Summary: President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) on October 14. He noted that over its 70-year history, the Canton Fair has played an important role in promoting trade between China and foreign countries and has become an effective platform for China to expand high-level opening up and promote the building of an open world economy. Under the new circumstances, China is willing to join hands with countries around the world in working together in unity to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, expand the space for mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation, advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity. The fair opened the same day in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Government of Guangdong Province.
Summary: At the National Conference on Health and Wellness, General Secretary Xi Jinping outlined the goal of building a healthy China that is balanced, inclusive, high-quality, and efficient, emphasizing the need to follow a path of health development with Chinese characteristics. He summarized six capacities a healthy China should possess, including health management and pharmaceutical innovation, and stressed the importance of a goal-oriented and problem-oriented approach. The article highlights progress in chronic disease management, citing examples from Luxian County, Sichuan, and Yangpu, Shanghai, and notes that health literacy among residents has risen by 2 percentage points annually during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. It also reports that China approved 38 innovative drugs in the first half of this year, with out-licensing exceeding 120 billion US dollars, attributing this to institutional reform and the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources. The piece concludes by calling for firm implementation of the health-priority development strategy to consolidate the health foundation of Chinese modernization.
Summary: The National Conference on Health and Wellness was held in Beijing from October 12 to 13, where General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech emphasizing the need to ensure decisive progress in building a Healthy China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Health officials and experts quoted in the article expressed unanimous support for Xi's guidance on following the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics and implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development. Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that Xi's speech elevates the Party's understanding of health development laws, while various provincial and institutional leaders outlined plans for grassroots services, disease prevention, traditional Chinese medicine, and medical reform. The article also highlights commitments to deepen the coordinated development and governance of medical treatment, medical insurance, and medicine, as well as to accelerate digital and intelligent health construction. The report was written by People's Daily reporters Bai Jianfeng, Sun Xiuyan, Zhong Ziwei, Gong Xiangjuan, and Li Junqiang.
Summary: President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), stating that China is willing to join hands with countries around the world to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity. The article highlights the Canton Fair's 70-year history, its growth from a small exhibition to the world-renowned "China's No. 1 Exhibition," and its role in promoting China's high-standard opening up and integration into economic globalization. It emphasizes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening up, including institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards, as well as initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative. The piece also notes that China's opening up shares opportunities with the world, with foreign-invested enterprises in China generally showing increased willingness to expand presence, and it references the release of the Global AI Governance Action Plan.
Summary: Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the 140th Canton Fair in Guangzhou and delivered a keynote speech, noting that President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter affirming the Fair's achievements and China's resolve to expand high-level opening up. Li stated that market connectivity creates increments, international trade enhances well-being, and mutual benefit and win-win results are not one-way compromise but mutual empowerment. He emphasized China will share more market opportunities, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and firmly uphold the international economic and trade order, including supporting WTO reform. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a video address, praising China's development and urging all parties to build an open, rules-based global trading system. Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the activities, and over 30,000 enterprises exhibited with approximately 340,000 overseas buyers attending.
Summary: Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, met in Beijing with representatives attending the 2026 International Parliamentarians' Friendship Exchange Forum. He stated that President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the four major global initiatives, and that China's NPC is willing to work with parliaments of various countries to implement these initiatives and practice true multilateralism. Zhao also briefed participants on China's 15th Five-Year Plan outline, saying China will continue to expand high-level opening up and share opportunities with various countries. The representatives said legislative bodies should strengthen dialogue and cooperation to contribute to sustainable development and world peace, stability, and prosperity.
Summary: The article commemorates the fifth anniversary of the first Central Conference on Work Related to People's Congresses, highlighting General Secretary Xi Jinping's elaboration on whole-process people's democracy and his emphasis on upholding the people's congress system as an institutional vehicle for it. It details how the Party's leadership, the people being masters of the country, and law-based governance are unified through the system, citing amendments to laws such as the Local Organic Law and the Ecological Environment Code that enshrine whole-process people's democracy. The piece describes ongoing elections for county and township people's congress deputies, involving over 1 billion voters, and showcases grassroots practices like deputy liaison stations and legislative liaison points that gather public opinion. It reports on mechanisms for deputies' suggestions and legislative consultation, noting that the NPC Standing Committee has solicited over 102,000 opinions from grassroots liaison points. The article concludes that under Xi Jinping's guidance, the system will provide solid institutional guarantees for Chinese modernization.
Summary: The 140th Canton Fair opened on October 14, serving as a platform for China to expand high-standard opening up and promote an open world economy. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter, stating that China is willing to uphold the multilateral trading system and advance inclusive and beneficial economic globalization. The fair attracted over 30,000 exhibitors and approximately 340,000 overseas buyers, with foreign enterprises voting with their feet for Chinese manufacturing and market competitiveness. China's actions, including zero tariffs on all African countries with diplomatic relations, provide stability to the global economy. By seeking cooperation through openness and promoting win-win results through cooperation, China and the world will both fare better.
Summary: The article, the ninth edition of a theoretical series, argues for restructuring the international communication landscape to enhance the dissemination power and influence of Chinese civilization. It emphasizes the need to build a more effective international communication system to tell China's story well and present a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive image of the country. The piece calls for innovation in communication methods and the use of new technologies to improve the reach and impact of Chinese narratives globally. It also stresses the importance of participating in global discourse to shape international perceptions and counter Western-dominated narratives. The goal is to strengthen cultural confidence and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to global governance.
Summary: Premier Li Qiang attended the "Canton Fair Connecting the World for 70 Years" symposium in Guangzhou, where he highlighted the fair's role as a calling card of China's opening up and a window for the world to observe China. He outlined three trends for enterprises upgrading from trading partners to innovation, investment, and production and supply chain partners, pledging continued support for foreign investment and intellectual property protection. Li called for building a "Smart Canton Fair," "Green Canton Fair," and "Cultural Canton Fair" to enhance the fair's digital, green, and cultural dimensions. About 70 business figures from nearly 30 countries and regions attended, with representatives expressing confidence in China's development and willingness to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the activities.
Summary: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 140th session of the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) in Guangzhou, marking the event's 70th anniversary. He highlighted President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter affirming China's resolve to expand high-level opening up, and detailed the Fair's growth in scale and buyers. Li outlined three observations: market connectivity should not be a tool for game-playing, international trade is not merely about bookkeeping figures, and mutually beneficial win-win cooperation is not one-way compromise. He emphasized China's role as both a "super seller" and "super buyer," and its commitment to sharing market opportunities, expanding cooperation, and upholding the international economic and trade order. The speech also underscored China's support for developing countries and its confidence in achieving this year's economic and social development goals.
Summary: In the first three quarters, China's total goods trade in imports and exports reached 39.94 trillion yuan, up 18.8 percent year on year, with exports up 16.4 percent and imports up 22.3 percent, according to Wang Jun, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs, at a State Council Information Office press conference on October 14. Wang summarized the foreign trade characteristics as "fast, new, superior, and good," noting the growth rate was the fastest for the same period in nearly five years, with quarterly and monthly rates showing an accelerating trend. Imports of products like industrial robots and electronic components totaled over 10 trillion yuan, up 58.9 percent, while exports of independent brands grew 26.7 percent, and trade with Belt and Road countries reached 20.37 trillion yuan, up 17.1 percent. Import growth exceeded 20 percent for seven consecutive months since March, driven by stable economic operation and demand for intermediate goods, consumer "good products," and upstream raw materials. Exports in the third quarter exceeded 8 trillion yuan for the first time, supported by China's complete industrial chain, with ship exports up 24.6 percent and integrated circuit exports up 99.1 percent amid the artificial intelligence investment boom.
Summary: The article highlights three "family heirlooms" along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which has achieved continuous water flow for five consecutive years since 2022. It features Hu Fuqing, an 80-year-old civilian river chief in Hangzhou, who has kept a river-patrol diary for over a decade, documenting the Xinkai River's transformation from polluted to clear under Zhejiang's river chief system. Wang Shaohua, a former photojournalist, has used more than ten thousand photographs to record nearly half a century of change in the Cangzhou section, including ecological restoration and tourism revival. Zhao Yiqiang, a fourth-generation inheritor of Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants, has revived the tradition through performances and recordings, spreading it across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The piece underscores General Secretary Xi Jinping's call to protect, inherit, and utilize the Grand Canal as a flowing cultural legacy.
Summary: Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the 140th Canton Fair in Guangzhou and delivered a keynote speech, noting that President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter affirming the Fair's achievements and China's resolve to expand high-level opening up. Li stated that market connectivity creates increments, international trade enhances well-being, and mutual benefit and win-win results are not one-way compromise but mutual empowerment. He emphasized China will share more market opportunities, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and firmly uphold the international economic and trade order, including supporting WTO reform. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a video address, praising China's development and urging all parties to build an open, rules-based global trading system. Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the activities, and over 30,000 enterprises exhibited with approximately 340,000 overseas buyers attending.
Summary: Three foreign media reporters shared their observations of China's rural revitalization, highlighting distinctive industries, cultural-tourism integration, and improved living environments. John Bailey of South Africa's *Sunday World* praised China's systematic poverty reduction efforts, noting sustained investment and people-centered development. Yasir Habib Khan of Pakistan emphasized that rural life is comfortable and hopeful, with tourism and distinctive industries raising incomes. Olivares of Mexico's *La Jornada* focused on the "Village Super League" in Guizhou, seeing it as a window into rural revitalization that blends sports, culture, and technology. All three reporters concluded that China's rural development offers lessons for other countries, with modernization advancing alongside cultural heritage.
Summary: On October 13, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Duma Boko of Botswana and met with Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, in Beijing, elevating China-Botswana relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and China-Togo relations to a China-Togo community with a shared future in the new era. Xi reviewed historical friendships, noting Botswana's early support for China's UN seat and the deep-rooted China-Togo ties, and proposed cooperation in digital economy, agriculture, new energy, and digital intelligence, including a zero-tariff measure for African products. Xi put forward four propositions on China-Africa mining cooperation and four principles for resolving African hotspot issues, emphasizing African leadership and fairness. President Boko praised Xi's global initiatives as demonstrating major-country responsibility, while President Faure endorsed Xi's principles and expressed willingness to strengthen multilateral cooperation. The article frames these events as demonstrating China's responsibility in deepening China-Africa cooperation and jointly marching toward modernization.
Summary: The 2026 International Forum on Friendly Exchanges Among Legislators was held in Tianjin on October 13, 2026, attended by 66 legislators and former legislators from 52 countries, regions, and international organizations, along with 27 Chinese NPC and local people's congress deputies. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, met with the attending representatives collectively in Beijing, while Peng Qinghua, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended and delivered a keynote speech. The forum's Tianjin Declaration positively assessed China's Belt and Road Initiative and four major global initiatives, praised the strategic foresight of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, and supported China's continued high-level opening up. It upheld the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, affirming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The declaration also affirmed Tianjin's development achievements and welcomed the forum to continue being held in China in 2027.
Summary: In an interview, Ahmed Kandil, deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, praised President Xi Jinping's state visit to Egypt, saying it elevated bilateral ties and that enhanced coordination in economic development and regional security will inject positive momentum into Middle East peace and stability. Kandil noted that conflicts in the region prove military means alone cannot achieve lasting peace, and he highlighted Xi's four-point initiative on promoting common security in the Middle East, which links security with development. He said the initiative's focus on addressing poverty, unemployment, and governance capacity provides an important starting point for exploring new paths for security governance, and that Egypt and China can play an important role in translating it into action. Kandil stressed that Egypt-China cooperation has broad prospects, urging deeper collaboration in industrial localization, technology transfer, and personnel training. He concluded that the Egypt-China relationship has become a model for Global South countries, offering a useful reference for mutually beneficial cooperation and shared prosperity.
Summary: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Baku with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Aliyev asked Wang Yi to convey his cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping, thanked him for dispatching a special representative to the CICA summit, and stated that the Azerbaijan-China comprehensive strategic partnership is developing vigorously. Aliyev expressed Azerbaijan's firm adherence to the one-China principle, support for President Xi Jinping's global initiatives, and willingness to strengthen strategic alignment and expand cooperation in energy and connectivity. Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings, stated that bilateral relations maintain a strong momentum of development, and expressed China's willingness to strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijan on the Middle Corridor and support its role in multilateral platforms such as CICA. Wang Yi also held talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during the visit.
Summary: He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, met with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French President, at the Great Hall of the People on October 13 to exchange views on China-France practical economic and trade cooperation and China-EU economic and trade relations. He Lifeng stated that China-France economic and trade cooperation has broad room for improvement, and China is willing to work with France to implement the consensus of the two heads of state and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. He also said China and the EU are important economic and trade partners, and China is willing to continue dialogue with the EU to inject stability and positive energy into their economic and trade relations. Bonne stated that France attaches great importance to economic cooperation with China and is willing to promote positive results in EU-China trade and investment consultations.
Summary: Tie Ning, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee, met in Beijing on the 14th with a delegation of Peruvian multi-party parliamentarians led by First Vice President of Congress Digna Calle and Second Vice President of Congress Alejandro Muñante. The two sides exchanged views on deepening bilateral relations and inter-party exchanges, strengthening exchanges between legislative bodies, and promoting cooperation in various fields.
Summary: Zhejiang Guangsha Construction Vocational and Technical University in Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, is advancing joint training of wood carving talent between China and Africa, drawing on the national intangible cultural heritage of Dongyang wood carving. The photo, taken on October 13, shows African international students learning wood carving techniques in the university's training room under the guidance of professional teachers. The image was captured by Bao Kangxuan of Image China.
Summary: Batel, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, led a delegation to visit Guyana from October 13 to 14, meeting with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Speaker Nadir, and Vice President Jagdeo. Batel stated that China-Guyana relations, built on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, have weathered unpredictable changes in the international situation and developed in a healthy and stable manner. China is willing to work with Guyana, guided by the important consensus of the two heads of state, to maintain close high-level exchanges, expand economic and trade cooperation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen multilateral coordination, and push bilateral relations to new heights. The Guyanese side stated that the two countries share similar development philosophies and broad common interests, cherishing traditional friendship and regarding China as a trustworthy good partner. Guyana looks forward to strengthening exchanges on governance, deepening practical cooperation, and warmly welcoming more Chinese investment.
Summary: Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with Duma Boko, President of the Botswana Democratic Change Umbrella and President of Botswana, who was visiting China. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening inter-party exchanges and cooperation and promoting the development of China-Botswana and China-Africa relations.
Summary: The article reports on Wuhan's urban renewal efforts, highlighting the renovation of old factory buildings, residential communities, and historical "Lilou" structures. It cites General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis at the July 2025 Central Urban Work Conference on advancing urban renewal as a key lever for optimizing urban structure and transforming growth drivers. Wuhan plans to complete urban renewal in 182 districts from 2025 to 2027, with over 90 percent already commenced, and is promoting models like "resident-led, government-supported, enterprise-implemented" renovation. The piece details specific projects, including the Hanjiang Bay Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park and the revitalization of the Hankou Historical and Cultural Area, with officials such as Cao Shan and Xia Liang providing commentary. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article recounts the story of Huang Wanxian, a Red Army soldier from Fujian, who on his deathbed entrusted his son Huang Guanyong with 150 yuan to send to the families of Zhang Zhixian and Yuan Cheng'an, the villagers who saved his life during the Battle of Qinggangpo in the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. Zhang Zhixian and his father Zhang Xian'an hid Huang Wanxian in an empty grave and treated his wounds, with Yuan Cheng'an providing medical care, until he recovered and returned home in 1936. Huang Wanxian's belated letters of gratitude, written from 1965 onward, were preserved by Zhang Degao, Zhang Zhixian's son, who donated the ten letters to the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River in 2019. The story was highlighted during the third "Retracing the Long March" activity for young people of the new era in Zunyi, Guizhou, where visitors like Guo Qirong expressed deep emotion over the letters. The memorial hall continues to spread this story through activities in schools, communities, enterprises, and military units.
Summary: The article reflects on ten letters exchanged over twenty-four years, emphasizing their enduring lesson about the people's choice and the bond between the people and the Red Army. It argues that the fundamental question of "for whom, relying on whom" remains unchanged, citing Huang Wanxian's gratitude to the common people and the people of Tucheng's sacrifice for the Red Army. The author concludes that the answer for the new era's Long March still lies with the people, urging that they be placed highest in hearts and that officials always stand, think, and work with them. The piece is written by an associate research librarian at the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River and compiled by People's Daily reporter Su Bin.
Summary: World Food Day is approaching, and on October 14, the Xiaoranju Branch of the Shuanggang Kindergarten Education Group in Hefei City, Anhui Province, carried out a themed activity to help children intuitively understand that food is not easy to obtain and to cultivate in them from an early age the good habit of cherishing food and saving grain. The photo shows children taking part in a fun grain-carrying race. Photo by Zhao Ming (China Image).
Summary: The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, together with other bodies, produced the television documentary *The Great Expedition*, which will air on CCTV's Comprehensive Channel starting October 15. The 7-episode series, each about 50 minutes long, centers on "carrying forward the great spirit of the Long March and treading well the Long March of the new era." It reviews the Communist Party of China leading the Red Army in the great Long March and displays the people's army's loyalty and heroic spirit. Released on the 90th anniversary of the Long March's victory, it aims to guide the Party, military, and people to unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. The documentary also calls for striving to achieve the goals set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army and building a world-class military.
Summary: Li Dongwei, captain of the wildlife protection patrol team of the Forestry Bureau of Hunchun City, Jilin Province, led four teammates into Daqinggou for patrol work in the core area of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, noting that wild Amur tigers and leopards are now monitored more frequently and encounters with animals like sika deer are increasingly common. The patrol team has grown from 6 to 42 people over a decade, with Li attributing their dedication to a sense of fulfillment from seeing the forests become more beautiful and villagers' mindsets shift toward supporting conservation. Duan Zhaogang, director of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration, emphasized that whole-people protection concerns both the future of tiger and leopard populations and the lives of every person on the land. The park has implemented an "one post per household" ecological management and protection officer system, employing over 8,000 local people annually with an average income increase of 10,000 yuan per household, while also engaging youth through science museums and outdoor research activities. Wang Yaqiong, deputy director of the Hunchun Management and Protection Center, highlighted that in-school and out-of-school education has sown ecological protection seeds into young people's hearts, strengthening their awareness of respecting nature and protecting the ecology.
Summary: The National Conference on Health and Wellness was held in Beijing from October 12 to 13, where General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech emphasizing the need to ensure decisive progress in building a Healthy China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Health officials and experts quoted in the article expressed unanimous support for Xi's guidance on following the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics and implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development. Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that Xi's speech elevates the Party's understanding of health development laws, while various provincial and institutional leaders outlined plans for grassroots services, disease prevention, traditional Chinese medicine, and medical reform. The article also highlights commitments to deepen the coordinated development and governance of medical treatment, medical insurance, and medicine, as well as to accelerate digital and intelligent health construction. The report was written by People's Daily reporters Bai Jianfeng, Sun Xiuyan, Zhong Ziwei, Gong Xiangjuan, and Li Junqiang.
Summary: The article is a commentary series introduction on Xi Jinping's thought on culture, using Beijing and Xi'an cultural tourism examples to illustrate the creative transformation of traditional Chinese culture. It emphasizes that the cultural root and soul are forged through upholding Party leadership, citing Xi Jinping's statement that mastering ideological leadership is the foundation for mastering all leadership. The piece highlights historic cultural achievements since the new era, including World Heritage inscriptions, the Pinglu Canal, and the rise of grassroots creators and new cultural exports. It attributes these accomplishments to the Two Establishments and consistent Party leadership, concluding that Chinese concepts and wisdom are injecting stability into the world under Communist Party leadership.
Summary: The article discusses the "anti-involution" approach in China's centralized procurement of drugs and medical consumables, where extremely low prices no longer guarantee procurement volume. It explains that rules now require enterprises quoting extremely low prices to provide a "statement of reasonableness of the quotation," while not allocating volume or quota slots to them. The piece argues this shift moves procurement from "price-dominated" competition toward "competing on quality, competing on efficiency, and competing on supply security," and introduces mechanisms like "revival without volume" to preserve clinical choice and reasonable profit margins. It frames centralized procurement as embedded in the "three-medicine" coordination governance framework, linking payment, procurement, and medical sides to ensure health-centered implementation. The article concludes that this transformation supports the win-win outcome of "patients gaining benefits, medical insurance improving efficiency, and enterprises promoting transformation" in building a Healthy China.
Summary: The article highlights the global popularity of Chinese online literature, citing the British Library's acquisition of works like *Soul Land* and *Joy of Life* in 2024, and a long queue for a *Taoist Immortal* themed haunted house in Singapore in 2025. As of the end of 2025, over 130,000 works had been released overseas with roughly 250 million registered users across more than 200 countries. The author, the Chief Executive Officer and President of China Literature Limited, credits the resonance of shared emotions and the spirit of struggle, alongside efforts like AI translation and an overseas author ecosystem of over 530,000 writers. He argues that Chinese online literature has become a global creative language and a cultural "new three items," building a bridge between China and the world through mutual learning and shared beauty. Moving forward, he stresses the need to combine cultural power, storytelling power, and communication power to ensure stories spread widely and integrate rather than conquer.
Summary: The National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for the Expansion and Upgrading Project of Medical Rehabilitation and Nursing Care," approved by the State Council. The plan proposes 13 tasks and measures focused on expanding capacity, improving quality, balancing distribution, and ensuring continuity, with an emphasis on grassroots-level supply of rehabilitation and nursing care resources. The goal is to enhance service capacity and standards, improving accessibility for urban and rural residents. The article concludes with a poem by Shen Qiuwen highlighting the importance of persistent recuperation and doorstep service delivery.
Summary: The article discusses the recent stripping of "grand master" titles by industry associations, including the China Cuisine Association, to shift focus from titles to quality. It argues that false titles have led to profit-driven evaluations, unfair competition, and the erosion of craftsmanship, necessitating standardized industry norms. The rectification is framed as part of broader anti-corruption efforts, including the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection targeting learned societies and associations. The piece concludes that eliminating false reputations supports high-quality development by promoting practical work and tangible results.
Summary: The article reflects on Shanghai's old-house renovation, highlighting residents' spontaneous praise for grassroots cadres like Zhang Wei and Zhang Junhao, who went beyond their duties to address families' specific needs. It argues that such "saying a few more things" affirms the latent, behind-the-scenes work essential to winning public trust, citing Xi Jinping's remark that cadre performance is judged by reputation among the people. The piece emphasizes that political achievements must benefit the people and rely on them, rejecting isolated decision-making in favor of asking the people for their needs and plans. It concludes that sustained, attentive effort on small matters will leave lasting achievements in the masses' hearts.
Summary: At a State Council Information Office press conference on October 14, officials introduced preparations for the 33rd World University Games Winter, Changchun 2027, to be held from January 15 to 25, 2027, with over 3,700 registrations from 63 countries and regions. Wang Jiayi, Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Vice Minister of Education, said the Chinese delegation plans to compete in 11 sports with about 240 athletes, and pledged "zero tolerance" anti-doping efforts. Tong Lixin, Vice Chairman and Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport, outlined 15 test drills starting next month and risk reviews for competition organization, extreme weather, and medical response. Sun Jian, Vice Chairman and Vice Governor of Jilin Province, highlighted the "Changchun main competition zone + Jilin sub-competition zone" model, with all 13 venues based on existing facilities and opened to the public after the event. Gu Gang, Vice Chairman and Mayor of Changchun, said 8,100 volunteers were selected from 120,000 registered students, and Wang Ji, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Jilin Municipal Party Committee, noted over 42 million visits to Jilin City last snow season, aiming to promote ice and snow tourism year-round.
Summary: The article profiles Pan Xiaobing, a 54-year-old village doctor in Hukou County, Jiangxi Province, whose three types of "account books" illustrate changes in primary-level healthcare. His medicine account shows unpaid debts from villagers peaked before 2007, then declined after the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and National Basic Public Health Service Project policies were introduced, ceasing entirely by 2012. His health account tracks chronic disease patients like 78-year-old Zhang Daizhen, with quarterly follow-ups and annual physicals, reflecting a shift toward preventive care. His cloud account, enabled by Jiangxi Province's AI-assisted smart medical system launched in January 2024, allows real-time electrocardiogram uploads with reports fed back in as little as 3 minutes. The article highlights how public health services have reduced the share of medical expenses in residents' income while improving village doctors' treatment and income.
Summary: The Central Office for Law-Based Governance has launched a rule-of-law inspection of leading cadres' performance of duties in accordance with the law, forming eight inspection teams to conduct on-site inspections in eight provinces (regions) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for 10 days. The inspection will focus on issues such as law-based decision-making, standardizing law enforcement involving enterprises, and standardizing investment attraction, while continuing to rectify problems like arbitrary charges and illegal cross-regional law enforcement. The teams are led by ministerial-level cadres from relevant Central Committee and state organs, with participation from professional personnel, experts, deputies to people's congresses, and CPPCC members. The inspections will strictly implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation and the Party Central Committee's requirements on reducing burdens at the grassroots level.
Summary: The 7th Overseas Chinese-Language New Media Forum was held in Tianjin on October 14, gathering representatives of overseas Chinese-language new media from five continents to discuss topics including the mission of Chinese-language media, the spirit of qiaopi, enterprises going global, and Tianjin's opening up. At the opening ceremony, People's Daily Online launched the "Luban Classmates' Circle" Facebook overseas account and signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tianjin Haihe Media Center to build a joint practice platform for international communication. Tianjin Haihe Media Center and overseas Chinese-language media representatives launched a resource-sharing initiative to establish normalized communication linkages and promote dialogue among civilizations. The forum was hosted by People's Daily Overseas Edition and organized by People's Daily Online and Tianjin Haihe Media Center. Since its founding in 2015, the forum has served as a platform for worldwide Chinese-language new media to cooperate and develop.
Summary: President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), stating that China is willing to join hands with countries around the world to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity. The article highlights the Canton Fair's 70-year history, its growth from a small exhibition to the world-renowned "China's No. 1 Exhibition," and its role in promoting China's high-standard opening up and integration into economic globalization. It emphasizes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening up, including institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards, as well as initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative. The piece also notes that China's opening up shares opportunities with the world, with foreign-invested enterprises in China generally showing increased willingness to expand presence, and it references the release of the Global AI Governance Action Plan.
Summary: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported that in 2025, the national agricultural reclamation gross output value exceeded 1 trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 1,037.67 billion yuan, with summer grain increasing by 100 million jin over last year and autumn harvest progressing smoothly. At a national agricultural reclamation work conference held in Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province, on October 13, officials noted that reclamation areas have accelerated building modern agricultural large bases, enterprises, and industries, with the comprehensive mechanization rate reaching 93.1 percent and agricultural and sideline food processing output value hitting 317.9 billion yuan. The meeting stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, relevant parties should take modern large-scale agriculture as the main direction, ensure national food security and effective supply of important agricultural products as the core task, and enhance the backbone and leading role of agricultural reclamation in agricultural modernization.
Summary: China's population aged 60 and above reached approximately 323 million by the end of 2025, driving the silver economy to a scale of 9 trillion yuan that is expected to exceed 30 trillion yuan by 2035. The article highlights how the "15th Five-Year Plan" for Expanding Consumption prioritizes elderly-care consumption, with online platforms like Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com improving digital access to services. Artificial intelligence is empowering digital and intelligent upgrades in elderly care, including smart wristbands, companion robots, and personalized recipes in community canteens. High-quality models are being cultivated, as seen in elderly classrooms and tourist trains, reflecting a shift from "providing for the elderly" to "enjoying old age" with self-pleasing consumption. The piece concludes that the silver economy supports consumption growth and industrial upgrading while ensuring elderly people are provided for, find joy, and realize their value.
Summary: The article highlights the growing trend of health-and-wellness travel among China's elderly, exemplified by 66-year-old Xu Wenxue from Changchun, who enjoys senior-friendly tour routes and has noticed more convenient and diverse travel options. Xu praised the "Longjing" folk-custom tourist train for its safety features and cultural introductions, reflecting broader improvements in elderly-care services like the 15-minute service circle. However, he also pointed out lingering challenges, such as digital payment barriers and inadequate rest, dining, and medical facilities at some scenic spots. The piece frames silver-hair consumption as a new driver for expanding domestic demand, with supply adapting from sightseeing to slow, health-oriented sojourns.
Summary: The article highlights how AI companion robots like "Youni" are entering the daily lives of seniors in Shanghai, exemplified by 74-year-old Yin Xiuzhen, who uses the device for reminders, cooking guidance, and conversation. The robot, obtained through a community public-welfare project with rental subsidies reducing costs to as low as 120 yuan for three months, reflects growing consumption of intelligent elderly-care products. Yin notes practical benefits, such as being reminded of simmering soup and following step-by-step air fryer instructions, but also desires improvements in memory and organizing ability for tasks like recording her autobiography. AI emotional companion robots have been included in the 2025 Shanghai Community Rental Service Catalog for Rehabilitation Assistive Devices, moving from novelty to everyday consumption. Seniors prioritize practicality, convenience, and real problem-solving, with Yin hoping future products will better understand their lives.
Summary: The article highlights the growing popularity of age-friendly product experience halls in China, featuring Zhong Guiyuan, a 65-year-old resident of Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, trying an exoskeleton walking-assist device at the Lingguang Silver-Hair Life Hall. The 150-square-meter facility offers over 130 products, including walking aids and smart monitoring devices, alongside leisure and socializing spaces, which Zhong praises for convenience and professional service. Zhong expresses hopes for more product updates and health lectures, a request that has drawn a positive response from Zhanggong District. The district is implementing age-friendly measures, such as electric stair-climbing machines in old residential communities, and exploring a service model guided by government, operated by the market, and empowered by technology.
Summary: A 64-year-old Xinjiang resident, Meng Xianping, uses a smartwatch purchased by his daughter to monitor his blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep after cardiac stent surgery, allowing his children in different cities to remotely track his condition. The watch alerts him to prolonged sitting and exercise targets, and notifies his children of irregular heart rates, giving him a sense of security. A sales guide in Urumqi noted that smartwatches and wristbands are selling well, mostly bought by children for elderly family members due to their convenience and high acceptance. Meng Xianping hopes for larger fonts, louder alerts, simpler operation, and a one-touch emergency call function to better suit elderly users.
Summary: In September, China's CPI rose 0.2 percent month on month and 0.9 percent year on year, with the year-on-year increase expanding by 0.1 percentage points, while core CPI excluding food and energy rose 1.0 percent year on year. The PPI rose 1.2 percent month on month and 5.0 percent year on year, with the year-on-year increase expanding by 1.2 percentage points. On a month-on-month basis, service prices turned to a decline, while industrial consumer goods and food prices rose, with gasoline prices up 16.6 percent year on year driving energy price increases. The PPI's month-on-month rise was driven by higher international crude oil and non-ferrous metal prices, supply-demand changes in energy and raw material industries, and increased demand from artificial intelligence and computing-power coordination fields.
Summary: The People's Bank of China released data showing that in the first three quarters, the cumulative increase in aggregate social financing was 27.46 trillion yuan, with the broad money supply (M2) balance at 359.63 trillion yuan, up 7.2 percent year on year, and outstanding aggregate social financing at 468.17 trillion yuan, up 7.1 percent year on year, matching expected targets for economic growth and price levels. Loan interest rates remained low, with the weighted average interest rate on newly issued corporate loans slightly below 3 percent in September, about 0.2 percentage points lower than the same period last year, and the rate on newly issued personal housing loans at approximately 3.1 percent.
Summary: Yunnan Power Grid Company is proactively serving enterprises amid rapid growth in electricity consumption from green aluminum and new energy battery industries, with measures including 18 special service teams, full-coverage visits to key industrial parks and enterprises, and customized energy-saving plans. Guo Shuangjie, deputy general manager of Mangshi Yonglong Ferroalloy Co., Ltd., reported the enterprise saved nearly 700,000 yuan in green energy costs over a year. The company has completed visits to 12 electrolytic aluminum enterprises, 122 industrial parks, and more than 6,000 industrial enterprises above designated size, collecting over 130 electricity demand items for rectification. It has achieved "one-certificate electricity application," handled over 1,220 industrial expansion applications, and issued energy-saving diagnoses for more than 320 high-energy-consuming enterprises. By 2026, the company plans to invest 27.1 billion yuan to upgrade the 500 kV main grid framework, forming a double-loop grid around load centers like Kunming and Qujing to support green manufacturing.
Summary: The Zhuque-2 improved model Yao-4 carrier rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at 19:40 on October 14, successfully sending 10 satellites into their designated orbits and achieving a complete success in the flight test mission. The photo was taken by Wang Jiangbo of Xinhua News Agency.
Summary: The article reports that China's cultural and tourism market has remained vibrant this year, with integration of culture, tourism, sports, and commerce becoming a key driver of year-round consumption. It highlights how localities are combining cultural and tourism development with urban renewal, and effectively utilizing intangible cultural heritage and folk customs to deepen travel experiences. The piece also notes that the "culture and tourism plus all industries" model is flourishing amid consumption upgrading, attracting overseas tourists to experience China firsthand. The author is People's Daily reporter Wang Donghui.
Summary: The article argues that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has vigorously promoted the restructuring of the international communication landscape, with his important discourses providing fundamental guidance for China's international communication work. It outlines how Xi Jinping has scientifically planned international communication capacity building, elevating it to a new strategic height and expanding its civilizational vision. The piece asserts that under this guidance, China's international communication has achieved historic accomplishments, with enhanced international discourse power, improved communication effectiveness, and rising appeal of Chinese culture. It calls for accelerating the building of a Chinese discourse and narrative system, constructing a more effective international communication system, and promoting the common values of all mankind to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Summary: The article argues that Party members and cadres must use scientific thinking and methods when doing practical things for the people, citing Comrade Xi Jinping's reflections from *Eradicating Poverty* on stressing the scientific nature of such work. It emphasizes the need to keep pace with the times in understanding the evolving, diversified connotation of practical things, avoiding a mismatch between cadre efforts and mass expectations. The piece also advocates using the method of contradiction analysis to identify principal contradictions at the grassroots, combining immediate action on solvable matters with strategic, tailored measures for tougher issues. Furthermore, it calls for a systematic concept in decision-making, warning against single-goal actions that create new problems, such as road construction that blocks farmland access or drainage. Ultimately, the article concludes that replacing empirical thinking with scientific thinking and methods enhances the effectiveness of serving the people.
Summary: The article argues that the platform economy is vital to China's digital economy and must be developed with a people-centered philosophy, as emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping and recent Party meetings. It acknowledges past issues like one-sided pursuit of scale and calls for balanced regulation—not a one-size-fits-all approach—to protect the rights of operators, workers, and consumers. The piece advocates for an orderly, open platform ecosystem where enterprises cooperate, avoid unfair competition, and support small businesses through fair rules and reasonable fees. It also urges a shift from price wars to quality and innovation to boost consumption and upgrade the consumption structure. The author is affiliated with the University of International Business and Economics.
Summary: The article highlights Fujian line noodles (mianxian) as a cultural staple, with tourists like Ms. Zhang from Shanghai praising their texture and flavor. It details the traditional craftsmanship of artisans such as Lin Wenbao in Tinggang Village and Chen Ping in Fuzhou, alongside modern standardized production at the Minshifu cooperative, which in 2025 exceeded 5 million kilograms and 100 million yuan in output value. Officials like Zheng Chenglin and Lin Bingxian emphasize innovation and rural revitalization, including new products, unified trademarks, and a planned training base. Fuzhou is leveraging the noodles' "fortune and longevity" symbolism to develop a "culture + tourism + industry" path, integrating intangible cultural heritage exhibitions and study tours. The noodles remain a symbol of homesickness and a growing draw for tourists, with new offerings like seafood and abalone line noodles.
Summary: The article highlights the rise of new county-level specialty products in China, such as cranberries in Fuyuan, Heilongjiang, which were introduced from North America over a decade ago and now thrive as a border-region industry. E-commerce data shows 186 new agricultural production areas across 26 provinces, including examples like king crab in landlocked Gaobeidian and rice in desert Alaer, Xinjiang. These products emerge from localities actively leveraging diversified advantages like location, climate, and e-commerce, moving beyond traditional resource reliance. Success also depends on long-term investment, as seen in Fuyuan's cranberry industry, which persisted through early losses and now uses space-bred seedlings. The article concludes that comprehensive industrial capacity—standardized processing, modern supply chains, and brand operations—aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan's county economy goals, will help these products gain market competitiveness.
Summary: The article criticizes food companies for obscuring production dates on packaging while prominently displaying marketing claims like "zero sugar" and "high calcium," noting a survey found nearly 80 percent of respondents struggle to locate or read these dates. It attributes this to deliberate packaging design that prioritizes sales-driving information over consumer needs. The State Administration for Market Regulation's "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling," effective March 16 next year, will require a dedicated area on the main display panel for production and expiration dates. The piece argues that while institutional rules help, companies must voluntarily place key information in fixed, clear locations. It concludes that packaging design should not turn finding a date into a game of hide-and-seek, as consumers are buying food, not playing a visual puzzle.
Summary: Beijing has completed construction of over 1,540 community elderly care service stations and 33,000 home-based elderly care beds, alongside 13 district-level guidance centers and 155 subdistrict regional centers. Liaoning Province has formally established the Liaoning Small Theater Alliance, a non-profit industry collaboration to address scattered resources and weak brand influence. Chongqing has trained over 1,500 rural livestream hosts and incubated over 1,500 local e-commerce accounts under its "Thousand Villages, Ten Thousand Accounts" alliance. Wuxi, Jiangsu has issued a plan to train no fewer than 400,000 industrial workers annually through 2026–2030. Shanxi held the closing ceremony for its Fifth Arts Festival and 19th "Apricot Blossom Award," awarding 6 new play awards, 4 new program awards, and 28 individual awards, while Shanghai Science and Technology Museum released a science education resource map covering over 200 resources for learners aged 3 to 18.
Summary: The article describes the autumn salt-harvesting season at the millennium-old Tianjin Changlu Hangu Salt Field, founded in 925 AD, where the traditional process of drawing seawater, sun evaporation, and crystallization remains unchanged. Dong Shaosen, head of the No. 1 Crystallization Zone, manages 100 crystallization ponds, measuring brine concentration and directing operations while applying refined management to brine preparation, plastic sheeting, and crystallization. In recent years, the salt field has developed industrial tourism, and the Changlu Sea Salt Cultural Tourism Zone was rated a national 4A-level tourist attraction in 2024, receiving about 3,000 visitors daily during the National Day holiday. Dong Shaosen remarked that while the salt flats remain the same, tourists now see scenery and culture rather than just the harvest.
Summary: The Guangxi "Didi Agricultural Machinery" platform, led by the Agricultural Machinery Center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has registered 8,512 users and facilitated operations covering over 622,200 mu, shifting from "people looking for machines" to "machines looking for people." Piloted in Laibin City last November, the platform allows farmers to book machinery services like hailing a ride, and in July the "Didi Agricultural Machinery Emergency Dispatch Command Center" in Ningming County began operations, using a digital dispatch system to push orders to nearby operators. The platform has increased average operating efficiency by 20% and reduced harvesting costs by about 40 yuan per mu. In Laibin, the model of "sugar mills publishing needs—platform intelligent dispatch—operators working along the line" has raised the mechanized harvesting rate. In September, the platform added mobile functions for applying for agricultural machinery purchase and operation subsidies, achieving "data runs more errands, farmers are more worry-free and easy."
Summary: In a Xinhua News Agency dispatch on autumn health, experts offered advice on preventing seasonal ailments. Jiao Juan, chief physician of the Rheumatology Department of Guang'anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said joint stiffness relates to temperature drops and reduced nighttime activity, recommending warmth for knees, hands, and lower back, plus gentle exercises and warm-water soaks. She cautioned on medication, advising that only one type of painkiller be taken at a time and that medical attention be sought for sudden redness, swelling, heat, pain, or fever. Cai Zhigang, vice president of the Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, attributed gum bleeding to long-term dental plaque accumulation, urging regular brushing, flossing, and professional cleaning for dental calculus. Peng Zhibin, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reminded that hand, foot, and mouth disease and norovirus can cause reinfection, emphasizing handwashing with soap for at least 20 seconds and thoroughly cooking seafood. Experts also recommended ventilation in indoor venues and early influenza vaccination for elderly people, children, and chronic disease patients to reduce severe illness risk.
Summary: The article reports on the launch of community-embedded inclusive childcare in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, featuring the Yunxi Inclusive Nursery in Yudong Community. A resident, Yao Yunjing, praised the nursery for making childcare "effortless and worry-free," noting the absence of nearby options previously. Wang Hui, head of the Family Development Division of the Cangzhou Municipal Health Commission, said the city is building a local childcare brand by repurposing idle public resources for free use by embedded nurseries. The nursery offers diversified care services, has signed agreements with the Cangzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and operates under an integrated childcare and preschool education model with an adjacent kindergarten.
Summary: The article describes how a "contract canteen" in Xing'an Community, Baiguojing Subdistrict, Kaili City, Guizhou Province, helped resident Pan Mingying hold a wedding banquet for 20 tables at 6,000 yuan, far cheaper and easier than traditional multi-day village feasts that cost tens of thousands of yuan. Long Wenbin, deputy director of the community residents' committee, noted the canteen is fully equipped and has a dedicated chef, charging 300 yuan per table. Xu Yehai, secretary of the Party Working Committee of Baiguojing Subdistrict, said the difficulty lies in setting standards, so the subdistrict guided communities to revitalize idle venues and build the canteen platform, with rules on banquet types, scale, and cost discussed at mass meetings. Since opening in 2024, the canteen has handled community wedding and funeral events, saving residents considerable expense.
Summary: The article reports on Chinese discipline inspection and supervision organs cracking down on corruption in elderly care services, emphasizing that elderly care funds must not be touched. It details three cases: a subsidy fraud in Heze City, Shandong, where an official abused power to approve funds for an ineligible institution; procurement inflation at a welfare institute in Xiangyang, Hubei, where staff siphoned off funds; and embezzlement of nursing care allowances by a welfare institute head in Datong County, Qinghai. The article highlights systemic reforms, including big data supervision platforms, "accompanying meal systems," and improved oversight mechanisms to prevent future abuses.
Summary: An academic seminar on "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the Taiwan Question" was held in Beijing, hosted by the Cross-Strait Legal Exchange Promotion Association of the China Law Society, with nearly a hundred experts and scholars attending. Wang Hongxiang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of the China Law Society, called for deeply studying General Secretary Xi Jinping's expositions on Taiwan-related work and using legal methods to combat separatism and interference. Pan Xianzhang, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stated that Resolution 2758's authority brooks no challenge and that Taiwan being part of China brooks no doubt, urging resolute opposition to external interference and firm advancement of national reunification. Scholars systematically studied the resolution's historical and legal force, criticized "Taiwan independence" forces colluding with anti-China forces in the United States and the West to distort it, and refuted fallacies like the "undetermined status of Taiwan." Wang Zhenjiang, member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the China Law Society, also attended the meeting.
Summary: On October 14, the 2026 Entry-Exit Cultural Tourism Carnival opened at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing, showcasing travel routes and public-benefit products from multiple countries and regions. The event attracted citizens to visit and check in. The photo was taken by Guo Junfeng (Image China).
Summary: The article commemorates the fifth anniversary of the first Central Conference on Work Related to People's Congresses, highlighting General Secretary Xi Jinping's elaboration on whole-process people's democracy and his emphasis on upholding the people's congress system as an institutional vehicle for it. It details how the Party's leadership, the people being masters of the country, and law-based governance are unified through the system, citing amendments to laws such as the Local Organic Law and the Ecological Environment Code that enshrine whole-process people's democracy. The piece describes ongoing elections for county and township people's congress deputies, involving over 1 billion voters, and showcases grassroots practices like deputy liaison stations and legislative liaison points that gather public opinion. It reports on mechanisms for deputies' suggestions and legislative consultation, noting that the NPC Standing Committee has solicited over 102,000 opinions from grassroots liaison points. The article concludes that under Xi Jinping's guidance, the system will provide solid institutional guarantees for Chinese modernization.
Summary: Bao Hui, former Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Standing Committee of the Chengdu Municipal People's Congress of Sichuan Province, has been expelled from the Party and public office following an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. The investigation found that he lost his ideals and convictions, made improper decisions creating major financial risks, engaged in "vanity projects," and resisted organizational review. He also violated the Eight-Point Regulation, ignored organizational principles, lost the bottom line of integrity, and engaged in large-scale power-for-money transactions. His conduct constituted serious duty-related violations and suspected bribery crimes, and he did not restrain himself after the 18th National Congress of the Party. The decision to expel him, cancel his prescribed treatment, confiscate his gains, and transfer his case to prosecutors was approved by the CPC Central Committee.
Summary: Wu Hao, former Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Innovation Academy for Science and Technology Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office following an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. The investigation found that he lost his ideals and convictions, resisted organizational review, violated the Eight-Point Regulation, failed to report personal matters, and engaged in large-scale power-for-money deals. He used his official position to benefit others in areas such as approval of investment projects, review of listing projects, and evaluation of key enterprise qualifications, illegally accepting huge amounts of property. His actions constituted serious duty-related violations and were suspected of bribery crimes, with the nature of his violations deemed serious and warranting severe handling. The decision includes his expulsion from the Party, dismissal from public office, confiscation of disciplinary and illegal gains, and transfer of suspected criminal issues to procuratorial organs for review and prosecution.
Summary: Xinjiang Medical University, founded in 1956, has trained over 180,000 medical professionals, with more than 75% of graduates staying in Xinjiang, and now operates 9 affiliated hospitals while 5 disciplines rank in the global top 1% of ESI. The university emphasizes grassroots-oriented talent cultivation, with graduates winning the Ministry of Education's "Outstanding Scholarship (Teaching) Award for Grassroots Employment of University Graduates" for three consecutive years. Its research has tackled regional diseases such as echinococcosis, achieving a clinical cure rate over 90% and earning WHO recognition as the "China model," while also addressing cardiovascular disease and endemic fluorosis. The university has expanded international cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, training over 2,600 international students from 41 countries, establishing the Astana International Medical Center with Kazakhstan, and setting up a traditional Chinese medicine training center in Uzbekistan. Looking ahead, it plans to focus on plateau and desert disease research, advance national key laboratory applications, and pursue "Double First-Class" construction goals.
Summary: The National Peking Opera Company's new production *The Red Letter* blends Peking and Kunqu opera vocal systems in a dual-layer narrative based on the off-stage romance of *The Peony Pavilion*, premiering in June and returning to Beijing's Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre on October 13 and 14 before a national tour. The play reflects the company's implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's 2025 reply letter urging young artists to "uphold fundamental principles and break new ground," as well as the *Three-Year Action Plan for the Revitalization of Drama (2026–2028)*. Director Xu Chunlan and screenwriter Wang Yong, the company's president, emphasized that the work reinterprets the classic from a "reader and classic" perspective, portraying Tang Xianzu's creative journey and spiritual pursuits rather than replicating the original narrative. The production features actor Du Zhe as Tang Xianzu and Guo Xiao in dual roles, with the latter studying at the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe to master both performance systems. Wang Yong stressed that the play serves as a practical classroom for young actors, supporting the company's broader efforts to cultivate talent and ensure the continuous lineage of Chinese opera.
Summary: The article reflects on how traditional Chinese opera is resonating with younger audiences, citing post-2000s viewers who, after watching *Red Letter*, suddenly grasped "the aesthetic of our ancestors." It highlights examples such as Wu opera clips going viral on short-video platforms, young performers gaining fame through livestreaming, and newly compiled operas winning applause from young people. The piece emphasizes that opera's revitalization depends on expanding the "opera population" beyond practitioners to include audiences who watch, understand, and love the art. It argues that inheritance is not static preservation but requires holding onto foundational skills while finding contemporary expression to attract more youth. The article concludes that as long as opera adapts, the "ancient pear garden" will always have youthful kindred spirits.
Summary: The article reports on aerospace tourism in Wenchang City, Hainan, where tourists gather at Qishui Bay to watch rocket launches from the Wenchang Space Launch Site and the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. It highlights the experiences of visitors like Shanghai middle school student Hong Shisheng, who also explores the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Cultural Tourism Zone and the Wenchang Aerospace Science Education Center. Ye Shiyang, chairman of Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Smart Technology Co., Ltd., is quoted on how science displays extend visitor stays and bring in resources like the China Mobile Science and Technology Museum. The piece notes that the second phase of the commercial launch site will raise annual launch capacity to over 60 launches, and that homestays in Longlou Town have grown from 5 in 2016 to more than 150, with over 5,000 residents employed through aerospace tourism. Wenchang is turning "traffic" into "retention," making aerospace tourism a new calling card for the integration of culture and tourism.
Summary: The main venue event of the 2026 "White Pagoda Night Talk" cultural series, jointly hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, and the Xicheng District Committee and Government of Beijing, was held on October 14 in Beijing's Xicheng District. The event, themed "Inheriting the Cultural Vein of the Ancient Capital, Enjoying a Better Life," included keynote speeches, practical sharing, and artistic performances, with guests exploring pathways for heritage preservation and cultural-tourism integration to reinforce each other. This year's event draws on the distinctive resources of four areas—the White Pagoda Temple, Dashilan, Shichahai, and Xuan Nan—to craft four strolling routes and launch three sub-activities, while 34 old-city micro-travel destinations were collectively promoted. After years of cultivation, the "White Pagoda Night Talk," together with the Lilac Poetry Gathering and the Xuan Nan Culture Museum, has formed the three major "cultural salons" of Xicheng District.
Summary: The article reports on internship teaching-support assignments for publicly-funded normal university students in Hebei Province, focusing on Zhao Yan, a science teacher at Xuanhua District No. 1 Experimental Primary School, who said she feels "the warmth of being needed, as well as the mutual benefit of teaching and learning." Dang Xiaolong, Party Secretary of Hebei Normal University, said the program, launched 20 years ago to address rural teacher shortages and observation-only internships, lets students "take up real posts and teach real classes," achieving a two-way convergence between grassroots teacher needs and student growth. Over 20 years, the university has cooperated with schools in more than 100 counties across Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, and Xinjiang, with over 66,000 students participating and internships extended from 3 months to half a year. Intern Sun Jingjuan, a 2007 alumna, said the assignments "let normal university students see the real appearance of education, and also see what they themselves should be like in the future." Dang added that the next step will combine the cultivation system with integrated undergraduate-graduate design and an artificial intelligence smart internship platform to move students from "being good at learning" to "being able to teach," and then to "being able to take root."
Summary: The 2026 "Light Up Reading Micro-Wishes" book drifting activity was launched on October 14 at the Central Primary School of Yangbai Township, Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province. Children's literature writer Xu Lu delivered a themed reading sharing session and presented books to the children at the event. The activity is organized by the Printing and Distribution Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and collects reading wishes from rural children and adolescents. It mobilizes publishing units, cultural luminaries, and volunteers to carry out reading promotion in rural areas through quality book lists, wish collection, online publishing, public welfare donations, and joint reading. This year, the activity will fulfill the reading wishes of 100,000 rural children and adolescents.
Summary: The article highlights China Mobile Guangxi Company's efforts to ensure communication signals reach remote and disaster-affected areas across Guangxi, including restoring services after Typhoon "Maysak" and building networks along the China-Vietnam border and Pinglu Canal. It describes frontline employees' dedication, such as a commando team carrying satellite equipment through mud and a technical team patrolling the border. The piece also covers community services, including setting up base stations for a seven-household hamlet and conducting congenital heart disease screenings for children. Digital technology is shown to empower local industries, like jasmine flower trading in Hengzhou City and marine ranches in the Beibu Gulf. The narrative underscores the company's commitment to serving the economy and people's livelihood.
Summary: Yao Heng, deputy director of the Maoping Village Committee in Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, has led rural revitalization efforts in his hometown, upgrading roads, building irrigation canals, and developing an agricultural-tourism complex. He secured county and central fiscal funds for infrastructure projects and established a 1,200-mu oil-tea camellia base with a composite management model. Yao Heng also organized a mountain bike track and events that attracted over a thousand cycling enthusiasts annually, driving the village to build 17 homestays and 11 restaurants. He formed a morning running group for children, which grew to 103 members, and set up public-interest classes with volunteer teachers and college students. The article highlights his entrepreneurial background and the villagers' support for his practical, results-oriented leadership.
Summary: The article highlights three "family heirlooms" along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which has achieved continuous water flow for five consecutive years since 2022. It features Hu Fuqing, an 80-year-old civilian river chief in Hangzhou, who has kept a river-patrol diary for over a decade, documenting the Xinkai River's transformation from polluted to clear under Zhejiang's river chief system. Wang Shaohua, a former photojournalist, has used more than ten thousand photographs to record nearly half a century of change in the Cangzhou section, including ecological restoration and tourism revival. Zhao Yiqiang, a fourth-generation inheritor of Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants, has revived the tradition through performances and recordings, spreading it across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The piece underscores General Secretary Xi Jinping's call to protect, inherit, and utilize the Grand Canal as a flowing cultural legacy.
Summary: China Copper Corporation Limited, a second-tier operating unit of Chinalco, has anchored itself to the goal of building a world-class mining and copper-lead-zinc enterprise, adhering to seeking progress while maintaining stability as 2026 marks the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Facing volatility in the global nonferrous metals market, the company has centered on the core task of "extreme operations," with first-half output increasing steadily and subsidiaries Chihong Zinc & Germanium and Yunnan Copper reporting significant year-on-year growth in operating revenue and net profit. The company has optimized its domestic and international industrial layout, building full industrial chains in copper and lead-zinc, producing high-purity cathode copper, and filling domestic gaps in ultra-wide high-end copper plates and high-value-added alloys. It has also advanced scientific and technological innovation, breaking through key core technologies in deep mining, green smelting, and high-end copper materials, while promoting green and low-carbon development across its operations. China Copper will continue to strengthen its main copper-lead-zinc business, concentrate on scientific and technological breakthroughs, and deepen green transformation to contribute to the high-quality development of China's nonferrous metals industry.
Summary: The article discusses how to practice Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese fitness method, and includes expert advice from Cui Yongsheng, a researcher at the Health Qigong Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China. Cui advises beginners to focus on basic postures and movements, progressing step by step from simple to complex, and emphasizes the importance of standardizing movements to avoid common errors. The article details the eight postures of Baduanjin, highlighting key points and common mistakes for each. It also notes that a "Baduanjin" group standard, jointly formulated by the China Association of Chinese Medicine and the Chinese Health Qigong Association, was officially released on May 28, providing the first unified technical specification for Baduanjin groups in China. Zhu Liguo, head of the drafting group, suggested that relevant units carry out regular popularization activities based on the standard to guide the public in standardized practice.
Summary: The 2026–2027 CBA season will tip off on October 16, featuring an increase to 46 regular-season rounds and 460 games, with teams divided into four groups based on last season's rankings. The playoffs will begin on April 11, 2027, with the 12-to-8 stage using a best-of-3 format, quarterfinals and semifinals changed to best-of-5, and finals remaining best-of-7. The restoration of the promotion and relegation system is a highlight, with play-in games in April 2027 between the bottom two CBA teams and top two NBL teams for next season's admission qualification. The 2027 All-Star Weekend is scheduled for March 5–7 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, marking its first visit to the northwestern region. The CBDL for young players has been upgraded with all 20 CBA clubs participating, and the CBA Club Cup has expanded to 24 teams with group stages in Wuhan, Yantai, Yinchuan, and Qionghai, and finals in Nanning.
Summary: The 2026 Tour of Guangxi UCI WorldTour road cycling race kicked off on the 13th in Chongzuo City, Guangxi, with twenty-two world-class teams assembling and setting a new record for the event. This year marks the seventh year of the race and the first time the professional race and mass-participation race have started at the same time and place and raced on the same course. The event is being held in five cities in Guangxi—Chongzuo, Baise, Hechi, Laibin, and Nanning—with six stages and a total distance of 1,068.6 kilometers. The route threads together natural landscapes and ethnic-custom belts such as the mountain-and-river border passes, the hometown of longevity, and the karst wonderland, with the final stage ending at the Nongla Scenic Area in Mashan County, Nanning.
Summary: The 2026 "National Ball into Communities, Parks, and Campuses" and National Table Tennis Culture Tour (Sangzhi Stop) was held from October 12 to 14 in Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie, Hunan. Staff entered Fengniling National Forest Park to interact with tourists, entered communities to exchange and test skills through play with local residents, and entered campuses to guide students in experiencing new desk-style table tennis. At the event site, the Chinese Table Tennis Association, together with enterprises, donated desk-style table tennis tables to Hongjiaguan Primary School. The Hunan Provincial Table Tennis Association delivered table tennis equipment to Hongjiaguan Bai Ethnic Township.
Summary: China Post announced that 2027 stamp reservations will open from October 10 to December 10, 2026, covering renewal items such as large-format stamp albums and miniature sheet stamps, as well as new subscription items including stamp sets, annual albums, and first-day covers. The reservation will also include annual albums for Hong Kong, China and Macao, China. Subscriptions can be made through online channels such as the China Post online business platform and micro-post-office stores, or offline at China Post philatelic business outlets and via QR codes at general postal service outlets.
Summary: The 2026 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik drew over 2,500 representatives from more than 70 countries, with the Chinese delegation actively participating and co-hosting side events with research institutions from Finland, Norway, the United States, and Canada. Fu Ying, head of the Chinese delegation, said the real challenge facing the Arctic is climate change and that all countries should devote more attention and resources to scientific research and environmental protection. The article highlights China's role as a "near-Arctic state" and its expanding Arctic activities from scientific research to global governance, regional cooperation, and cultural exchanges. Chinese officials and researchers emphasized China's constructive role in polar science, including joint fish surveys with Germany and the open China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory, while also discussing the China-Europe Arctic Express and clean energy transition support. The article also features Chinese reindeer herders presenting their ecological wisdom, with scholars noting China contributes experience to community participation and sustainable development in global Arctic governance.
Summary: The article reports on Botswana's accelerating renewable energy development, highlighted by the Jwaneng 100 MW photovoltaic power station built with Chinese enterprise participation, which achieved commercial operation and is among the country's first batch of 100 MW-scale solar plants. Botswana's energy transition stems from years of electricity supply difficulties, with the government planning to raise renewable energy's share to 50 percent by 2036 and transform from a net importer to exporter. Edwin Ketlhoilwe, an official with the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, said total installed photovoltaic capacity nationwide has exceeded 200 MW, while the Maun 500 MW photovoltaic and 500 MWh storage project, the country's largest grid-scale solar project, is expected to begin operation in 2029. Under high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, the Jwaneng project, developed by a consortium including China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., took 11 months to complete and has improved local power stability, with Chinese engineers providing hands-on training to local youth. Botswana's President Duma Boko said the foundation of Botswana-China cooperation is solid, and China's technology and experience in renewable energy are exactly what Botswana needs, expressing hope to join hands with China for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Summary: The International Energy Agency released its monthly oil market report on October 14, stating that global diesel supply tightness has intensified and is expected to persist through 2027 due to continued obstruction of diesel exports from the Middle East and Russia. The report projects that global oil demand in 2026 will decrease by an average of 2.6 million barrels per day year-on-year, while supply will fall by 5.8 million barrels per day, and warned of further market turbulence if the Middle East conflict is not resolved. Yemen's Houthi forces claimed large-scale missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities and airports in Saudi Arabia, causing fires, with spokesman Yahya Saree stating the operation was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed an attack on a Saudi Aramco office building in Dhahran caused a limited fire with no casualties, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile toward Riyadh. Multiple major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo, reported quarter-on-quarter declines in third-quarter operating revenue and net profit, with shares of all four closing lower.
Summary: The article discusses a UN General Assembly resolution, initiated by Togo, that passed with 164 votes in favor and advocates for the "Equal Earth" projection to correct area distortions in the Mercator projection, which has historically enlarged Europe and North America while visually shrinking Africa and South America. It frames the resolution as a demand by Global South countries for greater discourse power and cognitive justice, noting that France co-sponsored it and most European countries voted in favor despite their own visual compression. The piece clarifies that no projection is perfect and that different maps serve different purposes, citing the UN emblem, the U.S. National Geographic Society, and China Cartographic Publishing House as examples. It concludes that the resolution is not legally binding but aims to promote a shift in worldviews, emphasizing that no single perspective or narrative should dominate.
Summary: A school shooting at a state-run high school in South Cotabato Province, Mindanao, killed three and injured at least eight, marking the third fatal school shooting in the Philippines since June. Mayor Albert Palencia said the 16-year-old suspect used his father's 9mm pistol, which had been stored in a home safe. The article details two prior incidents, including one where a suspect used a relative's police service weapon and another involving the son of a customs police chief, with factors including negligent firearm storage, campus security loopholes, bullying, and online violent content. Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla cited about 2 million unlicensed firearms and asked Congress to make illegal possession non-bailable with a maximum 20-year sentence. Local observers noted that firearms reform in the Philippines tends to accelerate only after tragedies, and the real challenge is turning ad hoc responses into enforceable national policy.
Summary: The article features interviews with four CPPCC National Committee members—Qiao Hong, Ming Dong, Zhou Zhihua, and Zhao Xiaoguang—on how artificial intelligence can empower basic research, following Xi Jinping's emphasis on AI-driven scientific breakthroughs. Ming Dong highlights AI's role in supporting the research chain from data analysis to result verification, citing non-invasive brain-computer interfaces as an example. Zhou Zhihua recommends optimizing research layout, promoting interdisciplinary "two-way translation," and strengthening data governance, while also proposing new models for cultivating "bilingual" scientists who master both domain knowledge and AI. Zhao Xiaoguang calls for building discipline-specific credible small models and improving standards for intelligent research platforms, while Qiao Hong stresses the importance of embodied intelligence systems for moving platforms from digital to physical space. The discussion covers talent training, evaluation reforms, and the need for a whole-nation approach to overcome bottlenecks in data-driven AI.
Summary: The article argues that food traceability systems must be accurate and substantive, noting that while digital technologies have improved whole-process supervision, problems such as data falsification, incompatible systems, and high costs for small enterprises undermine consumer trust. It recommends strengthening supervision over data authenticity, establishing unified national technical standards, and implementing differentiated, precise supervision. The author, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and chair of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, calls for multi-party coordination to ensure traceability moves from "codes available for scanning" to "evidence available for reliance."
Summary: The Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party proposes improving the rural childcare service system, citing a clear gap between rural and urban areas in resource investment, parental awareness, and professional talent for early childhood development. Recommendations include expanding pilot programs for home-based care, using a home-visit model in harsh environments, and building parenting centers or relying on township health centers in more developed areas. The proposal calls for increased government financial investment, extending education spending to cover 0-3 care services, and introducing social capital to expand service supply. It also urges cultivating a local talent team by recruiting rural women for training, and using digitalization to establish a monitoring database for early childhood development. The proposal emphasizes precise profiling of served families and infants to improve service effectiveness.
