediation, constituting an international public good: its mediation services are open to all countries in the world, including non-member states and their nationals or enterprises. Its establishment reflects a deep trend: the international community's growing recognition of the value of mediation, as well as the necessity of revitalizing this time-honored dispute resolution method
The International Organization for Mediation was not established to replace existing mechanisms, but to provide an alternative alongside existing mechanisms. Arbitration and litigation remain indispensable; they provide authoritative rulings and enforceable determinations of rights. Mediation, however, performs a different function. It provides parties with a structured option to find solutions acceptable to both sides. When mediation, arbitration, and litigation are used in combination, they can form a more credible and effective dispute resolution framework
For enterprises, I encourage adopting a "mediation first" mindset, which means that mediation should be deliberately and early considered. Legal practitioners should advise on the full range of dispute resolution options and prepare clients for effective participation in mediation. Strong economic cooperation requires strong legal cooperation, and strong legal cooperation requires a dispute resolution framework that is effective not only when disputes arise, but also capable of preventing disputes from escalating and preserving relationships where possible. The International Organization for Mediation is ready to work with existing institutions as well as members of the legal and business communities to contribute to this end
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张 璁
Cultivated land is the lifeline of grain production and the foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. On August 28, the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress voted to adopt the Law of the People's Republic of China on Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement, which will take effect on January 1, 2027.
"Formulating the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law, by adopting hard measures with 'teeth,' strictly controlling the use of cultivated land, making every effort to improve cultivated land quality, continuously strengthening the ecological protection and restoration of cultivated land, comprehensively consolidating the foundation for food security, and ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grains and absolute security of staple food rations, is of great significance for guaranteeing the effective supply of important agricultural products and firmly grasping the initiative in food security," said a responsible official from the Civil Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.
What are the highlights of the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law? How does the legislation carry the strictest cultivated land protection system through the entire process of cultivated land protection and quality improvement? Reporters conducted interviews.
Solving the problems of cultivated land being used for non-agricultural purposes and non-grain purposes
How is the 1.8 billion mu red line for cultivated land to be defended? The key lies in resolutely curbing the use of cultivated land for non-agricultural purposes.
The Management Committee of the Tongliao Horqin Industrial Park in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region illegally provided 200 mu of cultivated land for the storage of wind power generation equipment, causing damage to cultivated land; the Baiyin Branch of the Natural Resources Bureau of Baiyin City, Gansu Province, conducted perfunctory law enforcement against enterprises illegally occupying cultivated land and concealed the enterprises' false rectification... Among the 10 typical illegal and non-compliant problems in the first quarter of 2026 reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the use of cultivated land for non-agricultural purposes became one of the key focuses of supervision. Recently, the reports of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration showed that these problems have been rectified on site, and the relevant clues have been transferred to discipline inspection and supervision departments.
"The use of cultivated land for non-agricultural purposes involves both interest-related problems and cognitive problems, and it is necessary to improve laws and regulations and strengthen institutional safeguards," said Yun Wenju, a researcher at the Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Cultivated land is China's most precious resource, and the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law closely follows the requirement of "strictly observing the red line for cultivated land protection," upholds fundamental principles and breaks new ground, making the system for the balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation more rigorous, the system for restricting the conversion of cultivated land into construction land and other agricultural land stricter, and the measures to curb the use of cultivated land for non-agricultural purposes and prevent permanent basic farmland from being used for non-grain purposes more resolute.
The balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation is an important system for holding the red line for cultivated land protection.
According to the provisions of the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law, the state implements a compensation system for occupied cultivated land, uniformly incorporating all types of cultivated land occupation into the management of the balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation; where cultivated land truly must be occupied, cultivated land equivalent in quantity and quality to the occupied cultivated land shall be supplemented, and it is prohibited to occupy more and supplement less, occupy superior and supplement inferior, or occupy contiguous plots and supplement scattered plots.
"This legislation has achieved the systematic incorporation of the balance system into law," said Li Rui, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law. On the one hand, focusing on curbing the use of cultivated land for non-agricultural purposes, it strengthens the management of cultivated land occupied for construction, adhering to the principle of "determining occupation by compensation" for cultivated land occupied for construction. On the other hand, it coordinates the protection of cultivated land with other agricultural land such as forest land, grassland, and garden land, strictly controlling the conversion of cultivated land into other agricultural land such as forest land, grassland, and garden land.
Permanent basic farmland is the cream of cultivated land and the core of safeguarding national food security.
This legislation improves the rules for the designation of permanent basic farmland. On the one hand, it optimizes the positive list for the designation of permanent basic farmland, maintaining consistency with the Black Soil Protection Law and the Seed Law; on the other hand, for the first time, it stipulates at the legal level a negative list of what may not be designated as permanent basic farmland, providing a legal basis for the optimization and adjustment of permanent basic farmland.
"It is clarified that once permanent basic farmland is lawfully designated, no unit or individual may occupy it without authorization or change its use," said the responsible official from the Civil Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. This legislation strictly controls the approval of occupation, stipulating that where the site selection of key construction projects such as national energy, transportation, water conservancy, and military facilities truly cannot avoid permanent basic farmland, and where the conversion of agricultural land or land expropriation is involved, approval by the State Council shall be required.
Quantity, quality, and ecology of cultivated land — "not one can be missing"
"Under the premise of limited cultivated land quantity and relatively scarce reserve resources, the key to safeguarding food security lies in effectively improving cultivated land quality," said Li Rui. The law not only lists "quality improvement" alongside "protection" in its title, but also, on the basis of emphasizing the integrated protection of cultivated land quantity, quality, and ecology, further highlights the important position of cultivated land quality improvement.
In September in Heilongjiang, golden waves of rice spread across the vast black soil.
In Bayan County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang, the "palm-sized fields" once divided by ridges have, after the construction of high-standard farmland, gradually become "large grid fields" with uniform plots, connected roads, and linked irrigation channels.
"Previously, the plots were relatively scattered, and large agricultural machinery was restricted in operation," introduced a staff member of the local agriculture and rural affairs bureau. After the land was concentrated and consolidated, large agricultural machinery was able to enter the fields more efficiently, and the degree of mechanization and scale of agricultural production was further improved. Today, this practice of coordinating the consolidation of plots, ecological governance, and the construction of drainage and irrigation facilities has made the originally scattered farmland more suitable for large-scale and mechanized production, and has also become a microcosm of the achievements of high-standard farmland construction in Heilongjiang.
