Crystal scenery in China: Jilin fog glaze

Photo taken on Nov.22 shows trees covered with fog glaze in northeast China’s Jilin province. “Xiaoxue” (literally, Light Snow), one of the 24 Chinese solar terms fell on that day. In winter, fog glazes will emerge as the temperatures keep dropping down; Jilin is one of the best places in China to appreciate the crystal scenery in winter. Many tourists are attracted to Jilin to view this natural phenomenon.

Chinese Dream to shape global landscape: foreign experts

The realization of the Chinese Dream presents a vision for nationalrevival and contributes to a new global landscape, said foreign experts at a dialogueSaturday in Shanghai.

Experts from over 20 countries are attending the two-day dialogue on Chinese Dream,which kicked off on Saturday and is hosted by China's State Council Information Office.

The Chinese Dream will change the global landscape, which was shaped by Westerncountries over the past two centuries during industrialization, said Martin Jacques, visitingsenior fellow with the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Its realization will come along with the formation of the new global landscape, which will beestablished through international rules and experiences of both developed and emergingcountries, he said.

"It is a good thing for the Chinese Dream to integrate with the world," Jacques said whiledelivering a speech at the International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream.

Of course, China will be challenged on its right to speak on international affairs from thetraditional developed countries, and this process will test the wisdom of the Chineseleaders, Jacques said.

The Chinese Dream concept was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping when heattended an exhibition themed "road towards renewal" at the end of 2012.

Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the nationin modern times, Xi said.

It is obvious that the entire world would benefit from the Chinese Dream in the globalizedeconomy, said Robert Kuhn, a China watcher from the United States.

"It's entirely in China's best interest to have a stable world in order for China to achievethe Chinese Dream for itself. It must have a world that is in peace," he said.

According to Kuhn, the world is waiting on two major issues: how the Chinese Dream willbenefit the world, and how should the world better understand the Chinese Dream.

Xi stressed that the Chinese Dream means the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Itembodies achieving prosperity for the country, renewal of the nation and happiness forcitizens.

Xi also emphasized that the Chinese Dream is a dream for peace, development, cooperationand mutual benefit for all. It will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also people of allcountries in the world.

As Xi has highlighted in numerous comments since the start of his tenure, the aim is tomake the country "prosperous and strong," tapping into deep-seated aspirations forChina's modern identity, said Gustaaf Geeraerts, director of the Brussels Institute ofContemporary China Studies.

Realizing the "Chinese dream" boils down to China becoming a "socialist welfare state" anda "responsible great power," a feat that can only come to fruition in a peaceful internationalenvironment or "harmonious world," he said.

To his understanding, the Chinese dream harbors three dreams, which are closelyintertwined.

"It is about staging China's revival whilst remaining faithful to its rich cultural heritage andown socialist identity," he said.

"It is also about a stronger China that is to pursue an independent foreign policy andresolutely follow its own road, while at the same time increasing mutual cooperation withother countries, dealing with global challenges together and working hard to make acontribution to global development."

On the global level, "it is about a world order where states are equal and trust each other,common security is achieved, diversity of civilizations is maintained and win-wincooperation leads to common prosperity," he added. 

