![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/001/20251003_003_01_21632.png\")
Customers browse products at a Pop Mart store on Oxford Street in London, on May 21. Collectible toys, which go beyond the practical function of traditional toys by offering greater emotional value, collectibility, and artistic appeal, have gained popularity among overseas consumers recently.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/001/20251003_003_01_9632.png\")
Customers line up at a Heytea store in Times Square, New York, on March 8, as they flock to the newly opened bubble tea brand from China.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/001/20251003_003_01_16632.png\")
People walk past a Luckin Coffee store before its opening in Chelsea in New York on June 8.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/001/20251003_003_01_45632.png\")
\nThe global frenzy for the Labubu doll has shone a light on how Chinese brands are crossing borders and growing in popularity worldwide.
\nDomestic toy company Pop Mart's plush toys took off in 2024 after celebrities like Blackpink's Lisa and superstar Rihanna showcased their collections on social media. People now compete fiercely to buy the popular dolls, which have seen a significant increase in resale value.
\nLabubu's monster sales have helped Pop Mart, built on the concept of high-quality blind box toys, grow into a billion-dollar business. It now operates over 400 stores and 2,000 vending machines worldwide.
\nMeanwhile, other Chinese brands have either already proved to be an international success or are in the process of doing so.
\nOnline stores Shein and Temu are both well-known for offering a vast selection of low-cost products shipped directly from China. While Shein has not publicly reported its global earnings, Reuters said the company was valued at $66 billion last year. Temu is owned by Pinduoduo, a major e-commerce platform. The company's market capitalization had reached approximately $184 billion as of Sept 19.
\nWhile the rise of e-commerce has caused a decline in many traditional retail stores, lifestyle retailer Miniso has defied the trend.
\nMiniso was founded in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in 2016, with the philosophy of "quality, affordability and fashion".
\nAs of 2024, the company had more than 7,500 stores worldwide. It offers a range of products including toys, beauty products, small electronics, stationery, snacks, and household goods. There are over 200 Miniso stores across 40 US states, with membership growing by 250 percent in 2024 to 2 million people, according to the company.
\nMiniso's global flagship store in New York's Times Square generated nearly $80,000 in revenue on its opening day on May 19, 2023, setting a single-day sales record among its stores globally, according to a media release.
\nThe company is rapidly expanding, launching flagship stores in iconic locations such as Oxford Street in London, the Champs-Elysees in Paris, Seoul's Gangnam District and Tokyo's Harajuku. In July, it opened a 500-square-meter store in Melbourne, Australia.
\nThe NYSE-listed company reported that its revenue last year reached $2.3 billion, a 22.8 percent increase from the previous year. Consumers say they love Miniso products for their cute designs, IP collaborations and affordable prices.
\n"Brands like Pop Mart have successfully created a 'collectible culture' around their products, using the blind box to tap into psychological drivers like scarcity and the thrill of discovery," Cornell University finance professor Will Cong told China Daily.
\n"They bypass traditional retail barriers by launching on e-commerce and social platforms like TikTok, building communities and generating viral, user-generated content that provides authentic marketing."
\nCong added, "This digital fluency, combined with hyper-agile supply chains that enable rapid product iteration — a 'fast fashion' DNA seen in brands like Miniso and (fashion chain) Urban Revivo — allows them to respond to trends in near real time, keeping their offerings perpetually fresh and relevant."
\nBeverage bubble
\nThe concept of bubble tea is being taken to the next level — with Chinese beverage companies including Heytea, Chagee, Coco Fresh Tea and Juice, Molly Tea, and Auntea Jenny now operating tens of thousands of stores worldwide.
\nHeytea can be seen not only in New York's Chinatown. It has outlets in other major traffic areas in the city such as Times Square, Soho, the East Village, and Herald Square, which attract a diverse range of consumers from all backgrounds.
\nFounded in Guangdong in 2012 by Nie Yunchen, Heytea lays claim to creating the first "cheese tea", which has a top layer of foamy cream cheese added.
\nBesides offering tea latte, Heytea created a range of beverages that mix fruit with green tea or dairy.
\nThe company has over 4,000 stores worldwide. Its vice-president of overseas strategy and franchising, Yujia Gu, told the Los Angeles Times he believes the US market will be even bigger than China's, due to the rising appreciation of Asian culture.
\nYang Jiawen, a professor of international business and international affairs at George Washington University, said Chinese brands are still at an early stage of recognition in the US market. Product quality, effective advertising, competitive prices, and services that emphasize health and safety features will be important for the development of markets in the US and globally, Yang added.
\nThese brands have had huge success in China, and now they are trying to expand their market in the US.
\nLuckin Coffee is the biggest coffee shop chain in China with its 22,000 stores far surpassing the 6,500 of its US competitor Starbucks.
\nThe company reported that its net revenue last year exceeded $4.7 billion, representing a 38.4 percent year-on-year increase, with much of it due to its rapid expansion. It opened 6,092 new stores, including 6,071 on the Chinese mainland, 21 in Singapore, and five in Hong Kong.
\nIn June, Luckin Coffee ventured into the US and launched its first store in New York.
\nSean Brassil, 28, who visited China in April, said he's excited to see the Chinese company in the US, after enjoying the convenience of ordering a beverage each morning from his hotel room and picking it up. "App and pay integration just feels very seamless and the way of the future," he said.
\nCotti Coffee — founded by two former Luckin Coffee executives in 2022 — is also experiencing rapid growth with over 14,000 stores worldwide in more than 28 countries and regions.
\nUnlike Luckin, which is shifting from a price war to focus on quality and brand building, Cotti offers more competitive pricing to attract customers. In China, customers can buy a Cotti beverage for 10 yuan ($1.40). Although Cotti's pricing in the US isn't that competitive, it recently opened its second store in Manhattan.
\n"The success of the new wave of Chinese brands in the US is driven by a sophisticated playbook that moves beyond the old 'low-cost manufacturing' model. A primary factor is their innovative reengineering of the value proposition," Cong from Cornell University said.
\n"Brands like Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee exemplify a model of 'tech-enabled affordable convenience', using app-based ordering and small-footprint, grab-and-go stores to offer quality products at highly competitive prices. This isn't just a price war; it's a competition of operational efficiency, where technology drastically reduces overheads like rent and labor, allowing them to sustainably offer value that combines affordability with extreme convenience."
\nPopular clothing brand Urban Revivo, founded in Guangzhou in 2016, is often referred to as the Chinese version of Zara, the Spanish fashion giant.
\nUrban Revivo has annual sales of around $961 million with 400 stores in China and 19 across the world, mostly in Southeast Asia, according to Forbes. As a major fast-fashion player competing with brands like Zara and H&M, the store adds hundreds of new styles every week. In late February, it entered the US market with a store opening in New York's trendy Soho neighborhood.
\nBlush of success
\nIn China, more consumers are turning to domestic beauty brands, driving strong growth in local products. At the same time, the country's cosmetics industry is being highly influenced by social media and e-commerce platforms.
\nIn 2022, for example, the sales of domestic Chinese brands on Douyin grew 110 percent year-on-year, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.
\nFrom budget-friendly names like Into You and Judydoll to premium brands such as Mao Geping and Florasis, Chinese beauty labels are gaining widespread popularity.
\nIn the first 11 months of 2024, the export volume of Chinese beauty products and toiletries reached 1.19 million metric tons, marking an 18.2 percent increase compared with last year, General Administration of Customs data shows. Export value was $6.53 billion, up 9.4 percent on a yearly basis.
\nIn addition, a growing number of Chinese beauty products have entered the US market. These brands are competing with established international names by offering special pricing while emphasizing design and quality.
\nFlorasis, a cosmetic brand started in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was praised by US beauty guru and influencer Jeffree Star as "the world's most beautiful makeup" for its designs, which incorporate traditional Chinese elements.
\nNow available in over 110 countries and regions, the brand earned Marie Claire's 2025 Makeup Award for "Best Luxury Powder Eyeshadow" with one of its palettes.
\nAnother brand, Flower Knows, recognized for its dreamy, fairy-tale-style packaging, quickly went viral in China after launching in 2016, thanks to its unique design concept as well as close collaborations with social media influencers.
\nFollowing its success in the domestic market, the brand expanded into Japan, where the company said its products are sold in over 1,000 stores. Flower Knows has also secured a partnership with Urban Outfitters, one of the leading fashion and lifestyle retailers in the US.
\nThe brand has attracted over 2 million followers on Instagram. US pop star Sabrina Carpenter was recently seen holding one of their products on a film set.
\nFlower Knows is in discussions with major US beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta Beauty to showcase their products, according to the company's chief marketing officer Gong Fang.
\nCong, the finance professor, said the US market could prove to be more profitable than the Chinese market because of its significantly higher household spending. In addition, success in the world market would "confer a powerful 'halo effect' of global prestige" and enhance brand value everywhere, including in China.
\nHe warned, however: "This potential is tempered by significant geopolitical risks, including tariffs and regulatory scrutiny, which add direct costs and uncertainty. Thus, while the US market could become more financially profitable for certain brands, its primary value for many will likely remain strategic."
\nAfter the US administration in May eliminated the "de minimis "exemption by imposing duties on packages under $800 coming from China, businesses like Shein and Temu experienced a sharp decline in sales.