Summary: Yang Quanhong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and professor at Tianjin University's School of Chemical Engineering, combines over 30 years of research in carbon materials and advanced energy storage with his committee duties, shuttling between laboratories and domestic power battery enterprises. He submitted a proposal at this year's National Two Sessions on promoting high-quality development of the solid-state battery industry, arguing that solid-state batteries can solve the industry pain point of balancing energy and safety, and represent an important track for global energy technology competition. He cautioned that the industry's development can neither "afford to be slow" nor "afford to be hasty," urging strengthened top-level design, clear definition of energy density and safety attribute boundaries, and a rational technological and industrial roadmap. He suggested overall planning for a national-level major scientific research program for solid-state batteries, opening up the entire chain from the National Natural Science Foundation, key research and development projects, and CAS pilot projects to industrial reengineering projects. Yang noted with delight that the National Natural Science Foundation has issued a notice on jointly funding a joint innovation fund with private enterprises in the new energy battery field, reflecting his efforts being transformed into practical results.
Summary: The Supreme People's Procuratorate has deployed the "Benefiting the Road of the Long March · Continuing Protection" procuratorial public interest litigation special supervision campaign across 15 provinces, filing 434 cases and issuing 326 procuratorial suggestions to protect Long March cultural relics and memorial facilities. In Yudu County, Jiangxi Province, the departure point of the Central Red Army's Long March, procurators surveyed 104 revolutionary cultural relics and issued suggestions to restore martyrs' graves, Long March slogans, and ferry crossings. In Baoxing and Xiaojin counties, Sichuan Province, procuratorial organs established a cross-regional coordination mechanism to address protection issues spanning cities and prefectures, including restoring a washed-away marker stele and repairing a leaking former site. In Renhua County, Guangdong Province, and Huining County, Gansu Province, procuratorial efforts led to the inclusion of sites in cultural relic protection applications, the establishment of long-term protection mechanisms, and the recruitment of "Little Red Docents" to tell Long March stories. The campaign aims to achieve "handling one case, governing one area, and benefiting one region" through systematic governance of red resource protection.
Summary: The article criticizes the targeting of elderly users by micro-short drama platforms, citing a Xinjiang man who spent 225,800 yuan on 4,887 recharges over two years. It describes tactics such as low-threshold payments, frequent program name changes, and algorithm-driven "precision hunting" that exploit seniors' emotional vulnerability. The piece calls for stronger enforcement of regulations, including the "Measures for the Administration of Micro-Short Drama Development," and urges platforms to uphold consumer rights. It argues that elderly users need a "digital firewall" akin to minors' "youth mode" to prevent addiction and inducement. The commentary concludes that micro-short dramas should enrich elderly life, not become a "Hongmen banquet" of exploitation.
Summary: A Shanghai court ruled that funds transferred during wedding preparations, even if noted as "voluntary gift," could be deemed betrothal gifts if paid for the purpose of forming a marriage, ordering the defendant to return approximately 200,000 yuan. The plaintiff, Zhang Mou, had paid over 300,000 yuan to Li Mou, with some transfers initially marked "ceremonial money" and later re-labeled "voluntary gift" at her request after the engagement was called off. The court found the funds' nature should be determined by the transfer background, use, and true intentions, not solely by the note. The judge stated that a "voluntary gift" is not a universal shield, as betrothal gifts are conditional gifts tied to marriage formation, and cited Supreme People's Court provisions prohibiting extracting property by marriage. The judge advised the public to clarify the nature of large transfers and preserve evidence like chat records and receipts to avoid disputes.
Summary: The article reports on public security efforts during the National Day holiday, highlighting police work at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, a fireworks display on the Yangtze River in Wuhan, and a football match in Dalian. It quotes Ma Su, captain of the Fifth Squadron of the First Patrol Detachment of the Tiananmen Area Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, on balancing safety and service, and Wang Zhihao, deputy captain of the Public Order Management Brigade of the Public Security Detachment of the Dalian Municipal Public Security Bureau, on using data support over experience. Specific incidents include police distributing raincoats in Wuhan, rescuing a girl from a stone pier, recovering a lost phone, and helping a mother with a stroller. The article concludes that as of 4:00 p.m. on October 7, criminal and public security alerts decreased by 23.7% and 7% year-on-year respectively, with over 2,700 large-scale events held safely.
Summary: The author, director of the television drama *The Great Long March*, reflects on the creative process behind the series, emphasizing the need to portray the Long March as a youthful expedition. The article recounts the story of a fallen Red Army soldier under 14 years old, found 30 centimeters from a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, symbolizing the "smallness" of human detail within the "largeness" of the historical epic. The director describes adhering to chief screenwriter Chen Jin's philosophy of establishing the grand framework in the large and revealing true feeling in the small, structuring the drama around four historical threads including the Zunyi Conference and the grassland division of forces. The narrative highlights emotional moments, such as Chairman Mao shedding tears during the march and giving his sweater to a child, alongside vivid portrayals of young soldiers like Chen Bailin and He Bingyan. The article concludes with Chairman Mao's admonition that "the skill of making straw sandals must not be lost," underscoring the enduring relevance of the Long March spirit.
Summary: The article, authored by the head of the Central National Orchestra, discusses the "Guoyue in the Prime of Youth" concert and the orchestra's efforts to solicit new national music works from society. The orchestra launched its first concert season, the Bingwu Horse Year Concert Season, with "works" as the core theme, and held a third creative activity open to the whole society, receiving 117 pieces from 90 creators, including compatriots from Taiwan and creators abroad. The selection process involved three rounds of review, on-site sight-reading, performer voting, and online audience voting to ensure works stand firmly on stage. The author emphasizes that national music comes from the people and that soliciting works builds a stage for creation among them, planting seeds for tomorrow's classics. The article concludes with the author's belief that more people will be inspired to write their first note for national music.
Summary: The article reports on the Beijing People's Art Theatre's "Youth in Bloom · Drama Gathering in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei" 2026 College Student Drama Exhibition, featuring 13 works by 11 universities. It highlights that works with upright themes align with students' sunny disposition, while classic repertory plays like *Family Portrait* and *Ruan Lingyu* were favored, with students benefiting greatly from tempering through classics. The exhibition emphasized accurate grasp of drama art, with *Iron Ox* using imagery to govern the play and performances in *Ruan Lingyu* and *The Jury* praised as praiseworthy and noteworthy. The Beijing People's Art Theatre also launched a Campus Drama Backbone Training Workshop, where students experienced master classes, museum visits, and rehearsals over seven days. The article concludes that the amateur system is vital to the drama ecosystem, and safeguarding campus drama seeds safeguards the future of spoken drama, offering students opportunities to see themselves, the times, and a broader world.
Summary: The article, written by the playwright, director, and lead actor of the stage play *A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward*, discusses the National Centre for the Performing Arts' adaptation of the classic film. The adaptation follows three principles: upholding the spiritual core of the original work, preserving its historical backdrop, and grounding itself in contemporary aesthetic expression. The play uses three circulating conveyor belts to symbolize the protagonist's wandering life and the story's three regions, and incorporates the mood of Li Yu's *ci* poem into its visual design. The author details the restructuring of film dialogue for the stage, the creation of a key monologue for Sufen, and the use of Sichuan opera face-changing to depict Zhang Zhongliang's descent. The ending supplements the original film's conclusion with poetic blank space, conveying the tragic power of finding profound meaning in silence.
Summary: The article reflects on the recent third national excellent repertoire exhibition of small-theatre drama, observing trends in art forms, subject matter, and styles. It notes the expansion beyond spoken drama and traditional opera to include musicals and song-and-dance dramas, with traditional opera genres like Peking opera and Kunqu opera represented. The piece highlights deeper exploration of individual psychology, historical retelling, and social issues, alongside diverse styles from avant-garde to minimalist. It also cautions against narrow subject "safe zones," forced sentimentality, and the loss of talent to larger theatres. The author, a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, urges the small theatre to retain its innovative and experimental spirit.
(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) On October 14, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair).
Xi Jinping noted that since its founding 70 years ago, the Canton Fair has played an important role in promoting trade between China and foreign countries and has become an effective platform for China to expand high-level opening up and promote the building of an open world economy. Under the new circumstances, China is willing to join hands with countries around the world in working together in unity (携起手来, xie qi shou lai - "carry, up, hand, come") to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, expand the space for mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation, advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity.
The 140th Canton Fair opened the same day in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Government of Guangdong Province.
Return to TopBy: 本报评论员
"The healthy China we aim to build is one that is balanced, inclusive, high-quality, and efficient."
At the National Conference on Health and Wellness, General Secretary Xi Jinping, focusing on the important position of people's health in the development of the Party and the country's undertakings, scientifically analyzed the situation facing the development of China's health and wellness undertakings, and systematically expounded the goals, tasks, and basic connotations of building a healthy China, providing important guidance for achieving the goal of building a healthy China by 2035.
People's health is the foundation of social civilization and progress, and health for all is the fine aspiration and fervent hope of the people. Our Party is a party that serves the people wholeheartedly. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed the protection of people's health in a strategic position of priority development, comprehensively advancing the building of a healthy China from the overall height of the development of the Party and the country's undertakings, powerfully safeguarding the physical health of hundreds of millions of people, and continuously enhancing the health and well-being of the people.
Our country is a socialist country, a developing country with a huge population and still relatively large urban-rural and regional gaps. To build a healthy China, we must adhere to proceeding from our country's national conditions, anchor on the general direction of "balanced, inclusive, high-quality, and efficient," and unswervingly and steadily (坚定不移, jian ding bu yi - "firm, not, move") follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics.
"Strong health management capacity, disease prevention and control capacity, medical service capacity, medical insurance support capacity, pharmaceutical innovation capacity, and talent cultivation capacity" — General Secretary Xi Jinping incisively summarized the six aspects of capacity that a healthy China should possess. These are both strategic goals and practical requirements, reflecting the unity of adhering to both a goal-oriented and problem-oriented approach.
Here, "health management capacity" and "pharmaceutical innovation capacity" are taken as examples for in-depth explanation to deepen understanding.
Health and wellness is a matter of the individual, and also a major matter of the state. A strong health management capacity is a manifestation of "governance of China" and a solid support for a healthy China.
Since the new era, we have advanced the implementation of the health-priority development strategy, established a systematic perspective, promoted a shift in the mode of medical and health development toward greater emphasis on health as the center, marking a leap in philosophy and a transformation in governance.
In Luxian County, Sichuan, more than 200,000 patients with chronic diseases have received classified, graded, and precise services, and the premature mortality rate from four major chronic diseases within the county has dropped by 3.25 percentage points compared with 2020;
In Yangpu, Shanghai, sports and health work has been incorporated into livelihood practical projects and major decision-making matters of the district government, and the integrated chronic disease comprehensive prevention and control system has achieved notable results...
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the health literacy level of national residents has increased at an average rate of 2 percentage points per year. From the overall myopia rate among students achieving "five consecutive declines," to providing approximately 140 million person-times of health management services annually for people aged 65 and above, based on the full life cycle, the full service chain, and the entire process of health, comprehensive health management has brightened the background of development and enriched the well-being of the people.
At present, with economic and social development and the improvement of living standards, the people are paying more attention to health and have more diverse needs. The "National Health 15th Five-Year Plan" closely focuses on key tasks such as optimizing whole-population, all-round, and full-life-cycle health services, clearly drawing a development roadmap for building a healthy China in the next five years.
Firmly implementing the health-priority development strategy, integrating the protection of people's health into various policies and reflecting it in all aspects of work, adhering to the combination of serving patients and serving the whole people, and meticulously handling various foundational and source-level tasks, we will surely be able to continuously enhance health management capacity and promote the high-quality development of health and wellness undertakings.
A strong pharmaceutical innovation capacity is a solid foundation for revitalizing the industry, and even more so a sturdy shield for protecting people's life and health.
In the first half of this year, China approved 38 innovative drugs for market, among which 11 are drugs with new targets and new mechanisms, all of which are domestic innovative drugs, and some are globally first-of-their-kind therapeutic drugs. China's innovative drug out-licensing has exceeded 120 billion US dollars this year. "New drugs and original drugs are now achieving breakthroughs at multiple points."
From following to running alongside, and partially leading, from "foreign monopoly" to "local breakthrough," and then to accelerating "going global," how has China's innovative drug research and development achieved leapfrog development?
The root lies in deeply cultivating the new track "from 0 to 1," attaching importance to the exploration of new targets, new mechanisms, and entirely new drug types, and nurturing the source of continuous nourishment or inspiration (源头活水, yuan tou huo shui - "source, head, living, water") of original innovation.
The simultaneous improvement in both quantity and quality (量质齐升, liang zhi qi sheng - "quantity, quality, together, rise") of new drugs is also inseparable from drastic and decisive (大刀阔斧, da dao kuo fu - "big, knife, broad, axe") institutional reform; the major science and technology special project for "Major New Drug Creation" has continued to exert its force, and the approval time for clinical trials of new drugs has been compressed from 14 months to 30 days.
Leveraging the advantages of the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources, strengthening basic research and original innovation in the health and wellness field, promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and facilitating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the health and wellness field, we will surely be able to produce more "made in China, new to the world" drugs, better meet clinical needs, and benefit the people.
Improving the health level of the people is an important support for promoting high-quality development of the population and the economy and society; enhancing the health and well-being of the people is an important part of promoting the all-round development of the people and common prosperity for all the people.
On the new journey of the new era, the mission of advancing Chinese modernization rests on our shoulders, and the responsibility of completing the building of a healthy China on schedule is weighty. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, fully implementing the Party Central Committee's decisions and arrangements on building a healthy China, showing great determination and spirit of progress (锐意进取, rui yi jin qu - "sharp, intention, advance, go") and taking concrete and effective action (真抓实干, zhen zhua shi gan - "true, grasp, real, do"), we will surely be able to effectively meet the people's growing health needs and consolidate the health foundation of Chinese modernization.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 申少铁 杨彦帆 陆凡冰
The National Conference on Health and Wellness was held in Beijing from October 12 to 13. General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the conference and delivered an important speech, emphasizing: "The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical period for achieving the goal of building a Healthy China by 2035. We must unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics, implement the health and wellness work guidelines of the new era, leverage strengths, consolidate foundations, shore up weaknesses, and strengthen weak links, promote high-quality development of health and wellness undertakings, continuously improve the people's health level, and ensure decisive progress in the construction of a Healthy China."
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech has sparked enthusiastic responses among the vast number of health and wellness workers. Everyone unanimously expressed that the General Secretary's important speech profoundly answered a series of fundamental, directional, and overall issues in health and wellness work, pointing the way and providing important guidance for doing health and wellness work well on the new journey of the new era. We must unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics and promote decisive progress in the construction of a Healthy China.
Firmly implement the strategy of prioritizing health development
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The health and wellness undertaking plays an overall and foundational role, and we must firmly implement the strategy of prioritizing health development."
Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech possesses a far-reaching perspective (高屋建瓴, gao wu jian ling - "high, roof, build, grasp"), is profound in thought and rich in content, elevating the Party's understanding of the laws governing the development of health and wellness undertakings to a new height. We must deeply study and understand the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics, and ensure the timely achievement of the goal of building a Healthy China.
"The grassroots level is the focus of health and wellness work." Wang Yanli, Director of the Majiapu Community Health Service Center in Fengtai District, Beijing, said that the people's health cannot rely solely on "treating existing diseases," but must also "prevent diseases before they occur." We must continue to base ourselves on grassroots functions, deepen and solidify services such as healthy weight management and chronic disease management, and guide residents to pay more attention to proactive health.
Liu Juncai, Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said that health is the most important indicator of an individual's happy life, and the people's health is the basic condition for economic and social development. In advancing the construction of Chinese modernization, the people's health is both a development goal and a development support.
"The people's health is the solid foundation of Chinese modernization." Zhang Shuyang, President of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated that Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population. Only by firmly implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development and transforming the demographic dividend into a talent dividend and a health dividend can we win long-term development advantages for the nation and the country.
"Implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development requires us to integrate the protection of the people's health into all policies and reflect it in all aspects of work." Miao Yanqing, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Health Strategy and Service System Research Department of the Health Development Research Center of the National Health Commission, said.
"Integrating the protection of the people's health into all policies is the key guarantee and concrete practice for promoting the implementation of the strategy of prioritizing health development." Wang Xudong, Director of the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, said that Tianjin will combine the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan outline, consolidate and improve the achievements of the Patriotic Health Campaign, and effectively integrate the protection of the people's health into all policies.
Highlight key points and do a good job in health and wellness work
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Prevention is the most economical and most effective health strategy. We must do a meticulous and solid job in all basic and source-level work of health and wellness, and consolidate the foundation of national health."
"To do a good job in disease prevention and control, the key is to accelerate the building of a modern disease control system with Chinese characteristics." Yang Liangjin, a relevant official from the Planning, Finance, and Regulations Department of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said that we must strengthen joint prevention and control, and improve the infectious disease prevention and control work pattern featuring unified leadership of Party committees, joint management by the Party and government, efficient coordination among departments, and extensive participation of society.
Wang Jun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Peking University People's Hospital, said that the vast number of health and wellness workers should give full play to their professional advantages, actively respond to social concerns, clarify cognitive misunderstandings, refute pseudo-scientific rumors, resolutely hold the main position of health science popularization, and guide the whole society to establish a correct view of health.
Meng Qingbin, Director of the Medical Administration Department of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, introduced that they will implement the Traditional Chinese Medicine action of the project to strengthen the grassroots medical and health system, optimize the functional positioning and structural layout of traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions, promote high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine medical services, and continuously meet the people's growing health needs.
Gan Ge, Director of the Hospital Management Research Institute of the National Health Commission, stated that they will focus on deepening the reform of public hospitals oriented toward public welfare, continuously optimize the medical service system, promote the implementation of reform measures, and enable the masses to enjoy higher-quality and more efficient medical and health services.
Liang Tingbo, President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said that the hospital will continue to make efforts in sending personnel to the grassroots, paired assistance, mobile medical services, and remote diagnosis, and through new models and new measures empowered by digital intelligence, activate the endogenous driving force of grassroots medical and health institutions, so that the masses can see a doctor nearby and receive good treatment.
Provide strong guarantees for the construction of a Healthy China
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Reform is a powerful driving force for the development of health and wellness undertakings. We must adhere to taking the coordinated development and governance of medical treatment, medical insurance, and medicine as the main direction of the reform of the medical and health system."
"The coordinated development and governance of the 'three medicals' is the key to Sanming's medical reform and also the main direction for Fujian's promotion of medical reform experience." Yang Minhong, Director of the Fujian Provincial Health Commission, said that Fujian has always promoted medical reform as a major livelihood reform, adhering to advancing in light of local conditions and a problem-oriented approach, coordinating reforms in centralized procurement of drugs and consumables, medical price adjustment, optimization of medical insurance payment, salary systems, and comprehensive supervision, so as to achieve win-win outcomes for medical insurance, hospitals, the masses, and industry.
Fang Jianguo, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, stated that Zhejiang will further deepen the coordinated development and governance of the "three medicals," promote the establishment and improvement of coordination and consultation mechanisms and normalized communication and consultation mechanisms at all levels across the province, accelerate the province-wide "three medicals" one-network reform, and promote data sharing and policy linkage.
Huang Xinyu, Director of the Medical Services Management Department of the National Healthcare Security Administration, stated that they will focus on improving the three-tier guarantee system of basic medical insurance, serious illness insurance, and medical assistance, encourage commercial medical insurance to complement and connect with basic medical insurance and develop in a differentiated manner, include more medical expenses outside the basic medical insurance catalog into the scope of protection, and better meet the people's diversified medical security needs.
Wu Hao, Dean of the School of Medical Humanities and General Practice at Capital Medical University, said that talent is the foundation of the project to strengthen the grassroots medical and health system. Schools should cultivate more high-quality general practitioners who can provide full-chain services of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and management, so that the masses can see a doctor nearby and receive good treatment.
"Accelerate the application of scientific and technological achievements in the health and wellness field, promote the digital and intelligent construction of national health, and provide assistance for the construction of a Healthy China." Liu Zhongjun, Professor of Orthopedics at Peking University Third Hospital, stated that in the future, we should vigorously promote the combination of remote imaging, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis, and other innovative achievements, bringing more health benefits to the grassroots masses.
(People's Daily reporters Bai Jianfeng, Sun Xiuyan, Zhong Ziwei, Gong Xiangjuan, and Li Junqiang participated in the writing)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杜海涛 罗珊珊
On October 14, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), pointing out: "Under the new circumstances, China is willing to join hands with countries around the world to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, expand the space for mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation, advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity."
In the golden autumn of October, the Pearl River surges. On that day, the 140th Canton Fair opened in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
One exhibition connects the past, the present, and the future.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Canton Fair. Over 140 sessions, the Canton Fair has never been interrupted. Having weathered storms and crossed great changes in the world over time (沧海桑田, cang hai sang tian - "blue sea, mulberry fields"), it has grown from an initial 9,600 square meters and 1,200 buyers to the current 1.55 million square meters and approximately 340,000 buyers. The Canton Fair has become China's largest, longest-running, most comprehensive, best-attended, and most transaction-heavy international trade event, and is the world-renowned "China's No. 1 Exhibition."
The exhibition halls have been relocated again and again, the exhibits replaced time after time, and the scale of buyers has continued to grow — but what remains unchanged is that window open to the world. China embraces the world with an open posture and benefits the world with its own development, injecting more certainty and positive energy into a world fraught with change and turbulence.
The Window of History —
"Openness is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for world prosperity and development."
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Since its founding 70 years ago, the Canton Fair has played an important role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has become an effective platform for China to expand high-standard opening up and promote the building of an open world economy."
Let us return to the spring of 1957. In that year, the first Canton Fair was successfully held. In the 9,600-square-meter exhibition hall were displayed textiles, foodstuffs, industrial products, and native and special products. The Canton Fair opened a window to the world for New China.
In 1978, the curtain rose on reform and opening up. The Canton Fair followed the tide of the times, breaking the pattern in which specialized foreign trade companies monopolized participation. The number of participating enterprises grew rapidly. A large number of well-known to every household (家喻户晓, jia yu hu xiao - "family, knows, every, household") national brands such as Haier and Midea obtained overseas orders at the Canton Fair and broke into the international market.
In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization and became deeply integrated into economic globalization, and China's foreign trade subsequently achieved leapfrog development. In 2007, the official name of the Canton Fair was changed from "China Export Commodities Fair" to "China Import and Export Fair" — the addition of the character "import" bears witness to China's leap from one-way export to two-way opening up.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has advanced high-standard opening up with unprecedented (前所未有, qian suo wei you - "before, ever, has, had") determination and intensity.
In 2013, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone was established and the Belt and Road Initiative set sail for a new journey (扬帆起航, yang fan qi hang - "raise, sail, set, sail");
In 2018, the first China International Import Expo was held in Shanghai, the world's first national-level exhibition with import as its theme;
In 2025, Hainan Free Trade Port began island-wide independent customs operations, taking new steps in institutional opening up;
Today's China has maintained its position as the world's largest trader in goods for many consecutive years and is a major trading partner of more than 160 countries and regions.
"Openness is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for world prosperity and development."
"China's door to opening up will not close; it will only open wider and wider."
This is wisdom nourished by the fine traditional Chinese culture — "Chinese civilization has been renowned since ancient times for its openness and inclusiveness."
In October 2021, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 130th Canton Fair, entrusting the Fair to "strive to build itself into an important platform for China's all-round opening up to the outside world, for promoting high-quality development of international trade, and for connecting the domestic and international dual circulation."
Bearing the entrustment in mind, we forge ahead with determination. Every year, tens of thousands of foreign trade enterprises of different types and ownership forms compete at the Canton Fair like hundreds of boats competing in a current (百舸争流, bai ke zheng liu - "hundred, boats, compete, flow") and many ships racing against each other (千帆竞渡, qian fan jing du - "thousand, sails, compete, cross"). Canton Fair exhibitors, accounting for 5 percent of the country's foreign trade enterprises, contribute 16 percent of the nation's general trade export value.
At the 140th Canton Fair, buyers from countries jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative registered enthusiastically. The Silk Road, stretching for thousands of years, is not only a road of commercial exchange but also a road of exchanging and learning from each other (交流互鉴, jiao liu hu jian - "exchange, mutual, learn, mirror") between civilizations, vividly embodying the broad-mindedness of the Chinese nation in promoting harmony among all nations (协和万邦, xie he wan bang - "harmonize, unite, ten thousand, states") and pursuing a world of great harmony (天下大同, tian xia da tong - "under heaven, great, unity").
This is proactive action grounded in the major trends of domestic and international development. Internationally, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, economic globalization is encountering headwinds, and the global governance system is undergoing profound transformation. Domestically, China's economy has shifted to the stage of high-quality development and requires a higher level of opening up to attract high-quality global factors and resources.
At this session of the Canton Fair, among more than 30,000 exhibitors, over 11,000 are high-quality enterprises such as specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises and single-product champions. New products and green products account for 23.2 percent and 26 percent of exhibits respectively, both setting new historical highs.
"The Canton Fair will focus on the development goals of 'never ending' and 'leading the market,' and with a more open posture, more meticulous services, and more complete functions, will make sustained, long-term effort to keep the Fair fresh with each session, promoting innovative development of the Canton Fair around digital-intelligence, green, and specialized directions," said Zhang Li, Assistant Minister of Commerce.
The Road of Opening Up —
"China will more proactively expand high-standard opening up"
"China will more proactively expand high-standard opening up."
"We must strengthen the domestic economic cycle to enhance the autonomy of expanding high-standard opening up, and expand the international cycle to invigorate domestic reform and development."
"Opening up is China's fundamental national policy. China is advancing high-standard opening up and steadily expanding institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards."
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions profoundly elucidate the methodology of opening up in the new era.
During the 2026 sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, when General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation, he emphasized the need to expand high-standard opening up, broadly explore global markets, and better connect with the international economic cycle.
The answer sheet of China's expansion of high-standard opening up is written in the exhibition halls of the Canton Fair.
Tempering capabilities to forge new advantages in international competition —
At the current Canton Fair, consumer electronics have become the absolute mainstay, while science and technology products such as new-type energy storage, embodied intelligence, and smart healthcare are eye-catching. A large number of cutting-edge products made in China make their debut at the Canton Fair. Tens of thousands of high-quality enterprises compete on the same stage, competing in technology, design, and quality, providing the best ecosystem for the innovation and iteration of Made in China.
Expanding markets to promote new global economic and trade cooperation —
The Canton Fair is a great pioneering undertaking of New China in breaking through blockades and embracing the world. Since its birth, it has carried the original aspiration and founding mission of connecting the world through trade and benefiting all under heaven.
The "circle of friends" is expanding at an accelerated pace. More than 300,000 buyers from over 220 countries and regions attend the Fair on schedule each spring and autumn session. Among the more than 30,000 exhibitors, nearly 20 percent have carried out outbound investment, contributing more than 200,000 local jobs.
Raising standards, with institutional opening up leaping across the board —
Every booth at the Canton Fair is filled with vivid stories of courageous struggle and setting sail for overseas markets. When these stories come together, they form a fervent picture of China's opening up — a comprehensive leap from commodity and factor mobility-based opening up to institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards.
Looking south, after the island-wide independent customs operations of Hainan, the Hainan Free Trade Port is transitioning from "building institutions" to "delivering results": the Siemens Energy gas turbine assembly base has commenced construction, the domestic and foreign trade shipping routes at Yangpu Port are being continuously densified, and annual container throughput has exceeded 3 million TEUs.
Looking north, the Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone is accelerating border-opening development: the grain, oil, and fertilizer industrial project at Manzhouli Land Port has broken ground, and cross-border mobile payment between China and Mongolia has achieved interconnection and interoperability.
Twenty-three pilot free trade zones are being built at different levels, and a large number of institutional innovation achievements are being promoted nationwide.
Looking at the surrounding region, regional opening up and cooperation continue to improve and upgrade. The Protocol to Upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 has been signed, the dividends of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership continue to be released, and the economic and trade bonds between China and the world are being woven ever tighter.
Platforms are being built in increasing numbers and at increasingly higher levels. The China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China International Import Expo, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the China International Supply Chain Expo have been launched successively. Opening-up platforms have evolved from the Canton Fair's "single flower blooming alone" to today's "peaks competing in splendor."
Looking again at the Canton Fair's own transformation: at this session, 64 percent of exhibitors apply new technologies such as industrial internet and artificial intelligence, and 36.5 percent of exhibitors are implementing the "product + service" model transformation — China's foreign trade is leaping from "taking orders and selling products" to "building systems and optimizing services," continuously climbing toward the high end of the value chain.
A virtuous cycle of promoting reform through opening up, promoting development through reform, and strengthening opening up through development is gradually unfolding across the land of China.
The Great Way Forward —
"China will inject confidence and impetus into global economic growth through its own development"
"China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the prosperity of the world also needs China."
China's opening up is an opening up that shares opportunities with the world, and it is also an opening up that promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
"We have the determination to steadfastly advance Chinese modernization, and we also have the broad-mindedness to share development opportunities with the world through high-standard opening up. We will inject confidence and impetus into global economic growth through our own development."
At present, unilateralism and power politics are surging against the current, and multilateralism and the international order are under impact. People urgently need the voice of peace and stability.
When the great way prevails, the world belongs to all.
Upholding the common values of all humanity, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, providing systematic Chinese solutions for a world fraught with change and turbulence.
Keeping one's word and ensuring results through action (言必信，行必果, yan bi xin, xing bi guo - "speech, must, trust, action, must, fruit").
In the five years since the Global Development Initiative was proposed, China has jointly carried out more than 2,000 cooperation projects with various parties, trained more than 200,000 personnel of various types, and benefited the people of more than 120 countries.
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, a large number of landmark projects such as the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and the Pinglu Canal have been completed. China, with its distinctive posture, demonstrates the charm and responsibility of an "enabling major country," and Chinese solutions are taking root, sprouting, blooming, and bearing fruit in different places around the world.
"We must focus on development issues and uphold openness and cooperation." In September 2026, President Xi Jinping's speech at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" meeting once again won broad resonance from the international community.
An open China is evident to all in the world.
Safeguarding investment in China. Making focused efforts to resolve the specific problem of "the main door being open while side doors remain closed" in market access, and ensuring that products produced by foreign-invested enterprises in China can participate equally in government procurement in accordance with the law... By the end of 2025, China's stock of attracted foreign investment was approximately US$4 trillion. Survey reports recently released by chambers of commerce of the United States, the European Union, and other countries and regions in China show that the majority of foreign-invested enterprises have achieved good profitability in China, and their willingness to increase investment and expand presence has generally increased.
Expanding unilateral opening up. Implementing zero tariffs comprehensively for all African countries with which China has diplomatic relations, and continuously expanding the visa-free transit policy. With concrete actions, China is enabling the fruits of development to benefit the people of all countries more and more equitably.
Bridging the digital-intelligence divide. Encouraging open source, openness, cooperation, and sharing, China has released the Global AI Governance Action Plan for Capacity Building and the "AI+" international cooperation initiative, proposed the establishment of a World Organization for Artificial Intelligence Cooperation, and continuously contributes Chinese solutions.
The Canton Fair is the vivid scene of this "two-way endeavor."
"Whether it is seeking products of a specific category, connecting with new high-quality suppliers, or exploring new opportunities with long-term partners, the Canton Fair will always be our first choice and our first window for linking to global business opportunities," said Mike Pook, purchasing general manager of New Zealand's Wellgood Group.
"The Canton Fair is the most intuitive and authentic window for the world to observe China's industrial upgrading." In the eyes of Nirose, head of China procurement at the UAE's Abu Dhabi-based LULU International Group, this grand event records China's magnificent leap from "world factory" to "world brand innovation highland."
Behind the Canton Fair's gathering of merchants from all over the world is China's sincere willingness to provide new opportunities for the world through its own new development.
The 70 years of one exhibition mirror the global vision of a political party and the historical responsibility of a major country.
Standing at the new starting point of the Canton Fair's 70 years and 140th session, China in the new era, with firm steps of high-standard opening up, is working together with all countries to create opportunities through opening up and solve problems through cooperation. China will inject stable momentum into the world economy with the stability and certainty of its own development.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Guangzhou, October 14) (Reporter Huang Chao) On the afternoon of October 14, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the opening ceremony of the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) in Guangzhou and delivered a keynote speech.
Li Qiang stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Canton Fair. President Xi Jinping sent a special congratulatory letter, fully affirming the achievements of the Canton Fair and reiterating China's firm resolve to expand high-level opening up. Through this "window" of the Canton Fair, the world has seen the immense vitality contained in China's economy and society, witnessed the magnificent journey of hundreds of millions of Chinese people striving forward with great vigor (奋发进取, fen fa jin qu - "exert effort, advance"), and felt the growing day by day (与日俱增, yu ri ju zeng - "with, day, increase, increase") deep connection between China and the world. An increasingly open, continuously innovative, and trustworthy China that honors its commitments brings new opportunities, provides new momentum, and injects certainty into the world.
Li Qiang pointed out that the Canton Fair, having weathered the vicissitudes of the international landscape, continues to radiate new vitality, which contains simple yet profound insights. First, market connectivity is not a tool of bargaining but an effective measure for creating increments. China is committed to promoting the continuous integration and common growth of the domestic and international markets and to building an open world economy. Second, international trade is not a bookkeeping figure but an independent choice to enhance well-being. As a "super seller" and "super buyer," China brings more of a "benefit-the-neighbor effect" and an "enrich-the-neighbor effect" to all parties. China is willing to import more high-quality products, especially high value-added products, and hopes that more countries will move towards each other (相向而行, xiang xiang er xing - "toward, toward, walk") with China, relax restrictions, and actively promote the optimized and balanced development of trade. Third, mutual benefit and win-win results (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual, benefit, together, win") is not one-way compromise but mutual empowerment and mutual achievement. As the largest developing country, China has always been committed to promoting common development and, while developing itself, has always made its utmost efforts to help and support other developing countries. China will forever be a trustworthy and reliable good friend of developing countries and is willing to walk hand in hand and firmly accompany the vast number of developing countries on the path to modernization.
Li Qiang emphasized that China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening up, and add more momentum to the world economy through positive and pragmatic actions. First, share more market opportunities. Firmly implement the strategy of expanding domestic demand and further lower market access thresholds. Welcome more foreign enterprises to invest and do business in China. Second, expand more mutually beneficial cooperation. Persist in advancing together with the world, deepen the alignment of development strategies with various countries, and support capable Chinese enterprises in making orderly overseas investments. Third, firmly uphold the international economic and trade order. Always stand on the correct side of history, firmly uphold multilateralism and free trade, support the reform and development of the WTO, and work with all parties to explore the formulation of future-oriented international economic and trade rules and promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a video address, stating that China's development has achieved tremendous success and provides rare opportunities for the world. The Canton Fair is an important platform connecting China and the world. Against the backdrop of increasing global uncertainty, she hopes that all parties will jointly promote WTO reform and build an open, rules-based global trading system. More than 700 representatives from various sectors from nearly 90 countries and regions attended the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, Li Qiang toured the Canton Fair enterprise pavilion.
Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the above activities.
This session of the Canton Fair has more than 30,000 enterprises participating as exhibitors, with approximately 340,000 overseas buyers attending to make purchases.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, on the 14th met in Beijing with representatives of various countries attending the 2026 International Parliamentarians' Friendship Exchange Forum.
Zhao Leji stated that President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the four major global initiatives, aimed at promoting the building of a better world. The NPC of China is willing to work together with parliaments of various countries to jointly implement the four major global initiatives, practice true multilateralism, maintain close exchanges and interactions at all levels and in multiple fields, provide legal safeguards for practical cooperation, and promote the development of mutual understanding and friendship among peoples. Zhao Leji also briefed the participants on the relevant situation of China's 15th Five-Year Plan outline, stating that China will continue to expand high-level opening up, share opportunities with various countries, and jointly promote development.
The representatives present stated that legislative bodies of various countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation, broadly build consensus, and make positive contributions to the sustainable economic and social development of their respective countries and to world peace, stability, and prosperity.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 彭 波 张天培 亓玉昆
"The people's congress system is an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy in our country."
In October five years ago, the Party Central Committee convened the first Central Conference on Work Related to People's Congresses. At this important conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically elaborated on the major concept and practice of whole-process people's democracy, and from the strategic height of upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, clearly put forward the guiding ideology, major principles, and main tasks for strengthening and improving the work of people's congresses in the new era, charting the course and providing the fundamental basis for upholding and improving the people's congress system and strengthening and improving the work of people's congresses in the new era.
In September 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress, emphasizing: "We must further strengthen confidence in our path, theory, system, and culture, develop whole-process people's democracy, uphold, improve, and operate well the people's congress system, and provide solid institutional guarantees for realizing the Party's and the people's goals of struggle on the new journey of the new era."
Under the scientific guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping's major concept of whole-process people's democracy and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on upholding and improving the people's congress system, theoretical and practical innovation in the people's congress system has been continuously advanced, the people's congress system has become more mature and more well-defined, whole-process people's democracy has shown vigorous vitality, and a powerful force has been gathered for the entire people to jointly advance Chinese modernization.
Upholding the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance
The people's congress system is an important component of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is also the fundamental political system that underpins China's national governance system and governance capacity.
General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke highly of the advantages and efficacy of the people's congress system, pointing out: "The people's congress system upholds that all power in the state belongs to the people, guarantees to the greatest extent that the people are the masters of the country, organically unifies the Party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance, and effectively ensures that national governance escapes the historical cycle of rise and fall, order and chaos."
The leadership of the Communist Party of China means supporting and ensuring that the people realize their position as masters of the country. We must uphold the Party's leading core role in commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, and through the people's congress system, ensure that the Party's line, principles, policies, and decision-making arrangements are fully implemented and effectively executed in the work of the state.
In March 2022, the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress adopted a decision on amending the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments at Various Levels, into which "upholding and developing whole-process people's democracy" was solemnly written. The amended Local Organic Law clearly stipulates that local people's congresses at various levels, standing committees of local people's congresses at and above the county level, and local people's governments at various levels adhere to a people-centered approach, uphold and develop whole-process people's democracy, always maintain close ties with the people, listen to the people's opinions and suggestions, serve the people, be responsible to the people, and be subject to the people's supervision.
The Ecological Environment Code has written Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization into law, transforming its core essence into universally binding legal norms; the Law on Rule-of-Law Publicity and Education has written Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law into law, making the study and publicity of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law an important content and primary task of rule-of-law publicity and education; the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress fully implements General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on strengthening and improving the work on ethnic affairs, and clarifies through national legislation the fundamental basis for the Party's ethnic work in the new era...
The National People's Congress and its Standing Committee effectively implement the Party Central Committee's political requirements into legal provisions, and through statutory procedures make the Party's propositions become the will of the state and the consensus and common action of the entire people.
The people being the masters of the country is the essence and core of socialist democratic politics. The people's congress system is the fundamental political system that guarantees the people's position as masters of the country.
"All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people." Article 2 of the Constitution — extremely important or weighty words (字字重千钧, zi zi zhong qian jun - "word, word, heavy, thousand, weight").
On September 8, the Tianqiao Area Branch of the Xicheng District Election Committee in Beijing carried out a centralized publicity day activity at Tianqiao Citizens' Square. Staff distributed "A Letter to Voters of Xicheng District" on site, and publicity display boards were set up in the square introducing the principles and procedures for the election of district and township people's congress deputies.
"My household registration is not in Beijing, but I have lived in Beijing for a long time. Can I vote in the election in Beijing?" The questioner was a delivery courier, Yang Xuedong, from Hebei. Staff gave him a detailed explanation of the relevant policies for residents without local household registration to participate in elections. "I hope people's congress deputies can pay more attention to our new employment groups and speak up for the protection of our rights and interests," Yang Xuedong said.
Safeguarding citizens' right to vote and to stand for election has long been written into law. The current Electoral Law was promulgated in 1979 and has undergone seven revisions, establishing and improving electoral principles such as universality, equality, the combination of direct and indirect elections, competitive elections, secret ballot, and the protection of electoral rights.
On November 5, 2021, when General Secretary Xi Jinping voted at the Huirentang polling station of the Zhongnanhai electoral district in Xicheng District, Beijing, in the election of district people's congress deputies, he emphasized: "Electing people's congress deputies is the foundation of the people's congress system and an important manifestation of the people being the masters of the country."
At present, a new round of elections for county and township people's congress deputies nationwide is being carried out in an orderly manner, and more than 1 billion voters across the country will elect more than 2.6 million county and township people's congress deputies through direct election.
This is a major event in the political life of the people across the country, and it is also a vivid practice of whole-process people's democracy.
"The people elected me as a deputy, and as a deputy I serve the people." Newly elected people's congress deputies at all levels will strive to become bridges between the Party and the state and the people, perform their duties in accordance with the law, maintain close ties with the masses, listen to and reflect the will and aspirations of the people, and promote the resolution of practical problems in accordance with the law.
Ensuring that the voices of the people can be heard at every link and in every aspect
The reason the people's congress system has strong vitality and notable superiority lies in the fact that it is deeply rooted in the people.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Ensure that the people's rights to be informed, to participate, to express, and to supervise are implemented in all aspects, all links, and the entire process of the work of people's congresses, and ensure that the Party and the state can hear the voices of the people at every link in decision-making, implementation, and supervision."
During this year's National Day holiday, homestays in Pingxiliang Village, Shuixigou Town, Urumqi County, Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, were fully booked. But two years ago, homestay operators were still worried about "unstable customer sources and too difficult parking." The people's congress deputy liaison stations established in the concentrated homestay area played a positive role.
The resident people's congress deputies made regular visits, asking operators about their difficulties and listening to the voices of tourists, collecting more than 500 opinions and suggestions, promptly reflecting them to relevant departments, and promoting the opening of dedicated bus routes and the creation of specialty markets and homestay projects. Today, the number of visitors to Pingxiliang Village has increased by 30 percent year-on-year, and villagers are "eating the tourism meal" at their doorsteps.
Small details that reflect the whole situation (一枝一叶, yi zhi yi ye - "one, branch, one, leaf") — all are the voices of the people.
"I suggest that the state coordinate the upgrading of the national administrative law enforcement supervision information system platform, and connect the four levels of ports at the city, county, township, and village levels." On August 26, 2026, at the symposium of National People's Congress deputies held during the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, NPC deputy Xue Zhilong suggested improving the whole-chain functions of the system to promote quality and efficiency in grassroots law enforcement supervision.
Since the 14th National People's Congress, a total of 1,003 person-times of NPC deputies have attended sessions of the NPC Standing Committee as non-voting participants. At the symposia for attending deputies attended by leading comrades of the NPC Standing Committee, 358 person-times of deputies put forward 966 opinions and suggestions on topics such as safeguarding national food security and amending the Law on Deputies.
Inviting deputies to attend Standing Committee sessions, participate in special research and law enforcement inspections... The NPC Standing Committee's ties with deputies have become closer, further safeguarding the public's right to be informed and to participate.
"I am a deputy who came out of the Dabie Mountains. Speaking up for the people of the old revolutionary base areas and helping them live a 'rising step by step' life is an unavoidable duty or responsibility (义不容辞, yi bu rong ci - "righteousness, not, allow, word") for me." Huang Jiusheng, an NPC deputy and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Huangchuan County Liaison Office in Zhengzhou, Xinyang City, Henan Province, has repeatedly offered suggestions and proposals for the high-quality development of the Dabie Mountain area, and his suggestion on the protection, development, and utilization of ancient oil-tea camellia forests received positive responses from relevant departments. Today, the oil-tea camellia forests in the old revolutionary base area of the Dabie Mountains are covering the mountains and fields (漫山遍野, man shan bian ye - "overflow, mountain, everywhere, field"), becoming "fortune trees" that fatten villagers' wallets.
Deputies' suggestions are an institutionalized vehicle for the people to express their demands, carrying the expectations of the masses. The fact that suggestion after suggestion has moved from paper to reality proves that whole-process people's democracy is not an abstract concept but a perceptible and testable governance practice.
"For key suggestions concerning people's livelihoods, industrial development, ecological protection, and other matters, the National People's Congress has special committees take the lead in supervising their handling with priority, organizing the handling units to communicate face-to-face with the deputies, listening to demands before handling, reporting progress during handling, and conducting follow-up evaluations after handling, forming a closed-loop handling system," said a relevant official from the Representative Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee.
The National People's Congress and its Standing Committee adhere to "high-quality content and high-quality handling," improve the whole-chain mechanism of assignment, communication, supervision, feedback, and evaluation, and further promote the transformation of the handling of deputies' suggestions from a "reply-oriented" model to an "implementation-oriented" model.
Improving the people's congress's platforms and vehicles for democratic public opinion expression
Law is a heavy instrument of state governance; good law is the prerequisite for good governance.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "the people's congress system has the notable advantage of guaranteeing comprehensive law-based governance and realizing the rule of law in all aspects of the state's work."
On March 12, 2026, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress voted with a high majority to pass the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China.
This code has written the people's aspiration for a beautiful ecological environment into the blueprint of rule-of-law governance, and its formation and continuous improvement have been a process of continuously absorbing public opinion and building consensus.
Around the compilation of the Ecological Environment Code, after each review by the NPC Standing Committee, the draft was published to the public, and over four rounds of public solicitation of opinions, more than 20,000 opinions from more than 7,000 person-times were received. The grassroots legislative liaison points in Anji, Zhejiang, and Nansha, Guangdong, suggested that the list of new pollutants subject to key control should be adjusted in a timely manner; the grassroots legislative liaison point in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, suggested adding a list of green and low-carbon industry types in the green and low-carbon development chapter... The grassroots legislative liaison points of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee put forward many constructive opinions and suggestions on the compilation of the code, which were adopted.
Grassroots legislative liaison points are vividly described as legislative "through trains" and "heart-connecting bridges," linking the legislative body on one end and grassroots people on the other, and are a microcosm of the development of whole-process people's democracy.
In March 2023, the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress amended the Legislation Law, stipulating that legislative work adheres to the major concept of whole-process people's democracy, and for the first time wrote "grassroots legislative liaison points" into law. At present, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee has established a total of 60 grassroots legislative liaison points, which have driven local people's congress standing committees to establish more than 7,800 legislative liaison points.
From the white mountains and black waters of the northeast to the snow-covered plateau, from bustling streets and alleys to ethnic villages, grassroots legislative liaison points one after another have become a unique and beautiful landscape in the process of China's democratic and rule-of-law construction.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to grasp the key of improving the quality of legislation, give full play to the leading role of the people's congresses and their standing committees in legislative work, adhere to respecting and reflecting objective laws, adhere to being for the people and relying on the people, adhere to strictly acting in accordance with statutory authority and statutory procedures, and deeply advance scientific legislation, democratic legislation, and law-based legislation.
Seeking advice and solutions from the people (问计于民, wen ji yu min - "ask, strategy, at, people"), and asking the people about their needs.
Since the beginning of this year, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee have published 30 drafts of laws for solicitation of opinions, receiving 186,000 opinions and suggestions from 89,000 person-times, and many profound and penetrating insights (真知灼见, zhen zhi zhuo jian - "true, knowledge, burning, insight") have been absorbed and adopted in legislation;
As of the end of September 2026, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee has solicited more than 102,000 opinions from grassroots legislative liaison points on 235 drafts of laws, legislative planning drafts, and filing and review work...
These sets of impressive data fully demonstrate that the channels for citizens to participate in legislation have become more convenient and smooth, and that the people can put forward opinions and suggestions at their doorsteps and offer advice and suggestions for national legislation.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to improve the people's congress's platforms and vehicles for democratic public opinion expression, improve the working mechanisms for absorbing public opinion and pooling popular wisdom, advance people's congress consultation and legislative consultation, and unify social conditions and public opinion from all aspects into the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people.
Developing and leveraging mobile client applications, WeChat public accounts, opinion-solicitation QR codes, and other "online" methods to expand the breadth of public participation, combined with "offline" forms such as symposiums, consultation meetings, and residents' deliberation meetings, to bring legislative opinion solicitation and public opinion collection work to the people's "doorsteps";
Inviting lawyers, industry experts, and others to explain the meaning of legal drafts to the people participating in opinion solicitation, transforming "legal language" into plain and understandable words;
Designing differentiated participation methods according to the characteristics of different groups, so that different groups can all find participation channels suitable for themselves...
People's congresses at all levels actively explore and innovate working methods and approaches, gradually establish and improve working mechanisms for absorbing public opinion and pooling popular wisdom, broadly build legislative consensus, and strive to make every piece of legislation conform to the spirit of the Constitution, reflect the will of the people, and win the support of the people.
The journey of ten thousand li is underway with a strong wind, and the heavy burden of a thousand jun calls for setting out anew.
On the new journey, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, centering on developing whole-process people's democracy, upholding, improving, and operating well the people's congress system, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics will surely radiate even more brilliant light, providing even more solid institutional guarantees for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
Return to TopBy: 常 晋
On October 14, the 140th Canton Fair opened. Over 70 years and 140 sessions, never once interrupted, the Canton Fair has become an effective platform for China to expand high-standard opening up and promote the building of an open world economy.
President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th Canton Fair, pointing out that "China is willing to join hands with countries around the world to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system," and emphasizing the need to "advance an inclusive and beneficial economic globalization, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity."
Those who benefit the world will be benefited by the world in return.
This session of the Canton Fair saw more than 30,000 enterprises participate as exhibitors, with approximately 340,000 overseas buyers attending to make purchases. Foreign enterprises, one after another, are voting with their feet (用脚投票, yong jiao tou piao - "use, feet, vote"), casting their votes for the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing, the magnetic pull of the Chinese market, and, above all, China's capacity for opening-up action. Seeking cooperation through openness (以开放谋合作, yi kai fang mou he zuo - "use, openness, seek, cooperation") and promoting win-win results through cooperation (以合作促共赢, yi he zuo cu gong ying - "use, cooperation, promote, win-win"), a growing number of trading partners are increasing their commitments to China, upgrading into innovation partners, investment partners, and industrial and supply chain partners.
From the expansion and quality improvement of the Canton Fair and the China International Import Expo, to the full implementation of zero tariffs on all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, we bear in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of the people, remain undisturbed by storms and waves, and steadily expand independent opening up and unilateral opening up, providing valuable stability to the global economy.
By grasping the common denominator of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and continuously tapping new potential and new space for cooperation, China will fare better, and the world will fare better.
Return to TopTheory
Restructuring the International Communication Landscape to Enhance the Dissemination Power and Influence of Chinese Civilization
Ninth Edition
Return to Top(People's Daily, Guangzhou, October 14) (Reporter Huang Chao) On the morning of October 14, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang attended the "Canton Fair Connecting the World for 70 Years" symposium in Guangzhou.
After listening to the remarks of overseas buyers and exhibitor representatives present, Li Qiang said that over the 70 years since the Canton Fair was held, it has continued to grow and strengthen alongside China's opening up and development, becoming not only a shining calling card of China's opening up to the outside world, but also an important window through which the world observes China. The Canton Fair is one of the world's few one-stop trading platforms with complete product categories and convenient, efficient services. It also brings together the latest products and technologies, serving not only as a major stage for traditional goods trade, but also as a weather vane for the development of new forms of trade. Upholding the purpose of "connecting the world through trade, benefiting the world through mutual benefit," the Canton Fair has become not only a bond for economic and trade cooperation between China and foreign countries, but also a bridge for enhancing understanding and friendship.
Li Qiang said that in recent years, the business dealings of enterprises from various countries participating in the Canton Fair have become more diverse, and they are gradually upgrading toward all-round cooperative partnerships. Three trends are particularly evident and can help enterprises better utilize the Canton Fair platform and better seize opportunities for development in China. First, upgrading from trading partners to innovation partners, which can better share in the dividends of technological progress. China will continue to foster an open and innovative ecosystem, strengthen protection of foreign-related intellectual property rights, and actively address enterprises' concerns. Second, upgrading from trading partners to investment partners, which can expand more incremental market space. China will continue to optimize the environment for foreign investment, expand market access, and support foreign enterprises in localized production. Third, upgrading from trading partners to production and supply chain partners, which can effectively enhance the ability to prevent risks and withstand shocks. China will accelerate the building of a modern industrial system and advance the planning and construction of new power grids, computing power networks, new-generation communications networks, and other infrastructure. We welcome enterprises from all countries to invest more in China, deepen their presence in the Chinese market, strengthen mutually beneficial and pragmatic production and supply chain cooperation, and promote the building of open and inclusive global production and supply chains. It is hoped that Chinese and foreign enterprises will actively promote the connection of global supply and demand, lead international innovation cooperation, and tell the story of mutually beneficial outcomes (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual benefit, win together"), contributing greater strength to world economic and trade cooperation.
Li Qiang pointed out that, standing at the new starting point of the 70th anniversary, the "golden signboard" of the Canton Fair must be polished even brighter. Build a "Smart Canton Fair," develop more new scenarios and new tracks, and raise the "digital and intelligent" content of the Canton Fair. Build a "Green Canton Fair," launch more green products and exhibition areas, promote green trade, and contribute to the global green transition. Build a "Cultural Canton Fair," highlight the cultural elements of the exhibition, promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations of various countries, and deepen mutual understanding and friendship.
About 70 business figures from nearly 30 countries and regions attended the symposium. Enterprise representatives said in their remarks that over the past 70 years, enterprises from various countries have grown together with the Canton Fair. At present, global production and supply chains are undergoing deep restructuring, and the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing is growing ever stronger, making important contributions to promoting the development of the world economy. The Canton Fair is the most trustworthy global business platform. The Chinese government has continued to implement targeted policies, continuously optimizing the business environment and helping enterprises from various countries achieve leapfrog development. Foreign representatives said that the Canton Fair empowers Chinese and foreign enterprises. They are full of confidence in China's development prospects and are willing to firmly walk alongside China, share innovation, promote growth together, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
Before the symposium, Li Qiang visited the "Canton Fair Connecting the World for 70 Years" themed exhibition, presented commemorative badges and certificates to representatives of "veteran Canton Fair participants," and posed for group photos.
Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the above activities.
Return to TopBy: 中华人民共和国国务院总理 李 强
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
It gives me great pleasure to join you in the beautiful Flower City of Guangzhou for the 140th session of the China Import and Export Fair. On behalf of the Chinese government, I extend a warm welcome to all of you and express heartfelt gratitude for your long-standing, active contributions to promoting economic and trade cooperation between China and other countries and to advancing development.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Canton Fair. President Xi Jinping sent a special congratulatory letter, fully affirming the achievements of the Canton Fair and reiterating China's firm resolve to expand high-level opening up. Over the past 70 years, the Canton Fair has grown from strength to strength, with its exhibition area expanding from 9,600 square meters at the first session to the current 1.55 million square meters, and the number of buyers growing from 1,200 at the outset to over 300,000 this year. It has become China's longest-running, largest, and most transaction-heavy international trade event, and it also serves as an important window for the international community to understand China. Through this "window" of the Canton Fair, the world has seen the immense vitality embedded in China's economy and society, witnessed the magnificent journey of hundreds of millions of Chinese people striving forward with great spirit (奋发进取, fèn fā jìn qǔ - "exert, strive, advance, pursue"), and felt the deep and increasing day by day (与日俱增, yǔ rì jù zēng - "with, day, increase, increase") bond between China and the world.
First, an increasingly open China brings new opportunities to the world. Over the past 70 years, the Canton Fair was born of opening up and has thrived on opening up. Its international "circle of friends" has kept growing, with buyers from more than 220 countries and regions and cumulative transactions reaching US$1.6 trillion. Behind this lies China's strategic choice of promoting development through opening up, as well as the practical need for countries to complement each other's economic strengths and empower one another. China is already a major trading partner of more than 160 countries and regions and the largest export destination of nearly 80 countries and regions, with an outward foreign direct investment stock of US$3.4 trillion. It has developed itself while benefiting the world.
Second, a continuously innovating China provides new drivers for the world. Over the past 70 years, the exhibits at the Canton Fair have been constantly upgraded and renewed, from agricultural and sideline products and native specialties in the 1960s and 1970s, to light industrial, mechanical, and electrical products in the 1980s and 1990s, and to embodied intelligence and smart healthcare products today. One could say they have been changing with each passing day (日新月异, rì xīn yuè yì - "day, new, month, different"). Behind this lies China's rapid progress in pursuing innovation-driven development, and it is also a vivid microcosm of the global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. In recent years, new technologies, new products, and new business forms in fields such as artificial intelligence, green energy, and biomedicine have continued to emerge in China, adding new momentum and opening new space for the world economy.
Third, a China that honors its commitments provides certainty to the world. Over the past 70 years, no matter how the international situation has changed, the Canton Fair has never been interrupted, and it has unswervingly upheld the principle of "honoring contracts and keeping promises." Behind this lies China's value pursuit of being true to one's word and following through with actions (言必信、行必果, yán bì xìn, xíng bì guǒ - "speech, must, trust, action, must, fruit"), as well as the recognition and trust that the international community has placed in China. China has long maintained policy stability and continuity, steadfastly fulfilled its commitments in areas such as lowering tariff levels, strengthening development assistance, and addressing climate change, demonstrating the responsibility of a major country in a turbulent and changing world.
Looking back over these 70 years, the reason the Canton Fair has been able to withstand the test of unpredictable and rapidly changing circumstances (风云变幻, fēng yún biàn huàn - "wind, cloud, change, transform") in the international arena and continuously radiate new vitality is precisely because it has always followed the trend of economic globalization and always responded to the international community's aspiration for joint development. This contains some simple yet profound insights that deserve our deep reflection. Here I would like to share three observations with you.
First, market connectivity is not a tool for game-playing between countries, but an effective measure for creating increments. In recent years, various man-made market barriers have visibly increased around the world, and some have even politicized, weaponized, and turned economic and trade issues into tools. Yet when these layers of disguise are stripped away, one finds protectionism lurking deep within. Both theory and practice have fully proven that markets have never been static; rather, they are more like a network extending in all directions (四通八达, sì tōng bā dá - "four, connect, eight, reach"). Only by connecting more new networks can we better form economies of scale, match supply and demand more efficiently, create more value, and open up greater space. Protectionism may seem to safeguard a country's own market, but it also cuts off the possibility of market expansion, and it will lose its place in the new global market network, ultimately the loss outweighs the gain (得不偿失, dé bù cháng shī - "gain, not, compensate, loss").
For a long time, China has been committed to promoting the continuous integration and joint growth of the domestic and international markets. Our import scale has ranked second in the world for 17 consecutive years, exceeding 18 trillion yuan last year and growing by 22.3 percent in the first three quarters of this year. After all these years of opening up, China's market has not shrunk; on the contrary, by introducing new products and industries such as automobiles and home appliances from various countries, it has discovered and cultivated more new market demand. At the same time, China's high-quality exports, especially some innovative products, have continued to drive the expansion of new incremental space in the global market. China is willing to work with all countries to continue building an open world economy, strengthen connectivity and alignment with one another, make the global market bigger and bigger, and enable all parties to gain more benefits.
Second, international trade is not a matter of bookkeeping figures, but an independent choice for enhancing well-being. Recently, there has been considerable discussion internationally about trade balance. The laws of economics show that trade balance is short-term and relative, while imbalance is common and dynamic, determined by differences in countries' comparative advantages, economic structures, and industrial division of labor. We need to recognize that the essence of trade is mutually beneficial (互惠互利, hù huì hù lì - "mutual, benefit, mutual, profit"); we cannot simply assume that a surplus means "taking advantage" and a deficit means "losing out." Trade balance is naturally approached through all parties in trade meeting each other's needs and engaging in sound interaction, rather than through building walls and barriers or even suppressing and containing others. If one engages in export controls on the one hand while expecting trade balance on the other, that is unrealistic and will instead push up costs, disrupt production and supply chains, and further aggravate imbalance. What we need is an "upward balance" achieved by expanding opening up and jointly making the "pie" bigger, not a "downward balance" that will inevitably lead to contraction by closing off markets.
When some people talk about China's trade today, they often only look at import and export figures without paying attention to the real effects behind them. China is both a "super seller" and a "super buyer." As a "super seller," what we bring to all parties is more of a "benefit-the-neighbor effect." The high-cost-performance goods forged by the sweat and wisdom of countless hardworking Chinese workers have greatly enhanced the real purchasing power of global consumers, improved the quality of life of people in various countries, and strengthened the industrial development capacity of relevant countries. As a "super buyer," what we bring to all parties is more of an "enrich-the-neighbor effect." Agricultural products, industrial goods, and consumer goods from many countries flow into China in an endless stream, converting into profits for local enterprises, wages for local workers, and tax revenue for local governments. China has never deliberately pursued a surplus; moreover, in many cases now, "the surplus is in China, but the benefits are shared by all." A large number of foreign-invested enterprises in China export their products to the world and reap substantial returns. We are willing to buy more foreign products, especially high value-added ones. Since last year, we have held about 70 "Sharing the Big Market · Exporting to China" events, and next month we will hold the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai. We hope more countries will move in the same direction as us, relax restrictions, and actively promote the optimized and balanced development of trade.
Third, mutually beneficial win-win cooperation is not one-way compromise, but mutual empowerment and mutual achievement. On the road to global prosperity and development, zero-sum game-playing is not advisable; mutually beneficial win-win cooperation is the right path. To achieve true win-win outcomes, we cannot rely on simple quid pro quo exchanges, still less on compromise and concession under pressure. What is needed is equal treatment, two-way efforts, and joint growth. At present, all links of the international production and supply chains are deeply interwoven and closely connected. As long as countries cooperate sincerely and learn from others' strengths to make up for one's own weaknesses (取长补短, qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn - "take, long, supplement, short"), we can achieve win-win outcomes at a higher level and with greater sustainability. In this process, developed countries should act more actively, providing developing countries with more financial and technological support and more preferential economic and trade policies to help them raise their industrial levels and strengthen their internal drivers of development.
As the largest developing country, China has always been committed to promoting common development. While developing itself, it has always done its utmost to help and support other developing countries. Over the years, China has promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. More and more developing countries, relying on China's products, technology, and capital, have improved their own industrial systems and enhanced their high-end export capacity, with industrial upgrading accelerating and their positions in the global value chain rising continuously. Chinese enterprises have established more than 50,000 overseas investment entities, nearly 90 percent of which are located in Global South countries. Among them, the manufacturing industries of quite a few countries have risen rapidly, and export earnings have grown substantially. China will forever be a trustworthy and reliable good friend of developing countries and is willing to pave roads and build bridges for them on the path to modernization, walking hand in hand with them and standing firmly by their side.
Over the years, China has been an active practitioner of global openness and cooperation, insisting on making important contributions to what the world needs with what it has. This year, amid a complex and intertwined international situation, the Chinese economy has withstood pressure and advanced steadily, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. We are confident and capable of achieving this year's economic and social development goals and tasks. China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening up, and add more momentum to the world economy through positive and pragmatic actions.
First, we will share more market opportunities. The demand of China's super-sized market is being released at a faster pace. Last year, total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion yuan for the first time, and they are expected to grow by another approximately 10 trillion yuan in the next five years. We will firmly implement the strategy of expanding domestic demand, promote consumption upgrading, and at the same time further lower market access thresholds and strengthen service guarantees for enterprises. We welcome more foreign enterprises to invest and do business in China.
Second, we will expand more mutually beneficial cooperation. China will keep pace with the world, deepen the alignment of development strategies with other countries, support capable Chinese enterprises in making orderly overseas investments, strengthen technological exchanges, expand cooperation in emerging fields, and carry out more localized operations to help local industries improve quality, enhance efficiency, and boost economic development.
