In the age of luminous metropolises, a major park in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, decides to dim its lights at night for migratory birds. The decision has not sparked public outrage or accusations of poor management. Instead, it has earned broad praise, reflecting a frontier where urban civilization and ecological protection truly complement each other.

Editor's Note: There is a Chinese idiom, “conform to local customs,” which is similar to the saying in English, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Different from other foreign officials who work in China, diplomats barely have time off during the Spring Festival holiday. In this edition, Global Times reporter Dong Feng interviewed five foreign diplomats in China who shared their stories of celebrating the Chinese New Year and experiencing its festive customs. Press and Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Finland in China Janna Laine has been working as a diplomat in China for five years. Naturally she is also a sinologist. Laine told the Global Times that she has been maintaining her own tradition of writing Chinese Spring Festival couplets in Finnish for four years in a row. For the 2026 Spring Festival, she has written a brand-new set of couplets.

From jiaozi, or dumplings, to jiandui, a kind of fried round cake made of wheat and rice flour and something to sweeten them, diplomats have tried Chinese cuisines during the Chinese New Year. In their own words, flavors are different, but the joy is the same.

The 2026 Spring Festival is the Year of the Horse. To Francesco D'Arelli, director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Shanghai, the relevance started even earlier. The Horses: Symbols of Millenary Power from the Mediterranean to Jiangnan exhibition, a collaboration between the Italian Consulate in Shanghai and the Museum of Wu in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, was staged. D'Arelli told the Global Times that he took the opportunity to complete his essay for a volume dedicated to the horse, which is showcased in the format of a picture album.

A longstanding archaeological question - whether there was early human activity in the West Liaohe River Basin and even the wider Inner Mongolian Plateau - has finally received a definitive answer. Recently, a Chinese archaeological research team announced the discovery and confirmation of the oldest known Neolithic site on the Inner Mongolian Plateau at Dali Lake, the region's second-largest lake.

Among the recently announced 2025 key archaeological discoveries in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Youyi Road tomb cluster in the region's city of Kuqa has yielded a stunning find. At this tomb cluster, a Tang Dynasty (618-907) epitaph has been unearthed, revealing the story of integration between the Central Plains and Xinjiang during ancient times.

This Spring Festival, a unique "Poetry Road" sightseeing bus line in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, became a sensation on Chinese social media platforms. A driver dressed as the legendary poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) navigated the streets, while a tour guide in the guise of another revered poet Du Fu of the same era narrated the journey, weaving historical sites like the Du Fu Thatched Cottage and Qingyang Temple into a living tapestry of verses. The tour offers an immersive trip through a millennium of literary heritage.

Fighting spirit, experience and tactical flexibility will be the key for China's women's national football team to defend their title at the AFC Women's Asian Cup, which is set to kick off in Australia on Sunday.

Peking University professor Chen Pingyuan said in an interview with the Global Times that in the AI era, true reading is “for the sake of the self,” cultivating empathy, depth, and personal growth beyond quick searches. From his youthful “haphazard reading” to the newly established “Chen-Xia Study,” which houses 13,000 donated books, he champions deep, literary reading over fragmented habits.

The Chinese national basketball team bounced back from 15-point deficit to defeat Japan 87-80 in an away game on Thursday, taking their first win of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

The Bard College Conservatory of Music in the United States posted a performance notice announcing a concert in memory of Bard Chinese Ensemble's artistic director Li Shutong, who passed away in February. The Bard Chinese Ensemble was scheduled to host the free memorial concert on March 9.

The mist clings to the towering Gaoligong Mountains as dawn breaks over Dulongjiang township. In this remote corner of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, tucked against the China-Myanmar border, a boy watches soldiers arrive. To him, they are not strangers but saviors, and "those who bring light," as his people's shamans would say.

The National Museum of China (NMC), the world's largest comprehensive modern museum in terms of single-building floor area, will establish its southern branch in the Fengtai district of Beijing, heading the establishment of a museum cluster along the capital's southern Central Axis, according to media reports on Wednesday.

To watch short dramas or long dramas, that is the question. Short dramas, with their fast pace, high-stakes conflicts, and direct delivery of emotional gratification, have rapidly captured viewers' fragmented attention in China and around the world.

China's men's basketball team has an opportunity for redemption as the second window for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers looms. They will compete in an away game against Japan on Thursday, followed by a home matchup against Chinese Taipei on Sunday.

