Podcasts about fujian province

​Agri-scientist Liao Hong has promoted eco-friendly tea farming in the Wuyi Mountains in southeast China's Fujian Province by intercropping tea with soybeans and rapeseed. Humble in character and daring in research, this “hoe-wielding” woman reshapes agricultural science through her groundbreaking discovery of aluminum's role in tea root growth.

Pavel Ivanovich Ibis, or Paul Ibis, a 22-year-old Russian naval officer (he was born in today's Estonia) embarked alone on a dangerous and adventurous journey – on foot – through Taiwan in the winter of 1875. At the time, much of the island was under Qing rule; a prefecture of Fujian Province.So, what was he doing here? He left very detailed accounts of places, people and customs, and Paul Ibis seems to have had a genuine “anthropological” interest in this island. But was he also possibly a spy? Or at least gathering data for his superiors in the then-still powerful Russian Empire under Tsar Alexander II? (And, yeah, that was the Tsar who sold Alaska to the US in 1867.) Visit formosafiles.com for more.

We start with this week’s China propaganda update (2:27), followed by a look at a 112 y/o letter from Borden in Cairo (34:05). Next, we look at how to Pray for China this week (39:19) followed by an insane team schedule that I unearthed from exactly 12 years ago in NW China (46:06). Follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). If you enjoy this podcast, follow or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also email any questions or comments to contact @ PrayforChina dot us. And don’t forget to check out all the things we are doing at PrayGiveGo.us. Luke 10:2! China/Russia vs Ukraine/USA: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329289.shtml The “Real China” Breaks Through: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329281.shtml Death Sentence for Child Trafficker: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329258.shtml China: US Violates Human Rights: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202503/1329294.shtml Borden’s Arab Homestay: https://open.substack.com/pub/chinacall/p/arab-homestay Pray for China (PrayforChina.us) Mar 1 (Sat) - Pray for Tongling in Anhui Province, which is paired with Iowa for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Anhui Podcast: Beheaded https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/audio/podcasts/30293/episodes/31 Mar 2 (Sun) - Pray for Siming District in Xiamen Prefecture of SE China's Fujian Province, which is paired with South Carolina for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Fujian podcast and more info…https://prayforchina.us/index.php/fujian/ Mar 3 (Mon) - Pray for Chengguan (“CityGate”) District, the urban core of Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, which is paired for prayer with its sister state of Oklahoma: www.Pray4Gansu.com Here's my Gansu podcast (and more)... https://prayforchina.us/index.php/gansu/ Mar 4 (Tue) - Pray for Shijingshan District in the suburbs of west-central Beijing, which is paired with Washington DC (and MD) for prayer: prayforchina.us/index.php/maryland/ My Tiananmen Crosspolitic interview: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/videos/30786 Mar 5 (Wed) - Pray for Kaili City, the most populated in Qiandongnan Prefecture in Guizhou Province, which is paired with Missouri for prayer: www.prayforchina.us/states/missouri.html Here's the Guizhou podcast (and more)... https://prayforchina.us/index.php/guizhou/ Mar 6 (Thu) - Pray for landlocked Nada Town, the largest in Danzhou Prefecture on Hainan Island, which is paired with Hawaii for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Here's the Hainan pod: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/37 Mar 7 (Fri) - Pray for Yongnian District in Handan City, in southern Hebei Province. “Huh-bay” is paired with both Wisconsin and Michigan for prayer: https://prayforchina.us/index.php/michigan/ Here's my Hebei pod: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/39 Mar 8 (Sat) - Pray for Nangang District, the most populated in Harbin City, the capital of Heilongjiang, which is paired with MN and the UP of MI for prayer: https://prayforchina.us/index.php/michigan/ My Heilongjiang podcast: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/20 Listen to hear the "Insane Adventures" I share at the end of today's podcast...

We start with this week’s China propaganda update (2:27), followed by a look at a 112 y/o letter from Borden in Cairo (34:05). Next, we look at how to Pray for China this week (39:19) followed by an insane team schedule that I unearthed from exactly 12 years ago in NW China (46:06). Follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). If you enjoy this podcast, follow or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also email any questions or comments to contact @ PrayforChina dot us. And don’t forget to check out all the things we are doing at PrayGiveGo.us. Luke 10:2! China/Russia vs Ukraine/USA: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329289.shtml The “Real China” Breaks Through: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329281.shtml Death Sentence for Child Trafficker: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1329258.shtml China: US Violates Human Rights: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202503/1329294.shtml Borden’s Arab Homestay: https://open.substack.com/pub/chinacall/p/arab-homestay Pray for China (PrayforChina.us) Mar 1 (Sat) - Pray for Tongling in Anhui Province, which is paired with Iowa for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Anhui Podcast: Beheaded https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/audio/podcasts/30293/episodes/31 Mar 2 (Sun) - Pray for Siming District in Xiamen Prefecture of SE China's Fujian Province, which is paired with South Carolina for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Fujian podcast and more info…https://prayforchina.us/index.php/fujian/ Mar 3 (Mon) - Pray for Chengguan (“CityGate”) District, the urban core of Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, which is paired for prayer with its sister state of Oklahoma: www.Pray4Gansu.com Here's my Gansu podcast (and more)... https://prayforchina.us/index.php/gansu/ Mar 4 (Tue) - Pray for Shijingshan District in the suburbs of west-central Beijing, which is paired with Washington DC (and MD) for prayer: prayforchina.us/index.php/maryland/ My Tiananmen Crosspolitic interview: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/videos/30786 Mar 5 (Wed) - Pray for Kaili City, the most populated in Qiandongnan Prefecture in Guizhou Province, which is paired with Missouri for prayer: www.prayforchina.us/states/missouri.html Here's the Guizhou podcast (and more)... https://prayforchina.us/index.php/guizhou/ Mar 6 (Thu) - Pray for landlocked Nada Town, the largest in Danzhou Prefecture on Hainan Island, which is paired with Hawaii for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us Here's the Hainan pod: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/37 Mar 7 (Fri) - Pray for Yongnian District in Handan City, in southern Hebei Province. “Huh-bay” is paired with both Wisconsin and Michigan for prayer: https://prayforchina.us/index.php/michigan/ Here's my Hebei pod: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/39 Mar 8 (Sat) - Pray for Nangang District, the most populated in Harbin City, the capital of Heilongjiang, which is paired with MN and the UP of MI for prayer: https://prayforchina.us/index.php/michigan/ My Heilongjiang podcast: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/20 Listen to hear the "Insane Adventures" I share at the end of today's podcast...

Over the weekend the Chinese media reported UFO sightings in the Fujian Province. When asked what they were a general on Chinese media said he believed it was indeed a UFO fleet. Kristian Harloff gives his thoughts.  #ufo #uap #ufonews #uapnews #alien #aliens #grusch RED PANDA KOALA POST: https://x.com/RedPandaKoala/status/18...   PUBLIC REC: For a limited time, you can get 20% off at Public Rec by using code DTE at checkout. Just head to http://www.PublicRec.com , use code DTE, and you're all set. Oh, and when they ask how you found them, be sure to mention our show—it really helps us out.

鹿港 lù gǎng - Lukang (a historic town in Taiwan) 古色古香 gǔ sè gǔ xiāng - full of traditional charm; quaint and classical 美味 měi wèi - delicious 鹿群 lù qún - herd of deer 聚集 jù jí - to gather; to assemble 海口 hǎi kǒu - river mouth; estuary 鹿港鎮 lù gǎng zhèn - Lukang Town 港口 gǎng kǒu - port; harbor 泉州 quán zhōu - Quanzhou (a city in Fujian Province, China) 來往 lái wǎng - to come and go; interactions 頻繁 pín fán - frequent 仕紳家族 shì shēn jiā zú - gentry families 定居 dìng jū - to settle down; to reside 清朝時期 qīng cháo shí qí - Qing Dynasty period 經商 jīng shāng - to do business 繁榮 fán róng - prosperous; flourishing 黃金時代 huáng jīn shí dài - golden age 古都 gǔ dū - ancient capital; historic city 繁盛 fán shèng - thriving; flourishing 古蹟 gǔ jì - historical site 鄉土 xiāng tǔ - native soil; local flavor 手工芋丸 shǒu gōng yù wán - handmade taro balls 大餅 dà bǐng - traditional Chinese flatbread 麵茶 miàn chá - wheat tea; a traditional snack made from roasted flour 粉粿冰 fěn guǒ bīng - sweet jelly ice dessert 小鎮 xiǎo zhèn - small town 風貌 fēng mào - style and features 紅磚 hóng zhuān - red bricks 構成 gòu chéng - to constitute; to form 古宅 gǔ zhái - old residence 街道 jiē dào - street; road 天后宮 tiān hòu gōng - Mazu Temple 信仰中心 xìn yǎng zhōng xīn - center of worship 香火鼎盛 xiāng huǒ dǐng shèng - thriving incense offerings; vigorous religious activity 廟宇 miào yǔ - temple 龍山寺 lóng shān sì - Longshan Temple 現存 xiàn cún - still in existence 良好 liáng hǎo - good; excellent 木雕 mù diāo - wood carving 石雕 shí diāo - stone carving 工藝 gōng yì - craftsmanship 精美 jīng měi - exquisite 嘆為觀止 tàn wéi guān zhǐ - breathtaking; stunning 郊行博物館 jiāo xíng bó wù guǎn - Lugang Township Museum (Museum of Commerce and Exploration) 民俗文物館 mín sú wén wù guǎn - Folk Arts Museum Planning to travel or move to Taiwan? If you'd like to improve your Chinese before you go, feel free to book a one-on-one lesson with me.I'll help you improve your Chinese so you can settle in more comfortably when you arrive.Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

