Podcasts about Northwest China

  Last time we spoke about the Xi'an Incident. In December 1936, tensions in China erupted as Nationalist General Chiang Kai-shek faced a revolt led by his commanders, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng. Disillusioned by Chiang's focus on battling communists instead of the Japanese invaders, the generals swiftly captured him in a coup. Confined in Xi'an, Chiang initially resisted their demands for a united front against Japan but eventually engaged in negotiation with Zhang and the Chinese Communist Party. As public sentiment shifted against him, Chiang's predicament led to urgent discussions, culminating in an unexpected alliance with the communists. This pact aimed to consolidate Chinese resistance against Japanese aggression, marking a critical turning point in the Second Sino-Japanese War. By December 26, Chiang was released, and this uneasy collaboration set the stage for a more unified front against a common enemy, though underlying tensions remained between the factions.   #152 China Prepares for War 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. Before we jump into the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, which I honestly have no idea how long will take us, I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate two episodes to how both China and Japan prepared themselves for war.  Going all the way back to the 1910s, Chinese intellectuals began to view an outright conflict between Japan and China was inevitable. In the discussions about China's strategic options, Jiang Fangzhen pioneered a strategy of protracted warfare, a concept that would later shape China's approach during the Sino-Japanese War. Having studied in Japan during his youth, Jiang developed a keen understanding of the Japanese government and military. As early as 1917, he predicted that China and Japan would become embroiled in a long-term conflict, with the battleground likely to be west of the Peiping–Wuhan and Guangzhou–Wuhan railways. In his work titled "Guofang Lun" or “On National Defense”, Jiang reiterated the importance of protracted warfare as a means to thwart Japan's aspirations for a swift victory. He argued that China should leverage its vast population and extensive territory to extend the conflict, gradually wearing down Japanese strength and turning the situation to its advantage. Jiang recommended that China not focus on defending its coastal regions but instead confront the enemy west of the Peking–Wuhan Railway.   Chiang Kai-shek would eventually come to share Jiang's belief that “the longer the war drags on, the more advantageous it will be for China.” Despite significant public criticism, both the Nationalist government and General Zhang Xueliang, decided against military resistance when Japan invaded Manchuria in September 1931 and attacked Shanghai in 1932. Chiang was particularly hesitant to engage Japan directly, as he was also dealing with a Communist insurgency in central China. He feared that Chinese forces would suffer quick defeat, predicting that Japan would capture key coastal areas and critical infrastructure within just three days, crippling China by dismantling its military and economic lifelines. Following the invasion of North China Chiang was forced to adopt a firmer stance. The Nationalist government proposed a dual strategy of pursuing peace and security while simultaneously preparing for war. If peace proved impossible, China would mobilize its resources for ultimate victory through prolonged conflict. This approach was formalized in the National Defense Plan, which China adopted by prioritizing protracted warfare as its core strategy. After the Sino-Japanese clash in Shanghai on January 28, 1932, the Military Affairs Commission devised a plan that divided China into four defense areas along with a preparation area. While some troops were assigned local security, commanders were directed to concentrate their remaining forces for potential confrontations with Japan. That year, the Military Affairs Commission issued General Defense Guidelines that outlined two strategic responses to a potential Japanese invasion. The first, conservative approach focused on maintaining key positions and utilizing protracted warfare to impede the enemy. The second strategy advocated for decisive battles in key regions to thwart Japan's ambitions and protect China's territorial integrity, prioritizing disengagement from Japanese forces along the Yangtze River and coastline. In August 1935, German military adviser General Alexander von Falkenhausen provided recommendations to Chiang Kai-shek based on his predictions of Japanese advance routes into China. He identified three main routes: one from northern Hebei to Zhengzhou, the second from Shandong toward Xuzhou, and the third crossing the Yangtze River to Nanjing and onwards to Wuhan. He suggested treating the Yangtze River as the primary combat zone and highlighted Sichuan as a possible retreat area. Taking all of this into consideration. in 1936, a draft of a new National Defense Plan divided the country into four zones: a war zone, a defense zone, an internal security zone, and a preparation area. The war zone encompassed ten provinces and established strategies for retreating to predetermined defensive positions when necessary, with Sichuan designated as the main base for the war. In January 1937, the Chinese General Staff Department introduced its annual War Plan, outlining three possible military conflict regions between China and Japan. It proposed two main strategies: Proposal A emphasized sustained combat and retreat to fortified positions if the situation became unfavorable, aiming to eventually go on the offensive against Japan. Proposal B focused on repelling Japanese invasions along the coast and from the north, prioritizing counter offensives against Japanese units stationed near key locations. To prepare, the NRA completed several critical projects outlined in its plans, establishing military supply depots in Nanjing, Bengbu, Xinyang, Huayin, Nanchang, and Wuchang to manage logistics for supplies across various strategic railways. These depots were equipped to sustain the military, with ample ammunition and provisions, including 60 million rounds of small-arms ammunition and food for hundreds of thousands. Despite these preparations, not all projects were completed by the time war broke out in July 1937. In contrast to the Japanese military's tactics, Chinese forces prioritized defensive strategies. For example, at the Mount Lushan Military Officer Training Camp in July 1934, Chiang Kai-shek outlined four possible approaches against Japan, favoring a defense-as-offense strategy. Other options included building fortifications, tenaciously defending key positions, and employing guerrilla warfare through irregular forces to constrain enemy advances. Chiang stressed the importance of national mobilization for the war effort.  There was a significant disparity in equipment between the Japanese and Chinese armies. To give you an idea, each Japanese division included a mechanized group featuring thirty-nine light military vehicles and 21 light armored cars, supplemented by 6,000–7,000 horses, 200–300 automobiles, and specialized troops such as poison gas teams. In contrast, Nationalist divisions lacked any of these capabilities, a typical nationalist division theoretically had an armored regiment, but this unit was equipped with fewer than 72 armored vehicles. Another major weakness of the Nationalist forces was their insufficient artillery. In 1936, a division was officially assigned one artillery battalion, which was divided into three batteries totaling twelve guns. It also included a mechanized cannon company with four direct-fire weapons. By comparison, a Japanese division boasted four infantry regiments and one mountain artillery or field artillery regiment, with each artillery regiment comprising three field artillery battalions and one howitzer battalion. The infantry regiment itself included a mountain artillery section with four mountain guns, while the infantry battalion had one Type 70 mountain gun section with two guns. In total, a Japanese division possessed sixty-four artillery pieces of various calibers, four times the number of a Chinese division and of significantly higher quality. In reality, in 1936, twelve of the twenty elite Chinese “reformed divisions” still lacked artillery battalions. The ordnance available in the “reformed divisions” mostly consisted of the outdated Type 60 mountain gun. Nationwide, very few of the 200 divisions were equipped with any artillery, and those that did often used obsolete field artillery pieces or mountain artillery provided to local forces. Some units even relied on trench mortars as a makeshift solution. The artillery weapons came from various countries, but they frequently lacked necessary observation and signal components, and were often low on ammunition. The majority of mountain guns and field artillery were of the Type 75, which, while capable of providing fire support, had limited range and inflicted minimal damage. To give you an idea of the striking inadequacy of the Chinese artillery, during the Shanghai fighting in 1937, the mountain artillery of the Guangxi 21st Army Group could only reach targets within 1,200 yards, while Japanese field artillery had an effective range of 8,000 yards. Chinese-made mountain artillery suffered due to inferior steel-making technology; the gun shields were constructed from low-quality steel, and the barrels often overheated after firing just a few rounds, increasing the risk of explosions. Additionally, the equipment of local forces varied greatly in quality. In fact, some local units had superior equipment compared to Nationalist units. For example, before the Sino-Japanese War, troops from Yunnan were equipped with French antitank guns and heavy machine guns, which were better than the German water-cooled machine guns used by the Nationalist forces. However, the majority of local troops relied on inferior equipment; the 122nd Division under Wang Mingzhang from Sichuan, noted for its brave defense of Tengxian County during the Xuzhou Battle, was armed with locally produced light and heavy machine guns that frequently malfunctioned, and their Type 79 rifles, also made in Sichuan, were often outdated, with some dating back to the Qing Dynasty. These weapons had limited range and sometimes malfunctioned after fewer than one hundred rounds. Now before the war, both Nationalist and local forces acquired weaponry from diverse foreign and domestic sources. Even domestically produced weapons lacked standardization, with those made in Hanyang and Manchuria differing in design and specifications. Arms manufactured in Germany, France, Russia, Japan, and Italy were similarly inconsistent. Consequently, even within a single unit, the lack of uniformity created significant logistical challenges, undermining combat effectiveness, particularly in the early stages of the war. Despite Nationalist ordnance factories producing over three million rounds of small-arms ammunition daily, the incompatibility of ammunition and weapons diminished the usable quantity of ammunition. Chinese communications infrastructure was inadequate. In the Nationalist army, signal units were integrated into engineering units, leading to low-quality radio communications. In emergencies, telegrams could remain undelivered for days, and orders often had to be dispatched via postal services. By 1937, the entire country boasted only 3,000 military vehicles, necessitating heavy reliance on horses and mules for transport. To effectively equip twenty Nationalist divisions, 10,647 horses and 20,688 mules were needed, but by the end of 1935, only 6,206 horses and 4,351 mules were available. A statistic from 1936 indicated a 5 percent mortality rate among military horses, with some units experiencing a rate as high as 10 percent. The distribution of weaponry led to disputes during army reorganization efforts following the Northern Expedition. Although Chiang Kai-shek's forces were part of the regular army, the quality of their equipment varied significantly. Domestic production of weapons was limited, and imports could not close the gap. Priority was given to small arms; through army reorganization, Chiang aimed to diminish the influence of forces less loyal to him. Nationalist army staff officers observed that troops loyal to Chiang received the best weapons. Northwest and Northeast forces, having cultivated good relations with the KMT, were similarly better equipped, while Shanxi troops received inferior supplies. Troops associated with the Guangxi Clique were given even poorer quality weapons due to their leaders' stronger political ambitions. Troops regarded as “bandit forces,” such as those led by Shi Yousan, Li Hongchang, and Sun Dianying, were naturally assigned the least effective weaponry. This unequal distribution of arms increased some local forces' inclination to align with the KMT while alienating others, which inadvertently led to additional turmoil in the aftermath of the Northern Expedition. Logistical accounting within the Nationalist military was severely lacking. Military expenditures accounted for a significant portion of government spending, roughly 65.48 % in 1937, with personnel costs being the largest component. However, military units prioritized boosting their own resources over accurate accounting. Surpluses were not returned but rather utilized to reward military officers and soldiers for merits in battle, care for the wounded, or to create a reserve. Conversely, if deficits arose, troops would resort to “living off vacancies,” a practice in which they would fail to report desertions promptly and would falsely claim new soldiers had arrived. Military leaders typically appointed their most trusted subordinates to serve as accountants and logistic officers. As the war commenced, these issues became readily apparent. During the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, frontline soldiers sometimes went days without food and went months without pay. Wounded soldiers and civilians had to search tirelessly for medical treatment, and when main forces relocated, they often abandoned grain, ammunition, weapons, and petroleum along the way. General Chen Cheng, the commander in chief during the Battle of Shanghai, noted, “This phenomenon clearly revealed our inability to supply frontline troops, indicating that China remains a backward country with poor management.” Many logistical shortcomings severely impacted troop morale and combat effectiveness. In a 1933 speech, Chiang Kai-shek acknowledged that poor food, inadequate clothing, and ineffective logistics contributed to widespread desertion. Soldiers were further demoralized by reduced or embezzled salaries. A lack of professional medical staff and equipment hampered healthcare efforts, leading to high disease and mortality rates. According to official statistics from 1936, approximately 10 percent of soldiers fell ill annually, with a mortality rate as high as 5 percent. Japanese military authorities reported that one in three wounded Japanese soldiers died, while a Dutch military officer present during the early stages of the Sino-Japanese War observed that one in every two wounded Nationalist soldiers perished. Due to inadequate equipment and limited transport options, Nationalist forces were compelled to recruit farmers and rent vehicles, as they lacked essential facilities such as tents. This reliance on local resources inevitably led to frequent conflicts between military personnel and civilians. China is clearly a vast nation with an extensive coastline, requiring the construction of several significant fortresses during the modern era. These included Wusong, Jiangyin, Zhenjiang, Jiangning, and Wuhan along the Yangtze River, as well as Zhenhai, Humen, and Changzhou along the seacoast. Except for the Wuhan fortress, built in 1929-1930, all other fortifications were established during the late Qing Dynasty and featured uncovered cannon batteries. These fortresses suffered from inadequate maintenance, and many of their components had become outdated and irreplaceable, rendering them militarily negligible. Following the January 1932 Shanghai Incident, the Japanese military destroyed the Wusong forts, leaving the entrance to the Yangtze River completely unfortified. Consequently, there were no defenses along the coastline from Jiangsu to Shandong, allowing the Japanese to land freely. In December 1932, the Military Affairs Commission established a fortress group tasked with constructing fortresses and defensive installations, seeking assistance from German military advisers. After the North China Incident in 1935, the Nationalist government accelerated the construction of defensive structures in line with national war planning, focusing particularly on Nanjing. The Nationalists prioritized building fortifications along the seacoast and the Yellow River, followed by key regions north of the Yellow River. The government also ordered a significant quantity of heavy artillery from Germany. This included several dozen pieces of flat-fire antiaircraft and dual-purpose heavy artillery, which were installed at fortifications in Jiangyin, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, and Wuhan. By the summer of 1937, the construction of nine fortified positions was complete: Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Jiangyin, Ningbo, Humen, Mawei, Xiamen , Nantong, and Lianyungang. In total, China had established 41 forts and equipped them with 273 fortress cannons. Some defensive installations were poorly managed, with many units assigned to their perimeters lacking training and access to proper maps. The barbette positions in the fortresses were not well concealed and could hardly store sufficient ammunition. Troops stationed at these fortresses received little training. Despite these shortcomings, the fortresses and fortifications were not entirely ineffective. They bolstered Chinese positions along the defense line stretching from Cangxian County to Baoding and from Dexian County to Shijiazhuang, as well as in southern Shandong.  Before the war, China's political and economic center was situated along the seacoast and the Yangtze River. As Japanese influence expanded, the Nationalist government was compelled to establish bases in China's inner regions, very similar to how the USSR pulled back its industry further west after Operation barbarossa.The Japanese attack on Shanghai in 1932 prompted the Nationalists to relocate their capital to Luoyang. On March 5, during the Second Plenary Session of the KMT's Fourth Congress, the Western Capital Preparation Committee was formed to plan for the potential relocation of all governmental bodies to Xi'an in the event of full-scale war. In February 1933, the Central Political Conference approved the Northwest Development Bill, and in February 1934, the National Economic Commission set up a northwestern branch to oversee development projects in the region. On October 18, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek traveled to Lanzhou, recording in his diary that “Northwest China has abundant resources. Japan and Russia are poised to bully us. Yet, if we strengthen ourselves and develop northwest China to the fullest extent, we can turn it into a base for China's revival.” Interestingly, it was Sichuan, rather than the northwest, that became China's rear base during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. In October 1934, the Communist army evacuated its Soviet base in southern China, initiating the Long March that would ultimately end in the northwest. By this time, Chiang Kai-shek had decided to designate Sichuan as the last stronghold for China. In January 1935, the Nanchang Field Headquarters of the Military Affairs Commission, responsible for combatting the Communists and serving as the supreme military and political authority over most provinces along the Yangtze River and central China, dispatched a special advisory group to Chongqing. Following this, the Nationalist army advanced into Sichuan. On February 10, the Nationalists appointed a new provincial government in Sichuan, effectively ending the province's long-standing regionalism. On March 2, Chiang traveled to Chongqing, where he delivered a speech underscoring that “Sichuan should serve as the base for China's revival.” He stated that he was in Sichuan to oversee efforts against the Communist army and to unify the provincial administration.  After the Xinhai revolution, the Republic of China was still suing the Qing Dynasty's conscription system. However, once in power, the Nationalist government sought to establish a national military service program. In 1933, it enacted a military service law, which began implementation in 1936. This law categorized military service into two branches: service in the Nationalist army and in territorial citizen army units. Men aged eighteen to forty-five were expected to serve in the territorial units if they did not enlist in the Nationalist army. The territorial service was structured into three phases: active service lasting two to three years, first reserves for six years, and second reserves until the age of forty-five. The Ministry of Military Affairs divided China into sixty divisional conscription headquarters, initially establishing these headquarters in the six provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, and Hubei. By December 1936, approximately 50,000 new soldiers had been drafted. The military service law disproportionately favored the middle and upper classes. Government personnel were exempt from enlistment, allowing privileged families to register their children with government agencies. Similarly, students in middle and higher education were excused from service, while youth from poorer backgrounds often felt compelled to enlist due to financial constraints that limited their educational opportunities. Village and town leaders were responsible for executing the recruitment process and frequently conspired with army recruiters. Recruitment principles often favored wealthier families, with guidelines stating that one son should be drafted for every three sons, two for five sons, but no drafts if there was only one son. Wealthy families could secure exemptions for all their male children, while poor families might see their only son conscripted if they were unable to provide the requisite bribe. Town and village heads wielded significant power in recruitment. This new recruitment system also created numerous money-making opportunities. Military personnel assigned to escort draftees to their units would often allow draftees to escape for a fee. Additionally, draftees could monetize their service by agreeing to serve as substitutes for others. For some, being drafted became an occupation. For example, in 1936, 600 individuals were drafted in the Wuhu area of Anhui province, and accounts from regional administrators indicated that every draftee had either been traded, replaced, or seized. Beginning in 1929, the Nationalist government also instituted military training for high school students and older individuals. Students were required to participate in one theoretical class and one practical class each week, totaling three hours. Starting in 1934, students had to complete a three-month military training program before graduating. Graduates of military academies were employed as military instructors. By the end of 1936, over 237,000 high school students had undergone military training. This student military training was overseen by the Society for the Implementation of the Three People's Principles of Sun Yat-sen, which also provided political education and sometimes gathered information on students' political beliefs.  Although the Nationalists made significant efforts to improve the military training of both officers and troops, they inherited deep-seated challenges that they were unable to completely overcome. A lack of facilities, outdated training manuals, low regard for military instructors, and the ongoing influence of regionalism and warlordism hindered progress. The Japanese would also later exploit these shortcomings of the Nationalist army. The Central Military Academy, which evolved from the Whampoa Military Academy established in 1923 in Guangzhou to train officers for the Northern Expedition, became the primary training institution for junior military officers. The academy offered a basic course, lasting eighteen months, which included general education, specialized training in various subjects, and field practice. This was followed by a two-year cadet training program focused on developing the skills necessary for junior military officers. Seventeen classes were admitted before the outbreak of war. Admission to the academy was highly competitive, with military officers receiving attractive salaries. For instance, in 1935, the academy received 10,000 applications for the twelfth class, but only 7% were accepted. Upon graduation, cadets were typically assigned to divisions within the Nationalist army loyal to Chiang Kai-shek. Their training, influenced by German advisors, resulted in a high-quality cadre. In modern China, most sergeants were veterans. While some units provided training for sergeants, a lack of formal education led to their diminished status. Truly qualified sergeants were rare. During his tenure as Minister of Military Training, General Bai Chongxi proposed establishing a sergeant school and creating a professional noncommissioned officer system; however, the Ministry of Military Affairs opposed this on financial grounds. While commanding officers enjoyed rapid promotions, military instructors did not. Furthermore, there was no system for transferring instructors to field commands or assigning commanders to military academies for extended periods. Despite minor updates to cover modern warfare concepts such as tank warfare and machine guns, Qing Dynasty military manuals were still in use at the Central Military Academy at the start of the war. Yeah, 1937 they were still rocking the old Qing books. Following the establishment of the Ministry of Military Training, a bureau for military translation was set up to evaluate existing course materials and translate military manuals, but its contributions were limited. Another significant shortcoming of military instruction focused on theory at the expense of practical application.  To enhance the quality of military officers, the Nationalist army instituted specialized schools for artillery, infantry, transport, engineering, and signals starting in 1931. These institutions were considered to have high-quality administrators and facilities. The Nationalists adopted German military training models, replacing the previously used Japanese models. They appointed German advisors to oversee instructor training at military academies and established three instructional divisions. By the onset of the Sino-Japanese War, 15,000 students had graduated from programs with a German military influence, resulting in the creation of about fifty combat divisions from these instructional units. However, the progress of other Nationalist army units was limited because their training was not aligned with contemporary battlefield realities. Before World War I, troops operated in close formations due to limited firepower. The widespread introduction of machine guns after World War I necessitated a shift to dispersed formations. Although a new drill manual issued by the Ministry of Military Training in 1935 introduced small-group tactics, few units adopted these methods. General Chen Cheng highlighted another underlying issue in 1938, commenting on the outmoded focus on parade ground drills and formal military manners. He noted, “We have paid too much attention to stereotypical formality and procedures of no practical use. Sometimes, even though soldiers could not get a haircut or take a bath for several months, their camps had to be in order. They underwent intensive training in close-order drill but learned little about gun handling, marksmanship, or maneuvering. This was inappropriate in peacetime, yet we continued this practice even after the Sino-Japanese War started, even using it on highly educated youth.” In contrast, the Communist army simplified training, emphasizing two essential skills: live-fire exercises and physical endurance, which significantly enhanced troop effectiveness in the challenging terrain characteristic of the Sino-Japanese War. Ultimately, the Nationalist army's training did not reach all soldiers. Only about half of all combat soldiers received adequate training, while the rest were neglected. According to statistics from the time, there were approximately five million military personnel during the Sino-Japanese War, with three million serving in logistics. Most of these logistics personnel had received little training, leading to disastrous consequences for overall combat effectiveness. As warfare has become more complex, the role of highly trained staff officers has become increasingly important. Napoleon developed operational plans close to the front and communicated orders via courier. During World War I, military commanders collected information at their headquarters and utilized telephones and automobiles to relay orders to the front lines. In World War II, with the battlefield expanding to include land, sea, and air, senior commanders often made decisions from headquarters far from the action, relying on a significant number of staff officers with specialized skills to keep them informed. In China, however, the staff officer system was underdeveloped. By 1937, only about 2,000 commanders and staff officers had received training. Prior to the Sino-Japanese War, most commanders managed staff work themselves, with staff officers serving primarily as military secretaries who drafted orders, reports, and maps. Many staff officers had no formal military training, and as a whole, the branch lacked respect, causing the most talented officers to avoid serving in it. The situation was even more dire for staff officer departments within local forces. For example, in March 1937, Liu Ziqing, a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, was appointed as the director of political instruction in the Forty-fourth Army, a unit under Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang. Liu Ziqing's account illustrates the dysfunction within the ranks: “The commander in chief was not supposed to manage the army and even did not know its whereabouts... But he could appoint relatives and former subordinates—who were officials and businessmen as well—to the army. Each month they would receive a small stipend. At headquarters, there was a long table and two rows of chairs. Around ten o'clock in the morning, senior officers signed in to indicate their presence. Those with other business would leave, while the remaining officers sat down to leisurely discuss star actresses, fortune-telling, business projects, mah-jongg, and opium. Occasionally they would touch on national affairs, chat about news articles, or share local gossip. In the afternoons, they primarily played mah-jongg, held banquets, and visited madams. Most mornings, the commander usually presided over these activities, and at first, I reported for duty as well. But I soon realized it was a waste of time and came very rarely. At headquarters, most staff members wore long gowns or Western-style suits, while military uniforms were a rare sight.” Most senior military personnel were trained at the Baoding Military Academy during the early republic. 2/3rds of commanders in chief, 37 %of army commanders, and 20 % of division commanders were Baoding graduates. Higher-ranking officers were more likely to have launched their careers there. In contrast, only 10 % of division commanders and a few army commanders were graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy. Additionally, commanders trained in local military schools and those with combat experience accounted for 1/3rd of all commanders. While the prevalence of civil war provided opportunities for rapid promotion, it also hindered officers' ability to update their training or gain experience in different military branches. German advisors expressed their concerns to Chiang Kai-shek, emphasizing that officers should first serve in junior roles before taking command. During one battle in 1938, Chiang noted, “Our commanders in chief are equivalent only to our enemy's regiment commanders, and our army and division commanders are only as competent as our enemy's battalion and company commanders.” Despite not viewing high-ranking Japanese officers as great strategists, Nationalist officers respected them as highly competent, diligent, and professional commanders who rarely made critical errors. The infantry was the primary component of the Nationalist army, with middle and junior infantry officers constituting over 80 %of all army officers. A 1936 registry of military officers listed 1,105 colonels and 2,159 lieutenant colonels within the infantry, demonstrating a significant outnumbering of Baoding graduates at ranks below lieutenant colonel. However, the quality of middle and junior infantry officers declined during the Sino-Japanese War; by 1944, only 27.3 % of these officers were from formal military academies, while those promoted from the ranks increased to 28.1 %. In 1937, 80 % of officers in an ordinary infantry battalion were military academy graduates, but this percentage dropped to 20 % during the war. Its hard to tell how educated soldiers were before the war, but it is generally believed that most were illiterate. In 1929, sociologist Tao Menghe surveyed 946 soldiers from a Shanxi garrison brigade and found that only 13 percent could compose a letter independently, while the rest had either never learned to read or were unable to write. In contrast, in August 1938, General Feng Yuxiang found that 80 percent of a regiment in Hunan were literate. Regardless, during the Sino-Japanese War, the quality of recruits steadily declined. More than 90 percent of soldiers were illiterate, and few possessed any basic scientific knowledge, which hindered their ability to master their weapons. On the battlefield, they heavily relied on middle and junior officers for guidance.  In autumn 1933, General Hans von Seeckt, the architect of the post World War I German army, visited China at the personal invitation of Chiang Kai-shek. In his recommendations for military reform, he identified China's greatest problem as its excessively large forces drawn from diverse backgrounds. He stated, “At present, the most pressing goal is to... establish a small, well-equipped army with high morale and combat effectiveness to replace the numerous poorly armed and trained forces.” He suggested forming an army of sixty divisions and recommended the establishment of a training regiment for military officers to equip them with the skills needed for modern warfare. Chiang Kai-shek accepted von Seeckt's proposals, and on January 26, 1935, he convened a National Military Reorganization Conference in Nanjing. On March 1, the Army Reorganization Bureau was established in Wuchang, under the leadership of General Chen Cheng. In the same month, General Alexander von Falkenhausen took charge of the German Military Advisors Group. Before war broke out, around nineteen divisions, roughly 300,000 troops received training from German advisors and were equipped with German-style weapons. At the onset of the Sino-Japanese War, the forces stemming from the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army and the Whampoa cadets, who had fought in the Northern Expedition, held the highest reputation and were referred to as the “core central forces” by the Japanese. Other notable forces included the Guangxi Army, Northwestern Army, Northeastern Army, some Uyghur units, the Guangdong Army, and the Shanxi Army. In contrast, provincial forces such as the Yunnan Army and Sichuan Army were viewed less favorably. Nationalist forces were generally far inferior to those of the Japanese enemy. In 1937, General He Yingqin noted that Nationalist forces had failed to prevail in 1932 and 1933, even when outnumbering the Japanese by 4-1.  In November 1937, during a national defense conference, Chiang Kai-shek stated, "In recent years we have worked hard, prepared actively, and achieved national unification. By the time of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, we were in a better domestic situation and had improved military preparedness compared to before. Since 1935, our strength has doubled. It increased by more than two to three times since January 1932 or September 1931 [when Japan attacked Shanghai and Mukden]. If peace had been achievable, we should have delayed the war for two or three years. Given an additional three years, our defensive capabilities would have been drastically different... Now, if we merely compare the military strength of China and Japan, we are certainly inferior." However, such assessments were overly optimistic, as Chiang failed to recognize that Japan's military capabilities would not have stagnated. 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. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek certainly was dealt a difficult hand of cards for the upcoming poker match he was to play. Yet the Chinese were resilient and they had to be for the absolute horror that would be inflicted upon them from 1937-1945. Until this point, their enemies had been far more lenient, the Empire of Japan would show no mercy.

