Summary: The article describes how workers across China remained at their posts during the National Day holiday, highlighting major projects, public services, and supply guarantees. At the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi, Party Secretary and Chairman Cheng Yaofei oversaw operations, while more than 200 builders worked on the Tibet Huadian Qiongjie Wind Power Project, where project manager Wang Shikui stressed seizing the construction window before winter. In Yunnan, Ren Zhiping of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau reported progress on the Kunming Changshui International Airport T2 Terminal expansion. Public security and medical staff, including police officer Wang Longmei and Deputy Chief Physician Jiang Chenghui, were also reported as serving the public during the holiday. The article also covers energy and market stability efforts, such as coal production at the Tongxin Mine and supermarket supply management by store manager Li Ling in Wuhan.
Summary: The article reports that during the first five days of the National Day holiday, total cross-regional movement of people nationwide reached approximately 1.55 billion trips, with a record single-day railway passenger volume of 25.204 million on October 1. It highlights General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis on building a safe, convenient, efficient, green, economical, inclusive, and resilient sustainable transport system to support high-quality development. The piece showcases improvements in road, rail, air, and water transport networks, including new high-speed rail lines and expressways, as well as enhanced services such as faster charging and streamlined airport check-in. It also describes new travel formats like the "Panda Special Train" and cruise vacations, with Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang noting expected year-on-year growth of over 20% in car rental travel during the holiday.
Summary: Heilongjiang Province, with annual grain output exceeding 160 billion jin, serves as the nation's "ballast stone" for food security, per General Secretary Xi Jinping's September 2023 inspection guidance emphasizing modern large-scale agriculture. The province reports a 22nd consecutive year of bumper harvests in 2025, underpinned by black-earth protection, high-standard farmland, seed industry innovation, and a 99.34% mechanization rate. Agricultural product processing revenue exceeded 450 billion yuan in 2025, with a conversion rate of 75.1%, exemplified by projects like black-rice anthocyanin extraction and soybean processing clusters. Rural revitalization efforts include "rice paddy+" tourism and "Village Gala" cultural brands, contributing to a 7.1% year-on-year growth in farmers' per-capita income. The article highlights achievements in agricultural science, industry chain extension, and livable village construction across the province.
Summary: During the the National Day holiday, the concentrated release of demand for family reunions, return trips, outbound travel, and consumption and leisure met a sharp increase in passenger, logistics, and vehicle flow, testing public services. Thoughtful service depends on playing the "opening move" well, such as assessing congested roads in advance with "one section, one strategy" and opening government parking lots, ensuring being well-prepared for any contingency. Amidst huge passenger flow, "small needs" must not be overlooked, as seen in operating "slow trains" for mountainous residents and adding barrier-free facilities for disabled groups, practicing refined governance with humanistic care. The commentary urges not being satisfied with "whether it exists" but examining "whether it is good," striving for more considerate services so people feel at ease and enjoy a comfortable holiday.
Summary: During the the National Day holiday, "county-hopping travel" and "rural tourism" have become standout trends, winning favor among tourists.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping, during his June 2021 inspection tour in Qinghai, stressed the deep bond between the Red Army and ethnic minority compatriots during the Long March, urging cadres to ask villagers what better life they still want and to promote it together. The article recounts how Banma County, a place where the Red Army passed through Qinghai, preserves this legacy through sites like Red Army Gully, with local figures like Gama Qiu organizing villagers to compile stories, protect revolutionary sites, and restore forests. The county has developed a yak industry chain with national organic certification, while artificial cultivation of morel mushrooms has enriched local incomes. A pot left by Red Army soldiers to a Tibetan elder symbolizes ethnic unity, which Qinghai has advanced through national demonstration zones and exchange projects with Shanghai, including study tours where a Tibetan girl noted that waters of the Huangpu River and the source of the Yellow River can no longer be told apart once they flow into the sea.
Summary: During the National Day holiday, thematic exhibitions commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March have drawn large crowds across the country. The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution reported over 320,000 cumulative visitors by October 5, with more than 300 cultural relics on display for the first time. At the Memorial Hall of the Victory of the Central Red Army's Long March in Wuqi County, Shaanxi, curator Li Shuguo noted the new exhibition's text expanded from over 20,000 to more than 60,000 characters, and it has received 600,000 visitors since opening last National Day. Innovative formats, including VR technology and live-action performances by "Red Children" propaganda troupes, have enhanced visitor engagement at sites such as the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall and the Memorial Park of the Departure Site of the Central Red Army's Long March in Yudu County. The article highlights intergenerational participation, including veterans and university students like Xu Mengwei from Lanzhou University, in retracing the Long March road and carrying forward the Long March spirit.
Summary: The article reports on nighttime cultural tourism in Kaifeng, Henan, during the National Day holiday, centered on the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden's live water-surface performance "The Great Song: Dream of Dongjing." Visitors experienced Song-dynasty scenes, including a revised Song Banquet with dishes based on ancient texts, and engaged with NPCs in activities like Song-ci couplet responses to earn "Great Song Jiaozi," the world's earliest paper currency. The garden's marketing manager, Xing Xiaoyue, explained that daytime programs are re-choreographed for nighttime to ensure a smooth transition, with a thousand performances running from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Across Kaifeng, all nine 3A-and-above attractions opened nighttime tours, featuring intangible-heritage "beating iron flowers" and immersive prefectural-office culture. The city plans to invest 15 million yuan in fiscal funds and hold 20 consumption-boosting events during the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays to stimulate consumer vitality.
Summary: The author, a villager of Salawusu Village, Uxin Banner, Inner Mongolia, recounts her over 40 years of fighting desertification in the Mu Us Sandy Land, which she describes as transforming from a barren, windy landscape into the "Green Mu Us" and now the "Golden Mu Us." She details the hardships of planting trees in extreme conditions, the loneliness of life on the sand, and her gradual development of scientific sand-fixing methods, leading to the afforestation of over 70,000 mu and more than 2 million trees. She notes that with the "Three-North" Shelterbelt Program and local leadership, the treatment rate of the Mu Us Sandy Land in Uxin Banner has reached over 85 percent. The article also mentions her reunion with her American friend Sikes, whom she first hosted in 2000 with a simple bowl of noodles and now entertains with local specialties, highlighting the area's improved prosperity. She concludes by vowing to keep planting trees as long as she can move.
Summary: The article highlights Yin Yuzhen's decades-long success in transforming sandy land into forest, fulfilling her green promise to her American friend Sikes, as a vivid example of global desertification control. It notes that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China completed treatment of 152 million mu of desertified land and 29.32 million mu of rocky desertification land, embodying the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Desertification fighters like Yin Yuzhen have written "the most beautiful lines of poetry" with trees, providing a vivid model for the world through Chinese solutions. The piece concludes that protecting the shared planetary home is a common global aspiration, with Sikes affirming that "our green story will never come to an end."
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping, during his June 2021 inspection tour in Qinghai, stressed the deep bond between the Red Army and ethnic minority compatriots during the Long March, urging cadres to ask villagers what better life they still want and to promote it together. The article recounts how Banma County, a place where the Red Army passed through Qinghai, preserves this legacy through sites like Red Army Gully, with local figures like Gama Qiu organizing villagers to compile stories, protect revolutionary sites, and restore forests. The county has developed a yak industry chain with national organic certification, while artificial cultivation of morel mushrooms has enriched local incomes. A pot left by Red Army soldiers to a Tibetan elder symbolizes ethnic unity, which Qinghai has advanced through national demonstration zones and exchange projects with Shanghai, including study tours where a Tibetan girl noted that waters of the Huangpu River and the source of the Yellow River can no longer be told apart once they flow into the sea.
Summary: The article reports that during the first five days of the National Day holiday, total cross-regional movement of people nationwide reached approximately 1.55 billion trips, with a record single-day railway passenger volume of 25.204 million on October 1. It highlights General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis on building a safe, convenient, efficient, green, economical, inclusive, and resilient sustainable transport system to support high-quality development. The piece showcases improvements in road, rail, air, and water transport networks, including new high-speed rail lines and expressways, as well as enhanced services such as faster charging and streamlined airport check-in. It also describes new travel formats like the "Panda Special Train" and cruise vacations, with Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang noting expected year-on-year growth of over 20% in car rental travel during the holiday.
Summary: Heilongjiang Province, with annual grain output exceeding 160 billion jin, serves as the nation's "ballast stone" for food security, per General Secretary Xi Jinping's September 2023 inspection guidance emphasizing modern large-scale agriculture. The province reports a 22nd consecutive year of bumper harvests in 2025, underpinned by black-earth protection, high-standard farmland, seed industry innovation, and a 99.34% mechanization rate. Agricultural product processing revenue exceeded 450 billion yuan in 2025, with a conversion rate of 75.1%, exemplified by projects like black-rice anthocyanin extraction and soybean processing clusters. Rural revitalization efforts include "rice paddy+" tourism and "Village Gala" cultural brands, contributing to a 7.1% year-on-year growth in farmers' per-capita income. The article highlights achievements in agricultural science, industry chain extension, and livable village construction across the province.
Summary: Michael Lackner, a German Sinologist and member of the German National Academy of Sciences, recounted his lifelong academic bond with China, from his initial fascination at a lecture in Heidelberg to his first visit in 1985 and exchanges with leading Chinese philosophers. He emphasized that "mutual respect and mutual recognition" are the secret to German-Chinese cooperation in Sinology, and that cultural memory provides a solid value anchor for Chinese modernization. As the German academic convener, he promoted the German Sinologists' Congress in Qingdao this April, aiming to present a "cross-section" of current German research, while insisting philology remains the field's most fundamental foundation. He observed that Chinese culture is now embedded in modern lifestyles and global narratives, citing *Black Myth: Wukong* as a vivid portrayal of these new trends.
Summary: The article argues that the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership is entering a new stage, transcending traditional historical friendship and developing toward a higher level. It highlights President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Egypt in September this year, which pushed bilateral relations to a higher level and demonstrated common positions on Global South cooperation, multilateralism, and reform of global governance. The piece details cooperation expansion into renewable energy, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and cloud computing, as well as enhanced political and security coordination, with Xi putting forward four-point initiatives on promoting common security in the Middle East. It concludes that Egypt-China relations are a model of Global South cooperation, with both sides upholding multilateralism, opposing unilateralism, and supporting the authority of the United Nations. The author is identified as the director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
Summary: Shaili, associate professor in the Department of Chinese Studies at Somaiya University in India, said in an exclusive interview with People's Daily that the BRICS cooperation mechanism has developed into an important force for improving global governance, integrating the strength of emerging economies, and leading solidarity among the Global South. She paid particular attention to President Xi Jinping's four important propositions on strengthening the Global South at the 18th BRICS Summit, saying they "lit the light of cooperation for the current turbulent international situation." Shaili noted that BRICS transcends a purely economic mechanism, building a cooperation network covering finance, infrastructure, science and technology, and people's livelihoods, and that it promotes reform of the international financial architecture through coordination with multilateral mechanisms. She highlighted artificial intelligence as an emerging cooperation area, citing the "BRICS Leaders' Declaration on AI Global Governance" and the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center, and concluded that China continues to inject momentum into BRICS cooperation, consolidating its institutional foundation and expanding its international influence.
Summary: Joyce Lorigan, Head of Corporate Affairs at Springer Nature Group, said in an exclusive interview that the Chinese government strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which is inspiring and heartening. She noted that China has become the world's largest contributor of papers related to the Sustainable Development Goals, citing Nature Index data showing China's leading position in clean energy research and its rapid growth in overall research output. Lorigan emphasized that openly sharing research results helps translate China's achievements into actions serving regional and global sustainable development goals, particularly through open access for researchers in low- and middle-income countries. During her trip to China, she visited the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology and funded the public welfare project "Planting the Seed of an Apple Tree," symbolizing Sino-British scientific and technological exchange. She concluded that encouraging researchers, especially early-career ones, to communicate their findings to a broader audience promotes public understanding of science and enhances national scientific literacy.
Summary: The Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station in Tanzania, built with participation from PowerChina and Dongfang Electric Corporation, has officially begun operations, supplying roughly half of Tanzania's national power and easing its chronic electricity shortages. During construction, the Chinese side created about 14,000 local jobs and provided professional skills training to thousands of Tanzanian employees. The article includes an aerial photo of the station, credited to Dai Kairan and Yang Honghao.
Summary: The China-Africa Biodiversity Conservation Experience Exchange and Training Session and the "City of Eagles" global thematic touring exhibition were held in Narok County, Kenya, as featured events of the "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges," with representatives from China, Kenya, and Tanzania engaging on community-based conservation, technology-assisted wildlife protection, and youth ecological education. The exhibition showcased Chongqing's raptor migration protection efforts, including a monitoring network, satellite tracking, rescue platforms, bird-friendly habitat zones, and international volunteer mobilization. Kenyan and Tanzanian representatives shared community-based conservation experiences and expressed expectations of strengthening cooperation with China, including hopes for African practitioners to study in China. The event launched a China-Africa youth biodiversity conservation themed curriculum integrating ecological practices from both sides, which a Tanzanian principal said helps raise conservation awareness among teachers, students, and communities.
Summary: The article reports on the Uzbekistan Chirchiq 100 MW/200 MWh Energy Storage Project, invested and constructed by China Energy Engineering Group Overseas Investment Company, which has entered full commercial operation since March. Station manager Yang Shuangwei said the project can provide over 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of power load regulation capacity to the Tashkent regional grid during its 13-year operation period, enhancing grid safety and stability. Local personnel Muhammad Diyar and Azamat praised the project's intelligence, automation, and reduced power outages, noting it brings technology and job opportunities. The article highlights how the project addresses challenges from new energy volatility while supporting Uzbekistan's economic development and daily life.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that comprehensively advancing rural revitalization is an important task for building a strong agricultural country in the new era. Since the 19th Party Congress, rural areas have shown a new appearance featuring thriving industries, livable ecosystems, civilized customs, effective governance, and prosperous living standards. Localities are strengthening specialty industries, promoting agriculture-culture-tourism integration, and improving living environments through initiatives like the toilet revolution, while new farmers return to boost rural incomes. Cultural heritage is being revitalized through intangible skills and village museums, fostering civilized rural customs. The article portrays villages as harmonious homes where material and spiritual civilization develop together.
Summary: The article profiles three young inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in China, highlighting their efforts to revitalize traditional crafts. Liu Jiahao, a post-90s inheritor of Changsha Kiln Tongguan ceramic firing, uses livestreaming and AI to innovate products, while his father Liu Kunting expresses pride in the craft's modern appeal. Li Xiaoyan, a post-80s inheritor of Wuyi tea ceremony, promotes the art through exhibitions, cross-sector collaborations, and international trips, aiming to spread tea culture globally. Cheng Xi, a 40-year-old woodcarver, combines traditional skills with modern cultural creative products and teaches at vocational centers to pass on Tongshan woodcarving. The article emphasizes the integration of tradition with modernity, innovation, and generational transmission to ensure these crafts thrive.
Summary: The author, a director of the National Theatre of China, discusses their approach to staging historical-themed works such as the spoken dramas *Northward* and *The Humanoid* and the Yueju opera *The All-Female Class*, emphasizing the need to find spiritual anchors connecting history with contemporary audiences. They argue that good stage works do not retell history but reflect enduring national spirit and human struggles, as seen in the canal-set *Northward* and the intellectual's journey in *The Humanoid*. For *The All-Female Class*, the director focuses on presenting the "dare to break, dare to establish" spirit of women a century ago, using a "play within a play" structure and blank-space Eastern aesthetics to create a poeticized, modern narrative. The director stresses that form and content should blend harmoniously, with innovations like a rotating circular platform and cinematic scene transitions serving character and emotion rather than spectacle. Ultimately, they conclude that tradition can be "activated" by each generation retelling it in its own era's language, achieving creative transformation without merely repacking old forms.
Summary: The article recounts a journalist's repeated visits over more than a decade to the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, witnessing ecological recovery as former hunters became guardians and patrols protected the forests. It highlights technological monitoring systems and data showing Amur tiger and leopard populations growing from 27 and 42 individuals in 2015 to over 70 and over 110, respectively, with forest coverage at 97.74%. The piece emphasizes the perseverance of scientific researchers, forest firefighters, and transformed former hunters, supported by a complete national park system established formally in October 2021.
Summary: The Heilongjiang Provincial Museum's logo features a Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon, a first-grade cultural relic combining dragon, qilin, lion, and dog imagery, which was selected as one of the museum's "Ten Greatest Treasures" in 2014. Museum director Qin Jin explained that the vessel, likely an ornament on imperial carriages or ritual implements, exemplifies the Jurchen people's absorption of Han culture and confirms the pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation. Discovered accidentally in 1965 near the Jin Dynasty capital Shangjing Huining Prefecture, it was transferred to the museum in 1990. Qin Jin detailed efforts to revitalize the relic, including digital preservation, immersive exhibitions, over 300 cultural and creative products, and ice-and-snow tourism landscapes themed on the dragon. The article was compiled by People's Daily reporter Zhu Dawei from an interview with Qin Jin.
Summary: The article describes the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road, a 7.38-kilometer bluestone path at the Jiangxi-Guangdong border that historically served as a military march route and salt transport corridor. Liao Yiwen, deputy curator of the Longnan City Museum, explained that officials and civilians opened the the thoroughfare during the Ming and Qing dynasties to overcome geographical barriers. After a 2025 restoration project supported by a civil council, the road has become a hiking destination, with young tourists comparing its scenery to the game "Black Myth: Wukong". Xu Liyun, deputy mayor of Longnan Municipal People's Government, stated that Longnan will deepen cooperation with Guangdong regions like Heping, develop the ancient road's cultural IP, and turn it into a "road to prosperity" and "bridge of hearts" for Guangdong-Jiangxi coordination.
Summary: The article traces the history and evolution of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion, a garden architectural form originating from the ancient "fu xi" purification custom and codified in the Song dynasty's *Treatise on Architectural Methods*. It describes how the winding-stream floating-cup custom moved from natural landscapes into gardens and palaces, with notable northern examples in Beijing's imperial sites and southern examples in literati gardens. The piece highlights the pavilion's contemporary revival through modern landscape design, cultural products, and digital technology, citing I. M. Pei's Fragrant Hill Hotel and the Palace Museum's digital projects. The article concludes that this small architectural form condenses the philosophical wisdom of "the philosophical unity of nature and humanity" and the garden-craft concept of "following the patterns and principles of nature."
Summary: The article is a travel feature on Mangshi, the capital of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, portraying it as an unhurried city whose charm lies in the warmth of everyday life rather than conventional tourism. It highlights the city's multi-ethnic cultures, its ecological attractions such as the Mangshi Nature Park and the Dehong Prefecture Wildlife Rescue and Care Center, and its culinary specialties including "sapie," paoluda, and Indian Ocean seafood. The piece recommends a slow-paced itinerary, describes local festivals like the Water Splashing Festival and the Munao Zongge Festival, and notes landmarks such as the Menghuan Grand Golden Pagoda and the Menghuan Silver Pagoda. It also suggests combining Mangshi with Ruili and Tengchong for a western Yunnan border route, and offers practical travel tips on ultraviolet radiation, the rainy season, and booking accommodations.
Summary: Lingshui sour noodles, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage craft in Hainan, are celebrated for their layered sourness from rice vinegar, sour gardenia juice, and small green tangerines, alongside a sweet base and toppings like sand worms and Anma beef jerky. Hu Shiguang, a fifth-generation inheritor, still keeps traditional tools and methods, though machine-made noodles are now mainstream. The craft was listed in the Hainan provincial intangible cultural heritage representative project catalog in 2009, and local government policies support industry upgrading, with about 500 shops across Lingshui County. For Lingshui people far from home, a bowl of sour noodles is the bearing point of one's hometown, as Wan Shuai, a native born in the 1970s, recalled gathering with fellow townsmen in Guangdong to make them. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article introduces a selection of five works under the theme of "family and country," emphasizing the interconnectedness of family and state as a mutually fulfilling community. It explores how individual destiny is bound with the nation's future and how the sentiment of family and country takes root and is passed down through generations of Chinese people.
Summary: The preface, written by Zheng Zhemin, recalls Guo Yonghuai's return to China in 1956 and his work at the Institute of Mechanics, highlighting his collaboration with Qian Xuesen, his role in developing the PLK Method, and his leadership in establishing the institute's library and the *Acta Mechanica Sinica*. It describes Guo's dedication to national construction, including his contributions to nuclear weapons, missiles, and satellites, and his sacrifice in 1968 while protecting important materials. The text also details Guo's character, his strictness in work combined with amiability toward colleagues, and his efforts to cultivate the next generation of scientists. It further recounts the life of Guo's wife, Li Pei, who after his death donated their savings and his "Two Bombs, One Satellite Merit Medal" to the University of Science and Technology of China and the Institute of Mechanics. The preface concludes by praising the "spirit of gold" embodied by Guo and Li, hoping their legacy inspires readers.
Summary: The article is an essay by the director of the Hall of Heroes and Models at the National Museum of China, reflecting on the writing of a book that uses 24 Long March cultural relics to build a bridge for young readers to understand the Red Army soldiers' experiences. The author emphasizes that the book tells stories gently, showing how ordinary young people, sustained by faith, endured hardships while preserving youthful innocence and camaraderie. The essay describes relics such as a sweater, a march record, and a notice, illustrating themes of mutual protection, family and country responsibility, and finding pleasure in hardship. The author aims to avoid stiff preaching, instead letting the cultural relics' stories unfold so readers can draw their own insights about that generation's perseverance.
Summary: He Changzai's novel *Xiang Shang* (Upward) follows post-90s protagonist Xia Xiangshang and his friends as they return from across the country to their hometown in Xiong'an's three counties, depicting the New Area's transformation while re-examining contemporary urban-rural relations. Unlike traditional local-color literature's theme of escaping the countryside, the work shows these entrepreneurs returning because Xiong'an's planning draws them back, making the hometown a stage for their talents rather than a burden. The novel avoids the "city enlightening the village" narrative, instead portraying the three counties as a space where city and countryside intersect, with the returnees pursuing differentiated development like ecological farms and river dredging. It contrasts generations of entrepreneurs, highlighting the new era's figures as possessing vision, learning, policy understanding, and ecological awareness. The article concludes that local-color literature has a promising future in reflecting China's rural changes and the times' call.
Summary: The author, President of the Chinese Society of Reportage Literature, reflects on the challenge of writing *Ballad of the Canal* about the Grand Canal, a World Cultural Heritage site, given his background in the southwestern borderlands and fear of water. He describes his approach of re-examining Jiangnan China from a borderland perspective and studying historical classics. He frames the work around three rivers: the physical canal of Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty, the spiritual canal of Wen Tianxiang, and the canal of all living beings today. He highlights the canal's historical role in grain transport and national security, Wen Tianxiang's poems of moral integrity, and the ordinary people who have lived by the canal for over a millennium. The article concludes that the canal's history shows how national stability underpins social and household well-being, tying into the ideal of bringing order to the family, state, and world.
Summary: The article is a first-person account by a community Party secretary in Nanjing, reflecting on her work since 2013 and citing Xi Jinping's remark that community work connects every household. She describes overcoming initial challenges through learning, solving disputes, recruiting volunteers, and organizing activities like schools and a community newspaper. Over three years, the community built a service team of 300–400 people and gained recognition, leading her to write the book *My Time as Community Secretary*. The piece notes that by the end of 2025, China had over 600,000 grassroots self-governing organizations, which implement the Party's policies. It concludes by honoring grassroots workers who "silently guard the lamps of ten thousand households" on National Day.
By: 本报记者
Ordinary posts, extraordinary dedication. During the National Day holiday, machinery roared at major project sites, and livelihood safeguards remained steady... Tens of millions of workers built their homeland with sweat and made new contributions through solid work.
Major Projects — Striving on the Front Line
In the early hours of October 5, in Qinzhou, Guangxi, the Pinglu Canal Youth Dispatch Center was brightly lit.
Before the dispatch screen, Cheng Yaofei, Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Company, held a walkie-talkie: "Tighten up the lockage connections a bit more; we must uphold the safety and efficiency of navigation."
This is the first National Day holiday since the Pinglu Canal opened to traffic. Over the past half month or more, cargo flow has been gradually increasing. Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Company has shifted its work focus to the front line of operations, maintenance, and smooth traffic. The operations management team is fully on duty, dispatching every ship lock and every vessel one by one. Lockage plans were repeatedly refined, emergency response plans were checked item by item, and duty schedules were assigned down to each individual. "Navigation is not the finish line; it is a new starting point," Cheng Yaofei said.
During the National Day holiday, at the construction site of the Tibet Huadian Qiongjie Wind Power Project, more than 200 builders stepped up their work. The highest turbine site of this wind power project is at an altitude of 5,350 meters, with a total installed capacity of 150 megawatts.
Construction on the plateau is truly no easy task. The hoisting of wind turbine blades requires wind speeds below 10 meters per second, but since October began, strong winds on the mountain have often exceeded 30 meters per second, and the window of opportunity is vanishing in an instant (稍纵即逝, shao zong ji shi - "slightly, catch, immediately, pass"). Of the 24 turbines, 23 have already completed blade hoisting.
"Everyone is holding a determined resolve to seize the golden construction period before the heavy snow and strong wind season arrives, ensuring the project can be put into use on schedule," said Wang Shikui, the Huadian project manager.
At the construction site of Terminal T2 of Kunming Changshui International Airport in Yunnan, tower cranes stood in rows and machinery roared. High in the air, welders worked intensively with welding torches in hand; on the ground, safety officers patrolled back and forth.
The Kunming Changshui International Airport expansion project is a major infrastructure project of Yunnan Province, and upon completion it will be able to handle 95 million passenger trips per year. The project did not stop work or break continuity during the National Day holiday. Ren Zhiping, manager of the general contracting department of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau for the Kunming Changshui International Airport T2 Terminal, said the project plans to complete the assembly of the steel grid and lift it into place as a whole by the end of this year, at which point the terminal's skeleton will be fully erected.
