Italian President Sergio Mattarella arrived in Beijing on Thursday to start his state visit to China from November 7 to 12. The Summer Palace was the first destination Mattarella visited upon his arrival, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The visit is expected to promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in various sectors in cultural and technological communications as well as people-to-people exchanges to facilitate the development of bilateral relations, Chinese experts said.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, as well as the 700th anniversary of the death of Italian explorer Marco Polo, CCTV reported on Thursday.
This is Mattarella's second trip to China since February 2017, the report said.
In response to a question about Mattarella's state visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a routine press conference on Tuesday that China stands ready to work with Italy to further deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, promote mutual learning among civilizations, and provide more stability for a changing and turbulent world.
According to Italian media outlet Agenzia Nova, the Italian side "will visit the monumental complex China Millennium Monument that houses the World Art Museum" on Friday. Mattarella's schedule in Beijing also includes "laying a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes and meeting with the Italian community."
The Italian President will also visit Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province with itinerary there including watching a performance of the opera "Marco Polo" by the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory of Venice, and Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, will be the last stop of the visit, Agenzia Nova reported.
The Italian President's China visit is expected to promote pragmatic bilateral cooperation in several areas, such as high technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, as well as educational communications, Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Zhao noted that although there have been some twists and turns, overall, the China-Italy relationship remains stable. "Many high-tech companies in Italy have made great achievements through cooperation with China, and the cultural, tourism, and educational exchanges between Italy and China have consistently maintained substantial collaboration," Zhao said.
"There are people in the current Italian government who are relatively pragmatic and friendly toward China, represented by the Italian President, who is actively advocating for the advancement of China-Italy relations," Zhao said, noting that this visit may also be viewed as a reflection of the mainstream trend in Italian politics, which is favorable towards China.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid a visit to China in July, during which the two sides issued a 2024-2027 action plan on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.
"It is hoped that the visit by the Italian President will yield more practical results," Zhao said.
"3, 2, 1, start the oil well!" With the command issued, the underwater robot slowly activated the subsea tree deep in the South China Sea. After preliminary processing by "Haiji No. 2," the crude oil was transported to "Haikui No. 1," located 2.5 kilometers away, where a high torch gradually ignited the natural gas.
On September 19, "Haikui No. 1," China's first independently developed floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, began production. This also marks the first use of a cylindrical FPSO in Asia.
In just over a month, "Haikui No. 1" successfully completed its first crude oil export operation, signifying another major breakthrough for China in deep-water oil and gas development, according to a China News Service report.
"Haikui No. 1" is located 240 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, and serves as an offshore oil and gas processing facility that integrates crude oil production, storage, and export functions. It stands nearly as tall as a 30-story building, with a maximum oil storage capacity of 60,000 tons, read the report.
An FPSO is an offshore crude oil processing facility that combines production, storage, and export capabilities. "Haikui No. 1" can process approximately 5,600 tons of crude oil, enough to fuel 900,000 small cars simultaneously, according to Science and Technology Daily.
Construction of "Haikui No. 1" began in March 2022 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province. It consists of nearly 600,000 components and features an extremely compact structure. From a design perspective, it is already sophisticated, efficient, and intelligent. However, the design team had a strong commitment to develop a manufacturing solution suitable for Chinese waters and shipyards, addressing the challenge of long construction periods.
Among the six cylindrical FPSOs currently in operation worldwide, the longest construction period is 5.5 years. Previously, China built a cylindrical FPSO called "Penguin" under the commission of a foreign company, which took over four years. Through the efforts of the research team, the manufacturing of "Haikui No. 1" was completed in just 25 months, according to the Science and Technology Daily report.
"Haiji No. 2" was officially drilled on August 9, which was the first time that China exploited oil and gas through a fixed platform in waters more than 300 meters below. Haiji No. 2 is equipped with advanced automation systems, which include a robotic arm that enables "one-click operations" across various tasks, significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of deep-water drilling.
"Haikui No. 1," in collaboration with the deep-water jacket platform "Haiji No. 2," has achieved China's first secondary development project for a deep-water oil field, extending the production life of the Liuhua oilfield by nearly 30 years. It also signifies that China has fully mastered integrated development technology for oil and gas engineering in waters deeper than 300 meters, creating a new model for the economical and efficient development of deep-water oil fields.
The Liuhua oilfield, where the two major national heavyweights are located, was put into production in March 1996. It is China's first deep-water oil field, with an average water depth of approximately 324 meters and proven geological reserves exceeding 160 million tons. After 28 years of extraction, the oil field has contributed over 23 million tons of deep-water oil and gas. To improve the overall recovery rate of the oil field and carry out secondary development, there are plans to build 32 new wells, with the peak daily oil production expected to reach 2,700 tons, as reported by CCTV.
