A few months ago, Sonjin Aroi stood beside a Nauru booth at a cultural expo organized by the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

In Fiji, coconut husks are often treated as waste. After coming to China, Koroi Dionisia Puleiwai Lewanavanua Marama discovered another possibility for them.

In the evening bustle of Shanghai, a middle-aged woman sits in a metro train car, head down, scrolling through short videos on her phone. She flicks past dozens of clips, yet can hardly find a single micro-drama shot with real actors and cameras.

At the National Referral Hospital Comprehensive Medical Center, waiting areas are frequently full. Some patients come seeking relief from chronic pain. Others have recurring kidney stones. Some are waiting to see specialists in breast surgery, cardiology or neurosurgery. Beyond the consultation rooms, operating theaters, wards and examination areas are meeting a growing share of the Pacific island country's specialist healthcare needs.

A birthday cake sat waiting to be eaten at Tianjin Zoo in North China's Tianjin Municipality on July 24, but it was not for a human guest. Visitors had gathered to celebrate the 13th birthday of giant panda Xi Le, watching and photographing the panda as they shared the occasion from outside the enclosure. Born in Ya'an, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, in 2013, the furry resident arrived at the Tianjin Zoo two years later, according to the Xinhua News Agency. It was one moment in a summer filled with panda birthdays across China.

A mechanical hand slowly closed its fingers. The person wearing a brain-computer interface device had not moved their arm; brain signals alone were directing the grasping motion.

In the quiet hours before dawn, the campus lay still. Yet a multipurpose hall in the international dormitory building was still lit, its glow spilling into the dark.

Why would anyone willingly fly a swarm of drones straight into a howling typhoon? And what could such a risky maneuver reveal that satellites and weather radars cannot?

The Nepali authorities' handling of an indoor gathering marking the 91st birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama has drawn criticism in Nepal, with a leader of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) saying the episode exposed a gap between Kathmandu's stated commitment to the one-China principle and its actions in practice.

Global Times reporters visited the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) - the birthplace of "digital goddess" MAZU - tracing China intelligent meteorological early warning solution MAZU's evolution from a homegrown prototype to a global public good.

The Global Times reporter recently joined scholars and members of civil society from various sectors of Ryukyu on an exclusive visit to the historical site. It was the first time that a Ryukyuan group had visited the site during its restoration, and the visitors paid tribute to their ancestors there. Amid a turbulent and unpredictable regional situation, they recalled the profound friendship forged between Ryukyu and China over hundreds of years.

Japan's NHK recently aired a documentary on Unit 731 — the notorious WWII germ-warfare unit — titled A Secret Unit: The Silent Postwar Era. Though its reach was limited, GT reporters obtained exclusive access to the full film. As more archives are declassified and descendants of both victims and perpetrators come forward, the full horror of Unit 731's crimes is gradually being reconstructed.

China's fishery scientific vessel Lanhai 201 has successfully completed its first systematic fishery resource survey in the waters east of #Taiwan island — filling a long-standing blank spot in China's near-sea fishery research. Covering 23 stations, the expedition collected vital data on over 100 fish species, rich plankton, and biodiversity in this important part of China's EEZ.

In this final installment, the Global Times tells the story of Medog, the last county in China to gain road access, and how education transformed the lives of local children. Centered on CPC member and headmaster Kelsang Dekyi, of the Monba ethnic group, the story follows her journey from a student supported by national education policies to a teacher who returned home to help more children, while highlighting how education support systems have driven lasting change in the region.

In 1934, 17 young men planted pines in Huawu village, known as the Red Army village, and departed on the Long March. They never returned, but the pines did. 90 years on, we listen to the trees — and the voices that carried on. The Long March spirit isn't history; it's inheritance. #LongMarch

American stand-up comedian Lee Camp spent three weeks in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region in 2025. This place is often smeared by some Western media, however, for him, it was spectacular. "I can't even remember how many tunnels and bridges I went through, or how many dams I saw," Lee Camp told the Global Times. "There were so many major infrastructure projects. It was incredible. I was shocked."

In this installment, Global Times reporters Lin Xiaoyi and Chen Zishuai (GT) spoke with Gong Ke (Gong), executive president of the Chinese Institute of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies and former president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, who attended the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, to discuss how China's AI governance framework advances fairer global development and bridges the digital divide in the intelligent age.

Beneath the murky, fast-flowing waters of Bangladesh's Padma and Jamuna rivers lives one of South Asia's most elusive endangered species: the Ganges river dolphin. For decades, their fleeting movements and turbid habitats have stymied every effort to accurately count and protect them. Now, a new generation of Chinese acoustic technology, nicknamed “tech ears,” is changing the field.

The year 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for many consecutive years. A recent public opinion survey conducted by the Global Times Institute on "Chinese Public Views on ASEAN" in 2026 found that cooperation outcomes between China and ASEAN in recent years have been widely and positively received. Most respondents support deeper bilateral collaboration, express high hopes for economic and trade ties, and growing enthusiasm for people-to-people exchanges.

Against the backdrop of global warming, extreme weather and climate events are posing growing risks to economic and social activity as well as public safety. Since China entered its 2026 flood season, torrential rain, typhoons, thunderstorms, gales and landslides have struck areas stretching from Southwest China to the eastern coast and Northeast China.

In the height of summer, on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the wind carries heat. But in Daoxiang Village in Hotan County, that harshness gives way to a gentler landscape. Rice paddies stretch for miles, and their green seedlings rise in neat rows along irrigation channels. This village, once known as "the last sand dune," has turned into a lush oasis, upending any image of desert life.

Shanghai is bathed in brilliant sunlight in July. Along a tree-lined street in Shanghai's Changning district stands a low-rise building, quietly tucked into the surrounding greenery.

China's NEV sector is smashing production and sales records, yet many of the critical advanced materials behind this success were once dependent on imports. A CPC member engineer and his team devoted years to R&D, breaking foreign monopolies on key automotive materials. Their hard-won breakthroughs have not only enabled domestic self-reliance but also powered the global rise of China's auto industry.

In the 26th article of the “Readers' Reflections” column, Global Times (GT) talked to Essam Sharaf (Sharaf), former Egyptian Prime Minister, to get his insights on the understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, and why “upholding the CPC's leadership” is key for the Chinese to realize their dreams. From an international perspective, he also analyzes the profound significance of Chinese modernization for the global development and governance.

Uhas' more than half-century presence across the grasslands embodies the simplest fulfillment of the Party's mission in border regions. His lifelong habit of carrying a medical bag stems from the original aspiration he held as a CPC member.

As this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a national conference on Party building was held in Beijing on June 15, making arrangements for studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. The Thought reflects intrinsic connections among Party self-governance, Party strengthening and national rejuvenation. Articulated through the "Fourteen Upholds" - and comprising a series of signature major concepts, original ideas, and fundamental theoretical insights - the Thought has made major original contributions to the development of the Marxist theory of Party building, and is of great practical significance and far-reaching guiding significance for strengthening the Party and the country.