West Lake clearly a beautiful place

When Italian explorer Marco Polo first called Hangzhou the greatest city in the world some 700 years ago, he could not have known how clear the waters of West Lake would become. 　　The transparency of the lake reached 60.07 centimetres on average in 2004. 　　That means objects to a depth of about 60 centimetres are visible to the naked eye, according to a report from the West Lake Waters' Administration Division in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province. 　　"The West Lake has witnessed the best water quality ever recorded in history and the transparency continues to rise," said Wu Zhiying, vice-director of the division. 　　Compared with 2003 and 2002, the average clearness of the water increased by 10.65 centimetres and 16.41 centimetres respectively, according to the report. 　　The West Lake, covering 6.5 square kilometres, is the most important scenic spot in Hangzhou. Iat has been famous for thousands of years for its intoxicating beauty. It was originally a shallow sea inlet before it became a lake due to the laying down of silt. 　　The increased transparency of this water wonderland is down to the success of a West Lake protection project, launched in 2003 by the local government to improve water quality, Wu said. 　　About 400,000 cubic metres of recycled water is drawn from the Qiantang River into the lake each day, meaning the water is completely changed each month. 　　"This provides a total volume of 120 million cubic metres of fresh water into the lake every year and the West Lake has become a flowing lake now," said Wu, adding that the water was changed yearly in the past. 　　What is more, the self-purification ability of the lake has been greatly improved thanks to the "westward movement." 　　That has reclaimed wetlands in the western part and enlarged the area of the lake from 5.6 square kilometres to 6.5 square kilometres, according to Wu. 　　The average depth of the lake has increased from 1.65 metres to 2.27 metres with a volume of 14 million cubic metres, 40 per cent higher than before. 　　Efforts have also been made on a waste discharge system to solve the problem of waste water being dumped in the lake by farmers living nearby, said Wu. 　　To maintain a balanced ecosystem, more than 1 million plants - about 66 types in all - have been planted around the lake, making it a venue for birds such as wild ducks and cormorants. 　　However, the hardest nut to crack is how to fully rehabilitate the ecosystem of the West Lake, Wu says. 　　"There is still a long way for us to go to strike a balance between human and nature," Wu added.

Beautiful scenery of Wuyuan in early winter

Photo shows the scenery of Wuyuan County in east China's Jiangxi province in early winter. 

Invisible Sun Village

Shijiazhuang Jingxing village on anzhen Baiwangzhuang early winter, covered with a layer of ash trees, houses and vegetable, all trace of an atmosphere of depression and decadent.Volunteers in the hands of the tester display, PM2.5 concentration here has reached 300 micrograms per cubic meter. It was noon, the sun was overhead blurred highlights a group, the villagers said, has become the norm in the local haze.

Adjacent to the southern village of Hebei righteous sheep xibaipo power plants, installed capacity of 2400 MW planning is one of the largest power plant in Hebei South Network, four huge cooling towers Lingual stands, three tall chimneys lined up.

Also adjacent to the power plant on the school Anzai Changan, accompanied by live daily with the chimney, kids health worrying.

China's satellite navigation system to start oversea operation next year

China's homegrown Beidou Navigation Satellite System will be putinto its first oversea operation in Thailand early next year.

The announcement was made in Bangkok on Wednesday by China's Wuhan InformationTechnology Outsourcing Service and Research Centre and the Geo-informatics and SpaceTechnology Development Agency (GISTDA) under Thailand's Ministry of Science andTechnology.

An agreement with an expected value of 319 million U.S. dollars inked by the two countriesin March has established their commitment to cooperation on the construction ofThailand's geospatial system, giving the country access to China's advanced technology,products and services. The two sides have agreed to start building a model satellite stationbased on Beidou in an industrial estate in Thailand's eastern Chon Buri province nextmonth and nationwide construction will begin early next year, said Liu Junyi, deputydirector of the Wuhan Information Technology Outsourcing Service and Research Centre.

It will be the first time that the Beidou lands outside China, said Liu, adding that China willdraw experience in its cooperation with Thailand and further explore foreign markets. "The Beidou will be able to provide global service by 2015," he said.

Anond Snidvongs, executive director of GISTDA, said the Thai government will list theconstruction of a disaster forecasting system based on the Beidou into its overall economicdevelopment plan. The Beidou will be used in many sectors such as agricultural disasterwarning, transportation, power distribution and environment, he said.

New high-speed railway starts operation in north China

TIANJIN, Dec.1 -- A new high-speed railway that connects the two northern port cities of Tianjin and Qinhuangdao was put into operation on Sunday, railway authorities said.

The railway line extends 287 km and runs through 14 districts and counties in north China's Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality, with speeds of up to 350 km per hour, according to the Beijing Railway Bureau.

The maximum speed will be set at 300 km per hour during the initial stage.

The whole journey with nine stops takes one hour and 35 minutes. The fastest travel time between Tianjin West and Qinhuangdao, with fewer stops, will be one hour and 11 minutes, almost half of the previous time.