Third, we will firmly uphold the international economic and trade order. China will always stand on the right side of history, firmly uphold multilateralism and free trade, support the reform and development of the WTO, work with all parties to explore and formulate future-oriented international economic and trade rules, continuously reform and improve global economic governance, and advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
Over the past 70 years, we have reaped the fruits of hard work and successful development (春华秋实, chūn huá qiū shí - "spring, flower, autumn, fruit"). I am confident that the Canton Fair will always be held with renewed vitality and get better and better. I wish you all the opportunity to make new friends, reach new cooperation, and reap new achievements here. Let us work together to create a brighter future!
Thank you all!
(Xinhua News Agency, Guangzhou, October 14)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 欧阳洁
In the first three quarters, China's total goods trade in imports and exports reached 39.94 trillion yuan, up 18.8 percent year on year. Of this, exports were 23.2 trillion yuan, up 16.4 percent; imports were 16.74 trillion yuan, up 22.3 percent.
"Since the beginning of this year, high-quality development of foreign trade and the building of a strong trading nation have continued to advance, with imports and exports growing rapidly and achieving simultaneous growth in both quantity and quality (量质齐升, liang zhi qi sheng - "quantity, quality, together, rise")." At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on October 14, Wang Jun, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs and Deputy Director-General of the Administration, said that China's imports and exports have continued to grow rapidly, with growth of 15.3 percent, 18.3 percent, and 22.3 percent in the first, second, and third quarters respectively. On a monthly basis, double-digit growth was maintained for six consecutive months, and in September imports and exports reached 5.16 trillion yuan, exceeding 5 trillion yuan for the first time, up 27.5 percent.
Quarterly and monthly foreign trade growth rates show an accelerating trend
Wang Jun used the four characters "fast, new, superior, and good" to summarize the characteristics of China's foreign trade development in the first three quarters of this year.
Fast growth rate. The foreign trade growth rate in the first three quarters was the fastest for the same period in the past five years, with quarterly and monthly growth rates generally showing an accelerating trend.
New development drivers. In the first three quarters, imports and exports of products such as industrial robots, electronic components, computer parts, and electrical equipment totaled more than 10 trillion yuan, up 58.9 percent, contributing 11.3 percentage points to overall import and export growth. The brand influence of "Made in China" continues to rise, with the export growth rate of independent brands reaching 26.7 percent, accounting for 24.8 percent of total exports, a share increase of two percentage points compared with the same period last year.
Superior trade structure. The structure of cross-border logistics channels has been further optimized. In the first three quarters, the share of road transport in imports and exports rose by 3.4 percentage points; as the trade scale of high-tech products, high-value-added products, and fresh agricultural and food products expanded, air transport imports and exports grew by 37.2 percent.
Good openness quality and efficiency. In the first three quarters, China achieved two-way growth in both imports and exports with more than 120 countries and regions. Economic and trade cooperation with countries jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative has continued to deepen, with imports and exports to relevant countries reaching 20.37 trillion yuan, up 17.1 percent; imports and exports to other APEC economies reached 24.07 trillion yuan, up 23.9 percent year on year.
"At present, there are still many unstable and unpredictable factors in the international environment. At the same time, the world economy still has resilience, and China has the advantage and support of a super-large market and a complete industrial system. With the coordinated effect of existing and incremental policies, China's foreign trade still has the foundation and conditions for stable growth in the next stage," Wang Jun said.
Since March, import growth has exceeded 20 percent for seven consecutive months
In the first three quarters, China's import growth rate was 5.9 percentage points higher than that of exports, and imports from more than 110 countries and regions grew faster than exports. Since March, import growth has exceeded 20 percent for seven consecutive months, and in September the import scale exceeded 2 trillion yuan for the first time.
"The rapid growth of imports is mainly attributable to the stable operation of China's economy and the continued release of the effects of the super-large market," Wang Jun said in analyzing the reasons for import growth.
Advanced manufacturing has continued to grow and strengthen, with strong demand for various intermediate goods such as key components. In the first three quarters, imports of storage components grew 1.5 times, integrated circuits grew 56.6 percent, and aircraft parts grew 17.6 percent.
Consumer demand is shifting from "whether it exists" to "whether it is good," and Chinese residents' import demand for "good products" from various countries has expanded. In the first three quarters, imports of fresh durian from Malaysia grew 3.3 times, olive oil from Italy grew 28.6 percent, and perfume from France grew 28.5 percent.
Improved production activities have also provided stable support for imports of upstream raw materials. In the first three quarters, imports of metal ores such as iron, aluminum, and nickel exceeded 1.2 billion tons, and oil and gas exceeded 400 million tons.
"The continuous expansion of the import scale is not only an objective reflection of domestic production and consumption demand, but also fully demonstrates the actual results of China's orderly expansion of independent opening-up and unilateral opening-up," Wang Jun said. Since May 1 this year, after China fully implemented zero tariffs on 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, the number of countries enjoying zero tariffs has reached 63. In the first three quarters, China's imports from the above-mentioned countries reached 867.53 billion yuan, up 15.3 percent.
Foreign-invested enterprises are participants in and beneficiaries of "China Opportunity 2.0." In the first three quarters, imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises reached 11.69 trillion yuan, up 19 percent year on year, setting a record high for the same period in history.
"China is not only the 'world's factory,' but also the 'world's market' — an open and shared market," Wang Jun said.
In the third quarter, export scale exceeded 8 trillion yuan for the first time
In the first three quarters, goods trade exports reached 23.2 trillion yuan, up 16.4 percent. Of this, the export scale in the third quarter exceeded 8 trillion yuan for the first time, up 22 percent.
"The good growth trend of exports is mainly attributable to China's complete industrial chain system and the continuous growth and strengthening of advanced manufacturing, which can accurately, rapidly, and effectively respond to global production and consumption demand," Wang Jun said.
On the production side, in the first three quarters China's ship exports exceeded 350 billion yuan, up 24.6 percent, with 300,000-ton-class oil tankers, large liquefied petroleum gas carriers, and liquefied natural gas carriers all achieving multiplied growth; the industrial robot industry has accelerated digital and intelligent empowerment, with exports approaching 10 billion yuan, up 16.9 percent, helping trading partners' manufacturing industries transform and upgrade. On the consumption side, in the first three quarters China's exports of digital cameras grew 40.5 percent.
The artificial intelligence investment boom continues, and demand for computing power and electrical equipment has correspondingly risen. In terms of computing power, in the first three quarters China's exports of integrated circuits grew 99.1 percent, computer parts grew 2.1 times, and storage components such as solid-state drives grew 1.3 times, ensuring the stable supply of intermediate products for the global computing power industry chain. In terms of electricity, China's exports of photovoltaic products and wind turbine generator sets and their parts grew 10.3 percent and 22.4 percent respectively, continuously filling the global supply gap for clean energy; exports of wires and cables and transformers grew 28.1 percent and 22.5 percent respectively; exports of various types of storage batteries grew 34.8 percent, sold to more than 200 countries and regions.
"From high-speed optical communication modules to artificial intelligence computing power server cabinets, from wires to ultra-high-voltage converter transformers, from power banks to commercial and industrial energy storage equipment, from single small batteries to containerized integrated energy storage systems, Chinese enterprises are providing Chinese products, Chinese experience, and Chinese solutions for global computing power construction, stable grid operation, and secure electricity supply," Wang Jun said.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 江润楠 王昊男 刘军国
A canal stretches a thousand li in length, and on both banks of the canal lies the homeland.
Since 2022, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has achieved continuous water flow along its entire route for five consecutive years; the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and the Grand Canal National Cultural Park have been implemented one after another. The canal flows quietly, nourishing the people along its banks, and also telling the story of a thousand-year water artery surging ceaselessly onward.
"The Grand Canal is a precious legacy left to us by our ancestors, a flowing culture, and it must be protected, inherited, and utilized in a coordinated manner." General Secretary Xi Jinping has been constantly keeping the protection of the Grand Canal in mind (念兹在兹, nian zi zai zi - "think, this, at, exist").
River-patrol diaries, photographs, boatmen's work chants... Each old object and each canal ballad is a "family heirloom" of the residents along the banks. Imprinted upon them are the stories of ecological recovery, cultural heritage transmission, and economic development along both sides of the canal, leaving behind an extremely precious (弥足珍贵, mi zu zhen gui - "extremely, very, precious, valuable") record for the thousand-year canal.
"Family heirloom" No. 1: The River-Patrol Diary
Writing a green "chronicle" for the canal
In Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the Xinkai River runs through the city and merges into the main stream, from where the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal heads northward all the way.
Every day at 6 a.m., Hu Fuqing, an 80-year-old civilian river chief, puts on his red vest, takes his self-made tools, and walks 4 kilometers along the Xinkai River and Xintang River waterways to inspect water quality. Taking water samples, picking up garbage, collecting floating debris... Rain or shine, Hu Fuqing has persisted for 12 years.
"What the water quality is like, what changes have occurred on the banks — only by writing them down will they not be easily forgotten." Since 2015, Hu Fuqing has been writing his river-patrol diary. More than 960,000 characters of river-patrol diary entries record the real transformation of the Xinkai River from "black, foul sewage" to "clear water with visible fish."
One end of his water-sampling tool is a scoop net, and the other end is tied with a mineral water bottle used for water quality sampling. "Lower the anchored floating plate until it sinks to a barely visible position, and you can measure the river's transparency that day," Hu Fuqing said. "Back then, the water was turbid for more than 20 days a month."
Zhejiang has fully implemented the river chief system, launching a tough battle for water environment governance under the "Five-Water Co-Governance" initiative. Flipping through the river-patrol diaries of recent years, "clear water quality, clean green belts" has become a more common phrase.
Direct discharge of construction-site sewage, residents washing clothes by the river, leaking water supply pipes... "When the civilian river chief blows the whistle, functional departments report for duty." Urban management, municipal works, water affairs, and ecological departments act in coordination, and the problems recorded one by one in the river-patrol diary have been effectively resolved.
"As the 'capillaries' of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Xinkai River and Xintang River are the first line of defense for the water environment of the river basin," Hu Fuqing said. The Xinkai River and Xintang River have been rated as provincial-level beautiful rivers and lakes, with the target water quality stably meeting Class IV standards or above.
"I have been a Party member for more than 50 years. When it comes to protecting the river, one person alone cannot accomplish much — we need to rally more people to join in," Hu Fuqing said. Today, in Shangcheng District, pioneer river-protection teams, spark river-protection teams, and "Wang Xiaoge" river-protection teams, composed mainly of Party members, young people, and workers in new employment forms, have been established, cumulatively mobilizing more than 3,100 person-times to participate in water-protection actions.
Today, Hu Fuqing's two river-patrol diaries have been collected as key exhibits by the Zhedong Canal Museum. In his view, a stretch of clear water at his doorstep is the best "family heirloom" of all. "Only if everyone works together will future generations be able to see a continuous and steady supply of clear water (清水长流, qing shui chang liu - "clear, water, long, flow")," Hu Fuqing said.
"Family heirloom" No. 2: Ten Thousand Photographs
Image archives freeze the canal's transformation in time
"I started photographing this canal back in the 1970s and 1980s." From film to digital cameras, Wang Shaohua, a former photojournalist for the Cangzhou Daily, has used more than ten thousand photographs to document nearly half a century of change in the Cangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Within the territory of Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal winds for 216 kilometers before flowing into Tianjin. Cangzhou has prospered because of the river since ancient times and was an important grain-transport dock in the north during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
In Wang Shaohua's memory, cargo boats passed under bridges on the canal when he was a child. "In those days, boatmen, loaders, and merchants all made their living from the canal, and villages close to the canal tended to be more prosperous." Agricultural products and handicrafts were sold from here to other places, and the comings and goings of merchants from north and south gave rise to distinctive customs and skills, nourishing Cangzhou martial arts and Wuqiao acrobatics.
In the 1970s, the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal dried up. The riverbed silted up over a long period, and residents along the banks planted corn and other crops on the dry riverbed and raised ducks and poultry on the floodplain. Pointing at the once-chaotic river channel in a photograph, Wang Shaohua was full of regret.
In 2021, the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal underwent full-route dredging; in September 2022, the central urban section of the Grand Canal in Cangzhou achieved tourist navigation. "Ecological restoration is the foundation and the precondition for development." From the Jiedi Relief Channel to the Wang Xilu Sluice, and then to Canal Park and beneath Qingfeng Tower, wherever there is something related to the canal, Wang Shaohua can be seen photographing it.
Wang Shaohua picked out a photograph and examined it closely. "This road is called the Embankment-Top Road; it links together more than 300 villages along the canal and has fostered the development of many specialty industries." From the earliest dirt road to brick road and then asphalt road, the Embankment-Top Road was selected for the 2024 "Top Ten Most Beautiful Rural Roads."
With canal water brought in, Sizhuang Village in Qing County built vegetable greenhouses, and Ershilitun planted more than 100 mu of rapeseed flowers; farmers in Wangqing Village, Dongguang County, started livestreaming to sell goods, selling agricultural products from the canal banks to the whole country. "When the canal benefits, the villagers on both banks benefit too," Wang Shaohua said.
Today, Cangzhou City takes the river as its thread, coordinating the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt, ecological belt, and tourism belt across the entire region. Now, Wang Shaohua still slings his camera bag over his shoulder and goes to the canal banks to shoot. "The speed at which I press the shutter can hardly keep up with the speed of change along the canal banks!" Wang Shaohua said.
"Family heirloom" No. 3: A Century of Work Chants
Telling the canal's past, sound by sound
"Set sail now—" A sonorous work chant awakened the Grand Canal at dawn. As soon as the chant fell, a dozen or so "boatmen" responded in unison, and the sound waves rippled far across the water's surface.
"Entering the new era, the Grand Canal has resumed navigation and surges onward, and the boatmen's work chants have rung out once again." The chant leader is Zhao Yiqiang, whose home is in Xinjian Village on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tongzhou, Beijing. Now 69 years old, he learned the chants from his father since childhood. "Passed down by word of mouth, I am the fourth generation."
What do the chants call out? "They are the language of the boatmen and also the command for unity; all kinds of work on the boat are directed by the chants," Zhao Yiqiang explained. The Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants have their own distinctive features, emphasizing that "when the water is calm, the chant is not hurried; the northern tune carries southern accents; the lyrics have a Tongzhou flavor; and the leisure chants are one of a kind."
Anchor-raising chants, oar-pulling chants, rapid-crossing chants, towline-pulling chants, leisure chants... Sitting at home, Zhao Yiqiang can produce all kinds of chants at will, sometimes sonorous, sometimes melodious. Work, life, emotions — "it's all in these chants."
Four generations in one family, a century of inheritance. The Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants were once on the verge of being lost. "My father went aboard a boat at age 8. Later, grain transport by water stopped, the boatmen switched to other trades, and fewer and fewer people could sing them," Zhao Yiqiang recalled. "At one point, my father Zhao Qingfu was the only inheritor of the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants left."
In 2017, Beijing launched efforts to advance the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. Over the years, the water of the Grand Canal in Tongzhou has become clear and the banks green; along both sides of the river, the Canal Business District has made a splendid debut, the "Three Major Cultural Facilities" have been completed and put into use, and distinctive consumer scenes such as the West Bank of the Canal and Wanli have been continuously renewed.
Born of the canal, thriving because of the canal, the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants have also welcomed a new lease on life. "We have organized a performance troupe and put on more than a hundred performances every year." Zhao Yiqiang has also joined forces with troupes from Wuqing, Tianjin, and Langfang, Hebei, taking the chants from Beijing to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
"Although we no longer pull boats for a living, the culture and spirit in the chants must not be lost." Going into communities to give publicity, going to schools to teach children — Zhao Yiqiang's schedule is packed full. In 2024, he also entered the Sound Art Museum together with his old partner Chang Fuyao and completely recorded 10 types and 22 chants, building a "sound archive" for the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants.
"Rock and sway, hey! Sway it up, hey!" As he spoke, Zhao Yiqiang's little granddaughter joined in too, her voice still young but already showing proper form.
A thousand years of canal water, a century of work chants, sounding one after another.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Guangzhou, October 14) (Reporter Huang Chao) On the afternoon of October 14, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the opening ceremony of the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) in Guangzhou and delivered a keynote speech.
Li Qiang stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Canton Fair. President Xi Jinping sent a special congratulatory letter, fully affirming the achievements of the Canton Fair and reiterating China's firm resolve to expand high-level opening up. Through this "window" of the Canton Fair, the world has seen the immense vitality contained in China's economy and society, witnessed the magnificent journey of hundreds of millions of Chinese people striving forward with great vigor (奋发进取, fen fa jin qu - "exert effort, advance"), and felt the growing day by day (与日俱增, yu ri ju zeng - "with, day, increase, increase") deep connection between China and the world. An increasingly open, continuously innovative, and trustworthy China that honors its commitments brings new opportunities, provides new momentum, and injects certainty into the world.
Li Qiang pointed out that the Canton Fair, having weathered the vicissitudes of the international landscape, continues to radiate new vitality, which contains simple yet profound insights. First, market connectivity is not a tool of bargaining but an effective measure for creating increments. China is committed to promoting the continuous integration and common growth of the domestic and international markets and to building an open world economy. Second, international trade is not a bookkeeping figure but an independent choice to enhance well-being. As a "super seller" and "super buyer," China brings more of a "benefit-the-neighbor effect" and an "enrich-the-neighbor effect" to all parties. China is willing to import more high-quality products, especially high value-added products, and hopes that more countries will move towards each other (相向而行, xiang xiang er xing - "toward, toward, walk") with China, relax restrictions, and actively promote the optimized and balanced development of trade. Third, mutual benefit and win-win results (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual, benefit, together, win") is not one-way compromise but mutual empowerment and mutual achievement. As the largest developing country, China has always been committed to promoting common development and, while developing itself, has always made its utmost efforts to help and support other developing countries. China will forever be a trustworthy and reliable good friend of developing countries and is willing to walk hand in hand and firmly accompany the vast number of developing countries on the path to modernization.
Li Qiang emphasized that China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening up, and add more momentum to the world economy through positive and pragmatic actions. First, share more market opportunities. Firmly implement the strategy of expanding domestic demand and further lower market access thresholds. Welcome more foreign enterprises to invest and do business in China. Second, expand more mutually beneficial cooperation. Persist in advancing together with the world, deepen the alignment of development strategies with various countries, and support capable Chinese enterprises in making orderly overseas investments. Third, firmly uphold the international economic and trade order. Always stand on the correct side of history, firmly uphold multilateralism and free trade, support the reform and development of the WTO, and work with all parties to explore the formulation of future-oriented international economic and trade rules and promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a video address, stating that China's development has achieved tremendous success and provides rare opportunities for the world. The Canton Fair is an important platform connecting China and the world. Against the backdrop of increasing global uncertainty, she hopes that all parties will jointly promote WTO reform and build an open, rules-based global trading system. More than 700 representatives from various sectors from nearly 90 countries and regions attended the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, Li Qiang toured the Canton Fair enterprise pavilion.
Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in the above activities.
This session of the Canton Fair has more than 30,000 enterprises participating as exhibitors, with approximately 340,000 overseas buyers attending to make purchases.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郑 翔 赵益普 王骁波 龚 鸣
As China's comprehensive rural revitalization advances steadily and the construction of livable, workable, and beautiful villages accelerates, the vast countryside has become an important window for the international community to observe Chinese modernization and understand the code of China's development. More and more foreign media reporters are entering China's villages, visiting grassroots people, exploring industrial sites, and witnessing the "butterfly transformation" of the countryside. Recently, three foreign media reporters shared what they saw, heard, and felt during their travels through China's villages. From the vigorous rise of distinctive industries, to the multi-point flourishing of cultural-tourism integration, to the continuous improvement of the living environment, they interpreted China's rural development practices from the perspective of firsthand witnesses, depicting the vibrant picture of agricultural and rural modernization as they see it.
Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of South Africa's Sunday World:
"Every place demonstrates the systematic layout and long-term planning of China's poverty reduction endeavor"
In July this year, John Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of South Africa's Sunday World, was invited as a media representative to attend the international symposium "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the World" held in Yinchuan, Ningxia, and went deep into multiple places in Ningxia to learn about China's poverty reduction achievements. "This is my fourth visit to Ningxia. What impressed me deeply is not only the improvement in local people's material living conditions, but also the sustained investment from all parties, continuously creating opportunities for sustainable development," Bailey said.
"From the water conservancy guarantee of the Ningxia Poverty Alleviation Yellow River Diversion Irrigation Project, to the transportation connectivity of the Guyaozi–Qingtongxia Expressway, to the skills training and entrepreneurship support of the Minning Hemei E-commerce Assistance Workshop, every place demonstrates the systematic layout and long-term planning of China's poverty reduction endeavor." Bailey remarked that China continues to consolidate and expand the achievements of the battle against poverty, combining economic development, infrastructure construction, and improvements in education and medical conditions with comprehensive rural revitalization, and the achievements made are widely recognized by all (有目共睹, you mu gong du - "have, eye, together, see").
Bailey came to China as a journalist in 2007 and was stationed in China for up to 10 years, having reported on major events such as China's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference sessions and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He said: "Only by going deep into China's cities and villages and observing China up close can one better understand China."
After returning to South Africa, Bailey continued to follow and study China's development in various fields. "China's development is undoubtedly one of the most far-reaching economic and social transformations in history." He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China successfully won the battle against poverty, completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and achieved the First Centenary Goal. "China's development achievements, which are world-renowned or attracting global attention (举世瞩目, ju shi zhu mu - "lift, world, gaze, eye"), have not only enhanced the well-being of the Chinese people but also made important contributions to promoting global sustainable development."
"Truly effective poverty reduction requires persevering and showing constancy (持之以恒, chi zhi yi heng - "hold, continue, with, constant") efforts." In Bailey's view, China's poverty reduction experience can provide useful inspiration for South Africa. Poverty is not invincible; one must believe that visionary leadership, a sound policy framework, a complete accountability mechanism, sustained investment in human capital, and firm action with long-term goals can bring about change.
"The core of the poverty reduction endeavor lies in the people." Bailey said that China has always adhered to a people-centered approach, and this development philosophy is the key to China's resilience in maintaining stability amid global economic turmoil and the once-in-a-century changes in the world.
Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Institute of International Relations and Media Research:
"All work is people-centered, focusing not only on economic growth but also on human dignity and hope"
"I have interviewed in many rural areas of China, and my biggest impression is that people's lives are very comfortable, convenient, and full of hope." Yasir Habib Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Institute of International Relations and Media Research, described his impression of China's countryside in this way. Since 2015, Khan has visited China many times, traveling to rural areas in Guangxi, Jilin, Xinjiang, and other places, and has developed in-depth observations and reflections on China's development of rural tourism and distinctive industries.
This summer, Khan participated in the "Walking into the Core Area of the Silk Road Economic Belt" themed interview tour. In Xinchengximen Village, Ya'er Town, Gaochang District, Turpan City, Xinjiang, he and fellow foreign journalists tasted the host's homemade dried fruits and ice cream at a farmhouse inn and enjoyed ethnic song and dance performances. "The hostess of the inn proudly told me that during the peak tourist season every summer, the family's monthly income from running the homestay reaches 25,000 yuan," Khan said.
"Such scenes are not uncommon in China's rural areas." Khan said that China's rural tourism is booming, and various localities are developing distinctive industries in light of local conditions, such as lemons in Guangxi, cotton in Xinjiang, and ginseng in Jilin, enabling farmers to earn higher incomes.
"Rural areas across China each have their own unique beauty, but also share many commonalities, such as developing modern agriculture, having sound infrastructure, and clean and tidy public environments." Khan said, "Rural life is getting better and better, and more and more people are willing to return to the countryside." During an interview in a rural area of Jilin, he learned that the monthly income of a village convenience store could reach 10,000 yuan, precisely thanks to the increase in rural residents' purchasing power.
Khan said: "All of China's work is people-centered, focusing not only on economic growth but also on human dignity and hope. When I was in China's countryside, I could truly feel people's sense of pride and their longing for a better life." He said, "Taking the enhancement of people's well-being as an important starting point for work can serve as a reference for developing countries such as Pakistan in doing a good job in agricultural and rural work."
Olivares, Reporter for Mexico's La Jornada:
"True modernization can achieve the two-way parallel advancement and mutual enhancement of technological progress and cultural heritage"
In June this year, Mexico's La Jornada published a report written by reporter Olivares titled "China's 'Village Super League': A Grassroots Football Tournament Driving Economic and Social Development," introducing the rural football event in Rongjiang County, Guizhou. In the article, he wrote: "Within just a few years, thanks to its deep integration with local cultural heritage, this event has not only become popular throughout China but has also gone global."
This year, Olivares participated in a three-month exchange program and visited multiple places across China. When talking about this trip to China, what he remembered most was the "Village Super League."
In Olivares' view, the "Village Super League" is a window into understanding China's comprehensive rural revitalization. "Nowadays, the barriers to watching some professional sports events are getting higher and higher, yet in a relatively remote county town in Guizhou, the 'Village Super League' brings football to ordinary people, making it an event and festival that everyone can participate in and enjoy together." Olivares said that thanks to modern communication methods such as social networks and digital technology, the "Village Super League" has broken through geographical limitations, even attracting Brazilian football legend Kaká and others to attend in person, further enhancing the locality's visibility and tourism appeal, and injecting vitality into rural development.
What deeply impressed Olivares was that the locality used the popularity of the "Village Super League" to promote and showcase the ethnic cultures of the Dong and Miao peoples. This integrated development approach of sports, tourism, and culture has multiple benefits: it helps protect cultural heritage and also strengthens local cultural identity and cultural confidence. "This reminds me of Mexico's 'Pueblos Mágicos' (Magical Towns) initiative. The Mexican government is also committed to tapping into the historical culture, natural scenery, and traditional characteristics of some small towns, enhancing their appeal through tourism development, and driving local employment, investment, and economic growth," Olivares said.
Olivares also paid attention to the popularization and application of modern technology in China's rural production and daily life. "Drones and modern agricultural machinery are widely used in agricultural production, and a sound agricultural technology service system allows large and small farmers alike to share in the fruits of scientific and technological achievements, ensuring that everyone can benefit. Digital applications such as mobile payment and livestreaming e-commerce are also accelerating their extension to rural areas, providing new support for comprehensive rural revitalization... These technological advances are genuinely benefiting local people," he said.
Olivares said that he has seen the diversified development paths of China's countryside. "True modernization can achieve the two-way parallel advancement and mutual enhancement of technological progress and cultural heritage, complementing each other to enhance brilliance (相得益彰, xiang de yi zhang - "mutually, benefit, show, brightness")."
Return to TopChina is willing to work together with the African side, bearing in mind the "path we have traveled" of mutual support and assistance, and to walk well the "broad road" of common development in the new era, contributing China-Africa strength to world development and progress and to the reform and improvement of global governance.
On the afternoon of October 13, two major diplomatic events held in Beijing drew close attention from the international community. President Xi Jinping held talks with President Duma Boko of Botswana, who was on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and met with Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, who was on an official visit to China. Taking the two events as an opportunity, China-Botswana and China-Togo relations have moved to a higher level. This is both a vivid portrayal of China-Africa cooperation deepening and becoming more substantive, and a demonstration of China's sense of responsibility as a major country in promoting China-Africa friendly cooperation and jointly marching toward modernization.
The two events both looked back on the historical friendship between China and Africa of weathering storms together (风雨同舟, feng yu tong zhou - "wind, rain, same, boat") and looked forward to the bright future of jointly realizing modernization. President Xi Jinping expressed his hopes for China-Botswana friendship with the words "as brilliant and enduring as diamonds." In the 1970s, Botswana voted in support of restoring the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the United Nations even before the two countries established diplomatic relations. Today, the two sides are joining hands and moving forward together on the path of pursuing the modernization dream, writing a new chapter in China-Botswana friendship. Looking back on China-Togo friendship, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the traditional friendship between China and Togo was personally forged by the older generation of leaders of both countries, with deep roots that have become stronger and more resilient over time (历久弥坚, li jiu mi jian - "long time, even more, firm, strong"). Over the years, the two sides have been working together in complete harmony (和衷共济, he zhong gong ji - "harmonious, heart, together, cross rivers"), continuously tightening the bonds of cooperation, enhancing mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples, and writing a vivid chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. These talks and meetings have charted a bright prospect for the future development of China-Botswana and China-Togo relations. China-Botswana relations have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and China-Togo relations have been elevated to a China-Togo community with a shared future in the new era, highlighting China's consistent strategic resolve in carrying forward China-Africa friendship and deepening China-Africa relations.
Only with sharing the same ambitions and ideals (志同道合, zhi tong dao he - "will, same, path, together") can one "walk the same path." This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 60th anniversary of Botswana's independence. The ruling parties of China and Botswana strengthening cooperation, deepening exchanges on governance experience, and enhancing the blending of ideas will inspire wisdom and inject momentum for the two sides to jointly walk the road of modernization. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Botswana in such fields as the digital economy, agriculture, and animal husbandry, and to implement the "Smart Education" project to help Botswana's economic and social development. China-Togo friendly cooperation is well-matched in philosophy and has broad prospects. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Togo in such fields as new energy and digital intelligence to help Togo's industrialization process. The zero-tariff measure is a special arrangement by China aimed at supporting Africa's independent development and empowering China-Africa cooperation through institutional opening-up. China welcomes African partners, including Botswana and Togo, to make good use of the new opportunities brought by zero tariffs to bring more distinctive products from their countries and regions into the Chinese market.
China supports African countries in following development paths suited to their own national conditions and is willing to help Africa's modernization process through high-level cooperation, benefiting more people. In the talks with President Boko, President Xi Jinping put forward four propositions on promoting China-Botswana and China-Africa mining cooperation, namely: upholding the cooperation premise that Africa's resources belong to Africa; upholding the cooperation philosophy of balancing righteousness with practical interests (义利相兼, yi li xiang jian - "righteousness, profit, mutually, combine") and being mutually beneficial (互利互惠, hu li hu hui - "each other, benefit, each other, benefit"); upholding the cooperation direction of high-quality development; and upholding a fair and open cooperation environment. These four propositions are a vivid embodiment of the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and the correct view of justice and interests (正确义利观) that China has always upheld, demonstrating China's clear stance of sincerely and genuinely supporting Africa's independent development.
At present, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, and the solidarity and cooperation of the Global South has become an important force for safeguarding world peace and development and improving global governance. President Xi Jinping put forward four principles for all parties' constructive participation in resolving hotspot issues in Africa: upholding African leadership, safeguarding fairness and justice, promoting ending conflict to achieve peace (止戈为和, zhi ge wei he - "stop, weapons, become, peace"), and treating both the symptoms and the root causes (标本兼治, biao ben jian zhi - "symptom, root, both, treat"), providing clear guidance for resolving hotspot issues in Africa. At a time when the international situation is intertwined with change and turmoil, China and Africa jointly upholding multilateralism, maintaining close coordination and cooperation, and jointly promoting the unity of developing countries is conducive to promoting regional peace and security and making the global governance system more inclusive and more representative. President Boko said that President Xi Jinping's four major global initiatives put forward at a time when the world faces major challenges demonstrate the sense of responsibility of a major country and are conducive to safeguarding the international order with the United Nations at its core. President Faure said that the Togolese side fully endorses the important principles put forward by President Xi Jinping on all parties' constructive participation in resolving hotspot issues in Africa, highly appreciates China's important role in safeguarding world peace and stability and jointly addressing global challenges, and is willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China, jointly defend multilateralism, and safeguard the interests of developing countries.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. Over the past 70 years, China and Africa have weathered storms together and marched forward side by side. On the new journey, China is willing to work together with the African side, bearing in mind the "path we have traveled" of mutual support and assistance, and to walk well the "broad road" of common development in the new era, contributing China-Africa strength to world development and progress and to the reform and improvement of global governance.
Return to TopOn October 13, 2026, the 2026 International Forum on Friendly Exchanges Among Legislators was held in Tianjin. Sixty-six legislators and former legislators from 52 countries, regions, and international organizations across five continents, along with 27 deputies to the National People's Congress and local people's congresses of China, attended the forum. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, met with the attending representatives collectively in Beijing. Peng Qinghua, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech.
With the theme of "Sharing High-Quality Development, Building a Sustainable Future Together," the forum's guests discussed topics including grassroots governance and social resilience, integration of industry and education and new quality productive forces, cultural heritage and urban renewal, and green development and regional coordination. The forum also held "Dialogue with European Legislators" and "Dialogue Among Legislators of Global South Countries."
As the host of the forum, the Chinese side summarizes the main views of all parties as follows:
I. Legislative bodies of all countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation, consolidate the power of public opinion, and converge the people's aspirations for a better life into common actions to promote world peace and development, making positive contributions to the economic and social development of their respective countries and to world peace, stability, and prosperity.
II. Positive assessment was given to China's proposal to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. It was held that the four major global initiatives have contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to solving global development challenges, addressing international security challenges, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and reforming and improving global governance. A call was made to jointly practice true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism and power politics, and work hand in hand toward a community with a shared future for mankind.
III. High appreciation was expressed for the strategic foresight and strong stability demonstrated by China's 15th Five-Year Plan, and positive assessment was given to the achievements of Chinese modernization. Support was expressed for China's continued expansion of high-level opening up, sharing opportunities and pursuing common development with countries around the world.
IV. High recognition was given to China's efforts in promoting a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and appreciation was expressed for the practical experience of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in coordinated regional environmental governance. Expectations were voiced for further strengthening strategic alignment and exchanges and cooperation in green development, so as to contribute to the sustainable economic and social development of all countries.
V. Support was expressed for all countries to actively explore social governance models suited to their own realities, advocacy was made for pursuing social governance with the enhancement of people's well-being and the strengthening of social resilience as the starting point, and encouragement was given to different countries to strengthen exchanges of grassroots governance experience and jointly safeguard social democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security, and stability.
VI. The authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 should be upheld. There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
VII. Full affirmation was given to Tianjin's economic and social development achievements, and appreciation was expressed for Tianjin's wisdom and experience in stimulating the vitality of grassroots governance, cultivating new quality productive forces, promoting innovation in traditional culture, and advancing green development.
VIII. Full affirmation was given to the positive role the forum has played since its inception in promoting exchanges between Chinese and foreign legislative bodies, deepening learning from each other and helping each other (互学互鉴, hu xue hu jian - "each learn, each assist"), enhancing the well-being of the people of all countries, and jointly building a better world. Gratitude was expressed to the Chinese side for its warm and friendly reception during the forum, and a welcome was extended for the forum to continue to be held in China in 2027.
(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 沈小晓
The state visit to Egypt by President Xi Jinping in September this year has drawn enthusiastic responses across all sectors of Egyptian society. "This visit has elevated Egypt-China relations from a comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level." Ahmed Kandil, deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said in an exclusive interview with our reporter that enhanced coordination and cooperation between Egypt and China in areas such as economic development and regional security will help leverage the strengths of both countries and inject positive momentum into promoting peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.
Kandil noted that conflicts in the Middle East have continued in recent years, and facts have proven that relying solely on military means cannot achieve lasting peace. During his talks with President Sisi, President Xi Jinping put forward a four-point initiative on promoting common security in the Middle East: stimulating the internal driving force for common security in the region; advancing comprehensive governance for common security in the region; consolidating the development foundation for common security in the region; and strengthening international coordination for common security in the region.
"The Chinese solutions put forward by President Xi Jinping are having a far-sighted and visionary perspective (高瞻远瞩, gao zhan yuan zhu - "high, look, far, see"), linking security with development." Kandil said that the realities of the Middle East show that poverty, unemployment, marginalization, and inadequate governance capacity can all lead to the outbreak of conflict and the spread of extremism. Projects in infrastructure, energy, ports, and industrial zones can not only promote development but also create more shared interests, making regional stability an outcome from which all parties can benefit.
Kandil said: "Middle Eastern countries should strengthen their capacity to independently safeguard security, better identify security threats, resolve differences, and establish mechanisms for dialogue and de-escalation. What matters is to translate these four points of the initiative into concrete action, and Egypt and China can play an important role in this process." He stressed: "The relevant initiatives put forward by China provide an important starting point for helping the Middle East explore new paths for security governance."
Kandil believes that Egypt-China cooperation has broad prospects. The two sides should work to translate the political consensus and cooperative intentions formed during President Xi's visit to Egypt into more tangible results, deepen cooperation in areas such as industrial localization and technology transfer, strengthen the training of professional personnel, expand new space for cooperation, and continuously consolidate the foundation for the development of bilateral relations. "The Egypt-China relationship has already become a model for relations among Global South countries, providing useful reference for developing countries to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation (互利合作, hu li he zuo - "mutual, benefit, combine, work") and achieve shared prosperity." Kandil said.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Baku, October 14) (Reporters: Zhou Liang, Liu Shuchen) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Baku on the 14th with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Aliyev asked Wang Yi to convey his cordial greetings and good wishes to President Xi Jinping, and thanked President Xi Jinping for dispatching a special representative to Azerbaijan to attend the CICA summit. Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan and China enjoy a high degree of political mutual trust and mutually beneficial economic cooperation, and that the Azerbaijan-China comprehensive strategic partnership is developing vigorously. The consensus he reached with President Xi Jinping during his visit to China last year has been effectively implemented, pushing bilateral relations into a new stage. Azerbaijan thanks China for its strong, long-term support for Azerbaijan's economic and social development and for safeguarding its national interests, regards China as a leading force in the rise of the Global South, and considers Chinese modernization a model for developing countries, including Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, and a series of cooperation projects between the two countries have yielded fruitful results. Azerbaijan is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with China, continue to expand cooperation in areas such as energy and connectivity, and welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Azerbaijan. It will make good use of the mutual visa exemption to further promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Azerbaijan firmly adheres to the one-China principle, fully supports the series of global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping, appreciates China's consistent commitment to upholding international fairness and justice and multilateralism, and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in international and regional affairs.
Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings to President Aliyev, stating that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Azerbaijan understand, trust, and support each other, and that bilateral relations maintain a strong momentum of development and show broad prospects for growth. China congratulates Azerbaijan on the flourishing and prospering (蒸蒸日上, zheng zheng ri shang - "steam, steam, sun, rise") of its national development under President Aliyev's leadership, supports Azerbaijan in following a development path suited to its national conditions, is willing to strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijan and other parties on the Middle Corridor, and will continue to be a reliable long-term strategic partner in Azerbaijan's development process. China thanks Azerbaijan for its strong, long-term support on issues involving China's core interests, and also supports Azerbaijan in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. China's development is an enhancement of the strength of the Global South and a growth in the power of developing countries. China is willing to continue close coordination and cooperation with Azerbaijan to safeguard the common interests of Global South countries. China supports Azerbaijan in playing an important role in multilateral platforms such as CICA and in international affairs, and in making greater contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world.
During the visit, Wang Yi also held talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, met with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French President, on the afternoon of the 13th at the Great Hall of the People, exchanging views on China-France practical economic and trade cooperation and China-EU economic and trade relations.
He Lifeng stated that China-France economic and trade cooperation has broad room for improvement, and China is willing to continue working with France to implement the consensus of the two heads of state, strengthen practical cooperation in various economic fields, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results (互利共赢, hu li gong ying - "mutual benefit, together win"). China and the EU are important economic and trade partners to each other, and China is willing to continue conducting dialogue with the EU in the economic and trade field, injecting more stability and positive energy into the development of China-EU economic and trade relations.
Bonne stated that France attaches great importance to economic cooperation with China and is willing to work with China to promote continuous positive results in EU-China trade and investment consultations and maintain the stable development of EU-China economic and trade relations.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) Tie Ning, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee, met in Beijing on the 14th with a delegation of Peruvian multi-party parliamentarians led by First Vice President of Congress Digna Calle and Second Vice President of Congress Alejandro Muñante. The two sides exchanged views on deepening bilateral relations and inter-party exchanges, strengthening exchanges between legislative bodies, and promoting cooperation in various fields.
Return to TopZhejiang Guangsha Construction Vocational and Technical University, located in Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, relies on the national intangible cultural heritage resource of Dongyang wood carving to continuously advance the joint training of wood carving talent between China and Africa. The photo shows that on October 13, in the university's wood carving training room, international students from Africa learn wood carving techniques under the guidance of professional teachers.
Photo by Bao Kangxuan (Image China)
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Georgetown, October 14) (Reporter Zhao Xinhui) From October 13 to 14, Batel, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, led a delegation to visit Guyana, meeting with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Speaker Nadir, and Vice President Jagdeo.
Batel stated that China-Guyana relations are built on the foundation of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, and having weathered the test of unpredictable changes in the international situation (风云变幻, feng yun bian huan - "wind, cloud, change, transform"), they have always developed in a healthy and stable manner. China is willing to work with Guyana, guided by the important consensus of the two heads of state, to maintain close high-level exchanges, expand economic and trade cooperation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen multilateral coordination, and push bilateral relations to new heights. The CPPCC National Committee of China is willing to play an active role in this regard.
The Guyanese side stated that Guyana and China share similar development philosophies and have broad common interests. Guyana cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries, regards China as a trustworthy good partner, and looks forward to strengthening exchanges on governance with China, enhancing mutual understanding, deepening practical cooperation in all fields and dimensions, and warmly welcoming more Chinese investment.
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) On October 14, Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with Duma Boko, President of the Botswana Democratic Change Umbrella and President of Botswana, who was visiting China. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening inter-party exchanges and cooperation and promoting the development of China-Botswana and China-Africa relations.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 禹伟良 田豆豆
Idle old factory buildings upgraded into a science-and-innovation cluster zone, century-old buildings transformed into trendy check-in spots... Wuhan City, Hubei Province, is solidly advancing urban renewal and continuously activating new momentum for development.
At the Central Urban Work Conference held in July 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Taking the advancement of urban renewal as an important lever, vigorously promote the optimization of urban structure, the transformation of growth drivers, the improvement of quality, the green transition, the continuation of cultural heritage, and the enhancement of governance efficiency."
As a megacity, since last year, Wuhan has grasped and implemented solidly the renovation of existing buildings, old residential communities, old neighborhoods, old factory areas, and urban villages, systematically advancing the construction of good housing, good communities, good neighborhoods, and good urban districts, and effectively using urban renewal to drive scientific and technological innovation, industrial revitalization, governance innovation, and cultural innovation, making urban renewal a comprehensive engine for the transformation of urban development patterns and economic development patterns. From 2025 to 2027, Wuhan plans to complete urban renewal in 182 districts, with the current commencement rate exceeding 90 percent.
Old Factory Buildings Fitted with New Technology, Industrial Revitalization Adds New Vitality
The artificial intelligence film "Huo Qubing" produced by Wuhan Yang Hanhan Culture Media Co., Ltd. is deeply loved by audiences at home and abroad; the smart health and elderly care solutions proposed by Ruilian Kangda (Wuhan) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. provide convenience for elderly people living at home... It is hard to imagine that an old building housing multiple AI companies was still in a state of silence two years ago.
This old building was once the office building of the Wuhan Bed Sheet General Factory, witnessing the glory of its area — the Gutian Old Industrial Zone in Qiaokou District. With the iterative upgrading of industry, Gutian's traditional industries have successively moved out, and many old factory buildings carrying urban memories have become abandoned or deserted places (人去楼空, ren qu lou kong - "people, go; building, empty") and were idle for a time.
The dual-wheel drive of spatial renewal and science-and-innovation empowerment has enabled this old space to radiate new life. "We have transformed the former diesel engine factory and the Bed Sheet General Factory site into the Hanjiang Bay Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park, laying out tracks such as intelligent manufacturing, embodied intelligence, and digital culture, to build a new landmark for the artificial intelligence industry," introduced Cao Shan, Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Qiaokou Economic Development Zone. Relying on the appeal of leading enterprises, the first phase of the project was "full upon opening," and the second phase is under accelerated construction.
Not long ago, the launch event for the first opening area of the Wuhan Innovation Special Zone was held at the Guangbutun · Jinli Park in Hongshan District, marking the full transition of Wuhan's "Jinli Plan" from top-level design to the substantive implementation stage. The project revitalizes the old factory area of the 722 Research Institute of CSSC, innovates the "lease, build, operate, return" development model, is based on the golden innovation belt of Luoyu Road, radiates to 18 surrounding universities, and explores a new development model of "integration of three zones" — campus, park, and community.
From actively introducing new industries and new business forms to revitalize old factory buildings and idle office buildings and cultivate new quality productive forces, to promoting the renewal of university-surrounding areas and building demonstration parks for "integration of three zones," Wuhan City is systematically advancing the coordinated development of urban renewal and scientific and technological innovation, and the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. As of now, the city has cumulatively optimized 1.47 million square meters of inefficient space, with the total area of incubation carriers exceeding 2.9 million square meters, promoting the construction of one-stop teacher-student entrepreneurship and innovation service hubs at 7 universities including Wuhan University.
Old Communities Renovated with a New Look, Governance Innovation Solves Difficult Problems
Walking onto the balcony, the beautiful scenery of Shahu Lake is entirely within one's sight. "This is not a resettlement housing building, this is a true lake-view building!" Luo Shigui, a homeowner in the Shahu Xuefu Community who demolished the old and built new on the original site, is very satisfied.
From September 17 to 20 this year, after completing the house handover procedures in a centralized manner, nearly 400 faculty members of Hubei University walked into their new homes in the Shahu Xuefu Community next to the campus. Residents such as Luo Shigui realized their dream of a new home, thanks to the local exploration of the "resident-led, government-supported, enterprise-implemented" old residential community renovation model.
As the first pilot project for cooperative renovation of dangerous and old housing in universities in Hubei Province, the Hubei University Shahu Xuefu project encourages faculty and staff residents to participate in "demolishing the old and building new on the original site, and self-directed renewal," mobilizing residents to co-build, co-govern, and co-share.
Residents first put forward their needs, and then enterprises come to build. At the start of the project, old homeowners established a cooperative association for the renovation of dangerous and old housing, and whether to renovate and how to renovate were all discussed and decided together. The association participated throughout the entire process of planning and design, unit type customization, and construction supervision of the new housing. Key stages of the project's advancement all received the support of more than 80 percent of homeowners.
"Changing from government-led to resident-led, this project to demolish the old and build new on the original site started construction in September 2024, and the first batch of new housing sales was completed by August 2025," introduced Zhang Junyu, Deputy General Manager of Zhongcheng Company under Wuhan Urban Construction Group, the contractor.
Facing problems such as insufficient momentum in urban renewal, Wuhan City is actively exploring a self-directed renewal model of "homeowner voluntariness, market operation, and government guidance." During the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Wuhan will implement a batch of self-directed renewal projects that demolish the old and build new on the original site, covering an area of 200,000 square meters, demolishing dangerous structures and building new ones on the original sites, "renovating" old houses into good housing.
Old "Lilou" Transformed into New "Internet-Famous" Spots, Cultural Innovation Adds Charm
Two-story townhouses, with patios, Shikumen-style stone-framed gates, red bricks and grey tiles, are full of a sense of history. These Chinese-Western style small buildings scattered throughout various parts of Wuhan form the most representative architectural clusters of Wuhan, are historical witnesses to old Wuhan's status as a major transportation hub connecting many regions (九省通衢, jiu sheng tong qu - "nine, provinces; through, thoroughfare"), and are called "old Lilou."
Today, "old Lilou" are transforming into new "internet-famous" spots.
Taking photos and checking in in front of the Bagong House built in 1910, experiencing an immersive drama at Baoyuan Lane first built in 1912, and selecting a handmade art piece at Yanqing Lane first built in 1933... On every holiday, many young people flock to the Hankou Historical and Cultural Area for sightseeing and leisure.
During the urban renewal process, Wuhan City has continuously exerted efforts in the continuation of cultural heritage, making the historical heritage a "golden business card" of the city.
The Hankou Historical and Cultural Area gathers 329 cultural relics, 153 outstanding historical buildings, and 62 characteristic "Lilou." "We use the 'embroidery' approach to enable historical and cultural heritage to radiate new vitality, bloom with new charm, and be endowed with new momentum," introduced Xia Liang, Director of the Urban Renewal Management Division of the Wuhan Housing and Urban Renewal Bureau.
Walking into the century-old "Lilou" Yanqing Lane, the once spider-web-like overhead wires have been put underground, the messy illegal constructions have disappeared, and the dilapidated residences have been transformed into restaurants, home furnishing stores, and art exhibition areas full of life aesthetics... As of now, the occupancy rate of merchants in Yanqing Lane has exceeded 85 percent, of which the proportion of "first stores" at the national, Central China, or Wuhan level exceeds 80 percent. "Both local residents and tourists from other places like to come here to experience the fun of handmade crafting. Since opening, foot traffic and sales have been very good," said Yin Qian, store manager of the Mumu Xinchao Community store.
The "Wuhan Urban Renewal '15th Five-Year Plan'" proposes actively exploring new paths and systematically advancing the overall protection and functional revitalization of the three major historical urban areas of Hankou, Wuchang, and Hanyang. As a national famous historical and cultural city, Wuhan City continues to explore, continuously using urban renewal to drive cultural innovation.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 苏 滨
"Guanyong, you must send (give) to Guizhou (Province) the descendants of Zhang Zhixian (90 yuan) and Yuan Cheng'an (60 yuan), the two families. You must help me do this."
This is the last will written by Huang Wanxian, an old Red Army soldier from Fujian, to his eldest son Huang Guanyong as he lay on his deathbed. He entrusted his son with the 150 yuan he had saved over his lifetime, insisting it be sent to the two benefactors who had risked their lives to save him during the Battle of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. The story behind this has been condensed into ten letters spanning twenty-four years, which have become a moving testament to the Red heritage preserved in the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River.
Not long ago, the third "Retracing the Long March" activity for young people of the new era was held in Zunyi, Guizhou. More than 300 people, including youth representatives from across the country and descendants of old Red Army soldiers, visited the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River. Earlier, the group had visited the Qinggangpo Battlefield Site, where they saw the pines covering the hillsides and the gravestones of the martyrs. Now, standing before the display cases, their eyes were immediately drawn to the photographs of yellowed letters.
After the Zunyi Conference in January 1935, the Central Red Army advanced into Xishui in three columns, heading toward Tucheng and the Chishui River, planning to cross the Yangtze River northward to join forces with the Fourth Front Army. The Kuomintang mobilized heavy troops to advance on Tucheng.
On January 28, the main force of the Central Red Army engaged in fierce fighting with enemy forces at Qinggangpo in Tucheng. Due to faulty intelligence, the two sides fell into a stalemate. In the midst of the battle, the Central Committee held an emergency meeting and, acting on Mao Zedong's opinion, resolutely changed the original plan, deciding to withdraw from the battle immediately and cross the Chishui River westward. This marked the beginning of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River.
During the Battle of Qinggangpo, Huang Wanxian was hit by a bullet in his collarbone and collapsed unconscious beside a haystack. The owner of that haystack was a local villager named Zhang Xian'an.
Early the next morning, Zhang Xian'an discovered Huang Wanxian, who was on the verge of death (奄奄一息, yan yan yi xi - "gasping, one, one"), and immediately called his son Zhang Zhixian to carry the man home for treatment. At that time, northern Guizhou was shrouded in white terror. When the head of the local militia learned of this, he burst into the Zhang family home, intending to kill Huang Wanxian. At this critical moment, Zhang Zhixian and more than ten fellow villagers stepped forward and fought to block him, and Huang Wanxian escaped danger.
To evade searches, Zhang Zhixian carried Huang Wanxian on his back and hid him in an empty grave in the mountains, secretly bringing him food and medicine every day. Huang Wanxian's wound repeatedly became inflamed. To help him recover as soon as possible, Zhang Zhixian moved him to the home of his uncle Yuan Cheng'an, who knew medicine, to continue treatment.
In early 1936, Huang Wanxian's gunshot wound fully healed. The Zhang family scraped together some travel money, and after many twists and turns, Huang Wanxian finally returned to his hometown in Wuping, Fujian.
"I had read 'the deep bond between the army and the people' in textbooks before, and it was just five characters to me. Standing here today, looking at these letters, I finally understand what 'trust forged by risking one's life for another' truly means." Inside the memorial hall, Guo Qirong, a master's student at the School of Economics of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was deeply moved after listening to the explanation.
A life-saving kindness is remembered for a lifetime. Huang Wanxian wrote letters of thanks many times, but because the addresses were vague, every letter disappeared without a trace. In 1965, thirty years later, Huang Wanxian finally managed to learn the correct address and sent the first belated letter of gratitude.
Zhang Degao, the son of Zhang Zhixian, recalled that his father was overjoyed upon receiving the letter, and the friendship that had been interrupted for so many years was thus renewed.
"To rescue me, a Red Army soldier, you cast aside your own safety and life, daring to climb a mountain of knives and charge through a sea of fire. For my sake, you feared neither enemy pursuit nor shared guilt; for my sake, you braved the harsh winter snow, searching everywhere for medicine, providing meals and tea three times a day, dressing and washing my wounds, attending to everything with no omission, more devoted than flesh and blood kin..." In a letter to Zhang Zhixian dated May 25, 1967, Huang Wanxian recalled the scene in these words.
In 1985 and 1991, Zhang Zhixian and Huang Wanxian passed away one after the other.
"My late father was wounded in battle, and it was only thanks to the rescue of our elders that he survived, and that our generation came to be. Our family can never forget this." Heeding his father's instructions, Huang Guanyong maintained correspondence with the Zhang family.
In 2019, Zhang Degao donated to the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River the ten letters written by Huang Wanxian and his descendants to his grandfather Zhang Xian'an, his father Zhang Zhixian, and himself, so that more people could learn about this history.
"These ten letters span twenty-four years. Kept at home, they were just a private matter; placed in the exhibition hall, they bear witness to the life-and-death friendship between the people of Tucheng and the Red Army back then." After donating the letters, Zhang Degao and his family members also visit the memorial hall from time to time. Seeing visitors earnestly learning about the story behind them, he feels a deep sense of reassurance.
As the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River successively carries out activities on campuses, in communities, in enterprises, and in military units, the story of the ten letters is reaching more and more people through multiple channels.
Return to TopBy: 曹行燕
Twenty-four years of flying letters, one earnest admonition, give us a deeper understanding of "the people's choice": who chose whom, who trusted whom, who fought for whom — the answer is self-evident (答案尽在其中, da an jin zai qi zhong - "answer, all, in, within, middle").
Re-reading these 10 letters today is not merely for remembrance, but to answer the question. Times have changed, circumstances have changed, but the examination question of "for whom, relying on whom" has never changed. Huang Wanxian spent his whole life being grateful to the common people because he understood that everything a soldier has is given by the people; the people of Tucheng risked their lives to save the Red Army because they were convinced that this army protects their interests.
To walk well the Long March of the new era, the answer still lies with the people — placing the people in the highest position in our hearts, always standing with the people, thinking with the people, and working with the people. This is the most profound and warmest revelation these 10 letters leave for today.
(The author is an associate research librarian at the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River; compiled and arranged by People's Daily reporter Su Bin)
Return to TopWorld Food Day is approaching. On October 14, the Xiaoranju Branch of the Shuanggang Kindergarten Education Group in Hefei City, Anhui Province, carried out a themed activity to help children intuitively understand that food is not easy to obtain (来之不易, lai zhi bu yi - "come, arrive, not, easy"), and to cultivate in them from an early age the good habit of cherishing food and saving grain. The photo shows children taking part in a fun grain-carrying race.
Photo by Zhao Ming (China Image)
Return to Top(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 14) With the approval of the Central Military Commission, the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, together with the Party History and Literature Research Institute of the Central Committee, the National Radio and Television Administration, and China Media Group, organized the production of the television documentary The Great Expedition. The series will air starting October 15 in the prime-time 8 p.m. slot on CCTV's Comprehensive Channel, with one episode per day, with rebroadcasts on the National Defense and Military Channel and other channels, and simultaneous release on major central news websites, key portal websites, and the "Xuexi Qiangguo" platform.
The series consists of 7 episodes, titled "Seeking the Way," "Setting the Course," "The Iron Torrent," "Faith," "Bedrock," "Foundation," and "Monument," each approximately 50 minutes long. Closely centering on the theme of "carrying forward the great spirit of the Long March and treading well the Long March of the new era," it reviews and presents the glorious course of the Communist Party of China leading the Red Army in the great Long March, comprehensively reflects the great significance of victoriously completing a Long March that shook the world and is recorded in history, concentrates on displaying the people's army's utter loyalty in obeying the Party's command and its fearless and advancing without hesitation (一往无前, yi wang wu qian - "one, go, no, before") heroic spirit, and vividly presents the magnificent vista of working together with a single purpose (万众一心, wan zhong yi xin - "ten thousand, masses, one, heart") to advance the cause of building a strong country and a strong military on the new journey of the new era.
On the occasion of commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the release of this documentary will guide and inspire the entire Party, the entire military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, to profoundly understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments (两个确立), to strengthen the Four Consciousnesses (四个意识), to firm up the Four Confidences (四个自信), and to achieve the Two Upholds (两个维护), and to striving forward with great energy and vigor (踔厉奋发, zhuo li fen fa - "shake, vigorous, exert, expand"), advance bravely and resolutely, and strive hard to fight the tough battle of achieving the goals set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army, to accelerate the building of the people's army into a world-class military, and to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 尹 婕 蒋雪鸿
Cold Dew has already passed, and the morning mist in the mountain forests has not yet dispersed. Li Dongwei, captain of the wildlife protection patrol team of the Forestry Bureau of Hunchun City, Jilin Province, along with 4 teammates, carrying handheld positioning devices, tape measures, safety protection equipment, food supplies, and other gear, entered Daqinggou to begin a new day of patrol work.
Hunchun, located in the core area of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, is the place in China where wild Amur tigers are most concentrated in distribution and most frequent in activity. Li Dongwei has been engaged in patrol work for more than 10 years. "When I first participated in patrol work, tigers and leopards were rarely seen." In recent years, the number of times wild Amur tigers and leopards have been monitored has been continuously increasing. During patrols in the mountains, encounters with sika deer, wild boars, roe deer, and other animals are becoming increasingly common.
With more wild animals, the patrol task has become heavier. The size of the patrol team has grown from 6 people 10 years ago to 42 people, most of whom were born in the 1980s and 1990s, with the youngest being 22 years old this year.
Patrol work is very arduous. In the deep mountains, one must often endure bites from poisonous insects and also guard against attacks from wild animals; moreover, one must be on standby at all times, making it difficult to take care of one's family. Why are so many people still willing to hold their posts? Li Dongwei gave this answer: a sense of fulfillment.
This sense of fulfillment comes from the mountains and forests patrolled daily becoming more beautiful and more lively, and even more so from the profound change in the masses' mindset. Li Dongwei recalled that in the early years, when going to villages to give publicity talks, he would often encounter situations where villagers did not understand, but now everyone says: "When the forests are good, our days will get better and better."
The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has always been an area where humans and wild animals coexist. "Implementing protection by the whole people concerns not only the future of the tiger and leopard populations, but also the lives of every person on this land," said Duan Zhaogang, director of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration.
In the 5 years since the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park was formally established, in addition to thousands of rangers silently holding their posts on the front line, it has also extensively mobilized all sectors of society to participate in protection work through regularly conducted science popularization education and law popularization publicity. Now, when the masses see injured wild animals, they report it at the first opportunity or proactively seek help from professional rescue institutions.
In order to build a system that takes into account both ecological protection and improvement of people's livelihoods, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has fully implemented the "one post per household" ecological management and protection officer system. Over the past 5 years, the park has selected and employed more than 8,000 local people each year to serve as ecological management and protection officers, with an average annual income increase of 10,000 yuan per household.
Wang Yaqiong, deputy director of the Hunchun Management and Protection Center of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, introduced that through the effective connection between in-school classroom education and out-of-school research and study practice, the seeds of ecological protection have been sown into the hearts of young people.
Golden leaves carpet the ground, and light and shadow are dappled. In an instant, a wild Amur tiger enters the frame from the left side of the screen. Students from the fourth grade of Hunchun No. 1 Primary School were watching with rapt attention (目不转睛, mu bu zhuan jing - "eye, not, turn, fixate") at the screen, and then let out exclamations of "Wow." Wang Xin, a docent at the Hunchun Northeast China Tiger and Leopard Nature Science Museum, introduced that since the museum opened in September 2024, it has received an average of about 30,000 research and study groups per year.
In addition to relying on the exhibition hall for science popularization, the science museum also links up with the wild animal rescue station to regularly carry out outdoor ecological research and study activities. By understanding the entire process of rescue, rehabilitation, and release of wild animals, students can intuitively appreciate the significance of wild animal protection work, and in the process of influencing someone imperceptibly (潜移默化, qian yi mo hua - "subtly, move, silent, transform"), strengthen their awareness of respecting nature, loving animals, and protecting the ecology.
The achievements of 5 years of construction have been achieved with great difficulty (来之不易, lai zhi bu yi - "come, from, not, easy"), and more and more masses regard guarding the mountains and forests as their own business, taking action consciously, and the mass foundation of ecological civilization construction is taking deeper and deeper root.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 申少铁 杨彦帆 陆凡冰
The National Conference on Health and Wellness was held in Beijing from October 12 to 13. General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the conference and delivered an important speech, emphasizing: "The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical period for achieving the goal of building a Healthy China by 2035. We must unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics, implement the health and wellness work guidelines of the new era, leverage strengths, consolidate foundations, shore up weaknesses, and strengthen weak links, promote high-quality development of health and wellness undertakings, continuously improve the people's health level, and ensure decisive progress in the construction of a Healthy China."
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech has sparked enthusiastic responses among the vast number of health and wellness workers. Everyone unanimously expressed that the General Secretary's important speech profoundly answered a series of fundamental, directional, and overall issues in health and wellness work, pointing the way and providing important guidance for doing health and wellness work well on the new journey of the new era. We must unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics and promote decisive progress in the construction of a Healthy China.
Firmly implement the strategy of prioritizing health development
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The health and wellness undertaking plays an overall and foundational role, and we must firmly implement the strategy of prioritizing health development."
Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech possesses a far-reaching perspective (高屋建瓴, gao wu jian ling - "high, roof, build, grasp"), is profound in thought and rich in content, elevating the Party's understanding of the laws governing the development of health and wellness undertakings to a new height. We must deeply study and understand the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, unswervingly follow the path of health and wellness development with Chinese characteristics, and ensure the timely achievement of the goal of building a Healthy China.
"The grassroots level is the focus of health and wellness work." Wang Yanli, Director of the Majiapu Community Health Service Center in Fengtai District, Beijing, said that the people's health cannot rely solely on "treating existing diseases," but must also "prevent diseases before they occur." We must continue to base ourselves on grassroots functions, deepen and solidify services such as healthy weight management and chronic disease management, and guide residents to pay more attention to proactive health.
Liu Juncai, Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said that health is the most important indicator of an individual's happy life, and the people's health is the basic condition for economic and social development. In advancing the construction of Chinese modernization, the people's health is both a development goal and a development support.
"The people's health is the solid foundation of Chinese modernization." Zhang Shuyang, President of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated that Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population. Only by firmly implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development and transforming the demographic dividend into a talent dividend and a health dividend can we win long-term development advantages for the nation and the country.
"Implementing the strategy of prioritizing health development requires us to integrate the protection of the people's health into all policies and reflect it in all aspects of work." Miao Yanqing, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Health Strategy and Service System Research Department of the Health Development Research Center of the National Health Commission, said.