Last time we spoke about the fifth encirclement campaign against the CCP. After surviving four encirclement campaigns by the NRA, the CCP faced an intensified fifth campaign in 1933, as the Japanese invaded Manchuria and North China. Despite growing in numbers, the CCP struggled against the KMT's modernized army, equipped with German weapons and strategies. A combination of blockades, fortified positions, and superior tactics eroded Red Army strength. By 1934, after significant losses, the Red Army retreated, marking the campaign's end and signaling the start of the CCP's eventual Long March. In the battle between the NRA and the Red Army, the NRA employed strategic counterinsurgency techniques to block Red infiltration and gained local support through loyalty and economic pressure. Meanwhile, the Red Army, hampered by internal issues and a shift in leadership towards the Twenty-eight Bolsheviks, struggled with morale and mass recruitment of untrained peasants. As the Red Army attempted aggressive tactics and reforms, they ultimately faced defeat, leading to their strategic retreat in the historic Long March.   #129 The Fujian Rebellion of 1933 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the previous episode, during the fifth encirclement campaign, I briefly mentioned a rebellion that took place in Fujian province. Now this story actually crosses over a few we will be covering, such as the fifth encirclement campaign, already mentioned but also the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1931, part of the Mukden incident. So its a bit tricky for me to cover this one without giving away too much of what we will be speaking about later, but I will try my best to be mysterious.  Now the key player I guess you can say to this story is the 19th Route Army. The 19th Route Army's history can be traced back to the 1st division of the Guangdong Army. In 1926, this division underwent a significant transformation, becoming the 4th Army of the NRA. At that time, Li Jishen was appointed as the commander, with Chen Mingshu serving as the commander of the newly formed 10th Division. Other notable figures included Jiang Guangnai as the deputy commander and Cai Tingkai leading a subordinate regiment. All of these men will be key players in the Rebellion.  During the Northern Expedition, the 4th NRA Army distinguished itself with numerous successful campaigns. The 10th Division was subsequently expanded into the 11th Army. This new formation went on to play a pivotal role in during the Central Plains War of 1930, assisting Chiang Kai-shek in his struggle against warlords' anti-chiang coalition. As a result of this success, the 11th Army was reorganized into the 19th Route Army, with Jiang Guangnai assuming the role of overall commander and Cai Tingkai becoming the army commander. Following these developments, the 19th Route Army then went on to be part of the third encirclement campaign. Now again not to give away too much, but in 1931 the Mukden incident broke out initiating a 15 year war between China and Japan. Most of the action took place in Manchuria, pouring slightly into Northern China and Inner Mongolia, but there was an expedition performed in Shanghai. In many ways it was like a dress rehearsal for what would go down in 1937 during the battle of Shanghai. During the crisis, known then as the September 18th Incident, the 19th Route Army was redeployed to Shanghai.This transition occurred during a tumultuous period when Chiang Kai-shek faced significant political pressure and was forced to resign. The Nanjing National Government, dominated by the Guangdong faction, saw Chen Mingshu appointed as the commander of the garrison responsible for defending Beijing and Shanghai. Now this was a hyper chaotic time for China, and a particularly rough time for Chiang Kai-Shek. Chiang Kai-Shek was dealing with multiple external and internal threats to China and his position as Generalissimo. First off, his encirclement campaigns against the Reds were not going well at all. His men were not accustomed nor trained properly to face guerilla warfare. When they assaulted the Jiangxi Soviet they were entering strange territory and were greeted by the countryfolk as enemies. The Reds, in contrast, felt at home among the villages. For years, they had lived alongside the people and built friendships; forging connections was a key aspect of Communist strategy. Whenever Chiang Kai-Sheks forces came too close for comfort, the guerrillas seamlessly blended into the local population. They established their own Soviets, spread their ideology at will, and disappeared when soldiers approached. They were like a fluid army. Over time, the Chinese public became less concerned about the ongoing presence of the Red Army and more weary of the topic. Those not living in areas affected by Communist infiltration struggled to grasp the urgency of this endless conflict and began to question whether the costs outweighed the benefits. Very little news was reported on the situation, and what was published came primarily from government sources, portraying it as a series of victories for the Nationalists—this battle was a success for the Nationalists, that one ended in a glorious triumph; the KMT troops had the Reds on the run. A few days later, another dispatch would reiterate the same points, as if the earlier battles had never occurred. The front lines never seemed to shift significantly. Chiang Kai-Shek maintained his position as Generalissimo like any other politician, through alliances. One of his key friends was Hu Hanmin. The relationship between Chiang Kai-Shek and Hu Hanmin was never straightforward. Their shared history was marked by significant jealousy, and in February 1931, they faced another separation. During a KMT conference, Hu Hanmin challenged the provisional constitution proposed by Chiang Kai-Shek, arguing that it was prematurely defining various governmental functions. He claimed that Chiang Kai-Shek was consolidating too much power for himself. Chiang Kai-Shek countered that Hu Hanmins concerns were mainly about party authority. This situation echoed their earlier disputes in Canton, where they had debated theories under Dr Sun Yat-sen's influence, but now their conflicts held more weight and didn't end in mere discussion. Hu Hanmin, overwhelmed by his anger, resigned from the presidency of the Legislative Yuan, a significant position at the time. In response, a similarly agitated Chiang Kai-Shek placed him under house arrest, or as the Chinese more delicately termed it, “in soft detainment.” Initially, this fact was not disclosed; Hu Hanmin simply vanished. This was quite an extreme action for someone who advocated democratic processes, leading to a barrage of inquiries from curious Europeans directed at Chiang Kai-Shek. What had happened? Where was Hu? Why had the innocuous Lin Sen been appointed as president of the Legislative Yuan? For a considerable time, the Generalissimo remained silent, but eventually, he reluctantly stated that Hu was fine—indeed, quite fine; it was simply that his personal freedom was temporarily restricted. This was all for his own benefit and that of the KMT. Without this restriction, the misguided individual might attempt to flee to Shanghai, which would only incite dissenting factions and provoke disorder. He was perfectly fine. The incident was added to the ever-growing list of accusations made by Chiang Kai-Sheks opponents, who claimed he was becoming a dictator. They argued that he was squandering the nation's resources to maintain his army while pursuing insignificant Communists, who, if left alone, might actually become good citizens. Rumors circulated that he was nurturing a group of young bullies reminiscent of the Italian "Blue Shirts." Additionally, there were concerns about the shady Chen brothers. Furthermore, it was alleged that Chiang Kai-Shek was in close contact with gangster Tu Yueh-sen in Shanghai, profiting immensely from the opium trade through this connection. In fact, Chiang had recently declared that opium would now be a government monopoly, similar to that of the British in Hong Kong, as he needed the funds. And now, this latest scandal! Criticism of the Generalissimo was rampant, especially among students. April passed, and the uproar over Hu Hanmin faded into discontented whispers, as the People's Congress approached, providing an opportunity for open discussion about the provisional constitution. However, by May 5, people were preoccupied with other concerns. The South was once again causing unrest, led by Wang Jingwei, with Eugene Chen involved as well. It began with the typical manifesto or circular telegram, signed by Wang Jingwei and the Jiangxi generals, who "impeached" Chiang Kai-Shek for his wrongdoings. Another telegram soon followed from the warlord in Canton, accusing the Generalissimo of assuming dictatorial powers. In response, Chiang Kai-Shek convened an urgent meeting of KMT leaders, asserting that the allegations must be openly discussed and investigated. He should have been able to rely on the Party's support during such a crisis, but the situation was unusual due to Hu Hanmin's detention. Some members of his own faction seized the moment to betray him. Sun Fo and Wang Chunghui retreated to Shanghai before moving on to Canton. Shortly after, the Canton warlord declared an alliance between Jiangxi and Guangdong, united in their fight, this was the Chiang-Gui War. On May 25, the southerners issued an ultimatum: Chiang Kai-Shek had to resign within forty-eight hours or face the consequences. A few days later, they established a new national government in Canton. Chiang Kai-Shek announced his intention to suppress the rebels but did not rush into action. Instead, there were discussions—more discussions—in the neutral setting of Shanghai. Throughout June and most of July, these negotiations continued, with Chiang Kai-Shek hoping to prevent a conflict that the nation could ill afford. The southerners persisted with their demands, and their appeal to Japan for support would haunt them for a long time. Their determination ultimately prevailed, and on July 21, it was announced in Canton that a punitive expedition was underway. By mid-August, Bai Chongxi's army was advancing through Hunan on the old route to Nanking. Chiang Kai-Shek prepared for the confrontation, and the capital was on high alert. Meanwhile, in the North, the Mukden Incident broke out. In the South, the generals and their associates held back, anticipating that war could be declared at any moment. However, Chiang Kai-Shek and his advisers understood that he was even less equipped than Zhang Xueliang to initiate an offensive against a powerful foreign nation. There was the League of Nations, established presumably to address crises like this, as well as the Kellogg Pact. Chiang Kai-Shek decided to refer the matter to the League, though his chances of a favorable outcome were slim: America, which might have otherwise been involved, was preoccupied with its own economic depression, and Britain remained indifferent. The more impulsive factions in China believed this response was insufficient, and the dissidents in the South demanded a stronger approach. The students were the most incensed. On September 28, hundreds of students in Shanghai took matters into their own hands. They seized control of a train at the railway station and traveled to Nanking, where they joined forces with fellow students from the capital's university. Together, they marched—five thousand strong—toward the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. They pushed past the guards, stormed the Minister's office, forcibly dragged him outside, and assaulted him. After recovering from his injuries in the hospital, the Minister chose to resign. The students then initiated a sit-in strike, declaring they would remain in Nanking until they received tangible action rather than mere diplomatic efforts. Authorities were unsure how to respond to them, as more pressing issues demanded the government's attention. It was clear that the South and Nanking needed to resolve their differences, as public opinion strongly supported this. Despite the ungracious criticisms emanating from Canton, where Eugene Chen was vocally denouncing Chiang Kai-shek for his diplomatic failures, Nanking sought to negotiate. In October, Chiang Kai-Shek released Hu Hanmin from his mild detention, and he appeared none the worse for the unexpected break. Along with three others, he traveled to Shanghai for a peace conference with the southern leaders. Hu urged the southerners to be reasonable and to cease calls for Chiang Kai-Shek's resignation. Chiang Kai-Shek remarked, “Regardless of the right or wrong of the situation, if desired, all blame can be placed squarely on me.” However, this uplifting scene was short-lived. As the Canton faction continued to insist on Chiang's resignation, Hu abruptly changed his stance and escalated the demands. He suggested that not only should Chiang resign, but he should also be exiled from China entirely. The conference ended in chaos. Various proposals were discussed and quickly dismissed. The South remained resolute; Chiang had to go. The sit-in students, frustrated with just sitting idle, started to escalate their actions. Their numbers had been steadily increasing since the initial demonstration, with boys traveling to Nanking from distant places; by the end of November, there were twelve thousand of them. They marched again to the new government buildings, demanding that Chiang Kai-Shek come out to engage in a discussion. “War on Japan!” they shouted. Chiang Kai-Shek made them wait in the cold winter weather for a full twenty-four hours before he finally appeared. He reprimanded them harshly and ordered them to return to school, leading to a subdued dispersal of the crowd. On December 15th, Chiang Kai-Shek capitulated to public pressure and resigned. Chiang Kai-Shek yet again nonchalantly got up and left heading home into the mountains. This left an extremely uneasy Sun Fo in the presidential chair facing what looked like a full blown Japanese invasion. The Japanese kept reiterating they were merely defending their citizens after the Chinese had attacked the South Manchurian Railway…but yeah they were certainly conquering. Sun Fo desperately looked to any veteran figures for help, but Hu Hanmin fled to Hong Kong, Wang Jingwei, arguably the man responsible for forcing Chiang Kai-Shek yet again to step down was suddenly far too ill to do anything and retired to the Shanghai Hospital. Meanwhile, all of the bankers had lost interest in the Nanjing government since Chiang Kai-Shek had departed, the government literally lost its coffers. The government had no means to properly pay its armies. Now the entire time the government had been tossing offers to Chiang Kai-Shek to come back, but he bided his time. Meanwhile Eugene Chen demanded China break off diplomatic relations with Japan, was told no so he resigned, followed soon after by Sun Fo. Wang Jingwei was tossed into the presidency position, which he must have relished, however it was just then when Shanghai was invaded. Chiang Kai-Shek still held his honorary position as CEC over the special committee so he simply waited and watched. Yet no one could manage the military like the generalissimo nor open the coin purses to fund it. Thus Chiang Kai-Shek was brought back, but not really as Generalissimo, now he had to work collaboratively with others, such as Wang Jingwei.  In 1932, the January 28 Incident unfolded, basically the Japanese performed another false flag operation trying to legitimize an expedition into Shanghai. Japanese marines began to land and on January 28th they were attacking in full force. The 19th Route Army met the enemy in what became a month-long resistance against great odds. Chiang Kai-Shek was being labeled a coward for not doing more against the Japanese, but he was keeping in touch with the commanders of the 19th Rout Army by telegraph. He advised them to guard Liuho, a village just across the Yangtze, believing the Japanese would make other landings to cut them off there. General Tsai neglected to take the advice, and low and behold the Japanese made the landing forcing the 19th Route Army to pull out. The entire situation looked incredibly bad for China. Fingers were pointed at the inept Nanjing government. Yet Chiang Kai-Shek was much more focused on the encirclement campaigns against the Reds. The people angrily accused him of “making war on his own people instead of attending to the real threat, Japan”. To this Chiang Kai-Shek replied “It is useless for China to talk of resisting Japan. When it has not yet stamped out the enemy in its midst. If China ventures to fight the Japanese, the Communists will attack from the rear and chaos will quickly overtake the whole country.” The 19th Route Army were hailed as heroes, receiving a lot of recognition as a prominent anti-Japanese force. Despite Japan's attempts to reinforce its troops, Chiang Kai-shek's return to leadership saw further NRA forces dispatched to join the fight. Eventually, the conflict reached a resolution through diplomatic negotiations, resulting in the withdrawal of the 19th Route Army from Shanghai. With the Japanese threat averted for the time being Chiang Kai-Shek redirected his efforts against the Reds. On May 21, 1932, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the 19th Route Army to enter Fujian and forced the army to engage in a civil war against the Communists in Fujian. On December 6 of the same year, Jiang Guangnai took over as the chairman of Fujian Province, and Cai Tingkai was appointed as the director of the Fujian Pacification Office and commander of the 19th Route Army.  At this point the leadership of the 19th Route Army were not at all happy with Chiang Kai-Shek, who to them seemed to have done little to help face the Japanese. They were not friendly to the CCP by any means and were actively suppressing Communist organizations while fighting the Japanese. When they came to Fujian they continued to suppress communists and supported people's anti-Japanese patriotic movements. On August 18, 1932, the 61st Division of the 19th Route Army collectively executed 69 CCP members and suspected individuals outside the East Gate of Quanzhou, and they also carried out mass killings of government workers from the Soviet area during their offensive against it. Despite this the CCP and 19th Route Army did agree on one thing, the Japanese were a problem.  After November 22, 1933, as Japanese imperialism intensified its invasion of China, the people across the nation once again launched a wave of anti-Japanese salvation movements. On January 17 of the same year, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army issued a "Joint Anti-Japanese Declaration," proposing three conditions for cooperation with any armed forces to resist Japan: an immediate halt to attacks on the Soviet areas, immediate guarantees of the democratic rights of the people, and the immediate arming of the people to establish armed volunteer forces. However, Chiang Kai-shek's ruling group stubbornly persisted in its anti-Communist and anti-people policies, continuing to intensify attacks on the Red Army, and on May 31, he signed a peace agreement with the Japanese. Chiang Kai-Shek was met with another wave of opposition across the nation for appeasing the Japanese. The 19th Route Army basically concluded the Generalissimo was not going to help wage a war against their enemy. Thus in a rather insane fashion, the leadership of the 19th Route Army resolved to overthrow the Nanjing government so they could unite the anti-Japanese forces and push for a national resistance. At that time, Chen Mingshu, an early leader of the 19th Route Army who had gone abroad and had previously served as the vice president of the Executive Yuan of the National Government, returned to China in May 1933 and devoted all his efforts to opposing Chiang Kai-shek's Nanjing government. In Fuzhou, he secretly discussed three strategies with Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and Deng Xizeng: the first was to unite with Guangdong and Guangxi to overthrow Chiang Kai-Shek, supporting Hu Hanmin to organize an independent government; the second was to unite with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi of Guangxi, and Chen Jitang of Guangdong, seizing Guangdong; the last was to unite with the Red Army to resist Chiang Kai-Shek together.  As a result, neither the first nor the second strategies could be realized. Under Chiang Kai-shek's repeated orders to engage in civil war, the 78th Division and the 62nd Division of the 19th Route Army faced severe blows from the Red Army in Fujian between July and September 1933. Thus, the 19th Route Army found itself in a dire situation where not engaging in the "anti-Communist" actions would lead to its annihilation by Chiang Kai-shek, while engaging in "anti-Communist" actions would result in its destruction by the Red Army. In the context of rising national anti-Japanese sentiment, the upper leadership of the 19th Route Army had to swiftly make the choice to unite with the Communists to resist Chiang Kai-Shek and fight against Japan. On September 22, 1933, Chen Mingshu's main aide, Chen Gongpei, who had participated in the Nanchang Uprising and later left the CCP, secretly arrived at the command post of the 3rd Red Army Corps stationed at Wangtai, to express the political stance of the 19th Route Army to leaders of the Red Army, such as Peng Dehuai, Teng Daiyuan, and Yuan Guoping, regarding anti-Chiang resistance and cooperation with the Red Army. In October, Chen Gongpei accompanied Xu Minghong, the plenipotentiary representative of the 19th Route Army and secretary-general of its headquarters, to Ruijin. On the 26th, he signed the "Preliminary Agreement Against Japan and Against Chiang" with Pan Jianxing, a representative of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. The main contents included: both sides immediately cease military actions, temporarily define a military demarcation line, restore trade between both parties; the Fujian People's Revolutionary Government and the 19th Route Army agree to the existence and activities of all revolutionary organizations in Fujian, allow freedom of publication, speech, assembly, and strikes, and immediately release political prisoners, among other provisions. The Soviet Provisional Central Government also sent Pan Jianxing as a permanent representative in Fuzhou. Subsequently, Chen Mingshu, Li Jishen, Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and others actively prepared to establish a new government and made military preparations against Chiang Kai-Shek. On November 20, 1933, Li Jishen, Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and representatives from over 100 cities across the country, along with 100,000 people from various sectors in Fuzhou, convened the National People's Temporary Representative Assembly in Fuzhou. The assembly issued the "Declaration of People's Rights of the Chinese People's Temporary Representative Assembly" and decided to establish the People's Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China. They elected Li Jishen, Chen Mingshu, Chen Youren, Feng Yuxiang , Cai Tingkai, Jiang Guangnai, Huang Qixiang, Xu Qian, Fang Zhenwu, Li Zhangda, Sa Zhenbing, He Gonggan, and other 12 members to the government, with Li Jishen as the government chairman. On November 22, the People's Revolutionary Government was officially established, with the capital in Fuzhou. The People's Revolutionary Government Committee set up a Military Committee, an Economic Committee, and a Cultural Committee, chaired respectively by Li Jishen, Yu Xinqing, and Chen Mingshu; and established a Ministry of Finance, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Supreme Court, and a Political Security Bureau, led respectively by Jiang Guangnai, Chen Youren, Xu Qian, and Li Zhangda. The People's Revolutionary Government successively issued: The People's Revolutionary Government's Internal Telegram. The People's Revolutionary Government's External Declaration.The People's Political Program - Eighteen Articles of the Minimum Program and other documents, openly announcing anti-Japanese and anti-Chiang, and proposing some domestic and foreign policies with certain progressive significance. The "Internal Telegram of the People's Revolutionary Government" announced the government's future mission: 1) to seek the liberation of the Chinese nation and establish a truly independent and free country; 2) to eliminate the counter-revolutionary Nanjing government and establish a political power of the productive people; 3) to realize the equal rights of all ethnic groups in the country; 4) to guarantee the absolute freedom and equality of all productive people; 5) to eliminate the influence of imperialism in China, overthrow the warlords, eradicate the remnants of the feudal system, develop the national economy, and liberate the working people. The "Declaration of the People's Revolutionary Government to Foreign Countries" sternly pointed out the Nanjing government's traitorous behavior and warned the powers not to cooperate with Chiang Kai-shek. The Declaration stated: "We believe that the policies of the pro-American and pro-League of Nations factions are based on dangerous principles... However, it must be recognized that the objective result of the pro-American and pro-League of Nations factions will put China under an international condominium system, which is no less harmful than Chiang Kai-shek's pro-Japanese policies... It is recognized that China's real power must be established on a national basis... We finally declare that overthrowing the Chiang regime is not only necessary for China's independence and national salvation, but also for the military and economic interests of the whole world... In order to enhance international security, we have to warn the powers not to make any loans to the Chiang Kai-shek government in Nanjing, whether it is money, goods, or weapons. We also declare that if any such loans are concluded in the future, the Chinese people and their revolutionary government will completely deny them." The People's Political Program - Eighteen Articles of the Minimum Program declared: "China is a semi-feudal society under the rule of imperialists. The greatest goal of the Chinese revolution is to eliminate the imperialist domination in China; at the same time, to sweep away all feudal forces and establish a government that fully represents the rights of the people..." The 18 articles of the minimum program are: (1) Abolish unequal treaties and renegotiate equal and mutually beneficial treaties with other countries; (2) Foreign-invested or foreign-managed enterprises and cultural undertakings that are harmful to the interests of the Chinese nation may be restricted or confiscated; (3) To sort out new and old foreign debts. All political loans that harm the country should be absolutely denied; others should be repaid conditionally; (4) Implementing foreign trade controls; (5) Strictly implement absolute tariff autonomy; (6) Open up the political system and deny all political rights to counter-revolutionaries who are dependent on imperialism and warlords; (7) All nationalities within China are equal, may freely unite for revolution, and recognize national self-determination; (8) Ensure the people's absolute freedom of body, residence, speech, assembly, association, strike, demonstration and publication; (9) Implement universal suffrage; (10) Abolish all excessive taxes and levies; (11) The principle of "everyone who tills the land owns the land" was established, and land was distributed according to the number of people. Forests, mines, and rivers were completely nationalized. (12) All important banking and transportation enterprises shall be under state control; (13) Use political power and state capital to support the scientific development of agricultural production; (14) Usury is strictly prohibited; (15) Unscrupulous merchants will be eliminated and the people's daily necessities will be sold under the state monopoly; (16) To formulate agricultural and industrial laws, improve the lives of farmers and workers, and ensure the development of agricultural and industrial organizations; (17) Promote universal education; (18) Implement conscription, arm the people, and assist them in their anti-imperialist and economic and political struggles. After the establishment of the People's Revolutionary Government, it caused a great stir domestically and internationally. However, due to Wang Ming's "leftist" closure policy, the local party organization in Fujian initially adopted a hostile strategy toward the People's Revolutionary Government. It wasn't until early December, after the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee received a letter from the Central Committee dated October 30 addressing the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee and all comrades in Fujian, that they began to adopt a proactive cooperative approach toward the People's Revolutionary Government and the 19th Route Army. After December 29, the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee issued a declaration in the name of the "Far East Anti-Imperialist Non-War Anti-Fascist Alliance, Fuzhou Branch," publicly calling for the establishment of an anti-imperialist united front. The People's Revolutionary Government also fully reprinted this declaration in its official newspapers, the "People's Daily" and the "Guoguang Daily." The Fuzhou branch then mobilized people from all walks of life to establish the "Committee to Oppose Kuomintang Air Raids and Support the Soldiers of the 19th Route Army Against the Kuomintang," organizing personnel to visit the stationed troops of the 19th Route Army to comfort the soldiers. The People's Revolutionary Government also adopted a cooperative attitude toward the economic struggles of workers' organizations. On November 18, Chen Mingshu called for an emergency secret meeting of the 19th Route Army and other key figures at Heshui Rock in Gushan. The meeting took place at Longyuan Pavilion, and attendees included Li Jishen, Chen Mingshu, Cai Tingkai, Jiang Guangnai, Chen Youren, Huang Qixiang, Xu Qian, Li Zhangda, and more than ten other military commanders and the chief of staff of the 19th Route Army. The discussion, which lasted from morning until late at night, revolved around heated debates concerning the timing of the uprising. Cai Tingkai advocated for postponing the uprising by one to two months for several reasons; many generals in the 19th Route Army were still undecided or openly opposed to the rebellion, the troops had yet to be mobilized, defenses were unorganized, various forces had not surrendered, and traitors and spies were still active. Additionally, Guangdong and Guangxi were not providing support, and Chiang Kai-shek was already aware of their plans. Cai Tingkai argued for more time to accelerate preparations without drawing immediate attention from Chiang Kai-Shek. In contrast, Chen Mingshu and others believed this was the last opportunity for an uprising. They pointed out that Chiang Kai-shek's forces were concentrated in North China, and Jinpu and particularly in Jiangxi, where his main troops were engaged in the fifth encirclement campaign against the Soviet area. They estimated that only 20,000 to 30,000 troops could be redirected to Fujian. Overestimating the political instability of Chiang's regime, Chen Mingshu believed that once the 19th Route Army raised the flag of rebellion, support from other regions of China would follow. He also felt confident that one division of the 19th Route Army could resist two or three of Chiang's divisions and that with cooperation from the Red Army, even if Chiang Kai-Shek deployed ten divisions, they would prevail. Chen Mingshu concluded that regardless of the outcome, the effort would be heroic and they should proceed without hesitation. The meeting's opposing viewpoints led to intense discussions. Chen Mingshu, visibly passionate, declared that revolution required sacrifice and that delaying any longer would mean submission to Nanjing. Cai Tingkai, while originally advocating for a delay, conceded that the situation had reached a point of no return. He agreed to lead the 19th Route Army and fully back the new government. The meeting concluded with a decision to convene the National People's Provisional Congress in Fuzhou on November 20 to officially declare the uprising against Chiang Kai-Shek. Other topics discussed included replacing the blue sky, white sun party flag, military and financial logistics, and a declaration drafted by Chen Mingshu's advisors, Wang Lixi and Hu Qiuyuan. On November 20, 1933, the National People's Provisional Congress convened at the South Parade Ground in Fuzhou, with thousands of soldiers, students, merchants, and workers in attendance. A banner reading "China's National People's Provisional Congress" adorned the stage, and the leaders of the rebellion, including Cai Tingkai, Jiang Guangnai, and Li Jishen, were present, though Chen Mingshu was absent due to illness. Representatives from 25 provinces and various walks of life gathered for the event. Before the meeting, the 19th Route Army's newly formed air force performed stunts, to the applause of the crowd. At 9:40 AM, the meeting began with Huang Qixiang, who was elected chairman of the presidium, delivering an opening speech and reading the "Declaration of the People's Rights of the Provisional Chinese People's Congress." Several prominent figures spoke, and the meeting concluded with the adoption of proposals to establish the People's Revolutionary Government and a new national flag designed by Ouyang Yuqian. That evening, the presidium decided to form the People's Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China, abolishing the Nanjing government, declaring 1933 as the first year of the Republic, and establishing Fuzhou as the capital. Li Jishen was elected President, and several others, including Chen Mingshu, Jiang Guangnai, and Cai Tingkai, were appointed government members. However the Fujian Revolution failed to gain support from other forces within the KMT. The Guangxi clique was dissatisfied with the fact that the 19th Route Army reconciled with the CCP so they did not support it. Chen Jitang tossed his lot in with Chiang Kai-shek and did not support the Fujian Revolution either. At that time, the CCP was undergoing a power struggle. On December 5, the Central Committee of the CCP, headed by Wang Ming, issued a statement stating that the Fujian government was "non-people and still non-revolutionary and that anyone who wants to take a third way between revolution and counter-revolution will inevitably fail." . Thus, Chiang Kai-shek transferred eight divisions of the National Revolutionary Army into Fujian, and coordinated the attack with the air force and navy. The 19th Route Army quickly collapsed. Four out of the five armies defected before the battle even began. Most of them were disarmed by the Central Army that they had fought side by side with during the Shanghai Incident a year ago. On January 15, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek's forces captured Fuzhou. The People's Revolutionary Government and the headquarters of the 19th Route Army retreated to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, respectively. By January 21, both Quanzhou and Zhangzhou had fallen, and the Fujian Rebellion had failed. The People's Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China collapsed within two months of its establishment. On the 21st, the remaining troops of the 19th Route Army switched over to supporting the central government, and the Fujian Revolution officially came to an end. Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, Chen Mingshu and Li Jishen fled to Hong Kong . The designation of the 19th Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army was cancelled, and the troops were dispersed and integrated. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Yes it was a tad bit of an anti climatic event in the grand scheme of things. Yet the provincial rebellion was notable because the people involved wanted to fight the Japanese and believed their government was not doing enough to challenge the external threat. The reality however was far more complicated, the Japanese were far too formidable, for now. 

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is in Fujian Province as he continues his official visit to China.

Fujian Province in East China has relocated over 150,000 residents as Typhoon Gaemi approaches.

Typhoon Gaemi has made landfall in Fujian Province. The third typhoon of the year landed in the city of Putian on the east coast.

Today, we'll share some stories about a place called Kuliang. It's a summer resort in Fuzhou of Southeast China's Fujian Province that stands as testament to a bygone era when two worlds met and connected through a shared humanity that transcended boundaries. 

China's policies that direct capital towards cleaner industries have been game changing, and this week we're continuing the China theme, sharing two conversations Bryony had earlier this month at a conference at Xiamen University in Fujian Province. China's role in the clean energy transition could not be more important. The think tank Ember's latest report on the state of the global electricity transition states: over half of the world's new wind and solar power capacity last year was added in China, and together with hydro and nuclear, clean electricity in China now meets 35% of their electricity demand. And yet, the scale and the nature of the Chinese economy is so enormous it's hard to grasp, the majority of which is still powered by roughly 1000 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations, half of the global total. The focus of the conference was on a specific lever that could help China further along its decarbonisation path: the repowering of existing coal stations with clean sources of heat. Bryony's first guest, Stefan Qvist is a published academic, co-author of the book A Bright Future, and founder of a number of companies dedicated to the clean energy transition. He's been studying this concept of coal repowering since he first co-authored papers on the subject with Polish colleagues in 2019. Bryony's second guest is Assistant Professor Yaoli Zhang of Xiamen University, a thermal generation engineer by training who later "repowered" himself and switched to nuclear engineering. He currently oversees a team researching the repairing of coal in China from both a practical and economic perspective. Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com.  Links and more: How China Became a Green Finance Superpower - Ep160: Dr. Ma Jun: https://www.cleaningup.live/how-china-became-a-green-finance-superpower-ep160-dr-ma-jun/ The 2019 book Staffan co-authored - A Bright Future: https://brightfuturebook.com The March 2024 US Department of Energy guide on converting coal-fired power plants to nuclear power: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/8-things-know-about-converting-coal-plants-nuclear-power ...and the associated press release: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/doe-study-finds-replacing-coal-plants-nuclear-plants-could-bring-hundreds-more-local The 2022 Paper Dr Zhang and Staffan co-authored on the potential of repowering China's CFPPs with nuclear: https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v15y2022i3p1072-d739738.html A recent IAEA article on repurposing CFPPs to nuclear: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/repurposing-coal-power-plant-sites-with-low-carbon-nuclear

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 115-points this morning from Friday's close, at 20,235 on turnover of 6.5-billion N-T. The market moved sharply higher on Friday on buying in the bellwether electronics sector. The buying was fueled by a rally among semiconductor stocks on Wall Street overnight. Tsai Admin. Can's Accept China's Eased Rules on Travel to Matsu The government is urging Beijing to resume bilateral exchanges "without preconditions." The call comes after Chinese authorities said that tourists will once again be allowed to travel from Fujian Province to Matsu. The eased travel restrictions were announced following a meeting in Beijing between China's deputy minister of culture and tourism and a legislative delegation. The delegation was led by K-M-T caucus whip Fu Kun-chi as part of their three-day trip to China. According to Interior Minister, Lin You-chang, "equitable exchanges" between the two sides are a "shared expectation and consensus (共識)" among the Taiwanese people. The official says such exchanges should occur without preconditions or any type of political considerations. Food Poisoning Cases from Kaohsiung Buffet rise to 46 Fourty-six people have now sought medical attention for suspected food poisoning symptoms after dining at an upscale buffet restaurant in Kaohsiung. The department says has sent food safety inspectors to the Hi-Lai Harbour restaurant branch at Kaohsiung Arena. This is after being notified (通知) of the incident by a hospital where one of the diners was being treated. Health inspectors collected 20 samples of food items and from its kitchen, including salads, oysters and sashimi. They found signs of cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods. All of the samples are still being tested. US Arrests on Campuses as Protesters Demand Israel Ties be Cut From the US, arrests roil campuses nationwide ahead of graduation, as protesters demand Israel ties be cut. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports Australia PM says Violence Towards Women National Crisis Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described domestic violence as a national crisis. Thousands rallied in cities around Australia on Sunday to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women so far this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence. Albanese says today the rallies were a call to action for all levels of the Australian government to do more to prevent gender-based violence. The prime minister says he will host a meeting or Australian state and territory leaders on Wednesday to discuss a coordinated (協調的) response. Prince Harry Meghan to Visit Nigeria for Invictus Games Talks Nigerian defense officials say Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will visit the West African nation in May for talks about the Invictus Games. Harry founded the games to aid the rehabilitation (復原) of servicemembers and veterans. The Duke of Sussex is expected to make the trip after a service at London's St. Paul's Cathedral to mark the 10th anniversary of the games. The Invictus Games were founded by Harry in 2014. The event offers servicemembers and veterans the challenge of competing (競爭) in sports events similar to the Paralympics. Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in 2012-2013. He has championed veterans in need of assistance. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 【00941】全台首檔鎖定半導體上游設備與材料廠的ETF 半導體不是只有護國神山，想投資真正的隱形英雄，力爭「上游」就對了！ 中信上游半導體(00941)，帶你與科技王者中的王者同行：https://bit.ly/3xMsIhf -- 城揚建設新推出的「陽明第一廳」 緊鄰三民區的明星學府-陽明國中 46~52坪，每層四戶兩部電梯 最適合有換屋與置產需求的你 讓生活中充滿書香、運動風，滿足食衣住行的消費需求 城揚建設 陽明第一廳 07-384-2888 https://bit.ly/4azoWGy

The 2024 China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum was held on April 2 in Xiamen City, Fujian Province. The event highlights China and Africa's joint efforts towards a better future in digital cooperation. How does China embrace information and communications technology (ICT) and further deepen its collaboration with Africa? What lessons can Africa learn from China's track record in the continent regarding internet development and penetration? Two ICT experts join our discussion.

ELEVENTH HOUR MINDSET NYC CHINATOWN AFTER COVID   “we're not trying to rebrand Chinatown,” Kimberly Ho, 38, a partner in Potluck Club and the granddaughter of the original owners of Great N.Y. Noodletown, is quick to say. “We just want to create a true representation of us as American-born Chinese.” "This is the story of Manhattan's Chinatown, born in another era and yet urgently of this one, old and new at once, ever in flux and yet somehow timeless, if only in the mind." I feature NEW KAM MAN as it is one the oldest and original stores on Canal Street in Chinatown.  I have shopped there for twenty nine years.. it exceeds anyone's expectations of authenticity. I purchase jasmine loose tea by the pound, exquisite china bowls and other kitchenware.  I order via email now as I live in Florida.  NEWKAMMAN@yahoo.com 212 571 0171 www.kamman.com @kamman.canal (Instagram) This pocket of prized downtown property squeezed between SoHo and TriBeCa, two of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, has to date mostly resisted wholesale demolitions.  In the hands of civic associations formed to govern the neighborhood in the late 1800s and organized by family or village ties,  It has even expanded into new territory, subsuming all but three blocks of Little Italy, as well as the historically Jewish section of the Lower East Side. (The original Chinatown, to the west, was settled by those with origins in Guangdong Province, who speak Cantonese; more recent immigrants, from Fujian Province and speaking Mandarin and Fujianese, have staked a claim to the east.) https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/t-magazine/manhattan-chinatown- neighborhood.html?smid=url-share Kundalini Yoga HARIPRAKAASH: CROSS HEART KIRTAN KRIYA MEDITATION. This is a chant meditation for ridding the past — HARIPRAKAASH says that it processes the past and then dumps it! https://youtu.be/HboowUqCidk?feature=shared   WINE Best Non-alcholic drinks according to retailers https://daily.sevenfifty.com/the-10-best-non-alcoholic-drinks-according-to-retailers/   For this installment of 'Navigating January' we are focusing on low alcohol wine. Yes, our natural wine-making style allows us to create a full flavored, dark red wine with only 10.5% alcohol by volume. We always recommend it as a 'lunch wine', but it will definitely hold up to dinner fare as well. If you are sticking to damp January we suggest a smaller glass of Noiret (yes, there is half the alcohol in 4 ounces vs. 8 ounces). But if you want the volume, how about turning Noiret into a red wine spritzer? One part wine with one part club soda or ginger ale over ice gets you in the 'hard seltzer' 5% abv range. MY FAVORITE THINGS DONATE to think! Chinatown https://ny.eater.com/2023/3/15/23639808/chinatown-2023-covid-restaurants FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING: kick those thoughts to the curb MINICOURS My E created by Valerie Hail. Choose one class $57  https://bit.ly/3vxzd6x Six classes $237 Here's a quick video that is the introduction and first lesson. There is a free lesson in the video. People can choose one lesson or six consecutive lessons https://bit.ly/3vxzd6x Merci CONTACT VALERIE: Valerie@allinourminds.com www.allinourminds.com  (COMING SOON NEW WEBSITE)  

①Chinese and US military officials have held their first formal talks in more than two years. We explore how to main to stable military-to-military communications between Beijing and Washington. (00:54) ②The boss of Boeing has admitted it was the company's mistake after one of its planes suffered a door blow-out after take-off in the US. What can we possibly judge from the known facts about the accident? (13:34) ③China has released a package of policies to support building its coastal Fujian Province into a pilot zone for advancing cross-Strait economic integration. (24:53) ④The European Union will start discussions on launching its own military mission in the Red Sea. What has made the EU consider doing so? (34:07) ⑤We explore the immediate and long-term issues behind the current chaos in Ecuador. (43:42)

A high-speed rail line in Fujian Province connects several key coastal cities in the eastern Province. (08:04) Azerbaijan has arrested a former Armenian leader in Nagorno-Karabakh.(10:01) And the French ambassador is back in Paris from Niger.(18:31)

① China plans to establish Fujian Province as a demonstration zone for fostering integrated development across the Taiwan Straits. (00:51) ② U.S. House speaker calls for an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, alleging corruption within the Biden family. (15:00) ③ Russian President Vladimir Putin says Western countries are destroying the international financial relations system. (24:45) ④ Japan PM reshuffles the cabinet to boost his government's declining popularity. (35:00)

Typhoon Doksuri has made landfall in east China's Fujian Province, bringing with it powerful winds and heavy rain.