At dawn, the sea off Zhanqiao Pier in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, is a muted gray-blue. Wind sweeps in from the water, and red lanterns sway gently in the breeze. Several foreign visitors pulling suitcases pause at the pier to take photos: some tighten their scarves; others raise their phones to capture the red accents against the meeting line of sea and sky. This year, Qingdao was named one of the cities foreign travelers consider "most worth visiting during the Spring Festival" on 2026 list of top inbound destinations for experiencing Chinese New Year by a leading global travel service provider. Many describe Qingdao's celebrations as a "Spring Festival atmosphere set amid mountains and sea."

A team of paleontologists led by Chinese scientists has discovered the first known evidence of a bone tumor in a lizard preserved in Cretaceous-period amber, shedding new light on the prevalence of disease among ancient vertebrates.

The Year of the Horse in 2026 marked an interesting scene in Beijing: The city's first-ever pet-themed temple fair drew waves of pet lovers and their four-legged companions. Here, working dogs paraded before admiring crowds, owners and their pets solved couplets together, and cultural creative products fused intangible heritage with modern pet aesthetics. Temple fair staples like handicrafts and lantern riddles melded seamlessly with the lively presence of cats and dogs. This was not just a novelty event; it was a harbinger of another facet of Chinese New Year.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was a reality check for the Chinese short track speed skating team as the outcome of only one silver medal has led to discontent among many and skepticism concerning whether the naturalization of three former Olympic champions was worth the effort to bring veteran experience to the team.

Through the analysis of quartz gravel samples from ground strata, a China-US research team has recently pushed back the date of the Yunxian site in Central China's Hubei Province.

During the Spring Festival in 2026, China's museums turned into treasure hunts, with visitors thronging to catch a glimpse of cultural relics related to the nation's revered animal, the horse, driving a new cultural travel trend as the nation celebrates the Year of the Horse.

A significant archaeological breakthrough has emerged from Mit Rahina in Giza, the site of ancient Memphis in Egypt, where a joint Chinese-Egyptian mission has uncovered a limestone structure believed to be connected to the temple of King Pharaoh Apries from Egypt's 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Recently, concerns arose among Chinese netizens over possible damage to a Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) tomb in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, following reports that nearby construction work may threaten the tomb's security. In response, the Hainan Province Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports issued a statement on Sunday announcing that construction affecting the safety of the tomb must be halted immediately in accordance with laws and regulations to ensure the preservation of the cultural relic.

As the cinema went dark, 41-year-old Song Jin finally had time to enjoy his favorite film, Pegasus 3, in Beijing. "I have been following the Pegasus franchise ever since the first one in 2019 and have never missed a single one of them," he told the Global Times after watching the latest film in director Han Han's racing franchise. Enthusiasm for classic Chinese wuxia and nostalgia for returning successful franchises like Boonie Bears dominated the 9-day-long Spring Festival film period, the longest in history.

As the Spring Festival holiday drew to a close in China, many places across the country has seen a concentrated peak in return travel starting on Sunday. Unlike those catching trains or planes, people who chose to travel by car have, without exception, experienced one of the most "grinding" tasks of the holiday - dealing with the dreaded traffic jams on the highway.

As the Olympic flame faded in Milano Cortina, the Chinese delegation concluded its campaign with five gold, four silver and six bronze medals, totaling 15 podium finishes, matching the medal count from Beijing 2022 and marking the nation's best-ever performance at an overseas Winter Olympics.

China's freeski icon Gu Ailing successfully defended her Olympic gold medal in the women's halfpipe at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

China' s total box office revenue for 2026 reached $970 million, surpassing North America and temporarily ranking first among single markets worldwide, according to Maoyan, a Chinese movie-ticketing and film data platform on Saturday.

China has overtaken North America as the world's top-grossing film market for the time being, with its 2026 box office revenue (including pre-sales) surpassing 7 billion yuan (about 970 million U.S. dollars) as of Saturday, slightly higher than North America's 938 million U.S. dollars, according to online ticketing platforms.

Inside the Guangxi Embodied Intelligence Data Collection and Testing Center at the Liuzhou Robot Industrial Park in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, blue indicator lights flashed beneath the forehead of a 1.76-meter-tall industrial humanoid robot, their glow mingling with the red radiance of lanterns reflected on the glass curtain wall.