"Integrating the protection of the people's health into all policies is the key guarantee and concrete practice for promoting the implementation of the strategy of prioritizing health development." Wang Xudong, Director of the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, said that Tianjin will combine the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan outline, consolidate and improve the achievements of the Patriotic Health Campaign, and effectively integrate the protection of the people's health into all policies.
Highlight key points and do a good job in health and wellness work
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Prevention is the most economical and most effective health strategy. We must do a meticulous and solid job in all basic and source-level work of health and wellness, and consolidate the foundation of national health."
"To do a good job in disease prevention and control, the key is to accelerate the building of a modern disease control system with Chinese characteristics." Yang Liangjin, a relevant official from the Planning, Finance, and Regulations Department of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said that we must strengthen joint prevention and control, and improve the infectious disease prevention and control work pattern featuring unified leadership of Party committees, joint management by the Party and government, efficient coordination among departments, and extensive participation of society.
Wang Jun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Peking University People's Hospital, said that the vast number of health and wellness workers should give full play to their professional advantages, actively respond to social concerns, clarify cognitive misunderstandings, refute pseudo-scientific rumors, resolutely hold the main position of health science popularization, and guide the whole society to establish a correct view of health.
Meng Qingbin, Director of the Medical Administration Department of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, introduced that they will implement the Traditional Chinese Medicine action of the project to strengthen the grassroots medical and health system, optimize the functional positioning and structural layout of traditional Chinese medicine medical institutions, promote high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine medical services, and continuously meet the people's growing health needs.
Gan Ge, Director of the Hospital Management Research Institute of the National Health Commission, stated that they will focus on deepening the reform of public hospitals oriented toward public welfare, continuously optimize the medical service system, promote the implementation of reform measures, and enable the masses to enjoy higher-quality and more efficient medical and health services.
Liang Tingbo, President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said that the hospital will continue to make efforts in sending personnel to the grassroots, paired assistance, mobile medical services, and remote diagnosis, and through new models and new measures empowered by digital intelligence, activate the endogenous driving force of grassroots medical and health institutions, so that the masses can see a doctor nearby and receive good treatment.
Provide strong guarantees for the construction of a Healthy China
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Reform is a powerful driving force for the development of health and wellness undertakings. We must adhere to taking the coordinated development and governance of medical treatment, medical insurance, and medicine as the main direction of the reform of the medical and health system."
"The coordinated development and governance of the 'three medicals' is the key to Sanming's medical reform and also the main direction for Fujian's promotion of medical reform experience." Yang Minhong, Director of the Fujian Provincial Health Commission, said that Fujian has always promoted medical reform as a major livelihood reform, adhering to advancing in light of local conditions and a problem-oriented approach, coordinating reforms in centralized procurement of drugs and consumables, medical price adjustment, optimization of medical insurance payment, salary systems, and comprehensive supervision, so as to achieve win-win outcomes for medical insurance, hospitals, the masses, and industry.
Fang Jianguo, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, stated that Zhejiang will further deepen the coordinated development and governance of the "three medicals," promote the establishment and improvement of coordination and consultation mechanisms and normalized communication and consultation mechanisms at all levels across the province, accelerate the province-wide "three medicals" one-network reform, and promote data sharing and policy linkage.
Huang Xinyu, Director of the Medical Services Management Department of the National Healthcare Security Administration, stated that they will focus on improving the three-tier guarantee system of basic medical insurance, serious illness insurance, and medical assistance, encourage commercial medical insurance to complement and connect with basic medical insurance and develop in a differentiated manner, include more medical expenses outside the basic medical insurance catalog into the scope of protection, and better meet the people's diversified medical security needs.
Wu Hao, Dean of the School of Medical Humanities and General Practice at Capital Medical University, said that talent is the foundation of the project to strengthen the grassroots medical and health system. Schools should cultivate more high-quality general practitioners who can provide full-chain services of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and management, so that the masses can see a doctor nearby and receive good treatment.
"Accelerate the application of scientific and technological achievements in the health and wellness field, promote the digital and intelligent construction of national health, and provide assistance for the construction of a Healthy China." Liu Zhongjun, Professor of Orthopedics at Peking University Third Hospital, stated that in the future, we should vigorously promote the combination of remote imaging, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis, and other innovative achievements, bringing more health benefits to the grassroots masses.
(People's Daily reporters Bai Jianfeng, Sun Xiuyan, Zhong Ziwei, Gong Xiangjuan, and Li Junqiang participated in the writing)
Return to TopBy: 李浩燃
Studying volumes one and two of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, one can truly appreciate the distinct positions, value pursuits, and practical power of Xi Jinping's thought on culture, as well as the thinking methods and working methods contained within. Starting today, this section launches a series of commentaries to join everyone in appreciating the power of truth, drawing on experience and wisdom, and pooling strength for better shouldering the new cultural mission.
—Editor
During this year's National Day holiday, switching between the two cities of Beijing and Xi'an left an unforgettable "cultural tourism memory."
Checking in at landmarks such as the Burning Lantern Pagoda and the Daguang Tower, immersively experiencing the "Yunshangxing" Grand Canal waterscape poetry and music performance, and feeling the beauty of the waterfront along the open walkways... The thousand-year-old canal has been revitalized and connects the cultural lineage, bringing vigorous popularity to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center.
Viewing the Terracotta Warriors, visiting the Huaqing Palace, touring the Forest of Steles—besides visiting traditional scenic spots, one can also enjoy various performances, watching Dream of Chang'an recreate the ceremonial culture of the High Tang and Legend of the Camel Bells reproduce the magnificence of the Silk Road... Shaping tourism with culture and showcasing culture through tourism, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties radiates new charm of the times.
Such scenes are precisely a vivid microcosm of "nourishing the spiritual home with culture," reflecting that "fine traditional Chinese culture has undergone creative transformation and innovative development, and cultural undertakings are increasingly prosperous."
"The fine traditional Chinese culture created and continued by the Chinese nation over several thousand years of history is the root and soul of the Chinese nation." How is the cultural root and soul forged?
"Economic construction is the Party's central work, and ideological work is an extremely important task of the Party";
"From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has been both an active leader and practitioner of China's advanced culture and a faithful inheritor and promoter of China's fine traditional culture";
"Our Party is a Marxist political party with a high degree of cultural consciousness, always standing at the forefront of the times, leading cultural development and progress, and leading the people onto the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. The most essential feature of this path is upholding the Party's leadership";
Studying deeply volumes one and two of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, the answer is written in upholding and strengthening the Party's leadership.
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out, "Mastering ideological leadership is the foundation for mastering all leadership."
Looking back on the 105-year journey of struggle, our Party has always attached great importance to cultural development, uniting the strength of struggle through cultural development.
Take the Long March, for example. Looking back on that unparalleled or incomparable (无与伦比, wu yu lun bi - "not, have, compare, match") epic expedition, although Shanghai was not the main battlefield, it was the cultural dissemination hub of the Long March. It was precisely under the Party's leadership that the left-wing cultural movement achieved victory in the cultural counter-"encirclement and suppression" struggle, allowing the feat of the Long March to break through the Kuomintang's blockade and spread throughout the entire world (五洲四海, wu zhou si hai - "five, continents, four, seas").
Since the new era, cultural development has achieved historic accomplishments through eliminating falsehoods and returning to the original truth (正本清源, zheng ben qing yuan - "correct, root, clear, source") and upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and the building of a culturally strong nation has advanced with firm and resolute steps.
Across the Chinese land today, culture has been "ignited" and history has been "brought to life," coalescing into a more proactive spiritual force.
The World Heritage list has gained new members—the "Jingdezhen Handmade Porcelain Industry Remains" has been inscribed on the World Heritage List, and the name card of the "Thousand-Year Porcelain Capital" has been polished even brighter;
The Pinglu Canal connects rivers to the sea, not only turning the vision in The International Development of China from over a century ago into reality, but also linking landscapes, coastal scenery, and cultural sites into a continuous chain, converging into a flowing cultural tourism corridor;
Silk, tea, porcelain, traditional Chinese medicine, and brewing—historical classic industries are accelerating under policy support, and "time-honored brands" are breaking into new tracks...
Comparing culture to the "root" and "soul" of a nation is the unique sobriety and resolve of Chinese Communists. The "root" reaches downward into history; the "soul" stands upward in spirit.
On the new journey, upholding and strengthening the Party's centralized, unified leadership and safeguarding the "root" and "soul" are precisely the "guiding star" of building a culturally strong nation. Its mighty power bursts forth in cultural innovation and creation and is manifested in the warm, tangible, and perceptible daily life of hundreds of millions of people.
Grassroots creators such as "delivery rider poet" Wang Jibing and "vegetable market writer" Chen Hui have "broken out of the circle," and "new mass literature and art" has been written into the Government Work Report.
Love Letters to Grandma, The Eight Immortals!, and Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant have won both critical acclaim and box office success, with new films in the market shining brightly and spanning diverse genres.
The user base of micro-dramas exceeds 800 million, with a market scale exceeding 100 billion yuan, and the "new three cultural exports" of online literature, online dramas, and online games are setting sail overseas.
Foreign tourists are falling in love with in-depth "China tours," and "Chinamaxxing" (extreme Sinicization) is going viral on overseas social media.
Having personally experienced the great transformations of the new era, we have come to understand even more deeply that the historic achievements of our country's publicity, ideological, and cultural work and the overarching and fundamental transformation of the situation in the ideological sphere are fundamentally attributable to the Two Establishments (两个确立) and to consistently upholding the Party's leadership.
The fortunes of culture are tied to the fortunes of the nation; the cultural lineage is connected to the national destiny.
Raising high cultural subjectivity, Chinese culture stands firm and travels far; embracing openness and inclusiveness, Chinese civilization absorbs all rivers and achieves its greatness.
Surpassing civilizational estrangement with civilizational exchange, surpassing civilizational conflict with civilizational mutual learning, and surpassing civilizational superiority with civilizational coexistence—under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese concepts and wisdom are injecting a force of stability into the world.
"The new journey is a new Long March." Carrying out the great struggle with many new historical characteristics involves both a contest of hard power and a contest of soft power.
Better shouldering the new cultural mission, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, allowing Chinese culture to radiate new brilliance of the times, and continuously enriching and developing new forms of human civilization—this is our best tribute to history and the responsibility we should bear for the future.
Return to TopBy: 王君平
Letting price competition return to rationality is not about imposing limits on competition, but about making competition more orderly; it is not only about punishing extremely low prices, but also about preventing "bidding errors that cause collateral damage."
Recently, the "low prices do not get all the volume" approach in centralized procurement of drugs and medical consumables has drawn attention. In September, the seventh batch of state-organized centralized volume-based procurement of high-value medical consumables set a "double standard deviation" price anchor point, further highlighting "anti-involution" in the rule design, sending the signal that "abnormally high prices must be eliminated, and abnormally low prices will not be given volume."
Previously, the twelfth batch of state-organized drug centralized procurement opened bids in Shanghai, also clearly adopting an "anti-involution" orientation, requiring enterprises that quote extremely low prices to provide a "statement of reasonableness of the quotation," while not allocating procurement volume to them and not occupying quota slots for selection.
What is an extremely low price? Taking the quotation for endoscopic hemostatic clips as an example, one enterprise quoted a price of 7.4 yuan at the bid-opening site, whereas the general quotation for this product is at least 20 yuan, and most enterprises' actual shipment prices fall in the 26–30 yuan range. An extremely low price is significantly below the normal level or even below production costs; it not only disrupts the order of healthy competition, but also indirectly drives enterprises to compete on price and "race to the bottom," making it the key governance target of "anti-involution" in centralized procurement.
Medical insurance centralized procurement is no longer "price-only," and now places greater emphasis on forming reasonable bidding rules, which can leave no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of a situation through "price competition." In the twelfth batch of drug centralized procurement, the rules clearly stipulate that when the lowest quotation is even lower than "the average of shortlisted quotations minus two standard deviations," although it will be accepted as a winning bid, no guarantee of "volume" will be given. In other words, the rules separate extremely low prices from volume allocation, making the extremely low price that involves making a loss just to gain publicity or reputation unprofitable. It can be seen that medical insurance centralized procurement is moving out of the "price-dominated" stage, pushing enterprises to shift toward "competing on quality, competing on efficiency, and competing on supply security."
Letting price competition return to rationality is not about imposing limits on competition, but about making competition more orderly; it is not only about punishing extremely low prices, but also about preventing "bidding errors that cause collateral damage." This round of consumables centralized procurement added a "revival without volume" mechanism: products with large clinical demand, even if they are not directly selected through normal bidding, can still have the opportunity to obtain selection qualification after accepting the condition of not exceeding 1.5 times the circuit-breaker price, except that they will not obtain the agreed procurement volume. This both preserves doctors' choice in using mainstream products and leaves reasonable profit margins for pharmaceutical enterprises.
As an important tool for strategic purchasing by medical insurance, centralized procurement no longer merely performs the function of "price discovery," but is increasingly becoming an important fulcrum for advancing medical insurance reform. The "15th Five-Year Plan" for Universal Medical Security clearly states that it is necessary to promote coordination among key reforms such as public hospital reform, medical insurance payment, and drug and consumables centralized procurement. This means that centralized procurement is no longer pursuing price reduction in isolation, but is embedded in the governance framework of "three-medicine" coordination: the payment side manages "how much is spent," the procurement side (centralized procurement) manages "how expensive what is bought is," and the medical side manages "how it is used." Only when the three are linked can every cent of the medical insurance fund be spent where it can truly improve health, and can the "health-centered" approach be implemented effectively and concretely.
Building a Healthy China is a systematic project. Promoting the profound transformation of centralized procurement from price orientation to value orientation, from fragmented governance to nationwide coordination, and from cost competition to innovation competition, and finding a better balance among safeguarding people's livelihoods, promoting innovation, and regulating the market, will help achieve the win-win outcome of "patients gaining benefits, medical insurance improving efficiency, and enterprises promoting transformation," and contribute greater strength to building a Healthy China.
Return to TopBy: 侯晓楠
How popular is Chinese online literature overseas? Two personal experiences still make my heart burn when I think of them to this day.
In the winter of 2024, at the British Library, a special book-collection ceremony was held — ten works including Soul Land and Joy of Life were formally acquired for the collection. This was the second time Chinese online literature entered this library, following its first inclusion in 2022.
In early autumn 2025, at Universal Studios Singapore, a queue several hundred meters long formed in front of the Taoist Immortal themed haunted house. Visitors of different skin colors had come for a Chinese cultural IP.
China's new mass literature and art has entered the lives of more and more young people overseas. I remember that after the book-collection ceremony, a British university student told me he had been following these serialized novels for several years, and now he felt "as if something belonging to 'one of our own' has been seen by the world." Such remarks are by no means isolated. As of the end of 2025, Chinese online literature had cumulatively released more than 130,000 works overseas, with approximately 250 million registered overseas users, covering more than 200 countries and regions.
Looking back, the journey of Chinese online literature going global began with love. The craving for stories is an instinct of humanity. From cave paintings to epic chanting, from storytelling scripts to serialized web postings, the carriers have changed, but people's thirst for good stories has never changed. Overseas readers spontaneously translated and disseminated the works. Good content grows legs of its own and travels across the seas. As it traveled farther and farther, this ocean-going giant ship needed a more powerful engine. In 2017, Webnovel (Qidian International) went online, sending licensed content overseas on a large scale. In 2023, we explored AI (artificial intelligence) translation and simultaneously established a terminology database for online literature and traditional culture. By the end of June this year, China Literature Limited had released more than 30,000 AI-translated works, covering more than ten languages.
Why does Chinese online literature resonate? Language has borders, but emotions do not. For example, the spirit of struggle embodied in the idea that humanity's ability to conquer nature (人定胜天, ren ding sheng tian - "human, determine, overcome, heaven") is a classic core of fantasy novels. A Belgian reader left a comment after reading Battle Through the Heavens: "The work allows me to face challenges with a better mindset in my fast-paced life." The shells differ, but the cores connect. Chinese stories cross mountains and seas by relying on the resonance of heart with heart. This may be the deepest significance of cultural going-global: great culture never clings to fixed boundaries, but radiates new vitality in the flow.
Today, Chinese online literature is no longer merely "Chinese" — it has become a global creative language. We have promoted the building of an overseas author ecosystem, helping readers become authors, and turning "following serial updates" into "co-creation." Now, China Literature Limited has more than 530,000 overseas authors. Some of the novels they write integrate traditional Chinese medicine and yin-yang into local fantasy; others transplant and graft the "system flow" and "infinite flow" genres — carrying the narrative flavor of Chinese online literature while preserving the distinctive local cultural savor.
The exchange and cooperation of online literature promotes the harmonious coexistence of cultures. Responding to humanity's shared spiritual needs with Eastern narrative methods; accommodating the self-expression of different cultures with an open creative ecosystem. Going global, and moreover taking root and sprouting, today's Chinese online literature has become one of the cultural "new three items," building a bridge connecting China and the world, and writing a vivid footnote to promoting mutual learning and shared beauty among cultures (美美与共、交流互鉴, mei mei yu gong, jiao liu hu jian - "beautiful, beautiful, with, together; exchange, mutual, learn from each other").
The cause of online literature is still young. Moving forward, it must rely on the mutual reinforcement of cultural power, storytelling power, and communication power. "Telling well" means stimulating the creative vitality of new mass literature and art, encouraging deep cultivation of traditional culture, and conveying values such as the concept of harmony between humanity and nature (天人合一, tian ren he yi - "heaven, human, combine, one") and benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. "Going global" means making good use of popular elements, innovating narrative expression, and transforming cultural connotations into stories that are easy to understand and resonate with. "Spreading widely" means continuing to leverage platform innovation, technological upgrading, and industrial cooperation so that good stories are not limited by language, channel, or form, and can reach the world on a large scale.
From translation going global and model going global, to IP ecosystem going global; from single-point hits in online literature to achieving widespread success in multiple areas (多点开花, duo dian kai hua - "many, points, bloom, flower") across film, television, and gaming — when global co-reading and co-creation become the norm, Chinese stories of the new era gain the power to cross mountains and seas and transcend time — not conquest, but integration; not monologue, but chorus.
(The author is the Chief Executive Officer and President of China Literature Limited)
Return to TopRecently, upon approval by the State Council, the National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for the Expansion and Upgrading Project of Medical Rehabilitation and Nursing Care." The document focuses on "expanding capacity, improving quality, balancing distribution, and ensuring continuity," proposing 13 tasks and measures, with a focus on the grassroots level to coordinate and increase the supply of medical rehabilitation and nursing care resources, further enhance service capacity and standards, and effectively improve the accessibility of rehabilitation and nursing care services for urban and rural residents.
This is precisely:
Achieving health is not a one-day task (祛病远非一日功, qu bing yuan fei yi ri gong - "remove disease, far not, one day, achievement"),
Do not slacken in recuperation and care.
Services delivered to the doorstep,
Health and well-being accompany, with smiles thick.
Shen Qiuwen
Return to TopBy: 董艳芳
When "grand masters" are stripped of their titles, what will the catering industry rely on to keep customers? Not long ago, the China Cuisine Association comprehensively cleaned up the various titles, certificates, and uniforms containing "grand master" or "master" that it had evaluated and awarded over the years, such as "Chinese Cuisine Grand Master (Master)" and "Chinese Catering Service Grand Master (Master)," pushing the catering industry to shift from "competing over titles" to "competing over quality."
Since the beginning of this year, the crackdown on watered-down "grand masters" has continued to intensify. Industry associations such as the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics and the China Building Waterproof Association have successively announced the revocation of multiple titles such as "grand master" and "inheritor grand master." As "grand masters" step off the stage one after another, what deeper considerations lie behind this?
Stripping away false titles to remedy disorder is to set the record straight on industry evaluation standards.
Selecting "grand masters" was originally meant to commend outstanding representatives within an industry who deeply cultivate their craft, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, and carry forward the cultural lineage, so as to play a demonstrative and leading role. However, some "grand master" evaluations have become rampant, increasingly deviating from their original purpose, operating behind closed doors and forming gray industry chains.
Behind the practice of "judging rank by title and determining merit by designation," there is often profit at work. Once the "hat" of "grand master" or "famous master" is put on, even ordinary works can be sold at high prices. When attention to titles and false reputations exceeds attention to quality, it can easily lead to bad money driving out good (劣币驱逐良币, lie bi qu xu liang bi - "bad, coin, expel, good, coin"). From this perspective, indulging watered-down "grand masters" in gaining both fame and fortune (名利双收, ming li shuang shou - "fame, profit, both, receive") is unfair to those true craftsmen who do meticulous and painstaking work (精耕细作, jing geng xi zuo - "fine, plow, detailed, work") and quietly hone their skills, and it invisibly erodes the spirit of craftsmanship and the spirit of practical work.
Only by cleaning up false titles, discarding flashy gimmicks, and establishing standardized industry norms and evaluation systems can quality, strength, service, reputation, and innovation become the common pursuit of business entities.
Stripping away false titles to correct deviations is to lay the foundation for a sound market order.
Industry associations should be defenders of fair market competition. Once they treat the awarding of "grand master" titles as a means of generating revenue, they distort their own positioning and further twist fair competition. Some speculators exchange "money" for "hats" and then use "hats" to exchange for "money," polluting the entire industry ecosystem.
Rectifying watered-down "grand masters" and correcting the chaos in industry associations is precisely about cutting off the chain of interests and maintaining a sound market order. From the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection designating "learned societies and associations" as a key area for anti-corruption efforts, to the implementation of project list management under the "Measures for the Administration of Evaluation and Commendation Activities of Social Organizations," all of these are about maintaining market order and optimizing the development ecosystem through strengthened regulation, which helps achieve mutual reinforcement and joint progress between economic development and social governance.
Stripping away false titles to consolidate the foundation is to build momentum for high-quality development.
High-quality development is a general requirement for all aspects of economic and social development. When the requirement of "high quality" is implemented across various industries, it means having a better development environment, higher quality and efficiency, more professional standards, and superior products and services. Relying on false reputations to create momentum and gimmicks to attract traffic, while neglecting quality refinement and the accumulation of practical work, has become a chronic and stubborn ailment.
Stripping watered-down "grand masters" of their titles is precisely about strengthening the orientation toward practical work and tangible results, encouraging practitioners in all industries to settle down and refine quality, improve product quality and service standards, and pool together the combined force for achieving high-quality development.
Eliminating the malady of false reputations cannot be accomplished in a single day; promoting the trend of practical work requires persevering with constancy (持之以恒, chi zhi yi heng - "hold, it, with, perseverance"). Only by transforming development concepts, plugging regulatory loopholes, tightening the cage of institutions, and fostering a clean atmosphere within industries — sweeping false reputations clean and letting practical work become a widespread and healthy trend (蔚然成风, wei ran cheng feng - "flourishing, become, trend") — can we rectify market order, purify the development environment, and strengthen the momentum of high-quality development while stimulating social vitality.
Return to TopBy: 巨云鹏
Not long ago, while conducting an interview in the Shimin Xincun residential area of Huangpu District, Shanghai, as I finished talking and stood up to leave, I was pulled back by a resident who had gone through the old-house renovation. "I want to say a few more things."
What did he want to say? It turned out that during the renovation period, his two family members, both nearly 90 years old, had moved into a nursing home in the suburbs. Zhang Wei, the secretary of the general Party branch of the residential area, insisted on visiting them, transferring buses several times, and only felt at ease after seeing with her own eyes that the elderly were doing well in daily life and medical care. "Just for this matter, I recognize Secretary Zhang from the bottom of my heart."
Happening coincidentally or by chance (无独有偶, wu du you ou - "no, unique, also, have"), during an interview on the old-renovation project at Lane 101, Puyu East Road in Huangpu District, a household of a father and daughter talked about what satisfied them about the new home, and also mentioned some objective shortcomings. As the interview was wrapping up, they likewise wanted to say a few more things, praising the property management worker Zhang Junhao. "Just for the installation of a single door in the room, Xiao Zhang ran back and forth seven or eight times. Even if the new home isn't one hundred percent to our liking, just looking at this point, we're satisfied!"
In Shanghai, old-renovation was once called "the hardest task under heaven." The difficulty lies not only in the coordinated deployment of funds, land, and planning, but more so in the fact that this work directly confronts the unique difficulties faced by every family (家家那本难念的经, jia jia na ben nan nian de jing - "every, family, that, volume, difficult, read, scripture"). For relatives who are at odds, how to balance different demands; for those who have relocated and moved away, how to ensure someone still attends to urgent difficulties... Item by item, case by case, these matters are specific and minute, bearing on the immediate interests and feelings of the masses. Handling these small matters well and properly is tied to the sense of gain that old-renovation brings to the masses, and tests the capability and responsibility of grassroots cadres.
Strengthening this sense of gain cannot be separated from a cadre-mass relationship of mutual trust and close connection. Old-renovation, from a work perspective, is "the hardest of the hard," but from the perspective of the masses involved in the renovation, it is what their hearts long for. Whether a wall is built to the right specifications, whether a window is installed and works well — the masses weigh these things in their minds and care about them. Doing this work well is not easy, and winning the praise of the masses is even harder. Only by treating the masses as "one's own family," empathizing with others by considering their perspective (将心比心, jiang xin bi xin - "take, heart, compare, heart"), listening more to what the masses say, being willing to sit together with the masses, and earnestly turning "statements" into "actions," with every matter receiving a response and every issue being resolved, will the masses trust you and draw close to you.
"Saying a few more things" is affirmation of latent achievements. During the old-renovation process, when a dilapidated small building is leveled and a brand-new residence rises, society mostly focuses on these external changes, while the meticulous and tedious communication and coordination work is not easily "seen." But without the hard work put in behind the scenes, it would be impossible to break down the wall in people's hearts, build a bridge to their hearts, and win unanimous praise from everyone (交口称赞, jiao kou cheng zan - "interlock, mouth, praise").
General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out: "Whether a cadre's performance is good or not, the key is whether the reputation among the people is good." Facing the people's new expectations for a better life, we must not have the slightest complacency or slackness; we need sustained, long-term effort. Always keeping the people's well-being and hardships in mind, carrying them on our shoulders, and translating them into action will surely win the people's recognition through tangible results.
Undertaking endeavors and creating political achievements is for the purpose of benefiting the people, and moreover must rely on the masses. In Shanghai's old-renovation work, relying on the masses to do mass work is an effective and proven path. Broadening our perspective, whether it is the fervent mass sports events in various places, or the volunteer workers from the masses in cultural and tourism activities, or the couriers and food delivery riders integrated into social governance practice, the wisdom and strength of the masses are becoming increasingly prominent.
Creating new achievements must not be done by acting in isolation without consulting others (闭门造车, bi men zao che - "close, door, manufacture, cart"); we must persist in asking the people about governance, asking the people about their needs, and asking the people for their plans. Creating achievements is also not a "solo performance" by Party members and cadres, but a "chorus" that requires fully mobilizing everyone's enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. When everyone contributes their effort, stays attentive at all times, and is conscientious in every place, every practical and good thing accomplished will help advance the cause of the Party and the state.
Walking out of the lanes and alleys of Shanghai, the words "I want to say a few more things" still ring in my ears. Every leaf and every branch is a matter of concern; by thinking a bit more for the masses and doing a bit more for them, solid and real political achievements will surely remain in the hearts of the masses.
(The author is a reporter for this newspaper's Shanghai branch.)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 孙龙飞
On the afternoon of October 14, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the preparations for the 33rd World University Games Winter, Changchun 2027 (hereinafter referred to as the "Winter Universiade").
A reporter learned at the press conference that this Winter Universiade will be held from January 15 to 25, 2027, under the theme "Chasing Dreams on Ice and Snow, Youth Forever in Changchun," featuring a total of 12 sports and 97 events. At present, more than 3,700 athletes, coaches, and officials from 63 countries and regions have registered, making it the largest number of registrations in the history of the Winter Universiade.
Preparations are fully underway, and competition organization is advancing in an orderly manner
"The Winter Universiade is the world's largest and most influential university winter sports event. The Changchun Winter Universiade is also another international, comprehensive ice and snow event hosted by China following the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Harbin Asian Winter Games, and it has drawn much attention," said Wang Jiayi, Vice Chairman of the Winter Universiade Organizing Committee and Vice Minister of Education. The Chinese delegation plans to compete in 11 sports, with an initial plan for a delegation of more than 400 people, including approximately 240 athletes.
In terms of the competition schedule, this Winter Universiade will have a total of 14 competition days. Finals of popular events such as short track speed skating, speed skating, and freestyle skiing aerials will be arranged on weekends.
The Chinese delegation adheres to three principles — "openness, fairness, and impartiality; competition-based selection of the best; and equal emphasis on work style, willpower, and competitive strength" — in selecting university student athletes for the competition. At the same time, the delegation will organize training sessions for each sport in a planned manner, earnestly carry out high-level professional preparation, and strive for good results. "We will carry out anti-doping work with a 'zero tolerance' attitude to ensure that we win medals cleanly," Wang Jiayi said.
At present, all preparatory work for this Winter Universiade is fully underway, and competition organization is advancing steadily and orderly according to the timeline. Tong Lixin, Vice Chairman of the Winter Universiade Organizing Committee and Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport, introduced that the Ministry of Education, the General Administration of Sport, and Jilin Province have jointly selected 14 professional backbone personnel to serve as competition directors, providing professional guidance in areas such as venue equipment, competition scheduling, and emergency response. Subsequently, domestic technical officials will be selected according to the needs of the event to work together with international organizations on refereeing, organization, and management.
The Changchun competition zone will host speed skating, short track speed skating, figure skating, curling, ice hockey, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing aerials, ski orienteering, and winter trail running events. In the Jilin competition zone, Beidahu Ski Resort will host alpine skiing, freestyle and snowboard big air, halfpipe, and slopestyle events; Songhuahu Ski Resort will host snowboard (parallel events) and ski mountaineering events.
Tong Lixin stated that starting next month, 15 test drills will be arranged, focusing on testing command and dispatch, venue operations, equipment and facilities, transportation and accommodation, team coordination, timing and scoring, and results statistics; in addition, risk hazards in areas such as competition organization, extreme weather, medical emergency response, and information technology are being systematically reviewed and emergency plans are being formulated to ensure a safe event.
Running the event with simplicity and green principles, providing warm and thoughtful services
"After an interval of 18 years, the World University Games Winter has once again come to China, to be held in Jilin Province. This is the International University Sports Federation's full recognition of Jilin Province's ice and snow resources, event-hosting conditions, and comprehensive support capabilities," said Sun Jian, Vice Chairman of the Winter Universiade Organizing Committee and Vice Governor of Jilin Province. This Winter Universiade adopts a "Changchun main competition zone + Jilin sub-competition zone" dual-city linkage model. All 13 venues are based on existing facilities with "light intervention, micro renovation," and low-carbon venue renovations are being advanced. Among them, 12 venues have completed construction and will subsequently hold test events. After the Winter Universiade, all venues will be opened to the public, so that event resources can be transformed into benefits for people's livelihoods as much as possible.
For this Winter Universiade, service and support preparations are fully in place. Sun Jian said that meteorological support will provide hour-by-hour refined forecasting, and medical, transportation, and accommodation services will operate in a fully closed-loop chain. Changchun and Jilin have unified standards from track parameters to judging criteria. Sixteen volunteer service stations have been carefully set up at key hubs and locations such as airports, railway stations, and ski resorts, providing warm and thoughtful services to guests from around the world, including QR-code ticket purchasing, transportation guidance, and luggage assistance.
Gu Gang, Vice Chairman of the Winter Universiade Organizing Committee and Mayor of Changchun, stated that benchmarking against international event standards, a comprehensive service system for foreign affairs arrival and departure, registration and customs clearance, and delegations has been established; 41 reception hotels, 27 designated hospitals, and 29 food supply bases have been selected, and more than 1,100 support vehicles will be provided, offering support for professional event operations and ensuring that this Winter Universiade is held in an orderly, smooth, and successful manner.
"In order to let athletes feel the enthusiasm of Chinese university students, we have carefully selected from a large group (精挑细选, jing tiao xi xuan - "carefully, pick, finely, select") 8,100 volunteers from among 120,000 registered university students. We hope that volunteers can become good friends with the participating athletes, and through the volunteers' enthusiastic service, athletes can feel the vigorous and energetic power of Chinese youth," Gu Gang said. "The entire event, from bid to hosting, has a very short timeline, but we have the confidence and the determination to present wonderful competitions and provide warm and thoughtful services to young university students from around the world."
Promoting mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and foreign youth
In March this year, the mascots of this Winter Universiade, "Jibing" and "Jixue," were unveiled; in October, the medals "Jimeng" and the torch "Jixiang" were released, and the event emblem of "Ice and Snow Dream Soaring" has gradually become deeply ingrained in people's hearts (深入人心, shen ru ren xin - "deep, enter, people, heart"). On October 8, the flame of this Winter Universiade was successfully collected in Turin, Italy, and on the morning of October 14, a flame welcome ceremony was held in Changchun. Attention from home and abroad is focused on Changchun, cheering on the Winter Universiade.
The Winter Universiade is not only a competitive event, but also an important vehicle for global youth to engage in dialogue and exchange and to deepen mutual learning among civilizations (文明互鉴, wen ming hu jian - "civilization, mutually, learn from each other"). Wang Jiayi introduced that this Winter Universiade will host the International University Sports Federation World Academic Conference, building a high-level academic exchange platform; implement a series of cultural promotion and thematic exhibition activities such as cultural exchange and study tours for Chinese and foreign youth; set up a "Chinese Bridge" mobile Chinese learning interactive experience zone; vigorously disseminate China's excellent traditional culture and the charm of Changchun as a city; and carry out a variety of urban cultural experience activities, allowing visiting guests to experience a real, three-dimensional, and vivid image of China and the landscape of Jilin.
Jilin City is the host of some of the snow events of this Winter Universiade. In recent years, ice and snow sports and ice and snow tourism in Jilin City have continued to boom. Wang Ji, Vice Chairman of the Winter Universiade Organizing Committee and Secretary of the Jilin Municipal Party Committee, introduced that in the last snow season, more than 42 million visits were made to Jilin City to view rime ice, ski on powder snow, and experience the joy of ice and snow. Rime ice and ice and snow have become well-known brand symbols of Jilin City.
"We will take the successful hosting of this Winter Universiade as an opportunity to deeply implement the dual-wheel drive of 'ice and snow + summer escape,' striving to promote ice and snow cultural tourism from 'hot for one season' to 'prosperous all year round,'" Wang Ji said.
"We must not only host this Winter Universiade well, but also hope to use it to showcase Changchun's charm, Jilin's characteristics, and China's splendor to the world. We also hope that this sports event can become a platform for cultural exchange, promoting mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and foreign youth," Gu Gang said.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 姚雪青 王 丹
In Zhushan Village, Zhangqing Township, Hukou County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, at the village health clinic, villager Zhang Daizhen was receiving treatment. Pan Xiaobing, a 54-year-old village doctor, wrapped the cuff around Zhang Daizhen's arm. "Blood pressure is normal." He pressed the Enter key on the computer and entered the examination results into the system.
Having practiced medicine for 34 years, Pan Xiaobing keeps three kinds of "account books," yet they all record the same thing — how primary-level medical and health institutions guard the "first line of defense" for the people's health.
The medicine account —
"The share of medical expenses in residents' income has been declining year by year"
In 1992, Pan Xiaobing opened a clinic in the main room of his own house in Liurui Village, Zhangqing Township, but on the first day he did not receive a single cent, "At that time, patients often could not come up with the money, so I could only record it as a debt."
In a corner of the clinic, a stack of account books was densely covered with entries, with the smallest debts of three or five jiao, and the larger ones of eight or ten yuan.
From 1992 to 2012, more than 80 account books, over 200 villager households, with unpaid debts exceeding 260,000 yuan. "To this day, 8,992 yuan still sits on the books — some people can no longer be contacted, so that's that."
These unpaid debts fluctuated upward in the early period, began to decline in 2007 and 2009, and by 2012, the account books stopped.
Liu Zengbo, head of the Primary Health and System Reform Section of the Hukou County Health Commission, explained the reason behind this: in 2007, the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme policy was implemented in the county; in 2009, the National Basic Public Health Service Project policy was introduced; in 2012, outpatient pooling was officially launched, and villagers began to have their medical expenses reimbursed on a proportional basis...
"Over the years, the disease-prevention effect of public health services has gradually become apparent, and the share of medical expenses in residents' income has been declining year by year." Pan Xiaobing said that village doctors' treatment has also improved. In 2012, Pan Xiaobing participated in unified training organized by the county and obtained a rural doctor qualification certificate. The basic public health subsidies and basic diagnosis and treatment income he received grew from 9,600 yuan per year in the past to more than 50,000 yuan today.
In 2012, the paper account books that Pan Xiaobing had kept for 21 years withdrew from the stage of history.
The health account —
"When chronic diseases are kept under control, patients suffer less and families spend less"
The account books stopped, but Pan Xiaobing gained a "health account" — residents' health records.
Opening this ledger bound from A4 paper, information such as name, age, and follow-up dates is perfectly clear and plain (一清二楚, yi qing er chu - "one, clear, two, distinct"). Who has hypertension, who has diabetes, who should have a physical examination, who should receive follow-up — one glance tells all.
Hukou County began establishing records for key populations across the county in 2009, and basically completed them by 2012. Village doctors' work accordingly gained new content: health management for key populations. Chronic disease patients receive at least one face-to-face follow-up per quarter; residents aged 65 and above receive one comprehensive physical examination per year.
Zhang Daizhen is 78 years old this year and was found to have hypertension around the year 2000. In 2012, Zhang Daizhen was formally brought into chronic disease management. The village doctor conducts follow-up once per quarter, guiding him on medication, exercise, and diet. In 2020, Pan Xiaobing was transferred to Zhushan Village and took over this "health account" from the previous veteran village doctor.
In April of last year, Zhang Daizhen went to the township health center for a physical examination, and when his blood pressure was measured, the systolic pressure was over 160. After receiving the report, under the guidance of a senior physician, Pan Xiaobing switched the short-acting medication to a medium- and long-acting one. After the medication change, Zhang Daizhen's blood pressure stabilized. "Fortunately, Dr. Pan reminded me to go for the physical examination," Zhang Daizhen said.
Pan Xiaobing has a "clear account" in his mind. In Zhushan Village, more than 300 people suffer from diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "These people need focused attention. When chronic diseases are kept under control, patients suffer less and families spend less," Pan Xiaobing said.
"Eat less greasy food, put less salt in dishes, and eat less pickled vegetables." When villagers come to the clinic to have their blood pressure measured, Pan Xiaobing does not forget to do health education, "To guard the 'last kilometer' of health, the work must be done in advance."
The cloud account —
"Electrocardiograms uploaded in real time, with reports fed back in as little as 3 minutes"
By 2024, Pan Xiaobing had gained another "cloud account."
Not long ago, 81-year-old villager Qian Saimei came to the village clinic clutching her chest. Pan Xiaobing promptly performed an electrocardiogram examination for her, and the data was transmitted in real time to the Electrocardiogram Diagnostic Center of the Hukou County General Health Hospital, with the report quickly sent back: mild T-wave changes, requiring regular re-examination to prevent progression to atrial fibrillation. Consistent with Pan Xiaobing's preliminary judgment, the elderly woman also breathed a sigh of relief.
In January 2024, Jiangxi Province's primary-level artificial intelligence-assisted smart medical system was launched, and it has now been connected to 2,159 township health centers, 20,769 village health clinics, and 154 county-level direct medical units, achieving full coverage of application in primary-level medical institutions.
What Pan Xiaobing commonly uses is precisely the system's telemedicine module — teleconsultation, teleimaging, and tele-electrocardiography are all connected to the large platform of Jiangxi Province's medical community. Hukou County has built a county-township-village "one network for electrocardiograms," realizing "township examination, county-level diagnosis." As of August this year, a cumulative total of 20,900 person-times of centralized electrocardiogram diagnosis and 19,700 person-times of centralized image reading had been completed.
That the "cloud account" can be implemented cannot be separated from the empowerment of science and technology. "Electrocardiograms uploaded in real time, with reports fed back in as little as 3 minutes." Pan Xiaobing said that through Jiangxi's smart medical insurance "village-to-village" management platform, patients can seek treatment with real-name registration, facial recognition authentication, and medical insurance settlement.
Physicians at or above the intermediate level from the Hukou County General Health Hospital also regularly sit in outpatient clinics at township health centers to help village doctors improve their diagnosis and treatment capabilities. "We have more confidence in serving our fellow villagers," Pan Xiaobing said.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Zhang Cong) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Justice on the 14th: With the approval of the Party Central Committee, the Central Office for Law-Based Governance has launched a rule-of-law inspection of leading cadres' performance of their duties in accordance with the law. Eight inspection teams were formed to conduct on-site inspections in eight provinces (regions) — Hebei, Heilongjiang, Fujian, Shandong, Tibet, Shaanxi, Qinghai, and Xinjiang — as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, for a period of 10 days.
It is understood that the rule-of-law inspection will adhere to a problem-oriented approach, focusing on issues such as leading cadres' law-based decision-making, standardizing law enforcement involving enterprises, the formulation and application of administrative normative documents, and standardizing investment attraction, while continuing to deeply rectify prominent problems such as arbitrary charges, arbitrary inspections, arbitrary fines, arbitrary seizures, and illegal cross-regional law enforcement and profit-driven law enforcement, striving to advance strict supervision and full enforcement of the law in relevant fields, and urging leading cadres at all levels to establish a correct view of political achievements and perform their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law.
The inspection teams are led by ministerial-level cadres from relevant departments of the Central Committee and state organs, with participation from professional backbone personnel of relevant units and localities, experts and scholars, deputies to people's congresses, and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The inspections strictly implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation (八项规定) of the Central Committee and its implementation rules, and the Party Central Committee's deployment requirements on rectifying formalism and reducing burdens at the grassroots level, applying efforts with precision (精准发力, jing zhun fa li - "precise, exert force") and striving for practical results (务求实效, wu qiu shi xiao - "strive for, seek, actual, effect").
Return to Top(People's Daily, Tianjin, October 14) (Reporter Jia Pingfan) The 7th Overseas Chinese-Language New Media Forum was held in Tianjin on the 14th. Representatives of overseas Chinese-language new media from five continents gathered together in one place (共聚一堂, gong ju yi tang - "together, gather, one, hall"), engaging in exchanges and discussions on topics such as the mission of Chinese-language media, the spirit of qiaopi (letters and remittances from overseas Chinese), enterprises going global and communication going global, and Tianjin's opening up to the outside world, under the theme of "Uniting the Hearts and Strength of Overseas Chinese · Deepening Patriotism and Family Sentiment."
At the opening ceremony, the "Luban Classmates' Circle" Facebook overseas account of People's Daily Online was officially launched. People's Daily Online and Tianjin Haihe Media Center jointly signed a strategic cooperation agreement to build a joint practice platform for international communication, promoting the sharing of content and channels, the co-shaping of city images, two-way exchange of talent, and coordination in regional and country-specific research, so as to enhance the effectiveness of international communication.
At the event site, Tianjin Haihe Media Center, together with representatives of overseas Chinese-language media, launched a resource-sharing initiative for overseas Chinese-language media. All parties will establish normalized communication linkages, make good use of the unique advantage of overseas Chinese-language media in bridging China and the rest of the world, promote dialogue and exchange among different civilizations, present Tianjin's development to the world, and showcase a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China.
This forum was hosted by People's Daily Overseas Edition and organized by People's Daily Online and Tianjin Haihe Media Center.
The Overseas Chinese-Language New Media Forum is a platform for Chinese-language new media worldwide to jointly discuss, exchange, cooperate, and develop. Since its founding in 2015, the forum has played an active role in promoting the sharing of communication resources and the innovation of communication methods among overseas Chinese-language media.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杜海涛 罗珊珊
On October 14, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), pointing out: "Under the new circumstances, China is willing to join hands with countries around the world to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, expand the space for mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation, advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and continuously inject new impetus into world development and prosperity."
In the golden autumn of October, the Pearl River surges. On that day, the 140th Canton Fair opened in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
One exhibition connects the past, the present, and the future.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Canton Fair. Over 140 sessions, the Canton Fair has never been interrupted. Having weathered storms and crossed great changes in the world over time (沧海桑田, cang hai sang tian - "blue sea, mulberry fields"), it has grown from an initial 9,600 square meters and 1,200 buyers to the current 1.55 million square meters and approximately 340,000 buyers. The Canton Fair has become China's largest, longest-running, most comprehensive, best-attended, and most transaction-heavy international trade event, and is the world-renowned "China's No. 1 Exhibition."
The exhibition halls have been relocated again and again, the exhibits replaced time after time, and the scale of buyers has continued to grow — but what remains unchanged is that window open to the world. China embraces the world with an open posture and benefits the world with its own development, injecting more certainty and positive energy into a world fraught with change and turbulence.
The Window of History —
"Openness is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for world prosperity and development."
President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Since its founding 70 years ago, the Canton Fair has played an important role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has become an effective platform for China to expand high-standard opening up and promote the building of an open world economy."
Let us return to the spring of 1957. In that year, the first Canton Fair was successfully held. In the 9,600-square-meter exhibition hall were displayed textiles, foodstuffs, industrial products, and native and special products. The Canton Fair opened a window to the world for New China.
In 1978, the curtain rose on reform and opening up. The Canton Fair followed the tide of the times, breaking the pattern in which specialized foreign trade companies monopolized participation. The number of participating enterprises grew rapidly. A large number of well-known to every household (家喻户晓, jia yu hu xiao - "family, knows, every, household") national brands such as Haier and Midea obtained overseas orders at the Canton Fair and broke into the international market.
In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization and became deeply integrated into economic globalization, and China's foreign trade subsequently achieved leapfrog development. In 2007, the official name of the Canton Fair was changed from "China Export Commodities Fair" to "China Import and Export Fair" — the addition of the character "import" bears witness to China's leap from one-way export to two-way opening up.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has advanced high-standard opening up with unprecedented (前所未有, qian suo wei you - "before, ever, has, had") determination and intensity.
In 2013, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone was established and the Belt and Road Initiative set sail for a new journey (扬帆起航, yang fan qi hang - "raise, sail, set, sail");
In 2018, the first China International Import Expo was held in Shanghai, the world's first national-level exhibition with import as its theme;
In 2025, Hainan Free Trade Port began island-wide independent customs operations, taking new steps in institutional opening up;
Today's China has maintained its position as the world's largest trader in goods for many consecutive years and is a major trading partner of more than 160 countries and regions.
"Openness is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for world prosperity and development."
"China's door to opening up will not close; it will only open wider and wider."
This is wisdom nourished by the fine traditional Chinese culture — "Chinese civilization has been renowned since ancient times for its openness and inclusiveness."
In October 2021, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 130th Canton Fair, entrusting the Fair to "strive to build itself into an important platform for China's all-round opening up to the outside world, for promoting high-quality development of international trade, and for connecting the domestic and international dual circulation."
Bearing the entrustment in mind, we forge ahead with determination. Every year, tens of thousands of foreign trade enterprises of different types and ownership forms compete at the Canton Fair like hundreds of boats competing in a current (百舸争流, bai ke zheng liu - "hundred, boats, compete, flow") and many ships racing against each other (千帆竞渡, qian fan jing du - "thousand, sails, compete, cross"). Canton Fair exhibitors, accounting for 5 percent of the country's foreign trade enterprises, contribute 16 percent of the nation's general trade export value.
At the 140th Canton Fair, buyers from countries jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative registered enthusiastically. The Silk Road, stretching for thousands of years, is not only a road of commercial exchange but also a road of exchanging and learning from each other (交流互鉴, jiao liu hu jian - "exchange, mutual, learn, mirror") between civilizations, vividly embodying the broad-mindedness of the Chinese nation in promoting harmony among all nations (协和万邦, xie he wan bang - "harmonize, unite, ten thousand, states") and pursuing a world of great harmony (天下大同, tian xia da tong - "under heaven, great, unity").
This is proactive action grounded in the major trends of domestic and international development. Internationally, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, economic globalization is encountering headwinds, and the global governance system is undergoing profound transformation. Domestically, China's economy has shifted to the stage of high-quality development and requires a higher level of opening up to attract high-quality global factors and resources.
At this session of the Canton Fair, among more than 30,000 exhibitors, over 11,000 are high-quality enterprises such as specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises and single-product champions. New products and green products account for 23.2 percent and 26 percent of exhibits respectively, both setting new historical highs.
"The Canton Fair will focus on the development goals of 'never ending' and 'leading the market,' and with a more open posture, more meticulous services, and more complete functions, will make sustained, long-term effort to keep the Fair fresh with each session, promoting innovative development of the Canton Fair around digital-intelligence, green, and specialized directions," said Zhang Li, Assistant Minister of Commerce.
The Road of Opening Up —
"China will more proactively expand high-standard opening up"
"China will more proactively expand high-standard opening up."
"We must strengthen the domestic economic cycle to enhance the autonomy of expanding high-standard opening up, and expand the international cycle to invigorate domestic reform and development."
"Opening up is China's fundamental national policy. China is advancing high-standard opening up and steadily expanding institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards."
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions profoundly elucidate the methodology of opening up in the new era.
During the 2026 sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, when General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation, he emphasized the need to expand high-standard opening up, broadly explore global markets, and better connect with the international economic cycle.
The answer sheet of China's expansion of high-standard opening up is written in the exhibition halls of the Canton Fair.
Tempering capabilities to forge new advantages in international competition —
At the current Canton Fair, consumer electronics have become the absolute mainstay, while science and technology products such as new-type energy storage, embodied intelligence, and smart healthcare are eye-catching. A large number of cutting-edge products made in China make their debut at the Canton Fair. Tens of thousands of high-quality enterprises compete on the same stage, competing in technology, design, and quality, providing the best ecosystem for the innovation and iteration of Made in China.
Expanding markets to promote new global economic and trade cooperation —
The Canton Fair is a great pioneering undertaking of New China in breaking through blockades and embracing the world. Since its birth, it has carried the original aspiration and founding mission of connecting the world through trade and benefiting all under heaven.
The "circle of friends" is expanding at an accelerated pace. More than 300,000 buyers from over 220 countries and regions attend the Fair on schedule each spring and autumn session. Among the more than 30,000 exhibitors, nearly 20 percent have carried out outbound investment, contributing more than 200,000 local jobs.
Raising standards, with institutional opening up leaping across the board —
Every booth at the Canton Fair is filled with vivid stories of courageous struggle and setting sail for overseas markets. When these stories come together, they form a fervent picture of China's opening up — a comprehensive leap from commodity and factor mobility-based opening up to institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, and standards.
Looking south, after the island-wide independent customs operations of Hainan, the Hainan Free Trade Port is transitioning from "building institutions" to "delivering results": the Siemens Energy gas turbine assembly base has commenced construction, the domestic and foreign trade shipping routes at Yangpu Port are being continuously densified, and annual container throughput has exceeded 3 million TEUs.
Looking north, the Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone is accelerating border-opening development: the grain, oil, and fertilizer industrial project at Manzhouli Land Port has broken ground, and cross-border mobile payment between China and Mongolia has achieved interconnection and interoperability.
Twenty-three pilot free trade zones are being built at different levels, and a large number of institutional innovation achievements are being promoted nationwide.
Looking at the surrounding region, regional opening up and cooperation continue to improve and upgrade. The Protocol to Upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 has been signed, the dividends of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership continue to be released, and the economic and trade bonds between China and the world are being woven ever tighter.
Platforms are being built in increasing numbers and at increasingly higher levels. The China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China International Import Expo, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the China International Supply Chain Expo have been launched successively. Opening-up platforms have evolved from the Canton Fair's "single flower blooming alone" to today's "peaks competing in splendor."
Looking again at the Canton Fair's own transformation: at this session, 64 percent of exhibitors apply new technologies such as industrial internet and artificial intelligence, and 36.5 percent of exhibitors are implementing the "product + service" model transformation — China's foreign trade is leaping from "taking orders and selling products" to "building systems and optimizing services," continuously climbing toward the high end of the value chain.
A virtuous cycle of promoting reform through opening up, promoting development through reform, and strengthening opening up through development is gradually unfolding across the land of China.
The Great Way Forward —
"China will inject confidence and impetus into global economic growth through its own development"
"China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the prosperity of the world also needs China."
China's opening up is an opening up that shares opportunities with the world, and it is also an opening up that promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
"We have the determination to steadfastly advance Chinese modernization, and we also have the broad-mindedness to share development opportunities with the world through high-standard opening up. We will inject confidence and impetus into global economic growth through our own development."
At present, unilateralism and power politics are surging against the current, and multilateralism and the international order are under impact. People urgently need the voice of peace and stability.
When the great way prevails, the world belongs to all.
Upholding the common values of all humanity, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, providing systematic Chinese solutions for a world fraught with change and turbulence.
Keeping one's word and ensuring results through action (言必信，行必果, yan bi xin, xing bi guo - "speech, must, trust, action, must, fruit").
In the five years since the Global Development Initiative was proposed, China has jointly carried out more than 2,000 cooperation projects with various parties, trained more than 200,000 personnel of various types, and benefited the people of more than 120 countries.
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, a large number of landmark projects such as the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and the Pinglu Canal have been completed. China, with its distinctive posture, demonstrates the charm and responsibility of an "enabling major country," and Chinese solutions are taking root, sprouting, blooming, and bearing fruit in different places around the world.
"We must focus on development issues and uphold openness and cooperation." In September 2026, President Xi Jinping's speech at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" meeting once again won broad resonance from the international community.
An open China is evident to all in the world.
Safeguarding investment in China. Making focused efforts to resolve the specific problem of "the main door being open while side doors remain closed" in market access, and ensuring that products produced by foreign-invested enterprises in China can participate equally in government procurement in accordance with the law... By the end of 2025, China's stock of attracted foreign investment was approximately US$4 trillion. Survey reports recently released by chambers of commerce of the United States, the European Union, and other countries and regions in China show that the majority of foreign-invested enterprises have achieved good profitability in China, and their willingness to increase investment and expand presence has generally increased.
Expanding unilateral opening up. Implementing zero tariffs comprehensively for all African countries with which China has diplomatic relations, and continuously expanding the visa-free transit policy. With concrete actions, China is enabling the fruits of development to benefit the people of all countries more and more equitably.
Bridging the digital-intelligence divide. Encouraging open source, openness, cooperation, and sharing, China has released the Global AI Governance Action Plan for Capacity Building and the "AI+" international cooperation initiative, proposed the establishment of a World Organization for Artificial Intelligence Cooperation, and continuously contributes Chinese solutions.
The Canton Fair is the vivid scene of this "two-way endeavor."
"Whether it is seeking products of a specific category, connecting with new high-quality suppliers, or exploring new opportunities with long-term partners, the Canton Fair will always be our first choice and our first window for linking to global business opportunities," said Mike Pook, purchasing general manager of New Zealand's Wellgood Group.
"The Canton Fair is the most intuitive and authentic window for the world to observe China's industrial upgrading." In the eyes of Nirose, head of China procurement at the UAE's Abu Dhabi-based LULU International Group, this grand event records China's magnificent leap from "world factory" to "world brand innovation highland."
Behind the Canton Fair's gathering of merchants from all over the world is China's sincere willingness to provide new opportunities for the world through its own new development.
The 70 years of one exhibition mirror the global vision of a political party and the historical responsibility of a major country.
Standing at the new starting point of the Canton Fair's 70 years and 140th session, China in the new era, with firm steps of high-standard opening up, is working together with all countries to create opportunities through opening up and solve problems through cooperation. China will inject stable momentum into the world economy with the stability and certainty of its own development.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Yu Jingxian) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: In 2025, the national agricultural reclamation gross output value exceeded 1 trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 1,037.67 billion yuan. This year, grain production in agricultural reclamation areas continued the good situation of last year; summer grain increased by 100 million jin compared with last year, and the current autumn harvest is progressing smoothly.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a national agricultural reclamation work conference on promoting agricultural modernization in Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province, on October 13. At the meeting, it was noted that in recent years, agricultural reclamation management departments at all levels and all reclamation areas across the country have accelerated the building of modern agricultural large bases, large enterprises, and large industries, focused on constructing a modern agricultural production system, industrial system, and management system, and agricultural reclamation has been making steady progress (坚实步伐, jian shi bu fa - "firm, solid, steps") in agricultural modernization. In terms of supply capacity, the comprehensive mechanization rate of cultivation, planting, and harvesting in national agricultural reclamation reached 93.1 percent, 16.4 percentage points higher than the national average. In terms of industrial structure, the output value of agricultural and sideline food processing and food manufacturing in agricultural reclamation reached 317.9 billion yuan, with continued improvement in brand awareness. In terms of management methods, there are now 103 group-based agricultural reclamation enterprises; last year, the total assets of national agricultural reclamation enterprises were 2.1818 trillion yuan, total operating revenue was 695.4 billion yuan, and profits were 12.7 billion yuan, with further enhanced development vitality.
The meeting pointed out that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, all relevant parties should take the development of modern large-scale agriculture as the main direction of attack, take ensuring national food security and the effective supply of important agricultural products as the core task, focus on strengthening equipment, promoting science and technology, expanding industries, and optimizing management, advance the integration of resources and assets and industrial upgrading, comprehensively enhance endogenous driving forces, development vitality, and overall strength, and effectively give play to the backbone and leading role of agricultural reclamation in the construction of agricultural modernization.
Return to TopBy: 王东辉
By the end of 2025, China's population aged 60 and above was approximately 323 million, accounting for 23.0% of the national population; among them, the population aged 65 and above was approximately 224 million, accounting for nearly 16% of the national population. The structure of our country's population is undergoing change.
The multi-level and diversified needs of the elderly population have given rise to a huge consumer market, and have also made the silver economy a new growth point for improving people's well-being and promoting high-quality development. According to statistics from some institutions, in 2025 the scale of China's silver economy industry reached 9 trillion yuan, and it is expected to exceed 30 trillion yuan by 2035.
Consumption is more satisfying, and elderly care is more comfortable. In the "15th Five-Year Plan" for Expanding Consumption, expanding elderly-care consumption is placed in a prominent position. Looking at the consumption needs of the elderly population, from traditional rigid-demand consumption such as basic medical care and health nursing to quality-oriented consumption such as sojourn wellness, smart elderly care, and cultural entertainment, the silver economy is continuously "expanding in scale and improving in quality," and is forming a comprehensive consumer market covering multi-dimensional needs such as health, life, emotion, social interaction, and aesthetics.
Online supply is improving —
Zhou Mingyuan, a 70-year-old resident of Guangzhou, Guangdong, lives alone after retirement. His daughter booked a medical companion service for him online, also hired a housekeeper who comes once a week, and installed an emergency call button in the home. "With several more layers of protection, the children can also rest assured," said Zhou Mingyuan.
As internet platforms have successively entered the elderly-care services sector, the elderly population is enjoying more digital dividends. Meituan allows users to book home-based elderly-care services as easily as ordering takeout; Alibaba has created distinctive services such as elderly-care maps, meal delivery assistance for the elderly, and barrier-free cinemas; JD.com has launched consumption subsidies for elderly-care services, among others.
The "Observation Report on Online Consumption Trends of the Silver-Haired Generation" jointly released by the China Research Center on Aging and the Taotian Group Research Center shows that in 2025, active users aged 50 and above in the silver-haired generation accounted for 23.91% of the total active users on the Taotian platform. Whether it is housekeeping services, or online medical consultations, or assisted bathing and cleaning, the deep integration of digital technology and the physical supply chain has made the supply of online elderly-care consumption richer and access more convenient.
Digital and intelligent upgrading is gaining momentum —
Artificial intelligence is empowering all walks of life (千行百业, qian hang bai ye - "thousand, industry, hundred, industry"), promoting the digital and intelligent upgrading of elderly-care services, with smart products, health and wellness, and other items becoming new consumption hot spots.
Children monitor the health status of the elderly through smart wristbands; in community elderly-care service stations, the elderly can chat with robots to relieve boredom, and can also conveniently rent smart assistive devices such as exoskeleton robots; in community canteens, systems can use algorithms to customize personalized recipes for the elderly... From relevant departments introducing measures to support "artificial intelligence + elderly care," to localities carrying out age-friendly renovations and smart platform construction, and exploring cross-sector models such as "elderly care +," the sense of well-being of the elderly population is continuously improving.
High-quality models are being cultivated —
In a nursing home in Nanjing, Jiangsu, an African drum class was full of lively atmosphere. After repeated practice following the teacher's step-by-step demonstration, 97-year-old Feng Jinrong finally learned to play the African drum. "When I was young, I always watched others play the African drum and envied them very much in my heart. This time I finally fulfilled my wish," she said.
Elderly classrooms reflect the change in the needs of the elderly population, and self-pleasing consumption has become a new engine driving the high-quality development of the silver economy. In 2025, the country operated 2,485 tourist trains, and the number of sojourn elderly-care trips exceeded 80 million; by the end of 2025, cultural centers at all levels across the country had established 701 senior universities; in 2025, mass cultural institutions across the country organized more than 88,900 special events for the elderly. Taking tourist special trains to enjoy slow time, becoming the protagonists of life through chorus and dance, learning new technologies to keep pace with the times... From "providing for the elderly" to "enjoying old age," the elderly population is increasingly pursuing the realization of social interaction, learning, and self-worth.
The silver economy is new momentum for consumption growth and also a blue ocean for industrial upgrading. Ensuring that the elderly are provided for, find joy, and realize their value, anchoring on the concerns of hundreds of millions of elderly people, optimizing supply and matching demand, can, while taking into account the guarantee of people's livelihoods, provide solid support for promoting consumption and stabilizing growth.
Overall planning for this issue: Lin Ziye
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 门杰伟
On an autumn afternoon, in a nursing home in Erdao District, Changchun City, Jilin Province, 66-year-old Xu Wenxue sat on a sofa, showing reporters his "treasured" photo album—southern water towns, the shores of Chagan Lake, the summit of Changbai Mountain, behind each photograph lies a travel memory. As a regular member of senior tour groups, he favors health-and-wellness routes with a gentle pace, and has also become friends with many people in the tour groups, continuing to arrange trips together.
"Products are increasingly rich, and travel is increasingly convenient." Speaking of his travel experiences over the years, Xu Wenxue's biggest feeling is "hassle-free." He said that many travel agencies are launching travel products aimed at seniors, there are more travel options, spending offers better value for money, and the joy of travel is greater.
Some time ago, Xu Wenxue rode the "Longjing" folk-custom tourist train to experience distinctive local customs in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin. He said that for groups such as elderly travelers, the train's restrooms have been fitted with non-slip mats and safety handrails, and supporting services such as medical care and dining have also become more thoughtful. There is also a dedicated guide on the train who introduces the culture and history of Longjing City in Yanbian Prefecture and the scenery along the route, interspersing performances of distinctive folk customs from time to time, making the journey both fulfilling and interesting. "In one trip, I saw the scenery and gained new experience and knowledge (长了见识, zhang le jian shi - "grow, 了, see, knowledge"), and came back with a full harvest," Xu Wenxue said.
Xu Wenxue's experience is a microcosm of the warming of silver-hair consumption. "In the past, I always felt that once people get old, they can only stay at home," Xu Wenxue said. In recent years, Changchun has continuously improved elderly-care supporting facilities, the 15-minute elderly-care service circle is taking shape at an accelerated pace, smart elderly-care sites have been implemented and upgraded, and dining, leisure, and health-and-wellness services are all available in one stop. "Only when daily life is comfortable and reassuring do we have the curiosity to go out and travel," Xu Wenxue said with a smile.
