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☆ An ancient dinner still sits in a Bronze Age village 2,850 years later
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

First, one of the crew found a marble head of a Roman lady, and two weeks later its bust surfaced nearby, reuniting the pieces. Cambridge Archaeological UnitMust Farm was a thriving Bronze Age stilt village, perched above a river in eastern England, when it burned down 2,850 years ago — just nine months after its inhabitants had built it. The site, acclaimed by experts as “Britain’s Pompeii,” preserved rare information that reveals a new, less hierarchical portrait of Bronze Age society. Malhan/MPIAAstronomers have spied two streams of ancient stars that likely helped build the Milky Way galaxy billions of years ago. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Earl of Exeter, ”, Chris Wakefield, Kermit the, Jim Henson’s, Payne, Shiva, Li Yibo, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Burghley, University of Cambridge, Smithsonian National Museum of, NASA, Force, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: United Kingdom, Peterborough, England, Cambridge, Africa, Ethiopia’s, China, Shaanxi, Iran

☆ A photographer’s fantastical portrait of rural China during Lunar New Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —In photographer Zhang Xiao’s images of the Shehuo festival, an ancient celebration still observed in parts of northern China during the Lunar New Year, rural life comes alive with something altogether more fantastical. (Lunar New Year celebrations usually last more than two weeks, with Shehuo festival taking place on the season’s 15th and final day.) “In some villages, virtually the entire population has been mobilized to produce and sell Shehuo props,” the photographer writes in his book. Shehuo performers reenact a battle between China's Eighth Route Army and Japanese forces from the Second Sino-Japanese War. “People are not focused on how to improve product quality and craftsmanship,” said the photographer, who is currently working on a documentary about life in rural China.

Persons: Zhang Xiao’s, ” Zhang, “, …, ”, Zhang Xiao, —, Zhang, Zhang Xiao “, — Zhang, reenact Organizations: CNN, roosters, dreamworld, UNESCO, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Eighth Route Army, Aperture, Peabody Museum Press, Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Ethnology Locations: China, Huanghuayu, Shaanxi, Henan, Huozhuang, Henan province, China’s Shandong, Chengdu, Cambridge , Massachusetts

☆ Chinese zodiac fortune predictions for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

Natalie Leung/CNN, Adobe StockMonkeys are going to have a relatively stable year. Natalie Leung/CNN, Adobe Stock“This year, you may have to work a bit harder and work longer hours than usual. Natalie Leung/CNN, Adobe Stock“It isn’t the worst year but there are going to be some challenges. Natalie Leung/CNN, Adobe Stock“According to ancient Chinese philosophy, Tigers and Dragons have a complicated relationship. Natalie Leung/CNN, Adobe StockAll you Rabbits can give yourself a pat on the back.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, There’s, ”, Chen, “, Thierry Chow, CNN Chow, floristry, “ It’s, Chow, Xuan, Duke, Jupiter, Stringer, VCG, Zhang Yu, Ulet Ifansasti, Johanes, NurPhoto, Zhang Cheng, Wu Wenjun, Axel Miranda, Tai Sui –, Tai Sui, Natalie Leung, Ben Ming Nian, “ Let’s, Ben Ming, “ You’ll, Ma Xing, –, it’s, It’s, there’s, ” Chow, Xing Tai Sui Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Shui, China News Service, Spring, Reuters Workers, Adobe, Adobe Stock, Adobe Stock People, ”, Roosters, Tiger Tigers, Dragons, Tigers Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, Xuan Kong, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, Beijing, Solo City, Indonesia, Dharmayana, Bali , Indonesia, Guangzhou, China's, Guangdong Province, Barcelona, Spain, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province

☆ China gears up to ring in Year of the Dragon with expected record 9 billion trips
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Authorities last month forecast that China’s population of 1.4 billion would take a record 9 billion trips during the 40-day holiday travel period, which began on January 26. Stringer/VCG/Getty Images A man takes photos of blooming plum blossoms at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China on February 5. Johanes P. Christo/NurPhoto/AP Crowds flock to the Spring Festival Light Show in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China on February 3. Axel Miranda/SOPA Images/Sipa/Reuters Workers assemble dragon lanterns at a production workshop in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China on January 24. Two major indexes recorded their worst drops in years capping off a dire 2023 that saw China’s stock markets become the world’s worst performer.