①A Chinese government delegation has joined North Korean commemorations of Korean War armistice. What's the message from Beijing? (00:54) ②African leaders are in the Russian city of St. Petersburg for a two-day summit with President Vladimir Putin. What is Russia looking for in Africa? (24:48) ③The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by a quarter-percentage point to a 22-year high, as it continues a fight against inflation. (24:59) ④In the West African country of Niger, soldiers have announced a coup on national TV. We explore the factors leading to the coup. (31:11) ⑤Document on demonstration zone in Fujian Province will boost cross-Strait integration: Scholar. (42:23)

Welcome to OpTEAmized, the show helping 1 million people opTEAmize their minds, bodies, and spirits through tea.Today...Vince hosted Joey and Michael of TeaWaves. TeaWaves is sourcing and providing some of the finest teas from the Fujian Province of China. Both Michael and Joey have a rich history with tea and now they are sharing it with you.In this episode you will learn...1) The unique differences of Chinese tea culture vs Western2) How to incorporate mindfulness and movement into your tea practice3) Why communitea is so important in tea culture4) The differences in coffee and tea culture5) Ultimately how to find calm in this crazy worldTeaWaves Links:TeaWaves WebsiteTeaWaves IGTry Fresh Steeps tea products to support your health with the freshest adaptogenic herbs and tea! Click here to try yours today!Looking to meet like minded tea lovers? Want to learn from others on how tea is changing & optimizing their games? Join our FREE Facebook group using the link below!Opteamize Your Mind, Body, and Spirit Through TeaWant to show your support for the show & give us a 5 star rating?! Do so using the link below or if you are on Apple Podcasts or Spotify you can there too! We appreciate your support!Leave A 5 Star Review Here!For more tea info follow the other social media accounts of Fresh Steeps!InstagramTikTokTwitterDisclaimer* Any health related topics have not been researched, identified, or passed through the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). All statements are for informational use only and any introduction of a new herb or tea should be discussed with your primary physician, doctor, or holistic practitioner first to see if it is right for you.

Brian talks about Wired.com's story on the benefits of processed foods. James is depressed because his beloved Nissan LEAF needs a new PTC cabin heater with a hefty price tag. The city of Houston has a boil water advisory because of a blip in their power grid. The Tesla Semi seems to be for real. Musk says it completed a 500 mile journey pulling an 81,000 pound load. The upcoming Sizewell C nuclear power plant in the UK was in need of public funding. Why the Saudis have electric buses.  There's a new record size for off-shore wind turbines and it's 16 megawatts. Ebike subsidies expand across the United States. GM dealerships are repairing Teslas. Will they also fix James's LEAF? Buy us a cup of coffee with PayPal Donate! Thanks for listening to our show! Consider rating The Clean Energy Show on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you listen to our show. Follow us on TikTok! @cleanenergypod Check out our YouTube Channel! @CleanEnergyShow Follow us on Twitter! @CleanEnergyPod Your hosts: James Whittingham https://twitter.com/jewhittingham Brian Stockton: https://twitter.com/brianstockton Email us at cleanenergyshow@gmail.com Leave us an online voicemail at http://speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow   Transcript Hello, and welcome to episode 141 of the Clean Energy Show. I'm Brian Stockton. I'm James Whittingham. I finally come clean this week about a secret I've been keeping for two months. And, no, I'm not pregnant. And, yes, I would make an excellent mother. The city of Houston is under a boil water advisory. Because of power outages. Everything is bigger in Texas, including grid problems. The Tesla semi completed a 500 miles journey with a load weighing 81 £0, or roughly half the weight of Elon Musk's eagle. The upcoming Sewell Sea nuclear power plant in the UK was in need of funding. Ultrawealthy prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stepped in with a cash infusion. Oh, wait, I'm being told it's taxpayer money. He's not an idiot. All that and hopefully borrow this edition of the Clean Energy Show. Brian I'm sweating like a hog and I'll tell you why. Yes, I'm not a sick. I was shoveling the driveway because it blew in. And before the show, I frantically tracked down a plug in electric snow blower. My partner was coming home for lunch and I said, can you swing by the Walmart because there's one left. It was like $100 less than if I made this decision a few days ago. I would have had all the Cyber Monday Friday deals, but I missed out on that. But I found one with specs that was really good. Now, I've got a battery operated snow shovel. Not cutting it. What's going to happen now is we're going to get trace amounts of snow for the next five years, but I say, fine, it's worth spending the money for that to happen, because it's worth it. We've been snowed in and my partner had to park on the street and the driveway was daunting. So I quickly assembled it at lunchtime. While you were having your happy nap. Yeah. And I went out there with a short extension cord and did what I could. And now I'm sweating like a crazy. I'm soaked in sweat because my heart was going maximum, which doesn't take much these days, but when you're doing anything clearing snow, it gets the heart rate going, unfortunately. So, like a plug in kind rather than battery operated, I guess, is a lot cheaper. It is cheaper. I did splurge, though, and get pretty much the most powerful one you can get. It's about 14 amps. You can get a 15 amp one, but then you have problems with your extension cords overheating and blowing breakers and things. It's kind of the maximum that it will handle on an ongoing basis. But I went out there with, I would say, a 15 inch drift and went right through it like it does a foot of snow. But it will go under the drift and it will still keep going under the drift and you just go over it a second time. So, yeah, I'm happy with it. Those are a pain in the ass. I've had them before because the extension cord but I knew that I wanted power, and this was a bigger unit, and it was a couple of couldn't really afford it, but I said, man, because we got to clean the sidewalks this year by city by law. By city by law. Yeah. Well, just a quick update. Last week I was complaining about GoComics.com, this website I go to every day to read daily comic strip. It was down for a full five days and finally came back online. They offered no explanation of exactly what happened. It was supposedly a cyber security issue, which I had read on another website. But anyway, our long nightmare is over. It's back. And coincidentally, this week on Saturday, it was Charles Schultz's, what would have been his 100th birthday, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, the legend of newspaper comic strips. It was his 100th birthday, so a lot of the comic strips had special tributes to him on Saturday. So that was a lot of fun to read. All the cartoonists got together and decided to do that. And then the last thing, comic strips do you remember the soap opera comic strips when you were a kid? There were only a couple of comic strips that were not funny. Yeah. Give me an example of one, can you? Well, there's two main ones. Mary worth. Okay. And Rex Morgan, MD. And these trips have both been around for, like, 100 years by this point. Anyway, I started reading them a couple of months ago because I was looking for new, exciting things to follow, and I'd always avoided them like the plague when I was a kid because it's like, this is ridiculous. There's no joke here. What's the point of this anyway? I've been reading for a couple of months now, and I'm starting to get into it. It's kind of fun. A bit speechless here. You're reading soap opera comic strips after resisting them your whole life. My whole life. I mean, I thought, is it a gossipy? Pleasure, man, what's going on here? Yes. I don't know. I just like comic strips, and there's not enough good ones, so I just been looking to expand my horizons. What happened to the creators? Did their kids take over? I mean, if these are 100 years old yeah, often that is the case. I don't think that's the case with Mary. We are Rex Morgan, but yeah, often it's passed on to a son or a daughter or a nephew or a niece or something. I don't know. They've all been around now, a lot of them, for 100 years. I don't know. It's a weird thing. All right, Brian, I've got an announcement to make. I've been hiding something from you for two months. Wow. You and the listeners. Wow. And it is regarding my leaf. Oh, yeah. My leaf has major problems. It happened just before we recorded a show about two months ago, and I was so distraught, I couldn't bring it up, and I couldn't bring it up for two months. I was just so unhappy about it. That's terrible. I don't know how the hell I made it through that episode. But if you could find a very glum James about two months ago trying to struggle through an episode, I guess it's all muscle memory. That's how we've done so many of these shows already. Yeah. And also, it doesn't have to be that good. No, I mean, well, we try. We do try for our listeners, don't we? Every week a good show. Come on. Okay. Now, I know that we have a lot of long time listeners, but we also have a lot of new listeners. And I wanted to just talk about electric cars with you for a little while, about the reliability. And I don't want to just jump into it without talking about what model I have, because it's going to probably be different than what you are considering. Although a friend of ours texted me the other night and was asking me about the Leaf, wanting to buy one. And I said, well, here's what happened, and you can make up your own mind. What had happened is my 2013 Nissan Leaf. Now, remember, this is the first mass produced allelectric car by a car company. They started making them at the end of 2010, and they made them for a couple of years in Japan, and then they opened up a Tennessee factory, and one in the UK as well. Mine comes from Tennessee, and it comes from the United States and was imported into Canada. So there's a few little things like daytime running lights that had to be added, and a bigger washer tank for some reason. It's just one of those weird things just to get up to Canadian standards. So it was imported already. And Quebec, the problems with Quebec, they had just terminated at that time, but they had incentives for used vehicles that lowered the used market for Leafs. And that's how I got one as cheap as I did. It was about $10,000 in change, and that was a pretty good price at the time. But it was a base model, so it was the base model S. It had no cruise control. And just when I started making those models, they put a heat pump in them in the upper trim levels. They had three trim levels. I had the low one, so I didn't even have a fast charger on mine, or a reverse camera. Or there was some things I gave up to get a really cheap one, because everyone was designing the other ones. Had I gotten one that was one of the other trim levels, I would have had a heat pump and a PTC heater. PTC heater is basically like a toaster. Now, these suckers and electric cars heat up fast. They connect rate to the high voltage battery, and it's a heater that gets red hot and air blows through it. So you have instant heat in your car, which is wonderful. And when I preheat my car in the winter time even -40 I'll get into it and it feels like a toaster oven. It just feels hot and dry and completely warm and habitable in there. It's wonderful feeling. If you leave it long enough, it'll melt all the snow that's on the car. Right. And that's what I do. So in the leaf it will preprogram itself. You just give it a departure time and based on the weather and how long it took to get to temperature and previous days, it will add more time. I think up to 2 hours. I'm not sure about that. So I probably abused it and I lost my PTC heater. So I have no heater in the car for two months now. A month ago you were talking about getting your heater replaced under warranty, which I did. Went up to Saskatoon and yeah, they replaced that under warranty and it was the same thing. Your car and I and mine are the same in that sense. That they just have a PTC heater. Later models may have had both or at least a heat pump and yours for more efficiency. Heat pump is like reverse air conditioner if you're new to the show. And it works a lot more because a great deal of power goes into these. I think 5000 watts goes into mine. That's more than the car driving. So your range goes down. So since my heater broke, my winter range is excellent, by the way. It only goes down based on denser or cold air. Do you have a little bonfire going in there or something? No, I eat some beans sometimes before. It's not a great experience. And what I've done, we have an SUV that I thought initially I thought I would just place the SUV for the winter and it's going to be expensive and it'll heat up and it will be, you know, but then even without the damn heater, Brian, I just love that bloody car. Like, I just love it. I just love driving it. I hate getting into the Prius, which is a combustion engine in the wintertime, it's cold anyway, unless your destination is a long ways away or you've warmed it up. That thing takes a while to warm up too. And it's not like an electric car and it just doesn't feel the same as an electric car. And I finally got the wheel bearings fixed, so it was nice and quiet. And I've decided that one of the great things about electric cars is after I had my wheel bearing fixed, because they were very loud, is when you get up to speed in the city, it's almost like you can feel the wind in your hair. Like you could just feel and hear the wind and nothing else. And it's just such an exhilarating feeling to just hear that. And there's something I don't know, just beyond anything a gas car can do. When I looked at yours, was covered under warranty. I found somebody who spent $1200 in Canada, basically, to do it. And the part was about six or $700, $700 for the part. And then they did some labor. Now, in the Leaf, I looked at doing it myself, but it's very complicated. Basically, the whole inside of the car has to be taken apart. And it's a $4,000 job in most cases. Oh, no. I spent ten on the car. I just spent 2100 that I didn't have, fixing the front wheel hubs, which cost way more than they should have because I got screwed by a local shop because there's no Nissan dealer here to fix it. I also need some front suspension work. Now, the car is one month short of ten years old. This is something important because we're talking about electric cars not needing maintenance. And that is true for the most part. And people say, well, it's electric car. Something weird can go wrong in it. Well, I guess this is it. Aside from the battery, which are covered under eight year warranties. Always. Always. You know, there's the charger, I suppose, could go in the car, that there's a built in charger that can wear out over time. I would have to worry about that. I could have some bad battery cells, so you might have to replace some modules at some point. But the cars would have been great. But some people put in diesel heaters. Like, there's a guy in Swift Current who bought a brand new F 150 pickup truck, and he put in a diesel heater so that he wouldn't lose any range. Like, you have a diesel heater in an electric truck? That's right. It's basically this unit that you have to exhaust, and it just kind of burns away. It is crazy. And it's got electronic controls. This is what people are doing. And I don't know, did you ever know somebody who had a really old Volkswagen Beetle? Because I think, like, some of those had a propane heater because the Volkswagen Beetles were air cooled. So you don't get that circulating fluid that you normally use for your heater in your car. So old Beetles had a propane heater, which often apparently also did not work. So, yeah, I knew a guy who had to drive around in the winter and a Beetle scraping the inside of the window because there was no heat. Well, here's what I've done. Okay, first of all, the part, it wouldn't be so bad if I was a Tesla out of warranty. Twelve hundred dollars to go from an unusable car to a usable car. Great. I actually put in a space heater, like the one you have with a cottage into my car on a timer. Like it's a plug into the lighter? No, it plugs into an extension cord. Okay, so you just run an extension cord in there because when I was a kid, my parents had in their car a block heater. A lot of people listening don't know what a block heater is. That is a heater that heats the oil in a car in a very cold climate so that it will turn over, that it's viscous enough to turn over. And we have them in all of our cars here. But yes, my parents also had an interior warmer as well. And you plugged it in with the block heater. Yes, that's what my parents did. Yeah. And so same thing like, you can have your car warm in the morning. I seem to remember it running overnight. Do you remember my parents did that too? Just left both the heater and the interior one plugged in overnight. Yeah, different times. Because it would have been like a thousand watts, probably. Yes, it would have been extremely wasteful. And for what? I don't remember the snow being melted on the windows. That's not something that I remember. Yeah, no, I know somebody who used to do that, lived in an apartment building where the plugins in the parking lot were free. Like you didn't have to pay for the electricity. So I know somebody who did that kept it plugged in all night and all the snow melted on the car just because he didn't have to pay for the electricity. It is warming up to the interior and at least getting it usable. The problem is you have to run some air on the window to defog it at the lowest setting. And if it's cold out, that feels really bad because we're talking what temperatures have we had here? Minus ten celsius -20, and it's going to get colder. It's going to be high -20 in a few days. I was hoping for a naturally warm winter and a lottery ticket win. A couple of things that I was hoping for. And if I got it fixed, I would have to ship the car all the way up to a city called Prince Albert, which is the closest Nissan dealer that is certified to do electrical work. So basically when people do these fixes, they take out the front car seats and all the dash and they have to unplug the high voltage system underneath the car. And there's also this fuse that is hard to get at, that always blows. I confirmed it because I have sort of the computer connection to my phone app and it has the right error codes on there so that the heater is seen on the phone. Now, I knew this was something that I worried about because I've seen it with other people. I've seen it online a few times, but now that I'm really looking, I haven't seen it that much at all. Like, there's a few references to it and there's people saying, well, it was bad welding and there should be a class action suit but there really isn't that many people. I think a lot of people actually had them done under warranty because I'm only a couple of years off the warranty actually. Well that's not true. I don't know if this would have qualified for that, but a lot of the high voltage stuff did and the battery and stuff like that. So I'm very depressed Brian, because and I haven't even told my partner yet. My kids know, my partner does not. She just thinks I spilled something in the car and I've got a heater going in there. I'm just so ashamed of myself because I'm an electric car advocate. I've been telling everybody they don't break down and I put my family at risk of this and now we don't have a car that's working. So I drive my kid to school, it's a ten minute drive. She doesn't complain. Well, I don't know if this makes you feel any better and you've certainly told me this as well, like you crunched the numbers when you bought that car and it's basically probably already paid for itself. If you think of all the fuel that you've saved, that was on all numbers, that was before gas went up. Before gas went up. So first of all, the car has been free so far? Basically, yes. Another way I could look at it is that these things are selling for 6000 more than I paid for it. Yeah, prices are up since when you bought it, so there's that incentive to fix it and not feel so bad about it or sell it to somebody in the summer. No, well, I would never do that. Never. That would be awful. Well, now that the evidence is out there by the way, you can't here's a tip for your kids out there. If you buy an electric car in the summer that's used check the heater just because you want to make sure it works. Now, if I had one of those models that wasn't the base model I would have had in my case a heat pump and a PTC heater. Yeah. So the heat pump, I don't know what they work efficiently at in a leaf. It might only be -15, or something like that. And it gets much colder where we are. But I would have had some heat and I could've preheated it for a couple of hours and it would have got somewhat comfortable in there, you know, and that would have been fine. Maybe not on every day, but most of our winter days aren't necessarily brutal. Hopefully it would work out, I don't know. Warm days are only five months away. Shut up, shut up, shut up. It can't be that long. There's heated seats and front and back in the Prius or in the Prius and the leaf that helps. There's a heated steering wheel. That's great. Now I've ordered off of Amazon for $30 a dinky little electric cigarette lighter, heated defroster. So I will see how that works. Is going to come in a couple of days. I'll tell you next week if it does anything. I had one many years ago when I was a teenager because my rear defrost didn't work my $300 car. So I bought one at the hardware store, and I think it sort of did something. So it's a little portable heater, like just 100 watts or something. Just a cheap yes, about 100 watts. But hopefully it will be better than just blowing cold air as far as the feeling of it. But we'll see how I survive. Actual really cold temperatures that are coming up this week, I may not you know how teenage girls dress for school? My daughter doesn't dress very warm to get her into school and even with the car, not have producing heat and try to convince her to put things on so she doesn't get hypothermia. But on the bright side, Brian, I'm feeling better. Yeah, well, like we were talking about last week, we sometimes don't dress for the climate anymore because we're just used to going from one warm environment to another warm environment. I don't have a lot of stuff this week because Twitter has gone haywire, and I get a lot of my information from climate people and various activists on Twitter. They've all left for mastodon and other places. Like, they're all completely gone, and I hope they come back. But there's talk of Tesla shareholders getting upset with Musk doing what he's doing because that seems to be affecting the Tesla stock. Just the fact that he had to sell a bunch to buy that social media platform is a little crazy. Anyway, I'm on the Chevy Voltage group. I thought it was interesting. Every now and again I see an interesting story that really talks about the economics of electric cars. We talked about how mine for $10,000 covered the gas and my SUV. That would have been five years of gas. And that's just incredible. And plus, you're saving the environment a little bit too. Obviously, it's a lot more pleasurable too, but so somebody's paying $520 for a Chevy bolt. This is one of the cheapest EVs. You can buy the monthly payment for five years with no money down or anything like that. And he's saying that he saved 175 gallons of gas, and at $4 a gallon, minus $60 a month increase in electricity, he's saving $580 a month. Both has over two months. Over two months. It's like getting a car for very little money, and it will basically pay for itself in eight to ten years. So in his case, he's buying a brand new car and getting it free after eight to ten years. The more you drive, the better deal it is. Yeah, that's for sure. And as they come down in price, this is going to be more and more things especially if you're dealing with fleets that do a lot of driving. And free is one thing, but you're still saving you're still saving over a gas car. So that's something. The New York Times had an interesting piece about how the Saudis are trying to keep gas alive. And one of the ways that they're doing it is they're buying a whole bunch of EVs and Ebuses for Saudi Arabia so that they can get this burn less gas. They want to sell the gas to other people. They don't want to waste any of it using it themselves. That's a really good point, doing that. That just struck my craw, like it's stuck in there. Well, there's going to be sort of EV have countries and EV have not countries and yeah, that's keep selling them your oil, I guess. So the Texas grid, what's going on there? Yeah, we talked about that occasionally. Texas in the US. Has its own electricity grid that tends to be cut off from the rest of the country. And they've had problems lately and I just thought this was an interesting problem there's currently, and it should be ending today, but a boil watery advisory in the city of Houston, which is a massive city for the whole city. For the whole city. And so school has been canceled. Yeah, that's first nation reserve up north kind of territory, or small town at least. And it's because they had power outages at their water filtration system when the power goes out and they were supposed to have power backup and for some reason it didn't work. But the water pressure drops within the filtration plant and once the water pressure drops down past a certain amount, they basically have to put out a boil water advisory so it's entirely possible the water is still safe to drink. It's a precautionary thing. It's a precautionary thing. And they need to let it go for a couple of days, test the water again. And they will probably lift the boil water advisory today. But I just thought it was interesting because it's just one of those things where we don't think about necessarily in terms of the grid, why it's important to have a reliable grid. And this is just one of those instances where a bad grid with frequent power outages can lead to things like a boil water advisory for a massive city like Houston. These are things that I worry about with armageddon scenarios. If there's some sort of war or something, we really need to have our water because we don't have a well in our backyard. And I'm not currently collecting rainwater. You're talking about doing that at the new cottage. But I guess we could melt some snow during the winter. Oh, yeah, not the yellow. I'll just blow it into a big pile of my new snow blower and melt it. Melt it with what, though, right? I have to collect firewood on the prairies. That's no fun. Burned gopher carcasses or something like that, I thought. I would also mention these two Chinese companies announced that the production of the largest offshore wind turbine to date has been announced. Because this is something we talked about before, so I thought I'd bring it up again. You love a big turbine. I do love my turbines to be setting records, Brian. And we knew that this would be broken because there was rumors of it. The previous record is 14 MW. This is something that can power a house for two days with one rotation of the blade. One little rotation can power your home and your family for two days, and now they've gone up to 16. There's two companies in China that have developed 16 MW. It's interesting to watch when professionals have discussions online about what the theoretical limit is. But a lot of times in the clean energy space, people think that nothing can go any further, and it does. There's always some sort of development or some sort of technique. Some of it is just a placement where you place it. They have better modeling now than they used to 20 years ago. The groups on November 24 showed off the turbine factory in Fujian Province. And the turbine has a 252 meters rotor diameter with 50,000 meters sweep area. That is a large sweep area. If you want to compare sweep areas, it's a large 146 meters. The hub of it, the middle, the turning point, 146 meters. One and a half football fields off the ground. And I saw another wind turbine blade on the highway the other day, which is always an amazing sight to see. Those checks right here. Blades? Yeah, it was heading towards Moose Jaw. That's interesting. I wonder where from, because that's kind of where it was going. Not sure. That is actually the biggest restriction on this wind turbine size, is that you physically can't turn corners on any sort of roads with those wind turbines. It was right here you saw when I saw one of Colorado was amazing. It was just blocks long, and it's just, you know, the largest man made item I think I've ever seen up close. It was like looking at a massive rocket or something. Okay, so I've got a great story here from Hannah Ritchie, who is the head of research at Our World in Data. And she is still on Twitter, and I would recommend following her. She's a great follow on Twitter, amazing information. So she's the head of research at Our World in Data. Fabulous website that just collects all kinds of data and presents it in website form. A lot of people have been going there through the COVID pandemic because it's a great place to go for sort of COVID statistics and stuff like that. So she wrote this amazing article at Wired magazine, and it's about processed foods. Every once in a while, people stop me on the street. And they say, hey, are you the guy from the Clean energy show? Why are you promoting processed foods all the time? Go on. The idea of processed food, it just has a really bad rap. We all know, I think, that we should eat raw vegetables from the garden or whatever, and processed foods can be bad. It turns out that there's sort of two categories. There's processed foods and then there's ultraprocessed foods. There's literally two categories to describe them based on how much processing. It's just a massive oversimplification. And this fantastic article summarizes everything, and it's things that we basically kind of talked about on the show before, but I just thought the article was great because it really explains it really nicely. One example of a good instance of processed food would be iodised salt. So iodine is a thing that we all need in our bodies. And iodine deficiencies used to be a really common problem around the world, and increased risk of stillbirth and miscarriages reductions in IQ from lack of iodine. That's why I'm so smart. All the processed foods I've been eating, all that. Yeah. So reduce cognitive development. But many years ago, we started adding iodine to salt. So most salt is iodized, and this kind of fixes that problem. But it's really the ultra processed foods that tend to be the problems, like, you know, snack foods like Twinkies and stuff like that. So where would we get iodised salt in nature to keep us healthy before? I'm not sure where that even comes from. Yeah, presumably our meat paleolithic cells were eating the right roots and vegetables or whatever. I'm not sure it's the ultra processed foods that we really should be railing against. Technically, something like Beyond Meat is ultra processed, but it's not that simple. It's just an oversimplification to say it's bad because it's processed well. So when I think of processed foods, Brian, I think of losing the nutritional value because of the way it's processed. I think of added salts, and I think of added sugars. That's a very common thing, too. And spaghetti sauce. And practically everything has sugar that doesn't need it. No. And as you said on the show many times before, it's not intended to be health food. Like Beyond Meat is not intended to be health food. It's intended to be a substitute for meat. So ground beef. So what you really need to compare it against is ground beef. So when you do that, meat substitutes tend to be lower in calories, lower in saturated fat, and higher fat fiber. Yes. Really? Because I thought some of the criticism of these Beyond Meat and what's the other one called? What's the other one called? Yes. Impossible Burger. Impossible Burger. That they were worse than regular meat. Or maybe that's the beef industry saying that it could all be tweaked. I mean, it can be whatever you want it to be. We're still early stages here, right? I mean, we're still developing stages. If people are saying, oh, this tastes like crap, well, then they can add in more fat. They can add in more sugar or whatever. So meat substitutes lower in calories and saturated fat and higher in fiber, which is good to their detriment. Some are lower in protein and often contain lower quality protein, meaning they contain less of the essential amino acids that we need. I didn't know there were different levels of protein. That's something new for me. Yeah. When it comes to sodium, it's sort of a mixed bag substitute. Burgers tend to be comparable to meat. When it comes to sodium, the substitute sausages have less salt than their pork equivalents. A lot of these substitute products are now fortified with B Twelve, iron and calcium, which is something you're not necessarily going to get from the meat. The Impossible burger has more B Twelve and iron than beef does. Really many plant based milks are fortified as well. So on balance, they're probably a bit better for your health than the meat equivalent. And I see this as just the beginning because we talk about the concept of food software that you can program the food that you're going to be making with precision. Fermentation in the future will be inventing new foods that have protein in them and different tastes and different flavors that don't necessarily come from an animal or plant. Or we can just tweak the things that are mimicking what we already eat, but to our taste, to what we like. And chefs, I think a chef 20 years from now could be a bit of a computer programmer and just experimenting with different things, and it could be an interesting world. Well, I've always been fascinated by that. I think I saw, like, a documentary one time about somebody who was a chef at a fast food restaurant, and it's just the idea of that I find interesting. Like somebody has to do, even if it's just regular meat, and somebody has to design that stuff to be then replicated literally billions of times. It's a fascinating sort of thing. It is. And you go to the McDonald's campus and you see they've got all these chefs making a lot of money there. And every time they come up with a new product, I always think of them and I think, you stupid buggers, you really screwed up. You know, I'm very disappointed in this rap that you made. This rap so that teenagers can put it together when they're hungover and use basic ingredients, and it's just crap. All these chefs are making these things that are disappointing and everything that you eat. I was talking to my family about Tim Hortons. What a compromise of a restaurant that is. Yes, everything is bad. Even the donut. It's a donut shop, and they can't even make a decent donut. I don't want to be the old man here, but when I was a kid donuts were pretty damn good. They're a lot better than they are. There no. And even Tim Hortons. It was about 20 years ago, they switched, and they forced all of their franchises to buy basically frozen dough or frozen donuts. Well, they make them in a factory. I've seen the news stories on them. They make them in a centralized factory, and they have baked them. They just finished the baking process and specialized ovens here, which make them somewhat fresh. But they're not a good product, which is not. No, but up until that point, they were made in the restaurants, and they were slightly better. So there's a couple more issues raised from this article. First, the idea that food processing could alleviate malnutrition for billions of people. So meat substitutes are mostly targeted at wealthy consumers. But the implications of a backlash to process food are just as harmful for people with less money. More food processing, not less, could improve health and nutrition in developing countries. So there's a lot of countries that can't afford to eat a lot of meat, and in some ways, that's good. In other ways, it's bad. There are certain things that you lack in your diet, perhaps if you're not eating meat. And some of those things could be added, like iodine to salt could be added into the thing. And plus, there's an appetite for people that they may want to eat more meat in countries where they can't afford it, and this gives them an option that is like that that's similar to meat. If you're new to the podcast, I should tell you that we talk about food on the show because it affects the climate. The new technologies and food are lower. Carbon, like, Impossible Burger is 25 times less carbon per gram than the hamburger. No, the final point from the article is the carbon footprint. I mean, it's absolutely insane how much lower the carbon footprint is from the substitute food than regular meat. The environmental toll can be ten to 100 times lower than beef or lamb, beef being the most carbon intensive. I came across another one the other day. People often complain about almond milk. Milk substitute made of almond because it uses a lot of water, you need tons of water. It's growing in places that doesn't have water. It doesn't have a lot of water. And this is true of the milk substitutes. Almond is the one that uses the most water, but it's like a 10th or 100th of the water needed if you get the milk from a cow. Like, the water needed for the beef industry is insane. So I would have assumed the opposite. Wow. It's not even close. You're saying it's not even close? Well, because I've driven by those almond farms, and you see all the irrigation, and you see the outside the border, it's a desert. So to join them in the desert and you think, wow, this is not a good idea. No, but you see the chart for the carbon footprints, and beef is the most carbon intensive of all of the meats. And one last thing here and again, it's from our World in Data. There was a really nice graph of meat consumption per person around the world. And so, quick quiz. What country do you think eats the most meat per person? My initial response would be the United Kingdom or the United States. It is the United States. Yeah, that's kind of almost a stereotype. It's a stereotype that appears to be true. Argentina eats a lot of meat. Australia eats a lot of meat. So in the US. It's 124 year per person, which is a lot. Canada is now at 82. Lot less in Canada. That was surprising to me. Now, why would that be? We have a lot of agriculture here. We have a lot of land. Why would we I don't know, except I know that anytime I've been to the States and you go to a restaurant and you order a meal in a restaurant, it always seems to be a very large portion of meat. Yeah. Yeah. But there's a wonderful graph there on our World in Data, meats applied per person. This is 2017, so the data is a bit out of date, perhaps. Well, the article is on wired.com and it's called The World Needs Processed Food. I'll put a link to it in our show notes, and you can check it out there. So the Tesla semi, according to a tweet by the CEO of Tesla, did its 500 miles trip with a full load. Now, Tesla a few years ago announced that it was making a semi allelectric semitruck. The CEO of Nicola, who is now, like, in prison, I remember reading his tweets. He was really upset that this was against the law of physics. There's no way you could carry an 18,000 pound load, which is kind of like the load that you want to carry. The Tesla semi carry this 18,000 pound load 81,000 pardon me, 81,000 for 500 miles, which is, Bill Gates said, not possible. I don't know why these people say these things, Brian. Why do they doubt us? Why do they put themselves on the record saying it's not possible? Now, lots of people said that at the time that the Tesla announcement was suspicious because people didn't think it was possible. But it's been so long since they made that announcement that battery density, the energy density, the more you can get more energy in the same weight of battery and volume than you could back then, it tends to improve by something like 18% a year. But we're kind of there now, and it sounds well, we'll know in a couple of days, right? Because on December 1 of having an event. Yeah, but apparently they've done it, and they've decided that he's invited Bill Gates to come have a ride. And, you know, I was thinking that would be a fun thing to own. And I know a lot of Tesla fanatics are actually got orders in for the semi just to have other driveway, some YouTube channels, which will be fun. Yeah, definitely fun if they buy one and drive it around because they're fast without a load. They're just really fast and quiet and tall and just such a weird thing for somebody to own. And probably not that much more expensive than some of the highly spec pickup trucks that are out there for $120,000, be a couple of hundred thousand dollars, it sounds like. But yeah, we'll learn more on December 1. And looking to learn more about the charging speeds and the infrastructure and stuff. Yeah, we'll learn how they plan to do it. But it sounds like this is for real now. If it is for real, this is a big deal because there's lots of people making electric semis, but they're making them for shorter scenarios, okay? They don't have the battery technology or the efficiency that Tesla has with their motors, their inverters, and the way that they have their batteries. And plus they've just done pretty serious design with the aerodynamics and everything and maximize everything they can get and wait. So we'll see. But this is a game changer. A lot of people are saying the cost per mile is going to be significantly lower enough that it will pull triggers on a lot of people will pull triggers on it right away once they see the difference in the cost per mile. So it's very interesting. Just as your Nissan Leaf basically paid for itself with the gasoline savings, these will pay for themselves with the diesel savings. I'd love to have one to pull. You could pull an RV right? There's people talking about that. And I'm sure somebody will make an RV based off the platform. That will probably take a while, but they'll turn one of these units into just a kickass RV, which will it'll have a massive battery, which you can power off the grid and do all kinds of amazing things. Plaster the RV part with the solar panels and charge it up as well. It just seems like a great way to RV because towing is such a pain in the butt. And a Tesla semi or pickup truck, I guess, would do a great job too. Yeah, so from Power Magazine, the UK government steps up as a 50% owner of the 3.2 gigawatt sizewell C nuclear reactors. So they've been building this nuclear reactor for a while, planning it, and guess what? It turned out to be more expensive than they expected. So they really needed the government to step in. And the government has stepped in with a 679,000,000 pound investment that's $815,000,000. So yeah, they're going to own half of it from that. But as we've discussed many times, government really has to own these because they are not profitable for any private industry there, especially by the time these get built. And I hate to go on about nuclear. We tend to bash nuclear every episode or so, but especially by the time this is finished, it will be years from now. Years, as we all know, the cost of solar and batteries, my cars will be cold and dust like so it's already a bad monetary investment now, but that's just going to get worse as time goes on. And we have a story coming up in the lightning round that says that the cost of uranium is really going up. So that's making the economics of all this very it's getting worse, I'm afraid. But yeah, private ownership and investment pardon me, in nuclear, it's not happening because governments have to do it. Then when governments do it, that makes you and I the investor. We're suffering. We're going to waste money because they don't listen to our podcast. If they only listen to our podcast, everyone would be the world would be a better place. And there was a story from Japan, too, on Bloomberg. They're looking to extend the life of their 60 year old nuclear plants, which they were planning to phase out at age 60. And keeping nuclear running that we already have is probably a good idea, but 60 seems a bit pushy. It's kind of pushing it, but they're studying it now to see if it's going to be worthwhile. Okay, well, I have no problem, as long as it's safe of extending nuclear, if that's what it takes. So Electric says that there are more electric bike subsidies coming to the United States. I guess it was in the Inflation Reduction Act, but then it got taken out like there was going to be a killer ebike subsidy that everyone would have got in the states, but that's not there anymore. So individual cities and states have since picked up the slack. They say. Vermont launched the first state incentive program in the US. Denver, Colorado, also launched the very popular ebike rebate program that repeatedly sold out and they had to renew it. New York is now considering its own ebike rebate, and now we can add Oregon to the list. It could become the latest date. They're talking about $200 off an ebike that costs, well, at least $950. But Brian, that would be free. I mean, my math isn't so good, but if all you have to spend is 950 and you get up to 1200 off, I assume if you spent 950, they'd give you 950. Yes, I know, but still, that's a free. That's free. That's what I'm saying. It goes to zero. Free bike. That's crazy. I mean, who wouldn't buy one? I mean, even if you didn't want one, it would be sitting around the house and then the bikes are going to be sold. I don't know. They have to do something about that. They can't do 100% of the purchase, but maybe it's prorated. Maybe somebody in Colorado can tell me the details. But also they would go right up to $700 if it's an electric cargo bike. I think I forgot a friend in Vancouver has an electric cargo bike. Yeah, basically, it's a cargo bike not because you're a courier, but because you're living your life off the thing. So you're getting all your groceries and your snow blowers from Walmart. And by the way, it's going to snow in Vancouver. If you're in Vancouver look good for the snow. It doesn't usually snow there. Electric cargo bikes are going to be huge. Okay, so Ireland and France are going to connect their electricity grids. How is that possible, Brian? Physically, it's with a giant extension cord. Really? Does it go underwater? It goes underwater. So it is a massive cable that is 575 km long. And so this is the first time that France has been connected to a grid in the UK. And it's for sharing power back and forth between Ireland and France. They're just beginning it now, so it will be operational by 2026. It'll be 700. MW can go through the cable, which is enough to power 450,000 households. So, yeah, I'm just always interested in these kind of stories. We need to make our grids smarter and more interconnected to share the power. Ireland and France seems like an odd combination. How did these two hook up? What's going on there? What would their accent be like? No, I'm not sure, but I'm just glad to hear it. Well, it's time for the Tweet of the Week. Well, the Tweet of the week comes from Said Razuk this week, and he says building new solar is three to ten times cheaper than operating existing gas fired power. So you have a gas fired power in a lot of places in the world. It is cheaper, like the United States, southern United States, three to ten times cheaper to build new solar than just to operate the gas. Yes. We're not talking gas this building solar, we're talking building a whole new thing is three to ten times cheaper just than existing gas. So if gas funds were invested in renewables like they're not right at the moment, europe would get rid of gas by 2028. And this is via PV magazine that he quotes data from. Well, it is time for the lighting round. Short one for you this week, Brian. General Motors dealerships have repaired thousands of Tesla electric cars, says GM, and it's annual Investor Day presentation. I have not heard this before, but apparently people are taking their Teslas to GM dealership. Maybe I could take my Leaf to the GM because they fixed. Screw you, Nissan. I'll just take it to the GM dealership. Yeah, that might work. I mean, if you could take a Tesla, why couldn't you take a Nissan? Yeah, no, that's the first time I've heard of this. First booked on Barons. A slide in the presentation simply reads eleven 180 repairs and Teslas, but they did not elaborate. So GM Volvo say that EVs won't cost more than gas vehicles by 2025. Both automakers see the Inflation Reduction Act as a key for achieving price parity by middecade, despite recent supply chain challenges. So that's good news. If true, the UK government will bolster a proposed OK, that's something we already talked about, so I'm going to skip that. It's time for what is it time for? A CES, a clean energy show. Fast fact. The International Atomic Energy Agency said 437 nuclear power reactors were operational throughout the world at the end of 2021. And that has a total net capacity of 389 gigawatts. So it's less than a gigawatt per reactor on average. The agency said 56 additional units were under construction. Some of those are in China, most of those are not other places. And as I said before, uranium prices are on the rise, thus making nuclear even less competitive. And Russia is partially the thing for that. They're raising the prices of gas and oil and also uranium. So we screwed everything up. The Department of Energy is to test rapidly deployable portable wind turbines for military use. I remember once we had on the show a story about the military with rapid deployment of solar panels that would sort of be like a transformer and unfold on a portable truck that would give energy into the field. Well, this is good for disaster relief and military use. So disaster relief and military use. A team of three labs will use remote communities to study the efficacy of turbines designed to fit into 20 foot shipping containers, perhaps towed by a Tesla. Semi clean energy jobs now outnumber jobs in fossil fuels, according to a new IEA report. Now, I'm going to continue to keep my eye open for reports like this and studies, because it seems like we are at the point now where the transition is happening, where the clean energy jobs are way overtaking fossil fuel jobs. So, by the way, France's first offshore wind farm, which is about half a gigawatt, is now fully online. So France has never had an offshore wind farm before. And speaking of offshore wind, our final story this week, before we go, is Denmark is helping India identify 15 offshore wind zones. And apparently India has some sweet wind zones, Brian, and they need electricity. We talked about huge solar developments in India, while offshore wind is next up on the list, and that will be a huge boon for them. Nice. That is our time for this week. It's more than our time. We'd like to hear from you. Please, for God's sake, contact us. Cleanenergy Show@gmail.com. That is our email address. Cleanenergyhow@gmail.com. Anything that's on your mind. Some criticism, some doubts, some things you like, some things that you're doing. Some questions about EV purchases. Let us know. We are on social media at the handle at Clean Energy Pod. And we have a YouTube channel which we have special features on. You can see me looking a bit more sweaty than usual this week. You can leave us a voicemail at speakfight. Comcleenergyow. And now, Brian, you can actually donate to the clean energy show. Buy us a coffee or PTC heater using the PayPal link on our website or in the show notes. If you're new to the show, remember to subscribe. Subscribe on your podcast app. Because our new shows, they come every week. Because we're machines. We're clean Energy machines, and we're here every week. We'll see you next time, Brian. you.