More and more elderly people are willing to "go to distant places" to see the world: at train stations, airports, and scenic spots, the figures of silver-haired travelers can be seen everywhere. Demand has changed, and supply has changed along with it—from sightseeing to health-and-wellness sojourns, from visiting a place briefly without deep engagement (到此一游, dao ci yi you - "arrive, this, one, travel") to staying a while and traveling slowly, silver-hair consumption is opening up new space for expanding domestic demand and boosting consumption.
The upgrading of demand also highlights the shortcomings of service supply. Talking about travel, Xu Wenxue counted off the difficulties on his fingers: mobile payments, online reservations, and online ticket purchases remain a "digital threshold" for many elderly people. He hopes that the "elderly mode" on mobile phones can be made simpler, with larger fonts and fewer steps, and also hopes that scenic spots' manual service windows can better solve problems in a "one-stop" manner. At the same time, some scenic spots still have shortcomings in areas such as rest seating, dining supply, and medical support. "Some elderly people have underlying conditions, and the food supply could be more varied," Xu Wenxue said.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 季觉苏
"Grandma, time to get up and do exercises." At 5:30 in the morning, the small robot assistant "Youni" on the bedside table spoke up on time, reminding 74-year-old Yin Xiuzhen to get up and exercise. "It calls you several times. When I say I'm already doing it, it goes quiet." Yin Xiuzhen said with a smile.
Yin Xiuzhen and her husband live in the Jiahuanian Court residential community in Changning District, Shanghai. Her encounter with companion robots began with a senior-care technology product experience event organized by the community. More and more intelligent elderly-care products are entering the lives of senior citizens, but price remains a threshold affecting consumer decisions. Taking "Youni" as an example, its market price is nearly 1,000 yuan; consumers can buy it outright or choose to rent it, and after applying for an assistive-device rental subsidy, the three-month rent can be reduced to as low as 120 yuan. Earlier this year, through a community public-welfare project, Yin Xiuzhen applied for and received an intelligent companion robot.
The robot is only the size of a palm, with a round belly, two short arms, and a pair of big eyes on its screen blinking rapidly (忽闪忽闪, hu shen hu shen - "blink, blink"), switching expressions along with the content of its speech. Yin Xiuzhen has also put a little red hat on it and pinned a small flower on its chest, dressing it up very cutely.
After using it for a while, Yin Xiuzhen has figured out quite a few tricks. Once, she was simmering soup in the kitchen and casually mentioned to the robot: "I'm going to simmer some soup now." Not long after, the phone rang, and as she chatted with the caller, she actually forgot about the soup in the kitchen. "Luckily the little assistant reminded me in time."
Some small problems in daily life can also be discussed with it. A while ago, her son and daughter-in-law bought Yin Xiuzhen an air fryer. "It told me to wash the sweet potatoes, put them in, and which button to press next — it explained everything step by step quite clearly. I followed its instructions and succeeded on the first try." When she encounters unfamiliar recipes, she also asks the little assistant.
Yin Xiuzhen feels the robot still needs to improve. Recently, she has very much wanted to write an autobiography, and has been mulling over whether she could chat with the little assistant for a while before bed each night, letting it help record and organize. But after talking a lot, when she later asks it to recount, some content no longer connects; it would be even better if it had "better memory and stronger organizing ability."
AI (artificial intelligence) emotional companion robots have been included in the 2025 Shanghai Community Rental Service Catalog for Rehabilitation Assistive Devices, moving from novelty to everyday consumption. What seniors value more is whether the functions are practical, whether the operation is convenient, and whether it can solve real problems in daily life. "Having this little thing at home, that can remind you and keep you company in conversation, is quite nice." Yin Xiuzhen hopes that future intelligent elderly-care products will be smarter and better understand the lives of senior citizens.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 杨颜菲
"Auntie Zhong, a new model of exoskeleton walking-assist device arrived today. Would you like to try it?" "Sure, let me see how it works." At the Lingguang Silver-Hair Life Hall in Zhangjiawei Community, Dongwai Subdistrict, Zhanggong District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, Zhong Guiyuan was trying out age-friendly products.
Zhong Guiyuan, 65 this year, is a regular at this life hall. In less than two minutes, Zeng Peng, the person in charge of the life hall, helped her put on the silver-gray device. Wearing the exoskeleton walking-assist device, Zhong Guiyuan slowly took a few steps, and her expression shifted from curiosity to surprise. "With this on, it feels like someone is lifting my feet to walk for me — no effort at all."
This 150-square-meter life hall has a clear layout: a zone for all categories of age-friendly quality products, an experience zone for age-friendly renovations, and a shared space for leisure and socializing, integrating experience, leisure, shopping, and communication into one. Comfortable walking shoes, lightweight wheelchairs, walking aids, smart monitoring devices... More than 130 products are neatly displayed, covering functions such as mobility, home living, and rehabilitation care, meeting a variety of daily needs in one stop.
"Before, if I wanted to buy a suitable product, I had to run to several stores, and still might not find it. Here, the selection is complete, and you can try and compare — no blind purchasing, much less worry." Zhong Guiyuan was praising unceasingly (赞不绝口, zan bu jue kou - "praise, not, cease, mouth"). "The service is good too — professional and thoughtful."
After trying the products, Zhong Guiyuan was in no hurry to leave. She came to the shared space for leisure and socializing in the hall, where several old friends were already waiting. "You hit from this side, I'll charge from this side." She sat down, picked up the puzzle game board on the table, and started playing with her old sisters, bursts of laughter following one after another.
"Before, if I wanted to find a place to gather with old friends, it was either the park or wandering around the mall. Now there's a new place for get-togethers," Zhong Guiyuan said. Now, whenever she has free time, she invites a few friends to come over — besides experiencing new products, they can also attend health lectures, do handicrafts, and play games.
Zhong Guiyuan also has some new expectations. "There are quite a few devices to try, but sometimes what I want to buy is out of stock, so I have to wait," she said. "I hope they can keep updating with more products that fit the lives of elderly people, balancing practicality, safety, and value for money. Also, it would be even better if they could organize more health lectures and expert free clinics."
Zhong Guiyuan's expectation has received a positive response. To continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the elderly population, Zhanggong District has been rolling out age-friendly convenience measures, such as deploying electric stair-climbing machines in old residential communities without elevators, and actively exploring the construction of a modern age-friendly service model guided by government, operated by the market, and empowered by technology.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 李亚楠
After dinner is the fixed walking time for Meng Xianping, a 64-year-old resident of Toli County, Tacheng Prefecture, Xinjiang. "If I don't go out for a walk, my daughter calls. Her phone is connected to this, so she's keeping an eye on me!" Meng Xianping said, raising his wrist and pointing at his smartwatch. On the watch face, blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep status are immediately obvious and clear (一目了然, yi mu liang ran - "one, eye, clearly, understand").
Some time ago, Meng Xianping underwent cardiac stent surgery, and his sleep quality has not been very good. His four children, who live in different cities, discussed taking the elderly man into their homes to care for him, but Meng Xianping is unwilling to go anywhere, not wanting to leave the place where he has lived his entire life.
"The children were worried and called every day to ask how I was. They had to worry about me while busy with work, so I thought about whether there was a way for them to know my condition at any time." Meng Xianping heard from friends that there was a smartwatch that could monitor physical data and that family members could remotely view it through their phones, so he asked his youngest daughter Meng Qing, who lives in Urumqi, to buy one.
According to the doctor's advice, Meng Xianping needs moderate exercise every day, but he is not sure exactly how much counts as moderate. With the smartwatch, he can check his heart rate at any time, so he has a clear sense of things when exercising. "If I sit for too long, the watch vibrates to remind me to get up and walk around, and it also gives a prompt when I've reached my exercise target." Meng Xianping said with a smile.
If an irregular heart rate occurs, the watch not only alerts the wearer himself, but also reminds the children in the background. "If we find an emergency situation, we have to rush to take Dad to the hospital for a check-up," Meng Qing said. For Meng Xianping, the smartwatch gives him a greater sense of security. "If I suddenly become unable to move, the smartwatch can make and receive calls at any time, so I don't have to search around for my phone."
"In addition to functions such as heart rate monitoring and sleep analysis, this smartwatch also incorporates age-friendly designs such as fall detection and emergency calling." At an electronics specialty store in Urumqi, a sales guide was introducing smart wearable devices to customers. The sales guide said that products such as smartwatches and smart wristbands have been selling quite well, with most being bought by children for the elderly in their families. They are convenient to wear and use, and the elderly have a high level of acceptance.
Smart wearable devices have improved the quality of life for the elderly, but as a consumer, Meng Xianping also has more expectations. He said he hopes the watch's display font can be larger, the alert sounds louder, and the operation more convenient, making it easier for the elderly to use. In addition, Meng Xianping also hopes the watch can have a one-touch emergency call function or similar, so that in an emergency he can get help in the fastest way possible.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Liu Zhiqiang) The reporter learned from the National Bureau of Statistics: In September, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent month on month, with the increase narrowing by 0.2 percentage points from the previous month; it rose 0.9 percent year on year, with the increase expanding by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month; the core CPI, excluding food and energy prices, rose 1.0 percent year on year, with the increase the same as the previous month. The Producer Price Index for Industrial Products (PPI) rose 1.2 percent month on month, with the increase expanding by 0.8 percentage points from the previous month; it rose 5.0 percent year on year, with the increase expanding by 1.2 percentage points from the previous month.
On a month-on-month basis, the national CPI rose 0.2 percent, with the increase narrowing by 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. Among them, service prices turned from a rise of 0.1 percent in the previous month to a decline of 0.2 percent, and their effect on the month-on-month CPI changed from pushing it up by about 0.04 percentage points in the previous month to pulling it down by about 0.08 percentage points. Prices of industrial consumer goods rose 0.7 percent, with the increase narrowing by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, affecting the month-on-month CPI rise by about 0.22 percentage points. Food prices rose 0.4 percent, with the increase the same as the previous month, 0.8 percentage points below the seasonal level, affecting the month-on-month CPI rise by about 0.06 percentage points.
On a year-on-year basis, the national CPI rose 0.9 percent, with the increase expanding by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. Among them, gasoline prices rose 16.6 percent, with the increase expanding by 7.3 percentage points, affecting the year-on-year CPI rise by about 0.47 percentage points, driving the increase in energy prices to expand from 4.1 percent in the previous month to 7.3 percent in the current month. Prices of industrial consumer goods excluding energy rose 1.6 percent, with the increase narrowing by 0.2 percentage points, affecting the year-on-year CPI rise by about 0.39 percentage points. Service prices rose 0.8 percent, with the increase the same as the previous month, affecting the year-on-year CPI rise by about 0.40 percentage points. Food prices fell 1.7 percent, with the decline expanding by 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, affecting the year-on-year CPI decline by about 0.29 percentage points.
On a month-on-month basis, the national PPI rose 1.2 percent, with the increase expanding by 0.8 percentage points from the previous month. The main features of the month-on-month PPI movement this month: first, rising international crude oil and non-ferrous metal prices drove price increases in related domestic industries; second, changes in supply and demand conditions in some energy and raw material industries pulled prices up; third, the accelerated development of fields such as artificial intelligence and computing-power coordination drove increased demand and higher prices in some industries, with prices in the electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing industry and the computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry both rising 0.4 percent, and the two industries together affecting the month-on-month PPI rise by about 0.07 percentage points. On a year-on-year basis, the national PPI rose 5.0 percent, with the increase expanding by 1.2 percentage points from the previous month.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Wu Qiuyu) The latest data released by the People's Bank of China shows that in the first three quarters of this year, the growth rates of China's broad money supply (M2) and aggregate social financing have both remained at reasonable levels, creating an appropriate monetary and financial environment for the economy to continue improving and upgrading. From January to September, the cumulative increase in aggregate social financing was 27.46 trillion yuan; as of the end of September, the broad money balance stood at 359.63 trillion yuan, up 7.2 percent year on year; the outstanding aggregate social financing was 468.17 trillion yuan, up 7.1 percent year on year, matching the expected targets for economic growth and the overall price level.
Loan interest rates continued to remain at low levels. In September, the weighted average interest rate on newly issued corporate loans was slightly below 3 percent, about 0.2 percentage points lower than the same period last year; the weighted average interest rate on newly issued personal housing loans was approximately 3.1 percent.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 叶传增
The production line runs around the clock without stopping, with stable voltage and ample power supply, and grid workers even took the initiative to visit the enterprise to help it apply for green certificates... Guo Shuangjie, deputy general manager of Mangshi Yonglong Ferroalloy Co., Ltd. in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, calculated an account: over the course of a year, the enterprise saved nearly 700,000 yuan in green energy costs.
This is a microcosm of China Southern Power Grid Yunnan Power Grid Company's proactive service to enterprises. This year, electricity consumption in Yunnan's green aluminum and new energy battery industries has grown substantially. As electricity demand grows rapidly, Yunnan Power Grid Company has carried out a series of targeted services for key enterprises and industrial parks.
Deliver electricity to where it is needed, so that enterprises can use it well and use it economically. Yunnan's total installed power capacity has exceeded 171 million kilowatts, with clean energy accounting for more than 90 percent of installed capacity. Yunnan Power Grid Company has drawn backbone personnel from various business segments to form 18 special service teams, which go into enterprise workshops and project sites to investigate electricity demand and solve practical problems on the spot such as capacity expansion and renovation, energy efficiency optimization, and green electricity application.
In the Wanding Mangman area of Ruili City, Dehong Prefecture, 100 cross-border trade, processing, and cold-chain logistics enterprises are clustered here. The area's production capacity continues to rise, with electricity consumption from January to August this year up 29.27 percent year on year. Dehong Power Supply Bureau has been investigating and checking every single one (逐一摸排, zhu yi mo pai - "one by one, investigate") of the park enterprises' electricity consumption baseline data, monitoring load changes in real time, and ensuring reliable power supply.
In the Lincang Border Economic Cooperation Zone, the Lincang Power Supply Bureau, together with the park management committee, held a special symposium to explain policies such as green electricity and green certificates; went into production workshops, retrieved enterprise electricity consumption data, analyzed electricity bills one-on-one, and helped enterprises customize energy-saving and carbon-reduction plans. "Since we settled in, the power supply has been stable, ensuring the production line operates at full capacity," said Xie Xinchun, general manager of Yunnan Lianying Textile Co., Ltd.
For continuous production enterprises such as silicon material and electrolytic aluminum producers, power supply reliability is directly related to profitability. Taking Mangshi Yonglong Ferroalloy Co., Ltd. as an example, the production line operates without interruption, and even a slight voltage fluctuation can affect the product yield rate. The visiting personnel conducted a comprehensive inspection of the factory's power facilities and issued a dedicated electricity optimization plan.
Yunnan Power Grid Company has completed full-coverage visits to key industrial parks and industrial enterprises above designated size. The visits covered 12 electrolytic aluminum enterprises, 122 industrial parks, and more than 6,000 industrial enterprises above designated size, with a cumulative total of more than 3,900 on-site service visits, and more than 130 electricity demand items collected and placed on a rectification ledger.
Behind this series of concrete service measures is Yunnan Power Grid Company's continued efforts to build a distinctive service brand based on actual conditions. It has achieved "one-certificate electricity application," handling more than 1,220 industrial business expansion and installation applications in the first half of the year; relying on power big data, it has issued energy-saving diagnoses for more than 320 high-energy-consuming enterprises, tapping electricity-saving potential of 120 million kilowatt-hours...
In 2026, Yunnan Power Grid Company plans to invest 27.1 billion yuan. The construction of the province's 500 kV main grid framework has entered a critical stage of accelerated "chain completion and loop formation," with the main grid framework upgrading from a "four horizontal, four vertical, one center" structure to a "four-wing cluster, core double loop" structure, forming a 500 kV double-loop grid around load centers such as Kunming and Qujing, so that green electricity can be delivered more smoothly to industrial parks and key factories, providing support for green manufacturing.
Return to TopAt 19:40 on October 14, the Zhuque-2 improved model Yao-4 carrier rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone, successfully sending 10 satellites into their designated orbits, and the flight test mission achieved a complete and successful outcome.
Photo by Wang Jiangbo (Xinhua News Agency)
Return to TopSince the start of this year, from spring flower-viewing to autumn travel, China's cultural and tourism market has remained consistently vibrant, the potential for integration of culture, tourism, sports, and commerce has been accelerating its release, and cultural and tourism consumption is shifting from holiday "traffic" to year-round "constant volume," with "integration" becoming an important keyword running through the development of the cultural and tourism industry.
Cultural and tourism development is integrating with urban renewal. Across the country, localities are adhering to the principle of shaping tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism in urban renewal, promoting the composite utilization of spaces for culture, tourism, sports, and commerce, and organically combining natural landscapes, cultural landmarks, and leisure facilities, so that residents and tourists, while appreciating the beauty of nature and perceiving the beauty of culture, can also deeply experience the beauty of everyday urban life.
Traditional culture is integrating with travel experiences. As an important vehicle for cultural and tourism integration, intangible cultural heritage resources and folk culture are being effectively utilized. Localities are deeply exploring their local cultural genes, promoting the deep binding of intangible cultural heritage skills and folk customs with tourism scenarios, which both enriches the depth of cultural and tourism experiences, deepens the living transmission of intangible cultural heritage, and injects fresh vitality into the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.
Diverse business formats are integrating with consumption upgrading. As consumer demand becomes increasingly personalized, diversified, and quality-oriented, the integrated business format of "culture and tourism plus all industries" is flourishing, continuously stimulating domestic demand potential through innovation and creativity. Diverse consumption scenarios, rich cultural and tourism experiences, and high-quality Chinese services are likewise attracting overseas tourists to "come in" and personally experience a comprehensive, authentic, and multi-dimensional China.
Scenery and local products are well-suited to each other (风物相宜, feng wu xiang yi - "scenery, objects, suit, appropriate"), scenery as beautiful as a landscape painting (山河入画, shan he ru hua - "mountains, rivers, enter, painting"). The development trend of cultural, tourism, sports, and commercial integration is sketching out a beautiful picture of industrial upgrading and improved people's livelihoods.
(People's Daily reporter Wang Donghui)
Return to TopBy: 胡正荣 景嘉伊
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has coordinated the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the changes unseen in a century in the world, vigorously promoted the restructuring of the international communication landscape, and put forward a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments on strengthening the building of China's international communication capacity. As an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on international communication work scientifically answer a series of major theoretical and practical questions in international communication work, providing fundamental guidance for doing well the new era's international communication work in China. Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, Volumes I and II, include a series of important discourses by General Secretary Xi Jinping on international communication work. We must comprehensively, systematically, and deeply study and understand General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important discourses, advance the building of international communication capacity, enhance the effectiveness of international communication, better publicize China's propositions, spread Chinese culture, and present China's image, enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization, and create a more favorable external public opinion environment for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.
Scientifically Planning the Building of International Communication Capacity in the New Era
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping, based on the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, has profoundly grasped the historic changes in the relationship between China and the world, and from a strategic and overall height has made systematic arrangements for the fundamental direction, missions and tasks, key areas, and practical paths of China's international communication, forming a scientific and complete theoretical system.
Laying the value foundation of international communication in the new era. The article "Do Better in Propaganda and Ideological Work" in Volume I of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes the main points of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work on August 19, 2013. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In publicizing and explaining Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to make clear that because each country and nation has different historical traditions, cultural accumulations, and basic national conditions, its development path is bound to have its own characteristics; to make clear that Chinese culture embodies the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and is the rich nourishment for the Chinese nation's endless and vigorous (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "life, life, not, stop") growth and development; to make clear that China's excellent traditional culture is the prominent advantage of the Chinese nation and our deepest cultural soft power; to make clear that socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture, reflects the will of the Chinese people, and meets the requirements of China's and the era's development and progress, and has profound historical origins and broad practical foundations." The article "Enhance National Cultural Soft Power and Display the Unique Charm of Chinese Culture" in Volume I of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture is the main part of the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping when he presided over the twelfth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee on December 30, 2013. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is necessary to strengthen refinement and interpretation, expand external communication platforms and carriers, and run contemporary Chinese values through all aspects of international exchange and communication." General Secretary Xi Jinping specifically put forward requirements for striving to enhance international discourse power: "It is necessary to carefully construct an external discourse system, give full play to the role of new media, enhance the creativity, appeal, and credibility of external discourse, tell China's story well, spread China's voice well, and explain Chinese characteristics well." These important discourses fully reflect the basic requirements of China's international communication to support external expression with cultural confidence, deepen international understanding through value interpretation, and shape the national image with the heritage of civilization, laying a solid foundation for subsequent theoretical deepening and practical advancement.
Clarifying the responsibilities and missions of international communication work in the new era. Doing well the Party's news and public opinion work and creating a good public opinion environment is a major matter of governance and of stabilizing the country and ensuring its security. As the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics continues to advance, doing well news and public opinion work requires both consolidating and strengthening mainstream ideological public opinion and better connecting China and foreign countries and communicating with the world, enhancing external communication power, guidance, influence, and credibility in serving the overall work of the Party and the state. Volume I of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the Symposium on the Party's News and Public Opinion Work on February 19, 2016. In his speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping clarified the responsibilities and missions of the Party's news and public opinion work: "holding the banner high (高举旗帜, gao ju qi zhi - "high, lift, flag, banner"), guiding the direction, centering on the overall situation, serving the overall situation, uniting the people, boosting morale, cultivating people through culture, uniting people's hearts and efforts (凝心聚力, ning xin ju li - "congeal, heart, gather, strength"), clarifying fallacies, distinguishing right from wrong (明辨是非, ming bian shi fei - "clear, distinguish, right, wrong"), connecting China and foreign countries, and communicating with the world," among which "connecting China and foreign countries and communicating with the world" directly concerns international communication. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "make a great effort (下大气力, xia da qi li - "descend, great, air, strength") to strengthen the building of international communication capacity, accelerate the enhancement of the international influence of Chinese discourse, so that the whole world can hear and clearly hear China's voice," and put forward important requirements such as "storytelling is the best way of international communication," "strengthening the building of an external discourse system," and "striving to build flagship external publicity media with strong international influence." From this, we can clearly feel that international communication has gradually been concretized from foundational ideas into strategic deployments and practical paths, promoting its extension from value interpretation to capacity building, organizational establishment, and position expansion.
Innovating and expanding the international communication landscape under the new situation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our Party has continuously deepened its understanding of the laws of propaganda and ideological work, and propaganda and ideological work has made obvious progress. At the same time, the arrival of the all-media era has profoundly changed the operating mechanisms of the international public opinion arena. Facing the new situation, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has put forward new requirements for international communication. At the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work held from August 21 to 22, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, clarifying the missions and tasks of propaganda and ideological work under the new situation: "holding high the banner, gathering people's hearts, cultivating new generations, developing culture, and presenting the image," among which "presenting the image means advancing the building of international communication capacity, telling China's story well, spreading China's voice well, presenting a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China to the world, and enhancing national cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture." The article "Accelerate the Promotion of Media Integration and Development" in Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes part of the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping when he presided over the twelfth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee on January 25, 2019. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is necessary to grasp the trends of mobilization, socialization, and visualization in the field of international communication, make efforts in constructing an external communication discourse system, make efforts in being readily acceptable and easily understandable, so that more foreign audiences can understand, accept, and comprehend, and continuously improve the effectiveness of external communication." These important discourses connect content construction with media transformation and promote the systematic and theoretical leap of the Party's innovative theories on international communication.
Elevating the building of international communication capacity to a new strategic height. On May 31, 2021, the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee conducted its thirtieth collective study session on strengthening the building of China's international communication capacity, and the article "Strengthen the Building of International Communication Capacity and Present a True, Multi-Dimensional, and Comprehensive China" in Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes the main points of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "telling China's story well, spreading China's voice well, and presenting a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China are important tasks in strengthening the building of China's international communication capacity," emphasized the need to "profoundly understand the importance and necessity of strengthening and improving international communication work under the new situation, make a great effort to strengthen the building of international communication capacity, and form international discourse power commensurate with China's comprehensive national strength and international status," and required "building a strategic communication system with distinct Chinese characteristics, and striving to enhance the influence of international communication, the appeal of Chinese culture, the affinity of China's image, the persuasiveness of Chinese discourse, and the guiding power of international public opinion." This elevated international communication from a specialized task in a specific field to an overall strategic agenda of the Party and the state with top-level design, research planning, and system support, and made detailed arrangements around discourse and narrative, institutional mechanisms, effectiveness evaluation, and organizational guarantees.
Expanding the broad and profound civilizational vision of international communication. Promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind is one of the essential requirements of Chinese modernization. Achieving this goal cannot be separated from adhering to the position of Chinese culture and consolidating the subjective foundation of external expression amid the stirring of world cultures. The article "Deepen the Study of the History of Chinese Civilization, Enhance Historical Consciousness and Strengthen Cultural Confidence" in Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping when he presided over the thirty-ninth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee on May 27, 2022. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "China's excellent traditional culture is the crystallization of wisdom and the essence of Chinese civilization, the root and soul of the Chinese nation, and the foundation for us to stand firm amid the stirring of world cultures" and "we must stand on Chinese soil, tell the story of Chinese civilization well, and present to the world a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China." The article "Accelerate the Building of a Strong Cultural Country" in Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture includes the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping when he presided over the seventeenth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee on October 28, 2024. The content of this collective study session was building a strong cultural country. Enhancing national cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture is an important part of building a strong cultural country. Facing the situation of accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century in the world and increasingly fierce competition in national cultural influence, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "As a responsible major country, we must more proactively publicize China's propositions, spread Chinese culture, and present China's image," and put forward the major proposition of "promoting the restructuring of the international communication landscape, innovatively carrying out online external publicity, and building a multi-channel, three-dimensional external communication pattern." These important discourses connect cultural subjectivity with the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization such as inclusiveness and peacefulness, link international communication with being a responsible major country, and endow China's international communication with deeper civilizational connotations and stronger mission commitment.
Leading China's International Communication in the New Era to Achieve Historic Accomplishments and Undergo Historic Changes
Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on international communication work, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's international communication has adhered to serving the overall national situation, responding to the changes of the times, and following the laws of communication, initially building a multi-subject, three-dimensional external communication pattern. The influence of international communication, the appeal of Chinese culture, the affinity of China's image, the persuasiveness of Chinese discourse, and the guiding power of international public opinion have been significantly enhanced, gathering strong public opinion momentum for connecting China and the world.
International discourse power has been further enhanced. In the new era, China's international communication has more consciously connected the practical achievements of the Chinese path, the governance effectiveness of the Chinese system, the intellectual power of Chinese theory, and the civilizational heritage of Chinese culture. Centering on the stories of the Communist Party of China's governance, the Chinese people's struggle to realize their dreams, and China's adherence to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, it has promoted the international community to move from understanding the phenomena of China's development to deeply understanding China's institutional logic, historical logic, and civilizational logic. Chinese modernization has become the core narrative for understanding contemporary China. Major practical achievements such as whole-process people's democracy, comprehensive rural revitalization, high-quality development, new quality productive forces, and green transformation have been densely injected into the international public opinion arena, presenting a panoramic development picture different from Western modernization from multiple perspectives including economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization. Broad consensus has been gathered around a community with a shared future for mankind and the four major global initiatives. Through forms such as head-of-state diplomacy, home-ground diplomacy, and multilateral mechanisms, China's visibility in global governance has been continuously enhanced, effectively transforming China's propositions, Chinese wisdom, and Chinese solutions into international public goods.
The effectiveness of international communication has been greatly enhanced. Over the past decade or more, the institutional mechanisms for domestic and external publicity have been straightened out, promoting the transformation of international communication from single-point voice to systematic change. Mainstream media have fully advanced into the main battlefield of international public opinion, creating a number of flagship media and representative industrial clusters, timely and objectively reporting major global emergencies, and actively and proactively expressing viewpoints and positions. International communication has expanded from professional external publicity to a network of diverse actors, with governments, cities, universities, enterprises, and the public participating collaboratively, telling China's story well through the combined efforts of "multiple voices." The pace of technology empowerment has accelerated, with the supporting capacity of new infrastructure such as the national integrated computing network, satellite internet, and information and communication networks leaping forward. Networks, computing power, and data are deeply embedded in the product chain, supply chain, and value chain of international communication, precisely enhancing communication effectiveness. Under China's exemplary leadership, the collective voice of the Global South has continued to grow, effectively promoting the formation of a more just and reasonable new international communication order.
The appeal of Chinese culture has continued to rise. In recent years, the "three new economies" of new industries, new business formats, and new business models have flourished. Online literature, online games, online audiovisual content, and trendy toy products have gone overseas in batches, highlighting the modern creative expression of Chinese culture and leading global consumption trends with Eastern aesthetic tastes. The construction of autonomous and controllable platforms has greatly enhanced cross-border content distribution and user aggregation capabilities. Phenomena such as "cyber migration" on social media have opened new spaces for international audiences to interact. "China travel," "China shopping," "China studies," and "China medical care" have heated up. "Flying to China on Friday after work" and "dragging suitcases to Yiwu for shopping" have become choices for more and more foreign young people, reflecting that Chinese culture and the Chinese way of life are gaining deeper attention and recognition from the international community. The development achievements of Chinese modernization have become the greatest internal driving force for international communication.
Studying, Thinking About, and Practicing General Secretary Xi Jinping's Series of Important Discourses on International Communication Work, and Striving to Create a New Situation in China's International Communication
At present, China's development is in a period where strategic opportunities and risk challenges coexist and uncertainties and difficult-to-predict factors increase, and the strategic significance of international communication has become more prominent. In Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization" and "strengthen the building of international communication capacity, comprehensively enhance the effectiveness of international communication, and form international discourse power commensurate with China's comprehensive national strength and international status." To do well international communication work and create a new situation in international communication, it is necessary to comprehensively and systematically grasp General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important discourses in Volumes I and II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on international communication work, firmly grasp the value orientation and responsibilities and missions of China's international communication in the new era, transform scientific theory into future-oriented strategic consciousness, system capacity, and practical initiative, and promote international communication to show greater achievements in enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization and serving the process of Chinese modernization.
Based on distinctive practice, accelerate the building of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system compatible with the development requirements of Chinese modernization. In Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is necessary to accelerate the building of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system, use Chinese theory to explain Chinese practice, use Chinese practice to elevate Chinese theory, create new concepts, new categories, and new expressions that connect China and foreign countries, and more fully and more vividly present Chinese stories and the intellectual and spiritual power behind them." Discourse and narrative are the basic units of international communication, determining the content system and expression methods of information transmission. It is necessary to take Chinese modernization as the main content line, promote the full connection between international communication and diverse social landscapes, clarify the logic of the Chinese path from vivid development achievements, demonstrate the advantages of the Chinese system from rich governance practice, present the atmosphere of China's governance from the concrete lives of the people, and highlight the pursuit of Chinese values from deep cultural inheritance. Attach great importance to the emerging field of regional and country studies, explore precise communication methods that suit different regions, different countries, and different audience groups, promote the globalization, regionalization, and audience-segmentation of the expression of Chinese stories and Chinese voices, and achieve iteration from unified coverage to "a thousand people, a thousand faces."
Build a more effective international communication system and enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization. In Volume II of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Strive to strengthen the building of international communication capacity and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations." At present, competition in international communication has moved from individual and single-point operations to systematic and coordinated competition. It is necessary to improve institutional mechanisms, optimize resource allocation, strengthen the building of mainstream media's international communication capacity, build an international communication matrix for radio, television, and audiovisual media, and promote the main force to advance head-on into the main battlefield of international public opinion. Expand diverse subjects, innovate practical methods, promote the transformation of international communication from traditional methods such as layout cooperation, content translation, and landing distribution to globalized, marketized, and professionalized operations, and expand the supply of high-quality communication public goods. Strengthen technology-driven development, accelerate the building of autonomous and controllable international communication platforms, actively embrace artificial intelligence technological innovation, industrial development, and scenario application, expand the reach boundaries of Chinese civilization, and enhance the strategic level of connecting global users and integrating into local communities. Extensively carry out international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, deepen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, broaden exchange channels in education, tourism, youth, and archaeology, encourage more cultural enterprises and local brands to go global, and hold special activities such as China Cultural and Tourism Years and overseas Chinese film festivals and exhibitions, making Chinese civilization visible, perceptible, and participatory, and enhancing the brand appeal of Chinese culture.
Promote the common values of all mankind and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Countries have different histories, cultures, systems, and levels of development, but the people of all countries pursue the common values of all mankind of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom." International communication must not only tell China's story well and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China, but also clearly explain the relationship between China and the world. It is necessary to more fully explain ourselves, connecting the wisdom contained in China's excellent traditional culture, such as the world for the common good, the people as the foundation of the state, governance by virtue, harmony between man and nature, upholding credibility and fostering amity, and being friendly to neighbors, with contemporary China's governance experience and international propositions. Centering on the development, security, civilization, and governance issues of common concern to all mankind, deeply integrate internal and external dimensions, promote the connection between the narrative of Chinese modernization and the common aspirations of the people of all countries for a better life, explain China's propositions within the framework of mankind's common concerns, and unfold Chinese solutions within the framework of global governance issues. With the goals of upholding peace, common development, and shared prosperity of civilizations, and with the promotion of consulting, building, and sharing together (共商共建共享, gong shang gong jian gong xiang - "together, consult, together, build, together, share") as the information flow mechanism, help achieve the overall goals of an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
(The authors are both specially appointed researchers at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Return to TopBy: 刘思妗
Doing practical things for the people is the duty of Party members and cadres. Whether they can do practical things to the satisfaction of the masses tests their ability and competence. Eradicating Poverty records the deep reflections of Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Ningde Prefectural Party Committee in Fujian: "To raise the standard of doing practical things, one must stress the scientific nature of doing practical things, and advocate that doing practical things requires some scientific thinking and scientific demonstration." This profoundly reveals the key role of scientific thinking and methods in doing practical things for the people.
To do practical things well, one must first have a correct understanding of what constitutes practical things. What cadres do and how they do it depends on their perception and definition of practical things. As the principal contradiction in Chinese society has transformed, the level of the masses' needs has expanded from the survival type to the development type and quality type, extending from a single material dimension to spiritual culture, ecological environment, fairness and justice, and other aspects, showing the characteristics of being diversified, multi-level, and multi-faceted. The connotation of practical things is constantly enriching, and the cognitive framework of Party members and cadres must expand accordingly. In reality, some Party members and cadres, when it comes to doing practical things, only think of giving money and goods, equating doing practical things with material assistance, ignoring the masses' needs in spiritual culture, rights protection, public services, development opportunities, and other aspects, leading to a mismatch between supply and the masses' expectations, and falling into the dilemma of "cadres work, the masses watch." To avoid this mismatch, one should adhere to keeping pace with the times (与时俱进, yu shi ju jin - "with, time, follow, advance"), continuously deepen understanding, raise the standpoint, accurately grasp the new changes and new expectations in the masses' needs, dialectically grasp the change and constancy in the connotation of practical things, coordinate and advance people's livelihood work in material civilization, spiritual civilization, and other fields, promote the optimization of public service supply, and make it compatible with the masses' real needs.
The livelihood difficulties faced at the grassroots level are often the interweaving and stacking of multiple contradictions. To do practical things, one must be good at using the method of contradiction analysis, identify the principal contradiction amid complex and tangled contradictions, and open up the work situation with the responsibility of overcoming difficult challenges (攻坚克难, gong jian ke nan - "attack, tough, overcome, difficulty"). General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "To follow the mass line is to think what the masses think and be anxious about what the masses are anxious about." The more hot-button and difficult issues the masses focus on, the more one must strive to handle them well. To identify the principal contradiction, one must first go down to the front line, find out through investigation and research which are the interest issues the masses care about most directly and most realistically, and which are the key cruxes where a single small change can affect the entire situation (牵一发而动全身, qian yi fa er dong quan shen - "pull, one, hair, and, move, whole, body"), rather than making judgments based only on impressions and report data. To resolve the principal contradiction, one must pay attention to strategy and adopt measures tailored to different situations: for matters that can be solved immediately under existing conditions, take immediate action and handle them promptly, responding to the masses' expectations at the first opportunity; for matters that do not yet have the conditions for resolution, proactively provide explanations, clarify the thinking and identify the path, and create conditions to promote implementation item by item. Facing difficulties head-on is not reckless action, but the methodological application of "to lead an ox, grasp it by the nose," daring to deal with matters directly and tackle tough problems head-on, achieving progress from point to surface and driving overall improvement through breakthroughs at key points.
Doing practical things also requires establishing a systematic concept, making scientific decisions under multiple constraints, and seeking long-term effectiveness. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Whether some things are good deeds and practical things cannot be judged only by the masses' immediate needs, but also by whether there will be aftereffects, whether it will 'solve one problem but leave ten regrets.'" People's livelihood practical matters do not exist in isolation, but are within the whole in which economy, politics, culture, society, and ecology are interconnected. An "optimization" in one aspect, if divorced from overall constraints, is likely to trigger problems in other aspects. For example, in some places, when building rural roads, the installation of isolation guardrails cut off the passages for villagers to reach their farmland; or raising the roadbed blocked the original drainage channels, causing waterlogging of farmland whenever it rained. The practical matter of opening the road to traffic was accomplished, but it gave rise to new problems such as inconvenient farming and farmland disasters. This enlightens us that doing practical things cannot only focus on a single goal and a single demand, but must use systematic thinking to make overall coordination: unify the masses' urgent needs with objective conditions, development laws, and carrying capacity, and cannot recklessly act without regard for reality in pursuit of personal political achievements; unify the immediate and the long-term, calculating more on the big abacus and the big account, and less on the small abacus and the small account; unify the partial and the overall, establish the thinking of "overall optimality," and resolutely not do things that are feasible locally but not feasible globally. Only by conforming to both purpose and law can one avoid the consequence of "effective in the short term, damaged in the long term," and truly turn good deeds into good outcomes and practical matters into solid results.
From the thinking of keeping pace with the times, the method of contradiction analysis, to the concept of systematic coordination, the improvement in the ability and level of doing practical things is essentially the replacement of empirical thinking with scientific thinking and the enhancement of practical effectiveness for the people with scientific methods. Only by using scientific thinking and scientific methods to do practical things for the people can Party members and cadres respond to the people's expectations with excellent competence and interpret their original aspiration of serving the people with solid work and real achievements.
Return to TopBy: 黄希韦
The platform economy is an important component of the digital economy, continuously injecting vitality into China's economic development. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must take a long-term perspective (着眼长远, zhe yan chang yuan - "eye, look, long, far"), balance current needs, shore up weaknesses, strengthen deficiencies, foster an environment for innovation, resolve prominent contradictions and problems, and promote the sound, healthy, and sustained development of the platform economy." The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference made clear: "Promote win-win development for platform enterprises and the operators and workers within platforms." The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes: "Strengthen supervision over platform enterprises' data, algorithms, traffic, and rules, and promote win-win development for platform enterprises and the operators and workers within platforms." The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on July 30 emphasized: "Promote the sound and healthy development of the platform economy." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and a series of top-level designs and strategic arrangements by the Party Central Committee have defined the development positioning of the platform economy and pointed the way forward for elevating the development capacity of the platform economy and improving platform economy governance.
The platform economy is a new economic form centered on internet platforms where large, medium, and small enterprises coexist. In recent years, supported by digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, China's platform economy has developed rapidly, helping to reduce transaction and search costs and break down temporal and spatial barriers to transactions, playing an important role in unleashing consumption potential, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, driving industrial upgrading, smoothing the circulation of the national economy, and cultivating new drivers of development. Driven by platform economies such as livestream e-commerce and instant retail, market supply has become richer, making daily life more convenient for the people, and a batch of flexible employment positions have emerged, providing workers with more employment choices. At the same time, it must be recognized that in the course of development, China's platform economy has also seen phenomena such as one-sided pursuit of business scale and economic benefits driven by traffic-oriented thinking. Under the conditions of the socialist market economy, the starting point and ultimate goal of promoting technological progress and innovating economic forms are both to enhance people's well-being and to realize, safeguard, and develop the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people. As a product of digital technology development, how to enable operators and workers within platforms—including numerous small and micro business entities and new employment groups—as well as the broad consumer base, to enjoy the convenience of life and share in the fruits of development from the growth of the platform economy is a practical issue that must be addressed in promoting high-quality development of the platform economy. It is necessary to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping's economic thought, grasp the laws of platform economy development, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, and embody the principles that development is for the people, development relies on the people, and the fruits of development are shared by the people throughout the entire process of promoting platform economy development.
Rely on effective regulation to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all parties. To promote the healthy development of the platform economy, one cannot simply resort to applying the same standard to all situations without distinction (一刀切, yi dao qie - "one, knife, cut"). Only by placing equal emphasis on regulatory norms and promoting development can we better serve the construction of the socialist market economy while promoting the growth and strengthening of the platform economy. Shoring up shortcomings in regulatory capacity and enabling regulatory means to keep pace with the rhythm of platform economy development is conducive to better safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of all parties. To this end, it is necessary to make good use of digital regulatory tools and improve the full-chain regulation of guidance beforehand, dynamic monitoring during the process, and lawful handling afterwards. Continue to deepen enforcement against monopolies and unfair competition, investigate and punish illegal and non-compliant acts such as abuse of market dominance in accordance with laws and regulations; standardize commission standards, traffic ranking, and transaction rules, rely on institutional rigidity to promote transparency in platform enterprise fee collection, and ensure that all types of business entities participate fairly in market competition. Firmly consolidate the primary responsibility of platform enterprises, improve the mechanism for safeguarding the rights and interests of operators, workers, and consumers within platforms, optimize dispute handling procedures, smooth rights-protection channels, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all parties.
Establish an orderly and open platform ecosystem. Promoting enhanced cooperation within platform enterprises and between platform enterprises, and building an inclusive and open ecosystem, is conducive both to stimulating the vitality of platform enterprises and to cultivating new drivers of platform economy development. It is necessary to guide platform enterprises in improving compliance management systems, building quality management systems, promoting the establishment of consultation mechanisms between platform enterprises and operators within platforms on major matters, guiding platform enterprises to optimize rules and charge reasonable fees, and helping small and medium-sized enterprises reduce burdens, increase efficiency, and expand markets through reasonable fee reductions and profit concessions, consultation on improving governance rules and standards, and other means, while correcting acts that infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of operators within platforms. Advocating fair competition, inclusive development, and open innovation, platforms should promote ecological openness in an orderly manner in accordance with laws and regulations, provide services fairly and openly to the outside world according to unified rules, and must not use advantages in data, traffic, technology, market, or capital to restrict the independent operation of other platforms and applications.
Boost the optimization and upgrading of the consumption structure. Expanding domestic demand with the focus on boosting consumption is both a need for promoting the long-term, sustained, and healthy development of China's economy and a need for satisfying the people's growing needs for a better life. The platform economy has important advantages in promoting consumption growth and continuously expanding domestic demand, but it cannot rely solely on price wars or engage in "involution-style" competition to promote consumption. It is necessary to guide the platform economy to shift from "competing on price" to "competing on quality and innovation," strengthen the leading role of innovation collaboration, and enhance the capacity for scientific and technological innovation and development. On this basis, guide platform enterprises in carrying out online promotional activities for brand consumption and quality consumption, and cultivate new growth points for consumption; help optimize public services, raise the level of inclusiveness, convenience, and personalization of services in areas such as healthcare, social security, and employment, provide strong support for optimizing the consumption structure, cultivating livelihood consumption hotspots, and promoting the upgrading of livelihood consumption, and accumulate an inexhaustible internal driving force for high-quality development.
(Author's affiliation: University of International Business and Economics)
Return to TopBy: 福州日报记者 林 晗 湄洲日报记者 蔡晨晖
"These noodles look thin and soft, but they are chewy and full of texture on the palate. The more you eat, the more fragrant they become. After a bowl goes down, both the stomach and the heart feel at ease." Ms. Zhang, a tourist from Shanghai, came to Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and fell in love with this "Fujian flavor" at her very first taste. These thin and long noodles are Fujian line noodles (mianxian).
Line noodles often bear witness to important moments in the lives of Fujian people. Noodles are dropped into boiling water, scooped up and placed into rich broth, then topped with mushrooms, seaweed, and day lily flowers. When relatives or friends visit for the first time, what is served is "hospitality noodles"; at weddings and happy occasions, what appears is "joy noodles"; when elders celebrate birthdays, what is presented is "longevity noodles"... A steaming bowl of line noodles has kneaded in so many years of the warmth of everyday life.
Behind these slender line noodles lies the hard-earned skill passed down from generation to generation by artisan craftsmen, as well as the integration of modern techniques.
In Tinggang Village, Daitou Town, Xiuyu District, Putian City, Fujian Province, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side, the ancient technique of purely handmade noodle-making has been passed down. Every Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, the ancient-method line noodles are always in short supply and unable to meet demand (供不应求, gong bu ying qiu - "supply, not, meet, demand"). At 1 a.m., while Tinggang Village is still asleep, the lights in the home of 69-year-old Lin Wenbao turn on right on time. He has been keeping watch before the noodle rack for 45 years.
Resting the dough, kneading the dough, pounding it, coiling it into rounds, winding it onto sticks... Lin Wenbao rolls the dough in a large basin, relying on the feel cultivated through decades of accumulated experience to control the subtle proportions of water, salt, and flour. "We use no additives. Whether the noodles are chewy or not depends entirely on the skill in this kneading and pounding," he says.
At 6 a.m., morning light spreads across the small courtyard. Lin Wenbao and his wife work in perfect coordination, fitting noodles as thick as bamboo chopsticks onto the noodle rack and slowly stretching them with deft force. In an instant, the white noodles cascade and extend like a waterfall, swaying lightly under the breeze of an electric fan, while the rich aroma of the noodles fills the air. "Pulling noodles requires the use of 'inch-force.' Pull too quickly and they break; pull too loosely and they collapse. Only with even, steady speed can they be 'white as jade, fine as silk, and never turning mushy when dropped into soup,'" Lin Wenbao explains. "The ancient-method line noodle-making has extremely high requirements for temperature and humidity, and is mostly concentrated from the ninth to the twelfth month of the lunar calendar." Away from the optimal season, the texture is hard to bring to perfection.
The Houyu area of Gushan Town, Jin'an District, Fuzhou, over a hundred kilometers away, is one of the most concentrated places for handmade line noodle-making in Fuzhou. On the village's large drying ground, noodle craftsman Chen Ping flicks his wrist, and a bundle of line noodles white as mutton fat cascades down, spreading across the wooden racks into a translucent, snow-white curtain. Chen Ping says that the noodle-making process takes 9 to 11 hours and must go through multiple complex procedures before the pulled noodles can be as fine as silk threads, tender and long-lasting.
At the Minshifu Agricultural Professional Cooperative in Puqian Village, Jingxi Town, Minhou County, Fuzhou, the indoor standardized line noodle processing workshop of more than 1,000 square meters maintains constant temperature and humidity, enabling round-the-clock production and processing. "In 2025, our line noodle output exceeded 5 million kilograms, with an output value exceeding 100 million yuan," says Zheng Chenglin, Party branch secretary of Puqian Village. The cooperative has also partnered with universities to carry out product research and development, launching multiple line noodle products for different scenarios, including convenient line noodles and children's line noodles.
High-quality flour, elaborate procedures, and the moisture of the Min River have created the unique flavor of line noodles. They have long transcended food itself to become a unique memory of homesickness. "Fuzhou people value 'eating for peace and safety.' This bowl of noodles contains craftsmanship, and even more so, human warmth." For Lin Wei, born in the 1990s, a bowl of line noodles, two duck eggs, and piping hot chicken broth poured over the top have become the most authentic "noodles of longing for home" in the heart of someone who has long been away from home.
Today, these "silver threads" carrying the folk customs of the capital of Fujian have also become a window through which tourists can taste and understand Fujian. At Juchunyuan, a time-honored Chinese brand, master chefs of Fujian cuisine have sorted through traditional cooking techniques and developed multiple new products, including seafood line noodles, red fermented rice chicken broth line noodles, and abalone line noodles. While preserving the traditional flavor, they have made line noodles, this homely snack, not only a fine dish for banquets but also a must-try delicacy for tourists from other places.
Strand after strand of line noodles, white as jade and fine as silk, not only carry the lingering homesickness of the seasons but also open up a new path for integrated industrial development.
The ancient-method line noodle-making once made many young people shy away. Lin Xiumei, the youngest noodle craftsman in Tinggang Village, is now already 52 years old. "The old craft is a treasure. We have to find ways to let people earn money right at home," says Lin Bingxian, Party branch secretary of Tinggang Village. The village has registered a unified trademark and designed refined packaging, changing the previous model in which farmers sold loose noodles individually. The first-phase main structure construction has already begun on a newly planned six-story standardized line noodle-making training base. Leveraging new media and logistics networks, the ancient-method line noodles have been sold all the way to many parts of the country.
Walking into the Matou natural village of Tinggang Village, in the future this place will integrate intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, study tour classrooms, and experience spaces in one, with an expected annual increase of 200,000 yuan in village collective income. Drawing on the natural and cultural resources of Tinggang Mountain, a national 3A-level tourist scenic area, the story of line noodles and cultural tourism formats complement each other here.
In Fuzhou, line noodles are also called "suo noodles," and "suo" is homophonous with "longevity" (shou) in the Fuzhou dialect. In recent years, Fuzhou has actively explored the cultural connotation of "fortune and longevity" in line noodles, charting a path of "culture + tourism + industry" and turning line noodles into a "cultural invitation card." Tourists watch craftsmen pull and dry the noodles, try their own hand at threading and pulling noodles, then taste a bowl of freshly cooked line noodles and listen to old stories of locals eating line noodles. A study tour route centered on intangible cultural heritage is taking shape.
A clear breeze blows across the courtyard, and the lingering fragrance of noodles, wrapped in the memories of everyday life passed down through generations, is drifting toward a bright future of comprehensive rural revitalization.
Return to TopBy: 付明丽
At present, the 4,200 mu of cranberries in Fuyuan, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, are in their concentrated harvest period. More than a decade ago, cranberries were introduced from North America to the local area; today they have achieved large-scale bumper production and become a distinctive industry that prospers the border region and enriches the people.
Data recently released by e-commerce platforms show that over the past year, 186 "new production areas" for agricultural products have emerged, involving 26 provinces, 154 counties, and 128 product categories. For example, king crab from Gaobeidian, Hebei, which is not near the sea, sells well in the market; Alaer, Xinjiang, deep in the desert, has grown high-quality rice in barren sandy soil; and Lincang, Yunnan, has built the world's largest macadamia nut planting area starting from scratch... Cases of "relocating" products, such as raising seafood on land and introducing and domesticating species, are no longer new.
The emerging from nothingness (从无到有, cong wu dao you - "from, nothing, to, something") of new county-level specialty products is by no means accidental; it is the result of various localities actively seeking change. For a long time, some counties have been relying on local natural resources for livelihood (靠山吃山、靠水吃水, kao shan chi shan, kao shui chi shui - "rely on mountains, eat mountains; rely on water, eat water"), developing their traditional local products. Today, many places, on the basis of adapting measures in light of local conditions, are actively tapping into diversified advantages such as location, climate, and e-commerce, precisely laying out distinctive industries with strong adaptability, and further broadening the track for county-level economic development.
For new county-level specialty products to open up the market, to become popular and remain popular, in addition to identifying the market correctly, they must also rely on long-term investment and persistence. In the early stage of the development of the Fuyuan cranberry industry, although planting enterprises faced the dilemma of zero output and low returns for a long time, they always held fast to their track, continued to invest, and continuously optimized planting techniques. Today, the local cranberry industry has entered a new stage: space-bred seedlings that completed mutagenesis aboard spacecraft have been successfully transplanted to the field, and cranberries have grown from a niche product in single-point trial planting into a county-level pillar industry with a complete chain, stable returns, and strong driving force.
The continued rise of new county-level specialty products also relies on comprehensive industrial capacity integrating standardized processing, modern supply chains, brand-based operations, and market-oriented promotion. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes developing county economies with distinctive features and promoting deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas. The improvement of the circulation system, breakthroughs in agricultural science and technology, and the extension of the industrial chain will help new county-level specialty products form core competitiveness.
It is hoped that more counties can accurately identify their own development positioning, revitalize diversified advantages, deepen their distinctive tracks, and refine their industrial chains, so that more new county-level specialty products can leave their hometowns and become popular in the market.
Return to TopBy: 石 珂
On many food packages, selling points such as "zero sugar" and "high calcium" are visible at a glance, but the production date is hidden on the seal or the bottom of the bottle, requiring searching repeatedly and laboriously (翻来翻去, fan lai fan qu - "turn over, turn around") for a long time. Recently, a media survey found that nearly 80 percent of respondents reported that food production dates are hard to find or difficult to read clearly.
The more important the information, the harder it is to see — the root cause lies in the ordering of packaging information. Companies are in fact very skilled at marketing design: how large to make the trademark, where to place the selling points, what colors are more eye-catching — every detail is carefully designed. Since marketing information can be designed to be clear and conspicuous, the production date naturally can be as well. However, some companies devote more effort to packaging marketing, deliberately highlighting trademarks, selling points, and other content that can drive sales, while for the production date that consumers want to see clearly, they sometimes merely mark it simply, or even do so perfunctorily (应付了事, ying fu le shi - "respond to, finish matter").
The "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling" issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation will take effect on March 16 next year, stipulating that a dedicated area must be set up on the main display panel of prepackaged food labels to specifically mark the production date and the expiration date. The Measures proceed from the consumer's perspective and resolve the problem of "hard-to-find" food dates at the institutional level. However, mandatory requirements alone are not enough; companies must also take the initiative in packaging design, placing key information such as the production date in a fixed, clear location that can be seen at a glance, genuinely making things convenient for consumers.
Design can conceal ingenuity, but it must not conceal the date. Good food packaging is not just about making the product easier to see; it should also make it easier for consumers to judge whether it is safe. After all, consumers are buying food, not playing a game of "hide-and-seek" with their eyes to find the date.
(Excerpted from Yunnan Daily)
Return to TopBeijing Completes Construction of Over 1,540 Community Elderly Care Service Stations
(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporters Sun Leqi, Chai Rong) As of now, Beijing has completed construction of over 1,540 community elderly care service stations, with a cumulative total of 33,000 home-based elderly care beds built.
In recent years, Beijing has actively built a supply pattern for elderly care services based on home care, supported by communities, professionally backed by institutions, and combining medical care with elderly care, accelerating the improvement of a three-tier elderly care service network. At present, Beijing has completed construction of 13 district-level elderly care service guidance centers and 155 subdistrict (township) regional elderly care service centers, with the supply of professional elderly care services continuing to expand.
Liaoning Small Theater Alliance Established
(Liaoning Daily, Shenyang, October 14) (Reporter Wang Xiaomei) The Liaoning Small Theater Alliance was recently formally established. The alliance is a non-profit industry collaboration organization voluntarily formed by small theaters, art troupes, performance institutions, universities, and literary and art workers within Liaoning Province. The establishment of the alliance will effectively resolve industry difficulties such as the scattered resources of small theaters within the province, insufficient linkage and collaboration, and weak brand influence, fill the gap of a provincial-level coordination platform for the small theater industry in Liaoning Province, standardize industry development order, stimulate artistic creation vitality, and cultivate a sound performing arts ecosystem.
Chongqing Has Trained Over 1,500 Rural Livestream Hosts in Total
(Chongqing Daily, Chongqing, October 14) (Reporter Zhao Weiping) In order to open up the digital channel for agricultural products to leave villages and enter cities, Chongqing is accelerating the building of a "Thousand Villages, Ten Thousand Accounts" e-commerce livestream alliance to help agricultural products "sell out and sell well."
The "Thousand Villages, Ten Thousand Accounts" e-commerce livestream alliance takes the village as the basic unit, integrates the strengths of multiple parties including village collectives, cooperatives, large-scale growers and breeders, returning youth, and grassroots cadres, and builds a local livestream agricultural assistance consortium covering a thousand villages and linking ten thousand accounts. As of now, Chongqing has cumulatively trained over 1,500 rural livestream hosts and incubated over 1,500 local e-commerce accounts.
Wuxi, Jiangsu Launches Large-Scale Rotation Training for Industrial Workers
(People's Daily, Wuxi, October 14) (Correspondent Wang Qi) Recently, the Wuxi Municipal Federation of Trade Unions in Jiangsu Province, together with multiple departments including the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, jointly issued the "Wuxi Industrial Workers Large-Scale Rotation Training Plan (2026–2030)," which plans to use a combination of online and offline training methods, striving to train no fewer than 400,000 person-times of industrial workers each year.
Shanxi Holds "Apricot Blossom Award" Evaluation and Performance Exhibition
(Shanxi Daily, Taiyuan, October 14) (Reporter Li Tingting) The closing ceremony of the Fifth Shanxi Arts Festival and the award ceremony for the 19th Shanxi Province "Apricot Blossom Award" were recently held at the Shanxi Grand Theater, where highlights from the plays and programs that won this year's Apricot Blossom Awards were performing one after another in succession (轮番上演, lun fan shang yan - "turn by turn, perform").
The "Apricot Blossom Award" is the highest government award for stage arts in Shanxi Province, established with the approval of the Shanxi Provincial Government, and is held once every two years. This year's "Apricot Blossom Award" evaluation and performance exhibition went through preliminary evaluation, re-evaluation, and final evaluation, and awarded a total of 6 new play awards, 4 new program awards, and 28 individual awards.
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Releases Science Education Resource Map
(People's Daily, Shanghai, October 14) (Correspondent Xu Sufei) In order to further strengthen "museum-school cooperation," the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum recently integrated the resources of its three venues — the Science and Technology Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Planetarium — and centrally released a science education resource map. The map targets learners aged 3 to 18, anchors on national curriculum standards, uses 10 key scientific concepts as its framework, horizontally and systematically integrates the educational brands of the three venues, and vertically matches learning content by gradient according to school stages from kindergarten to high school. The map covers more than 200 resources including research and study practices, educational resource packages, and youth innovation cultivation projects.
Return to TopIn autumn, Tianjin Changlu Hangu Salt Field, located on the shore of the Bohai Sea, enters its busiest salt-harvesting season of the year. The Changlu Hangu Salt Field was founded in 925 AD, and for over a thousand years, the process of drawing in seawater, evaporating it through sun exposure, and crystallizing out the salt has never changed.
Dong Shaosen, head of the No. 1 Crystallization Zone of the salt field, is responsible for salt production across 100 crystallization ponds. Every morning, Dong Shaosen rides a motorcycle between the salt ponds, measuring the concentration of the brine and directing and dispatching salt-harvesting operations. In order to complete production targets, Dong Shaosen applies refined management to the three key tasks of brine preparation, plastic sheeting covering, and crystallization.
In recent years, the Changlu Hangu Salt Field has actively developed industrial tourism, and the Changlu Sea Salt Cultural Tourism Zone, built on the basis of the salt field, was successfully rated a national 4A-level tourist attraction in 2024. During this National Day holiday, the Changlu Sea Salt Cultural Tourism Zone received an average of about 3,000 visitors per day. "The salt flats are still the same salt flats, but in recent years the eyes looking at the salt have changed — in the past, when we looked at the salt field, we looked at the harvest; now tourists look at the salt field and see scenery and culture." Dong Shaosen said with emotion.
Return to TopBy: 广西日报记者 王克础
Recently, the "Didi Agricultural Machinery" mini-program platform in Guangxi has registered 8,512 users, remotely monitors 17,500 Beidou agricultural machinery terminals, and has facilitated agricultural machinery operations covering more than 622,200 mu. From "people looking for machines" to "machines looking for people," Guangxi's agricultural machinery services are accelerating their shift toward digitalization.
The Guangxi "Didi Agricultural Machinery" platform is an online agricultural machinery operation service platform led and created by the Agricultural Machinery Center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It was first piloted and launched in Laibin City in November last year, allowing farmers to book agricultural machinery services just as easily as hailing a car on their phones.
At the end of July this year, the "Didi Agricultural Machinery Emergency Dispatch Command Center" in Ningming County, Chongzuo City was fully completed and put into operation. Relying on the low-altitude emergency rescue command system, the center has built a digital dispatch platform. Farmers only need to open the WeChat mini-program and publish their needs, and the system pushes orders to nearby agricultural machinery operators through positioning and intelligent algorithms; the operators accept orders online, and the two parties communicate directly. Machinery operators can also publish "looking for farm work," and cooperatives can publish "looking for helpers." The average operating efficiency of agricultural machinery connected to the platform has increased by 20%, and the harvesting cost per mu has been reduced by about 40 yuan.
In Laibin City, the model of "sugar mills publishing needs—platform intelligent dispatch—operators working along the line" enables precise linkage of sugarcane "from the field to the workshop," and the mechanized harvesting rate continues to rise.
In September this year, the platform added functions for applying for agricultural machinery purchase subsidies and operation subsidies via mobile phone. With a tap of their fingertips, farmers can complete the entire process from confirmation of operation data to subsidy application, achieving "data runs more errands, farmers are more worry-free and easy" (省心, sheng xin - "save heart").
Return to TopBy: 新华社记者 李 恒
In the golden autumn of October, the weather in many places is gradually turning cooler, and the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures is large. How can one maintain health and prevent illness scientifically?
Some arthritis patients feel that their joints are stiffer and more painful when they get up in the morning. Jiao Juan (焦娟), chief physician of the Rheumatology Department of Guang'anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (中国中医科学院广安门医院), said that this is related to the drop in temperature and the stiffness of joints and surrounding muscles after reduced nighttime activity.
Jiao Juan suggested that areas prone to discomfort, such as the knees, hands, and lower back, should be kept warm. When fingers are stiff upon waking, one can first slowly clench and release the fists, holding each clench for 1 to 3 seconds before releasing, repeating 10 to 20 times; when the lower back and knee joints are stiff, one can first perform gentle flexion, extension, and side-to-side movements in bed, and get out of bed only after the body gradually warms up. For local discomfort, methods such as soaking in warm water can help with relaxation.
Regarding medication, Jiao Juan reminded that medicated patches should be used according to the instructions or doctor's orders. If obvious burning, itching, redness, swelling, or even blisters appear after application, they should be removed promptly. Only one type of painkiller should be taken at a time. If joints suddenly show obvious redness, swelling, heat, and pain, with significantly limited movement, or are accompanied by fever and other conditions, medical attention should be sought promptly.
In autumn, air humidity drops significantly and the climate becomes dry, and some people are prone to gum bleeding when brushing their teeth. Cai Zhigang (蔡志刚), vice president of the Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology (北京大学口腔医院), said that the common cause is the long-term accumulation of dental plaque, leading to gum inflammation. Cai Zhigang suggested that daily oral care should insist on brushing teeth in the morning and evening, and using dental floss, interdental brushes, and other tools to clean between teeth. If dental calculus has already formed, professional examination and cleaning at a hospital are needed.
When elderly people experience gum bleeding or loose teeth, they should persist in maintaining oral hygiene, undergo regular check-ups, and seek medical attention promptly in cases of persistent bleeding, gum recession, or loose teeth, which helps to preserve natural teeth as much as possible and better safeguard chewing, nutritional intake, and quality of life.