Over the past several years, China has relocated families from isolated mountain settlements into newly built communities, while also expanding schools, healthcare facilities, and other public services. This effort has required substantial government investment with little immediate economic return, which raises a broader question: How should such investments be measured? The story of Nenger Luolin, a Yi girl, offers one answer.

This summer, the abnormality of climate change has felt unusually close.

Ten years have passed since the illegal South China Sea arbitration award was rendered in 2016. Yet rather than fading into irrelevance, the Philippines has never ceased to fan the flames - repeatedly stoking the arbitration narrative in an effort to legitimize its unlawful territorial ambitions.

The sky had turned overcast again. Wang Yongzhong looked up at the gathering mass of gray clouds. A wind blew in from the fields, carrying the scent of ripening wheat - and with it, a trace of anxiety.

In this installment, Global Times reporters Lin Xiaoyi and Chen Zishuai (GT) sat down with Stephen Jackson (Jackson), the United Nations resident coordinator in China at the Zhongguancun Dialogue on AI Cooperation, recently held in Beijing, to discuss how China leverages multilateral cooperation platforms to carry out extensive international collaboration on artificial intelligence, supports Global South countries in scaling up their technological capacity-building and contributes to bridging the global AI divide.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the global landscape, the emerging China-SCO Countries AI Application Cooperation Center is positioning itself as a key bridge between China's technological prowess and the development needs of the Global South. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on the sidelines of the Zhongguancun Dialogue on AI Cooperation, Pan Jingyu, director of the center, outlined how China leverages multilateral frameworks to export mature AI solutions while addressing governance challenges, offering a distinct vision against the backdrop of global digital divides.

Just weeks after wheat harvest, fresh corn shoots are already greening villages in East China's Dezhou — a rapid turnaround that keeps this ancient farming rhythm alive. Yet today's fields run on data: satellite‑guided tractors, integrated irrigation‑fertilization, and soil sensors that feed real‑time decisions. In #China's thousand‑year‑old breadbasket, tradition and precision now grow side by side. Farming, quietly upgraded.

The atmosphere at an AI-themed forum in Beijing this June felt different from the usual technology conferences. Instead of executives in suits unveiling the latest products, seven primary and secondary school students from across China took turns stepping into the spotlight. A primary school participant was too young to have fully mastered typing on a keyboard, yet each student confidently presented an AI-powered solution designed to tackle real-world challenges.

In the final installment of the series “250th Anniversary of Independence: America's Change and Constancy,” we recount several major shifts in US diplomatic strategy throughout history and analyze the motivations behind the current changes in US diplomatic tactics, revealing the unchanged ambition of pursuing global hegemony and maintaining its own dominant status.

The Qinghai-Xizang Railway marks its 20th anniversary of operation on July 1. As the world's highest and longest plateau railway, the line, since 2006, has opened a vital transport corridor across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, and helped accelerate ecological protection along its route.

"Oppose any attempts for fascistic and militaristic revival," "oppose and condemn all forms of fascism and militarism," "oppose practices that undermine regional peace and stability, such as the creation of exclusive 'small circles,' the instigation of bloc confrontation, and the back of militarism."

White light falls across rows of iron-clad bookshelves, where the air hangs thick with the mingled scent of ink and passing years. Zhang Yuhan runs her fingertips along the spines of books chronicling the history and development of the Communist Party of China (CPC), pulls one out, and slowly turns its pages. Between the lines, a century of arduous struggle and historic breakthroughs unfurls in quiet majesty.

"Dear passengers, welcome aboard the Hotan Yulong Train. We are about to launch our mobile bazaar event on this service. Carriage 11 features intangible cultural heritage handicrafts from Hotan, alongside local baked buns, peaches, walnuts, dried apricots, honey and more. We invite all passengers to join us in Carriage 11 and wish you a pleasant journey."

In this story, we trace the long history of the US' repeated reconstruction of its national narrative, examine why the US national identity has become so deeply fractured, and explore whether this country can bridge its divides and tell its story anew.

For the US, which is about to celebrate its 250th birthday, the atmosphere this year is far from celebratory. The smoke of the war against Iran has not only impacted the global economy and disrupted international order but has also caused the major pillars of American economic hegemony to shake simultaneously. Scholars have noted that US economic hegemony rests on five pillars: economic strength, dollar hegemony, military hegemony, political hegemony and rule hegemony. For years, the major pillars of American economic hegemony have been steadily loosening under America's domestic and foreign policies. The war against Iran has merely thrust this structural decline into the spotlight. How much longer the US can sustain its economic hegemony has become a topic of ongoing heated discussion in global public opinion.

For Xizang, such a tournament is also a sign of broader changes. Public life on the plateau is becoming more connected and more varied, shaped not only by major projects, but also by improvements in health care, education, culture, sports and ecological protection. Behind many of these changes is China's paired-up assistance mechanism for Xizang. Launched in 1994, it has brought officials, doctors, teachers, technicians and enterprise workers from other parts of China to the plateau, helping strengthen local services and development capacity. Over the decades, the mechanism has also become a channel for closer exchanges among different ethnic groups.

Editor's Note: Having enjoyed a long history, friendly exchanges between China and Africa have deepened in recent years, covering various fields such as politics, economy, and culture. The Global Times is launching a China-Africa Rhapsody series, aiming to showcase the profound human connections and development visions between the two peoples by sharing the true stories of Chinese people in Africa and African people in China. From touching stories of China-Africa cooperation and exciting collisions of youthful ideas to debunking fallacies concocted by some Western sources about China-Africa collaboration, this series hopes to promote closer cooperation and deeper understanding between the peoples of China and Africa. This installment shares the story of how the 50-year-old Rossing Uranium Mine has brought extensive opportunities and welfare to local Namibians following its acquisition by a Chinese firm.

“I'm very blessed to have seen all the Party and government units, and local and foreign charities working together. To me, this is really a dream come true.” Nepali surgeon & charitable group founder shares his stories and thoughts of doing charity in Shanghai. #CPCinGlobalEyes

Editor's Note: The year 2026 marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30). The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan dedicates a chapter to "accelerating the green transition across the board and building a Beautiful China."

This quiet, open valley is a scenic landscape for tourists, but it is also part of everyday life for people living along the river. In recent years, as wetland protection, river management and public participation have continued to advance, the water has become clearer, the trees denser, and the birds more numerous.

Editor's Note: In the 25th article of the "Readers' Reflections" column, Global Times (GT) talked to Erik Solheim (Solheim), recipient of the 2023 Chinese Government Award, Co-Chair of Europe-Asia Center and former Under Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of the UNEP, to get his insights on the understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and the reference value of China's green development path for Latin America, Africa, and the entire Global South.

One of the most important contributions of China's experience is the demonstration that building an ecologically sustainable society depends not only on setting ambitious goals, but also on maintaining strategic direction and continuity of purpose over time. China's aspiration to build a clean and beautiful world is not merely an environmental goal, but a civilizational horizon.

