Innehållsförteckning för Vol.66/No.17 från Beijing Review

GERMANY An intelligent robot imitates a man’s arm movement during the Hannover Messe in Hannover on April 18. The leading trade fair for mechanical and electrical engineering kicked off a day earlier, with the theme of Industrial Transformation—Making the Difference MALTA Rescued migrants wait to disembark in Marsaxlokk on April 17. Around 60 migrants were taken to Malta after being rescued from rough seas as they attempted to reach Europe from Libya YEMEN A man hugs his brother, released during a prisoner exchange, in Sanaa on April 15. That day saw the beginning of the three-day exchange of more than 800 prisoners by Yemen’s warring parties. The UN-brokered deal came amid concerted diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict BELGIUM People in traditional dress march down the street…

Sarwar Mohhamad, a merchant from Iraq, once again traveled to China this year to attend the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Without hesitation, he ordered 2,000 gas stoves and range hoods—altogether worth roughly 600,000 yuan ($87,085). The products are manufactured by Zhongshan Meilong Electronic Co. Ltd. based in Zhongshan, Guangdong. “Our company focuses on the production of gas stoves and range hoods. As of April 19, our last day at the fair, some 300 clients, old and new, had contacted and visited us,” Shelia Zhong, who works in the company’s sales department, told Beijing Review. The China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, takes place twice a year in Guangzhou. Its 133rd session kicked off on April 15 and will run until…

A 31-year-old Lao doctoral candidate at Yunnan University in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, known by his Chinese name Wen Pengyu was on board the D887 train, the first international passenger train from Kunming to the Lao capital Vientiane, on April 13. Wen told news portal Yunnan.cn that in anticipation of the opportunities to be brought by the international passenger train, he and a friend had registered an international travel agency in Kunming in March. “We want to bring Chinese tourists to Laos and Lao tourists to China to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” he said. Li Jin and Li Chensi, a couple from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, were also on the first train to Vientiane. The trip is of special significance for the couple as the husband Li…

Spacewalk Record Screenshot captured at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on April 15 shows Shenzhou-15 taikonaut Zhang Lu waving after performing extravehicular activities outside the Wentian lab module. The three crew members have now performed extravehicular activities on four occasions since they were launched into space in November 2022, setting a domestic record for the most spacewalks by a single crew. Yellow River Forum The Yellow River Culture Forum closed on April 19 in the city of Dongying in Shandong Province, in the estuary of the Yellow River. Delegates from all nine provincial-level regions through which the Yellow River runs attended the two-day event, launching the Yellow River Culture Forum Initiative. The initiative calls for jointly working on integrated high-quality cultural and tourism development in the Yellow River basin, improving…

When figuring out ways to revive a city speckled with abandoned coal mines and industrial factories, few would think firing up the barbecue would be of help. But apparently this was just the way to whet the domestic appetite for Zibo, a regular city in east China’s Shandong Province and home to a unique barbecue style. “Going to Zibo for barbecue” has been a trending tag on Chinese social platforms since early March. The craze is now reaching fever pitch as more and more hungry folk, millennials and Gen Zs specifically, are flocking to the city, queuing up outside popular barbecue restaurants for hours and sharing photos and videos of their indulgence in the culinary delight online. The hottest ticket in town Based on ticket purchases and hotel bookings, among…

Every spring, Li Xiang, a nurse in Beijing, saunters through the Chinese capital’s numerous parks to take in their kaleidoscopic floral displays and welcome the new, vibrant season. But this April, she discovered an event where she and her friends enjoyed the blossoming of both Mother Nature’s and humankind’s hard work. Beijing’s suburban Pinggu District, home to the famous Pinggu peach and an annual festival themed on peach flowers, attracts many visitors like Li. In addition to admiring the ravishing flowers in full bloom, they can also catch an art show or performance. For example, this year’s festival had a small concert, with musicians dressed to the nines in traditional Chinese costumes playing traditional instruments like the guzheng—a plucked zither. “It was mesmerizing. Combining natural scenery, local specialties and art,…

Since its inauguration a year ago, the China National Botanical Garden in Beijing has collected 2,000 new species, with its varieties of ex-situ protected plants now exceeding 17,000. Ex-situ protection, the garden’s top priority, is the conservation and maintenance of plant samples outside their natural habitat. Comments to weiyao@cicgamericas.com…

Better-than-expected recovery, hard-won results… these are the key words that constitute China’s economic performance in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, laying a foundation for achieving the country’s growth target for this year—set at around 5 percent. “China’s national economy is off to a solid start.” This is how Fu Linghui, spokesperson of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), opened a press conference on China’s Q1 economic performance on April 18. The Chinese economy grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first three months; on a quarterly basis, it improved 2.2 percent. Some economists and organizations had previously projected a 4-percent growth on an annual basis. “Amid a complex and severe international environment, a slowdown of the world economy and mounting instability and uncertainty, this was no easy achievement,”…

When night falls, Jinli Ancient Street, a cultural and tourist landmark in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, bustles with visitors, making it even more boisterous than in the daytime. Gleaming with lights from the small shops and stalls lining the street, the place is attracting people from across the country. Rivaling the prosperous nightlife in Jinli is Han Street in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province. “It’s been a long time since I last visited Han Street. Strolling around the first and second blocks of the street, seeing vendors selling snacks and trinkets, I feel the worldly atmosphere is back,” a netizen wrote. This is typical of the comments shared by locals on social media platforms. The term “night economy” refers to the various economic activities taking place at night…

On his personal Twitter account, Hazza Harding posts and shares almost all news related to China-Australia relations. Hailing from Queensland, the northeastern state of Australia, Hazza has a long connection with China, as he studied Chinese in high school and lived in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province in south China, for 10 years as a TV presenter and musician. Hazza has sometimes expressed disappointment and frustration as he has shared coverage of the low points in the relationship between the two countries, especially when the government of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was in office from August 2018 to May 2022, took a provocative and confrontational stance toward China. However, optimism has returned to Hazza’s tweets, as relations between the two countries have warmed recently. Trade as the sign…

Three hundred and seventy books—that was the “ticket revenue” Zhu Hongfei, an amateur balladeer, earned from the concert he and his friends organized on April 8 in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province. A gift of a children’s book was the price of admission to the concert. Over 400 audience members attended the concert. “Everyone was invited to share one of their favorite books, with a hand-written blessing on the first page. These books are gifts for Tibetan kids,” the 44-year-old told Beijing Review. Zhu is a man of parts and is keenly interested in Tibet Autonomous Region. He is a writer who has published two non-fiction books about Tibet and a mountaineer who reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, in May 2018. Also, he is a…