Category: Society

(Xinhua)10:08, December 13, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) — More than 120 million people in northern China have directly benefited from a massive water-diversion project that pumps water from the Yangtze River in the south to the drought-prone north, authorities said Saturday.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the worlds largest, has diverted 39.4 billion cubic meters of water to arid areas in the north through its middle and eastern routes over a period of six years, officials from the Ministry of Water Resources said.

The western route is in the planning stage and is yet to be built.

The middle route, the most prominent of the three due to its role in feeding water to the nations capital, starts from the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central Chinas Hubei Province and runs across Henan and Hebei before reaching Beijing and Tianjin. It began supplying water on Dec. 12, 2014.

The eastern route began operations in November 2013, transferring water from east Chinas Jiangsu Province to feed areas including Tianjin and Shandong.

(Peoples Daily Online)13:26, December 04, 2020

(Xin Min Evening News/Lu Jiahui)

On Shanghai’s Yongkang Road, a coffee shop named HINICHIJOU has gained popularity because of the unique service it provides- letting a brown fluffy bear claw serve coffee.

After scanning a QR code to place an order, customers can play with the claw while waiting for their coffee to be handed out from a hole in the wall, by the bear claw.

(Xin Min Evening News/Lu Jiahui)

Trained at classes held by Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation, the store manager is a deaf-mute barista who has won prizes at coffee-making competitions, and the person wearing the bear claw has suffered facial burns. By running the store, the owner hopes to create more jobs for disabled people.

(Xin Min Evening News/Lu Jiahui)

Customers with disability certificates can get a cup of coffee for free. The store disinfected the claw on a regular basis each day during the COVID-19 epidemic.

(Peoples Daily Online)13:47, December 04, 2020

Tens of thousands of wild birds overwinter in Dulan Lake National Wetland Park, Chaidamu Basin, northwest Chinas Qinghai Province. (Chinanews.com/Guo Qutai)

Tens of thousands of wild birds, such as big swans, Eurasian coots, and brown-headed gulls, overwinter in Dulan Lake National Wetland Park, Chaidamu Basin, northwest Chinas Qinghai Province, showing all the vitality during the season.

Dulan Lake National Wetland Park is located in Wulan County, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Qinghai province, 2,937 meters above sea level.

Tens of thousands of wild birds overwinter in Dulan Lake National Wetland Park, Chaidamu Basin, northwest Chinas Qinghai Province. (Chinanews.com/Guo Qutai)

With abundant water and lush grass, it is an ideal habitat for wild animals. Black-necked cranes, goitered gazelles and many other key state protective animals thrive here, forming a unique landscape of animals and plants.

In the management and protection station, different birds can be seen all year round, with different beauties throughout the four seasons, said Huo Deyun, a caretaker at the Dulan Lake National Wetland Park.

Tens of thousands of wild birds overwinter in Dulan Lake National Wetland Park, Chaidamu Basin, northwest Chinas Qinghai Province. (Chinanews.com/Guo Qutai)

Huo added that at the end of November this year, winter migratory birds flew into the park one after another. Now there have been 35 big swans and tens of thousands of ruddy shelducks. Due to changes in the ecological environment, there have been a rising number of birds in the park.

(Peoples Daily Online)17:44, December 09, 2020

Recently a special notice with the message posted above the door of a snack bar near Sanyuan Bridge, in Chaoyang district of Beijing, has warmed the hearts of many people. (Photo/Beijing Evening News)

Recently a special notice with the message posted above the door of a snack bar near Sanyuan Bridge, in Chaoyang district of Beijing, has warmed the hearts of many people.

The diner, De Shun Zhai, offers a large bowl of beef noodles to people in need, and came up with the secret code of 鈥渟et meal A鈥?for the free meal in a bid to protect the dignity of its special customers.

The heartwarming story began last October, when a plainly dressed young man frequently came to the small restaurant to collect the leftovers on tables and eat them silently in a corner. After finishing the food he would wash the tableware in the kitchen of the diner, disclosed Ma Zongxian, a young man in charge of the snack bar.