In a cozy bar, soft jazz music plays as colorful cocktails glimmer. A speaker passionately presents philosophical ideas, while the audience, relaxed yet engaged, tosses questions. Dim lights create an intimate vibe, contrasting with the weighty topics, blending academia with casual camaraderie. This scene is a familiar sight on weekends at a bar in Wudaokou in Beijing's Haidian district, an area densely populated with universities.
How can the pleasure of a casual drink be intertwined with serious academic pursuits? Academic bars have successfully bridged this gap.
Since the start of this year, academic events held at bars have become a new trend in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The speakers at these "academic bars" are often doctorate holders or emerging scholars from the humanities and social sciences, who present their research findings or field trip experience to an audience primarily made up of university students and young professionals. The lectures cover multiple disciplines including history, philosophy, art, and modern technology, with the audience primarily recruited from social media.
Audience at these "academic bars" is open to all, regardless of identity or profession; typically, purchasing a drink serves as an entry ticket. These venues not only facilitate knowledge sharing but also foster a novel form of social interaction, representing a fresh exploration of the urban lifestyle.
Zhu Wei, the vice director of the Communication Law Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times that the rise of "academic bars" signifies a broader enhancement in the education and critical thinking skills of the Chinese public. This trend has made traditionally exclusive academic content more accessible to a wider audience. Besides, academic bars offer ordinary individuals a valuable opportunity to engage with scientific and systematic academic subjects.
"Holding lectures in bars represents a proactive effort by contemporary youth to balance learning and leisure, creating new venues for professional discussions and fostering communication. This trend reflects their evolving social concepts," Professor Lang Jinsong from the Communication University of China was quoted as saying by China News Service. "However, we must discern whether the content of these 'bar lectures' is merely personal opinion or a structured academic discourse. Additionally, we should be cautious of academic discussions devolving into mere marketing gimmicks." Gaining popularity among young people
The concept of an academic bar is not a recent development. According to New Weekly magazine, the concept originated in the UK's SciBar (short for "Science in a Bar"), a non-profit initiative launched by the British Science Association to make scientific knowledge more accessible to a larger audience. The primary aim of academic bars is to create informal spaces where researchers and enthusiasts can engage in discussions about their areas of expertise.
On October 27, Global Times reporters visited an academic bar in Wudaokou, where the venue was already bustling with activity just 10 minutes before the lecture was set to begin. The hallway was filled with guests holding cocktails in one hand while snapping photos of PowerPoint slides of the lecture with the other. Attendees listened attentively to the speaker on stage, who shared insights into the historical connections between Central Asia and China, along with his personal thrilling experiences in the region. The speaker, a seasoned scholar with slightly graying hair and a deep knowledge of Central Asian studies, appeared completely at ease in this setting, especially with a cocktail beside his laptop and a group of young people surrounding him.
His presentation was occasionally interrupted by a small, dark gray kitten that wandered over to investigate his drink, eliciting gentle laughter from the audience as he playfully shooed it away. This interaction contributed to a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, starkly contrasting the seriousness often found in traditional university lecture halls. Conversations flowed freely, seamlessly blending leisure with deep inquiry, as the evening unfolded with both merriment and contemplation.
"I love this relaxed and enjoyable sharing atmosphere. It feels more like listening to a friend tell a story than being lectured by an elder. If it's interesting, you can stay and have a few more drinks; if not, you can leave anytime without any pressure," remarked Lin, a sophomore student at the China Forestry University who lives nearby. As a science major, she said that she rarely has the opportunity to engage in discussions related to the humanities and social sciences. She discovered this event through a social media advertisement and found it intriguing, expressing her desire to attend more similar events in the future.
Li Xiaokai, a second-year PhD student and one of the event organizers, is eager to explore ideas beyond his scientific background - applying familiar quantitative methods to the study of intellectual history. He has also been a speaker at the bar, presenting his work on "Quantitative Research on Intellectual History." The academic sharing events he organized cover themes ranging from detective fiction to dog psychology and urban exploration, drawing between 30 to 80 participants for each session. During events, the organizers, speakers, and the bar typically negotiate a revenue-sharing arrangement to divide the drink bill.
At this venue, known as the Universe Lounge, an academic atmosphere prevails, filled with serious philosophical discussions and profound topics. Academic posters adorn the walls, covering subjects from "Practices and Explorations in Archaeology in Northwest China" to "Understanding Moral Dilemmas in Life with a Case Study of a Movie." Books are scattered throughout the space; one can easily pull a memoir of a world-renowned figure from the sofa. Even in the restroom, a dedicated bookshelf features works by the philosopher of science, Alexander Koyré.