The "Two Sessions", considered the most important event on China's political calendar, is coming up. Delegates from across China are gearing-up to attend the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Ethnic unity is always high on the agenda during the "Two Sessions". To understand how ethnic unity is promoted on the ground, CGTN host Liu Xin traveled to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to a city called Shihezi, where its administration has been put under U.S. sanctions for the past four and a half years.

Fans of record-breaking blockbuster Chinese movie Ne Zha 2 are making significant waves in the derivatives market, clearing out retailer inventories and even creating DIY character-shaped dolls and food items. 中国破纪录票房大片《哪吒2》的粉丝们在衍生品市场掀起巨大波澜，清空了零售商的库存，甚至自制角色玩偶和食品。 Since the film's debut on the first day of the Chinese New Year, which was Jan 29 this year, sales of its collectibles, ranging from mystery toy boxes and cards to fridge magnets and badges, have reportedly topped 50 million yuan ($6.97 million) on Taobao, a leading e-commerce platform in China. 自今年1月29日（农历新年第一天）上映以来，据报道，其衍生品在淘宝（中国领先的电商平台）上的销售额已突破5000万元人民币（约合697万美元），包括盲盒玩具、卡片、冰箱贴和徽章等。 This sequel to the 2019 hit Ne Zha, with inspirations derived from Chinese mythological tales, has already drawn over 200 million cinema-goers, the highest number in the country's film history. 作为2019年爆款电影《哪吒》的续集，这部取材于中国神话故事的影片已吸引超过2亿观影人次，创下中国电影史上的最高纪录。 The film became an instant holiday box office hit thanks to its contemporary re-imagination of Ne Zha, a well-known mythical figure with extraordinary powers, and via its intriguing plot twists. 这部电影通过对哪吒这一拥有非凡力量的著名神话人物的现代重塑以及引人入胜的剧情转折，迅速成为春节档票房爆款。 Customers inquiring about toys featuring characters from the film are often left disappointed at stores across China. A salesperson at a trendy toy store in downtown Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu province said even display samples were sold out. "We expect to restock items like laser cards later." 在中国各地的商店，询问电影角色玩具的顾客常常失望而归。江苏省南京市市中心一家潮流玩具店的销售人员表示，甚至连展示样品都已售罄。“我们预计稍后会补货激光卡片等商品。” Notably, Hunan Sunny & Sandy Toys Manufacturer Co Ltd, the film's sole licensed manufacturer of 3D food-grade plastic toys in China, reported sales of over 450,000 mystery toy box sets through live-streaming in just 11 days -- ranking first in terms of the sales of board-game merchandise on the video platform. In addition, more than 10 million of these sets have been sold through offline partnerships. 值得注意的是，湖南阳光与沙地玩具制造有限公司（该片在中国唯一授权的3D食品级塑料玩具制造商）报告称，仅11天通过直播销售了超过45万套盲盒玩具，在视频平台的桌游类商品销售中排名第一。此外，通过线下合作伙伴销售了超过1000万套。 Yang Zhenlin, assistant to the company's chairman, said their factory workshops had to resume operations ahead of schedule after the Spring Festival holiday, with their hundreds of staff members working tirelessly to replenish inventory. "We had great confidence in the film even before its release, so we promptly secured the copyright," Yang told Xinhua. 该公司董事长助理杨振林表示，春节假期后，工厂车间不得不提前复工，数百名员工加班加点补充库存。“我们在电影上映前就对其充满信心，因此迅速获得了版权。”杨振林对新华社表示。 This week, on e-commerce platforms, some stores have gradually restored supplies. Businesses in the second-hand market have remained brisk. 本周，在电商平台上，部分商店已逐步恢复供应。二手市场的交易依然活跃。 Fans have also discovered that the gold bracelets they had purchased after the first Ne Zha film came out in 2019, with designs inspired by the "universe ring" on Ne zha's arm, have tripled in value on the second-hand market, thanks to both the success of Ne Zha 2 and a higher gold price. 粉丝们还发现，他们在2019年第一部《哪吒》电影上映后购买的金手镯，其设计灵感来自哪吒手臂上的“乾坤圈”，由于《哪吒2》的成功和金价上涨，在二手市场上的价值已翻了三倍。 Some fans have gone so far as to make their own versions of it, using wood, plasticine, flour and even thread. Coinciding with the Lantern Festival on Feb 12, netizens shared creative improvisations of Ne Zha-shaped glutinous rice dumplings, a festive food. 一些粉丝甚至用木头、橡皮泥、面粉甚至线自制了哪吒角色。2月12日元宵节当天，网友们分享了以哪吒为灵感的创意汤圆，这是一种节日食品。 Miao Lingyi, a 10-year-old girl living in East China's Shanghai, expressed her admiration for the character Ao Bing, the son of the Dragon King, stating her desire to use her pocket money to buy a collectible featuring him. "I really love the character and I don't mind waiting a while for the collectible," she said. 居住在上海市的10岁女孩缪灵怡（音译）表达了对龙王之子敖丙这一角色的喜爱，并表示希望用零花钱购买相关收藏品。“我真的很喜欢这个角色，我不介意等一段时间再买到收藏品。”她说。 According to experts, the film's huge success stemming from its captivating plot and stunning special effects, has evoked emotional attachment and resonance with characters among its audiences, while some related products feature limited edition designs -- thereby enhancing their value as collectibles and stimulating consumer purchasing enthusiasm. 专家表示，这部电影的巨大成功源于其引人入胜的剧情和震撼的特效，激发了观众对角色的情感共鸣，而一些相关产品采用限量版设计，从而提升了其收藏价值，刺激了消费者的购买热情。 Ye Guofu, founder of MINISO, a Chinese retailer known for its fashionable but affordable household products, said that Chinese consumers' growing focus on emotional value attached to commodities, particularly among the younger generations, is expected to further drive the consumption of IP-featured products, such as those related to domestic animated films and games. 名创优品（以时尚且价格实惠的家居产品闻名的中国零售商）创始人叶国富表示，中国消费者对商品情感价值的日益关注，尤其是在年轻一代中，预计将进一步推动IP衍生品的消费，例如与国产动画电影和游戏相关的产品。 With this lucrative market rapidly expanding, experts have stressed the importance of both IP innovation and product quality, while warning against risks of market irregularities and intellectual property rights violations. 随着这一利润丰厚的市场迅速扩张，专家强调了IP创新和产品质量的重要性，同时警告市场乱象和知识产权侵权的风险。 Law professor Zheng Ning with Communication University of China suggested that market regulators strengthen oversight to combat potential price gouging and the sale of substandard products -- thereby ensuring a more orderly market environment. 中国传媒大学法学教授郑宁建议，市场监管部门应加强监管，打击哄抬价格和销售劣质产品的行为，从而确保更有序的市场环境。 Zhao Liangshan, a lawyer in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, cautioned that handcrafted items made for personal use are not allowed for commercial purposes. 陕西省律师赵良山（音译）提醒，个人手工制作的物品不得用于商业用途。 As Ne Zha 2 enters international markets, Hunan Sunny & Sandy Toys Manufacturer Co Ltd aims to target global markets -- particularly in Asia, North America and Europe. 随着《哪吒2》进入国际市场，湖南阳光与沙地玩具制造有限公司计划瞄准全球市场，特别是亚洲、北美和欧洲。 The film is set to be screened in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Egypt, Singapore, Japan and the Republic of Korea, with premieres in Los Angeles and Sydney having received positive responses from professionals and fans alike. 该片将在多个国家上映，包括美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰、南非、埃及、新加坡、日本和韩国，洛杉矶和悉尼的首映式已获得专业人士和粉丝的积极反响。