\nIn the first week of May, FedEx reported a 35 percent drop in packages arriving in the US from Asia. In response to the policy change, Temu and Shein opened warehouses on US soil to facilitate domestic shipping. They also raised their prices. Shein increased prices by as much as 377 percent, according to Bloomberg.
\nBrands like Flower Knows emphasize that marketing is more important than ever during this period.
\n"I have a very strong belief in manufacturing power in China, and we are living proof of that as well," said Fang. "Tariffs force us to innovate and focus more on establishing unique brand positioning. C-beauty should go beyond competitiveness in pricing and agility. We'll turn constraints into chances to redefine 'Made in China'."
\nbilinlin@chinadailyusa.com
\n", - "content": "Customers browse products at a Pop Mart store on Oxford Street in London, on May 21. Collectible toys, which go beyond the practical function of traditional toys by offering greater emotional value, collectibility, and artistic appeal, have gained popularity among overseas consumers recently.
\nCustomers line up at a Heytea store in Times Square, New York, on March 8, as they flock to the newly opened bubble tea brand from China.
\nPeople walk past a Luckin Coffee store before its opening in Chelsea in New York on June 8.
\n\nThe global frenzy for the Labubu doll has shone a light on how Chinese brands are crossing borders and growing in popularity worldwide.
\nDomestic toy company Pop Mart's plush toys took off in 2024 after celebrities like Blackpink's Lisa and superstar Rihanna showcased their collections on social media. People now compete fiercely to buy the popular dolls, which have seen a significant increase in resale value.
\nLabubu's monster sales have helped Pop Mart, built on the concept of high-quality blind box toys, grow into a billion-dollar business. It now operates over 400 stores and 2,000 vending machines worldwide.
\nMeanwhile, other Chinese brands have either already proved to be an international success or are in the process of doing so.
\nOnline stores Shein and Temu are both well-known for offering a vast selection of low-cost products shipped directly from China. While Shein has not publicly reported its global earnings, Reuters said the company was valued at $66 billion last year. Temu is owned by Pinduoduo, a major e-commerce platform. The company's market capitalization had reached approximately $184 billion as of Sept 19.
\nWhile the rise of e-commerce has caused a decline in many traditional retail stores, lifestyle retailer Miniso has defied the trend.
\nMiniso was founded in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in 2016, with the philosophy of "quality, affordability and fashion".
\nAs of 2024, the company had more than 7,500 stores worldwide. It offers a range of products including toys, beauty products, small electronics, stationery, snacks, and household goods. There are over 200 Miniso stores across 40 US states, with membership growing by 250 percent in 2024 to 2 million people, according to the company.
\nMiniso's global flagship store in New York's Times Square generated nearly $80,000 in revenue on its opening day on May 19, 2023, setting a single-day sales record among its stores globally, according to a media release.
\nThe company is rapidly expanding, launching flagship stores in iconic locations such as Oxford Street in London, the Champs-Elysees in Paris, Seoul's Gangnam District and Tokyo's Harajuku. In July, it opened a 500-square-meter store in Melbourne, Australia.
\nThe NYSE-listed company reported that its revenue last year reached $2.3 billion, a 22.8 percent increase from the previous year. Consumers say they love Miniso products for their cute designs, IP collaborations and affordable prices.
\n"Brands like Pop Mart have successfully created a 'collectible culture' around their products, using the blind box to tap into psychological drivers like scarcity and the thrill of discovery," Cornell University finance professor Will Cong told China Daily.
\n"They bypass traditional retail barriers by launching on e-commerce and social platforms like TikTok, building communities and generating viral, user-generated content that provides authentic marketing."
\nCong added, "This digital fluency, combined with hyper-agile supply chains that enable rapid product iteration — a 'fast fashion' DNA seen in brands like Miniso and (fashion chain) Urban Revivo — allows them to respond to trends in near real time, keeping their offerings perpetually fresh and relevant."
\nBeverage bubble
\nThe concept of bubble tea is being taken to the next level — with Chinese beverage companies including Heytea, Chagee, Coco Fresh Tea and Juice, Molly Tea, and Auntea Jenny now operating tens of thousands of stores worldwide.
\nHeytea can be seen not only in New York's Chinatown. It has outlets in other major traffic areas in the city such as Times Square, Soho, the East Village, and Herald Square, which attract a diverse range of consumers from all backgrounds.
\nFounded in Guangdong in 2012 by Nie Yunchen, Heytea lays claim to creating the first "cheese tea", which has a top layer of foamy cream cheese added.
\nBesides offering tea latte, Heytea created a range of beverages that mix fruit with green tea or dairy.
\nThe company has over 4,000 stores worldwide. Its vice-president of overseas strategy and franchising, Yujia Gu, told the Los Angeles Times he believes the US market will be even bigger than China's, due to the rising appreciation of Asian culture.
\nYang Jiawen, a professor of international business and international affairs at George Washington University, said Chinese brands are still at an early stage of recognition in the US market. Product quality, effective advertising, competitive prices, and services that emphasize health and safety features will be important for the development of markets in the US and globally, Yang added.
\nThese brands have had huge success in China, and now they are trying to expand their market in the US.
\nLuckin Coffee is the biggest coffee shop chain in China with its 22,000 stores far surpassing the 6,500 of its US competitor Starbucks.
\nThe company reported that its net revenue last year exceeded $4.7 billion, representing a 38.4 percent year-on-year increase, with much of it due to its rapid expansion. It opened 6,092 new stores, including 6,071 on the Chinese mainland, 21 in Singapore, and five in Hong Kong.
\nIn June, Luckin Coffee ventured into the US and launched its first store in New York.
\nSean Brassil, 28, who visited China in April, said he's excited to see the Chinese company in the US, after enjoying the convenience of ordering a beverage each morning from his hotel room and picking it up. "App and pay integration just feels very seamless and the way of the future," he said.
\nCotti Coffee — founded by two former Luckin Coffee executives in 2022 — is also experiencing rapid growth with over 14,000 stores worldwide in more than 28 countries and regions.
\nUnlike Luckin, which is shifting from a price war to focus on quality and brand building, Cotti offers more competitive pricing to attract customers. In China, customers can buy a Cotti beverage for 10 yuan ($1.40). Although Cotti's pricing in the US isn't that competitive, it recently opened its second store in Manhattan.
\n"The success of the new wave of Chinese brands in the US is driven by a sophisticated playbook that moves beyond the old 'low-cost manufacturing' model. A primary factor is their innovative reengineering of the value proposition," Cong from Cornell University said.
\n"Brands like Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee exemplify a model of 'tech-enabled affordable convenience', using app-based ordering and small-footprint, grab-and-go stores to offer quality products at highly competitive prices. This isn't just a price war; it's a competition of operational efficiency, where technology drastically reduces overheads like rent and labor, allowing them to sustainably offer value that combines affordability with extreme convenience."
\nPopular clothing brand Urban Revivo, founded in Guangzhou in 2016, is often referred to as the Chinese version of Zara, the Spanish fashion giant.
\nUrban Revivo has annual sales of around $961 million with 400 stores in China and 19 across the world, mostly in Southeast Asia, according to Forbes. As a major fast-fashion player competing with brands like Zara and H&M, the store adds hundreds of new styles every week. In late February, it entered the US market with a store opening in New York's trendy Soho neighborhood.
\nBlush of success
\nIn China, more consumers are turning to domestic beauty brands, driving strong growth in local products. At the same time, the country's cosmetics industry is being highly influenced by social media and e-commerce platforms.
\nIn 2022, for example, the sales of domestic Chinese brands on Douyin grew 110 percent year-on-year, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.
\nFrom budget-friendly names like Into You and Judydoll to premium brands such as Mao Geping and Florasis, Chinese beauty labels are gaining widespread popularity.
\nIn the first 11 months of 2024, the export volume of Chinese beauty products and toiletries reached 1.19 million metric tons, marking an 18.2 percent increase compared with last year, General Administration of Customs data shows. Export value was $6.53 billion, up 9.4 percent on a yearly basis.
\nIn addition, a growing number of Chinese beauty products have entered the US market. These brands are competing with established international names by offering special pricing while emphasizing design and quality.
\nFlorasis, a cosmetic brand started in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was praised by US beauty guru and influencer Jeffree Star as "the world's most beautiful makeup" for its designs, which incorporate traditional Chinese elements.
\nNow available in over 110 countries and regions, the brand earned Marie Claire's 2025 Makeup Award for "Best Luxury Powder Eyeshadow" with one of its palettes.
\nAnother brand, Flower Knows, recognized for its dreamy, fairy-tale-style packaging, quickly went viral in China after launching in 2016, thanks to its unique design concept as well as close collaborations with social media influencers.
\nFollowing its success in the domestic market, the brand expanded into Japan, where the company said its products are sold in over 1,000 stores. Flower Knows has also secured a partnership with Urban Outfitters, one of the leading fashion and lifestyle retailers in the US.
\nThe brand has attracted over 2 million followers on Instagram. US pop star Sabrina Carpenter was recently seen holding one of their products on a film set.
\nFlower Knows is in discussions with major US beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta Beauty to showcase their products, according to the company's chief marketing officer Gong Fang.
\nCong, the finance professor, said the US market could prove to be more profitable than the Chinese market because of its significantly higher household spending. In addition, success in the world market would "confer a powerful 'halo effect' of global prestige" and enhance brand value everywhere, including in China.