Chen Chen, manager of Universe Lounge, told the Global Times that they have been organizing academic sharing events since June, having conducted 13 sessions to date, with the largest attendance surpassing 80 participants. He noted that a lecture held on a weekend night can lead to a doubling of alcoholic beverage sales and a substantial boost in overall revenue.
A search on social media platforms found that in recent times, bars have begun hosting academic events that increasingly address pressing issues relevant to young people. Topics range from leveraging social media for personal branding to understanding legal rights under the new marriage law. Some lectures delve into the common anxieties faced by contemporary youth.
At an "academic bar" event on October 26 in Beijing, a senior lawyer discussed frequently encountered marriage law consultation issues, elucidating on rights protection within marriage and strategies for preventing and responding to domestic violence. The audience, primarily comprised of young and middle-aged women, engaged in discussions about these serious topics in a relaxed atmosphere, comfortably seated on sofas.
According to data from China's e-commerce platform Meituan, the search volume for "academic bar" has surged by 142 percent since October compared to September. On social media platforms, where young people dominate, the term's popularity is rapidly increasing, as reported by the Beijing Youth Daily.
Li believes that the sharing sessions at academic bars dismantle the elitism often associated with scientific research, fostering a more relaxed and enjoyable environment for young people to acquire knowledge.
Professor Lang told the China News Service that the popularization of knowledge hinges not only on high-quality content but also on the exploration of diverse communication platforms. He emphasizes that the exchange of ideas transcends participants, scenarios, and spaces. Questions and challenges remain
The novel intersection of bars and lectures has garnered attention on Chinese social media, yet it has also sparked skepticism about potential "money-making," "pseudo-academics" and "affectation."
A netizen humorously remarked in a social media post, "After spending a night in the lab, shall I have to attend a seminar after drinking to unwind?" Some netizens contend that this trendy online concept merely relocates traditional salon activities to bars, repackaging old ideas with new branding. Some have also questioned how robust the screening process for speakers is, and in some cases, unclear or unsustainable objectives have led to suspicions of potential profit-driven motives.
Li acknowledges that while some individuals may exploit the "academic bar" label for hype and traffic, many others are genuinely seeking to create a new platform for knowledge sharing, fostering a fresh social space for young people. As this is a relatively new concept, many initiatives are still in the experimental phase, and they hope to see the establishment of more standardized principles for guidance and reference.
As for the sustainability of academic bars, Li admits he is still gauging their viability and cannot guarantee their continued popularity. He emphasizes that as an emerging cultural phenomenon, "academic bars" face several challenges, including the need for a sustainable operational model that ensures stable income, rather than relying solely on passion.
Mei Zhigang, an associate professor at the Central China Normal University, told Wuhan-based Jiupai News that "academic bars" are not a novel concept, but are much like cafes and teahouses that foster a relaxed atmosphere conducive to communication, helping individuals unwind while providing young people with an escape from feelings of loneliness.
The growing popularity of "academic bars" can also be linked to an overall improvement in the population's educational background, enabling more people to participate in academic discussions, Mei said. He expressed to the media his hope for more such activities and emphasized the importance of effective organization and topic management in related events.
At the end of the interview, Chen expressed his aspiration to sustainably promote the academic bar brand, with the goal of "establishing a cultural lounge for everyone, offering more individuals a platform to express themselves and share their perspectives in a relaxed and straightforward manner."
A woman with a total of 74 mobile phones tied to her body entered the country via the Gongbei Port in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, and was seized on the spot by customs officers recently, according to the General Administration of Customs of China on Tuesday.
The person, surnamed Yang, who was wearing a white blouse and loose trousers, entered China through the green channel of the passenger inspection hall, according to the customs.
Officers at the scene noticed that the woman was walking with a heavy pace and stiff posture, so they intercepted her for inspection.
After the inspection, the officer seized a large number of old mobile phones tied with plastic film around her thighs and calves. A total of 74 cell phones were seized.
If individuals attempt to hide, disguise, conceal, falsely declare, or use other methods to evade customs supervision, and transport, carry, or mail goods or items prohibited or restricted from entering or leaving the ports, it constitutes smuggling, customs officers said.
If the circumstances are serious enough to constitute an offence, the person may face criminal charges as per the law.
Severe storms have recently hit several regions in Spain, including Valencia and Castile-La Mancha, resulting in significant casualties and property damage, while reports have indicated that among the affected individuals are Chinese nationals, according to the Chinese Embassy in Spain on Thursday.