Yingge dancers from Guangdong Jieyang perform during a Spring Festival temple fair event in Madrid, Spain, Feb. 20, 2026. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

When it comes to espionage, people often think of tales from decades past. In reality, the battles of the intelligence world never cease, unfolding in places unseen. This time, we aim to turn the lens on our present era and the cities we live in, crafting a contemporary spy film that feels "close to home." When espionage battles move from history to our doorstep, the immediacy and significance they convey take on a whole new dimension.

China celebrated a unique double at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday as Wang Xindi soared to gold in the men's freestyle skiing aerials - two days after his wife Xu Mengtao had topped the women's podium.

China's Ning Zhongyan won the gold medal in the men's 1,500 meters speed skating event at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday with a time of 1:41.98, breaking the Olympic record and securing China's first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal in the event.

As of 1:00 pm on Thursday, the total box office revenue for the 2026 Spring Festival film season reached 2.53 billion yuan ($366 million). Among the Chinese films for 2026 Spring Festival season, the Shanghai-produced film Pegasus 3 box office exceeded 1.297 billion yuan (including pre-sales), becoming the very film in this season to unlock the milestone, according to movie data platform Beacon Pro.

The total box office for the 2026 Chinese New Year film season (including pre-sales) has surpassed 1 billion yuan ($144.7 million) on Tuesday, the first day of the Chinese New Year, with Pegasus 3 temporarily ranking first on the holiday box office chart, followed by Scare Out and Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector, according to CCTV News on Tuesday.

Through DNA analysis of underwater soil sediments, Chinese researchers have recently made several new discoveries related to the Yangtze River Estuary No.2 ancient shipwreck.

As the Spring Festival approaches, inheritors of the making crafts of character-inlaid candy, an intangible cultural heritage in Qimen County, are getting busy as this specialty sweet is highly sought for during the festival.

As the sole wuxia (martial heroes) film gracing the Spring Festival schedule, Blades of the Guardians brings together four generations of martial arts filmmakers in what its creators call "a long-awaited martial arts feast."

In the backstage of the Mei Lanfang Theatre in Beijing, Jiang Meiyi, a young performer from the National Peking Opera Company, is applying her makeup and dressing for the upcoming performance. As the Chinese Year of the Horse approaches, she is set to portray Mu Guiying, a Daomadan role and also a legendary female general in Chinese folklore who represents courage, loyalty, patriotism and wisdom.

The Year of the Horse in 2026 celebrates a zodiac symbol of vitality, passion and relentless progress in Chinese culture. The idiom "the horse gallops without stopping" captures the spirit of forging ahead tirelessly, echoed in Spring Festival blessings like "may success come as swiftly as a horse gallops."

Editor's Note: To celebrate the 2026 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse, the Global Times has invited a group of foreign ambassadors to China to share the symbolic meaning of the horse in their respective cultures. They also highlighted people-to-people exchanges between China and their homelands, and extended warm wishes to our readers.

As the first light of the Year of the Horse is about to break upon the horizon, the Global Times proudly presents this Spring Festival special issue. At this moment full of hope and anticipation, the resounding remarks from Chinese President Xi Jinping's 2026 New Year message - charge ahead like horses with courage, vitality, and energy - become both compass and clarion. It is more than a tribute to Chinese tradition; it is an invitation to the world, extended in the spirited essence of the horse, to embark on a shared journey toward renewal.

Editor's Note: From tech-enabled flower fields to ice kingdoms, and from intangible cultural heritage traditions like the lion dance and Zigong Lantern Show, China's Spring Festival unfolds as a journey across climate and culture, a season when centuries-old customs are not only preserved but also reimagined, illuminating how tradition continues to evolve across a vast and varied nation. This article explores the vibrant spectrum of Spring Festival traditions across China, showing how these customs continue to evolve nationwide.

On the joyous occasion of the Spring Festival, I extend my warmest greetings to the people of China and to the readers and viewers of Global Times. The Spring Festival is a time of renewal, reunion and hope. In this Year of the Horse, which symbolizes vitality, perseverance, and forward momentum, we are reminded of the strength that comes from resilience and purposeful progress. This year holds special significance for Pakistan and China as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. Our two sides have made plans to mark this important milestone befittingly. We began the celebration right in the first week of January this year. This occasion reflects the enduring nature of our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, built on mutual trust, shared aspirations, and unwavering friendship.