High-standard farmland construction is a key measure for improving cultivated land quality. The Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law clarifies the construction goals, stipulating that the state establishes a strict system for the construction and protection of cultivated land quality, strengthens the construction of high-standard farmland and the treatment of degraded cultivated land, and gradually builds all permanent basic farmland that meets the conditions into high-standard farmland.
In addition, this legislation also stipulates that the state improves the investigation and evaluation system for cultivated land quality, establishes and improves a monitoring network system for cultivated land quality; improves the mechanisms and relevant standards for the project initiation, construction, acceptance, and management and maintenance of high-standard farmland, prohibits the interception, embezzlement, or misappropriation of funds for high-standard farmland construction, and establishes a national database for high-standard farmland; encourages and supports the comprehensive transformation and utilization of saline-alkali land, strengthens the treatment of degraded cultivated land, and protects the excellent production capacity of black soil.
"The provisions of the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law on cultivated land quality are hierarchical," said Yun Wenju. The legislation makes provisions for the protection and utilization of the intrinsic quality of cultivated land soil, effectively improving the basic fertility of cultivated land, which is the foundation for improving cultivated land quality. In terms of the ecological protection, restoration, and construction of cultivated land, it links scientific understandings such as the biodiversity of cultivated land soil and the sustainable use of cultivated land with human activities in using cultivated land, requiring the combination of use and conservation. At the same time, the legislation implements green development, highlighting legal requirements for the treatment of saline-alkali land, the protection of black soil, and the treatment of degraded cultivated land such as acidification.
Li Rui stated that this legislation also effectively incorporates the social value of cultivated land protection and quality improvement into the pattern of benefit distribution. "The establishment of the compensation system for cultivated land protection and quality improvement and the improvement of the benefit compensation mechanism for major grain-producing areas enable regions and entities that undertake tasks such as cultivated land protection and high-standard farmland construction to obtain reasonable economic returns."
Consolidating responsibility so that the system becomes a truly electrified "high-voltage line"
A certain mining limited liability company in County B, Province A illegally occupied 39.38 mu of cultivated land, building non-agricultural facilities such as office buildings, water storage ponds, and sewage treatment stations. The local competent natural resources authority filed a case for investigation and made an administrative penalty decision: ordering the company to return the plots that did not conform to the overall land use plan to the village collective, demolish the illegally constructed office buildings, water storage ponds, and sewage treatment stations on its own, restore the land to its original state, and imposing a fine.
"Judging from the handling results of this case, measures such as returning the land, demolishing within a time limit, and restoring the original state are interconnected," said the relevant responsible official from the Law Enforcement Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources. The penalizing authority did not simply impose a fine and leave it at that, but insisted on giving priority to restoring the function of cultivated land, requiring the demolition of illegal buildings and the restoration of the land to its original state within a time limit.
The Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law clarifies that acts such as illegally occupying cultivated land, destroying planting conditions, and converting permanent basic farmland into other agricultural land shall be pursued for corresponding legal liability in accordance with the law, and requires the restoration of the original planting conditions of cultivated land, forming a powerful deterrent and resolutely holding the red line for cultivated land protection.
"Adhere to the strictest cultivated land protection system and strengthen the rigidity of the system," said the responsible official from the Civil Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. This law clearly stipulates that the state establishes a responsibility system for cultivated land protection, implements an assessment and accountability mechanism for cultivated land protection with joint responsibility of the Party and government and off-office auditing, layers the responsibility for cultivated land protection onto local Party committees and governments at all levels, ensures that the red line for cultivated land protection cannot be touched or crossed, makes the system a truly electrified "high-voltage line," and provides a solid institutional guarantee for cultivated land protection.
The relevant responsible official from the Law Enforcement Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources stated that in implementing the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law, the Ministry of Natural Resources will focus on investigating and handling major cases such as the destruction of cultivated land. Where clues to major illegal occupation of cultivated land are discovered, it will carry out direct verification to the end using the "four no's and two direct's" method, and for major typical cases confirmed through verification, it will adopt methods such as direct case filing, upgraded handling, and supervision with listing, to severely crack down on illegal occupation of cultivated land and enhance deterrence.
The formulation of the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law, on the basis of existing legal provisions, further raises the level of systematization, standardization, and rule-of-law in cultivated land protection and quality improvement work, helps form institutional synergy with other laws in the field of cultivated land protection and quality improvement, improves governance effectiveness, and continuously promotes new and greater progress in cultivated land protection and quality improvement work.
"As a foundational law in the field of cultivated land protection and quality improvement, the formulation of the Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law has laid the foundation for advancing the construction of a theoretical and institutional system for the rule of law in cultivated land protection and quality improvement with Chinese characteristics, and has also contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the advancement of global cultivated land protection and quality improvement," said Li Rui.
Return to TopBy: 范振喜
In early autumn, the thousand-mu rice fields with drooping ears of grain resemble a golden ocean, and crop-protection drones circle back and forth overhead... This autumn, the village once again welcomed a bountiful harvest of abundant fruits. Walking through the fields, one sees good "harvest" scenery everywhere, and everyone's face is wreathed in smiles.
After being elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress, I set myself a clear goal: to stay close to the masses and serve the masses, becoming everyone's "leader" and "caring companion." Last year, a major flood struck, dealing a severe blow to the village's agricultural production. Watching the good family foundation built up through years of hard work on the verge of being completely destroyed in a single moment (毁于一旦, hui yu yi dan - "destroy, at, one, single"), as a deputy to the National People's Congress and secretary of the village Party committee, I saw it with my own eyes and was anxious at heart, knowing full well that I had to lead the villagers in finding solutions and protecting the farmland. The village promptly dredged ditches and cleared silt, and formulated a set of emergency crop rescue plans. Thanks to everyone's joint efforts, this year the village not only fully recovered to its pre-disaster level of agricultural production, but has further consolidated a solid foundation for a good harvest next year.
