BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) - The following are the highlights of China's key technology news from the past week:

NEW SATELLITES LAUNCHED

(Photo: Global Times)

China launched six satellites into space via a Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province at 4:52 p.m. Saturday.

Earlier on the same day, a new optical remote sensing satellite, the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02B, was sent into orbit by the same type of carrier rocket from the same launch center.

TEST OF NEW ROCKET

China has successfully tested the second stage engine of the Long March-8 rocket, preparing for its maiden flight in 2020, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Developed by the CASC, the Long March-8 rocket is a new type of rocket that uses module design and can be prepared in a short time, making it competitive for commercial launch.

SELF-CLEANING CONCRETE

Researchers from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science of the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new type of concrete with self-cleaning ability, according to a recent study paper published in the journal of American Chemical Society Applied Materials and Interfaces.

The concrete exhibited remarkable hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 166 degrees both on the surface and inside of the sample, signifying remarkable stain repellency and long-term stability.

FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, has adopted facial recognition technology at all its metro stations, according to Zhengzhou Metro.

Instead of using a metro card or scanning a QR code on mobile phones, commuters in Zhengzhou can have their face scanned and the fare automatically deducted from a registered account starting from Dec. 3.

SMART INDUSTRY PLATFORMS

China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation has rolled out five smart industry platforms in fields like urban governance, smart agriculture and vaccine supervision, according to the 2019 Smart Industry Summit Forum, recently held in the city of Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province.