Construction of the rail line started on Nov. 8, 2008 and testing began in November 2013.

The Tianjin-Qinghuangdao railway marks that high-speed railway lines in China's northeastern provinces have been linked with the country's high-speed rail network.

It also cuts the travel time for passengers traveling between south or east of the country and northeast China provinces.

Up till now, China has 34 high-speed rail lines with the length accounting for one tenth of the country's total railway operation mileage.

The birth of hope

The giant panda is one of the most critically endangered species in the world. China Daily shares an exclusive set of photos, showing the cubs' growth during the first 100 days.

What's cuter than a panda cub? A group of panda cubs, all within huggable reach of one another. It is another bumper crop of artificially bred cubs at China's Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding in 2013. Fourteen of the 17 surviving babies from an original group of 20 have been put on display, (the other three are in the United States and Spain), forming the world's biggest artificially bred panda population. Born in a span of 40 days between July and September this year, the group includes Meng Meng, the oldest and largest cub in the batch at 3.6 kilograms, and tiny Ya Yi, who is just 600 grams.

Weekly Sports Photos

Chinese 110-meter hurdler Shi Dongpeng and his wife jumper Qiao Yanrui show their wedding rings at their wedding ceremony held in Baoding , north China’s Hebei province on Nov. 2.

Beautiful race queens at China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) in Shanghai on Nov. 3.

Race queens wearing red lipstick show up during the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Nov. 3. 

Sexy cheerleader shines at the opening ceremony of Chinese University Basketball Association ( CUBA ) on Oct. 29.

Service seminar for E China train attendants

Train attendants show their standard service gestures, foreign language skill and sign language at a seminar in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Nov. 20, 2013. The event was aimed at improving the quality of attendants’ service in winter transportation. 

Foreign planes identified in China's air defense zon

BEIJING, Nov. 29 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force on Friday identified and verified foreign military planes entering China's recently established East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to a spokesman for the force.

Shen Jinke said fighter jets with the PLA air force on Friday morning took off in an emergency response to verify two reconnaissance aircraft from the United States and identify 10 Japanese planes.

"The PLA air force has realized its effective normal monitoring of targets in the zone," Shen said.

According to the spokesman, China's air force has been fulfilling its duties and missions since starting air patrols in the ADIZ along with the navy, and it has conducted full-range monitoring as well as timely identification and verification of foreign planes entering the area.

Shen said that air force and navy pilots shouldering the patrol mission will work together closely and stay on constant alert to safeguard air defense security.

Youths in Night club: photo story

There is a group of girls who sleep during the day and become active at night. They work as DJs, dancers, singers, waitresses in night clubs. They provide service to people who look for fun at night. But they have their own happiness and dream to pursue as well. 

Anna came to work in Jinan 10 years ago from her hometown. Different from A Hao, she doesn’t mind people labeling her as a migrant worker or a drifter. Her friends and relatives at hometown do not accept her working at nightclub. (Iqilu.com/ Li Congge)

A Feng, 25, has been working in the night club as the marketing director for seven years. His job is to bring more consumers to the club. (Iqilu.com/ Li Congge)

A Hao deliberately conceals his job at the nightclub to his family after graduation from an art school. “People in my hometown cannot accept jobs at nightclub.” Despite all misread, A Hao persists in doing the job which brings more money than his peers. (Iqilu.com/ Li Congge)

 Embarrassed by countless misunderstanding, A Hao decides to let it go. He is the only man in the 13-member sexy dance team. (Iqilu.com/ Li Congge)

Anna, 29, works as a dancer at the nightclub. She is the mother of a two-year old girl. She has to hide her real identity to keep the job. (Iqilu.com/ Li Congge)

China to launch Chang'e-3 lunar probe in early Dec

China is scheduled to launch Chang'e-3 lunar probe in early December, a spokesman with State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) said Tuesday.

The lunar probe will land on the moon in mid-December if everything is successful, said SASTIND spokesman Wu Zhijian.

Chang'e-3, encompassing a lander and a moon rover, will mark the first time for a Chinese spacecraft to soft-land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body.