鈥淲e offered him steamed stuffed buns, but he wouldn鈥檛 take them. He said leftovers were good enough for him,鈥?Ma said.

The diner, De Shun Zhai, offers a large bowl of beef noodles to people in need, and came up with the secret code of 鈥渟et meal A鈥?for the free meal in a bid to protect the dignity of its special customers.(Photo/Beijing Evening News)

As the weather got colder, Ma and the owner of the restaurant decided to provide free supper in a clever way, which is worth 22 yuan (about $3.36), for people facing times of difficulty.

It鈥檚 hoped that the hot beef noodles can make people who are suffering feel warm and help them get through their period of difficulty with courage, Ma noted.

There has only been one person who ordered the special set meal since the notice was put up at the end of last October. Instead, countless people have been touched by the warm notice and offered to contribute to the free meal service to help people in need.

The snack bar appreciates such gracious offers, Ma said, explaining that since beef noodles don鈥檛 cost much, and that there haven鈥檛 been many people who have come to order the free set meal, the restaurant can bear the cost on its own.

Many Internet users have applauded the diner for the heartwarming service, while some said they want to do something to help continue passing the kindness.

(Xinhua)10:38, December 10, 2020

HONG KONG, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — People from various sectors in Hong Kong have voiced strong opposition to and condemned recent U.S. bullying acts aimed at messing up the situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China and damaging one country, two systems.

The U.S. government has imposed so-called sanctions against 14 vice chairs of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, and the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Hong Kong peoples freedom and choice act.

As every country has the fundamental responsibility of safeguarding national security, the NPC Standing Committee enacting the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR and making the decision on the qualification of HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) members are constitutional, reasonable and conducive to Hong Kongs stability and the implementation of one country, two systems, Vice Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Coalition Kennedy Wong Ying-ho said.

While the United States itself has long established a well-enforced legal system of safeguarding national security, as well as strict laws and regulations regarding the qualification and oath-taking for its Congress members, it has wantonly slandered Chinas rightful moves in a blatant show of double standards, said Willy Fu, vice chairman of the executive council of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation.

Instead of truly caring about Hong Kongs democracy and freedom development, the latest bill on Hong Kong passed by the U.S. House of Representatives is intended to cover up ill-intentioned politicians and rioters in Hong Kong, in a move to jeopardize Hong Kongs judicial independence and rule of law, Fu said.

The United States has repeatedly imposed so-called sanctions over Hong Kong since social disturbances last year.

While Hong Kong has been gradually restoring peace and order since the national security law took effect, the U.S. so-called sanctions were designed only to cause chaos in Hong Kong again and harm peoples well-being, Hon Chan Han-pan, a LegCo member, said.

With its bullying acts, which are doomed to fail, the United States has attempted to turn Hong Kong into its pawn to contain Chinas development, Wong Shu-yui, president of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce, said.

The U.S. bullying acts will not impact Hong Kongs economy as the local financial markets have been stable, Wong said, adding that Hong Kong still boasts advantages brought by one country, two systems and has a promising future.

The U.S. political tricks will not work to undermine Hong Kongs prosperity and stability, and Hong Kong residents will see through the hypocrisy of U.S. politicians, said Chan Yung, vice-chairperson of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

(Xinhua)10:43, December 10, 2020

URUMQI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — A major railway line linking northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province was put into operation on Wednesday, paving the way for the accelerated development of the countrys western region.

The 1,206 km Golmud-Korla railway, linking the city of Golmud in Qinghai and the city of Korla in Xinjiang, is the third railway facilitating exchanges between Xinjiang and other regions.

Construction was divided into two sections, with the length of the Xinjiang section topping 734 km. The Qinghai section was operational in June this year.

The line, which can be used for passenger and cargo transport services, will cut the travel time between Golmud and Korla from about 26 hours to roughly 12 hours.