As a deputy to the National People's Congress, I must bring the most authentic voices from the grassroots to the Great Hall of the People, implement the Party's good policies down to the fields, and use practical work to promote comprehensive rural revitalization and lead the masses to increase their incomes and become prosperous.
After conducting in-depth research and collecting and organizing the problems commonly reported by villagers, and focusing on the green transformation of agriculture, during the first session of the 14th National People's Congress I submitted a proposal on developing circular agriculture to support comprehensive rural revitalization, which received positive responses from fellow deputies and relevant departments. After the session concluded, I rushed back to the village and promptly convened a special briefing session to explain to Party members and the masses the policy deployment of "developing rural industries with distinctive features and broadening channels for farmers to increase their incomes and become prosperous." The villagers in the audience listened with filled with intense emotion or excitement (心潮澎湃, xin chao peng pai - "heart, tide, surge, swell").
How can a good proposal be translated into a good industry that brings prosperity to the local people? This question has been constantly on one's mind (萦绕心头, ying rao xin tou - "hover, circle, heart, head") for me.
Over the past two years, in order to increase the sales of agricultural products, the village has built a fairly large-scale "Rural Revitalization Agricultural Products Exhibition and Sales Center." The exhibition and sales center has been built and the platform is in place, but during my visits and research I discovered that to make the villagers' lives better and better, having only sales channels is not enough—the key is still to solve the problem of people and the problem of increasing incomes.
"These jobs have no technical content, and the income is also very unstable." "The young people have all gone to the cities; most of those remaining are the elderly." The strongest and most concentrated demands currently voiced by the masses are mainly two: stable income increases and care for the elderly. With the large-scale transfer of rural labor, the problems of agricultural part-time work, rural hollowing-out, and an aging farming population are relatively serious. The number of people entering agriculture as a successor occupation has decreased, and the problem of rural reserve labor being "unwilling to farm, not fond of farming, and unable to farm" is becoming increasingly prominent, with farmers showing little willingness to participate in training. To this end, I submitted a proposal on cultivating high-caliber farmers, and at the same time, relying on the Zhoutaizi Village National Rural Practical Talent Training Base and the Hebei Province Rural Party Members and Cadres Education and Training Base, I have been deeply promoting the training of new-type farmers. To date, more than 670 sessions of various types of training for rural Party members and cadres, leaders in getting rich, and others have been held, training more than 70,000 trainees and cultivating a large number of practical new-type farmers.
Fighting on the front line of rural revitalization, I bear an extremely heavy responsibility (千钧重担, qian jun zhong dan - "thousand, jin, heavy, burden") on my shoulders. I will thoroughly fulfill the duties and mission of a deputy to the National People's Congress, striving tirelessly and fighting unceasingly so that the fields will have good "harvest" scenery year after year, and will work even more resolutely to seek common prosperity for the collective and happiness for the people.
(The author is a deputy to the National People's Congress, secretary of the Party committee and director of the villagers' committee of Zhoutaizi Village, Zhangbaiwan Town, Luanping County, Hebei Province; compiled and edited by People's Daily reporter Zhang Tianpei)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 魏哲哲
"Concentrated school dismissal easily causes crowding at the school gate. Could staggered dismissal times be considered?" "Can classes dismissed early be adjusted dynamically?" In March this year, the "Bayu Practice Station for Whole-Process People's Democracy" (全过程人民民主巴渝实践站) located at Jiangjin No. 5 Middle School in Chongqing received letters from two students.
The letters were quickly forwarded to Chen Hong, a deputy to the Jiangjin District People's Congress and a teacher. After fully communicating with students and parents and understanding the demands behind the letters, Chen Hong reported the students' suggestions to the school.
Subsequently, the school invited Chen Hong and some teacher and student representatives to the school's "Jinlong Discussion Hall" for joint discussion, listening to the needs of teachers and students. "We must consider both teaching arrangements and students' commuting, parents' pick-up and drop-off, and order at the school gate." At the discussion meeting, everyone was speaking their minds freely (畅所欲言, chang suo yu yan - "freely, what, desire, speak"), offering opinions and suggestions from different angles. In the end, the school adjusted and optimized the staggered dismissal time for each grade based on grade-level teaching arrangements.
The implementation of a heartwarming measure gave students a deeper appreciation of whole-process people's democracy. He Xinyi, a student at the school, said: "Previously, I thought school matters were decided by teachers. Now, we can raise our ideas at any time, and there are responses and results."
Setting up practice stations at the grassroots frontline such as school campuses, deepening the building of grassroots units for whole-process people's democracy, and making democracy and people's livelihood resonate at the same frequency. In recent years, on the basis of iteratively improving the homes (stations, points) of people's congress deputies, the Chongqing People's Congress has further built "Bayu Practice Stations for Whole-Process People's Democracy" with local characteristics, smoothing channels for expressing public opinion, helping people's congress deputies play their role, and turning the Bayu practice stations into "gas stations" for industry and "happiness stations" for the masses.
In Building 4, Unit 3 of Labor Village No. 2 in the Minzhu Village area of Jiulongpo District, the installation of an elevator was once an urgent, difficult, and anxious concern for residents. For a period of time, as the policy on installing elevators in old residential communities advanced, residents of the upper floors of the building actively called for elevator installation, but lower-floor residents opposed it due to concerns about lighting and noise. Whether to install the elevator was not easy to agree on. In addition, due to the special terrain, installation was quite difficult and progress was sluggish, causing anxiety among many residents, especially the elderly.
Can a "small station" become a fulcrum for leveraging grassroots governance? This year, the Minzhu Village Bayu Practice Station listed this work as a key livelihood matter to promote, building a "five-party discussion" platform—organizing the community, people's congress deputies, residents, companies, and departments to consult repeatedly. After more than 20 on-site surveys and assessments, consensus was ultimately reached among all parties on site selection and renovation plans.
From opinion collection and on-site surveys to plan consultation, people's congress deputies actively followed up and coordinated throughout the entire process. Every link involved residents and the masses participating autonomously and making collective decisions. At the same time, streets, communities, and functional departments responded in a coordinated manner, realizing "civil affairs discussed by the people, civil affairs handled by the people, civil affairs managed by the people," and the "democratic style of Minzhu Village" has deeply touched people's hearts (深入人心, shen ru ren xin - "deep, enter, people, heart"). Through "doorstep" grassroots democratic governance, the masses have come to enjoy a more "comfortable" life.