The Chang'e-3 mission is the second phase of China's lunar program, which includes orbiting, landing and returning to Earth.

China's golden monkeys make a comeback

China's golden monkeys, a species more endangered than giant pandas, have made a surprising comeback with populations quadrupling in the past two decades.

The snub-nosed monkeys, which are found only in southwestern Guizhou province, have risen in number from 200 in the early 1980s to around 800, Xinhua news agency said.
Despite its growing numbers, the animal is still endangered, Xinhua cited experts saying Sunday.
Poaching and forest fires are two of the main causes for the decrease in population, according to Yang Yeqin, director of Guizhou's Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, where most of the monkeys live.
The gregarious animals are also vulnerable to human diseases, such as tuberculosis, cholera and measles, Yang said.
Researchers believe that the number of the snub-nosed monkeys would not rise rapidly even if their habitats were enlarged.
However, the numbers would drop dramatically if their habitats dwindled, which may lead to their extinction, said the researchers.


Wildlife experts said the animals' living space must be extended, monitoring and protection of their environment must be strengthened and a breeding base should be established to save the animals.

China sends warplanes into air defense zone

BEIJING (AP) — China said it sent warplanes into its newly declared maritime air defense zone Thursday, days after the U.S., South Korea and Japan all sent flights through the airspace in defiance of rules Beijing says it has imposed in the East China Sea.
China's air force sent several fighter jets and an early warning aircraft on normal air patrols in the zone, the Xinhua agency reported, citing air force spokesman Shen Jinke.
The report did not specify exactly when the flights were sent or whether they had encountered foreign aircraft. The United States, Japan and South Korea have said they have sent flights through the zone without encountering any Chinese response since Beijing announced the creation of the zone last week.
Shen described Thursday's flights as "a defensive measure and in line with international common practices." He said China's air force would remain on high alert and will take measures to protect the country's airspace.
While China's surprise announcement last week to create the zone initially raised some tensions in the region, analysts say Beijing's motive is not to trigger an aerial confrontation but is a more long-term strategy to solidify claims to disputed territory by simply marking the area as its own.
China's lack of efforts to stop the foreign flights — including two U.S. B-52s that flew through the zone on Tuesday — has been an embarrassment for Beijing. Even some Chinese state media outlets suggested Thursday that Beijing may have mishandled the episodes.
"Beijing needs to reform its information release mechanism to win the psychological battles waged by Washington and Tokyo," the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid published by the Communist Party's flagship People's Daily, said in an editorial.
Without prior notice, Beijing began demanding Saturday that passing aircraft identify themselves and accept Chinese instructions or face consequences in an East China Sea zone that overlaps a similar air defense identification zone overseen by Japan since 1969 and initially part of one set up by the U.S. military.
But when tested just days later by U.S. B-52 flights — with Washington saying it made no effort to comply with China's rules, and would not do so in the future — Beijing merely noted, belatedly, that it had seen the flights and taken no further action.
South Korea's military said Thursday its planes flew through the zone this week without informing China and with no apparent interference. Japan also said its planes have been continuing to fly through it after the Chinese announcement, while the Philippines, locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with Beijing over South China Sea islands, said it also was rejecting China's declaration.
Analysts question China's technical ability to enforce the zone due to a shortage of early warning radar aircraft and in-flight refueling capability. However, many believe that China has a long-term plan to win recognition for the zone with a gradual ratcheting-up of warnings and possibly also eventual enforcement action.
"With regard to activity within the zone, nothing will happen — for a while," said June Teufel Dreyer, a China expert at the University of Miami. "Then the zone will become gradually enforced more strictly. The Japanese will continue to protest, but not much more, to challenge it."
That may wear down Japan and effectively change the status quo, she said.
The zone is seen primarily as China's latest bid to bolster its claim over a string of uninhabited Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea — known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Beijing has been ratcheting up its sovereignty claims since Tokyo's privatization of the islands last year.
But the most immediate spark for the zone likely was Japan's threat last month to shoot down drones that China says it will send to the islands for mapping expeditions, said Dennis Blasko, an Asia analyst at think tank CNA's China Security Affairs Group and a former Army attache in Beijing.
The zone comes an awkward time. Although Beijing's ties with Tokyo are at rock bottom, it was building good will and mutual trust with Washington following a pair of successful meetings between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, the zone feud now threatens to overshadow both the visit by Vice President Joe Biden to Beijing next week and one by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expected before the end of the year.
China's defense and foreign ministries offered no additional clarification Thursday as to why Beijing failed to respond to the U.S. Air Force flights. Alliance partners the U.S. and Japan together have hundreds of military aircraft in the immediate vicinity.
China on Saturday issued a list of requirements for all foreign aircraft passing through the area, regardless of whether they were headed into Chinese airspace, and said its armed forces would adopt "defensive emergency measures" against aircraft that don't comply.
Beijing said the notifications are needed to help maintain air safety in the zone. However, the fact that China said it had identified and monitored the two U.S. bombers during their Tuesday flight seems to discredit that justification for the zone, said Rory Medcalf, director of the international security program at Australia's Lowy Institute
"This suggests the zone is principally a political move," Medcalf said. "It signals a kind of creeping extension of authority."
Along with concerns about confrontations or accidents involving Chinese fighters and foreign aircraft, the zone's establishment fuels fears of further aggressive moves to assert China's territorial claims — especially in the hotly disputed South China Sea, which Beijing says belongs entirely to it.
Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun confirmed those concerns on Saturday by saying China would establish additional air defense identification zones "at an appropriate time."
For now, however, China's regional strategy is focused mostly on Japan and the island dispute, according to government-backed Chinese scholars.
China will continue piling the pressure on Tokyo until it reverses the decision to nationalize the islands, concedes they are in dispute, and opens up negotiations with Beijing, said Shen Dingli, a regional security expert and director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University.
"China has no choice but to take counter measures," Shen said. "If Japan continues to reject admitting the disputes, it's most likely that China will take further measures."