On Wednesday, a freight train carrying gasoline and diesel left Korla for Golmud. Trains are capable of hauling large loads and reducing transportation time. They are safer and more environment-friendly, said Cao Zhihong, deputy general manager of a Xinjiang-based company under Chinese oil and gas giant Sinopec.

Compared with previous railway transport, the distance the companys refined oil from Korla to Golmud travels can be reduced by 800 km and the freight charge cut by 25 percent thanks to the new line, Cao said.

The Golmud-Korla Railway crosses a variety of landscapes including deserts, plateaus and mountains as well as natural reserves, and boasts an altitude difference of more than 2,500 meters.

A raft of steps such as building passages for wildlife migration have been taken to minimize the impact on the local environment and animals.

The line has also avoided a major wildlife water source at the cost of extra investment.

The new rail artery also links to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the worlds highest rail system. The network will link Xinjiang, Qinghai and Tibet Autonomous Region, boosting local rail transport capacity, reducing travel time, and helping the regional economy in western China.

The Golmud-Korla Railway is a key national rail project. China issued a guideline in May to accelerate and upgrade the development of the countrys western region, covering an array of measures including improvement of transportation infrastructure.

Chinas railway network had a total length of 141,400 km by the end of July, including 36,000 km of high-speed railways, according to the national railway operator.

(Xinhua)10:48, December 10, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — China announced on Wednesday that it will hold its first Vocational Skills Competition from Dec. 10 to 13 in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

The competition will see 2,557 contestants from 36 teams nationwide compete in 86 skills.

Among these skills, 63 are part of the 46th WorldSkills Competition, and competitors will compete for places to represent China in the international competition.

The competition covers the countrys 14 major industries, including manufacturing, information technology, transportation, and architecture, representing 70 percent of Chinas industrial sectors, said Zhang Lixin, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

All the competition events will serve the countrys real economy, and more than half of them belong to the modern service industry, Zhang said.

He said that the competition is designed to stimulate the enthusiasm of the majority of workers to improve their skills and guide the whole society to pay attention to skills, respect labor, and carry forward the spirit of work and the pursuit of craftsmanship.

China will host the 46th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021. The WorldSkills Competition, known as the Olympics for vocational skills, takes place every two years. China topped the gold medal tally with 16 gold medals at the 45th WorldSkills Competition.

(Xinhua)13:05, December 10, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — Chinas National Health Commission said Thursday that it received reports of 12 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Wednesday, one of which was locally transmitted in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Eleven cases were imported from outside the mainland, the commission said in its daily report.

Two new suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai.

No new deaths related to the disease were reported.

A total of 11 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday.

By the end of Wednesday, a total of 3,980 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,738 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 242 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,673 by Wednesday, including 285 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 81,754 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the report.

There were three suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland as of Wednesday, and 6,659 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Wednesday also saw five newly reported asymptomatic cases on the mainland, all arriving from outside the mainland. On the same day, two imported asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

A total of 201 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, out of which 193 were imported cases, the commission said.

By the end of Wednesday, 7,179 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 114 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 46 confirmed cases had been reported in Macao SAR, and 720 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

Altogether 5,783 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 46 had been discharged from hospitals in Macao SAR, and 585 in Taiwan.

(Xinhua)13:08, December 10, 2020

HOHHOT, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — North Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region reported one new domestically transmitted COVID-19 case in the last day, local health authorities said on Thursday.

The new case was registered in the city of Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia, the regional health commission said. The patient had been in close contact with confirmed cases previously reported in the city.

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, Manzhouli has 27 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and two asymptomatic cases. A total of 1,437 close contacts have been identified and placed under medical observation.

(Xinhua)15:06, December 10, 2020

HARBIN, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — Northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province on Thursday reported one new domestically transmitted COVID-19 case, local authorities said.

The patient, a 40-year-old man surnamed Kong, was registered in the city of Dongning, said the citys COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control headquarters. He tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and was later diagnosed as a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Dongning has activated an emergency plan, sending teams to conduct epidemiological investigations, carry out nucleic acid testing and disinfect the places visited by the patient.

His close contacts have undergone nucleic acid testing and are under medical observation.