Quilling is the ancient art of paper rolling.  Quilling Mistress and painter, Josie Jenkins,, tells me I have it ALL WRONG when trying to 'quill' two bags from my Chinese collection:Kimchi and Lay's Kyushu SeaweedJosie's Quilling site:  https://josiejenkinsquilling.wordpress.com/about-josie/Josie's Painting and Project site:  http://www.josiejenkins.co.ukWe met as resident artists at the Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen, Fujian Province, PRC.  Josie was with me when I collected several of the bags from my collection.  She paints landfills, scrap heaps, and garbage, and works with hoarders!  She loves people and chaos/order Subscribe to Memory Chips podcast on any of your podcast platforms! https://pod.link/1588265708

Ashley Keiko is an up and coming saxophonist, composer, singer/songwriter and entrepreneur who has studied classical piano, alto saxophone, and has taught music for many years. Ashley has performed at major venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York City and Wollongong University in Australia. She has also performed for Steve Harvey, on the nationally syndicated TV game show, Family Feud. Ashley's performance experience includes participation as lead saxophonist for the York College Blue Notes and for venues such as Minton's Playhouse in Harlem and Live at the Gantries. Her debut album, “Pursuit of Harmony”, was released in November of 2020, which features Ashley's originals and covers of classics, while displaying her smooth jazz saxophone tones across genres of hip hop, R&B, pop, and gospel. The album also features Ashley's newly debuted soothing and serene vocals. Ashley received her Masters in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. While at Columbia University, Ashley also studied abroad at The Arts College at Xiamen University, Fujian Province, China, where she practiced music and reflected on the ways in which culture, language, and the arts intersect in a trans-cultural world. Prior to her graduate coursework and study abroad, she received her Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance at School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School. Alongside her roles as performer, music educator and music advocate, Ashley expanded her music academy, Keiko Studios, in January 2018 with the grand opening of a store front location that caters to adults and children who aim to explore the importance of music and music expression. Ashley's academy supports communities where opportunities for music education are limited. Since the opening, the academy has been featured on Now This News and has been recognized by both of Ashley's alma maters. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mastermine-mrg/message

How is the world going to get to net zero by 2050 and who is paying the bill? Former governor of the Bank of England, and UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, Mark Carney, recently put the figure we need to spend at 100 trillion dollars at least. Switching to renewable sources of energy, needs the global financial markets to pay for the necessary infrastructure. Costs will come down as the technology improves; take the example of solar panels where the last two decades have seen an astounding 96% drop, from 10 dollars a watt to 25 cents. Allan Little investigates innovate companies investing in green energy; direct air carbon capture technology and a plant producing the greenest aluminium in the world thanks to geothermal power. But the road to net zero is fragile, and vulnerable to geopolitical events. Every solution to global warming has an impact and unintended consequences. What is the real cost of getting to net zero? Presenter: Allan Little Producer: Anna Horsbrugh-Porter Editor: Susan Marling A Just Radio production for BBC World Service (Photo: Solar power plant, in Fujian Province, China. Credit: Getty Images)

It was a humble leaf that helped connect the Eurasian continent and opened the door to commercial trade and cultural exchanges between civilizations. This is the tale of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tea Road.With an entire span of over 13,000 kilometers, the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tea Road stretches all the way from Wuyi Mountain in southeast China's Fujian Province, via Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, to Kyakhta in Russia, and then extends further into central Asia and Europe.As another important trade route connecting ancient China and Europe, after the decline of the Silk Road, the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tea Road exerted its own influence on the world. One example of this is that the pronunciations of the word “tea” in various languages, all derive from ancient Chinese dialects.

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Country. State. Nation. English has three different words for three closely related but distinct concepts. Chinese makes do with a single character, 國, pronounced "guo."And historically "guo" has been applied to very different entities: The various Warring States were called "guo," as were fiefdoms and duchies contained within the empire, as were distant foreign countries like Persia.Moreover, particularly in connection with the controversial contemporary question of what is and isn't part of China, it's worth remembering that large swathes of what is now considered China were for centuries their own "guo" of one sort or another. The ancient kingdom of Minyue, for example, occupied more or less present Fujian Province for centuries. And even now memories of its past independence remain as folklore.

Dong Gong, founder and Design Principal of Vector Architects, Beijing-based firm, one of the most interesting and authoritative figures among Chinese architects, globally applauded with important recognitions, is our guest in this podcast. After his Bachelor's and Master's at the Tsinghua University, he spent about seven years in US, for another Master of Architecture at the University of Illinois and working at the offices of Richard Meier and Steven Holl in New York. Practicing architect and academic educator, he has seen his extremely brilliant career acknowledged by prestigious local and international rewards. Elected as the Foreign Member of French Academy of Architecture in 2019, appointed as the Plym Distinguished Visiting Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Visiting Professor of Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, he has been teaching design studios at Tsinghua University and Central Academy of Fine Arts since 2014. Guest speaker and critic at prominent academic and professional institutions around the world, he has been invited to various major exhibitions, including the first Chinese architecture exhibition at MoMA New York; the 2018 “FREESPACE” Venice Biennale. The firm has been awarded the “RIBA International Awards for Excellence” for two projects in the same year, 2021, “100+ Best Architecture Firms” selected by Domus (2019), nominated for the Swiss Architectural Award (2018); overall winner of“Archmarathon Awards” in 2016; and “Design Vanguard” selected by Architectural Record (2014) and the projects, collected as a monograph in the renowned architectural journal AV Monographs, have been widely published in Casabella, Arquitectura Viva, The New York Times, A+U, Detail, The Architectural Review, L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, Lotus, Domus and many others. Opportunity of the conversation is offered by the current exhibition at the MoMa, N.Y, dedicated to the new generation of independent Chinese architects Dong Gong belongs to, deepening the passionate commitment he has always demonstrated towards resource-consciousness and awareness of social and cultural traditional values, leading his own practice working independently from state-run design institutes. We dwell on his architecture of deceleration and more contemplation, against a too fast urbanisation that a decade ago has dramatically transformed a vernacular, familiar context into a generic, unemotional and alien environment and on the respectful attempt of his interventions seeking to guarantee continuity with the past, offering emotionally involving experiences for the people.Urban and natural landscapes have demonstrated his innate and attentive sensibility decoding and deciphering the energies of multiple, diverse sites: Suochengli Neighborhood Library, a regenerative intervention related to a typical Chinese courtyard-block, in the historical district of Yantai, a port city in northern China, is an evident testimony of revitalization, based on a brilliant dialogue reactivated between past and present. The Captain's House, famous, award-winning work related to a house that sit on the rocks, on a cliff by the sea, on the Peninsula of Beijiao Village, in Fujian Province, represents another extremely significant intervention that, motivated by the need to address conditions of deterioration of the building, has provided a series of unexpected and unrequested important, valuable additions on an aesthetic-emotional level and from a social point of view. Light is another element that plays a fundamental role in his architecture, often revealing an intense aspiration to break limitations and boundaries as exemplary suggests the small Seashore Chapel, in close contact with the infinity of the ocean or intending to help meditation, relaxation and enjoyment as in the Seashore library.