China's first lunar rover vehicle named "China" for launch later this year

Lunar soft landing push through anti- rocket buffer , touched down on the lunar surface , the door opened, automatically pop inclined ladder . The rover 's body curled up slowly unfold , adjust posture , out the door , down the ramp ladder and began strolling the moon ......
Known as the "Father of Chang E ," the Chinese Academy of Sciences , China 's lunar exploration project Ouyang Ziyuan , chief scientist has described Chinese lunar rover future boarding scene . It is reported that China will launch later this year, the first lunar landing probe - Chang-e III .
Has drawn attention is that the launch of Chang E III will be equipped with a self-developed country by the " China card" lunar rover , and the first to achieve direct contact with the moon. " Rover " full name " lunar rover " is set aerospace systems engineering and integrated intelligent robot spacecraft to complete lunar exploration , study, collection and analysis of samples and other complex tasks .
Zhonghua ready
Chinese lunar rover by the Institute of Aerospace Technology Group is primarily responsible for the development of the fifth , weight 120 kg , can load 20 kg , the life of three months , you can walk for 10 kilometers on the moon within a 3 km range , with automatic obstacle avoidance capabilities.
Ouyang noted that due to the surface of the moon there is no air , so when you need to open the engine rover decline , while pushing up off the side , and slowly fall to four meters away from the position of the moon, turn off the engine , the instrument will use the free fall mode , soft landing on the moon. Meanwhile, China will achieve autonomous rover navigation and command of the instrument can be operated , and finally the data back to Earth . Measured under the moon rover is also equipped with radar , where the moon will be cut below 100 m depth probing .
According to experts, China has two sun moon car instrument , one can rotate freely, looking for sun position , absorb heat for power generation ; another cover on the vehicle body can reduce heat dissipation. China lunar rover using " six rocker " Walking agencies, only the wheels can simultaneously accommodate different heights , is a "creeping master ."
In addition it also has a robotic arm that can in lunar soil , lunar rocks sampled in the exploration for field testing . Meanwhile , the Chinese lunar rover solar and nuclear power as an energy source . Because the moon is roughly equivalent to 14 days interval between day and night on Earth, so when darkness falls , to prevent car instrument is low temperature of minus 100 degrees Celsius frozen , the rover must be nuclear energy to heat the battery , and maintain communication with the ground . When the new day dawns , the battery will be able to work again rely on solar energy .
Romans probe
Moon is a no wind , no rain , no water, no gas , hot and cold celestial upheaval , with the global environment very different . Therefore , the Chinese lunar rover want to successfully complete the task , we must make full preparations to be able to adapt to that environment.
As the lunar day and night temperature , daytime temperatures up to 130-150 degrees Celsius at night can drop to minus 160-180 degrees Celsius, the rover how long the work under extreme temperature conditions is a challenge ; surface of the moon has no atmosphere to protect the solar wind , the sun direct radiation flares and other energetic particles into the surface of the moon , lunar rover part would highly integrated microelectronic devices damage ; gravity on the lunar surface of the Earth's surface only 1/6 of the rover can complete action on the lunar surface low gravity will also be a great test ; lunar surface regolith is an important factor driving performance of the rover .