\nHe warned, however: "This potential is tempered by significant geopolitical risks, including tariffs and regulatory scrutiny, which add direct costs and uncertainty. Thus, while the US market could become more financially profitable for certain brands, its primary value for many will likely remain strategic."
\nAfter the US administration in May eliminated the "de minimis "exemption by imposing duties on packages under $800 coming from China, businesses like Shein and Temu experienced a sharp decline in sales.
\nIn the first week of May, FedEx reported a 35 percent drop in packages arriving in the US from Asia. In response to the policy change, Temu and Shein opened warehouses on US soil to facilitate domestic shipping. They also raised their prices. Shein increased prices by as much as 377 percent, according to Bloomberg.
\nBrands like Flower Knows emphasize that marketing is more important than ever during this period.
\n"I have a very strong belief in manufacturing power in China, and we are living proof of that as well," said Fang. "Tariffs force us to innovate and focus more on establishing unique brand positioning. C-beauty should go beyond competitiveness in pricing and agility. We'll turn constraints into chances to redefine 'Made in China'."
\nbilinlin@chinadailyusa.com
\n", - "category": "", - "link": "https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2025-10/03/content_001_68ded7c4ed50ccabe151a900.htm#001FRONT", - "creator": "", - "pubDate": "Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:21:05 +0000", - "enclosure": "", - "enclosureType": "", - "image": "", - "id": "", - "language": "", - "folder": "双语", - "feed": "ChinaDaily", - "read": false, - "favorite": false, - "created": false, - "tags": [], - "hash": "174ebfdfb1e8f40e670642b74871a5e2", - "highlights": [] - }, { "title": "002NATION - China condemns US veto in UN of Gaza ceasefire resolution", "description": "China has condemned the United States' recent veto of the Gaza ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council.
\nFu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at Wednesday's General Assembly — which was convened in response to the recent Security Council veto in order to address the escalating crisis in Gaza and consider the next steps for peace and accountability — that the US had abused its veto power.
\nHe said that if the US had not repeatedly abused its veto, the Security Council's response to the Gaza crisis would have been more effective, and if Washington had not offered unconditional protection to Israel, Security Council resolutions and international law would not have been violated so recklessly.
\nOn Sept 18, the US vetoed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council for the sixth time. The resolution called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as the release of hostages. Although 14 of the 15 Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution, the measure was blocked by the US veto.
\nThe US representative said his delegation vetoed the resolution because it "failed to condemn Hamas and it failed to recognize Israel's right to defend itself, amongst other serious defects".
\nUN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock told the 193-member organ that "a raised hand", "a simple 'no'" may appear routine when a permanent member of the Security Council casts a veto, but the impact is anything but ordinary.
\n"A veto can extinguish hope for those trapped in conflict. It falls hardest on those who turn to the United Nations for peace, for relief, for a path out of suffering, for hope. And when it results in constant blockages, it can damage the credibility of this whole institution," Baerbock said.
\n"The veto is not a privilege. It's a responsibility, entrusted to five nations to be exercised rarely in the spirit of peace and security for all," Baerbock said.
\nFu said the tragedy in Gaza must not continue, and an immediate and lasting ceasefire is needed. He added that China welcomes all efforts to de-escalate the current situation.
\nHistory has repeatedly shown that military means cannot resolve the conflict, and that no country's security can be built on the insecurity of others. The ongoing war has already claimed the lives of more than 66,000 people in Gaza, and prolonging the violence will only bring more deaths and hatred, Fu said.
\nChina urged Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, restore full access for humanitarian aid, and support relief efforts by the UN and other agencies.
\nFu said the two-state solution is the only viable path, stressing that Gaza and the West Bank are integral Palestinian territory and that postwar arrangements must be "Palestinians governing Palestine". He called for concrete, irreversible steps toward this goal and opposition to unilateral measures.
\nMeanwhile, organizers of a flotilla heading toward Gaza said on Thursday that Israeli forces had stopped 39 boats carrying foreign activists and aid.
\nThe organizers denounced Israel's action as a "war crime". They said the military used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed.
\nThe flotilla's progress across the Mediterranean Sea garnered international attention as nations including Turkiye, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance.
\nItaly and Greece urged Israeli authorities on Wednesday to ensure the safety of the flotilla participants.
\nColombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel's entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla. Israel has not had an ambassador in Colombia since last year.
\nSpain summoned Israel's top representative in Madrid on Thursday. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that 65 Spaniards were traveling with the flotilla.
\nAgencies and <span class="epaper-contributor">Pan Jie</span> in Beijing contributed to this story.
\nmingmeili@chinadailyusa.com
\n", @@ -11731,28 +11709,6 @@ "hash": "0dd591dea389c92a4bff6cf705364ff3", "highlights": [] }, - { - "title": "005PEOPLE - High-altitude mission to be proud of", - "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/005/20251003_005_01_11139.png\")
Three black-headed gulls hover above Mapam Yumco Lake in Ngari prefecture in the Xizang autonomous region.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/005/20251003_005_01_29139.png\")
A Tibetan nomad herds yaks across the grassland around the lake.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/005/20251003_005_01_20139.png\")
Dradul is a guardian of the lake wetland and wildlife living around it.
\nFor more than a decade, Dradul has worked as a guardian of a wetland near Mapam Yumco Lake, which, nestled at an altitude of over 4,500 meters in Burang county of Ngari prefecture, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, is the world's highest freshwater lake.
\nBy mid-morning on a typical working day, the 42-year-old will be circling the lake on his motorcycle, traversing a fixed patrol route spanning nearly 10 kilometers.
\n"In my bag are a pair of binoculars to scan for waterbirds, a notebook to record each patrol's sightings of wildlife species and numbers, along with details such as the weather and water level, as well as garbage bags to collect litter," he said.
\nHe also carries what he jokingly calls his "life-saving kit": food, usually zanba, a traditional Tibetan staple made of roasted highland barley, along with drinking water, a thick coat, a hat, sun mask, and simple tools in case he comes across any animal in need.
\nReferred to as the "Mother of Rivers", Mapam Yumco Lake, also known as Lake Manasarovar, feeds the headwaters of the Ganges, Indus, Sutlej, and Yarlung Zangbo, sustaining life far beyond the Himalayas.
\nToday, Dradul is one of 90 guardians patrolling nearly 99,000 hectares of the wetland, of which the lake itself makes up about 69,000 hectares.
\nThe guardians' tasks are simple: patrol the reserve, record observations and respond to threats. Yet in a fragile ecosystem perched on the "roof of the world", even small actions carry weight.
\nIn February last year, the guardians discovered an eagle with a broken wing. They carefully transported the bird to a rescue center, feeding it and tending to its injuries until it was strong enough to fly again.
\nThis July, after villagers spotted a wild yak trapped in a mudflat, Dradul and his colleagues, together with local forestry and grassland officials, rushed to the scene but failed to directly pull the yak out. The massive animal, weighing hundreds of kilograms, struggled helplessly.
\nFinally, by looping ropes around the yak's horns, they pulled carefully, inch by inch, until the exhausted animal was free.
\n"The rescue process took about 20 minutes. But we stood at a distance afterward for half an hour, watching silently until the yak began to walk and graze again," he said.
\nChanging attitudes
\nBeyond rescues, much of a guardian's work involves people. Tourists are gently reminded not to litter, not to drive across fragile grasslands, and to carry out their waste.
\n"In the past, there used to be a lot of trash in the wetland. Once the wind blew, it scattered everywhere, and there were fewer wild animals," Dradul said. With the guardians diligently patrolling and reminding the visitors not to litter, the wetland's ecosystem has steadily improved over the past years.
\nToday, the wetland is home to 411 species of plants and 157 species of vertebrates, a remarkable level of biodiversity for such a high-altitude region.
\n"Watching the prayer flags flutter by the lakeshore, bar-headed geese and ruddy shelducks playing on the water while kiangs (Tibetan wild donkeys) gallop along the shore, I know that I have made my contribution to all this and feel a sense of achievement that nothing else can match," Dradul said.
\nJust a few years ago, his life was very different. Without steady work, he drifted between temporary jobs, uncertain about the future. That changed in 2014, when he became a guardian of the wetland.
\nThe position now provides him with a stable monthly income of 2,000 yuan ($281), and more importantly, a mission.
\n"I feel proud to protect the holy lake," he said. "It's more than work. It's about keeping the lake alive for the future so that my children and grandchildren will one day see the same clear waters as I do."
\nChallenges on the plateau
\nYet the work is far from easy. Climate change, which is melting glaciers and shifting rainfall patterns, poses the most daunting challenge.
\n"The altering of the lake's shoreline and degradation of the grasslands, caused by climate change, are beyond the power of guardians like us," Dradul said.
\nHuman pressure is another constant concern. While most visitors respect the rules, some litter, bathe or even wash cars in the lake, forcing rangers into confrontations.
\nAnd then there is the vastness of the task: with nearly 99,000 hectares of wetland and only 90 rangers, there are some remote areas that they cannot patrol every day.
\n"I hope that in the future we can use more technologies, such as drones, to help us better fulfill our duties," Dradul said.
\nDespite the challenges, Dradul's vision for the future is clear. He dreams of Mapam Yumco Lake remaining eternally pure, with Mount Gang Rinpoche reflected in its blue waters for centuries to come.
\nTo this end, he wishes for more young people to take up the work of protection.
\n"This responsibility must be passed down," he said. "If our hearts are sincere and our hands are diligent, Mapam Yumco Lake will never grow old."
\nmojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "content": "Three black-headed gulls hover above Mapam Yumco Lake in Ngari prefecture in the Xizang autonomous region.
\nA Tibetan nomad herds yaks across the grassland around the lake.
\nDradul is a guardian of the lake wetland and wildlife living around it.
\nFor more than a decade, Dradul has worked as a guardian of a wetland near Mapam Yumco Lake, which, nestled at an altitude of over 4,500 meters in Burang county of Ngari prefecture, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, is the world's highest freshwater lake.
\nBy mid-morning on a typical working day, the 42-year-old will be circling the lake on his motorcycle, traversing a fixed patrol route spanning nearly 10 kilometers.
\n"In my bag are a pair of binoculars to scan for waterbirds, a notebook to record each patrol's sightings of wildlife species and numbers, along with details such as the weather and water level, as well as garbage bags to collect litter," he said.
\nHe also carries what he jokingly calls his "life-saving kit": food, usually zanba, a traditional Tibetan staple made of roasted highland barley, along with drinking water, a thick coat, a hat, sun mask, and simple tools in case he comes across any animal in need.
\nReferred to as the "Mother of Rivers", Mapam Yumco Lake, also known as Lake Manasarovar, feeds the headwaters of the Ganges, Indus, Sutlej, and Yarlung Zangbo, sustaining life far beyond the Himalayas.
\nToday, Dradul is one of 90 guardians patrolling nearly 99,000 hectares of the wetland, of which the lake itself makes up about 69,000 hectares.
\nThe guardians' tasks are simple: patrol the reserve, record observations and respond to threats. Yet in a fragile ecosystem perched on the "roof of the world", even small actions carry weight.
\nIn February last year, the guardians discovered an eagle with a broken wing. They carefully transported the bird to a rescue center, feeding it and tending to its injuries until it was strong enough to fly again.
\nThis July, after villagers spotted a wild yak trapped in a mudflat, Dradul and his colleagues, together with local forestry and grassland officials, rushed to the scene but failed to directly pull the yak out. The massive animal, weighing hundreds of kilograms, struggled helplessly.
\nFinally, by looping ropes around the yak's horns, they pulled carefully, inch by inch, until the exhausted animal was free.
\n"The rescue process took about 20 minutes. But we stood at a distance afterward for half an hour, watching silently until the yak began to walk and graze again," he said.
\nChanging attitudes
\nBeyond rescues, much of a guardian's work involves people. Tourists are gently reminded not to litter, not to drive across fragile grasslands, and to carry out their waste.
\n"In the past, there used to be a lot of trash in the wetland. Once the wind blew, it scattered everywhere, and there were fewer wild animals," Dradul said. With the guardians diligently patrolling and reminding the visitors not to litter, the wetland's ecosystem has steadily improved over the past years.
\nToday, the wetland is home to 411 species of plants and 157 species of vertebrates, a remarkable level of biodiversity for such a high-altitude region.
\n"Watching the prayer flags flutter by the lakeshore, bar-headed geese and ruddy shelducks playing on the water while kiangs (Tibetan wild donkeys) gallop along the shore, I know that I have made my contribution to all this and feel a sense of achievement that nothing else can match," Dradul said.
\nJust a few years ago, his life was very different. Without steady work, he drifted between temporary jobs, uncertain about the future. That changed in 2014, when he became a guardian of the wetland.
\nThe position now provides him with a stable monthly income of 2,000 yuan ($281), and more importantly, a mission.
\n"I feel proud to protect the holy lake," he said. "It's more than work. It's about keeping the lake alive for the future so that my children and grandchildren will one day see the same clear waters as I do."
\nChallenges on the plateau
\nYet the work is far from easy. Climate change, which is melting glaciers and shifting rainfall patterns, poses the most daunting challenge.
\n"The altering of the lake's shoreline and degradation of the grasslands, caused by climate change, are beyond the power of guardians like us," Dradul said.
\nHuman pressure is another constant concern. While most visitors respect the rules, some litter, bathe or even wash cars in the lake, forcing rangers into confrontations.
\nAnd then there is the vastness of the task: with nearly 99,000 hectares of wetland and only 90 rangers, there are some remote areas that they cannot patrol every day.
\n"I hope that in the future we can use more technologies, such as drones, to help us better fulfill our duties," Dradul said.
\nDespite the challenges, Dradul's vision for the future is clear. He dreams of Mapam Yumco Lake remaining eternally pure, with Mount Gang Rinpoche reflected in its blue waters for centuries to come.
\nTo this end, he wishes for more young people to take up the work of protection.
\n"This responsibility must be passed down," he said. "If our hearts are sincere and our hands are diligent, Mapam Yumco Lake will never grow old."
\nmojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "category": "", - "link": "https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2025-10/03/content_005_68ded7fced50ccabe151a910.htm#005PEOPLE", - "creator": "", - "pubDate": "Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:21:04 +0000", - "enclosure": "", - "enclosureType": "", - "image": "", - "id": "", - "language": "", - "folder": "双语", - "feed": "ChinaDaily", - "read": false, - "favorite": false, - "created": false, - "tags": [], - "hash": "9f9bdeff59fe2ea0a63512843a0139d5", - "highlights": [] - }, { "title": "011SPORTS - Bolt: 'I wanted to set high standards, and I did'", "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/011/20251003_011_02_17254.png\")
From his trademark bow-and-arrow pose, to his leisurely victory laps around the track against the backdrop of blaring reggae music, Usain Bolt elevated sprinting into a personality-driven event and gave people a reason to watch.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-03/011/20251003_011_02_24254.png\")
From his trademark bow-and-arrow pose, to his leisurely victory laps around the track against the backdrop of blaring reggae music, Usain Bolt elevated sprinting into a personality-driven event and gave people a reason to watch.
\nTOKYO — On the night athletics turned to Jamaica once again to find the world's fastest man, the greatest Jamaican sprinter was in a hospitality box in the stadium — his presence literally hovering over a sport that hasn't been the same since he left.
\nOblique Seville might have been crowned the new 100-meter world champion at last month's World Athletics Championships in Japan, but Usain Bolt remains the only track star this century whose fame cascades well beyond sports.
\nEight years since his retirement, nobody has come close to matching his times or his presence. In an interview before the final round of races at the track worlds, he said he feels great about that, because "that's what I worked for".
\n"When I was competing, I was working to break the benchmark," he said. "Now that I've retired, it's a great feeling to know that I'm the benchmark if you want to be the best. You want to be a legend. I wanted to set high standards, and I did. I'm happy about that."
\nThe numbers tell part of this story: He has eight Olympic gold medals, 11 gold medals at world championships and three world records — 9.58 seconds in the 100m, 19.19 in the 200m and 36.84 in the 4x100m relay — that still stand.
\nNo runner has come within .12 seconds of either of his individual marks since he retired.
\nAsked why that is, despite a world in which shoe and track technology gives runners a bigger boost than 15 years ago when Bolt was in his prime, he offered a glimpse why he remains his sport's most engaging ambassador.
\n"Do you really want the answer? We're just more talented," he said. "I'm just saying, you can't run faster (just) with brand-new spikes."
\nSpeed, though, is only part of Bolt's story. It was his ability to use his platform to entertain and bring people together — a skill that couldn't be overlooked in an era when the Olympics needed a recharge. It made Bolt one of track's most electrifying characters.
\nFrom his trademark bow-and-arrow pose, to his leisurely victory laps around the track against the backdrop of blaring reggae music — from his mile-wide smile, to the joy he so effortlessly exuded, despite the excruciating nature of his work — he elevated the sport into a personality-driven lovefest and gave people a reason to watch.
\n"It's the personality," he said. "I think a lot of people, they try to be fun, but it comes off different. It's just having a good time. If you try too hard, it's not going to be the same. But I was just having a good time. That's how I looked at it. I tried to engage with fans and that's why they gravitated to it."
\nLast month's world championships marked Bolt's first appearance at an Olympics or worlds since he exited the sport after the 2017 championships in London.
\nHe is now the father of a five-year-old daughter, Olympia Lightning, and four-year-old twin sons, Saint Leo and Thunder. To them, Bolt is just Dad. But the greatest sprinter of all time said their view might change at the next world championships two years from now, in the place where his career lifted off like a rocket: Beijing.
\n"I'm excited, because I get to bring my kids and I can tell them: 'Listen, this is where it all happened,'" he said, referring, of course, to the 2008 Olympics, where he set three world records and won three gold medals.
\n"I've shown my kids videos and stuff like that. They'll be six and seven, and they'll kind of understand the moment, and I can explain to them what their dad has done over the years."
\n", @@ -11775,28 +11731,6 @@ "hash": "1eb989fb43debe8f66340f854e13e675", "highlights": [] }, - { - "title": "002NATION - China targets unified, open natl market", - "description": "China has issued a regulation on implementing domestic product standards and related policies in government procurement, a move that experts say will help foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.
\nShu Wenqi, deputy director of the China Institute for Urban Development, said building a unified, open and orderly competitive government procurement market is both an essential component and an inevitable requirement for developing a unified national market.
\nThe General Office of the State Council has newly released the Notice on Implementing Domestic Product Standards and Related Policies in Government Procurement, aiming to ensure equal participation of all types of business entities in purchasing activities.
\nTaking effect on Jan 1, 2026, it clarifies that the domestic product standard refers to products manufactured within China, with the proportion of the cost of components produced domestically reaching a prescribed threshold. For some products, key components and critical processes must also be manufactured or completed within China.