Vancouver police are looking into organized crime connections in relation to the murder of two Chinese women, one of whom was a leader of a pro-Beijing group with deep ties to China's United Front Work Department (UFWD). On the morning of Feb. 20, Wu Shumin, a 50-year-old businesswoman from China's Fujian Province, was found dead […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone in Fujian Province.

​Zhang Jiaxin, better known as Xiaojia, is a 27-year-old stand-up comedian from the city of Xiamen in Southeast China's Fujian Province. Due to the lack of oxygen to his brain upon birth, he has neurological disorders that caused speech impediments. However, with constant and intensive speech training, Xiaojia can now share his thoughts and observations with his audience fluently.

Chinese mainland reports 49 new COVID-19 cases, with 22 locally-transmitted. The city of Putian, Fujian province, had reported 32 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and 32 local asymptomatic carriers, as of 4 pm Sunday, according to local authorities.中国大陆报告了49 例新增新冠肺炎病例，其中本土病例22例。据地方有关部门称，截至周日下午4 点，福建省莆田市报告了 32 例本地确诊的新冠肺炎病例和 32 例本地无症状携带者。 All of the infections were situated in Xianyou county, the city government said at a COVID-19 prevention and control conference on Sunday.周日，福建市政府在疫情防控会议上表示，所有感染病例均来自仙游县。▲ Residents take nucleic acid tests for the novel coronavirus in Xianyou county, Putian city, East China's Fujian province, on Sept 11, 2021. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cnThe town of Fengting, in Xianyou, has been classified as a COVID-19 high-risk area, and three villages in nearby townships have been classified as medium-risk areas, said Hu Guofang, deputy mayor of Putian.莆田市副市长胡国芳说，仙游的丰亭镇已被列为新冠肺炎疫情高风险区，附近乡镇的三个村庄也已被列为中风险区。The first two cases in the outbreak involved two students at a primary school in Xianyou on Friday, found during random testing, which is regularly conducted. The two brothers, and later their parents, tested positive.前两起报告病例为仙游一所小学的两名学生，他们是在定期进行的随机测试中被发现的。 这两兄弟，以及后来他们的父母，检测结果呈阳性。Since the virus reemerged on Friday, local authorities have conducted extensive nucleic acid testing. All patients with confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers are in stable condition, Hu said.自从周五病毒重新出现以来，地方当局已经开展了大规模核酸检测。胡国芳说，所有确诊病例和无症状病毒携带者目前情况稳定。According to Fujian's Quanzhou health commission, one locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 case and one asymptomatic carrier were reported in the city on Saturday. The cases were related to those reported in Putian. Quanzhou and Putian are neighboring cities.据福建泉州卫生委员会称，周六该市报告了 1例本地确诊病例和1例无症状携带者。 这些病例与莆田报道的病例有关。泉州和莆田是相邻的城市。▲ Residents take nucleic acid tests for the novel coronavirus at the Putian SOS Children's Village in Putian, East China's Fujian province, on Sept 11, 2021. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cnYin Li, Party secretary of Fujian province, said at a news conference on Saturday that the outbreak situation is severe and complex.福建省委书记尹力周六在新闻发布会上表示，疫情形势严峻复杂。He called for resolute scientific measures and swift action to contain the virus as soon as possible.他呼吁坚决采取科学措施和迅速行动，以尽快控制病毒。A working group led by Li Bin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, arrived in Putian on Saturday night to guide the COVID-19 prevention and control work.由国家卫健委副部长李斌领导的工作组于周六晚抵达莆田，指导疫情防控工作。All kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and tutoring institutions in Putian were to suspend in-person teaching starting Monday, the Putian education bureau said on Sunday.莆田市教育局周日表示，莆田市所有幼儿园、中小学和补习机构将从周一开始暂停线下教学。Schools should provide online instruction for students, who are advised to stay at home and not to attend any gatherings, the bureau said.该教育局表示，学校应为学生提供在线教学，建议他们呆在家里，不要参加任何聚会。The Education Department of Fujian Province and the Fujian Provincial Health Commission said in a joint notice on Sunday that schools and universities in the province have been asked to conduct nucleic acid testing on all students and faculty before next Sunday.福建省教育厅、福建省卫健委周日联合发布通知称，要求全省各高校在下周日前对全体师生进行核酸检测。Students and teachers who are in Putian should not return to school, and those who have traveled to Putian since Aug 26 should delay returning to school and start a 14-day health monitoring, the notice said.通知称，在莆田的师生不得返校，8月26日以来去过莆田的学生应推迟返校，并开始14天的健康监测。Putian's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters have advised residents not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary, and anyone who must leave should first have negative nucleic acid testing results within 48 hours of departure, it said in a notice on Sunday.莆田市疫情防控指挥部在周日的通知中说，非绝对必要不要离开该市，任何必须离开的人都应在离开前 48小时内获得核酸检测阴性证明。Operations at indoor venues such as bars, museums and movie theaters have been suspended.酒吧、博物馆和电影院等室内场所已暂停营业。Putian city government officials said at a news conference on Saturday that viral genome sequencing of cases in the outbreak is ongoing and the virus has been preliminarily identified as the highly infectious Delta variant.莆田市政府官员在周六的新闻发布会上表示，本次疫情病例的病毒基因组测序正在进行中，该病毒已初步确定为具有高传染性的德尔塔变异毒株。记者：邹硕 胡美东

Chinese President Xi Jinping has inspected Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province.

Host Adam Anthony Marius Topic - Tea Poem 81. 風炉濃茶必ず釜に水さすと一筋に思ふ人はあやまり furo koicha kanarazu kama ni mizu sasu to hitosuji ni omou hito wa ayamari Koicha at furo adds fresh water to the kama before hot water is taken But form for form’s sake is surely mistaken Information referenced Scotttea blog on the ethics of sourcing tea: https://scotttea.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/sitting-with-discomfort/ Tochū Tea to use as an alternative to matcha: https://www.uedasokochanoyu.com/store/tea-1/toch%C5%AB-caffeine-free/ Enquiries on Korean teas, including malcha: https://www.teaguildinternational.com/ Taiwanese Oolong: https://www.teafromtaiwan.com/ Spill the Tea (Norway): https://spillthetea.no/ Pào Chá (France): https://pao-cha.com/ Adam's recommendations for setting out in the wide world of tea: Korea ◉ Jakseol or 'Sparrow's tongue' green tea used in the Darye, Korean tea ceremony ◉ Malcha, Korean matcha ◉ Puruncha, Korean 'blue tea' or oolong Japan ◉ Tochū 'matcha' is great as an alternative to matcha. Can be used in place of matcha for usucha, used to practice 'koicha' and for late night keiko (caffeine-free) ◉ Mulberry 'matcha' (Japanese: kuwa-cha) discussed in Eisai Myōan's Kissa Yōjōki. Can be used for usucha. South America ◉ Mate from Argentina or Brazil "mate" (ma-té) as an alternative to matcha. Can be used for usucha. China ◉ Pu-erh ◉ Green/Raw Pu-erh ◉ Wu Yi oolongs from Fujian Province e.g. Da Hong Po ◉ Phoenix Mountain oolongs from Guanong Province e.g. Dancong Taiwan ◉ Dong Ding ◉ Alishan  

我于1995年年底在密歇根州立大学（MSU）毕业后，第二年由于大学同班同学在密歇根的森林里聚会，顺道回了一趟母校，此后的二十一年就未再有这样的机会。我的导师今年5月退休，学生们相约在6月初给他举办一次退休晚会，于是我又借机回校了。1990年我准备到美国留学时，MSU并不是第一选择。录取我的学校中我的第一选择是布朗大学。但是那一年教委发布新的留学政策，故意刁难，护照没能及时办下来，布朗大学校方答复不能推迟入学，只好放弃了。给我全额奖学金的还有MSU、匹兹堡大学、塔夫茨大学、纽约州立大学石溪分校，都很通情达理地允许推迟到第二年冬季入学，反而不知道该选择哪一所好。那时候可不像现在可以在网上狂搜一番信息，可资参考的只有申请入学时校方寄来的宣传册，还有一本外文书店影印的、台湾出的美国大学专业排名，里面生化专业的排名MSU居然进了前十名，也不知是谁评的、哪个年代的事。写信向已在匹兹堡大学就读两年的学姐请教，回信也是含糊其辞：这些学校都差不多，去哪一所都不错。2006年，《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）采访我，问我为什么最终选择到MSU，我回答说：“因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。” 现在重返校园，依然觉得校园比风景照更美。本科生已经放假，空荡荡的校园变成了一个大公园。红杉河（Red Cedar River）穿越校园，把校园分成了两半，一边是实验室、教室、宿舍、体育场，一边是行政楼、图书馆、国际中心、活动中心（Union）、书店，河流成了校园生活不可分割的一部分，上学时经常要穿越，从不同的桥梁经过，风光也不同。但我现在看到的风光，和二十多年前看到的并没有什么差别。行政楼前河边草地上，还是一群群野鸭、大雁、松鼠在或坐或躺的学生们之间穿梭、讨食，被养得胖乎乎的。作为学校象征的钟楼、斯巴达人像、图书馆、橄榄球场、篮球馆还是那个样子，我当年工作过的生化大楼，住过的欧文研究生公寓、斯巴达村，玩过的沃顿表演中心、月季园、园艺系展览花园、树木园、森林，消费过的冰淇淋店（有40多种口味）、学生书店、北京快餐、花生酒桶酒吧、塔可钟墨西哥快餐店、麦当劳（和别的麦当劳不同，墙壁涂成了绿色和白色——MSU的代表色），也都还在。中国人口头上爱讲文化传统，中国大学更喜欢乱拜祖宗硬把自己搞成百年老校甚至千年学府，而实际上中国大学对历史传承的重视还远不如美国大学。中国大学的校园，几年不去就面貌全非了，不能像现在这样，走在熟悉的道路上，看着熟悉的景象，仿佛回到了二十多年前，不至于让自己成为陌生人。变化当然也有。最大的变化是新建了一个现代美术馆，回旋加速器也正在大幅度扩建。还有一些小的变化，例如生化系改叫了生化与分子生物学系，系里的教授只有几个还认识，原来的实验室也早已易主——不过实验室里我使用过的实验台、通风橱、黑板，甚至挂钟，都还没换。我正在当年日夜奋战的实验台前感慨，在实验室里干活的一个中国留学生认出我来，过来和“师兄”合影，其实我们并非一个导师，而且相差一代了。我们这一代留学生初到美国时感受到的巨大反差，是现在的留学生难以理解的。首先是财务的自由。说一个学生有财务自由似乎很可笑，但是要知道我在国内上大学时父母一个月给的生活费是40～80元人民币（刚入学时是40元，毕业时因物价上涨也跟着涨到80元人民币），每一顿饭菜都要精打细算，而MSU给的奖学金扣除了学费后，一个月拿到手还有一千美元，这百倍的差距，让人顿时有了成为大富豪的幻觉，至少生活有了基本保障，不用再担心吃了这顿没下顿了。由于中美有税法协议，中国留学生的奖学金不用交所得税，手头比美国学生还宽裕。其次是思想的自由。国内上学时前三年要上政治课，虽然大部分都逃掉了，但是考试是逃不掉的，而每周半天的政治学习也是逃不了的。毕业那年因情况特殊更是集中学习、检讨、交代思想根源。到了美国，自然没有人要控制你的思想、言论。在MSU读书期间互联网兴起，我开始在网上发言、建网站，从不用担心会被FBI请喝茶。第三是生活的自由。单身一人在海外，没有养家糊口的压力，没有七大姑八大姨的骚扰，学校里的人际关系简单，特别是在一个只有几个人的小实验室，没有竞争，其乐融融。博士生课程轻松，大部分时间都泡在实验室，而且可以自己安排作息，中午才去实验室，待到半夜离开，生化实验通常有两三小时等待时间，还可乘机去图书馆翻阅藏书、学校电影院看电影、沃顿中心听音乐会，日子过得逍遥自在。有这三大自由，所以我认为在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。当然这段时光并不是用来享受的。我的学术训练在那5年开始和完成。在导师退休晚会上，每个学生送给导师一段话，我写的是：“我刚到美国的时候，虽然毕业于中国一所顶尖大学，但对科学的性质几乎一无所知。是扎克言传身教地教我什么是科学和怎么做研究。帮助中国公众理解科学现在成了我的工作，因此在美国一个实验室点燃的火炬已传到了中国。扎克是一个激励人心的导师！”（When I came to the US, although graduating from a top university of China, I knew little about the nature of science. It was Zach that taught me what science is and how research works, both by his words and actions. Now it has become my job to help the Chinese public to understand science, so the torch, ignited in an American lab, has been passed to China. Zach is such an inspiring mentor!） 这么说并非夸张。在中国科技大学的五年，在课堂上学了很多科学知识，受到了数理思维训练，所以我们戏称之为南七技校（南七是中国科大所在的地名），但并没有受到科学方法、科学思想、科学精神的教育和训练，反而受到了伪科学思潮的影响。上世纪80年代中国社会、中国高校普遍迷信“特异功能”，中国科大是重灾区：不少教师、包括著名教授沉迷于研究特异功能，有一届的全国特异功能大会就是在中国科大召开的；校园里常有“大师”来办班教气功，甚至还在大礼堂做“带功报告”，把台下众多师生催眠得手舞足蹈。在这样的氛围中，我在低年级时也是很相信特异功能、气功的，到高年级时不信了，成了少数的怀疑派，那也是自学的结果（主要是看了国外一些科学哲学著作和否定神秘现象的研究），跟学校教育没有关系。现在国内高校的情形要比当时好，但也未必有根本的改观。在我离开中国科大以后，那里还出了一个信佛的校长，宣扬量子力学验证了佛学，其名言是：“科学家千辛万苦爬到山顶时，佛学大师已经在此等候多时了！”这几天这个前校长又在讲“禅定”、“体验真气”、“打通中脉”、“神经元细胞每分钟更换一百万个”，有这种反科学的科技大学校长，怎么指望学生懂科学呢？ 我到了美国以后，从导师那里学会了怎么设计对照实验、控制实验变量、分析实验结果、提出假说和模型，才对科学、科研的实质有了深刻的理解和切身的体验；每周一次的实验室会议，更是一次批判性思维锻炼。这就是小实验室的好处，几乎天天与导师有交流、受熏陶，有时他甚至还手把手教我做实验。系里每周还有一次报告会，主要是请校外教授来讲，在开阔眼界的同时，也体会到了在国内难以想像的学术自由和平等。偶尔会有诺贝尔奖获得者到系里做报告，从没觉得他们高高在上，他们讲完了一样有听众举手提出疑问。不像现在，经常见到国外诺贝尔奖获得者成群结队去中国大学捞钱，享受着师生们天神般的崇拜。 我以前曾经说过，中国大学现在像公司，我们那个时候则像集中营。在集中营里生活，和朝夕相处的同学们有感情，对学校则没有，从没想过要特地回去看看，去了也只会觉得那是个陌生的地方。美国大学则是象牙塔，在走向社会，饱经沧桑之后，象牙塔里的生活更让人怀念，虽然那种纯洁的日子已一去不复返，在心中却显得越来越神圣。 2017.6.9. 附：2006年《MSU校友杂志》的采访 斯巴达人简介（注：斯巴达人为密歇根州立大学象征） 方是民：学术道德警察 《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）2006年秋季刊 中国高等教育已被伪科学、造假和不端行为所困扰，直到有一位密歇根州立大学（MSU）校友决定对此做一点事情。2000年，在圣地亚哥生活的1995年博士方是民开始在其有关中国文化和文学的网站新语丝上揭露肇事者。这个网站逐渐成为了为学术道德而战的旗舰，并受到媒体的广泛报道，其中包括国际期刊《科学》和《自然》。“因为许多中国报刊都上网了，我能够轻易地获得中国的信息，”以方舟子为笔名的方解释说，“我们至今已揭露了500多起案例。我想形势正在好转。”在这些案例中，包括教授伪造履历，窃取别人的研究成果，剽窃文章和书籍，有些还捏造研究成果。起初中国官方对此反应缓慢，反而去屏蔽是民的网站。“但是现在中国政府至少承认确实有问题……并发布了几项规章，”目前在北京担任科学作家和专栏作家的是民评论说。是民出生于福建省沿海小城云霄，毕业于安徽合肥的中国科学技术大学（USTC）。该校当时有个绰号叫“美国培训中心”（United States Training Center），因为其毕业生毕业后将到美国深造。于是，是民选择了MSU，因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。“而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。”他补充说，“MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。我的导师扎卡里·伯顿博士是个好老师、好朋友。”他和同学王朝晖一起在MSU创建了中文诗歌小组。1995年，MSU音乐博士生加里·纳什为是民的一首诗《最后的恋曲》谱曲。“我的朋友罗舒冬在她的毕业演唱会上演唱了这首歌，”是民回忆说，“那是我在MSU最感自豪的一刻。” SPARTAN PROFILESFANG SHI-MIN: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COP Fall 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Higher education in China has been beset by pseudoscience, fraud and misconduct, until an MSU alumnus decided to do something about it. Fang Shi-Min, Ph. D. '95, living in San Diego in 2000, began exposing the offenders in his personal web site about Chinese culture and literature, New Threads (xys.org). The site eventually became the flagship in the fight for academic integrity and received widespread coverage from the media, including the international journals Science and Nature. “I could easily get information from China because many newspapers and magazines were online,” explains Fang, who used the pseudonym Fang Zhouzi. “We have exposed more than 500 cases so far. I think the situation is getting better.” Among them were professors who falsified resumes, who claimed credit for research they did not conduct, who plagiarized articles and books, and in some cases, who faked research. At first Chinese officials were slow to react, choosing instead to block Shi-Ming's web site. “But now, the Chinese government at least admits there are problems . . . and has issued several regulations,” notes Shi-Ming, currently working in Beijing as a science writer and columnist. A native of Yunxiao, a coastal town in Fujian Province, Shi-Ming graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui Province, a school that was nicknamed “United States Training Center” because graduates pursued further degrees in the U.S. Accordingly, Shi-Ming chose MSU because of its strength in molecular and cell biology. “Also, the pictures of campus scenery in the brochures looked very attractive.” He adds,“MSU is an ivory tower to me. My five-year stay at MSU was the best time in my life. My mentor, Dr. Zachary Burton, is a good teacher and friend.” He and fellow student Zhaohui Wang co-founded a Chinese Poetry Group. In 1995, Gary Nash, a doctoral music student at MSU, composed a song based on one of his poems, The Last Love Song. “It was sung by my friend Shudong Luo at her graduation recital,” recalls Shi-Ming.“That's one of my proudest moments at MSU.”