Serving the People — Safeguarding Every Household
In recent days, biting winds have swept the Pamir Plateau and temperatures have dropped sharply. During the National Day holiday, six officers and soldiers of the Maidan Border Defense Company of a border regiment of the Xinjiang Military Command, stationed at the western frontier of the motherland, packed their gear and set out for a point at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters to carry out an armed patrol. This patrol covered more than 50 kilometers round trip, requiring them to cross three snowy mountain passes and pass through 11 winding mountain road junctions.
"Being able to contribute to safeguarding the tranquility of the motherland's border line fills me with immense pride and honor," said Private Xie Kangwei.
At 8:30 a.m. on October 5, the lights were already on at the comprehensive public security service window of the Weimin Service Center in Shushan District, Hefei, Anhui.
Police officer Wang Longmei changed into her police uniform, checked the self-service document machines, photo equipment, and document processing systems one by one, and placed pre-printed license renewal procedure sheets beside the queue number machine.
This is the thirtieth National Day holiday she has spent at her post. "If we arrive a step earlier, the public can wait one minute less," Wang Longmei said.
To help the public "run fewer errands, get things done quickly, and get things done successfully" during the holiday, the household registration department of the Shushan Branch deployed additional police officers, added windows, and extended service hours, responding to the public's expectations with convenient service measures.
During the National Day holiday, along the Erguna River in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, autumn was at its height. On the morning of October 5, duty police officers at the Shiwei Border Police Station of the Hulunbuir Border Management Detachment distributed border regulations leaflets to tourists while reminding everyone to pay attention to warning signs and comply with border management rules. As the autumn wind blew, the navy-blue police uniforms stood out strikingly against the golden forest sea.
"The more holidays there are, the less we can afford to relax," said Yin Haipeng, head of the Shiwei Border Police Station. This coincides with the peak tourism season in the Greater Khingan Mountains, with multiple tasks — border control, scenic area security, and public convenience services — overlapping at once. The police station adjusted its duty model, implementing "shift-based patrols and point-based stationing" to firmly hold the bottom line of border security.
On the morning of October 5, at the Speech Rehabilitation Clinic of the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Deputy Chief Physician Jiang Chenghui crouched down to diagnose a 7-year-old boy, working hard to help him gradually "find" his voice.
During the National Day holiday, Jiang Chenghui remained at her post, conducting speech training for child patients. She has maintained such holiday clinic sessions for 10 years. "Many people come from far away; when they visit on holidays, the children won't miss their lessons," she said. "Seeing the children pronounce more and more clearly and dare to open up and communicate with others fills my heart with satisfaction, and it is worth staying at my post."
Ensuring Supply and Stable Prices — An Orderly Market
On October 5, in Datong, Shanxi, in the coal mine more than 100 meters underground at the Tongxin Mine of Jinneng Holding Coal Industry Group, the roar of coal cutters and roadheaders was unceasing, conveyor belts rolled steadily, and freshly mined black gold was continuously transported out.
With the heating season approaching, the task of ensuring supply of coal for electricity generation and heating is urgent. During the National Day holiday, Chi Yongdong, captain of the fully mechanized mining team, kept a close eye on the key processes at the coal mining face and shouldered the holiday supply guarantee task together with his colleagues. "Today we expect to cut 7 shears of coal, with each shear producing about 3,500 tons. The mine's total output today can reach 40,000 tons," Chi Yongdong said.
During the National Day holiday, energy supply operations continued without pause, and supermarket shelves were well stocked with stable prices.
On October 5, at the Zhongbai·Linlihui Tangjiadun store in Jianghan District, Wuhan, Hubei, seasonal fresh produce and daily necessities were fully stocked, and many residents came to shop during the holiday. At the checkout counter, store manager Li Ling dispatched staff according to customer flow, opened additional cash registers, and made phone calls to arrange restocking of popular items.
Building a solid safeguard line to protect the daily life of every household. "We have activated the holiday supply guarantee model. Key livelihood commodities such as rice, flour, cooking oil, meat, eggs, and milk are all stocked at three times the normal daily amount. Fresh food is generally ordered in advance and delivered in the early morning, ensuring customers can eat fresh ingredients the same day," Li Ling said. During the holiday, the mall also launched promotional activities such as gifts for purchases and group-buying discounts, "so shopping and eating well go hand in hand with saving money."
(Compiled from reports by People's Daily reporters Zhang Yunhe, Xu Yuyao, Ye Chuanzeng, Li Longyi, Li Junjie, Zhao Jingfeng, Bai Guangdi, Zheng Yangyang, and Fan Haotian; Liu Nansong and Chen Bin contributed to the reporting)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李心萍 邱超奕 韩 鑫
A China on the move, with vitality surging forth.
Data from the Ministry of Transport show: during the first five days of the National Day holiday, the total cross-regional movement of people nationwide reached approximately 1.55 billion trips, with an average of 300 million trips per day.
A China on the move, steaming with energy.
On October 1, the national railway carried 25.204 million passengers, setting a new record for single-day passenger volume.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Building a safe, convenient, efficient, green, economical, inclusive, and resilient sustainable transport system is an important measure to support and serve high-quality development of the economy and society and to realize the beautiful vision of 'people enjoying convenient travel and goods flowing smoothly.'"
From the foothills of the northern mountains to the shores of the South China Sea, from red tourism to listening to the wind and admiring autumn scenery, China during the holiday presents a scene of flourishing and prosperous vitality (欣欣向荣, xinxin xiangrong - "joyful, flourishing; prosperous, thriving").
Road network expanding — travel smoother
A new high-speed rail line strings together red-study tours.
At around 5 p.m. on October 5, in Jiangxi, train G3997 pulled into Ruijin Station, where tour guide Chen Jiajie waved her guide flag, saying, "The little friends from Xi'an are here; the study tour group from Changsha should move a bit further forward."
At the Hongjing Souvenir Cultural and Creative Shop in the Shazhouba Red Scenic Area, shop assistant Zhong Zhen was busy packing souvenirs. "Since the direct high-speed rail from Ruijin to Yan'an opened on September 6, study tour groups have been increasing, and business turnover has been climbing steadily."
Since the beginning of this year, a batch of new high-speed rail and expressway lines have been put into operation. The road network is being densified, and journeys are changing.
In Yichun, Heilongjiang, the autumn foliage is in full color (层林尽染, ceng lin ran jin - "layers, forest, completely, dyed").
At 10:48 a.m. on October 5, train D7273 pulled into Yichun West Station. Outside the window, maple leaves blazed like fire, birch leaves gleamed like gold, and the entire mountain forest looked like an overturned palette.
Xu Yali, 62, said with a smile to her husband: "In the past, from Harbin to Yichun, the green train rattled along for more than seven hours; now the fastest takes less than two hours."
Now turning our gaze to central China.
The Xiong'an-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong high-speed railway made its holiday debut. "Before, going to Beijing took four or five hours; now it's much faster," said Ms. Wang, who was traveling with her child.
During the National Day holiday, Shangqiu Station is expected to send 270,000 passengers, a year-on-year increase of 15.4%.
In autumn in southern Anhui, amid the lofty mountains and ridges, a new corridor winds its way through.
On September 19, the Jingxian-Qingyang Expressway in Anhui opened to traffic, stringing together Taohua Tan (Peach Blossom Pool), Moon Bay, and the former site of the New Fourth Army Headquarters like beads on a chain. In the first five days of the holiday, average daily entry and exit traffic reached 20,000 vehicle trips.
Air routes are also extending.
At 11:51 a.m. on October 4, flight 8L9731 landed in Tianjin. Ms. Jiang, who came from Luzhou, Sichuan, carrying white rice cakes and sesame cakes, said with a smile: "Before, there was no direct route from Luzhou to Tianjin; a transfer with a stopover took 10 hours. Now it takes just 3 hours."
During the National Day holiday, Lucky Air resumed the Kunming-Luzhou-Tianjin route, opening up a new air corridor.
In today's China, the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network exceeds 6 million kilometers, high-speed rail operating mileage has surpassed 50,000 kilometers, expressway mileage open to traffic reaches 199,000 kilometers, and there are 270 transport airports. A three-dimensional transport network turns "faraway places" into "everyday life."
Thoughtful services — travel warmer
On October 5, passenger flow at Beijing South Railway Station continued to run at a high level. Wheelchair pick-up and drop-off, guidance for passengers with special needs, escorting the elderly and children onto trains... The Jingtie Care Service Team writes "safe, smooth, and warm" into every journey.
A China on the move is also a promise of "warm arrival."
On the roads, traffic flows rapidly and continuously (车流如梭, che liu ru suo - "vehicle, flow, like, shuttle").
During the National Day holiday, on the Beijing-Shijiazhuang (Jingshi) section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, the peak hourly flow in the outbound direction reached 7,800 vehicles.
"We rely on the auxiliary decision-making system for maintaining smooth traffic on supersaturated sections to resolve the buildup of peak-hour traffic flow and curb the spread of congestion," said Wang Xiaona, chairman of Jingshi Company. During the National Day holiday, the frequency and distance of congested slow-moving sections on the Jingshi section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway are expected to decrease by 22% and 43%, respectively.
Charging is becoming more relaxed. During the National Day holiday, Shanghai resident Wang Xudong drove 200 kilometers to Zoumatang Village in Ningbo, Zhejiang. At the village entrance parking lot, a row of State Grid charging piles stood neatly arranged. Plug in, scan the code, and in less than half an hour, the battery went from 22% to 80% charged. "Much faster than I expected!" Wang Xudong said.
On average, about 9.8 million new-energy vehicles travel on expressways in China every day. As of now, the number of high-power charging facilities in service areas nationwide has reached about 22,000, and the charging network is being woven ever denser.
Air travel is becoming more convenient.
"Hello, the queue at that counter is shorter; passengers flying Saudi Arabian Airlines to Riyadh can go over there for check-in." Walking into the check-in area of Beijing Daxing International Airport, one sees ground service staff providing timely guidance and queues quickly dispersing.
Recently, Beijing Daxing International Airport, together with China Southern Airlines, took the lead in launching an "early arrival, universal check-in" model for international check-in, reducing the average waiting time in line for international departing passengers by 50%.
Water transport is equally bustling.
In the Bohai Strait, ro-ro passenger ships on the Liaoning-Shandong route shuttle back and forth. During the National Day holiday, the Liaoning-Shandong route is expected to carry 191,000 passengers, and the Dalian maritime department has dispatched maritime patrol vessels to stand by 24 hours a day.
Turning our gaze southward, the Qiongzhou Strait is experiencing a peak in cross-sea traffic. In the first five days of the holiday, the Qiongzhou Strait carried more than 470,000 passengers. The Hainan maritime department has set up four on-duty points at sea to ensure the public can cross the strait conveniently.
During the National Day holiday, the national waterway network is expected to carry 10.86 million passengers, with average daily passenger volume up 6.5% year-on-year.
New business formats — journeys better
The quality of travel is also quietly upgrading.
At 8:56 a.m. on October 5, the "Panda Special Train · Shifang" arrived at Qingtongxia Station, and tourists visited scenic spots in Wuzhong, Ningxia, including Qingtongxia, Shuidonggou, the Yellow River Grand Canyon, and Niujiafang.
Since departing on the 4th, passengers in the carriages have been doing paper-cutting and weaving peace knots, while Sichuan opera face-changing and Mongolian dance performances took turns on stage. Tourist Li Lin was weaving a peace knot with his parents: "My parents have always wanted to see the desert poplar forests, but I was worried they would be too tired on the way. Once I saw the Panda Special Train, I felt reassured and signed up."
Over the eight-day itinerary, the Yellow River Grand Canyon, Juyan Lake, the desert poplar forest, the Heishui City ruins... The rails stretch toward the distance; the scenery is on the road and also in the carriage.
In recent years, with the continued deep integration of "transport + culture and tourism," supply has become more diverse and experiences have continued to upgrade.
Car rental travel, ready to set off at a moment's notice (说走就走, shuo zou jiu zou - "say, go, then, go"). "Picking up the car at Kunming Changshui Airport and returning it in Lijiang at a different location — perfect!" This holiday, Mr. Chen, a post-90s traveler from Shanghai, took a cross-city self-driving trip through Yunnan to chase the autumn scenery. After landing, he went straight to a Shenzhou Car Rental outlet, completed online verification, unlocked and inspected the car via the mobile app, and finished picking up the car in a few minutes.
"The volume of car rental travel upon arrival during this National Day holiday is expected to increase by more than 20% year-on-year," said Li Yang, Vice Minister of Transport. China has achieved full coverage of "car rental stations" at 2 million passenger airports and Class-I high-speed rail station hubs.
Waiting at the airport is extraordinarily lively and bustling (热闹非凡, renao feifan - "lively, not, ordinary").
In Terminal 2 of Zhengzhou Airport, before the flight even took off, passengers had already embarked on a cultural journey. The Jiahu bone flute, the Lotus and Crane Square Hu, and the Fu Hao owl zun "stepped out" of their display cases, and flash-mob performances brought the national treasures "to life."
Cruise vacations offer a different experience.
On the morning of October 4, the large cruise ship "Dream" sailed into the waters of the East China Sea. On the deck, some people exercised, some did yoga, and some leaned on the railing gazing into the distance; in the theater, song-and-dance and magic performances took turns on stage...
"During the National Day holiday, Shekou Cruise Home Port is expected to welcome 173,000 water passenger trips, and cruise vacations are becoming the quality choice for holiday travel among residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," said a relevant official from the Shekou Maritime Safety Administration.
From mountain expressways to cross-sea bridges, from high-speed rail trunk lines to county and township roads, in this China on the move, new records are being set and new lives are unfolding.
(People's Daily reporters Cheng Yuanzhou, Song Haoxin, and Guo Xiaolong contributed to this report)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 殷新宇 祝大伟 张安宇
The bountiful output of the black earth is rich and varied: lift a bowl of gleaming white rice, each grain distinct; bite into a golden ear of corn, soft, sticky, sweet, and fragrant; peel open a bean pod that has shed its greenness, and the tender yellow beans waft a fresh fragrance…
These delicacies come from Heilongjiang Province — its annual grain output exceeds 160 billion jin, accounting for approximately one-ninth of the national total, making it true to its name (名副其实, ming fu qi shi - "name, deserved, actual, reality") a "great granary."
In September 2023, during his inspection tour in Heilongjiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "Heilongjiang must serve well as the 'ballast stone' of national food security" and that"the main direction of attack must be the development of modern large-scale agriculture."
Thoroughly implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, Heilongjiang is accelerating the construction of a strong agricultural province. The people who till the black earth are, with diligence and wisdom, adding weight to the "ballast stone," adding color to the land, and living their days with flavor and vitality.
An increasingly fertile black earth
Heilongjiang possesses a typical black-earth cultivated land area of 156 million mu, accounting for more than half of the Northeast region's total. How can one protect and utilize well this"giant panda among cultivated land"?
In search of an answer, in Hailun City, Suihua, Sui Yueyu, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Hailun Agricultural Ecology Experimental Station, has rooted himself in test fields for over 30 years. "Through multiple long-term positioning monitoring efforts, we strive to reveal the evolution of the farmland ecosystem in the black-earth region."
Beside a cornfield in Jucheng Village, Zhaodong City, Suihua, Chen Yong, professor at the College of Land Science and Technology of China Agricultural University and director of the Zhaodong Experimental Station, displays a soil sample just extracted. " takes centuries to form a 1-centimeter-thick layer of black earth; we cannot allow it to be lost or degraded." Since the station was established in 2022, he has spent over a hundred days here each year, guiding farmers to curb black-earth-layer degradation through measures such as straw returning to the field for soil conservation.
In Wusi Village, Songhuajiang Township, Bayan County, Harbin City, small plots have been consolidated into large square fields, reducing the loss of water, soil, and nutrients and enhancing the conservation and fertility of the black earth. "Prioritize building the black earth into high-standard farmland, and earnestly protect the black earth well." As of 2025, Heilongjiang has cumulatively built a high-standard farmland area of 125 million mu, and the comprehensive production capacity of the black earth has steadily improved.
Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, Heilongjiang has, in light of local conditions, promoted and applied models for black-earth protection and utilization such as the"Longjiang Model" and the"Sanjiang Model," completing a straw-returning-to-field area of 685 million mu-times and implementing a black-earth protection project covering 396 million mu-times, effectively enhancing the excellent production capacity of black-earth cultivated land.
The black earth is becoming increasingly fertile, and the confidence in a bumper harvest has grown even stronger. In 2025, Heilongjiang's total grain output reached 164.006 billion jin, achieving a"22nd consecutive year of bumper harvests."
Increasingly abundant new quality productive forces
Golden waves surge through the rice paddies, golden kernels of corn are plump and full, bean pods roll out pellets of"golden beans"… Gold — the most dazzling color of the black earth.
Good farmland, good seeds, good machinery, and good methods are integrated to enhance efficiency; more new quality productive forces converge, and the"gold content" of the black earth has grown even greater.
Where do good seeds come from? In Beilin District, Suihua City, amid a seemingly ordinary rice paddy, a"chip" is being developed. "This is a national-level regional rice seed-breeding and multiplication base." Li Lianwen, director of the Beilin District Agricultural Technology Extension Center, said, "This year we have also cooperated with the Yazhou Bay National Laboratory located in Hainan to accelerate seed breeding, and field experiments have already been fully launched."
Seed-industry scientific and technological research is underway with great momentum (如火如荼, ru huo ru tu -"like, fire, like, many, lush"), germplasm resource banks are being built with added effort, Heilongjiang has nearly 530 crop seed enterprises, and the black earth has basically achieved full coverage of improved seeds.
In a test field of Heilongjiang Dewo Technology Development Co., Ltd., one red large agricultural machine after another drives past, seeds being sown into the soil one by one.
"It runs fast and sows accurately." Du Mujun, chief engineer of the company, introduced that this is a new type of seeder developed by the company. "Using air-suction seed pickup, seeds are individually adsorbed and delivered, significantly reducing seed damage; compared with traditional mechanical seeders, per-mu yield increases by 5% to 10%, and the price is only about half that of imported ones."
How good are the good machines? Bei'an City, Heihe, Li Fuqiang, chairman of the Geming Modern Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, speaks with deep feeling: "Our cooperative uses large agricultural machinery — spring plowing and sowing are fast, autumn harvesting losses are small. Equipped with Beidou navigation systems, the ridges it raises are as straight as a line, crops receive uniform light and grow well."
Agricultural machinery runs, and agricultural quality and efficiency improve. Heilongjiang's comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting reaches 99.34%, firmly ranking among the forefront nationally.
What use are good methods? In Beidahuang, "farming by watching the screen" is farmers' intuitive understanding of modern large-scale agriculture: from weather forecasts and soil moisture, to agricultural machinery services and insurance claims, the smart platform manages field affairs in an organized and orderly (井井有条, jing jing you tiao -"well, well, have, order") manner.
"Our large-scale planting management platform has established digital archives for 600,000 growers, 760,000 sets of agricultural machinery and implements, and 48 million mu of cultivated land in the reclamation area." Wang Hao, deputy general manager of the Market Operations Center of Beidahuang Information Co., Ltd., introduced.
"The development of agricultural science and technology must be placed in an even more prominent position." Heilongjiang's contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress has already reached 71.4%.
An increasingly long agricultural industry chain
The ever-innovating"Black Earth Premium Products" make the black earth extremely colorful and bright (五彩斑斓, wu cai ban lan -"five, colors, multicolored, brilliant").
"Grain at the head, food at the tail;" "livestock at the head, meat at the tail;" "agriculture at the head, industry at the tail." Heilongjiang firmly grasps the"head" and the"tail," strives to lengthen the industry chain, squeezes every bit of value from the high-quality raw materials produced by the black earth, enabling agricultural products to achieve a leap in value.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — science and technology is the prerequisite.
Black rice turns into gold; the anthocyanins extracted from it command a market price of up to 200 yuan per gram. In the Heilongjiang Jiamusi National Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone, relying on technologies such as bionic extraction developed by Harbin Institute of Technology, the black-rice anthocyanin industrialization project was put into operation not long ago, processing 1 ton of black rice bran daily and producing 4 kilograms of highly active anthocyanins. "The agricultural high-tech zone is now laying out downstream anthocyanin products, continuously amplifying the value of black rice." Guo Zhen, deputy secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Jiamusi National Agricultural High-tech Zone, said.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — industry provides the support.
Nationwide, one out of every seven soybeans comes from Heihe, and in Heihe, one out of every three soybeans comes from Bei'an. How can one obtain greater returns from such abundant soybean resources? Bei'an gives its answer: developing a soybean processing industry cluster.
In Heilongjiang Dahang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Bei'an, soybeans aree being transformed into deeply processed products such as texturized protein and tissue protein. "After processing, the soybeans are exported; the single item of isolated protein alone can earn 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange each year." Pan Shuwen, chairman of the company, said.
Not far away, at Rongtong Agricultural Development (Bei'an) Co., Ltd., various large soybean processing machines open people's eyes wide. The phase-I project was put into operation in 2025, and this year it is expected to process 8,000 tons of soybean seeds. "We are striving to open up the entire chain from field to dining table, from germplasm to protein." Chen Xinda, deputy chief commander of the Bei'an soybean oil processing project of Rongtong Agricultural Development Group, said.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — one's thinking must be broadened.
Braised goose in an iron pot — a signature hearty dish of the Northeast. In Bei'an, which raises more than 3 million geese annually, geese mean far more than just a dish: they become goose down with a retail price of up to 1.9 million yuan per ton, made into down jackets and down comforters; they become shuttlecocks, heading for professional competition courts… Yang Xingpeng, head of the Bei'an Goose Economy Industrial Park, introduced: "Our company consumes 100 million goose feathers annually and produces 6 million shuttlecocks." The industrial park's revenue last year was 170 million yuan, and this year it is expected to exceed 310 million yuan.
Developing from a major agricultural province toward a strong industrial province, Heilongjiang's agricultural product processing and conversion rate has risen from 65% in 2022 to 75.1% in 2025, with processing industry belts for rice, corn, dairy products, feed additives, and more laid out. In 2025, the province's agricultural product processing revenue exceeded 450 billion yuan, growing by more than 10%.
Increasingly livable, workable, and beautiful villages
In Rendong Village, Dongfeng Town, Hailun City, the dragon-claw willows, walnut trees, and golden-leaf elms beside the village road sway gracefully (摇曳生姿, yao ye sheng zi -"sway, shake, produce, posture")."In recent years, we have planted more than 30,000 beautifying and greening plants." Qu Weijun, secretary of the village Party branch, introduced that the village has paved smooth asphalt roads, erected handsome fences, and installed solar street lamps. "With better conditions, our fellow villagers' lives have become really comfortable."
Qu Weijun laid out Rendong Village's"family assets": relying on the provincial academy of agricultural sciences' new soybean varieties and the wide-row double-row dense-planting technique, each shang of demonstration field has increased income by more than 2,000 yuan; in greenhouses, cherry, yellow peach, and grape trees have become"money trees";the village's ponds raise cold-water crayfish, earning more than 80,000 yuan each year…
Building livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions, Banjiehezi Village, Dujia Town, Wuchang City, has also carved out its own path. The village is famous for producing"Wuchang rice," and it has developed a"rice paddy+" diversified business format, integrating sightseeing and study tours, farming experiences, and homestay lodging, receiving more than 50,000 visitors annually, driving employment for surrounding farmers, with per-capita income increasing by 30,000 yuan.
"All aboard!" In Kunzhan Village, Xigangzi Town, Aihui District, Heihe, the little train of the rice-paddy park runs through the waves of rice. "There are many tourists in the village, with more than 300 people riding each day during peak season." Liu Zhenqing, a 64-year-old villager, has been driving the little train for five years. "Every year I can earn more than 10,000 extra yuan right at my doorstep."
Liu Zhenqing took out his phone and showed a group photo with a male tenor singer. "This was taken at the 'village gala.'" He said with a hint of pride. "There is a 'village gala' every quarter, and celebrities often come."
In the first half of this year, Heilongjiang farmers' per-capita income grew by 7.1% year-on-year. One must both"enrich the pocket" and"enrich the mind." Heilongjiang has created distinctive farming-culture brands such as the Village Chef and Village Talent Gathering and the four-season"Village Gala," with participation reaching one million person-times.
New agricultural development, new rural vitality, new farmer ethos — in the commitment to serving well as the"ballast stone" of food security, in the rich and varied products, in the flavorful days of life.
(Han Chunyao, Fang Yuan, and Liu Mengdan, reporters of People's Daily, participated in the reporting and writing.)
Return to TopBy: 程 诚
During the National Day holiday, the concentrated release of demand for family reunions and return trips, outbound travel, and consumption and leisure was met with a sharp increase in passenger flow, logistics flow, and vehicle flow. Public services in various localities faced a major test, and also left behind much useful experience.
Thoughtful service depends on playing the "opening move" well. By assessing congested road sections in advance, "one section, one strategy" precisely improves traffic passage efficiency; by planning to open up some government unit parking lots and canteens, effectively increasing the carrying capacity of cities for short-term tourists... When public services move one step forward, the public can travel with a bit more ease. Strengthening systems thinking and bottom-line thinking, ensuring being well-prepared for any contingency (有备无患, you bei wu huan - "have, preparation; not, have"), this is the inherent meaning of improving governance effectiveness.
Amidst the huge passenger flow, "small needs" must not be overlooked either. Multiple "slow trains" were operated to guarantee holiday travel for residents of mountainous areas, and to reserve space for farmers to store agricultural products; many scenic areas opened green channels and added barrier-free facilities, enabling disabled groups to also travel with ease... Addressing both the urgent difficulties and worries of the majority, while also attending to the pain points of the minority—this is practice in refined governance, and also a full measure of humanistic care.