In the 23rd article of the "Scholars' Perspectives" column, Huang Chengliang, secretary general of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, shares with the Global Times his insights on China's path in which development and environmental protection can advance in tandem.

A sound mechanism must stand the test of both time and results. Spanning more than 4,000 kilometers, the partnership between East China's Fujian Province and Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has now lasted for three decades.

As the US approaches its 250th birthday, its "nation of immigrants" label may need to be re-examined. Research shows that in 2025, the US experienced a net migration outflow of approximately 150,000 people - the first "reverse migration" wave since the Great Depression of the 1930s - and this trend is expected to intensify further in 2026 and 2027. Scholars point out that this historic population reversal is rooted in imbalances in the US economic structure and issues with social governance, reflecting profound economic and political restructuring in the country, and signaling a decline in its economic vitality, social cohesion and global appeal.

When virtual effects dilute the brutality of artillery fire and meme culture obscures the human cost of conflict, how has the smoke of this AI battlefield involving the US, Israel and Iran spread? In this AI-driven information war of manufactured narratives, what dazzling “tactics” have both the US and Iran deployed? And what deeper dangers lie beneath this new form of public opinion confrontation? #GTinvestigates

It was nearly 11 o'clock at night, and Liu Zhao's computer screen was still glowing. Scattered across his desktop were several half-edited drafts of lyrics, while the waveform graphs from his AI music software rose and fell like mountain ranges against the dark interface. He took off his headphones, rubbed his tired ears and put them back on.

On July 4, 2026, the US will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence. At this juncture, international public opinion has described the US as a "declining" America, citing rising political polarization, unprecedented ethnic tensions, increasing pressure on its economic hegemony, a weakening national identity, and overseas military operations mired in deadlock. Over the past 250 years, the US has gradually become a superpower, exerting significant influence on the world's structure and operations. Its political system, economic model, social structure, cultural narrative and foreign policy have also changed with shifts in national power.

In recent years, the rise of “China Travel” has turned medical tourism into an unexpected window through which foreign visitors can get a glimpse of China's development. Many foreign tourists are surprised when they find that, in China, they can get access to high-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in hospitals and medical institutes with remarkable ease and reasonable prices.

Crystal clear brooks weaving down green grassy slopes against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains - this is the home of the Central Asian salamander, or Ranodon sibiricus, a relict species dating back 350 million years and co-habitants of dinosaurs, which is listed as EN (endangered) status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, kicked off on Thursday.

In late May, a team of Global Times reporters visited Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. What left the deepest impression was not only the snow-capped mountains visible almost everywhere in the city, but also China-related signs throughout the journey, as well as the positive and optimistic attitudes shown by local residents and Chinese people living there when talking about relations between the two countries.

Editor's Note: In an era of profound global shifts and increasingly complex regional dynamics, a proper understanding of the world must be rooted in “grounded experience” and localized insights. Global Times English edition, in collaboration with the Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies, Communication University of China, is proud to launch “Local Insights,” an English-language column dedicated to original, field-based observations. We invite Chinese scholars and professionals who are studying, conducting exchanges, or working outside China, as well as international students and friends living and studying in China who are familiar with the social contexts of their home countries or third countries, to begin from first-hand field experience and engage with social, cultural, and contemporary issues beyond China. The third article in this column features a Chinese scholar witnessing the two-century-long civilizational integration, mutual accommodation and resilient people-to-people bonds between China and India through her on-site exploration of Kolkata's centuries-old Chinatown and in-depth conversations with local Chinese-Indian residents and Bengali neighbors.

In this installment, we turn our attention to a group of Chinese teenagers who volunteer as student docents at the country's red-themed revolutionary memorial sites, telling the stories and spirit of the CPC and China's development.

This article is the fourth installment. Global Times reporters visited the ancient city of Suyab in Kyrgyzstan on the spot, exploring how China's refined archaeological expertise tackles persistent hurdles in conserving earthen historic sites and showcasing the tangible outcomes of cultural and technology exchange between China and Kyrgyzstan along the Silk Road.

Monday marks both World Oceans Day and China's National Ocean Awareness Day. Since joining the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), China has honored its commitments, and implementation of the agreement has gotten off to a strong start, some participants said at a themed event on the agreement held in Shanghai on June 5, the United Nations (UN)-designated International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

Scandals around Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama's nephew and secretary, once again expose the hypocrisy and corruption within the Dalai clique. Behind the rhetoric of “human rights” and “democracy” lies a rotten network of power, money and misconduct. #Gtinvestigates

As generative artificial intelligence technology moves faster into education, the annual gaokao season, China's college entrance examination period, is also seeing new changes.

Over the past 30 years, 89-year-old Lei Yueqin has created seven hand-drawn maps documenting the revival of the Guancheng River in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. Her oldest faded colored drawings still bring a sparkle to her eyes whenever she flips through them.

As June rolls around, apples enter the fruit bagging season. Every single day, 51-year-old local fruit farmer Xu Dewen patrols his apple groves in Kekeya, Wensu County in Aksu Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. "Growing apples is no easy feat," he told the Global Times. Apparently, all the hassle in growing apples, however, melts away into pure joy whenever he watches his young fruits swell day by day.

So what can a kiwifruit from New Zealand - with its natural nutritional strengths and Zespri's long-term commitment to the Chinese market - contribute to better-balanced meals for Chinese families, and to a healthier nation as a whole?

Young people across the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) widely endorse the concepts and actions of the SCO, highly appreciate its positive role in global governance and hold high expectations for deepening cooperation across various fields among member states, according to a report released in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on May 27.

On May 27, the 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum, themed "Deepening China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation for a Brighter SCO Future," was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Nearly 100 media representatives, officials from relevant departments, experts, scholars and business representatives from China and Kyrgyzstan attended the forum, engaging in in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics including economic and trade development, cultural exchange and media cooperation. The forum was jointly hosted by the People's Daily and Kyrgyz Tuusu Publishing House.

Artem, a 38-year-old Russian, sat nervously in the dental chair at an oral clinic in Heihe, a China-Russia border city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, as the lamp above lit up his anxious face during his second cross-border dental trip to China. A nurse handed him a thumb-sized scanning probe - Artem's first encounter with China's smart tech in dentistry: a digital oral impression scanner.

Editor's Note: On May 27, the 2026 Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum was held in Beijing. At the forum's opening ceremony, the Global Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Development was officially launched. The partnership, jointly initiated by China, 53 other countries and nine international organizations, marks a milestone in global poverty reduction endeavors.

In the 22nd article of the "Scholars' Perspectives" column, Li Xiaoyun, chair professor of China Agricultural University, shares with the Global Times his insights on the importance of rural modernization, as well as its domestic and international significance.

In the 24th article of the "Readers' Reflections" column, Global Times (GT) talked to Arkebe Oqubay, a British Academy Global Professor at SOAS University of London and former Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, to get his insight on China's historic poverty reduction achievement, its rural revitalization strategy, and what this experience means for other developing countries.