China is bracing for its most intense cold spell of the winter from Thursday to Monday, with temperatures expected to plummet by as much as 20 C in some areas, the meteorological administration said.据气象部门预计，1月23日至27日，中国将迎来今冬最强寒潮，部分地区降温幅度可达20℃。The cold wave will move from west to east, starting in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday before sweeping through northwestern regions on Friday. It is expected to hit central and eastern areas over the weekend and reach northeastern and southern parts of the country by Monday.寒潮将从西向东移动，1月23日开始影响新疆维吾尔自治区，1月24日席卷西北地区。预计本周末将影响中东部地区，并于1月27日抵达东北和南部地区。Temperatures in most areas will drop by 8 to 12 C, with some regions, including Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, seeing decreases of up to 20 C.大部分地区气温将下降8至12℃，内蒙古呼和浩特等地气温降幅可达20℃。From Saturday to Tuesday, temperatures in Northwest and North China will hit new winter lows. The eastern part of Northwest China and the central-western part of North China are expected to be the hardest hit, with some areas seeing drops exceeding 14 C.1月25日至28日，西北和华北地区气温将创入冬后新低。预计西北地区东部和华北地区中西部将受影响最为严重，局地降温幅度将超过14℃。Snowfall on Thursday will mainly affect northern Xinjiang, while snow is forecast for the eastern parts of Northwest China and North China from Friday to Saturday. Snow will continue in Northeast China on Sunday and Monday.1月23日的降雪将主要影响新疆北部。1月24日至25日，中国西北地区东部和华北地区东部将有降雪。1月26日至27日，降雪将持续影响东北地区。The meteorological administration warned that the cold wave and rain-snow conditions coincide with the Spring Festival travel rush, potentially affecting transportation. It urged drivers to reduce speeds and increase following distances when driving in wet and snowy conditions.气象部门警告称，寒潮和雨雪天气恰逢春运期间，可能会对交通运输造成影响。该部门敦促驾驶员在雨雪天气行驶时降低车速、增大车距。Meanwhile, a senior forecaster said on Sunday that the winter will be increasingly characterized by extreme temperature swings, including sudden cold spells.1月19日，一位高级预报员表示，今冬气温波动将愈发极端，包括突发寒潮。"This winter has felt relatively mild so far, but it remains uncertain whether it will officially qualify as a warm winter," said Lin Nan, a meteorological analyst at the China Meteorological Administration.中国气象局气象分析师林楠表示：“到目前为止，这个冬天感觉相对温暖，但能否正式定为暖冬尚不确定。”Temperatures in 22 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, were all above normal. Eastern Xinjiang, eastern Inner Mongolia, central and eastern Hunan, and southern Hubei saw temperatures more than 2 C higher than usual, with some areas exceeding 4 C above average.北京市、天津市、河北省、内蒙古自治区等22个省、市、自治区气温均高于常年同期。新疆东部、内蒙古东部、湖南中东部、湖北南部气温较常年同期偏高2℃以上，局地超过4℃。Lin attributed the milder temperatures to weaker cold air masses. As these air masses moved southeast, they warmed gradually under sunlight, resulting in shorter and less intense cold spells in central and eastern regions.林楠表示，气温偏高是由于冷空气势力不强，而且在东移南下的过程中逐渐被光照加热暖化，导致中东部地区寒潮持续时间短、强度小。The lack of strong winds and precipitation also reduced wind chill and damp cold effects, making temperatures feel closer to actual readings, Lin said.林楠指出，大风和降水天气不多，因此风寒效应、湿冷效应相应减少，使得体感温度更接近实际气温。Despite the mild start to winter, Lin emphasized that periods of cold weather remain likely. Whether this winter will be classified as warm depends on the average temperature from December to February being 0.5 C higher than normal.林楠强调，尽管今冬开局温暖，但寒冷天气仍可能出现。今冬能否被定为暖冬，取决于12月至2月的平均气温是否比常年偏高0.5℃。"Even in a warm winter, there can be sharp temperature drops and cold spells," Lin said, challenging the perception that warm winters mean consistently mild weather.林楠表示：“即使在暖冬，也可能出现气温骤降和寒潮，”打破了“暖冬”就是冬天一暖到底的观念。plummetv.暴跌，急剧下降precipitationn.（尤指雨或雪的）降落；降水

Welcome to this New Year's mashup edition of China Compass and the Prison Pulpit! Nearly every week, I mention the Appendix to my little book, Unbeaten, which details my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China in 2018. This appendix, entitled Remember My Chains, is the written version of a message I’ve given all over the world about how to pray for the persecuted church. You can get my book and the sermon, Remember My Chains, at Unbeaten.vip, or read it for free on Substack where it was just posted yesterday: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/remember-my-chains The following notes follow the basic flow of today's podcast... Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com William Borden’s plea for more missionaries to serve in China: Beginning in September, he managed to visit at least thirty colleges and seminaries before sailing for Egypt in December. Spending one to three days in each place gave opportunities for private conversations as well as meetings. On many occasions, with the background of his experience at sea he would ask, “Are you steering or drifting?” ... Often Borden would meet one to whom it seemed too high, with another question: “Are you willing to be made willing?” “If ten men are carrying a log…nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end, and you want to help, which end will you lift on?” .... In proportion to the population at the time, there were five hundred times as many ministers of the gospel in the United States as there were ordained missionaries in China. Wang Yi on the need for more evangelistic, church planting pastors in China: "Our churches are becoming crowded with middle class professionals. The gospel needs to enter the city more deeply. It must enter the drains, enter in with the petitioners and the marginalized peoples. If your church still has no pastors; if there are no pastors in your city, your community, or even your street; if your company has a GM but there is no pastor there; if the university you work for has a Party committee secretary but there is no pastor, then I must ask: do you know the average ratio of prostitutes to pastors in China? Do you know the ratio of thieves to pastors, of corrupt officials to pastors?" Wang Yi’s New Year’s (Twenty Year) Resolutions... Read the full letter: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/wang-yi-family-newsletter-11-27-2018 A Couple of New Year’s Stories from Northwest China: 7 or 8 years ago tonight, my team and I got chased all over a Chinese village on New Year’s Eve… 19 years ago tonight my father and I almost got ourselves killed in China, in more ways than one… Recommended Resource: Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com

Welcome to this New Year's mashup edition of China Compass and the Prison Pulpit! Nearly every week, I mention the Appendix to my little book, Unbeaten, which details my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China in 2018. This appendix, entitled Remember My Chains, is the written version of a message I’ve given all over the world about how to pray for the persecuted church. You can get my book and the sermon, Remember My Chains, at Unbeaten.vip, or read it for free on Substack where it was just posted yesterday: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/remember-my-chains The following notes follow the basic flow of today's podcast... Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com William Borden’s plea for more missionaries to serve in China: Beginning in September, he managed to visit at least thirty colleges and seminaries before sailing for Egypt in December. Spending one to three days in each place gave opportunities for private conversations as well as meetings. On many occasions, with the background of his experience at sea he would ask, “Are you steering or drifting?” ... Often Borden would meet one to whom it seemed too high, with another question: “Are you willing to be made willing?” “If ten men are carrying a log…nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end, and you want to help, which end will you lift on?” .... In proportion to the population at the time, there were five hundred times as many ministers of the gospel in the United States as there were ordained missionaries in China. Wang Yi on the need for more evangelistic, church planting pastors in China: "Our churches are becoming crowded with middle class professionals. The gospel needs to enter the city more deeply. It must enter the drains, enter in with the petitioners and the marginalized peoples. If your church still has no pastors; if there are no pastors in your city, your community, or even your street; if your company has a GM but there is no pastor there; if the university you work for has a Party committee secretary but there is no pastor, then I must ask: do you know the average ratio of prostitutes to pastors in China? Do you know the ratio of thieves to pastors, of corrupt officials to pastors?" Wang Yi’s New Year’s (Twenty Year) Resolutions... Read the full letter: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/wang-yi-family-newsletter-11-27-2018 A Couple of New Year’s Stories from Northwest China: 7 or 8 years ago tonight, my team and I got chased all over a Chinese village on New Year’s Eve… 19 years ago tonight my father and I almost got ourselves killed in China, in more ways than one… Recommended Resource: Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary BordenofYale.com

A cold front began sweeping across China on Saturday, bringing the first major temperature drop of the season and widespread rain and snow.11月23日起，寒潮天气将影响我国，带来今年冬季首次大幅降温和大范围雨雪天气。The cold wave, the first of the second half of this year, will last until Wednesday and is expected to reverse the prolonged warm conditions in the central and eastern regions, the National Meteorological Center said.据中央气象台预报，此次寒潮将持续至27日，是今年下半年以来的首场寒潮，预计中东部地区将上演冷暖“大逆转”。The center issued a blue cold wave alert, the least severe alert, on Sunday morning, forecasting a temperature drop of 6 C to 10 C across most regions. In eastern parts of Northwest China, northern North China, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Northeast China, temperatures could plummet by 12 C to 14 C, with some areas seeing decreases of over 16 C.11月24日上午，中央气象台发布寒潮蓝色预警（最低一级预警），预计我国大部地区气温将下降6℃至10℃，西北地区东部、华北北部、内蒙古及东北等地部分地区降温12℃至14℃，局地降温16℃以上。By Thursday, the freezing temperatures are expected to push southward to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Strong winds are expected during the cold wave, with gusts reaching speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour in some regions.预计28日前后，最低气温0℃线将南压至长江中下游一带。过程期间风力较大，部分地区阵风时速将超过60公里。Northern areas will also experience major snowfall. Heavy snow and blizzards are forecast for eastern Inner Mongolia and parts of Heilongjiang province.同时，北方地区将迎来降雪。预计内蒙古东部、黑龙江等地将迎来大雪和暴雪。Zhao Wei, chief forecaster at the Beijing Meteorological Service, said the capital so far has not met the criteria for a cold wave alert to be issued, but the cold air is expected to bring rain and snow starting Sunday night.北京市气象台首席预报员赵玮介绍，虽然北京目前还没有达到发布寒潮预警的标准，但预计从24日夜间开始，冷空气将带来雨雪天气。"The precipitation will be complex. The mountainous areas of Beijing will see snow, while western and northern parts of the city will shift from sleet to snow. Most of the urban areas and plains will initially experience rain, turning to sleet by early Monday morning," Zhao said.“这次降水过程会比较复杂，北京山区是降雪，西部、北部地区是雨夹雪转雪，城区和平原地区大部分时段以雨为主，但是在25日早晨会转为雨夹雪。”赵玮说。The precipitation is expected to last until noon Monday, with snowfall in mountainous areas reaching significant levels and strong winds following.降水过程预计在25日中午前后结束，山区可以达到大雪量级，强风也将随之而来。"Temperatures will drop sharply, with daytime highs on Tuesday and Wednesday hovering around 3 C and nighttime lows falling to — 5 C on Wednesday," she added.赵玮补充：“气温会明显下降，26日和27日的最高气温会降到3℃，27日夜间最低气温会降至-5℃。”National Meteorological Center chief forecaster Dong Quan said the strong energy accumulation in the cold air mass will carry with it a broad impact.中央气象台首席预报员董全介绍，由于此次冷空气聚集的能量比较强，基本全国范围都会受到影响China has already experienced two cold air events this month, but their intensity was relatively weak and did not meet the meteorological criteria for a cold wave, Dong said.董全表示，11月我国已经经历了两次冷空气过程，只是强度较弱，在气象上未达到寒潮标准。"The timing of this season's first cold wave, which typically occurs in November, is similar to previous years," he said.“今年寒潮出现的时间和往年相比差不多，基本上每年首场寒潮都会在11月份出现。”董全说。Following this cold wave, temperatures in most parts of southern China will shift from above-average levels to 1 C to 2 C below normal, he added.董全补充，本次寒潮过程后，中国南方大部地区气温将由前期偏高转为偏低1℃至2℃。While some areas may see a slight rebound in temperatures after the cold snap, Dong said temperatures are expected to stay below average at least until the end of this month.虽然一些地区的气温在寒潮过后可能会略有回升，但董全表示，预计至少在本月底之前，气温都将保持在较低水平。The center's mid-term weather forecast indicates another cold air mass will affect much of central and eastern China around Dec 2, causing widespread temperature drops of 6 C to 8 C, with some areas in the north experiencing decreases of more than 10 C.中央气象台发布的中期天气预报显示，12月2日前后，有新一股冷空气影响中东部大部地区，气温普遍下降6℃至8℃，北方地区局地降温10℃以上。blue cold wave alert寒潮蓝色预警sleetn. 雨夹雪或雹blizzardn. 暴风雪meteorological criteria气象标准

