File photoFormer vice-minister Li Jinzao given 15 years in prison for accepting bribesFormer vice-minister of culture and tourism Li Jinzao used his power to indulge in luxuries and he forged evidence to deny receiving bribes such as gold bars, according to a TV documentary aired on Monday night.Li became obsessed with using power for convenience as a local leader, such as when he was mayor of Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to a four-episode TV series broadcast during the plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the Partys top anti-corruption watchdog."Whether I was going to hospital or on a business trip, I received treatment from others anywhere I went," Li said on camera in a video produced by the CCDI and China Central Television, adding that it also benefited his family and friends.To facilitate his wifes travel, he "borrowed" a van from a businessman for her to drive. After someone joked about the van, he felt that he had "lost face" and that prompted him to ask for a car from the businessman.While working in Guilin, Li believed it was normal to attend dinners hosted by businessmen or to receive gifts or money from them.When he was transferred to work in Nanning as a regional official, his desire for material goods increased, and he received a large number of expensive gifts such as gold products, watches, mahogany furniture and inkstones and began to accept large amounts of money.He obtained a house after working in Nanning, but didnt return his house in Guilin as required. In 2011, he was appointed vice-minister of commerce and enjoyed public housing in Beijing, but he still illegally occupied the two apartments in Guangxi.Discipline authorities sent him a notice ordering him to explain and return the apartments after receiving a tip from the public. However, Li was reluctant to relinquish the properties and so he cheated them ...
Earth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says.In this NASA false-color image, the blue and purple shows the hole in Earths protective ozone layer over Antarctica on Oct. 5, 2022. Earth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. (File photo: NASA via AP)A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and crop damage.“In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better," said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment.The progress is slow, according to the report presented Monday at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver. The global average amount of ozone 18 miles (30 kilometers) high in the atmosphere won’t be back to 1980 pre-thinning levels until about 2040, the report said. And it won’t be back to normal in the Arctic until 2045.Antarctica, where it’s so thin there’s an annual giant gaping hole in the layer, wont be fully fixed until 2066, the report said.Scientists and environmental advocates across the world have long hailed the efforts to heal the ozone hole — springing out of a 1987 agreement called the Montreal Protocol that banned a class of chemicals often used in refrigerants and aerosols — as one of the biggest ecological victories for humanity.“Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action. Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done – as a matter of urgency — to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases and so limit temperature increase,”...
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) announced Monday that the Chinese characters "Hehe," meaning harmony, were selected as the China-Japan-South Korea Word of the Year 2023, beating 11 other words to represent the spirit of the three countries.(File photo: CGTN)"The reason why people picked the word "Hehe" is because people hope the trilateral cooperation among the three countries will contribute to common prosperity and harmony in East Asia," TCS Deputy Secretary-General Sakata Natsuko said at the announcing ceremony.The China-Japan-South Korea Word of the Year 2023 campaign, the first of its kind launched by the TCS, aims to promote a shared culture that leads to shaping mutual perceptions among the three countries.The campaign that ran from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 received about 1,000 votes from the general public of the three countries. After the first round of voting, experts from the three countries reviewed the result and listed 12 candidates. The word "Hehe" edged over the others in the second round of voting, with "Xiangsheng" which represents developing together and "Gonggan" bearing the meaning of empathy in second and third place, respectively.TCS Secretary-General Ou Boqian told Xinhua that "Hehe," a word used by China, Japan and South Korea, means "peace, harmony and amity," and embodies the aspirations of the people of the three countries for regional peace, harmonious coexistence and joint prosperity amid profound changes taking place in the international landscape."Looking ahead to 2023, I hope that through the joint efforts of the TCS and the three countries, we can overcome some challenges in the trilateral relations and jointly draw up a blueprint for future trilateral cooperation," Ou said.Launched in Seoul in 2011 by the governments of China, Japan and South Korea, the TCS serves as a major platform for deepening trilater...