To do a good job of health protection against infectious diseases, "hand, foot, and mouth disease and norovirus can both cause reinfection; a previous infection does not mean one will not get it again in the future." Peng Zhibin (彭质斌), a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (中国疾控中心), reminded that before meals, after using the toilet, and upon returning from going out, one should wash hands carefully with soap or hand sanitizer under running water, rubbing for no less than 20 seconds, and commonly used alcohol-based hand sanitizers cannot replace handwashing. While out, do not drink unboiled water, do not eat raw, cold, or unclean food, and seafood, shellfish, and the like should be cooked thoroughly.
Experts suggest that indoor places such as hotels and homestays should pay attention to ventilation, and that elderly people, children, and patients with chronic diseases should complete influenza vaccination as early as possible to reduce the risk of severe illness after infection. One should pay attention to the health conditions of oneself and family members, and seek medical attention promptly if symptoms such as fever, rash, vomiting, or diarrhea occur.
(Xinhua News Agency dispatch)
Return to TopBy: 河北日报记者 王雅楠
Early in the morning, Yao Yunjing, a resident of Yudong Community in Caiyu Community, Xinhua District, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, rode her bicycle for three minutes with her son under two years old to reach the Yunxi Inclusive Nursery.
"Having a professional nursery in the community makes things effortless and worry-free for us" (云玺普惠托育园, yun xi pu hui tuo yu yuan - "cloud seal inclusive nursery"), Yao Yunjing said. Previously, there were no childcare institutions near the community; her parents were too old to care for the child comfortably, and hiring a nanny was expensive with concerns about professionalism. If they chose a childcare institution farther away, the couple would have very tight schedules picking up the child before and after work.
Since the beginning of this year, Cangzhou City has been building a local childcare brand, promoting the development of childcare service institutions across the city toward branding and chain operation. Wang Hui, head of the Family Development Division of the Cangzhou Municipal Health Commission, introduced that the city has sorted through public resources such as idle community buildings and old kindergartens, prioritizing communities with dense infant populations and no childcare institutions, and selecting high-quality sites from among them to be provided free of charge to embedded nurseries for construction.
Yunxi Inclusive Nursery is a community-embedded childcare institution with a site area of over 400 square meters. It scientifically divides areas such as a language zone and a sensory integration training zone, and offers infant classes, toddler classes, and older toddler classes, providing diversified care services including full-day care, half-day care, and temporary care. It has also signed service agreements with the Cangzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and is equipped with a health director responsible for health monitoring and early development of the infants and toddlers in care.
"The child receives professional care here and is very happy every day, and we feel reassured," Yao Yunjing said. The kindergarten is located directly above the nursery, and the two operate in a coordinated manner under an integrated childcare and preschool education service model, allowing resources such as the kitchen, health room, and outdoor activity areas to be shared. When the child reaches the appropriate age, he or she can move directly up to the kindergarten, achieving a seamless transition.
Return to TopBy: 贵州日报记者 华 姝
"20 tables, 6,000 yuan, relatives and friends gathered together for a lively celebration." Speaking of the wedding she had just held, Pan Mingying, a resident of Xing'an Community, Baiguojing Subdistrict, Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, said she had two things she never expected: she never expected it to be so economical, and she never expected it to be so effortless.
Pan Mingying still remembers the wedding banquets in her hometown village in earlier years: "They would go on for four or five days, the quality of the food and drink could not be low, and we also had to set up tents and borrow tables and chairs. A single wedding would cost tens of thousands of yuan in expenses."
Back then, the mere thought of hosting a banquet made Pan Mingying anxious. "I did not want to be extravagant, but when it was truly my turn, I was worried about losing face for my family."
What put her mind at ease was a remark by Long Wenbin, deputy director of the community residents' committee — the community had set up a "contract canteen," which was very spacious, having everything one needs (一应俱全, yi ying ju quan - "all, even, complete, all") in terms of pots, pans, bowls, and chopsticks, and there was also a dedicated chef. A wedding banquet cost 300 yuan per table, saving both worry and money.
The establishment of the "contract canteen" is a vivid microcosm of Baiguojing Subdistrict's continuous efforts to optimize grassroots governance and promote the transformation of outdated customs and practices.
"When it comes to hosting a banquet, the difficulty lies precisely in the word 'standard.'" Xu Yehai, secretary of the Party Working Committee of Baiguojing Subdistrict, said. Precisely focusing on the urgent difficulties and concerns of the masses, the subdistrict guided communities to revitalize idle venues and build the "contract canteen" platform. What kinds of banquets could be held, how large they could be, and how much they could cost — each item was brought to the masses' meetings for discussion one by one.
Today, relying on the "contract canteen," Baiguojing Subdistrict undertakes wedding and funeral events for community residents. Since its opening in 2024, it has saved the masses a considerable amount of expense.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 王 者 吴 君 江 萌
Editor's note: Elderly care services are connected to countless households (千家万户, qian jia wan hu - "thousand, families, ten thousand, households"), and elderly care funds concern the bottom line of people's livelihoods. Unhealthy tendencies and corruption in the elderly care services sector infringe upon the vital interests of the elderly and damage the public's confidence in fairness and justice. In recent years, discipline inspection and supervision organs in various localities have kept a close eye on the elderly care services sector, strictly investigating "greedy flies and corrupt ants," and moreover improving systems through case analysis (以案促改, yi an cu gai - "use, case, promote, reform") and improving governance through case analysis (以案促治, yi an cu zhi - "use, case, promote, governance"), taking concrete actions to safeguard the money related to elderly care services, so that the masses can truly feel that fairness and justice are right by their side.
An application form with "mismatched dates"
Problems in the supervision of elderly care subsidy funds exposed
At noon, the aroma of food wafted through the cafeteria of the Fengye Zhenghong Elderly Care Service Center in Mudan District, Heze City, Shandong Province. Wang Fenglian, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Mudan District Civil Affairs Bureau, carried a meal tray and sat down among the elderly. "Is today's braised pork belly tender enough? Does it suit your taste?" She asked while noting down the opinions and suggestions raised by the elderly.
This is a common scene under the "accompanying meal system" promoted by Heze City for civil affairs departments and heads of elderly care institutions.
The full implementation of the accompanying meal system stems from the deep excavation and thorough investigation by Heze City's discipline inspection and supervision organs into "micro-corruption" in the elderly care sector.
Joint task forces of discipline inspection commissions and supervision commissions at the county and district levels in Heze City, working in conjunction with civil affairs, finance, and other departments, comprehensively sorted out the baseline data of elderly care service institutions, fund disbursement ledgers, and facility distribution, comparing system data against on-site conditions item by item.
During the sorting process, an operating subsidy application form with "mismatched dates" caught the attention of cadres from the Mudan District Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission: the Yi Mou Elderly Care Service Center was established and began operations in August 2019, and received a considerable amount of special subsidy funds. The "Implementation Plan for Subsidy Projects for the Reform Pilot of Home-Based and Community Elderly Care Services in Heze City," jointly issued by the Heze City Civil Affairs Bureau and Finance Bureau in March 2019, stipulated that elderly care service institutions receiving operating subsidies for Heze City's home-based and community elderly care service centers must meet the application condition of "being put into operation before June 30, 2019." "Clearly not meeting the requirements, yet smoothly passing the review and receiving 1 million yuan in special subsidy funds — there is suspicion of illegally receiving elderly care subsidies," said the case-handling personnel.
The Mudan District Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission quickly initiated verification procedures. Starting from the project and the funds, and cross-referencing elderly care support and reward policies, they compared the elderly care institution's application documents against the approval materials of functional departments, and discovered that Shi Mou, former member of the Party Leadership Group of the Mudan District Civil Affairs Bureau and former director of the Social Assistance Service Center, who was responsible for approving the project, was suspected of disciplinary and legal violations.
Investigation found that in 2019, during the implementation of the subsidy project for the reform pilot of home-based and community elderly care services, Shi Mou abused his authority to give a "green light" to an elderly care institution opened by his fellow townsman Ma Mou that did not meet the application conditions, allowing it to pass the review and illegally receive subsidy funds.
Where did the subsidy funds go? Ma Mou used the illegally received subsidy funds for personal consumption and loan repayment. Ma Mou said: "When I first established the elderly care institution, my purpose was not pure. It was not about working with great care and dedication (悉心耕耘, xi xin geng yun - "careful, heart, plow, cultivate") to promote the development of the elderly care industry, but rather, upon seeing the subsidy document, I developed the idea of getting rich." Shi Mou also repeatedly and illegally accepted property from those under his management and service, providing assistance to others in matters such as disbursing subsidy funds and rating elderly care institutions. In May 2026, Shi Mou was held legally accountable for abuse of power and bribery.
In response to the problems exposed by this case, Heze City improved systems through case analysis, establishing a rapid verification mechanism for problem clues discovered through screening and those strongly reflected by the masses. To date, the Mudan District Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission has urged the District Civil Affairs Bureau, together with market supervision and other departments, to screen and rectify 281 problems related to the management of elderly care fund disbursement and the supervision of elderly care institution services, and to improve 18 systems including those related to the evaluation and disbursement of operating subsidies for elderly care institutions. This year, Heze City has built a full-process supervision system for elderly care institutions covering "application and review — fund disbursement — usage supervision — post-hoc verification," and conducts special inspections of subsidy fund usage on a regular basis.
An early warning message showing an anomaly
Excess procurement to siphon off funds must be strictly investigated
In May 2025, an abnormal early warning popped up on the big data supervision platform of the Xiangyang City Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission in Hubei Province: at the Xiangzhou District Social Welfare Institute, with no change in the number of residents, the frequency of procurement projects and the amount of expenditures had increased significantly.
Subsequently, this early warning message was dispatched to the Xiangzhou District Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission. "By reviewing the welfare institute's accounting vouchers, we found that the procurement records for clothing, shoes, and bedding all pointed to one textile shop, and the amounts were relatively large," said Ai Bingru, deputy head of the Fourth Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group dispatched by the Xiangzhou District Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission. The case-handling personnel aggregated the purchased items and went to the textile shop to compare, discovering that the book prices were significantly higher than the actual selling prices, with the price of individual items exceeding the actual selling price by as much as 46 percent.
It turned out that Cai Mou, the then head of the institute, and Shen Mou, the deputy head, instructed the cashier Xiao Mou to inflate procurement prices, squeezing the living expenses and nursing care fees of the elderly to cover irregular hospitality and office expenditures. Over a two-year period, the three siphoned off more than 90,000 yuan by making many small-scale illegal transactions to avoid detection (蚂蚁搬家, ma yi ban jia - "ant, carry, house").
In November 2025, Cai Mou, Shen Mou, and Xiao Mou were respectively given serious disciplinary warnings within the Party, disciplinary warnings within the Party, and administrative demerit records. The Xiangzhou District Social Welfare Institute subsequently made rectifications, re-verifying the standards for subsistence allowance funds to ensure that the living expenses and nursing care fees of the elderly are earmarked for their specific purposes (专款专用, zhuan kuan zhuan yong - "special, funds, special, use"), and revising the material procurement management measures, setting up a suggestion box for the elderly and their family members within the institute to smooth the channels for supervision and reporting.
"For the supervision of publicly run welfare institutions, we have specifically built a 'welfare institute supervision' model," introduced Li Xiaoxu, deputy director of the Information Technology Support Office of the Xiangyang City Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission. The model is equipped with 35 comparison rules such as "abnormal food consumption volume," "abnormal procurement prices," and "abnormal food categories." All welfare institutes in the same county or city district form a monthly per capita consumption volume for the same food item; as long as one welfare institute exceeds this average, the supervision model will issue an early warning. Since the beginning of this year, Xiangyang City has verified and rectified 125 problems of irregular use of elderly care service project and fund funds, recovering 844,300 yuan.
In response to problems exposed in welfare institutions such as falsely reporting to claim benefits or funds (虚报冒领, xu bao mao ling - "false, report, pretend, receive"), siphoning off and misappropriating funds, and irregular fund management, the Xiangyang City Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission has also urged civil affairs and other departments to establish and improve 95 systems including the "Implementation Rules for the Management of Urban and Rural Publicly Run Welfare Institutes in Xiangyang City" and the "Work Guidelines for Dietary Services for Intensively Supported Extremely Poor Persons in Xiangyang City," further standardizing the work procedures for key links such as financial bookkeeping, material procurement, fund approval, and the distribution of subsistence supplies in welfare institutions, and promoting the transformation of elderly care service management from "post-hoc investigation and punishment" to "preventive measures in advance."
A nursing care allowance that "cannot be taken"
Heads of welfare institutions must not embezzle the labor remuneration of nursing staff
In September 2025, the 11th Central Inspection Group received an anonymous report reflecting problems at the Elderly Center Welfare Institute of Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Xining City, Qinghai Province. The letter stated that Tang Moumou, head of the Datong County Elderly Center Welfare Institute, had turned the labor remuneration that should have belonged to frontline nursing staff into his own "extra income." Subsequently, the case was referred to the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission.
The Datong County Elderly Center Welfare Institute undertakes the elderly care guarantee tasks for extremely poor elderly persons within its jurisdiction. During the investigation, case-handling personnel from the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission made a new discovery. "We obtained Tang Moumou's WeChat transfer records and found that from 2020 to 2025, Zheng Mou, the welfare institute's accountant, transferred money to Tang Moumou every month, at irregular intervals and in irregular amounts, ranging from as little as 1,800 yuan to around 2,200 yuan," said Wang Fu, director of the Fourth Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission.
What was this money? The case-handling personnel questioned the welfare institute staff one by one. It turned out that at an internal meeting of the welfare institute, someone proposed that since the head worked hard, a share of the nursing care allowance should be given to the head. Thereafter, after receiving the nursing care allowance, the nursing staff transferred the money to Tang Moumou through the accountant Zheng Mou.
Staff of the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission explained that Tang Moumou, as a public official, received a salary paid monthly from the fiscal budget and should not have participated in the distribution of the nursing care allowance. After verification, Tang Moumou had illegally received a cumulative total of 138,800 yuan in nursing care allowances through this method.
As the investigation deepened, more problems surfaced: setting up an off-book "small coffers," inflating project quantities to extract fees, accepting gifts, and transferring benefits to gain improper advantages (利益输送, li yi shu song - "interest, transfer, deliver") in project procurement... In May 2026, the case was transferred to judicial authorities. The court rendered its judgment, and Tang Moumou pleaded guilty and accepted punishment in court (当庭认罪认罚, dang ting ren zui ren fa - "court, hall, admit, crime, admit, punishment").
At the same time, the case-handling personnel discovered that the welfare institute had obvious institutional loopholes in areas such as expense reimbursement and project procurement. The Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission issued a supervision recommendation letter to the Datong County Civil Affairs Bureau, the welfare institute's supervisory authority. The Datong County Civil Affairs Bureau conducted self-inspection and self-correction (自查自纠, zi cha zi jiu - "self, inspect, self, correct"), focusing on establishing and improving systems to address institutional loopholes in procurement processes, financial funds, and other areas.
Focusing on elderly care services as a key livelihood sector, Datong County has utilized the "office-group-locality" coordinated mechanism, joining forces with public security, health, and other departments to conduct data comparison and verification. Xie Fajuan, director of the First Comprehensive Office of the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission, introduced that in response to key risk points identified such as the disbursement of old-age allowances, the use of nursing care funds, and the housing and fire safety of elderly care institutions, three lists of "problems, rectifications, and responsibilities" have been established, urging civil affairs departments to conduct comprehensive self-inspection and self-correction. Since the beginning of this year, the Datong County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission has investigated and dealt with a cumulative total of 17 corruption and work-style problems in the elderly care services sector.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Jin Xin) On the 14th, the academic seminar "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the Taiwan Question — Commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758" was held in Beijing. The meeting was hosted by the Cross-Strait Legal Exchange Promotion Association of the China Law Society, and nearly a hundred experts and scholars from national Taiwan-related research institutions, institutions of higher learning, and "One Country, Two Systems" research institutions of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions attended the meeting.
Wang Hongxiang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of the China Law Society, said in his speech at the seminar that it is necessary to deeply study and comprehend General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on work related to Taiwan, implement the overall strategy of the Party for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, and be adept at using legal thinking and legal methods to carry out the struggle against separatism and against interference. It is necessary to deeply study and explain the historical context and legal connotation of Resolution 2758, and strengthen the theoretical foundation and international discourse power of the one-China principle. It is necessary to continue to deepen exchanges and interactions between legal circles on both sides of the Strait.
Pan Xianzhang, Deputy Director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stated that the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 brooks no challenge and no distortion, and that Taiwan being a part of China brooks no doubt and no change. It is necessary to continue to unswervingly and steadily (坚定不移, jian ding bu yi - "firm, steadfast, not, move") implement and carry out General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on work related to Taiwan and the overall strategy of the Party for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, firmly grasp the leading role and initiative in cross-Strait relations, deepen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, resolutely combat the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, oppose interference by external forces, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and firmly advance the process of national reunification.
According to reports, on October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, which completely and thoroughly resolved, politically, legally, and procedurally, the question of China's representation in the United Nations, including Taiwan. Wang Zhenjiang, member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the China Law Society, attended the meeting. Focusing on the theme of "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the Taiwan Question," the participating scholars systematically studied the historical original appearance and legal binding force of Resolution 2758, deeply exposed and criticized the acts of the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in colluding with anti-China forces in the United States and the West to distort Resolution 2758, refuted "Taiwan independence" separatist fallacies such as the "undetermined status of Taiwan," firmly upheld the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, consolidated the foundation of the one-China principle in international law, and conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on strengthening the use of legal means to advance the process of national reunification.
Return to TopOn October 14, the 2026 Entry-Exit Cultural Tourism Carnival opened at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing, with travel routes and public-benefit products from multiple countries and regions showcased together, attracting citizens to visit and check in.
Photo by Guo Junfeng (Image China)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 彭 波 张天培 亓玉昆
"The people's congress system is an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy in our country."
In October five years ago, the Party Central Committee convened the first Central Conference on Work Related to People's Congresses. At this important conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically elaborated on the major concept and practice of whole-process people's democracy, and from the strategic height of upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, clearly put forward the guiding ideology, major principles, and main tasks for strengthening and improving the work of people's congresses in the new era, charting the course and providing the fundamental basis for upholding and improving the people's congress system and strengthening and improving the work of people's congresses in the new era.
In September 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress, emphasizing: "We must further strengthen confidence in our path, theory, system, and culture, develop whole-process people's democracy, uphold, improve, and operate well the people's congress system, and provide solid institutional guarantees for realizing the Party's and the people's goals of struggle on the new journey of the new era."
Under the scientific guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping's major concept of whole-process people's democracy and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on upholding and improving the people's congress system, theoretical and practical innovation in the people's congress system has been continuously advanced, the people's congress system has become more mature and more well-defined, whole-process people's democracy has shown vigorous vitality, and a powerful force has been gathered for the entire people to jointly advance Chinese modernization.
Upholding the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance
The people's congress system is an important component of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is also the fundamental political system that underpins China's national governance system and governance capacity.
General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke highly of the advantages and efficacy of the people's congress system, pointing out: "The people's congress system upholds that all power in the state belongs to the people, guarantees to the greatest extent that the people are the masters of the country, organically unifies the Party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance, and effectively ensures that national governance escapes the historical cycle of rise and fall, order and chaos."
The leadership of the Communist Party of China means supporting and ensuring that the people realize their position as masters of the country. We must uphold the Party's leading core role in commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, and through the people's congress system, ensure that the Party's line, principles, policies, and decision-making arrangements are fully implemented and effectively executed in the work of the state.
In March 2022, the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress adopted a decision on amending the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments at Various Levels, into which "upholding and developing whole-process people's democracy" was solemnly written. The amended Local Organic Law clearly stipulates that local people's congresses at various levels, standing committees of local people's congresses at and above the county level, and local people's governments at various levels adhere to a people-centered approach, uphold and develop whole-process people's democracy, always maintain close ties with the people, listen to the people's opinions and suggestions, serve the people, be responsible to the people, and be subject to the people's supervision.
The Ecological Environment Code has written Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization into law, transforming its core essence into universally binding legal norms; the Law on Rule-of-Law Publicity and Education has written Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law into law, making the study and publicity of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law an important content and primary task of rule-of-law publicity and education; the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress fully implements General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on strengthening and improving the work on ethnic affairs, and clarifies through national legislation the fundamental basis for the Party's ethnic work in the new era...
The National People's Congress and its Standing Committee effectively implement the Party Central Committee's political requirements into legal provisions, and through statutory procedures make the Party's propositions become the will of the state and the consensus and common action of the entire people.
The people being the masters of the country is the essence and core of socialist democratic politics. The people's congress system is the fundamental political system that guarantees the people's position as masters of the country.
"All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people." Article 2 of the Constitution — extremely important or weighty words (字字重千钧, zi zi zhong qian jun - "word, word, heavy, thousand, weight").
On September 8, the Tianqiao Area Branch of the Xicheng District Election Committee in Beijing carried out a centralized publicity day activity at Tianqiao Citizens' Square. Staff distributed "A Letter to Voters of Xicheng District" on site, and publicity display boards were set up in the square introducing the principles and procedures for the election of district and township people's congress deputies.
"My household registration is not in Beijing, but I have lived in Beijing for a long time. Can I vote in the election in Beijing?" The questioner was a delivery courier, Yang Xuedong, from Hebei. Staff gave him a detailed explanation of the relevant policies for residents without local household registration to participate in elections. "I hope people's congress deputies can pay more attention to our new employment groups and speak up for the protection of our rights and interests," Yang Xuedong said.
Safeguarding citizens' right to vote and to stand for election has long been written into law. The current Electoral Law was promulgated in 1979 and has undergone seven revisions, establishing and improving electoral principles such as universality, equality, the combination of direct and indirect elections, competitive elections, secret ballot, and the protection of electoral rights.
On November 5, 2021, when General Secretary Xi Jinping voted at the Huirentang polling station of the Zhongnanhai electoral district in Xicheng District, Beijing, in the election of district people's congress deputies, he emphasized: "Electing people's congress deputies is the foundation of the people's congress system and an important manifestation of the people being the masters of the country."
At present, a new round of elections for county and township people's congress deputies nationwide is being carried out in an orderly manner, and more than 1 billion voters across the country will elect more than 2.6 million county and township people's congress deputies through direct election.
This is a major event in the political life of the people across the country, and it is also a vivid practice of whole-process people's democracy.
"The people elected me as a deputy, and as a deputy I serve the people." Newly elected people's congress deputies at all levels will strive to become bridges between the Party and the state and the people, perform their duties in accordance with the law, maintain close ties with the masses, listen to and reflect the will and aspirations of the people, and promote the resolution of practical problems in accordance with the law.
Ensuring that the voices of the people can be heard at every link and in every aspect
The reason the people's congress system has strong vitality and notable superiority lies in the fact that it is deeply rooted in the people.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Ensure that the people's rights to be informed, to participate, to express, and to supervise are implemented in all aspects, all links, and the entire process of the work of people's congresses, and ensure that the Party and the state can hear the voices of the people at every link in decision-making, implementation, and supervision."
During this year's National Day holiday, homestays in Pingxiliang Village, Shuixigou Town, Urumqi County, Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, were fully booked. But two years ago, homestay operators were still worried about "unstable customer sources and too difficult parking." The people's congress deputy liaison stations established in the concentrated homestay area played a positive role.
The resident people's congress deputies made regular visits, asking operators about their difficulties and listening to the voices of tourists, collecting more than 500 opinions and suggestions, promptly reflecting them to relevant departments, and promoting the opening of dedicated bus routes and the creation of specialty markets and homestay projects. Today, the number of visitors to Pingxiliang Village has increased by 30 percent year-on-year, and villagers are "eating the tourism meal" at their doorsteps.
Small details that reflect the whole situation (一枝一叶, yi zhi yi ye - "one, branch, one, leaf") — all are the voices of the people.
"I suggest that the state coordinate the upgrading of the national administrative law enforcement supervision information system platform, and connect the four levels of ports at the city, county, township, and village levels." On August 26, 2026, at the symposium of National People's Congress deputies held during the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, NPC deputy Xue Zhilong suggested improving the whole-chain functions of the system to promote quality and efficiency in grassroots law enforcement supervision.
Since the 14th National People's Congress, a total of 1,003 person-times of NPC deputies have attended sessions of the NPC Standing Committee as non-voting participants. At the symposia for attending deputies attended by leading comrades of the NPC Standing Committee, 358 person-times of deputies put forward 966 opinions and suggestions on topics such as safeguarding national food security and amending the Law on Deputies.
Inviting deputies to attend Standing Committee sessions, participate in special research and law enforcement inspections... The NPC Standing Committee's ties with deputies have become closer, further safeguarding the public's right to be informed and to participate.
"I am a deputy who came out of the Dabie Mountains. Speaking up for the people of the old revolutionary base areas and helping them live a 'rising step by step' life is an unavoidable duty or responsibility (义不容辞, yi bu rong ci - "righteousness, not, allow, word") for me." Huang Jiusheng, an NPC deputy and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Huangchuan County Liaison Office in Zhengzhou, Xinyang City, Henan Province, has repeatedly offered suggestions and proposals for the high-quality development of the Dabie Mountain area, and his suggestion on the protection, development, and utilization of ancient oil-tea camellia forests received positive responses from relevant departments. Today, the oil-tea camellia forests in the old revolutionary base area of the Dabie Mountains are covering the mountains and fields (漫山遍野, man shan bian ye - "overflow, mountain, everywhere, field"), becoming "fortune trees" that fatten villagers' wallets.
Deputies' suggestions are an institutionalized vehicle for the people to express their demands, carrying the expectations of the masses. The fact that suggestion after suggestion has moved from paper to reality proves that whole-process people's democracy is not an abstract concept but a perceptible and testable governance practice.
"For key suggestions concerning people's livelihoods, industrial development, ecological protection, and other matters, the National People's Congress has special committees take the lead in supervising their handling with priority, organizing the handling units to communicate face-to-face with the deputies, listening to demands before handling, reporting progress during handling, and conducting follow-up evaluations after handling, forming a closed-loop handling system," said a relevant official from the Representative Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee.
The National People's Congress and its Standing Committee adhere to "high-quality content and high-quality handling," improve the whole-chain mechanism of assignment, communication, supervision, feedback, and evaluation, and further promote the transformation of the handling of deputies' suggestions from a "reply-oriented" model to an "implementation-oriented" model.
Improving the people's congress's platforms and vehicles for democratic public opinion expression
Law is a heavy instrument of state governance; good law is the prerequisite for good governance.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "the people's congress system has the notable advantage of guaranteeing comprehensive law-based governance and realizing the rule of law in all aspects of the state's work."
On March 12, 2026, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress voted with a high majority to pass the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China.
This code has written the people's aspiration for a beautiful ecological environment into the blueprint of rule-of-law governance, and its formation and continuous improvement have been a process of continuously absorbing public opinion and building consensus.
Around the compilation of the Ecological Environment Code, after each review by the NPC Standing Committee, the draft was published to the public, and over four rounds of public solicitation of opinions, more than 20,000 opinions from more than 7,000 person-times were received. The grassroots legislative liaison points in Anji, Zhejiang, and Nansha, Guangdong, suggested that the list of new pollutants subject to key control should be adjusted in a timely manner; the grassroots legislative liaison point in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, suggested adding a list of green and low-carbon industry types in the green and low-carbon development chapter... The grassroots legislative liaison points of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee put forward many constructive opinions and suggestions on the compilation of the code, which were adopted.
Grassroots legislative liaison points are vividly described as legislative "through trains" and "heart-connecting bridges," linking the legislative body on one end and grassroots people on the other, and are a microcosm of the development of whole-process people's democracy.
In March 2023, the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress amended the Legislation Law, stipulating that legislative work adheres to the major concept of whole-process people's democracy, and for the first time wrote "grassroots legislative liaison points" into law. At present, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee has established a total of 60 grassroots legislative liaison points, which have driven local people's congress standing committees to establish more than 7,800 legislative liaison points.
From the white mountains and black waters of the northeast to the snow-covered plateau, from bustling streets and alleys to ethnic villages, grassroots legislative liaison points one after another have become a unique and beautiful landscape in the process of China's democratic and rule-of-law construction.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to grasp the key of improving the quality of legislation, give full play to the leading role of the people's congresses and their standing committees in legislative work, adhere to respecting and reflecting objective laws, adhere to being for the people and relying on the people, adhere to strictly acting in accordance with statutory authority and statutory procedures, and deeply advance scientific legislation, democratic legislation, and law-based legislation.
Seeking advice and solutions from the people (问计于民, wen ji yu min - "ask, strategy, at, people"), and asking the people about their needs.
Since the beginning of this year, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee have published 30 drafts of laws for solicitation of opinions, receiving 186,000 opinions and suggestions from 89,000 person-times, and many profound and penetrating insights (真知灼见, zhen zhi zhuo jian - "true, knowledge, burning, insight") have been absorbed and adopted in legislation;
As of the end of September 2026, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee has solicited more than 102,000 opinions from grassroots legislative liaison points on 235 drafts of laws, legislative planning drafts, and filing and review work...
These sets of impressive data fully demonstrate that the channels for citizens to participate in legislation have become more convenient and smooth, and that the people can put forward opinions and suggestions at their doorsteps and offer advice and suggestions for national legislation.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to improve the people's congress's platforms and vehicles for democratic public opinion expression, improve the working mechanisms for absorbing public opinion and pooling popular wisdom, advance people's congress consultation and legislative consultation, and unify social conditions and public opinion from all aspects into the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people.
Developing and leveraging mobile client applications, WeChat public accounts, opinion-solicitation QR codes, and other "online" methods to expand the breadth of public participation, combined with "offline" forms such as symposiums, consultation meetings, and residents' deliberation meetings, to bring legislative opinion solicitation and public opinion collection work to the people's "doorsteps";
Inviting lawyers, industry experts, and others to explain the meaning of legal drafts to the people participating in opinion solicitation, transforming "legal language" into plain and understandable words;
Designing differentiated participation methods according to the characteristics of different groups, so that different groups can all find participation channels suitable for themselves...
People's congresses at all levels actively explore and innovate working methods and approaches, gradually establish and improve working mechanisms for absorbing public opinion and pooling popular wisdom, broadly build legislative consensus, and strive to make every piece of legislation conform to the spirit of the Constitution, reflect the will of the people, and win the support of the people.
The journey of ten thousand li is underway with a strong wind, and the heavy burden of a thousand jun calls for setting out anew.
On the new journey, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, centering on developing whole-process people's democracy, upholding, improving, and operating well the people's congress system, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics will surely radiate even more brilliant light, providing even more solid institutional guarantees for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Shi Yiqi) Upon approval of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission conducted an investigation and review into the serious disciplinary and legal violations of Bao Hui, former Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Standing Committee of the Chengdu Municipal People's Congress of Sichuan Province.
The investigation found that Bao Hui lost his ideals and convictions (丧失理想信念, sang shi li xiang xin nian - "lose, lose, ideal, belief"), abandoned his original aspiration and founding mission, violated the important requirements of the Party Central Committee on preventing and defusing major financial risks, made improper decisions that created major financial risks, distorted his view of political achievements by engaging in "vanity projects," and resisted organizational review; disregarded the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation (八项规定), improperly accepted gifts and money, and accepted banquets and travel arrangements that could affect the impartial execution of official duties; ignored organizational principles by failing to truthfully explain issues during organizational talks, failing to report personal matters as required, and improperly seeking benefits for others in the selection and appointment of cadres; lost the bottom line of integrity by indulging and acquiescing to relatives using his official influence to seek personal gain; improperly interfered in and meddled with market economic activities; failed to maintain proper family conduct and lost control and discipline over family members; expanded his greed and desire (贪欲膨胀, tan yu peng zhang - "greed, desire, expand, swell"), alienating the public power entrusted by the Party and the people into a tool for personal gain, engaging in large-scale power-for-money transactions, using his official position to seek benefits for others in the restructuring of commercial banks, the acquisition of construction land, and the undertaking of engineering projects, and illegally accepting huge amounts of property.
Bao Hui seriously violated the Party's political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, work discipline, and life discipline, constituting serious duty-related violations and suspected bribery crimes. Moreover, he did not restrain himself or stop his actions after the 18th National Congress of the Party. His conduct is serious in nature and has a bad influence, and he should be dealt with severely. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Communist Party of China," the "Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China," and the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Discipline for Public Officials," upon deliberation at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and approval by the CPC Central Committee, it was decided to expel Bao Hui from the Party; cancel the treatment he enjoyed as prescribed; terminate his qualifications as a delegate to the 12th Party Congress of Sichuan Province and the 14th Party Congress of Chengdu Municipality; confiscate his disciplinary and illegal gains; and transfer the issues suspected of criminal offenses to the procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution in accordance with the law, with the involved property transferred along with the case.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Shi Yiqi) The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission has filed a case for investigation and review into Wu Hao, former Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Innovation Academy for Science and Technology Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, for serious violations of discipline and law.
The investigation found that Wu Hao lost his ideals and convictions, betrayed his original aspiration and founding mission, and resisted organizational review; violated the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation by accepting banquets that might affect the fair execution of official duties; failed to report personal matters as required; lost the bottom line of integrity and accepted gifts in violation of regulations; his greed swelled, and he engaged in using his position for personal gain (以权谋私, yi quan mou si - "use, power, seek, private interest"), carrying out large-scale power-for-money deals, using his official position to benefit others in areas such as approval of investment projects, review of listing projects, and evaluation of key enterprise qualifications, and illegally accepting huge amounts of property.
Wu Hao seriously violated the Party's political discipline, organizational discipline, and integrity discipline, constituted serious duty-related violations and was suspected of bribery crimes. Moreover, after the 18th National Congress of the Party, he did not restrain himself or stop his actions, and the nature of his violations is serious with adverse impact, warranting severe handling. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions, the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Discipline for Public Officials, and after study by the Standing Committee meeting of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, it was decided to expel Wu Hao from the Party; the National Supervisory Commission was to give him the sanction of dismissal from public office; his disciplinary and illegal gains were to be confiscated; and the issues suspected of criminal offenses were to be transferred to procuratorial organs for review and prosecution in accordance with the law, with the involved property transferred along with the case.
Return to TopIn 1956, Xinjiang Medical University embarked on a journey of struggle rooted in the land north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Over the course of seventy years, the university has grown from a newly established institution on the Gobi wasteland into a medical highland with prominent disciplinary strength, medical services covering the entire Xinjiang region, and external connectivity reaching Central Asia. Over the past 70 years, the university has trained and delivered more than 180,000 medical and health professionals, with over 75% of graduates choosing to stay in Xinjiang for employment; 5 disciplines have entered the global top 1% of ESI; and 9 directly affiliated hospitals have built a medical service network connecting urban and rural areas. Behind this weighty answer sheet lies the dedication and struggle of generations of teachers and students in continuously safeguarding the life and health of people of all ethnic groups.
Cultivating people through moral education (立德树人, li de shu ren - "establish, virtue, plant, person")
Forging a new force of medical students to revitalize Xinjiang and consolidate the border
"What kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them" is the fundamental proposition that medical education in the border regions must answer. The answer of Xinjiang Medical University is written in the footsteps of successive graduating classes as they head to the grassroots.
"Go to the grassroots, go to the west, go to where the motherland needs us most" has long been integrated into the spiritual bloodline of teachers and students. Batch after batch of Xinjiang Medical University graduates have walked out of the campus and taken root at the front line, becoming a force for health protection that "can go down, can stay, and can be put to use." University graduates have won the Ministry of Education's "Outstanding Scholarship (Teaching) Award for Grassroots Employment of University Graduates" for three consecutive years.
This confidence in talent cultivation dates back to the founding of the university, when the Party Central Committee made overall arrangements and transferred a large number of backbone faculty from 15 provinces including Shanghai, Beijing, and Liaoning to Xinjiang. A group of medical educators from well-known medical colleges and universities in the interior took root on the Gobi, laying the foundation for Xinjiang's first modern medical university.
After 70 years of development, the university now has 9 national first-class undergraduate program construction sites and 19 national first-class undergraduate courses, with the number of graduate students on campus exceeding 6,000. The university has advanced the "2.5+2.5" segmented training reform in clinical medicine, added new medical majors such as intelligent medical engineering, geriatric medicine and health, traditional Chinese medicine resources and development, and digital humanities, and has oriented training toward medical talent suited to the grassroots of the border regions. Teachers and students of all ethnic groups study and progress together, blending and coexisting in classrooms, dormitories, and social practice, tightly embracing one another like pomegranate seeds.
The scale of the university has continued to expand, but its educational mission has never changed. From 258 students at the founding to more than 37,000 current students, from a single clinical medicine major to 5 first-level discipline doctoral programs, 3 professional doctoral degree programs, 14 first-level discipline master's programs, 10 professional master's degree programs, supplemented by 4 postdoctoral research mobile stations, 3 postdoctoral research workstations, and 2 autonomous region postdoctoral innovation practice bases, the university's scale and disciplinary system have been iteratively upgraded, yet its responsibility to cultivate medical talent for the border regions and its philosophy of "everything for the people's health" have never changed.
Scientific research and tackling key problems
Solving people's health problems based on the realities of the border regions
The effectiveness of medical research must be tested by the people's sense of health gain. Based on the characteristics of regional diseases in Xinjiang, generations of researchers have built laboratories in pastoral areas, reclamation areas, and plateaus, continuously tackling endemic and difficult diseases.
Echinococcosis was once a major disease threatening people in pastoral areas, and many families fell into poverty because of it. Since the 1950s, university faculty have gone deep into agricultural and pastoral areas to conduct epidemiological investigations and technical research. Four generations of researchers have continued the assault, raising the clinical cure rate of alveolar echinococcosis to over 90%. Xinjiang's echinococcosis prevention and treatment practice has been called the "China model" by the World Health Organization, and related technologies have been extended and promoted to multiple Central Asian countries.
The field of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment has likewise seen the passing on of the torch from generation to generation (薪火相传, xin huo xiang chuan - "薪, firewood; 火, fire; 相, mutually; 传, pass on"). The university established the first professional doctoral program in cardiovascular disease in northwest China; university faculty compiled the country's first "Clinical Electrocardiographic Vectorcardiography," filling a gap in disciplinary textbooks, led teams in introducing and promoting new interventional technologies, promoted the capacity of more than half of county-level hospitals to independently perform interventional procedures, and achieved the goal that most critical cardiovascular diseases "do not leave Xinjiang," safeguarding the cardiovascular health of people of all ethnic groups.
Facing the severe challenge of combined endemic fluorosis and arsenic poisoning from drinking water in the Kuitun reclamation area, university faculty led multidisciplinary teams to sample and trace sources household by household, developed fluoride- and arsenic-removing detoxification preparations, and built a comprehensive prevention and treatment system of "water improvement to remove the source, drug diagnosis and treatment, surgical rehabilitation, and health education," with related achievements winning the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Three generations of researchers have taken root in the reclamation area, consolidated the effectiveness of prevention and treatment, and continuously explored low-cost water quality improvement pathways, allowing the fruits of scientific research to benefit the people of the Gobi.
The university's disciplinary development has achieved leapfrog breakthroughs. Clinical medicine, as the first discipline in all of Xinjiang to enter the global top 1% of ESI, has reached a permille ranking of 1.68‰; pharmacology and toxicology, biology and biochemistry, immunology, and molecular biology and genetics have all entered the global top 1%. In 2026, the university achieved a dual breakthrough in the ShanghaiRanking, entering the Academic Ranking of World Universities for the first time (global rank 901–1000), entering the top 200 of the ShanghaiRanking's main ranking of Chinese universities, and ranking 23rd among medical and pharmaceutical universities, setting its best historical record.
Looking to the future, the university is focusing on two major research directions: first, relying on the Hotan Prefecture Plateau Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, established in April 2026, and in conjunction with multiple Beijing medical institutions, implementing the major project "Identification of Risk Factors and Progress Control Research on Plateau Diseases in Xinjiang" to tackle plateau disease prevention and control; second, taking root in Luntai County to conduct research on the prevention and control of common diseases and infectious diseases in desert areas. The university and its affiliated institutions, together with local hospitals, are jointly promoting technological breakthroughs and striving to build a medical highland. At the same time, the university is advancing the application for national key laboratories, concentrating research strength in the two directions of clinical medicine and Xinjiang's distinctive ethnic medicines.
In 2025, the university's research funding exceeded 507 million yuan, with 806 research projects of various kinds approved, 25 autonomous region science and technology awards won, and the first first-prize award of the autonomous region Natural Science Award. The value of research is realized in clinical services, with affiliated hospitals receiving an A+ rating in the national public hospital performance assessment for five consecutive years. Affiliated hospitals carry out more than 300 mobile clinic tours each year, benefiting nearly 100,000 people. On the one hand, the university is promoting the deployment of AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment equipment to the grassroots; on the other hand, it continues to consolidate the supply of talent, opening up the chain of transforming achievements from the laboratory to grassroots health centers, and fulfilling its commitment to research serving the people.
Connecting the Silk Road
Expanding a new landscape of health cooperation through medical exchange
Seizing the advantages of Xinjiang's role as a golden passage between Asia and Europe and a bridgehead for opening to the west, Xinjiang Medical University deeply serves the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, building cross-national cooperation platforms with medicine as the bond and helping to build a community of shared health for mankind.
Since enrolling international students in 1990, the university has trained more than 2,600 international students from 41 countries, with the pass rate of graduates on the medical licensing examination in their home countries stably above 90%, and many graduates have already assumed backbone roles in overseas medical positions. At present, the university has 823 international students from 24 countries, including 122 master's and doctoral students, with the proportion of high-level international students steadily increasing.
External cooperation platforms continue to be established. The university has jointly built the Astana International Medical Center and the "Belt and Road" Collaborative Innovation Center for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Tumors with Kazakhstan; in June 2026, it signed a joint graduate training agreement with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The external output of traditional Chinese medicine has yielded remarkable results. Affiliated hospitals have established the first traditional Chinese medicine treatment and training center in Central Asia in Uzbekistan, training 2,533 local medical personnel in 2025; the two sides have launched a "3+2" joint undergraduate training program in traditional Chinese medicine, with two cohorts totaling 30 students enrolled, 14 traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as acupuncture and tuina taking root in Central Asia, and traditional Chinese medicine courses formally incorporated into Uzbekistan's higher medical education curriculum. Affiliated hospitals have successively sent 25 expert teams and 97 experts to Central Asian countries for technical assistance.
Two-way medical cooperation also feeds back into domestic development. Cross-border remote consultations and cross-national clinical assistance have accumulated a large number of rare and difficult cases; overseas registration of ethnic medicines has driven domestic research and development to benchmark against international standards; and the university actively participates in the formulation of regional disease diagnosis and treatment standards, further enhancing China's influence in the field of public health in Central Asia.
Today, whether at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains or on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, people of all ethnic groups can obtain reliable medical protection — this is the most important achievement of Xinjiang Medical University in its 70 years since its founding. In the future, anchoring the goal of "building a high-level research-oriented medical university that is first-class in the west and radiates to Central Asia," Xinjiang Medical University will continue to promote disciplinary upgrading, scientific research innovation, talent introduction, and quality improvement of affiliated hospitals, always integrating the university's development into the overall development situation, border region construction, and the people's expectations, striving forward toward the goal of "Double First-Class" construction, safeguarding the health of people of all ethnic groups in the border regions, and continuously contributing Xinjiang solutions and Chinese wisdom to the global public health cause.
Data source: Xinjiang Medical University
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 曹怡晴 王 珏
The clangorous, spirited tunes of Peking opera's xipi and erhuang modes; the mellifluous, elegant melodies of Kunqu opera's shuimo style. When two utterly different vocal systems meet within a single play, what new operatic resonance might burst forth? How might a story set beyond the frame of The Peony Pavilion summon youthful kindred spirits and sing traditional opera into the hearts of young people?
The National Peking Opera Company's newly composed Peking opera The Red Letter (Hong Jian) has undertaken its own exploration.
"The ink's traces seep to the bone, and I shall never regret it; a lifetime of utter devotion I have given to The Peony."
Following its premiere in June of this year, on the evenings of October 13 and 14, the refined and polished The Red Letter once again took the stage at Beijing's Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre, and will subsequently tour nationwide.
In 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to a letter from the young artists of the National Peking Opera Company, emphasizing the need to "practice art for the people, uphold virtue and esteem artistry, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, and keep Peking opera art continuously radiating the brilliance of the times."
Blending traditional operatic conventions with modern aesthetics, innovatively performing through the dual vocal systems of Peking and Kunqu opera, and employing a play-within-a-play dual-layer narrative... The Red Letter is a practical achievement of the National Peking Opera Company's in-depth study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important reply letter and its solid advancement of the Three-Year Action Plan for the Revitalization of Drama (2026–2028), writing a vivid footnote for the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.
"By the shore of the Peony Pavilion, to whom can one confide the yearnings of the heart..." As the curtain rises, Tang Xianzu, played by the National Peking Opera Company's laosheng (old male role) actor Du Zhe, suddenly finds inspiration in the Yuming Hall and writes with great vigor. Subsequently, classic arias from the Kunqu opera The Peony Pavilion drift forth like a hidden fragrance. The Red Letter, based on the off-stage romance of the Ming dynasty chuanqi drama The Peony Pavilion, tells a series of moving stories about Jin Fengdian, a woman from Yangzhou who becomes entranced by the world of ultimate feeling created by Tang Xianzu's pen. "One is the 'play' in reality, the other is the 'play' within The Peony Pavilion; the two plays coexist and co-perform on stage," said Xu Chunlan, the play's director.
It is neither a "replica" nor a "wild adaptation."
Stepping outside the widely known and familiar (耳熟能详, er shou neng xiang - "ear, familiar, can, know") narrative of the gifted scholar and beautiful lady in The Peony Pavilion, The Red Letter reinterprets the classic text from the perspective of "reader and classic." "In past theatrical creations, there has rarely been an analysis of Tang Xianzu's creative state as a playwright and as an ordinary person," Du Zhe said. "This is the unique aspect of The Red Letter — we will show the audience a different Tang Xianzu, revealing the subtle expressions and interesting details of his life."
Adapting classics has always been a difficult point in opera creation. How well has The Red Letter, which takes a fresh approach, been received by the general public? "Whether one is a 'novice to opera' or a The Peony Pavilion 'enthusiast,' one can find something that moves them in this play," a young audience member commented after the October 13 performance.
"We are not continuing the classic, but writing the classic's echo, so that the cultural lineage that nourished hearts centuries ago may continue to illuminate the spiritual world of contemporary people," said Wang Yong, president of the National Peking Opera Company and screenwriter of The Red Letter. He explained that the play, from the perspective of ordinary opera fans and readers, showcases the cross-era artistic charm of The Peony Pavilion, while also meticulously portraying Tang Xianzu's creative journey and spiritual pursuits.
Not only does it embody a new perspective in textual creation, but at the level of operatic artistic fusion and innovation, The Red Letter actively explores new paths for the fusion of Peking and Kunqu opera, achieving complementarity between the vocal systems and performance styles of the two major operatic genres.
Kunqu opera belongs to the qupai (tune-title) system, while Peking opera is of the banqiang (tempo-tune) system; one excels at lyricism, the other at narrative, and the two artistic systems differ considerably. "What we pursue is not a simple splicing 'two pots on one stove,' but a seamless integration of vocal style, artistic conception, and character emotion," said Zhao Jianhua, the play's Peking opera orchestra director.
Thus, you will hear such a distinctive stage: when performing Du Liniang's dream and romantic musings, Kunqu singing is used, fully displaying its softness and beauty; when narrating Jin Fengdian's life experiences and Tang Xianzu's inner struggles, Peking opera's xipi and erhuang modes are employed, full of tension. With the two vocal systems interwoven, the "person outside the play" and the "person within the play" form a structure in which lyricism and narrative blend with each other. The harmonious resonance of Peking and Kunqu opera, combined with arrangements of ethnic orchestral and Western instruments, fuses an antique foundation with contemporary aesthetics.
"Moving between the two operatic genres is both a challenge and an opportunity for growth," said Guo Xiao, a young actor of the National Peking Opera Company. In the play, she plays the dual roles of Jin Fengdian and Du Liniang, requiring her to switch effortlessly between the two vocal systems of Peking and Kunqu opera. To fully master the essence of both performance systems, she also made a special trip to the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe to study, polishing her singing word by word and repeatedly refining her stage movements. "In every rehearsal and performance, I am constantly exploring the balance between Peking opera and Kunqu opera performance styles, and probing the delicate and abundant emotional core behind the characters," Guo Xiao said.
The inheritance of opera, in the final analysis, is the inheritance of people.
"Young actors cannot merely remain at imitating their predecessors; they must find their own artistic expression in newly created works," Wang Yong said. He explained that the creation and rehearsal of entirely new productions represented by The Red Letter is not only a creative process for the company to refine masterpieces, but also a practical classroom for young actors to temper their skills and enhance their professional competence.
In recent years, the National Peking Opera Company has continuously built platforms for the growth of young talent, implemented a "one policy per person" training plan for young actors, and encouraged veteran artists to pass on their skills through oral instruction and personal demonstration. In addition to The Red Letter, the National Peking Opera Company has also created new Chinese-style works such as the Peking opera poetry-music piece Spring·Autumn, and revived classic productions such as The Red Army Story and Stewing Wine over Green Plums. Young actors have laid their foundations in traditional plays and achieved breakthroughs in newly created works.
"By chance, my heart seems entangled..." Accompanied by the tender affection of the Kunqu aria "Jiang'er Shui," The Red Letter drew to a close, and the applause in the hall lasted long; among the audience, there was no shortage of young figures.
A good play never lacks youthful kindred spirits.
"Innovative narrative perspectives and stage language allow ancient opera to resonate emotionally with contemporary people, and the lineage of Chinese opera will continue unceasingly," Wang Yong said.
Return to TopBy: 亦 青
After watching Red Letter (Hong Jian), some post-2000s viewers remarked: "I never understood why my elders loved watching opera, but at this moment I suddenly grasped the aesthetic of our ancestors." This shows that when traditional art finds an entry point for empathy with the contemporary era, it can transcend generations and deeply touch people's hearts (直抵人心, zhi di ren xin - "straight, reach, human, heart").
From the famous scenes of the Wu opera Three Strikes on the White Bone Demon going viral on short-video platforms; to a host of young opera performers rooting themselves in online livestream rooms and gaining fame through solid basic skills; to newly compiled operas like Red Letter entering theaters and winning applause from young people... traditional opera is entering our lives in increasingly diverse ways.
For the revitalization of opera, there is a key indicator called the "opera population," which includes not only opera practitioners but also the audience groups who watch, understand, and love opera. The inheritance of opera is not a static preservation; as long as one can hold onto the foundational skills of the form, find contemporary expression, and attract more young people to move from watching opera to understanding and loving it, the ancient pear garden will always have youthful kindred spirits.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 董泽扬
On the beach, under the coconut palms, crowds surge. At Qishui Bay in Wenchang City, Hainan, photography enthusiasts set up their equipment, and parents with children are waiting with great anticipation (翘首以盼, qiao shou yi pan - "raise head, long for"), all eyes fixed on the distant launch pad, waiting for the rocket to lift off.
"The rocket is launching!" As the roar arrives, the crowd bursts into exclamations. A Long March series carrier rocket, spewing orange-red flames, comes soaring into the air (腾空而起, teng kong er qi - "soar, empty, sky, rise"), flying toward the clouds. Before long, tourists are posting their live footage on social media platforms, sharing their experiences.
"It's awe-inspiring, and it makes for great photos!" For this "rocket-chasing" trip, Hong Shisheng, a middle school student from Shanghai, and his family prepared well in advance. "Besides 'chasing rockets' by the sea, we also plan to 'chase stars' inside the science museum." Now, this coastal town, home to the Wenchang Space Launch Site and the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, is offering tourists more choices through more frequent rocket launches and better science-education facilities.
For watching launches, there are options for both timing and location. Launch missions at the Wenchang Space Launch Site and the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site have become routine. Once the second phase of the commercial space launch site is completed, the annual launch capacity is expected to exceed 60 launches, making the time windows for "rocket-chasing" denser and turning the trip from a "matter of luck" into something predictable. For the experience, it is rich and diverse. The free, open beach lets tourists "waiting for the rocket" play in the water; the paid viewing platforms come with science explanations and cultural performances, meeting the diverse needs of different visitor groups.
After "chasing" rockets, one can also "chase stars." "The 'Wenchang Supercomputing Constellation' satellite flies over our heads about every 90 minutes, and the remote-sensing imagery it captures, after being received and processed, can become directly usable satellite images." At the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Cultural Tourism Zone, Hong Shisheng was captivated by the explanation. The zone's three-dimensional screens, interactive installations, and aerospace artifacts bring the entire process—from rocket launch and satellite deployment to data transmission—into view. Simulating remote-sensing data operations in the supercomputing science museum and touching "visitors from beyond the sky" in the meteorite museum make the science experience something you can "see and touch."
"Science displays not only tell the stories behind the scenes but also extend the time visitors stay," said Ye Shiyang, chairman of Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Smart Technology Co., Ltd. The supercomputing cultural tourism zone is continuously bringing in high-quality science-education resources, including the China Mobile Science and Technology Museum, so that visitors can "understand the reasons behind" technological development.
Watch by following satellites, learn by following "stars." During holidays, the Wenchang Aerospace Science Education Center is a bustling crowd of people (人头攒动, ren tou zan dong - "people, head, crowd, move"). Activities such as stamp-collecting challenges and aerospace knowledge quizzes combine science education with red-heritage education. The stories of aerospace scientists displayed in the exhibition hall make children stop and linger, deeply moved. "This trip to Wenchang, my child took the initiative to buy books about aerospace stories, saying he wants to be a scientist in the future," said Ms. Li, a tourist from Changsha, Hunan.
The rocket-chasing journey has also brought new business formats to the small town. In Longlou Town, near the launch site, the number of homestays has grown from 5 in 2016 to more than 150 now, with occupancy rates exceeding 90 percent during launch periods, and more than 5,000 residents have found nearby employment through aerospace tourism. To keep serving the aerospace tourist crowd, Wenchang has launched routes such as "science + coconut grove cycling," linking individual elements into a cohesive whole (串珠成链, chuan zhu cheng lian - "string, beads, become, chain") for local attractions, closely integrating technology tourism with cultural tourism.
From the awe-inspiring moment of a rocket lifting off to the diverse experiences of science study tours and seaside vacations, Wenchang is turning "traffic" into "retention," making aerospace tourism a new calling card for the integration of culture and tourism.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporters Wang Zhou, Shi Fang) The main venue event of the 2026 "White Pagoda Night Talk" cultural series, jointly hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, and the Xicheng District Committee and Government of Beijing, was held on October 14 in Beijing's Xicheng District.
This year's event is themed "Inheriting the Cultural Vein of the Ancient Capital, Enjoying a Better Life." The main venue event included keynote speeches, practical sharing, artistic performances, and other segments, with participating guests jointly exploring practical pathways through which heritage preservation and cultural-tourism integration reinforce each other, and old-city renewal and a better life converge.
This year's "White Pagoda Night Talk" draws on the distinctive resources of four areas — the White Pagoda Temple, Dashilan, Shichahai, and Xuan Nan — to carefully craft four strolling routes, and launches three sub-activities: interactive check-ins, cultural-tourism special promotions, and linked consumption initiatives. At the event site, 34 old-city micro-travel destinations were collectively promoted, creating cultural experience settings for citizens and visitors where they can stroll, linger, and immerse themselves.
After years of cultivation, the "White Pagoda Night Talk," together with the Lilac Poetry Gathering and the Xuan Nan Culture Museum, has jointly formed the three major "cultural salons" of Xicheng District, becoming an important platform for advancing the inheritance and development of cultural heritage.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 郑海鸥
In Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, before dawn had broken, Zhao Yan, a publicly-funded normal university student at Hebei Normal University, had already begun her work as a science teacher on an internship teaching-support assignment.
This is the second month of Zhao Yan's internship teaching-support assignment at Xuanhua District No. 1 Experimental Primary School. "Here, I feel the warmth of being needed, as well as the mutual benefit of teaching and learning (教学相长, jiao xue xiang zhang - "teach, learn, mutually, grow")." she said.
At the end of August this year, Zhao Yan, together with 29 fellow publicly-funded normal university students, came to 13 primary schools in places including Longhua County and Luanping County in Chengde City, Hebei, and Xuanhua District in Zhangjiakou City.
As a child who grew up in the countryside, Zhao Yan knows well that science education in grassroots schools, especially rural primary schools, has shortcomings, and that children have limited channels for exposure to extracurricular knowledge. She observed that the children were full of curiosity about the things around them, so she drew on local materials, using plastic bottles and discarded cardboard boxes to lead the children in making balloon rockets and the like. The children said: "Science turns out to be this much fun."
These students, full of youthful vigor and vitality (朝气蓬勃, chao qi peng bo - "morning, breath, surging, vigorous"), are using their knowledge, skills, and youthful passion to contribute strength to the children's growth.
Yang Boyuan, an intern at Qian'an No. 1 Middle School, found that students were not very interested in geography class, so she relied on a geographic information system software package to carefully design a "campus orienteering" activity to stimulate the students' interest.
When discussing the reasons for coming to county and rural areas for internship teaching-support assignments, many people mentioned an intern from Hebei Normal University from many years ago — Sun Jingjuan, who now teaches at No. 1 Middle School in Gaoyang County, Baoding City.
In 2007, 22-year-old Sun Jingjuan, as a student in the fourth batch of on-post interns from Hebei Normal University, came to Xibali Middle School in Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City. During the day she taught classes, observed classes, and followed along with homeroom duties; in the evenings she prepared lessons and graded homework, "afraid of failing to live up to expectations (辜负, gu fu - "fail, let down") of the school's trust and the rural students' hopes." Sun Jingjuan still remembers that at the end of the internship, the students all stuffed letters into her hands; she spent a whole night opening them, crying as she opened each one.
Dang Xiaolong, Party Secretary of Hebei Normal University, said that 20 years ago, basic education in rural areas suffered from a shortage of teachers, with teachers "unable to go down, unable to stay, and unable to teach well." At the same time, normal university students' internships were mainly "observation"-based, and some normal university graduates only truly stepped onto the podium for the first time after graduation. Internship teaching-support assignments mean letting university students take up real posts and teach real classes, achieving a two-way convergence between grassroots teacher needs and normal university students' growth needs.
Over the past 20 years, Hebei Normal University has established cooperative relationships with basic education schools in more than 100 counties (districts, cities) across the whole of Hebei Province as well as Beijing, Tianjin, and Xinjiang, with a cumulative total of more than 66,000 normal university students participating, and the internship teaching-support period has been extended from 3 months to half a year.
Sun Jingjuan said that internship teaching-support assignments "let normal university students see the real appearance of education, and also see what they themselves should be like in the future."
Mi Ruoqi, an intern at Pingshan Guyue Middle School, wrote an inspirational note for each child, and a student said: "Teacher, I pasted what you wrote on the wall, and I can see it every day"; Ren Yirui, an intern at Linxi County No. 1 Middle School, introduced digital cases from the local bearing industry, combining textbook knowledge with real-world scenarios to guide students in exploring technology... In school after school, normal university students are placed in real classrooms, learning to solve complex problems and honing their teaching abilities at the grassroots level.
Walking into the schools together with these university students were also more than 1,800 teachers from Hebei Normal University. They both guide the university students' internship teaching-support work and exchange and discuss with local frontline teachers, leaving behind university resources and methods. In Yangyuan County, teacher Liu Ting led interns in deeply exploring the regional culture of the Nihewan area, helping the school develop school-based curricula with local warmth; in Ningjin County, teacher Kou Xuechen established a calligraphy teacher training base and compiled the local textbook Chinese Character Writing...
Dang Xiaolong said: "In the next step, we will combine the normal university student cultivation system with integrated undergraduate-graduate design and an artificial intelligence smart internship platform, so that normal university students move from 'being good at learning' to 'being able to teach,' and then to 'being able to take root.'"
Return to Top(People's Daily, Bazhong, October 14) (Reporter Li Kaixuan) The 2026 "Light Up Reading Micro-Wishes" book drifting activity was launched on the 14th at the Central Primary School of Yangbai Township, Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province. At the event site, children's literature writer Xu Lu delivered a themed reading sharing session and presented books to the children.
The 2026 "Light Up Reading Micro-Wishes" book drifting activity is organized by the Printing and Distribution Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. It collects reading wishes from rural children and adolescents, mobilizes publishing units, cultural luminaries, volunteers, and others to enter rural areas to carry out reading promotion, and cultivates rural children's interest in reading through selecting quality book lists, collecting wishes, online publishing, public welfare donations, and joint reading and companion reading. This year, the activity will fulfill the reading wishes of 100,000 rural children and adolescents.
Return to TopOn the land of Guangxi, mountains and seas present no obstacle. Signals were restored at the fastest possible speed after Typhoon "Maysak" passed through; a digital bridge was erected at the zero-kilometer point of the China-Vietnam border; the team traversed mountains and ridges (翻山越岭, fan shan yue ling - "flip, mountain, cross, ridge") through karst stone mountains to reach a remote hamlet of only seven households; along the 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal, a "digital artery" was laid out; extending toward the blue waters of the Beibu Gulf, 5G networks now link oceangoing fishing vessels and marine ranches. "My China Mobile Story" records the real experiences of China Mobile frontline employees rooted in the mountains and seas and serving the people's livelihood, and demonstrates the communications workers' firm conviction that "mountains and seas present no obstacle, and signals must get through."
Going Against the Flow: A "Defense Battle" in Wind and Rain
In July 2026, affected by Typhoon "Maysak," transportation, electric power, and communications in Zhenlong Township, Hengzhou City, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, were all cut off, and the Liulan Reservoir dam was in danger. China Mobile Guangxi Nanning Branch organized a 10-person commando team, which took turns carrying satellite backpack base stations weighing more than 40 jin, wading through knee-deep mud, and trekking for nearly 20 hours to reach the disaster site, where they immediately handed satellite phones to the local person in charge. On the morning of the 9th, communications in the disaster area were restored. In October 2025, China Mobile Guangxi Company was approved to form a national first-class emergency communications support team, and with the will to charge forward and hold the line at critical moments, it has built a solid communications defense line across the land of Guangxi.
Standing Guard: The "Signal Light" on the National Border
At the zero-kilometer point of the China-Vietnam border, beside the China-Vietnam international optical cable, a technical team of fewer than 10 people born in the 1990s patrols on foot nearly 15 kilometers each week, with the route hugging the national boundary line. At two o'clock one morning, the transmission trunk line was interrupted, with the break point located on the Vietnamese side. The technical team completed a rapid fault report within 15 minutes, coordinated with the Vietnamese side on fusion splicing and repair, and quickly restored communications. As of the end of 2025, the Chinese section of the China-Vietnam international optical cable has achieved 100% dual-route protection, and the coverage rate of 4G/5G base stations along the route for border administrative villages has reached 100%.