The Spanish government declared three days of official mourning starting from Thursday, according to the embassy. Meanwhile, the embassy also reminded Chinese nationals in Spain about severe weather conditions and offered advice to ensure personal safety.
Heavy rainfall has caused traffic disruptions in some areas. It may be difficult to conduct business, go shopping, attend work or school or seek medical care in some areas in the coming days, according to the embassy.
The Global Times learned from several individuals who live in Spain that local authorities have responded promptly, and rescue efforts are underway in an orderly manner. However, some railway and highway services have been suspended.
Helen Huang, a Chinese national who is now living in Valencia, one of the heavily affected regions, told the Global Times on Thursday that their house in the downtown area has been relatively affected. However, in the suburbs, the roof of their parking garage has been torn off.
Fortunately, the area they are living in is still accessible by car, but for some heavily affected areas, vehicles can't get in until the floodwaters completely recede, said Huang.
At least 95 people have been killed due to the flooding as the torrential rain battered Spain's eastern region of Valencia and neighboring provinces of Albacete and Cuenca, according to Xinhua News Agency on Thursday, citing an official.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged full government support on Wednesday after the devastating floods, Xinhua reported.
More than 60 roads have been closed due to flooding, including major highways along the eastern coast and between Madrid and Valencia. Local train services have been halted, and the high-speed rail connection between Valencia and the capital is also suspended, according to Xinhua.
"The mutual support and unity among the Chinese community is truly heartwarming. Many suppliers are offering free replacements for the damaged goods in the affected stores, which is also commendable," a Chinese national surnamed Qiu, who is now in Spain, told the Global Times, on Thursday.
Some residents are buying daily necessities such as flour, milk, beer and snacks.
The local Chinese community is supporting each other. For example, residents who need help can call a local number for information and assistance. The community is also helping find missing relatives, Qiu said.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council recently announced penalties against separatists Puma Shen Pao-yang, Robert Tsao Hsing-cheng, and their "Kuma Academy" after receiving numerous tip-offs about the academy from residents across the Taiwan Straits.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the office, said in a statement that the Kuma Academy has openly fostered violent "Taiwan independence" secessionists under the guise of training and outdoor activities, with backing from DPP authorities and external forces.
The academy has actively engaged in separatist activities, making it a clear stronghold for "Taiwan independence" elements, Chen noted.
The sanctions have been applauded by people across the Straits, and many netizens on the island of Taiwan commented on social media that they have felt disgusted for the academy for a long time.
The academy is an illegal money-making entity, which touts separatist slogans, one X user commented. "They are all bad people, nothing but trash," criticized another.
What is the "Kuma Academy?" What roles do Shen and Tsao play in it? In this story, the Global Times delves into their wrongdoings and attempts to discredit the Chinese mainland and split China, their connections with the secessionist DPP authorities, as well as possible collusion with anti-China forces in the US. A camp of separatist forces
Founded in late 2021, the Kuma Academy, or Black Bear Academy, has been a source of controversy on the island of Taiwan.
Claiming to be a grassroots organization aiming to "promote civil defense education to 3 million people within three years," the academy turns out to be a camp of separatist forces that brainwashes Taiwan residents, especially the youth, with anti-China ideology, so as to cultivate violent secessionists, experts on Taiwan studies reached by the Global Times pointed out.
The academy website shows that it mainly focus on basic first aid and evacuation skills of civilians. But online posts from participants and media coverage of some offline events revealed that the organization focuses more on military, political, and ideological agitation, disseminating misinformation against the Chinese mainland.
The Kuma Academy organized events at universities, which had sparked huge controversy, with critics arguing that it violated the spirit of political neutrality on campus, wrote a university student from New Taipei City, in an opinion piece published by Taiwan-based newspaper the United Daily News in May.
Having personally participated in the academy's workshop in university, the student surnamed Lin said the workshop follows an obvious script. It claims Beijing's reunification actions as malevolent, while perceiving the intervention from the US or other countries as a means to "rescue" the island of Taiwan.
"The Kuma Academy's courses package ideological confrontation as knowledge, misleading the public with a mixture of lies and half-truths," Lin wrote, calling the academy an "anti-China narrative camp."
Lin also mentioned a controversial course offered by the academy that teaches participants to "collect internal negative comments" on the current separatist authority on the island, widely seen by many Taiwan netizens as a means for the DPP forces to suppress differing political views.
The course Lin mentioned is most likely an "OSNIT (open-source intelligence)" lecture that frequently appears on the academy's calendar on its website.
At one "OSNIT" lecture in August, Shen, co-founder of the academy, bluntly said that what the island of Taiwan needs to do now, is to "enable more people to learn open-source intelligence gathering skills," and "contact similar communities abroad, especially in cooperation with the US, Japan, and Eastern European countries," without any concealment of his conspiracy to strengthen collusion with foreign forces.
