HONG KONG, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- When crowds swarm Hong Kong's streets carrying lanterns and raising their phones to capture the full moon, Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived.The city offers an exclusive experience for this popular traditional festival. This year's Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival in Victoria Park added a novel twist -- a World Lantern Boulevard adorned with over 3,000 lanterns from 20 countries and regions worldwide.They glow alongside over 400 handmade local-style lanterns in the shapes of white rabbits and goldfishes, as well as a main installation of Chinese Bayan trees standing as tall as eight meters.The trees are made by a team of 33 craftsmen from east China's Nanjing City. Yu Zhongzhi, manager of the company responsible for the installation, said the team wanted to recreate memories of neighbors sitting and chatting under Chinese Bayan trees, which are native to Hong Kong, in a festival for family reunions.Later into the night of the festival, the park welcomed one more tradition -- the century-old fire dragon dance. Over 300 performers hoisted up a 67-meter fire dragon straw skeleton bristling with more than 12,000 burning incense sticks all over.The dance started from the Tai Hang neighborhood in Causeway Bay, the home of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage in China, and advanced westward into the park to meet the lantern carnival. The fire dragon undulated and rolled into a coil as the performers swung the poles from side to side in shifting formations.Many of the performers were former Tai Hang residents who make time every year to return and honor the neighborhood tradition, said Cheung Kwok-ho, director of the dance. The performance usually takes as long as six months to prepare.Friday marks the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in the Chinese mainland. Many tourists chose to visit the Hong Kong Ocean Park, where the giant panda family had their festival feast on Wednesday. Jia Jia and De De, the first giant pandas born in Hon...

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said Friday that China stands ready to work with Cyprus to build a more fruitful strategic partnership that delivers greater benefits to the two peoples.Han made the remarks while meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.Han said that although China and Cyprus differ in social systems and cultural traditions, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, setting a good example of friendship and cooperation for the international community.Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the fifth anniversary of their strategic partnership, Han said that China is willing to work with Cyprus to consolidate their strategic mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthen multilateral coordination.Christodoulides said that Cyprus firmly adheres to the one-China policy and has always been a trustworthy partner of China. He looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China, consolidating strategic mutual trust, deepening exchanges and cooperation in such areas as science and technology, agriculture and tourism, and enhancing multilateral coordination.

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said Friday that China is willing to work with Ghana to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, and steadily deepen the China-Ghana strategic partnership.Han made the remarks while meeting with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.Han said the China-Ghana friendship was forged by the older generation of leaders of the two countries and has stood the test of time.China and Ghana share broad common ground in promoting unity, self-reliance, development and revitalization among the Global South, Han said, calling on the two sides to firmly support each other and enhance solidarity and cooperation under the new circumstances.China is willing to advance cooperation with Ghana in areas including mining, green energy, vocational training and youth development, he said.Han called on Ghana to continue providing a favorable business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in the country and make full and effective use of the zero-tariff policy to better achieve mutual benefit and common development.Mahama said that Ghana-China relations enjoy a profound historical foundation and that Ghana sincerely appreciates China's valuable support and assistance over the years.Ghana always adheres to the one-China policy and looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in fields such as trade, investment, mining and manufacturing, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges to continuously enrich bilateral relations, Mahama said.Ghana supports China's global initiatives and stands ready to deepen multilateral coordination with China and cooperation within the framework of the African Union, he said, adding that the two sides will jointly promote a fairer and more just international o...

Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded on Friday a state visit to the United States.

AMMAN, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A promotional event for the first volume of China's Governance Under Xi Jinping's Leadership, compiled by Xinhua News Agency, was held on Thursday at the 25th Amman International Book Fair in Jordan's capital.Jamal Dmour, head of the Jordanian-Chinese Friendship Society, introduced the new book to the audience at the event, saying that China's remarkable development experience offers valuable insights for the advancement of humanity.Speaking at the event, Gong Anmin, the charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Jordan, said the first volume offers a panoramic media perspective on China's development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), documenting the practice of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in advancing the cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.Gong said the book provides an important window for the world to explore the keys to China's success in pursuing Chinese modernization.The first volume of China's Governance Under Xi Jinping's Leadership contains 26 feature stories and 41 news photographs by Xinhua, offering a vivid, multimedia account of the great practice of China advancing under the leadership of Xi, and fully demonstrating the powerful truth and practical force of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.The 25th Amman International Book Fair attracted more than 400 publishing houses from over 20 countries.