我于1995年年底在密歇根州立大学（MSU）毕业后，第二年由于大学同班同学在密歇根的森林里聚会，顺道回了一趟母校，此后的二十一年就未再有这样的机会。我的导师今年5月退休，学生们相约在6月初给他举办一次退休晚会，于是我又借机回校了。1990年我准备到美国留学时，MSU并不是第一选择。录取我的学校中我的第一选择是布朗大学。但是那一年教委发布新的留学政策，故意刁难，护照没能及时办下来，布朗大学校方答复不能推迟入学，只好放弃了。给我全额奖学金的还有MSU、匹兹堡大学、塔夫茨大学、纽约州立大学石溪分校，都很通情达理地允许推迟到第二年冬季入学，反而不知道该选择哪一所好。那时候可不像现在可以在网上狂搜一番信息，可资参考的只有申请入学时校方寄来的宣传册，还有一本外文书店影印的、台湾出的美国大学专业排名，里面生化专业的排名MSU居然进了前十名，也不知是谁评的、哪个年代的事。写信向已在匹兹堡大学就读两年的学姐请教，回信也是含糊其辞：这些学校都差不多，去哪一所都不错。2006年，《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）采访我，问我为什么最终选择到MSU，我回答说：“因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。” 现在重返校园，依然觉得校园比风景照更美。本科生已经放假，空荡荡的校园变成了一个大公园。红杉河（Red Cedar River）穿越校园，把校园分成了两半，一边是实验室、教室、宿舍、体育场，一边是行政楼、图书馆、国际中心、活动中心（Union）、书店，河流成了校园生活不可分割的一部分，上学时经常要穿越，从不同的桥梁经过，风光也不同。但我现在看到的风光，和二十多年前看到的并没有什么差别。行政楼前河边草地上，还是一群群野鸭、大雁、松鼠在或坐或躺的学生们之间穿梭、讨食，被养得胖乎乎的。作为学校象征的钟楼、斯巴达人像、图书馆、橄榄球场、篮球馆还是那个样子，我当年工作过的生化大楼，住过的欧文研究生公寓、斯巴达村，玩过的沃顿表演中心、月季园、园艺系展览花园、树木园、森林，消费过的冰淇淋店（有40多种口味）、学生书店、北京快餐、花生酒桶酒吧、塔可钟墨西哥快餐店、麦当劳（和别的麦当劳不同，墙壁涂成了绿色和白色——MSU的代表色），也都还在。中国人口头上爱讲文化传统，中国大学更喜欢乱拜祖宗硬把自己搞成百年老校甚至千年学府，而实际上中国大学对历史传承的重视还远不如美国大学。中国大学的校园，几年不去就面貌全非了，不能像现在这样，走在熟悉的道路上，看着熟悉的景象，仿佛回到了二十多年前，不至于让自己成为陌生人。变化当然也有。最大的变化是新建了一个现代美术馆，回旋加速器也正在大幅度扩建。还有一些小的变化，例如生化系改叫了生化与分子生物学系，系里的教授只有几个还认识，原来的实验室也早已易主——不过实验室里我使用过的实验台、通风橱、黑板，甚至挂钟，都还没换。我正在当年日夜奋战的实验台前感慨，在实验室里干活的一个中国留学生认出我来，过来和“师兄”合影，其实我们并非一个导师，而且相差一代了。我们这一代留学生初到美国时感受到的巨大反差，是现在的留学生难以理解的。首先是财务的自由。说一个学生有财务自由似乎很可笑，但是要知道我在国内上大学时父母一个月给的生活费是40～80元人民币（刚入学时是40元，毕业时因物价上涨也跟着涨到80元人民币），每一顿饭菜都要精打细算，而MSU给的奖学金扣除了学费后，一个月拿到手还有一千美元，这百倍的差距，让人顿时有了成为大富豪的幻觉，至少生活有了基本保障，不用再担心吃了这顿没下顿了。由于中美有税法协议，中国留学生的奖学金不用交所得税，手头比美国学生还宽裕。其次是思想的自由。国内上学时前三年要上政治课，虽然大部分都逃掉了，但是考试是逃不掉的，而每周半天的政治学习也是逃不了的。毕业那年因情况特殊更是集中学习、检讨、交代思想根源。到了美国，自然没有人要控制你的思想、言论。在MSU读书期间互联网兴起，我开始在网上发言、建网站，从不用担心会被FBI请喝茶。第三是生活的自由。单身一人在海外，没有养家糊口的压力，没有七大姑八大姨的骚扰，学校里的人际关系简单，特别是在一个只有几个人的小实验室，没有竞争，其乐融融。博士生课程轻松，大部分时间都泡在实验室，而且可以自己安排作息，中午才去实验室，待到半夜离开，生化实验通常有两三小时等待时间，还可乘机去图书馆翻阅藏书、学校电影院看电影、沃顿中心听音乐会，日子过得逍遥自在。有这三大自由，所以我认为在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。当然这段时光并不是用来享受的。我的学术训练在那5年开始和完成。在导师退休晚会上，每个学生送给导师一段话，我写的是：“我刚到美国的时候，虽然毕业于中国一所顶尖大学，但对科学的性质几乎一无所知。是扎克言传身教地教我什么是科学和怎么做研究。帮助中国公众理解科学现在成了我的工作，因此在美国一个实验室点燃的火炬已传到了中国。扎克是一个激励人心的导师！”（When I came to the US, although graduating from a top university of China, I knew little about the nature of science. It was Zach that taught me what science is and how research works, both by his words and actions. Now it has become my job to help the Chinese public to understand science, so the torch, ignited in an American lab, has been passed to China. Zach is such an inspiring mentor!） 这么说并非夸张。在中国科技大学的五年，在课堂上学了很多科学知识，受到了数理思维训练，所以我们戏称之为南七技校（南七是中国科大所在的地名），但并没有受到科学方法、科学思想、科学精神的教育和训练，反而受到了伪科学思潮的影响。上世纪80年代中国社会、中国高校普遍迷信“特异功能”，中国科大是重灾区：不少教师、包括著名教授沉迷于研究特异功能，有一届的全国特异功能大会就是在中国科大召开的；校园里常有“大师”来办班教气功，甚至还在大礼堂做“带功报告”，把台下众多师生催眠得手舞足蹈。在这样的氛围中，我在低年级时也是很相信特异功能、气功的，到高年级时不信了，成了少数的怀疑派，那也是自学的结果（主要是看了国外一些科学哲学著作和否定神秘现象的研究），跟学校教育没有关系。现在国内高校的情形要比当时好，但也未必有根本的改观。在我离开中国科大以后，那里还出了一个信佛的校长，宣扬量子力学验证了佛学，其名言是：“科学家千辛万苦爬到山顶时，佛学大师已经在此等候多时了！”这几天这个前校长又在讲“禅定”、“体验真气”、“打通中脉”、“神经元细胞每分钟更换一百万个”，有这种反科学的科技大学校长，怎么指望学生懂科学呢？ 我到了美国以后，从导师那里学会了怎么设计对照实验、控制实验变量、分析实验结果、提出假说和模型，才对科学、科研的实质有了深刻的理解和切身的体验；每周一次的实验室会议，更是一次批判性思维锻炼。这就是小实验室的好处，几乎天天与导师有交流、受熏陶，有时他甚至还手把手教我做实验。系里每周还有一次报告会，主要是请校外教授来讲，在开阔眼界的同时，也体会到了在国内难以想像的学术自由和平等。偶尔会有诺贝尔奖获得者到系里做报告，从没觉得他们高高在上，他们讲完了一样有听众举手提出疑问。不像现在，经常见到国外诺贝尔奖获得者成群结队去中国大学捞钱，享受着师生们天神般的崇拜。 我以前曾经说过，中国大学现在像公司，我们那个时候则像集中营。在集中营里生活，和朝夕相处的同学们有感情，对学校则没有，从没想过要特地回去看看，去了也只会觉得那是个陌生的地方。美国大学则是象牙塔，在走向社会，饱经沧桑之后，象牙塔里的生活更让人怀念，虽然那种纯洁的日子已一去不复返，在心中却显得越来越神圣。 2017.6.9. 附：2006年《MSU校友杂志》的采访 斯巴达人简介（注：斯巴达人为密歇根州立大学象征） 方是民：学术道德警察 《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）2006年秋季刊 中国高等教育已被伪科学、造假和不端行为所困扰，直到有一位密歇根州立大学（MSU）校友决定对此做一点事情。2000年，在圣地亚哥生活的1995年博士方是民开始在其有关中国文化和文学的网站新语丝上揭露肇事者。这个网站逐渐成为了为学术道德而战的旗舰，并受到媒体的广泛报道，其中包括国际期刊《科学》和《自然》。“因为许多中国报刊都上网了，我能够轻易地获得中国的信息，”以方舟子为笔名的方解释说，“我们至今已揭露了500多起案例。我想形势正在好转。”在这些案例中，包括教授伪造履历，窃取别人的研究成果，剽窃文章和书籍，有些还捏造研究成果。起初中国官方对此反应缓慢，反而去屏蔽是民的网站。“但是现在中国政府至少承认确实有问题……并发布了几项规章，”目前在北京担任科学作家和专栏作家的是民评论说。是民出生于福建省沿海小城云霄，毕业于安徽合肥的中国科学技术大学（USTC）。该校当时有个绰号叫“美国培训中心”（United States Training Center），因为其毕业生毕业后将到美国深造。于是，是民选择了MSU，因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。“而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。”他补充说，“MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。我的导师扎卡里·伯顿博士是个好老师、好朋友。”他和同学王朝晖一起在MSU创建了中文诗歌小组。1995年，MSU音乐博士生加里·纳什为是民的一首诗《最后的恋曲》谱曲。“我的朋友罗舒冬在她的毕业演唱会上演唱了这首歌，”是民回忆说，“那是我在MSU最感自豪的一刻。” SPARTAN PROFILESFANG SHI-MIN: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COP Fall 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Higher education in China has been beset by pseudoscience, fraud and misconduct, until an MSU alumnus decided to do something about it. Fang Shi-Min, Ph. D. '95, living in San Diego in 2000, began exposing the offenders in his personal web site about Chinese culture and literature, New Threads (xys.org). The site eventually became the flagship in the fight for academic integrity and received widespread coverage from the media, including the international journals Science and Nature. “I could easily get information from China because many newspapers and magazines were online,” explains Fang, who used the pseudonym Fang Zhouzi. “We have exposed more than 500 cases so far. I think the situation is getting better.” Among them were professors who falsified resumes, who claimed credit for research they did not conduct, who plagiarized articles and books, and in some cases, who faked research. At first Chinese officials were slow to react, choosing instead to block Shi-Ming's web site. “But now, the Chinese government at least admits there are problems . . . and has issued several regulations,” notes Shi-Ming, currently working in Beijing as a science writer and columnist. A native of Yunxiao, a coastal town in Fujian Province, Shi-Ming graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui Province, a school that was nicknamed “United States Training Center” because graduates pursued further degrees in the U.S. Accordingly, Shi-Ming chose MSU because of its strength in molecular and cell biology. “Also, the pictures of campus scenery in the brochures looked very attractive.” He adds,“MSU is an ivory tower to me. My five-year stay at MSU was the best time in my life. My mentor, Dr. Zachary Burton, is a good teacher and friend.” He and fellow student Zhaohui Wang co-founded a Chinese Poetry Group. In 1995, Gary Nash, a doctoral music student at MSU, composed a song based on one of his poems, The Last Love Song. “It was sung by my friend Shudong Luo at her graduation recital,” recalls Shi-Ming.“That's one of my proudest moments at MSU.”

我于1995年年底在密歇根州立大学（MSU）毕业后，第二年由于大学同班同学在密歇根的森林里聚会，顺道回了一趟母校，此后的二十一年就未再有这样的机会。我的导师今年5月退休，学生们相约在6月初给他举办一次退休晚会，于是我又借机回校了。1990年我准备到美国留学时，MSU并不是第一选择。录取我的学校中我的第一选择是布朗大学。但是那一年教委发布新的留学政策，故意刁难，护照没能及时办下来，布朗大学校方答复不能推迟入学，只好放弃了。给我全额奖学金的还有MSU、匹兹堡大学、塔夫茨大学、纽约州立大学石溪分校，都很通情达理地允许推迟到第二年冬季入学，反而不知道该选择哪一所好。那时候可不像现在可以在网上狂搜一番信息，可资参考的只有申请入学时校方寄来的宣传册，还有一本外文书店影印的、台湾出的美国大学专业排名，里面生化专业的排名MSU居然进了前十名，也不知是谁评的、哪个年代的事。写信向已在匹兹堡大学就读两年的学姐请教，回信也是含糊其辞：这些学校都差不多，去哪一所都不错。2006年，《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）采访我，问我为什么最终选择到MSU，我回答说：“因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。” 现在重返校园，依然觉得校园比风景照更美。本科生已经放假，空荡荡的校园变成了一个大公园。红杉河（Red Cedar River）穿越校园，把校园分成了两半，一边是实验室、教室、宿舍、体育场，一边是行政楼、图书馆、国际中心、活动中心（Union）、书店，河流成了校园生活不可分割的一部分，上学时经常要穿越，从不同的桥梁经过，风光也不同。但我现在看到的风光，和二十多年前看到的并没有什么差别。行政楼前河边草地上，还是一群群野鸭、大雁、松鼠在或坐或躺的学生们之间穿梭、讨食，被养得胖乎乎的。作为学校象征的钟楼、斯巴达人像、图书馆、橄榄球场、篮球馆还是那个样子，我当年工作过的生化大楼，住过的欧文研究生公寓、斯巴达村，玩过的沃顿表演中心、月季园、园艺系展览花园、树木园、森林，消费过的冰淇淋店（有40多种口味）、学生书店、北京快餐、花生酒桶酒吧、塔可钟墨西哥快餐店、麦当劳（和别的麦当劳不同，墙壁涂成了绿色和白色——MSU的代表色），也都还在。中国人口头上爱讲文化传统，中国大学更喜欢乱拜祖宗硬把自己搞成百年老校甚至千年学府，而实际上中国大学对历史传承的重视还远不如美国大学。中国大学的校园，几年不去就面貌全非了，不能像现在这样，走在熟悉的道路上，看着熟悉的景象，仿佛回到了二十多年前，不至于让自己成为陌生人。变化当然也有。最大的变化是新建了一个现代美术馆，回旋加速器也正在大幅度扩建。还有一些小的变化，例如生化系改叫了生化与分子生物学系，系里的教授只有几个还认识，原来的实验室也早已易主——不过实验室里我使用过的实验台、通风橱、黑板，甚至挂钟，都还没换。我正在当年日夜奋战的实验台前感慨，在实验室里干活的一个中国留学生认出我来，过来和“师兄”合影，其实我们并非一个导师，而且相差一代了。我们这一代留学生初到美国时感受到的巨大反差，是现在的留学生难以理解的。首先是财务的自由。说一个学生有财务自由似乎很可笑，但是要知道我在国内上大学时父母一个月给的生活费是40～80元人民币（刚入学时是40元，毕业时因物价上涨也跟着涨到80元人民币），每一顿饭菜都要精打细算，而MSU给的奖学金扣除了学费后，一个月拿到手还有一千美元，这百倍的差距，让人顿时有了成为大富豪的幻觉，至少生活有了基本保障，不用再担心吃了这顿没下顿了。由于中美有税法协议，中国留学生的奖学金不用交所得税，手头比美国学生还宽裕。其次是思想的自由。国内上学时前三年要上政治课，虽然大部分都逃掉了，但是考试是逃不掉的，而每周半天的政治学习也是逃不了的。毕业那年因情况特殊更是集中学习、检讨、交代思想根源。到了美国，自然没有人要控制你的思想、言论。在MSU读书期间互联网兴起，我开始在网上发言、建网站，从不用担心会被FBI请喝茶。第三是生活的自由。单身一人在海外，没有养家糊口的压力，没有七大姑八大姨的骚扰，学校里的人际关系简单，特别是在一个只有几个人的小实验室，没有竞争，其乐融融。博士生课程轻松，大部分时间都泡在实验室，而且可以自己安排作息，中午才去实验室，待到半夜离开，生化实验通常有两三小时等待时间，还可乘机去图书馆翻阅藏书、学校电影院看电影、沃顿中心听音乐会，日子过得逍遥自在。有这三大自由，所以我认为在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。当然这段时光并不是用来享受的。我的学术训练在那5年开始和完成。在导师退休晚会上，每个学生送给导师一段话，我写的是：“我刚到美国的时候，虽然毕业于中国一所顶尖大学，但对科学的性质几乎一无所知。是扎克言传身教地教我什么是科学和怎么做研究。帮助中国公众理解科学现在成了我的工作，因此在美国一个实验室点燃的火炬已传到了中国。扎克是一个激励人心的导师！”（When I came to the US, although graduating from a top university of China, I knew little about the nature of science. It was Zach that taught me what science is and how research works, both by his words and actions. Now it has become my job to help the Chinese public to understand science, so the torch, ignited in an American lab, has been passed to China. Zach is such an inspiring mentor!） 这么说并非夸张。在中国科技大学的五年，在课堂上学了很多科学知识，受到了数理思维训练，所以我们戏称之为南七技校（南七是中国科大所在的地名），但并没有受到科学方法、科学思想、科学精神的教育和训练，反而受到了伪科学思潮的影响。上世纪80年代中国社会、中国高校普遍迷信“特异功能”，中国科大是重灾区：不少教师、包括著名教授沉迷于研究特异功能，有一届的全国特异功能大会就是在中国科大召开的；校园里常有“大师”来办班教气功，甚至还在大礼堂做“带功报告”，把台下众多师生催眠得手舞足蹈。在这样的氛围中，我在低年级时也是很相信特异功能、气功的，到高年级时不信了，成了少数的怀疑派，那也是自学的结果（主要是看了国外一些科学哲学著作和否定神秘现象的研究），跟学校教育没有关系。现在国内高校的情形要比当时好，但也未必有根本的改观。在我离开中国科大以后，那里还出了一个信佛的校长，宣扬量子力学验证了佛学，其名言是：“科学家千辛万苦爬到山顶时，佛学大师已经在此等候多时了！”这几天这个前校长又在讲“禅定”、“体验真气”、“打通中脉”、“神经元细胞每分钟更换一百万个”，有这种反科学的科技大学校长，怎么指望学生懂科学呢？ 我到了美国以后，从导师那里学会了怎么设计对照实验、控制实验变量、分析实验结果、提出假说和模型，才对科学、科研的实质有了深刻的理解和切身的体验；每周一次的实验室会议，更是一次批判性思维锻炼。这就是小实验室的好处，几乎天天与导师有交流、受熏陶，有时他甚至还手把手教我做实验。系里每周还有一次报告会，主要是请校外教授来讲，在开阔眼界的同时，也体会到了在国内难以想像的学术自由和平等。偶尔会有诺贝尔奖获得者到系里做报告，从没觉得他们高高在上，他们讲完了一样有听众举手提出疑问。不像现在，经常见到国外诺贝尔奖获得者成群结队去中国大学捞钱，享受着师生们天神般的崇拜。 我以前曾经说过，中国大学现在像公司，我们那个时候则像集中营。在集中营里生活，和朝夕相处的同学们有感情，对学校则没有，从没想过要特地回去看看，去了也只会觉得那是个陌生的地方。美国大学则是象牙塔，在走向社会，饱经沧桑之后，象牙塔里的生活更让人怀念，虽然那种纯洁的日子已一去不复返，在心中却显得越来越神圣。 2017.6.9. 附：2006年《MSU校友杂志》的采访 斯巴达人简介（注：斯巴达人为密歇根州立大学象征） 方是民：学术道德警察 《MSU校友杂志》（MSU Alumni Magazine）2006年秋季刊 中国高等教育已被伪科学、造假和不端行为所困扰，直到有一位密歇根州立大学（MSU）校友决定对此做一点事情。2000年，在圣地亚哥生活的1995年博士方是民开始在其有关中国文化和文学的网站新语丝上揭露肇事者。这个网站逐渐成为了为学术道德而战的旗舰，并受到媒体的广泛报道，其中包括国际期刊《科学》和《自然》。“因为许多中国报刊都上网了，我能够轻易地获得中国的信息，”以方舟子为笔名的方解释说，“我们至今已揭露了500多起案例。我想形势正在好转。”在这些案例中，包括教授伪造履历，窃取别人的研究成果，剽窃文章和书籍，有些还捏造研究成果。起初中国官方对此反应缓慢，反而去屏蔽是民的网站。“但是现在中国政府至少承认确实有问题……并发布了几项规章，”目前在北京担任科学作家和专栏作家的是民评论说。是民出生于福建省沿海小城云霄，毕业于安徽合肥的中国科学技术大学（USTC）。该校当时有个绰号叫“美国培训中心”（United States Training Center），因为其毕业生毕业后将到美国深造。于是，是民选择了MSU，因为它的分子和细胞生物学很强。“而且，宣传册上的校园风景照看上去很吸引人。”他补充说，“MSU对我来说就是一座象牙塔。我在MSU的5年度过了我一生最美好的时光。我的导师扎卡里·伯顿博士是个好老师、好朋友。”他和同学王朝晖一起在MSU创建了中文诗歌小组。1995年，MSU音乐博士生加里·纳什为是民的一首诗《最后的恋曲》谱曲。“我的朋友罗舒冬在她的毕业演唱会上演唱了这首歌，”是民回忆说，“那是我在MSU最感自豪的一刻。” SPARTAN PROFILESFANG SHI-MIN: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COP Fall 2006 MSU Alumni Magazine Higher education in China has been beset by pseudoscience, fraud and misconduct, until an MSU alumnus decided to do something about it. Fang Shi-Min, Ph. D. '95, living in San Diego in 2000, began exposing the offenders in his personal web site about Chinese culture and literature, New Threads (xys.org). The site eventually became the flagship in the fight for academic integrity and received widespread coverage from the media, including the international journals Science and Nature. “I could easily get information from China because many newspapers and magazines were online,” explains Fang, who used the pseudonym Fang Zhouzi. “We have exposed more than 500 cases so far. I think the situation is getting better.” Among them were professors who falsified resumes, who claimed credit for research they did not conduct, who plagiarized articles and books, and in some cases, who faked research. At first Chinese officials were slow to react, choosing instead to block Shi-Ming's web site. “But now, the Chinese government at least admits there are problems . . . and has issued several regulations,” notes Shi-Ming, currently working in Beijing as a science writer and columnist. A native of Yunxiao, a coastal town in Fujian Province, Shi-Ming graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui Province, a school that was nicknamed “United States Training Center” because graduates pursued further degrees in the U.S. Accordingly, Shi-Ming chose MSU because of its strength in molecular and cell biology. “Also, the pictures of campus scenery in the brochures looked very attractive.” He adds,“MSU is an ivory tower to me. My five-year stay at MSU was the best time in my life. My mentor, Dr. Zachary Burton, is a good teacher and friend.” He and fellow student Zhaohui Wang co-founded a Chinese Poetry Group. In 1995, Gary Nash, a doctoral music student at MSU, composed a song based on one of his poems, The Last Love Song. “It was sung by my friend Shudong Luo at her graduation recital,” recalls Shi-Ming.“That's one of my proudest moments at MSU.”

Dr. Xuhua Liang was born in a beautiful island in the southern China: Xiamen (Amoy), Fujian Province. During the political turmoil of Chinese Culture Revolution, her mother passed away. Raised by her grandparents, she was deeply influenced by her uncles and the Chinese traditional literature. Even though she only had a basic education for six years, she passed with flying color the rigorous national college entrance exam of China in 1977 and entered into the most prestigious language university in China: Beijing Foreign Languages Institute (today's Beijing Foreign Studies University). After graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, she worked as a full time translator at China Foreign Language Publishing Administration. Later she passed with high score the national exam for the master program of Latin American literature at her Alma Mater. Two years later, she received a full scholarship to study Latin American literature at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She received the Master and Ph.D. Degree in Latin American Literature from SUNY at Stony Brook. She was the first woman Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature in China. During her thirty one years in the U.S., she devoted herself completely to the teaching of Spanish language and literature. She has taught at different state universities and private colleges to American and international students. Due to her family relocation, she left New York and moved to Bethesda near Washington DC, where she has been teaching Spanish language and college Spanish literature courses at Montgomery County Public Schools.

The Great Wall and The Forbidden City-two of the world's top sites to visit-why Beijing is on most traveler's bucket lists. I invited travelblogger Bruno Black on the podcast to share insights into visiting the capital of China, as Bruno lived in Beijing for 6 months he has some additional traveler tips and places of interest you should visit besides the top two. Bruno has also spent lots of time in the South in Fujian Province, and Xiamen. He'll share with us why he thinks this is a great place to visit with the added benefit of being an easy gateway to Taiwan.Follow Bruno Black:https://www.brunoblack.comBruno Black business inquiries:https://www.brunobranding.comHelp support the Far East Travels Podcast by becoming a patron! Patrons support the podcast with production and travel costs and get exclusive content on the Patreon page: Visit Far East Travels on Patreon to find out more:https://www.patreon.com/FarEastTravelsHelp others discover the podcast by writing a review in the iTunes Store:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/far-east-travels-podcast/id1079513943

We're back in ancient times once again, this time looking at the homeland of the Hokkien people. As we've done with other groups of Southern Chinese (Teochew, Toi San, Hakka) this time Laszlo provides a broad overview of the people from the south of Fujian Province, the Hokkien or Hoklo people. Before we get into the Qing era diaspora, Laszlo focuses on how Fujian developed from a land populated by Yuè people to a part of Han Dynasty China with a focus on the Minyue Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back in ancient times once again, this time looking at the homeland of the Hokkien people. As we've done with other groups of Southern Chinese (Teochew, Toi San, Hakka) this time Laszlo provides a broad overview of the people from the south of Fujian Province, the Hokkien or Hoklo people.  Before we get into the Qing era diaspora, Laszlo focuses on how Fujian developed from a land populated by Yuè people to a part of Han Dynasty China with a focus on the Minyue Kingdom.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year - The Year of the Pig - Sue Berman spoke with rare book specialist Georgia Prince about the taonga featured in the Real Gold case. Johann Nieuhof’s illustrations, published in his 1665 account of the expedition, were the first reliable pictures of China available in the West. During the 17th century, as the Dutch began to explore the world, the Dutch East India Company sent a trading mission to China. The Dutch edition was quickly translated into other languages, including this Latin edition of 1668. Johannes Nieuhof. Legatio Batavica ad Magnum Tartariae Chamum Sungteium. Leiden: Jacob Meurs, 1668. https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1969899 The Atlas Chinensis is a compilation of different accounts of the various Dutch trading missions to China. It was produced by the English publisher and map-maker John Ogilby. The Dutch arrived soon after the fall of the Ming dynasty and tried unsuccessfully to gain concessions from the new Manchu Qing Emperor. The engraving depicts “Aimuy” (or Amoy as the English called it) on the coast opposite Taiwan. It is the port city of Xiamen in the Fujian Province. Arnoldus Montanus. Atlas Chinensis. London: Thomas Johnson, 1671. https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1969769 John Thomson was born in Edinburgh in 1837. From 1862 he spent ten years living and working as a photographer in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan and China. Thomson’s journeys in Asia would have been arduous. He needed to carry cameras, lenses, glass plates, chemicals, trays and material to build portable darkrooms. Negotiating the different cultures and languages would have also been challenging. The images on display come from four volumes of books on Thomson’s travels in China. These books are held in Sir George Grey Special Collections and can be viewed in the reading room. John Thomson. Illustrations of China and its people: a series of two hundred photographs with letterpress descriptive of the places and people represented. London: Sampson Low, 1873-1874.