"Fulfilling duties for the people hinges on opening up the 'last kilometer' of connecting with the masses. The Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress has continuously promoted the iterative upgrading of homes (stations, points) for people's congress deputies across the city, and, relying on these homes (stations, points), has focused on cultivating 'Bayu Practice Stations for Whole-Process People's Democracy,' making whole-process people's democracy tangible and accessible at the grassroots level," said a relevant official of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 亓玉昆
"Steady your movement a bit more, and pay attention to the gloss thickness of the paint surface." In the practical training workshop, the spray gun was lifted lightly, the paint mist rippled faintly, and Yang Jinlong, a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice dean of the School of Body Shaping, Painting, and Coating at Hangzhou Technician College, bent over to guide a student in adjusting the spray-painting parameters.
From being a champion in the automobile spray-painting event at the World Skills Competition, to taking root at the front line as a vocational education gardener, Yang Jinlong has persisted in guarding the lectern, passing on his skills to more young people. "Setting precision by the millimeter, nurturing skilled talent with craftsmanship" — this is precisely the true portrayal of his more-than-a-decade of deep cultivation in the field of vocational education.
Whenever a student brought up that "learning a trade has narrow prospects," Yang Jinlong would always encourage the student, "As long as you are willing to delve deep into research, being a skilled 'good hand' at a trade can likewise earn you recognition and respect."
Since being elected as a deputy to the 13th and 14th National People's Congress, Yang Jinlong has been rushing about conducting research, striving for broader room for growth for skilled talent, and putting forward multiple pragmatic suggestions centering on the cultivation of skilled talent, the reform of vocational education, and other aspects.
In mid-September, the law-enforcement inspection group of the NPC Standing Committee on the Vocational Education Law carried out an inspection in Zhejiang. At a symposium convened by the inspection group, Yang Jinlong mentioned, "Vocational education is the main front for cultivating skilled talent, and the social atmosphere of advocating skills is gradually taking shape, but vocational education still faces some difficulties in enrollment and advancement to higher education." In response, the members of the inspection group took careful notes, indicating that they would study the matter and provide feedback.
As a world champion who came out of the workshop, Yang Jinlong knows all too well how difficult the path of achieving success through skills is, which has strengthened his conviction of nurturing talent through vocational education and promoting development through skills. Over more than a decade, his studio has cumulatively cultivated more than 500 technicians and more than 2,000 senior workers.
However, in teaching and in visits, Yang Jinlong has also keenly perceived the "invisible thresholds" that hinder young people from achieving success through skills. In order to get a clear picture of the genuine demands of frontline skilled workers, vocational colleges, workshops, repair shops, and automobile 4S stores are all places he frequently visits for research. Notebook after notebook of densely written research notes have recorded the career perplexities of young skilled workers and the urgent needs of enterprises.
Once, during a research visit to the Aksu Technician School in Xinjiang, Yang Jinlong and several young skilled workers who had just come off the workshop floor sat together around a machine tool, and everyone chimed in with their own comments (你一言我一语, ni yi yan wo yi yu - "you one word, I one word"), pouring out their grievances.
"Deputy Yang, our workshop has now brought in quite a few pieces of intelligent equipment, but everyone is still used to the old methods, afraid that they won't be able to learn the new system." A young skilled worker, rubbing his hands stained with engine oil, said somewhat nervously.
While quickly jotting notes in his notebook, Yang Jinlong listened carefully and responded, "Don't be afraid! The current industrial upgrading is fast, and the country is precisely in need of 'new craftsmen' who understand new technologies. The technological iteration difficulties you encounter at the front line are exactly the real problems for my suggestions and proposals."
At the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in 2023, Yang Jinlong suggested that vocational and technical colleges should closely align with local industries and the needs of enterprises, coordinate the setup and construction of specialties, and at the same time, the government should increase its support for the operation of vocational colleges, thereby achieving a win-win situation for students, schools, enterprises, and the government alike.
At the third session of the 14th National People's Congress this year, carrying the research and reflections accumulated over many years, Yang Jinlong once again offered suggestions for the development of vocational education, recommending that digital professional skills such as artificial intelligence be deeply integrated into the curriculum system, that technical colleges be supported in opening technician classes for university graduates, and that the deep integration of vocational education with industrial development be promoted.
"Paving the way for skilled talent, speaking up for vocational education — this is my responsibility." When communicating with the members of the law-enforcement inspection group, Yang Jinlong said, "Only by enhancing the appeal of vocational education can we further strengthen the capacity of vocational education to supply skilled talent, allowing more people to see that 'blue-collar' workers can also become high-level talent."
From the factory workshop to the Great Hall of the People, Yang Jinlong's original aspiration in performing his duties has never changed. "I will continue to collect the demands of colleges, enterprises, and students learning skills, reflect the voices of grassroots vocational education, and help more young people embark on the path of achieving success through skills and serving the country through skills." Yang Jinlong firmly believes that"skilled talent, too, can have a shining and brilliant life."
Return to TopOpening Remarks for the Column
As important halls for the protection and inheritance of human civilization, exhibition venues such as museums and art galleries play a special role in carrying out aesthetic education work, educating people through beauty, cultivating people through culture, and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
When audiences walk into museums and art galleries, they can both understand the splendid achievements of Chinese civilization and appreciate the picture of exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations in harmonious coexistence of different civilizations (美美与共, mei mei yu gong - "beautiful, beautiful, together, share"). Behind every phenomenal exhibition lies the thinking, wisdom, and pursuit of the curator. This new column, "Dialogue with Curators," takes you behind the scenes of exhibitions to listen to the voices of thinkers.
Yang Xuemei Ruan Kexin (People's Daily reporters)
Yan Haiying (Professor, Department of History, Peking University; Curator)
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt. On September 1, when President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Egypt in Cairo, he published a signed article in Egyptian media, mentioning that tickets for the "Great Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Civilization" held at the Shanghai Museum were hard to come by, and proposing that China and Egypt should "each appreciate its own beauty, and serve as models for exchanges among civilizations."