Not being satisfied with "whether it exists," but examining more closely "whether it is good," striving to provide more considerate services—the people can then feel more at ease, more assured, and happily enjoy a comfortable holiday.
Return to TopDuring the National Day holiday, "county-hopping travel" and "rural tourism" have become standout trends, winning favor among tourists.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 龚仕建 乔 栋
"The Red Army has gone, the villages are empty; the villages are empty but our hearts are not anxious, what worries us is that the Red Army has gone..." In Banma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, a local folk song has been passed down to this day.
Banma is a place where the Red Army passed through Qinghai during the Long March. This folk song is full of the deep bond between the army and the people, like fish and water, and surges with the warm current of ethnic unity as one family.
In June 2021, during his inspection tour in Qinghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Guoluozang Gongma Village, Shaliuhe Town, Gangcha County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The General Secretary pointed out: "During the Long March, when the Red Army passed through areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, they were like brothers and sisters with our ethnic minority compatriots, leaving behind many beautiful stories." "Now, cadres at all levels of our Communist Party of China must ask the villagers wherever they go: what kind of better life do you still want? A better life, we will promote and realize together."
Bearing in mind the earnest instructions, taking a firm stand with the people, Qinghai adheres to ecological priority and green development, bases itself on resource endowments and leverages comparative advantages, solidly advances the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, and walks well the Long March of the new era.
A patch of pea field reveals the original aspiration of serving the people—
The combination lock turns with a "click," and in the Banma County Archives, Director Ren Xiaopeng pulls out a photograph. In the photo, terraced fields and primeval forest are intermingled; when the Red Army arrived, it was exactly the time when the peas were flowering and setting pods.
"What was planted in the terraced fields was peas and highland barley." Ren Xiaopeng pointed at the photo and said, "The elders of Banqian Village, Dengta Township, recall that not a single Red Army soldier entered the fields; instead, they dug wild vegetables and collected cattle and sheep bones to boil into soup."
Zimuda Gully is today called Red Army Gully. During the National Day holiday, at the Red Army Gully Patriotic Education Demonstration Base, there are many visitors to the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall for study tours and sightseeing.
Climbing the watchtower, the torrential Make River embraces Red Army Gully. In that former pea field of Banqian Village, black highland barley is now welcoming its harvest.
The red original aspiration, passing on the torch of tradition or spirit (薪火相传, xin huo xiang chuan - "薪, fire; 传, pass"), generation after generation continues the struggle. Today's Banma County, with the yak industry as a pillar industry driving farmers and herdsmen to increase income and become prosperous, has gradually formed a chain of "breeding—processing—sales—catering—cultural tourism," and 118,500 yaks in the county have obtained national organic product certification. The output value of the entire industrial chain of yak and Tibetan sheep products across Qinghai Province has exceeded 18 billion yuan, driving 506,000 households of farmers and herdsmen to increase their income.
A mountain, guarded by generations of relay—
"Wind, rain, hail, and sleet coming all at once," "soaked to the skin"... Between the lines of the Red Army soldiers' diaries from those years, dangers and hardships were everywhere.
Before the Red Army martyrs' tomb behind the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall, hada scarves have been continuously offered for many years. In the heart of every Banma person, red is a warmth that never fades.
Gama Qiu, former secretary of the Party branch of Banqian Village, is a national model worker. Under his organization, the villagers compiled the Red Army stories passed down by word of mouth (口耳相传, kou er xiang chuan - "mouth, ear, mutual, pass") from generation to generation, collected and managed the revolutionary old objects scattered among the people, and repaired and maintained one by one the remaining sites such as Red Army Gully, Red Army Pavilion, Red Army Bridge, and Red Army Tomb.
The descendants of Red Army Gully guard the red, and they also guard the green.
The forest area of Banma County was once in difficulty. "In the 1970s and 1980s, the roads in the village were all full of big trucks carrying timber, queuing up in long lines to transport it out." Later, Gama Qiu organized the villagers to plant trees and afforest, and now the mountains and forests have turned green again.
In the Make River forest area, located in the core zone of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, the forest coverage rate has grown to 69.58%. Traveling along the Make River, Tibetan macaques and lynxes occasionally flash by on the road.
Devoted to forest protection, gold is born under the forest. Banma County has successfully achieved artificial cultivation of morel mushrooms at altitudes above 3,500 meters, and the 67 greenhouses of the plateau specialty mushroom industry demonstration park have enriched the pockets of the masses.
A pot bears witness to the united force of solidarity—
In the most prominent position of the second-floor exhibition hall of the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall is a pot, with faintly visible relief carvings on its body.
"This is a testimony to the interactions between the Red Army and the local people, and it is the 'treasure of the museum.'" Ya Ge Duojie, former director of the Banma County Tourism Bureau, personally received this pot from the hands of Qiubao, a Tibetan elder, back then.
When the Red Army passed through Banqian Village, Qiubao's father, Suoduo, once invited the Red Army soldiers to stay in his home. During those days, the Red Army soldiers helped Suoduo's family chop firewood and carry water, taught them to speak Chinese, while Suoduo brought out tsampa and butter tea and told the Red Army soldiers about local customs. When parting, the Red Army soldiers left this pot to him.
In 2019, Banma Red Army Gully was officially named a national demonstration base for ethnic unity and progress education. The story of ethnic unity continues to be written to this day. At present, all cities (prefectures) and 98% of counties (districts) in Qinghai Province have built national demonstration zones for ethnic unity and progress. "Lamian noodles on the tip of the tongue," "Qinghai embroidery at the fingertips," and "Pomegranate Seed Homeland" have become new calling cards of ethnic unity.
Over the past decade or more, with counterpart support from Shanghai, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has implemented 98 exchange, communication, and integration projects, organizing more than 21,000 person-times to go to Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu for study tours and exchanges. A little Tibetan girl wrote in her study tour diary: "The water of the Huangpu River and the water of the source of the Yellow River, once they flow into the sea, can no longer be told apart."
The spark of ethnic unity has burned into an inextinguishable lamp on the plateau.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March. During the National Day holiday, thematic exhibitions commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March — exhibitions with warmth, with depth, and with power — have been held across the country, becoming popular travel destinations with surging visitor flows.
Visitors step into memorial halls, gaze at precious cultural relics, and listen to tales of those stirring years. In looking back at the magnificent epic of the ten-thousand-li expedition, they seek the light of faith and draw the strength to forge ahead, allowing the great Long March spirit to radiate brilliance in the new era and remain fresh with the passage of time.
With a deep red heritage, exhibition enthusiasm continues to climb —
Early on the morning of October 5, a long line formed at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, with no shortage of out-of-town visitors dragging suitcases. Asked why they came, most were headed for the "Great Expedition — Thematic Exhibition Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March." In this exhibition, more than 300 cultural relics and documents are on display for the first time. As of October 5, the exhibition had received over 320,000 visitors cumulatively, and the museum schedules a guided tour every 10 minutes so that audiences can better appreciate this magnificent and stirring history.
Entering the exhibition hall, a giant "red ribbon" hangs aloft like a waterfall, and two white stone steles are inscribed with the names of martyrs. People lay bouquets of chrysanthemums, conveying their profound reverence. "Today's happiness and well-being were bought with the enormous sacrifices of countless Red Army martyrs." Walking to the exhibition section on the Red Army climbing snow mountains and crossing grasslands, Henan visitor Huang Shouxi's face turned grave.
On October 5, in Wuqi County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, inside the Memorial Hall of the Victory of the Central Red Army's Long March, a water vat covered in cracks was surrounded by visitors, while 10-year-old Kang Jingru was explaining: "This is the 'Red Army vat,' witnessing the Red Army's 'iron discipline' of burning a farmer's water vat while cooking and compensating with two silver dollars." During the National Day holiday, the memorial hall selected and trained more than 20 "red scarf docents" from several primary schools in Wuqi County to give voluntary explanations to audiences.
From October 1 to noon on October 5, the Memorial Hall of the Victory of the Central Red Army's Long March had already received 14,000 visitors. Behind this enthusiasm lies the professionalism and authority of the exhibition. "The new exhibition's historical materials are more detailed and its content more authoritative. The exhibition's text has been expanded from the original more than 20,000 characters to more than 60,000 characters, with a large number of authoritative Party history documents and the latest research findings added." Curator Li Shuguo said, "Since the new exhibition opened last National Day, it has received 600,000 visitors cumulatively."
With innovative exhibition formats, red history becomes more vivid —
"The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March, a thousand crags and torrents are but idle things…" On stage was the tender voice of children; below the stage, the entire audience rose and recited in unison "Seven-Character Regulated Verse: The Long March." From October 1 to 2, the"Red Children" propaganda troupe of the Memorial Hall of the Central Soviet Area Revolutionary Martyrs in Ruijin, Jiangxi, came to the lecture hall of the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution and delivered a thematic presentation through live-action performance.
Dressed in Red Army uniforms and wearing red scarves, the"Red Children" performed the Long March stories one by one through four chapters —"Northward, Northward,""The Great Parting,""The Tragic Rear Guard,"and"The Eternal Vigil" —with a full house with no empty seats below the stage, and quite a few people quietly wiped away tears.
In pursuit of red memories and in tribute to revolutionary martyrs. Over the past several days, the Memorial Park of the Departure Site of the Central Red Army's Long March in Yudu County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, has welcomed one research-study group after another, and it is expected that the seven-day holiday will attract nearly 300,000 visitors.
On October 1, in front of the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, swarming crowds of people surged forth, with more than 60,000 visitors from all over converging on Zunyi, Guizhou, to begin their National Day holiday amid red memories.
Putting on VR (virtual reality) equipment, one sees smoke of gunpowder billowing before one's eyes and hears the roar of artillery by one's ears, feeling as if one were personally experiencing the fierce battle of the Great Victory at Loushan Pass; three-dimensional life-size imaging, multimedia half-panoramic paintings, holographic projection, and other new technologies make one feel as if one were amid the surging currents, crossing the Chishui River four times…"With the help of new technology and scene-based presentation, I feel like every cultural relic is 'telling a story.'" Chongqing visitor Zhang Li said.
"In the past, explanations were one-way and lacked a sense of immersion. After the memorial hall completed its digital upgrade, with sound, light, and electrical technology, people feel as if they were actually there, and more and more visitors are moved to tears here." Zhang Wen, docent at the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, said.
Continuing the red bloodline, and walking well the Long March road of the new era —
On October 5, in Shaoshan, Hunan, visitors from all over the country arrived in a continuous stream.
Liu Dong, a 69-year-old veteran from Yichun, Jiangxi, brought his younger brother Liu Geqing and others into the Mao Zedong Comrade Memorial Hall in Shaoshan to visit the"Striding Through Passes and Defiles — Thematic Exhibition on Carrying Forward the Great Long March Spirit," his thoughts flying back to the years of combat.
"During the Long March, after the Red Army went north to Shaanxi-Gansu and captured the key pass of Lazikou, it rested at Hadapu Town in Longnan, Gansu. My father Liu Desheng was a resident of that town back then." Liu Dong said that the Red Army strictly observed discipline, united the masses, and its firm revolutionary ideals and convictions influenced a large number of young people. Liu Desheng joined the guerrilla forces that very year, and the following year followed the Red Army on the Long March, all the way until the liberation of all China.
"We, the younger generation, influenced by our father, successively joined the military and the police, dedicating our lives to the Party and the people." Liu Geqing said.
From retired veterans to young university students, the relay baton of the Long March spirit is being passed down from generation to generation.
On October 2, at the Gansu Provincial Museum, in the"Marching Toward Victory —The Great Expedition of Ideals and Convictions" exhibition area on the east first floor, discussions and questions rose and fell in succession.
"Where is the mimeographed copy of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's congratulatory telegram to the First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies?" Xu Mengwei, a master's student at the School of Arts of Lanzhou University, squeezed through the crowd, carefully photographing the exhibits, from time to time asking questions of the docent, and taking earnest notes.
Since the beginning of this year, Lanzhou University has organized more than 360 practice teams, with over 5,000 faculty members and students heading to many places across the country, carrying out special practices such as"Retracing the Long March Road · Youth Passing the Torch," of which Xu Mengwei is one member. "The Red Army's heroic deeds of fighting through the Long March across the Longyuan land are the most moving source for our artistic creation, and even more so the spiritual benchmark guiding us to forge ahead."
Protecting Long March cultural relics, telling well the story of the Long March, carrying forward the great Long March spirit, and walking well the Long March road of the new era — in one thematic exhibition after another commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March, people together answer this red rendezvous.
(People's Daily reporters Shi Fang, Zhang Danhua, Shen Zhilin, Wang Dan, Cheng Huan, Wang Jintao, Song Chaojun)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 赵帅杰
As night fell, mist rose from the water. Above the rippling waves, the lotus-stage slowly unfolded, and green-clad maidens holding oil-paper umbrellas waded ashore, dancing with graceful movements (姿态翩跹, zi tai pian xian - "posture, light dance"). On the bank, lantern-carrying sightseers, shoulder-pole-bearing peddlers, and gong-beating wedding processions bustled back and forth; drums and pipes, laughter and talk — sounds that are clearly audible (声声入耳, sheng sheng ru er -"sound, sound, enter, ear")... On the evening of October 5, at the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden scenic area in Kaifeng, Henan, the live water-surface performance "The Great Song: Dream of Dongjing" (《大宋·东京梦华》) drew a large number of visitors.
The Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden was modeled on and restored from the Northern Song painter Zhang Zeduan's"Along the the River During the Qingming Festival" (《清明上河图》). By day, it vividly presents the hundred trades of Bianjing, the Northern Song capital; by night, a thousand lanterns light up together, and the entire garden transforms into a resplendent and colorful (流光溢彩, liu guang yi cai -"flowing light, overflowing color") "Great Song City That Never Sleeps": the Rainbow Bridge spanning the Bian River, the busy canal wharves, the wine-banner-fluttering Sun Yangzheng Tavern... "The scenes in the painting have stepped from paper into reality — a dream of a thousand years returned."Visitors Han Yuqing sighed with emotion.
Warm-yellow palace lanterns lit up one by one, and the strains of string and woodwind instruments were soft to the ear. The banquet emissaries set delicacies one by one upon the dining table, while "Su Shi" and "Li Qingzhao" took the stage in turn — one composing ci poetry, another chanting — while visitors, like"refined scholars of Bianjing," feasted alongside historical luminaries, engaging in a heartfelt dialogue with Song culture.
"This year's performance underwent a revision; the banquet dishes were developed according to records in Song-dynasty ancient texts such as"Dreams of Dongjing"(《东京梦华录》) and"Simple Provisions of the Mountain Dweller"(《山家清供》), and improved in light of modern people's dietary habits."Yang Rujia, head of the Song Banquet project, introduced that since the National Day holiday began, three seatings have been held daily, with an occupancy rate reaching 100 percent, fully demonstrating the unique appeal to visitors of the compound cultural-tourism product of"catering + performing arts + cultural experience."
"The east wind at night scatters a thousand blossoms amid the trees — please supply the next line!"Before the Shangshan Gate, an NPC (non-player character) dressed as a scholar held a folding fan and posed the question; visitors who answered correctly received an exquisite"Great Song Jiaozi" (交子).
The Jiaozi, which appeared during the Northern Song period, was the world's earliest paper currency. At the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, "Jiaozi" won through activities such as Song-ci couplet responses, lantern-riddle contests, pitch-pot, and finger-guessing games could be used toward deductions across more than a hundred programs and projects.
"Open the WeChat mini-program, and the garden's full layout, your current location, as well as the performance program list and performance order are immediately obvious at a glance (一目了然, yi mu le ran -"one, eye, understand, clearly"), with every activity location clearly marked."Chen Chao, a visitor from Zhengzhou, was visiting the garden for the third time this year.
"From 7:30 in the morning to 11:30 at night, the garden's thousand performances run without interruption."Xing Xiaoyue, manager of the garden's marketing center market department, introduced that in order to make a good transition between day and night, one cannot simply move daytime programs to the nighttime, but must instead switch the narrative dimension and re-choreograph the programs.
Not only the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden — during this year's National Day holiday, all nine 3A-and-above tourist attractions across Kaifeng city opened nighttime tours. At Wansui Mountain Martial-Arts World, the intangible-heritage "beating iron flowers" performances were packed to capacity at every showing; at Kaifeng Prefecture, the immersive"Southern Court: A Thousand Autumns"(《南衙千秋月》) restored prefectural-office culture; on the Imperial Canal, a paddle-boat with fish-lantern and flower-boat route was launched, recreating the flourishing Bianliang spectacle of"a night of fish-dragons dancing"...
By deeply cultivating Northern Song market-town life, courtly elegance, folk hundred-arts, and Song-ci rites and music, Kaifeng strives to ensure that every nighttime scene and every business format carries a cultural core and historical warmth. Seizing the golden period of holiday consumption, during the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, Kaifeng plans to invest 15 million yuan in fiscal funds, hold 20 consumption-boosting events of various kinds, and continuously stimulate consumer vitality.
Return to TopBy: 殷玉珍
A while ago, the story of my reunion with my American friend Sikes in the Mu Us Sandy Land drew worldwide attention and moved many people.
How time flies! In the blink of an eye, I have been fighting desertification for over 40 years. In 1985, I married into Salawusu Village, Wudinghe Town, Uxin Banner, Inner Mongolia. At that time, this place was still vast stretches of barren sandy land. The wind and sand would blow for months on end, and when someone walked toward you from the opposite direction, you could not even make out their face. At that moment, I made up my mind: I would rather die of exhaustion planting trees than be bullied to death by the sand!
Planting trees on sandy land is truly hard and bitter! Not only was there no good soil, but water was scarce and the wind was strong. In winter, my husband and I braved winds of minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius to dig frozen soil, our hands cracked and bleeding from the cold; in summer, when the surface temperature could exceed 60 degrees Celsius, I carried saplings weighing over a hundred jin over sand ridges, and several times I was knocked down by strong winds and fell on the sandy slopes. When hungry, I would squat on the sandy ground and gnaw on a dry corn bun; when tired, I would lie directly on a sand ridge to catch my breath. The steel crowbar I used to dig holes and plant trees was worn down by a full 60 centimeters. The trees know the hardships I endured, and so does the sand.
Living on the sandy land is truly lonely. With tens of thousands of mu of sandy land, there were only a few of us. Once, a stranger passed by my doorstep and left footprints. I wanted to catch up with him to have a chat, but I could not. So I went home, got a basin, covered the footprints with it, and talked to the footprints myself to pass the time. Over these 40-plus years, I have often talked to the sand and talked to the trees — they are my companions.
However, being able to endure hardship alone is not enough; planting trees also requires science. When I first started planting, the survival rate was not high. But I figured that if one tree survived, there was a glimmer of hope; if ten survived, then in the future a hundred could survive.
As more and more trees were planted, I gradually figured out the tricks of the trade. For example, after inserting saplings into holes, never tamp the soil down with your feet — tamping it down makes the saplings prone to withering; instead, you have to let the wind and sand gradually fill the holes, and only then is the survival rate high. Later, I worked out another set of methods: first, weave sand sagebrush into grids to stabilize the shifting sand, then plant shrubs such as sand willows and pea shrubs; once the sand is stabilized, plant trees, implementing multiple layers of defense (层层设防, céng céng shè fáng - "layer, layer, set, defense"), gradually locking down the shifting sand dunes. Over these 40-plus years, my family and I have afforested over 70,000 mu in total and planted more than 2 million trees. I used to curse the sand of the Mu Us, but now I want to thank it — it is the sand that has helped me raise so many "good children," every one of them growing up lush and beautiful! When I walk through the forest, the trees surround me and smile like my own children, and I cannot help but happily hug them.
At first, the villagers around us did not believe that trees could grow in the sand nest. So I taught them the sand-fixing and tree-planting methods I had figured out on my own, and led everyone to plant sea buckthorn and sand willows together on the sandy land and develop the sand industry. With the in-depth implementation of the "Three-North" Shelterbelt Program, under the leadership of Party committees and the guidance of governments, everyone pitched in together to fight the battle to eliminate the Mu Us Sandy Land. More than a hundred large-scale afforestation households around us rolled up their sleeves and worked with all their might, turning the Mu Us into the "Green Us." Now, the treatment rate of the Mu Us Sandy Land in our Uxin Banner has reached over 85 percent.
Over the years, the trees have grown, the soil has become fertile, and the crops on the sandy land grow vigorously. When Sikes came in 2000, my family was in poor condition, and all I could offer him was a bowl of noodles. Now life is better, and this time I entertained him with local specialties from the sandy land: ginseng fruit, big watermelons, big pumpkins, treasure gourds, ostrich eggs... Our Mu Us is no longer just the "Green Us" — it has already become the "Golden Us" that can generate money!
Over the years, from "sand advancing, people retreating" to "green advancing, sand retreating," and then to "green and prosperity advancing together," I have witnessed all the changes in the Mu Us Sandy Land with my own eyes and rejoiced in my heart. As long as I can still move, I will keep planting trees.
(The author is a villager of Salawusu Village, Wudinghe Town, Uxin Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, and a National Model Worker; compiled and edited by People's Daily reporters Gu Zhongyang and Yu Xingxin)
Return to TopBy: 余星馨
After decades of perseverance, the sandy land has been transformed into a forest sea. Yin Yuzhen has fulfilled her green promise to her American friend Sikes, and this also reflects how generations of Chinese desertification fighters have, through consistent effort over many decades (几十年如一日, ji shi nian ru yi ri - "several ten years, like, one, day"), planted themselves into the sand sea, relying on hard work, tenacity, and scientific methods to create one ecological miracle after another of "green advancing, sand retreating."
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China completed the treatment of 152 million mu of desertified land and 29.32 million mu of rocky desertification land. From individual trees to expanses of forest, and from expanses of forest to green industrial chains, this vividly embodies the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Desertification fighters like Yin Yuzhen have, on the boundless sandy land, written the most beautiful lines of poetry with trees that survived against all odds, and have also provided a vivid model for the world's desertification prevention and control through Chinese solutions.
Protecting and cherishing the same planetary home has always been the common aspiration of people all over the world. As Sikes said, our green story will never come to an end.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 龚仕建 乔 栋
"The Red Army has gone, the villages are empty; the villages are empty but our hearts are not anxious, what worries us is that the Red Army has gone..." In Banma County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, a local folk song has been passed down to this day.
Banma is a place where the Red Army passed through Qinghai during the Long March. This folk song is full of the deep bond between the army and the people, like fish and water, and surges with the warm current of ethnic unity as one family.
In June 2021, during his inspection tour in Qinghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Guoluozang Gongma Village, Shaliuhe Town, Gangcha County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The General Secretary pointed out: "During the Long March, when the Red Army passed through areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, they were like brothers and sisters with our ethnic minority compatriots, leaving behind many beautiful stories." "Now, cadres at all levels of our Communist Party of China must ask the villagers wherever they go: what kind of better life do you still want? A better life, we will promote and realize together."
Bearing in mind the earnest instructions, taking a firm stand with the people, Qinghai adheres to ecological priority and green development, bases itself on resource endowments and leverages comparative advantages, solidly advances the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, and walks well the Long March of the new era.
A patch of pea field reveals the original aspiration of serving the people—
The combination lock turns with a "click," and in the Banma County Archives, Director Ren Xiaopeng pulls out a photograph. In the photo, terraced fields and primeval forest are intermingled; when the Red Army arrived, it was exactly the time when the peas were flowering and setting pods.
"What was planted in the terraced fields was peas and highland barley." Ren Xiaopeng pointed at the photo and said, "The elders of Banqian Village, Dengta Township, recall that not a single Red Army soldier entered the fields; instead, they dug wild vegetables and collected cattle and sheep bones to boil into soup."
Zimuda Gully is today called Red Army Gully. During the National Day holiday, at the Red Army Gully Patriotic Education Demonstration Base, there are many visitors to the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall for study tours and sightseeing.
Climbing the watchtower, the torrential Make River embraces Red Army Gully. In that former pea field of Banqian Village, black highland barley is now welcoming its harvest.
The red original aspiration, passing on the torch of tradition or spirit (薪火相传, xin huo xiang chuan - "薪, fire; 传, pass"), generation after generation continues the struggle. Today's Banma County, with the yak industry as a pillar industry driving farmers and herdsmen to increase income and become prosperous, has gradually formed a chain of "breeding—processing—sales—catering—cultural tourism," and 118,500 yaks in the county have obtained national organic product certification. The output value of the entire industrial chain of yak and Tibetan sheep products across Qinghai Province has exceeded 18 billion yuan, driving 506,000 households of farmers and herdsmen to increase their income.
A mountain, guarded by generations of relay—
"Wind, rain, hail, and sleet coming all at once," "soaked to the skin"... Between the lines of the Red Army soldiers' diaries from those years, dangers and hardships were everywhere.
Before the Red Army martyrs' tomb behind the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall, hada scarves have been continuously offered for many years. In the heart of every Banma person, red is a warmth that never fades.
Gama Qiu, former secretary of the Party branch of Banqian Village, is a national model worker. Under his organization, the villagers compiled the Red Army stories passed down by word of mouth (口耳相传, kou er xiang chuan - "mouth, ear, mutual, pass") from generation to generation, collected and managed the revolutionary old objects scattered among the people, and repaired and maintained one by one the remaining sites such as Red Army Gully, Red Army Pavilion, Red Army Bridge, and Red Army Tomb.
The descendants of Red Army Gully guard the red, and they also guard the green.
The forest area of Banma County was once in difficulty. "In the 1970s and 1980s, the roads in the village were all full of big trucks carrying timber, queuing up in long lines to transport it out." Later, Gama Qiu organized the villagers to plant trees and afforest, and now the mountains and forests have turned green again.
In the Make River forest area, located in the core zone of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, the forest coverage rate has grown to 69.58%. Traveling along the Make River, Tibetan macaques and lynxes occasionally flash by on the road.