On the occasion of the upcoming Spring Festival, I would like to extend my best wishes to all Chinese people. Considering that in a few days we will be celebrating the Year of the Horse, I can't help but reflect on the values the horse stands for in both Greek and Chinese cultures, as a symbol of strength, authority, beauty and vitality, among other things. In ancient Greece, the horse carried an exceptional importance, both materially and symbolically, as an indicator of social status. Several names used by Geek aristocracy incorporated the element hippo- (horse), such as Philippos ("lover of horses"). Horses also had a crucial role in warfare - it was the Trojan Horse that led Greeks to victory in Troy, as Homer narrates in the Iliad.

For centuries, the horse has played a unique role in the history of many nations of Eurasia. It was not only a faithful companion to humans, but also a bridge between cultures facilitating the development of trade, inter-civilizational links, as well as supporting military activities. The horse has a special place in the nomadic cultures of Central Asia as well as in East Asia. There, it is not merely a means of transportation or a comrade in battle, but a symbol of freedom, dignity, endurance, and vital energy.

The past year was marked by the 80th anniversary of our shared Victory - the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War and the Victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The combat brotherhood between our people, who contributed decisively to crushing German fascism and Japanese militarism, will forever remain one of the key pillars of the bilateral strategic partnership, which today serves as a vital stabilizing factor in the international affairs.

From 3D-printed horse ornaments to Chinese Spring Festival couplets featuring viral internet memes, a DIY craze for nianhuo, or Chinese New Year items, is spreading online. To highlight the handmade nature and the originality of these DIY creations, netizens have also dubbed this trend "all-hand nianhuo."

China's speed skater Ning Zhongyan claimed a third medal for China at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics by securing a bronze medal in the men's 1,000m speed skating final.

As the entire world welcomes the Year of the Horse, foreign envoys to China share what this symbol means in their own cultures. The horse represents what endures: loyalty, resilience, and the quiet strength to carry forward. In this special edition of Diplomatic Community, eight diplomats to China extend their Chinese New Year greetings exclusively to Global Times readers, sharing their festive wishes, insights on cultural ties, and hopes for closer friendship and cooperation in the Year of the Horse. We wish all readers a prosperous, unstoppable spirit, and a joyful Year of the Horse.

Robotic lion dances, Peking Opera performances and bustling New Year markets are taking center stage as Badaling Town, at the foot of the Great Wall, launches a weeks-long Spring Festival celebration aimed at boosting tourism around the UNESCO World Heritage site ahead of new regulations set to take effect to strengthen protection of the Great Wall.

Five-time Olympian Cai Xuetong will lead teammate Wu Shaotong to compete in the women's snowboard halfpipe final after finishing the qualification round in the top 12 at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games on Wednesday.

Today, we are joyfully hosting the first-ever "Celebrate the Spring Festival at the Museum" event here at the Feng Jicai Museum of Tianjin University. Seeing so many university teachers and students who have stayed on campus, international students from various countries, lively primary and secondary school pupils, and adorable kindergarten children gathered together fills my heart with great delight. This leads me to reflect on why we have organized such an event.

While China's short track speed skating team faced a heartbreaking setback in the mixed team relay final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the disappointment should not overshadow the squad's resilience or potential for redemption in the remaining events.

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture. It is about family reunions and welcoming the New Year with joy. In December 2024, the successful inscription of the Spring Festival on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list shows that it is not only a Chinese celebration but also a cultural treasure shared by all of humanity. This year, the Spring Festival falls on February 17. Ahead of the festival, the Global Times invited two renowned sinologists to write commentaries to share their own experiences in celebrating the Spring Festival, while also elaborating on their observations on why the Chinese New Year is increasingly becoming a festival celebrated across the world.

I have lived in China for more than 10 years, and I have experienced Spring Festival firsthand. It can be said that the Spring Festival is the grandest and most lively festival for the Chinese people. With a very long history, the festival carries profound significance and has become an indispensable core element of Chinese culture. Although celebration customs vary from region to region, they are all filled with joy and vitality.