We visited Shibadong village in Huayuan county, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Central China's Hunan Province, where the concept of "targeted poverty alleviation" was first put forward, to hear villagers and industrial leaders who personally experienced the fight against poverty and the exploration of rural revitalization tell their stories. In recent years, building on consolidated poverty alleviation achievements, Shibadong village has relied on distinctive industries such as Miao embroidery, beekeeping and rural tourism. It has also continuously advanced rural revitalization through industrial upgrading, ecological improvement and cultural inheritance. This journey shows how the concept of rural revitalization has taken root in a remote mountain village, while also revealing the broad significance of this grassroots practice as it reaches the whole country and connects with the world.

The Global Times "Overseas China Week" event landed in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, launching the "Linked by Mountains and Rivers, Bound by Shared Hearts - China and Kyrgyzstan Hand-in-Hand for the Future" photo exhibition, during the 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum.

As China marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory in 2026, new red tourism experiences focused on participation and emotional resonance are redefining how people connect with history.

A new wave of life entered the Beibu Gulf at the Beilun River estuary in Dongxing, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on May 19, as 270 million aquatic juveniles and broodstock were released into the sea during the 2026 China-Vietnam joint fishery resources stock enhancement and release activity. It was the ninth such joint release since China and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 on cooperation in fishery resources enhancement, release and conservation in the gulf.

In east China's Zhoushan archipelago, tens of thousands of foreign crew members work side by side with Chinese seafarers. What is life and work like for foreign crew members employed by Chinese companies? With this question and high expectations in mind, an Indonesian student recently embarked on his journey to Zhoushan.

After a tropical cyclone swept through the Western Province of Solomon Islands, traces of the disaster were still visible along the coast of Rarumana community. Trees had been brought down, and seaweed farms were damaged. For this remote community in the South Pacific, separated from the capital Honiara, the storm made it even harder for medicines and medical workers to reach local residents.

From the classrooms of Lhasa High School, the view of the Potala Palace is a sight to behold. For travelers, such a view might be worth buying an expensive cup of coffee for a photo. For students here, it is simply the everyday backdrop of their studies. In the school's exhibition hall, student guides introduce visitors to its development, which began in 1956, with old campus photos, awards and records of student life on display. This year, Lhasa High School celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Editor's Note: China has consistently made poverty eradication a key priority in national governance. Over the past decades, China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, achieving the poverty reduction goals of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a full decade ahead of schedule.

Have you ever seen the "giant pandas of birds"? As May 22 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, this story from the #BeautifulChinaING series turns focus to the Chinese merganser in the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China's Jilin Province, where decades of conservation, scientific innovation and community participation are helping revive one of the world's rarest birds while showcasing China's broader ecological restoration efforts.

“I had never seen so much money. He gave me that sum, and I bought so many good saplings with it... I have always thought of him. I wanted to tell him that I did it. I didn't waste his money.”

Traveling westward along the G318 National Highway from Qamdo - the eastern gateway to Xizang - the scenery outside the car window seems to change every few stretches along the road.

For nearly six decades, 77-year-old Jiang Mingdian has written hundreds of thousands of qiaopi - a unique form of personal mail - for local men in his hometown to send to their loved ones around the world. Despite his words having traveled far and wide, Jiang had never once left Quanzhou in East China's Fujian Province - until last Sunday, when he was invited to Beijing for a special screening of the hit film Dear You.

The eleventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is underway at UN Headquarters in New York. Japan is a signatory to the NPT. However, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to revise Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office have even blatantly claimed that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. Japan is also pushing for the so-called “nuclear sharing” arrangement, plotting to redeploy nuclear weapons on its soil. These negative moves have raised grave concerns across the international community.

From the urban area of Qamdo in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, the Lancang-Mekong River can be seen winding through the mountains. Not far from the river, stands Qamdo Experimental Primary School, where the sound of children reading aloud, the rhythm of Tibetan traditional dance and the buzz of drones in flight meet on the same campus.

Editor's Note: As global challenges grow increasingly interconnected, technological solutions are rarely confined to a single country. Through research collaboration, open sharing of expertise and partnerships with international institutions, Chinese scientists, engineers and enterprises are engaging more deeply with the world, contributing tools and experience to problems that demand collective answers. The Global Times launches a series of “Tech Seeds, Global Bloom,” spotlighting China's achievements in advancing technology for good both domestically and internationally. By following these trajectories, the series invites readers to consider a different measure of progress: Not how advanced technology becomes, but whom it ultimately serves, and how widely its benefits can spread. This article is the third installment. It examines how China's open-source AI ecosystem, exemplified by ScienceOne 100, combines technological openness, scientific collaboration, and governance ambitions to reshape global innovation and AI for Science.

Editor's Note: In an era of profound global shifts and increasingly complex regional dynamics, a proper understanding of the world must be rooted in “grounded experience” and localized insights. Global Times English edition, in collaboration with the Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies, Communication University of China, is proud to launch “Local Insights,” an English-language column dedicated to original, field-based observations. We invite Chinese scholars and professionals who are studying, conducting exchanges, or working outside China, as well as international students and friends living and studying in China who are familiar with the social contexts of their home countries or third countries, to begin from first-hand field experience and engage with social, cultural, and contemporary issues beyond China. The second article in this column features a Chinese scholar witnessing the growing enthusiasm for Chinese culture at an Argentine university, a vivid embodiment of ever-deepening people-to-people exchanges and win-win cooperation that opens a new chapter in China-LAC friendship.

"All we want right now is to feel safe," travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin said in a tearful message from the MV Hondius cruise ship - one of the first public videos from a passenger as the ship became mired in anxiety over a hantavirus outbreak that led to three deaths this month.

This spring, many young Chinese people have chosen not to spend their holidays at popular tourist attractions, but on the edge of the desert in Minqin County, Northwest China's Gansu Province.

Spring sunlight spilled across the green pitch at Shanghai University of Sport (SUS), where colorful flag belts fluttered in the breeze. Wei Yundi, 19, ran his route with precision, caught the ball, and sprinted forward, carrying the ball into the end zone to the roar of the crowd. In that adrenaline-charged moment, Wei clenched his fist and embraced his teammates tightly.

Three young South Asian scientists work with fish – Oujiang color common carp – at Shanghai Ocean University, experiencing firsthand China's international collaboration in fisheries research and education. What is their academic life in China about?

Chinese researchers, in collaboration with international scientists, have identified a "vertical conveyor" atmospheric mechanism that powers the atmospheric water cycle in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, known as the Asian Water Towers (AWTs). This finding, supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP), reveals how moisture from high-altitude winds is delivered to the plateau through a complex process of nocturnal "decoupling," the Global Times learned from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Tuesday.

Situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea was once the world's fourth-largest lake, nourishing the vast lands around it.

Receiving the Tianshan Award is a great honor for me, but more importantly, it is a recognition of the collective efforts of many partners, colleagues and international institutions working on the Aral Sea crisis.