Warmth: "Heartwarming Stories" in the Deep Mountains
In Nongfang Tun, Fatang Village, Dahua Yao Autonomous County, Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the entire hamlet has only seven households. Because it is located deep in the karst stone mountains, the signal comes and goes. After receiving the application submitted by the villagers, China Mobile Guangxi Company immediately organized network engineers to go up the mountain for survey and construction. On the day the base station was erected, the hamlet celebrated as if it were the New Year, and the villagers sent a silk banner reading: "We do not stop because there are few households; we connect the world for the people's livelihood." In Matou Village, Guanyang County, Guilin City, when an octogenarian's mobile phone card malfunctioned, China Mobile staff drove more than an hour to handle the matter at his doorstep, setting up a "temporary business office" at the entrance to his home. China Mobile has also carried out the "Heart" Action public welfare project, and to date it has cumulatively conducted congenital heart disease screening for more than 6,000 children in Guangxi and assisted in arranging surgery for more than 1,000 eligible children.
Empowerment: The "Digital Tide" by the Canal
Hengzhou City is known as the "Capital of Jasmine Flowers," with 6 out of every 10 jasmine flowers in the world produced here. Field sensors monitor the soil, and AI identifies pests and diseases; smart scales weigh goods and QR-code scanning settles accounts, covering 80% of the trading markets in Hengzhou City, with annual transaction volume increasing by more than 15%. Starting from Pingtang River Estuary in Hengzhou City, the 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal connects rivers to the sea. China Mobile Guangxi Company adheres to the principle that "wherever the project is built, the network reaches," having built more than 270 5G base stations along the route, laid 262 kilometers of dedicated fiber-optic network, and constructed an integrated "land, water, air, and space" monitoring and sensing system. China Mobile staff stationed at hubs such as Madao and Qishi remain rooted at the project site throughout, promptly handling sudden disasters and incidents. Extending toward the sea, a 5G network covering nearly 50 kilometers of offshore waters has been built along the Beibu Gulf, providing communications navigation and meteorological services for oceangoing fishing vessels. At the Beihai marine ranch, underwater sensors transmit water quality data back through the 5G network. From a single jasmine flower to a canal, and then to a Beibu Gulf striving to thrive through the sea, digital technology is transforming this land.
Behind the full signal bars are people who traverse mountains and ridges and go against the wind and rain, people who guard a "digital Silk Road," people who erect a base station for seven households, people who bury optical cables in the soil along the canal, and people who send 5G signals onto oceangoing fishing vessels. These "My China Mobile Stories" are also a true portrayal of China Mobile Guangxi Company's commitment to safeguarding the land of Guangxi and serving the economy and the people's livelihood.
Data source: China Mobile Guangxi Company
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 苏 滨
At 5:30 in the morning, the courtyard of the Maoping Village Committee in Zaojiaoping Subdistrict, Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Tongren City, Guizhou Province, was filled with jubilant noise.
Yao Heng, deputy director of the Maoping Village Committee, stood at the front holding a loudspeaker, calling out commands one after another. More than a hundred children lined up in neat formation and began their morning run along the smooth village roads. Amid laughter and cheerful voices, the sleeping mountain village gradually woke up.
Maoping Village is located in the urban-rural fringe, with convenient transportation, but previously it had no distinctive industries and no clear development direction. With the support of the village's two committees, Yao Heng set his sights on mountain resources, took the lead in planning projects, built cement roads, constructed irrigation canals, and created an agricultural-tourism complex, giving his hometown a new lease on life.
New Projects
Upgrading roads, improving facilities, and filling gaps in infrastructure
Yao Heng is 33 years old this year. Having grown up in Maoping Village, he had longed for the outside world since childhood.
When he was 10, his father went out to seek his fortune, contracting construction projects, but suffered several setbacks and ended up with little to show for it. His mother took up the baton, opening a restaurant selling breakfast, getting up at 3 a.m. every day and turning her pan-fried dumplings into a local signature dish.
In 2014, Yao Heng was admitted to Guizhou City Vocational College to major in engineering cost. That summer vacation, he bought a bicycle and decided to ride solo to Lhasa, Tibet.
"At the time I felt lost about college life and didn't know my future direction." Riding all the way up to the plateau, his hands were frozen numb, his face was cut by hail, and he once wanted to give up, but after several inner struggles, he finally made it to the finish line. "Do it first, and talk about it later — this experience reshaped me."
Back at school, Yao Heng tried his hand at entrepreneurship outside of his studies, building a lighted football field, running a decoration company, and managing a hotel... When word spread back to his hometown, village party secretary Yang Changquan repeatedly praised him for having a good head on his shoulders.
After graduation, Yao Heng continued to start businesses in Yuping County, working in engineering construction and also opening a catering business.
In 2021, when Maoping Village held its leadership transition, there was an urgent need to select and strengthen the leadership team. The village's two committees had their eye on Yao Heng, and Yang Changquan went to his home to persuade him to run in the election.
"I had savings in the bank and a stable career. I'd worked hard to get out of the countryside — why would I go back?" Yao Heng was reluctant at first, but thinking of his parents' years of hard work and sacrifice, he hoped the children in the village could have a better life, so he agreed to give it a try.
On election day, Yao Heng, drawing on his entrepreneurial experience, won more votes in the competition. In January 2022, Yao Heng officially took office as deputy director of the Maoping Village Committee, responsible for economic development and project planning.
To get rich, build roads first; to develop, strengthen the foundation. Yao Heng knew well that Maoping Village's potential lay in its mountains and fields — without smooth roads and adequate water, everything would be empty talk.
"Most of the village's household-connecting roads were dirt paths, at most 1 meter wide and at narrowest 50 centimeters — they didn't even show up on maps. Motorcycles couldn't turn around, and cars certainly couldn't drive in." Yao Heng said. He went to the county to raise funds and successfully secured 980,000 yuan in county fiscal funds. After widening, paving, and adding guardrails, 6.7 kilometers of roads were upgraded and renovated.
The village lacked irrigation facilities, and the rice paddies "depended on the weather." To address this, Yao Heng secured 900,000 yuan in central fiscal funds for rural revitalization, built 4.1 kilometers of irrigation canals to channel clear river water into the farmland, and also filled in 1.7 kilometers of industrial roads through the paddies, allowing trucks to drive directly to the fields.
"Filling the infrastructure gaps is only the first step — the key is making good use of resources and choosing the right industries." While busy with construction, Yao Heng also attended training at the county level and became one of the county's first batch of rural planners and industry instructors, giving him more confidence in leading the villagers to prosperity.
New Industries
Planting oil-tea camellia, hosting events, and developing integrated agriculture-sports-tourism
Maoping Village has many mountain slopes and fragmented plots, giving it no advantage in growing rice or corn. But the average annual temperature stays around 16 degrees Celsius, with ample heat and moisture conditions, making it suitable for oil-tea camellia growth.
Yao Heng did not make decisions "off the top of his head." Instead, he invited experts to assess on site, and from seed selection, planting, to management, staff from the county agriculture and rural affairs bureau provided guidance throughout. In less than two years, a 1,200-mu oil-tea camellia base gradually took shape.
Considering that oil-tea camellia takes at least three years to bear fruit, Maoping Village explored a "oil-tea +" composite management model, developing understory planting and understory livestock farming, using short-term returns to support long-term investment, so that the same forest land yields multiple benefits.
"To be honest, I once worried that working with the villagers would be difficult, but the oil-tea planting went so smoothly that I really didn't expect it." Afterwards, Yao Heng couldn't help asking around, and the villagers' feedback was largely the same: they weren't afraid of village cadres doing a poor job, they were afraid of cadres not wanting to do anything at all, and even more afraid of loud slogans with no real results to show. From road building to canal digging, seeing that this young man had ideas and got things done, everyone was willing to support him.
Yao Heng had even greater ambitions.
In 2022, to strengthen the village collective economy, he set his sights on a piece of idle land — a low-lying area that had been filled in when the national highway was built, surrounded by scenic and beautiful surroundings (山清水秀, shan qing shui xiu - "mountain, clear; water, beautiful"), with natural advantages for developing rural tourism. Yao Heng proposed building an agricultural-tourism complex with a total investment of 5 million yuan.
After Yao Heng put forward the idea, the village's two committees met to discuss it and decided to put him fully in charge of raising the funds.
In September 2022, construction on the agricultural-tourism complex officially began, and it was completed in October 2023, featuring dining, homestays, camping, and more. During this period, Yao Heng advanced more than 1 million yuan of his own money.
"Leveraging our location advantage near the county seat, we consolidated the land around the homestays and divided it into 500 plots, each 20 square meters, renting for 200 yuan per plot per year. We held parent-child farming experience days to encourage city residents to adopt and grow crops." Yao Heng didn't expect that this combination of measures would push the agricultural-tourism complex's gross annual revenue past one million yuan, while also driving village employment.
In 2024, Yao Heng learned that Yuping County's mountain bike track was going to be replanned, and he immediately realized this was a good opportunity to explore integrated agriculture-sports-tourism development.
"Maoping Village is close to the county seat, and the soil is mainly sandy, so there's no mud on rainy days..." Yao Heng immediately reported to the subdistrict office on the village's advantages for building a track. That year, the county funded the construction of a mountain bike track in Maoping Village's oil-tea camellia base, hosting activities such as mountain cross-country, mountain downhill, and youth cycling races. The events drew crowds, attracting more than a thousand cycling enthusiasts a year and driving the village to successively build 17 homestays and 11 restaurants.
A New Look
Organizing morning runs, opening classes, and helping children grow up healthy
What has also changed is the mental outlook of the village's children.
"In the past, when I went door to door collecting villagers' concerns, I found the children all holed up at home, clutching phones and staring at screens. When I walked in, they were in one position; when I left, they were still in the same position — they hadn't moved at all." Yao Heng said. Loving to play is a child's nature, but seeing them in this state, Yao Heng also felt worried. "Parents are busy working to earn money, and usually the grandparents look after the children. They don't know how to guide them and tend to spoil them."
Yao Heng, who loves sports, insists on morning runs almost every day. In the summer of 2025, he started taking his daughter on morning runs, and some villagers joked, "Take my kid along too."
Inspired, Yao Heng decided to form a morning running group to get the children exercising and building their willpower. He sent a message in the WeChat group, and the parents were very supportive — but who would have thought that the next morning, not a single child showed up.
"They were used to sleeping in and had no desire to get up early." Since the children weren't enthusiastic, Yao Heng went door to door to mobilize them, even promising to pay out of his own pocket and offer rewards. "Those who show up on time get breakfast; those who stick with it for the whole summer get a set of sportswear."
One person, two people, five people, eight people... more and more children came to run, and last summer a total of 47 joined the morning running group.
This summer, the group's membership grew to 103, and children from neighboring villages and even the county seat often came to run as well.
Thirteen-year-old Yang Yuanhang loves playing on his phone and has 700-degree myopia. His younger brother, still in elementary school, also has 200-degree myopia. On the first day of this summer vacation, the two brothers joined the morning running group. After running less than a kilometer, they couldn't keep up and had to stop and rest.
"Push a little harder — you have to get your bodies in shape, or no matter how well you study, it won't matter." Yao Heng's words had an effect. The brothers gritted their teeth and finished the 5-kilometer run, and after that they didn't miss a single day. Before school started, they could already run the whole distance in one go, and their hunched, stooped posture had also improved.
"The biggest change is that my life is more regular and more fulfilling, and I feel a greater sense of accomplishment." During each morning run, listening to the insects chirping and birds singing along the roadside, Yang Yuanhang discovered that many things in life are more interesting than playing on a phone.
After the morning run, Yao Heng also organizes tug-of-war, jump rope, and soccer for the children so they can fully relax. At 8:30, the public-interest classes set up at the village committee officially open.
"Besides building physical fitness, I also hope they can study with peace of mind and develop more interests." This was Yao Heng's original intention in founding the public-interest classes. With his encouragement, college students returning home for vacation and teachers on holiday all became volunteers, working together to help the children grow up healthy.
The future of Maoping Village is full of vitality and vigor (生机勃勃, sheng ji bo bo - "life, energy; abundant, vigorous").
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 江润楠 王昊男 刘军国
A canal stretches a thousand li in length, and on both banks of the canal lies the homeland.
Since 2022, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has achieved continuous water flow along its entire route for five consecutive years; the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and the Grand Canal National Cultural Park have been implemented one after another. The canal flows quietly, nourishing the people along its banks, and also telling the story of a thousand-year water artery surging ceaselessly onward.
"The Grand Canal is a precious legacy left to us by our ancestors, a flowing culture, and it must be protected, inherited, and utilized in a coordinated manner." General Secretary Xi Jinping has been constantly keeping the protection of the Grand Canal in mind (念兹在兹, nian zi zai zi - "think, this, at, exist").
River-patrol diaries, photographs, boatmen's work chants... Each old object and each canal ballad is a "family heirloom" of the residents along the banks. Imprinted upon them are the stories of ecological recovery, cultural heritage transmission, and economic development along both sides of the canal, leaving behind an extremely precious (弥足珍贵, mi zu zhen gui - "extremely, very, precious, valuable") record for the thousand-year canal.
"Family heirloom" No. 1: The River-Patrol Diary
Writing a green "chronicle" for the canal
In Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the Xinkai River runs through the city and merges into the main stream, from where the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal heads northward all the way.
Every day at 6 a.m., Hu Fuqing, an 80-year-old civilian river chief, puts on his red vest, takes his self-made tools, and walks 4 kilometers along the Xinkai River and Xintang River waterways to inspect water quality. Taking water samples, picking up garbage, collecting floating debris... Rain or shine, Hu Fuqing has persisted for 12 years.
"What the water quality is like, what changes have occurred on the banks — only by writing them down will they not be easily forgotten." Since 2015, Hu Fuqing has been writing his river-patrol diary. More than 960,000 characters of river-patrol diary entries record the real transformation of the Xinkai River from "black, foul sewage" to "clear water with visible fish."
One end of his water-sampling tool is a scoop net, and the other end is tied with a mineral water bottle used for water quality sampling. "Lower the anchored floating plate until it sinks to a barely visible position, and you can measure the river's transparency that day," Hu Fuqing said. "Back then, the water was turbid for more than 20 days a month."
Zhejiang has fully implemented the river chief system, launching a tough battle for water environment governance under the "Five-Water Co-Governance" initiative. Flipping through the river-patrol diaries of recent years, "clear water quality, clean green belts" has become a more common phrase.
Direct discharge of construction-site sewage, residents washing clothes by the river, leaking water supply pipes... "When the civilian river chief blows the whistle, functional departments report for duty." Urban management, municipal works, water affairs, and ecological departments act in coordination, and the problems recorded one by one in the river-patrol diary have been effectively resolved.
"As the 'capillaries' of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Xinkai River and Xintang River are the first line of defense for the water environment of the river basin," Hu Fuqing said. The Xinkai River and Xintang River have been rated as provincial-level beautiful rivers and lakes, with the target water quality stably meeting Class IV standards or above.
"I have been a Party member for more than 50 years. When it comes to protecting the river, one person alone cannot accomplish much — we need to rally more people to join in," Hu Fuqing said. Today, in Shangcheng District, pioneer river-protection teams, spark river-protection teams, and "Wang Xiaoge" river-protection teams, composed mainly of Party members, young people, and workers in new employment forms, have been established, cumulatively mobilizing more than 3,100 person-times to participate in water-protection actions.
Today, Hu Fuqing's two river-patrol diaries have been collected as key exhibits by the Zhedong Canal Museum. In his view, a stretch of clear water at his doorstep is the best "family heirloom" of all. "Only if everyone works together will future generations be able to see a continuous and steady supply of clear water (清水长流, qing shui chang liu - "clear, water, long, flow")," Hu Fuqing said.
"Family heirloom" No. 2: Ten Thousand Photographs
Image archives freeze the canal's transformation in time
"I started photographing this canal back in the 1970s and 1980s." From film to digital cameras, Wang Shaohua, a former photojournalist for the Cangzhou Daily, has used more than ten thousand photographs to document nearly half a century of change in the Cangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Within the territory of Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal winds for 216 kilometers before flowing into Tianjin. Cangzhou has prospered because of the river since ancient times and was an important grain-transport dock in the north during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
In Wang Shaohua's memory, cargo boats passed under bridges on the canal when he was a child. "In those days, boatmen, loaders, and merchants all made their living from the canal, and villages close to the canal tended to be more prosperous." Agricultural products and handicrafts were sold from here to other places, and the comings and goings of merchants from north and south gave rise to distinctive customs and skills, nourishing Cangzhou martial arts and Wuqiao acrobatics.
In the 1970s, the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal dried up. The riverbed silted up over a long period, and residents along the banks planted corn and other crops on the dry riverbed and raised ducks and poultry on the floodplain. Pointing at the once-chaotic river channel in a photograph, Wang Shaohua was full of regret.
In 2021, the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal underwent full-route dredging; in September 2022, the central urban section of the Grand Canal in Cangzhou achieved tourist navigation. "Ecological restoration is the foundation and the precondition for development." From the Jiedi Relief Channel to the Wang Xilu Sluice, and then to Canal Park and beneath Qingfeng Tower, wherever there is something related to the canal, Wang Shaohua can be seen photographing it.
Wang Shaohua picked out a photograph and examined it closely. "This road is called the Embankment-Top Road; it links together more than 300 villages along the canal and has fostered the development of many specialty industries." From the earliest dirt road to brick road and then asphalt road, the Embankment-Top Road was selected for the 2024 "Top Ten Most Beautiful Rural Roads."
With canal water brought in, Sizhuang Village in Qing County built vegetable greenhouses, and Ershilitun planted more than 100 mu of rapeseed flowers; farmers in Wangqing Village, Dongguang County, started livestreaming to sell goods, selling agricultural products from the canal banks to the whole country. "When the canal benefits, the villagers on both banks benefit too," Wang Shaohua said.
Today, Cangzhou City takes the river as its thread, coordinating the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt, ecological belt, and tourism belt across the entire region. Now, Wang Shaohua still slings his camera bag over his shoulder and goes to the canal banks to shoot. "The speed at which I press the shutter can hardly keep up with the speed of change along the canal banks!" Wang Shaohua said.
"Family heirloom" No. 3: A Century of Work Chants
Telling the canal's past, sound by sound
"Set sail now—" A sonorous work chant awakened the Grand Canal at dawn. As soon as the chant fell, a dozen or so "boatmen" responded in unison, and the sound waves rippled far across the water's surface.
"Entering the new era, the Grand Canal has resumed navigation and surges onward, and the boatmen's work chants have rung out once again." The chant leader is Zhao Yiqiang, whose home is in Xinjian Village on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tongzhou, Beijing. Now 69 years old, he learned the chants from his father since childhood. "Passed down by word of mouth, I am the fourth generation."
What do the chants call out? "They are the language of the boatmen and also the command for unity; all kinds of work on the boat are directed by the chants," Zhao Yiqiang explained. The Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants have their own distinctive features, emphasizing that "when the water is calm, the chant is not hurried; the northern tune carries southern accents; the lyrics have a Tongzhou flavor; and the leisure chants are one of a kind."
Anchor-raising chants, oar-pulling chants, rapid-crossing chants, towline-pulling chants, leisure chants... Sitting at home, Zhao Yiqiang can produce all kinds of chants at will, sometimes sonorous, sometimes melodious. Work, life, emotions — "it's all in these chants."
Four generations in one family, a century of inheritance. The Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants were once on the verge of being lost. "My father went aboard a boat at age 8. Later, grain transport by water stopped, the boatmen switched to other trades, and fewer and fewer people could sing them," Zhao Yiqiang recalled. "At one point, my father Zhao Qingfu was the only inheritor of the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants left."
In 2017, Beijing launched efforts to advance the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. Over the years, the water of the Grand Canal in Tongzhou has become clear and the banks green; along both sides of the river, the Canal Business District has made a splendid debut, the "Three Major Cultural Facilities" have been completed and put into use, and distinctive consumer scenes such as the West Bank of the Canal and Wanli have been continuously renewed.
Born of the canal, thriving because of the canal, the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants have also welcomed a new lease on life. "We have organized a performance troupe and put on more than a hundred performances every year." Zhao Yiqiang has also joined forces with troupes from Wuqing, Tianjin, and Langfang, Hebei, taking the chants from Beijing to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
"Although we no longer pull boats for a living, the culture and spirit in the chants must not be lost." Going into communities to give publicity, going to schools to teach children — Zhao Yiqiang's schedule is packed full. In 2024, he also entered the Sound Art Museum together with his old partner Chang Fuyao and completely recorded 10 types and 22 chants, building a "sound archive" for the Tongzhou canal boatmen's work chants.
"Rock and sway, hey! Sway it up, hey!" As he spoke, Zhao Yiqiang's little granddaughter joined in too, her voice still young but already showing proper form.
A thousand years of canal water, a century of work chants, sounding one after another.
Return to Top2026 marks the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. China Copper Corporation Limited (hereinafter "China Copper") has anchored itself to the goal of building a world-class mining and copper-lead-zinc enterprise, adhering to seeking progress while maintaining stability (稳中求进, wen zhong qiu jin - "stable, seek, progress") while improving quality and efficiency, and demonstrating the responsibility of a central state-owned enterprise in advancing Chinese modernization.
China Copper is a second-tier operating unit of Aluminum Corporation of China (hereinafter "Chinalco"). It possesses a complete copper and lead-zinc industrial chain, holds two A-share listed companies — Chihong Zinc & Germanium and Yunnan Copper — and its operations span 15 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) as well as 6 countries and regions. Its overall strength in the copper and lead-zinc industries ranks among the forefront of the sector.
In 2026, facing multiple challenges including volatility in the global nonferrous metals market, China Copper has closely centered on the core task of "extreme operations" and coordinated the integrated synergy of production, supply, marketing, storage, transportation, and finance. In the first half of the year, the output of the company's main products increased steadily. Its subsidiary Chihong Zinc & Germanium saw operating revenue grow 30.78% year-on-year and net profit attributable to the parent company grow 70.58% year-on-year; Yunnan Copper saw operating revenue grow 32.76% year-on-year and net profit attributable to the parent company grow 29.05% year-on-year. Overall production operations remained stable and orderly.
Grasping new trends, optimizing the industrial layout to forge full-chain strength. China Copper has continuously optimized its domestic and international industrial layout. In the copper industry, it has built a full industrial chain development pattern spanning "geological exploration — efficient mining of mines — clean production in smelting — comprehensive recovery of associated metals — preparation of copper-based new materials." The lead-zinc industry covers an integrated full industrial chain encompassing geological exploration, mining, mineral processing, smelting, alloying, and comprehensive recovery, leveraging the synergistic advantages of "lead-zinc-germanium" to recover multiple valuable metals such as indium, germanium, and silver from waste residue, blazing a new path for resource recycling. Southwest Copper has produced high-purity cathode copper with a purity of 99.998%, widely applied in new energy vehicles, aerospace, and other fields. Luoyang Copper Processing has built the world's widest 3,500-millimeter copper and copper alloy wide-thick plate production line, filling the domestic gap in large-scale production of ultra-wide high-end copper plates. Kunming Copper has achieved stable mass production of tellurium-copper alloys, filling the shortfall in high-value-added alloy products.
Consolidating new advantages, leading with scientific and technological innovation to cultivate new quality productive forces. China Copper adheres to organized scientific research and tackling key problems, focusing on key areas such as deep mining, green smelting, recovery of rare and precious metals, and preparation of high-end copper materials, overcoming great difficulties and challenges (攻坚克难, gong jian ke nan - "attack, hard, overcome, difficult"), breaking through a batch of key core technologies, and promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into tangible results. The Mineral Resources Big Data Intelligent Management Platform (Phase I) has successfully passed acceptance, achieving visualization, refinement, and intelligence in resource management. Chihong Zinc & Germanium has innovated deep-well long-distance paste filling technology, and remote control technology for mining and excavation equipment in thousand-meter-deep shafts has been applied, enabling "one person operating multiple machines." Yiliang Chihong's mineral processing segment has achieved a transformation from "experience-driven" to "data + algorithm-driven," creating a "lights-out factory." Southwest Copper has passed the Level 4 assessment of intelligent manufacturing capability maturity, becoming the first enterprise under Chinalco to receive this certification. Kunming Metallurgical Research Institute has been selected for the first batch of the national cultivation list for quality standards laboratories and leads the construction of the National Quality Standards Laboratory for Nonferrous Metals (Copper, Lead, Zinc, Germanium), providing strong technical support for the construction of the quality standards system across the entire industry. In the field of new materials, a batch of products including high-strength high-conductivity copper alloys, integrated circuit lead frame materials, and new energy tab materials have achieved domestic substitution, and the momentum for developing new quality productive forces is accelerating.
Practicing new concepts, green and low-carbon development brightens the background of industrial transformation. China Copper has embedded the concepts of ecological priority and green, low-carbon development throughout the entire life cycle of mine exploration, mining, smelting, and closure and restoration. All operating mines under Yunnan Copper have completed the creation of green mines, achieving "mines amid forests, scenery within mining areas." The comprehensive energy consumption of Chihong Zinc & Germanium's crude lead and zinc smelting has been rated as a national-level "energy efficiency leader" for four consecutive years. The company's affiliated enterprises vigorously develop the circular economy, carrying out comprehensive treatment of smelting slag, flue dust, tailings, and waste rock to maximize the recovery of valuable metals. As of now, China Copper has cumulatively built 8 national-level green mines and 6 national-level green factories.
The tide rises with the 15th Five-Year Plan, and the time for endeavor is now. China Copper will anchor itself to its construction goals, continue to strengthen its main copper-lead-zinc business, concentrate efforts on breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation, and deepen the green and low-carbon transformation, committed to contributing to the high-quality development of China's nonferrous metals industry.
Data source: China Copper Corporation Limited
Return to TopRecently, a video of Serbian tennis star Djokovic practicing Baduanjin at the Summer Palace went viral online, bringing Baduanjin into the spotlight once again. Baduanjin is a traditional fitness method that integrates body movements, breathing regulation, and mental adjustment. With a long history and profound cultural heritage, it has gained popularity among many young people in recent years and has even become a workplace exercise break for many office workers. How does one get started with Baduanjin? What are the key points for practice? Let's hear what the experts have to say.
Cui Yongsheng, a researcher at the Health Qigong Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, introduced that for beginners, the main focus should be on practicing basic content such as body postures, hand forms, footwork, and stance training, memorizing the starting and ending points, movement paths, and key nodes of each posture, so as to achieve a coherent practice of the entire set of movements.
"Beginners can start with the physical movements, learning one or two movements each day; focus on experiencing one's own posture and adjust and correct it at any time," Cui Yongsheng said. "At the same time, one should practice the basic stance methods well, with emphasis on practicing the Wuji stance and the ball-holding stance. This is the foundation for practicing Baduanjin well and the key to improving one's Baduanjin level."
Practicing Baduanjin requires advancing step by step (循序渐进, xun xu jin jin - "follow, order, advance, advance"). The exercise load and movement difficulty should follow the principles of progressing from simple to complex, from easy to difficult, and from less to more, determining the appropriate amount and intensity according to one's own specific circumstances. For example, when practicing the horse stance, beginners need not pursue a standard low horse stance; the center of gravity can be slightly higher, with comfort as the measure; as leg strength increases, one can gradually lower the center of gravity and squat into a standard horse stance.
"When practitioners can complete the entire set of Baduanjin movements skillfully and coherently, they can gradually transition from 'practicing the form' to 'regulating the breath' and 'regulating the mind.' Ultimately, they achieve an experiential progression from the external body to the internal mind," Cui Yongsheng said.In this process, practitioners should strive to master the essentials of Baduanjin. Through repeated practice, form, spirit, intention, and breath are combined into an organic whole, and in every movement one conforms to the requirements and standards of Baduanjin, with the physical and mental realm being continuously elevated.
The practitioner's breathing should also progress accordingly, gradually forming a deep, long, fine, and even abdominal breathing pattern, coordinated with slow, smooth, and rounded body movements, naturally inhaling when movements rise, open, and ascend, and exhaling when movements fall, close, and descend.
"Baduanjin is not limited by venue and requires no equipment. One can practice the complete set or practice a few postures individually," Cui Yongsheng introduced. "But to achieve results, one needs to pay attention to the standardization of movements, understand common movement errors, and consciously avoid them."
First posture: Holding Both Hands Up to Regulate the Triple Burner. When both palms are lifted to chest level, problems such as shrugging shoulders and uneven forearms may occur. One should pay attention to sinking the shoulders and using both palms to drive the forearms upward.
Second posture: Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Eagle. When pulling the bow and shooting the arrow into a fixed posture, problems such as a non-straight neck and insufficient head turning may occur. One should pay attention to tucking in the chin and turning the head until the tip of the nose is directly aligned with the index finger of the figure-eight hand.
Third posture: Regulating the Spleen and Stomach by Lifting One Hand. When one palm pushes upward and the other presses downward, the force is at the heel of the palm, the elbow joint is slightly bent, and the ribcage area is stretched. At the same time, the big toe should intentionally press down, expanding the chest and extending the body, lengthening the waist and spine, giving a feeling of standing tall and upright (顶天立地, ding tian li di - "support, heaven, stand, earth") — as if supporting the sky above and bracing the earth below.
Fourth posture: Looking Back to Treat Five Strains and Seven Injuries. Problems such as turning the head and body together may occur. One should pay attention to turning the head without turning the body, fully rotating the arms, and applying moderate force when turning the head, with both arms stretched and lengthened at the sides of the body.
Fifth posture: Shaking the Head and Swinging the Tail to Eliminate Heart Fire. When shaking the head and swinging the tail, one should pay attention to rotating mainly at the coccyx point (Weilu acupoint), with the head following, and intention, breath, and force transmitted upward from the coccyx point to the Dazhui acupoint. When shaking the head, the chest should be slightly tucked in, and the movement should be gentle and slow. When swinging the tail, one should draw in the lower abdomen to keep the movement rounded and continuous.
Sixth posture: Holding Both Feet to Strengthen the Kidneys and Waist. One should pay attention to relaxing the neck, shoulders, and waist and spine segment by segment, especially relaxing the Mingmen acupoint, so that the spine forms a bow shape. When rising up, one should use the arms to drive the body and extend the limbs as much as possible.
Seventh posture: Clenching Fists and Glaring Fiercely to Increase Strength. Problems such as leaning the upper body forward, shrugging shoulders, and raising elbows may occur. One should pay attention to keeping the crown of the head lifted with a slight upward pull, sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows, tucking in the hips and drawing in the buttocks, and keeping the upper body upright and centered at all times.
Eighth posture: Bouncing on the Toes Seven Times to Eliminate All Diseases. Problems such as stamping the feet with excessive force may occur. One should pay attention to letting the heels descend slowly and naturally, lightly tapping the ground with the heels without deliberately increasing the force of the stamp.
Cui Yongsheng reminded that improving one's Baduanjin level is a process of persisting with constancy (持之以恒, chi zhi yi heng - "hold, this, with, constant"). One should adhere to regular practice and avoid lacking perseverance and being inconsistent (三天打鱼两天晒网, san tian da yu liang tian shai wang - "three, days, fish, two, days, dry, net"). When practicing, it is recommended to choose a venue with flat terrain, fresh air, and suitable temperature and humidity, wear loose and comfortable clothing, wear sports shoes or flat-soled cloth shoes, and warm up before practice.
(Compiled from an interview by Li Yanfei)
Link
"Baduanjin" Group Standard
On May 28 this year, the "Baduanjin" group standard, jointly formulated by the China Association of Chinese Medicine and the Chinese Health Qigong Association, was officially released. This is the first unified technical specification for Baduanjin groups in China. The release of the standard makes the scientific promotion and standardized application of Baduanjin more rule-based.
The standard is based on the Baduanjin promoted by the General Administration of Sport of China and clarifies movement specifications, technical essentials, practice requirements, and applicable scenarios. The standard emphasizes that learning and practicing Baduanjin should be done advancing step by step. Ordinary beginners can practice once a day initially, increasing to twice a day after the body adapts; for practitioners with a foundation, it is recommended to practice twice a day, with each session lasting no less than 30 minutes; whether beginner or experienced practitioner, the weekly practice frequency should not be less than three days, and only by persisting with constancy can one better achieve the effects of fitness and health preservation.
Zhu Liguo, head of the drafting group for the "Baduanjin" group standard, suggested that relevant units in various regions carry out regular popularization activities based on the standard, guide the public to practice in a standardized manner, and stretch muscles and bones, harmonize body and mind, and prevent diseases in every movement.
(Compiled by People's Daily reporter Kong Qingyuan)
Return to Top(People's Daily, Beijing, October 14) (Reporter Fan Jiayuan) The 2026–2027 season of the CBA (China Men's Basketball Professional League) will officially tip off on October 16, with multiple adjustments to the competition schedule: an increase in regular-season rounds, an increase in playoff games, and the restoration of the promotion and relegation system.
In the regular season, this season features 46 rounds and 460 games, an increase of 4 rounds and 40 games over last season. The 20 participating teams are divided into 4 groups in serpentine fashion according to last season's final rankings; teams in the same group play each other 4 times, teams in different groups play each other 2 times, and each team has 23 home games and 23 away games. The increased frequency and intensity of scheduled matches (赛程密度, sai cheng mi du - "race schedule, density") means that teams' roster depth and physical conditioning reserves will face greater tests. The playoffs will begin on April 11, 2027; the 12-to-8 stage uses a best-of-3 format, with the top four teams in the regular season advancing directly to the round of 8; both the quarterfinals and semifinals have been changed to a best-of-5 format, while the finals use a best-of-7 format. The increase in series games will further heighten the suspense and intensity of competition in the elimination stage.
The restoration of the promotion and relegation system is also a highlight of the new season. In April 2027, promotion and relegation play-in games will be held between the CBA and the NBL (National Men's Basketball League). The two teams at the bottom of the CBA regular-season standings and the top two teams of the NBL will play a home-and-away crossover series. The winners of the two play-in series will obtain qualification for next season's admission assessment. In addition, the 2027 All-Star Weekend is scheduled for March 5–7 in Xi'an, Shaanxi — the first time the All-Star Weekend has come to the northwestern region.
In addition, the CBDL (China Basketball Development League), aimed at young players, has also been upgraded. This season, all 20 CBA clubs are sending teams to compete, with player ages limited to between 18 and 24. The preliminary stage is held in 3 phases, totaling 280 games, and the final stage features 12 matchups in April 2027. The CBA Club Cup has been expanded to 24 teams, covering 20 CBA teams and 4 NBL teams; the group stage will be held in Wuhan, Hubei; Yantai, Shandong; Yinchuan, Ningxia; and Qionghai, Hainan, with the finals landing in Nanning, Guangxi.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Nanning, October 14) (Reporters Pang Geping, Zhang Yunhe) The 2026 Tour of Guangxi UCI WorldTour road cycling race kicked off on the 13th in Chongzuo City, Guangxi. Twenty-two world-class teams assembled, setting a new record for the event.
This year marks the seventh year of the Tour of Guangxi WorldTour race, and also the first time the event has seen the professional race and the mass-participation race start at the same time and place and race on the same course. This year's event is being held in five cities in Guangxi — Chongzuo, Baise, Hechi, Laibin, and Nanning — with six stages and a total distance of 1,068.6 kilometers, threading together natural landscapes and ethnic-custom belts such as the mountain-and-river border passes, the hometown of longevity, and the karst wonderland, with the final stage ending at the Nongla Scenic Area in Mashan County, Nanning.
Return to Top(People's Daily, Changsha, October 14) (Reporter Yang Xun) From the 12th to the 14th, the 2026 "National Ball into Communities, Parks, and Campuses" and National Table Tennis Culture Tour (Sangzhi Stop) was held in Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie, Hunan. The event covered multiple scenarios, with staff entering Fengniling National Forest Park to interact with tourists, entering communities to exchange and test skills through play (切磋球技, qie cuo qiu ji - "cut, polish, ball, skill") with local residents, and entering campuses to guide students in experiencing new desk-style table tennis. At the event site, the Chinese Table Tennis Association, together with enterprises, donated desk-style table tennis tables to Hongjiaguan Primary School, and the Hunan Provincial Table Tennis Association delivered table tennis equipment to Hongjiaguan Bai Ethnic Township.
Return to TopReservation period: October 10 to December 10, 2026
Renewal items: large-format stamp album, miniature sheet stamps, miniature sheet album
New subscription items: stamp sets, annual album, commemorative and special postage-paid envelopes and postcards, ordinary postage-paid envelopes and postcards, first-day covers, Hong Kong, China annual album, Macao, China annual album
Online channels: China Post online business platform (China Post online business hall, China Post APP, China Post Micro Post Office WeChat mall, China Post mall mini-program), micro-post-office stores of outlet marketing service personnel
Offline channels: China Post philatelic business outlets, and reservation services handled by scanning QR codes on posters at general postal service outlets
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 刘 赫
The 2026 Arctic Circle Assembly was recently held in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. As an important global international dialogue platform for Arctic affairs, this assembly attracted more than 2,500 representatives from political, business, and academic circles from over 70 countries and regions, who engaged in discussions on topics such as understanding, protecting, developing, and governing the Arctic. During the assembly, the Chinese delegation actively participated in multiple agenda items and jointly hosted several side events with scientific research institutions from Finland, Norway, the United States, Canada, and other countries, continuously deepening international dialogue and practical cooperation, and contributing wisdom and strength to promoting sustainable development in the Arctic.
"It should strive to become a platform for countries to build mutual trust and explore cooperation"
The Arctic concerns the common survival and development of humanity. The Arctic Circle Assembly was initiated in 2013 by then-Icelandic President Grímsson and holds its annual assembly in October in Iceland.
During this year's assembly, a plenary session titled "How to Understand China" was held, in which Arctic Circle Assembly Chairman Grímsson engaged in dialogue with Fu Ying, head of the Chinese delegation. Fu Ying stated that the real challenge currently facing the Arctic region is climate change, and that the Arctic is undergoing changes such as sea ice melting, shrinking ice sheets, and rising temperatures — these are real problems that need to be faced together. All countries should devote more attention and resources to scientific research and environmental protection, jointly study and assess the challenges posed by climate change, and make preparations as early as possible. Fu Ying said that the joint statement issued by the leaders of China and Iceland last year emphasized strengthening cooperation in the fields of climate change and green energy. These practical forms of cooperation can better reflect China's policies and intentions in participating in Arctic affairs.
Geographically, China is a "near-Arctic state" and one of the countries closest to the Arctic Circle by land. In 1925, China acceded to the Treaty Concerning the Archipelago of Spitsbergen. Under this treaty, China has the right to freely enter and exit specific areas of the Arctic and, in accordance with the law, to equally enjoy the rights to conduct scientific research and to engage in production and commercial activities in those specific areas. In 1999, the polar research vessel Xuelong (Snow Dragon) undertook its first scientific expedition mission to the Arctic. On July 28, 2004, China's first Arctic scientific research station — the Yellow River Station — was completed and put into operation at Ny-Ålesund in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. On May 15, 2013, China became an official observer of the Arctic Council.
In recent years, China's Arctic activities have expanded from scientific research to multiple fields including global governance, regional cooperation, economic development, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. "The Arctic environment is complex, and no single party can complete the work alone. The knowledge and experience China provides are extremely important in Arctic affairs." Jennifer Spence, professor of Arctic governance and community resilience at the University of Ottawa in Canada, told this newspaper's reporter, "All countries should participate in Arctic affairs in a constructive manner, first cooperating on specific issues and building trust, and then promoting broader and deeper cooperation."
Ian, executive director of the U.S. Northern Institute, told this newspaper's reporter, "The Arctic should not become a place for a situation where one person's gain is another's loss (零和博弈, ling he bo yi - "zero, sum, gambling"), but should strive to become a platform for countries to build mutual trust and explore cooperation, and to accumulate experience for cooperation in other fields."
"China plays a constructive role in the fields of Arctic and polar scientific research"
Recently, the Xuelong and Xuelong 2 concluded a voyage of nearly three months, completing China's 16th Arctic Ocean expedition. Leveraging the ship-station platform, China has gradually established a multidisciplinary observation system in the Arctic region covering oceans, ice and snow, atmosphere, biology, and geology, and has accumulated experience in fields such as glaciers, permafrost, climate change monitoring, and green and low-carbon development.
At the side event "China in Arctic Scientific Research: Enhancing Mutual Trust and Cooperation," Zhang Tijun, deputy director of the Polar Research Institute of China, stated, "Arctic scientific research is an important field that benefits the whole world." This year, Chinese and German scientists jointly conducted a fish survey aboard an Arctic research vessel and found relatively large numbers of juvenile polar cod and prey organisms in dense ice areas at high latitudes, providing first-hand data for understanding fishery resources in the central Arctic Ocean. The China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory, jointly established by China and Iceland, has become an example of cooperation between Arctic states and near-Arctic states. The observatory is open to the world and welcomes scientists from all countries to join.
Deng Beixi, a researcher at the Polar Research Institute of China, stated that during the Fifth International Polar Year, the Chinese side will explore applying technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins to Arctic scientific research, and will further open up facilities such as icebreakers and research stations. He said that China's participation in Arctic affairs has consistently adhered to the principle of "not overstepping, not being absent," and expressed hope that the international community will maintain multi-channel openness, the vitality of scientific cooperation, and freedom of scientific research in the Arctic high seas.
Marko Volpio, a researcher at the University of Lapland in Finland who has long followed polar science diplomacy, believes that in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, scientific research can become an important platform for different countries to maintain dialogue. China's strong infrastructure and growing scientific research capabilities have made important contributions to international joint monitoring and data collection in the Arctic region.
Grímsson said: "For more than 10 years, China has played a constructive role in the fields of Arctic and polar scientific research. China's polar research institutions have become indispensable and important partners for the international community in understanding the Earth's ice- and snow-covered regions."
"Contributing Chinese experience to community participation, knowledge transmission, and sustainable development in global Arctic governance"
The China-Europe Arctic Express officially entered a new phase of regular operation in August this year, opening up a fast, efficient, green, and low-carbon logistics corridor for China-Europe trade. "As one of the core carrying channels of the 'Polar Silk Road,' the China-Europe Arctic Express connects East Asia and Europe. The voyage distance of this route is reduced by nearly half compared to traditional routes, which can effectively alleviate problems such as unstable shipping schedules and rising costs," Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, told reporters.
At the side event "Prospects for China-U.S. Cooperation in the Arctic Region," Zhao Long, director of the Center for Ocean and Polar Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, stated that the number of ships operating in waters covered by the International Maritime Organization's Polar Code increased by approximately 40 percent between 2013 and 2025. The continued growth of Arctic fishing activities, energy transportation, and trial container liner voyages meets the needs of all parties, and "all countries should maintain dialogue and advance practical cooperation."
Pan Min, deputy director of the Center for Polar and Oceanic Studies at Tongji University, said that many remote Arctic communities have long relied on diesel power generation, while China has accumulated rich technical experience in fields such as photovoltaics, energy storage, and microgrids, and can provide support for exploring feasible clean energy transition solutions for the Arctic region.
"Every June, we bring only about 30 sturdy reindeer to receive tourists, leaving the rest of the herd in the mountain forests about 300 kilometers away. In this way, we take into account both our income and the protection of the ecology." At the side event "Climate and Social Change in China's Ewenki Reindeer Community," two reindeer herders, Yi Qia and He Qihan, from the Aoluguya Ewenki Ethnic Township in Genhe City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, introduced China's ecological wisdom to the participants.
"For the Ewenki people, reindeer herding is not only a means of livelihood but also embodies an ecological philosophy of following the rhythms of nature. Herders and reindeer migrate together with the changing seasons, rotating grazing along relatively fixed routes, allowing moss and land to rest and recover. This traditional way of migration itself has the significance of ecological protection," said Yi Lina, an anthropology scholar at Inner Mongolia Agricultural University.
Qu Feng, director of the Arctic Studies Center at Liaocheng University, told reporters: "China's reindeer culture is an important component of the diversity of global Arctic culture. It not only showcases the rich ecological wisdom and cultural diversity of China's northern ethnic groups, but also contributes Chinese experience to community participation, knowledge transmission, and sustainable development in global Arctic governance."
(People's Daily, Reykjavik, October 14)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 邹 松
In southern Botswana, there is a small town famous for diamonds—Jwaneng—surrounded by some of the world's leading diamond-bearing ore bodies. Today, rows of deep-blue photovoltaic panels are spreading across this land, delivering an unending supply (源源不断, yuan yuan bu duan - "source, source, not, continuous") of green electricity to the town. Not long ago, the Jwaneng 100 MW photovoltaic power station, built with the participation of Chinese enterprises, achieved commercial operation, becoming one of Botswana's first batch of 100 MW-scale centralized photovoltaic power stations. The town's industrial development and transformation have become a microcosm of Botswana's accelerating green energy transition.
Botswana's energy transition stems from years of electricity supply difficulties. Its power supply has long relied on coal-fired generation, and it spends about 3.4 billion pula (approximately 1.63 billion yuan) each year on electricity imports. High costs and large shortfalls in electricity resources have become a prominent weakness constraining economic development. To solve its energy problems, in recent years Botswana has leveraged its abundant sunshine and rich solar energy resources to accelerate the development of renewable energy such as solar power. The Botswana government has written the transformation of its single-source energy structure and the enhancement of energy security into its "Vision 2036," planning to raise the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 50 percent by 2036, and to transform the country from a net electricity importer into a net exporter. Edwin Ketlhoilwe, an official with the country's Ministry of Minerals and Energy, said that with projects such as Jwaneng coming online one after another, the total installed capacity of photovoltaic power stations nationwide has exceeded 200 MW.
In April this year, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Maun 500 MW photovoltaic and 500 MWh energy storage project in northwestern Botswana. This is the country's largest grid-scale photovoltaic project and Africa's second-largest energy storage project, expected to begin operation in 2029. The project's "photovoltaic plus energy storage" design will help resolve the challenge of grid integration posed by the volatility of the country's new energy, laying a foundation for larger-scale renewable energy to be connected to the grid.
In recent years, under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, cooperation between China and Botswana in the field of renewable energy has continued to deepen. The Jwaneng photovoltaic power station project is becoming a vivid example of renewable energy cooperation between the two countries. The project was developed and operated by a consortium formed by Chinese enterprises including China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. and the Botswana side, under an integrated model of investment, construction, and operation. The project includes a 132 kV substation and transmission facilities, and took only 11 months from commencement to completion, with equipment availability stably maintained above 99 percent.
The area where the Jwaneng photovoltaic power station is located once suffered frequent power outages, causing much inconvenience for clinics, schools, and residents' daily lives. Now the stability of the power supply has improved markedly. "The days without power are far fewer now, and children no longer have to worry about blackouts during evening study sessions," said Trigal, a teacher in Jwaneng. Chinese engineers have also set up hands-on training sessions at the project site, providing step-by-step, hands-on instruction (手把手, shou ba shou - "hand, grasp, hand") to local youth in photovoltaic module installation, equipment inspection, and tracking-rack operation and maintenance. "Before, I could only do odd jobs; now I can skillfully load and unload photovoltaic panels and have learned new skills," said Alse Bent, a local youth who participated in the project's construction.
Botswana's President Duma Boko said in a recent media interview that the foundation of Botswana-China cooperation is solid and stable, and that in fields such as renewable energy and green industry, the technology and experience China has accumulated are exactly what Botswana needs. Botswana opens its doors wide to Chinese enterprises. "We look forward to joining hands with China to further consolidate the foundation of cooperation and jointly create a new chapter of mutually beneficial cooperation (互利合作, hu li he zuo - "mutual, benefit, cooperate, work") between our two countries," Boko said.
Return to TopInternational Energy Agency —
Global Diesel Supply Tightness to Persist Through 2027
(Xinhua News Agency, Paris, October 14) (Reporter Cui Kexin) The International Energy Agency released its monthly oil market report on the 14th, stating that due to factors such as the continued obstruction of diesel exports from the Middle East and Russia, the supply tightness in the global diesel market has intensified, inventories have continued to decline, and the diesel supply tightness is expected to persist through 2027.
The report stated that the global diesel market experienced supply tightness in the third quarter of this year, with the inventory buffer before the arrival of the winter demand peak clearly insufficient. In the first nine months of this year, affected by declining refinery output, global diesel exports averaged 4.7 million barrels per day, down 10 percent year-on-year. Whether the supply-demand situation in the diesel market can improve depends to a large extent on whether refined product supply in the Middle East region can recover.
The report projects that, affected by restricted supply of petroleum products due to the Middle East situation, surging fuel prices, and a deteriorating economic outlook, global oil demand in 2026 will decrease by an average of 2.6 million barrels per day year-on-year, falling to an average of 102.4 million barrels per day. At the same time, global oil supply in 2026 will decrease by an average of 5.8 million barrels per day year-on-year, falling to an average of 100.7 million barrels per day.
The International Energy Agency warned that as oil inventories continue to decline and the market buffer space continues to shrink, if the Middle East conflict is not resolved, the global oil market may experience further turbulence in the coming months.
Yemen's Houthi Forces Claim Attacks on Saudi Airport and Oil Facilities, Causing Fires
(Xinhua News Agency, Kuwait City, October 14) (Reporter Yin Ke) Sana'a news: Yemen's Houthi forces announced on the 14th that the organization used large numbers of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to launch large-scale military strikes against Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran, eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh, and that "the attacks caused damage to the target facilities and started fires."
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on social media that day that the operation was retaliation for Saudi Arabia's recent airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sana'a and areas under Houthi control, and was also a fulfillment of the earlier warning of strikes issued to Saudi Arabia. The statement said that since the escalation of the current round of conflict, Saudi Arabia has carried out 2,281 airstrikes and missile strikes against Yemen, causing large numbers of casualties and property losses.
The statement said that the missile and drone attacks this time hit targets with precision (精准命中, jing zhun ming zhong - "precise, hit, strike, target"), causing damage to the target facilities and starting fires. The statement did not provide specific figures on losses or casualties.
The statement warned that the Houthi forces will continue to attack targets inside Saudi Arabia in the coming days, focusing strikes on airports and oil facilities, and "will cause serious consequences for Saudi Arabia."
The statement demanded that relevant international shipping companies as well as civilians and staff inside airports and enterprise facilities evacuate immediately, because they have become "legitimate targets" of the Houthi forces.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy issued a statement in the early hours of the 14th saying that an office building of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran was attacked on the evening of the 13th, causing a fire of "limited scale" and no casualties. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led multinational coalition, said on social media on the 14th that the coalition intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi forces toward Riyadh that day.
Multiple U.S. Banks Report Quarter-on-Quarter Declines in Performance
(Xinhua News Agency, New York, October 13) (Reporter Liu Yanan) Performance reports released by multiple major U.S. banks on the 13th showed that, affected by factors such as declining financial market trading revenue, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo all saw quarter-on-quarter declines in third-quarter operating revenue and net profit. Shares of all four banks closed lower that day.
In the third quarter of this year, JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s operating revenue and net profit were US$50.907 billion and US$15.305 billion respectively, down 12 percent and 28 percent quarter-on-quarter respectively; Citigroup's operating revenue and net profit were US$23.845 billion and US$5.245 billion respectively, down 4 percent and 10 percent quarter-on-quarter respectively; Goldman Sachs' operating revenue and net profit were US$18.679 billion and US$5.294 billion respectively, down 8 percent and 20 percent quarter-on-quarter respectively; Wells Fargo's operating revenue and net profit were US$21.87 billion and US$5.951 billion respectively, down 3 percent and 7 percent quarter-on-quarter respectively.
Return to TopBy: 王 迪
"Was the world map we saw before wrong?" Recently, as the United Nations General Assembly passed a "correct the map" resolution initiated by the African country Togo with 164 votes in favor, 1 against, and 6 abstentions, this topic quickly sparked heated discussion. The resolution advocates that countries adopt the "Equal Earth" projection map to correct the long-standing area distortion problem of the Mercator projection map.
For more than 400 years, the Mercator projection map, while guiding navigators in direction, has also been quietly shaping people's ingrained "common sense" in understanding the world. In 1569, European cartographer Mercator created this projection method to solve the problem of maritime navigation. Its brilliance lies in "conformality": meridians and parallels intersect at right angles, allowing accurate directional positioning through a compass, and a captain can draw a line to plan a route. However, the price of angular fidelity is area distortion. The spacing between parallels is stretched as latitude increases, and the closer to the poles, the more exaggeratedly landmasses are enlarged. As a result, Europe and North America are "widened," while Africa, South America, and the South Asian subcontinent, which straddle the equator, are visually "squeezed."
With the rise of the decolonization wave, more and more people are calling for correction of this area distortion. In 2018, three senior cartographers jointly launched the "Equal Earth" projection method, which, by adjusting the curvature of meridians and parallels, restores the true proportional areas of regions around the world while preserving the outlines of continents as much as possible. As Togo's foreign minister said at a UN press conference: "Correcting the map also means correcting perception."
The Mercator projection was born in the Age of Exploration, providing great convenience to navigators; the "Equal Earth" projection was born in an era of the collective rise of the Global South, and in the wave of striving for cognitive justice, it has been endowed with the practical demand of decolonizing education. For hundreds of years, the West has dominated cartographic standards and world narratives, and Africa has long been in a position of being presented and defined. The passage of the "correct the map" resolution reflects the demand of Global South countries to actively participate in international affairs and strive for greater international influence and discourse power over rules. Although most European countries face the compression of their own visual area under the new projection, they still cast votes in favor, and France even became a co-sponsor of the resolution. This is both a reflection on the cognitive biases left over from the colonial era and a pragmatic choice for Europe to adjust its own narrative logic amid major changes unseen in a century (百年变局, bai nian bian ju - "hundred, years, change, situation").
Of course, this does not mean that the Mercator projection map is entirely wrong. The United Nations emphasizes that no projection can perfectly present a three-dimensional Earth on a two-dimensional plane; every projection involves trade-offs and serves different purposes. The world map on the UN emblem uses an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole, symbolizing global unity; the National Geographic Society of the United States has chosen the Winkel tripel projection, pursuing a more balanced visual effect; China Cartographic Publishing House uses its self-developed differential latitudinal multi-conic projection, which completely preserves the full shape of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In fact, the Mercator projection remains an important tool in fields such as navigation and wayfinding to this day, while the "Equal Earth" projection is more suitable for displaying the true area proportions of various regions. Different maps are essentially a matter of adaptation to scenarios, not a matter of right and wrong. At present, with the development and popularization of satellite navigation, the functional attributes of traditional maps have been diluted, yet the "historical bias" caused by the Mercator projection continues. Therefore, in global education and public communication, there should be greater encouragement to use equal-area maps that can truthfully restore the area proportions of various regions. This is not a denial of Mercator's technical value, but a correction of its value bias.
This resolution is not legally binding, nor does it force alternative solutions; its significance lies more in promoting the transformation and reconstruction of worldviews and order concepts. A map is also a mirror, reflecting not only the geographical positions of mountains, rivers, seas, and lands, but also a consensus that is arriving: no single perspective is naturally correct, and no single narrative should dominate forever. This may be the true significance of this resolution: not to change a map, but to change the way of looking at the world.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 樊 帆
A school shooting occurred again in the Philippines recently: inside a state-run high school in South Cotabato Province, Mindanao, in the southern part of the country, a 16-year-old ninth-grade student opened fire on other students and then took his own life. Albert Palencia, mayor of the town of Banga where the incident took place, said that including the gunman, three people were killed and at least eight were injured, four of them in critical condition. This is the third fatal school shooting in the Philippines since June this year, and the proliferation of firearms and campus security issues have once again become the focus of public opinion in the country.
Palencia said the suspect used a 9mm pistol owned by his father. The firearm was originally stored in a safe at home; the suspect broke open the safe and brought the gun to school. Police and local government are still investigating the motive for the crime.
On June 22 this year, a shooting occurred at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte Province, in the central Philippines, in which two minors, aged 14 and 15, opened fire on classmates, killing three and wounding 20, and the two were later arrested. Police investigation showed that the 9mm pistol used by one of them was the service weapon of a relative who was a police officer, and the revolver used by the other was registered under a security company in Cebu City. Preliminary investigation indicated that the two suspects claimed they had long been subjected to school bullying. On August 18, a shooting occurred at the junior high school attached to Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, Mindanao, in which a ninth-grade student attacked others with two pistols and livestreamed the attack online with a body camera, killing a tenth-grade student and wounding several others, after which the gunman took his own life. Police investigation found that the firearms involved belonged to the gunman's father, the police operations chief of the country's customs office at the Port of Zamboanga. After the incident, the father was suspended from duty and placed under investigation.
Philippine media reports noted that the three cases are intertwined with multiple factors, including negligent storage of firearms in the home, loopholes in campus security, school bullying, adolescent mental health, and the spread of violent content online. Some local journalists said the successive school shootings have exposed the Philippines' decades-long problem of firearms proliferation — although the law imposes strict restrictions on gun ownership, people can still easily obtain weapons.
Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla recently said that, according to government estimates, the country has about 2 million unlicensed firearms, and about 98 percent of gun-related crimes use unlicensed firearms. He also acknowledged that current law has loopholes regarding gun owner responsibility: when a legally registered firearm is taken by another person, especially a minor, and used in a crime, it is difficult to fully hold the gun owner accountable, so the legal responsibility of gun owners for the safekeeping of firearms should be strengthened. After the Zamboanga shooting, Remulla asked Congress to amend the firearms management law to change illegal possession of firearms from a bailable offense to a non-bailable offense, and recommended a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment.
Since the school shootings occurred, a number of members of Congress have introduced bills on campus security, anti-bullying, gun owner responsibility, and adolescent mental health. Local observers said that firearms-related reform in the Philippines tends to accelerate only after a tragedy occurs, rather than being completed before risks take shape. For the Philippine government, the real challenge is not announcing "strengthened campus security" after every tragedy, but whether it can turn ad hoc responses into an enforceable national policy.
(People's Daily, Manila, October 14)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 易舒冉 刘博通 白光迪
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium on strengthening basic research: "Attach importance to artificial intelligence empowering basic research, develop large models for scientific foundations and professional models for disciplinary fields, build intelligent scientific research platform systems, and promote accelerated breakthroughs in science across all fields."
How can artificial intelligence be used to accelerate the process of major scientific discoveries "from 0 to 1"? How can composite talents who both thoroughly understanding professional knowledge (深谙领域知识, shen an ling yu zhi shi - "deeply understand, field, knowledge") and master cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology be cultivated? How should intelligent scientific research platform systems be built? Our reporter interviewed 4 members of the CPPCC National Committee in related fields.
— Editor
Dialogue guests:
Qiao Hong Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ming Dong Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Special Committee of the Jiusan Society Central Committee
Zhou Zhihua Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Vice President of Nanjing University
Zhao Xiaoguang Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Researcher at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Artificial intelligence creates more favorable conditions for original scientific discoveries
Reporter: What key roles can artificial intelligence play in accelerating the process of scientific discovery? How can we better explore new scientific research paradigms driven by artificial intelligence?
Ming Dong: For a long time, scientific discovery has mainly relied on scientists' professional insight, theoretical inference, and sustained experimental verification. Constrained by factors such as experimental conditions, observation methods, and data processing capabilities, many major breakthroughs often require long exploration cycles. The key to artificial intelligence accelerating scientific discovery lies in its ability to provide more support for the scientific research chain of "data analysis, pattern discovery, hypothesis generation, experimental design, and result verification." It progresses from being a mere efficient data processing tool to a human-machine collaborative model driven by the synergy of data analysis, theoretical deduction, and experimental verification, creating more favorable conditions for original scientific discoveries "from 0 to 1."
Taking non-invasive brain-computer interfaces as an example, researchers need to identify patients' motor intentions, communication intentions, or brain functional states from extremely weak, complex, low signal-to-noise ratio neural signals such as scalp electroencephalography. In this process, artificial intelligence is not only used to improve the accuracy of brain signal classification and intention decoding, but also helps researchers identify potential relationships between neural activity and behavior, and discover new neural representation patterns. In recent years, the construction of EEG datasets and the development of new neural signal analysis algorithms have promoted the formation of a series of non-invasive brain-computer interface assisted diagnosis and treatment models for scenarios such as neural function assessment, intention recognition, and rehabilitation training, and have facilitated their gradual entry into clinical application.
Zhou Zhihua: Artificial intelligence can reconstruct the path of scientific discovery and enhance the effectiveness of original innovation. It is recommended to focus efforts on the following three aspects.
Optimize the overall layout of scientific research and enhance basic innovation capabilities. Correct the misconception of blindly following the trend that "large models solve everything," and enhance the ability to design customized algorithmic solutions for specific problems. Focus on supporting a batch of forward-looking, strategic, and original basic research projects addressing major scientific challenges, and coordinate the advancement of original innovation and breakthroughs in key core technologies.
Emphasize two-way science popularization and promote the elimination of disciplinary barriers. Build an interdisciplinary "two-way translation" and collaboration mechanism. On the one hand, scholars from scientific fields conduct abstract translation of scientific problems for artificial intelligence researchers, expressing key frontier issues in their fields in language understandable to artificial intelligence scholars, facilitating targeted problem-solving. On the other hand, artificial intelligence scientists conduct science popularization for scholars in traditional fields, clarifying technical boundaries through specific cases, eliminating fear of or blind deification of artificial intelligence, and elucidating the essential nature of artificial intelligence as a tool assisting scientific discovery.
Strengthen data governance and build a scientific data ecosystem. Build a national-level scientific data sharing and service platform, rely on major science and technology platforms such as key laboratories, establish standardized scientific data repositories, formulate standards for the collection, annotation, storage, and sharing of data across disciplines, introduce data quality feedback mechanisms, and continuously optimize data assets. At the same time, improve data security and intellectual property protection systems to ensure the secure, compliant, and efficient circulation of data.
Transform training models and build a composite talent team
Reporter: Talent is an important resource for the development of basic research. How can a high-quality talent team familiar with the new paradigm of scientific intelligence be built?
Zhou Zhihua: Advance education, science and technology, and talent development as an integrated whole, focus on building an artificial intelligence professional talent training system compatible with the new paradigm of scientific intelligence, with emphasis on mathematical foundations, computational and programming abilities, and professional knowledge of artificial intelligence, and strive to cultivate a large number of outstanding scientific and technological talents who are deeply engaged in artificial intelligence itself, possess deep patriotic sentiment, have original innovation capabilities, and can solve key scientific challenges.
Support doctoral students in artificial intelligence to pursue a master's degree in a basic discipline as an interdisciplinary pursuit during their studies, and simultaneously support doctoral students in basic disciplines to pursue a master's degree in artificial intelligence. Explore and construct new models of interdisciplinary integrated talent training, and systematically cultivate "bilingual" scientists who both thoroughly understanding professional knowledge and master cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology.
Break the boundary constraints of traditional disciplinary evaluation, and set up dedicated evaluation standards for interdisciplinary talents in areas such as degree acquisition, professional title promotion, and performance assessment, to resolve the evaluation dilemma faced by interdisciplinary talents. At the same time, optimize the orientation of scientific research evaluation, establish an evaluation system that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, weaken the orientation toward short-term indicators, support researchers in focusing on major issues in basic science fields and key challenges facing industrial demand, and create an institutional environment conducive to original innovation.
Ming Dong: Scientific research intellectualization can significantly improve the efficiency of knowledge acquisition, information processing, solution design, and even output production at every stage. For young researchers, this is both a rare growth accelerator and a challenge that cannot be ignored. If there is excessive reliance on artificial intelligence from problem formulation and technical route design to result interpretation and paper writing, it may lead to the weakening of independent thinking ability, critical thinking, and scientific research ethics awareness.