Devoted to forest protection, gold is born under the forest. Banma County has successfully achieved artificial cultivation of morel mushrooms at altitudes above 3,500 meters, and the 67 greenhouses of the plateau specialty mushroom industry demonstration park have enriched the pockets of the masses.
A pot bears witness to the united force of solidarity—
In the most prominent position of the second-floor exhibition hall of the Red Army Gully Memorial Hall is a pot, with faintly visible relief carvings on its body.
"This is a testimony to the interactions between the Red Army and the local people, and it is the 'treasure of the museum.'" Ya Ge Duojie, former director of the Banma County Tourism Bureau, personally received this pot from the hands of Qiubao, a Tibetan elder, back then.
When the Red Army passed through Banqian Village, Qiubao's father, Suoduo, once invited the Red Army soldiers to stay in his home. During those days, the Red Army soldiers helped Suoduo's family chop firewood and carry water, taught them to speak Chinese, while Suoduo brought out tsampa and butter tea and told the Red Army soldiers about local customs. When parting, the Red Army soldiers left this pot to him.
In 2019, Banma Red Army Gully was officially named a national demonstration base for ethnic unity and progress education. The story of ethnic unity continues to be written to this day. At present, all cities (prefectures) and 98% of counties (districts) in Qinghai Province have built national demonstration zones for ethnic unity and progress. "Lamian noodles on the tip of the tongue," "Qinghai embroidery at the fingertips," and "Pomegranate Seed Homeland" have become new calling cards of ethnic unity.
Over the past decade or more, with counterpart support from Shanghai, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has implemented 98 exchange, communication, and integration projects, organizing more than 21,000 person-times to go to Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu for study tours and exchanges. A little Tibetan girl wrote in her study tour diary: "The water of the Huangpu River and the water of the source of the Yellow River, once they flow into the sea, can no longer be told apart."
The spark of ethnic unity has burned into an inextinguishable lamp on the plateau.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李心萍 邱超奕 韩 鑫
A China on the move, with vitality surging forth.
Data from the Ministry of Transport show: during the first five days of the National Day holiday, the total cross-regional movement of people nationwide reached approximately 1.55 billion trips, with an average of 300 million trips per day.
A China on the move, steaming with energy.
On October 1, the national railway carried 25.204 million passengers, setting a new record for single-day passenger volume.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Building a safe, convenient, efficient, green, economical, inclusive, and resilient sustainable transport system is an important measure to support and serve high-quality development of the economy and society and to realize the beautiful vision of 'people enjoying convenient travel and goods flowing smoothly.'"
From the foothills of the northern mountains to the shores of the South China Sea, from red tourism to listening to the wind and admiring autumn scenery, China during the holiday presents a scene of flourishing and prosperous vitality (欣欣向荣, xinxin xiangrong - "joyful, flourishing; prosperous, thriving").
Road network expanding — travel smoother
A new high-speed rail line strings together red-study tours.
At around 5 p.m. on October 5, in Jiangxi, train G3997 pulled into Ruijin Station, where tour guide Chen Jiajie waved her guide flag, saying, "The little friends from Xi'an are here; the study tour group from Changsha should move a bit further forward."
At the Hongjing Souvenir Cultural and Creative Shop in the Shazhouba Red Scenic Area, shop assistant Zhong Zhen was busy packing souvenirs. "Since the direct high-speed rail from Ruijin to Yan'an opened on September 6, study tour groups have been increasing, and business turnover has been climbing steadily."
Since the beginning of this year, a batch of new high-speed rail and expressway lines have been put into operation. The road network is being densified, and journeys are changing.
In Yichun, Heilongjiang, the autumn foliage is in full color (层林尽染, ceng lin ran jin - "layers, forest, completely, dyed").
At 10:48 a.m. on October 5, train D7273 pulled into Yichun West Station. Outside the window, maple leaves blazed like fire, birch leaves gleamed like gold, and the entire mountain forest looked like an overturned palette.
Xu Yali, 62, said with a smile to her husband: "In the past, from Harbin to Yichun, the green train rattled along for more than seven hours; now the fastest takes less than two hours."
Now turning our gaze to central China.
The Xiong'an-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong high-speed railway made its holiday debut. "Before, going to Beijing took four or five hours; now it's much faster," said Ms. Wang, who was traveling with her child.
During the National Day holiday, Shangqiu Station is expected to send 270,000 passengers, a year-on-year increase of 15.4%.
In autumn in southern Anhui, amid the lofty mountains and ridges, a new corridor winds its way through.
On September 19, the Jingxian-Qingyang Expressway in Anhui opened to traffic, stringing together Taohua Tan (Peach Blossom Pool), Moon Bay, and the former site of the New Fourth Army Headquarters like beads on a chain. In the first five days of the holiday, average daily entry and exit traffic reached 20,000 vehicle trips.
Air routes are also extending.
At 11:51 a.m. on October 4, flight 8L9731 landed in Tianjin. Ms. Jiang, who came from Luzhou, Sichuan, carrying white rice cakes and sesame cakes, said with a smile: "Before, there was no direct route from Luzhou to Tianjin; a transfer with a stopover took 10 hours. Now it takes just 3 hours."
During the National Day holiday, Lucky Air resumed the Kunming-Luzhou-Tianjin route, opening up a new air corridor.
In today's China, the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network exceeds 6 million kilometers, high-speed rail operating mileage has surpassed 50,000 kilometers, expressway mileage open to traffic reaches 199,000 kilometers, and there are 270 transport airports. A three-dimensional transport network turns "faraway places" into "everyday life."
Thoughtful services — travel warmer
On October 5, passenger flow at Beijing South Railway Station continued to run at a high level. Wheelchair pick-up and drop-off, guidance for passengers with special needs, escorting the elderly and children onto trains... The Jingtie Care Service Team writes "safe, smooth, and warm" into every journey.
A China on the move is also a promise of "warm arrival."
On the roads, traffic flows rapidly and continuously (车流如梭, che liu ru suo - "vehicle, flow, like, shuttle").
During the National Day holiday, on the Beijing-Shijiazhuang (Jingshi) section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, the peak hourly flow in the outbound direction reached 7,800 vehicles.
"We rely on the auxiliary decision-making system for maintaining smooth traffic on supersaturated sections to resolve the buildup of peak-hour traffic flow and curb the spread of congestion," said Wang Xiaona, chairman of Jingshi Company. During the National Day holiday, the frequency and distance of congested slow-moving sections on the Jingshi section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway are expected to decrease by 22% and 43%, respectively.
Charging is becoming more relaxed. During the National Day holiday, Shanghai resident Wang Xudong drove 200 kilometers to Zoumatang Village in Ningbo, Zhejiang. At the village entrance parking lot, a row of State Grid charging piles stood neatly arranged. Plug in, scan the code, and in less than half an hour, the battery went from 22% to 80% charged. "Much faster than I expected!" Wang Xudong said.
On average, about 9.8 million new-energy vehicles travel on expressways in China every day. As of now, the number of high-power charging facilities in service areas nationwide has reached about 22,000, and the charging network is being woven ever denser.
Air travel is becoming more convenient.
"Hello, the queue at that counter is shorter; passengers flying Saudi Arabian Airlines to Riyadh can go over there for check-in." Walking into the check-in area of Beijing Daxing International Airport, one sees ground service staff providing timely guidance and queues quickly dispersing.
Recently, Beijing Daxing International Airport, together with China Southern Airlines, took the lead in launching an "early arrival, universal check-in" model for international check-in, reducing the average waiting time in line for international departing passengers by 50%.
Water transport is equally bustling.
In the Bohai Strait, ro-ro passenger ships on the Liaoning-Shandong route shuttle back and forth. During the National Day holiday, the Liaoning-Shandong route is expected to carry 191,000 passengers, and the Dalian maritime department has dispatched maritime patrol vessels to stand by 24 hours a day.
Turning our gaze southward, the Qiongzhou Strait is experiencing a peak in cross-sea traffic. In the first five days of the holiday, the Qiongzhou Strait carried more than 470,000 passengers. The Hainan maritime department has set up four on-duty points at sea to ensure the public can cross the strait conveniently.
During the National Day holiday, the national waterway network is expected to carry 10.86 million passengers, with average daily passenger volume up 6.5% year-on-year.
New business formats — journeys better
The quality of travel is also quietly upgrading.
At 8:56 a.m. on October 5, the "Panda Special Train · Shifang" arrived at Qingtongxia Station, and tourists visited scenic spots in Wuzhong, Ningxia, including Qingtongxia, Shuidonggou, the Yellow River Grand Canyon, and Niujiafang.
Since departing on the 4th, passengers in the carriages have been doing paper-cutting and weaving peace knots, while Sichuan opera face-changing and Mongolian dance performances took turns on stage. Tourist Li Lin was weaving a peace knot with his parents: "My parents have always wanted to see the desert poplar forests, but I was worried they would be too tired on the way. Once I saw the Panda Special Train, I felt reassured and signed up."
Over the eight-day itinerary, the Yellow River Grand Canyon, Juyan Lake, the desert poplar forest, the Heishui City ruins... The rails stretch toward the distance; the scenery is on the road and also in the carriage.
In recent years, with the continued deep integration of "transport + culture and tourism," supply has become more diverse and experiences have continued to upgrade.
Car rental travel, ready to set off at a moment's notice (说走就走, shuo zou jiu zou - "say, go, then, go"). "Picking up the car at Kunming Changshui Airport and returning it in Lijiang at a different location — perfect!" This holiday, Mr. Chen, a post-90s traveler from Shanghai, took a cross-city self-driving trip through Yunnan to chase the autumn scenery. After landing, he went straight to a Shenzhou Car Rental outlet, completed online verification, unlocked and inspected the car via the mobile app, and finished picking up the car in a few minutes.
"The volume of car rental travel upon arrival during this National Day holiday is expected to increase by more than 20% year-on-year," said Li Yang, Vice Minister of Transport. China has achieved full coverage of "car rental stations" at 2 million passenger airports and Class-I high-speed rail station hubs.
Waiting at the airport is extraordinarily lively and bustling (热闹非凡, renao feifan - "lively, not, ordinary").
In Terminal 2 of Zhengzhou Airport, before the flight even took off, passengers had already embarked on a cultural journey. The Jiahu bone flute, the Lotus and Crane Square Hu, and the Fu Hao owl zun "stepped out" of their display cases, and flash-mob performances brought the national treasures "to life."
Cruise vacations offer a different experience.
On the morning of October 4, the large cruise ship "Dream" sailed into the waters of the East China Sea. On the deck, some people exercised, some did yoga, and some leaned on the railing gazing into the distance; in the theater, song-and-dance and magic performances took turns on stage...
"During the National Day holiday, Shekou Cruise Home Port is expected to welcome 173,000 water passenger trips, and cruise vacations are becoming the quality choice for holiday travel among residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," said a relevant official from the Shekou Maritime Safety Administration.
From mountain expressways to cross-sea bridges, from high-speed rail trunk lines to county and township roads, in this China on the move, new records are being set and new lives are unfolding.
(People's Daily reporters Cheng Yuanzhou, Song Haoxin, and Guo Xiaolong contributed to this report)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 殷新宇 祝大伟 张安宇
The bountiful output of the black earth is rich and varied: lift a bowl of gleaming white rice, each grain distinct; bite into a golden ear of corn, soft, sticky, sweet, and fragrant; peel open a bean pod that has shed its greenness, and the tender yellow beans waft a fresh fragrance…
These delicacies come from Heilongjiang Province — its annual grain output exceeds 160 billion jin, accounting for approximately one-ninth of the national total, making it true to its name (名副其实, ming fu qi shi - "name, deserved, actual, reality") a "great granary."
In September 2023, during his inspection tour in Heilongjiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "Heilongjiang must serve well as the 'ballast stone' of national food security" and that"the main direction of attack must be the development of modern large-scale agriculture."
Thoroughly implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, Heilongjiang is accelerating the construction of a strong agricultural province. The people who till the black earth are, with diligence and wisdom, adding weight to the "ballast stone," adding color to the land, and living their days with flavor and vitality.
An increasingly fertile black earth
Heilongjiang possesses a typical black-earth cultivated land area of 156 million mu, accounting for more than half of the Northeast region's total. How can one protect and utilize well this"giant panda among cultivated land"?
In search of an answer, in Hailun City, Suihua, Sui Yueyu, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Hailun Agricultural Ecology Experimental Station, has rooted himself in test fields for over 30 years. "Through multiple long-term positioning monitoring efforts, we strive to reveal the evolution of the farmland ecosystem in the black-earth region."
Beside a cornfield in Jucheng Village, Zhaodong City, Suihua, Chen Yong, professor at the College of Land Science and Technology of China Agricultural University and director of the Zhaodong Experimental Station, displays a soil sample just extracted. " takes centuries to form a 1-centimeter-thick layer of black earth; we cannot allow it to be lost or degraded." Since the station was established in 2022, he has spent over a hundred days here each year, guiding farmers to curb black-earth-layer degradation through measures such as straw returning to the field for soil conservation.
In Wusi Village, Songhuajiang Township, Bayan County, Harbin City, small plots have been consolidated into large square fields, reducing the loss of water, soil, and nutrients and enhancing the conservation and fertility of the black earth. "Prioritize building the black earth into high-standard farmland, and earnestly protect the black earth well." As of 2025, Heilongjiang has cumulatively built a high-standard farmland area of 125 million mu, and the comprehensive production capacity of the black earth has steadily improved.
Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, Heilongjiang has, in light of local conditions, promoted and applied models for black-earth protection and utilization such as the"Longjiang Model" and the"Sanjiang Model," completing a straw-returning-to-field area of 685 million mu-times and implementing a black-earth protection project covering 396 million mu-times, effectively enhancing the excellent production capacity of black-earth cultivated land.
The black earth is becoming increasingly fertile, and the confidence in a bumper harvest has grown even stronger. In 2025, Heilongjiang's total grain output reached 164.006 billion jin, achieving a"22nd consecutive year of bumper harvests."
Increasingly abundant new quality productive forces
Golden waves surge through the rice paddies, golden kernels of corn are plump and full, bean pods roll out pellets of"golden beans"… Gold — the most dazzling color of the black earth.
Good farmland, good seeds, good machinery, and good methods are integrated to enhance efficiency; more new quality productive forces converge, and the"gold content" of the black earth has grown even greater.
Where do good seeds come from? In Beilin District, Suihua City, amid a seemingly ordinary rice paddy, a"chip" is being developed. "This is a national-level regional rice seed-breeding and multiplication base." Li Lianwen, director of the Beilin District Agricultural Technology Extension Center, said, "This year we have also cooperated with the Yazhou Bay National Laboratory located in Hainan to accelerate seed breeding, and field experiments have already been fully launched."
Seed-industry scientific and technological research is underway with great momentum (如火如荼, ru huo ru tu -"like, fire, like, many, lush"), germplasm resource banks are being built with added effort, Heilongjiang has nearly 530 crop seed enterprises, and the black earth has basically achieved full coverage of improved seeds.
In a test field of Heilongjiang Dewo Technology Development Co., Ltd., one red large agricultural machine after another drives past, seeds being sown into the soil one by one.
"It runs fast and sows accurately." Du Mujun, chief engineer of the company, introduced that this is a new type of seeder developed by the company. "Using air-suction seed pickup, seeds are individually adsorbed and delivered, significantly reducing seed damage; compared with traditional mechanical seeders, per-mu yield increases by 5% to 10%, and the price is only about half that of imported ones."
How good are the good machines? Bei'an City, Heihe, Li Fuqiang, chairman of the Geming Modern Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, speaks with deep feeling: "Our cooperative uses large agricultural machinery — spring plowing and sowing are fast, autumn harvesting losses are small. Equipped with Beidou navigation systems, the ridges it raises are as straight as a line, crops receive uniform light and grow well."
Agricultural machinery runs, and agricultural quality and efficiency improve. Heilongjiang's comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting reaches 99.34%, firmly ranking among the forefront nationally.
What use are good methods? In Beidahuang, "farming by watching the screen" is farmers' intuitive understanding of modern large-scale agriculture: from weather forecasts and soil moisture, to agricultural machinery services and insurance claims, the smart platform manages field affairs in an organized and orderly (井井有条, jing jing you tiao -"well, well, have, order") manner.
"Our large-scale planting management platform has established digital archives for 600,000 growers, 760,000 sets of agricultural machinery and implements, and 48 million mu of cultivated land in the reclamation area." Wang Hao, deputy general manager of the Market Operations Center of Beidahuang Information Co., Ltd., introduced.
"The development of agricultural science and technology must be placed in an even more prominent position." Heilongjiang's contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress has already reached 71.4%.
An increasingly long agricultural industry chain
The ever-innovating"Black Earth Premium Products" make the black earth extremely colorful and bright (五彩斑斓, wu cai ban lan -"five, colors, multicolored, brilliant").
"Grain at the head, food at the tail;" "livestock at the head, meat at the tail;" "agriculture at the head, industry at the tail." Heilongjiang firmly grasps the"head" and the"tail," strives to lengthen the industry chain, squeezes every bit of value from the high-quality raw materials produced by the black earth, enabling agricultural products to achieve a leap in value.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — science and technology is the prerequisite.
Black rice turns into gold; the anthocyanins extracted from it command a market price of up to 200 yuan per gram. In the Heilongjiang Jiamusi National Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone, relying on technologies such as bionic extraction developed by Harbin Institute of Technology, the black-rice anthocyanin industrialization project was put into operation not long ago, processing 1 ton of black rice bran daily and producing 4 kilograms of highly active anthocyanins. "The agricultural high-tech zone is now laying out downstream anthocyanin products, continuously amplifying the value of black rice." Guo Zhen, deputy secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Jiamusi National Agricultural High-tech Zone, said.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — industry provides the support.
Nationwide, one out of every seven soybeans comes from Heihe, and in Heihe, one out of every three soybeans comes from Bei'an. How can one obtain greater returns from such abundant soybean resources? Bei'an gives its answer: developing a soybean processing industry cluster.
In Heilongjiang Dahang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Bei'an, soybeans aree being transformed into deeply processed products such as texturized protein and tissue protein. "After processing, the soybeans are exported; the single item of isolated protein alone can earn 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange each year." Pan Shuwen, chairman of the company, said.
Not far away, at Rongtong Agricultural Development (Bei'an) Co., Ltd., various large soybean processing machines open people's eyes wide. The phase-I project was put into operation in 2025, and this year it is expected to process 8,000 tons of soybean seeds. "We are striving to open up the entire chain from field to dining table, from germplasm to protein." Chen Xinda, deputy chief commander of the Bei'an soybean oil processing project of Rongtong Agricultural Development Group, said.
"Squeezing every bit of value" — one's thinking must be broadened.
Braised goose in an iron pot — a signature hearty dish of the Northeast. In Bei'an, which raises more than 3 million geese annually, geese mean far more than just a dish: they become goose down with a retail price of up to 1.9 million yuan per ton, made into down jackets and down comforters; they become shuttlecocks, heading for professional competition courts… Yang Xingpeng, head of the Bei'an Goose Economy Industrial Park, introduced: "Our company consumes 100 million goose feathers annually and produces 6 million shuttlecocks." The industrial park's revenue last year was 170 million yuan, and this year it is expected to exceed 310 million yuan.
Developing from a major agricultural province toward a strong industrial province, Heilongjiang's agricultural product processing and conversion rate has risen from 65% in 2022 to 75.1% in 2025, with processing industry belts for rice, corn, dairy products, feed additives, and more laid out. In 2025, the province's agricultural product processing revenue exceeded 450 billion yuan, growing by more than 10%.
Increasingly livable, workable, and beautiful villages
In Rendong Village, Dongfeng Town, Hailun City, the dragon-claw willows, walnut trees, and golden-leaf elms beside the village road sway gracefully (摇曳生姿, yao ye sheng zi -"sway, shake, produce, posture")."In recent years, we have planted more than 30,000 beautifying and greening plants." Qu Weijun, secretary of the village Party branch, introduced that the village has paved smooth asphalt roads, erected handsome fences, and installed solar street lamps. "With better conditions, our fellow villagers' lives have become really comfortable."
Qu Weijun laid out Rendong Village's"family assets": relying on the provincial academy of agricultural sciences' new soybean varieties and the wide-row double-row dense-planting technique, each shang of demonstration field has increased income by more than 2,000 yuan; in greenhouses, cherry, yellow peach, and grape trees have become"money trees";the village's ponds raise cold-water crayfish, earning more than 80,000 yuan each year…
Building livable, workable, and beautiful villages in light of local conditions, Banjiehezi Village, Dujia Town, Wuchang City, has also carved out its own path. The village is famous for producing"Wuchang rice," and it has developed a"rice paddy+" diversified business format, integrating sightseeing and study tours, farming experiences, and homestay lodging, receiving more than 50,000 visitors annually, driving employment for surrounding farmers, with per-capita income increasing by 30,000 yuan.
"All aboard!" In Kunzhan Village, Xigangzi Town, Aihui District, Heihe, the little train of the rice-paddy park runs through the waves of rice. "There are many tourists in the village, with more than 300 people riding each day during peak season." Liu Zhenqing, a 64-year-old villager, has been driving the little train for five years. "Every year I can earn more than 10,000 extra yuan right at my doorstep."
Liu Zhenqing took out his phone and showed a group photo with a male tenor singer. "This was taken at the 'village gala.'" He said with a hint of pride. "There is a 'village gala' every quarter, and celebrities often come."
In the first half of this year, Heilongjiang farmers' per-capita income grew by 7.1% year-on-year. One must both"enrich the pocket" and"enrich the mind." Heilongjiang has created distinctive farming-culture brands such as the Village Chef and Village Talent Gathering and the four-season"Village Gala," with participation reaching one million person-times.
New agricultural development, new rural vitality, new farmer ethos — in the commitment to serving well as the"ballast stone" of food security, in the rich and varied products, in the flavorful days of life.
(Han Chunyao, Fang Yuan, and Liu Mengdan, reporters of People's Daily, participated in the reporting and writing.)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘仲华
From a sudden surge of emotion at a lecture during his youth at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, to setting foot on Chinese soil for the first time in 1985 and engaging in face-to-face exchanges with leading figures of Chinese philosophy; from exploring the "mutual translation" mechanism between Chinese and Western thought, to promoting, as the German academic convener, the convening of the German Sinologists' Congress in Qingdao, Shandong... Michael Lackner, member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Sinologist, and recipient of the 15th Special Book Award of China, has spent the greater part of his life in academic research and dedication, building a bridge between the West and China.
Recently, speaking to our reporter about his inextricable bond with China, he said with deep feeling: "Mutual respect and mutual recognition are the secret to German-Chinese cooperation in Sinology. Cultural memory has not only not been severed from modernity; it precisely provides a solid value anchor for Chinese modernization."
"From my youth, I have harbored a strong interest in distant and unfamiliar cultures." Recalling the starting point of his academic career, Lackner's account carried a touch of drama—initially, he studied Arabic studies at the University of Heidelberg, believing that this would open the door to the civilization of an exotic world. However, what confronted him instead were difficulties as overwhelming as mountains toppling and seas overturning—root words, sound changes, and grammatical structures.
"I have deep respect for linguistics, but what attracted me at that time was not the structure of language itself, but the vast and unfamiliar world behind language." He admitted that what he longed to approach was a distinctive spiritual temperament with profound cultural heritage.
The turning point of fate came on that day. His later teacher, the German Sinologist Wolfgang Bauer, came to the University of Heidelberg to give a lecture. The vast and profound Chinese civilization deeply moved Lackner, who sat in the audience, and a voice sounded in his heart: "I must follow this gentleman to study in China." From then on, he formally embarked on the path of Sinology leading to China. Regarding this decision, he said firmly: "I have never regretted it in my entire life."
In 1985, Lackner came to Beijing for the first time with a research project. At that time, his main task was to examine the reception and understanding of German culture in contemporary Chinese philosophy. That trip to China gave him the opportunity to conduct in-depth conversations with He Lin, Zhang Dainian, Zong Baihua, and other important representative figures in the Chinese philosophical community.
"My understanding of China has continuously changed along with China's own transformations." He recalled that the China he saw in 1985 was still relatively poor. In the years that followed, he witnessed China not only gradually rising economically, but also becoming a country "fully conscious and confident of its own culture."
Along with his in-depth observation of China, his academic research has also been steadily advancing into the "deep waters" of Chinese history. From the practical and spiritual world of scholar-officials in the Song and Yuan dynasties, to the formation mechanisms of new vocabulary when modern China received Western learning; from the historical influence of Jesuit activities in China, to comparative studies of Chinese and Western physiognomy and numerology. These "unpopular" subjects or knowledge forgotten by history, as seen by ordinary people, in his view all contain extremely high intellectual significance.
In 2013, Lackner was elected as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the fields of Sinology and Sino-Western cultural exchange—an extremely high honor for a professor in the social sciences. "Most of my work revolves around Western-Chinese cultural exchange. I have always been concerned with how, when different civilizations meet, ideas are translated, transformed, and re-understood." he said.
In April this year, as the German academic convener, Lackner, together with Beijing Language and Culture University, promoted the convening of the German Sinologists' Congress in Qingdao. One of the important goals of the conference was to enable Chinese academia and the public to better understand the current state of German Sinology.
"What we hope to present is a 'cross-section,' showing what research questions German Sinologists are actually focusing on at this moment." He introduced that contemporary German Sinology has a distinct international character, encompassing many fields such as intellectual history, philosophy, social history, political history, and media studies. But he has always firmly believed that no matter how methods expand, the most fundamental foundation of Sinological research remains "philology"—only with a meticulous grasp of texts, language, and historical context can all discussions be built on a reliable foundation.