The 2026 Spring Festival film season, China's most lucrative box-office window, has kicked off with a robust start. Pre-sales for the eight confirmed titles surpassed 100 million yuan ($14.4 million) by 2:55 pm on Tuesday, the second day of ticket sales, signaling strong early audience interest for the extended nine-day holiday period, according to a press release issued by Chinese ticketing platform Beacon on Tuesday.

The Chinese short track mixed relay team finished their first competition day at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a fourth-place finish in the final, just a place short from standing on the podium.

In the 20th installment of the "Practitioners' Insights" column, the Global Times talks with Li Dongxia, who lives in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and has helped host 12 Spring Festival galas there for Chinese and international audiences, to explore the remarkable journey of the Spring Festival being transformed from a traditional Chinese celebration into a globally shared Intangible Cultural Heritage, which embodies the core philosophies of the Chinese nation such as the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, the ideal of universal harmony, and the belief that family harmony brings prosperity.

Chinese authorities have revealed an action plan to promote the inheritance and development of the theatrical arts over the next three years starting from 2026.

I was born under the Chinese zodiac sign of the Horse, a sign that revisits me every 12 years in a cycle as constant as the seasons. The year 2026 is the seventh Year of the Horse that I have welcomed. Already, I hear the distinct and resonant sound of its hooves galloping closer from the far horizon.

As red lanterns light up the streets of Beijing and overseas Chinese communities gear up for festive gatherings, Xiao Fang, a renowned Chinese folklorist and professor at the School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University, sits at his desk, flipping through manuscripts recording the new changes in Spring Festival customs for the Year of the Horse.

China's short track speed skating team will start their campaign at Milan Cortina 2026 on Tuesday in the mixed team relay at the Forum di Milano in Italy. The squad embarks on a quest not just for medals, but to uphold a tradition of excellence that has transformed China from a winter sports novice into a global powerhouse.

From the dance drama The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting and Wing Chun to The Eternal Wave, as well as directing the gala commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Zhou Liya, a national first-class choreographer and renowned dance drama director from the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, together with her partner Han Zhen, has created a series of deeply resonant works. They have built an aesthetic bridge between traditional culture, the spirit of the country's revolutionary legacy and contemporary audiences.

Including a Tang Dynasty (618-907) official's epitaph discovered at an administrative organ established by the Central Plains government in what is today Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, new discoveries at the region's Youyi Road tomb cluster were revealed on Sunday, exemplifying the Tang Dynasty's administration of the Xinjiang region in ancient times.

In the high-stakes arena of the 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating team event, the Chinese squad fell short of advancing to the team event final, finishing ninth overall after the short programs and rhythm dance. Yet, amid the disappointment, the resilience from China's veteran athletes - pairs skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, men's singles competitor Jin Boyang, and ice dancers Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu - won accolades on social media.

China's star snowboarder Su Yiming won a bronze medal in the men's snowboard big air final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, bagging the first medal for the Chinese delegation at the Games.

Fifty-six-year-old Diao Faxing is a native of Pu'er in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. In his everyday life, tea and coffee are “as essential as breathing,” he told the Global Times. A cup of coffee in the morning keeps him energized, while in the evening, after dinner, he enjoys a pot of “Bingdao,” a type of Pu'er tea with his family or friends. “Only with that [by completing the routine] can I sleep tight.”

Internationally acclaimed sculptor Wu Weishan launched his latest sculpture exhibition on Friday in Beijing, bringing together sculptures of historical figures and offering a systematic overview of the modern freehand sculptural system he pioneered.

With the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics unfolding at Milan's iconic San Siro Stadium on Friday, the Chinese team has arrived with its largest-ever overseas delegation, one brimming with a mix of seasoned champions and youthful talent.

"Together, peace is in our hands; Together, there is no ALICE line… Go East, life is peaceful here; Go East, no more drugs or fear…" Scroll through any social media platform these days, and chances are you'll stumble upon this catchy tune from the song "Go East," a reimagined cover by Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) band Innokids that has taken the internet by storm.

An exhibition exploring the profound role of silk in shaping the cultural and political ties between the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Central Plains over more than 1,000 years will open at the Xizang Museum in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Friday.