Mist drifted halfway up the slopes of the towering Gaoligong Mountains as it always did during the rainy season in Dulongjiang township, nestled deep within the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. Following officers from the Dulongjiang Frontier Police Station, the Global Times reporter wound along mountain roads toward Dizhengdang village to visit one of the “last face-tattooed women” of the Dulong ethnic group.

Across today's China, more talented young individuals are emerging in every field, from busy industrial hubs and vibrant research labs to remote border outposts and community service stations, injecting strong momentum into the pursuit of Chinese modernization. What image do they present to the world, and what enables them to seize the opportunities of this era?

The Jiangsu Football City League (JSCL) is back.

The Tokyo Trial delivered a historic verdict on Japan's war crimes and its Class-A war criminals. Yet inside Yushukan in Japan's notorious Yasukuni Shrine, a long-running campaign has unfolded under the guise of a “museum”: through semantic sleight of hand and a series of carefully crafted distortions, it openly denies the Tokyo Trial and seeks to rewrite history while glorifying militarism.

"Do you know which boats are the fastest at the dock?" Wang Supeng, a comrade-in-arms of martyr Qiao Helin, asked a Global Times reporter during an interview at the Fangcheng workstation of the Fangchenggang Coast Guard Bureau in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where Qiao worked before his death.

For Kuhn, this trip felt like an arrival layered with multiple meanings. She was not only continuing to speak in China about her belief in "peace through agriculture," but also extending a family bond with China that stretches back more than 150 years.

The just trial of Japanese war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial), through a vast number of eyewitness accounts, material evidence and court testimonies, has fixed the criminal course of the war of aggression and delivered an unalterable and irrefutable historical judgment on Japan's aggressive atrocities. To mark the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Tokyo Trial, the Global Times highlights the core evidence from the trial. Based on court testimonies and original the sworn affidavits from witnesses in China, the US, the UK, Canada and Japan, the report vividly reconstructs historical details: the Lugou Bridge Incident, atrocities in prisoner-of-war concentration camps, crimes against humanity on the Hong Kong battlefield and the destructive impact of militaristic education. It presents the true picture of history through first-hand conclusive evidence. These testimonies and pieces of material evidence, coming from diverse sources and mutually reinforcing one another, together prove that Japan's aggression was a deliberate and premeditated state act, that militaristic education served as its ideological foundation, and that brutal violence and disregard for human dignity were its consistent practices. Its atrocities spread across every land invaded by Japan.

The year 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, or Tokyo Trials. However, at this critical timing, the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has continued to adopt a series of dangerous moves. In just under a week, Japan lifted the ban on lethal arms exports, moved closer to establishing a new intelligence apparatus, and more than 100 politicians sent ritual offerings or visited the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

What defines a correct view of governance performance? The Dulongjiang Frontier Police Station has spent 74 years quietly answering that question through steadfast dedication. Reporting from the field, the GT traces a dual narrative of arduous border defense and deep bonds with local communities, showing how generations of officers have safeguarded this “last hidden realm of China” with their youth and devotion.

"It's currently 5 am. It's earlier than I usually wake up, but we are here for a very important reason. Today, we are going to be taking a look at how [Guizhou Province in] China was able to lift [over] 9.2 million people out of poverty within eight years."

In the soft light of a spring morning, the vast trading corridors of the Yiwu International Trade City are already buzzing with activity. Small commodities line the aisles in neat rows, many of them packaged in Chinese, English, Arabic and French. Merchants move briskly as foreign buyers roll suitcases from stall to stall, checking samples, asking prices and taking photos.

Editor's Note: “Building an ecological civilization concerns the well-being of the people and the future of the nation.” Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, pointed out: “Respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature is essential for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects.” The building of a Beautiful China is a key component of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. As outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development, securing major breakthroughs in strategic tasks of overall importance to Chinese modernization and making major new progress in the Beautiful China Initiative are set as key objectives for the 2026-2030 period. The Global Times's column on Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is launching a series of articles titled “BeautifulChinaING.” From the perspectives of the beauty of nature, the beauty of system and the beauty of lifestyle, the series uses both Chinese and international cases as entry points. Through field reporting and video storytelling, it explores how green development has become a defining feature of Chinese modernization while showcasing China's role as a responsible major country providing global public goods. Wednesday was Earth Day. In this installment, we turn our focus to the conservation of nature. In 2026, China marks the 70th a

In the spring of 2025, the Nujiang River Grand Canyon in Southwest China unfolded like a living scroll in the gentle light of the mountains. At 76, Anatoly Tozik, director of the Republican Confucius Institute of Sinology at Belarusian State University and former deputy prime minister of Belarus, walked along cliffside paths, pausing to take in the vast gorge.

More than 60 kilometers from the urban area of Beijing, surrounded by mountains beside the Yanqi Lake, the Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility (SECUF) operates quietly in the Huairou Science City. Zhou Rui, a professor at the Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and head of the nuclear magnetic resonance measurement station at SECUF, focuses on the changing measurement values on his computer screen, checking instruments and communicating with colleagues from time to time.

Shanghai breathes with the vitality of spring in April. A minibus pulls to a stop. The door opens, and Kawa Mahmoud steps out, lifting his gaze to a typical Shikumen-style building - a traditional architectural style of Shanghai - by the roadside. This is the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the birthplace of the Party.

"China is not what I expected," "I was shocked by China…" Two years ago, as "China travel" took off on YouTube, such phrases became a familiar formula in videos by early foreign creators, capturing the gap between long-held second-hand impressions and fresh firsthand experiences.

What does the animation that inspired tech billionaire Elon Musk look like? Recently, Chinese digital artist Huang Rui shared a special experience on one of China's leading video-sharing platforms Bilibili: he discussed the future prospect of a Type II civilization, a stellar civilization capable of harnessing all the energy of its home star, with Musk.

Unlike Huang Rui, who uses sci-fi art to envision the future, Xie Tianyang - another Chinese special effects video creator - has harbored a simple wish from the very beginning: to recreate the whimsical fantasies of his childhood through special effects.

"A correct understanding of governance performance requires us to proceed from reality, respect objective laws, and through sound decision-making and hard work, create achievements that withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and earn public recognition," President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed at the opening of a study session for principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels in January 2026.

In the 23rd article of the “Readers' Reflections” column, Global Times (GT) talked to Robert Walker (Walker), Professor Emeritus and Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College at University of Oxford and a professor at Jingshi Academy, Beijing Normal University, to get his insight on the inspiration and significance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) establishing and practicing a correct understanding of governance performance.

In the 21st article of the "Scholars' Perspectives" column, Wu Tao, Director and Professor of Research Center for Grassroots Party Building, China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), also expert entitled to Special Government Allowance of the State Council, elaborates on the importance of establishing and practicing a correct understanding of governance performance.

"When I said, 'I love you,' its eyes immediately lit up with red heart emojis and it responded affectionately in both Chinese and English." Ram Niranjan Sharma, an Indian business consultant, still vividly remembers the encounter at an expo in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, in 2023. The small cat-shaped robot, which could read emotions, shattered his preconceived notions about tech products.