China's parcel delivery sector achieved a significant milestone this year, handling a record 150 billion shipments as of Sunday, the State Post Bureau of China announced on Monday.11月18日，中国国家邮政局称，中国快递行业今年取得了一个重要的里程碑。截至17日，中国快递年业务量首次突破1500亿件大关。The milestone was celebrated with the number "150,000,000,000" flashing across the China Express Delivery Big Data Platform screen at 16:29 PM. The platform, operated by the State Post Bureau's Postal Industry Safety Center, marked the achievement as a turning point in the country's rapidly growing logistics and e-commerce ecosystem.17日16时29分，在中国快递大数据平台的大屏幕上，不断滚动的数字弹出了“150000000000”的超长字符，以庆祝这一里程碑。该平台由国家邮政局邮政业安全中心运营，它将这一成就视为中国快速发展的物流和电子商务生态系统中的一个转折点。The 150 billionth parcel — a box of apples from Tianshui in Northwest China's Gansu province — began its journey to a recipient in Chongqing. The symbolic shipment highlights the enormous scale of China's express delivery industry and its vast network.今年第1500亿件快件——一箱来自中国西北部甘肃省天水市的苹果，已经开始了奔向位于重庆的收件人的旅程。这份具有象征意义的快件彰显了中国快递行业的巨大规模和庞大网络。It underscores the exponential growth of China's parcel delivery sector. Over the past decade, the industry has surged from handling about 14 billion parcels annually in 2014 to surpassing 150 billion shipments this year, marking a staggering increase. This growth is a testament to the country's booming e-commerce market and the logistical capabilities that support it.这显示出中国快递行业的指数级增长。过去十年间，该行业的年快件处理量从2014年的140亿件激增至今年的1500亿件。这一增长证明了中国蓬勃发展的电子商务市场以及为其提供支持的物流能力。The surge in parcel deliveries is not just a number — it reflects a massive scale of activity. In China, it is estimated that one person receives more than 100 parcels annually on average with over 5,400 parcel orders generated every second. On peak days, the industry processes over 729 million parcels. Monthly shipment volumes exceed 13 billion, while business revenue surpasses 100 billion yuan ($13.82 billion) each month. 快递业务量的激增不仅仅是一个数字，它还反映了大规模的活动。据估计，在中国，年人均收快递超100件，平均每秒产生5400多件快件，最高日业务量超7.29亿件，月均业务量逾130亿件，月均业务收入超1000亿（约138.2亿美元）。The rapid growth of China's delivery market continues to fuel economic activity, playing an integral role in boosting both production and consumption across the country. The scale and efficiency of the sector are vital drivers in enhancing the overall economic dynamism, helping to promote industrial upgrades and improving the efficiency of China's economy as a whole.中国快递市场规模的快速增长继续推动着经济活动，在促进全国生产和消费方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。该行业的规模和效率是增强整体经济活力的重要推动力，有助于促进产业升级和提高中国整体经济的效率。recipientn. 收件人staggeringadj. 令人震惊的，难以置信的industrial upgrade产业升级

Journey through Xinjiang's Duku Highway to Kuqa's ancient charm! Kuqa, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. From canyons to snow-capped peaks, follow the scent of fresh naan through historic streets. Explore Silk Road secrets in this oasis town. An epic adventure awaits! #citywalk #PotsideChats

A high-speed railway line from Lanzhou, Gansu's provincial capital, to Wuwei, a city in central Gansu, commenced operations on Saturday, further improving the high-speed rail network in Northwest China.6月29日，兰州至张掖高铁中川机场至武威东段（以下简称兰张高铁兰武段）正式开通运营，对于助力西部大开发形成新格局具有重要意义。The line runs from Lanzhou's Zhongchuan Airport Station and passes through Lanzhou's Yongdeng county and Wuwei's Tianzhu Tibetan autonomous county and Gulang county before ending at Wuwei East Station, China Railway Lanzhou Bureau Group said.中国铁路兰州局集团表示，兰张高铁兰武段自兰州新区中川机场站引出，途经甘肃兰州市永登县，武威市天祝县、古浪县至武威市区，接入武威东站。It serves six stations, spans 193 kilometers and has a maximum operating speed of 250 kilometers per hour. During the initial phase of operation, railway authorities will schedule a maximum of 20 passenger trains a day.中川机场至武威东段正线全长193公里，共设6个站点，开通运营初期，每日开行动车组列车最高达20列。The travel time from Wuwei East Station to Lanzhou West Station will be 1 hour and 56 minutes, shaving 58 minutes from the journey on conventional trains, the group said.To improve service quality and meet diverse travel needs, railway authorities have implemented flexible discounts and market-based fare mechanisms, offering more travel options. Specific fares can be checked on the 12306 ticket booking system.武威东至兰州西站最快1小时56分可达，较目前普速旅客列车压缩58分钟；武威东至中川机场最快1小时11分可达。为提升运营品质、满足旅客不同出行需求，铁路部门实施灵活折扣、差异化的市场化票价机制，为旅客出行提供更多选择，具体票价可通过铁路12306查询。Wuwei resident Han Wenting, who rode the inaugural high-speed train with her two daughters, said she had been eagerly awaiting the opening of the high-speed line in her hometown for a long time.与两个女儿一起乘坐这列高铁的武威居民韩文婷说，她一直热切期待着着家乡高铁的开通。Han said that whenever she had traveled on other high-speed lines for work in the past, she had envied those regions and wondered whether Wuwei would ever have one. Now that her dream has come true, she said she felt excited and proud.韩女士说，之前高铁出差时，她很羡慕那些地区，不知道武威是否有一天能开通高铁。现在她的梦想成真了，她说她（为武威）感到兴奋和自豪。"The new high-speed train will make traveling with my children for vacations and other activities much more convenient, and I am delighted and happy about the rapid development of my hometown," she said.她说：“新的高铁让我和孩子们出去旅游变得更加方便，我对家乡的快速发展感到非常高兴。”Long Haishan, a 28-year-old member of the Tibetan ethnic group born and raised in Tianzhu, is now a high-speed train attendant for China Railway Lanzhou Bureau Group. She said she was honored to take part in the inaugural run of the route through her hometown."The opening of the high-speed railway has brought my hometown and other cities closer, making our travel faster and more convenient," she said. "When I learned that this route would undergo testing, I applied to join it because I wanted to witness the moment that the high-speed railway goes through my hometown."28岁的龙海珊，这名在天祝出生和长大的藏族姑娘，现在是兰州铁路局兰州客运段高铁二队列车员。她表示很荣幸能参与这条线路的首发。她说：“高铁的开通拉近了我的家乡和其他城市，让我们的出行更快捷、更方便。当我得知这条路线要进行测试运营时，我申请主动参加，因为我想见证高铁经过我家乡的那一刻。”Gao Yongsheng, deputy director of Wuwei's Regional Economic Development Research Center, said the new line can further optimize the business environment, expand distribution channels and encourage more enterprises to invest in and develop Wuwei.威市区域经济发展研究中心副主任高勇生在接受记者采访时说，兰张高铁兰武段的开通运营能够有效带动人流物流，进一步优化营商环境，拓宽流通渠道，吸引更多企业来武威投资兴业。The opening of the high-speed railway will also significantly enhance the urban image of Wuwei and surrounding cities and better leverage Wuwei's role as a passenger transport hub, he said.他表示，高铁的开通将大大提升武威及周边城市的城市形象，更好地发挥武威作为客运枢纽的作用。Lanzhou's Zhongchuan Airport Stationn. 兰州中川机场Wuwei's Regional Economic Development Research Centern. 威市区域经济发展研究中心

The Chinese president has visited a local middle school and a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Xining, capital of Qinghai Province(31:00). The Chinese premier is in Malaysia for the final stop on his three-nation tour(10:34). The Russian president has paid an official visit to North Korea(19:57).

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

After the end of the Maoist era in the People's Republic of China, the rise of queer communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has generated growing public and academic attention. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in northwest China, Casey James Miller offers a novel, compelling, and intimately personal perspective on Chinese queer culture and activism.  In Inside the Circle: Queer Culture and Activism in Northwest China (Rutgers UP, 2023), Miller tells the stories of two courageous and dedicated groups of queer activists in the city of Xi'an: a grassroots gay men's HIV/AIDS organization called Tong'ai and a lesbian women's group named UNITE. Taking inspiration from “the circle,” a term used to imagine local, national, and global queer communities, Miller shows how everyday people in northwest China are taking part in queer culture and activism while also striving to lead traditionally moral lives in a rapidly changing society. The queer stories in this book broaden our understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary China and show how taking global queer diversity seriously requires us to de-center Western cultural values, historical experiences, and theoretical perspectives. Casey James Miller is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He receives his PhD degree in anthropology from Brandeis University. His work focuses on the intersections between queer anthropology, medical anthropology, and the anthropology of Chinese culture and society. Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in northwestern China announced on Wednesday that it will collaborate with its French counterpart on the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the protection of the Terracotta Warriors.2024年5月8日，位于中国西北部的秦始皇陵遗址博物馆宣布，将与法国博物馆合作修复巴黎圣母院大教堂和保护兵马俑。The collaborative research conducted with France's Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine primarily focuses on the protection of wooden remains and earthen archaeological sites, according to the museum located in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.该博物馆与法国帕特莫因科学基金会进行的合作研究主要集中在木制遗骸和土质考古遗址的保护上。Specifically, the research on protecting wooden remains will involve joint efforts to preserve and restore the fire-damaged wood from Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang. Moreover, joint efforts will be made to conduct studies on their historical significance.具体而言，保护木质遗迹的研究将包括共同努力保护和修复巴黎圣母院和秦始皇陵的火灾烧毁的木材。双方还将共同努力，对其历史意义进行研究。The research will also include wood species identification, preservation status assessment, degradation mechanisms and protection techniques and methods.研究还将包括树种鉴定、保存状况评估、退化机制和保护技术与方法。In the future, the two parties will explore the material properties and historical value of wooden remains and archaeological earth sites of the two UNESCO World Heritage sites together.未来，双方将共同挖掘两处联合国教科文组织世界遗产地的木质遗存和考古土遗址的物质属性和历史价值。Meanwhile, this Sino-French cooperation also touches on developing practical conservation technologies and method systems for cultural relics and jointly cultivating young talents in the field of cultural heritage protection.同时，中法合作还涉及开发实用的文物保护技术和方法体系，共同培养文化遗产保护领域的青年人才。cultural heritage文化遗产UNESCO联合国教科文组织

By taking the lead among major cities in scrapping all restrictions on homebuying, Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, and Xi'an of Shaanxi province have set the tone in terms of effecting measures that boost market confidence and help the market to stabilize, property experts said on Thursday.5月9日，房地产专家周四表示，在主要城市中，华东地区浙江省省会杭州和陕西省西安市率先取消了所有购房限制措施，为提振市场信心、帮助市场稳定的措施定下了基调。All the previous limits on home purchases in Hangzhou were canceled on Thursday. Non-locals who own residential properties in the city can apply for permanent resident status, said a seven-item notice published on the website of the local bureau of housing security and real estate management on Thursday.此前杭州的所有购房限制均于5月9日被取消了。5月9日，杭州市住房保障和房产管理局网站上发布了一则通知，包括在杭州拥有住宅房产的非本地人可以申请永久居民身份等七条措施。"Hangzhou is the first Chinese city to lift all existing curbs posed on homebuying after April 30, when the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held a tone-setting conference calling for measures to digest housing inventories and optimize new supplies," said Yan Yuejin, director of Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institution.位于上海的易居研究院研究总监严跃进说：“4月30日，中共中央政治局召开会议，为房地产政策定调，要求采取措施消化住房库存，优化新增供应，杭州是4月30日之后第一个取消所有现有购房限制措施的中国城市。”"Behind the easing policies are visible home price drops and withered transactions," said Li Yujia, chief researcher at the Guangdong Planning Institute's residential policy research center.广东省住房政策研究中心首席研究员李宇嘉说：“宽松政策的背后是明显的房价下跌和成交萎缩。”"All of the city's 10 districts reported declines on their average trading prices of pre-owned homes in April, ranging from 2 percent to 21 percent," said Li, citing data from the Beike Research Institute in Hangzhou.李宇嘉援引杭州贝壳研究院的数据说：“4月份，全市10个区的二手房平均交易价格都出现了下降，降幅从2%到21%不等。”Data from the China Index Academy showed a transaction downturn in the new homes market, suggesting similar measures are needed to activate potential demand.中指研究院的数据显示，新房市场交易低迷，这表明需要采取类似措施来激活潜在需求。Hangzhou's bold move may inspire easing in other cities or their districts, especially second-tier cities, that have tight restrictions on home purchases, said Gao Yuansheng, executive vice-president of the China Index Academy's East China region.中指研究院华东大区常务副总高院生表示，杭州的大胆举措可能会激励其他城市或其所在区域，尤其是二线城市，继续优化限购政策。Citing data from the China Index Academy, Gao said strict limits are still in place in housing markets across cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen of Guangdong province as well as some core districts of cities like Guangzhou of Guangdong province, Tianjin.高院生援引中指研究院的数据说，北京市、上海市、广东省深圳市等城市以及广东省广州市、天津市等城市的一些核心区仍对住房市场实行严格限制。Like Hangzhou, Xi'an lifted all its homebuying requirements on Thursday afternoon. The new policy is expected to ease pressure on the city in Northwest China to destock its housing inventories, said Zhang Hongwei, founder of Jingjian Consulting.与杭州一样，西安也在5月9日下午取消了所有购房要求。镜鉴咨询创始人张宏伟说，新政策有望缓解中国西北部城市的住房库存压力。set the tone定调housing inventories房产库存

A Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou XVIII spacecraft with three astronauts aboard blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 8:59 pm on Thursday.After separating from the rocket and entering orbit, the spacecraft was scheduled to conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking procedure with the Tiangong space station. It was to dock with the radial port of the space station's core module Tianhe, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, thereby forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, including the Shenzhou XVII spacecraft.It is China's first manned mission ever launched in April, which is typically the windiest and sandiest month at the launch center, so the meteorological staff analyzed April wind speed data from the past 10 years and mapped out multiple contingency plans for the launch.The Shenzhou XVIII crew members are Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, who is the mission commander, Colonel Li Cong and Colonel Li Guangsu. After their peers from the Shenzhou XVII mission hand over the massive orbital outpost, the Shenzhou XVII crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site on Tuesday.Shenzhou XVIII is the 32nd flight mission of China's manned space program, and the third crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut in space and now one of the chief planners of the nation's manned space program, said he has high expectations for the post-1980 generation crew."It's such a pleasure to see the young astronauts can now carry out manned space missions and take on the heavy responsibilities. I am sure the Shenzhou XVIII crew will do well, although the mission has become more complicated and tougher," Yang said at the launch center on Wednesday afternoon.Yang noted that it has been 21 years since he completed the Shenzhou V mission in 2003, during which he traveled in space for 21 hours and orbited Earth 14 times."Since then, China's manned space programs have made steady and solid progress according to the plan. Currently, the operation of the space station has been normalized," Yang said.Lin, the China Manned Space Agency deputy director, said the Shenzhou XVIII crew will use the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out more than 90 experiments involving microgravity, material science, life science, medicine and technology.Besides conducting China's first research on a self-cycling aquatic ecosystem, consisting of goldfish algae and zebrafish in orbit, the crew will also carry out the world's first in-orbit stem cell study to explore plants' evolutionary adaptation to gravity and provide theoretical support for space crops, he added.Lin said the Shenzhou XVIII astronauts will carry out two or three extravehicular activities and conduct six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock module. During the extravehicular activities, the astronauts will install space debris protection reinforcements for extravehicular piping, cables and critical equipment, and will conduct inspections, as appropriate, to further safeguard the safety of the space station.The Shenzhou XVIII crew members are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October after six months in space.Reporter: Cui Jia