It is understood that the entire lunar surface is covered with a loose layer of rock fragments, brecciated rock , sand and dust composition, known as regolith . As the lunar soil soft , so when traveling above the lunar rover easily slip.
In addition, the rover walking, also a lot of fine-grained lunar regolith raised , forming lunar dust , it is difficult to remove once attached . Meanwhile, the lunar dust may also cause a lot of problems, including mechanical structure stuck, sealing mechanism failure , decreased sensitivity and other optical systems .
Professor Gao Feng of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , was involved in the early stage of the lunar rover research demonstration and validation testing ground . The reporter learned that the Chinese lunar rover , the " overnight wake up" is a problem , not only to undergo a battery of tests , it is important to withstand the test of low temperature of minus 160-180 degrees Celsius .
Academician Ye Shuhua also believes that the difficulty of living on the moon as much as the moon , because the moon's night low temperature, long time , described as " tough night ."
Moon steady
November 17, 1970 , the Soviet Union , " the moon on the 17th ," probe to the moon , the release of the first lunar rover car in the true sense . Subsequently, the United States, " Apollo 15 " spacecraft will be the first human to send a manned lunar rover . During 1959-1976 , the Soviet Union and the United States were successfully launched 25 and 24 unmanned lunar probe, the human exploration of the moon also will be the first to reach a climax .
July 20, 1986 , experienced a 10-year low tide , the United States announced the return to the moon , the Soviet Union , Europe and Japan have organized forces to study , have proposed the development plan. January 6, 1998 , with the United States, " Lunar Prospector " The successful launch of space exploration activities and set off a new round of wave.
To sum up , the human exploration of the moon can be divided into lunar , lunar month and in three strides , namely, " Exploration, Gordon , stationed ." At present , China is in the first phase, that is, " explore " the main direction and follow the " lunar exploration , sangrakwol detection, sampling returns" is divided into three small step steadily.
It is reported that China is carrying out a manned moon landing early demonstration program , experts have suggested to China 's manned moon landing in 2025 or 2030 . Jia Yang China Academy of Space Technology for deep space exploration director pointed out that China is currently in lunar exploration technology "three-step strategy " that are used in related fields can also be used in future manned lunar landing .
Link: around, down , back 3 Tasks
China 's lunar exploration project is divided into "around , fall back " three tasks , expected in the second half of 2013 , China will implement " Chang-e III" launch and sangrakwol tasks. "Around" , namely the implementation of control experiments on lunar satellite orbit and the lunar surface probe ; "fall" , the upcoming lunar probe on the lunar surface and the lunar landing site visit ; the last step "back" , is completed after the moon fieldwork , samples will be collected in kind on the moon back to Earth.
Currently, " Chang E One" and " Chang-e II" satellite have been completed moon lunar flight , marking the first phase of China's lunar exploration program has been completed.
About to launch later this year , " Chang-e III" will be the first time in extraterrestrial celestial unmanned automatic surface inspection, for the first time ( detector ) Moonlight survival , first established covering Mars range monitoring and control communication networks , for the first time on the lunar surface to carry out independent bit scientific exploration .