\nThe notice prohibits designating brands, restricting the place of brand registration or ownership, and imposing differential conditions based on ownership type, organizational form, equity structure or nationality of investors. All regions and departments shall strengthen coordination and refrain from issuing measures that contravene the notice.
\nShu noted that the notice is a concrete expression of high-level opening-up and equal treatment of State-owned, private and foreign-invested enterprises.
\nThe standard applies to goods procured under both goods and service projects. In evaluations, a 20 percent price preference shall be granted to domestic products over nondomestic products. Supportive policies shall treat enterprises of different ownership types equally.
\nTao Qizhi, professor at the Institute of Chinese Financial Studies at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, said the policy continues to prioritize support for domestic products while ensuring fair participation by enterprises of all ownerships, reflecting the orientation toward a more unified and open market.
\nThis approach echoes President Xi Jinping's call at the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission meeting on July 1 to "advance the building of a unified national market in greater depth", demonstrating China's resolute resolve to promote high-quality development and deepen opening-up. It is expected to spur innovation and expand international cooperation, Tao said.
\nThe notice outlines a path for system building and adjustment. As requested by the State Council, within five years from implementation, the Ministry of Finance, together with relevant industry authorities, will extensively solicit opinions from domestic and foreign-funded enterprises and industry associations and chambers of commerce, set a three- to five-year transition period, and gradually establish a domestic product standard system and a dynamic adjustment mechanism for government procurement.
\nShu added that China has for years stuck to its goal of achieving unified institutions and rules for government procurement, integrated sharing of government procurement data and resources, and unified regulation and fair competition in the field of government procurement.
\nrenqi@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "content": "China has issued a regulation on implementing domestic product standards and related policies in government procurement, a move that experts say will help foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.
\nShu Wenqi, deputy director of the China Institute for Urban Development, said building a unified, open and orderly competitive government procurement market is both an essential component and an inevitable requirement for developing a unified national market.
\nThe General Office of the State Council has newly released the Notice on Implementing Domestic Product Standards and Related Policies in Government Procurement, aiming to ensure equal participation of all types of business entities in purchasing activities.
\nTaking effect on Jan 1, 2026, it clarifies that the domestic product standard refers to products manufactured within China, with the proportion of the cost of components produced domestically reaching a prescribed threshold. For some products, key components and critical processes must also be manufactured or completed within China.
\nThe notice prohibits designating brands, restricting the place of brand registration or ownership, and imposing differential conditions based on ownership type, organizational form, equity structure or nationality of investors. All regions and departments shall strengthen coordination and refrain from issuing measures that contravene the notice.
\nShu noted that the notice is a concrete expression of high-level opening-up and equal treatment of State-owned, private and foreign-invested enterprises.
\nThe standard applies to goods procured under both goods and service projects. In evaluations, a 20 percent price preference shall be granted to domestic products over nondomestic products. Supportive policies shall treat enterprises of different ownership types equally.
\nTao Qizhi, professor at the Institute of Chinese Financial Studies at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, said the policy continues to prioritize support for domestic products while ensuring fair participation by enterprises of all ownerships, reflecting the orientation toward a more unified and open market.
\nThis approach echoes President Xi Jinping's call at the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission meeting on July 1 to "advance the building of a unified national market in greater depth", demonstrating China's resolute resolve to promote high-quality development and deepen opening-up. It is expected to spur innovation and expand international cooperation, Tao said.
\nThe notice outlines a path for system building and adjustment. As requested by the State Council, within five years from implementation, the Ministry of Finance, together with relevant industry authorities, will extensively solicit opinions from domestic and foreign-funded enterprises and industry associations and chambers of commerce, set a three- to five-year transition period, and gradually establish a domestic product standard system and a dynamic adjustment mechanism for government procurement.
\nShu added that China has for years stuck to its goal of achieving unified institutions and rules for government procurement, integrated sharing of government procurement data and resources, and unified regulation and fair competition in the field of government procurement.
\nrenqi@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "category": "", - "link": "https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2025-10/02/content_002_68dd8304ed50ccabe151a82f.htm#002NATION", - "creator": "", - "pubDate": "Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:21:04 +0000", - "enclosure": "", - "enclosureType": "", - "image": "", - "id": "", - "language": "", - "folder": "双语", - "feed": "ChinaDaily", - "read": false, - "favorite": false, - "created": false, - "tags": [], - "hash": "225169f6931a1c9d99305c487edbf8a5", - "highlights": [] - }, { "title": "004WORLD - President's National Day address hailed", "description": "Overseas Chinese across North America have voiced strong support for President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the reception marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday, hailing it as a message of confidence, unity and responsibility that resonates deeply with Chinese communities abroad.
\nAt the event, he emphasized China's historic achievements, its firm commitment to national rejuvenation, the safeguarding of sovereignty and the pursuit of global cooperation. The remarks drew widespread praise from overseas Chinese, who highlighted the inspiration they drew from his call for unity and progress.
\nEdward Cai, president of the All American Chinese Association in Southern California, said these remarks carried "patriotism and national confidence" and highlighted China's tremendous achievements.
\n"A prosperous motherland is a strong backing for overseas Chinese," Cai told China Daily, adding that the message inspired pride and strengthened the community's resolve to contribute.
\nCai noted that Southern California has long served as a vital bridge in China-US exchanges. He emphasized the role of overseas Chinese in high-tech, education and healthcare, noting that China's emphasis on high-quality development aligns closely with California's innovative environment.
\n"This creates opportunities for cooperation in areas such as new energy, artificial intelligence and biotechnology," he said.
\nCai also underscored the need to foster understanding amid complex China-US relations.
\n"It is crucial to promote people-to-people exchanges and alleviate misunderstandings and barriers through community organizations, chambers of commerce and cultural exchange activities," he said, adding that the region's cultural diversity aligns with the Global Civilization Initiative.
\nZhang Yong, chairman of the Roundtable of Chinese American Organizations in Southern California, highlighted Xi's reaffirmation of "one country, two systems" and opposition to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.
\n"This is the common will of all Chinese people," Zhang said. "We firmly support the resolute stance of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
\nProposals welcomed
\nZhang also welcomed China's proposals of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, describing them as contributions that "will inject more positive energy into world peace and development".
\nLooking ahead, he pledged that Chinese American organizations will "continue to serve as a bridge, promote friendly exchanges between China and the United States, and unite the overseas Chinese community to support the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".
\nFor Betty Yuan, a council member of Chinese for Peaceful Unification-Northern California, the speech served as a reminder of China's resilience and unity over the past 76 years. She noted that this year also marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), which Xi referenced to highlight the spirit of perseverance.
\n"His emphasis on national unity and the need to uphold 'one country, two systems' while opposing 'Taiwan independence' and external interference is crystal clear, and I fully support this," Yuan said. She stressed that safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait remains a top priority for the Chinese both at home and abroad.
\nZheng Xiaofeng, secretary-general of the Canadian Chinese Entrepreneurs Council, said the address provided a roadmap that blended domestic priorities with international engagement. He pointed to four key themes: national rejuvenation, deepening reform and high-quality development, safeguarding sovereignty through "one country, two systems," and promoting global cooperation.
\n"These messages are not only a source of cohesion domestically, but also a clear signal to the world," Zheng said. He contrasted China's vision of multilateral cooperation with what he described as the US reliance on tariffs and confrontation.
\nHe emphasized that the speech "clarified the directions of reform, development and governance, while stressing international cooperation and multilateralism, sending a signal that China is willing to participate in global affairs and take on responsibilities".
\nFor Chinese communities across North America, the address resonated as both a celebration of past progress and a call to action for the future. They expressed a common determination to strengthen ties with their ancestral homeland, support its development and contribute to the broader vision of a community with a shared future for humanity.
\nrenali@chinadailyusa.com
\n", @@ -11819,28 +11753,6 @@ "hash": "c47c2dc182db8310749fd0b44bd5af3f", "highlights": [] }, - { - "title": "006READ - The extraordinary world of the ordinary", - "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_34876.png\")
Worldly Land (top) and The Age of Goodbyes (above) by Malaysian author Li Zishu.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_33876.png\")
Worldly Land (top) and The Age of Goodbyes (above) by Malaysian author Li Zishu.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_55876.png\")
Malaysian writer Li Zishu has had her novel Liu Su Di (Worldly Land) published on the Chinese mainland, which has sparked interest in Sinophone Malaysian literature.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_17876.png\")
Recent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_12876.png\")
Recent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_63876.png\")
Recent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_46876.png\")
A bustling restaurant in Ipoh.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_24876.png\")
Chinese temples are common in Ipoh, a Malaysian city that has inspired Li Zishu's novel Worldly Land.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_37876.png\")
A long line of enthusiastic readers waits for Li Zishu's autograph during this year's Beijing International Book Fair in June.
\n![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-02/006/20251002_006_01_72876.png\")
\nFour years ago, Malaysian writer Li Zishu published her full-length novel Liu Su Di (Worldly Land) on the Chinese mainland. Its ongoing popularity has sparked much interest in Sinophone Malaysian literature — literary works written in Chinese by Malaysian authors — a niche genre that offers Chinese readers an alternative perspective on their cultural roots and traditions.