The three post-1980 generation crew members of the Shenzhou XVIII mission said on Wednesday that their similar professional backgrounds and mutual trust will help them complete all the objectives set for the mission.2024年2月24日，神舟18号的三名80后航天员表示，他们相似的专业背景和相互信任将有助于他们完成任务所设定的所有目标。The Long March 2F rocket carrying the astronauts aboard the Shen­zhou XVIII spacecraft is set to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 8:59 pm on Thursday, Lin Xi­qiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency and spokesman for the mission, said during a news conference on Wednesday at the launch center.24日，在酒泉卫星发射中心举行的新闻发布会上，中国载人航天工程副主任、任务发言人林西强表示，长征2F运载火箭将于25日晚8点59分在中国西北部的酒泉卫星发射中心发射，搭载神舟18号航天员。The crew members are Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, who is the mission commander, Colonel Li Cong and Colonel Li Guangsu. Ye was also a crew member of the Shen­zhou XIII mission that returned in April 2022, while Li Cong and Li Guangsu will be making their first spaceflight.神州18号的机组成员是叶光富、李聪、李广苏，叶光富担任指令长。叶光富是2022年4月返回的神舟13号任务的机组成员，而李聪和李光肃将进行他们首飞。Ye, 43, said that unlike his first mission, which was full of excitement because it fulfilled his dream of becoming an astronaut, this trip will require him to bear greater responsibility as mission commander.43岁的叶光富表示，他对神州13号的任务充满了兴奋，因为它实现了他成为一名宇航员的梦想；与之不同，神州18号任务将要求他作为任务指挥官承担更大的责任。Nonetheless, Ye said while meeting the media at the launch center on Wednesday, "Every mission to space is a new start."尽管如此，叶光富在发射中心会见媒体时表示，“每一次太空任务都是一个新的开始。”"Besides recovering, I also had to return to training in the past two years. And the structure of the space station is new to me and more complicated to operate. Also, leading a team is another new challenge," he added.“在过去的两年里，除了恢复我并没有放弃训练。空间站的结构对我来说是新的，操作起来更复杂。此外，领导一个团队是另一个新的挑战。”。All of the crew members were trained as pilots in the People's Liberation Army Air Force and share other similarities in age and experience, said Li Cong, who is 34.34岁的李聪说，所有机组人员都在中国人民解放军空军接受过飞行员训练，在年龄和经验上都有相似之处。"To ensure the smooth running of the space station with complicated operation systems, all the operations must be precise, and the mutual trust of the crew members is required," he said.“为了确保操作系统复杂的空间站的顺利运行，所有的操作都必须精确，并且需要机组人员的相互信任。”Li Guangsu, who is 36, will be responsible for conducting experiments in space. He said he is looking forward to experiencing life in weightless conditions.36岁的李光肃将负责进行太空实验。他说，他期待着体验失重状态下的生活。"Besides work, I also want to take a good look at the beautiful blue planet and our country. Furthermore, I want to see if the stars do twinkle, for my child," he added.“除了工作，我还想好好看看这个美丽的蓝色星球和我们的国家。此外，我还想为我的孩子看看星星是否会闪烁。”Lin, the China Manned Space Agency deputy director, said the main objectives set for the mission include the handover of the space station from the Shenzhou XVII crew and carrying out a series of experiments and missions during the new crew's six-month stay.中国载人航天总局副局长林西强表示，这次任务的主要目标包括从神舟17号机组人员手中移交空间站，并在新机组人员六个月的停留期间进行一系列实验和任务。According to the plan, the Shenzhou XVIII crew members will return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October.根据计划，神舟18号机组人员将在10月下旬返回东风着陆点。During the mission, the country's first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project will be carried out. Using goldfish algae and zebrafish to establish a self-cycling aquatic ecosystem in orbit, the aim of the project is to make a breakthrough in the cultivation of vertebrates in space, Lin said.在执行任务期间，神州18号将开展我国首个在轨水生生态研究项目。利用金鱼藻和斑马鱼在轨道上建立一个自循环的水生生态系统，该项目的目的是在太空中培育脊椎动物方面取得突破。Cang Huaixing, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, said the experiment could help people build aquatic ecosystems and food-producing systems in space in the future.中国科学院空间利用技术与工程中心的研究员仓怀兴表示，这项实验可以帮助人们在未来的太空中建立水生生态系统和粮食生产系统。Besides continuing to recruit and train Chinese astronauts for upcoming space and lunar missions, China will also promote the participation of foreign astronauts and space tourists in flights to the space station, Lin said, adding that China is confident that its space station will welcome more new members from different backgrounds in the near future.林西强表示，除了继续为即将到来的太空和月球任务招募和培训中国宇航员外，中国还将促进外国宇航员和太空游客参与空间站的飞行。中国有信心在不久的将来，它的空间站将欢迎更多来自不同背景的新成员。Lin also said that China's crewed lunar exploration program is progressing smoothly, with the development of major component systems, such as the Long March 10 carrier rocket, the crewed spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue and the lunar landing suit, having been completed, with prototype production and tests being carried out.中国载人探月工程进展顺利，长征十号运载火箭、载人飞船“梦舟”号、月球着陆器“揽月”号和登月服等主要组成系统的研制已经完成，样机生产和测试正在进行中。In 2023, crewed lunar exploration was approved by the central government for launch and implementation, with the aim of landing Chinese on the moon by 2030.2023年，中央政府批准了载人探月计划的启动和实施，目标是到2030年实现中国人登月。The plan is to launch two carrier rockets to send a crewed spacecraft and a lunar lander into lunar orbit. The spacecraft and lunar lander will dock with each other, after which the astronauts will enter the lander, Lin said.该计划是发射两枚运载火箭，将载人飞船和月球着陆器送入月球轨道。飞船和月球着陆器将相互对接，之后宇航员将进入着陆器。lunar lander登月飞行器lunar orbit绕月轨道

It took six hours for Liu Yi, 26, to get to Tianshui, Northwest China's Gansu province, by train. It took another two hours of waiting in a queue before he could finally get his hands on a bowl of local malatang — a mix of foods boiled in hot, spicy broth.26岁的刘毅乘坐了六个小时火车到达中国西北部甘肃省天水市，在排了两个小时的队后，终于吃到了一碗天水麻辣烫。这是一种以麻辣汤汁为底、炖煮各种食材的特色美食。While choosing the ingredients he wanted, Liu picked wide, thin rice noodles and a lot of chillies, along with the usual vegetables and meat. Spicy food is a must for Liu, a native of Southwest China's Sichuan province.在挑选食材时，刘毅选了宽粉和大量的辣椒，还有常见的蔬菜和肉类。对于刘毅这种土生土长的四川人来说，辣椒必不可少。The malatang did not disappoint. "It has a kind of rich fragrance," Liu said, after wiping hismouseclean.大快朵颐后，刘毅评价道：“天水麻辣烫有一种浓郁的香味”。The popularity of the dish is suddenly soaring. Thousands of diners like Liu have been making their way to the little-known northwestern city to try malatang, overwhelming local restaurant owners and contributing to local wealth.近期，麻辣烫的受欢迎程度突然飙升。成千上万像刘毅一样的食客来到这个鲜为人知的西北城市品尝当地麻辣烫，对此当地餐馆老板甚至有些招架不住。这一盛况也为当地经济发展作出巨大贡献。These days around 7 am, Ga Haiying's restaurant in Qinzhou district becomes crowded with diners, some still rubbing their sleepy eyes. Earlier, the restaurant would open at 11 am. To serve the surging number of customers, Ga and her family now work from 6:30 am to 10 pm every day. They are too busy to pause for lunch.天水市秦州区嘎海英的餐馆在天水麻辣烫爆火前通常都是上午11点开门。而这些天，早上7点左右餐馆就挤满了食客，不少食客甚至还睡眼惺忪。为了服务激增的顾客，嘎海英和她的家人需要每天从早上6:点半工作到晚上10点，生意繁忙甚至都无暇吃午饭。"I have sold malatang for 30 years," Ga said. "I never dreamed that one day it would be so popular." Recently, more than 1,000 customers have been trooping into her restaurant daily, despite an average waiting time of about two hours. The restaurant's revenue has tripled.嘎海英说：“我卖麻辣烫卖了30年了，做梦也没想到有一天它会这么火爆。” 最近，前来的游客平均要等近两个小时才能吃上饭，尽管如此，每天仍有超过千名顾客涌入她的餐厅。餐厅的收入是原来的三倍。Ma Yulin, a malatang restaurant owner in the city's Maiji district, said that over the last 10 days, the establishment was packed with diners, more than half of whom were from other cities. Many young customers not only come to eat but also take photos. Ma has hired more workers and added seats to cut the waiting time.天水市麦积区一家麻辣烫餐馆老板马玉林说，过去10天，店里挤满了食客，其中一半以上来自外地。很多年轻顾客不仅来吃饭还拍照。为此，他专门多雇佣了服务员并增加了座位以减少顾客等待时间。"I'm exhausted," he said. "I'm overwhelmed that our malatang is suddenly recognized by so many."马玉林表示：“这几天真是累坏了，想不到我们的麻辣烫突然得到这么多人的喜欢”。In a typical malatang restaurant, customers select fresh food items, strung on skewers and hand them over to the chef. The chosen ingredients are boiled in the broth and then scooped into a bowl, with or without the original soup, depending on the customers' preferences. With two spoonfuls of oil and pepper drizzled on top, the bowls fairly burst with flavor.在吃麻辣烫时，通常由顾客自己选择想吃的串串，厨师会用高汤烫煮熟所选食材，舀入碗中，可自行选择加或不加原汤，最后淋上两勺辣油和胡椒粉，香气扑鼻而来，让人垂涎三尺。Since early March, videos and photos of Tianshui malatang have been going viral on social media platforms. It all started when a netizen released a seven-second video on Feb 13 that garnered millions of views. More vloggers followed suit, and then the tourists began to arrive in droves.自3月初以来，天水麻辣烫相关的视频和照片在社交媒体平台上十分火爆。最开始是一位网友于2月13日发布了一段7秒的视频，获得了数百万次观看。其他视频博主纷纷效仿，游客也开始成群结队地涌来。Within a month, bookings for hotel rooms in Tianshui had quadrupled year-on-year, according to Ctrip, an online travel platform. Qinzhou district, where most malatang restaurants and attractions are located, received more than 770,000 tourists, local authorities said.据线上旅游平台携程网数据，最近一个月，天水的酒店客房预订量同比增长了四倍。当地政府表示，聚集着大量数麻辣烫餐厅和景点的秦州区接待游客超过77万人次。Lei Hongliang, director of the Tianshui Catering Industry Association, said the special pepper used in the dish is key to the unique flavor. Gangu pepper — from the city's Gangu county — is nationally recognized. It tastes good, but is not as spicy as some other types.天水市餐饮行业协会会长雷鸿亮表示，这道菜所用的特制辣椒给这道大众小吃注入了独有的“天水味道”。产自天水市甘谷县的甘谷辣椒是全国著名的辣椒品种，红而不辣，味道鲜香。To increase the popularity of malatang, he suggested maintaining a stable price and standardized flavor to "make Tianshui flavor a distinctive brand". Each bowl on average costs about 21 yuan ($2.95).为了提高天水麻辣烫的知名度，雷鸿亮建议统一口味标准、同时要稳住价格，将天水风味打造成特色品牌。目前当地麻辣烫每碗平均售价约为21元。Tianshui has adopted measures to better serve tourists. Tourists arriving by train are greeted by welcome banners and offered free bus rides. Free parking lots are provided to motorists. Some workers from local scenic attractions distribute tickets and give out mascot or gifts at the malatang restaurants.此外，天水市还多措并举，努力提升服务质量。乘火车抵达的游客会看到准备的欢迎横幅，并可免费乘坐巴士。为驾车者提供免费停车场。当地景区的一些工作人员在麻辣烫餐厅分发门票、赠送吉祥物或礼物。The city's attractions include the Maijishan Grottoes, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, the temple of Fuxi — the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation — and Nanshan Mountain.该市的景点包括被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产的麦积山石窟、中华民始祖伏羲庙和南山。Feng Wen'ge, Party secretary of Tianshui, said at a conference on Saturday that the explosive popularity of Tianshui malatang presents a rare opportunity to enhance the city's reputation and also test its service capabilities. He added that every effort should be made to meet visitors' demands and improve their experience by increasing offerings and improving service quality.天水市委书记冯文戈在一次会议上表示，天水麻辣烫的爆火，为提升天水城市声誉提供了难得的机遇，同时也是对天水服务能力的一次考验。要尽力满足游客的需求，通过增加服务内容和提高服务质量来改善游客的体验。He also emphasized the need to ensure traffic, food and fire safety, as well as environmental hygiene at key locations such as airports, railway stations and commercial streets."All forces should be mobilized to provide comprehensive services in every aspect, ensuring that visitors to Tianshui can eat, play and travel with pleasure," he said.他还强调，要保证机场、火车站、商业街等重点场所的交通、食品、消防安全和环境卫生。要动员各方力量，全方位提供综合服务，确保游客来天水吃得开心、玩得开心、游得开心。fire safety消防安全broth英 /brɒθ/ 美 /brɑːθ/n.汤，肉汤

One of the many fairy tales hegemonically attached to the world of work in capitalist economies is that all one need do is get a job and work hard, and those things will automatically lead to "the good life." But what, exactly, is the good life? Is it a universal term or does it mean different things to different people in different places? What are the narratives attached to the "good life" and what are the narratives that come into play when the fairy tale does not come true? Finally, what happens when employers and employees have different ideas about the role of work in worker's lives? In this brief, free-wheeling conversation, I discuss these questions and more with Dr. Christine Jeske, author of The Laziness Myth. Dr. Christine Jeske is an associate professor of anthropology at Wheaton College. Prior to coming to Wheaton, Christine worked in microfinance, refugee resettlement, community development, and teaching while living in Nicaragua, Northwest China, and South Africa. Christine is the author of three books and many articles for popular and academic audiences. Her most recent book, The Laziness Myth, considers what makes work desirable, how racism shapes work, and how people find hope in undesirable working conditions. https://econanthro.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ChristineJeske.mp3 References: The Laziness Myth: Narratives of Work and the Good Life in South Africa by Christine Jeske Jeske, C. 2018. "Why Work? Do We Understand What Motivates Work-Related Decisions in South Africa?" Journal of Southern African Studies (44:1). https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2018.1403219 Ferguson, J. 2016. Give a Man a Fish: Reflections on the New Politics of Distribution. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Jeske, C. 2022. "Introduction: Hopoes of and for Whiteness." Journal for the Anthropology of North America (25:2). https://doi.org/10.1002/nad.12172