"On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" is the most iconic cultural event in China-Egypt people-to-people and cultural exchanges in recent years: a 13-month exhibition period, over 2.77 million visits, and more than 30 billion exposures across the internet, creating a phenomenal craze for viewing the exhibition. This exhibition, independently curated by Chinese scholars and with deep participation from China-Egypt joint archaeological efforts, allowed Chinese audiences to see a real and diverse ancient Egypt, and let the world see the open and inclusive spirit of Chinese culture. Around this major exhibition, our reporter conducted a dialogue with Yan Haiying, chief curator of "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt."
Chinese and Egyptian Civilizations Share Deep-Level Commonalities
Reporter: Chinese people's enthusiasm for ancient Egyptian civilization is very high. Did the curatorial team anticipate the exhibition's popularity? How do you interpret the public sentiment behind this enthusiasm?
Yan Haiying: To be frank, we predicted the exhibition would attract attention, but we absolutely did not expect it to reach phenomenal popularity. Popular symbols such as pyramids, mummies, and the curse of the pharaohs are the "pre-understanding" audiences already have of Egyptian culture. Our curation did not cater to curiosity-seeking; rather, we used solid academic research as the foundation, embraced the popular entry points that interest the public, used social media hotspots to draw audiences in, and then delivered deeper historical concepts to audiences through exhibits, texts, multimedia, and public education.
Multiple factors are intertwined behind this popularity. Breaking away from the past "canned exhibition" model in which both the curation and the cultural relics content were packaged by foreign parties and China merely imported and hosted the exhibition directly, this is the first time China has fully and independently curated a top-tier Egyptian cultural relics exhibition abroad. This exhibition relies on the first-hand results of China-Egypt joint archaeology, bringing many newly unearthed cultural relics that domestic audiences have never seen before; many Saqqara artifacts came to Shanghai immediately after excavation. In the contemporary context of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Egypt Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the "China-Egypt Year of Partnership," public interest in mutual learning among civilizations and ancient world civilizations has continued to rise. The exhibition combines immersive spatial design, digital multimedia, and interactive installations, and atop its academic core covers different groups including in-depth researchers, ordinary visitors checking in, and young people, providing a good sense of experience.
Reporter: China and Egypt are both civilizations nurtured by great rivers. What is the deepest commonality between them?
Yan Haiying: As ancient agrarian civilizations both nurtured by great rivers, the deepest commonality between China and Egypt is concentrated in the pursuit of "order."
Both civilizations were committed to constructing a cosmic order between humanity and heaven and earth. The flood rhythms of great rivers shaped civilization. The ancients observed celestial phenomena and rivers, attempting to understand the operation of heaven and earth. The ancient Egyptian concept of Ma'at and the Chinese concepts of unity of humanity and nature (天人合一, tian ren he yi - "heaven, man, combine, one") and "mutual resonance between heaven and humanity" both pursued balance and harmony between humanity and nature.
Both civilizations developed mature and sophisticated social hierarchical orders and evolved complex systems of kingship. Ancient Egypt constructed a social stratification of kings, nobles, craftsmen, and ordinary people, with the upper stratum forming a system of ritual and symbolic codes, namely "high culture." This culture permeated downward, with the common people continuously imitating the ritual symbols of the upper stratum.
Both civilizations maintained deep reflections on morality and the afterlife, and both attached great importance to the issues of life and death, though their paths of expression differed. Ancient Egypt relied more on beliefs in the afterlife and burial customs to carry moral pursuits. While Chinese civilization valued funerary rites and ancestral worship, it placed greater emphasis on worldly ethics. Both aspired to the values of social harmony, the golden mean, and goodness.
Both developed hieroglyphic writing systems with sacred attributes. Writing was not merely a recording tool but a medium for maintaining cosmic order — on one side was Egyptian hieroglyphic script, on the other, oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions.
It is precisely these underlying commonalities that make it easier for Chinese audiences to empathize with ancient Egyptian civilization, giving them an advantage in understanding that audiences from other regions do not possess. Of course, commonality does not mean equivalence; we must equally recognize the enormous differences in their paths of development.
Valuing the Historical Information Carried by Cultural Relics
Reporter: In transitioning from an Egyptology scholar to the curator of a major ancient Egyptian exhibition, what preparations did you make for this work? What challenges did the curatorial work face?
Yan Haiying: For a scholar to do curation, one must complete a mental shift from writing papers to making exhibitions. I went to Egypt four times to select artifacts on site; we traveled around local museums and archaeological sites across Egypt, familiarizing ourselves with the collections of cultural relics in each museum. We thoroughly sorted through domestic Egyptological achievements, such as the research of senior scholars like Duan Fang and Xia Nai, and considered how to use a narrative logic suitable for Chinese audiences to transform professional Egyptological knowledge into public exhibition language.
At the time, Egyptian museums were undergoing renovation and expansion, with a large number of fine cultural relics being retained; museums from Europe and the United States were simultaneously going to Egypt to borrow exhibits, leaving us with a very limited range of cultural relics to choose from. The positioning of the major exhibition required both the scale of a general history, ensuring the quantity of cultural relics, while also balancing academic rigor and visual appeal, requiring having the insight to recognize true talent or value (慧眼识珠, hui yan shi zhu - "wisdom, eye, recognize, pearl") to excavate the rich academic information behind ordinary exhibits. Due to the restrictions of borrowing conditions, we could not borrow many golden treasures, so we placed particular emphasis on the historical information carried by cultural relics, discovering exhibits that were "not internet-famous" but of extremely high academic value.
Reporter: Could you introduce two cultural relics that you strongly advocated for inclusion, which may not be the most splendid but are crucial to understanding ancient Egyptian civilization?
Yan Haiying: The block statue of Hall, secretary to the king of the 21st Dynasty, is not splendid, yet its biographical inscription contains phrasing that almost amounts to "teaching the king how to be king." This exhibit allows audiences to see the status and ethical concepts of the ancient Egyptian literati class, and it also became a "niche star exhibit" on social media, breaking out of the narrative of only pharaohs and golden treasures to reveal the spiritual world of ancient Egypt's intellectual class.
The ten painted anthropoid wooden coffins unearthed at Saqqara came from the China-Egypt joint archaeological excavation. They revise the previous academic understanding of the typology of northern and southern coffins, directly reflect the evolution of burial customs during the period of foreign rule, and represent the latest production of archaeological knowledge.