Persons: ”, Luo, Stringer, VCG, Zhang Yu, Ulet Ifansasti, Johanes, NurPhoto, Zhang Cheng, Wu Wenjun, Axel Miranda, Xi Jinping, ” Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Festival, CNN, Authorities, China News Service, Spring, Reuters Workers, HSBC, Beijing, United States Embassy Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Fujian, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Solo City, Indonesia, Dharmayana, Bali , Indonesia, Guangzhou, China's, Guangdong Province, Barcelona, Spain, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, Shanghai

"There cannot be any pressure on India to cut down emissions," India's power and renewable energy minister R.K. Singh said on Nov. 30. ASIAN EMISSIONS RISETo be sure, fast-growing Asia, home to half the world's population, accounts for three-fifths of global emissions from power generation, including from sectors exporting goods and services to the west. Despite challenges, Asia, along with Europe and North America, have cut the share of coal in power use, although at a slower pace. Cuts in nuclear power have slowed Europe and North America's fight to reduce emissions, although nuclear's share of their power mix remains well above Asia's. The share of gas in power generation has risen in the West, with the fuel accounting for a shrinking share in Asia.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, R.K, Singh, Hogeveen Rutter, Rutter, ISA's Rutter, Sudarshan Varadhan, Tony Munroe, Sonali Paul Organizations: Huawei, REUTERS, U.S, European Union, North America, International Solar Alliance, Reuters, WEST, North, Institute for Energy Economics, Thomson Locations: Shaanxi, China, Asia, SINGAPORE, America, Europe, India, North America, Paris, North, North America Asia, West Asia, West, Indonesia

China has decommissioned 70.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired plants in the last decade, and is building far more renewable energy capacity than any other country. Coal power makes up about 70% of emissions in China, which has committed to being carbon neutral by 2060. After 2025, it is unclear whether China will approve new coal plants. But like many cities in China's coal country, coal revenues and jobs are an incentive to keep building. Several workers in Yulin expressed little doubt about whether new coal plants make economic and environmental sense.

Persons: Li, Gao Yuhe, Xu Mingjun, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Yuheng, Duan, Colleen Howe, Ella Cao, David Stanway, Tony Munroe, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Greenpeace, Shenhua Energy, Global Energy Monitor, Development and Research Center, Shaanxi Yulin Energy, Shaanxi Daily, Thomson Locations: YULIN, China, Yulin, Yangquan, Shanxi, Dubai, Ukraine, Canada, Shaanxi, China's, Beijing, Singapore

☆ As the West courts Russia's neighbors, Putin shows he won't give up its backyard without a fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eurasian Economic Summit on Nov. 9, 2022, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb. 10, 2022. "Central Asia obviously has to keep a fine balance and tread that line," Hess said. Analysts note that while an economically isolated Russia wants and needs to keep Central Asia on side, it is gradually losing its grip on the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Keen, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Lavrov, —, it's, Max Hess, Hess, Kassym, Mikhail Klimentyev, Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, they've, Temur Umarov, Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Vladimir Smirnov Organizations: Economic, Getty, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian, Central Asia —, Central Asian, Kazakh, CIS, West, Georgia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Reuters Central, Central, Central Asia Summit, Afp, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Commonwealth of Independent, Sputnik Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Moscow, Russian, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakh, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, Soviet, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Baltic States, Soviet Union, Moldova, Ukraine, U.S, Afghanistan, Asia, Xian, Shaanxi