A B-player Photo: Snapshot of Sina WeiboChinas first national breakdancing team was officially revealed after the end of the second qualification trials held at the Lishui Extreme Sports Hall in Nanjing, East Chinas Jiangsu Province on Sunday. Eight breakdancers (four men and four women) stood out during the trials.The first qualification trials were held in Shanghai in late December 2022. According to the competition system, the top eight mens and womens groups would move on to the second round and get corresponding points through a round-robin competition within the group. Finally, the top four mens and womens groups (three B-dancers and one substitute) formally establised the Chinese National Breakdancing Team.The team will face several important competitions in 2023, including the World Championship of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) in Belgium and the Hangzhou Asian Games in East Chinas Zhejiang Province in September. The champions of these two events will directly qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, the Xinhua News Agency reported.Yin Guochen, an official with the General Administration of Sport of China, told media that the WDSF World Championship and Asian Games in 2023 are straight-through competitions. The goal of the Chinese B-dancers is to strive to get a straight-through spot in these two competitions. In addition, the first point race will be held in Japan in February. "According to international rules, only three men and three women can participate in each game, so we plan to divide the eight players into three main players and one substitute for each gender."After each point match, if the last dancer does not enter the top 16, he or she will be replaced by a substitute so as to encourage B-dancers and achieve the goal of getting the qualifications for the Paris Olympic Games.Breakdancing rose in popularity in China after it was announced in 2020 as a new event for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games....
Harbins ice and snow tourism sector is at the forefront in China, according to a recent report released by the China Tourism Academy at the 2023 China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Forum in the capital of Heilongjiang province.Tourists enjoy a fireworks show at the opening ceremony of the 39th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival on Thursday. (Photo by Liu Yang/For chinadaily.com.cn)As a representative area with a concentration of ice and snow resources, Harbin has passed through the primary stage of serving demand for ice and snow sports, and entered the advanced stage of using those resources to drive urban development, according to the 2023 Harbin Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report.Ice and snow tourism peaked in Harbin in 2019 when the city hosted nearly 23.4 million tourists, who brought in 39.71 billion yuan ($5.79 billion) in revenue, an increase of 11.4 and 17.1 percent respectively on the previous year.According to the 2023 China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report, Harbin holds first place as the most popular winter tourism destination in China."Harbin has plentiful ice and snow resources, a unique ice and snow culture, and famous associated brands," Zhang Anshun, city Party secretary said at the opening ceremony of the 39th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. "It is a famous ice-snow music and culture city and an Olympic Champion City. It has ranked the first in Chinas Top 10 Ice and Snow Tourism Cities for five consecutive years, and has been listed in the top 10 of Chinas most sought-after cities by tourists in the world."The annual festival, a major event for the city, kicked off on Thursday at Harbin Ice and Snow World, welcoming tourists from around the world."This year marks the 60th anniversary of Harbins innovative development of traditional ice lantern art and pioneering of modern ice and snow culture," he said. "We will do our best to of...
Photo: Courtesy of Yao-Chinese FolktalesYao-Chinese Folktales animation series became a hit in the first week of 2023 as viewership surpassed 10 million within three days following its debut on January 1 on Chinese streaming platform Bilibili, which some experts and movie critics viewed as classic reborn and said that the excellent literary works based on the essence of Chinese culture can always attract both the audience and the market.Co-presented by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Shanghai Kuanyu Digital Technology, comprised of eight stories ranging from 15 to 25 minutes, Yao-Chinese Folktales gives new interpretations of "yao," a demon or monster in Chinese culture.All the characters are inspired by classic Chinese literature works which are rooted in the hearts and memories of the Chinese people. Yet the themes vary, ranging from childhood terror memory, rural changes to relationship between human being and animals, even reaching the outer space.Based on the famous novel Journey to the West, the first released 22-minute Nobody tells the five-day countdown story of how a low-ranking pig demon obeyed his wolf king and bear supervisors orders to make preparations for the killing of a monk and his disciples from Tang dynasty, who were the main characters in the original novel.The pig demon lost his close friend the crow demon who was creative in executing the bears command by sacrificing his own feathers to manufacture better-quality arrows, which the boss didnt appreciate and regarded the move as challenging authority. The crow accidentally trespassed into a highly confidential area, which cost him his life. Efforts by the pig and the crow were ignored and their dignity was repeatedly trampled when they were working with the bosses. In the end, the pig realized that the Monk Tang represented greatness and justice while the demons stood on the opposite side. He chose to stand on the right side.Chinese netizens gave overwhelming prai...