These cultural relics, lacking dazzling golden decoration, can nonetheless lead audiences to penetrate the surface and understand the beliefs, society, and knowledge production of the ancient Egyptians.
Reporter: This exhibition was entirely independently curated by Chinese scholars, using the Chinese discourse system to present the thread of ancient Egyptian civilization. How was "observing Egypt through a Chinese lens" achieved?
Yan Haiying: "Observing Egypt through a Chinese lens" does not mean using Chinese standards to judge ancient Egypt, but rather using the experience of Chinese civilization to build a bridge of equal dialogue, while adhering to the emic perspective of ancient Egyptian civilization itself. The narrative foundation of the exhibition no longer copies the European and American curatorial framework, but is based on Chinese Egyptological research and first-hand materials from China-Egypt joint archaeology. It excavates the internal commonalities of the two great ancient civilizations, while leaving the power of comparison to the audience, not forcibly exporting conclusions, and inspiring audiences to think independently about the commonalities and differences among civilizations. One must stand as much as possible within the ancient Egyptians' own system of thought to understand their beliefs and society, avoid forcibly applying Chinese concepts to explain Egyptian society, and must not distort for the sake of pursuing resonance.
Mutual learning among civilizations is bidirectional. Likewise, "observing China through an Egyptian lens," by drawing on ancient Egypt's historical choices, can also inspire audiences in reverse to look back at the course of our own civilization.
Audiences Become Participants in Mutual Learning Among Civilizations
Reporter: This exhibition is one of the Shanghai Museum's "Dialogue with Civilizations" series. China's proactive and in-depth display of foreign cultural heritage not only allows Chinese audiences to see the world's diverse cultures, but also shows the world China's open and positive attitude.
Yan Haiying: In viewing foreign civilizations, we need to step out of two misconceptions: neither treating foreign civilizations as spectacles nor making simplistic judgments of superiority or inferiority. Exhibitions can help domestic audiences establish a pluralistic view of the history of civilizations, understand that human civilization is not a single linear thread, and see that different ancient civilizations each had their own creations. The exhibition turns mutual learning among civilizations into a visible and tangible experience; audiences are not passive recipients of knowledge, but through comparing cultural relics and interactive installations, they become participants in the dialogue of civilizations.
Independently curating exhibitions of foreign civilizations is a form of cultural confidence — it is bringing forth our academic capacity to deeply understand and interpret another great civilization, showing the world the Chinese perspective on world civilizations. Soft power must embody understanding and respect.
The exhibition provides a replicable curatorial paradigm. In the past, cross-civilization exhibitions were often one-way imports. Our case proves that it is possible to build two-way mutual learning based on local scholarship and equal dialogue. It provides methodology for domestic museums to hold exhibitions on world civilization themes, inspiring more museums to transform from "storage repositories" of cultural relics into "generators" of civilizational dialogue.
Reporter: This exhibition is the first cooperation between an official Chinese museum and the Egyptian government, and is also the largest Egyptian cultural relics exhibition abroad in global history and the highest-level in Asia. What legacy has the exhibition left for China-Egypt people-to-people and cultural exchanges? What are your expectations for the long-term future of China-Egypt civilizational dialogue?
Yan Haiying: The realization of this cooperation was the result of multiple conditions converging. The long-term and stable diplomatic foundation between China and Egypt, the China-Egypt Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the "China-Egypt Year of Partnership" provided important policy opportunities. What moved the Egyptian side was mutual understanding and trust at the academic level. Chinese scholars hold a sincere and respectful attitude toward ancient Egyptian civilization; we did not treat ancient Egyptian civilization as an exotic spectacle, but as another great civilization to be treated with equality. The groundwork laid by China-Egypt joint archaeology was equally crucial. We carried out digital archaeology cooperation at Saqqara, and had already established mutual trust between the cultural heritage institutions of the two countries.
The exhibition has left multiple legacies for people-to-people and cultural exchanges. At the material and achievement level, it has produced the exhibition white paper, catalogues, and curatorial research results; China-Egypt joint archaeology continues to advance, with further new archaeological excavation cooperation to be implemented. Bonds of talent and institutions have been established, with scholars from the cultural heritage and archaeology fields of both countries establishing regular channels of dialogue and academic forums continuing to be held. The rational "Egypt fever" that has arisen in China has driven Chinese tourists to travel to Egypt, increasing the interest of the people of both countries in each other's history. The exhibition has also provided a model for China-Egypt cultural cooperation, proving that the two countries can directly cooperate on top-tier cultural relics exhibitions.
Civilizational dialogue requires the sustained efforts of generations of scholars and museum professionals. Looking to the future, I hope to advance joint archaeology, the digitization of cultural relics, and comparative research, making scholarship a true bridge for people-to-people and cultural exchanges; I hope to achieve two-way exchange, with both Egyptian cultural relics coming to China and exhibitions of Chinese civilization going to Egypt; and I hope to promote two-way exchange among young scholars and young people, so that the dialogue between these two great ancient civilizations does not remain confined to special exhibitions.
Return to TopBy: 李 劲
The National Centre for the Performing Arts' original drama The Backpacker has met its audience. I remember an early winter evening in 2025, when the locust trees on West Dashilan Street in Beijing had shed all their leaves, and I was walking out of the sixth siheyuan courtyard guesthouse with the playwright Wang Jian. Dusk had dyed the gray tiles of the Qianmen area a deep blue. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "I've found the feel of the script." I knew then that this play would work.
Fourteen years ago, Wang Ning, the producer of this play and president of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, walked into the lobby of that guesthouse for the first time and was immediately drawn to the dense "graffiti" covering all four walls. There were twenty or thirty languages on those walls, and the words carried blessings, longing, confessions, regret... Everyone was speaking their own piece, yet strangely they resonated together in the same space. Why not create a drama called The Backpacker, using one guesthouse to read the travelers who come from all directions? So Wang Jian stayed for two months in a similar guesthouse by Shichahai, wrote a first draft, but it never reached the stage, because that script "hadn't found its heartbeat."