This week's almost late but NOT LATE OKAY episode is about the Chinese ink monkey! A pygmy tarsier, probably not an ink monkey: Further reading: The Search for the Last Undiscovered Animals by Karl P.N. Shuker Further listening: Relic: The Lost Treasure Podcast - I'm a guest in episode 15 but all the episodes are great! Bonus episode since this one is so short (click through and hit play) Episode transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week’s episode was supposed to be about animals that were saved from extinction by human intervention, but between National Novel Writing Month, the Thanksgiving holidays, and the release of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp I didn’t get the research completed. So that episode will run in a week or two and we’ll learn about something else this week. Something short, because it’s Sunday and I need to get this episode edited and uploaded so you can listen to it first thing Monday morning. But first, I want to tell you about an awesome podcast who had me as a guest last week. If you don’t already listen to Relic: The Lost Treasure podcast, I highly recommend it. It’s family friendly and a great take on an aspect of history that doesn’t always get the in-depth research it deserves. In between regular seasons, the host, Maxwell, releases roundtable discussion episodes with different people to cover topics that maybe aren’t exactly about lost treasure, but close. I appeared in episode 15, called “Back from Extinction,” where we discussed animals that were declared extinct but have been rediscovered, although not without controversy. I’ll put a link in the show notes so you can go check that one out. I’d planned my own saved from extinction episode as a sort of follow-up, but time got away from me. So what are we talking about today? In honor of the end of National Novel Writing Month, which is kicking my butt this year, we’re investigating a mystery animal called the Chinese Ink Monkey. The story goes that in antiquity, as far back as 2,000 BCE, a tiny primate known as an ink monkey was frequently the pet of scholars and scribes in China. It wasn’t just a cute little pet, it was useful. It was intelligent and could be trained to prepare ink, which back in those days came in blocks and had to be ground into powder and mixed with water to the right consistency. It would turn book pages so the scholar could read hands-free, it would hand pens and other items to the scholar, and it was small enough to sleep in the scholar’s brush pot or desk drawer. Such a useful little creature was highly sought after, but was supposed to have gone extinct at some point centuries ago. According to a book of Chinese lore called The Dragon Book, published in English in 1938, the ink monkey was only around 5 inches long, or 13 cm. Its sleek fur was black and soft and it had red eyes. It was also supposed to drink any ink remaining at the end of the day as its preferred food. Since ink in those days was frequently made with precious materials like sandalwood, crushed pearls, musk, rare herbs, and even gold, and those things are not just valuable, they’re not all that nutritious, ink monkeys probably didn’t actually drink ink. But was it even a real animal or just a legend? In April of 1996, the ink monkey story got media attention when a press release from the official New China News Agency announced its rediscovery in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province. The press release didn’t have many details at all. It basically just reported that the animal was mouse-sized and had been found. The smallest monkey alive today is the pygmy marmoset from South America, which is about 10 inches long, or almost 26 cm. But there is another animal that looks like a monkey but which is no more than about six inches long, or 15 cm, not counting its tail. The tarsier is a nocturnal primate with huge round eyes, mouse-like ears,

Welcome to the 21st installment of the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, a weekly podcast that brings you the most important business stories of the week from China's top source for business and financial news. Produced by Kaiser Kuo of our Sinica Podcast, it features a business news roundup, plus conversations with Caixin reporters and editors. This week, we examine how Haidilao 海底捞, one of the most popular hotpot restaurants in China, is in hot water after a media exposé, which allegedly showed rats and all sorts of other sanitation problems in it, went viral. We analyze the news that Wanda Group's shares plummeted as much as 10 percent over rumors — denied by the company — that its founder and chairman, Wang Jianlin 王健林, had been detained by Chinese authorities. We dive into the report that the Chinese ship detained by Ecuadorean authorities in mid-August for supposedly illegal fishing off the Galápagos Islands belongs to Fuzhou Honglong Ocean Aquatic, a private company registered in Fujian Province. We explore why some of China Huishan Dairy's creditors, including the Bank of China, are escalating their opposition to the company's debt-restructuring plan. We look at why some of China's biggest cities have called a timeout on the companies responsible for crowding sidewalks with shared bikes. We investigate why leading rail equipment maker CRRC is falling far short of its ambitious goal to use exports to offset slowing growth at home. And we learn about the investigation launched by the Chinese police against Guo Wengui after a former female employee claimed that he repeatedly raped her. In addition, we talk to Caixin senior editor Doug Young about Alibaba and its efforts to build business offline. We also chat with Caixin reporter April Ma about a Chinese startup that used images of WWII-era “comfort women” — sex slaves — to make animated GIFs (the kind that are popular on instant-messaging apps). We'd love to hear your feedback on this product. Please send any comments and suggestions to sinica@supchina.com.  

2017-05-23 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.Beijing will award scholarships to students from the Belt and Road countries studying in 160 programs at universities in the city by 2020.The scholarship program was jointly initiated by the municipal education commission and finance bureau in December 2016. So far, a total of 64 programs have been covered by the scholarships, benefiting some 1,100 students.From 2016 to 2020, 32 undergraduate and postgraduate programs will be chosen each year.Last year, 32 programs of 23 universities were chosen, and 32 programs of 32 universities were chosen in 2017. The programs cover subjects including aerospace, legal studies and Traditional Chinese Medicine.Officials with the commission said they hope more high-level talent from Belt and Road countries will come study in Beijing and more educational cooperation will be carried out between Beijing and those countries.This is Special English.Chinese central government has called for more efforts in helping college graduates get jobs or start businesses. That's according to a statement issued recently after a national teleconference on employment.Premier Li Keqiang's written instruction on employment was read out at the conference, which was attended by other state leaders.The employment of college graduates matters to China's social stability, as a total of almost 8 million college students are expected to graduate this year.The central government asked local authorities and schools to encourage the students to work in the grassroots. They are also encouraged to seek jobs and start businesses in advanced manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, service and agriculture.In terms of general employment, the central government stressed enhanced vocational training and other public services.China has set employment targets of 11 million new urban jobs and a registered urban unemployment rate under 4.5 percent this year.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. The length of Shanghai metro system is now the longest in the world, surpassing the size of networks in other world cities, including New York and Paris.Shanghai Party Secretary Han Zheng said infrastructure transportation within the city is now an important part of the development between urban and rural areas of Shanghai. Han added that Shanghai strengthened its position as global port city, with the transport of containers leading the world for the past 7 years. Freight transport out of Shanghai's main airports ranks the third in the world. Air passenger volumes have reached 100 million, which tops in China.In the next 5 years, more efforts will be made in the transportation integration of the Yangtze River Delta. Plans are in place to make every city within the Yangtze River Delta region reachable within 90 minutes of one another.Additionally, Shanghai will work to make public transport the most convenient means of transportation for its citizens.This is Special English.China has started a yearlong experiment using an airtight advanced life-support system to house eight volunteers as a way to help with the nation's goal of long-term manned deep-space exploration.The project's operator said the Lunar Palace 365 experiment was launched at the Lunar Palace 1 bio-regenerative life-support laboratory in Beihang University in Beijing. The eight volunteers are all postgraduate students at the university. They are divided into two teams and will undertake the experiment in three shifts. Once the team has entered the lab, team members will stay for 60 days before another team takes over. The second group will live in the lab for 200 days before the first team will complete the remaining 105 days. Lunar Palace 1 is capable of providing a habitable environment similar to Earth's biosphere and can support four people each time. It was designed to test and verify technologies to be used on space missions of extended duration in deep space, and with multiple crews. The 500-cubic-meter lab is sealed from the outside. During the experiment, volunteers will not leave the lab during their shifts unless they encounter emergencies.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. China will carry on phasing out sub-standard production capacity, especially in the fields of steel and iron, coal-mining, as well as coal-fired power plants, to keep up with targets set for the year.The decision was made at a State Council executive meeting, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.Li listened to reports on the latest progress of this year's campaign to cut excess capacities of steel, iron, coal-mining and coal-fueled power generation, as well as the findings of inspections over the drive in concrete and glass sectors.Li said the reforms offer the way forward in cutting overcapacity, which is a vital part of the supply-side structural reform.Li said China takes the initiative to reduce production capacity based on its own national conditions. The efforts are to make the growth model and economic structure shift to new economic drivers.The government work report Li delivered in March set targets for this year to cut steel and iron overcapacity by 50 million tonnes and coal mining by 150 million tonnes respectively. The targets also include phasing out coal-fired power generation capacity of more than 50 million kilowatts.This is Special English.A senior Chinese leader has urged more cooperation between Chinese and overseas Taoist circles in contributing to world peace and harmony.The chairman of China's top advisory body made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the fourth International Taoist Forum.The three-day event was held in the Wudang Mountains in central China's Hubei Province, with representatives from 30 countries and regions attending.The chairman said Taoism is rooted in Chinese culture, and could boost harmony between nations and religions. By supporting the forum, the Chinese government would like to promote exchange and understanding between Taoists in the world.The chairman called on Taoist circles and figures to building a global community of a shared destiny, world peace and humanism.Taoism is a religious belief originated from the writings and philosophy of Lao Tze who lived 2,500 years ago. According to his thoughts, everything in the universe was born from a vacuum, and a balance must be achieved between humans and nature. This is Special English.The collapse of a tunnel containing radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear weapons complex in the United States underscored what critics have long been saying: The toxic remnants of the Cold War are being stored in haphazard and unsafe conditions, and time is running out to deal with the problem.Kevin Kamps of the anti-nuclear group "Beyond Nuclear" said that unfortunately, the crisis at Hanford is far from an isolated incident.For instance, at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the government is laboring to clean up groundwater contamination along with the 40 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste stored in tanks that are decades past their projected lifespan. The site opened in the 1950s and produced plutonium and tritium. The cleaning job is likely going to take decades.In addition to the tunnel collapse discovered recently, dozens of underground storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State are leaking highly radioactive materials. Some of the storage tanks dated to World War II.Anti-nuclear activists say the problem is that the U.S. government rushed to build nuclear weapons during the Cold War with little thought given to how to permanently dispose of the resulting waste.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.Mandarin signs are being added at airports and railway stations in Italy, and free Wi-Fi services are being set up at public venues to make Chinese tourists' visits to the country easier.A senior Italian official said the Italian government is also encouraging hotels to provide more Chinese-friendly services in preparation for the 2018 European Union-China Tourism Year. The vice-minister of culture and tourism Dorina Bianchi made the remarks during an interview in Shanghai. She said such services will include hotel staff who are fluent in Chinese, rooms with China Central TV channels, acceptance of China UnionPay cards and hot drinking water to cater to Chinese stomachs.China has become the seventh-largest source of tourists for Italy after years of continuous leaps since a wave of outbound travel to Italy began in 2004.Statistics from the Italian consulate general in Guangzhou show that Italy received a record 900,000 visitors from the Chinese mainland last year, and the numbers have maintained double-digit annual growth for the past decade. Longer stays are being considered for Chinese with tourist visas. Italy guarantees that its visa application process will be completed within 36 hours for Chinese tourists.This is Special English.A group of college students from the China West Normal University in Sichuan province launched a fundraising to buy a cell phone for a sanitation worker who lost his phone during work.The sanitation worker surnamed Ren rejected the offer at first, saying a phone is too much for the students who were not making any money. But the students insisted, and he finally accepted the phone.Sixty-three-year-old Ren lost his phone when he was cleaning a street near the university. Students tried to help him by putting up posters but the effort ended in vain.Later one of the students suggested a fundraising; and more than 100 students donated 800 yuan, roughly 120 US dollars, to buy the cell phone.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing.A photo competition on giant panda conservation and research is being held in Sichuan province in southwest China. The event lasts from May till early November.The competition is jointly organized by the China Conservation and Research Center for the giant panda and Jiuzhaigou, a scenic attraction in the province. A total of 200,000 yuan, roughly 30,000 U.S. dollars will be offered as prize to the winners.Award-winning works will be displayed overseas in locations including the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. Organizers say the competition aims to increase people's attention on panda conservation and research. Entries are welcome from both at home and abroad.Jiuzhaigou is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a natural habitat for pandas.This is Special English.For three hours, a dog was running back and forth at the beach, picking up waste cans, abandoned slippers and floating plastic bags. This happened in the seawater at a tourist attraction in the coastal city of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province.The 8-year-old golden retriever named Tiger has become an online celebrity for its dedication to cleaning the beach over the past five years. A video featuring its efforts has been viewed more than 70,000 times.Its owner says the dog showed a keen interest in picking up floating objects five years ago. Whenever Tiger spots garbage in the seawater, it will rush to pick it up and bring it back. But as it grew old, the dog lost some of its vision and is showing other health problems.This is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.This is the end of today's program. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing, and I hope you can join us every day, to learn English and learn about the world.

2017-05-01 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news.More than 3,100 government officials have been held to account for the poor implementation of pollution control measures. Environmental problems have been uncovered in all seven provincial level regions included in the environmental inspections by the central authorities. Inspectors have conducted their month-long reviews in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities as well as in other provinces since late November. The performance audits exposed more than 15,000 violations.The inspection reports featured the complaint that governments have not focused enough attention on the environment. The failure has resulted in worsening air and water quality in some areas. In one case, Gansu province in northwest China made plans to control air pollution, but inspectors found that it had not fully implemented the measures. The province has failed to meet its air pollution reduction targets for 2014 and 2015. Inspectors also found a lack of assessment in Beijing, where seven districts failed to meet targets for 2014. The municipality did not release information or punish the officials responsible. This is Special English.China's manned submarine Jiaolong has gone through a dive simulation in Hainan Province to prepare for a deep descent in the South China Sea.The submarine stayed underwater for 18 minutes in the drill before returning to its support ship. The crew completed tasks including underwater training, practical operation and emergency escape.The ship's forthcoming South China Sea dive is part of the second stage of China's 38th ocean scientific expedition. The expedition will last for around four months.Officials say the drill was necessary to test the equipment and personnel. Currently the Jiaolong's "technological status" is stable and the cooperation among various departments is smooth.The submarine completed a deep-sea operation in the northwestern Indian Ocean earlier this year. It will also conduct surveys in the Yap Trench and the Mariana Trench.Named after a mythical dragon, the Jiaolong reached its deepest depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.China has begun a series of changes to the rules regarding permanent residence for foreign nationals in the country.A plan has been issued by the Ministry of Public Security. The "foreigner's permanent residence card" will be renamed as the "foreigner's permanent residence identity card".Similar to the identity cards used by Chinese citizens, foreigners' identity information will be embedded in the chips on the machine-readable cards. The information will be shared by railways, airlines, insurance agencies, hotels and banks.The old version cannot be read by machines, and foreigners often face difficulty in identity authentication. The reform aims to provide foreigners with easier access to public services.The new card can be obtained at the original registration authority, while the old version can still be used until the expiry date. Related technical work is expected to be finished by June, and then foreigners can apply for the new cards.Last year, 1,600 foreign nationals became permanent residents of China, an increase of 160 percent over the previous year. This is Special English.China is aiming to increase the scale of its cloud computing industry by more than 2.5 times from 2015 levels by 2019.According to a new government plan, the scale of the cloud computing industry will be expanded to 430 billion yuan, roughly 62 billion U.S. dollars, by 2019. The action plan was issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.Other targets include making breakthroughs in core technology, increasing cloud computing in manufacturing and government affairs, and strengthening the global influence of Chinese cloud computing companies.The ministry expects that two to three Chinese cloud computing companies will lead the global market within three years. It says cloud computing should be a strong support for China's manufacturing and Internet industries and help other social and economic sectors.The ministry pledged to enhance cloud computing network security and improve security regulation and relevant laws, as many users from key industries are still hesitating due to safety concerns.In the next three years, China will help boost cloud computing technology and encourage local governments to work with leading cloud computing companies to build public service platforms.You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.Chinese search engine Baidu has succeeded in using artificial intelligence to reconnect a man with his family 27 years after he was abducted.The company is working with a charity group dedicated to connecting missing children and their families. Baidu uses its cross-age facial recognition program to analyze pictures of abducted children and identifies potential matches through the comparison of selected facial features. The missing children's pictures were uploaded by the victims and their birth families. Thirty-three-year-old victim Fu Gui was born in Chongqing Municipality in western China. He was abducted in 1990 and later transferred to Fujian Province in southeastern China. He registered in 2009, and his birth family did the same in early 2017.Baidu's facial recognition program was able to draw up a short list of potential identities for the man from pictures uploaded to the site, and a DNA test later verified the correct match.Baidu has around 200 million sample pictures that it uses to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of its facial recognition program, which can be over 99 percent accurate.Baidu's founder and CEO Robin Li says artificial intelligence systems, including facial recognition, could be used to help find missing children. The company has suggested that there should be a central database with missing children's information installed. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.Psychologists at the University of Manchester in Britain have revealed that they have come up with a new way of helping people overcome their fear of spiders.Dr. Warren Mansell says rather than encouraging arachnophobias to face their spider fears, which is the current approach of many therapists, giving people control over how much they approach or avoid what they are afraid of is more likely to help.Mansell based his findings on a theory known as Perceptual Control Theory. The study was published in Journal of Anxiety Disorders.People with a fear of spiders sat in front of a screen and they themselves were able to control how close or distant the spider would appear.He said Perceptual Control Theory predicts that it is vital for a client to have control over their experience of important elements of the environment including the sources of threat. He said control itself is pivotal for health and well-being.The team recruited a large sample of people with high levels of spider fear and asked them to list their reasons for avoiding spiders but also their reasons for approaching spiders.After completing a simple task, people reported avoiding spiders less in their everyday lives two weeks later, despite their fear, and without any prompting to do so.You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.A new study suggests that when Coffea arabica plants were subjected to even short-duration heat waves, they became unable to produce flowers and fruit. This means there would be no coffee beans and no coffee to drink.Researchers from the United States investigated how leaf age and heat duration affected Coffea arabica's recovery from heat stress during greenhouse testing. The study found that the younger "expanding" leaves were particularly slow to recover compared to mature leaves, and that none of the plants that endured the simulated heat waves produced any flowers or fruit.Coffea arabica is the dominant coffee-plant species on the globe. It grows in 80 countries in four continents in the tropics, accounting for 65 percent of the commercial production of the 9 billion kilograms of coffee consumed globally each year.The findings emphasized how sensitive Coffea arabica is to temperature. The leaf temperature is higher than the surrounding air temperature, which is a realistic result of global climate change.This is Special English.A British researcher says governments worldwide should invest in global approaches to learn how carbon capture and storage works, which is a realistic way of reducing carbon emissions. That's according to a commentary published online recently by the journal Nature Energy.David Reiner from the University of Cambridge, author of the commentary, said that like many new technologies, it is only possible to learn what works and what doesn't by building and testing demonstration projects at scale. He argues that by giving up on carbon capture and storage instead of working together to develop a global "portfolio" of projects, countries are turning their backs on a key part of a low-carbon future.Reiner says carbon capture and storage works by separating the carbon dioxide emitted by coal and gas power plants, transporting it and then storing it underground so that the carbon dioxide cannot escape into the atmosphere.However, the technologies have fallen out of favor with private and public sector funders in recent years. Corporations and governments worldwide, including most recently the UK, are abandoning the same technology they championed just a few years ago.The researcher says there are several reasons why carbon capture and storage seems to have fallen out of favor with both private and public sector funders, including costs, commercial pressure and timescales, as well as a lack of international cooperation.You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.A special edition of the "Ukraine-China" magazine has been launched to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ukraine. The magazine features celebration remarks by the leaders of the two countries, as well as expert opinions on the historical path and the current state of China-Ukraine friendly relations.The publications highlight topics including the strategic partnership between China and Ukraine, interregional cooperation, trade and economic relations, as well as collaboration in science and education.The "Ukraine-China" magazine was first published in 1999 by the Kiev-based Institute of Oriental Studies. It was previously issued on an irregular basis, and became a periodical this year.This is Special English.An exhibition featuring conventional craftsmanship in Anhui Province has opened to the public at Beijing's Palace Museum.The exhibition showcases 85 works by 20 successors of national intangible cultural heritage from the eastern Chinese Province. The items on display include ink stones, ink and brush pens, lacquer ware and bamboo carvings. In ancient times, most calligraphy supplies used by Chinese emperors came from Huangshan city in the province. The Palace Museum and the city government launched a workshop last year, aiming to promote the craftsmanship and tourism development in the city.Mount Huangshan is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. It is known for its elegant architecture and high-quality green and black tea.That is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.（全文见周六微信。）