China's National Cultural Heritage Administration will launch a national survey of cultural relics later this year, according to a meeting Thursday attended by officials from the country's cultural heritage authorities.The survey will take three to four years to learn about the amount, whereabouts,
The 39th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off on Thursday in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.File photo: China DailyThe opening ceremony was held at Harbin Ice and Snow World, an 810,000-square-meter amusement park that combines ice, snow, sound and lights.The annual ice and snow festival is a major event for Harbin, which welcomes tourists from around the world.During the festival, more than 100 ice and snow activities will be presented, including history, tourism, culture, art, sports, trade, fashion and creative design.For this winter season, Harbin has promoted 12 ice and snow experience products for tourists and prepared 10 destinations at which tourists can enjoy the citys winter scenery.
Chinese scientists have discovered an exceptionally preserved skeleton of a marine reptile more than 244 million years ago from the early Middle Triassic period. The discovery in Luoping county, Southwest Chinas Yunnan Province was published Thursday in Scientific Reports, an online multidisciplinary, open access journal from the publishers of Nature.The skeleton was discovered during the study of the local ecology over the past decade. Shaped like an aquatic lizard, the Luopingosaurus was a primitive finned dragon in the family Pachycosaurus, said Shang Qinghua, one of the authors of the article, according to a CCTV report.
There is an old Chinese saying that the fall of seasonable snow promises a fruitful year. In early January this year, Beijing, Hebei and some other parts of northern China may not be able to wait for the first snowfall in 2023.(Photo: VCG)Snowfall is important for overwintering crops, and prolonged periods without snow can cause soil drought, adversely affecting the growth of winter wheat and other crops.Snow is loose and porous, like a soft quilt that the soil and crops from exposure to the cold air. It also can prevent the loss of heat in the soil.Winter snow also affects the survival of overwintering pests in the soil. After a heavy snowfall covering the wheat fields melts, the water seeps into the soil, and the surface layer of soil will form an ice soil layer due to the low temperature. The ice layer freezes some of the overwintering pests in the shallow soil. However, if there is no snowfall during the winter, pests will increase when the temperature picks up in spring.The absence of snowfall also makes the air cold and dry, with dust and bacteria floating in the air, which can have a negative impact on peoples health. In particular, it will accelerate the spread of respiratory viruses and easily induce respiratory diseases.That being the case, it begs the question of whether it is feasible to use artificial snowfall. In terms of weather conditions, rain and snow formation requires a confluence of cold and warm air currents and sufficient water vapor in the clouds. There also needs to be sufficient ice nuclei in the clouds to help snow crystals coalesce and turn into snowflakes to land on the ground.However, if there is a lack of natural ice crystals in the cloud, artificial ice nuclei need to be seeded into the cloud to promote a rapid increase in the number of ice crystals in the cloud. The main artificial ice nucleus is silver iodide, which is dispersed directly into the clouds by aircraft, rockets, ground burners, etc.As early as the 1960s, countries ...
Photo taken on April 5, 2022, shows the Bayon Temple in the Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province, Cambodia.(Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua) Chinese tourists are welcomed by Cambodia and other countries as the world's second-largest economy planned to reopen its borders from Jan. 8.