In Lackner's view, the secret to advancing German-Chinese and even European-Chinese exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations lies in "mutual respect and mutual recognition": "The research achievements of Western Sinology have made important contributions to understanding Chinese culture; and the development of Western Sinology has also long benefited from the Chinese academic community, with the two showing a deep relationship of mutual construction. This two-way flow of knowledge not only promotes mutual influence between the two in research methods and objects, but also demonstrates that exchange and cooperation around Sinological research on a global scale are continuously strengthening."
In his long career in Sinology, Lackner has not only studied history, but also keenly observed the China of today. "Chinese modernization is a continuously advancing process. In the past, many people believed that modernization meant a break with the past, but in my view, cultural memory can precisely provide a value anchor and a basis for identity for modernization." he said.
He has keenly captured the rising importance of cultural memory for Chinese society in recent years—from the construction of the National Archives of Publications and Culture, to the completion of "Only Red Dream · Dream City of Drama" in Langfang, Hebei, to the "Hanfu craze" among young people... He specifically mentioned Black Myth: Wukong: "This game perfectly combines traditional culture with digital technology and international discourse. It is not only a milestone in the history of Chinese domestic games, but also a vivid portrayal of Chinese culture displaying new changes and new trends." What excites him even more is that, with the development of the times, Chinese culture is no longer a distant, static memory, but is deeply embedded in modern lifestyles, technological innovation, and global narratives.
Return to TopBy: 伊扎特·萨阿德
Egypt-China relations have transcended the traditional sense of historical friendship, and the comprehensive strategic partnership is developing toward a higher level, which also lays the foundation for the two countries to carry out more fruitful cooperation.
At present, the international system is undergoing profound changes in the geopolitical, economic, and security landscape. In September this year, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Egypt, which has important bilateral, regional, and global significance. It not only pushed the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, but also further demonstrated the two countries' common positions on issues such as Global South cooperation, multilateralism, and reform of global governance.
Egypt-China relations have deep historical roots. In 1956, Egypt became the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and bilateral relations have continued to deepen since then. The two sides have long maintained close cooperation and consensus on issues such as pursuing national independence, opposing colonialism, and safeguarding national sovereignty. Bilateral relations have gradually developed from early political cooperation and solidarity, and were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, with cooperation covering politics, economy, trade, security, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. The leaders of the two countries maintain close interaction and a high degree of mutual trust, providing important political impetus for the continued deepening of bilateral relations.
Egypt, connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe through the Suez Canal, plays an important role in promoting regional connectivity, safeguarding international trade routes, and deepening Africa-China and Global South cooperation, and is an important partner of China. This visit further clarified the common will of both sides to promote the deep alignment of Egypt's "Vision 2030" with the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Economic and scientific-technological cooperation is an important area of outcomes of this visit and will push the cooperation between the two countries into a new stage. The cooperation between the two sides has been further expanded to renewable energy, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, cloud computing, and other fields, which is conducive both to expanding the investment of Chinese enterprises in Egypt and to helping Egypt enhance its own industrial capacity and technological level. In particular, localized manufacturing and professional technology transfer are of great significance to Egypt's realization of industrial upgrading.
Elevating the level of cooperation in the political and security dimensions is another important significance of this visit. At present, the Middle East region is still undergoing profound political and security changes. China has long advocated resolving regional disputes through political dialogue, upholds a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept, and supports regional countries in exploring the building of relevant security mechanisms. This visit once again emphasized these relevant concepts, and President Xi Jinping put forward four-point initiatives on promoting common security in the Middle East. Against the backdrop of a complex regional situation and adjustments to the traditional security system, Egypt, as an important country in the Arab world and a political coordinator in the region, plays an important role in promoting regional stability. The two sides reiterated this time that they will strengthen political and security coordination on international and regional issues of common concern and support regional and international peace, stability, and development. This shows that the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership is developing from traditional political and economic cooperation toward more comprehensive strategic coordination.
Egypt-China relations are a model of Global South cooperation. The two sides share compatible concepts on multilateralism, dialogue and cooperation, mutually beneficial outcomes (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual benefit, win together"), respect for national sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs, and jointly uphold the authority of the United Nations and the principles of international law, opposing unilateralism and double standards. The two countries continue to strengthen coordination on international affairs, providing useful practice for Global South countries to deepen economic, security, and people-to-people cooperation, and embodying the realistic possibility that ancient civilizations and emerging countries can carry out partnership cooperation on the basis of common interests, adhere to multilateralism, and achieve sustainable development.
President Xi Jinping's visit this time is not only a continuation of the long-standing friendly relations between Egypt and China, but also an important symbol of the two countries' relations entering a new stage. Egypt-China relations have transcended the traditional sense of historical friendship, and the comprehensive strategic partnership is developing toward a higher level, which also lays the foundation for the two countries to carry out more fruitful cooperation.
(The author is the director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 苑基荣
"Since its founding 20 years ago, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has developed into an important force for improving global governance." Shaili, associate professor in the Department of Chinese Studies at Somaiya University in India, said in a recent exclusive interview with a People's Daily reporter that the BRICS cooperation mechanism is playing an increasingly important role in integrating the strength of emerging economies, leading solidarity and cooperation among the Global South, promoting reform of multilateral institutions, and advancing the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.
"During the 18th BRICS Summit, President Xi Jinping stressed the need to 'hold high the banner of multilateralism and uphold the authority and role of the United Nations,' sending a strong message of multilateralism." Shaili paid particular attention to the four important propositions put forward by President Xi Jinping on strengthening the strength of the Global South, believing that "these have lit the light of cooperation for the current turbulent international situation."
Shaili believes that the BRICS countries focus on the rights and interests of the Global South, advance reform of the global governance system through the implementation of diverse cooperation mechanisms, significantly enhance the strategic autonomy of developing countries, and build a comprehensive and multi-layered (全方位、多层次, quan fang wei, duo ceng ci - "all directions, many levels") cooperation ecosystem. "The BRICS cooperation mechanism transcends a purely economic cooperation mechanism, building for the Global South a cooperation network covering finance, infrastructure, science and technology, people's livelihoods, and many other fields," Shaili said.
Shaili paid special attention to the role of the BRICS cooperation mechanism in global financial governance. She said that the BRICS cooperation mechanism, by strengthening coordination and cooperation with multilateral mechanisms such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Group of Twenty, and promoting reform of the international financial architecture, will better serve the economic growth of the Global South.
Shaili said that at present, artificial intelligence has become an emerging area of cooperation among BRICS countries. By signing the "BRICS Leaders' Declaration on AI Global Governance" and establishing the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center, the countries are building a technology self-reliance system to help the Global South achieve self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
China is a builder and contributor to the BRICS cooperation mechanism. At the 2017 BRICS Summit in Xiamen, it proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model to broaden the cooperation circle of emerging economies; it has taken the lead in advancing the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution, deepening work in frontier fields such as digital transformation, intelligent manufacturing, and scientific and technological innovation... "China continues to inject momentum into BRICS cooperation, consolidating the institutional foundation of the mechanism and expanding its international influence," Shaili said.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 崔 寅
"The Chinese government strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which is inspiring and heartening (令人振奋, ling ren zhen fen - "cause, person, shake, spirit")." Joyce Lorigan, Head of Corporate Affairs at Springer Nature Group, said in a recent exclusive interview with our reporter. She noted that the world currently faces many major challenges, such as food shortages, energy utilization, and climate change — all common problems confronting humanity that require scientific research to resolve.
In June this year, at the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair, Springer Nature presented the eighth "China New Development Award," recognizing 10 English-language academic books and their authors. Each award-winning book addresses one or more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and at least one author of each comes from a Chinese institution.
Lorigan introduced that the award-winning books cover hot topics such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and aging societies, showcasing the important research and practical explorations Chinese scholars have made in fields closely related to the Sustainable Development Goals, and reflecting the positive contributions of Chinese academia to advancing global dialogue and securing solutions.
In November 2025, when the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Brazil, data released by Springer Nature in partnership with the global policy data platform Overton showed that China has become the world's largest contributor of papers related to the Sustainable Development Goals, and is playing an increasingly important role in policy formulation related to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Over the past two decades, China has rapidly enhanced its global scientific research influence through long-term, stable research investment, a complete innovation system, and active international cooperation. Lorigan explained using clean energy research as an example: "The Nature Index tracks 145 high-quality journals worldwide. Data from 2019 to 2024 shows that China's share of contributions to clean energy research is the highest globally, at around 16,000, while the combined share of the remaining top ten countries is less than 6,000 — this sufficiently demonstrates China's leading position in this field."
Recently, the Nature Index has also incorporated applied sciences and social science research into its disciplinary coverage, increasing the number of tracked publications to 178, and China still ranks first globally. From 2024 to 2025, China's research output grew by 22.4%, making it the only country among the global top ten to achieve double-digit growth.
"Openly sharing research results can make it easier for people to find, cite, and use this research. Open sharing helps China's research achievements translate into actions that serve regional and even global sustainable development goals." Lorigan stated that open access allows anyone, anywhere in the world, to access this content for free, including researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
Speaking of her trip to China, Lorigan shared her impressions of visiting the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology: "We had a very good exchange, hoping to better communicate the real-world impact of research on the Sustainable Development Goals and inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics." At the Shanghai Science Hall, Lorigan saw the "Newton's Apple Tree" symbolizing Sino-British scientific and technological exchange, and funded the public welfare project "Planting the Seed of an Apple Tree," helping to enhance scientific literacy among young people.
On how to view the building of the global research ecosystem, Lorigan said: "The core of research lies in curiosity. In fact, the more diverse the perspectives, the more momentum research gains. Studies have shown that diverse viewpoints are crucial to driving excellent research."
"Encouraging researchers, especially those in the early stages of their careers, to communicate their research findings to a broader audience helps promote a more comprehensive public understanding of science and enhances national scientific literacy," Lorigan said.
Return to TopThe Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station in Tanzania, constructed with the participation of PowerChina and Dongfang Electric Corporation, was officially put into operation recently. The electricity the station can currently supply accounts for about half of Tanzania's total national power supply, and the newly added generating capacity will effectively alleviate the chronic power shortage that has long plagued Tanzania. It is reported that during the construction of the project, the Chinese side created a total of approximately 14,000 jobs for the local area, and thousands of local employees received professional skills training from the Chinese side. The photo shows an aerial view of the hydropower station.
Photo and report by Dai Kairan & Yang Honghao
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 黄炜鑫
The China-Africa Biodiversity Conservation Experience Exchange and Training Session, together with the "City of Eagles" global thematic touring exhibition, was recently held in Narok County, Kenya. As one of the featured events of the "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges," representatives from ecological authorities, protected area management institutions, public welfare organizations, and universities from China, Kenya, and Tanzania engaged in dialogue and exchanged experiences on community-based conservation, technology-assisted wildlife protection, and youth ecological education.
At the exhibition, visitors learned through documentary footage about Chongqing's efforts to safeguard the migration of raptors. Every spring and autumn, hundreds of thousands of raptors fly over Chongqing, where more than 200 protected areas serve as stopover sites along their migration routes. Through measures such as establishing a raptor monitoring network, implementing satellite tracking, setting up professional rescue platforms, and building demonstration zones for bird-friendly habitats, and by mobilizing international volunteers to participate in ecological science popularization, Chongqing has explored a path of coordinated coexistence between a megacity and species conservation. Mary Dapash, a representative of the Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve in Kenya, said: "China has carried out a great deal of ecological conservation work. We look forward to strengthening cooperation with China and drawing on its relevant experience."
At the training session, representatives from African countries' ecological authorities and public welfare organizations shared their experiences in protecting the ecological environment and promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and animals, and expressed their expectation of strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China, learning from each other and helping each other (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "mutually, learn; mutually, assist"). Eston Murithi, chairman of the Adept Ecological Conservation Alliance in Kenya, introduced that his organization relies on community strength to protect forest, river, and wetland ecosystems, carrying out skills training, community patrols, seedling cultivation, and ecological restoration, as well as public science education. Zakayo Lerumbe Kipuyo, founder of the Rural Joy and Hope Foundation in Tanzania, introduced that his organization coordinates community-based efforts to advance forest restoration, maintenance of wildlife migration corridors, and protection of water source areas, while developing friendly alternative livelihoods and effectively expanding the scale of ecological restoration. Peter Sankei, chairman of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, said that Kenya and China can deepen cooperation in the fields of animal protection technology and personnel exchanges, and expressed hope that African animal conservation practitioners will have the opportunity to study in China on site, jointly promoting the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature through cooperation.
The event also launched a China-Africa youth biodiversity conservation themed curriculum, which integrates ecological practices from both China and Africa and uses engaging formats such as videos and board games to guide young people in understanding the significance of ecological conservation through collaboration. "This curriculum helps raise the conservation awareness of teachers, students, and surrounding communities," said Omari Nyagu, principal of Kilani Secondary School in Arusha, Tanzania.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李 强
The reporter set out from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, and arrived in Chirchiq, a city in Tashkent Region. Under the blue sky, rows upon rows of white energy-storage battery compartments stood in neat formation. This is the Uzbekistan Chirchiq 100 MW/200 MWh Energy Storage Project (hereinafter referred to as the "Chirchiq Energy Storage Project"), invested and constructed by China Energy Engineering Group Overseas Investment Company, one of the first batch of independent grid-side energy storage projects in the country's capital region, which has already entered full commercial operation since March this year.
In recent years, with the rapid economic and social development of Uzbekistan, industrial and residential electricity demand has continued to grow. The country has been advancing new energy project construction and grid integration on a large scale; however, the volatility and intermittency of new energy power generation pose certain challenges to the safe and stable operation of the power grid. To make up for this shortcoming, the Chirchiq Energy Storage Project completed contract signing at the end of 2023 and officially commenced construction in 2025.
The Chirchiq Energy Storage Project, covering approximately 5 hectares, is like a large-scale "green power bank" — when new energy sources such as solar and wind generate more electricity, the energy storage system absorbs and stores the electrical energy; during peak electricity consumption or when new energy output fluctuates, it rapidly releases power, helping the grid shave peaks and fill valleys, regulate frequency and adjust voltage. "With the commissioning of the Chirchiq Energy Storage Project, it is expected that during the 13-year operation period ahead, it can provide over 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of power load regulation capacity to the Tashkent regional grid, effectively enhancing the safety and stability of the regional power grid." Yang Shuangwei, station manager of the Chirchiq Energy Storage Project, said.
Local operations and maintenance personnel Muhammad Diyar is mainly responsible for charge and discharge operations of the energy storage station, switching operations, and the operation, maintenance, and upkeep of electrical equipment. In his view, the level of intelligence and automation of the Chirchiq Energy Storage Project has improved markedly: "In the past, many pieces of equipment required on-site inspections; now, in the control room, we can monitor their operating status in real time, immediately obvious and clear (一目了然, yi mu liang ran -"one, eye, clearly, see"), and can even operate them remotely. Work intensity has decreased, and safety has improved."
Azamat previously worked as an electrician at a chemical plant in Chirchiq. This year, he came to the Chirchiq Energy Storage Project, starting from equipment maintenance, gradually learning the operating knowledge of batteries, transformers, and control systems, and now he can already independently participate in equipment inspections and shift operations. "Being able to learn advanced energy storage technology in my hometown is a rare career development opportunity," he said.
Azamat told the reporter that, with the continuous improvement of power facilities, local power outages have noticeably decreased, and villagers can now open shops and run businesses. "With stable electricity, production and daily life are both more convenient. Chinese enterprises have come here, bringing technology, and also bringing more job opportunities."
Inside the control room, Diyar pointed at the steadily changing operation curves and said: "Projects like this are very helpful to Uzbekistan. With more stable electricity, industry can develop, and people's lives will get better and better."
Return to TopFor the nation to be rejuvenated, the countryside must be revitalized. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out that "comprehensively advancing rural revitalization is an important task for building a strong agricultural country in the new era." Since the 19th Party Congress put forward the strategy of rural revitalization, the vast countryside has been displaying a brand-new appearance featuring thriving industries, livable ecosystems, civilized rural customs, effective governance, and prosperous living standards.
Rural industries are flourishing vigorously. All localities, based on their resource endowments, are deeply cultivating specialty industries and promoting the deep integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism. Badong County, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province, is strengthening advantageous categories such as corn and broadening sales channels; in Xin'an County, Luoyang City, Henan Province, community party branch secretaries are organizing livestreaming groups to endorse local agricultural specialty products; in Wen County, Gansu Province, during the harvest season, rice ears are stored in granaries and chili peppers are dried red, while artisans in field-side workshops are transforming local products into capital for enriching the people. New farmers are returning to take root in their hometowns, and livestreaming rooms have been moved into the fields, turning rural resources into tangible income for enriching the people and injecting lasting momentum into comprehensive rural revitalization.
Harmonious and beautiful villages are taking on a new look. The improvement of rural living environments continues to deepen, with the toilet revolution, sewage treatment, and village appearance improvement being solidly advanced. In the "Happiness Home for the Elderly and Children" in Fengxin County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, hot lunches are served on the table, with elderly people sitting together sharing the warmth of everyday life; in Wen County, Gansu Province, clean village roads connect rice paddies, orchards, and dwellings, with lucid waters and lush mountains shining and reflecting upon each other (交相辉映, jiao xiang hui ying - "interchange, each other, shine, reflect") with new rural residences, as the picture of an ecologically livable countryside slowly unfolds.
Local cultural heritage is marked by endless and continuous development (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, cease"). All localities are actively revitalizing and passing on intangible cultural heritage skills, building village history museums and cultural squares, allowing civilized rural customs to permeate the countryside. In Tianzhu County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, veteran artisans are entering schools to teach Dong opera, and the Forty-Eight Villages Song Fair of Miao and Dong compatriots from Hunan and Guizhou is lively and joyous. The new trend of civilized customs nourishes people's hearts, promoting the coordinated development of material civilization and spiritual civilization in the countryside.
My countryside, my home. Generations of people have taken root here, cultivating hope, allowing the vast countryside to radiate brand-new brilliance. Tens of millions of villages carry the beautiful expectations of hundreds of millions of people; they are a land of living and working in peace and contentment (安居乐业, an ju le ye - "peaceful, live, happy, work"), and even more so, a harmonious and happy home.
(People's Daily reporter Jiang Yushi)
Return to TopPost-90s Liu Jiahao —
"Underglaze Multicolor" Shines Even Brighter
People's Daily reporter Zheng Haiou
"Welcome to the 'Clay Figurine Liu' livestream room. This Tongguan ceramic straw cup draws its creative inspiration from the white-glazed green-striped straw cup in the collection of the Changsha Tongguan Kiln Museum, which was recovered from the Tang-dynasty shipwreck 'Batu Hitam.' I spent more than a year testing and firing it..."
Liu Jiahao, a post-90s provincial-level representative inheritor of the Changsha Kiln Tongguan ceramic firing technique,was speaking in a slow and captivating manner (娓娓道来, wei wei dao lai - "weave, weave, speak, come"),and sales of the ceramic straw cups in the livestream room were rising steadily and rapidly (节节攀升, jie jie pan sheng - "joint, joint, climb, rise"),"To date,more than ten thousand have been sold. Traditional craftsmanship is deeply beloved by contemporary people. Put ingenuity into it and innovate,and you will win people's welcome."
Beside him, Liu Jiahao's father,Liu Kunting,a national-level representative inheritor of the Changsha Kiln Tongguan ceramic firing technique,felt deeply gratified,"I never imagined Tongguan ceramics could be so fashionable and popular. An ancient craft integrated into modern life takes on a different kind of vitality."
On the banks of the Xiangjiang River in Wangcheng District,Changsha City,Hunan Province,the pottery industry has a long history. The "Ten-Li Pottery City" stretches continuing without end (绵延不绝, mian yan bu jue - "extend, extend, not, continuous"),and kiln fires never cease. By the Tang dynasty,Tongguan ceramics developed rapidly,and ceramic techniques gradually matured. Throwing,hand-pinching,sculpting,appliqué,painting,glaze-making,clay-preparation,firing...The Changsha Kiln Tongguan ceramic firing technique has a unique style or feature (独具特色, du ju te se - "alone, possess, special, characteristic"),especially the new underglaze multicolor ceramic process,which has been passed down to this day.
Liu Jiahao was born in 1993 into a ceramic family. He spent every day dealing with clay,yet"always felt indifferent toward ceramics."He frankly admitted,"In Tongguan,nearly every household is connected to ceramics. In the past,people always felt that making ceramics was too hard and too tiring,and not very respectable,and hoped their children would leave this trade."It was precisely for this reason that Liu Jiahao studied cultural knowledge diligently from childhood,and gradually fell in love with painting,especially oil painting,hoping to pass the college entrance examination and enter an art academy to become a painter.
In the blink of an eye,it was time for the college entrance examination,and Liu Jiahao went to Beijing for pre-exam training. A training teacher from the Central Academy of Fine Arts particularly loved ceramics,and often took the students to exhibitions,pointing out where the beauty lay in the forms,colors,and crackle patterns of different works."This was the first time I looked at ceramics from the perspective of an onlooker and learner,and only then did I discover that these ordinary,everyday objects that had accompanied me since childhood actually had so many intricacies."During those days,Liu Jiahao also followed the teachers into the ceramics exhibition at the art academy and the ceramics exhibition at the National Museum of China,gradually coming to realize that"the 'hard labor' the adults spoke of was actually a marvelous art form."
A deep sense of pride welled up inside Liu Jiahao,"Our family has endless treasures,and this craft is remarkable!"
After the college entrance examination,Liu Jiahao,bunder his father's guidance,began making Tongguan ceramics with his own hands. Perhaps it was precisely this"mid-career conversion,"combined with his rich artistic aesthetic,that gave his creations more inspiration and uniqueness."Generation after generation passed it down,with masters teaching apprentices how to do things and what to make,and disciples not daring to deviate in the slightest,so gradually,the things made all converged toward sameness."Liu Kunting said,"The things Jiahao makes are far more interesting."
During university,Liu Jiahao devoted considerable time and energy to researching history,refining his skills,and studying the market. To absorb and learn from the strengths of other kilns,especially Jingdezhen porcelain,Liu Jiahao"soaked"himself in Jingdezhen,"both elevating his aesthetic sense and seeking advice everywhere,and moreover,in comparing the styles of different ceramics,discovering the uniqueness of Tongguan ceramics."
In Liu Jiahao's view,as a folk craft,Tongguan ceramics has been able to keep continuously regenerating and growing (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, cease")precisely because of its strong flavor of everyday life close to the people,"It reflects the living conditions of ordinary people;it is unrestrained,lovable,and ever-changing."Liu Jiahao came to realize that today's life is increasingly colorful and application scenarios increasingly rich,and Tongguan ceramics should respond to the fiery reality of daily life.
Now,Liu Jiahao's operations team is composed entirely of post-90s and post-00s young people. They visit cultural relic exhibitions,study the preferences of young people,use AI(artificial intelligence),and launch numerous products—combining with traditional solar terms and festivals,integrating with calligraphy and carving,developing rich and colorful cultural creative products;collaborating with milk tea shops,car companies,and museums,producing tea sets,wine sets,and other souvenir gifts;;blending into restaurant and homestay design,crossing over to participate in online game design...Tradition and modernity,online and offline—in their hands,Tongguan ceramics is"capable of anything,"empowering a better life.
"Today we are experiencing painting Chinese colors into ceramics..."At the Changsha Drama Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Center,the"Intangible Heritage Class Youth"summer transmission camp was very popular,and Liu Jiahao taught the children hand-in-hand to experience Tongguan ceramics,planting the beauty of ceramics and the spirit of craftsmanship into the children's hearts.
"I want to tell the children that the Changsha Kiln is our pride,and clay can change in a myriad of ways (千变万化, qian bian wan hua - "thousand, change, ten thousand, transform").Inside a small piece of ceramics lies the Chinese people's unique,refined aesthetic,and our pursuit of a better life."Whenever the children smiled as they held up their immature,unsophisticated works,Liu Jiahao's heart felt warm,"I can see a future where'underglaze multicolor'shines even brighter."
Post-80s Li Xiaoyan —
Skill Both Within and Beyond the Tea
People's Daily reporter Shi Yu
The wrist lifts upward,the boiling water in the kettle arcs through the air,slowly poured in a circle along the wall of the gaiwan lid bowl;the tea leaves unfurl,sink,and rise,and the tea fragrance spreads across the small space of the tea table."This infusion uses a medium-light charcoal roast;raising the kettle high when brewing can fully stimulate the tea's aroma,and keep the tea liquor from becoming bitter."Li Xiaoyan,a municipal-level representative inheritor of Wuyi tea ceremony,introduced the tea's characteristics while sending cup after cup of freshly brewed tea to the tea guests before her,her movements smooth and natural like flowing water (行云流水, xing yun liu shui - "walk, cloud, flow, water").
Wuyishan City,Nanping,Fujian Province,is the birthplace of Wuyi rock tea,and the tea customs that grew up alongside the Wuyi rock tea(Dahongpao)production technique are also uniquely distinctive,with Wuyi tea ceremony—the art of brewing Wuyi rock tea—being an important part thereof. Wuyi tea ceremony evolved from Han-dynasty boiled tea,Tang-dynasty decocted tea,and Song-dynasty whisked tea,and matured in the Qing dynasty as oolong tea became popular. In March this year,Wuyi tea ceremony was included in Fujian Province's eighth batch of provincial-level representative items of intangible cultural heritage.
"Wuyi rock tea has'three and a half masters'—the withering-and-fermentation master,the roasting master,and the tea-appraisal master,and the tea-brewing master counts as half a master."Li Xiaoyan,a post-80s who has been connected with tea ceremony for 20 years,was speaking in a slow and captivating manner.
Li Xiaoyan has always remembered the"Selfless Tea Gathering"tea event held in Wuyishan City in 2005. Amid mountains and waters,tea practitioners brought their own tea,pots,and cups,sat directly on the grass lawn,and demonstrated the tea-brewing process,while participants went from seat to seat tasting each person's tea liquor. A single infusion of tea,passing through the hands of a tea ceremony master—what the tea guest tastes is the flavor of the tea,and what they steep in is the culture. This scene deeply moved her,and also made her sigh with emotion:"So brewing tea can also become an art—elegant and interesting. I too want to become such a tea practitioner,and a disseminator of tea culture."