Renewables (and gas) have been substitutes for fossil fuels such as coal and oil enabling a significant reduction in greenhouse emissions. Renewables (and gas) have served as complements to other fossil fuels – ensuring energy remains affordable and reliable even as consumption increases significantly. EMISSIONS PEAK BUT NOT SOONEventually, China and India’s energy consumption will start to grow more slowly, at which point renewables will substitute for fossil fuels rather than just complement them. Even so, in 2022, fossil fuels accounted for 82% of primary energy consumption in China and 88% in India, including 70% of total electricity generation in China and 77% in India. Policymakers from OECD countries use the U.N. conference process and other diplomatic forums to press China and India to speed up their transition from fossil fuels to zero-emission alternatives.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Barack Obama, John Kemp, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Huawei, REUTERS, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, Renewables, United Nations Population Division, ³, World Energy, Energy Institute, BP, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Shenmu, Yulin city, Shaanxi, China, India, North America, Europe, Chartbook, United States, Western Europe, U.S, Portugal, Switzerland

☆ Xi'an Jiaotong University: Top Chinese university scraps English tests in move cheered by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In a notice Wednesday, the Xi’an Jiaotong University in the capital city of Shaanxi province said students will no longer need to pass a nationwide standardized English test – nor any other English exams – to be able to graduate with bachelor’s degrees. But in recent years, some universities have downgraded the importance of English, either by replacing the national College English Test with their own exams or – as in the case of the Xi’an Jiaotong University – dropping English qualifications altogether as a graduation criteria. For some liberal-leaning Chinese, the downgrade of English is symbolic of China’s inward turn and a tightening of ideological control. “We need English to understand the world. These days, if you don’t understand English, you’ll still fall behind in the scientific and technological world,” a Weibo user said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Mao, Xi, it’s, Weibo, don’t, you’ll Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Jiaotong University, English, College English, Jiaotong, Weibo, World Trade Organization Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shaanxi, Weibo, Shanghai, Taiwan

☆ China's property price caps have two sharp edges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chinese developers are in trouble. When the mood was bullish, price caps in major cities were far below what people were willing to pay. Scrapping the price caps would be a cleaner fix and officials are weighing up such a move, Reuters reported this month. CONTEXT NEWSChina's Guangzhou city has cancelled price caps on new residential projects, Caixin reported on Sept. 12. Price caps of various kinds were introduced in many Chinese cities from 2016 following the central government’s call for a stable residential market.

Persons: Zhao Youming, Tingshu Wang, Caixin, Price, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Gaotie Wellness, REUTERS, Reuters, HK, Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: Tongchuan, Shaanxi, China, HONG KONG, Guangzhou

[1/6] Home buyers stand inside an unfinished residential building of the Gaotie Wellness City complex in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, China September 12, 2023. "I almost never drink water, wash my face or brush my teeth," said Shi, 39, who moved into the Gaotie Wellness City complex in May. I have no money now, I've lost my family property and all that's left is this unfinished building." Tongchuan city government and China's housing ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. To enter the complex, residents pick their way through an overgrown field, past abandoned construction machinery to a hole in the wall.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Shi Tieniu, Shi, I've, I'm, Gao, Qi Xiaoxia, we've, Laurie Chen, Xiaoyu Yin, Lincoln Organizations: Gaotie Wellness, REUTERS, UBS, Tongchuan, Reuters, Buyers, Country, Thomson Locations: Tongchuan, Shaanxi, China, China's Shaanxi

☆ China's Chongqing to remove marriage requirement for maternity benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreHONG KONG, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Chongqing, a sprawling municipality in southwest China, announced this week that insured residents no longer need to provide marriage certificates to get maternity benefits, the most recent move to encourage women to have children. China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, state media reported. China's fertility rate is already one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Young Chinese women cite factors including high childcare costs, career hindrance, gender discrimination and not wanting to get married as key reasons for not having children. Low consumer confidence and growing concerns over the health of China's economy are also key factors cited by young Chinese for not wanting to get married and have children.