Chen Yanping, a 62-year-old fisherman from Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province, never imagined that after a lifetime of fishing, he would one day be linked to "military operations."

The crisp crack of ping-pong balls echoed through the hall - a heartbeat, the steady metronome of passing time.

Editor's Note: In an era of profound global shifts and increasingly complex regional dynamics, a proper understanding of the world must be rooted in “grounded experience” and localized insights. Global Times English edition, in collaboration with the Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies, Communication University of China, is proud to launch “Local Insights,” an English-language column dedicated to original, field-based observations.

The term "old TCM doctor" is often used, as if "old" is both its credential and its destiny. But today, is TCM really just "old"? Or rather, how is this tradition - often labeled as antiquated - continuing to find its place in modern life and within contemporary healthcare systems?

Standing inside her newly finished home in Huishui County, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, an elderly local woman told the US visitor Robert Lawrence Kuhn with satisfaction, “I've grown quite used to life here. It's much better than in our old village.”

In a recent Gallup global poll, China surpassed the US in global approval ratings in 2025, with a median of 36 percent approving of China's leadership, compared with 31 percent for the US, and the five-percentage-point advantage over the US in terms of the global median approval rate is the widest Gallup has recorded in China's favor in nearly 20 years, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Imagine seeing a doctor before you even step into a hospital.

America's ability to understand and manage its most consequential strategic relationship is eroding. Fewer than 2,000 Americans per year are currently estimated to be studying in China compared to 11,000 in 2019, according to a latest report released by the Washington-based non-profit US-China Education Trust (USCET).

"A Shared Voyage: China-US Youth Friendship Program," a people-to-people exchange that gathered 20 young participants from China and the US on a research voyage, concluded on Wednesday along Shanghai's iconic Huangpu River.

The so-called "Tibetan government-in-exile" released a shortlist of candidates for its "parliament-in-exile" on March 18, marking one of the latest developments in this year's overseas so-called "election." However, based on publicly available information and expert interviews, the Global Times found that the so-called "election" reveals clear limitations in both participation and institutional foundation. Moreover, the operation of this "election" is closely tied to external political and financial support, rather than an independent institutional framework.

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, a Chinese seafarer stranded in the Persian Gulf said he and his crewmates were facing three major challenges: disrupted navigation, security threats, and daily hardships. He said his greatest wish is “that the war ends soon so I can go home.

"Xiong'an is like the future city I imagined as a child - that's why I chose to come here," Ma Xiaoqian, a Gen Z employee at Mech-Mind Robotics, a tech startup in Xiong'an, told the Global Times.

Since taking office, the current US government has pursued what critics call a strategy of “predatory hegemony,” from launching wars to military intimidation, from wielding economic blackmail to financial bullying. Yet many scholars in US politics and international relations have warned that behind this apparent show of strength lies deep internal fissures and mounting external blowback.

In January, as a delegation member from Shanghai International Studies University visiting India, I extensively traveled to places including the capital, New Delhi, Bolpur and Kolkata in West Bengal, and Bengaluru in Karnataka. We paid visits to universities, think tanks, local government offices, and enterprises, and held talks with scholars, young students, Indian officials, business owners, and ordinary citizens. Over the week-long field research, I gained fresh insights into India's current development and its mindset toward China.

Hansen Nico Rene and his partner Xie Wanju, the first secretary of Lianhua village's Party committee in Hechi, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, walk steadily along the damp field ridges. Neat rows of young passion fruit seedlings line both sides. White plastic mulch, laid around the roots of each sapling to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds, glows softly in the spring sunlight.

Editor's Note: Eighty years have passed since the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (“Tokyo trials”) in 1946. Yet, despite the verdicts of the Tribunal, many atrocities committed by Japan during its invasion of China from 1931 to 1945 are still being denied or downplayed by certain forces in Japan today. This invasion constitutes one of the darkest chapters in the history of human civilization. Certain forces within Japan have never ceased attempting to deny and whitewash this history of aggression, seeking to obscure and dilute responsibility for wartime crimes. In the face of these persistent challenges to historical truth, expressions of grief and indignation alone are far from sufficient. Only irrefutable original evidence can expose falsehoods and leave no room for denial.

Bilingual signs in English and Chinese are visible everywhere when Global Times reporters visited Beijing United Family Hospital. In the hallways, foreign patients chat fluently with doctors in English, and nurses greet them warmly as they pass by with carts. The facility feels more like a small international community than the crowded, busy hospitals many people imagine.

"Happy World War III to all who celebrate." On the February 28 episode of Saturday Night Live, a US late-night sketch show, cast member James Austin Johnson declared, in his recurring role as President Trump, The New York Times reported. Earlier that day, the US and Israel had carried out military strikes against Iran.

On the vast plateau of Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, newly built highways cut across snow-capped mountains, 5G signals reach remote villages, and modern homes replace old dwellings once scattered across harsh terrain. These visible changes offer a vivid snapshot of transformation, one that now enters a new phase with the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

Two da ye (elderly man) and a da ma (elderly woman) sit around a table playing Dou Di Zhu (a Chinese card game called Fight the Landlord). While two challengers keep playing their cards nonstop, the "landlord" sits there with one eye covered, deep in thought and seemingly at a loss.

In the early morning, Italian media professional Eva Molaro stretches along with a group of early risers. At a shop in the airport, Igor Marchuk, representative of a Kazakh airline, pays deftly with his phone. Downstairs in a neighborhood courtyard, French entrepreneur Sua parks her bike and, smiling, answers a neighbor's greeting in Chinese: "Chi guo la (I've eaten)!"

Just four months into his posting in Beijing, Alhaji Mohamed Sarjoh Bah, the African Union's (AU) newly appointed Permanent Representative to China, already maintains a busy working schedule to deepen cooperation between China and Africa.

Under the blueprint of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which continues to emphasize emerging youth-driven industries, a group of Gen Z “knowledge-based influencers” with solid expertise is becoming the main force in new economy.

Across the ocean, a simple safety message and a genuine offer of help have become the warmest support in these overseas waters where communications are disrupted. These small acts of kindness let stranded countrymen feel the strength of having a solid backing, and truly reflect how Chinese people look out for one another abroad.

The smoke still lingers from the US raid on Venezuela, and the diplomatic uproar over US government's push to acquire Greenland has yet to fade - yet explosions are once again lighting up the skies over the Middle East.

Editor's Note: Chinese President Xi Jinping has pointed out, “to understand China today, one must learn to understand the Communist Party of China (CPC).” With the rapid development of China's economy and society, and the steady advancement of the Chinese path to modernization, the notable achievements of the CPC have drawn extensive international attention and scholarly interest. Against this backdrop, the Global Times has launched the “CPC in Global Eyes” column, focusing on the feelings, perspectives, and insights of international friends from various fields regarding the CPC's historical path and achievements.