People walk past a screen showing Avatar: The Way of Water that is installed at a cinema in a shopping mall in Beijing on December 16, 2022. (Photo: CFP)China saw its box office grossing 550 million yuan, or approximately $80 million, during this years New Year holiday, according to the latest statistics from an online platform.Figures from Dengta, a Chinese movie data information platform, showed Avatar: The Way of Water dominated screens across the country. The sequel to the 2009 Hollywood hit Avatar raked in more than 280 million yuan during the three-day holiday.A poster for the movie Avatar: The Way of Water.Chinas domestic movies including Someday or One Day and Better Man were also favored by movie goers, with the latter one becoming the only comedy movie to cross the 100 million yuan mark during the holiday.On Sunday, or the first day of the year, there were 10,671 cinemas open nationwide, a record high since the end of last February.The flourishing movie market has been regarded by analysts as an epitome of Chinas economic recovery since the country announced to lift several COVID-19 containment measures last month.As China eases COVID-19 restrictions, theaters in China are hopeful that more movie goers are estimated to come during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.Among all the movies that will be aired during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, the most-anticipated one is the sequel to The Wandering Earth, a 2019 Chinese science fiction action film. It is set to hit screens on the first day of the Chinese traditional lunar new year, or January 22 this year.The sequel to The Wandering Earth, a 2019 Chinese science fiction action film, will be released during the Spring Festival holiday.Hailed as Chinas first homemade sci-fi film, The Wandering Earth raked in a record high 4.69 billion yuan since it hit screens during the Spring Festival holiday in 2019.
An exhibition at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing shows over 120 objects representing several crafts of intangible cultural heritage. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)Over the past three years, Beijing Arts and Design Technology Institute, a prestigious school which has cultivated handicraft artisans throughout the past few decades, worked closely with enterprises to promote the creation of its teachers and students and to help brand their works at the market.This joint effort which was supported by governmental bodies is set to give a boost of the vocational education by improving the education and work of the arts and crafts.An exhibition, running until January 7, at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing brings together over 120 objects representing several crafts of intangible cultural heritage, including jingtailan the cloisonné wrought of copper and porcelain, jade carving and engraved lacquer ware.It is not only to present technical refinement but it also invites the audience to contribute ideas of how to better preserve the long-standing arts and crafts by catering to the changing needs and aesthetics of people today.
Robot "chefs" prepare food in a "smart" restaurant in Xihu district, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in June. The restaurant attracts customers with dishes made by robots. (Photo by Long Wei/For China Daily)As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted across the country, Li Xianghui knows it will be challenging for traditional restaurants to handle the increasing number of diners. But for his restaurants, things are different.Owning four eateries in Wuhan, Hubei province, Li "employs" an array of cooking machines, which can operate tirelessly day and night. Packed in kits, all dishes are semifinished and can be served within minutes after they are put into the machines."Automation is the future for the catering industry. It can avoid pressure from labor costs in running a traditional restaurant and increase efficiency," Li says."There is a standardized process by the machines, which can guarantee consistency in the taste of each order," the 36-year-old man adds.The cooking machine can make about 2,000 recipes, according to Li.Once seated, diners scan a QR code and use an app to make their meal selection and pay. With the only waiter putting the semifinished food kit into the machine, the meal will be served in minutes.
