Innehållsförteckning för Vol.68/No.1 från Beijing Review

Central SOE Performance Centrally-administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) invested 2 trillion yuan ($278 billion) in strategic emerging industries in the first 11 months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent, official data showed on December 24, 2024. Investment in emerging industries accounted for more than 40 percent of central SOEs’ total investment for the first time, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the country’s highest state administrative organ. During the period, central SOEs achieved an added value of 9.3 trillion yuan ($1.3 trillion). Annualized labor productivity for all employees increased 3 percent year on year, and the intensity of research and development expenditure was 2.6 percent during the period. In 2025, central SOEs will focus on enhancing their core functions and improving their…

The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 17 to 18. At the conference, President Xi Jinping highlighted achievements in 2024, including record high grain output, steady increase in farmers’ incomes, and harmony and stability in rural areas; and pointed out that they provide a solid foundation for promoting high-quality economic and social development. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the total grain output in 2024 reached 706.5 million tons, an increase of 1.6 percent from the previous year. In the first three quarters, the per-capita disposable income of rural residents stood at 16,740 yuan ($2,294), a 6.6 percent increase. New approaches have enhanced rural governance, fully engaging residents as active participants in community-level governance, and contributing to a more stable rural society. As…

From the outside, the dusty, maroon-colored Huaqing Commercial Building looks just like any other Chinese office building built in the early 2000s. What it truly is, however, is an entertainment hub nestled in the heart of Wudaokou, a neighborhood in northwest Beijing famous for its close proximity to a vast cohort of academic institutions, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, China’s two most prestigious universities. Inside, the 17-storey building has everything a university student needs, including a formalwear shop, where many buy their first suits, a ceramic art school, a baking workshop, a cybercafé, a board game club, numerous beauty salons and 27 bars. The most renowned bar in the building is the Universe Lounge, which, unlike other bars, is stacked with hundreds of books and covered with posters promoting…

An ongoing exhibition at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum in Beijing showcases embroidery from across China. The art of embroidery has a long history in China, with Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces producing some of the craft’s most famous works. Comments to weiyao@cicgamericas.com…

Researchers pose for a group photo in a lab at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on December 20, 2024. The team has gained unprecedented insights into the evolution of the moon’s magnetic field from analyzing samples brought back by China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe in June 2024. Their analysis, published on December 19 in the journal Nature, indicates the unexpected resurgence in the strength of the moon’s magnetic field 2.8 billion years ago, following a sharp decline around 3.1 billion years ago. This challenges the prevailing theory that the moon’s lunar dynamo remained in a low-energy state after that decline. Understanding the evolution of the lunar dynamo is of great significance for revealing the moon’s internal structure, thermal history and surface environment.…

LATVIA People take part in a traditional block-pulling event, symbolically removing the old and making way for the New Year, in Riga on December 19, 2024 LIBYA Migrants line up to get on a bus outside the Deportation Office of the Libyan Illegal Migration Control Department in Tripoli on December 25, 2024. The country deported a group of migrants to Niger by land on that day, the first such deportation in years ROMANIA Prime Minister designate Marcel Ciolacu (left) speaks after President Klaus Iohannis nominated him to form the new government in Bucharest on December 23, 2024 GERMANY People gather to mourn the victims of a car-ramming attack in Magdeburg on December 21, 2024. At least five people including a 9-year-old child were killed and over 200 others were injured…

Fresh fish was the bestselling product in Xitun Supermarket in Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, in the second half of 2024. “They were really fresh and usually sold out within half an hour,” He Mei, manager of the supermarket, said. The fish were raised by a local aquaculture farm, Nyingchi Statefarm Karma Agriculture Co. Ltd. (NSKA). During the same period, the farm provided nearly 50 tons of locally cultivated fish and shrimp to different cities in the region, diversifying the diets of people living in Xizang. “That was the largest supply of locally-cultivated aquatic products ever seen in Xizang,” Luo Mingfei, Deputy General Manager of NSKA, told Beijing Review. NSKA is located at the confluence of the Yarlung Zangpo and Nyang rivers in Mainling City, Nyingchi in south Xizang. It…

1 The Year of Global Elections In 2024, voters in more than 60 countries went to national polls. One of the most notable elections was the political resurgence of U.S. Republican Donald Trump, with his party also securing majorities in both the House and the Senate. The results will not only determine the future policies of the world’s largest economy but also impact the international political landscape. Last year, more than 20 regional and national elections were held across Europe but many resulted in fragmented parliaments and fragile governing coalitions. The broader fractures and rising far-right influence on the continent reflect years of accumulated voter frustration over economic stagnation, escalating migration pressures, and the enduring strain of regional conflicts. In other parts of the world, 2024 also turned out to…

Minors’ Mental Health China is attaching increasing importance to the mental health of children and adolescents, experts said at a press conference held by the National Health Commission on December 25, 2024. Epidemiological survey results from authoritative institutions show that the actual prevalence of depression among adolescents in China is about 2 percent, said Xie Bin, President of Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, at the press conference. In response to an inquiry into Internet rumors claiming that “the prevalence of depression among Chinese adolescents has reached 15 percent to 20 percent,” Xie said statistics like these have not been developed through scientific and standardized investigation methods. Zheng Yi, a senior doctor at Beijing Anding Hospital affiliated with the Capital Medical University, emphasized that prioritizing…

Following her disinfection routine, Liu Shuo, a Beijing-based pet sitter in her 20s, puts on shoe covers, enters the access code for the front door and initiates a video call with the pet owner to begin her work. At this house, her responsibilities include cleaning food and water bowls, feeding the cat, and tidying the cat’s living space. Liu’s professionalism and dedication have earned her the loyalty of 300 regular clients. Liu is busier during holidays. By early December 2024, her New Year’s Day appointments had been fully booked, and roughly half of her slots for the Spring Festival holiday (January 28 to February 4) had already been reserved. In Beijing, convenient, in-home pet care service has become very popular, especially among young pet owners. Liu offers essential support for…

In December 1905, a silent film was screened on Kulangsu Island in Xiamen, Fujian Province, which is the city’s first recorded encounter with film, and the beginning of the connection between the city and the film industry. That same year, China’s first-ever film, The Battle of Dingjunshan, was released. After weathering twists and turns, domestic film production has become a big industry and the country has a huge box-office market. Today, Xiamen not only has many cinemas to screen films, but is also the place where many films are shot and produced. Xiamen is often called an open-air film studio. The city’s stunning landscape—lush forests, serene wetlands and sparkling water—make it an ideal backdrop for filmmakers. The unique blend of Minnan or Hokkien culture, European-style architecture and a lively local…