Persons: Farah Master, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: South, Singapore ., Thomson Locations: Xujiashan, Haitang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, HONG KONG, Chongqing, China's, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hunan, Jiangsu, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Singapore . Young, Beijing

☆ China says countries should see its national map in 'objective' way
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

An employee walks near a sticker in the shape of China's map, at Hongliulin Coal Mine during a Huawei-organised media tour, in Shenmu of Yulin city, Shaanxi province, China April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - China hopes relevant parties can see its 2023 edition of a standard national map in an "objective and rational" way, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on reports of some countries, including the Philippines, India and Malaysia, protesting the new map. Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Wang Wenbin, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Huawei, REUTERS, Rights, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Shenmu, Yulin city, Shaanxi, China, Rights BEIJING, Philippines, India, Malaysia

☆ She Rose From Poverty as China Prospered. Then It Made Her Poor Again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Li Yuan | More About Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years ago, as she walked through a hospital hallway in handcuffs and shackles to get tested for Covid, Sun Junli felt ashamed and defeated. The poor village girl in northwestern China had become a successful businesswoman. In 2018, state-owned banks abruptly stopped lending to her business, a chain of cafe restaurants, and the pandemic destroyed her cash flow. By May 2021, Ms. Sun had lost her restaurants, and she was serving 16 days in detention for owing her employees about $28,000 in wages. “We all came from nothing and worked hard to create wealth,” Ms. Sun said.

Persons: Sun Junli, Sun, Weeks, “, ”, Ms Organizations: Toyota Camry Locations: China, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province

Since March, seaborne imports of thermal coal have exceeded 28 million metric tons every month, except for the 27.63 million from June, according to Kpler. In 2022, seaborne imports of thermal coal only once breached the 24 million metric tons level, in November, and were below 20 million for eight of the 12 months. China's July coal production was 377.54 million metric tons, which was down 6.3% from June, with the lower output coming as China increases mine safety inspections. China thermal coal imports from Australia, Indonesia and RussiaAUSTRALIAN IMPORTSChina has returned to buying Australian thermal coal after Beijing ended its unofficial ban on such imports, imposed in mid-2020 amid a political dispute with Canberra. China's imports of Australian thermal coal are estimated at 4.89 million metric tons in August, down from a three-year high of 5.41 million.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Stephen Coates Organizations: Huawei, REUTERS, Rights, Newcastle Port, Argus, Indonesia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shenmu, Yulin city, Shaanxi, China, Rights LAUNCESTON, Australia, Qinhuangdao, India, Indonesia, Russia AUSTRALIAN, Beijing, Canberra, Newcastle, Kpler

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from a mudslide last week in China's northwestern Shaanxi province has risen to four, state radio said on Sunday, as the country grapples with unusually high summer rainfall. TYPHOON WEAKENSMeanwhile, Typhoon Khanun weakened into a tropical depression when it made landfall in China's Liaoning province on Friday night. Overnight rainfall in Liaoning peaked at 52 millimetres (2 inches) per hour, with four reservoirs exceeding flood limits, CCTV said. A video posted by state media People's Daily showed thick swirling clouds hanging low above the ground, darkening the sky. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Typhoon Khanun, Khanun, Doksuri, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Jamie Freed Organizations: China Central Television, Xinhua, Liaoning province's Anshan, Flood, Drought, Ministry of Emergency Management, CCTV, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Shaanxi, Xian, China's Liaoning, Liaoning, Tianjin, Chongqing, China, Xinjiang

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from a mudslide last week in China's northwestern Shaanxi province has risen to four, state radio said on Sunday. State-owned China Central Television (CCTV) had earlier reported that Friday's mudslide in the city of Xi'an, which followed heavy rainfall in the region, left a total of 18 people dead or missing, with two confirmed casualties. Rescue work was underway with a total of 81 people and 11 vehicles deployed at the site，the state radio report said. Towns and cities across northern China have been lashed by torrential rain and flooding in recent weeks causing multiple deaths and extensive damage, after Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in the country on July 28. Reporting by Andrew Hayley; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Typhoon Doksuri, Andrew Hayley, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sunday . State, China Central Television, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Shaanxi, Xi'an, Towns, China

☆ China state media says developed nations not shunning Belt and Road Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the joint press conference of the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, Shaanxi province, China May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool/File PhotoBEIJING, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Chinese state media on Saturday rejected a Western claim that developed nations were shunning the country's Belt and Road Forum, while saying most of the leaders invited this year were from developing nations. Critics see the ambitious Belt and Road initiative - billed as recreating the ancient Silk Road to boost global trade infrastructure - as a tool for President Xi Jinping's China to spread its geopolitical and economic influence. Italy, the sole Group of Seven nation in Belt and Road, said the decision by a previous government to join had been "atrocious". Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to visit China in October, coinciding with the Belt and Road Forum, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, Xi Jinping's, Xi, Vladimir Putin, Ryan Woo, William Mallard Organizations: Central Asia Summit, REUTERS, Forum, Street, Times, Thomson Locations: China, Xian, Shaanxi, BEIJING, Xi Jinping's China, West, Beijing, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Africa, Russian