Mastering the fundamentals of tea ceremony is not easy."The practice of hand techniques is tedious—'nailing' yourself before the tea table repeating the same motions over and over,and getting your hands scalded is a common occurrence."Li Xiaoyan said,and even more skill lies beyond the tea cup:rock tea production techniques differ,and the character of the tea leaves also varies accordingly;from the selection of vessels,the choice of water,the mastery of heat,to brewing techniques,the timing of pouring the tea liquor,and so on—every detail affects the quality of the tea liquor."For example,highly roasted tea has a strong flavor;the water should be poured low and the tea poured out quickly,so that it does not become too strong or too astringent."
For this reason,she had to start by delving into the tea itself. In Li Xiaoyan's studio,there is a wall of bookshelves,all filled with tea-related books."These still account for only one-third of the books I have studied on the history and culture of tea."To deepen her expertise in tea ceremony,she not only pored through numerous ancient texts,and consulted Wuyi mountain tea culture research experts,but also learned tea production itself,"If you understand tea production,you understand the character of the tea better,and can better disseminate tea culture through tea ceremony."
From between the lines of books,to the fragrance of roasting wafting from the workshop,Li Xiaoyan tirelessly explores the roots of tea culture,and in turn transforms her understanding and accumulation into cup after cup of tea liquor,pushing tea culture to go beyond Fujian and toward the world.
From May to July this year,the exhibition"Rock Bone and Righteous Spirit, Harmony and Unity Reaching Far—Nanping's Practice of Coordinating'Three Teas'"jointly hosted by the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and the People's Government of Nanping City,Fujian Province,was held in Beijing. At the venue,ancient melodies flowed softly,e professional narration was speaking in a slow and captivating manner,and Li Xiaoyan demonstrated Wuyi tea ceremony with deft,skilled movements,drawing many visitors to stop,photograph,and cheer."Watch—the movements are smooth and natural like flowing water;listen—the historical depth is profound;drink—the fragrance is refreshing and heart-warming (沁人心脾, qin ren xin pi - "soak, person, heart, spleen")."The visitors' comments made Li Xiaoyan feel gratified,"full of confidence."
Tea harmonizes the world. Going abroad,Li Xiaoyan showcases the charm of Chinese tea culture through tea event after tea event. Collaborating with overseas Chinese-language schools and other institutions,she travels far to Europe and Southeast Asia,offering tea culture classes and participating in tea events."At least five trips a year,at most ten."Li Xiaoyan still remembers that in 2024,she paid her own way to carry approximately 200 jin of tea to Italy,participating in a week-long tea event,"Unexpectedly,every day there was a long line outside the door,busy from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.,and all the tea I brought was brewed to the last leaf. Foreign friends praised it again and again. Although very tired,I felt deeply fulfilled and proud!"
"I am also always pondering how to keep pace with the times and make more innovations."Continuously researching tea culture,the tea industry,and tea science and technology,she ventures into cross-sector collaborations,goes online,and develops study tours,letting the fragrance of tea waft into more life scenarios.
Collaborating with a chocolate brand,using tea leaves as raw materials,she has made Dahongpao-flavored chocolates,chocolate-tea-flavored desserts,and more,winning over quite a few fans;;developing tea-based healing cultural tourism products,letting visitors relax body and mind amid Wuyi's mountains,waters,and tea fragrance;;designing online and offline tea ceremony courses and study tour programs,cultivating more inheritors of tea culture..."From products to experiences,from experiences to inheritance,constantly broadening the ways in which tea culture is presented."Li Xiaoyan said.
"Now is a great era for the flourishing development of intangible cultural heritage. Passing on and developing Wuyi tea ceremony well is the responsibility of our younger generation. I will also carry my passion and cultivate deeply in this fertile cultural soil."Li Xiaoyan said,full of confidence.
Post-80s Cheng Xi —
Wood Shavings Fall, Marvels Bloom
People's Daily reporter Wu Jun
Early morning,in the Jingchu Craftsman Innovation Studio in Jiugongshan Town,Tongshan County,Hubei Province,Cheng Xi appeared on time.
Selecting his carving knives,twisting on the old desk lamp,his left hand pressing firmly down on the wood,his right hand gripping the carving knife tightly,his wrist applying steady force,and the blade tip cutting precisely into the wood grain. Then,his wrist turned slightly along the grain,and the blade tip slid nimbly across the wood surface like a swimming dragon. A moment later,the carving knife came to a quiet stop. Gently blowing away the wood shavings,on the wooden board,the eyes of a statue of Lord Guan suddenly appeared—with crescent-shaped lower eyelids holding a sharp edge,an aura of majesty without anger.
"This piece is called'Sworn Brotherhood in the Peach Garden.'The hardest part is carving the expressions of the figures,and the key lies in the eyes."Cheng Xi introduced. To achieve the skill of"one cut fixing the spirit,"he has pondered and refined it for more than 20 years.
Cheng Xi is 40 years old this year,born into a woodcarving family,and formally took his father as his master in 2002. Today he has grown into a municipal-level representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage woodcarving(Tongshan woodcarving).
"In doing woodcarving well,the first thing is sharpening your knives."When he first entered the trade,his father admonished Cheng Xi in this way,"If the knife is not sharpened flat,the carved lines will be uneven in depth,and irregular in thickness,and no matter how good the conception,it cannot be realized on the wood."
Under his father's instruction,Cheng Xi developed the habit of always testing his knives before carving—using his eyes to check whether the blade edge was even,using his hand to feel whether the blade was smooth,his fingertip sliding carefully along the cutting edge,and every tiny bump or hollow could not escape his sense of touch.
After three years of apprenticeship,Cheng Xi had not only sharpened his carving knives,but also honed his hand feel. The basic carving techniques were already thoroughly mastered,and this"carving knife"of his was finally ready to be"drawn from its sheath."
Afterward,Cheng Xi went to a furniture factory in Wuhan,Hubei Province,to serve as a woodcarving master. The day-after-day repetitive labor was far removed from the traditional craftsmanship he had learned in his father's workshop,and Cheng Xi's carving knife gradually lost its inspiration,and his skill also began to stagnate. Cheng Xi once fell into confusion,"At that time I kept thinking—has this craft reached its dead end?"
Once,the factory received an order to restore an old artifact,and Cheng Xi took it on with a try-it-and-see attitude."To fill in the missing parts,you first have to understand its existing parts—every grain,and every knife stroke,are'secret codes'left by the old master craftsman."Cheng Xi studied the old artifact over and over every day,carefully figuring out the path of each cut,bit by bit reproducing the patterns,and ultimately restored the missing parts perfectly seamless and flawless (天衣无缝, tian yi wu feng - "heaven, clothes, no, seam").
In recent years,more and more people have come to cherish traditional objects,and the factory's orders for restoring old artifacts have gradually increased,and Cheng Xi has taken the initiative to accept all of these orders.
"Every restoration,for me,is a'lesson at the feet of a master.'"Cheng Xi said. While disassembling the carving techniques of old artifacts,he repeatedly pondered,and digested them through reproduction,and in one"conversation across time"after another with old master craftsmen,his carving techniques imperceptibly advanced,and his understanding of woodcarving also grew ever deeper.
"Every cut must be made to sing."To break through the ceiling of his craft,Cheng Xi traveled far to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to seek masters and learn,devoting himself to studying the essence of local woodcarving,conquering one by one the translucent exquisiteness of openwork carving and the front-and-back interplay of double-sided carving,forging a repertoire of consummate skills.
In woodcarving,getting injured is routine. The blade slips,and there is a gash on the fingertip,and blood beads immediately seep out. After a simple bandage,Cheng Xi turned back,and gripped his carving knife again,continuing to carve,as if the knife wound had never existed. Accumulating bit by bit over time (日积月累, ri ji yue lei - "day, accumulate, month, pile up"),his left hand has been"carved"by the knife into many scars,large and small,with the deepest one almost running across his index finger,like a gully."This is the seal the carving knife has stamped on me."Cheng Xi spread open his palm and said with a smile.
Tongshan woodcarving began in the Wei and Jin dynasties,and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties,long renowned by the reputation of"embroidery on wood.""Intangible cultural heritage cannot remain only in museums;it must keep pace with the times."To this end,Cheng Xi led his team in developing cultural creative products such as woodcarving combs,and small night lights,cleverly combining traditional woodcarving with modern life,and winning consumer favor.
With the development of technologies such as 3D modeling,and digital carving,the woodcarving industry is undergoing unprecedented transformation."Although machines can improve efficiency,traditional craftsmanship must not be abandoned—only then can we make machines serve us,rather than let machines replace craftsmanship."Cheng Xi said.
In 2015,with the support of the Tongshan County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center,Cheng Xi established himself at the county's woodcarving inheritance base,accepting apprentices and teaching skills,cultivating a total of more than 20 woodcarving artisans. Since then,he has been hired as a teacher for the"Tongshan Woodcarving"specialized course at Tongshan Vocational Education Center,conducting public welfare teaching,receiving university study tour teams,and continuously passing on his more than 20 years of carving skills to more young people.
Now,whenever he has free time each day,Cheng Xi sits down at his workbench,picks up his carving knife,and creates woodcarvings. That carving knife that has followed him for more than 20 years—its handle,from the day-after-day striking of the mallet,has been worn into the shape of a flower."The craft handed down from our ancestors must be carried forward and glorified."Cheng Xi stroked the knife handle,his gaze calm and resolute. As wood shavings fell,a peony gradually bloomed on the wooden board.
Return to TopBy: 李伯男
Stage creations on historical themes often face a question: where is the root? The root is not in dazzling forms, but in the depths of tradition, in the depths of characters, in the depths of life, and in the place where history and the present connect.
In recent years, I have directed the spoken dramas Northward and The Humanoid, the Yueju opera The All-Female Class, among others. The themes differ, the theatrical genres differ, but the philosophy has been consistent from beginning to end (一以贯之, yi yi guan zhi - "one, use, through, connect"): the more historical the subject matter, the more necessary it is to find the spiritual anchor point for dialogue with today's audiences.
Good stage works on historical themes do not retell history. The spoken drama Northward, which won the Wenhua Prize for theatrical works, is adapted from Xu Zechen's novel of the same name. Set against the Grand Canal, it tells the fates of several generations spanning a century. That ship on stage, which can rise, descend, and rotate, and those people and events born of the canal, reflect an endless and unceasing (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, stop") national spirit. The Humanoid is adapted from the novel by Mr. Wang Meng, and likewise places its fulcrum on the spiritual world of its characters. The revolving stage, the interweaving of time and space — these are not for formal novelty, but to allow audiences to see themselves in the struggle and deformation of an intellectual.
What the Yueju opera The All-Female Class seeks to present is not merely vivid and lifelike (有血有肉, you xue you rou - "have, blood, have, flesh") character portraits, but also the spirit and energy of women a century ago who "dared to break, dared to establish." The All-Female Class tells the story of a group of girls in Shengzhou, birthplace of Yueju opera, a century ago, yet what it reflects is every light-chaser who cherishes passion in their hearts and goes against the tide (逆流而上, ni liu er shang - "against, current, and, go up"). That courage within rawness, that perseverance within hardship, that growth within desperation — these suffice to cross time and space and move every audience member today.
Creating and rehearsing works on historical themes requires the courage to be an "activator."
The beauty of form in stage art and the beauty of truth in the social life presented on stage are inherently two sides of one body — a relationship of unity between content and form — and the two ought to be blending together harmoniously (水乳交融, shui ru jiao rong - "water, milk, mix, blend"). Form certainly possesses its own independence, yet content ultimately must rely on form for external expression, and needs to find appropriate vehicles of carriage, achieving the principle of adapting colors to suit the subject (随类赋彩, sui fu cai - "follow, category, give, color").In The All-Female Class, what I face is not merely a stretch of history, but a mature and elegant aesthetic system. I respect the ontology of the theatrical form, hoping to reproduce traditional connotations, inject new meaning of the times, and craft an innovative Yueju opera possessing poetic value (有诗性价值, you shi xing jia zhi - "have, poetic, quality, value"), so that poetic emotion and poetic expression correspond with each other, achieving an overall poeticization from content to form.
The narrative structure of traditional opera sometimes slows down due to the elaboration of conventions. The additions made to suit contemporary audiences are not about using spoken drama to reform opera, but about using the theatricality of spoken drama to "purify" the opera, making the narrative more modern in feel.
In terms of narrative structure, The All-Female Class has strengthened the alienation effect of the "play within a play." Allowing contemporary young actors to "perform" the all-female class students of a century ago on stage — this superimposition of time and space is not merely form, but content as well. It turns that abstract concept of inheritance into a directly watchable relationship between characters and flow of emotion on stage. Older audiences can savor the historical flavor within it, while younger audiences can instantly empathize with that marvelous tension of "a dialogue across time between peers."
In terms of stage visuals, this production abandons piled-up realistic stage sets, using the blank-space aesthetics of Eastern xieyi ((写意, freehand expression)) to construct a flexible space. That rotatable, gather-and-disperse circular platform is the visual fulcrum of the stage. It is at once a traveling stage, a drifting fate, and an artistic cycle. The use of multi-layered light and shadow and lightweight multimedia projection is not for showing off technique, but to replace cumbersome scenery, leaving the greatest space for the actors' performances, and also making scene transitions as fluid as cinema.
In terms of character shaping, the actors must discard the inertia of "stereotyped" opera performance. The girls must perform the real human nature of "fear, crying, retreating," rather than starting out as "I am brave, I resist," thereby revealing real details of life and delicate psychological layers. In this way, the characters "stand" firm, and their stubbornness and passion gain a convincing soil in which to take root.
Historical theme creation is not about replicating history. To older audiences, what we deliver is upholding integrity — the root and vein of tradition; to new audiences, what we provide is innovation — the theatrical power that allows them to enter the story, be moved, and empathize.
From Northward to The Humanoid, and then to The All-Female Class, I have increasingly come to realize that tradition can be activated, and that every generation retells it in the language of its own era. The creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture do not mean packing tradition into new forms, but, after understanding the spirit of tradition, allowing it to re-establish connections with life today.
(The author is a director of the National Theatre of China.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孟海鹰
The Amur tiger and Amur leopard are rare and endangered animals under key state protection in China, flagship species in global biodiversity conservation, and important indicators of the health of temperate forest ecosystems, possessing extremely high conservation value and ecological significance. The Amur tiger prefers to inhabit mixed broadleaf-conifer forests of Korean pine, followed by broadleaf forests, mainly distributed in mid-and low-mountain areas at elevations of 150–800 meters.
Over more than a decade, reporters from this newspaper have repeatedly ventured deep into the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, witnessing with their own eyes the ecological transformation of this land — from silent forests and scarce traces of beasts to the present day, when tiger roars have returned to the woodlands and tigers are found across the mountains. Behind this transformation lies the perseverance of scientific researchers rooted in the deep mountains for decades, the day-after-day trekking of patrol officers and forest firefighters, the transformation of former hunters who, having laid down their guns, now guard the wilds, and, above all, the robust support of a complete national park system and a technological monitoring framework.
— Editor
A short video clip has long been saved in my phone — a babbling brook, its murmurs spreading like sounds of nature. It was recorded deep in the hinterland of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. The autumn sun was just right, branches and leaves were riotous with color, horizontal boughs shaded the canopy above, round boulders lay like chess pieces, and the stream, crystal clear, rushed downward in torrents.
The phone lens, after all, cannot capture the thin mist rising from the water's surface, but it preserved the purest sounds of the mountain forest. In leisure moments, closing my eyes and listening, I feel as if I am once again amid that beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, my heart filled with tranquility.
First Entry into the Mountains:
Guardianship After Laying Down the Hunting Gun
Over these years, I have been to that green mountain forest many times. Every time before I go, I am so nervous I cannot sleep — the mountains are the animals' home; who wouldn't be afraid?
My earliest visit was fifteen or sixteen years ago, before the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park had been established. Accompanying comrades from the forestry department, I went deep into Chunhua Township, Hunchun City, to visit the local animal rescue station. Watching the staff carefully nurse injured small animals, I came to understand that this stretch of rolling mountains had once been a homeland through which tigers and leopards roamed.
In the summer of 2016, as conservation work deepened, I followed Teacher Lang Jianmin, who had guarded tigers and leopards for many years, into the mountains. We arrived at Guandaogou Village, Chunhua Township, and crossed a small bridge, where a warning sign at the bridgehead reading "Tigers and Leopards Active" stood conspicuously in view.
On the heated kang of village party secretary Li Yong's home, more than 10 elderly men who had once been hunters sighed over the changes of the times: pointing at the green mountains behind them, the elders lamented that in their youth, the mountains had been abundant in products, and most of them had been hunters, living off the mountains; but later, the mountain forests gradually fell silent, wild animals grew fewer and fewer, and the vitality of former days was no more; until the spring breeze of ecological protection blew deep into the mountains, and now, sitting at home, with a lift of the eyes, one can see herds of deer passing through the mountains.
As the ecology increasingly turns for the better, joy also harbors vexation: herds of wild boars come down from the mountains to root up and devour crops, stubborn and troublesome, impossible to drive away; some villagers even complained helplessly that in a single year, seven dogs from their household had been carried off by leopards.
To protect the green waters and green mountains, the mountain dwellers have quietly made their turn. The former hunters, one after another, have laid down their hunting guns, changed into patrol uniforms, and become guardians of the mountain forests. With hunting banned and forest frog farming no longer permitted, they have taken the initiative to explore paths of transformation. Elderly former hunter Guo Naiwen has turned to beekeeping and warmly invited me to visit his apiary.
Re-entering the Tiger Country:
Iron Feet Tramp Out a Safe Road
In autumn 2022, I went again to the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, and at the Hunchun scientific research base met with Professor Feng Limin, director of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard Monitoring and Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, to go into the mountains together. In Sidaogou Village, wild hardy kiwifruit vines laden with fruit were enjoying a bumper harvest across the mountains and fields. On the slopes, the "sky-earth-air" integrated monitoring cameras of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park were covertly distributed, tracking not only wild beasts but also, in real time, the movements of wild boars to safeguard villagers' harvests.
Behind the technological deployment, there are also countless contributions of "iron feet." In the same year, by the picturesque scenery of the Hunchun River, I followed frontline forest firefighters into the mountains on patrol. These guardians, who uphold the conviction of being "mountain experts, iron feet, living maps," strictly abide by the fire prevention principle of "attack early, attack small, attack thoroughly; prevention first; actively extinguish." During routine training drills, I was already exhausted before reaching the mountainside's midpoint, while the firefighters, day after day, plunged deep into the forest sea, never once slacking. Their superb firefighting skills, honed through daily practice, left me even more astounded.
The perseverance of many parties has crystallized into a set of data: as of the spring fire-prevention period of 2026, across the whole of Jilin Province, 560 lookout towers, 1,755 checkpoints, and 1,854 video monitoring posts were on duty around the clock, more than 15,000 patrol officers, lookout observers, and checkpoint inspectors were all at their posts, and 447 professional and semi-professional firefighting teams, comprising over 9,500 personnel, stood fast on the front line of fire risk. Behind every single number stand living, breathing figures — a safety barrier built by measuring the mountains with their footsteps.
Deep into the Snowfield:
Witnessing "Tigers in All the Mountains"
In 2026, I once again rushed to this mountain forest, following Professor Feng Limin deep into the hinterland of the snowfield.
Ice and snow everywhere, mountain ranges blanketed in snow — the mountain forest in winter possesses a different kind of tranquil majesty. The air was piercingly cold and crisp, birdsong rang clear through the woods, and flocks of sika deer bounded across the forest floor. Two or three sika deer suddenly halted, turned their heads to look back at me, and I stood in silent gaze with them, my heart filled with awe, truly experiencing the beauty of all things possessing spirit.
The vehicle for entering the mountains was one of Professor Feng's old cars, which made constant noises as it drove, and I teased him about worrying the car would break down halfway. He said, however, that things are already turning for the better in every way. In the early years of his research, he had relied entirely on local villagers to carry him into the mountains on motorcycles, and he had once suffered frostbite so severe that his feet had frozen solid to his shoes.
As we traveled, we spotted tiger footprints and feces, the whorls of the tiger's paw prints clearly visible. A long scratch mark in the forest was an even rarer sight. Professor Feng imitated the tiger's motion of scraping the ground on the spot, explaining that this was a mark left by the tiger. Pointing at a slender fox dropping nearby, he revealed the most authentic version of "the fox borrows the tiger's might" in nature: after descending the mountain, the monitoring system clearly played back the moment when a cunning fox trailed behind a tiger and, once it had left, swiftly snatched up the scraps of its leftover meal.
Looking at the various animal tracks on the snowfield, Professor Feng remarked with emotion that, more than 20 years ago when he first arrived here, the snow in the forest had been utterly clean, with animal tracks hard to find; today, the ground was covered with the footprints of living creatures everywhere — precisely the proof that the ecology has been continuously improving.
Today, this national park, covering a total area of 14,000 square kilometers, boasts a forest coverage rate as high as 97.74%. The populations of Amur tigers and Amur leopards have grown from 27 individuals and 42 individuals in 2015 to more than 70 and more than 110, respectively, at present. Since the park was formally established in October 2021, both the distribution range and population size of tiger and leopard groups have achieved steady expansion and growth.
Basking lazily in the sun in the forest, a mother tiger leading her cubs on a stroll, striding majestically along the riverbank... In recent years, thanks to advanced technology, the happy life of tiger groups has often reached the phones of the public, allowing everyone to witness together the fruits of ecological conservation.
The achievement of these results was not accomplished overnight: in 1996, Jilin Province issued a decision prohibiting the hunting of terrestrial wild animals; entering the 21st century, national nature reserves such as Hunchun and Wangqing were established one after another, rescuing and protecting a batch of critical habitats; in 2015, Jilin Province's key state-owned forest regions completely ceased commercial logging of natural forests. In recent years, Jilin Province has also continuously carried out special operations to "clear the mountains and clear the snares," cutting off the "black hands" that harm wild animals, step by step consolidating the bottom line of wildlife protection.
Today's Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has established a large-scale, wide-coverage "sky-earth-air" integrated system for real-time biodiversity monitoring — on the ground, infrared cameras conduct round-the-clock real-time monitoring; in the sky, remote-sensing satellites observe; in the air, drones patrol; the monitoring network basically covers the entire park, empowering tiger and leopard conservation with technology.
Return to TopIn the north sits a seated dragon, its splendor spanning the heavens. In the "Treasure of the Museum" special exhibition area of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum stands a uniquely shaped Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon (see Figure ①, courtesy of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum), and the museum's logo also adopts the silhouette of this bronze seated dragon (see Figure ②, courtesy of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum), highlighting Heilongjiang's unique Jinyuan culture.
Reporter: How did this cultural relic come to be the main image of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum's logo?
Qin Jin: In 2014, the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum selected the "Ten Greatest Treasures of the Museum," led by the Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon. That same year, the museum publicly solicited logo designs from society and received 189 works/sets. Everyone agreed that the Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon distills the core of Jinyuan culture, showcases the museum's regional collection characteristics, and possesses both aesthetic value and historical representativeness, making it truly deserving of its name (名副其实, ming fu shi shi - "name, matches, reality") as the museum's logo.
In terms of design concept, the logo adopts the silhouette of the bronze seated dragon and the museum name inscribed by Guo Moruo for the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum in 1962 as its main elements, highlighting its unique cultural temperament and recognizability.
Reporter: Combining the images of four beasts in one, what is unique about this Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon in terms of vessel form and casting craftsmanship?
Qin Jin: This Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon stands approximately 19.6 centimeters tall and weighs 2.1 kilograms, cast in bronze and then finished through polishing and chiseling. In terms of appearance, the vessel combines the images and characteristics of the dragon, qilin, lion, and dog in one, in a squatting seated posture, with the dragon head slightly raised, mouth open as if chanting, shoulders slightly arched forward, the front left leg raised with its claw treading upon auspicious clouds, the auspicious clouds connected to the hind leg, the front right leg slightly extended forward and upright with its claw connected to the ground, the dragon tail curling outward, and the head, shoulders, and limbs adorned with curly mane.
The seated dragon as a whole presents a posture ready to spring into action (蓄势待发, xu shi dai fa - "accumulate, momentum, wait, release"), while also possessing extremely strong visual beauty, and the flat nails beneath its feet ensure the stable balance of the vessel's overall structure, achieving a perfect unity of practicality and ornamental value. Its design conception and craftsmanship are superb, skillfully integrating the Jurchen people's rich fishing and hunting elements with Han cultural elements, with vivid imagery and an archaic style, making it a treasure of Jin Dynasty bronze casting art and a physical exemplar of multi-ethnic craft integration.
Reporter: What findings do the academic community currently have regarding its specific use and historical value?
Qin Jin: Regarding its use, researchers, based on records in the History of Jin such as "the seated dragon on the crossbar was changed to a phoenix" and "the grand carriage... the top wheel adorned with shining leaves, with a silver lotus flower in the middle and a seated dragon," combined with the shape of the flat nail beneath the right front claw of the bronze seated dragon, speculate that it may have been an ornament on the imperial carriage. Some experts, based on the excavation sites of other Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragons and the basic characteristics of seated dragons, speculate that it was a decoration on the tops of imperial tents, sutra storage column capitals, or the tops of bell frames, also serving the purpose of warding off evil and ensuring safety, making it a crucial ritual implement of the Jin Dynasty imperial family.