The Shanghai Charity Foundation on Tuesday denied that the down jackets of a well-known Canadian brand donated to victims of the recent earthquake in Gansu province through the foundation were being sold online.12月26日，上海市慈善基金会否认捐赠甘肃地震灾区加拿大鹅羽绒服被倒卖等不实信息。Earlier that day, an online post alleged that the Canada Goose down jackets donated by Xiji (Shanghai) Trading Co, a Canada Goose-affiliated company in China, were found on sale on Xianyu, a popular online secondhand marketplace. The post immediately caused a stir among netizens who flooded the comments questioning the integrity of how the donations had been handled.当天上午，网上有信息称，希计（上海）商贸有限公司，即加拿大鹅在中国的关联公司，捐赠的加拿大鹅羽绒服正在网上二手交易平台“咸鱼”上出售。该帖子迅速引起网友热议，网友们质疑捐助的物资是否真的得到了妥善处理。"The untrue information has already had a bad effect on the quake-relief efforts," read the open statement released by the foundation on Tuesday.“不实信息已经对地震救灾工作产生了不良影响，”上海市慈善基金会12月26日发布的公开声明中写道。The foundation said that it received 2,001 Canada Goose down jackets after getting a phone call from a representative of Xiji (Shanghai) Trading Co on Dec 20. The jackets were regarded as urgently-needed materials for victims in Gansu who were experiencing subzero cold weather after the earthquake.上海市慈善基金会表示，12月20日接到希计（上海）贸易有限公司代表的电话后，收到了2,001件加拿大鹅羽绒服。这些羽绒服是震后受灾民众在甘肃省零下的寒冷天气中的应急物资。On Sunday, the foundation worked with China Post to send the jackets to quake-devastated areas, aided and supervised by the Shanghai Z-CARE Emergency Rescue Team, which is conducting search and rescue operations in the region. The rescue team was requested to follow up and oversee the delivery of jackets to the victims.12月24日，该基金会与中国邮政合作，在上海Z-CARE紧急救援队的协助和监督下，将羽绒服运送到地震灾区，救援队正在该地区开展搜救行动。救援队被负责跟进并监督羽绒服送到受灾群众手中。By 6:20 pm the next day, the local authority confirmed that they had received the jackets and had stored them temporarily in Xuhujia town in Jishishan county. The distribution plan had yet to be decided by the provincial civil affairs department.次日下午6时20分，当地政府确认已收到羽绒服，并暂存于积石山县徐扈家乡。分配方案尚待省民政厅决定。"We are continuously following the whole process of distribution to ensure the transparency of donation handling," read the statement.“我们正不断追踪羽绒服下发的整个流程，确保捐赠处理的透明度，”声明中写道。The foundation emphasized that other donations were properly received and will be distributed as planned. Close cooperation will continue between the foundation, Gansu officials and rescue teams on-site to ensure a smooth and just donation process.该基金会强调，其他捐款已得到妥善接收，并将按计划分发。基金会、甘肃省官员和现场救援队将继续密切合作，确保捐赠过程顺利公正。An official with the local publicity department surnamed Guo confirmed to Jingzhou Daily in a video report that the jackets are still in stock and have not been distributed.当地宣传部郭姓官员在视频报道中向《荆州日报》证实，这些羽绒服尚未分发。Xianyu has deleted the post alleging "down jacket donations on sale", and permanently removed the account involved for "maliciously driving traffic to attract customers".闲鱼已删除称“羽绒服捐赠在售”的帖子，并以“恶意拉流量吸引顾客”的原因永久删除了涉案账号。The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted an ethnic county in Northwest China's Gansu province on Dec 18 killed 117 people in the province, according to Xinhua News Agency. A further 31 were killed by the quake in neighboring Qinghai province.据新华社报道，12月18日，中国西北部甘肃省积石山县发生6.2级地震，造成该省117人死亡。另有31人在邻近的青海省的地震中丧生。Down jacketn. 羽绒服Subzero英/'sʌbzɪəro/ 美/'sʌbzɪəro/adj. 〔温度〕零度以下的

China's major railway ticket booking platform 12306 showed that, as of 15:00 on Dec 17, tickets for a number of trains are sold out, including those departing from Beijing to Wuhan, Nanjing to Hefei, Hangzhou, Chengdu to Chongqing, and Xi'an, as train tickets officially went on sale on Dec 16, the first day available to book trains for the 2024 New Year's Day holiday, China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday.据《中国证券报》12月19日报道，中国铁路大型售票平台12306数据显示，截至12月17日15时，从北京出发前往武汉，南京出发前往合肥、杭州，以及成都出发前往重庆、西安等城市的多趟列车车次已显示“售罄”。12月16日，2024年元旦假期首日火车票正式开售。Data from Chinese travel agency Tongcheng Travel showed on the first day of the New Year's Day holiday (Dec 30), tickets for short-distance travel in urban areas such as Beijing to Tianjin, Shanghai to Nanjing, Shenzhen, Guangdong province to Guangzhou, and Chongqing to Chengdu are in high demand. The travel demand is mainly to visit relatives.国内旅行机构同程旅行数据显示，元旦假期首日（12月30日），核心城市群的短途线路车票较为紧俏，比较热门的线路主要有：北京至天津、上海至南京、深圳至广州、重庆至成都等，出行需求主要以探亲为主。According to research institute of Tongcheng Travel, travelers who are visiting relatives and ice-snow tourism will heat up destinations such as Harbin, Shenyang, Urumqi and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia autonomous region in Northeast and Northwest China, as well as Zhangjiakou in North China.同程研究院认为，元旦假期探亲与旅游客流叠加，同时受冬季冰雪旅游热的带动，预计哈尔滨、沈阳、乌鲁木齐、呼伦贝尔以及张家口等冰雪游目的地人气将大幅上升。In terms of hotel booking, home stays and hotel rooms for New Year's Eve are popular choices for tourists. As of now, orders for 2024 New Year holiday home stays in popular cities on Tujia, a home stay online platform, increased nearly four times year-on-year. Data from travel portal Qunar also showed hotel rooms for Dec 31 - Jan 1 in Harbin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Beijing, especially those in luxury hotels, have higher bookings. Tickets for Universal Beijing Resort, Disneyland in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai Guangdong province and Harbin Ice and Snow World are rapidly booking out in advance.从酒店预订情况来看，特色民宿和跨年夜酒店是游客的热门选择。截至目前，途家民宿平台上热门城市2024年元旦假期民宿的订单同比增长近4倍。旅游门户网去哪儿数据显示，哈尔滨、南京、武汉、上海和北京的跨年夜（12月31日-1月1日）酒店，特别是豪华型酒店预订量较高。北京环球度假区、上海迪士尼乐园、香港迪士尼乐园、珠海长隆海洋王国、哈尔滨冰雪大世界等景区的门票提前预订量较高。In addition, Tongcheng Travel's data also showed that the popularity of domestic islands travel on its platform for the New Year's Day holiday increased by 72 percent year-on-year, and the popularity of Southeast Asian islands travel increased by three times year-on-year.同城旅行数据还显示，平台上元旦假期国内海岛游热度同比上升72%，东南亚海岛游热度同比上升了3倍。Luxury hotelsn. 豪华型酒店

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports on China Earthquake

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted a county in northwest China's Gansu Province midnight Monday has killed over 100 people in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai Province.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted an ethnic county in Northwest China's Gansu province midnight Monday has killed 118 people in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai province, according to local earthquake relief headquarters.According to China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake jolted at 11:59 pm Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu.Witnesses told Xinhua the earthquake has caused damages on houses, roads and other infrastructures. Several villages have suffered power failures and disruption of water.According to local meteorological authorities, the daily low temperature in Jishishan is reported to reach minus 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.The provincial fire and rescue department has sent 580 rescuers aided with 88 fire engines, 12 search and rescue dogs, more than 10,000 sets of equipment to the disaster area.The railway authority has suspended passenger and cargo trains passing through the quake zone and ordered a safety check of railway tracks.Hu Changsheng, Party chief of Gansu, and Ren Zhenhe, governor of Gansu, have rushed to the disaster area to command rescue and relief.Source: Xinhua

Rescue efforts are underway after a deadly earthquake jolted northwest China's Gansu. Israel announces transition to the next phase of military operations and starts working on bringing back Gazan population. Texas is to arrest migrants crossing the border illegally.

Cannabis is having a moment. Half of the US population lives in a state where marijuana is legal, and 9 in 10 people nationwide support legalisation in some form. This is a stark difference from mere decades ago, when prohibition was the norm in the entire US. Meanwhile, if you live in Malta, Uruguay, Canada – and maybe soon, Germany – your entire country is one with legal recreational pot. And access to medical marijuana extends to even more countries, including the UK and Australia.But as medical and recreational use become more popular and increasingly accessible, how exactly did we get to this moment of change? What has research been able to tell us – so far – about how the plant produces its euphoric effects, what medical purposes it may be able to serve or how it might be harmful? And how could our relationship with this unassuming leaf change in the coming decades?In the first of this three-part special series on the science of cannabis, Christie Taylor explores our deep history with cannabis, from the first domestication 12,000 years ago in Northwest China, to the current skyrocketing popularity in the United States and around the world.Learn more: The team at New Scientist investigates cannabis and the brain, the environmental cost of growing cannabis, and other questions in this special reporting series. Visit newscientist.com/cannabis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Li Min is a professor of prehistoric and Bronze Age Chinese archaeology at UCLA, who focuses on state formation, social memory, and story telling. He is also a key player in the excavation of Shimao, a site on the Yellow River in Northwest China that displays iconography from four thousand years ago that looks strikingly Mesoamerican. We discuss the context in which Shimao rose to become a major regional power, the heady interaction sphere between the city and the shamanic Steppe and Altai cultures that surrounded it, the persistence of imagery unchanged across thousands of years, and much more. Dig into Dr. Li Min's work by reading up on Social Memory and State Formation in Early China, available for purchase in a way that supports the podcast: https://amzn.to/3s0UG6p Support the scientific revolution by joining our Patreon: https://bit.ly/3lcAasB Tell us what you think in the comments or on our Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub #ancient #civilization #ancientchina Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

At least 31 people have died after an explosion ripped through a restaurant in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

China on Tuesday launched the Shenzhou XVI manned spaceship, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a five-month mission.5月30日，中国成功发射神舟十六号载人飞船，将三名航天员送往空间站，执行为期五个月的任务。The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China.搭载神舟十六号载人飞船的长征二号F遥十六运载火箭在酒泉卫星发射中心点火发射，The Shenzhou XVI astronauts will conduct large-scale in-orbit tests and experiments in various fields as planned. They are expected to make high-level scientific achievements in the study of novel quantum phenomena, high-precision space time-frequency systems, the verification of general relativity, and the origin of life.神舟十六号航天员将按计划开展多领域大规模在轨实（试）验。他们有望在新奇量子现象研究、高精度空间时频系统、广义相对论验证以及生命起源研究等方面产出高水平科学成果。The crew, consisting of Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, will witness the dockings of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XVII manned spaceship, as well as the departures of the Shenzhou XV manned spaceship and Tianzhou-5.由景海鹏、朱杨柱、桂海潮组成的乘组将见证神舟十五号载人飞船返回、天舟五号货运飞船再对接和撤离以及神舟十七号载人飞船对接。Spaceship英/ˈspeɪsʃɪp/ 美/ˈspeɪsʃɪp/n.宇宙飞船Docking英/ˈdɒkɪŋ/美/'dɔkiŋ/n.入坞，对接Departure英/dɪˈpɑːtʃə(r)/ 美/dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/n.撤离