\nAlthough other Malaysian writers such as Ng Kim Chew and Chang Kuei-hsing have explored themes such as the trauma experienced by the Chinese diaspora, the community's Chinese identity within the multicultural society of Malaysia, and Malaysian history and politics, their works have often adopted a magic realist style, focusing on the tropical country's rainforests, rubber plantations, animals and damp weather.
\nHowever, Li, who has been part of the literary circle for three decades and has won major Sinophone Malaysian literary awards, has adopted a more realistic approach that is closer to daily life to write something true to her mind and will. Liu Su Di was completed and published in 2020, a full decade after her previous full-length work, The Age of Goodbyes.
\nAccording to Han Jingqun, editor-in-chief of Beijing October Arts and Literature Publishing House, the novel's publisher on the Chinese mainland, more than 250,000 copies have been sold since the release of this simplified Chinese version in 2021. More than 33,000 readers have rated the work 9.2 out of 10 on the review site Douban. Another 100,000 users have expressed their interest in reading it.
\nWorldly Land tells the story of a visually impaired woman, Gu Yinxia, and the people around her. It is interwoven with the vicissitudes of the Chinese community in Malaysian society over the past half-century. All the characters, from different races and cultural backgrounds, live in a high-rise apartment building of some 300 households in a city called Xidu(City of Tin), modeled after Li's hometown Ipoh, a northern Malaysian mountain city.
\nChen Yucheng, one of the book's editors, says Li has delivered a grounded piece of writing that is sincere and authentic. The language is evocative and exudes a rare empathy for the novel's characters, settings and emotions. Half a century flows like a stream, touching the hearts of ordinary folk.
\n"Each individual's rise and fall is infused with the author's careful reflection on history, a distanced observation of contemporary politics and a complex exploration of the ethnic identity of the overseas Chinese," he says.
\nUnexpected popularity
\nDavid Der-wei Wang, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University, writes in the work's preface that Ipoh, known for its tin mines, attracted waves of Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century, and this gave birth to a rich Chinese culture.
\nMeanwhile, the city is characterized by its multicultural society where Malays, Indians, Indonesians, Chinese and Bangladeshis live together.
\nWang says Li has adopted a gentler style of writing compared to her earlier works to highlight little-known aspects of inclusivity and empathy in her reflections on the Chinese community in Malaysian society.
\n"Li has injected a rare warmth into contemporary Sinophone Malaysian literature," Wang writes.
\nLi did not expect her Sinophone work to be so popular in China. She has been traveling frequently to the country to give lectures, attend seminars and exchange ideas with industry insiders.
\nShe serves on the jury of this year's Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-organized by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and Chinese publisher Imaginist. The annual award recognizes a Chinese writer under 45 and comes with a cash prize of 300,000 yuan ($42,000) and a Blancpain watch. The winner will be announced in October.
\nWorldly Land has also inspired enthusiastic readers to travel to Ipoh to visit the places described in the novel and share photos and vlogs on social media platforms. Some of these posts have received thousands of likes.
\nHowever, at this year's Beijing International Book Fair in June, Li said her popularity in China did not extend to her home country, where the Chinese language is seldom part of the mainstream.
\n"If someone decides to write in Chinese in Malaysia, it is purely out of a love for writing and the Chinese language," she says.
\n"You must write without regret or complaint. Otherwise, you will be consumed by frustration, lamenting the limited readership or the few publishers willing to release your work. We are aware of this situation."
\nThe speech she gave in June was fittingly titled "A Craft on an Ocean: Sinophone Malaysian Literature Through My Eyes", echoing Wang's view that Chinese literature has, amid the anxiety expressed by the Sinophone Malaysian community about the survival and continuity of Chinese culture, demonstrated remarkable resilience despite the impact of new media.
\nLi says: "Although Worldly Land is not a blockbuster, it continues to sell well even today, several years after its release. This phenomenon brings me great comfort, and I hope this novel will outlast me, the author."
\nShe adds that she is touched by the recognition it has received from readers and their willingness to recommend the book to others. "As a Sinophone Malaysian writer, it often feels like being a lone craft in a vast ocean, with few to hear my calls. Yet, unexpectedly, I have encountered a large ship full of readers who are there to support me, offering (me) a place to dock and a helping hand. I believe this is just the beginning."
\nLi says she is planning a collection of short stories about immigrant communities.
\nMeanwhile, the wild popularity of Worldly Land has prompted Li not only to explore ways to increase the exposure of her fellow writers to potential publishers in China, but also to reflect on the literary genre from a broader perspective.
\nGaining ground
\nRecently, more works of Sinophone Malaysian literature have made their way to the Chinese market. Last year, two books by Ho Sok Fong were published on the Chinese mainland.
\nIn July, Gong Wanhui's full-length novel Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) was released.
\nIn 2024, this work won the grand prize of Sinophone Malaysian literature at the biennial Hua Zong (Floral Trail) Literature Award, one of Malaysia's most prestigious Chinese-language literature awards, given by Sin Chew Daily. Worldly Land was the winner of this prize in 2022.
\nThis August saw the launch of Lim Suat Hong's debut nonfiction work, A Mother with No Name, which tells the story of the arduous life of her mother Tee Kin and her reflections on the mother-daughter relationship — one of the most complex of human connections.
\nLim has been living in China for 20 years. After her mother passed away, Lim spent six years documenting Tee's life.
\nShe was born into a large Chinese family in Malaysia, the eldest daughter who was not favored, the mother of five children, the wife of a gambler and the sole breadwinner who kept the family going with her tailoring shop. Yet, at her funeral, she was simply referred to as the nameless "Madame Tee of the Lim Family".
\nWang Meng, the book's editor at Horizon Books, a branch of the Shanghai People's Publishing House, says that like Worldly Land, which is a landmark work in its genre, Lim's work focuses on ordinary people's everyday lives in a small town. It presents the experiences and secret family history of a Chinese woman from the working class. Its keenly observed and delicate portrayal of life is set amid descriptions of Southeast Asian customs.
\n"It is precisely this writing based on real-life experiences, expressed in incredibly honest and sincere language, that I believe will resonate emotionally with Chinese readers," she adds.
\nLi has publicly lauded the works of both Gong and Lim.
\nAt the Beijing International Book Fair, Li said that in the past Sinophone Malaysian literature may have overly emphasized its identity in an effort to stand out.
\n"However, a truly capable writer is one who can write about universal life experiences while still conveying the distinctiveness of Sinophone Malaysian writers," she says.
\n"When I wrote about these ordinary people and their lives in Worldly Land using a certain tone and style, I realized that I was writing about the same group of Chinese people, whether in Malaysia or on the Chinese mainland. Yet, others may not be able to create a novel like Worldly Land. Sinophone Malaysian literature will truly thrive when our writers possess this confidence."
\nLi encourages young writers from Malaysia to read works by emerging authors from the Chinese mainland, paying particular attention to their writing style and experimental approaches that differ from those of established writers.
\n"I would recommend that Sinophone Malaysian writers view themselves as part of the broader Chinese-speaking world, learn more about the entire Chinese community, and observe how their contemporaries are creating, both in terms of method and approach," she says.
\nContact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "content": "Worldly Land (top) and The Age of Goodbyes (above) by Malaysian author Li Zishu.
\nWorldly Land (top) and The Age of Goodbyes (above) by Malaysian author Li Zishu.
\nMalaysian writer Li Zishu has had her novel Liu Su Di (Worldly Land) published on the Chinese mainland, which has sparked interest in Sinophone Malaysian literature.
\nRecent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\nRecent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\nRecent works by Malaysian authors include A Mother with No Name (top) by Lim Suat Hong (center) and Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) by Gong Wanhui.
\nA bustling restaurant in Ipoh.
\nChinese temples are common in Ipoh, a Malaysian city that has inspired Li Zishu's novel Worldly Land.
\nA long line of enthusiastic readers waits for Li Zishu's autograph during this year's Beijing International Book Fair in June.
\n\nFour years ago, Malaysian writer Li Zishu published her full-length novel Liu Su Di (Worldly Land) on the Chinese mainland. Its ongoing popularity has sparked much interest in Sinophone Malaysian literature — literary works written in Chinese by Malaysian authors — a niche genre that offers Chinese readers an alternative perspective on their cultural roots and traditions.
\nAlthough other Malaysian writers such as Ng Kim Chew and Chang Kuei-hsing have explored themes such as the trauma experienced by the Chinese diaspora, the community's Chinese identity within the multicultural society of Malaysia, and Malaysian history and politics, their works have often adopted a magic realist style, focusing on the tropical country's rainforests, rubber plantations, animals and damp weather.
\nHowever, Li, who has been part of the literary circle for three decades and has won major Sinophone Malaysian literary awards, has adopted a more realistic approach that is closer to daily life to write something true to her mind and will. Liu Su Di was completed and published in 2020, a full decade after her previous full-length work, The Age of Goodbyes.
\nAccording to Han Jingqun, editor-in-chief of Beijing October Arts and Literature Publishing House, the novel's publisher on the Chinese mainland, more than 250,000 copies have been sold since the release of this simplified Chinese version in 2021. More than 33,000 readers have rated the work 9.2 out of 10 on the review site Douban. Another 100,000 users have expressed their interest in reading it.
\nWorldly Land tells the story of a visually impaired woman, Gu Yinxia, and the people around her. It is interwoven with the vicissitudes of the Chinese community in Malaysian society over the past half-century. All the characters, from different races and cultural backgrounds, live in a high-rise apartment building of some 300 households in a city called Xidu(City of Tin), modeled after Li's hometown Ipoh, a northern Malaysian mountain city.