In an age of information overload, reading remains a necessary channel to invigorate the mind, provide inspiration and cultivate virtue. Whether it is childhood enlightenment or the pursuits of adulthood, everyone's reading journey carries unique emotions and life experiences. The Global Times has specially launched the “100 Avid Readers” series, inviting guests from various fields to share their connections with books, stories of growth and sparks of thought. In this second installment, we meet grassroots migrant worker turned reading icon Liu Shili. With his passion for books, Liu became an internet sensation in 2025. Yet going beyond the fame, Liu shows us that reading can be a virtue for all that surpasses social boundaries.

When the name of singer-songwriter Gloria Tang Sze-wing, widely known by her stage name G.E.M., appeared on the voting list for the Best Original Book Award category at the 37th Galaxy Awards, both China's sci-fi and music communities were abuzz. Her full-length science fiction novel, The Path of Revelation, extends the creative core of her 2022 concept album Revelation, constructing a 200,000-word universe that interweaves three worlds – Reality, Afterland, and Brokenland. The novel explores themes such as the awakening of AI, love, and redemption. G.E.M. admitted that she first learned of her nomination after seeing a screenshot from a fan on social media, a surprise that left her both thrilled and grateful.

Against the backdrop of Australia hosting the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup from March 1 to 21, with China's women's national football team, the defending champions, set to compete, Football Australia plans to launch more football-related visits to China in 2026, a representative ­announced at a press conference in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Vendors display tofu cubes covered in dense white mold, placing them into stainless steel bowls. They then mix in ingredients such as Chinese baijiu liquor, salt, chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorn. The videos show vendors selling mildewed tofu (mei doufu), a traditional Chinese condiment eaten for centuries. The trend has quickly spread beyond the streets. On China's social media platforms, videos about the dish have gone viral. Meanwhile, food bloggers and home cooks have begun fermenting fresh tofu at home. Some proudly displayed finished products, while others shared images showing patches of red, green, or dark mold, raising food safety concerns among viewers.

The news that 21-year-old defensive midfielder Xu Bin joined the Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers last week took many Chinese fans by surprise. This makes Xu, who captained the China U23 side throughout the U23 Asian Cup, where the Chinese team made history by finishing as runners-up, one of the few Chinese footballers to play in Europe. While Xu's current capability may not yet secure him a spot on the Wolves' first team, the club has arranged for him to be loaned for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, ­providing him with valuable exposure to English football's competitive intensity.

After being sidelined for over a month due to an injury, star female paddler Sun Yingsha returned to competition on Wednesday at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup with an impressive 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei's Yeh Yi-Tian in her opening match.

As the hit historical drama Swords into Plowshares continues to dominate screens across China, it is also quietly reshaping how audiences engage with history. Set during the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten States period (907–979), one of the most complex eras in Chinese history, the series centers on the historic moment of “peaceful submission to the Song Dynasty (960-1279),” a pivotal event that embodies Chinese civilization's enduring values of peace and unity. The drama abandons formulaic, fast-food-style storytelling in favor of carefully crafted dialogue written in a blend of classical and vernacular Chinese, and offers a richly layered portrayal of the era's historical upheavals, economic life, and cultural textures.

Featuring ancient ruins spanning from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), six sites were revealed by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Wednesday as notable archaeological achievements in China for 2025.

"The spring rain heralds spring's clear and bright days, summer's fullness arrives with the heat in waves..." This folk rhyme serves as a key to unlocking the spiritual world of the Chinese people. In 2016, "The Twenty-Four Solar Terms, knowledge in China of time and practices developed through observation of the sun's annual motion" was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The ancient Chinese divided the sun's annual circular motion into 24 segments. Each segment was called a specific Solar Term, starting from the Beginning of Spring and ending with Greater Cold. From the rhythm of labor aligned with nature to the wisdom of seasonal dishes, the 24 Solar Terms have shaped a philosophy of "harmony between humans and nature" and a way of life unique to Chinese culture. The Global Times presents the series The Markings of Time, which follows cultural inheritors across China to explore local traditions and humanistic sentiments tied to each solar term. Here is the first in the series, the Beginning of Spring.

Ancient communities living in Lüliang, North China's Shanxi Province relied primarily on millet farming and experienced significant population movement and cultural mixing during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC-256BC), according to new scientific archaeology research.