Obviously, the "OSNIT" lecture has little to do with teaching first aid or rescue skills as claimed by the academy, but rather an attempt to have participators to learn intelligence gathering skills, turning them into informants for the DPP and overseas anti-China forces, said Wang Jianmin, a research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
A DPP-backed political tool
The Kuma Academy claims, on its website, that its goals "extend[s] beyond any partisanship" on the island of Taiwan, but experts said it is no more than a feeble lie.
"While the academy claims to be a civilian organization, it's actually permeated from beginning to end by the DPP's political agenda under their support," Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.
Zhang noted that the DPP supports the Kuma Academy with the aim of using this platform to spread anti-Beijing propaganda on the island, suppress opposition parties advocating for peaceful cooperation and exchanges across Taiwan Straits, and mobilize grassroots citizens into their voter base.
"The DPP and its manipulated organization, the Kuma Academy, deceive and divide Taiwan people, mislead international public opinion, collude with anti-China forces, and directly harm cross-Straits relations," Zhang emphasized.
Shen and Tsao, respectively head and main sponsor of the academy, are typical examples of the deep ties with the DPP.
Available information shows that Shen once studied in the US and, after returning to the island of Taiwan, served as an associate professor at the Graduate School of Criminology at the National Taipei University. Before 2018, Shen's titles primarily included university teaching staff in criminology and columnist, having little to do with the political field.
However, starting in 2018, Shen suddenly transformed himself into a "cognitive warfare expert," frequently expressing his views on the so-called information campaign and cognitive warfare that he claimed were launched by the Chinese mainland against the island of Taiwan in various settings, aiming to incite antagonistic sentiments across the Straits and aligning his rhetoric with that of the DPP.
Shen quickly acquired many new titles related to organizations affiliated with or influential to the DPP, such as membership on the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, and directorship of the Central News Agency. Moreover, Shen participated in the initiation of the "Doublethink Lab" in September 2019, which regularly publishes an "influence index" to stigmatize the Chinese mainland. He also collaborated with the DPP legislators in the same year to promote a so-called "Anti-Infiltration Act" targeting Beijing. Through these actions, Shen transformed into a political hitman for the DPP authorities to suppress dissent and demonize the Chinese mainland.
Shen was invited on multiple occasions to give special reports to the DPP officials, Taiwan media sources reported. With his various "anti-China" maneuvers, Shen quickly gained the trust and support of DPP authorities in recent years. In November 2023, Shen was listed as the second nominee on the DPP's list for non-divisional legislative candidates, and became a legislator in 2024, rapidly entering the core political circle of the island of Taiwan.
Cao is also a political clown who keeps anti-China slogans on his lips. Cao, founder of a leading semiconductor foundry on the island of Taiwan who used to hold a pro-reunification stance, became a staunch separatist after retirement. Cao reportedly openly opposed the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle.
In 2022, Cao announced a donation of NT$600 million ($18.7 million) to the academy, becoming its main financial backer. He also invested in the DPP-backed secessionist TV drama Zero Day. The drama, depicting a hypothetical conflict in the Straits, is a deliberate attempt to shape public opinion by promoting war fantasies.
In September, the Lai Ching-te administration announced that it would collaborate with institutions including the Kuma Academy so as to train 400,000 citizens in the future. This move has since sparked widespread anger on the island, as former legislator Cheng Li-wen criticized to the media while noting that it is clearly Lai carrying out orders from the US, turning the island of Taiwan into cannon fodder for war.
"The Kuma Academy is a flagrant pro-independence organization engaged in war mobilization in disguise," Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, told the Global Times.
He noted that the DPP utilizes various resources to support the Kuma Academy, particularly mobilizing high-tech enterprises and renewable energy companies. These profitable businesses provide ample financial backing for separatist organizations, posing a serious threat to reunification efforts.
They propagate "anti-China" sentiments with the true aim of tearing apart the local society, and attempting to expand the DPP's support base built around the "resist reunification by force" doctrine, Ni said.
An agent of US?
Worse still, evidence proves that the Kuma Academy is likely linked to external forces from the US in splitting China and betraying the island of Taiwan.
The presence of the US is faintly visible behind Shen's separatist, anti-China moves and slogans. The US military reportedly first proposed the concept of "cognitive warfare" in 2017, and Shen soon shifted his focus to research this field in 2018. In August 2020, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) invited Shen to share thoughts on how to guard against the so-called "propaganda" from the Chinese mainland. In July 2022, Shen attended the 246th anniversary celebration of American Independence Day held by the AIT.