In episode #80, Mel and Trish chat online to journalist, newsreader, and author Nicole Webb about the fascinating story behind the writing and publication of her book, China Blonde. As a journalist, Nicole spent 20 years in Australian television working as a reporter, producer and presenter which included a decade as a key player at 24-hour news channel Sky News. When opportunity knocked, Nicole and her hotelier husband jumped, packing up their lives and moving first to Hong Kong and then Xi'an in Northwest China with their young daughter. Nicole describes Xi'an at the time as a city of 9-million people teetering on the edge of progression – a truly fascinating time to live there. Knowing no one, possessing no knowledge of the language and with a cultural divide stretching before her like a chasm, Nicole had a lot to adjust to. It was from this, life-changing experience that Nicole found the inspiration to research and write her memoir China Blonde.The girls love a good story and Nicole's is just that – a seriously great chat with a gorgeous 40isher.Enjoy.Important Links: Nicole's WebsiteNicole's InstagramNicole's Facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last time we spoke about the Dungan Revolt. Yes it was a grand little side story that only encompassed something that should have required at minimum three podcasts, but I do my best. Northwest China was a wild place and multiple groups on the frontiers of other nations saw an opportunity when the Taiping Rebellion kicked out to try and rebel themselves. Multiple muslim groups and some foreign leaders like Yaqub Bek fought the Qing, the Russians and other groups to try and consolidate control over key areas. However when the Taiping were finally quelled, the Qing sent Zuo Zongtang northwest to deal with the Dungan problem. Zuo Zongtang led a brutal campaign to reclaim Xinjiang and was successful, a large part to muslim chinese defectors. Now we need to venture back to the issue of Japan, China, Korea and a truly stressful situation for poor old Li Hongzhang.   #39 This episode is the imo uprising   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. The 1880s were an extremely turbulent time for China, Japan and Korea. Each nation faced the same anxiety, that of western encroachment, the danger of colonization. Each of these nations would face challenges from the west and this would affect all 3 of them and in turn their relations to another. There were leading figures in each nation that sought to cooperate together to resist western colonialism. At the time the greatest threat was Russia. The Russian empire was beginning the process of building the grand trans-siberian railway. The railway would only begin construction in 1891, but by the 1880's settlers were being pushed east into Siberia and discussions were being held to push the process forward. Now when Japan pulled the sneaky maneuver of getting Korea to sign treaties acknowledging her independence from China, both Korea and Chinese officials were deeply concerned and no wonder. Japan had kept pressing the buttons and this was a major red flag moment. But the Chinese and Koreans had a multitude of problems at the time taking up much of their attention. Thus the Chinese and Koreans tried to ignore the implications of the Japanese treaties in the hopes they could be stamped down later thus easing Japan back into a passive role.  You might be asking yourself why are the Chinese and Koreans backing down so much and allowing Japan basically to stomp over them, to put it simply, they had too much to deal with. You might remember when I barely talked about some of the rebels going on in China during and after the Taiping Rebellion. One of those known as the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877, well that little guy was not such a little guy. If you go on wikipedia for example and look up the Dungan revolt you will notice a few things right off the bat, the first most likely the death toll which was in the millions, possibly up to 21 million. It hit Shaanxi, Gangsu and Xinjiang provinces very hard. But alongside the death toll, you would probably notice secondly the participants list which is extravagantly long and holds many surprising participants. The Ottomans, British, Russians, Uzbeks all hands their hands in the Chinese cookie jar. While the Dungan Revolt is certainly a big one, it gets even bigger, much bigger. The Dungan Revolt basically is part of “the Great Game”. Now you're probably asking yourselves what game? The Great Game was this mashup of conflicts between the British and Russian empires of multiple territories spanning the middle east and Asia. They fought for and over numerous things, for example the British believed Russia had plans to invade India. The Russians thought Britain wanted to expand into central asia. This led to countless wars such as the 1st anglo-afghan war of 1838, the first anglo-sikh war of 1845, the second anglo-sikh war of 1848, the second anglo-afghan war of 1878 and theres even more than that. Now for China this cultivated the Dungan Revolt somewhat and Russian began encroaching in Xinjiang. From 1871 to 1881 the Qing dynasty and the Russian empire were on the verge of a massive war over Xinjiang. Now I am literally pulling out my hair as I write this series because I planned to write a single podcast explaining how the situation in Korea led to what will be one of the most important wars, the first sino-japanese war of 1894-1895 and as I do so I keep skipping over major events, such as the multitude of rebellions in China, and this “great game situation”. Oh and its not just the great game, in the 1880s emerges another fantastic war known as the Sino-French War of 1884-1885 first involving Vietnam and France and then China gets mixed in. Needless to say I face two options, option number 1; I give a summary of these events and gloss right over them to carry on with my intended little narrow narrative about Korea, China and Japan. Option 2) I carry on as I am and write two separate episodes, “the great game” and “the Sino-French War of 1884-1885”. I am electing to do option 2, so please bear with me for the time being I imagine those 2 episodes will come right after I am done with the Hermit kingdom. Stating that I keep glossing over major events, but its simply impossible to hit them all, so if there are some you just are dying to hear about, or simply other things you want to hear about that I can't hit here please let me know on the Pacific War channel discord, comment my Youtube channel or become a patreon, if ya do I promise I will make content just for you, that's why it's there. So needless to say, these major events were hitting China at an extraordinarily bad time. These were major variables thwarting China from seeking a firmer hand against Japan when it came to Korea. China was waiting for things to simmer before they confront the Japanese. And do remember despite Japan's actions, they still represented the greatest possible ally against the looming Russian bear to the north who were gradually expanding into Asia. The prospect of large numbers of Russians moving into East Asia concerned Korea, Japan and China all the same. On top of this the Russians began plans in 1882 to start a steamship line from Ukraine to Priamur, on the coast of Siberia and this also meant a large development of Priamur. Korea had the great misfortune of being what one author has called ‘a shrimp among the whales”. The whales being China, Japan and Russia. Korea had a long history of being fought over, in 661 the Japanese sent troops, then the Yuan Dynasty forces of Kublai Khan used Korea to try and invade Japan in the 1190's and in the 1590s Hideyoshi invaded Korea. So Korea had this unfortunate history of simply being stuck in the middle. In 1882 China still held suzerainty over Korea…well from their point of view, the Japanese certainly did not see it that way. Korea was grasping at straws, trying to avoid conflict, but she was playing a game between two tigers. Now in 1881 Korea began expanding its relations with all 3 major players, Russia, China and Japan. Awhile back I mentioned that Korea sent Kim Hong-jip to Japan and after his journey he strongly suggested Korea send more envoys to learn more from Japan. In 1881 this led Korea to create the Gentlemen's sightseeing group. These were 12 young Koreans who went to Japan to learn more about the Meiji restoration efforts. The mission was akin to Japan's Iwakura Mission, the Koreans inspected administrative agencies, military facilities, education facilities, everything they could. The Koreans were very impressed by what they saw and when they came back home they sought ways to push Korea onto the same path as Japan's modernization efforts. Amongst the 12 gentleman was one Kim Ok-kyun. After the tour had ended Fukuzawa Yukichi one of Japans top liberal minded intellects arranged for Kim Ok-kyun to remain an extra 6 months at Keio university. Kim Ok-kyuns stay convinced him that the Meiji restoration was the essential path for Korea to self strengthen and thwart western encroachment.  Now Kim OK-kyun will be a key player in many things to come, but I bring him up now just to signify the efforts of Japan to win over Korea. People such as Kim Ok-kyun began championing Japan as Korea's savior and this prompted King Gojong to look to Japan for some assistance in modernizing, such as the employment of Lt Horimoto Reizo who trained the Pyolgigun. But while Japan was making inroads to circumventing China, China was not sitting idly by.  Li Hongzhang had emerged probably as the most influential person in all of China by the 1880s. The Qing government authorized the man who was the Grand Minister for the Northern Sea, the governor general of Zhili province, Commander of the Huai Army, associate controller over the board of admiralty and Grand secretary, yes China was continuing the practice of placing as many titles as possible onto a single man. Above all else Li Hongzhang was responsible for Korea. As much as I have talked about Zeng Guofan's pupil I have not really talked all that much about the man himself. Li Hongzhang dominated Chinese foreign policy for nearly quarter of a century. He was 6 feet tall and quite a lot of western diplomats noted him to have a fine physique, a vigor to his nature, piercing eyes, a commanding presence and a no-nonsense approach. As a Qing official he wore multicolored silk robes, a large triangular hat with the traditional three-eyed peacock feathers. As noted by his mentor Zeng Guofan “Li Hongzhang possessed a bearing and manner of speech sufficient to bring men to their knees”. Li Hongzhang was frankly a go-getter as we say in the west. George F Seward, a minister of the US to China called him “a giant among his fellow Chinese and the best foreigners who have met him in affairs will not hesitate to accord to him intellectual powers, which would command admiration in any cabinet or council”. Russia's count Sergei Lil'evich Witte, the architect of the empires industrialization program for over two decades and a man not known to overstate others said this of Li “I have met many notable statesmen in my career and would rate Li Hongzhang high among them. In fact, he was a great statesman; to be sure he was Chinese, without any kind of European education, but a man of sound Chinese education, and what is more, a man with a remarkably sound mind and good common sense." The socialist French newspaper, Le Siecle, called him "the yellow Bismarck." I particularly like that last one, yellow Bismarck thats a flavourful one isn't it.  Li Hongzhang was Han Chinese, from 6 of 7 generations that passed the imperial examinations, a scholar through and through. He passed the third highest out of 4000 other students for the highest imperial degree and built up the Huai army with help from Zeng Guofan quickly becoming one of if not the dominant military ruler in China. It was in fact his rule over the most powerful army in CHina that led to many of his appointments as the Qing needed to try and rein him in somehow. He and Empress Dowager Cixi would have a long-standing relationship. Li Hongzhang aided her in installing her nephew as Emperor in 1875, though in reality he would not actually rule anything it would be Cixi and Li was loyal to her. On the note of Cixi, Li Hongzhang was criticized heavily for corruption and indeed he became fabulously wealthy. Yet I do not think you can point fingers simply at Li, as it was not just him but the Qing bureaucracy that was corrupt. A foreign employee under Li had this to say about him and corruption “The Viceroy was a diplomat of world-wide fame; but to his countrymen - before the war - he was chiefly reputed as a great military and naval organizer. He was not nor could he be that; for the corruption, peculation and nepotism which infested his organizations had their fountain-head in himself, and to an extent which was exceptional even for a Chinese official. He was himself enmeshed in the national machine of organized inefficiency; to him also it was a normal condition, and any other, had it been indicated, would have been incomprehensible to him.” You have to understand at this time in the Qing dynasty corruption was simply the status quo. Bribery was the normal source of political influence. The Qing salaries were insufficient, so all officials bribed and embezzled to make ends meet. To get anything done politically in China at this time one had to bribe whether it was for good means or bad, Li was no different. Li's activities were some of the largest in scope China would ever see and thus required enormous sums of money. None the less Li was a Han, and the Manchu were never going to let the Han simply run the show, so even if Li had idea's about reform to stop the corruption they would not allow him to do so as it would put a Han in the drivers seat. And so Li was a master operator within the corrupt system of Qing politics, he had to grease the corrupt wheels of power. Unlike the Meiji restoration which took daring reforms backed by the Genro of Japan, Li had major shackles.  I think I already said this before, Li Hongzhang is one of my favorite characters of modern Chinese history, but he is also a terribly tragic character. One would call him a man before his time. He showed great foresight about how China could modernize but he was hampered by the system. Yet despite all of that he did an incredible amount to help modernize China nonetheless. He also never got a chance to really see the outside world until late in his life unlike most of his Japanese counterparts. He would also take the lionshare of the blame for the many humiliations CHina would receive, literally right until his death he just kept fighting bitterly. Many champion those who do great feats during good times, but we often forget those who lived in dire times who struggled to do great feats, and Li is one of those. Now as the man responsible for Korea Li Hongzhang advised his Korean counterpart in 1879 "There is no human agency capable of putting a stop to the expansionist movement of Japan: has not your Government been compelled to inaugurate a new era by making a Treaty of Commerce with it? As matters stand, therefore, is not our best course to neutralize one poison by another, to set one energy against another? You should seize every opportunity to establish treaty relations with Western nations, which you can use to check Japan." The advice was carried to King Gojong who in 1822 solicited Li Hongzhang to negotiate on Korea's behalf for a treaty with the United States. The Josen-United States Treaty of 1882 or Treaty of Peace, AMity, Commerce and Navigation would be signed in 1882 heavily influenced by Li Hongzhang. It was Korea's first treaty with a western nation, albeit an unequal treaty. It established mutual friendship with the US and mutual assistance in the case of attack. The treaty became the template for others as soon Germany signed one in 1883, then Russian and Italy in 1884 and France by 1886. The idea obviously being, Li Hongzhang trying to bolster up Korea so Japan would not try to invade her. Now despite the fact these treaties were intended to counterbalance Japan, they also indirectly undermined China. Combined with the Japanese treaties they all worked collectively to shatter Korea's isolation and severed China's suzerainty over her. To be blunt, while China could continue to scream about how Korea was still her tributary, now a collective group of other nations saw her as independent. This also began a process of creating pro-Japanese and pro-Chinese factions within the Korean political system. There were those who missed the times of the Daewongun reign. They believed the current actions of Korea were unfaithful to Confucianism. And then in 1882 a small problem would evolve into a larger one. Remember the Japanese military attache, Lt Horimoto Reizo? Well in January of 1882, his work ended up reorganizing the existing 5 army garrison structure into the Muwiyong “palace guards garrison” and the Changoyong “capital guards garrison”. But alongside that he also created the Pyolgigun “special skills force” which was basically the yolk of a new modern Korean army. This is all fantastic and good fun, however Korea held a very tight budget and was forced to reduce the number of her old-style troops. For those of you who know your Satsuma Rebellion that occurred in Japan, here in Korea a similar event unfolded. In July of 1882 many Korean soldiers were retired against their will. They protested that for over a year after the forced retirement they had not received back pay. 1000 men, mostly the old and disabled were let go, and they were not paid their stipends of rice for 13 months. They began to protest, and who wouldn't. Hearing about this, King Gojong ordered that a months allowance of rice be given to the soldiers and he directed one Min Gyeom-ho, the overseer of the Joseon's government finances to see to it. Min Gyeom-ho was the nephew of Queen Min, and that is an important fact as the Min family would be seen as culprits. Well Min Gyeom-ho handed the job over to his steward who sold the rice he had been given for the soldiers and used that money to buy millet which was further mixed with sand and bran, the good classic old case of embezzlement, like cutting cocaine with baking powder. Well the the substance by the time it got to the soldiers had gone rotten and as you might imagine it really pissed off the already pissed off protesting soldiers. So on July 23rd of 1882 a riot broke out in Uigeumbu. Pissed off soldiers marched upon the residence of Min Gyeom-ho who they suspected was the culprit swindling them all. Min Gyeom-ho heard of the incoming rioters and ordered the police to arrest their ringleaders and have them executed the next day. The rioters received word of these orders and broke into Min Gyeom-ho's home, but by that point he had fled so they simply trashed the place. Without the man to exact their vengeance upon the rioters marched to the armory and began stealing arms and ammo. Then they went to a local prison, overwhelmed its guards and released the arrested ringleaders alongside other political prisoners. At this point Min Gyeom-ho was hiding at the Royal palace. He panicked and ordered the army to quell the revolt, but by this time the revolt was snow balling. The armed rioters then turned their attention to two different groups of people, the first were the Japanese and second Korean progressives aka the reformers supporting the new changes to Korea propped by Japan. A group of rioters headed to Lt Horimoto's quarters where they grabbed him and took turns stabbing him to death. Another group of over 3000 rioters marched upon the Japanese legation. Over at the legation were the minister to Korea Hanabusa Yoshitada alongside 17 staff members and 10 legation police. The legation was quickly surrounded prompting Hanabusa to order all the documents within to be burnt. As the smoke and flames increased, many of the legation staff used it as a cover to escape through the rear gate. The Japanese fled to the nearest harbor where they took a boat down the Han river enroute to Incheon. From there they thought they would be safe, but Korean soldiers continued to hunt them down, soon they were fleeing to another harbor, but this time the Koreans caught up to them. 6 Japanese were killed with another 5 severely injured. The survivors got onto a boat and made a break for open sea, eventually running into the British survey ship HMS flying fish which took them in.  The rioters certainly did not stop at the Japanese legation, on July 24th they took to marching upon the royal palace still hunting Min Gyeom-ho. They got their hands on Min Gyeom-ho killing him alongside a dozen high ranking Joseon officials including Heungin-gun Yi Choe-Heung, the older brother of the Daewongun. It should be noted that while he was the brother to him, he was also publicly critical against his isolationist policies and could be seen as an ally to the Min clan. The rioters also hunted for Queen Min, intending to kill her as well. They saw the Queen and the rest of the Min allies as the main culprits behind the corruption going on in the government. Queen Min managed to escape the palace being carried literally away on a guards back dressed as a commoner. She fled for refuse in the home of Min Eung-sik in Chungju of Chungcheong province. Meanwhile the rioters managed to kill an official of the Min family and the entire ordeal became known as the Soldiers Riot of 1882 or the Imo uprising.  Now the Imo uprising was sort of a symptom of something else going on in Korea. I had mentioned previously that the Korean politics had created sort of a faction situation. It was not necessary one side was Pro Chinese and the other Japanese, a lot more was going on, but I will try to summarize it as best as I can. During the reign of the Daewongun, many of the Korean literati, you know the political, scholar, high society types, well they considered a lot of what the Daewongun was doing to be unfaithful to confucianism. However when the Daewogun was kicked out, they began to see all the grand reforms and treaties emerging under King Gojong as even worse. In fact they never really saw it as “King Gojong's” but rather Queen Min and her entourage of family members in high positions taking Korea to hell in a handbasket.  During the Imo uprising incident there was a rather important figure amongst the rioting troops, Prince Waneun, the illegitimate son of Daewongun and one of his concubines named Kyeseongwol. He was the older half brother to King Gojong. Now When the Daewongun was “forcefully retired” he actually did not go without a fight and attempted a coup, which just saw him getting deported to China, and this greatly upset Prince Waneun. But he bide his time, entering the Korean military as a low ranking officer. When the rioters struck in 1881, Daewongun had sent agents to instigate them, one of which was Prince Waneun. It seems the Daewongun was trying to replace King Gojong with his illegitimate son, but the riots failed. When they arrested the rioters many of their leaders were executed, one of which was Prince Wanuen. Who ordered his specific execution is unknown, myth has the Korean politician Yi Yun-yong being responsible, but there is also evidence he did so under orders from Queen Min and King Gojong. On October 28th of 1881 he was poisoned to death while in prison at Jeju. The reason I bring up this minor part of the story is to highlight that there were serious efforts being made by political factions to usurp King Gojong and steer Korea in certain directions. The Daewongun clearly supported the rioters and their cause. In fact it is known the Daewongun exhorted the rioters to specifically bring down the Min clan and expel the Japanese. Daewongun was very much in the China camp politically. King Gojong clearly did not support their cause, but he saw the writing on the wall. King Gojong asked his father to return to the palace, who promptly showed up with 200 of the rioters backing him up. King Gojong capitulated to their demands, one of which was to restore his father to power. King Gojong basically said this to his father when he showed up to the palace “put an immediate end to the wild melee and I will give power over the small and large matters of the government”. And thus the Daewongun was back in power. His first order of business as you might imagine was to remove from office all officials of the Min family, he even had his own brother executed because he had allied to them! At the time it was believed Queen Min had been killed, thus he had a funeral process begun for her. Now in response to the killing of the Japanese officials, well Japan was not too happy about that. The foreign office under Inoue Kaoru ordered Hanasuba to return to Seoul to hold a meeting with senior Korean officials to get them to bring the rioters responsible to justice. If any more of these rioters were to attack Japanese, Japan was going to bear military force against them, regardless of whatever the Korean government did. Inoue instructed Hanabusa, that if he saw the Koreans making any attempts to hide the perpetrators and not punish them, or if they refused simply to comply at all with their demands this would constitute a breach of peace and thus the IJA would be rolling in. Japan also sent an official letter to the Korean government with an envoy, indicting it for the crimes that had been done to the Japanese and that Japan would be sending forces to occupy the port of Chempulpo. Hanabusa meanwhile was instructed that if China or another nation attempted to mediate on behalf of Korea, he should refuse this, but to reiterate none the less that Japan still believed her relations with Korea were friendly and that they best restore that friendly relationship. Thus Hanabusa was to go to Seoul with IJA and IJN forces to protect him and other Japanese officials. Now while Japan was doing all of this, in the background they were also calling up reserves for their military in advance and Inoue Kaoru made sure to notify western ministers in Tokyo they were sending IJA/IJN forces to Korea to “protect their citizens”. He strongly emphasized this was all in good faith and that their intentions were peaceful, but when the Americans offered to mediate he declined this off the bat, not a great look. As for the Chinese reaction, Li Hongzhang who was in charge had left his post just before the crisis had broken out, taking a leave of absence because his mother had just died. How fate tosses the dice sometimes eh? Thus China's de facto foreign minister was left out of touch and Korea did not have a Chinese legation on hand. Li Shuchang, the Chinese minister in Tokyo received word of the situation and sent word home. On August 1st, Zhang Shusheng dispatched 3 warships of the Beiyang Fleet under the command of Admiral Ding Ruchang to Korea with the Qing official Ma Jianzhong to assess the situation. 4500 Qing forces led by General Wu Changqing arrived and they quickly aided the Korean government in quelling the rioters thus thwarting a full blown rebellion. The Qing forces took control over Seoul. This was the first time that China had military intervened in Korea since 1636 and constituted a major departure in her foreign policy over Korea. Would this situation ignite a war between the Qing and Japan? 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. The imo uprising was going to escalate things for China, Japan and Korea, simply boiling the pot of war gradually over time. How long could the diplomats and politicians keep those rattling the sabers of war?  

Embark on an exhilarating journey with Digger Rex as we delve deep into the heart of Northwest China, a region revered by paleontologists globally. Why, you ask? It's home to the famed Shishugou Formation—a veritable treasure trove of ancient dinosaur discoveries! With each dig, a chapter of Earth's prehistoric story unfolds. From the majestic to the mysterious, which dinosaur relic will we unveil from the Shishugou layers today? Tune in to join the excavation excitement, as Digger Rex unearths the wonders hidden in China's ancient soil. A must-listen for every dino enthusiast and adventure seeker!