From the perspective of historical value, the Jurchen people of the Jin Dynasty, who dominated the northern frontier, absorbed Han customs and likewise carried the cultural identity and spiritual beliefs of the Chinese people, preserving ancient imprints related to the dragon. Although there is no unified conclusion on the actual function of the bronze seated dragon, what is certain is that the Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon presents, from a unique perspective, the process by which the Jurchen people moved from tribe to dynasty and actively absorbed Central Plains civilization, powerfully confirming the historical thread of the pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation and the exchange, interaction, and integration among all ethnic groups, and can be called a representative cultural relic of Jinyuan culture.
Reporter: How was this representative cultural relic of Jinyuan culture discovered and collected by the museum back then?
Qin Jin: The discovery of the Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon was quite accidental. In the autumn of 1965, a farmer surnamed Pei, while working at the site of the early Jin Dynasty capital Shangjing Huining Prefecture in Acheng County (now Acheng District, Harbin), discovered this vessel and kept it himself. A few years later, the bronze seated dragon was handed over to the then Acheng County Cultural Relics Management Office, and in 1990 it was transferred to the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, where it has been collected ever since.
In the selection activity for the "Ten Greatest Treasures of the Museum" at the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, after expert review and public voting, the first-grade cultural relic, the Jin Dynasty bronze seated dragon, with its exquisite and unique form and diverse, profound cultural value, received the highest acclaim, becoming a treasure of the museum, a cultural calling card of Heilongjiang, and growing ever more renowned.
Reporter: Today, the ancient bronze seated dragon is entering the public eye in an increasingly vivid manner. In recent years, what achievements has the museum made in long-term cultural relic protection and innovative revitalization and utilization?
Qin Jin: Focusing on this iconic cultural relic of Jinyuan culture, the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum has created special exhibitions, carried out social education, developed distinctive cultural and creative products, and built a smart service platform, allowing the bronze seated dragon to fully release its cultural value and truly "come alive."
First, we have continuously carried out the digital protection and utilization project for the bronze seated dragon. Using three-dimensional scanning technology, we have completed the collection and archiving of full-element digital information of the cultural relic. This year, the museum has newly upgraded the interactive experience, building an ultra-large-screen immersive display carrier for the bronze seated dragon, integrating elements such as ultra-high-definition image quality, three-dimensional animation, and human-computer interaction to construct a new form of triple-layered immersive digital exhibition.
Second, we are advancing nationwide research study and social education. In brand activities such as "Meeting at Longbo," "Longbo Appreciation," and "Mobile Museum into Schools," the bronze seated dragon is deserving of the title without shame (当之无愧, dang zhi wu kui - "should, receive, no, shame") as the protagonist. The museum holds an average of more than 100 exhibition and education activities themed around the "bronze seated dragon" each year.
Third, we are deeply linking with distinctive ice and snow tourism. Closely following the province's winter ice and snow tourism development layout, we have launched large-scale ice sculpture and snow sculpture landscapes themed on the bronze seated dragon for three consecutive years, creating immersive ice and snow cultural and museum check-in points.
Fourth, we are stimulating the vitality of cultural and creative IP and digital intelligence. Around the image of the bronze seated dragon, more than 300 cultural and creative products across 16 series have been developed to date. The cartoon-proportioned "Longlong" cultural and creative IP that we have focused on developing fully preserves the bearing of the auspicious beast.
Passing on historical memory, displaying the splendor of the black earth. From the ancient land of Jinyuan to the modern exhibition hall, this bronze seated dragon, imbued with the spiritual bearing of the Jurchen people, carries the profound history of the pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation, passed down from generation to generation through bloodlines, becoming a cultural bond that closely unites all ethnic groups.
(Qin Jin is the director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum; this article was compiled by People's Daily reporter Zhu Dawei from an interview)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杨颜菲
Deep in the hinterland of the Jiulian Mountains, at the junction of Jiangxi and Guangdong, an ancient bluestone road winds along the mountain contours. Walking up the stone steps, one sees in the distance towering peaks and overlapping mountains (青山叠嶂, qing shan die zhang - "green, mountain, stack, barrier"), shrouded in clouds and mist (云缠雾绕, yun chan wu rao -"cloud, entwine, mist, coil"); close at hand, one hears the sound of a murmuring stream (溪涧潺潺, xi jian chan chan -"stream, ravine, gurgling, gurgling") and the chirping of forest birds—this is the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road, known as "one foot strides across two provinces, one step spans five hundred years".
As one of the important passages in history connecting the Central Plains with Lingnan, the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road starts at Wudang Town, Longnan City, Jiangxi in the north and ends at Liyuan Town, Heping County, Guangdong in the south, with a total length of 7.38 kilometers. Along the route, ancient passes, stone arch bridges, the Horse-Washing Pool and other relics are scattered in an irregular pattern.
Liao Yiwen, deputy curator of the Longnan City Museum, introduced: "During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Longnan and Heping were situated on the Jiangxi-Guangdong border, where the mountains were high and the roads perilous, and transportation was blocked. To break through the geographical barrier, officials and civilians joined forces to open up this key thoroughfare running through north and south."
Over the course of several hundred years, the ancient road was once a military march route, a salt transport corridor……Every inch of the stone slabs bears the overlapping footprints of different eras.
During the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty, when Wang Yangming pacified the San Li rebellion, this ancient road was one of the military march routes. According to the "Longnan County Gazetteer", the ancient road was once a major route for the "northward transport of Guangdong salt". Guangdong salt merchants first shipped salt by water to Heping County, then crossed the Jiulian Mountains via the ancient road, and after entering Longnan, distributed it to all parts of southern Jiangxi. At the same time, rice, tea and other products of southern Jiangxi also went south along the ancient road into countless families and households (千家万户, qian jia wan hu -"thousand, family, ten thousand, household") in Guangdong, forming a prosperous scene of "mutual trade between salt and grain".
With the development of modern transportation, the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road gradually faded from people's sight, but its profound historical and cultural value has never been forgotten. In 2025, the restoration project of the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road (Longnan—Heping section) was launched, receiving enthusiastic support from the masses of both regions. People established a civil council for the restoration of the ancient road, and after two months of protective repair, the ancient road's historical appearance was restored.
Dense forests and bamboo seas, century-old maples, strange rocks and flying waterfalls, small bridges and flowing water……Strolling along the ancient road, many young tourists are suddenly struck by something impressive (眼前一亮, yan qian yi liang -"eye, front, one, bright"), exclaiming, "Isn't this exactly the scene from the online game 'Black Myth: Wukong'?" Today, the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road has become a hiking check-in destination on the Jiangxi-Guangdong border. In December 2025, the newly restored ancient road welcomed its first batch of hiking enthusiasts. In February this year, the cross-province large-scale hiking event"Guangdong-Jiangxi United Hearts·Ancient Road Together" was successfully held; in July, a hundred volunteers came to the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road and, by hiking to clean the mountains, brushed away the dust from the ancient road.
Xu Liyun, deputy mayor of Longnan Municipal People's Government, introduced that Longnan will continue to deepen cooperation with neighboring regions such as Heping and Lianping in Guangdong, further improve the supporting facilities of the ancient road, deepen the historical and cultural resources, develop the cultural IP of the Jiangxi-Guangdong Ancient Road, and turn it into a"road to prosperity" that helps rural development, a"new cultural tourism calling card" that showcases regional charm, anda"bridge of hearts" that promotes Guangdong-Jiangxi coordination.
Return to TopBy: 闵天怡 张 彤
In classical Chinese gardens, there is a distinctive architectural form that gathers the charm of heaven, earth, mountains, and waters together with the sentiments of literati poetry and wine upon a small pavilion terrace, by means of a winding stone channel. It is known as the "Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion" (流杯亭).
The Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion originates from the ancient custom of "fu xi" ( (ritual purification by water), flourished during the Wei and Jin dynasties through the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, and was codified in the Song dynasty's Treatise on Architectural Methods (Yingzao Fashi). Over thousands of years, it moved from suburban streams and ravines into gardens, palaces, and imperial parks, and was ultimately distilled into the architectural form of the "Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion," gathering a myriad of scenes within a foot's span.
Tracing the Origins and Evolution
Pouring out Refined Feelings Amidst the Winding Stream and Floating Cups
The historical origins of the winding-stream floating-cup custom can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty's custom of "fu xi" — washing by the water's edge to remove calamity and seek blessings. Since the Han dynasty, the entertainment aspect of feasting by the waterside grew increasingly pronounced. Du Du of the Eastern Han, in his "Rhapsody on Fu Xi," depicted the grand scene of princes and eminent scholars roaming together by the water's edge, conversing on poetry and singing songs. At this time, the winding-stream floating-cup custom still took place amid natural mountains and waters, pursuing the natural appeal of "clear currents and swift rapids, reflecting and adorning everything around."
Around the Wei and Jin dynasties, this activity entered the garden. It is generally believed that the earliest man-made "winding cup channels" appeared in the "Winding-Cup Stone Channel" and "Purification Hall" built in the imperial park of Luoyang during the Cao Wei period. Wang Xizhi, the calligrapher of the Jin dynasty, was a renowned "player" of the winding-stream floating-cup custom. Wang Xizhi met with friends at the Orchid Pavilion in Kuaiji, where they sat in rows along the banks of a winding stream, guiding the water to float cups. The winged wine cups were placed at the upstream end of the winding stream; the cups drifted downstream with the current, and wherever a cup stopped before someone, that person had to take it up, drink, and immediately compose a poem; if one failed to compose a poem, one was fined three goblets of wine. Amidst cup after cup and poem after poem, this gave birth to the "best running-hand calligraphy under heaven," the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection, and further made the "winding-stream floating-cup" custom an important cultural tradition for later generations' elegant garden gatherings.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the winding-stream floating-cup landscape underwent important development, completing the spatial transformation from "roaming amid mountains and waters" to "sitting within a pavilion."
The Western Park of the Sui dynasty featured "winding waters encircling palace halls," introducing water systems into architecture. The name "Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion" first appeared in the Tang dynasty, when Li Shangyin's poem "On the Tenth Day of the Third Month, at the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion" committed it to writing. The Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion built by Li Deyu at his Pingquan Estate already displayed a highly artificialized "winding and meandering in many turns" form, with its scale greatly reduced so that it could be entirely contained within the pavilion. The Northern Song Treatise on Architectural Methods established the standardized pattern for winding cup channels, recording in detail two types of diagrams: the "national-character-shaped winding cup channel" and the "wind-character-shaped winding cup channel." The Song-dynasty winding stone channel discovered at the ruins of Chongfu Palace in Dengfeng, Henan, is precisely a physical remnant of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion: the channel body winds in nine turns, with exquisite stone carvings, bearing witness to the maturity and refinement of Song-dynasty construction techniques.
From this point onward, the winding-stream floating-cup landscape was fixed as a codified architectural symbol. From natural streams and ravines to man-made winding channels, from open-air seating on the ground to pavilions, halls, and palaces, this evolution not only reflects how Chinese garden aesthetics shifted from grandeur toward delicacy, but also embodies the garden-craft wisdom that man-made structures that appear as if naturally formed (虽由人作，宛自天开, sui you ren zuo, wan zi tian kai - "although, by, person, made; as if, from, heaven, open").
Distinctive Charms of North and South
Diverse Forms Revealing Garden Craftsmanship
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion became an important element for displaying refinement and elegance in gardens throughout the land. In the north, they were mostly built within imperial palaces and parks, featuring spacious layouts and ornate decoration, serving additionally the functions of banqueting foreign envoys and sharing joy between ruler and subjects; in the south, they were more commonly found in literati's private gardens, exquisitely small and delicate (小巧玲珑, xiao qiao ling long -"small, exquisite, delicate, exquisite"), with profound artistic conception, placing greater weight on the charm of poetry and painting.
The Beijing region once had numerous Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilions; among those still extant, four sites are the most renowned: the Xi Shang Pavilion in the Qianlong Garden of the Palace Museum's Ningshou Palace, shaped like the character "凸," housing a white marble stone channel 27 meters long, known as "nine bends and eighteen turns," with bamboo patterns decorating both inside and outside the pavilion, symbolizing the "lush forests and tall bamboo groves" (茂林修竹, mao lin xiu zhu -"lush, forest, tall, bamboo") of the Orchid Pavilion. The Liu Shui Yin Pavilion in Zhongnanhai is the oldest surviving Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion in Beijing, first built in the Ming dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing dynasty. The pavilion spans the water, with rockeries and waterfalls at its back; floating cups here combines both the charm of a winding stream and the wonder of natural water sounds. At Tanzhe Temple's Yi Gan Pavilion, a white marble stone trough curves like a coiled dragon, with spring water flowing in through a stone-carved dragon's mouth; viewed from different directions, the trough's shape resembles a dragon's head from the south and a tiger's head from the north. At Prince Gong's Mansion's Qin Qiu Pavilion, the water channel takes the shapes of the characters "water" and "longevity", conveying the auspicious meaning of "water ever flowing, longevity ever present," merging the beauty of calligraphy with the charm of floating cups.
Southern Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilions, by contrast, having a unique and distinct charm (别有一番意趣, bie you yi fan yi qu -"another, possess, one, round, interest, charm"). Although the Orchid Pavilion in Shaoxing is not, strictly speaking, a "pavilion," its "winding-stream floating-cup" site, relying on natural mountains and waters, has become a place longed for by literati of every generation. At the Orchid Pavilion rebuilt during the Ming dynasty, a winding stream was laid out along the brook's bank, with great boulders scattered about and bamboo shadows swaying; visitors can sit upon stone ledges and personally experience the ancient charm of "cup after cup and poem after poem." The Floating-Cup Pool in Yibin, Sichuan, was hewn by the Northern Song calligrapher Huang Tingjian during his exile to Rongzhou. Upon a great boulder in a natural gorge, he cut a nine-bend stone channel, diverting stream water into it; the water wound through nine turns before vanishing into crevices in the stone, with stone benches placed beside the pool where people could sit around it and float cups. Huang Tingjian often invited friends here to compose poetry and sing freely; on the stone cliffs beside the pool, more than a hundred inscriptions by literati of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties remain to this day, earning it the title of an open-air calligraphy museum.
At the winding-stream floating-cup site outside the Yi Zhi Pavilion on Mount Langya in Chuzhou, Anhui, the terrain's elevation differences are skillfully exploited, with a stone channel winding through the courtyard, echoing from afar the Old Tippler's Pavilion, fully displaying the delicacy and agility of southern gardens. In the Ming dynasty's Zuo Yin Garden in Xiuning, Huizhou, there was even an ingenious "tabletop winding-stream floating-cup" — miniaturizing the winding stream upon a desk surface, the ultimate expression of late-Ming literati's artistic approach to life, and also a unique miniature landscape in the history of Chinese gardens. Historically, following in the footsteps of Tang-dynasty envoys dispatched to Japan, this cultural symbol of Chinese civilization also spread to Korea, Japan, and elsewhere, becoming a shared memory of East Asian garden culture.
Heritage and Renewal
Contemporary Expressions of a Classical Image
The cultural connotations and aesthetic value of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion are now radiating new vitality. This traditional symbol has been integrated into modern landscape design, cultural and creative industries, and digital technology, blossoming with vigorous life.
In modern garden design, the image of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion has been widely translated and reinterpreted.
The Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing, designed by I. M. Pei, employs modern materials and abstract techniques to integrate a nine-bend stone channel into a geometrized courtyard space, achieving a harmonious union of classical artistic conception and modern style. The water system design at Zhejiang University's Zijingang Campus takes the winding-stream floating-cup as its conceptual blueprint, and, combining with the existing watery landscape of the region, threads a winding waterway through the modern campus buildings, realizing the effect of "a winding-stream floating-cup made by human hands, yet following nature, it seems heaven-made."
In the field of cultural and creative design, the winding-stream floating-cup image has been implanted into everyday objects such as tea sets, stationery, and silk scarves. On tea tables, water channels are carved; once water is poured, cups can float and circulate, and sipping tea, one feels as if transported back to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering. The public artwork Flowing Water Imprint, designed by Tsinghua University professor Zhu Yufan, employs metallic materials to create a three-dimensional winding-cup channel form; placed upon grassland, it rises and falls with the terrain, disappearing and reappearing, allowing visitors to sit or lie upon it and experience, through interaction, the contemporary expression of traditional culture.
Emerging digital technologies have opened new pathways for the dissemination and experience of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion. The Palace Museum's "Digital Cultural Relics Repository" and"V Palace Museum" projects allow the public to view online the details of the stone channel at the Xi Shang Pavilion; the Orchid Pavilion scenic area in Shaoxing has also experimented with AR (augmented reality) interaction, presenting visitors with historical scenes of the winding-stream floating-cup custom. These digital experiments allow the ancient culture of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion to transcend the boundaries of time and space and enter contemporary life.
From the ancient fu xi purification rites to modern digital art, the winding-stream floating-cup custom has passed through thousands of years without its vitality ceasing. Although the architectural form of the Wine-Cup-Floating Pavilion is small, it condenses the philosophical wisdom of "the philosophical unity of nature and humanity" (天人合一, tian ren he yi -"heaven, man, combine, one"), the garden-craft concept of "following the patterns and principles of nature" (师法自然, shi fa zi ran -"follow, law, self, nature"), and the cultural sentiment of "poetry, wine, and free-spirited elegance." Standing here, one can still imagine the grand gatherings of those bygone days; looking toward the future, this millennia-old refinement will continue to circulate within new carriers, continuously growing and flourishing without end (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi -"birth, birth, not, cease").
(Author's affiliation: Southeast University; compiled and edited from an interview by People's Daily reporter Shi Fang.)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杨文明
Where is the only city in China named with a single character? The answer is Mangshi, capital of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan.
When the first rays of dawn brush the tip of the golden pagoda, many are still asleep, but Mangshi is already awake: breakfast stalls along the streets have long been steaming, the shaved ice in paoluda crackles softly, the sweet aroma of condensed milk clings to the fried flatbread, and the broth of beef rice noodles rolls with the scent of lemongrass and black cardamom. Dai girls in tube skirts glide past on electric bikes at the street corner, while Mandarin, Dai, Jingpo, and even Burmese interweave in the air.
It is not a "popular tourist city" in the conventional sense, yet it never fails to leave visitors constantly remembering it with fondness (念念不忘, nian nian bu wang - "think, think, not, forget"). Some say tourism here is like Xishuangbanna of a decade or more ago—far more of the warmth of everyday life than of commerce, with the added richness of the multi-ethnic cultures of the Jingpo, Achang, Lisu, and De'ang peoples. Historically, the Southern Silk Road passed through here, and Chinese and Burmese cultures have long intermingled. Incidentally, this border town, nestled deep inland, is not far from the sea at all—seafood from the Indian Ocean is likewise an important part of Mangshi's culinary repertoire.
As a late-blooming tourist city, Mangshi's tourism advantage lies in its ecology. To name just a few things: the street trees are not without fruit, and every year the municipal government organizes a centralized harvest and free distribution; nationally protected first-class wild animals such as hornbills and slow lorises occasionally pay visits to the urban area, and at the Dehong Prefecture Wildlife Rescue and Care Center in the city, not only are dozens of species of nationally protected first- and second-class wild animals cared for, but an artificial population of hoolock gibbons has also been established there, making gibbon calls easy to hear; not far outside the city, at the Mangshi Nature Park, one can photograph the largest population of Chinese gray langurs in the country, and during the breeding season one can even see the "little golden monkeys."
Mangshi is unhurried; its charm lies in the warmth of everyday life.
Many first-time visitors to Yunnan like to pack their itineraries to the brim. But Mangshi is not suited to "commando-style tourism." The best way to open it up is to leave blank space. In the morning, slurp a bowl of ersi rice noodles; at noon, sip a cup of coffee; in the afternoon, browse the vegetable market; toward evening, watch the sunset; at night, hit the barbecue stalls. What truly draws people to Mangshi is not any particular scenic spot, but a way of life.
The food especially. For a dozen or so yuan, one can have a breakfast with more than 20 kinds of seasonings and seven or eight free side dishes; if one wants a sense of ritual, one can even scrape shavings from a litsea stick. The night market offers a great many specialty ingredients, and a single stomach is usually not enough.
The one thing not to be missed is "sapie." To arrive in Mangshi and not taste the "bitter sapie" is like arriving in Beijing and not drinking douzhir—there will always be a trace of regret. If one has a psychological block against "bitter sapie," one might as well try the sour-spicy and refreshing "lemon sapie" or guoshou rice noodles; if one loves spicy food, one may also take a small taste of shuanshuanla chili, but for safety's sake, use it only as a dipping sauce and absolutely never put it directly in the mouth—it is the spiciest in China, and that reputation is by no means undeserved.
Pounded chicken feet are also a specialty, available in lemon, tomato, tom yum, and passion fruit flavors. After eating something spicy, one might as well have a cup of paoluda—coconut milk with dried bread cubes, sago pearls, and a bit of fresh fruit; one sip is refreshingly sweet and cuts through the grease.
When night falls, one absolutely must try Mangshi's barbecue. The grilled pork belly here is paired with a secret-recipe pickled vegetable paste, lemon, tree tomato, and other dipping sauces—elsewhere, sourness mostly comes from vinegar, but in Dehong, sourness comes from a rich variety of plants; the wrapped grilled fish is cooked over charcoal in banana leaves, and the aroma bursts forth the moment it is opened. Of course, what absolutely cannot be missed is the seafood from the Indian Ocean—the green crabs are simply sweet.
If the timing is right, one must catch a Water Splashing Festival. Buckets, water guns, and silver bowls line both sides of the streets, and people in festive attire take to the streets, smiling as they splash ladles of clear water at one another to convey blessings. And when the Munao Zongge Festival arrives, Mangshi presents another kind of awe. As the ox-horn trumpet sounds and the drumbeats fall, tens of thousands of people in Jingpo festive dress dance to the same rhythm before the Munao Shidong pillars, letting one feel the primal vitality rushing forth.
In fact, Mangshi is not lacking in scenic spots. For many visitors, the most direct and powerful visual impact of Mangshi comes first from the Menghuan Grand Golden Pagoda. It is covered entirely in gold, and in the late afternoon, when the sunlight spreads evenly over it, the golden light overflows, shining brilliantly in coordination with the sky (交相辉映, jiao xiang hui ying - "inter, inter, reflect, reflect"). A few steps away, the Menghuan Silver Pagoda is pure white throughout, standing in distant contrast to the Golden Pagoda; when the wind passes, the bells ring, and when night falls, the lights come on.
Mengbanaxi Rare Botanical Garden is another calling card Mangshi puts forward. "Mengbanaxi" is a Dai word meaning a land of wonder, beauty, and abundance. Century-old trees take root here, and rare stones and exotic woods are available in abundance everywhere (俯拾即是, fu shi ji shi - "bend, pick up, then, is"); every few steps there is a view, and one cannot help but stop and take another look. If one wants to see natural scenery, one can go to the Peacock Valley Forest Park. Tropical forests, streams and waterfalls, and valley plank roads offer a brief escape from the city. At the entrance to any given village, one may find a century-old tree or even a tree-wrapped pagoda standing guard.
Mangshi can also form a western Yunnan border route together with Ruili and Tengchong. From volcanic hot springs to tropical border towns, from the ginkgo village to Southeast Asian flair, stringing these cities together reveals a western Yunnan completely different from the "traditional impression of Yunnan."
It should be noted that ultraviolet radiation in Mangshi is relatively strong, and sunscreen is a must even in winter. The rainy season is concentrated from June to September, so it is best to carry an umbrella when going out. In addition, one should respect local customs, and for travel during festivals, it is especially advisable to book hotels and guesthouses in advance.
Mangshi is unhurried. When you come, don't rush to leave; when you leave, you will easily find yourself constantly remembering it with fondness.
In Mangshi, take everything slowly.
(Liang Tingyu contributed to the reporting and writing of this article.)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孙海天
At 7 a.m., in Yelin Town, Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Hainan, the sour-noodle shop of Hu Shiguang, inheritor of the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage craft of Lingshui sour noodles, already has its stove fire blazing.
In the large pot, the thick gravy bubbles and rolls, its aroma slipping through the door crack out onto the street. At the other end of the stove top, rice vinegar is blended with ginger juice and minced garlic, spoonful by spoonful adjusting the layers of the sour sauce. The master's hand rises and the ladle falls; slender rice noodles are laid into the bottom of the bowl, beef jerky, fish cakes, sand worms, and crispy peanuts are spread out in turn, the gravy and sour sauce are poured over, a few stirs, and the noodles are coated in the dark brown sauce, the steam carrying up the sour aroma.
"No noodles, no feast" — this is an old saying passed down from generation to generation (世代相传, shi dai xiang chuan - "generation, pass, transmit") among the people of Lingshui.
The wonder of Lingshui sour noodles lies in that single character, "sour."
The sourness comes from rice vinegar, as well as local sour gardenia juice and small green tangerines; several layers of sourness unfold across the tongue, distinct in their gradations. According to tradition, in the late Qing period, villagers of Anma Village in Lingshui soaked and fermented rice, producing rice noodles with a faint natural sour aroma — this is precisely the origin of the name "sour noodles."
Beyond the sour, a sweetness hides within the noodle paste — fermented red bean curd sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and starch are simmered over low heat into a glossy red paste that underpins the flavor of the entire bowl; add a spoonful of Lingshui's specialty yellow lantern chili, and sour, sweet, fragrant, spicy — how could a single word "wonderful" suffice?
The triumph of Lingshui sour noodles lies in that character, "toppings."
To say that Lingshui sour noodles have "more toppings than noodles" is hardly an exaggeration. Lingshui sits by the sea, so naturally the noodles receive the sea's bounty: dried squid, small silverfish, and fish cakes go without saying, but what people miss most are the sand worms from the tidal flats — deep-fried over high heat until golden, chewy, crispy, fresh, and sweet, they are the "signature dish" among the sour noodles.
The flavors of the mountains and fields are not absent either: savory Anma beef jerky, blanched and cut water spinach and chives, stir-fried until fragrant crushed peanuts — delicacies from land and sea (山珍海味, shan zhen hai wei - "mountain, treasure, sea, flavor") all pour into the bowl at once.