In March 2023, Shen was invited to attend an online hearing by the US Congress, during which he shared the "experience and suggestion" of the island of Taiwan "countering" the Chinese mainland, Taiwan media sources reported. In October 2023, the AIT openly expressed support to and congratulated Shen for becoming a member of the Steering Committee of the so-called World Movement for Democracy, a subordinate organization hosted by the US' infamous National Endowment for Democracy.
Shen's statements on social media are strikingly similar to those of anti-China forces in the West. Apart from the Taiwan question, he slanders Beijing with cliché disinformation filled with buzzwords such as "democracy," "human rights," "Xinjiang," and the "China threat," which closely resemble the narrative strategies used in the West's cognitive warfare against China.
Observing the common tactics used by the US to cultivate "agents" around the world, one notable method includes identifying individuals with a US-related academic history and providing them with support and development opportunities, noted an opinion piece published in December 2023 by Voice of the Strait, a broadcasting company based in East China's Fujian Province.
"A closer examination of Shen's political actions reveals that, each of his step[s] closely [align] with the strategic intentions of the US, which cannot be mere coincidence[s]," it said.
Also, Ni pointed out that US support for the Kuma Academy's activities doesn't necessarily manifest itself in financial aid, but also takes the form of technical guidance, dispatching instructors, and lectures by think tank scholars. "This aims to strengthen the security and military ties between the US government and DPP authorities," he said.
Wang noted that the US is currently referencing its actions in Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, hoping to utilize organizations like the Kuma Academy to enhance their ability to counter the Chinese mainland and potentially continue to further intervene deeply in Taiwan island's affairs.
"And the academy, with support from the US and US-backed DPP, aims to incite innocent Taiwan residents, especially the youth, to take up arms against the mainland's reunification efforts," concluded Ni. "It is inherently malicious."
As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Global Times has launched the second volume of its "Wish List" series, which documents ordinary Chinese people's wishes as a window into the changes in and achievements of the Chinese path to modernization.
In this volume, we present five representative stories that capture the aspirations and pursuits of individuals, which reflect the deep connection between national prosperity and people's destinies, illustrating how the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the country prioritize the well-being of the people in their quest for common prosperity, ecological civilization, and social harmony. They also bear witness to how Chinese people have marched forward toward Chinese modernization with high spirits.
This is the fourth installment in the series that tells the stories of "temple caretakers" across generations in Jincheng, North China's Shanxi Province. It explores their dedication to preserving cultural relics, and how they are using their efforts to make more people aware of China's rich cultural heritage today. Wang Gaiying, 76, believes her connection to the Tiefo Temple goes beyond simply earning a living. Over the past decades, as a caretaker, she has meticulously kept this once dilapidated temple, known for its 24 deva statues traced back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), safe and sound in the city of Gaoping, North China's Shanxi Province. She has also witnessed its transformation from an obscure ancient temple to a popular attraction drawing numerous visitors and praise.
With the release of Black Myth: Wukong, a highly anticipated Chinese self-developed AAA game in August, the Tiefo Temple, along with other ancient buildings in Shanxi that served as sources of inspiration for the game, has experienced unprecedented popularity.
As waves of tourists poured into these historical sites, they found themselves captivated, not just by the exquisite relics behind the storyline of the popular game, but also by the stories of dedicated individuals like Wang who carefully safeguard sculptures, murals, and the very essence of China's cultural heritage.
These unsung heroes, once hidden from public view, now confidently share their experiences with curious visitors.
They share tales of change within the cultural landscapes they have safeguarded, reflecting China's commitment to building the country into a powerhouse in culture and constantly enhancing the country's cultural soft power and the appeal of Chinese culture. Brave and persistent guard
"Many people mocked me for 'marrying into the temple,' saying I was wasting my life, but now they see me as a source of pride," Wang told the Global Times proudly.
Now retired, Wang's morning routine still begins with cleaning the temple. This has been her daily habit for 58 years, ever since she married into the temple at the age of 20 and began assisting her mother-in-law in its upkeep.
For Wang, guarding the Tiefo Temple has been the most important and fulfilling aspect of her life.
Wang recalled that her mother-in-law received a wing of the temple compound in 1947 and naturally became its caretaker. When her mother-in-law passed away in 1988, Wang took over the responsibility of caring for the temple.
During her years as a temple caretaker, Wang lived a frugal life, initially receiving only a meager salary from the local cultural relics bureau. However, she diligently performed her duties, maintaining cleanliness, while preventing fires and theft. Even after the death of her husband and witnessing two attempted burglaries at the grounds, Wang chose to remain committed to the temple.