At the end of 2024, I went into that guesthouse three times to learn its story. Eighteen years ago, a foreign backpacker wrote a line on the lobby wall that nobody could understand, and the owner at the time didn't wipe it away. In the eighteen years since, the backpacker's story has spread outward from that wall: a young woman who cycled from Berlin to Beijing sat in the lobby crying while she wrote a postcard to the lover she had already parted from; an old man who had lost his passport in Melbourne wrote on the wall, "Home is not a place, it's a feeling"; and a group of young people who had come from Taiwan, China to seek their roots drew a train, with the sun and moon riding aboard...
What truly moved Wang Jian was "a certain pause between people." In an era when everything moves fast, a person leaves one sentence on a wall for a stranger, and others, long afterward, stand in the same spot and see it, as if reaching across time to gently pat that person on the shoulder. This "pause" is exactly what theater must fish for. He needed only a little over a month to produce the first draft of the script. The night I finished reading that first draft, I closed the script and sat in my office until very late. The characters in the play carried packs on their backs, gathered from all directions (四面八方, si mian ba fang - "four, sides, eight, directions"), met in the 80-square-meter guesthouse lobby, and then each set out again on their own. At that moment I suddenly understood: "backpacker" is a state of being on the road with one's heart unguarded.
The director Huang Ying was also falling in love at first sight (一见钟情, yi jian zhong qing - "one, see, fall in love, affection") with this subject matter. After several rounds of discussion, we decided, on the basis of the first draft, to make this play into a prose poem dedicated to "seeking and returning," letting every scene become an unfinished sentence on the wall.
Under Huang Ying's leadership, all the actors once carried the simplest luggage and"returned" to that siheyuan courtyard guesthouse, spending one night there together. That night, nobody read scripts or discussed roles; they scattered through the lobby like all the travelers who had ever stopped there. That night, everyone found their creative rapport: this was a space we needed to "live" inside. Those who had left words on the walls were "playwrights" we had never met; those inscriptions blurred by the years were "lines of dialogue" scattered across the world.
During the most demanding stretch of rehearsals, we moved the stage to the rooftop terrace of Beijing Fang. One afternoon, with no set, no lighting, and no proscenium stage, several actors stood atop the gray tiles, backs to the blue sky and white clouds, the layered palace roofs in the distance and the birds circling nearby, performing a fragment. Huang Ying said that this "theater flash mob" corrected certain things: the blocking originally designed looked affected in real space; only when the actors got into the open air did they realize that true backpackers never speak in full, rounded theatrical tones, but with a hint of uncertainty, a hint of tentativeness, a hint of lightness and emptiness that could be carried away by the wind at any moment. From that day on, the rehearsal room gained more "pauses" and lost a lot of "performing."
Now, this play has finally stood up on the stage. While watching the play, I couldn't help thinking: if one day, that backpacker from eighteen years ago saw this drama, would he be a little surprised? That casual stroke he scribbled, like a seed blown onto the wall by the wind, has grown into a play eighteen years later. This, perhaps, is the secret of theater: everything we do on the stage is a response to words already written on the walls of life.
Eighteen years have passed, and the four walls are written full. But in our hearts, there is still an empty space—reserved for you, who walk into the theater.
(The author is the executive supervisor and producer of the drama The Backpacker.)
Return to TopBy: 谭正岩
The TV drama The Lark's Song to Heaven (Yunque Jiao Tian Lu) draws on the life of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, using the fictional character Meng Jinfu's life — full of ups and downs (跌宕起伏, die dang qi fu - "fall, rise, fluctuate, up, down") — as its main thread to tell the story of his spiritual growth. From the first generation, Tan Zhidao, to the second, Tan Xinpei, and then Tan Xiaopei, Tan Fuying, Tan Yuanshou, Tan Xiaozeng, and then to me, the Tan school has been passed down through seven generations. This drama tells more people about the integrity of the older generation, the ecosystem of the theatrical world, and the changes of the times. My father, Tan Xiaozeng, served as the artistic director of this drama, and I was the opera consultant; our main responsibility was to oversee the characterization in the play, especially the presentation of the play-within-a-play.
The script of The Lark's Song to Heaven was polished over 12 years, with the plot and details repeatedly deliberated. Filming began in April 2024 and wrapped in August. Although the shoot took place two years ago, the whole crew's wholehearted dedication during those four and a half months remains vividly etched in my memory (历历在目, li li zai mu - "clear, clear, in, eye").
Some of the leading actors in the drama have a foundation in opera but had left the stage for many years, while others had received no opera training at all. How could they convey the state of someone who has spent years honing their craft on the Peking Opera stage? During the preparation period before filming began, we organized the opera segments needed for the drama and launched a series of opera training sessions based on the requirements of the script.
Beyond learning, there was also practice. Everyone took the initiative to seek guidance from the teachers and put in extra hours practicing. When I saw that in that cramped practice room, every single day, everyone was dripping with sweat (大汗淋漓, da han lin li - "big, sweat, drip, drip") as they trained, I felt this drama was bound to succeed. Teachers like Liu Liwei, Du Yuming, and He Zhonghua were once leading martial-arts roles who had performed on stage. When they entered the practice room, it was as if they had returned to the past — practicing this, trying that, some even strapping on the full armor and drilling. Lead actors like Liu Wei, Cao Lei, and Zhou Jiuliang were also not at all vague or hesitant (毫不含糊, hao bu han hu - "not, a little, vague, muddled"), striving for perfection and continuous improvement (精益求精, jing yi qiu jing - "refine, increase, seek, excellence") in every detail.
Zhang Yishan, who plays Meng Jinfu in the drama, had never been exposed to Peking Opera. In order not to slip up in the play-within-a-play segments, he often added extra practice on his own. I recall the scene "Sweeping Snow and Playing the Bowl," which required the actor to repeatedly whip his "thrown hair" — without a solid foundation, this is very difficult to accomplish. I saw Zhang Yishan in a corner, constantly trying and repeatedly training. I told him, "You can't start with such high intensity right away. If you train too much, your neck will swell." Sure enough, the next day his neck was swollen and he couldn't move it at all. There was also a scene in prison reciting "Lin Chong's Flight in the Night," which required Zhang Yishan to kick his leg straight up. Each time, he would ask me, "Is this okay?" This leg-kick shot was a close-up; he had the height and speed of the kick, but his instep wasn't arched enough — it looked like a dancer's. "Then let me do it again," Zhang Yishan said, forcefully arching his foot and trying once more. With that arch, he pulled a ligament. But he still gritted his teeth and pushed through several more takes.