Young researchers should, on the basis of fully understanding the boundaries of artificial intelligence capabilities, explore growth paths that develop in synergy with artificial intelligence. First, they should return to the fundamental meaning of scientific research serving social progress, base themselves on the core logic and professional accumulation of their own disciplines, and treat artificial intelligence as a collaborative tool for improving efficiency rather than a shortcut replacing independent thinking. Second, they should uphold the subject position of the individual in the scientific research process, continuously cultivate their own scientific judgment and critical thinking, maintain a prudent attitude toward results generated by artificial intelligence, and perform proper verification and quality control at every stage. Third, they should take responsibility for the entire process of scientific research work, especially in the data collection and analysis stages, deeply exploring the patterns and causes behind phenomena, strictly adhering to scientific research integrity and ethical norms, and ensuring that scientific research outputs produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence are truthful, credible, and able to withstand scrutiny.
Build intelligent scientific research platform systems to promote accelerated breakthroughs in science across all fields
Reporter: In recent years, the state has continuously strengthened support and safeguards for basic research and optimized the layout and construction of major science and technology infrastructure. At present, from what aspects should the construction of intelligent scientific research platform systems proceed?
Zhao Xiaoguang: In promoting the construction of intelligent scientific research platform systems, there still exist problems such as difficulty in joint tackling of interdisciplinary problems, high cost of scientific data acquisition, and difficulty in structuring.
It is recommended to build credible closed-loop small models by discipline to consolidate the platform's professional data foundation. Follow the principles that scientific research data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, and unify standards and norms for metadata, instrument logs, data desensitization, and retention of failed samples. In response to the problems of hallucination and lack of professional mechanisms in general large models, build discipline-specific credible small models based on the scientific principles of physics, chemistry, biology, and other disciplines themselves, create multidisciplinary artificial intelligence expert systems, and improve the accuracy of computation, reasoning, and analysis results of intelligent scientific research platforms.
Improve standards and institutional safeguards to ensure platform implementation and application. Accelerate the establishment of artificial intelligence software and hardware technical standards adapted to scientific research scenarios, and improve governance rules related to data collection, annotation, and use. Balance innovation and development with risk prevention and control, adopt an inclusive and prudent governance approach, improve relevant laws and regulations, provide institutional safeguards for the technical experimentation and scenario implementation of intelligent scientific research platforms, realize the extension from technological closed loops to industrial and commercial closed loops, and release platform value.
Qiao Hong: Intelligent scientific research platforms require not only computation in digital space but also precise practice in physical space, and embodied intelligence is precisely the key bridge enabling intelligent scientific research platform systems to move from digital space into physical space.
Embodied intelligence systems that can achieve high performance in multi-scenario, multi-task, heterogeneous embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "multi, multi, high") are an important direction in international scientific and technological competition. China's "multi, multi, high" embodied intelligence is at a critical stage of basic scientific research, and exploring Chinese solutions for basic research in embodied intelligence is unavoidable and imperative (势在必行, shi zai bi xing - "trend, in, must, go"). This is an important path to solving the bottleneck problems of the existing data-driven approach's dependence on big data, massive computing power, and high energy consumption, and it is also an important support for realizing humanity's long-term dream for robots. It is necessary to base ourselves on multidisciplinary interdisciplinary basic research, through the deep integration of mathematics, information science, and neuroscience, study the autonomous evolution of embodied intelligence mechanisms, and form new robot brain mechanisms and new world models. We should leverage the advantages of the whole-nation system, rely on national-level coordinated organization of science and technology special projects, gather top domestic scientists and leading innovative enterprises, and build open, shared, safe, and reliable basic theories and scientific research platform systems for embodied intelligence.
The "multi, multi, high" embodied intelligence system will provide an important high-performance physical system platform for intelligent scientific research platforms to complete scientific research practice activities accurately, reliably, and safely in physical space, without the need to renovate existing experimental environments, and can be rapidly deployed and applied to scientific research in similar scenarios, similar tasks, and even random scenarios and random tasks, completing experimental operations requiring high safety risk, high operational precision, and high-throughput operations, and boosting innovative breakthroughs in scientific research practice across multiple fields.
Return to TopBy: 夏先鹏
Food traceability bears on the protection of consumers' rights and interests, health maintenance, and the effectiveness of food safety governance. In recent years, with the widespread application of digital technologies such as QR codes and blockchain in the field of food safety, the whole-process traceability system for food safety has been continuously improved, steadily strengthening whole-process supervision "from farm to table." A growing number of business entities have begun to equip themselves with food traceability codes, and scanning codes to trace origins has also become a habit for many consumers when selecting food products.
Only when food is "traceable in origin and controllable in risk" can the people buy with confidence and eat with peace of mind. However, after visiting and investigating food enterprises, farmers' markets, and grassroots regulatory departments, we have found that the food safety traceability system still falls short in tracing accurately and tracing truthfully. For example: some data suffer from distortion, falsification, and incomplete records; some rural small workshops and farming households have limited operational capacity, making data errors and omissions likely, so that consumers who scan traceability codes end up with "invalid codes"; the lack of unified coding rules, data formats, and transmission protocols means that self-built systems in different regions and enterprises are being incompatible with one another (互不兼容, hu bu jian rong - "mutually, not, compatible"), and the problems of one product having multiple different codes (一物多码, yi wu duo ma - "one, thing, many, codes") and information silos are fairly common, leading to breaks in the traceability chain; the cost pressure of building and maintaining traceability systems is prominent, with small and medium-sized enterprises bearing heavy burdens and showing low willingness to participate. These problems directly weaken consumers' trust in the traceability system and also diminish the supporting role of digital technology in food safety risk prevention and control.
Food traceability must not "emphasize construction while neglecting practical results," but should closely fit the realities of the industry and effectively respond to the needs of the people. Based on research and reflection, the key to resolving the practical difficulties of food traceability lies in filling the institutional shortcomings and straightening out the multi-party coordination mechanism.
Strengthen supervision over data authenticity and consolidate the foundation of the food safety traceability system. If following the rules yields limited benefits while engaging in fraudulent activities (弄虚作假, nong xu zuo jia - "play, false, do, make") carries low costs, it will easily breed a perfunctory mentality of "emphasizing inspection reception over daily routine." It is recommended that regulatory departments establish a dynamic quality assessment mechanism for traceability information, and for business entities that deliberately falsify data or forge traceability codes, include them in the credit blacklist while imposing penalties in accordance with the law. At the same time, for small farming households and small workshops, develop simplified versions of traceability systems, adopt convenient methods such as "scan-code entry + voice recognition" to lower the operational threshold, and effectively resolve the information collection bottleneck at the "first kilometer."
Coordinate the promotion of unified national technical standards and break through information barriers. The food industry chain is long and involves many links; planting, processing, circulation, and sales fall under different competent departments. Although segmented supervision has professional advantages, it can also easily create data barriers and make it difficult to form closed-loop governance. It is recommended to establish a unified national traceability coding system, unifying coding rules, data interfaces, and transmission protocols. Coordinate the promotion of upgrading and renovating existing traceability systems in various regions, avoid duplicate construction and waste of resources, open up cross-regional and cross-link data channels, and achieve interconnection and intercommunication of traceability information.
Implement differentiated and precise supervision and activate the force of social co-governance. The business entities involved in food traceability vary greatly, ranging from modern large-scale food factories to scattered small farming households. Relying solely on government regulators to visit sites in person is far from sufficient and makes it very difficult to achieve full-coverage on-site inspections. It is recommended that all competent departments implement tiered and categorized supervision according to enterprise size and product risk, increase the frequency of inspections for high-risk entities, and direct resources where they are most needed (用在刀刃上, yong zai dao ren shang - "use, at, knife, edge") for regulatory forces. Use technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to compare traceability information with backend harvesting and shipping ledgers, achieving risk early warning and intelligent supervision. Encourage consumers to report false traceability information, turning the broad consumer base into supervisors; give play to the role of industry associations, and through industry self-discipline norms, promote honest business operations among enterprises.
Food safety traceability lies not only in institutions, but also in the three daily meals of the people. All parties should work together in coordination, plug the loopholes in traceability falsification, implement whole-chain risk control in all production and sales links, enable traceability to move from "codes available for scanning" to "evidence available for reliance," enable consumers to clearly see the origin of food and distinguish the authenticity of quality, and build a solid defense line for food safety with complete and truthful information.
(The author is a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and chair of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang; compiled and edited by People's Daily reporter Liu Botong)
Return to TopProposer: Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party
Reasons: Children are the wealth of families, the nation, and society. Early childhood care is related to the improvement of population quality and the long-term development of society. In recent years, China's policies, laws, and regulations concerning child development have been continuously improved, but there remains a clear gap between rural and urban areas in terms of resource investment, parental awareness, and the building of professional talent teams for early childhood development in rural regions. Rural children aged 0-3 still face many challenges in early development in cognition, language, social-emotional skills, and motor skills.
Recommendations: Expand the scale of pilot programs and promote the experience of pilot home-based care for rural children aged 0-3. For areas with harsh geographical environments, scattered settlements, and poor overall child development, adopt a home-visit model as the main approach to achieve coverage of care services. At the same time, making full use of (充分挖掘, chong fen wu jue - "fully, dig out") existing rural public service facilities, build a certain number of parenting centers to increase opportunities for collective parenting exchanges and children's social interaction. For areas with relatively concentrated populations, convenient transportation, and acceptable levels of economic development, rely more on township health centers or community centers, and through a collective service model, improve rural parents' skills in infant and toddler care.
Increase government financial investment and improve the funding guarantee mechanism. Further optimize the structure of fiscal education expenditure, extending education spending forward to cover care services for infants and toddlers aged 0-3. Home care guidance for rural infant families may be incorporated into the basic public services of less-developed rural areas. It is appropriate to actively introduce social capital to expand the supply of early childhood services. Effectively leverage the guiding and leveraging role of public investment, and support the healthy development of private early childhood development institutions. Guide social charitable forces and public welfare organizations to focus on less-developed areas and key target groups, and advance early childhood development services through government purchase of services.
Cultivate a talent team for early parenting and conduct scientific project management. Making full use of and revitalizing rural human resources, prioritize recruiting rural women with junior high school education or above locally for systematic professional training, and build a localized infant and toddler care service team. While strengthening the teaching workforce, create employment opportunities for rural women to ensure the stability and sustainability of the talent team. Empower project management through digitalization, establish a monitoring database for early childhood development, and achieve interconnection and interoperability of early childhood development data systems among the education, health, and civil affairs departments. Systematically and structurally analyze monitoring data, conduct precise profiling management of served families and infants and toddlers, and continuously improve the effectiveness of early childhood development services for rural children aged 0-3.
(Compiled by Wen Yi)
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 龚相娟
Walking into the Carbon Materials and Advanced Battery Laboratory of the School of Chemical Engineering at Tianjin University, various battery assembly and performance testing equipment operate at high speed, while Yang Quanhong, member of the CPPCC National Committee and professor at the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University, is organizing and analyzing experimental data with his team members. Having worked deeply in carbon materials and advanced energy storage technology for more than 30 years, Yang Quanhong shuttles year-round between university laboratories and the production front lines of leading domestic power battery enterprises, combining scientific research work with the practice of performing his duties as a committee member, offering advice and suggestions (建言献策, jian yan xian ce - "build advice, offer suggestions") for the innovative development of the solid-state battery industry.
Through practical investigation and technical research, Yang Quanhong knows well that high energy density and high safety are the main demands of the power battery industry, but current liquid electrolyte batteries have safety risks such as leakage and thermal runaway. "Solid-state batteries replace liquid electrolytes with solid-state electrolytes, which can solve the industry pain point of being unable to balance energy and safety, and represent an important track for battery technology iteration and global energy technology competition," Yang Quanhong said.
Transforming scientific research advantages into advantages for performing duties, and supporting advice and political consultation with frontline research. At this year's National Two Sessions, Yang Quanhong submitted a proposal on promoting the high-quality development of the solid-state battery industry. "The development of the solid-state battery industry can neither 'afford to be slow' nor 'afford to be hasty,'" Yang Quanhong said. Breakthroughs in key scientific and technological issues, the classified advancement of differentiated technical routes, and the precise grasp of the pace of industrial development all require strengthening top-level design and guidance.
In his proposal, Yang Quanhong suggested ascertaining the scientific connotation of solid-state batteries, clarifying their safety attributes, conducting in-depth scientific analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of various solid-state battery systems, and studying their application scenarios at different stages of development. In particular, there should be a clear understanding and explicit definition of the energy density boundaries and safety attribute boundaries of solid-state batteries. On this basis, a rational roadmap for the technological and industrial development of solid-state batteries should be drawn.
"It is suggested to make overall planning for a national-level major scientific research program for solid-state batteries, open up the entire chain from the National Natural Science Foundation, key research and development projects, and CAS pilot projects to industrial reengineering projects, scientifically plan and coordinate the development goals, assessment indicators, and industrial promotion timelines of various projects, and respect scientific laws," Yang Quanhong said.
What delights Yang Quanhong is that his efforts in performing duties are being transformed into practical results. Some time ago, targeting the new energy battery field, the National Natural Science Foundation of China issued a notice that the National Natural Science Foundation of China and private enterprises would jointly fund the establishment of a joint innovation fund for private enterprise development, attracting and gathering the nation's superior scientific research forces and promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.
"As a scientific researcher, I will continue to closely combine my professional expertise with my duties as a committee member, conduct in-depth research, actively offer advice, and strive to promote the transformation of scientific research achievements into practical forces serving national development," Yang Quanhong said.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 倪 弋
2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. More than 90 years ago, a contingent with faith as firm as steel, traversing many difficult terrains or vast distances (万水千山, wan shui qian shan - "ten thousand waters, thousand mountains"), and undergoing trials of life and death, wrote a magnificent heroic revolutionary epic on the land of China. The 25,000-li march was not only a geographical route, but also a spiritual monument and a lifeline flowing with the red bloodline.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that red resources must be put to good use, red traditions must be carried forward, and the red gene must be passed on.
As the smoke of history dissipates, how to make revolutionary cultural relics scattered across lofty mountains, ridges, fields, and villages "come alive," and to promote the continued inheritance of the great Long March spirit in the new era, has become a new task for procuratorial organs. Since the beginning of this year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate has deployed and carried out the "Benefiting the Road of the Long March · Continuing Protection" procuratorial public interest litigation special supervision campaign in 15 provinces along the Long March route, using solid case-handling results to assist in the protection of Long March red resources. As of now, a total of 434 cases have been filed, 76 consultations have been conducted, 326 procuratorial suggestions have been issued, 10 lawsuits have been filed, and supervision has been exercised to protect 499 Long March cultural relics and 477 Long March revolutionary memorial facilities.
Awakening Red Memories in "Neglected Corners"
Many Long March red resources are simple ferry crossings and dilapidated houses hidden deep in the mountains. Due to their age and remote locations, they often become "blind spots" in protection. An important task of the special supervision campaign is to awaken the red memories lying in "neglected corners" and to enable each and every site to continue telling the story of that magnificent and grand in scale (波澜壮阔, bo lan zhuang kuo - "waves, surge; magnificent, vast") chapter of history.
Yudu County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, is the departure point of the Central Red Army's Long March. In autumn, the waters of the Yudu River flow slowly. More than 90 years ago, it was here that the Central Red Army gathered and crossed the river, taking the first step of the 25,000-li Long March.
As time passed, some red relics faced protection risks: some scattered graves of martyrs became overgrown with weeds, some Long March slogans were patched with modern red bricks in a way that was out of place or completely incompatible (格格不入, ge ge bu ru - "pattern, pattern, not, enter"), and some ferry crossings and former sites had outdated displays and inadequate repairs. In response, the Yudu County People's Procuratorate conducted a comprehensive survey of 104 immovable revolutionary cultural relics at 122 points within the county, taking photos and establishing files for each one.
Procurators trod muddy paths, waded through streams, went to ferry crossings, and entered former sites, breaking down the problems that "just look old" one by one: the graves of martyrs such as Jiang Zhisong, buried in Ma'an Township, were mostly of those who sacrificed their lives on the eve of or during the Long March; the inscriptions on the tombstones of the joint and scattered burials were blurred, and the surrounding environment was poor; the Long March slogans in Xiaoxi Township had weathered and peeled, and the construction party, lacking awareness of cultural relic protection, had used red bricks to repair the main body, with colors and materials not in harmony with the original appearance; the guardrails and signs at the Long March ferry crossing had aged; and the exhibition at the former site of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission was underutilized, with display boards not updated in a timely manner.
"The departure point of the Long March is not just a few relics, but an entire chain of historical memory. If the martyrs' graves are abandoned, the slogans are blurred, and the ferry crossing can no longer be found, then that precious period of history will also fade or even disappear." said Gao Jinwang, Chief Procurator of the Yudu County People's Procuratorate. In accordance with the Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law, the Cultural Relics Protection Law, and the "Regulations of Jiangxi Province on the Protection of Revolutionary Cultural Relics," the Yudu County People's Procuratorate simultaneously issued procuratorial suggestions to relevant units: the County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism was responsible for the catalog of slogans and the restoration of former sites; the Veterans Affairs department was responsible for the relocation of scattered graves into the cemetery and the restoration of martyrs' graves; and the townships were responsible for the daily maintenance, management, and revitalization of former sites such as the ferry crossing and the Central Revolutionary Military Commission.
Thereafter, rectification was implemented item by item — relevant units launched the project to relocate scattered martyrs' graves into the cemetery and upgrade the Martyrs' Memorial Park, specifically allocating funds to restore the graves of martyrs such as Jiang Zhisong in Ma'an Township; based on the historical information of the former sites, the construction party was urged to remove modern materials and restore the former sites in accordance with the principle of restoring something to its original appearance (修旧如旧, xiu jiu ru jiu - "repair, old, like, old"), protecting the red Long March slogans; daily management and protection of more than 10 red resources, including the ferry crossing and the former site of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, were strengthened; the exhibition of 3 Long March cultural relics was improved; and 1 new Long March history exhibition hall was built.
The Yudu County People's Procuratorate also jointly issued collaboration opinions with relevant units on strengthening the protection of revolutionary cultural relics, promoting the systematic development of 30 on-site teaching points and 8 high-quality study tour routes, significantly enhancing the utilization rate of red resources and social participation.
From a single tomb to a line of slogans, from a ferry crossing to an exhibition hall, procuratorial organs have used public interest litigation to give new life to these "neglected corners," making them places that can be visited, narrated, and inherited.
Cross-Regional Coordination Coalesces Protection Synergy
Long March red resources are not isolated, scattered points, but a continuous historical thread. A single route or a stretch of relics often spans multiple places and may involve multiple departments.
Baoxing County, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, is the starting point where the Central Red Army crossed Mount Jiajin, while Xiaojin County (formerly Maogong County), Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, is the place where the Central Red Army joined forces with the Fourth Front Army after crossing Mount Jiajin. The two places both belong to the key section of the Long March route crossing the snow mountains, yet they are under two different cities and prefectures, Ya'an and Aba, and at one time each managed its own section of cultural relic protection, with inconsistent standards and no exchange of information.
In March of this year, the Baoxing County People's Procuratorate, together with the Chengdu Military Procuratorate, carried out the "Benefiting the Road of the Long March · Continuing Protection" procuratorial public interest litigation special supervision campaign. Procurators inspected points one by one along the Red Army's march route and found that the marker stele of the Changpian Bridge Plank Road (Red Army Plank Road), a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, had been washed away by floods; that there were errors in the text on the display boards of the former residence in Qiaoqi Tibetan Township; and that the pipes and wires around the Red Army Well at Zhajiaba were arbitrarily connected, and the sanitary conditions were poor. The Xiaojin County People's Procuratorate also discovered during its inspections that large areas of tiles on the former site of the Red Army garrison had fallen off, the roof was leaking and soaking the wooden beams, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds (杂草丛生, za cao cong sheng - "weeds, grow, in clusters").
"The Red Army's crossing of Mount Jiajin is a complete historical memory. The marker stele on the southern slope of Mount Jiajin has fallen, and the former site on the northern slope is leaking. With any damage or destruction to any relic, what future generations will see is an incomplete history." said Wang Huawei, head of the Second Procuratorial Department of the Baoxing County People's Procuratorate.
The procuratorial organs of the two places realized that relying solely on their respective independent performance of duties would make it difficult to solve the systematic protection problems spanning cities and prefectures. Therefore, the procuratorial organs of the two places negotiated and established a cross-regional coordination mechanism for the protection of the ecological environment and Long March culture in the Mount Jiajin region, clarifying multiple items such as the transfer of leads, joint investigations, and information sharing.
The Baoxing County People's Procuratorate issued a procuratorial suggestion to the County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism, urging the restoration of the Changpian Bridge marker stele, the correction of the display boards at the former residence, and the improvement of the environment around the Red Army Well; the Xiaojin County People's Procuratorate, in turn, suggested to the County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism that emergency repairs be carried out on the former site of the Xiaojin Red Army garrison, including replacing more than 50 square meters of small green tiles, applying anti-corrosion treatment to the damp wooden beams, and clearing the weeds in the courtyard. After receiving the suggestions, the cultural and tourism departments of both counties carried out rectification respectively and regularly reported progress to each other.
Last year, the Jiajin Mountain Tunnel on National Highway 351 was officially opened to traffic, shortening the driving time from Baoxing to Xiaojin from more than an hour of detouring over the 4,114-meter pass to 10 minutes. With the road now smooth, more tourists are following this new route to the north and south sides of Mount Jiajin to pay tribute to the eventful years when the Red Army crossed the snow mountains.
Today, a new marker stele has been re-erected by the Changpian Bridge, the display boards at the former residence have been checked and corrected word by word, and the pipes and wires around the Red Army Well at Zhajiaba are neat and well-organized (规整有序, gui zheng you xu - "orderly, organized; sequence, order") with a clean and tidy environment. In Xiaojin County, the newly laid green tiles on the former site of the Red Army garrison glisten in the sunlight, the wooden beams have received anti-corrosion treatment, and after the weeds in the courtyard were cleared, the original stone slab path has regained its neat appearance.
"Relying on the protection of the rule of law, we ensure that cultural relics are properly protected, so that future generations can personally experience and understand this history on the ground." said Wang Huawei.
From Case-by-Case Rectification to Systematic Governance of Cultural Relic Protection
The significance of the special supervision lies not only in carrying out restoration and protection through case handling, but also in ensuring that Long March former sites have people to manage them, revolutionary stories have people to tell them, and the red spirit has people to pass it on.
Renhua County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, has many Long March sites and relics. Sanbao Hall in Hongshan Town was once the temporary command post of the Second Red Division; the Kunshou Ancestral Hall in En Village was a place where Red Army officers and soldiers were stationed and rested; and there are also the Renping Red Army Bridge, the Lizhou Red Army Bridge, and others. At one time, Sanbao Hall was renovated without authorization; the roof of the Kunshou Ancestral Hall was incomplete and its beams and columns were eroded by rain; and some of the Renping and Lizhou Red Army Bridges had no signs, while others were encroached upon by breeding farms.
The procuratorial organs at the Shaoguan City and Renhua County levels handled the case as an integrated effort, holding procuratorial hearing sessions and issuing procuratorial suggestions to relevant departments. Soon, 7 Long March sites and relics were included in cultural relic protection applications, 15 ungraded Long March sites and relics were placed under standardized pre-protection, the surrounding environment of 20 sites was cleaned up, and 13 new protection signs and responsible person publicity boards were installed. At the same time, the Renhua County People's Procuratorate coordinated with cultural and tourism departments and relevant townships to form a protection pattern of "procuratorial supervision driving, administrative departments performing their duties proactively, and towns and villages conducting daily care."
Today, villagers point to the newly restored Renping Red Army Bridge and say: "The bridge has been repaired, the sign has been erected. When children ask about the Red Army stories, I bring them directly here to see it — it's more effective than telling them a hundred times!"
When handling a case involving the destruction of a former site of a Red Army forces' rendezvous, the procuratorial organ of Huining County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province, did not simply handle the case in isolation. They keenly identified that the main problems lay in the weak environmental awareness of surrounding residents and the contradiction between tourism development and cultural relic protection.
To this end, the procuratorial organ submitted a detailed report to the local government, promoting the establishment of a long-term protection mechanism and realizing a beneficial interaction or positive synergy (良性互动, liang xing hu dong - "good, nature, interaction") between the protection of red resources and economic and social development. At the same time, the procuratorial organ also joined forces with cultural and tourism, education, and other departments to recruit a group of "Little Red Docents," who use holidays to tell Long March stories to tourists.
Today, under the Huishi Tower, one can often see a group of children wearing red scarves, conveying the red voice to visitors from all directions.
"'Benefiting the Road of the Long March · Continuing Protection' is not only a special procuratorial effort, but also a profound baptism of red culture." said a relevant person in charge of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Procuratorial organs do not stop at handling cases in isolation, but strive to achieve "handling one case, governing one area, and benefiting one region," promoting the formation of a long-term mechanism for the whole society to participate together in the protection of red resources.
Return to TopBy: 李卓尔
Micro-short dramas should rightly become a "table of fine dishes" enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly—they must never be twisted into a "Hongmen banquet" of scheming against the elderly.
Recently, the news that "an elderly person recharged 220,000 yuan over two years to watch short dramas" shot to the top of the trending list—a man in Xinjiang, nearly seventy years old, made a cumulative total of 4,887 recharges across multiple short-drama mini-programs within two years, amounting to 225,800 yuan. The sheer magnitude of the sum is alarming. What deserves even greater vigilance is that this is not simply a matter of an elderly person enjoying dramas—it is a precisely targeted hunt aimed at the silver-haired demographic.
Data shows that among users of short-drama WeChat mini-programs, users over 51 years old now account for more than 30 percent; the monthly active users of silver-haired users on short-drama apps exceed 46 million. Low payment thresholds, dense plot suspense, and fast update rhythms are the common features of this type of content attracting middle-aged and elderly users. That more and more elderly people are embracing digital life is itself a vivid portrayal of social progress—yet in the calculations of some platforms, the vast silver-haired group has become "leeks" to be harvested and "prey" to be hunted.
On the surface, it appears that the elderly are actively seeking out dramas to watch, but behind the scenes, one should not overlook the proactive pushing and adding fuel to the fire (推波助澜, tui bo zhu lan - "push, waves, add, waves") by algorithms and traffic-investment teams. The layers of tricks are roughly threefold: First, "small amounts with weak pain perception"—39.9 yuan, 49.9 yuan, 69.9 yuan—each individually does not seem expensive, but small amounts accumulating into a large sum (积少成多, ji shao cheng duo - "accumulate, small, become, many"), and within a year or so it rolls up into a huge figure. When the pain points are sliced small, vigilance finds it hard to grow. Second, "changing disguises." Theater names are changed frequently, dozens or even hundreds of mini-programs take turns pushing content, one team registers numerous titles, the consuming subject is confused, and the elderly cannot remember exactly whom they gave their money to. Third, "algorithmic encirclement." Users who complete their first payment are tagged as "high-value" and "high-conversion," repeatedly bid on and continuously reached within the delivery system, with similar plots pushed episode after episode, their emotions held in a tight grip.
From "the willing take the bait" to "precision hunting," this is not a chance encounter—it is more a matter of targeted delivery driven by commercial interests. What is even more distressing is the difficulty of rights protection—small amounts at high frequency, "disguises" standing in profusion, and gathering evidence is like searching for something extremely difficult to find (大海捞针, da hai lao zhen - "big, sea, fish, needle"), so ordinary people often have no choice but to count their losses. That this hunt repeatedly succeeds is not unrelated to the erroneous business orientation of traffic supremacy and pursuing profit while abandoning moral principles (逐利忘义, zhu li wang yi - "pursue, profit, forget, righteousness"). Some operators treat the emotional emptiness of the elderly as a business opportunity, regard the elderly's weakness in discernment as a soft underbelly, and pervert "elderly-appropriateness" into "elderly-exploitation."
At the same time, some platforms have hollowed out their primary responsibility: content review and gatekeeping are lax, charging rules are vague and imprecise (语焉不详, yu yan bu xiang - "speech, words, not, detailed"), default checkboxes are rampant, yet refund channels are obstructed at every level. The stark contrast between low cost of illegality and high cost of rights protection objectively indulges taking desperate risks (铤而走险, ting er zou xian - "take, and, run, danger") and fuels the speculative mentality of "harvest a batch and run."
The elderly going online should not become "prey." Minors have the "youth mode" for protection; the elderly equally need a "digital firewall" against addiction and inducement. The Consumer Rights Protection Law explicitly grants consumers the right to know, the right to independent choice, and the right to fair dealing—clear pricing and truthful disclosure are legal obligations that operators cannot shirk. The "Measures for the Administration of Micro-Short Drama Development," which took effect on September 1 this year, has drawn its sharp sword from its scabbard (利剑出鞘, li jian chu qiao - "sharp, sword, exit, scabbard"), explicitly stipulating that micro-short drama broadcast units may not use algorithm models that induce user addiction or excessive consumption, shall clearly inform users of fee-related information, and shall protect consumers' lawful rights and interests in accordance with the law. The "teeth" of the system have grown in; the key lies in biting down and taking hold.
Micro-short dramas should rightly become a "table of fine dishes" enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly—they must never be twisted into a trap or a meeting designed to ambush someone (鸿门宴, hong men yan - "Hong, Gate, Banquet") of scheming against the elderly. Only by letting the rules grow teeth, letting platforms shoulder responsibility, and letting merchants uphold integrity can we dismantle this net hunting the elderly and give the silver-haired generation a secure and confident old age.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 亓玉昆
Zhang Mou and Li Mou were formerly in a romantic relationship. The two had held a wedding banquet and lived together, but had not yet completed marriage registration. During their courtship, Zhang Mou, for the purpose of entering into marriage with Li Mou, paid betrothal gifts and ceremonial money totaling more than 300,000 yuan to Li Mou in the form of cash deliveries and bank transfers. Among these, a portion of the payments were explicitly noted by Zhang Mou at the time of transfer as "ceremonial money."
After this money was returned by Li Mou, Zhang Mou, at Li Mou's request, transferred it again and noted it as "voluntary gift." Later, because Li Mou refused to register the marriage, and failing to reach an agreement through negotiation (协商无果, xie shang wu guo - "consult, no, result") on the return of the funds, Zhang Mou filed a lawsuit with the Shanghai Minhang District People's Court, demanding that Li Mou return all the funds.
The plaintiff, Zhang Mou, alleged in his complaint that during the courtship, all the property he paid to Li Mou was a gift conditional on his obtaining a marriage certificate with Li Mou, and that for any transfer of relatively large amount, Li Mou required that the note explicitly state wording such as "gratuitous gift, gift," yet Li Mou kept delaying the matter of obtaining the marriage certificate. Having no choice, he demanded that she return the betrothal gifts and other expenses, but Li Mou ignored him. He therefore sued in court, asserting that Li Mou should return all the funds. The defendant, Li Mou, argued in her defense that the transfer notes explicitly stated "voluntary gift," which should be regarded as property gratuitously gifted to her by Zhang Mou, and could not be revoked or returned.
After trial, the court held that where a party pays betrothal gifts in accordance with custom for the purpose of forming a marriage relationship, and the two parties subsequently fail to complete marriage registration procedures, a request by the party who paid the betrothal gifts for the other party to return them should be supported.
In this case, the plaintiff made property expenditures to the defendant for the purpose of forming a marriage relationship, and at the time of the first transfer to the defendant, the money was clearly designated as ceremonial money. Although the note was later changed to "voluntary gift" after being returned by the defendant, the nature of the funds still needed to be determined comprehensively in light of the background of the transfer, the use of the funds, and the true intentions of both parties.
After verification, the court held that the funds were more consistent with a payment made by the plaintiff for the purpose of forming a marriage relationship with the defendant, and constituted betrothal gifts, which should be handled in accordance with the legal provisions on the return of betrothal gifts. Ultimately, in light of the actual circumstances of both parties in this case, the Minhang District People's Court, at its discretion, ordered the defendant to return approximately 200,000 yuan of the betrothal gifts.
The judge handling the case stated that betrothal gifts, as a component of traditional marriage customs, are in essence a conditional gift in which one party pays a relatively large amount of property to the other party for the purpose of forming a marriage relationship. Where the two parties ultimately fail to form a marriage, the party who paid the property may assert revocation of the gift and the return of the property. The Provisions of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Cases Involving Disputes over Betrothal Gifts clearly stipulate that extracting property by means of marriage is prohibited. A "voluntary gift" is not a universal shield. If a transfer occurs during the period of wedding preparations, the amount clearly exceeds the level of ordinary dating consumption, and the transfer is related to marriage matters, the court will still make a determination with reference to the true intentions of both parties. The note can serve as one piece of evidence, but it cannot alone determine the nature of the funds.
The judge reminded the public that during a romantic relationship, whether it concerns pre-wedding preparation funds, betrothal gifts, or ordinary gifts, especially when large amounts of property are involved, both parties should clarify the nature of the funds as much as possible. It is advisable to leave traces through transfer records, while also preserving evidence such as chat records and shopping receipts, to clarify the use and payment purpose of the funds, so as to avoid difficulties in presenting evidence should disputes arise later.
Return to TopBy: 本报记者 张天培
At 6:10 a.m. on October 1, the golden autumn morning light spread across Tiananmen Square, and the five-star red flag rose slowly to the sound of the majestic national anthem.
"The square has a large flow of people. We must both hold the safety bottom line and deliver services to the hearts of the masses; we must both maintain order and show warmth." Ma Su (马骕), captain of the Fifth Squadron of the First Patrol Detachment of the Tiananmen Area Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said.
To ensure the safety of the large passenger flow coming to watch the flag-raising during the National Day holiday, Beijing police conducted on-site surveys in advance and formulated a meticulous security plan. On the night before the National Day holiday, Tiananmen Square opened, and police officers were simultaneously on duty, orderly guiding the flow of people into the venue.
"The order in the square is very good, and police officers are on duty around us. We feel very reassured." Mr. Zhang, a tourist from Hebei, watched the flag-raising on site for the first time and was deeply moved.
According to reports, during the National Day holiday, Beijing police continuously implemented various security measures, remained at their posts around the clock, safeguarded peace and stability with meticulous and refined work, and ensured that the vast number of tourists celebrated the holiday safely and comfortably.
As night fell, the two rivers and four banks were a bustling scene with many people (人头攒动, ren tou zan dong - "people, head, crowd, move"). In Wuhan, Hubei, a spectacular fireworks display was held on the surface of the Yangtze River.
Facing the major test of security, Wuhan public security made thorough deployments, wove a safety protection network, adopted fine-tuned measures, and provided warm-hearted services to the masses.
"I was in a hurry when I left home today and didn't expect it to rain. This raincoat came just in time." Before the fireworks were set off, a light rain fell by the river, and Wuhan public security urgently dispatched a batch of raincoats to distribute free of charge to the crowd on site.
As the fireworks leaped over the river surface, the police officers on duty turned their backs to the brilliant flames and faced the surging crowds, watching for every signal of help in the crowded throng. As the flow of people continued to rise, a girl climbed onto a stone pier, and police officer Hu Binbin (胡斌斌) quickly stepped forward to persuade the girl back to a safe area.
Heartwarming scenes unfolded one after another. While watching the fireworks, Ms. Huang accidentally lost her mobile phone, which contained important data. After receiving the request for help, police officers searched carefully in the night and soon returned the phone to its owner. After the fireworks display ended, when police officer Yuan Wei (袁巍) was guiding spectators to exit in an orderly manner, he saw a mother carrying a backpack and lifting a stroller with difficulty, and quickly stepped forward to help lift the stroller. After escorting the mother and child all the way to a safe area, Yuan Wei turned around and merged back into the crowd to continue guiding the following spectators. "The work is truly considerate," the child's mother remarked.
From on-site traffic guidance, to safety prevention, to warm-hearted services, that night, under the full protection of Wuhan public security, the event concluded successfully and spectators exited in an orderly manner.
On the evening of October 5, the Suoyuwan Football Stadium in Dalian, Liaoning, hosted the finals of the first "Northeast Super" league. Inside the stadium, giant cheering banners spread across the stands, and waves of cheering rose one after another.
"Entering and exiting was very smooth, and I felt a strong sense of safety." Mr. Liu, a football fan from Changchun, remarked. From the entrance to the stands, from the off-field activity area to the return transfer points, Dalian public security deployed a total of more than 3,800 person-times of on-site security forces, integrating safety guarantees and convenience services throughout the entire match-watching process.
"At a scene with tens of thousands of people, we must both clearly see the overall flow direction and promptly detect local changes." Wang Zhihao (王智浩), deputy captain of the Public Order Management Brigade of the Public Security Detachment of the Dalian Municipal Public Security Bureau, introduced that previously they mainly relied on experience for judgment, but now they rely more on data support.
Relying on video patrol and data analysis, Dalian public security aggregated dynamic information from venue entrances and exits, peripheral roads, and traffic transfer areas to the command terminal, providing a basis for on-site police forces to adjust guidance and respond nearby.
For spectators visiting Suoyuwan for the first time, where the entrance is, how to transfer, and which way to go when leaving are all specific details of concern to the public. Before the match, Dalian public security traffic management departments organized traffic safety publicity activities, integrating travel reminders into the match-watching experience. At the same time, they released traffic notices in advance, advocated taking buses and subways, and helped fans plan their travel routes.
Whether it was the vigorous crackdown on crimes prone to occurring during the holiday period, such as telecommunications and network fraud and "robbery, theft, and fraud" and "prostitution, gambling, and drugs," or the effective maintenance of order at important venues such as tourist attractions, bustling commercial districts, and transportation hubs, during the National Day holiday, the vast number of police officers and auxiliary police officers of public security organs across the country worked with heart and feeling to resolve difficulties for the masses and diligently guarded the lights of ten thousand households. As of 4:00 p.m. on October 7, the overall social situation across the country was stable and public order was good; criminal and public security alerts decreased by 23.7% and 7% year-on-year respectively; more than 2,700 large-scale events were held safely and smoothly; road traffic across the country was generally stable and orderly; and order at tourist attractions was well maintained.
Return to TopBy: 张永新
In February 2023, the core creative team of The Great Long March made its first "retracing of the Long March route," arriving at the Memorial Hall of the Red Army's Xiangjiang River Campaign during the Long March. Here, the story of a blue-and-white porcelain bowl deeply moved every one of us.
The Xiangjiang River Campaign was the most brutal and costly battle of the Red Army's Long March, with tens of thousands of souls laid to rest here. In 2018 and 2019, the Quanzhou County government of Guangxi carried out work to recover and protect the remains of Red Army soldiers who fell in the Xiangjiang River Campaign. At Ermu Cave alone, 30 complete skeletons and more than 3,000 bone fragments were excavated. Local personnel discovered a complete skeleton at the edge of a cliff not far outside the cave. He leaned against the cliff wall, one arm straining toward a blue-and-white porcelain bowl not far away, a mere 30 centimeters distant. He seemed to have wanted to reach the bowl to drink water, but because his wounds were too severe, he was frozen forever in this posture. Based on skeletal development analysis and isotope identification, this fallen Red Army soldier was less than 14 years old.
This frozen moment, so close yet so far, made us realize that the Long March was, from the very beginning, a youthful expedition. The average age of ordinary Red Army soldiers was under 20, and the average age of division and regiment commanders was under 25. It was precisely this group of young people who, amidst intense gunfire and heavy artillery (枪林弹雨, qiang lin dan yu - "gun, forest, bullet, rain"), traversed vast distances and many mountains and rivers (千山万水, qian shan wan shui - "thousand, mountain, ten thousand, water"), completing this great expedition with lofty faith and unwavering will. How to film the Long March of these "young people" well, how to bring this history closer to today's audiences and into the hearts of young people—these were the important questions we pondered repeatedly.
In our second round of creation, we consistently adhered to the creative philosophy put forward by chief screenwriter Chen Jin: establish the grand framework in the large, reveal true feeling in the small. What exactly does the "large" in the Long March refer to? The Central Red Army, the Second Front Army of the Red Army, the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army, and the 25th Army of the Red Army fought across 15 provinces, covering a total distance of 65,000 li; they fought more than 600 battles; they crossed snow-capped mountains and traversed vast grasslands, challenging the limits of human survival. This "largeness" is our panoramic historical vision, grounded in the overall situation and respectful of historical facts. The drama is set against the historical backdrop of January 1934 to January 1937, with the Central Red Army's Long March as the main thread, while simultaneously presenting the independent journeys of the Second Front Army, the Fourth Front Army, and the 25th Army of the Red Army, and incorporating revolutionary threads such as the Northern Advance Anti-Japanese Vanguard, the Southern Guerrilla Forces, and the Northern Shaanxi Red Army into the narrative framework, striving to present a grand historical panorama of the Chinese nation's arduous search for a way to save the country in the midst of desperate straits.
To establish this historical "grand" framework, we focused on sorting out and solidly polishing four major historical threads running through the entire series: First, tell well the story of the expedition's beginning, clearly explaining why the Red Army had to bid farewell to its base areas and carry out strategic transfer, so that audiences understand that this expedition was an inevitable choice for survival in desperate straits and for preserving the revolutionary flame. Second, sort out the road of transition, systematically presenting a series of key meeting junctures along the Long March route, achieving gradual buildup and precise landing (层层铺垫, ceng ceng pu dian - "layer, layer, pave, cushion"), with particular attention to polishing the presentation of the Zunyi Conference—filmed over 8 days, with a length of more than two episodes, restoring this great turning point that corrected the course amid the fog and saved the Party and saved the Red Army. Third, directly confront the darkest moment of the grassland division of forces, not avoiding the weight of history, truthfully presenting this difficult period, allowing audiences to see the steadfastness and resolve of faith in desperate circumstances. Fourth, write well the magnificent course of the victorious rendezvous of forces, completely presenting how multiple Red Army routes broke through enemy encirclement amidst bloody combat (浴血突围, yu xue tu wei - "bathe, blood, break, surround"), overcame perils, fought their way to survival in desperate straits, and ultimately converged into a mighty force illuminating the nation's path forward.
While anchoring this historical "largeness," we also carefully captured those small yet warm details hidden in the folds of history. We pursued the "smallness" of creation, striving to restore flesh-and-blood people, restore true suffering, and restore pure and unwavering faith. This is our reverence for history from the depths of our hearts, our sincere respect for the martyrs.
Where exactly does the creative fulcrum of "smallness" lie? Ultimately, it lies in the human heart, in emotion, in the true joys and sorrows of every character. The leader figures portrayed in the drama possess both the grand vision of strategizing and making plans in a command center (运筹帷幄, yun chu wei wo - "plan, manage, curtain, tent") and the soft warmth of ordinary people. Historical records show that Chairman Mao shed tears four times during the Long March. The drama artistically presents some of these episodes: encountering a grandfather and grandson who were "dry people (the poor)" fleeing famine during the march, Chairman Mao took off his sweater and gave it to the child, tearfully crying out, "We must find a way to live for all the dry people of the world"; He Zizhen was seriously wounded while covering her comrades and was on the verge of death; Chairman Mao galloped to her side, and He Zizhen, waking from a coma, asked, "If we have another child in the future, can we not send him away?" Chairman Mao, holding his wife's hand, shed tears profusely (潸然泪下, shan ran lei xia - "shedding, flowing, tear, down"); guard squad leader Hu Changbao sacrificed himself to shield Chairman Mao, and Chairman Mao wept in grief while embracing his comrade; after victoriously arriving in Yan'an, Chairman Mao's eyes brimmed with tears as he recalled his fallen comrades.
To film the Long March, one must revere the Long March; one must film the Long March with the great Long March spirit. This is what I often said to everyone at the filming site. We strove to portray the young officers and soldiers as equally vivid and three-dimensional, carefully capturing those fragmentary moments of humanity. For that young soldier 30 centimeters from the blue-and-white porcelain bowl, we gave him a name: Chen Bailin; the 26-year-old political commissar Yi Dangping, before his sacrifice in the Xiangjiang River Campaign, shouted, "Comrades, let us die rushing forward, to seek a way to live for our comrades"; the 22-year-old He Bingyan had his right arm shattered by an explosion in battle, and surgery could only be performed with a wooden saw; amid excruciating pain, He Bingyan sang a mountain song from western Hunan and Hubei: "If you want to eat chili, you must not fear its heat; if you want to be a Red Army soldier, you must not fear being killed; when the knife is placed at your neck, cutting off your head leaves only a scar the size of a bowl"—this was his only anesthetic; on the grassland, an unnamed young soldier, before his sacrifice, neatly arranged his weapon and clothing beside him, leaving them for the comrades who came after. Frame by frame, these images sketch out the softest and most tragic undertone of the Long March.
Thirty centimeters—the hope of survival that a youth could not reach; 65,000 li—the great expedition that Red Army officers and soldiers traversed across mountains and rivers. Behind this grand epic lie not only countless brief yet extraordinary lives rushing forward, but also sacrifice and vigil between what is within reach and what is beyond it. This "largeness" and "smallness" are precisely the core we sought to explore in creating The Great Long March.
Over 457 days of filming, we added a subtitle to our daily call sheets: Why is the Long March eternal? How should we answer this question? Just as in the opening of the series, under the dim light of an oil lamp, Chairman Mao sits quietly weaving straw sandals; between the interweaving of warp and weft, the most unadorned undertone of this expedition is woven. At the end of the series, on the banks of the Yellow River with its nine bends and eighteen turns, a young Red Army soldier asks Chairman Mao: "Will we ever go on a Long March again?" Chairman Mao replies: "People living in this world are always walking roads; roads can never be walked to the end. Do you still remember how to make straw sandals? The skill of making straw sandals must not be lost!"
(The author is the director of the television drama The Great Long March)
Return to TopBy: 唐 峰
At the Central National Orchestra's "Guoyue in the Prime of Youth" concert, a batch of works that had never met an audience were played for the first time, and the notes truly stood up from the page. Many of the composers sat right in the audience, and most of the performers had never heard their names. From solicitation and adjudication to the stage, the journey reached its destination that night.
National orchestral music has traversed a century, and works have always been its foundation for standing firm. This year, the orchestra launched the first concert season in its history — the Bingwu Horse Year Concert Season — arranging performances throughout the year according to the seasonal calendar. A season can have its own temporal form, but what sustains a season and carries it far and deep is, in the final analysis, a body of works that can stand firm. For this reason, we established "works" as the core theme of the season. The question that follows must be answered: where do good works come from? Where are the people who write national music?
The answer is sought first from within. In addition to commissioned works, I hope to open another experimental field. The Central National Orchestra has already held two sessions of the "Guoyue in the Prime of Youth" creative activity, one online and one offline, both aimed at the young people within the orchestra. The original intention was to let young people dare to think, dare to write, and dare to try. After two sessions, a batch of young creators has emerged, and the orchestra has also worked out a mechanism from solicitation and adjudication to stage testing. For the third session, we opened the door and solicited works from the whole of society. As a national-level art troupe, leading and setting an example is our duty; but beyond leading, we must also sink downward and dive deep, to find the composing talent and good works scattered across the country.
In recent years, a profound change has been taking place: working people write poetry, farmers make short videos, ordinary people use notes to record life and the times, and a new mass literature and art is flourishing vigorously. The people are not only appreciators of literature and art, but also creators of literature and art. National music has always come from the people — folk songs are sung by the people, folk instrumental genres have been passed down by the people; those who can write good national music today are likewise among the people. Soliciting works from the whole of society is precisely a response to this trend: to build the stage of creation right among the people.
160 people registered, 90 creators submitted their works, and 117 pieces were received; among the submitters were compatriots from Taiwan who registered with Mainland Travel Permits for Taiwan Residents, as well as creators in Russia, Spain, Thailand, and Malaysia; the youngest was 10 years old, the oldest 68, and the main force was the post-80s and post-90s generation; there were teachers and students from professional academies, award-winning composers, popular creators on online platforms, as well as beginners who had never made a name for themselves and senior enthusiasts who take pleasure in national music after retirement. Seniority knows no depth, and passion knows no earliness or lateness — such a span is precisely clear proof of the whole society's love for national music. Solicitation is not only about "selecting works," but even more about "gathering hearts."
Three rounds of review were conducted consecutively from the dimensions of creation and performance. Score review is only the first hurdle; the real test is on the stage: shortlisted works must be sight-read by the orchestra on site, tested in real sound. No matter how exquisite the design on paper, if it cannot land, it is not a stage work. Complete compositional technique is the baseline; the effect of presentation, audience response, and stage vitality are the key. Works must be youthful, and concepts must be even more youthful: notes must not only arouse the performers' desire to express, but also trigger the audience's passion on site. The notes on paper must ultimately land in the audience's hearts.
The right to judge the concert was given to more people: performers, starting from their experience of rehearsal and performance, selected the works they liked most; online voting opened simultaneously, with the audience choosing the most popular work. Professional adjudicators, stage sight-reading, performers, and audience members are all judges — we believe that the more dimensions a work is judged from, the more steadily it stands. The composers' feedback was moving: "The solicitation is like a catalyst, not only making more fellow composers begin to pay attention to and try their hand at national music composition, but also injecting new vitality into the accumulation of national music works." The media likewise gave high praise: "A submission ecosystem interweaving 'young calves' and 'anonymous names' highlights the vitality and depth of the national music creation ecosystem."
Unforgettably, when the concert ended, the applause lasted long and would not cease. The enthusiasm that filled the concert hall, infected by passion and youth, moved me and, even more, comforted me. Classics are not adjudicated into being; they are performed and heard into being. Building a stage for these works that have come from among the people is planting a seed for the classics of tomorrow. After this night, I believe, more people will take up their pens to write their first note — the first note belonging to national music.
(The author is the head of the Central National Orchestra)
Return to TopBy: 杨道全
The curtain has fallen on the Beijing People's Art Theatre's "Youth in Bloom · Drama Gathering in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei" 2026 College Student Drama Exhibition. The 13 works performed by 11 universities including Beijing Jiaotong University, Hebei Agricultural University, Capital Normal University, Renmin University of China, and the China Conservatory of Music, as well as the Beijing People's Art Theatre Campus Drama Backbone Training Workshop, displayed youthful vitality, young perspectives, rawness and highlights, showing the development potential of campus drama. Which plays do college students favor? This exhibition provided a rich sample.
Works with upright themes align with contemporary college students' sunny, upward-looking, and energetic disposition. Among the 13 works were The Road of Transmission, which presents the arduous journey of Zhan Tianyou, the father of China's railways, in building the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway; Echoes of the Taihang Mountains, which eulogizes Li Baoguo, a "People's Model"; Iron Ox, which promotes the spirit of craftsmanship; and Flowing · Spark, which presents the training of a revolutionary literary and artistic contingent by the Northern Shaanxi Public School under Cheng Fangwu's leadership — works that echo the spirit of the times.
Classic works accounted for a high proportion in the exhibition. Repertory plays of the Beijing People's Art Theatre such as Family Portrait, Dragon Beard Ditch, Ruan Lingyu, and The Jury, as well as classic old plays like Ding Xilin's Blind in One Eye, were all favored by college students. Through the tempering of classic works, the students benefited greatly (获益匪浅, huo yi fei qian - "gain, benefit, not, little"), and the outstanding performances of Ruan Lingyu and The Jury in the exhibition are good proof of this.
The exhibition emphasized accurate grasp of the art of drama. Iron Ox uses imagery to govern the entire play. In the play, one wrench, passed down through three generations — the wrench is the brushstroke of imagery, pointing toward the spirit of craftsmanship. Only with the spiritual soul of the wrench can there be the iron ox; only with the inheritance of the wrench can there be the development and iteration of Iron Ox 1.0, 2.0, and N.0. The performances were also praiseworthy and noteworthy (可圈可点, ke quan ke dian - "can, circle, can, dot"). In Ruan Lingyu, Ruan Lingyu's monologue was handled with full emotion and rich rhythm. In The Jury, the group portrait of 12 female jurors was vivid and distinct, the stage rhythm was accurately controlled, and the dramatic tension was rich. The atmosphere of everyday life in Dragon Beard Ditch was authentically created and highly evocative.
The Beijing People's Art Theatre launched the Campus Drama Backbone Training Workshop. In just seven days, listening to master classes, visiting museums, watching Thunderstorm and Hallucination, observing the rehearsal of the Li Bai cast, and rehearsing excerpts of Family Portrait and The Jury, the college students experienced the full process in a solid manner.
The development and prosperity of the art of drama has never been a one-sided matter for art troupes; the audience is also an important pole. The amateur system, as an important supplement to the drama industry, is also a vital link in the entire drama ecosystem. Amateur enthusiasts are the fresh blood of the drama industry and an important source of quality audiences. Therefore, the college student drama exhibition, by safeguarding the seeds of campus drama, is in essence also safeguarding the future of the art of spoken drama. The thinking and expression of young people will also nourish the art of spoken drama itself. When more college students enter the world of drama and come to love drama, when more college students stand on the stage, it also means more opportunities to see oneself, to see the times, and to see a broader world.
Return to TopBy: 王 斑
The stage play A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward is the third stage work in the National Centre for the Performing Arts' "Classic Black-and-White Film Adaptation Series." The original film A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward is grand in scale and complex in plot. This adaptation follows three principles: upholding the spiritual core of the original work, preserving its weighty historical backdrop, and grounding itself in contemporary aesthetic expression.
Reverence for the classic is the creative baseline, but reverence does not mean mechanical replication. The characters' struggles and downfalls, their wavering and awakening, their contradictions and transformations, slowly unfold across the time and space of the stage. This unhurried, delicate, and complete emotional trajectory is the unique warmth and power of stage art.
The play's most iconic stage vocabulary consists of three sets of independently circulating conveyor belts, corresponding respectively to the Songhua River, the Jialing River, and the Huangpu River, metaphorically representing the protagonist's life of wandering and hardship (颠沛流离, dian pei liu li - "toss, throw, drift, depart") and the three regions where the story takes place. The imagery of the circulating devices symbolizes the torrent of the era and also carries the flavor of the vicissitudes of life (世事沧桑, shi shi cang sang - "world, affairs, great, many"). We have incorporated the mood of Li Yu's ci poem "The Beautiful Lady Yu" into the opening's main visual design. Before the curtain rises, a bright moon hangs high and river waters flow, and the poetic imagery of "a river of spring water flows eastward" slowly spreads out, establishing an overall atmosphere that is bleak and profound, subtle and far-reaching, allowing the audience to enter the scene before the play even begins. Thereafter, the imagery of the bright moon and the river runs through the entire play.
Film dialogue serves the editing of shots and the rhythm of montage—it is concise, fragmented, and suited to camera performance, and cannot be directly adapted to the performance logic and narrative scale of the stage. Stage dialogue must carry character personality, dramatic conflict, emotional progression, and turning points of fate, and therefore must be restructured, reshaped, and supplemented. For example, a key monologue was specially created for Sufen: "Why is the happiness of the poor always so short, and why are the nights of the poor always so long?" Through this plain-spoken question, the inner world of the characters becomes more real and tangible.
The adapted play does not intensify the brutality of war scenes, but instead focuses on depicting people's fear, struggle, and will to survive in turbulent times, allowing the audience to see that what is truly cruel has never been merely gunfire and smoke, but rather the wavering human nature beneath the torrent. The stage version strengthens the positive narrative line of the younger brother Zhang Zhongmin, forming a stark contrast of fates with the elder brother Zhang Zhongliang. One person holds fast to his original aspiration, taking on the responsibility of serving the country; the other pursues vanity and glamour, losing himself and sinking into depravity. Loyalty and wavering, steadfastness and desire, responsibility and self-interest—the two lines run in parallel, mirroring each other. The dance ensemble transforms into the flowing torrent of the era, metaphorically representing the external environment. Sichuan opera face-changing visually presents Zhang Zhongliang's inner transformation and gradual descent into depravity.
The stage is divided into dual time and space: on one side is the precarious (风雨飘摇, feng yu piao yao - "wind, rain, float, shake"), impoverished, and suffering life at the bottom; on the other is a world of luxury and sensual pleasure (灯红酒绿, deng hong jiu lv - "lamp, red, wine, green"), extravagance, and vanity. This stage tension reaches its climax at the end of the first half: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning interweave, the soaring aria "Nessun Dorma" pierces through the entire hall—on one side is the lure of fame and fortune, climbing up the social ladder step by step (步步攀附, bu bu pan fu - "step, step, cling, attach"); on the other is lonely waiting and longing day and night. Zhang Zhongliang stands at the crossroads of fate, wine glass in hand, and the curtain suddenly falls, leaving the audience with endless reflection and suspense.
The handling of the ending required considerable deliberation: we attempted to supplement the original film's ending of Sufen throwing herself into the river with poetic blank space and restrained, impressionistic expression. After the mother and son part by the river, the stage device slowly rises into the air, and the stage scenery returns to ethereal emptiness, creating the mood of "a vast expanse of white, truly clean and pure." Accompanied by the classic old song "Eternal Smile," the actors gaze at the audience, conveying the tragic power of finding profound meaning or power in silence (于无声处听惊雷, yu wu sheng chu ting jing lei - "at, no, sound, place, listen, startling, thunder"). At the play's curtain call, all the actors slowly recede into the depths of the stage along with the flowing conveyor belts, like spring water and waves, coming and going without a sound.
For more than seventy years, the spring water has flowed eastward through great changes and transformations, yet the choices of human nature and the trials of desire remain eternal themes. Adapting classics is also a path of learning. May this new stage version of A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward allow audiences to look back upon the passage of time, and let the beauty of the classic flow upon the stage and within the ages.
(The author is the playwright, director, and lead actor of the stage play A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward.)
Return to TopBy: 赵建新
Small-theatre drama has traveled more than four decades of development in China. Not long ago, the third national excellent repertoire exhibition performance of small-theatre drama concluded, leaving behind not only the repertoires themselves but also allowing us to see the growth trajectory of this special type of stage art. Today, in the small theatre, what trends and changes can we observe?
We see a richer array of stage art forms. Back then, Absolute Signal liberated spoken drama from the proscenium stage of the large theatre in the name of "experimentation," while Splashing Water Before the Horse enabled traditional opera, an ancient art form, to find a new mode of presentation in the small theatre. The path blazed by these two works has continued to extend. On the stage of this exhibition performance, the repertoires have long since broken through the binary pattern of spoken drama and traditional opera. Musicals are extremely well-suited to an environment (如鱼得水, ru yu de shui - "like, fish, obtain, water") in the small theatre with their youthful expression and flexible shifts of time and space, while song-and-dance dramas leverage the intimacy of the small theatre to achieve a deep fusion of narrative and lyricism. The richness of art forms precisely confirms the spiritual core of small-theatre drama: the continuous breaking through of existing theatrical boundaries.
Various art categories regenerate within the small-theatre space. When traditional opera enters the small theatre, it rethinks the proportional relationship between narrative and song-and-dance, seeking more precise singing, reciting, acting, and acrobatic movements and emotional climax points within a limited space. When musicals enter the small theatre, they are compelled to abandon grand orchestras and splendid ensemble dances, seeking modes of expression that rely more on the performers' own vocal prowess and dramatic tension. The small theatre is like a sieve, sifting out the ostentation that depends on external conditions for support, leaving behind the most authentic core of theatrical art. This is precisely the important contribution of small-theatre drama—becoming a crucible where different art categories collide with and nourish one another, giving birth to new stage vocabularies. Boundaries need to be broken through, yet the essence must still be upheld. Of the 23 repertoires in this exhibition performance, 12 traditional opera works span multiple genres including Peking opera, Kunqu opera, Yue opera, Henan opera, Cantonese opera, and Chu opera; the remaining 11 spoken dramas, song-and-dance dramas, and children's plays each possess their own forms, with genres crossing boundaries, demonstrating both the rich ecology of small-theatre drama and its ability to adhere to the essence of drama and the foundational character of each genre.
We see broader creative subject matter. First, there is deep excavation of the individual spiritual world. Multiple works in this exhibition performance turn their lens on the spiritual circumstances of contemporary people, depicting with delicate brushstrokes the struggles and reconciliations of individuals amid the currents of the times—such as the three old friends in Returning to the Three-Way Fork laying bare their historical desires, and Questions Posed to Oneself constructing an encounter in an illusory time and space between a young blogger eager to be seen and a being extremely meticulous or nitpicking (锱铢必较, zhai zhu bi jiao - "tiny, weight, certainly, compare") rigorous scholar. In the small theatre, a wandering glance or a pause in breathing is enough to constitute dramatic action, which makes those stories about the "inner world" gain the possibility of being told. Small-theatre drama is becoming a microscope for the spiritual world of contemporary people. Second, there is the retelling of history and classics. In this exhibition performance, multiple works including the Cantonese opera Sigh of the Skeleton, the Yue opera If I Were Not Xi Kang, and the musical Diao Chan, What Are You Thinking? revisit historical figures and classic texts from a contemporary perspective, seeking the possibility of dialogue with the present in the interstices of history. Third, there is the response to social reality. In this exhibition performance, many creators turn their gaze toward current issues such as technological ethics and intergenerational relations, reflecting the self-awareness of small-theatre drama in engaging with reality. The small theatre's response to reality is often not a macro-level social analysis, but rather proceeds from the individual's personal experience. This approach to subject matter of revealing the big picture through small details (以小见大, yi xiao jian da - "use, small, see, big") is precisely where its advantage lies.
We see richer dramatic style types. In this exhibition performance, we can see both highly experimental avant-garde dramas like Within a Square Inch and plain narratives that return to the text like The Taste of Mother; both cross-media theater integrating multimedia technology and minimalist expressions resembling black-and-white ink painting. In addition, many works break the traditional boundary between performance and audience, incorporating spectators into the dramatic action. This richness of style types is the best proof of the vitality of the small theatre.
While rejoicing in the flourishing of small-theatre drama, we must also balance several sets of relationships in current small-theatre creation and performance. First, the breadth and narrowness of subject matter. Although the small theatre has merit that cannot be overlooked (功不可没, gong bu ke mei - "merit, not, can, hide") in expanding subject matter, a survey of repertoire creation in recent years still reveals the existence of a certain "safe zone." A large number of works concentrate on relatively secure fields such as urban romance, youthful growth, and adaptation of classics. The small theatre should not abandon its sharpness as a sensitive nerve of society. Second, the tragic and comic in style. Many small-theatre repertoires focus on the struggle, tearing, and choices of the individual soul in extreme situations, and the stage presentation of such creative themes tends toward tragic expression, with some even forcing sentimentality or being overly sentimental (为赋新词强说愁, wei fu xin ci qiang shuo chou - "for, compose, new, lyrics, forcibly, express, sorrow"). Keywords of small-theatre drama such as "soul interrogation," "spiritual contemplation," and "questions of life and death" apply not only to tragedy but equally to comedy. Third, the departure and retention of talent. The small theatre is admittedly a cradle for young theater artists, but where does the road lead after the cradle? There is no need to avoid stating that small-theatre drama has low costs, but creators' remuneration is also meager, and many young creators, after completing one or two small-theatre works that catch the eye, will advance to the large theatre. Thus, the small theatre becomes a "springboard" rather than a "final destination." We need more theater workers willing to make the small theatre their long-term creative base.
"Small" likewise signifies uniqueness of perspective, fluency of expression, and sharpness of thought. We look forward to the small theatre continuing to serve as the "nerve endings" of theatrical art, keenly sensing the temperature and pain of the times, not losing the gene of innovation while embracing the market, and not wearing away the spirit of experimentation while moving toward maturity.
(The author is a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts)
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