"For me, the Tiefo Temple is home, and I hope that protecting the temple will see our family's commitment passed down from generation to generation," she said.
The story of Wang's family guarding the Tiefo Temple is often shared by Chang Silong, the first director of the Gaoping city museum.
Chang retrieved a thick stack of handwritten notes during the interview with the Global Times. These notes fully documented his tenure as the museum director when he visited numerous villages in Gaoping to gather information about existing cultural relics.
At that time, individuals like Wang were key sources of information for Chang. Wang emphasizes that in China, a vast amount of cultural relic preservation relied on local villagers who resided near these sites, such as "grave keepers," "tower guards" and "temple caretakers."
"They might not have understood the inherent cultural value of these objects, but they know what they are safeguarding is precious," Chang said. "I witnessed their exhilaration when they realized new protective measures were being implemented." Warm and creative presentation
Wang has had many reasons to feel exhilarated this year.
Following the viral success of Black Myth: Wukong, the Tiefo Temple officially opened its doors to the public on August 24 after being closed for more than a decade to protect its relics. With daily visitor limits set at 500, and increased capacity during the National Day holidays, nearly 20,000 tourists flocked to the temple within seven days.
Joining Wang in handling this newfound popularity is Zhang Jiaqi, a Gen Z village official in Mixi village where the temple is located.
"Over the holidays, tourists waited two to three hours in line, but most were very understanding after their visit and warmly responded to our efforts," Zhang told the Global Times.
Zhang joined the Mixi village committee after graduating from university in September 2022 and started working as a docent at the Tiefo Temple this year.
Before the temple's opening to the public, he mainly interacted with Wang and professionals involved in the temple's maintenance and restoration. He always hoped that one day he could share the charm of the temple with the world.
For a long time, many ancient buildings in Shanxi remained closed to the public due to conservation needs. Scattered across Chinese online forums were posts from passionate enthusiasts who shared strategies on how to "get lucky" while persuading local caretakers to grant them access. These posts had limited visibility and circulated only within specific communities.
In recent years, the national cultural relics protection departments all over Shanxi have gradually opened their doors to the general public. Observing the burgeoning trend of tourism inspired by ancient architecture, Zhang collaborated with paper-cutting artists from the village to create phone cases of the Tiefo Temple's deities.
As the temple prepared for its opening in August, Zhang leveraged his accumulated knowledge to train a group of local volunteers as tour guides.
On the first day that the Tiefo Temple opened to ordinary visitors, Zhang and other docents addressed them confidently and emotionally. Custom mobile phone cases were, unsurprisingly, popular with tourists.
One month after the opening, the village collective enterprise generated 60,000 yuan ($8,420) in revenue from its cultural and creative products.
As Zhang spoke to the Global Times, Zhao Jianfei, a security guard at the temple, attentively listened nearby. With the increasing number of visitors, Zhao maintains order while passionately introducing the temple's history and artistic value to tourists using his local dialect interlaced with humor explanations. After Zhao's explanations, many visitors give him a thumbs-up, and some even ask to take pictures with him.
"Tourists endure long waiting times, so I want to give them something interesting during the wait and enhance their overall experience," Zhao told the Global Times.
As a native of Mixi village, Zhao had always known about the precious artifacts housed within the Tiefo Temple but never had the chance to see them. He said that many villagers shared his curiosity but chose to prioritize visitors' access.
"Before the National Day holidays, villagers spontaneously cleared land overnight to create a temporary parking lot. To accommodate the surge in tourists, they even offered free use of their restrooms," Zhang added.
"The charm of the Tiefo Temple lies not only in its exquisite sculptures but also in Grandma Wang who has dedicated her life to it, in Zhao's warm hospitality, and in each one of us villagers. We hope that both the temple and our efforts live up to the love and appreciation of our visitors," Zhang said.
Visible and perceptible cultural prosperity
Yin Zhenxing, curator of the Colored Sculpture and Mural Museum at the Yuhuang Temple in Jincheng, is also working tirelessly to live up to the love of the growing number of visitors.
Just 30 kilometers from the Tiefo Temple, the Yuhuang Temple has also seen a surge in tourists attracted by its 28 exquisite Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) constellation sculptures and the inspiration behind the characters in Black Myth: Wukong.
On a weekend visit to the Yuhuang Temple, Global Times reporters observed an orderly scene: Visitors swiped their ID cards at the entrance and then picked up tour maps from the volunteer service desk to embark on their tours.
This smooth operation is attributed to Yin and his team of over 40 staff members who attentively patrol and care for every detail within the temple complex.
Yin recounted his first experience starkly contrasted with his arrival at Yuhuang Temple in 2003. "Back then, it was just a temple with muddy grounds and rudimentary accommodations for staff," Yin recalled.