Dunhuang, in Northwest China's Gansu Province, where the ancient Silk Road split into northern and southern routes, is a treasure chest of ancient art and artifacts dating back to the first millennium. What is the current state of protection and research concerning Dunhuang? What has been done to protect these arts and artifacts using modern technology while making it available to people around the world? What else needs to be done?

It's alleged that a mostly-Muslim ethnic minority in Northwest China are being persecuted by the nation's government. There are reports of re-education campaigns and possibly genocide by the Chinese government in an attempt to destroy the culture of this group. Dr Keith Suter discusses the Uyghurs of Xinjiang and why commenting on their plight is a delicate issue for countries around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caixin reporter Wang Heyan shares her interviews with victims' families about the hardscrabble reality of rural life in Northwest China. Click here to read the article by Wang Heyan. Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. Are you a big fan of our shows? Then please give our podcast account, China Business Insider, a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

英语新闻｜Six astronauts make historic gathering in spaceThe three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou XV spaceship entered the country's space station and met with another astronaut trio on Wednesday, a historic gathering that added the manpower at the in-orbit space lab to six for the first time.11月29日周三，中国神舟十五号飞船上的三名宇航员进入国家空间站并与另一名宇航员三人组会面，这是一次历史性的聚会，使在轨空间实验室的人员首次增加到六人。China's Shenzhou XV manned spaceship successfully docked with the space station combination early on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).据中国载人航天局（CMSA）称，中国神舟十五号载人飞船于周三早些时候成功与空间站组合对接。The spaceship, launched on Tuesday night, conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docked with the front port of the space station's Tianhe module at 5:42 am Wednesday (Beijing Time), said the CMSA.CMSA表示，这艘于周二晚上发射的飞船进行了一次快速自动交会对接，并于周三凌晨北京时间5点42分与空间站天河舱的前端口对接。The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours, the CMSA said.CMSA表示，整个过程耗时约6.5小时。The astronaut trio aboard Shenzhou XV will then enter the Tianhe module and the three astronauts of the Shenzhou XIV crew have gotten ready for the arrival of the Shenzhou XV crew, it said.随后，神舟十五号航天员三人组将进入天河舱，神舟十四号机组的三名航天员已做好迎接神舟十五号机组到来的准备。It is the first time that Chinese astronauts aboard the space station have seen the visit of a crewed spaceship, according to the CMSA.据中国航天局介绍，这是中国空间站航天员首次看到载人飞船来访。The spaceship, atop the Long March-2F Y15 carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 11:08 pm Tuesday (Beijing Time).这艘飞船搭载着长征二号FY15运载火箭，于周二北京时间晚上11点08分从中国西北的酒泉卫星发射中心发射升空。Trio 英[ˈtriːəʊ]；美[ˈtriːoʊ]n. 三人小组dock 英[dɒk]；美[dɑːk]v. 使宇宙飞船在外层空间）对接rendezvous 英[ˈrɒndɪvuː; ˈrɒndeɪvuː]；美[ˈrɑːndeɪvuː; ˈrɑːndɪvuː]n. （飞机等）在指定时间和地点的集结、回合

Listen to the November 26th, 2022 daily headline round-up and find all the top news that you need to know.

The story of Ghiyath al-Din and the other Timurid envoys, and their visit to Yongle's Beijing. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: "Report to Mirza Baysunghur on the Timurid Legation to the Ming Court at Peking," in A Century of Princes: Sources on Timurid History and Art, selected and translated by W. M. Thackston. Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1989. Ford, Graeme. "The Uses of Persian in Imperial China: The Translation Practices of the Great Ming," in The Persianate World, edited by Nile Green. University of California Press, 2019. Hecker, Felicia J. “A Fifteenth-Century Chinese Diplomat in Herat,” in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 3, no. 1 (1993): 85–98. Lipman, Jonathan N. Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China. University of Washington Press, 2011. Park, Hyunhee. Mapping the Chinese and Islamic Worlds: Cross-Cultural Exchange in Pre-Modern Asia. Cambridge University Press, 2012. Rossabi, Morris. A History of China. Wiley, 2013. Rossabi, Morris. "Two Ming Envoys to Inner Asia," in T'oung Pao 62, no. 1/3 (1976): 1–34.  Tsai, Shih-shan Henry. Perpetual Happiness. University of Washington Press, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Search and rescue workers have confirmed at least 23 deaths from a flood in Datong County, Qinghai Province, with eight others still missing.

In the early 15th century, the son of Timur sends an ambassador east to the target of his father's last military campaign. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: "Report to Mirza Baysunghur on the Timurid Legation to the Ming Court at Peking," in A Century of Princes: Sources on Timurid History and Art, selected and translated by W. M. Thackston. Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1989. Ford, Graeme. "The Uses of Persian in Imperial China: The Translation Practices of the Great Ming," in The Persianate World, edited by Nile Green. University of California Press, 2019. Lipman, Jonathan N. Familiar Strangers A History of Muslims in Northwest China. University of Washington Press, 2011. Park, Hyunhee. Mapping the Chinese and Islamic Worlds: Cross-Cultural Exchange in Pre-Modern Asia. Cambridge University Press, 2012. Rossabi, Morris. A History of China. Wiley, 2013. Rossabi, Morris. "Two Ming Envoys to Inner Asia," in T'oung Pao 62, no. 1/3 (1976): 1–34.  Tsai, Shih-shan Henry. Perpetual Happiness. University of Washington Press, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the study of 19th and 20th century Chinese history, there is often focus on the intense Christian missionary activities happening in China. Yet at the same time, members of China's Hui (or Sino-Muslim) community were also beginning to reconnect with their co-religionists overseas. Armed with knowledge of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu and trained in Western orientalist discourses in new religious schools overseas, these Hui scholars began to "rediscover" aspects of Islam and in the process rewrite the history of Islam in China both for audiences within China and for a non-Chinese audience overseas. In this episode, we are joined by Professor Nile Green of UCLA to talk about how and why these exchanges took place and some of the implications of these exchanges. Please also be sure to check out Professor Green's podcast "Akbar's Chamber" for monthly episodes on the history of Islam. Available on Apple Podcasts and all other major podcast platforms. Contributors Professor Nile Green Professor Nile Green is a Professor of History and the Ibn Khaldun Endowed Chair in World History at UCLA. He works on the Islamic history of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, publishing numerous monographs and articles and editing seven books on a wide range of topics related to the history of Islam. His recent research interest is on the global history of Islam and Muslims, focusing on intellectual and technological interchange between Asia and Europe; Muslim global travel writings; the transnational genealogy of Afghan modernism; and the world history of 'Islamic' printing. He was a founding director of UCLA's Program on Central Asia and serves on many association and editorial boards. He is also the host of Akbar's Chamber, a podcast that offers a non-political, non-sectarian and non-partisan space for exploring the past and present of Islam. Yiming Ha Yiming Ha is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of California, Los Angeles. His current research is on military mobilization and state-building in China between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, focusing on how military institutions changed over time, how the state responded to these changes, the disconnect between the center and localities, and the broader implications that the military had on the state. His project highlights in particular the role of the Mongol Yuan in introducing an alternative form of military mobilization that radically transformed the Chinese state. He is also interested in military history, nomadic history, comparative Eurasian state-building, and the history of maritime interactions in early modern East Asia. He received his BA from UCLA and his MPhil from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Credits Episode no. 9 Release date: March 13, 2022 Recording location: Los Angeles, CA Bibliography courtesy of Professor Green Images Cover Image: Masjid at the Aligarh Muslim University (formerly Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College) in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sir Thomas Arnold and was (and still is) a major center of Islamic learning (Image Source). A view of the Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow, India, an Islamic seminary where Hai Weiliang* studied (Image Source). Sir Thomas Walker Arnold (1864-1930), a renowned British orientalist and Islamic scholar who wrote the famous The Preaching of Islam and The Encyclopedia of Islam. He founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (now Aligarh Muslim University) and taught Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, who was the teacher of Hai Weiliang (Image Source). Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (1884-1953), the teacher and educational patron of Hai Weiliang (Image Source). * Sadly, no pictures of Hai Weiliang can be found. References Green, Nile. How Asia Found Herself: A Story of Intercultural Understanding. New Haven: Yale University Press, forthcoming 2022. Benite, Zvi Ben-Dor. The Dao of Muhammad: A Cultural History of Muslims in Late Imperial China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2005. Benite, Zvi Ben-Dor. “Taking ʿAbduh to China: Chinese-Egyptian Intellectual Contact in the Early Twentieth Century.” In James Gelvin and Nile Green (eds.), Global Muslims in the Age of Steam and Print, edited by James Gelvin and Nile Green, 249-267. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014. Chen, John. “‘Just Like Old Friends': The Significance of Southeast Asia to Modern Chinese Islam.” SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 31, no. 3 (2016): 685–742. Chen, John. “Islam's Loneliest Cosmopolitan: Badr al-Din Hai Weiliang, the Lucknow-Cairo Connection, and the Circumscription of Islamic Transnationalism.” ReOrient: The Journal of Critical Muslim Studies 3/2 (2018): 121-139.  Chung, Tan & Ravni Thakur (eds). Across the Himalayan Gap: An Indian Quest for Understanding China. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 1998. Henning, Stefan. “God's Translator: Qu'ran Translation and the Struggle over a Written National Language in 1930s China.” Modern China 41, no. 6 (2015): 631-655. Jahn, Karl. China in der islamischen Geschichtsschreibung. Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1971. Lipman, Jonathan N.  Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997. Mao, Yufeng. “A Muslim Vision for the Chinese Nation: Chinese Pilgrimage Missions to Mecca during World War II.” The Journal of Asian Studies 70, no. 2 (2011): 373–395. Murata, Sachiko. “The Muslim Appropriate of Confucian Thought in Eighteenth-Century China.” Comparative Islamic Studies 7, no. 1-2 (2012): 13–22. O'Sullivan, Michael. “Vernacular Capitalism and Intellectual History in a Gujarati Account of China, 1860–68.” The Journal of Asian Studies 80, no. 2 (2021): 267–292. Park, Hyunhee. Mapping the Chinese and Islamic Worlds: Cross-Cultural Exchange in Pre-Modern Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Petersen, Kristian. Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Sen, Tansen. India, China, and the World: A Connected History. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. Thum, Rian. The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2014.

If the title sounds familiar, that's because this is a new version of an old episode from 2014 that got pulled from the CHP back catalog. But here it is, newly recorded and enhanced. This episode looks at the Ma family of soldiers and warlords in the northwest provinces of Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. Their story began in the last years of the Dungan Revolt and concluded with the victory of the Chinese Communists in 1949. Please check the website for a cheat sheet that lists all names used in this episode. There are a lot of characters surnamed Ma in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating 2,400 year old soup. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Merch — Risky or Not? (4) Brett Weed on Twitter: “Hey @benjaminchapman and @bugcounter, eating 2,400 year old soup—#riskyornot?” / Twitter Museum Archive on Twitter: “In 2010, Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 2,400-year-old bone soup in a sealed bronze cooking vessel near Xi'an in Northwest China. Because of oxidization, the soup turned green, but it was still in liquid form, and the bones were still floating on top https://t.co/IPolPGproi” / Twitter In 2010, Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 2,400-year-old bone soup in a sealed bronze cooking vessel near Xi'an in Northwest China. Because of oxidization, the soup turned green, but it was still in liquid form, and the bones were still floating on top [500x750] : ArtefactPorn Chinese archaeologists unearth 2,400-year-old ‘soup' - BBC News Crystalline Preparation of Botulinum Toxin Type a (Botox): Degradation in Potency with Storage - Michael G. Gartlan, Henry T. Hoffman, 1993 Measuring the potency labelling of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) and incobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®) in an LD50 assay | SpringerLink Botox: A review - ProQuest Chinese archaeologists soon to taste 2400-year-old soup and wine?

In part 2 of our conversation on why you don't have to freak out about turning 30, Corinne DuBois, Greg Dubois, Samantha Vocarte and I talk about being single at age 30 and the unique struggles, joys, and unmet expectations we've had in our singleness.  We also talk about the joys of being single, singleness in the American church, and most importantly, what it means to follow Jesus in our singleness. If you haven't listened to part 1, "Turning 30 & True Success," make sure to check it out both since it's a great conversation and so you have the context for some of our running jokes. Because we talk about Corinne's love of horses. A lot. About my outstanding guests:Corinne DuBois is a redheaded piano tuner with a deep appreciation for nature and the outdoors. Mountains, lakes and forests are, to her, God's cathedrals. When she is not tuning pianos or spending time with friends and family, she's usually hatching plans for adventure. She attended college in NYC and earned a degree in politics, philosophy, and economics. Two years later, she stepped past her first white blaze on the Appalachian trail, knowing only the weight of her pack, hardly dreaming of the invaluable and sometimes difficult truths she would learn about herself, her fellow wanderers, and God. Listen to her story of the Appalachian Trail here!Greg DuBois grew up with his triplet brother and sister Ethan and Corinne in Upstate New York. After graduating from The King's College , he moved to China and has lived there ever since. After spending one year working in Ningxia Huizu Autonomous Region in Northwest China, he moved to Shanghai to study for a Master's degree in Intercultural Communication at Shanghai International Studies University. After graduating in 2017 he continued on at SISU as a Lecturer, focusing on English language classes, as well as intercultural training and education. Greg spends most of his time teaching, coaching debate, playing frisbee, or otherwise spending time on campus with students, as that is where his primary passion lies--to serve and develop the SISU student community. Having spent almost all of his 20s living abroad (and most of it single), one topic which often occupies his mind is how to live well as a single person in a country and culture which is not his own.Samantha Vocarte is a writer, artist, and small business owner living in Upstate NY. She has worked in Communications for over eight years, and shares her intimate (and often comical) journey with God through the written word…we love each other a lot so it's messy and fun. She is an avid traveler, songwriter, language learner, and fitness junkie. Listen here for another episode with Samantha and me.For more on this topic, check out my article, "Why You Don't Need to Freak Out About Turning 30." 

My friends Corinne DuBois, Greg DuBois, and Samantha Vocarte join me to untangle some of the lies I've believed about turning 30. In this episode, we talk about where we expected we'd be at age 30, what informed those expectations, and whether we've felt internal or external pressures to be "successful" by the big 3-0. Most importantly, we talk about the concept of success in light of the Gospel and whether our ideas of success align with our call as followers of Jesus. Corinne DuBois is a thirty-year-old, redheaded piano tuner with a deep appreciation for nature and the outdoors. Mountains, lakes and forests are, to her, God's cathedrals. When she is not tuning pianos or spending time with friends and family, she's usually hatching plans for adventure. She attended college in NYC and earned a degree in politics, philosophy, and economics. Two years later, she stepped past her first white blaze on the Appalachian trail, knowing only the weight of her pack, hardly dreaming of the invaluable and sometimes difficult truths she would learn about herself, her fellow wanderers, and God. Listen to her story of the Appalachian Trail here!Greg DuBois grew up with his triplet brother and sister Ethan and Corinne in Upstate New York. After graduating from The King's College , he moved to China and has lived there ever since. After spending one year working in Ningxia Huizu Autonomous Region in Northwest China, he moved to Shanghai to study for a Master's degree in Intercultural Communication at Shanghai International Studies University. After graduating in 2017 he continued on at SISU as a Lecturer, focusing on English language classes, as well as intercultural training and education. Greg spends most of his time teaching, coaching debate, playing frisbee, or otherwise spending time on campus with students, as that is where his primary passion lies--to serve and develop the SISU student community. Having spent almost all of his 20s living abroad (and most of it single), one topic which often occupies his mind is how to live well as a single person in a country and culture which is not his own.Samantha Vocarte is a writer, artist, and small business owner living in Upstate NY. She has worked in Communications for over eight years, and shares her intimate (and often comical) journey with God through the written word…we love each other a lot so it's messy and fun. She is an avid traveler, songwriter, language learner, and fitness junkie. Listen here for another episode with Samantha and me. For more on this topic, check out my article, "Why You Don't Need to Freak Out About Turning 30."