Beyond training the basic skills, everyone also had to develop the distinctive qualities of a Peking Opera performer, such as physical bearing and the look in the eyes. What was even harder was how to portray the state of life of people in a theatrical troupe — that feeling cannot be acted out all at once. For example, before Leslie Cheung starred in Farewell My Concubine, he lived with us for several months. Only by immersing oneself in that atmosphere can one absorb the flavor — this is the necessity of our entering the troupe early for training.
"The lark is no swan, yet dares to sing to the sky." The title of The Lark's Song to Heaven conceals the core of the entire drama: though the lark is small in stature, it does not fear the height of the sky and sings toward the sun. The protagonist Meng Jinfu is such a lark — through voice loss during adolescence, factional infighting, and the torrents of the times, he falls again and again and rises again and again, step by step growing into a grand master renowned throughout the capital and revered by all. I hope that through this drama, audiences will see not only how a celebrated performer grows into his role, but also a life journey of holding fast to one's original aspiration and to the way of the art, and come to understand the unyielding spirit and sincerity of singing one's life drama brilliantly.
(The author is an actor with the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre.)
Return to TopBy: 王小枪
The creation of the TV drama Confrontation (Jiaofeng) took three years. The script runs to 600,000 characters, features 53 principal characters, and contains nearly 800 scenes of varying scale. Looking back, when I wrote the first character of the script, it was as if I could smell the breath of the waves of the Taiwan Strait.
If there is any common thread between this drama and other stories I have written, it is the ordinary people set against the backdrop of a great era. Chunxiao, Ma Qi, and I in the drama are all of the same generation; the times they lived through and the feelings they experienced are memories I share as well.
Every character's name carries symbolic meaning. The name Ma Qi comes from the Song dynasty poem "Traveling in Summer Heat, No. 1," which reads, "Resting the horse by the roadside inn, disrobing yet still standing." Qi means rest, yet he runs tirelessly, traveling a thousand li without a moment's pause. The name Chunxiao comes from a quatrain by the Tang dynasty poet Meng Haoran. Chunxiao carries both the vitality of a spring morning and foreshadows the character's growth. Jinlan, meanwhile, comes from the Ming dynasty poem "In the Mountains of Lingqiu," which reads, "Fragrant mist disperses over new flowers, brocade orchids rest upon fine grass," and also carries a metaphorical hint of her temperament. "From afar I see the mountain's color, drawing near I hear no sound of water"—the name Lin Kanshan comes from a Tang dynasty ancient poem, and his surname is one commonly found on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The TV drama Rival (Duishou) that I wrote contains similar extensions. The daughter of Li Tang and Ding Meixi is called Li Xiaoman; xiaoman is the adolescence that never grows up, small yet full, and the solar term she represents is a cultural symbol understood by compatriots on both sides of the strait. A beautiful smile and bright, sparkling eyes (巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮, qiao xiao qian xi, mei mu pan xi - "skillful, smile, charming, appearance; beautiful, eye, gaze, appearance") comes from the Book of Songs, and Ding is also a major surname on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. This includes the Guandi Temple, Mazu Temple, Spring Festival couplets, Tang poetry, dumplings, and various folk customs that recur throughout Confrontation—similar cultural markers are all bloodline codes connecting the two sides of the strait.
Counterespionage work is a battlefield without visible smoke; writing spy-themed film and television dramas is like weaving a fictional bamboo basket—the finer the weave, the more authentic it feels. Obtaining creative details is like starting something from scratch through hard work (钻木取火, zuan mu qu huo - "drill, wood, take, fire"). With strong support from the Ministry of State Security, we had the opportunity to engage in in-depth exchanges with real state security officers. Confrontation has the documentary foundation of a realistic drama, but also imagination—placing the unknown silent confrontation within historical time and space, revealing the hidden struggle that ordinary people can hardly imagine.
Confrontation contains silent thunderclaps, and even more so, great changes of the era. Even the fictional parts must be infused with the spirit of the times. The protagonist's growth and trials, reflection and gaze—regardless of which ending he ultimately reaches—inevitably bear the imprint of the era.
This drama has no spectacular feats of flying through the heavens or diving into the earth; from beginning to end, barely a few shots are fired, and there are few action scenes. Apart from the necessary dramatic conflicts, I hope to preserve to the greatest extent a texture closer to reality. All the character relationships and plot construction are tightly tied to the title of the drama—the complexity of counterespionage work is far from, and far more than, the roar of gunfire and fierce fighting or intense conflict (刀光剑影, dao guang jian ying - "knife, light, sword, shadow").
For ordinary people, the world before them is dazzling or overwhelming to the senses (眼花缭乱, yan hua liao luan - "eye, flower, dazzling, confused"), and life is full of too much contingency—a seemingly casual choice can affect an entire lifetime. How should we guard against, or even discern, danger? Jin Lina, Xiao Lu, Sister Xia, Cao Liaoping, Xie Xiaozhou, and Xiao Jin—these ordinary people who were originally following established procedures or routines (按部就班, an bu jiu ban - "follow, part, follow, pattern") and were exploited by spies, their tragic experiences serve as a warning to the world.
Lin Kanshan is also a tragic figure. In the drama, in the face of one test after another of faith and humanity, he and Ma Qi and Chunxiao, who are always watching him closely, each make different choices. Beyond the brutal intensity of the struggle on the covert front and the mission and responsibility of state security officers, this drama also hopes, through the changing relationships of these principal characters, to portray the fate of figures fluctuating or being tossed about by circumstances (摇摆沉浮, yao bai chen fu - "sway, move; sink, float") amid the confrontation of the secret war.
The Daodejing speaks of "shining without dazzling," meaning having one's own radiance without being glaring or ostentatious. Being unknown and unheralded is not an easy thing. Every state security officer, led by Ma Qi and Chunxiao, begins a journey uniquely their own from the very first day they start their work.
This drama is dedicated to the nameless heroes who defend the country and protect the homeland.
(The author is the screenwriter of the TV drama Confrontation)
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