At 7 am, the starting gun fired, igniting vitality in Swakopmund, Namibia.

Editor's Note: 2026 marks the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30). The outline of the Plan sets out the following development goals for the coming five years: significant achievements in high-quality development, substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, fresh breakthroughs in further deepening reform comprehensively, notable cultural and ethical progress across society, further improvements in quality of life, major new strides in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, and further advances in strengthening the national security shield.

2026 marks the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30). The outline of the Plan sets out the following development goals for the coming five years: significant achievements in high-quality development, substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, fresh breakthroughs in further deepening reform comprehensively, notable cultural and ethical progress across society, further improvements in quality of life, major new strides in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, and further advances in strengthening the national security shield.

More foreigners are entering the world of TCM – not just as patients, but as students, practitioners and promoters. From Germany to Cuba, TCM is gaining new global followers through study, treatment and lived experience. #HealthyChina

In this installment, we turn our attention to veterans of Zimbabwe's national liberation war. Some of these veterans were trained in China or with Chinese instructors decades ago, forging lasting bonds with the Chinese people. The message in the reply letter has strengthened their resolve to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Zimbabwe and contribute to deeper China-Africa cooperation in the new era.

At the end of January 2026, AstraZeneca, a Swedish-British pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, announced its re-entry into China's pharmaceutical market with a $15 billion investment over the next five years, allocated to production and part of its R&D efforts.

When the family behind the YouTube channel "Fernweh Chronicles" stepped off a train in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, they did not expect the first thing to catch their attention to be in the sky.

“This moment is so full of love!” That's how some overseas social media users captioned a recent viral video, in which some Chinese children sit casually atop a police car and enjoy a street performance while some police officers stand beside the car to protect them. The police vehicle had become an impromptu viewing platform for children. The scene warmed the hearts of many Chinese and foreign netizens.

When stepping into the courtyard of "Xiaoman Shiyang" - a social space dubbed as a "daytime tea house, nighttime bar" in Beijing's bustling downtown area - customers are first greeted by a statue of Li Shizhen, a renowned Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) pharmacologist and author of the iconic herbal encyclopedia Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica).

“Archives are direct witnesses to history. They don't try to tell the entire story. They simply present facts, allowing those who come after to see the truth and touch a past they never experienced but must understand.” The first installment in the #ArchivesTellTruth series delves into original Japanese military records preserved in local archives to reveal the organized and institutionalized nature of the war crimes committed by the Japanese imperial army during the invasion of China.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a treasure carrying the Chinese nation's health wisdom for thousands of years, is now reaching 196 countries and nations at an astonishing pace. It has become an important pillar of the Healthy China Initiative and a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations.

The air in Tianba village in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, carries the crisp scent of pine and earth, a reminder of the rugged mountains that cradle this village. When Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine ambassador to China, first set foot in the village, the land beneath his feet, as he put it, felt like a bridge between catastrophe and rebirth.

The government work report states that the conditions underpinning China's long-term growth and its underlying trend remain unchanged. More and more, China is demonstrating the strengths of its system and the strengths it has as a big country.

How can you learn how many shaded areas are along your route on a digital map? Have you seen automated drug delivery system in hospitals? Has unmanned delivery technology reached remote areas in your country? Users from various countries are posting about glimpses of everyday life in China.

"Many people told me that when they exit the tunnel at the end of the road leading to Abuluoha village, they are amazed by the village's brand-new look. It is like a paradise beyond the mortal world," said Jilie Ziri, a post-1995 NPC deputy, with a smile when the Global Times reporters met him in Xichang, capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, in late February, days before he left for Beijing to attend the 2026 national "two sessions."

From industrial cities once shrouded in smog to neighborhoods where residents now record clear skies day after day, officials, scientists, businesses and ordinary citizens have joined forces to tackle air pollution. Their combined efforts have transformed the country's air quality and brought blue skies back to daily life.

Editor's Note: The fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will kick off in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively. As an annual major political event, the national two sessions serve as an important platform for national lawmakers and political advisors to build consensus and deliberate on development plans, and a key window for the world to observe whole-process people's democracy in China.

The escalation of the conflict between the US-Israel and Iran has shocked the world following confirmation on Sunday of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's nuclear facilities have become an unavoidable focal point in this conflict.

"Here in China, I can truly feel that the government is listening to the people's voices," Phommavong Pattarada, a young woman from Madagascar whose Chinese name is Liu Xiran, told the Global Times emotionally on a late February afternoon. She was holding a draft of the elderly care service regulations, which she planned to solicit opinions on from residents at the Huanongli community in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

As the Spring Festival holidays end, China is entering a nationwide phase of post-holiday work resumption, marked by the return of factories and construction sites to full operation, and even robots reporting back to work, signaling a broad push to secure a strong economic start to the year.

The gentle breezes of early spring caress the eternally warm island of Hainan. On the balcony of an apartment in Haikou, capital city of South China's Hainan Province, David Janke stands at ease, gazing out at the nearby sea, a sheet of glinting blue. A few steps behind him, a bookshelf holds a neat row of English or bilingual editions - testaments to decades spent using language as a bridge between cultures.

Playful as it seemed, the episode reflected a broader shift. Chinese culture is no longer circulating abroad through formal, one-directional promotion but through participatory, internet-native exchanges that blur the line between producer and audience. Increasingly, some Chinese elements are moving beyond the labels of "Asian" or "niche" culture and entering the everyday consumption and aesthetic routines of young people in the West.

Beneath a clear blue sky and turquoise sea, a gentle breeze ruffles the sand along Dadonghai beach in Sanya, a coastal city in South China's island province of Hainan. Visitors from around the world bask and lounge on the beach, soaking up a rare winter warmth and the sun's soft glow.

On the afternoon of February 11, train No. 6437 was already filled with a festive atmosphere. Train conductor Cui Daqing held a stack of red papers with “Fu” character, offering passengers warm New Year wishes in a loud and cheerful voice. Festive paper-cut decorations adorned the windows, reflecting the mountain scenery rushing past outside. The luggage racks were crammed with holiday goods – tote bags packed with Beijing specialties and toys for children back home.

As the lanterns of the Year of the Horse illuminate the night sky, a young rail grinding team, known as the “rail beauticians,” is hard at work on the tracks of Beijing South Railway Station. Using the rails as their canvas and grinders as their brushes, they sculpt with millimeter precision, safeguarding the journey home for millions during the #ChineseNewYear travel rush. #chunyun

On February 8, in a residential building in Jing'an in downtown Shanghai, delivery rider Shen Zhuangqi - a native of Heze, East China's Shandong Province who has been working in the city for three years - greeted the reporters with a simple sentence: "I've found that big-family feeling here."

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). A new year begins with new resolve and new momentum. The call to "fight for our dreams and our happiness, and turn our great vision into beautiful realities" continues to inspire action across China.