Six major archaeological discoveries made in 2025 in Central China's Hubei Province were unveiled on Tuesday. The findings contribute an indispensable "Yangtze chapter" to China's vast and profound civilization, according to the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

In modern society, with a growing focus on health management, many people are going out of their way to choose less processed, nutritious meals made from raw ingredients. On food delivery platforms, a diverse range of restaurants now offer nutritious meal options. Recently, a distinctive new player has emerged: Some top-tier public hospitals have joined the online marketplace, launching nutritious meals prepared in their own cafeterias.

Wu Fei, deputy chair of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Umpires and Referee Committee (URC), told the Global Times that the end of 2025 marked one of the most important moments in her professional career. During a workshop organized by Wu in November 2025 in Beijing's Peking University, she was promoted to an ITTF Advanced Referee, the top level of ITTF referee, meaning that she is qualified to serve as head referee at three top-tier international table tennis events, the Olympic Games, the World Table Tennis Championships, and the World Cup. There are only 11 Advanced Referees worldwide and three of them are from China.

New research analyzing ancient pottery from the Xueshan archaeological site in Beijing offers fresh insights into how the region functioned as a "cultural corridor" during the late Neolithic period.

As the Spring Festival approaches, museums across China have opened exhibitions featuring everything from ancient relics to cutting-edge digital installations to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

The lineup for the 2026 Chinese New Year movie-going frenzy, one of the country's most lucrative box-office windows, is taking shape as seven major Chinese titles have officially set dates for the holiday period, Chinese ticketing platform Beacon showed on Monday.

Renowned singer and music producer Yuan Wei-jen has passed away at his home in Taitung county on the island of Taiwan at the age of 57, according to local media outlets including TVBS and CTI News on Monday.

A reader of people.com.cn recently asked: February 1 marked the official implementation of the Regulations on Promoting National Reading. Reading books and newspapers is largely a matter of personal interest, so why does the country need to enact a dedicated law on the issue?

Villagers enjoy Spring Festival gala in Shenshan Village, China's Jiangxi

Despite suffering a 3-1 defeat on Sunday during the Australian Open men's singles final, Serbian tennis veteran Novak Djokovic was hailed for his tenacity and persistence in the sport.

For Lin, a 62-year-old retired Chinese language teacher who worked at a middle school in Beijing, a visit to the National Library of China (NLC) on Sunday carried meaning far beyond his usual routine. For years, Lin has been a regular reader at the library, but this particular visit coincided with the official implementation of China's newly released Regulations on the Promotion of Nationwide Reading, giving the day a symbolic weight.

The "Global Dialogue - Toward the Future" youth cultural exchange event was held in Paris, France, on Friday. Guests and youth representatives in the fields of culture, education, film and television from China and France gathered together to conduct in-depth discussions on cross-cultural communication and people-to-people exchanges.

In the women's doubles final at the 2026 Australian Open, 37-year-old Zhang Shuai of China and her partner Elise Mertens of Belgium shared an emotional embrace at the Rod Laver Arena, marking a powerful milestone for Chinese tennis. Wrapped in Chinese national flag, the veteran - who playfully calls herself a "tennis junior" - proved once again that age is no barrier to dreams. Passion, perseverance, and an unyielding pursuit for victory remain the ultimate weapons against time.

As the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are drawing near, the spotlight turns once again to China's evolving role in winter sports. The echoes of Beijing 2022 still resonate with China's historic haul of nine gold medals, four silvers and two bronzes. This best-ever Winter Olympic performance propelled the nation to the third place in the medal table.

China's U23 national football team captain Xu Bin has joined English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in a permanent move, the club announced on Friday.

Around 1 pm, the surface of Beijing's Shichahai Lake carries a bite of cold. The wooden boardwalk along the shore feels damp and chilly, as several middle-aged and elderly swimmers adjust their caps and loosen up their shoulders and necks. Some set their thermos flasks in familiar spots, others fasten safety ropes around their waists.

Editor's Note: In an age of information overload, reading remains a necessary channel to invigorate the mind, provide inspiration and cultivate virtue. Whether it is childhood enlightenment or the pursuits of adulthood, everyone's reading journey carries unique emotions and life experiences. The Global Times has specially launched the "100 Avid Readers" series, inviting guests from various fields to share their connections with books, stories of growth and sparks of thought. In this first installment, we meet renowned Hong Kong singer G.E.M. (Gloria Tang Sze-wing), who shares how reading and creativity intertwine, and how curiosity has fueled her personal growth - opening a conversation between books and life.