\nChen Yucheng, one of the book's editors, says Li has delivered a grounded piece of writing that is sincere and authentic. The language is evocative and exudes a rare empathy for the novel's characters, settings and emotions. Half a century flows like a stream, touching the hearts of ordinary folk.
\n"Each individual's rise and fall is infused with the author's careful reflection on history, a distanced observation of contemporary politics and a complex exploration of the ethnic identity of the overseas Chinese," he says.
\nUnexpected popularity
\nDavid Der-wei Wang, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University, writes in the work's preface that Ipoh, known for its tin mines, attracted waves of Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century, and this gave birth to a rich Chinese culture.
\nMeanwhile, the city is characterized by its multicultural society where Malays, Indians, Indonesians, Chinese and Bangladeshis live together.
\nWang says Li has adopted a gentler style of writing compared to her earlier works to highlight little-known aspects of inclusivity and empathy in her reflections on the Chinese community in Malaysian society.
\n"Li has injected a rare warmth into contemporary Sinophone Malaysian literature," Wang writes.
\nLi did not expect her Sinophone work to be so popular in China. She has been traveling frequently to the country to give lectures, attend seminars and exchange ideas with industry insiders.
\nShe serves on the jury of this year's Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-organized by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and Chinese publisher Imaginist. The annual award recognizes a Chinese writer under 45 and comes with a cash prize of 300,000 yuan ($42,000) and a Blancpain watch. The winner will be announced in October.
\nWorldly Land has also inspired enthusiastic readers to travel to Ipoh to visit the places described in the novel and share photos and vlogs on social media platforms. Some of these posts have received thousands of likes.
\nHowever, at this year's Beijing International Book Fair in June, Li said her popularity in China did not extend to her home country, where the Chinese language is seldom part of the mainstream.
\n"If someone decides to write in Chinese in Malaysia, it is purely out of a love for writing and the Chinese language," she says.
\n"You must write without regret or complaint. Otherwise, you will be consumed by frustration, lamenting the limited readership or the few publishers willing to release your work. We are aware of this situation."
\nThe speech she gave in June was fittingly titled "A Craft on an Ocean: Sinophone Malaysian Literature Through My Eyes", echoing Wang's view that Chinese literature has, amid the anxiety expressed by the Sinophone Malaysian community about the survival and continuity of Chinese culture, demonstrated remarkable resilience despite the impact of new media.
\nLi says: "Although Worldly Land is not a blockbuster, it continues to sell well even today, several years after its release. This phenomenon brings me great comfort, and I hope this novel will outlast me, the author."
\nShe adds that she is touched by the recognition it has received from readers and their willingness to recommend the book to others. "As a Sinophone Malaysian writer, it often feels like being a lone craft in a vast ocean, with few to hear my calls. Yet, unexpectedly, I have encountered a large ship full of readers who are there to support me, offering (me) a place to dock and a helping hand. I believe this is just the beginning."
\nLi says she is planning a collection of short stories about immigrant communities.
\nMeanwhile, the wild popularity of Worldly Land has prompted Li not only to explore ways to increase the exposure of her fellow writers to potential publishers in China, but also to reflect on the literary genre from a broader perspective.
\nGaining ground
\nRecently, more works of Sinophone Malaysian literature have made their way to the Chinese market. Last year, two books by Ho Sok Fong were published on the Chinese mainland.
\nIn July, Gong Wanhui's full-length novel Ren Gong Shao Nyu (Artificial Girl) was released.
\nIn 2024, this work won the grand prize of Sinophone Malaysian literature at the biennial Hua Zong (Floral Trail) Literature Award, one of Malaysia's most prestigious Chinese-language literature awards, given by Sin Chew Daily. Worldly Land was the winner of this prize in 2022.
\nThis August saw the launch of Lim Suat Hong's debut nonfiction work, A Mother with No Name, which tells the story of the arduous life of her mother Tee Kin and her reflections on the mother-daughter relationship — one of the most complex of human connections.
\nLim has been living in China for 20 years. After her mother passed away, Lim spent six years documenting Tee's life.
\nShe was born into a large Chinese family in Malaysia, the eldest daughter who was not favored, the mother of five children, the wife of a gambler and the sole breadwinner who kept the family going with her tailoring shop. Yet, at her funeral, she was simply referred to as the nameless "Madame Tee of the Lim Family".
\nWang Meng, the book's editor at Horizon Books, a branch of the Shanghai People's Publishing House, says that like Worldly Land, which is a landmark work in its genre, Lim's work focuses on ordinary people's everyday lives in a small town. It presents the experiences and secret family history of a Chinese woman from the working class. Its keenly observed and delicate portrayal of life is set amid descriptions of Southeast Asian customs.
\n"It is precisely this writing based on real-life experiences, expressed in incredibly honest and sincere language, that I believe will resonate emotionally with Chinese readers," she adds.
\nLi has publicly lauded the works of both Gong and Lim.
\nAt the Beijing International Book Fair, Li said that in the past Sinophone Malaysian literature may have overly emphasized its identity in an effort to stand out.
\n"However, a truly capable writer is one who can write about universal life experiences while still conveying the distinctiveness of Sinophone Malaysian writers," she says.
\n"When I wrote about these ordinary people and their lives in Worldly Land using a certain tone and style, I realized that I was writing about the same group of Chinese people, whether in Malaysia or on the Chinese mainland. Yet, others may not be able to create a novel like Worldly Land. Sinophone Malaysian literature will truly thrive when our writers possess this confidence."
\nLi encourages young writers from Malaysia to read works by emerging authors from the Chinese mainland, paying particular attention to their writing style and experimental approaches that differ from those of established writers.
\n"I would recommend that Sinophone Malaysian writers view themselves as part of the broader Chinese-speaking world, learn more about the entire Chinese community, and observe how their contemporaries are creating, both in terms of method and approach," she says.
\nContact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "category": "", - "link": "https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2025-10/02/content_006_68dd833bed50ccabe151a83f.htm#006READ", - "creator": "", - "pubDate": "Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:21:04 +0000", - "enclosure": "", - "enclosureType": "", - "image": "", - "id": "", - "language": "", - "folder": "双语", - "feed": "ChinaDaily", - "read": false, - "favorite": false, - "created": false, - "tags": [], - "hash": "999caa0d44fea6462509c2dead905ee1", - "highlights": [] - }, { "title": "001FRONT - Xi: Forge ahead in advancing modernization", "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-01/001/20251001_001_01_59739.png\")
President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses a reception held on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
\nPresident Xi Jinping has called on the Chinese people to continue drawing on historical experience and forge ahead with determination in advancing Chinese modernization, as the country prepares to mark its National Day on Oct 1.
\nXi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing a reception held in Beijing to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
\nXi said that over the past 76 years, under the Party's leadership, the Chinese people have relied on self-reliance and unremitting struggle to achieve remarkable accomplishments that will be remembered by history.
\n"Looking back, the Chinese nation has advanced from the brink of peril to the great journey of rejuvenation. The path has been arduous and filled with hardships, but it has also been full of passion and triumphant progress," he said.
\nIn his address, Xi recalled the grand commemorations hosted earlier in September marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.
\nThe events, he said, have greatly inspired the national spirit, motivated patriotic enthusiasm and forged the strength of working hard.
\n"We must continue to draw on historical experience to build our country better, and to ensure that the cause pioneered by the older generations of leaders and revolutionary martyrs continues to thrive," Xi said.
\nHighlighting the progress made this year in various undertakings despite complex circumstances, Xi said that China has further deepened reforms across the board, advanced high-quality development, improved people's livelihoods and made new headway in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance.
\nAs the 20th CPC Central Committee will convene its fourth plenary session in October to discuss major issues related to the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development, Xi called for efforts on the new journey in the new era to plan and implement the goals, tasks and strategic measures for the period and to secure decisive progress toward the basic realization of socialist modernization.
\nTo fully, faithfully and resolutely implement the "one country, two systems" policy, Xi stressed the importance of supporting the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in better integrating into the country's overall development, developing the economy and improving people's well-being.
\nXi also called for deepening cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, firmly opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference, and resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
\nFacing a rapidly evolving international landscape unseen in a century, he underlined the need to champion the shared values of humanity, practice genuine multilateralism, and advance the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, so as to jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity.
\n"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a noble cause unprecedented in human history. Both aspirations and challenges inspire us to forge ahead with a spirit of urgency and perseverance," Xi said.
\nThe reception, held at the Great Hall of the People, brought together dignitaries including Party and State leaders, foreign envoys and recipients of national honors.
\nmojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", @@ -11863,28 +11775,6 @@ "hash": "fccde852530fe261d655edf5265881bc", "highlights": [] }, - { - "title": "002NATION - New exhibition showcases wartime rescue of artifacts", - "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-01/002/20251001_002_05_26395.png\")
Wang Xudong (left), director of the Palace Museum in Beijing, introduces a cultural relic on Tuesday to guests at the opening ceremony of an exhibition commemorating the southward evacuation of the museum's artifacts in the 1930s.
\nIt was probably one of the largest wartime rescue missions of cultural relics in history.
\nIn 1933, when invading Japanese forces had advanced to the Great Wall, staff of the Palace Museum in Beijing soon launched a project to evacuate precious cultural relics that were housed in this former Chinese imperial palace as well as other key venues in Beijing via a southward route in case the items fell into the enemy's hands.