The weight of Lingshui sour noodles lies in that character, "inheritance."
For traditional Lingshui sour noodles, merely making the noodles takes a full seven days: rice is repeatedly soaked, fermented, and rubbed into a slurry, the water is squeezed out and the rice is kneaded into a dough ball, boiled in a pot until seventy percent cooked, then pounded into a paste, mixed with cold water into a rice slurry, and finally poured into a specially made noodle tube, pressed into boiling water to take shape. Today, machine-made noodles have become the mainstream, but in the home of Hu Shiguang, who has made sour noodles for five generations, the pounding vessels and funnels left by his grandparents' generation are still kept, carrying on the traditional craft.
For Lingshui people far from home, a bowl of sour noodles is the bearing point of one's hometown.
"Only after eating a bowl of sour noodles can you truly say you've come home." Wan Shuai, a Lingshui native born in the 1970s, during those years striving in Guangdong, often gathered with a few fellow townsmen to make sour noodles themselves — "As soon as someone said there were sour noodles to eat, everyone would come."
This bowl of noodles is being polished with even greater care.
In 2009, the craft of making Lingshui sour noodles was listed in the Hainan provincial intangible cultural heritage representative project catalog. The local government has issued several policies and measures for the development of the sour noodle industry, from supporting pre-packaged products and central kitchen construction to encouraging chain operation, advancing industrial upgrading on all fronts.
At present, across Lingshui County, there are about 500 shops and stalls operating sour noodles, with another 100-plus across the cities and counties of the province.
Dusk falls over the coconut groves, lights in the shops flicker on one by one, and freshly mixed sour noodles are again brought to the tables. The sour aroma arrives first, the flavors of the sea follow, and the spiciness brings up the rear. Take a slurp, and mountain breezes and sea flavors unfold in succession between the teeth and cheeks.
Return to Top"The family is the smallest state; the state is a myriad of families."
Family and state have always been a community that mutually fulfills and accomplishes each other. This edition selects five works under the theme of "family and country," setting out from different coordinates of time and space to listen to stories that closely bind individual destiny with the nation's future, and the lives of the common people with the progress of the era, exploring how this sentiment of family and country takes root, grows, and is passed down through generations of Chinese people.
—Editor
Return to TopBy: 郑哲敏
Exactly 70 years ago, on October 6, 1956, the internationally renowned mechanician, applied mathematician, and aerodynamicist Guo Yonghuai returned with his family to the motherland he had long been away from, to participate in national construction.
During his studies and work in the United States, Guo Yonghuai began research on "transonic flow," and his doctoral dissertation shocked the international mechanics community. He also collaborated with Qian Xuesen to propose the upper critical Mach number, providing a key theoretical foundation for humanity's breakthrough of the"sound barrier." He developed the deformed-coordinate method in singular perturbation theory, which was internationally recognized as the PLK method and was widely applied in aerospace and other fields.
After returning to China, Guo Yonghuai organized and led the resolution of a series of major problems in the development of China's atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, missiles, and man-made satellites, becoming the only scientist among the recipients of the"Two Bombs, One Satellite Merit Medal" who made major contributions in all three fields. In the early morning of December 5, 1968, the airplane Guo Yonghuai was riding crashed upon landing at Beijing Airport; before his death, he and his bodyguard used their bodies to protect important materials; 22 days after his sacrifice, China's first thermonuclear missile test succeeded.
The late academician of both academies and former director of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zheng Zhemin, was once a colleague of Guo Yonghuai; this preface recounts the Guo Yonghuai he knew well, recounting the"spirit of gold" he felt from him.
—Editor
I came to know Mr. Guo Yonghuai and Mr. Li Pei in 1953. At that time, Mr. Guo used his academic leave to come to the California Institute of Technology to conduct collaborative research with Mr. Qian Xuesen. He belonged to the generation of my teachers, and my first impression of him was that of a highly accomplished, refined and elegant in manner (文质彬彬, wen zhi bin bin - "culture, quality, refined, polite") scholar. During this period, my contact with Mr. Guo was very limited. The collaboration between the two gentlemen was evidently very fruitful, because before long Mr. Qian published the famous paper titled after Poincare, Lighthill, and Guo Yonghuai, "The PLK Method."
On January16, 1956, the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established. Mr. Qian eagerly hoped that Mr. Guo would return to work with him, and told us that Mr. Guo would return very soon. In October, Mr. Guo's whole family returned to Beijing from Cornell University in the United States. On the day the train arrived in Beijing, Mr. Qian could not go to the station to welcome him personally because he had matters to attend to, and since I knew Mr. Guo's family, he sent me instead. After picking them up, Mr. and Mrs. Guo and their daughter Guo Qin stayed at the Beijing Hotel.
Mr. Guo Yonghuai's arrival clearly strengthened the leadership of the Institute of Mechanics, shared much of Mr. Qian's workload, and accelerated the construction of the institute. Messrs. Qian and Guo understood each other deeply, shared a profound friendship, and were perfectly attuned in every respect. When they discussed research problems, they often hit it off at once, understanding each other tacitly, and quickly arrived at unified opinions—this was an excellent condition for running the institute well. Facts proved that this was indeed the case.
When he first arrived at the Institute of Mechanics, Mr. Guo nominally served as academic secretary, and before long was changed to deputy director. He quickly helped Mr. Qian straighten out the order of the institute and establish rules and regulations. For example, Mr. Guo took unified charge of the institute's library's monthly subscription of foreign periodicals, changing the previous chaotic practice whereby any senior researcher's approval sufficed to place a subscription, thus avoiding much duplication and waste. Mr. Guo directly oversaw the library's work, and before long the institute's library became one of the best in the whole Academy. As another example, after the 1957 National Academic Report Conference on Mechanics, it was decided to found the Acta Mechanica Sinica, and Mr. Guo took on the heavy responsibility of chief editor, giving the journal a high starting point from its very beginning. He transferred Dong Wumin, a graduate student from the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics of Peking University working at the institute, to serve as managing editor, establishing a complete set of rules for the journal's solicitation of manuscripts, peer review, and finalization of content. Under Mr. Guo's leadership, the Acta Mechanica Sinica improved steadily, becoming one of China's best academic journals and enjoying a very high reputation among readers. Having experienced more than 60 years of the ups and downs of life or experiences (风风雨雨, feng feng yu yu - "wind, wind, rain, rain"), Mr. Guo's influence on the Acta Mechanica Sinica remains to this day.
When abroad, Mr. Guo mainly engaged in theoretical and analytical work, and was very strict with himself; the topics he selected were all international difficult problems. He did not fear difficulty, and insisted on carrying them through to completion with analytical methods, arriving at important conclusions. These works earned him a very high reputation in foreign academic circles, for which people always simply regarded him as a theoretician. What surprised me was that Mr. Guo also placed great importance on new technologies and experimental work, and brought to the newly established institute many cutting-edge technologies and experimental means, including the shock tube technology and plasma dynamics experimental methods that had appeared in the world only shortly before. Later I learned that, before preparing to return to China, Mr. Guo had specifically surveyed the new technologies and new fields needed for China's scientific development at that time.
Strictly speaking, both Mr. Qian and Mr. Guo were theoreticians who used applied mathematics as their main research tool. The "theoretician" referred to here means a person who himself mainly engages in theoretical research work, but at the same time has a deep understanding of the practical background of the theoretical research he conducts, has a clear understanding of the actual and potential applications of theoretical research, and has full knowledge of what experimental research cooperation is still needed for theoretical research. Therefore, both gentlemen possessed exceptional breadth of vision and long-term strategic thinking. Once, Mr. Guo asked me directly whether the person leading a research institute should be one with theoretical insight (outstanding scientists primarily engaged in experiments can equally possess very high theoretical insight)? I answered yes, and he was satisfied. I think this was because, if scientific research lacks theoretical guidance at a higher level, theoretical research or experimental research will lose direction, fall into the position of merely following others, and find it difficult to achieve innovation.
It can be seen that Mr. Guo's choice to return to China was driven by greater ideals and determination; he wanted to devote his entire body and soul to the motherland, and no matter what the matter was, as long as the motherland needed it, he would wholeheartedly and with total devotion (全心全意, quan xin quan yi - "entire, heart, entire, intention") do it well. He regarded himself as a paving stone, taking the cultivation of the next generation as his mission; the future of the country was his own future, and he sought nothing else.
At the Institute of Mechanics, Mr. Guo not only planned and led the overall work of the institute together with Mr. Qian, but also undertook much tedious organizational work, including a series of departments such as scientific research operations, the library, learned societies, and academic journals. Both Mr. Qian and Mr. Guo regularly or irregularly listened to work reports from the heads of research divisions, sometimes even reports from the leaders of research groups, hearing reports on the progress of research work and existing problems, and providing timely guidance. On these occasions, decisions were sometimes made to adjust or even change research directions. Later, Mr. Qian came to the institute less frequently, and the heavy burden of the institute fell entirely on Mr. Guo. He continued to work wholeheartedly and with total devotion, methodical and well-organized, extremely meticulous and conscientious, completely disregarding personal gain or loss. In my view, he did so entirely out of consciousness, out of a sense of responsibility toward the needs of the motherland, fulfilling the mission he had shouldered upon returning to China
Mr. Guo's work was not limited to the Institute of Mechanics. As far as I know, he served as director of the Department of Chemical Physics at the University of Science and Technology of China, undertook research on the resistance of the Three Gorges Dam to nuclear weapon attack, and planned the establishment of a protective engineering research base for the engineering corps, making him the founder of China's protective engineering research. He was also deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, simultaneously participating in the development of nuclear weapons, researching the delivery of nuclear weapons, and responsible for building the institute's structural mechanics laboratory. Mr. Guo also, in response to national needs, from time to time submitted relevant suggestions to the relevant departments. In the early 1960s, the"2040" task undertaken by the Institute of Mechanics was issued by the relevant departments precisely upon Mr. Guo's suggestion.
Despite his heavy workload, whenever he was in Beijing, he would walk every weekend to the Institute of Mechanics to discuss work with graduate students. That scholar—thin and tall, wearing a peaked cap, head bowed in thought, walking briskly back and forth between the institute's main building and Building 13 in Zhongguancun, whether in the height of summer or the depths of winter, whether in wind or rain—people will never forget him.
Mr. Guo worked just like that, silently and efficiently.
Mr. Guo was not good with words, but his loyalty and love toward his work, toward his comrades, and toward his country were felt by everyone. He was extremely strict in his demands on work, yet extremely amiable and approachable (和蔼可亲, he ai ke qin - "mild, kind, can, approach") toward his colleagues. Whether leaders, senior researchers, junior researchers, administrative staff, or workers, he treated them all equally
At the Institute of Mechanics, everyone who had come into contact with Mr. Guo cherished his memory. His deeds are being passed down, his spirit inspires us in all our undertakings, and the legacy he left is abundant
Mr. Guo's beloved partner, Mr. Li Pei, was a beloved, cross-century, legendary elder woman
In 1947, Mr. Li Pei came to Cornell University in the United States and entered the School of Industrial and Labor Relations to study. There she fell in love with Guo Yonghuai, who was engaged in teaching and research at the Graduate School of Aeronautics, and they became lifelong partners. After returning to China, her first job was to serve as deputy director of the Western Suburbs Office of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhongguancun, serving the scientific research personnel of the newly established research institutes during that period, and establishing for the then-wilderness Zhongguancun community grain shops, kindergartens, primary schools, hospitals, restaurants, and small retail stores. In 1958, the University of Science and Technology of China was established, and Mr. Li Pei began undertaking English teaching duties at the university in 1961
After Mr. Guo's sacrifice, Li Pei continued her partner's ideals and mission, and donated all their savings, including the"Two Bombs, One Satellite Merit Medal" posthumously conferred on Mr. Guo, in their entirety to the University of Science and Technology of China and the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences...
People cannot help but ask, what kind of spirit and strength supported her? It was that great human love celebrated in the musical Love in the Sky, created by the teachers and students of the University of Science and Technology of China—that ordinary yet incomparably noble love of selflessly serving the country, society, community, and even individuals. This kind of spirit and love, wherever it may be, will emit the radiance of gold!
I thank the author and editors for their hard work in presenting to the world the striving and colorful lives of Messrs. Guo Yonghuai and Li Pei. I hope this book can bring new inspiration to readers, evoke people's beautiful memories of Mr. Guo and Mr. Li, and allow their golden spirit to be passed down and carried forward!
(This text is the preface to the biography Guo Yonghuai, with deletions and modifications by this edition; the title was added by the editors.)
Return to TopBy: 江 琳
Whenever I leaf through the archival files of Long March cultural relics, a deep stirring always rises in my heart. Page after yellowed, brittle page, line after line of writing, records the twists and hardships, the fighting bloody battles (浴血奋战, yu xue fen zhan - "bathe, blood, struggle, fight") of Red Army soldiers on their trek, and also preserves the past that passed from hand to hand. Whose hands did they come from, how many roads did they accompany their owners across, through how many vicissitudes did they pass, before they could carry the march memories of the Red Army soldiers and present before our eyes the chapters of those years of the Long March?
When many people speak of the Long March, what first comes to mind is a series of bloody battles recorded in history, a distant and weighty journey. But when we look back through piece after piece of mottled cultural relics, we can see many more vivid details. When climbing snow mountains, the soldiers drank chili soup to keep warm and made snow into "ice cream"; when on the march there was no time to light a fire and cook, they chewed parched wheat as they walked, and even described its taste as surpassing chocolate candy; when camping out at night without bedding, they laughed and said, "Crossing the snow mountains, we were being upright and heroic (顶天立地, ding tian li di -"support, heaven, stand, earth"); crossing the grasslands, we were again covering heaven and spreading earth; we are truly the masters of heaven and earth." What a vivid journey this was. On the arduous road, they still preserved a youthful innocence. Hardship could not confine their hearts, and suffering could not extinguish their exuberant vitality.
I often ponder: how should today's adolescents understand the Long March? The battles and march routes in textbooks are the skeleton of history, but they make it hard for young people to truly appreciate the state of mind of those expeditionaries of that era.Children may well wonder: what kind of strength supported them, as they carried simple packs across vast distances and many obstacles (千山万水, qian shan wan shui -"thousand, mountains, ten thousand, waters")? Did they have anything in common with today's adolescents?
The original intention in writing this book was not to produce a historical reader packed with knowledge points, but rather, relying on the cultural relic stories recorded in the archives, to build a bridge across time. The book selects 24 Long March cultural relics, beginning with one old object after another: a sweater given as a parting gift, a page of march records hastily written, a notice printed and distributed along the way. From objects to people, it gently tells the true past hidden behind the cultural relics. Young readers will see that those travelers of that time were once just as ordinary as themselves; it was only because they harbored faith in their hearts that they shouldered the numerous trials of the road ahead.
The 24 stories in the book include both soul-stirring or breathtaking (惊心动魄, jing xin dong po -"startle, heart, move, soul") major battles such as the bloody battle at the Xiang River, the four crossings of the Chishui River, and the flying capture of the Luding Bridge, and also preserve everyday vignettes of comrades cherishing one another and finding pleasure in the midst of hardship (苦中作乐, ku zhong zuo le -"bitter, middle, do, joy"). A wool blanket that Wu Huanxian gave to a soldier wraps the warmth of mutual protection on the march; a copy of the "Notice of the General Political Department of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" records the sense of responsibility for family and country in the hearts of the far-marching soldiers; that storm lantern given to the guide, in the long, long night, once lit the small path ahead. Every cultural relic is not merely an old object on display, but is linked to one person's footsteps, one generation's perseverance, an undying memory.
In the process of writing this book, I tried as much as possible to avoid stiff preaching and did not deliberately exaggerate the tragic and heroic. Instead, I tell a story in a gentle and engaging manner (娓娓道来, wei wei dao lai -"softly, softly, speak, come") in plain language the hunger and cold of the snow mountains and grasslands, the warmth of comrades supporting and lifting one another. The cultural relic stories unfold before the eyes; the reflections and insights are left to the readers.
May this book be able to bring young readers, through piece after piece of cultural relics, closer to that group of young people on the road of the Long March.
(The author is director of the Hall of Heroes and Models at the National Museum of China.)
Return to TopBy: 冯跃华
Since embarking on literary creation in 1998, He Changzai has successively produced more than ten full-length novels. After 2018, his writing began to focus on realistic themes; works such as Hao Dang (The Surging Tide) and San Wan Li He Dong Ru Hai (Thirty Thousand Li of River Flowing East to the Sea) depict stories of entrepreneurship and the course of reform in modern metropolises like Shanghai and Shenzhen. By the time of Xiang Shang (Upward), the entrepreneurial story leaves the modern metropolis and arrives in the three counties of Xiong'an; the novel's protagonist, Xia Xiangshang, a young man of the post-90s generation, and his friends also return to their hometown from all parts and directions (五湖四海, wu hu si hai - "five, lakes, four, seas"). While presenting the epochal transformation of Xiong'an New Area, the work attempts to re-understand today's cities and villages, and to re-understand the people who live in them.
In traditional local-color literature, "leaving one's hometown" is an important opportunity to change one's fate. In Oh, Xiangxue, the longing of the girls of Taiergou for the civilization beyond the mountains, and in The Ordinary World, Sun Shaoping's craving to leave the countryside, both signal the irresistible attraction of the modern city. What distinguishes Xiang Shang is that although Xia Xiangshang, Li Jiye, and others also have the experience of bidding farewell to their native soil, the planning of Xiong'an New Area pulls them back. For these entrepreneurs who were born in the three counties, left the three counties, and then returned to the three counties, the hometown is no longer a heavy burden to be fled, but a stage of life on which to display their talents. This epochal shift from "entering the city" to "returning to the hometown" rewrites the narrative logic of traditional local-color literature.
In its writing of the urban-rural relationship, Xiang Shang deliberately avoids the single path of "the city enlightening the village." From the perspective of narrative space, the three counties of Xiong'an are neither fully formed metropolises nor villages in the traditional sense; the special position where city and countryside intersect naturally dissolves the opposition between the two. What Xia Xiangshang and the others do after returning home is not to assimilate the village with urban experience, but to focus on differentiated development—developing ecological farms, registering a river dredging company, and building an independent clothing brand. They transform the village's own ecological endowments and practical potential into an irreplaceable source of value, enabling the village to gradually acquire its own logic of development. From external "enlightenment" to internal "activation," the village becomes a development subject equal to and complementary with the city.
In Xia Xiangshang and the others, one rarely sees the figure tightly bound by the land that appears in traditional local-color narratives; they have received a complete school education, possess rich life experience and entrepreneurial know-how, and understand how to bring out the village's own advantages. More importantly, the novel also places entrepreneurs of different generations and different experiences together. In contrast, one can see that entrepreneurs of the new era possess not only the resoluteness and courage of their predecessors, but also keen vision, solid learning, an understanding of policy, and attention to the ecological environment. These young people, "emotionally interdependent, and complementing each other and working together (相辅相成, xiang fu xiang cheng - "mutually, assist, mutually, complete") in their careers," inject vitality into the village's sustained development.
In recent years, China's villages have undergone tremendous changes. Against this backdrop, in giving voice to the call and expectations of the times, sketching new images, and telling vivid stories, local-color literature has a bright road ahead.
Return to TopBy: 徐 剑
The Grand Canal is not only a striking geographical coordinate, but also an important marker of civilization. When I first took on the subject of Ballad of the Canal, I was not without trepidation in my heart. I grew up by the Baoxiang River in the upper reaches of Dianchi Lake; when I was young I went swimming in the river and nearly drowned once, and from then on I have had a fear of water. A person who grew up by a small river, whose original home of life is in the southwestern borderlands, facing a man-made waterway, a thousand-year great artery of history, economy, military affairs, and culture—inevitably a word "difficult" arises.
Why is it difficult? As a World Cultural Heritage site, the Grand Canal has received too much attention—Chinese people are writing about it, and foreigners are also writing about it. How can one write it accurately and with originality? I began to read every book about the Grand Canal that I could find. Burying myself in such classics and materials as the Book of Sui, the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, the History of the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties,and the Draft Treatise on the Origins of Sui-Tang Institutions,I gradually established an approach of re-examining Jiangnan China from the perspective of my own borderland plateau,and of examining canal history with the eyes of a writer.
A single boat across a thousand years glides upon clear waves; rain splashes the cold river,and tears of regret are many;do not laugh at the youth who follows the flowing water away—mount a white elephant,and compose verses of mountains and rivers. In Ballad of the Canal,I wrote three rivers:one is the physical canal of Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty,one is the spiritual canal of Wen Tianxiang,and one is the canal of all living beings of the present day. These three rivers converge on the calm and unruffled (波澜不惊, bo lan bu jing - "wave, not, calm") surface of the Grand Canal,continuing the stories of yesterday,today,and tomorrow.
Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty built the Grand Canal with considerations of economy,military affairs,and national security. The agriculture of the north could no longer support the economic and military defense of an empire;it was necessary to transfer large quantities of grain from the south. Grain transport via canals,thus,became extremely important. I will walk into the historical scene of the excavation of the Grand Canal,and recount its tortuous course.
In walking and reading,I also discovered Wen Tianxiang. While being escorted under guard,he traveled upstream along the canal,from Jiangnan toward the north,and left immortal poems along the path of his imprisonment. In the south,he wrote Passing Lingdingyang,turning the letter urging his surrender into a poem declaring his resolve,with awe-inspiring righteousness. In the north,after two years of imprisonment in Dadu,he wrote Song of the Righteous Spirit in an earthen cell,singing for the vast and upright spirit between heaven and earth. I want to write such a river—a spiritual river,a river of moral integrity,a river of cultural lineage—that flows in our hearts.
The most vivid and colorful (浓墨重彩, nong mo zhong cai - "thick, ink, heavy, color") is the canal of all living beings. The neighbors of Gongchen Bridge,the boatmen of Yongji Bridge,the opera troupes of Changhong Bridge,the embroiderers of Baodai Bridge,the collections of Huju Bridge,the Liangshan Harbor of Nanmen Bridge,the capital region of Tongyun Bridge…For more than 1,000 years,the Grand Canal has seen too many ordinary people living and multiplying here. Although it is no longer the key route for grain transport of those years,nor does it any longer bear the lifeline of the economy,nevertheless,the living beings on both banks of the river still live by the river,and survive by the river,and the transport boats passing back and forth still make contributions to the economy and livelihood of north and south. This is therefore also a canal of mortal life, filled with kindness,diligence,and wisdom.
A single river of water bears the grandeur of mountains and rivers,the moral integrity of a nation,and the households of the marketplace. The history of the Grand Canal is speaking:from the devastation of war to peaceful and prosperous times (岁月静好, sui yue jing hao - "years, time, quiet, good"),it has witnessed the ups and downs of fortune and disgrace (兴衰荣辱, xing shuai rong ru - "rise, fall, glory, shame"),the myriad vicissitudes of life. Only when the nation is stable can society be stable;only when society is stable can individual households enjoy good days. The great river is vast and mighty—how can one speak of anything but bringing order to the family, state, and the world (齐家治国平天下, qi jia zhi guo ping tian xia - "regulate, family, govern, state, pacify, world")?
(The author is President of the Chinese Society of Reportage Literature.)
Return to TopBy: 谢文龙
General Secretary Xi Jinping once said: "Though a community is small, it connects every household (千家万户, qian jia wan hu - "thousand, families, ten thousand, households"), and doing community work well is extremely important." This is an earnest encouragement to community workers. Looking back on my own experience in community work, it was both trivial and arduous, yet it also brought a sense of fulfillment and achievement. The reason lies in the fact that it connects every household and serves every household.
In August 2013, through open recommendation and direct election, I came to a community under the jurisdiction of Mufu Mountain Subdistrict in Nanjing to serve as secretary of the Party General Branch. Only after stepping into the post did I discover that the grassroots level was not what I had imagined. Busy was one thing, but some matters were also thorny, some problems were quite prominent, and some contradictions were very sharp.
How was I to open up the situation in community work? I started with learning — first understanding the advanced practices of other communities, learning from their good experience, and gradually grasping the patterns of community work. I started with solving practical problems — listening face-to-face, mediating repeatedly, resolving every contradiction at the doorstep, making neighborly relations more harmonious and making the community more civilized. We proactively recruited volunteers, expanded the community service team, and provided residents with all kinds of assistance and services more broadly and more effectively. We ran a popular science university, a senior citizens' university, and knowledge lectures, and the community's activities became rich and varied (丰富多彩, feng fu duo cai - "abundant, many, diverse, colors"), with people coming every day and things to do, so residents could stay and remain. We also founded a community newspaper, encouraging residents to be attentive observers and recorders of community life, and actively submitting articles to local media — this not only let the outside world understand the community, but also made residents feel honored and proud...
Over three years, the community built a stable service team of three to four hundred people, held more than 30 square events every year, ran hundreds of sessions of various schools, the community gained popularity and vitality, received many honors, and residents' sense of belonging was notably strengthened.
In this process, I often pondered: what exactly is the positioning of a community? Communities are changing — how should community governance adapt to these changes? What further roles can a community Party organization secretary play? Thus came about the book My Time as Community Secretary.
The book recounts the people I met in the community, the matters I handled, the bonds I formed, and more importantly, my experiences and reflections on family building, community building, and grassroots governance. After the book was published, I received feedback from fellow workers, who were very glad that their value could be "seen" by society, and believed this helps society better understand the grassroots level, understand communities, and understand community work.
As of the end of 2025, the country had more than 600,000 grassroots self-governing mass organizations, including more than 480,000 villagers' committees and more than 120,000 residents' committees. It is precisely these grassroots organizations that have enabled the Party's line, principles, and policies to be effectively implemented and carried out.
Though a community is small, it connects the family and the nation; ordinary perseverance is also a form of responsibility. On the occasion of National Day, let us pay tribute to every grassroots worker who silently guards the lamps of ten thousand households!
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