However, with increasing national emphasis on cultural relic protection, the Yuhuang Temple has undergone a remarkable transformation. It now boasts a fully staffed team, state-of-the-art security and fire safety systems, and advanced technologies like carbon dioxide detection and digital preservation for architectural sculptures and murals.
In the temple's staff lounge, the Global Times saw a basketball hoop in the spacious courtyard, with employee-planted chili peppers and flowers decorating the underground fire water storage tank.
"Everyone integrates their work with their daily lives, viewing this as their responsibility and calling," Yin said.
As Yin led the Global Times through the temple, he spotted a local social media influencer specializing in traditional Chinese culture photographing artifacts.
Reflecting on his over two decades of experience, Yin notes the growing cultural awareness and appreciation for China's heritage among its people. He said that visitors, particularly young ones, are increasingly knowledgeable about ancient architecture and sculptures.
Statistics show that China now has more than 3,300 public libraries, and over 10,000 cultural centers and museums. Nearly all public libraries, cultural centers, art galleries, comprehensive cultural stations, and over 90 percent of museums offer free admission.
After witnessing the Global Times' visit and interview, a group of student volunteers from the Shanxi Institute of Science and Technology expressed their desire to promote the Yuhuang Temple globally, hoping that more people will visit and benefit from their volunteer efforts.
"Now, countless students in our school line up to be volunteers at the Yuhuang Temple," Zhang Zhipeng, a student at the institute revealed. "At this moment, standing in the Yuhuang Temple's volunteer post, I have become a 'temple caretaker' in the new era, and feel very proud," he said.
In the café in Yuhuang Temple, countless visitors left messages on sticky notes: "Chinese civilization spanning 5,000 years might seem distant, but Shanxi's culture is within reach."
"I am full of hope that in the future, more visitors from around the world will find Chinese culture accessible and engaging. Such a day is not too far away," Yin said.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army recently held live-fire shooting exercises with a new type of self-propelled air defense system integrated with a rotary cannon and missile launchers, with experts emphasizing the weapon's potential against drone threats.
In an exercise by air defense troops from a brigade affiliated with the PLA 71st Group Army, the newly commissioned missile-and-gun weapon system conducted simulated air defense training, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.
The system is characterized by its high mobility, high accuracy and extended range, CCTV reported.
"This new weapon is equipped with a fire control system that can calculate the targets' trajectories based on their movement, achieving accurate tracking and guidance to successfully engage the targets," said Zhao Jiayi, a member of the brigade at the PLA 71st Group Army.
It has become a new layer of defense for the brigade's terminal air defense, Zhao said in the report.
In another recent live-fire tactical exercise, when multiple waves of different targets were approaching from multiple directions under a complex environment of electromagnetic interference, the troops rapidly reacted and conducted precision strikes against incoming aerial targets, CCTV reported.
The new equipment not only complements the terminal air defense against low-altitude, slow-moving, and small targets, but also establishes a mobile terminal air defense network for attack troops and support forces in systematic combat operations, said Liu Xinpo, another member of the brigade.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times that the new self-propelled missile-and-gun weapon system is needed in mobile and field air defense, because it can conduct interception operations while in motion. It can switch from using missiles against targets from far away and the gun against close-range and low-flying targets for the best results.
Typical low-flying, slow and small targets include rotary wing drones, as observed in recent regional conflicts. The new weapon has potential against drones, according to Fu.
With drones emerging as new threats in modern warfare, anti-aircraft guns remain a very important tool, particularly against swarms of drones, Fu said, noting that low-flying, slow and small targets such as drones have small radar cross sections, making them difficult to detect, and they are also too expensive to be intercepted using costly missiles.
In a unique approach to combat dengue fever, Xiashicun village in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, has implemented a strategy known as "mosquito control by mosquito." A specialized team releases between 300,000 to 500,000 sterilized male mosquitoes each week.
This method has proven effective over the past seven years, with no dengue cases reported in the village, according to Guangzhou Daily.
"These male mosquitoes do not bite or feed on blood, making them a sustainable solution for reducing Aedes populations," explained researcher Gan Renxian. The strategy aims to lower the population of Aedes albopictus by releasing sterilized males that, when mating with wild females, produce eggs that do not hatch. "We refer to these male mosquitoes as 'benign mosquitoes,'" Gan added.
Some 150 areas in Guangzhou are currently facing dengue fever outbreak risks.
President Xi Jinping has urged east China's Fujian Province to play a pioneering role in the country's modernization drive by staying committed to its development goals.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in the coastal province on Tuesday and Wednesday.