Ambitious photographer sets out to record the flora and fauna of the Himalayas, Yang Feiyue reports. Luo Haos team members take photos of rare plants in the Tibet autonomous region. Photo provided to China DailyAn urge to take stock of natures bounty in his hometown has sent Luo Hao on a 12-year odyssey. The man, who is in his late 50s, has dug into his own pocket and led a team to trek to every nook and cranny in the Tibet autonomous region on a mission to capture images of its precious wildlife.They have managed to produce hundreds of thousands of photos, some of which are the first recorded images of some of the regions stunning plants and animals.Extreme conditions on the plateau gave them a difficult time, and there were even death-defying close calls, but Luo says it was all worth it when his photography collection Top of the World made its public debut.The collection is aimed at shedding new light on the distinctive flora and fauna around Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West. "I started planning the book in 2015 and it took eight years for it (the collection) to see the light of day," Luo says.Their expedition was hindered that year by the devastating earthquake that hit the Nepali capital Kathmandu. "It borders on Tibet, so we had to cancel the trip and postponed it for three years," Luo says.The investigation restarted in 2018, but then was sidelined by the pandemic. It ended up lasting for another three years."But it might be a case of the road to happiness being strewn with setbacks. We basically managed to photograph everything we wanted," Luo says, adding that the book covers 10 new species on Qomolangma.
The neoclassical-style building was lit up on Sunday night. (Photos: SHINE)Visit a time-honored food shop on Shanghais famous Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall in Huangpu District has been an allure to taste intangible cultural heritages as well as scrumptious nianhuo (New Years products) delicacies.During the New Years holiday, a nianhuo festival began at Shanghai First Foodhall, one of the oldest and most renowned food shops on the street. It also marked the beginning of numerous activities showcasing the citys intangible cultural heritage.The grocery shop is filled with the memories of generations and draws both locals from Shanghai who come to buy Spring Festival goods and visitors from other parts of China who come to taste the real flavor of Shanghai.The construction of the building that houses the store began 100 years ago. Charles Henry Gonda, a well-known Hungarian architect, was responsible for creating the neoclassical architecture.To commemorate its 100th birthday, the structure at 720 Nanjing Rd E. was illuminated on Sunday night.The nianhuo festivalThe nianhuo festival gives people the chance to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a haipai (Shanghai-style) flavor, a variety of festival-related folk customs and cultures, and intangible cultural heritage techniques.At the store, there is a display of Suzhou embroidery, and locals and visitors are welcome to try their hand at the craft.Additionally, Maqiao lion dances will be performed.The festival brings together many nianhuo specialties, including nianyefan, or the cuisine served at Chinese New Years Eve dinner banquets.According to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, the store is the focal point of a number of Spring Festival traditional folk culture and custom activities. It will end on February 5.A Suzhou embroidery expert exhibits the craft.A lantern festival at Luodian Ancient Town in Baoshan District, which showcases the municipality-level intangible cultural heri...
Yang checks film at the film exhibition hall in Lushui county of Nujiang prefecture, Yunnan province, on October 23, 2022. （Photo：Xinhua）Yang Mingjin who is from Lushui county of Nujiang, in Southwest Chinas Yunnan province, has worked as a volunteer projectionist for more than 20 years.Yang said his obsession with motion pictures dates back to childhood. He started voluntary screenings in the late 1990s, shortly after he graduated from a vocational school for auto repair, bearing all the costs himself.Over the past two decades, the dedicated projectionist has toured numerous villages and screened thousands of movies out in the open. He said this has given him a great sense of fulfillment. Today, the local region has been lifted out of extreme poverty and local people have more options for entertainment, but Yang believes the open-air cinema will always play a special role especially for the children and elderly people left behind.
Li Hongjia puts a boy's hand on her throat to teach him how to pronounce words. Photo provided to China Daily Over the past 13 years, 31-year-old Li Hongjia from Wuhan, Hubei province has helped nearly 500 deaf-mute children return to ordinary schools. A teacher at the Little Sunflower Rehabilitat
A student asks questions during an online class at Andong Primary School in Chengjiang town, Du'an Yao autonomous county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Photo by Wei Liangyan/China Daily Rural schools in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region get connected to more faciliti
ZhangXuemeiteachesmusictovisuallyimpairedstudentsatHengyangSpecialEducationCollegeinHunanprovince.PhotobyLiYanyan/ChinaDailyChallengedbymusicalscores,studentsmastersingingthroughmemorization.WhenGodclosesadoor,heopensawindow,thesayinggoes。
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