\nDecades later, the bravery and determination of this mission was remembered on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the museum and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
\nAn exhibition commemorating the southward evacuation of the artifacts opened in the museum's Shenwumen (Gate of Divine Prowess) Gallery on Tuesday. Through cultural relics that were part of that trek — including porcelain, paintings and jade as well as related old photos, documents and other exhibits — an epic effort to safeguard the lineage of a country's civilization was unveiled for visitors.
\n"The arduous southward journey during the war of resistance, marked by numerous twists and turns, reflects the tumultuous national history and collective memory of the Chinese people," Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
\n"These cultural treasures represent the preservation and continuation of the brilliant Chinese civilization," he said. "They not only embody the unity and resilience of the Chinese nation in times of crisis, but also illustrate the enduring appeal of Chinese culture."
\nWang said the museum had devoted itself to study relevant historical files and explore the value of the relocated relics, and the exhibition was the fruit of its endeavors.
\nThe first batch of evacuated relics set off on its journey in February 1933 from the square before Shenwumen.
\nMore than 13,400 crates of artifacts from the Palace Museum and around 6,000 crates from other venues, including Guozijian, the former imperial academy, were relocated.
\nAfter the evacuation of relics from Beijing to Shanghai and Nanjing — then China's national capital and present-day capital city of Jiangsu province — the relic protectors also built warehouses in Nanjing. Even during the tough years in the 1930s, some of these artifacts were escorted to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union for exhibitions.
\nHowever, as the war spread to East China in 1937, these relocated treasures had to be evacuated again westward to Chongqing, as well as Hunan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. Following China's victory in the war in 1945, the relics began traveling again on the journey home.
\n"We also want to remind people how precious peace is through these relics that once endured the war and remained intact," said Xu Wanling, curator of the exhibition.
\nA wooden crate that once held the relics is displayed in the center of the Shenwumen Gallery. Covered by various seals through the years of turmoil and being a crucial witness to history, it had already become a key cultural relic as well, the curator noted.
\nNot a single artifact was lost in the yearslong trek, but not all relics finally returned to Beijing. For instance, about one-fifth of them were shipped to Taiwan in 1948 due to the civil war. They later became the cornerstone of the Palace Museum in Taipei.
\n"Numerous cultural workers participated in the mission to safeguard national treasures, and they were fearless in the face of difficulties and continued studies of the cultural relics," said Shih Chin-wen, secretary-general of Taiwan-based Sheen Chuen-Chi Cultural & Educational Foundation, a co-organizer of the exhibition.
\n"It reflected the Chinese nation's perseverance and an unstoppable cultural legacy," she said.
\nwangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "content": "Wang Xudong (left), director of the Palace Museum in Beijing, introduces a cultural relic on Tuesday to guests at the opening ceremony of an exhibition commemorating the southward evacuation of the museum's artifacts in the 1930s.
\nIt was probably one of the largest wartime rescue missions of cultural relics in history.
\nIn 1933, when invading Japanese forces had advanced to the Great Wall, staff of the Palace Museum in Beijing soon launched a project to evacuate precious cultural relics that were housed in this former Chinese imperial palace as well as other key venues in Beijing via a southward route in case the items fell into the enemy's hands.
\nDecades later, the bravery and determination of this mission was remembered on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the museum and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
\nAn exhibition commemorating the southward evacuation of the artifacts opened in the museum's Shenwumen (Gate of Divine Prowess) Gallery on Tuesday. Through cultural relics that were part of that trek — including porcelain, paintings and jade as well as related old photos, documents and other exhibits — an epic effort to safeguard the lineage of a country's civilization was unveiled for visitors.
\n"The arduous southward journey during the war of resistance, marked by numerous twists and turns, reflects the tumultuous national history and collective memory of the Chinese people," Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
\n"These cultural treasures represent the preservation and continuation of the brilliant Chinese civilization," he said. "They not only embody the unity and resilience of the Chinese nation in times of crisis, but also illustrate the enduring appeal of Chinese culture."
\nWang said the museum had devoted itself to study relevant historical files and explore the value of the relocated relics, and the exhibition was the fruit of its endeavors.
\nThe first batch of evacuated relics set off on its journey in February 1933 from the square before Shenwumen.
\nMore than 13,400 crates of artifacts from the Palace Museum and around 6,000 crates from other venues, including Guozijian, the former imperial academy, were relocated.
\nAfter the evacuation of relics from Beijing to Shanghai and Nanjing — then China's national capital and present-day capital city of Jiangsu province — the relic protectors also built warehouses in Nanjing. Even during the tough years in the 1930s, some of these artifacts were escorted to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union for exhibitions.
\nHowever, as the war spread to East China in 1937, these relocated treasures had to be evacuated again westward to Chongqing, as well as Hunan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. Following China's victory in the war in 1945, the relics began traveling again on the journey home.
\n"We also want to remind people how precious peace is through these relics that once endured the war and remained intact," said Xu Wanling, curator of the exhibition.
\nA wooden crate that once held the relics is displayed in the center of the Shenwumen Gallery. Covered by various seals through the years of turmoil and being a crucial witness to history, it had already become a key cultural relic as well, the curator noted.
\nNot a single artifact was lost in the yearslong trek, but not all relics finally returned to Beijing. For instance, about one-fifth of them were shipped to Taiwan in 1948 due to the civil war. They later became the cornerstone of the Palace Museum in Taipei.
\n"Numerous cultural workers participated in the mission to safeguard national treasures, and they were fearless in the face of difficulties and continued studies of the cultural relics," said Shih Chin-wen, secretary-general of Taiwan-based Sheen Chuen-Chi Cultural & Educational Foundation, a co-organizer of the exhibition.
\n"It reflected the Chinese nation's perseverance and an unstoppable cultural legacy," she said.
\nwangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn
\n", - "category": "", - "link": "https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2025-10/01/content_002_68dc2829ed50ccabe151a7a2.htm#002NATION", - "creator": "", - "pubDate": "Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:21:05 +0000", - "enclosure": "", - "enclosureType": "", - "image": "", - "id": "", - "language": "", - "folder": "双语", - "feed": "ChinaDaily", - "read": false, - "favorite": false, - "created": false, - "tags": [], - "hash": "57bbeaab8a01bbf7e87a7ff453263e82", - "highlights": [] - }, { "title": "004WORLD - Music festival unites East and West", "description": "![](\"https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/resfile/2025-10-01/004/20251001_004_04_25503.png\")
(From left) China Daily reporter Belinda Robinson interviews panelists Alicia Adams, Jindong Cai, Hai-Ye Ni, Beitong Liu, Xiaoyan Luo and Katherine Chernyak at the China Now Music Festival in New York on Sunday.
\nNew York's iconic Lincoln Center hosted the second day of programming for the eighth China Now Music Festival on Sunday, featuring a concert and forum presented by the US-China Music Institute of Bard College and China Daily.
\nThe groundbreaking concert, performed by The Orchestra Now in the Rose Theater at Frederick P.Rose Hall, showcased the legacy of three generations of Chinese composers, from the 1950s through the 1980s, whose seminal works bridged music, dance and opera.
\nIt was conducted by Jindong Cai, director of the US-China Music Institute and a professor at Bard College. An exploration of the China-United States relationship through art was also woven into the programming.
\nHai-Ye Ni, principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, performed the US premiere of The Lonely Camel Calf by Chinese-Mongolian composer Yu Mengshi. She highlighted the orchestra's pivotal role in building US-China relations dating back 50 years.
\n"The Philadelphia Orchestra was the first American orchestra to visit China in 1973. It was (conductor) Eugene Ormandy and the whole orchestra. We still have a couple of musicians in the orchestra now who were on that tour," she said.
\nThe US-China Music Forum followed the concert, with panelists delving into the value of continuing cross-cultural musical exchange between the two countries and reflecting on the impact of the Bard East/West Ensemble's first tour of China, which took place from June 7 to 21.
\nFormed in 2022, the ensemble brings together musicians from diverse backgrounds and features performances on 14 Chinese and Western instruments.
\n"In the past 10 to 20 years, I started to think about how we can introduce music from China to the West," said Cai, artistic director of the ensemble. "So that's how we initially started the US-China Music Institute at Bard College.
\n"Three years ago, I came up with the idea because of an event at the Kennedy Center (in Washington) … we thought, what if we combine Chinese instruments with Western music. That's how we created the ensemble. After that performance, I thought, 'I want this to continue.'"
\nProgress made
\nAlicia Adams, former vice-president of international programming and dance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, reflected on the progress she helped make in US-China cultural exchange during her time at the center.
\n"We made a lot of progress," she said.
\n"I did a China festival at the Kennedy Center in 2005, when we brought over nearly 1,000 artists from China, ranging from the Beijing Opera to the Beijing People's Art Theatre.
\n"It was before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and before many of these artists had performed in the US, so there was huge interest in China at the time — and in these artists."
\nKatherine Chernyak, a member of the Bard East/West Ensemble, described the tour — her first visit to China — as "special", adding that she felt "very lucky to visit and go there".
\nPanelists also emphasized the importance of continuing to foster US-China ties through the arts.
\n"Musicians like me and musicians like us love both countries," Cai said. "If you ask all the musicians in China and in America, I think we don't want to depart. We want to continue to work together."
\nbelindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com
\n",