Videos posted on the young influencer’s account showing her running and weight-lifting were shared heavily on Chinese social media and also appeared in various state media outlets following her death late last month. State media outlets said that the influencer’s family had received “compensation” from the weight loss camp in Shaanxi, but did not say how much. In China, as in much of Asia and the rest of the world, social media is awash with unhealthy and unrealistic trends promoting extreme weight loss. One notorious recent social media trend in China involved women posing behind vertical sheets of printer paper to prove their waists were so thin they could not be seen either side. Zhou’s death has also increased scrutiny of the social media influencer industry more generally.

Persons: Cuihua, Zhou –, ”, Zhou’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China National Radio, CNN, China News Service, Television Administration, Ministry of Culture, Global, Weibo Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, Asia, Tourism

☆ China's Xi calls for stable, secure central Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the round table during the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, 19 May 2023. MARK CRISTINO/Pool via REUTERSXIAN, May 19 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping said on Friday that the security, independence and territorial integrity of central Asian nations must be safeguarded. Delivering the keynote speech at the China-Central Asia Summit in the historic city of Xian, Xi said the world needs "a central Asia that is stable, prosperous, harmonious, and well-connected", state media reported. Xi, who is hosting Asian leaders from five central Asian countries, characterized relations between China and its western neighbours as having great vigour and vitality. Leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan were on hand for meetings that cover trade and bilateral relations.

☆ China automating mines to improve safety as coal output grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Andrew Hayley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tingshu WangYULIN, China, April 28 (Reuters) - China is pushing automated technology to improve the safety and efficiency of its coal mining industry, the world's largest, which has long been plagued by safety lapses. The nearby Xiaobaodang mine, also owned by Shaanxi Coal, has cut its underground staff by 42%. Coal mines in China, which produced more than half the world's coal last year, are among the deadliest, with accidents causing almost 250 deaths in 2022, a six-year high. China's National Energy Administration is urging miners to accelerate their adoption of "smart mining" technology in a bid to improve safety and efficiency as coal output grows with Beijing's efforts to bolster energy security even as it expands its use of renewable sources. Huawei says the Hongliulin mine spent about 200 million yuan on installing intelligent mining.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Archeologists in China 'burst into laughter' after unearthing a 2,200-year-old flush toilet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Archeologists in China discovered a flush toilet between 2,200 and 2,400 years old. The ancient toilet is "deceptively advanced" because of the water drainage system. "Everybody at the site was surprised, and then we all burst into laughter," an excavation team member said. He added it was that servants would have had to pour water into the toilet bowl every time it was used. "It is the first and only flush toilet to be ever unearthed in China.

After three years of strict and suffocating anti-virus controls, China in early December abruptly abandoned its "zero COVID" policy, letting the virus run freely through its 1.4 billion population. Several experts forecast more than one million people in China will die from the disease this year. TRAVEL RUSHBeijing's main rail station has been packed with passengers leaving the capital in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses. Meanwhile, daily arrivals in the gambling hub of Macau exceeded 55,000 on Saturday, the highest daily arrivals since the pandemic began. China's transport ministry has said it expects more than 2 billion trips in the weeks around the holidays.

☆ Mainland Chinese citizens are eager to travel — for the West's mRNA Covid vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Passengers prepare to enter Shenzhen through the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point on the first day of the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and mainland China on Jan. 8, 2023 in Hong Kong. Analysts expect that the list of destinations for vaccine tourism will grow. 'Natural first destination': Hong Kong"I believe that the natural first destination of the Chinese vaccine tourism is Hong Kong. "It's been long since I went to Hong Kong. But Hong Kong won't provide free Covid vaccinations to short-term travelers.

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