his is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.Police have smashed a major human trafficking ring and rescued 36 children who were abducted to be sold.Police in east China&`&s Fujian Province received information in May about a suspect surnamed Tan who was believed to be involved in child trafficking.Further investigations found a major child trafficking ring spanning seven provinces and municipalities. Tan and other suspects were found to be responsible for the trafficking of dozens of infants since 2014.In another case, police in several other provinces coordinated their efforts to crack down on another child trafficking ring, and 160 people were arrested. The Ministry of Public Security said China has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to the trafficking of women and children, and it will continue to pursue these traffickers.The ministry will also target the "buyers" in human trafficking cases.This is Special English.China has issued a guideline on improving work safety, seeking to plug the holes in its supervision mechanism, laws and safety standards to effectively prevent accidents.It has vowed to optimize its supervision and management mechanism as well as laws and regulations to "significantly" reduce workplace accidents by 2020.The guideline was jointly issued by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. It said China will not sacrifice safety for development.The guideline has clarified the definition and division of responsibilities concerning workplace safety. Meanwhile, China has plans to amend its criminal law to include workplace malpractices that easily lead to major accidents.It noted the country will increase financial input to enhance workplace risk control and prevent work-related illness, while improving management and auditing to make sure the money would be wisely spent.It said China&`&s work safety has been improving, but more efforts are needed as many problems remain.The guideline came after a series of deadly accidents, including mining disasters and power plant collapse. In one of the accidents in November, 74 people were killed when a platform for a cooling tower being constructed as part of a power plant collapsed in east China&`&s Jiangxi Province. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.Scientists claimed they have figured out how the world&`&s biggest and most-valuable diamonds formed.In a study published in the U.S. journal of Science, scientists said large gem-quality diamonds, including the world-famous Cullinan and Lesotho Promise, may be born in metallic liquid deep inside Earth&`&s mantle.The research team, led by Evan Smith of the Gemological Institute of America, reached the conclusion after examining so-called "offcuts" of massive diamonds, which are the pieces left over after the gem&`&s facets are cut for maximum sparkle.They found tiny metallic grains trapped inside in more than 30 exceptionally large stones, which are made up of a mixture of metallic iron and nickel, along with carbon, sulfur, methane and hydrogen.The inclusions led the researchers to reach the conclusion that diamonds formed in the Earth&`&s mantle, but they did so under conditions in which they were saturated by liquid metal.Most diamonds formed at depths of 150 to 200 kilometers under the continents and shoot to the surface in volcanic eruptions. But the large, rare stones formed at extreme depths, likely within 360 to 750 kilometers in the convection mantle, where rocks are known to be mobile.This is Special English.U.S. researchers have taken inspiration from the human brain in creating a new "deep learning" method that enables computers to teach themselves about the visual world largely on their own, much as human babies do.In the test, the new image-processing system "deep rendering mixture model" can learn largely on their own about how to distinguish handwritten digits using a standard data-set of 10,000 digits written by federal employees and high school students. In results, the researchers said they trained their algorithm by giving it just 10 correct examples of each handwritten digit between zero and nine and then presenting it with several thousand more examples that it used to further teach itself.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.The world&`&s first cloned goat bearing superfine cashmere wool was born in north China&`&s Inner Mongolia.The goat was born and is raised in a base for animal husbandry research conducted by experts from agricultural universities and academies in Inner Mongolia and southwest China&`&s Yunnan Province.The cashmere fiber from the goat is less than 14 micrometers thick, much finer than the average of 16 micrometers grown by the famous Erlang Mountain goats in Inner Mongolia. This is Special English.Every day, trains full of laptops and other electronics products as well as auto parts depart a remote village in southwest China heading for Europe.For five years, trains have delivered laptops for Hewlett-Packard, car window regulators and semi-conductors, from Chongqing Municipality to Europe.Since the trains started in 2011, there has been a business boom in the mountain city. It imported more than 2,000 cars on the international rail network in the past two years.Six years ago, the city was struggling to attract businesses which mostly centered on China&`&s coastal areas where there are convenient shipping.With the launch of the trains, the city got more deals because train transport costs only around one-fifth of air transport, and one-third faster than shipping by the sea.As prices along the eastern seaboard rose, industries began to move inland. In 2010 Hewlett-Packard established a computer production line in Chongqing, seeking government help to launch a rail network to transport products overseas. That was when the China-Europe rail network was launched.Following the footsteps of Hewlett-Packard, other brands including Acer, Toshiba and Apple set up bases in Chongqing to take advantage of the rail line.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That&`&s mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.When it comes to surgical procedures to enhance beauty, Chinese women are twice as generous than their global peers.According a report based on a survey by Insightful Engineers, a market research consultancy in the United Kingdom, the survey found that Chinese women spent the equivalent of around 580 yuan, roughly 84 U.S. Dollars, per month. That&`&s more than twice the global average of about 250 yuan, and 150 yuan higher than the second group on the list, women from South Korea.A plastic surgeon from Shanghai said Chinese women are displaying an increasing interest in a range of surgical procedures, mainly to look prettier, rather than fighting aging, which may help explain why the population of plastic surgery receivers in the country is much younger than in other places.The report also said that 74 percent of Chinese respondents associate beauty directly with facial appearance, the highest of all surveyed countries. The biggest concern for Chinese women is flabby skin and crow&`&s feet, the little wrinkles at the corner of the eyes.The survey interviewed 7,700 "aesthetically aware" women from 16 countries, who were between 18 and 65 years of age.This is Special English.Paris&`& first perfume museum, the Grand Musee de Parfum, has opened its doors, inviting visitors to discover perfume history through a quite innovative sensory and olfactory exhibition.The museum&`&s president said the Grand Musee du Parfum was created after noting the absence of an emblematic place for French perfumery in Paris despite the sector&`&s flourishing influence abroad.The museum gathered major players in French and international perfume industry, including the Federation of Beauty Enterprises, the French Syndicate of Perfumery and the International Flavors and Fragrances.It has three spaces with one area dedicated to the history of perfumes.Alongside the permanent exhibition, many events and workshops for young people are planned at the museum and intend to bring together the visual arts, gastronomy, live entertainment, literature and cinema around perfume.France has the world&`&s leading cosmetics-perfumes sector and its turnover totaled 25 billion euros, roughly 26 billion U.S. Dollars, in 2014. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.British actor Colin Firth dwells on the virtue of restraint in a wide-ranging conversation with Raymond Zhou on the art of acting. Colin Firth joked that he was looking for offers in Chinese films, adding that he hoped to work with Chinese directors including Zhang Yimou.The light-hearted revelation came at the end of an hourlong talk, moderated by yours truly, which was designed to encompass the highlights of an illustrious career of the much honored British actor.Titled "A Colin Firth Retrospective", the conversation was, in turn, part of a program for the 2016 China-Briton Film Festival held in the Beijing suburb of Langfang.Firth received a lifetime-achievement award at this festival when it opened on Dec 12.The 2010 Academy Award winner for best actor, for The King&`&s Speech, did not randomly pick a few big names from China&`&s booming film industry to please the host country. But he did his due diligence.Firth said he was impressed by how seamlessly American actors Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody fitted into the epic tale on the 1942 famine. He also liked the 2012 movie Mystery, and said Farewell My Concubine was one of the best movies in world of cinema.And he was plugged in to the latest in Chinese showbiz, aware of the publicity blitz whipped up by The Great Wall, the epic tale of fighting monsters on the best-known Chinese landmark, which is a Sino-US co-production that stars Matt Damon.This is Special English.China&`&s northernmost province of Heilongjiang will hold an "Ice and Snow Day" to warm up its winter tourism industry and sluggish economy.The provincial legislature adopted a decision to hold the event on Dec. 20 each year, starting this year. State-owned winter sports facilities will be open to the public for free during these event.Travel agencies and key scenic spots will offer discounted tickets to tourists on Ice and Snow Day.The province&`&s bitter winter, which lasts 120 days, used to be an obstacle to the area&`&s development. However, Heilongjiang has taken measures to turn the cold, snowy season into a resource to boost its economy, which has slowed in recent years amid the country&`&s economic restructuring.The "Ice and Snow Day" will make more people to enjoy ice and snow, creating a favorable environment for developing the winter economy and tourism.This is Special English.The Maldives tourism industry has seen a remarkable growth in 2016, contributing to strengthening the island&`&s economy.A press statement by the Maldives Embassy in Colombo said the growth has been achieved with the dynamic economic policies introduced by the country to transform the economy of the Maldives.This year, the Maldives unveiled seven new resorts, featuring the world&`&s largest underwater restaurant.The government said 20 new resorts will be unveiled in 2017.With the opening of the new resorts and influx of tourism investments, the tourism industry has become a catalyst for the governments&`& key pledge of youth employment.That is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.（全文见周日微信。）

This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.Police have smashed a major human trafficking ring and rescued 36 children who were abducted to be sold.Police in east China&`&s Fujian Province received information in May about a suspect surnamed Tan who was believed to be involved in child trafficking.Further investigations found a major child trafficking ring spanning seven provinces and municipalities. Tan and other suspects were found to be responsible for the trafficking of dozens of infants since 2014.In another case, police in several other provinces coordinated their efforts to crack down on another child trafficking ring, and 160 people were arrested. The Ministry of Public Security said China has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to the trafficking of women and children, and it will continue to pursue these traffickers.The ministry will also target the "buyers" in human trafficking cases.This is Special English.China has issued a guideline on improving work safety, seeking to plug the holes in its supervision mechanism, laws and safety standards to effectively prevent accidents.It has vowed to optimize its supervision and management mechanism as well as laws and regulations to "significantly" reduce workplace accidents by 2020.The guideline was jointly issued by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. It said China will not sacrifice safety for development.The guideline has clarified the definition and division of responsibilities concerning workplace safety. Meanwhile, China has plans to amend its criminal law to include workplace malpractices that easily lead to major accidents.It noted the country will increase financial input to enhance workplace risk control and prevent work-related illness, while improving management and auditing to make sure the money would be wisely spent.It said China&`&s work safety has been improving, but more efforts are needed as many problems remain.The guideline came after a series of deadly accidents, including mining disasters and power plant collapse. In one of the accidents in November, 74 people were killed when a platform for a cooling tower being constructed as part of a power plant collapsed in east China&`&s Jiangxi Province. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.Scientists claimed they have figured out how the world&`&s biggest and most-valuable diamonds formed.In a study published in the U.S. journal of Science, scientists said large gem-quality diamonds, including the world-famous Cullinan and Lesotho Promise, may be born in metallic liquid deep inside Earth&`&s mantle.The research team, led by Evan Smith of the Gemological Institute of America, reached the conclusion after examining so-called "offcuts" of massive diamonds, which are the pieces left over after the gem&`&s facets are cut for maximum sparkle.They found tiny metallic grains trapped inside in more than 30 exceptionally large stones, which are made up of a mixture of metallic iron and nickel, along with carbon, sulfur, methane and hydrogen.The inclusions led the researchers to reach the conclusion that diamonds formed in the Earth&`&s mantle, but they did so under conditions in which they were saturated by liquid metal.Most diamonds formed at depths of 150 to 200 kilometers under the continents and shoot to the surface in volcanic eruptions. But the large, rare stones formed at extreme depths, likely within 360 to 750 kilometers in the convection mantle, where rocks are known to be mobile.This is Special English.U.S. researchers have taken inspiration from the human brain in creating a new "deep learning" method that enables computers to teach themselves about the visual world largely on their own, much as human babies do.In the test, the new image-processing system "deep rendering mixture model" can learn largely on their own about how to distinguish handwritten digits using a standard data-set of 10,000 digits written by federal employees and high school students. In results, the researchers said they trained their algorithm by giving it just 10 correct examples of each handwritten digit between zero and nine and then presenting it with several thousand more examples that it used to further teach itself.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.The world&`&s first cloned goat bearing superfine cashmere wool was born in north China&`&s Inner Mongolia.The goat was born and is raised in a base for animal husbandry research conducted by experts from agricultural universities and academies in Inner Mongolia and southwest China&`&s Yunnan Province.The cashmere fiber from the goat is less than 14 micrometers thick, much finer than the average of 16 micrometers grown by the famous Erlang Mountain goats in Inner Mongolia. This is Special English.Every day, trains full of laptops and other electronics products as well as auto parts depart a remote village in southwest China heading for Europe.For five years, trains have delivered laptops for Hewlett-Packard, car window regulators and semi-conductors, from Chongqing Municipality to Europe.Since the trains started in 2011, there has been a business boom in the mountain city. It imported more than 2,000 cars on the international rail network in the past two years.Six years ago, the city was struggling to attract businesses which mostly centered on China&`&s coastal areas where there are convenient shipping.With the launch of the trains, the city got more deals because train transport costs only around one-fifth of air transport, and one-third faster than shipping by the sea.As prices along the eastern seaboard rose, industries began to move inland. In 2010 Hewlett-Packard established a computer production line in Chongqing, seeking government help to launch a rail network to transport products overseas. That was when the China-Europe rail network was launched.Following the footsteps of Hewlett-Packard, other brands including Acer, Toshiba and Apple set up bases in Chongqing to take advantage of the rail line.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That&`&s mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.When it comes to surgical procedures to enhance beauty, Chinese women are twice as generous than their global peers.According a report based on a survey by Insightful Engineers, a market research consultancy in the United Kingdom, the survey found that Chinese women spent the equivalent of around 580 yuan, roughly 84 U.S. Dollars, per month. That&`&s more than twice the global average of about 250 yuan, and 150 yuan higher than the second group on the list, women from South Korea.A plastic surgeon from Shanghai said Chinese women are displaying an increasing interest in a range of surgical procedures, mainly to look prettier, rather than fighting aging, which may help explain why the population of plastic surgery receivers in the country is much younger than in other places.The report also said that 74 percent of Chinese respondents associate beauty directly with facial appearance, the highest of all surveyed countries. The biggest concern for Chinese women is flabby skin and crow&`&s feet, the little wrinkles at the corner of the eyes.The survey interviewed 7,700 "aesthetically aware" women from 16 countries, who were between 18 and 65 years of age.This is Special English.Paris&`& first perfume museum, the Grand Musee de Parfum, has opened its doors, inviting visitors to discover perfume history through a quite innovative sensory and olfactory exhibition.The museum&`&s president said the Grand Musee du Parfum was created after noting the absence of an emblematic place for French perfumery in Paris despite the sector&`&s flourishing influence abroad.The museum gathered major players in French and international perfume industry, including the Federation of Beauty Enterprises, the French Syndicate of Perfumery and the International Flavors and Fragrances.It has three spaces with one area dedicated to the history of perfumes.Alongside the permanent exhibition, many events and workshops for young people are planned at the museum and intend to bring together the visual arts, gastronomy, live entertainment, literature and cinema around perfume.France has the world&`&s leading cosmetics-perfumes sector and its turnover totaled 25 billion euros, roughly 26 billion U.S. Dollars, in 2014. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.British actor Colin Firth dwells on the virtue of restraint in a wide-ranging conversation with Raymond Zhou on the art of acting. Colin Firth joked that he was looking for offers in Chinese films, adding that he hoped to work with Chinese directors including Zhang Yimou.The light-hearted revelation came at the end of an hourlong talk, moderated by yours truly, which was designed to encompass the highlights of an illustrious career of the much honored British actor.Titled "A Colin Firth Retrospective", the conversation was, in turn, part of a program for the 2016 China-Briton Film Festival held in the Beijing suburb of Langfang.Firth received a lifetime-achievement award at this festival when it opened on Dec 12.The 2010 Academy Award winner for best actor, for The King&`&s Speech, did not randomly pick a few big names from China&`&s booming film industry to please the host country. But he did his due diligence.Firth said he was impressed by how seamlessly American actors Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody fitted into the epic tale on the 1942 famine. He also liked the 2012 movie Mystery, and said Farewell My Concubine was one of the best movies in world of cinema.And he was plugged in to the latest in Chinese showbiz, aware of the publicity blitz whipped up by The Great Wall, the epic tale of fighting monsters on the best-known Chinese landmark, which is a Sino-US co-production that stars Matt Damon.This is Special English.China&`&s northernmost province of Heilongjiang will hold an "Ice and Snow Day" to warm up its winter tourism industry and sluggish economy.The provincial legislature adopted a decision to hold the event on Dec. 20 each year, starting this year. State-owned winter sports facilities will be open to the public for free during these event.Travel agencies and key scenic spots will offer discounted tickets to tourists on Ice and Snow Day.The province&`&s bitter winter, which lasts 120 days, used to be an obstacle to the area&`&s development. However, Heilongjiang has taken measures to turn the cold, snowy season into a resource to boost its economy, which has slowed in recent years amid the country&`&s economic restructuring.The "Ice and Snow Day" will make more people to enjoy ice and snow, creating a favorable environment for developing the winter economy and tourism.This is Special English.The Maldives tourism industry has seen a remarkable growth in 2016, contributing to strengthening the island&`&s economy.A press statement by the Maldives Embassy in Colombo said the growth has been achieved with the dynamic economic policies introduced by the country to transform the economy of the Maldives.This year, the Maldives unveiled seven new resorts, featuring the world&`&s largest underwater restaurant.The government said 20 new resorts will be unveiled in 2017.With the opening of the new resorts and influx of tourism investments, the tourism industry has become a catalyst for the governments&`& key pledge of youth employment.That is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.（全文见周日微信。）

Chinese people love their pet dogs, so much so that some of them would take their fluffy friends to restaurants for a meal out.An extreme case would be a recent one in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, in which the dog lady used the restaurant spoon to feed her pet dog.It got people talking. Is it ok to do so really?

完整文稿，更多内容请关注今天的微信推送内容：英语环球 NEWSPlus This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news. Chinese tennis star Li Na has announced her retirement on a personal social networking site. Li cited knee injuries as the reason for retiring from play. The 32-year-old tennis sensation said she had no regrets about ending her tennis career. She said it is a very tough decision, but she has done her best, and it is the most appropriate time to say goodbye. Li is planning to set up her tennis training school, and will invite her former coach Carlos Rodriguez to join the school. Li's tennis career culminated with two grand slam titles in the past three years and a rise to number two in the world rankings. The achievement has made her the first and only grand slam winner in China and Asia. This is NEWS Plus Special English. The delayed release of the iPhone 6 in China has been a boon for scalpers seeking to score on the black and grey markets. Large portions of the crowds that gathered outside Apple retail outlets in the U.S. for the iPhone 6 release were Chinese buyers looking to profit off the delayed release. Chinese scalpers made up the vast majority of the 2,000 people waiting in line at the Apple store on New York's Fifth Avenue. Chinese news media reported that a scalper surnamed Wang said the Chinese Mainland is off the list this year, while there are bunch of rich guys crying for the new product, which has driven the price of each phone up to 400 dollars. Wang originally came from Fujian Province in eastern China. A grey-market iPhone 6 goes for as much as 2,700 dollars on the Chinese mainland. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Apple's largest iPhone is selling for 100 dollars more than its other new model, but an outside research firm estimated that it costs Apple only 15 dollars more to make the more expensive version. Apple said it sold more than 10 million of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models in their first three days on sale. Both have larger screens than earlier iPhone models, and analysts say consumers like the new, bigger sizes. The Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, as measured diagonally, while the regular iPhone 6 is at 4.7 inches. The new iPhones address a key advantage that rival Android phones have long had -- size. The iPhone has been Apple's main source of profits and is expected to remain so for at least the next year. Research firms estimates that Apple will make more profit on the Plus version. The full, no-contract price for the 16-gigabyte iPhone 6 is 650 dollars; and it costs Apple200 dollars for materials and manufacturing. The iPhone 6 Plus retails for 750 dollars without a contract, but it costs Apple around 216 dollars. The Plus model also has a bigger battery and a slightly more expensive camera than the regular iPhone 6. This is NEWS Plus Special English. Israel has joined the international effort to stem the Ebola epidemic sweeping across West Africa. Doctors, health care professionals and infectious disease experts are being sent to Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Liberia to treat infected patients and help prevent spread of the disease. Two physicians are already in Cameroon and others will be joining them in the near future. Meanwhile, a shipment of medicine and medical equipment is scheduled to arrive in the affected areas in West Africa. The United States, along with a host of other nations, and international organizations have scrambled to combat the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Ebola has killed some 2,600 people and infected around 5,300 others in West Africa since early spring. But some media outlets from the countries ravaged by the disease have been critical of the concerted effort, saying that too little help has arrived too late. This is NEWS Plus Special English.

完整文稿请关注周日微信，或登录以下网址： http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/09/12/2582s843947.htm This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news. A village in East China's Fujian Province has boosted rice production by playing soothing Buddhist music in their fields. Residents of Liangshan village claimed that output has grown by 15 percent since they began playing mantras and other chants on 500 lotus flower-shaped loudspeakers installed in the rice paddies. Local agriculture authorities said the almost 30 hectare area with music played also yielded overall larger grains, while paddies without music suffered from pests. While net users suggested the move was a public stunt, the village may not only have Buddha's blessing, but also have science on their side. Experts from China Agricultural University pointed out that certain sound waves, such as those found in the rhythmic chanting of mantras, can stimulate the pores on a plant's leaves to help better absorb sunlight. However, a local agricultural official said that only "positive music" helps growth, while rock music would probably harm it. This is NEWS Plus Special English. International film makers say that China deserves better international film festivals given its film industry's huge development in recent years in terms of technology and market. Director of the 71st Venice International Film Festival Alberto Barbera says that as far as technology is concerned, Chinese film industry is "the same quality as the American ones as there are many joint ventures between Hollywood studios and Chinese film production companies; and they share the same technology and studios". The director says the only thing that needs to be improved for the Chinese cinema is the fact that they now mostly producing films that are devoted to local market. He hopes China will make films for the international audience and contribute more in uplifting its international influence. He suggests that China will always focus on the quality of films on the first hand, since that is crucial for holding good film festivals, while noting that the concern on market is also a must. About the prospect of the Venice International Film Festival, the director says the festival will keep its own style, giving priority to the quality of films instead of market. The 71st Venice International Film Festival has been held from August 27th to September 6th this year. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. A Chinese director says that for Chinese filmmakers, it remains a big challenge to make successful art-house films in a market saturated with commercial works. And that is why Chinese art-house films are often appreciated internationally only. Chinese filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai came to Toronto International Film Festival for his film "Red Amnesia". Wang says "the thing in China is when you make a film, you'd better not say it's an art-house film; and if you do, it will die". Wang says another disadvantage is that there are only limited screen days for art-house films in China as commercial works always dominate theaters. Despite the obstacles, Wang says he will continue to do what satisfies him artistically, and make more Chinese audience in favor of these types of films. The success of his art-house film brings him hope. His noir thriller opened in China on March 19th with unexpected box office success, earning almost 13 million U.S. dollars in its first two weeks of screening. Wang says this has proved that there are people who want to see art-house films, but it needs time and space to link the audience, directors and producers together. This is NEWS Plus Special English. U.S researchers found that consumption of two or more servings of fish per week may reduce the risk of hearing loss in women. Acquired hearing loss is a highly prevalent and often disabling chronic health condition. Although a decline in hearing is often considered an inevitable aspect of aging, the identification of several potentially modifiable risk factors has provided new insight into possibilities for prevention or delay of acquired hearing loss. The study examined the associations between consumption of total and specific types of fish and self-reported hearing loss in women. The study followed 65,000 women for ten years and found 12,000 cases of incident hearing loss reported. When compared with women who rarely ate fish, women who had two or more servings of fish per week had a 20 percent lower risk of hearing loss. The study also shows that consumption of any type of fish, such as tuna, dark fish, light fish, or shellfish, tended to be associated with lower risk.

完整文稿请关注周日微信，或登录以下网址： http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/07/25/2582s837677.htm This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news. Fast food chains in China have stopped using products supplied by a Shanghai meat processing plant over allegations that it was supplying stale meat and mislabeling expiration dates. Shanghai-based Dragon TV aired a news program on July 20th, claiming that Shanghai Husi Food Company had supplied products tainted with reprocessed stale meat to a string of fast food chains and restaurants across China. The expose is another blow to western fast food chains like McDonald's and KFC, which have been implicated in a number of food safety scandals involving suppliers over the years. McDonald's issued a statement over the alleged malpractice at Husi, saying it had stopped using all food materials supplied by the meat processor. In a separate statement, KFC said some of its restaurants in south China's Fujian Province will stop selling certain products due to the food safety incident. Shanghai's municipal food and drug watchdog has ordered that production at the company's food processing plant in suburban Shanghai be suspended following the television expose. The company is an "A-Level enterprise" graded by the local regulator, and is subject to two reviews every year. Sampling tests the company underwent during its review for the first half of this year showed no problems. Officials from Shanghai's municipal food safety office said the fact that regulators take action only after violations are exposed suggests that their day-to-day oversight is not effective. This is NEWS Plus Special English. Ailing Chinese moon rover Yutu, the "Jade Rabbit", might have been damaged by knocking against rocks on a lunar surface that is more complicated than expected. Yutu is China's first moon rover. It drove onto the lunar surface in December last year as part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission. But in January, it suffered a "mechanical control abnormality" which has continued to trouble it ever since. Experts' initial judgment for the abnormality was that the rover was "wounded" by colliding with stones while moving. A major challenge for the robot has been the temperature fluctuation of 300 degrees Celsius on the moon. When the sun sets, the solar-powered rover must hibernate to survive the night. Yutu has fulfilled all its missions including surveying the moon's geological structure and surface substances, as well as looking for natural resources. Yutu has managed to survive seven lunar nights so far. One lunar night is equivalent to around 14 days on Earth. Night temperatures can fall to minus 180 degrees Celsius. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. China will launch a high-definition Earth observation satellite, Gaofen-2, to space this year. The Gaofen satellite series is one of China's major science and technology projects. It helps in areas such as geographic and resource surveys, environment and climate change monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster relief and city-planning. Gaofen-1 was launched in April last year and still in service. Gaofen-2 was the first of several satellites to be launched for high-definition Earth observation before 2016. Equipped with cutting edge technology, the satellite will be able to "see" clearly a one-meter-long object on earth in full color. This is NEWS Plus Special English. China's largest telecom firm China Mobile has revealed plans to build 500,000 4G base stations by the end of this year. 4G international roaming services will be opened in another 50 countries and regions which Chinese tourists frequently visit. China Mobile's services currently cover the United States, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, among other countries. Its customers can access 4G services through a new 4G Universal Subscriber Identity Module card without changing their number or going through registration. China Mobile will also do more to handle the problem of malware, junk messages and pornography. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. The music video for Chinese pop singer Jane Zhang's latest single "Forever" has premiered online. "Forever" is the leading track from the singer's new album "The Seventh Sense" which came out earlier this month. The video uses 3D effects to build a surreal setting, highlighting the song's message of eternal love. The music video first premiered on sina.com's entertainment channel. Zhang rose to fame after coming in third-place in the first season of China's TV singing contest "Super Girl" in 2006.

A survey by match making website Baihe.com shows that over 60% of female respondents believe men are inclined to grow special feelings towards their female friends; nearly 1/4 of respondents in Fujian Province admit their best friends stole their lovers. The survey interviewed 100,000 people from 31 provinces. Nearly 4,000 Fujian people took part in the survey, accounting for 3.6% of the total interviewees.

Wooden arch bridges are found in Fujian Province and Zhejiang Province, along China's south-east coast. The traditional design and practices for building these bridges combine the use of wood, traditional architectural tools, craftsmanship, the core technologies of 'beam-weaving' and mortise and tenon joints, and an experienced woodworker's understanding of different environments and the necessary structural mechanics. The carpentry is directed by a woodworking master and implemented by other woodworkers.