In the column "New Year on the Frontlines," reporters from the People's Daily and the Global Times traveled to the grass roots to witness the vitality of a vast nation, see its mountains and rivers in motion and its fields in abundance, and listen to the stories of people finding fulfillment in both life and work.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). A new year begins with new resolve and new momentum. The call to "fight for our dreams and our happiness, and turn our great vision into beautiful realities" continues to inspire action across China.

As Chinese New Year approaches, in Yingshan county, Central China's Hubei Province, known as the "land of medicinal herbs," Wang Zaiping, a villager from Tiantang village in Shitouzui Township, has been busy. On a sunny mountainside slope, she and her husband diligently turn over pine logs. The logs, about 40-centimeter long and as thick as a fist, are neatly stacked. "Once cracks appear at both ends, it's time to 'put them in the pit,'" Wang said. "Growing Poria cocos depends entirely on these logs, so we have to take good care of them."

"Centralized seminar, now commencing." At 9:30 am, red paper-cut horse decorations glinted on the office glass at Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd (CGSTL), in Northeast China's Jilin Province.

"Sister Wu, can live chickens be taken on the train?" At daybreak in the Miaoling Mountains, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, vegetable vendor Sister Wu began her day amid a flurry of flapping wings and barking dogs. The reporter, helping chase down free-range chickens, could not help but ask.

As the Spring Festival approaches, there are no decorative lanterns and colored streamers at the Gangga border defense company, located at the foot of Mount Qomolangma in Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

As Spring Festival (#ChineseNewYear) approaches, more international visitors are traveling to China's coastal city of #Sanya thanks to visa-free policies. Data shows that over 51,000 international passengers passed through the city in past two weeks alone, up 53% y-on-y. Behind the surge lies the strong commitment and relentless pursuit of efficiency by the local border inspectors.

The release of over 3 million pages of declassified files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent shockwaves across the world. The aftershocks and public outrage have continued to unfold and intensify in Europe and in the US over the past two weeks.

The current international political and economic landscape is at one of the most dangerous stages since the WWII as a stable and rule-based international order is disintegrating, while a new one has yet to take shape, Paulo Nogueira Batista, former vice president of the New Development Bank (NDB) and former executive director at the International Monetary Fund, told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview.

In the 19th article of the "Scholars' Perspectives" column, Liu Kuili, Honorary Member of the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Honorary President of the Chinese Folklore Society, elaborates on the cultural implications of the Spring Festival and how it embodies the five defining characteristics of Chinese civilization summarized by President Xi Jinping.

Editor's Note: In the 21st article of the "Readers' Reflections" column, Global Times reporter talked to Colin Mackerras, 2014 recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award, a renowned Australian Sinologist and chair professor at Renmin University of China. He shares his personal experiences of celebrating Spring Festival in China, highlighting how the Chinese values embodied in the Spring Festival—such as “harmony is precious” and “coexistence in harmony”—carry profound intellectual inspiration and practical significance for addressing international challenges today.

In this installment, Global Times reporters Xie Wenting and Ding Yazhi (GT) spoke with former UN under-secretary-general Erik Solheim (Solheim) to hear his views on the significance of the GGI and its value for today's world.

Inside a "cafe," 25-year-old guide Liu Suwei handed out six small bottles and asked visitors to identify the scents inside.

"You met me at a very Chinese time in my life." This meme has been trending in recent months on the global internet, with TikTok as its primary battleground. Now, with the Chinese New Year approaching, content creators are producing tip-style videos around the topic, while new Chinese adopters - perhaps clutching the red dress they just bought - are eagerly preparing for their first Spring Festival.

With the UNESCO inscribed Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024, its global influence continues to grow.

"If Japan had not invaded China, there would have been no war orphans like us, and far fewer families would have been torn apart… I lost everything to that war. That is why we abhor militarism and war with every fiber of our being, and yearn for peace forever," Takayoshi Utsunomiya, 84, a representative of the thousands of Japanese war orphans who were left in China by the Japanese army after Japan surrendered, told the Global Times.

In a recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sharply criticized great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons; tariffs as leverage. Carney urged that “middle powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu.” His remarks have sparked ongoing international debate: While some media outlets have framed them as a stinging rebuke of US policies, analysts interpret them as a direct reflection of the deepening rifts within the Western bloc.

“US' recent pressure against #Iran, together with its increasingly frequent interventions in the #WesternHemisphere, reflects the same imperialist logic, which has become harder to conceal as Washington's global standing deteriorates.” #GTinvestigates

In this installment, we turn our focus to the Ruoergai grassland in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, where patrollers, along with generations of herders, scientists and conservationists, have joined forces to protect the region's precious wildlife and fragile wetland ecosystem.

The foot of the Yinhu Mountain in Luohu district in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, is abuzz with activity in the early morning. The Yulong landfill, once Shenzhen's largest dumping ground, is now undergoing the nation's largest full-excavation relocation project, the Global Times learned from the Luohu district government.

When 47-year-old financial analyst Katherine Wong decided to move to China, her colleagues in New York were perplexed. In October 2025, the US-born Chinese American gave up her life in Manhattan along with a $300,000 annual salary, and moved back to her hometown in Shantou, Guangdong Province, with her 16-year-old son and retired parents. There, she joined the investment division of a leading Chinese securities firm.

China and the EU have had established diplomatic relations for more than half a century. From the establishment of formal diplomatic relations to the development into a comprehensive strategic partnership, China-EU relations have become one of the most influential bilateral relationships in the world today. Apart from China, from October 16 to November 4, 2025, the Global Times Institute (GTI) conducted a questionnaire survey across 20 EU member states, including Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, and Germany, using 21 languages such as Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. More than 16,300 valid questionnaires were collected. The survey data shows that a majority of people in both China and EU are interested in each other's cultures, have strong confidence in the future of China-EU economic and trade cooperation, and support enhanced cooperation between China and the EU in global governance.

In the tender early-summer sunlight, Xu Ye'er stood in the main hall of a historic temple in North China's Shanxi Province. She looked up, and when her gaze met the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) murals on the wall that have endured for centuries across the ceiling, an indescribable shiver hit her.

Yuzo Takayama used to think of himself as Japanese, but his current social media bio reads: A Ryukyuan with Japanese nationality.

Editor's Note: In his annual address to French ambassadors in January, French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized the US for “gradually turning away” from some of its allies and “breaking free from international rules,” and rejected what he described as a “new colonialism and new imperialism,” the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

On world maps commonly used in China, Greenland is often positioned in the upper right-hand corner and is typically depicted in white.

These days, TikTok feeds are filled with a recurring set of visuals: Young people from the US and other countries hold steaming mugs, seriously declaring to the camera, "From tomorrow, I'm turning Chinese."

Looking back, Fang Jiacai believes luck played a decisive role in saving his life.

In 2000, 36-year-old lawyer Wu Mingxiu joined a Chinese legal team representing Xia Shuqin, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre who had been smeared by Japanese right-wing narrators. The case was one of many Chinese civil claims against Japan that Wu had long been involved in, and his experience epitomizes the countless justice-minded legal professionals who have devoted themselves to this cause.